Frederick Hustlers

The 9U Hustlers competed in the Mutiny at The Park tournament in Olney, Maryland this past weekend. The 9U bracket was loaded with some of the best teams from Maryland and Delaware. Although the weather was miserable and cold all weekend, the 9U Hustlers were playing like it was 85 degrees and sunny.

Saturday started off with the Hustlers playing the Damascus Cougars. Damon Baker started things off for the Hustlers on the hill pitching two innings of shutout baseball and fanning two batters. The bottom half of the 1st saw the Hustlers batting through their lineup while scoring 7 runs. The Hustlers continued their hot hitting plating 18 batters in the bottom of the 2nd adding another 13 runs to the board and highlighted by homeruns by both Ryan Coulby and Chase Jones. Jackson Raymond took the mound for the Hustlers in the 3rd and 4th innings allowing two runs while striking out five batters. The Hustler’s half of the 3rd was more of the same with 16 batters coming to the plate while scoring another 10 runs. The Hustlers were able to pull off the early defeat winning by run rule collecting 17 hits along the way. Both pitchers were very efficient throwing mostly strikes on very few pitches. Darian Gaskins, Alex Simmons, and Jake Rydzewski each had 3 hits. Gaskins collected a triple and two doubles.

The young Hustlers faced off next against an impressive Delaware Rockets team. Chase Jones got the start on the mound throwing two innings while only allowing two runs, striking out four, and not allowing a walk. Mickey Cammarata worked the 3rd and 4th innings for the Hustlers surrendering five runs and striking out three. The Hustlers found themselves down 5-0 entering the bottom half of the 3rd before they could get their offense going. The inning started with walks by both Damon Baker and Colton Facine. Mickey Cammarata loaded the bases with a sharp line drive to left field. Chase Jones followed with a frozen rope to center field scoring the first Hustlers run of the day. After a walk to Darian Gaskins scoring another Hustlers run, the young Hustlers showed some savvy base running scoring two additional runs before the inning ended. In the bottom of the 4th, the Hustlers were able put some distance between them and the team from Delaware. Following walks by Grady Beaver and Luke Wood to start the inning, Alex Simmons drove a two strike pitch into right field for a double that allowed two runs to score easily. The Hustlers weren’t finished as only a few batters later Damon Baker drove in another run on a bullet hit to center field knotting the game at 7-7. Following a single by Mickey Cammarata, Chase Jones was able to bring in Damon and Mickey with a single to center. Jackson Raymond pitched the 5th allowing one run, while striking out two, and allowing no walks on just 16 pitches. Damon Baker assumed the closer role in the 6th needing only 14 pitches to shutout the Rockets batters allowing no runs, no hits, and striking out the final batter of the inning to seal the victory for the Hustlers. Following the team’s performance on day one, Coach Raymond commented “I am really pleased with the team baseball we played today. Everyone contributed and played a role in each game.”

Sunday found the Hustlers as the #3 seed. As luck would have it, their 1st game of the day was a rematch from Saturday’s game against the Delaware Rockets. Damon Baker took the mound for the Hustlers in the 1st facing just three batters and striking out two. Unlike the day before, the Hustlers got their bats going early. Mickey Cammarata got things going with a sharp line drive to left field. Chase Jones followed with a hard hit ground ball through the hole on the left side scoring Mickey, who had stolen 2nd base on the previous pitch. Darian Gaskins was able to draw a four pitch walk. Ryan Coulby got in on the action with a line drive to centerfield scoring Jones. Jackson Raymond was able to advance Gaskins home on a well hit ball to the left side. Grady Beaver brought home Coulby with a hard hit ball that the Rockets third baseman was just lucky enough to knockdown. Damon Baker was on the mound again for the bottom half of the 2nd inning but this time the Rockets batters were able to barrel up some pitches and tie the game back up at 4-4. The Hustlers were able to put a run up in the bottom of the second when Jake Rydzewski scored after hitting a fielder’s choice and consecutive throwing errors. Ryan Coulby took the mound for the top of the 3rd and was able to get two outs, but not before allowing two runs and loading the bases. Jackson Raymond entered the game to get the final out of the inning. The Hustlers got their bats going again in the bottom of the 3rd with a bomb by Chase Jones flying the centerfielder’s head and making it all the way to the 280’ fence. Darian Gaskins followed with a double to the right center gap. Ryan Coulby brought Gaskins home on a double to the left center alley. Jackson Raymond singled on a line drive to right field. Grady Beaver followed with a nice inside-out hit to the right side bringing Ryan Coulby around to score. Alex Simmons was able to keep the runners moving with a hard ground out to the third baseman allowing Raymond to score. Jake Rydzewski brought in the final run of the inning beating out the throw from 3rd and allowing Beaver to reach the plate. Jackson Raymond stayed in the game to pitch the top of the 4th allowing two runs. The bottom half of the 4th had the Hustlers holding on to an 8-10 lead, so they were looking for a couple insurance runs. Damon Baker led off the inning with a single through the hole on the right side. By the 5th pitch of Mickey Cammarata’s following at bat, Baker was sitting on 3rd with no outs. Mickey hit an effective swinging bunt that allowed Baker to score, but Cammarata was throw out on a close play at 1st. The Rockets were able to make some terrific plays on the next two Hustlers batters to limit the damage. Chase Jones entered the game in the 5th facing only four batters before striking out two and ending the inning. The Hustlers were not able to get anything going in the bottom half of the 5th, so they would start the 6th up 11-8 and Jones on the mound. The Rockets were able to use walks and some untimely errors to tie the game back up at 11-11. The bottom half of the 6th ended with a double play and momentum seemed to be changing into the hands of the Rockets. With the score tied after 6, the game continued into the seventh frame. Mickey Cammarata took the hill for the Hustlers and struck out two batters without allowing a run. Mickey led off the bottom of the 7th working a 3-2 count into a walk. After Chase Jones fouled off the first two pitches, Mickey Cammarata was able to steal 2nd base to get into scoring position. Chase Jones barreled up the forth pitch of the at bat and again launched one over the centerfielder’s head walking off in grand fashion for the 13-11 victory and a trip to the semi-final game.

