 It was just another day at the office for the 14u Five Star Tigers at Triple Crown’s US Club Nationals. A workman-like approach guided the Tigers to its third straight victory, 15-0, over the Dallas Patriots.
After dismantling the hometown 6-4-3 DP squad,12-5, and cruising past Mound Time, 12-3, it was little surprise to anyone that Five Star’s offense would shine in its third game in two days. “The boys are playing with confidence,” said head coach Eric Hurley. “They’re seeing the ball well at the plate, throwing strikes early in the counts and playing well defensively. Right now, we just want to continue doing what we’re doing.” Richard Long was pegged with the starting job on Thursday morning at East Cobb. Long worked a solid two innings, allowing just two base runners and striking out two. “I was able to locate my fastball pretty well today,” said Long. “I’ve had a couple of good previous outings on the mound and I just wanted to keep it going today.” While Long was busy blanking the Patriots in the top half of the first two innings, the Tigers were equally as busy putting together an impressive offense showcase in the bottom half. Kohl Robertson technically led the first inning off with a strikeout, but a dropped third strike, coupled with Roberston’s speed led him to reach first base easily. Right behind him, Connor Hults would smash a triple, giving Five Star its first lead of the game, 1-0. “We’ve been extremely confident at the plate as of late,” said Roberston. “Each of us believe in each other to get the job done.” The Tiger’s wouldn’t settle for a single run, though. Aggressive base running led to three stolen bases and three more runs in that initial inning to put the Tigers up, 4-0. An inning later, Five Star was up to its old tricks again. For the second time in as many innings, the Tigers led off with a dropped third strike, this time with Brogan Napier scurrying to first base. Taking advantage of the Patriots’ mistakes, Jaden Flowers and Trey Powers each notched RBI base hits behind him. Powers and Flowers stole three bases combined in the second inning. In fact, Five Star’s approach on the base paths led to 10 stolen bases throughout the morning. Reaping the fruits of their labor, the Tigers plated seven more runs in the second inning, extending their margin, 11-0. With a gigantic lead in hand, Hurley opted for Kohl Robertson on the mound. Not just a terrific lead-off hitter, Robertson dialed up two innings, nearly mirroring Long’s body of work. “Just like Richard, I knew I just had to locate my fastball,” said Robertson. In the third inning, The Tigers could almost smell victory already. Four more runs, including another dropped third strike gave Five Star a 15-0 advantage. Suddenly, the Tigers needed just three outs to secure its third victory of the tournament. Robertson delivered what Five Star needed. Aided by a throw out from catcher Trey Powers, Robertson added a strikeout and a fly out to right field to secure the win, 15-0. “It’s always a plus when you don’t have to use your pitching,” said Hurley. “But there are a lot of quality teams here. Triple Crown has done a great job putting good competition together." “So I expect this tournament to get down to the nuts and bolts real quick. I’m looking forward to it and I know my players are too.” Tags: Baseball, Triple Crown Baseball, US Club Nationals |
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