From Perfect Game:
For this age group, Elite Squad and MVP Banditos have become rivals at this point. Trading no. 1 rankings in the travel team rankings along with finishing 1-2 in some order fuels the rivalry not only for the players but the coaches as well. This game saw another nail biter as Elite Squad hung onto an early lead to win 3-2.
Elite Squad jumped out to a quick lead thanks to three runs in the first two innings. Jamar Fairweather, ranked No. 71 nationally for the class of 2020 and committed to FIU, roped in an RBI single in the first inning and Mikel Cuvet knocked in another run in the second with an RBI triple. Enrique A. Bradfield Jr., ranked No. 105 nationally for the class of 2020, pushed across a sac fly to bring the lead to 3-0.
Starting pitcher Timothy Manning, ranked No. 61 nationally for the class of 2020 and committed to Florida, turned in a gutsy performance. He threw six strong innings allowing only two runs and striking out five batters. Manning was very excited jumping off the mound after ending the sixth with a strikeout and showed a lot of heart on the mound.
After trimming the lead to only one run, Elite Squad was able to shut the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.
Coach Richie Palmer talked about the incredible games that happen when these teams meet and how losing the No. 1 travel team ranking added to his team’s motivation.
“The boys have been looking forward to, not only this tournament, but facing this team for a long time,” said Palmer. “These two teams faced each other in the PG World Series and then we got ranked number one, then those guys went to Freshman World and won and they got ranked number one. So that was motivation for our guys. Timmy (Manning) wanted the ball for this game. We rolled the dice and decided to hold on to him for the championship game, usually I don’t like doing that, but we gambled and it worked out. Timmy was fantastic, there’s a reason he’s committed to Florida and, in my own opinion, he’s one of the best pitchers in his class. He was outstanding.”
After losing the first game of the tournament, Elite Squad battled back to come away champions. This championship is a testament to this team’s resiliency and ability to never give up.
“This group doesn’t give up,” said Palmer. “We lost the first game of the tournament. We had a game plan of how we were going to handle our pitchers and it worked out. I have to give credit to Coach Calabrese, he came up with the plan and we stuck to it. He’s been with these kids for years and he’s allowed me to come in and help out. They’re incredible resilient, we were down 2-0 this morning after the third inning and they busted the score open. These kids fight and it’s a pleasure to be around. No matter what the score is they’re going to continue to fight and they’re a great group of kids. They’re excellent ball players but they’re even better kids.”
Enrique A. Bradfield Jr. of Elite Squad was named the MVP of the tournament. Bradfield finished with a .571 average (eight hits), including three doubles and two triples, to go along with six RBI, eight runs, and four stolen bases. Orlando Hernandez, ranked No. 133 nationally for the class of 2020 and committed to Miami, was named MV-Pitcher for the tournament for the MVP Banditos. Hernandez turned in a strong performance in the semifinal round and finished with seven innings pitched while striking out 10 and allowing only one earned run.
