Despite the exciting nature of the 13u and 14u title games, the 15u championship was arguably the most exciting of the three. The Gainesville Naturals and Elite Squad Slugger were tied 1-1 after three innings, and the score stayed that way until the ninth.
The Naturals received a great pitching performance from Kyler Marquis, but they couldn’t score more than one run against Elite Squad’s pitching trio of Alek Sierra, Arrison Perez and David Archaki.
Sierra, who started the game for Elite Squad, decided to end it in the top of the ninth, as he drove in the go-ahead run. They ended up holding onto the victory in the bottom of the ninth, after which the entire team stormed the mound and celebrated together in a dogpile.
“This win is huge for our team and our program,” said Elite Squad coach Reggie Rodriguez. “We’ve come a long way. We’ve learned to play together, we’ve made tons of improvement, and it ended up great.”
“The great thing about our team is that they never give up,” Rodriguez explained. “This is our third come from behind win in the past two days. These guys don’t quit, they’re always grinding and they’re always working. I’m proud of them.”
Elite Squad’s Anthony Leary earned the MVP honors with his incredible play all weekend. He hit .550 and slugged .950 while driving in seven runs, acting as the team’s key run producer. “Anthony is a grinder. He’s a great hitter with a great approach,” Rodriguez said.
David Archacki from the Elite Squad earned the Most Valuable Pitcher award with his performance. He pitched two clean innings in the championship game, and didn’t allow a run in his 4.1 innings of work in the tournament.
