Connor Williams of the LIB Expos Black returns to first ahead of pickoff attempt.
By Sean Reilly
The NJ Nationals 12U White do a lot of things well, and it fittingly begins with the player atop the batting order.
Hudson Laset hits first for the North Jersey-based team, and his knack for getting on base has helped his team clinch a first-place pool finish and corresponding playoff berth at the Diamond Nation 12U Youth World Series.
Laset was 2-for-2 with two runs, a walk and two RBI in an 11-1, four-inning victory over the Locked In Baseball Expos Black on Saturday in Flemington.
His first eight at-bats in the tournament have produced five hits, with five runs and four RBI.
Jayce Silva scores for NJ Nationals on RBI double from Hudson Laset.
“I try to be selective when I’m up there, to get the right pitch and get on base,” he said. “We’ve gotten off to a really good start. We’ve done a good job with the bats, pitching and making plays in the field.”
The Nationals began the tournament with a two-game sweep on Friday — a 13-3 win over Tucci Elite and then a huge 4-1 triumph over the Diamond Jacks Super 12U.
That put the Nationals in position to clinch the pool against the LIB Expos, and they delivered.
The Expos took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, after Will Kanjo reached on an error, and later scored on another miscue. The Nationals would tighten up defensively and play error-free ball the rest of the way.
Laset led off the bottom of the inning by lining a single to center on a 1-1 pitch. He stole two bases before scoring on J.P. Canon’s double to left field. An error on the throw to second advanced Canon to third, and he scored when Bobby Canon hit a one-out groundout to second.
The Nationals added another run in the second, when Oliver Federman hit a two-out triple to right-center and scored on a wild pitch.
The Nationals’ lead extended to 6-1 with a three-run sixth.
Montez Betances led off with a single to second, and after stealing second, he moved to third on a Jayce Silva single to right field. Silva moved up a base on a wild pitch, and both runners scored on Laset’s double to right field.
Laset moved over to third when J.P. Canon grounded out to shortstop, and he scored on a ground out to second from Isaiah Ramirez.
The game ended when the Nationals scored five times in the fourth.
J.P. Canon of the NJ Nationals pulls into third after advancing an extra base following his RBI double.
Bobby Canon walked and stole a base, and moved to third when Bobby Bellino produced yet another productive ground out. Silas Parks was safe on a run-scoring error. Owen Rockmaker walked, and both scored on Sebastian Utter’s single to center.
Betances added an RBI single with two out, and after a walk to Laset, the game ended on a bases-loaded single from J.P. Canon.
Ramirez pitched the first three innings for the Nationals, allowing one hit with four strikeouts and one walk. Rockmaker worked the fourth inning, allowing one hit with two strikeouts and no walks.
Ryan Hado and Gino Badalamenti hit singles for the Expos.