CARY, N.C. - Following a heartbreaking loss in the semifinal NW Elite was able to bounce back and defeat the East Coast Clippers to claim bronze in the 2018 USA Baseball 14U Cup.
Both teams were able to send a runner across the plate in the first. With two outs in the top half of the inning, Kai Francis tripled on a line drive to left field and in the bottom half, East Coast Clippers centerfielder Michael Gupton scored on a grounder from third baseman JT Deichmueller to tie things at one after the first inning.
NW Elite would then go on to take control of the ballgame.
In the top of the second, Samuel Novotny sent Chandler Tuupo home on a fielder's choice, and a bases loaded walk made the score 3-1. With the bases still loaded in the following at bat, Colton Bower hit a fly ball and was able to reach third on an error, scoring Novotny, JR Ritchie, and Hayden Dearie in the process.
A pair of runs in the third and fourth gave NW Elite an 8-1 advantage.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, the East Coast Clippers began to chip away at the deficit courtesy of a 2 RBI Luke Evans double, cutting NW Elite's lead to 8-3. In the following inning Freddie Oliver sent two teammates across on a 2 RBI single to right, and just like that, the East Coast Clippers were down by just three.
NW Elite was able to respond in the top half of the penultimate inning on an Alvarado single, giving them a 9-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
The Clippers were unable to send another runner across the plate and their late rally fell short, sending NW Elite home with the bronze. Following the contest, NW Elite and the East Coast Clippers finished 4-1 and 3-2 in the tournament, respectively.