EMERSON, Ga. – “Execution of little things.” That is what
Astros’ head coach Matt Hightower said was the key to success to his team
winning the 14u PG Summer Showdown protected by G-Form. Hightower’s Astros beat
the Ninth Inning Royals Radcliff by a score of 8-1 to secure the tournament win.
“We had a lot of games open up because we used the short
game early, teams maybe weren’t prepared for it, because I think they’re
expecting us maybe going for a bigger swing, and we did a lot of little things
early and then the game opened up for us, so we made them work. We put the
pressure on the defense,” Hightower said about his team all throughout the
tournament.
The Astros certainly did that in the championship game,
striking first in the bottom of the first with a run that was manufactured by a
leadoff walk and two singles. Ninth Inning would respond with a run of their
own that came around on an error by leftfielder Taydan DeVargas. Although Astros
starter Quinn Kerce could have given in and let the error get the best of him
on the mound, he did not let it affect him, and finished off the Royals to
strand the go-ahead run at third.
“When [the Royals] made their little early run at us, it was
fine, we keep making pitches and we keep moving strategically through the
order. In that situation, we had an uncharacteristic play in left field that
led to their one run, is fine. Next guy walked, okay, we can set up other
things either way, so you just keep moving down the order, and you keep making
pitches, and you keep competing. Then that gave our offense a chance to do
their thing,” Hightower said.
The Astros bounced back as a team from the error, putting it
behind that and just going back to work at the plate, scoring five runs in the
bottom half of the inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Hightower said that
the team has faced adversity this season so far, having played 51 games since
late April. He felt like they knew how to handle it and loved what he saw from the
team after the error in the second.
“When they scored one early, we were able to come back and
say ‘Alright, now let’s answer back,’ and we’ve had that a number of times,”
Hightower said. “Pretty much, the fact that this group has been together, it’s
a strong unit, and the chemistry is really the glue that gets us through those
moments.”
Six straight batters reached in the bottom of the sixth for
the Astros as the team was a home run away from the cycle in that inning. With
an 0-2 count on him, James Tibbs would work the count back to 2-2, and was able
to get a fastball that he could handle to single home two runs in the inning to
break the game open. Tibbs struggled in his previous tournament, going 2-for-12
in the PG/EC Invitational earlier this month, but bounced back nicely thanks to
a change in approach.
“I was getting my confidence back. I was coming off a little
bit of a slump, and so to be able to just change my mindset and make some solid
contact, that really helped a lot,” Tibbs said. “I changed my mindset of trying
to hit it as hard as I can [to] go the opposite way and go from there.”
The 5-foor-10, 165-pound switch hitting Tibbs would finish
the tournament 11-for-18 with three doubles, eight RBIs and six stolen bases. His
performance would lead him to be named the MV-Player of the tournament, an
award he is no stranger to winning, as he previously won the award in the 2014 11u
Super25 and the 2015 12u Super25 tournaments. Tibbs has a smooth swing from
both sides of the plate, which has allowed him to experience success in his
career so far.
“Tibbs does as good of a job of anybody of being able to
stay middle away, knowing that’s where they’re going to pitch him at times. At
times, we obviously go through the battle of when it’s a 2-0 count, not getting
outside yourself, getting too big for the moment, and being able to control,
relax and still being able to stick with the approach. Keeping that mindset
keeps the emotions in check,” Hightower said. “Not just him, but the rest have
learned how much more successful they can be with that when they keep their
emotions in check and just play the game.”
The offense continued their torrid run-scoring pace, scoring
two more runs after having already scored 51 runs in their previous six games.
The Astros approach at the plate enabled starters to settle in on the mound all
weekend because many of them received early leads. Even if the team did not
score early, their starters knew that the offense would give them support
eventually. Kerce was a beneficiary of the early run support, which allowed him
to be more comfortable on the mound.
“It was huge,” Kerce said about the early run support. “It
gave me more confidence as I went on, because I knew if they kept acting like that,
I would have more support.”
Although Kerce had to dance out of danger with bases loaded
and one out in the fourth, he was solid on the mound, throwing seven innings,
giving up only one run and two walks, striking out three. The 5-foot-11,
165-pound lefty featured a fastball that ranged from 74-78 mph, to go along
with a curve and changeup. Quinn offered what led to his success on the mound.
“My fastball working away,” Quinn said. “Also, pounding the
batters inside and outside, making them jam themselves and have them work ground
balls to turn a double play.”
The win was the Astros’ second championship win of the
month, having won the 14u Perfect Game/East Cobb Invitational on June 5. They
also finished third in the WWBA Memorial Day at LakePoint and runner-up in the
14u PG Super25 GA Super Qualifier. The Astros are always a talented bunch,
ranking near the top of the best travel teams in the country year after year in
multiple age groups, and usually experience success like this. Hightower said
that this win meant a lot for the squad and showed the depth of talent that the
team possesses.
“It solidifies what we’re working on every day,” Hightower
said. “It’s nothing really to do with wins and losses and everything, we’re
going to put ourselves in position to compete, but there’s a lot of stuff out
here where kids have to earn their right to be on the field and it’s a tricky
balance, especially when you have a team that I believe is very deep, because
some of those kids haven’t been in those moments, where maybe they’re struggling
for a second and another guy has to come in and step in their place, and that’s
ok, because we’ve all been there. At the end of the day, everybody seems to be
ready, and everybody knows their job and role, and we’ve learned that through
the course of time of how many games we’ve played.”
Malcolm Williams of the Ninth Inning Royals received the
MV-Pitcher award after throwing a complete game shutout against the 643 DP
Cougars. He gave up only five hits, while walking none and striking out seven.
2017 14u PG Summer Showdown Protected by G-Form runner-up: Ninth
Inning Royals Radcliff
2017 14u PG Summer Showdown Protected by G-Form MVP: James
Tibbs
2017 14u PG Summer Showdown Protected by G-Form MV-Pitcher: Malcolm
Williams
