The gold medal game at the 17U National Team Championships in Arizona is set after an exciting and heart-pounding slate of semifinal action.
With Trosky/Milwaukee Brewers and EJ Sports Warriors both winning their way to the final round, the two teams will square off in the final bout at 11:00 AM in Surprise, Arizona on Monday, June 17. Meanwhile, CBA Victus San Diego and So Cal Birds White will battle for bronze just before the championship game at 8:00 AM at Surprise Stadium.
Click here to view scores and schedule updates from throughout the tournament.
Trosky/Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team 3, CBA Victus San Diego 1
Trosky/Milwaukee, which have been one of the most dominant teams all tournament, edged its way past CBA Victus San Diego in a 3-1 victory. CBA, which won its way to the semifinals on a heroic, late-inning home run, couldn’t get its offense going against Trosky’s stingy defense.
While Trosky’s excelled throughout the tourney on offense, its pitching excelled against CBA Victus San Diego. Trosky’s pitchers, Brock Ketelson and Ian Draper one-hit their opponents while Ketelson earned the win while tossing eight punchouts.
Third baseman Xavier Neyens put an exclamation point on Trosky’s two-run first inning as he torched a solo home run into right field. Up 2-0, Trosky added to its lead with one run in the third inning. From there, Trosky held on to its 3-0 lead until CBA threatened to forge a seventh-inning comeback after plating one. However, Trosky held fast, stopping CBA in its tracks and punching its ticket to the final round.
EJ Sports Warriors 4, So Cal Birds White 3
EJ Sports Warriors also won in a tight semifinal game on the adjacent field. After going back-and-forth with So Cal Birds White, EJ called game with a go-ahead run in the sixth inning to win 4-3.
Early on, EJ was first on the board with two runs after taking advantage of a Birds error and RBI-single from right fielder Emmett Johnson III, who went 2-for-3 on the day.
However, So Cal Birds White struck back with a run in the fourth. While EJ plated another in the top of the fifth to make it 3-1, So Cal’s Sutton DeNinno recorded two RBIs on a single that tied the contest at 3-3. Just an inning later, the Warriors plated the winning run after scoring on a passed ball and held off the Birds for long enough for their closing pitcher, Mac Churby, to finish his 2.1 innings of no-hit ball to etch their spot in the gold medal game.
