PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla.- Canes National 15U secures the win over Team Brave on Monday to improve to (3-2) at the USA Baseball National Team Championships in Florida. The offense provided 11 runs on 14 hits for the day.
"These boys really compete well together," said head coach John Bachelor. "This is only our second week together and we have been trying to figure each other out. They know how to go out and compete and they do a good job of rooting for each other."
Team Brave struck in the bottom of the first scoring one after a double by Joshua Reis that scored David Morgan who reached on a walk.
The Canes would answer back in the next half inning, plating four runs to move in front 4-1. They led off the frame with a single to left that was followed by a double. A sacrifice fly and another double scored two more bringing the score to 2-1. With a runner still on third, a single would bring in the last run of the inning.
After a scoreless second inning for Team Brave, a two-run third inning for the Canes increased the lead to five. A pair of singles and sacrifice flies plated two runs making the score 6-1.
Team Brave in the bottom half of the inning, brought three runs across to make the score 6-4 in Canes favor. Brayden Horn singled on a hard ball to the second baseman and advanced to second on a walk. Another double by Reis brought one run in and advanced a runner to third. A sacrifice fly and a single scored two more runners for Team Brave.
The Canes added another tally to the scoreboard in the top half of the fifth, and Brave bounced back yet again with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. The score at the end of five was 7-6.
A two-out triple by Cane's pitcher, Gage Ziehl put him in position to score on a single by Jenkins Mcculum in the top of the sixth inning. A scoreless sixth by Brave followed by three runs in the top of the seventh for the Canes sealed the deal.
Dominic Scavone paced the offense for the Canes, finishing 3-for-3 with two runs batted in. Four other players gathered multiple-hit games including Jenkins McCullum, Talmadge Lecroy and Treylen White.
On the defensive side, the Canes committed one error on the game and threw three arms that combined for a total of 10 strike outs. The starter, Daniel Corona Jr, who also earned the save, tossed two and two thirds innings with two strikeouts. White and Ziehl hurled a combined four and a thirds innings, with Ziehl punching out six batters.
Team Brave also had a fantastic day at the plate with six runs on twelve hits. Highlighting the offense for Brave was Reis, who went 4-for-4 with four doubles and three runs batted in. Two other members finished with multiple-hit games, Horn and Elis Garcia.