By Sean Reilly

Some wins are more satisfying than others, and that was certainly the case for the Diamond Jacks Super 15U on Sunday afternoon. 

There were smiles all around on Field 7 at Diamond Nation after the DJacks played a crisp all-around game to beat Intensity 15U Slate, 3-0, in the final of the 15U Fall Brawl, Powered By Cortes & Hay, 

One reason was that it was the final game of the year for the DJacks. Ending the campaign with a title thus became an obvious priority. 

The other factor was the opponent. The teams played on Sept. 21 at a tournament on Staten Island, and the DJacks had very little go their way in a 12-3, five-inning loss. 

“We did a lot right today,” said Owen Ehrenkranz, the DJacks starting pitcher, who allowed one hit over six innings, with nine strikeouts and two walks. “They beat us the last time and I pitched that game as well. We made a lot of errors, with too many walks and didn’t really hit. We really flipped the script in this game and played well.” 

The rematch was scoreless until the DJacks struck for two runs in the bottom of the third. 

After the first seven DJacks batters in the game were retired, Gavin Ross was hit by a pitch. He advanced on a wild pitch before Anthony Whelan hit a fly ball near the right field line. The outfielder tried to make a lunging catch, but the ball bounced past him and toward the corner. 

Whelan wound up with a standup triple, and he scored the second run on a wild pitch with Ehrenkranz at the plate. 

Whelan was named tournament MVP for his efforts during a weekend in which the DJacks went 4-0 while outscoring their opponents, 28-3. The last three wins were by shutout.

Anthony Whelan of the Diamond Jacks Super 15U was named 15U Fall Brawl MVP.

“I was just looking at making contact on the triple because I had two strikes,” Whelan said.

The third run came in the fifth inning. 

Gino Spigarelli led off and was hit by a pitch. He advanced on a wild pitch before Owen Rivenbark walked. A force out at second left runners on first and third with Whelan at-bat, and a wild pitch scored Spigarelli. 

The Intensity was hitless until Matt McGlynn singled to left field with two out in the fifth. 

Christian Mascaro led off the seventh with a first-pitch single against DJacks reliever Gabe Miller, but Miller responded by getting the next batter to ground into a first-pitch double play. The next hitter flew out to left field to end the game.

Ehrenkranz was exceptional in a start that will carry positive vibes into his off-season and then his freshman season at Gill St. Bernards.

“My slider and changeup were definitely working,” he said. “I’ve been working on mixing my pitches a lot more, so I thought that I did a good job of that, and also commanding the zone with my fastball, which I’ve also been working on. All of that kind of culminated in this game.” 

He was also pleased with the way his team played in its final game after a long season together. 

“The season was great,” Ehrenkranz said. “I love playing with the guys, and we ended it by playing really hard today.”