The semi-final matchup was against AYRA on OBGC Field #3 where the Hustlers started on Saturday against Damascus. Jackson Raymond got the start for the Hustlers and retired the first three batters on 9 pitches. The Hustlers batters seem to like the backdrop of OBGC Field #3, because they wasted no time spraying the ball around the park. Damon Baker led off by hitting a triple on the 2nd pitch to the left center gap. Mickey Cammarata followed with a sharply hit ball to 3rd scoring Baker. Chase Jones then doubled to left center bringing Cammarata around to score. Darian Gaskins uncorked a laser to the right centerfield gap scoring Jones and he after the throw to third found the fence instead of the third baseman’s glove. Ryan Coulby did his part to get ducks on the pond by singling on a sinking liner to left field. Jackson Raymond took an outside pitch to left field doubling and sending Coulby to third. Coulby was able to steal home on a wild pitch before the inning ended and having the Hustlers up 5-0. Jackson Raymond again took the mound in the bottom of the 2nd again facing the minimum number of AYRA batters and only throwing 10 pitches. The bottom of the 2nd saw more of the same from the Hustlers. Jake Rydzewski led off with a single followed by a walk by Colton Facine. Damon Baker loaded the bases with a single up the middle. Mickey Cammarata worked a 3-2 count into a run scoring walk. Chase Jones continued the scoring by clearing the bases with a hit to the left side followed by an errant throw going down the right field line. Jones advanced to second on the play and was brought in to score by a single to centerfield by Jackson Raymond. Raymond quickly stole 2nd and was waved around third when Grady Beaver singled on a hard hit ball up the middle. The top of the 3rd had Chase Jones taking the hill for the Hustlers. Chase allowed four runs on four hits while striking out three. The Hustler’s bats went silent in the 3rd and Chase was quickly back out for the top of the 4th. Chase Jones worked very efficiently in the 4th allowing no runs on just one hit and added another strikeout to his total for the day. In the bottom half of the 4th, Chase led things off reaching first by taking a pitch in the thigh. Darian Gaskins reached on a walk. Ryan Coulby drove in Jones working the ball nicely to the opposite field on an outside pitch. Jackson Raymond was able to bring Gaskins home pushing the score to 13-4 Hustlers. As soon as the 5th inning started with Mickey Cammarata on the mound, it appeared as though the Hustlers were going to self-destruct. The Hustler’s defense committed three errors in the frame allowing seven runs to score. The Hustlers tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the 5th with Luke Wood scoring on a Damon Baker fielder’s choice and Jake Rydzewski scoring on a line drive to centerfield after Jake previously reached first on a single to centerfield himself. Mickey Cammarata entered the top of the 6th with an 11-15 lead and was able to close it out allowing only two additional runs for a 13-15 final and a trip to the championship game.

