Frederick Hustlers

The 11U Frederick Hustlers completed an amazing season by winning the HCYP Summer Clash Championship this past weekend in Howard County. The action began Friday night when the Hustlers squared off with the WHC Renegades from the MABA Division 1 league. This was a tight contest as WHC scored one in the first before the Hustlers answered with two of their own.  The Hustlers enjoyed a seemingly comfortable 4-1 lead going into the 4th before WHC scored three to tie it. The game was knotted at 4, until Gavin Hughes launched a 2-out solo home run to left field, giving the Hustlers a 5-4 lead.  As has been the case for much of the season, the Hustler's pitching closed the door and the Hustlers escaped by a score of 5-4. Aiden Dubetsky threw three innings and allowed no earned runs.  Logan Malachowski labored a tad in the 4th before lefty Aidan Simmons tossed two shutout innings to end any hope the Renegades had of coming back. Camren Baker and Gavin Hughes each had two hits to lead the Hustlers. Game 2 on Saturday had the Hustlers facing the Arlington Storm. The Hustlers jumped out to an 8-1 lead after three innings, only to see it evaporate, as the Storm scored three runs in the fourth, and three more in the 5th.  Most of the runs were courtesy of sloppy defense . Jaxson Wood came to the rescue and launched a  bases-loaded double in the 5th that cleared the bases and gave the Hustlers an 11-7 lead .  To the Storm's credit, they would not go away and battled back, scoring three runs. The Storm had runners at 1st and 3rd, with one out, when Aidan Simmons came in to pitch. Simmons induced a ground ball to 3rd basemen Ryan Maxey who threw home to gun down the runner trying to advance. The crafty Simmons then struck out the next batter, giving the Hustlers an 11-10 win. Ryan Maxey threw two innings of baseball, while Jaxson Wood threw in the 3rd.  Ryan Jones struggled over 2 & 1/3 innings before Simmons came on and finished the game. Jaxson Wood had three hits to lead the Hustlers, while Camren Baker and Logan Malachowski each had 2 hits. Friday and Saturday’s play put the Hustlers into Sunday as the 2 seed out of 12 teams. The Hustlers got paired up against a very formidable 10U team from HCYP, that had just beaten Catonsville, and already mercy ruled the Arlington Storm a day earlier. The Hustlers took care of business in the 1st, scoring a season high 11 runs in the first, and adding 5 more in the second, to take the game by the mercy rule and a score of 16-1. Ryan Jones, Carlos Caraballo, Ryan Maxey, and Killian Stair each had 2 hits in the game. Aiden Dubetsky, Andrew Raymond, and Jaxson Wood each doubled. Andrew Raymond threw 2 innings, allowing no earned runs, and Camren Baker pitched a scoreless 3rd for the Hustlers. The win put the Hustlers in the semi-finals versus the Arlington Storm, who won earlier Sunday morning versus the WHC Renegades. The Home team Hustlers scored in every inning to take the semi-final game by a score of 11-1, advancing to the championship game. Camren Baker had 3 hits, while Carlos Caraballo and Ryan Maxey each had 2 hits. Andrew Raymond pitched 3 innings of 1 run baseball, while Caraballo pitched a scoreless 4th. The championship game featured the Hustlers and the Shutdown Orioles. The Orioles just came from behind to beat the HCYP Raiders from the CRAB league on a walk-off hit. The Hustlers continued to play good baseball, scoring 3 in the 1st, 6 in the 3rd, and 4 more in the 4th, to take this championship game via the mercy rule by a score of 13-3. Aiden Dubetsky pitched all 4 innings, allowing 1 earned run. Dubetsky, Ryan Jones, Ryan Maxey, Jaxson Wood, and Killian Stair each had 2 hits in the game. Carlos Caraballo tripled. Leading hitters for the weekend: Jaxson Wood(.700), Camren Baker(.615), Carlos Caraballo(.583), Ryan Maxey(.583), Aiden Dubetsky(.455), Gavin Huges(.455), Logan Malachowski(.455), Andrew Raymond(.444), Killian Stair(.444), Ryan Jones(.357). The 11U Hustlers completed a very successful 11U season, with 48 wins, 11 losses, and 1 tie. There were 5 tournament championships, and 2 Silver Bracket championships during the season.

