A FEW OF THE REBELS ARRIVE AT THE EMBASSY SUITES IN HOUSTON BEFORE THE WEEKEND TOURNAMENT

LEFT TO RIGHT - JACK DALTON, KARSON SYMONDS, QUENTIN ENOS, JON DOKO, JACKSON JORDAN, EVAN SMITH, EVAN SWINDELL

By popular demand, the FW Rebels hit the road for the Clarence Mandel Memorial Tournament in the Houston area over the weekend.  This as a 17-team 12U AAA level tournament.  Overall, the Rebels went 2-2 in the tournament scoring 40 runs in the four games while allowing 29.  Offensive numbers were plentiful after a 21-2 opening game win vs Vendetta Black Baseball out of Victoria, TX and a 15-3 whooping over the 11U MAJ Spring Branch Warriors to start out bracket play Sunday.  Through 2.5 innings, the Rebels held a 4-2 lead over Mariucci Elite Baseball in the quarterfinals but they ended up losing that game 12-4 to the eventual tournament champions.  The 4-runs score vs Mariucci was the most any team scored against them in the tournament.  Here are the game-by-game write-ups.

Pool Play Game 1 vs Vendetta Baseball Black 12U

FW Rebels 21          Vendetta Baseball Black 12U 2

THE FW REBELS GET IN A PRE-GAME PRAYER BEFORE GAME 1 OF THE CLARENCE MENDEL MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

The Rebels announced their presence with authority with a convincing 21-2 victory.  A 10-run first inning and an 11-run second inning had the mercy rule step in prior to the third inning even beginning.  The Rebels sent 14 men to the plate in the 1st inning.  Jack Dalton went 2-2 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI in the first inning alone.  Evan Smith also went 2-2 in the first inning.  The Rebels followed that up with 16 batters to come to the plate in the 2nd inning.  This time it was Drew Horstman, Karson Symonds, & Jon Doko to go 2-2 in one inning.  Doko went 2-2 with 2 doubles & 4 RBI in the 2nd inning alone.  For the game, every single Rebel had at least 1 RBI.

Extra base hits in the game came from Jack Dalton & Jace Franke who both tripled, while Jon Doko (2), Karson Symonds, Quentin Enos, and Christopher Calabrese all doubled.  Calabrese barely missed his first career HR with a blast to the 220-ft fence down the left field line.

Jackson Jordan was the beneficiary of all the offense picking up his 8th win of the year.  Jordan needed just 29 pitches for the complete game.

Pool Play Game 2 vs Whitecaps Baseball 12U AAA

Whitecaps Baseball 12      FW Rebels 0

The Rebels were able to scout the Whitecaps during the week and quickly realized who their ace pitcher was.  Well, it just so happened that the Whitecaps used their ace vs the Rebels in the day's second game for both teams.  The game was scoreless heading to the 2nd inning when the game just got away from the Rebels to which they never recovered.  Evan Smith started on the hill for the Rebels and looked dominant early, but just couldn't grab that 3rd out in the 2nd inning.  With two outs, and Whitecaps holding a 1-0 lead, they rallied to tack on seven more runs on 3 hits, 3 walks,  a hit batter, and two Rebel errors.  Still, Whitecaps kept their ace in there in the 2nd and 3rd inning and extended their lead to 12-0.  Jace Franke, Drew Horstman, and Karson Symonds all singled for the Rebels but that was it.  If there was an poetic justice.....the Whitecaps who took the #2 seed (while the Rebels snagged the #10 seed) were one and done in the Sunday bracket play without their ace throwing another inning.

Bracket Play Game 3 vs Spring Brach Warriors 11U MAJORS

FW Rebels 15        Spring Branch Warriors 3

FW REBELS' QUENTIN ENOS CELEBRATES HIS HUGE BASES CLEARING TRIPLE IN THE 1ST INNING VS SPRING BRANCH WARRIORS WITH JACK DALTON & JON DOKO.

