By Sean Reilly
There was one particular play during the course of the 12U King of the Diamond championship game on Sunday night which showed the strength of the Flores Baseball 12U Red Scout team.
Cash Dua, the leadoff hitter for Finest 12U Navy, worked the count full starting off the bottom of the third before hitting a grounder to deep shortstop that would have been a single in just about any other situation, especially at the 12U level.
Instead, Braves shortstop Matteo Pandolfini made a back-handed stab, pivoted, and quickly made a bullet throw that was snagged by first baseman Justin Rosario for as impressive a play that you’ll see made by any infielder at Diamond Nation.
It was all part of an overall team display which led to an 11-4 victory for the Fairfield-based FB Braves on the sharp, brand-new turf on Field 6 at ‘The Nation.’
The Braves aren’t just another team. While most are just beginning their seasons, they’ve already made a very successful trip to a tournament in Houston in early March.
At the King of the Diamond, they opened pool play on Friday with a 10-6 win over another powerful outfit, the Diamond Jacks Super 12U.
The Braves on Saturday swept the Road Warriors, 14-5, and Morris County Cubs White, 7-6, to clinch a berth in the Sunday final.
When game time arrived against the Finest, the Braves were ready.
After beginning the top of the first with singles by Chase McDougall and Pandolfini, Andrew Nazare hit an RBI double.
Nazare, who went 1-for-2 with a walk and also pitched into the third inning as the starter, was selected tournament MVP after going 6-for-10 with three doubles, six runs and seven RBI. His two-run single with two out in the bottom of the fifth was the difference in the pool clincher over the Cubs.
Nazare was also the winning pitcher after a quick stint in the first Saturday game, which made him available for the final. He threw out two runners while playing catcher later in that game.
“This was a good weekend,” he said. “I was feeling more confident because I did well in the prior tournament in Texas.”
The Braves extended their lead to 2-0 in the second when Joseph Anderson tripled to right field with one out and Gabe Larino followed with a sacrifice fly to left.
The Long Island-based Finest tied it with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Griffin Myers led off with a full count walk, and after two strikeouts, Greyson Carretta homered on a 3-2 pitch over the fence in left-center field.
Andrew Nazare of FB Braves 12U Red Scout was named the 12U King Of The Diamond MVP.
The Braves pulled away by generating six runs in the top of the third for an 8-2 lead, with all but one run coming with two out and with most batters reaching with two strike counts.
Pandolfini began the rally with a one-out single to center, and after stealing two bases, scored the go-ahead run on an error. After a ground out, Kenji Estrella singled to center on a 0-2 pitch to deliver a run for a 4-2 advantage.
Rosario was hit by a pitch and Anderson singled to second base, which loaded the bases for Larino. He responded with a two-run single to center.
Rehan Rawal was up next, and smacked a double to left field for the six-run lead.
The Finest closed to 8-4 in the bottom of the inning. Danny Castro doubled and later scored on the front end of a double steal with two out and John Kletzkin followed with an RBI single.
The Braves added an exclamation point in the fourth, which commenced with walks to McDougall and Pandolfini. After a strikeout, Henry Esposito took a 3-1 pitch over the fence in left field for a home run and the final seven-run margin.
Pandolfini went 2-for-2, with three runs scored. For the weekend, he was 7-for-9 with eight runs.
McDougall was the winning pitcher in relief, allowing one hit and retiring the final seven batters over 2.2 innings. He struck out two and walked none. The leadoff man also had five hits and hit safely in all four games in the tournament.