Catcher Ethan Giangiulio of ASBA Futures Navy fires throw toward second base.
By Sean Reilly
Brady Fox arrived at Diamond Nation this week with a rather simple objective.
“My goal was to win,” he said.
He did his part on Tuesday afternoon, allowing one run over five innings on the mound and going 2-for-3 with three RBI at the plate as his Titus Baseball Academy team defeated ASBA Futures 2023 Navy, 5-3, at the 17U World Series in Flemington.
Fox, a left-hander and rising junior at Sanford High School in Delaware, was sharp during his pitching stint. He allowed one run on four hits, with 10 strikeouts and three walks.
“My fastball was working,” he said. “The curveball was kind of slipping away from me. When that happens, I usually go to the changeup, but today I stayed with the fastball, because it felt good.”
It’s also a plus to pitch with a lead, and Fox helped himself significantly in that regard.
After pitching a scoreless top of the first, Fox helped Titus Baseball Academy score twice after the first two batters were retired in the bottom of the inning.
Will Outslay started the rally by hitting a standup triple to right field. Fox then followed with an RBI single to right. After a walk to Mac Keating, Maximus Mullins (3-for-3) delivered a run-scoring double to the left field corner.
ASBA Futures Navy got a run back in the top of the second, but the damage could have been much worse.
The inning for the Pennsylvania team began with walks to Zach Brockner and Joseph Mazzone. Zaden Mahrt then reached on a well-placed single on the right side of the infield to load the bases. Fox struck out the next two batters to almost get out of the jam, but Evan Frank – a player he knows as an ex-rec ball teammate from back home in Delaware – coaxed an RBI base on balls. The next batter struck out to end the inning.
Titus Baseball added single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to command a 5-1 lead.
Fox grounded into a run-scoring fielder’s choice to shortstop with one out and the bases loaded in the third, and Brady Bollman had an RBI single in the fourth when his high chopper off of home plate scored Mullins from third with one out.
In the fifth inning, Outslay reached on a two-out strikeout and moved to second on a passed ball before scoring on a single by Fox to left field.
“It’s amazing to pitch with a lead,” Fox said. “You don’t have to worry as much.”
A reliever took over for Titus Baseball Academy for the final two innings. ASBA Futures Navy left runners on first and second in the sixth before putting together a larger and much more threatening rally attempt in the seventh.
With one out, Mahrt (3-for-3) singled to left field and stole second. Dylan Rosco hit an RBI single to left field before Frank hit a ball to center field that was lost in the sun for a run-scoring double. The next batter flew out to left field to end the game.
Titus Baseball is now 1-1 in the tournament. It had lost a 4-2 game to the Diamond Jacks Super 16U on Monday. It returns to action against Power 5 (1-1) on Wednesday.
ASBA Futures Navy is now 0-2, and plays 5 Star National Long Island (0-2) on Wednesday.