The 11U Hustlers traveled to Windber, PA, to compete in the Fireworks Classic, at the new Iron Horse Complex. For the second consecutive weekend, the Hustlers came out flat for the first game. Matched up against the Pittbulls, the Hustlers could not match the opposition and lost the first game by a score of 10-4. The Pitbulls had 10 hits off of Hustler pitching. Ryan Jones, Aidan Simmons, and Landon Johnson pitched on the mound. Jones had 2 hits including a double for the Hustlers, while Carlos Caraballo and Gavin Hughes each doubled also. Game 2 had the Hustlers facing Wheeling Post 1. The Hustler bats woke up in this game, and the Hustlers had 14 hits in 3 innings, and went on to win the game by a score of 15-0. Aiden Dubetsky threw 3 innings of no hit baseball. Ryan Jones and Logan Malachowski each had 3 hits, while Dubetsky, Carlos Caraballo, and Landon Johnson each had 2 hits. Malachowski and Simmons each doubled. Game 3 on Sunday opened with the Hustlers as the number 2 seed, again facing the Wheeling Post team from West Virginia. The Hustler bats stayed hot, as they put up 12 hits over 3 innings, taking advantage of 5 errors by the opposition, and winning the game by a score of 17-2 via the mercy rule. Landon Johnson threw 3 innings of 2 run baseball on the hill for the Hustlers. Ryan Jones had 3 hits, while Camren Baker, Aiden Dubetsky, and Carlos Caraballo each had 1 hit. Caraballo and Killian Stair each doubled, while Dubetsky doubled twice. Gavin Hughes hit a tape measure home run in this game. The semi-final game had the Hustlers facing the host Iron Horse Mustangs. The Hustler bats remained hot in this matchup, as they had 13 hits and scored in each of the 5 innings to take this game via the mercy rule by a score of 11-3. Carlos Caraballo had 3 hits to lead the way, while Ryan Jones, Andrew Raymond, and Landon Johnson each had 2 hits. Jones, Raymond, and Gavin Hughes each doubled. Johnson and Jaxson Wood each hit Home Runs in the game. Logan Malachowski threw 4 innings of 3 run baseball, while Aiden Dubetsky threw a scoreless inning to close it out. The Championship game had the Hustlers facing Doubleday’s Dubois. The game did not start well for the Hustlers. The opposition scored 2 in the first and 4 in the second, and led 6-1 after 2 innings. As has been the case all year, this young Hustler team never quits. The Hustlers put up a booming 10 spot in the 3rd, to take an 11-6 lead, and went on to win the championship game by a score of 12-8. Carlos Caraballo started on the hill for the Hustlers, but could not get out of the second inning. Aidan Simmons came on in relief and threw 2 & 2/3’s of scoreless relief. Andrew Raymond threw in the 5th, and Aiden Dubetsky threw a scoreless 6th inning to close it out for the Hustlers. Dubetsky, Ryan Jones, Logan Malachowski, Gavin Hughes, and Jaxson Wood each had 2 hits. Hughes, with 4 RBI’s, and Wood, each had Home Runs in the game. There were many hot bats over the weekend for the Hustlers. Ryan Jones hit a blistering (.857) for the weekend, reaching base every at bat in 5 games with the exception of 1 at bat. Gavin Hughes (.625), and Carlos Caraballo (.600) were also very hot. Other leading hitters were: Aiden Dubetsky (.583), Logan Malachowski (.538), Landon Johnson (.500), Killian Stair (.429), and Andrew Raymond (.400). Hughes, and Jaxson Wood each hit 2 home runs, while Johnson hit 1. Aiden Dubetsky and Aiden Simmons were lights out on the hill for the Hustlers.

