Thomas Advances to Championship Game
GM 6: No. 5 Seed Warner 7, No. 3 Seed Webber International 3
Records: Warner (34-19), Webber International (34-19)
Game Time: 3:40
Pitchers of Record: W: Theune (3-2), L: Shutrump (3-3)
Weather: 80, sunny
Location: FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, Fla.
The Warriors and the Royals took the field vying for a spot in the game to immediately follow against the No. 6 seed Thomas, who began the tournament with two victories. Quirino Esquivel’s two-out, RBI single in the top of the first inning put Webber International in front with the game’s opening run, and the Warriors capitalized with yet another two-out base knock in the second to grab a 2-0 lead. The Royals proceeded to tie it up at 2-2 to conclude the second inning, first scoring on an RBI groundout from Erich Jaquez and then on an infield single from Scott Fickas with two outs.
In the top half of the fifth, Webber International loaded the bases with one out. Warner starting pitcher Michael Batten however got a groundball for a force out at home plate before a strikeout that ended the Warrior scoring threat. Batten continued to battle and nearly escaped more trouble in the top of the sixth by inducing what had the chance to be an inning-ending double play, but instead Willie Carter beat out the play at first base and Garrett Martin had an aggressive turn around third base to come all the way home to hand the Warriors a 3-2 lead.
On the other side, Webber International relief pitcher John Shutrump entered at the start of the third inning and rolled along with three shutout innings of work, but Fickas’ two-out double in the bottom of the sixth tied it up once again at 3-3.
After a scoreless seventh inning posted by Warner’s Joey Theune and Shutrump, it was Warner that went ahead 7-3 in the bottom of the eighth. Jaquez turned on a breaking ball for a two-run homer, Fickas singled and stole second before Ronny Penalo doubled him in, and the final run came after a single from Deven Kirkland. Theune sealed the win from the mound in the ninth, as his fourth strikeout of the game for the final out set up a showdown with the No. 6 seed Thomas.
GM 7: No. 6 Seed Thomas 12, No. 5 Seed Warner 1
Records: Thomas (27-24), Warner (34-20)
Game Time: 2:47
Pitchers of Record: W: Haley (4-3), L: Joyner (3-4)
Weather: 86, partly cloudy
Location: FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, Fla.
The Night Hawks and Royals took to the diamond playing for a spot in the Sun Conference Tournament Championship game/s. The opening inning went scoreless, but Thomas snagged a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second after Randall Heller stepped to the plate with two runners in scoring position and came through with a single into left field. The Thomas offense increased the lead to 3-0 in the third after Levi O’Steen smashed an RBI double to left-center field. The Night Hawks’ Patrick Haley got off to a quality start on the mound in his hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida and allowed just two Warner singles and four walks through five scoreless innings.
Warner’s starting pitcher Jarrett Joyner was relieved by left-hander Kody Smith to start the bottom of the fifth, but Jake Bryan’s RBI single in the frame increased Thomas’ cushion to 4-0. The Royals were able to bring their first run of the game across in the top of the sixth to make it 4-1, as Ronny Penalo eventually came around to score after a leadoff triple. Haley however limited the damage by concluding the frame with a strikeout, and the Thomas lineup produced six more runs in their next at-bats to pull away and make it 10-1. Chase Hinson had his third hit of the game and second double for two RBI, O’Steen had his third hit of the game as well, and Jacob Schmidt’s gap-shot to right center field drove in the final two runs during the big inning.
Two more Thomas runs were tacked on in the seventh, and the Night Hawks remained the tournament’s lone unbeaten squad while securing their spot In the Sun Conference Tournament Championship game/s with a dominant 12-1 result over Warner.
GM 8: No. 3 Seed Webber International 5, No. 1 Seed Southeastern 3
Records: Webber International (35-19), Southeastern (48-10)
Game Time: 3:10
Pitchers of Record: W: Blackman (8-0), L: Wilson (6-2)
Weather: 75, cloudy
Location: FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, Fla.
The game began at approximately 7:20 p.m., much later than intended as both teams experienced a long delay due to lightning in the West Palm Beach area. In just his second start of the season, the Webber International freshman Austin Seeman ran into some trouble in the bottom of the second with his control, and Southeastern claimed a 1-0 lead after Willie Estrada took ball four. Southeastern’s starter Austin Covers was able to strike out five the first time through the Warrior batting order and held Webber International scoreless and hitless through four, as the Fire went into the fifth inning still in front 1-0.
The Warriors however manufactured a run in the top of the fifth with a two-out, RBI single from Norberto Navarro to tie it at one run apiece, and Kyle Wilson entered in relief of Covers shortly after for the Fire to record the third out and keep the Warriors from taking a lead. After Seeman’s solid five innings pitched for the Warriors, Gerig Blackman took the hill and posted a zero in the sixth before the Warriors went ahead 2-1 in the top of the seventh after Willie Carter’s RBI double into the gap in left center field.
Webber International wasn’t done offensively after taking their first lead of the game, and went ahead 4-1 in the top of the eighth following an RBI single up the middle from Nolan Solivares that was mishandled in the outfield to allow the second run to come around to score. Blackman meanwhile kept the Fire bats at bay until Southeastern did damage with two-outs in the bottom of the eighth. Ivan Nunez laced an RBI triple into the outfield and Noah Stroll proceeded to drive him in with an RBI single up the middle, as the two teams went into the ninth with Webber International leading 4-3.
The Warriors added an insurance run from Navarro after a balk and wild pitch from Southeastern, and with Webber International holding a 5-3 deficit headed into the bottom of the ninth, Blackman was able to record the final out by way of a strikeout to advance the Warriors and eliminate the tournament’s top-seed.
The complete schedule and the full results from the 2019 Sun Conference Tournament so far are located at the
Tournament Central. With three teams remaining, Sunday’s slate begins at 9:00 a.m. with the No. 5 seed Warner and No. 3 seed Webber International, while the No. 6 seed Thomas will face the winner in the Sun Conference Tournament Championship 30 minutes after that game’s conclusion.