GLENDALE, Ariz. – Two teams that identify Phoenix as their base of operations and that were dominant enough during three days of pool-play to earn the top-two seeds in the playoffs at this weekend’s 18u PG WWBA West Memorial Classic, were deservingly given the opportunity to settle the neighborhood spat in the event’s championship game Monday afternoon.
It was the Dbacks Elite Scout Team with four 2016 NCAA Division I commits on their roster versus The Canyon Thunder with 12 2015 college signees or 2016 commits on its roster, including eight to Phoenix’s Grand Canyon University. As the sun slowly settled into the western sky on a beautiful 90-degree day at Camelback Ranch Stadium late Monday afternoon, it was the Dbacks who ultimately prevailed.
After watching The Canyon Thunder score single runs in each of the first and second innings, the Dbacks Elite posted four in the top of the fifth and two each in the sixth and seventh and skated to what turned out to be a relatively stress-free 8-2 win in the 18u PG WWBA WMDC championship game.
“The team is awesome; everyone plays really well together even though we’ve all just met each other,” Dbacks 2016 shortstop/outfielder and tournament Most Valuable Player Wacy Crenshaw said postgame. “But we’ve formed a good team and everyone helped me out this weekend; it’s really good. This is a great way to kick-off the summer.”
Crenshaw, a 2016 shortstop/outfielder and the Dbacks’ left-handed swinging leadoff hitter, was 2-for-4 with a double, four RBI and a run scored in the championship game. In five games this weekend he hit .533 (8-for-15) with a pair of doubles, nine RBI and six runs scored.
2016 outfielder Joey Faudskar doubled and drove in two runs for the Dbacks Elite in the title tilt and 2017 outfielder Antoine Mistico was 2-for-4 and scored three times. 2017 right-hander Jacob Clemens and 2016 lefty Chase Sandman combined on a seven inning three-hitter, giving up one earned run with four strikeouts and five walks.
The Canyon Thunder 2015 middle-infielder Austin Bull – one of the Grand Canyon signees – had two of the Thunder’s three hits in the championship game and also drove in a run.
The Dbacks Elite Scout Team (6-0-0) earned the playoffs’ No. 2 seed after outscoring its four pool-play opponents by a combined 23-3. In addition to Crenshaw’s exploits at the plate, 2016 middle-infielder Cameron Cannon was 6-for-19 (.316) with a double, a team-high seven RBI and three runs scored.
“We all hit the ball well and we all played for each other and backed each other up,” Crenshaw said. “Even when somebody would go down, we had somebody there to pick him up.”
But the pitching staff may have carried the weekend for the Dbacks, led by 2016 left-hander Alex Segal, a Kansas State commit who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Pitcher. Segal made two appearances and threw seven innings, and somehow managed to give up two earned runs despite not allowing a hit; he struck out 11 and walked five.
“We harped on fundamentals early just because we didn’t get a lot of time to practice,” Dbacks Elite Scout Team head coach Jake Williams said. “It’s a new group but they came out with a lot of fight and played some good, clean baseball the first couple of days. We saw a good couple of teams in Canyon and T-Rex (in the semifinals) today and the showed me how much fight they have and that’s good to see.”
The Canyon Thunder (5-1-0) was unmatched during pool-play, rolling past its four opponents and earning the No. 1 seed after scoring 41 runs and allowing only three. Including the championship game, their nine pitchers compiled a 1.17 ERA through 36 innings while their hitters went after it like men possessed.
2016 catcher/third baseman Sam Huff finished 8-for-13 (.615) with a double, triple, five RBI and five runs; 2015 shortstop Tyler Wyatt was 6-for-13 (.462) with a pair of doubles, a home run, five ribbies and four runs; Bull went 6-for-16 (.375) with two doubles, a triple, five RBI and seven runs.
The Canyon Thunder got an RBI triple from Austin Bull and Kona Quiggle drove him in with a double in a two-run bottom of the sixth that erased a 1-0 deficit and allowed the Thunder to escape with a 2-1 victory over El Mirage, Ariz.-based All Star Baseball Academy 2015 (4-1-1) in one of the 18u semifinals Monday afternoon.
2015 Thunder right-hander Jake Wong gave up one earned run on four hits and five walks but ended up with a no-decision when he left in the top of the sixth. 2016 righty Ryan Alexander picked up the win after working 1 2/3 perfect innings, with two strikeouts. ASBA took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Tommy McCarty led-off with a single and eventually stole home.
The Dbacks Elite Scout Team won its semifinal game in even more dramatic fashion. In a back-and-forth affair with No. 3-seeded AZ T-Rex Baseball Club, the Dbacks fell behind 3-1 after two innings but used a four-run fifth to take a 5-3 lead.
In the top of the seventh, T-Rex’s Blake Paugh delivered a two-out, two-run single to left-field that tied the game at 5. The Dbacks Elite were down to their last out in the bottom half of the frame when Jake Holmes came through with a line-drive single that scored Faudskar with the winning run in a 6-5 decision.
Crenshaw had three hits, including a double, drove in one and scored two in the victory, Cannon doubled and had a pair of RBI.
“Anytime we had the chance to make a routine play it was made; that’s huge, especially at this level,” Williams said. “Some of these guys are 15-years-old and to win at this level, that’s what it takes. We couldn’t have picked a better way to start (the summer) and I know they’re enjoying it and I’m definitely going to enjoy it. There’s a lot of pressure to build on it but hopefully we can live up to it.”