The 11U Hustlers made trip to Rocky Mount, North Carolina to compete in the Top Gun Summer World Series. There were 64 11U teams playing. The Hustlers competed in Division 1, the most competitive division in the 11U age group, where 19 teams squared off. The first of 4 pool games didn’t start well for the Hustlers, as they fell behind the Pirates Baseball Club out of North Carolina by a score of 7-1 after 3 innings. The Hustlers battled, but couldn’t make it all the way back and lost by a score of 10-8. The Hustlers had 4 costly errors leading to 7 unearned runs. Logan Malachowski pitched very well in this one, but the Hustler defense did little to help him. Landon Johnson and Aidan Simmons also pitched for the Hustlers. Ryan Jones and Andrew Raymond each had 2 hits to lead the way for Hustlers. Game two on Saturday had Hustlers facing Rawlings Prospects out of North Carolina. The Hustlers jumped out to a 7-2 lead after 2 innings. However, that lead evaporated as the Prospects took the lead by a score of 8-7 going into the bottom of the 5th. The Hustlers responded with 2 in the bottom of the 5th on RBI singles by Hutson Trobaugh and Andrew Raymond. Ryan Jones then shutdown the Prospects in the 6th inning, and the Hustlers won this game by a score of 9-8. Trobaugh had 3 hits, while Jones, Camren Baker, and Brady Romsberg each had 2. Trobaugh and Romsberg each doubled. Aiden Dubetsky, Trobaugh, Romsberg, and Jones all pitched in this game. Game 3 in Pool Play had the Hustlers facing the Carolina Titans. This was another nail-biter. The Hustlers scored 2 in the first, only to see the Titans tie it up in the 3rd at 3-3 on 2 solo Home Runs off Hustler Starter Ryan Jones. This game was knotted at 3 until the 6th, when the Hustlers took control. Aidan Simmons got things started in the 6th, with a bunt single, then stole second, and then advanced to 3rd base on a passed ball. Simmons scored on an error in the outfield to give the Hustlers a 4-3 lead. Brady Romsberg shutdown the Titans in the 6th, and the Hustlers won by a score of 4-3. Jones pitched the first 3 innings, while Romsberg was lights out over the last 3 allowing no runs. Aiden Dubetsky, Hutson Trobaugh, Jones, Andrew Raymond, Simmons, Jaxson Wood, Killian Stair, Romsberg, and Gavin Hughes each had 1 hit in the game. Dubetsky and Hughes each doubled. Game 4 of Pool Play had the Hustlers facing the North Carolina Wildcards. The Wildcard pitchers dominated the Hustler bats in this one, as the Hustlers only had 4 hits in the game, and went on to lose by a score of 5-2. Aiden Dubetsky, Jaxson Wood, Killian Stair, and Brady Romsberg each had 1 hit in the game. The Hustlers were seeded 9th out of 19 teams, just outside of the gold bracket seeding, but earned the Number 1 seed in the Silver bracket on Sunday. The Hustlers got a bye, and were paired up again with the Carolina Titans in the Semi-final game. The Hustlers quickly went to work here, scoring in each of the first 4 innings to take a 7-1 lead after 4, and went on to win this game by a score of 7-2. Aiden Dubetsky threw 4 very good innings, and Aidan Simmons closed it out on the mound for 2 solid innings in relief. Camren Baker, Andrew Raymond, and Gavin Hughes each had 2 hits in the game. Hughes had 2 big doubles and 4 RBI’s. The Championship game had the Hustlers facing the Rawlings Prospects again. Again, this game was very tight the whole way. This was another one of those games that showed the same kind of heart and effort the Hustlers have had all year long. Each team scored 2 in the first, but Rawlings added 1 in the second and 3rd, to take a 4-3 lead after 3. The score remained this way until the bottom of the 6th. The Hustlers have had many comeback wins this year in tournaments, and this game would be no different. After Aiden Dubetsky grounded out, Camren Baker got things rolling with a bunt single, his 3rd hit of the game. Baker then stole second base, and then also stole 3rd base. Hutson Trobaugh then walked. On a pick off play to first, Trobaugh took off for 2nd, and made it, giving the Hustlers runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Ryan Jones was then intentionally walked, to bring up the hero, Andrew Raymond. Raymond hit the first pitch he saw over the left fielders head, scoring both Baker and Trobaugh, giving the Hustlers the Silver bracket Championship and a win by a score of 5-4. Logan Malachowski, Trobaugh, and Raymond each pitched 2 innings, and all threw very well. This was a great tournament, competition was good. The Hustlers earned a free berth to the Top Gun Summer National Championship in South Carolina with the win. Leading hitters for the weekend: Andrew Raymond(.545), Killian Stair(.500), Ryan Jones(.462), Brady Romsberg(.444), Hutson Trobaugh(.429), Jaxson Wood(.400), Gavin Hughes(.375), Camren Baker(.357), and Aidan Simmons(.333).

