CARY, N.C. – The first two games of the 2022 Prospect Development Pipeline League were held on Thursday at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
The event features the best under-18 high school prospects in the nation, and it is the main identification event for the 18U National Team that will represent the United Stated at the World Baseball Softball Classic (WBSC) World Cup September 9-18 in Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida.
GAME ONE (LIGHT BLUE VS. GRAY)
Team Gray’s Camden Kozeal drove in the first runs of the day in the second inning with his two-run single to center field after Roman Martin tallied a base hit and Evan Haeger and Drew Burress drew back-to-back walks to load the bases with two outs.
In the fifth inning Aidan Miller put Team Light Blue on the board with an RBI fielder’s choice to the shortstop, driving in Zion Rose after a two-base error and stolen base allowed him to threaten. Team Gray responded with three runs in the bottom frame on Gavin Grahovac’s bases-loaded walk and a 2-RBI single to right field by Francesco Capocci.
Team Light Blue tacked on a combined three runs in the final two innings thanks to a pair of run-scoring singles by Kevin McGonigle to cap off the scoring for the opening game of the PDP League.
Following the PDP League scoring rules, the game ended in a tie.
Notables
- Team Light Blue’s Kevin McGonigle went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs batted in to lead all hitters, while three other players tallied a base hit.
- Team Gray’s Camden Kozeal led his team with a 2-for-2 outing with two RBIs and a run scored, while Francesco Capocci additionally tallied two runs batted in.
- Aidan Miller (Light Blue) and Gavin Grahovac turned in the only extra-base hits of the game, as Miller hit a double in the first inning and Grahovac doubled in the seventh.
- On the mound, Team Light Blue’s Chance Fitzgerald worked two shutout innings in relief, allowing just two hits, while Cole Schoenwetter and Alexander Clemmey fanned five batters each.
- Team Gray’s Jake Brown had a strong start on the bump as he tossed three scoreless innings and tallied six strikeouts. Additionally, Landon Stump retired four of the batters he faced by strikeout.
- There were a combined five stolen bases in the game, as Team Gray had three and Team Light Blue had two.
GAME TWO (NAVY VS. RED)
Team Red struck early with a run in the first inning. Teammates Blake Balsz and Max Clark laced outfield singles on one out to start the spark, and a throwing error loaded the bases to bring up Stone Russell, who drew a walk to bring in the first run of the contest.
In the second inning Team Navy got on the board when Riley Jackson went yard to left center.
After four scoreless innings, Team Red won the game in the bottom of the seventh when Adrian Gonzalez scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a singled to right field and moving to third on a stolen base and wild pitch.
Notables
- The Team Red trio of Cameron Tilly, Tommy Roldan and Justin LeGuernic combined to allow just one earned run and fan 13 batters in 6.1 innings of work.
- Ryan Geraghty and Blake Dickerson each tossed two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, while Dickerson led the pitching staff with five strikeouts.
- Team Red tallied five hits in the contest and was led by Adrian Santana who went 2-for-2 and scored the game-ending run.
- Five different players from Team Blue recorded a hit as Riley Jackson recorded the squad’s lone run batted in and run scored with solo home run in the second inning.
ON DECK
The teams will match up on Friday, July 1, in a pair of games at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Team Red and Team Light Blue will square off at 11 a.m., while Team Gray and Team Navy will face each other at 1 p.m.
ABOUT PDP LEAGUE SCORING
USA Baseball utilizes a modified scoring system for its development programs to achieve load management and mitigate potential injuries due to overuse for its youth athletes. Pitchers are subject to a maximum pitch count of 25 per inning during game play. In the event an inning is rolled because a pitcher has reached their maximum pitch count, runners on base may be contributed to the game score. As a result of this system, the final game score may not match the overall statistics.
