Hudson Schmidt follows through on three-run home run for Clubhouse 2026 Demarini.
By Sean Reilly
Hudson Schmidt returned home to Connecticut after a weekend at Diamond Nation as a happy baseball player. So did his Clubhouse 2026 Demarini teammates.
The fact that Schmidt just went 2-for-2, with two walks, an RBI single and a three-run home run in a 5-4 victory over Bell Ringers 2026 Aikens played a major part in the positive vibe.
So too were a couple of blocks of pitches at his catcher position with the tying run on third and two out in the seventh inning.
But the topper of it all was something else associated with the triumph that capped a 3-0 showing at the Super 16 Invitational.
“We got better with each game,” Schmidt said. “That was great, especially since this was our first tournament of the season. We started off a little rocky in our first game, we played awesome in our second game and today we played an amazing one.”
A Saturday sweep got things started. Clubhouse opened with an 8-7 win over Tri-State Arsenal 16U Victus-Kowal. A 14-3 decision over Baseball U Pa 16 National followed.
That set up the team for its final contest, against a Bell Ringers team that was 0-1 after 6-4 loss to Coal Region Sports 16U Black on Saturday night.
The Bell Ringers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first against Clubhouse. Cole Scarbinsky reached on a two-out walk. Jason Kay singled to shortstop, and Jonathan Boyd was safe on an error that scored Scarbinsky.
Clubhouse tied it in the bottom of the inning, which began with walks to Jackson Zylick and Nate Kesselmark. Schmidt followed with an RBI single.
“I got a little jammed on that,” Schmidt said. “The guy threw a pretty good two-seam in on me, and I was able to take it to left-center.”
In the second inning, Schmidt came up with runners on second and third with two out. He launched a ball out of the Field 3 batter’s box that created a loud bang after clearing the fence and hitting off the roof of the dugout on the third-base side of Field 3A.
“I had a 2-0 count and I knew the guy was going to give me a fastball,” Schmidt said. “He left it really middle, so I put it over the left field fence.”
The Bell Ringers closed to 4-2 in the third on an RBI single to right field by Scarbinsky with two out.
Clubhouse added its final run in the fourth. The inning opened with walks to Zylick, Kesselmark and Schmidt, and Gavin Maryott hit an RBI single to left.
Bell Ringers catcher Eli Price makes tag after receiving throw from left fielder Bryan Cogliano.
That run turned out to be very important.
In the top of the fifth, Danny Buckton reached for the Bell Ringers on a two-base outfield error with one out. After a strikeout, Bobby Menear hit a RBI double off the fence in left field. Schuh then sent an RBI single to get the Bell Ringers within a run.
The outcome wasn’t decided until the last pitch of the game.
Eli Price doubled to left field with one, and advanced to third on a ground out.
One of the pitches to the next batter took a bounce near the plate, but was blocked by Schmidt on an excellent turf-ball read. That count went full, and the batter swung and missed, but the ball again bounced near the plate. Schmidt made another stop on a pitch, and tagged the batter to end the game.
“The past year I’ve definitely leveled up my defensive game,” Schmidt said. “The block to hold the guy at third and also the pick I made for the dropped third strike I think was due diligence for the work that I’ve done over the fall and winter.”
The Bell Ringers also went home from Flemington on a positive note. The Pennsylvania team defeated Wladyka 16U National, 11-4, in the afternoon. Scarbinsky went 3-for-3 in the win, with two runs and two RBI.