The Frederick Hustlers finished a strong 13U summer season with a 4-2 record in the Atlantic Coast Baseball New Era Cap Classic in Pittsburgh over the weekend. The Hustlers withstood a tough draw and a Friday rain that eliminated its final pool play game to take the Silver Bracket Championship in convincing fashion. The Hustlers opened pool play on Thursday evening with a controversial 7-5 loss to Beaver Valley Black. After a day of rain and an incredible job by tournament officials to get fields playable, the Hustlers run-ruled previously unbeaten 3 Rivers Arsenal Gold 13-1 before losing an exciting 7-2 game to eventual tournament champion Beaver Valley Red. Beaver Valley Red run-ruled their other five opponents including their semifinal and final opponents in the Gold Bracket. Unfortunately, the elimination of the final pool play game because of rain left the Hustlers as the #14 seed in the 28 team field and dropped them into Silver play. The Hustlers showed why they were unlucky and run-ruled their next three opponents, beating the Rawlings A’s Prospects 11-0, the Ontario Blue Jays Bignall 15-3 and the Ontario Blue Jays Largy 9-0.

Matt Cunningham (12-16, .750, 4 home runs), Marshall Mott (11-16, .688, 4 home runs) and Dustin Isanogle (9-17, .529, 9 runs scored) were unconscious throughout the tournament. Gabe Torres (.462, one home run), Eric Ball (.400), Brandon Bradshaw (.385, one home run) and Tyler Prather (.364, one home run) all had great tournaments offensively as well.

Marshall Mott tossed a two-hitter in the Championship game with 14 strikeouts. Nick DeLisi was dominant in his two starts and recorded two wins while Luke Schlimm pitched five strong innings in three different relief appearances. Stephen Betz was very impressive in pitching 3-plus strong innings against the talented Beaver Valley Red squad.

The Frederick Hustlers started game one of the 13-team Rally Cap Open Championship at Sports at the Beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware with a single, HBP and a 3-run bomb (Brandon Bradshaw) to straight away center and finished the championship game with a walk-off grand slam missile to right center (Marshall Mott). In between, the Hustlers mashed 24 home runs and had 58 hits in outscoring five opponents by a combined score of 74-6. “People talk about momentum in sports all the time. You just saw it in the College Regionals with Davidson. You saw it this year in local High School baseball. The guys caught fire as a team. They were having fun and playing loose. We just tried to stay out of their way and not mess things up,” noted Coach Main. Playing on 270 foot fences, nine different players left the yard and several were tape measure shots. Dustin Isanogle and Brandon Bradshaw were named Co-MVPs. Isanogle went 9-11 (.818) with two home runs and turned in several web gems in CF. Bradshaw provided the punch and went 9-13 (.692) with six home runs. Matt Cunningham played a flawless shortstop and turned in an 8-12 (.667) performance with two home runs. Colby Patterson set the tone out of the leadoff spot by going 8-13 (.615) with a home run. Nick DeLisi was huge behind the plate and went 5-9 (.556) with three home runs. Marshall Mott was 6-12 (.500) out of the cleanup spot with four home runs (two walk-offs).  Eric Ball was 4-7 (.571) with a home run; Gabe Torres was 4-8 (.500) with two home runs and Tyler Prather went 3-8 (.375) with two home runs. The Hustlers beat the Delmarva Aces Coastal 19-0, Go Wags Mountain Lions 13-1, Mid Penn Prospects 18-1, Delmarva Aces East 11-1 and the MVP Terps East (VA) 13-3. Stephen Betz, Luke Schlimm, Matt Cunningham and Marshall Mott all pitched well throughout the tournament. Mott came up really big in the Championship game.

The Hustlers are back in action Saturday at Yellow Springs against the Arena Starz. First pitch of the doubleheader is at noon.