Astro sweeps 14U World Series

July 27, 2016 at 12:07a.m.

STRUTHERS

The NABF Sophomore Division is in its 43rd season and prior to 2014, only one Youngstown team had ever advanced to the championship game.

That was in 2012 when Ohio Glaciers dropped a heartbreaking, 9-8 decision to the Maryland Monarchs and finished as national runners-up.

After Astro Falcons swept through the 11-team field last week in Knoxville, Tennessee for its first World Series title, the local league has now won three straight championships to serve notice that the road to the 14U title now goes through Youngstown, Ohio.

Led by veteran sandlot manager Steve Leslie, the Astro Falcons (46-9) finished as league runners-up. In the postseason, they went 6-0 in the tournament, averaging 10 runs per game while outscoring opponents by a 60-29 count.

That play earned Andrew Sabella tourney MVP honors with seven other players also earning all-tournament laurels.

“We were disappointed after finishing as league runners-up, yet never got down on ourselves and felt like we had all of the components in place in order to make a run at a World Series title,” Leslie said. “We won the Muddy Diamonds Tournament and Battle of the Border Tourney during the season, so we were definitely tested and ready to go for the World Series.”

While most teams look to bolster their roster with tournament additions, Leslie and his staff —Rick Havrilla, Chad Miller and Rob Armeni— felt that to win it all, the 15 players who dotted their roster all season would be the players they would call upon.

“We had four players returning from last year’s team in Vince Armeni, Brayden Beck, Rick Havrilla and Connor Miller. All four served as team captains and were great leaders the entire season,” Leslie said. “To stand pat and not add a player, and then win it all with your regular team is a true testament to the grit, dedication and character of this squad. There wasn’t a weak link on the team and throughout the season we were solid on the mound, at the plate and in the field.”

Astros started the tournament with a 7-3 win over the St. Louis Naturals behind winning pitcher Brandon Mikos and three hits from Armeni. They followed up with a 12-7 decision over the T3 Rays when they pounded out 13 hits, including three from Colin Balas.

“We really hit the ball, roping 60 hits to go along with our 60 runs and those first two games really set the tone for us,” Leslie said. “We knew after beating the T3 Rays that we had won our pool, so in our third game against Mississippi we used the opportunity to give everyone some playing time and they responded with a 9-4 win.”

After their 9-4 victory over the 96ers to move to 3-0, Miller, Beck and Rocco Bernadina combined on a two-hit masterpiece for an 11-3 victory over the Diamond Elite 96ers. A 12-5 victory over the Adirondack Warhawks behind Havrilla and Beck sent Astro to the championship.

“We knew what to expect, but they jumped up on us 2-0 in the first inning and we had to play catch-up,” Leslie said. “We tied it in the second inning. They tied it in the third. They took a 7-6 lead in the fourth but we never lost our composure, scored twice in the fifth inning to take the lead and added an insurance run in the sixth for a 9-7 win. We were tested and this team never backed down.

“Our top two batters set the table and the middle of the line-up drove them in, so timely hitting and taking advantage of our scoring opportunities was a big reason for the success that we enjoyed.”

In addition to Sabella, named to the all-tournament team were Armeni, Balas, Beck, Charlie Davis, Mikos and Miller.

Rounding out the roster were Drew Clark, Chase Franken, Mike Kushner, Evan Ruark, Seth Velker and Ty Ventresco.