Braxton Cosover singled up the middle to drive in the tying run in the sixth inning for the Flash.
By Rich Bevensee
The Lehigh Valley Flash 12U ballclub hasn’t played together in a tournament since the spring, but none of the players seem to have lost their knack for performing well in the heat of the moment.
Take, for instance, how the team responded to being two runs down in its final at bat in the opening pool play game of the 12U Summer Bash on Friday evening at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Braxton Cosover was hitless in two at bats before he came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth and he coolly provided a sharp, game-tying RBI single. Caleb Yoder, another young man with ice in his veins, hit a hard infield chopper with two out to drive in two runs and propel the Flash to a dramatic 6-4 victory over the Keystone Aces.
“We all want to be up in that moment,” Yoder said. “It’s always tough, but nobody on this team is scared to fail. Everyone wants to succeed, and if you have that mindset there’s a better chance that you will succeed.”
The Flash (7-0), based in Northampton, Pa., and playing in its first tournament since April 18, will face the North Penn Raiders on Saturday in its bid to qualify for the four-team semifinals on Sunday.
The Danville, Pa.-based Aces (6-1) also have a game against the North Penn Raiders tomorrow. The 12U championship bracket semifinals are at 12:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m., and the final is at 4:30 p.m.
There is also a three-team Silver Bracket playoff for the 12U division. The semis are at 8 a.m. and the final is at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
The Flash found themselves in a precarious situation after a shaky fourth inning in which it surrendered two unearned runs and allowed the Aces to take a 4-2 lead.
“We had the one inning when it got ugly, and that’s one of the reasons we’re playing this weekend,” Flash coach Chris Dotta said. “Next weekend we’re going to Aberdeen for a Ripken tournament and this is our warmup to get the bugs out and get our reps in.”
The Flash entered the top of the sixth trailing, 4-2, and faced their final at bat. Colton Wehr led off by coaxing a walk, Zane Balaziuk singled, and they both advanced one base on a wild pitch. Wehr then raced home on another wild pitch to bring the Flash within a run.
With one out, Cosover ripped a sharp single through the middle to score Balaziuk and tie the game at 4-4.
“It’s a great time to be in that spot,” Cosover said. “Major Leaguers don’t get on base every single time. You can’t always come out on top. But I always want to have that big hit to tie or win the game. There is some nervousness to it but I try not to think about it.”
Jaxon Heisler followed Cosover’s hit with a walk and they both moved into scoring position on a passed ball. On a 1-1 pitch, Yoder hit a hard, high chopper which glanced off Aces pitcher Moses Mead’s glove and up the middle, a key piece of hitting which allowed Cosover and Heisler to score the go-ahead runs.
“Ever since we started this team four years ago we’ve been in a lot of those situations,” Yoder said. “I think we’re used to it by now. We know how to battle through it.”
Carter Boris drove in two runs with a two-out single in the third inning for the Aces.
Dotta said his players have done so well in coming from behind in previous games that he almost takes it for granted how consistent they perform in the clutch. At the same time, he is still astounded by how these young players don’t flinch in big moments.
One of the most dramatic comebacks the Flash pulled off this past spring came on April 29 when it trailed the Upper Allen Wildcats of Mechanicsburg, Pa., by a run in the bottom of the seventh and won, 15-14.
“I’m telling you, these guys have something special,” Dotta said. “If you go back and look at the games we’ve played, we’ve done that over and over and over. It’s incredible. These guys never give up. They have a ton of resilience, they trust themselves, and they go out there and perform.
“We get out there and I’m probably more nervous than those kids are. Am I surprised by them? Yes, but then I’m not.”
The Flash began the scoring in the top of the second when Heisler scored on a Mason Dotta RBI single to right.
The Aces responded by taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third, thanks to a two-out, two-run single by Carter Boris, the team’s No. 11 hitter.
The Flash tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth when Cosover’s RBI groundout plated Michael Magazzu.
Things got a little shaky for the Flash in the bottom of the fourth, as two infield errors allowed Noah Hoffman and Perry Drumheller to cross and give the Aces a 4-2 lead.
“We’ve been behind before and the boys know how to respond to that,” Dotta said. “There is no quit. This really is a special group.”
Cosover (2⅔ innings), Wehr (2 ⅓ innings) and Brady Collins (one inning) handled the pitching for the Flash.
River Zechman, Drumheller and Mead each pitched two innings for the Aces (6-1).