No. 1 seed dealt upset in final
With the top two teams from the regular season going head-to-head for the Boys Training League tournament title, fans knew they could count on a hard-fought game.
They weren’t disappointed, as No. 2 seed Satellite World rallied from an early deficit, then held on to top regular-season champions NHC 9-7 to capture the tourney crown Tuesday night.
NHC got things going in the bottom of the first, when with one out Jared Mullins grounded to third base, but reached and came all the way around to score on a pair of Satellite World throwing errors. A double from Connor Dixon and a two-out RBI from Jake Damon gave the regular-season champs, who battled their way out of the losers’ bracket to reach the title game, a 2-0 edge.
But Satellite World countered with four runs in the top of the second, as Aaron Taylor reached to star the frame and Hunter Chilton and Marques Jones followed with a single apiece.
With the bases loaded, Christopher Gross singled home Taylor, and Mitchell Barrett drove in Chilton with a fielder’s choice grounder.
A Lee Roberts single plated Jones to give Satellite World a 3-2 lead, and Dillon Tubb drove in Barrett to put his squad on top 4-2.
Jacob Reagan, who finished with a 3-for-3 night for Satellite World, singled to start the third, and scored along with Cory Cantrell on a two-run double from Derek Brumley.
NHC answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning, as Jared Mullins singled with one out, Kaleb Rymer reached on an error, and the duo came home on a two-run single off the bat of Damon, who finished with three RBIs in the game.
After retiring Satellite World in order in the fourth, NHC took a 7-6 lead with three runs in the bottom of the inning.
Dustin Bouldin doubled to center field to start the frame, and Trevor Vaughn followed with a single. With one out, Tyler Anselmo singled to left field to plate Bouldin, and an RBI fielder’s choice from Jalen Boyd plated Vaughn. Dixon drove in Anselmo with a single to give NHC a one-run advantage.
That lead would prove to be short-lived, however, as Satellite World plated three runs in the top of the fifth.
Jordan Harper reached on a fielder’s choice, and scored on a two-out single from Taylor. Chilton then stepped to the plate, delivering a base hit that drove in Reagan and Cantrell for what would prove to be the final margin of victory.
NHC left a pair of runners on in the fifth, and put a man on base with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but Satellite World’s infield came through, recording the final two outs on a pair of fielder’s choice grounders.
In addition to Reagan’s 3-for-3 night from the leadoff spot, Satellite World got two hits apiece from Chilton and Gross, while Cantrell, Brumley, Taylor, Jones, Roberts and Tubb also had base hits.
Damon finished 2-for-3 for NHC, while Mullins and Dixon also had two hits. Boyd, Logan McCormick, Bouldin, Vaughn and Anselmo had NHC’s other base knocks.