The Aces’ Braden Chaney beats out a throw to first on a fourth inning bunt.
By Rich Bevensee
Just a week removed from using a national stage as its launching pad, the All Stars Academy Prodigy 16U ballclub has continued to generate some impressive offensive numbers.
The All Stars from upstate New York, still riding high from an impressive showing in Georgia, rolled into Flemington and scored 32 runs in four games to finish the week 4-0 in the 17/18U Wood Bat division of the Super World Series Powered by Victus on Thursday at Diamond Nation.
The crowning effort was a 10-5, five-inning defeat of the Allentown Aces in which Beckett Haughney and Brady Juliano hit back-to-back homers in the first inning and the All Stars piled up eight runs in the first two innings to create some breathing room.
The All Stars outscored the opposition, 32-9, in four games and ranked third among the three undefeated teams in the Wood Bat division.
Hudson Valley Select earned the best aggregate runs record by allowing just two runs in four games while scoring 33. Bucks County Generals 2027s Red allowed five runs and scored 32.
There is no playoff for this division. The top five teams qualify for the Showcase Series in August.
In the All Stars’ final showcase game, Haughney hit a three-run bomb, Juliano hit a solo shot, and starting pitcher Michael Santilli helped himself by going 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
Santilli limped to first in his final at bat after singling to left.
“He hurt it in the first inning when he was running to second on a foul ball,” All Stars coach Zach Frese said. “Because I batted all 12 we had no sub. He told me he wanted to stay in and he had two hits after that.”
“When it comes to hitting, we’re always competitive,” said Beckett, a 6-2 rising senior at Niskayuna (N.Y.) High. “Sometimes we hit into tough outs, but I think that every game we’re here and ready to compete.”
Brady Juliano of the All Stars is greeted by Cody Mills after slamming a solo HR in the first inning.
For the week Haughney went 3-for-10 with a double, triple, homer, seven RBI and three runs scored. Against the Aces, he hammered his third homer of the summer and his first since going deep in the World Wood Bat Association National Championship at the East Cobb complex in Marietta, Georgia, earlier this month.
“Yesterday we didn’t have our offense (in a 5-2 defeat of the Connecticut Mets), but hitting is contagious,” Frese said. “Once one guy starts hitting, everyone follows. We had some kids who have been struggling this summer and all of a sudden came along this week. And when our 10-11-12 guys are hitting, we’re a tough team to pitch to.”
Propelled by its explosive offense, the All-Stars went 4-2 at the WWBA event, shut out two opponents, reached the first round of the playoffs and outscored the opposition 44-26.
In Georgia, the All Stars beat CBU 2028 United Severidt of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 12-0, and Knights Knation Alabama 16U of Pell City, Ala., 7-0. They lost to Canes American 2028 16U of Fredericksburg, Va., 9-1, then beat Wow Factor Carolina National 16U of Denton, N.C., 8-0, and 6-4-3 DP Tigers 16U of Marietta, Ga., 11-7. The All Stars bowed to Canes Midwest National 2028 16U of Indianapolis, Ind, 10-5, in the playoffs.
Santilli, a righty and rising junior at Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, pitched 2⅔ innings and surrendered three runs on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts. With the All Stars leading 8-3 with two out in the top of the third and two runners in scoring position, Santilli handed off to southpaw Dominic Clary who got a strikeout to end the inning.
Clary, a rising senior and Santilli’s teammate at CBA, threw 2⅓ innings and yielded two runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts. After escaping the third, Clary stranded two more runners in scoring position.
“I definitely have my off days with that (pitching with runners on base) but I’m still working on that,” said Clary, who made his first appearance on the mound since the team went to Georgia. “Mostly it’s about blocking out everything and focusing on the batter. I love the pressure coming into a tight spot. Bases loaded, no outs, getting three punches and setting them down, that’s the best feeling ever.”
“Dominic has great stuff,” Frese said. “When he has command of his slider, he’s always able to hold runners on. When he gets ahead in counts he’s really hard to hit. He’s usually getting ahead early and often and he’s good at that because his stuff moves a lot.”
Allentown finished the week 1-3 after enduring three straight one-run games to start the week. The Aces lost to Spartans Baseball, 4-3, defeated Ghost PA, 4-3, and lost to East Coast Ghost, 4-3.
Jake Strobl accounted for half of the Aces hits, going 3-for-3 with an RBI.
After Haughney and Juliano homered in the first to account for all four runs, Luqkai Dickson had an RBI groundout to make the score 4-1.
The All Stars scored four more runs in the second. Chase Meisner and Richie Szenat both walked to force runs home, Scott Hutton singled home a run and Santilli added an RBI double to make the score 8-1.
The Aces bounced back with two more runs in the third. Braden Chaney scored on a passed ball and Strobl added an RBI single.
In the bottom of the third Juliano scored on a wild pitch for a 9-3 All Stars lead.
The back-and-forth scoring continued in the fourth when the Aces scored two more runs, as Dickson scored on a wild pitch and Dylan Mitchell scored from second on a throwing error following a perfect bunt by Braden Chaney.
The All Stars scored the final run of the game in the fourth when Santilli struck again with an RBI single.