Day 5 in the 83rd NBC World Series powered by Westar Energy brought a little rain, but not enough to slow down the pool winners in Pool A and Pool C. And while rain can often cool down the offenses, this rain was just enough to get the ball flying for a trio of home runs. The Feature Game was preceded by the Armed Forces Tribute in which multiple veterans through out ceremonial first pitches thanks to QuikTrip and KAKE-TV.
Northwest Boom 8, Sterling Xpress 4
Shortstop Nick Gonzalez and Designated Hitter Marcus Catalano formed a chemical reaction to make the Boom go. The duo eight of the team’s twelve hits and drove in seven of the teams eight runs. Catalano added a big fly in the onslaught. Gerardo Lerma qualified for the win with five innings of work on the hill and only one earned run allowed.
Austin Shockers 10, Valley Center Mud Daubers 2
Koby Kelton ignited the offense from the leadoff spot, going 4-4 as Austin made it a clean sweep of Pool A after an hour rain delay before the game. Mateo Carranza added three more RBI as he upped his tournament average to .556. Shea Edmonds went four scoreless on the bump to start the game before a trio of Shocker relievers closed it out with an inning a piece. Austin clinched the game with the 8 run rule after seven innings.
Mulvane Patriots 8, Round Rock Express 0
The Patriots sealed Pool A behind Noah Draper’s excellent start. Draper through six scorless innings allowing just three hits, three walks, while striking out 8. The starter was backed by multi-hit games from Javis Larson, Channing WIlliams, Easton Herring and Dalton Dinkle. Hunter Aguirre and Aaron Brown both had two RBI, Brown’s coming on a two-run homer.
Ft. Collins Bandits 11, 316 Elite 0
The Bandits had lost two games by a combined three runs coming into Wednesday night and did not leave it to chance again. Kyle Reisman drove in five runs with a four hit ball game. A combination of Garrett Hammond, Hunter Porterfield, Tanner Schoeninger, and Cameron Speath combined to shutout 316.
TEAM SYNOPSIS
316 Elite (KS) 1-2, POOL C
The youngsters shook out the nerves in the opener. A team comprised entirely of high school athletes from the greater Wichita Area, 316 battled back against an older and gritty Round Rock Express team in the opener. Brody Hanna was at the front of the line, literally-the leadoff man, and figuratively-in sparking the 316 Elite offense with a pair of triples in a come from behind win. The young guys showed they could hit and brought a loyal and loud group of fans with them throughout all three games. Game 2 matched them up against a very hot Mulvane Patriots squad. After Hanna, Andrew Brautman and Luke Royle also hit over .300 for the World Series. Kreighton Rogers had a fantastic outing, going 3.1 for the save against Round Rock. Elite finished up against the Ft. Collins Bandits on Wednesday night.
Austin Shockers (TX) 3-0, POOL A
The team that’s named after Wichita’s most well-known sports teams certainly made themselves at home. Half the lineup has combined to generate 23 of the team’s 31 runs. Henry Hausman, Drew Helberg and Mateo Carranza each lead the team with five RBI. While Carranza, Patrick Castillo, and Colton Barrington are all hitting over .500. Logan Garza, Shea Edmonds, and Colton Bailey have all thrown multiple innings, allowing just one earned run between them. Austin won Pool A outright, with a clean sweep over all three opponents. They will take on the Mulvane Patriots on Friday for the right to move onto Championship Week.
Fort Collins Bandits (CO) 1-2, POOL C
The Bandits got off to a rough start with matchups first with Pool Winner Mulvane and then a rough loss to Round Rock. But the Bandits put it together in their final game against 316 Elite. Quinn Tomasino upped his World Series numbers with the short legs of the cycle. The Bandits lost their first two games by a combined three runs but unloaded for 11 runs in the win on Wednesday night.
Mulvane Patriots (KS) 3-0, POOL C
The Sunflower League Champions in the regular season, the Mulvane Patriots kept it rolling up the road. Javis Lawson and Aaron Brown both homered from the bottom of a stacked lineup that won more comfortably with each game it played. Braden Minor and Noah Draper were silencers on the hill in their starts, allowing the Mulvane offense to settle in and swing freely. The Patriots swept through Pool C to setup a matchup with the Austin Shockers on Friday night’s Win & In chance at a Championship Week birth.
Northwest Boom (AZ) 2-1, POOL A
An exhilarating offensive team to watch, the Boom certainly could hit. Paced by the current World Series lead in average, Marcus Catalano hit .692 in the Boom’s three games with a pair of homers, 5 RBI, and nine total hits (13 ab’s). Catalano had each leg of the cylce, albeit not in the same game, throughout the tournament. Shortstop Nick Gonzalez said goodbye to Wichita with a four hit showing of his own and finishes NBCWS17 with seven total hits in 13 at bats. The Boom had control of their destiny until halfway through game two, against the Austin Shockers, when Austin scored 12 times after the fourth inning to take a barn-burner away from Northwest and prevent them from advancing.
Round Rock Express (TX) 1-2, POOL C
Round Rock established themselves with a five run lead early in the World Series but never quite found solid ground against the 316 Elite. They bounced back in game two with a comeback of their own. A 5 run fifth against the Ft. Collins Bandits pulled them to 1-1 before they ran into a buzzsaw in the Mulvane Patriots. Kelton Caldwell found himself in the middle of the action while Tim Bechtold finishes the tournament 4-10 to lead the Express. All told the Express just couldn’t find enough total offense, scoring nine runs over the three games.
Sterling Xpress (CO) 1-2, POOL A
Sterling’s second consecutive year in the World Series. JT Patterson collected four hits, three of which came in the Xpress’ Monday win. Sterling was trailing Valley Center 4-3 heading into the eighth inning before an 8 run outburst opened up the ball game. Kyle Robbins added two hits in the win as well with a pair of doubles. Nathanial Fornwood provided a couple of scoreless innings out of the pen.
Valley Center Mud Daubers (KS) 0-3, POOL A
Zach Baxley and Logan Brown were a major part of the Mud Daubers offensive attack. Baxley was 5-10 while Brown finished 5-12. Valley Center just struggled to find shut down pitching in key situations. Brad McBride gave the Daubers a quality start over seven innings, but bullpen woes saw the Xpress run away with an 8-run 8th inning and the ballgame. But Valley Center’s success in their first season in the KCBL and their ability to be in all contests until the final innings certainly showcased their potential for growth in future NBCWS appearances.
