The Franklin Scout Team is forever enshrined in the history of USA Baseball’s National Team Championships Arizona, as the 15U team secured the program’s first medal in tournament history after a 14-6 victory over Seattle Select on Monday afternoon at Surprise Stadium.
Franklin tallied a run in four of six innings played, including a six-run eruption in the bottom of the sixth to put the run rule in place. They officially walked off the field as champions after going 7-0-1 in the tournament to reach the top of the mountain in the desert.
“These boys have fought through everything,” said head coach Roberto Bueno. “They have really come together, have had good team at-bats, and it's really awesome seeing a group of guys come together and really play for something.”
“Everybody stepped up, everybody played their role, everybody did something to contribute to winning, and it was awesome. Nothing but positive things all week long. I'm just really proud of these boys right now,” he added.
Before the road to gold, Franklin was down 13-0 in its first game of the tournament to the West Coast Blackdogs. The Scout Team then showed their eventual championship DNA by rallying and forcing a 14-14 tie to set the tone for a flawless run to follow.
“The odds were stacked against us from the jump. We were down 13-0 in our first game and we're able to come back and tie it up. That was the moment where I knew these boys had a lot of heart and could accomplish something like this, so I’m just extremely proud of the group and their efforts,” said Bueno.
With contributions coming from up and down the lineup, there were none bigger than catcher Jacob Reyes. Reyes recorded a tournament-best 17 hits in eight games, including a 4-for-4, 2 RBI championship performance to do the heavy lifting all week long.
Amidst the ups and downs, Reyes credits Bueno and the coaching staff for instilling the ultimate belief through it all.
“They give such great support. They were never down on us, they're always hyping us up, putting a lot of pressure on our backs, so we can come out successful,” said Reyes
Whether it's the opening round of pool play or a late game scenario in the title game, Reyes’ approach at the plate stays the same: just be himself.
“[I’m] just keeping the same approach every day, just being myself, not trying to do too much, and just putting the ball in play.”
“We did the impossible, people said we weren't gonna do what we did,” said Reyes.
Reyes’ offensive contributions were more than enough to give his battery mate and starting pitcher Dario Laurinitis the confidence and cushion he needed on the mound.
“He threw a great game, and just balled out with us,” said Reyes. “He did his job…this is the best pitcher in the country.”
Laurinitis worked around an early attack from Seattle, surrendering the games first three runs in the top of the second, but allowing just three more the rest of the afternoon to keep the potent offense in check throughout the contest.
“We’ve always wanted gold,” said Laurinitis. “We finally got it. We worked our butt off for this.”
Franklin was joined as medalists by Seattle as the runner-up and GBG National as the bronze winner.
GBG National secured 15U third place in back-to-back seasons earlier in the day to round out the 15U Champs Arizona podium in an offensively-led 14-12 victory.
Champs Arizona will continue with 16U action set to begin on Thursday, June 25th from Peoria and Surprise. Fans can follow all the action through GameChanger in addition to social media coverage through the official @USABaseEvents accounts across Instagram and X.
