Rip City USA first baseman Zack Floyd steps on first for out after handling throw away from bag.
By Sean Reilly
Rip City USA came from its base in Massachusetts to Diamond Nation for the 14U World Series hoping to continue the stellar results that it had put together during the first few weeks of the summer season.
Two games into the tournament, the outcomes have been ideal.
After opening with a 9-0, five-inning victory over the New York Grays on Tuesday, Rip City USA was matched with another Massachusetts team, New England Show 14U Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
The result in that game was even better, as Rip City USA won, 11-0, in four innings.
“We’ve done a good job of getting guys in when we need to and our pitchers are throwing strikes,” said Rip City USA coach Kyle Priest. “We’ve always been very clean defensively, so as long as our pitchers throw strikes, we’re going to hit and we’re going to play clean defense.”
In the victory on Tuesday, Kayleb Judd threw a complete game and walked none.
In Wednesday’s triumph, Fily Peralta threw three innings, allowing one infield hit with one strikeout and three walks. Kellan Haley allowed one hit with two strikeouts in his one inning of relief.
“It’s been pretty good,” said Gavin Fraser, who walked, tripled and scored twice against New England Show Hall.
Despite the 20-minute proximity of the teams back home, they were meeting for only the second time in three years.
Rip City USA, whose tournament showings this summer have included a runner-up finish (competing in a 15U event) and a championship, scored three quick runs in the top of the first against New England Show Hall.
Josh Roberts led off and was hit by a pitch. He advanced to second on a wild pitch before Fraser walked. A double steal advanced both into scoring position.
Connor Durney hit a single to right field that scored Roberts, and with runners on the corners, an errant pickoff throw to first scored Fraser and sent Durney to second.
The first out of the inning came on a groundout to second which moved Durney over to third, and he scored when Judd also grounded out to second.
Rip City USA added to its lead in the second. Peralta led off with a single to center field, and he moved to second on a wild pitch. At that point, he was replaced by courtesy runner Ben Hutchinson, who stole third and scored as Noah Collins grounded out to shortstop.
Rip City USA blew the game open by sending 10 to the plate and scoring five times in the third inning.
Fraser led off the inning with a standup triple to right center, and he scored on an error. Durney and Zack Floyd walked, and after an out, Thomas McElaney reached on a fielder’s choice bunt that loaded the bases.
Peralta then hit a grounder to second that resulted in a force out that also scored Durney for a 6-0 lead. Collins hit a two-run triple to center, and he scored the ninth run on a wild pitch.
Rip City USA third baseman Kayleb Judd makes catch for an out.
The final two runs came in the fourth and final inning. Durney reached for the third time in as many at-bats when he was hit by a pitch. He stole two bases, giving him three for the game, and scored his third run when Floyd reached on an error. Singles by Judd and McElaney loaded the bases for Peralta, and he drew an RBI walk.
New England Show Hall, which outlasted Prodigy Hitmen, 11-10, in its tournament opener on Tuesday, got a hit to the left side of the infield from Frankie Carrasquillo in the third and a single to left field from
Drew Martinchick in the fourth.
Rip City USA concludes pool play in the tournament with two games on Thursday, opposite Total Skills Baseball 14U (0-2) in the morning and Prodigy Hitmen (0-1-1) in the afternoon. The team looks to compete in the playoffs on Friday.
“We’re going pretty good,” Fraser said. “We’re looking to win everything we can.”