The championship game pitted the Hustlers against the Olney Pirates. Jackson Raymond, Damon Baker, and Chase Jones all pitched well for the Hustlers allowing only two walks in the game while striking out four Pirates batters. The Hustlers just couldn’t get things going against the Pirates pitching managing only 3 runs on 8 hits. Darian Gaskins and Grady Beaver led the Hustlers with two hits a piece while Damon Baker, Mickey Cammarata, Alex Simmons, and Jake Rydzewski each had one hit. “This weekend was a great start for this young team. This is an experience that should pay dividends later this season. They showed great resiliency and a positive approach.” noted Coach Raymond.

Leading hitters in the tournament were Darian Gaskins (.700), Jake Rydzewski (.538), Chase Jones (.500), Grady Beaver (.500), Damon Baker (.466), Mickey Cammarata (.466), Jackson Raymond (.454), Ryan Coulby (.400), and Alex Simmons (.384).

Leadoff hitter Kai Akins set the tone for the young Hustlers in the first inning against the hosts from WHC. Akins got on base with a leadoff walk and the Hustlers scored two runs in the top of the inning. Evin Kloster took to the hill in the last half of the first and was brilliant as he was backed by a dazzling double play by Carter Jackson, who fielded a ground ball at first, tagged the runner and beat the batter to the bag. The second inning was more of the same for the visitors. With two runners on base Kloster gave himself some breathing room with an absolute missile to right center for a three run homer. Ahead 5-0 a few miscues in the field coupled with walks got Kloster in trouble but excellent relief work by Carter Jackson (two strikeouts to end the inning) put out the fire. The top of the third inning spelled trouble for the home team as every hustler reached safely at least once in the inning while 16 players batted and nine runs were on the board . Tyce Munger drew 2 walks in the inning and 4 total in the game while Garrett “G-Money” Touchet singled twice in the inning. Cooper Bell hit a sharp single and walked as well. Carter Jackson again shut down WHC in the bottom of the inning as the Hustlers lead 14-2 after three. Cody Smith dazzled the WHC hitters in the fourth. Stellar defensive play by Touchet who fielded a grounder at third with a strong throw across the diamond to Clay Hamilton as well as a nice play made by RJ Dermady at second base ended the game. Dermady, Akins and Munger split the catching duties. Kloster led the winners with 4 hits and Jackson had three as the Hustlers banged out 12 hits in five innings.

A new team, a new season. Who would’ve guessed that this group of 7 and 8 year-olds could have put together such an exciting performance in their first game? The Hustlers played nearly flawless baseball for five innings. Taking a 3-1 lead into the final inning and needing just three outs, the wheels came off the cart a bit and the Hustlers dropped a fun and thrilling ballgame 11-3.

Cody Smith and Carter Jackson were perfect on the mound thru four innings; Smith had six strikeouts and Jackson recorded five in each of their two innings of work. Evin Kloster was equally effective in the fifth as he struck out two and surrendered a lone run. Meanwhile, the Hustler bats came to life in the bottom of the fifth. Tyce Munger got things going with a stand-up double to left. Carter Jackson then brought the crowd to their feet with an inside-the-park two-run home run. The Hustlers weren’t done. Evin Kloster ripped a double to left and Cody Smith laced a single to drive in Kloster.

While the Hustler pitchers and fielders struggled a little in the sixth, the level of play throughout the evening was quite impressive. “If you’re having a bad day or maybe even a bad week, watching these guys play is the perfect medicine,” noted Coach Main. “I had forgotten how much fun this age group is. Abner Doubleday has to be smiling!”

For the game, Smith had an all-around excellent performance and led the way with three hits. Jackson had two hits, and Kloster, Cooper Bell and Munger each had one. Garrett Touchet hit a hard shot in the bottom of the sixth that was fielded by the Cyclone second baseman.

Defensively, the Hustlers got great catching efforts from Kai Akins, RJ Dermady, Cody Smith and Tyce Munger.

The young Hustlers are back in action on Sunday when they travel to Annapolis to take on API.

After turning in one impressive performance after another during an aggressive Fall schedule, the 14U Hustlers closed out the season with a surprisingly tired and uninspired effort at the PG Super25 Fall Virginia Super Qualifier at the Virginia Sports Complex in Ruther Glenn, VA over the weekend. The Hustlers started pool play Saturday morning with an 8-0, run rule win over the Mid Atlantic Red Sox. They then took a 3-2 lead in game two against Virginia REVO into the sixth inning before the wheels came off the cart. Virginia REVO scored three times for a 5-3 victory and the poor play continued Sunday morning against Mid Maryland United when United scored five times in the fifth to turn a close 3-2 game into a laugher. “We were flat all weekend and if you’re playing in the right events, you’re supposed to lose when you don’t play well,” commented Coach Main. “In the game against Mid Maryland, #23 (Logan Moseley) had a lot to do with our struggles. He was really, really good. You simply tip your cap to a kid like that.”

