By Sean Reilly

The odds may have seemed stacked against the Flores Baseball Braves 13U Red on Saturday afternoon at Diamond Nation, but that wasn’t really the case at all. 

First, the FB Braves were a 13U team playing against older competition all weekend in the 14U Easter Extravaganza tournament.

Second, their championship opponent was the top-seeded Jersey Devils 14U-Pando, who entered the game with a 3-0 tournament record with a 20-6 run differential. 

Thirdly, because Jersey Devils had the lone playoff bye and did not have to play a quarterfinal, the Braves had to play one more game on Saturday. 

Having to play three games on Saturday – when their older opponent had to play just twice – could have been too much for the Braves and their pitching staff to overcome. 

All of that thinking, however, would have been wrong. Because, quite simply, this particular Braves squad is no ordinary team. 

By doing a bit of everything, like hitting for power and dropping down a number of bunts, pitching exceptionally and playing strong defense, the FB Braves rolled to a 15-1, six-inning win against their older and more rested opponent for the championship in Flemington. 

Leadoff batter and starting pitcher A.J. Rossi was selected tournament MVP for the Braves, who are now 12-1-1 this spring after their unbeaten five-game weekend at ‘The Nation.’ 

Rossi was 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBI in the final. He also pitched four scoreless innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout and no walks. 

He was also the winning pitcher in relief in the semifinals, when the Braves scored a run in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-2 victory over Sportika National 14U.

For the weekend, Rossi was 7-for-10 with six runs and four RBI. 

“We played the best,” Rossi said. “Our team made the plays in the field, we backed up the pitchers, we hit really well, we played some small ball, moved guys over and took home the ‘chip. We did our job.” 

The Braves set a tone against the Devils in the top of the first. Rossi led off the game with a single to left field, and was sacrificed to second by Joseph Cepiel. Zack Powell lined out to third, but when the fielder tried to double up Rossi at second, a bad throw instead moved him over to third. Anthony Minyetty was intentionally walked, but a passed ball with Mike DeLorenzo at the plate enabled Rossi to score. 

Three more runs came in the third inning for a 4-0 lead. Henry Esposito hit a one-out double to left, and Luke Yarkon followed with an RBI double to deep left. After Yarkon moved to third on a wild pitch, Rossi dropped down a squeeze bunt that resulted in an RBI single compounded by a throwing error which sent him to second. Rossi took third on a wild pitch and scored as Cepiel grounded out to third. 

Another bunt factored into a run in the fourth inning.

A.J. Rossi of the FB Braves 13U Red was named 14U Easter Extravaganza MVP.

Minyetty led off with a walk and stole second. He was sacrificed to third by DeLorenzo and scored on a wild pitch with Tyler Ballard batting.

The lead went to 6-0 in the fifth. Bryce Lombardi, who went 2-for-3, led off with a single to right. Andrew Nazare doubled to left field, and Esposito brought in Lombardi on a safety squeeze. 

The Jersey Devils scored in the bottom of the fifth when Tyler Rich led off with a walk and later scored on a ground out from Logan Saganowski.

The Braves blew the game open with a nine-run sixth inning. 

The inning featured RBI singles from Minyetty, DeLorenzo, Lombardi and Powell, along with a run-scoring fielder’s choice from Rossi. The other runs scored on wild pitches and passed balls. 

Aside from Rossi and Lombardi, Powell also finished with two hits for the Braves. 

Matteo Pandolfini was 2-for-2 with a walk for the Jersey Devils. 

“We’re definitely a team to watch, even in these 14U tournaments playing up,” Rossi said. “I feel like we can compete at any level. It’s definitely a challenge, but I think with the guys we have in the dugout, we can do our best to win these tournaments. We have a lot of pitchers, and the bats were there to win this tournament.” 

It was all of those things that made Braves coach A.J. Flores believe that his team was fully capable. 

“They were awesome the whole weekend,” Flores said. “The pitchers threw strikes, the defense was unreal, and we played a lot of small ball, which was also awesome. I liked them moving up and playing the extra game. The more reps they get, the better they get. And we’ve got 13 guys and 12 of them can pitch, so no one threw too much today and over the weekend.”