CARY, N.C. - Team Light Blue clinched the 2021 PDP League championship after defeating Team Gray, 6-2, on Saturday at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. After a week of games, the team finished with a 4-2 record to finish the event as the 2021 champions.

A four-run first inning, highlighted by a Cole Young (1-for-2) RBI triple, got Team Light Blue rolling early in the championship game and that was all the team needed to secure the win. A Ryan Clifford (1-for-2) single and an error also contributed runs in the frame. Despite Team Gray breaking through for two runs in the sixth and loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, Team Light Blue was able to close out the 6-2 victory.

Clifford led the Team Light Blue offense with a single, two RBIs, and a run scored. Young collected an RBI triple in the victory and scored two runs. RJ Austin (1-for-2) tallied the team’s fourth hit. Korbyn Dickerson (1-for-3) and Chris Stanfield (1-for-2) were responsible for Team Gray’s two hits in the loss, while Jackson Holliday recorded the team’s lone RBI.

With two scoreless, hitless innings of work and four strikeouts, Robert Evans (1-0) earned the win for Team Light Blue. Drew Nelson (0-1) suffered the loss after surrendering five runs on four hits in his 1.1 inning start.

Key Moments

• Team Light Blue jumped out to an early lead in the contest, scoring the first run of the game courtesy of a Young RBI triple that plated Gavin Guidry for the 1-0 lead.
• Ryan Clifford drove Young in to give Team Light Blue a 2-0 advantage in the very next at bat with an RBI single to right-center.
• Clifford then scored on a throwing error and Team Light Blue added one more run in the top of the first to take a 4-0 lead into the bottom half.
• For the second inning in a row, Team Light Blue added a run with a leadoff walk and an RBI triple. Gabe Miranda made it 5-0 in his squad’s favor after walking to kick off the top of the second and scoring on an RJ Austin RBI triple.
• Team Gray finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning for two runs to cut the deficit to three. Matt Lippe crossed the plate on an RBI groundout by Jackson Holliday and Korbyn Dickerson scored after hitting a single to up the middle to make it a 5-2 game.
• Clifford and Young teamed up once again, this time to make it a 6-2 game in Team Light Blue’s favor with a leadoff walk to Young and a sacrifice fly by Clifford in the top of the seventh.
• Team Gray put together a rally in the final frame, stringing together a single and two walks to load the bases with no outs. But Team Light Blue’s Kassius Thomas collected a strikeout to put one away before RJ Austin came in to close it out and secure the 6-2 win.

Notable Information

• With a final record of 4-2, Team Light Blue claimed the PDP League championship with Saturday’s victory.
• Dominic Hellman (5-for-12) led Team Light Blue in the event with a .417 batting average.
• Clifford (5-for-14) and Austin (3-for-17) tied for the team high in RBIs this week with five each.
• Team Gray ends the 2021 event with a 3-3 record and a second-place finish.
• Dickerson hit .400 in the PDP League with four RBIs and a team-best six hits.
• Ethan Petry (4-for-14) led the way in RBIs with seven throughout the event.

Social

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