Bobby Grzenda of Powerballers 13U touches third en route to completing a 3-run inside the park HR.
By Sean Reilly
Bobby Grzenda hit an inside-the-park home run on Saturday at Diamond Nation, but it accounted for just one run in a game where his team didn’t win.
On Sunday, he hit another inside-the-park shot, only this one scored three runs, and his Powerballers 13U team went on to register an impressive victory.
It was rather obvious that the latter home run was much more satisfying, as it fueled a 13-5 triumph for his Pennsylvania team over Trumbull Travel Baseball from Connecticut at the Memorial Day Blast, Powered By Victus, in Flemington.
It wasn’t just the second home run, which was part of a 2-for-4 afternoon, that made Grzenda happy. The bigger aspect was how it was part of a total team effort that improved the Powerballers to 1-1-1 on the weekend, with a Monday matchup remaining against the NY Gothams (3-0), who have already clinched a first-place pool finish.
“It was nice to get a win,” Grzenda said. “It felt great today. We scored runs and pitched well.”
Grzenda also fueled a three-run top of the first for the Powerballers, who were shut out against the Diamond Jacks Super 13U on Friday before finishing in a 5-5 tie against the Morris County Cubs White on Saturday.
His two-out double in the opening inning against Trumbull was followed by a ball hit by Brayden Kashner (3-for-4) that was misplayed, allowing Grzenda to score. Evan Tamandl (3-for-4) followed with a single, and an error on the play scored Kashner. Brayden Wilson (1-for-1, three walks) then delivered an RBI double to right field.
Charlie Scott hit an RBI single with two out in the bottom of the first for Trumbull, but the inning ended on a ground out to third base with the bases loaded.
The Powerballers added three more runs in the second, courtesy of the big blow from Grzenda.
Luca Bozzo reached on a one-out single, and he moved to third when Chase Kerfoot singled with two out. A stolen base moved both runners into scoring position for Grzenda, who unloaded a ball to the gap in left center that cleared the bases and scored himself for a 6-1 lead.
“It was a fastball,” he said. “Same as the other one. It was real nice. I got a barrel on it and hit it in the gap.”
Trumbull Travel Baseball, which fell to 0-2 with two more games to play on Monday, scored four times in the bottom of the second in a rally that included a run-scoring walk to Logan Velez and a two-run single by Bradley Scavone.
That hit was followed by a pitching change that sent Dylan Freed onto the mound for the Powerballers, and he proceeded to get his team out of the inning.
The Powerballers, meanwhile, got all four of those runs back in the top of the third.
The uprising started with a single to center by Tamandl, a walk to Brayden Wilson and a single by Will Cresci (1-for-1, hit by pitch, two walks) which loaded the bases for Freed, who followed with an RBI hit. Wild pitches scored two more runs before Bozzo added an RBI ground out for a 10-5 lead.
The Powerballers added another run in the fourth. Kashner doubled to left field with two out, and Tamandl followed with an RBI single.
The other runs came in the seventh, with Everett Trefz supplying an RBI fielder’s choice and Bozzo driving in a run on a ground out to third base.
Freed, meanwhile, silenced Trumbull by allowing no runs in his long relief stint, in which he allowed two hits with two strikeouts and three walks.
Velez ended 1-for-1 with two walks and two runs out of the leadoff spot for Trumbull.