CARY, N.C. – Team Light Blue claimed the title at the 2022 Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League on Wednesday, knocking off Team Red in the championship game. The victory came after Team Light Blue beat Team Navy in a tiebreaker game on Wednesday morning, pinning them against Team Red, who advanced past Team Gray in the other semifinal.

TEAM LIGHT BLUE VS. TEAM RED (CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)

Despite scoring threats in the opening two innings, both sides were held scoreless into the third frame. Team Red had two hits in the top of the first from Dylan Cupp and Casey Borba, but Paul Wilson evaded trouble by coaxing a double play to keep Team Red scoreless. Team Light Blue also put a runner on in the first, but Brayden Sharp induced a double play of his own for a scoreless opening inning.

Zachary Wadas drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the second for Team Light Blue, but Sharp picked him off and struck out the next two batters to finish his scoreless outing.

Team Light Blue opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning, using patience at the plate and smart baserunning to crack the scoreboard. Aidan Miller and Dean West both walked to put a pair of baserunners on, and Miller would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch to give Team Light Blue the lead.

Team Red answered back in the top of the fourth to knot the game up. Aidan Santana reached base with one out in the inning on a throwing error, and immediately scored on Troy Roldan’s RBI double to right center. Charlee Soto struck out the next two batters for Team Light Blue to keep the game even.

Three consecutive batters reached base in the fourth for Team Light Blue as they pulled away in the inning, Brandon Winokur started the rally with a double to right center, followed by a walk by George Lombard, Jr. to put two runners on. Aidan Miller then delivered a double to left field to plate both baserunners and extend Team Light Blue’s lead. Miller advanced to third and scored on a wild pitch to keep the momentum going for Team Light Blue.

Casey Borba smoked an RBI triple to left field to bring Team Red closer in its final at-bats, but the rally ended when Charlee Soto struck out Jonny Farmelo to secure the title for Team Light Blue. Per PDP rules, Team Light Blue batted in the bottom of the fifth and added a pair of runs on RBI walks.

NOTABLES

• Team Light Blue’s patience at the plate paid off, as the squad drew 11 walks in the victory. Eric Bitonti and Kevin McGonigle each drew a pair of base-on-balls, while seven other players on Team Light Blue drew walks.
• Aidan Miller had a game-high two RBIs as well as a game-high two runs scored in Team Light Blue’s win.
• Paul Wilson got the start on the mound for Team Light Blue and tossed three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out a pair of batters.
• Team Light Blue’s pitching staff worked around trouble all game long, stranding five Team Red baserunners to help earn the win.
• Team Red’s Casey Borba had two hits in the defeat, also driving in a run.

TEAM NAVY VS. TEAM GRAY (THIRD PLACE GAME)

Team Gray quickly got on the board in the top of the first when Roman Martin singled, stole second base, and scored on a throwing error. Landon Maroudis provided a shutdown inning for Team Gray in the bottom of the inning to his team back to the plate, where they continued to score in the bottom of the frame.

Camden Kozeal homered to lead off Team Gray’s half of the second inning, clearing the wall in left field to double Team Gray’s early advantage. Drew Burress immediately followed with a walk and a stolen base before Blake Mitchell’s double to center field plated Burress to keep Team Gray’s offense firing.

Team Navy nearly got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning, but Landon Maroudis worked around trouble to keep them at bay. Andrew Wiggins opened the inning with a single and Ryder Helfrick walked to put two runners on, but a pair of strikeouts thwarted the threat as Team Gray maintained its lead.

Team Gray finished off the scoring in the fourth inning. Drew Burress reached on an error and advanced to third base before scoring on a hit-by-pitch to give Team Gray extra insurance before they held on to win and secure third place.

NOTABLES

• Camden Kozeal had a game-high two hits, including his second-inning homer for Team Gray.
• Team Gray’s Drew Burress scored two runs in the win, giving him a game high.
• Landon Maroudis, Aiden Keenan, and George Wolkow combined to shut out Team Navy and allow just two hits. Keenan and Wolkow held the Team Navy offense hitless.
• Cole Eaton and Tai Peete had the only two hits in the game for Team Navy.

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.