By Sean Reilly
The situation was a tough one, but Wesley Beaudette was ready, willing and able to succeed on the pitching mound for the Flores Baseball Braves 12U White on Saturday morning at Diamond Nation.
The Braves were matched against the North Jersey Millers in the semifinal round of the Easter Extravaganza 12U Silver bracket, and had already fallen behind by three runs when Beaudette was called upon to relieve mid-batter with a runner on second and two out in the top of the third inning.
Despite taking over with a two ball, no strike count on the batter, he would strike him out.
Beaudette wound up throwing 2⅓ hitless innings, with five strikeouts and one walk, while the Braves scored in every remaining inning to rally for a 9-5 victory in Flemington.
That triumph vaulted the Braves into the championship contest immediately after against the Westchester Giants Gold, and this time they opened a seven-run lead before holding on for a 9-6 triumph for the title.
It was all made possible by the impressive relief work by Beaudette, a hard-throwing right-hander, in the semifinal.
Beaudette entered with his team trailing, 5-2, and with a Millers runner on second and the 2-0 count on the batter, who ultimately became his first strikeout victim after three straight swings and misses.
Nick Lembo scores on wild pitch for the FB Braves 12U White.
“I had to get him, and the next couple of kids after him,” Beaudette said. “You just have to make sure you throw strikes and hit your spots. It’s kind of difficult, because you’re coming in with the 2-0 count. I’m already behind, so I can’t make mistakes because they have the runner on base, and I had to help my team.”
Beaudette threw harder than the Braves starter, so he didn’t stray much from fastballs. The Millers batters, meanwhile, had a hard time adjusting to the bump in velocity.
The Short Hills-based Millers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
Leadoff man A.J. O’Neill walked, stole second and scored when Lucas Pick followed with a double to left field. Pick then stole the first of his three bases before later scoring on a wild pitch.
The Braves tied in the bottom of the second. Nick Lembo led off and was hit by a pitch. Keisen Tejada singled to center and the runners advanced on a passed ball. Lembo scored on a ball four wild pitch to Jake Bernstein, and Tejada scored as Brandon Molinari was retired on a sacrifice fly to center.
The Millers scored three times in the third. Andrew DeLaurier led off with a single and advanced to third on wild pitches before Pick (2-for-3) hit an RBI single to center. Pick stole two bases before scoring on a passed ball. Will Crofton singled, advanced on a passed ball and scored when Ryan Hadu singled to center.
After two pitches, both balls, to the next batter, the momentum shifted for good when Beaudette moved from right field to pitcher.
The Braves scored twice in the bottom of the frame, with another boost from Beaudette, the third batter in the order.
Will Crofton steals third for the North Jersey Millers 12U.
He led off with a single to left, and Santino Pena followed with an infield hit on a chopper to third. The runners advanced on a double steal. Beaudette drew a throw from home to third after taking a lead on a pitch, and stole home to get the Braves within 5-3. Pena would score when Tejada hit a two-out single to shortstop.
The Braves took the lead with a four-run fourth.
The inning began with walks to Tristan Strawder and Molinari. Jacen Ovalle hit a one-run double to the left-field corner, and Nicholas Guillen responded with a two-run double to center for a 7-5 advantage. He later scored from third when Carter Johnson grounded out to right field.
The final run came in the bottom of the fifth. Bernstein walked, stole two bases and scored on a balk just before the 1:50 play clock expired to end the game.
In the championship win over the Giants, Pena finished 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Bernstein and Molinari both went 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Bernstein hit a two-run home run to center with two out in the second inning for a 3-1 lead. Molinari hit a two-run homer to left with two out in the fourth for a 7-2 advantage.