The Boyertown 8U Advanced Play Team completed a clean sweep of the competition in the four-team Cal Ripken District 6 Tournament, emerging as 2023 Champions and earning an automatic berth in the Southeast PA State Tournament in Pennsbury July 7-11!
The team began the double elimination tournament with a resounding 18-1 over the Quakertown Panthers. The Bears scored three runs in the top of the first, seven runs in the top of the second, and eight runs in the top of the third on the way to the blowout. Leo W led Bears hitters at the plate, going 3-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. Austin K, Joey R, and Quinton B each had two hits for the Bears. Brody M and Logan G teamed up on the mound, holding Quakertown to one unearned run and four hits while striking out six.
The round two game for the Bears was against host Lehigh Valley and was a much more tight contest for the first few innings. The Bears scored first, plating one run in the bottom of the first. Lehigh Valley answered with two runs in the top of the second, but the Bears responded by tying it up in the bottom of the second. The back-and-forth repeated in the third inning with Lehigh Valley scoring two to take a 4-2 lead in the top of the inning only to have the Bears get one back in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-3. The fourth inning marked the turning point in the tide of the game, where Bears pitcher Austin K held Lehigh Valley scoreless. The shutdown inning must have energized the Bears offense, which went on to score five runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 8-4 lead. They would not trail again as they cruised to a 10-5 victory. Leo W once again swung the hot bat for Boyertown, going 3-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. The pitching trio of Conor M, Quinton B, and Austin K kept the Lehigh Valley offense in check, striking out nine total batters.
Wins in the first two rounds put the Bears in the winners bracket final against the Hatfield-Towamencin-Souderton Titans (HTS). The game was never really close, with the Bears scoring seven runs in the top of the first inning on their way to a 19-7 win. Austin K started things off with a lead-off double, later scoring on a passed ball. Four consecutive walks by Brady M, Joey R, Conor M, and Conor H plated a second run. Brody M followed with an RBI knock to push the lead to 3-0. After a Finley T RBI walk, Quinton B hit a 2-RBI double to push the lead to 6-0. Austin K completed the scoring in the inning with his own RBI knock. How do you follow a dominant offensive inning? You do it with a shut-down inning on defense. Joey R got the pitching start for the Bears and followed the seven run top of the first by striking out the side in the bottom of the first, the most pure definition of a shutdown inning. The Bears would go on to score five more runs over the next three innings while HTS scored four, making the score 12-4 after four. Needing two runs to end the game with the 10-run mercy rule, the Bears proceeded to score seven runs in the top of the fifth, a nice cushion against any kind of attempted comeback by the Titans in their last at-bats. The Titans would indeed score three in the bottom of the fifth, but it was not enough as the game ended with a 19-7 bears victory. Brody M went 4-4 with 5 RBI for the Bears while starting pitcher Joey R held the Titans to one hit and no earned runs over three innings, striking out six. Logan G pitched two innings in relief and held the Titans offense at bay to preserve the mercy-rule victory.
The loss sent HTS to the loser’s bracket to face Quakertown in an elimination game, which they won 16-6. to set up a rematch with the Bears in the championship game. By virtue of not having lost a game yet in the double elimination tournament, HTS would have to beat Boyertown twice in the championship game in order to take the District 6 crown. The Bears quickly removed any doubt about who the District 6 Champion would be, this time with a 23-4 victory. Like their first game with the Titans, the Bears scored first and never trailed in the game. Austin K led off the top of the first for the Bears with a walk, stole second, and then stole third, before he was driven in by an RBI groundout by Leo W. The Bears scored a second run in the inning when Brady M walked and advanced three bases on three separate passed balls. Boyertown pitching once again got it done in the bottom of the first, this time with Brody M on the hill. After walking the leadoff batter, he got the next three batters out to end the inning and hold the Titans scoreless. The Bears offense really came alive in the top of the second inning when Brody M reached on error, was advanced to second when Finley T was hit by pitch, advanced to third on a passed ball and then eventually scored on a second passed ball. After a Logan G walk, Austin K hit a two-RBI double to put the Bears ahead 5-0. They would go on to score six runs in the inning to take a commanding 8-0 lead and never looked back on their way to the championship victory. The championship game offensive and defensive performances for the Bears were quite impressive. Bears pitching, between starter Brody M and reliever Quinton B, held the Titans to 3 hits and 4 runs while striking out 5. The Bears offense, meanwhile, notched 18 hits, with Austin K and Conor M both going 3-4 with a combined 7 RBI.