VINELAND,
N.J. – Over the weekend the 2015 WWBA Northeast Qualifier saw a
pair of talented and loaded rosters square off to secure one of the
guaranteed spots for the WWBA World Championship at the end of
October. The Next Level Titans and The Beyel Brother Bulldogs entered
Sunday each needing three wins to capture the championship.
Next
Level started off strong in their quarterfinal game defeating Stars
Baseball Baseball Marucci Prime 18u 9-1. They followed that up with
an impressive win over Farrah Scout, winning 8-0 to secure one spot
in the championship game.
The
Bulldogs took on the CrabFest All Americans in their quarterfinal
game and won a close contest 3-0 with big help from their starter,
Blake Beyel, who tossed a no-hitter to preserve the win. Offensively,
The Bulldogs received a burst of power from Tanner Frabott, who
blasted a solo homer, and PG All-American and South Carolina commit,
Carlos Cortes, who gave them a quick two-run lead with a two-run home
run.
In
their semifinal matchup against the Stars Baseball Marucci 18u Red,
the Bulldogs earned the 8-4 win in a back-and-forth game thanks in
part to a home run from Beyel and a pair of two-run singles from Ben
Berggren and Cortes.
That
set the stage for the championship game, which saw a pitching matchup
of Cortes for the Bulldogs and Troy Simpson for the Titans. Simpson
fired an impressive four innings allowing just one run on six hits and
struck out two while featuring an 85-87 mph fastball. Cortes
countered by throwing six innings of his own allowing three runs on
four hits and striking out an impressive six batters with a fastball
that sat between 81-83 mph.
The
Titans jumped out to a quick lead, plating one run in each of the
first three innings of the ball game, giving them a 3-0 lead. The
Bulldogs threatened in both the fourth and fifth innings, but left
empty handed. They did plate their first run of the game in the
bottom of the sixth, cutting the Titans lead to 3-1.
In
the top of the seventh, the Titans were stymied in their attempt to
add some insurance when Berggren induced a quick ground ball double
play to escape a bases loaded jam. The good fortune was back on the
side of the Bulldogs in the bottom of the seventh as they loaded the
bases with two outs and saw Frabott tie the game with a two-run
double off the right field fence. The potential winning run was cut
down at the plate thanks to a fantastic throw and relay.
As
a result the game moved on to extra innings tied 3-3.
The
first two frames of extras went quickly as each side was retired
without a change in score. A pair of walks and a single to start the
10th inning for the Titans gave them the opportunity they needed as
Alvin Melendez worked a bases loaded walk to break the tie and give
them a 4-3 lead.
The
one run proved to be good enough to secure the Northeast Qualifier
championship for the Next Level Titans and a spot in the 2015 WWBA
World Championship.
The
MVP for the tournament was Next Level Titans first baseman Robert
Weissheier, a Hofstra commit. Beyel earned Most Valuable Pitcher
honors due in part to his no-hit performance in the quarterfinal
game.
2015
WWBA Northeast Qualifier champions: Next Level Titans
2015
WWBA Northeast Qualifier runner-up: Beyel Brother Bulldogs
2015
WWBA Northeast Qualifier third place: Stars Baseball Marucci 18u Red;
Farrah Scout