By Sean Reilly
The Bucks County Generals 14U Black came to Diamond Nation over the weekend hoping to begin the fall season on a positive note.
What happened was the best-possible outcome, as the Pennsylvania team went unbeaten in its five games to capture the 14U Labor Day Blast championship.
“We had a great summer and then had some time off, and we were ready to go,” said Joey Bruce, who had five hits during the tournament.
After going 4-0 in pool play, the Generals ended the tournament with a 4-3 win over Lynx Northeast Marucci in the championship contest on Monday afternoon.
In the final, the Generals erased a 3-1 deficit after Logan Cruz hit a three-run triple with two out in the bottom of the third. Hunter Kephart allowed three runs, all unearned, over the first 5⅔ innings while Billy Van Sant pitched the remaining 1⅔ innings to get the save.
The Generals earned the home-team status for the final after winning two pool play games on Saturday, and two more on Sunday.
The Sunday action began with an 8-1 win over Avengers 14U, in which Bruce was 2-for-2 with a double and two-run single.
The Generals took a 1-0 lead in that game after Bruce led off the top of the second with a double, moved to third on a balk and scored when Connor Bach hit a sacrifice fly to right field.
After Avengers 14U tied in the bottom of the inning, the Generals seized control with a four-run third.
Cameron Wakeley reached on an error with one out, and after a foul out to right field, Zach Knorr and Cruz both walked to load the bases. Cooper Fontaine followed with a two-run double to center, and Bruce followed that with a two-run single to right-center.
“I was just looking to smash it and hit it hard,” Bruce said.
The other three runs came in the fifth, when Bach hit a three-run double to right.
Sunday’s pool play concluded with a 7-4 win over the same Lynx Northeast Marucci team that it would face in the final.
Hunter Kephart of BC Generals 14U Black was named MVP of the 14U Labor Day Blast.
In the pool matchup, Lynx Northeast Marucci led, 3-0, until the Generals erupted for seven runs in the top of the fifth and final inning, all after the first two batters were retired on fly outs to right field.
Mason Levitz began the comeback by hitting a double to left field. Danny Santora walked on a full count and Joey Luchette singled to left field to load the bases.
Wakeley was up next, and drew an RBI walk on a 3-1 pitch. The order then flipped to the top, and Kephart hit a three-run triple to right to give the Generals a 4-3 lead. Zach Knorr then drove in Kephart with a single to left.
Cruz was safe on an error, and Bruce was hit by a pitch to reload to the bases for Fontaine, who hit a two-run single to center.
Kephart was selected tournament MVP. Aside from being the winning pitcher in the final, he was 6-for-13 overall at the plate, with two triples, a double, five runs, two walks and seven RBI.