Championship day at the 17U National Team Championships in Arizona is halfway done, with CBA Victus San Diego claiming victory in the tournament’s Bronze Medal Game in a 7-3 rout over So Cal Birds White.
CBA donned bronze medals after its victory over the Birds in Surprise, Arizona. Starting off strong with one run a piece in the first and second frames, San Diego secured its victory with a four-run fifth inning that put its opponents away for good. Recording 11 hits to So Cal’s seven, CBA also took advantage of its opponents’ two errors.
Dylan Harrison started his day at the plate with a first-inning sacrifice fly that drew first blood in the medal match. Just one frame later, CBA doubled its lead after scoring on a passed ball after a double from second baseman Shane Cannon and a bunt single quickly got Cannon on third base. Cannon’s double was just the first of five extra-base hits from CBA Victus on the day.
Meanwhile, CBA’s pitching and defense kept So Cal off the board for the first four frames. During those innings, starting pitcher Brock Cross let his defense behind him work. He tossed four scoreless frames, one strikeout while only allowing three hits and no walks. So Cal scored one run on each of San Diego’s other pitchers, but they limited the damage each and every time the Birds threatened by only allowing one run in each of the final three frames.
With neither team scoring in the third and fourth innings, So Cal finally struck in the fifth with a pair of singles, cutting CBA’s lead in half. However, the Birds didn’t have any opportunity to take a lead. San Diego put up its biggest frame of the game, plating four after recording four hits, two of which were for extra bases.
A single from centerfielder Damien Casas got the party started. After Casas advanced on a hit by pitch and stole third, he was driven in by an RBI-single that increased CBA’s lead to 3-1. San Diego then ripped back-to-back doubles by third baseman Jett Kenady–who recorded two RBIs on the day–and Harrison that scored another three runs. Before long, it was 6-1 and CBA never looked back.
So Cal doubled its lead with one run in the sixth, but CBA immediately countered with their own in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Casas triple. With a 7-2 lead heading into the seventh, So Cal needed a big rally to get back into it. However, the Birds only plated one and CBA’s Mike Erspamer closed the final frame after allowing no hits in his two innings on the mound.
Once Erspamer forced the final out, CBA Victus San Diego received its bronze medals on the field, taking third place at the 17U Champs Arizona.
