U10 Travel: White Wears Down Ellington, 13-8

Opening the 4^th of July Weekend with some fireworks of their own, Travel White powered past a solid Ellington team 13-8 at the UConn combo field. After holding Ellington to 1 in the top of the 1st (Cory Wolski recording all three outs on Ks), Travel White whipped up a quick 4 in the bottom of the 1st. Mac Reynolds led off with a double and came home on a single by Mateo Ramirez-Webster (1-1, 3R). After Jake Conran (2-2, 2R) singled, Eduardo Rodriguez (3-3, 1R) tripled to right center and came home on an RBI ground out by John Scrimgeour.

Ellington fired right back, loading the bases for starting pitcher Ian (3-3, 6 RBI), who cleared the bases and tied the game with a clean triple down the left field line. Travel White went quietly in the bottom of the second, but so did Ellington in the top of the third, with Eduardo pitching a flawless, 11-pitch 1-2-3 inning. Travel White exploded in the bottom of the 3rd, scoring the first 6 batters on a combination of hits, walks, and crafty base running by Mac, who got out of a pickle by scoring a run. The 3^rd inning ended when Dan Hussey cleared the bases with his first hit of the travel season, putting White over the maximum 6 runs per inning.

Ellington rallied for 4 in the 4th, but Travel White stopped the rally short when, on an overthrow intended to catch the runner stealing third, the runner tried to take home and was gunned down at the plate by left fielder Noah Fox, who had alertly backed up the throw to third and then hit catcher Jake Conran in the mitt for a clean, inning-ending tag at the plate. Travel White fought for 2 more in the bottom of the 4^th, with Dominic Mongillo (1-2, 1R) and Jack Brennan (1-2, 1R) moving around the bases to score. Dominic Fuentes held Ellington scoreless in the top of the 5^th, curling 3Ks around 1 BB. Travel White added an insurance run in the bottom of the 5th, with Jake hitting Mateo home.

To close out the 6^th, closer Bobby Gerity was all smiles on the mound, as Travel White’s never-give-up defense doomed Ellington’s chances for a 6^th inning rally. Ellington’s first batter was quickly retired when his hard line drive between third and short was suffocated by shortstop Mateo for out number one. Ellington’s second batter, Jacob M., snuck a single up the middle, and then stole second. The throw down sailed past second, but when Jacob tried to take third, center fielder Hunter Polce, backing up the throw, nailed him with a perfect throw of his own to Cory covering third. The third and final batter was nearly out on back-handed grab by Mateo, but the throw was too hot to handle for Noah at first. Not giving up, Noah erased the Ellington runner, who had turned the corner and began for second, by quickly throwing to John at second, forcing the runner back, and cleanly receiving the return throw and applying the game-ending tag at first. A hectic, but efficient, 11-pitch 1-2-3 inning. Game over. The White’s win.