The Hustlers got strong pitching performances from Tyler Prather, Adam Dellamura and Marshall Mott but their usual strong defensive play was missing. Offensively for the tournament, Dustin Isanogle hit .429 and Jake Neff had two doubles and a .400 average. Gabe Torres and Matt Cunningham each hit .333.

Coming off a stellar showing at USA Baseball over Labor Day weekend, the 14U Frederick Hustlers turned in a sequel that was equally impressive. The Hustlers jumped two age groups and entered the 16U Sports at the Beach Swing Away Wood Bat tournament in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Facing predominantly sophomore and junior High School players, the Hustlers stood tall with their play and won the hearts of many as they came away with the runner-up trophy in the nine-team event. Pitching to contact and playing nearly flawless defense, the Hustlers utilized timely hitting and some well executed small ball in frustrating their older foes. Saturday morning’s opener against 302 Elite (Georgetown, DE) was classic Hustler baseball. Behind the arms of Nick DeLisi and Marshall Mott, the Hustlers won game one 3-0 with DeLisi starting and tossing three innings of scoreless baseball. DeLisi scattered three hits and a walk with four strikeouts. The lefty Mott then entered in the fourth and threw four innings of two-hit ball. Mott struck out six and walked one. “Those two guys are fun to watch,” commented Coach Main. “They like the big stage and bright lights and I’m happy they are wearing black and gold.” Jake Neff and Matt Kulikowski stepped up offensively and each had two hits; one of Neff’s was a double. Mott, Stephen Betz, Adam Dellamura and Matt Cunningham added one hit a piece.

The Hustlers got all of their bad plays out of their system in a game two loss to the Delaware Rockets. The Hustlers had a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth when the wheels came off the cart. Betz, Dellamura and Cunningham shared the pitching duties and did their jobs but in the end, five Hustler miscues spelled a 12-6 setback. Jake Neff again led the way offensively with two hits and three runs including his second double of the day. “This kid is going to be special. He’s a strong kid who has pop and an extra gear,” noted Coach Main. Dellamura, Mott, Kulikowski, Cunningham each had a hit with Mott’s being a two-run double off the wall in left center.

The Hustlers captured the four seed for Championship Sunday and matched up against the five seed Deptford Post 133 Junior Legion team out of Deptford, NJ. The Hustlers were deadlocked at 3-3 going into the bottom of the sixth when they exploded for five runs.  Tyler Prather and Gabe Torres each came up big with run-scoring hits in the second. Torres added a double later in the game. Neff, Mott, Cunningham, DeLisi, Dustin Isanogle and Dalton Williams each had a hit. Mott’s huge two run triple in the right field corner gave the good guys the lead in the sixth. Kulikowski, Prather, Cunningham, Dellamura and Betz all competed on the mound and allowed the Hustlers to escape with a 10-5 win. Dellamura was particularly effective coming in and shutting down a Deptford rally in the sixth with back to back strikeouts.

The semifinal contest matched the Hustlers against the #1 seed SJ Young Guns. Mott tossed four spectacular innings of four hit ball and surrendered only one run with two strikeouts. Neff came in and shut the door pitching the final three frames of hitless baseball. The Hustler defense thwarted three potentially big rallies with inning-ending double plays. Mott gave the Hustlers the early lead in the first with a run scoring single to plate Neff who was HBP and promptly stole second. The Hustlers scored the winning run in the bottom of the fifth behind a bunt single from Williams and a two-run Baltimore Chop single by Neff.

The Championship Game was a rematch of the Hustlers and Delaware Rockets. The game was a pitcher’s duel full of sparkling defensive plays. Sitting scoreless after seven innings, tournament officials turned to the International tiebreaker which places the last three outs of the previous inning on base. The Hustlers plated two runs in the top of the eighth only to watch the Rockets get three in the bottom half for a 3-2 win. “You hate to lose a game that way but hey, we had a great weekend and learned a lot about ourselves,” noted Coach Main. DeLisi was special again tossing four innings of two hit ball. Betz came in and shined as well throwing three scoreless before the tiebreaker eighth. The gritty Kulikowski led the way with two hits and Mott added a single.

Offensively for the tournament, Jake Neff went 6-14 for a .429 clip with eight runs scored.  Mott provided the thunder going 5-15 for .333 with six RBis and three extra base hits. Kulikowski finished at .294 and Cunningham hit .286. Defensively, Cunningham and Dellamura were sensational all weekend in the middle of the diamond.