IRVINE, Calif. - Behind a strong offensive showing in the first Futures Series gold medal game that saw five players record multi-hit games, the Scottsdale Dirtbags claimed the event's first-ever championship with a 9-5 defeat of ASAP Prospects on Sunday at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California.
The Dirtbags jumped on the board early and never looked back, scoring runs in all but three innings throughout the game. They pushed two runs across in the top half of both the first and third innings to quickly grab a commanding 4-0 lead.
A two-RBI line drive single brought in the first two runs of the game before a leadoff single by Derek Curiel (3-for-3) got things going again in the top of the third. Evan Miranda (1-for-3) and Blake Jacobs (1-for-3) then followed with base knocks of their own to make it 3-0 and put runners on the corners for Jonathan Shank (2-for-4). On the first pitch he saw, Shank launched a deep fly ball to center that plated another run and brought the Dirtbags' lead to 4-0.
The offense didn't stop there. In the very next inning, they did it again, bringing three more runs home with two singles, a double and a sac fly for an 8-0 lead.
ASAP Prospects finally found an answer in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to six. A leadoff hit-by-pitch put Kai Caranto (2-for-4) on first, swinging momentum in ASAP Prospects favor and they took advantage. Caranto stole second and Bryce Rainer (1-for-3) launched a line drive single to bring him home, getting ASAP Prospects on the board for the first time in the game. Danny Arambula (2-for-2) followed with an RBI double to make the score 8-2.
After holding the Dirtbags scoreless in the top of the fifth, ASAP Prospects added another two runs in the bottom half to get within three. But the Dirtbags offense had an answer, plating a run in the seventh innings to secure the 9-5 victory and the inaugural 13U Futures Series title.
Curiel, Joseph Martinez, Shank, Van Ausdall and Kaden Coutts all tallied multiple hits to help pace the Dirtbags en route to the gold medal. Curiel led the team with three runs scored, while Miranda and Coutts each recorded two, and Shank and Martinez collected two RBIs apiece. Miranda also led the Dirtbags on the mound, tossing a complete game while giving up eight hits and five runs.
Caranto, who had with two hits, two RBI and a run scored, and Ian Duarte, who finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, led the ASAP Prospects offense in the game. Arambula suffered the loss on the mound after surrendering four runs on eight hits in his three innings of work.