Grit 14U Black first baseman Anthony Caruso handles throw from shortstop Ty Madden.
By Sean Reilly
Sean Concannon made his season debut for Grit 14U Black on Friday afternoon, and it didn’t take long for him to make an impression.
Concannon, who batted third as an extra hitter, went 3-for-3, scored twice and drove in a run as Grit defeated .9ers Baseball Club, 13-0, in its pool play opener at the 14U Easter Extravaganza Tournament at Diamond Nation.
Grit, out of New City, N.Y., followed that game with a 9-3 victory over Team New Jersey Elite to keep it in position to be one of the the four teams among the 10 competing who’ll qualify for the Saturday playoffs.
“I worked a lot during the off-season,” he said. “The key today was to play as a team and pick each other up.”
Grit did plenty of that on Friday, especially during the victory over .9ers Baseball Club. The team made constant contact at the plate, forcing its opponent to make plays, and it also received solid pitching from Brandon Stabile, who allowed just three singles while tossing the four-inning shutout.
Grit took a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Matt Denoyelles and Kevin Comblo walked, before Concannon legged out a single to shortstop to load the bases.
Anthony Caruso then hit a ball that dropped just in front of a hard-charging center fielder, which scored Denoyelles and forced out the trail runner at second base. Ty Ostrowski was up next, and his ground out to first base scored Comblo. The other runs in the inning scored on a wild pitch and when Justin Olivo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Grit then sent 12 batters to the plate while scoring eight times after the first batter was retired in the second inning.
Comblo tripled in Denoyelles, who had walked, with the first run. Concannon followed with a RBI single. Caruso and Ostrowski each walked to load the bases, and Danny Higgins followed with an RBI single compounded by an error to bring in two more runs. Ty Madden singled in another run, and a ball hit by Logan Jarer scored the final two.
Concannon’s third hit was a one-out single in the third, and he scored on a single by Caruso.
“This was a nice way to start,” Concannon said. “I’m looking to win a few tournaments, have some fun with my teammates and have a good time.”
.9ers Baseball Club bounced back with an 11-4 decision over Diamond Primed of New York City on Friday night to remain in contention for a playoff spot.