The Boyertown 11U Advanced Play Team and the Boyertown Black Bears (12U) completed a clean home team sweep of the Boyertown Battle of the Bats tournament this weekend! They secured the championship in a thrilling 2-1 win over Harleysville.
The Bears went 1-0-1 in pool play, handily beating Spring-Ford 11-4 in the opener and tying Harleysville 5-5 in game 2. The pitching trio of Brendan S, Sam N, and Declan K held Spring-Ford to 4 hits in game 1, striking out five. The Bears offense was very balanced in that game, with nine Bears batters getting at least one hit (Brendan S, Garrett G, Hudson C, Sam N, Liam M, Carson N, Declan K, Logan S, and Stephen B). Carson N led the way, going 2-2 with four RBI. In pool play game 2, Liam M and Isaac S held Harleysville to six total hits, striking out six. The Bears offense did what it needed to do despite strong Harleysville pitching, with Brendan S leading the way from the leadoff spot going 2-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
The pool play tie against Harleysville dropped the Bears into second place in the National Division and set them up for a first round playoff matchup against American Division one seed Unionville. If the Bears were intimidated, they didn't show it, scoring in bunches to cruise to a 16-6 victory. They got off to a quick start in the top of the first with back-to-back walks to Brendan S and Garrett G. Hudson C followed with an RBI single to left and Sam N tacked on another run with a sac fly to right. Carson N completed the scoring with an RBI line drive to right - Bears 3, Unionville coming up. Hudson C delivered a shutdown bottom of the first, starting off with back-to-back strikeouts and then, after giving up a single, picking the runner off for the third out. The Bears offense started right back up again in the top of the second with back-to-back singles by Brendan S and Garrett G. Brendan proceeded to score after getting into - and out of - a rundown on a pick-off attempt during Hudson C’s at-bat, an eventual walk. With two ducks on the pond, Sam N ripped a triple to right, scoring Garrett and Hudson and putting the Bears up 6-0. Unionville would mount a rally of their own in the bottom of the second and narrow the Bears lead to 6-5, but the Bears offense was not deterred and just got back to work in the top of the third and fourth, scoring five runs in each inning to cruise to a ten-run-rule victory. Garrett G, Hudson C, and Carson N each had 2 hits and Sam N drove in 3 runs for the Bears offense. Hudson C, Isaac S, and Declan K split the pitching duties, holding Unionville to five hits while striking out five.
The championship game was a rematch against pool play foe Harleysville. The Bears small-balled their way to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, thanks to a Brendan S lead off walk, a steal of second, a Garrett G sacrifice bunt, and an RBI ground out by Hudson C. The legends of Boyertown Baseball Past were surely smiling down on the team as they perfectly executed the sequence. Neither team would score again until the top of the third, when Brendan S reached base on a walk and then scored on a Garrett G single - 2-0 Bears. Harleysville would score one run in the bottom of the fifth, but it was not enough as the Bears held on to win 2-1. The pitching was strong for both teams, as each offense only managed four hits in the game. Collin P got the start for Boyertown and pitched three strong shutout innings, holding Harleysville to two hits and no walks while striking out one. Carson N came in in relief and was equally effective, scattering two hits over three innings with no walks while striking out three. The four Bear hits came from Garrett G (RBI), Liam M, Carson N, and Logan S.