Once again, the Rebel bats came alive early in a convincing 15-3 victory.  The visiting Rebels scored six runs in the first.  Jace Franke hit the first pitch of the game up the right center field alley for a leadoff triple.  The following hitter, Jack Dalton walked.  On the first pitch to Drew Horstman, Dalton went to steal 2nd.  The Warriors catcher attempted to get Dalton at 2nd while Franke alertly took off to score and made it 1-0.  Horstman then singled in Dalton to make it 2-0.  After Jon Doko walked, the Warriors made a pitching change (there would be many more).  On a ridiculous balk move, a left handed pitcher picked Doko off of 1st base.  Rebels protest went nowhere.  Karson Symonds & Jackson Jordan then both walked to fill the bases.  With two outs, Quentin Enos stepped to the plate not realizing the huge day that lay ahead for him.  Enos crushed a fastball to deep right center to clear the bases for a triple.  The Warriors attempted to thrown Enos out at 3rd, and the throw went into the Rebels dugout to make it 6-0.  The Warriors scored an unearned run against Rebels starter Jack Dalton in the bottom of the 1st.  Still, the Rebels answered right back in the top of the 2nd, all with two outs.  With two down, Drew Horstman reached on an error by the 3rd baseman.  Horstman then stole second.  Jon Doko smashed a single off of the 3rd baseman's ankle that trickled out into left field to score Horstman.  Once again, Karson Symonds & Jackson Jordan walked to fill the bases.  This set the stage for Evan Smith who grounded a single to center to score two runs to make it 9-0.  Quentin Enos followed with another triple, this time a laser beam over the right fielder's head to make it 11-0. Once again, the Warriors score a run in the bottom of the inning and added another in the bottom of the 3rd to make it 11-3.  The Rebels were able to put them away in the 4th.  Jon Doko led off the inning with a double deep to left.  Karson Symonds singled to center advancing Doko to 3rd.  Jackson Jordan walked to fill the bases.  Evan Smith then walked to make it 12-3.  Up stepped Quentin Enos again who knocked in two more runs with a bullet double down the right field line.  After Christopher Calabrese walked to fill the bases, Evan Swindell singled on a sharp liner to right to score Smith to cap off the Rebels offensive day.  Dalton went three innings for the Rebels to up his record to 6-4 on the season.  Jace Franke tossed a scoreless inning in relief to end the game.

FW REBELS QUENTIN ENOS SHOWS OFF THE LINEUP CARD FOR THE GAME IN WHICH HE WENT 3-3

WITH 2 TRIPLES, A DOUBLE AND 7 RBI TO LEAD THE REBELS OVER SPRING BRANCH WARRIORS 15-3.

Quarterfinals Game 4 vs Marucci Elite 11U MAJORS

Marucci Elite 12       FW Rebels 4

Marucci Elite were the #1 seed of the tournament and came into the game with an overall record of 26-6.  Still, the Rebels started fast once again.  Jace Franke walked to open the game and moved to second on a Jack Dalton ground out.  Drew Horstman singled to right center to drive in Franke to make it 1-0.  Jon Doko blasted a double deep down the left field line sending Horstman to third.  Karson Symonds singled in Horstman to make it 2-0.  Jackson Jordan hit an RBI ground out to make it 3-0.  Believe it or not, those 3 runs were already more than any other team had scored against Marucci in the tournament so far.  Quentin Enos started on the hill for the Rebels.  Marucci scored two runs in the first but only one was earned after a leadoff triple.  Marucci changed pitchers in the 2nd inning but the red-hot Enos greeted him with a double to right field.  It turned out to be the last hit that pitcher would give up, and the last hit of the Rebels tournament.  With courtesy runner Evan Smith on second, Christopher Calabrese was plunked in the helmet by a curve ball.  With a full count to Evan Swindell, Evan Smith attempted to steal third and was safe, and the ball went into left field allowing Smith to score to make it 4-2.  Enos didn't allow any runs in the 2nd inning so it was 4-2 entering the 3rd.  Three Rebel batters reached base in the 3rd but they were unable to score.  Jack Dalton was hit by a pitch but was caught stealing.  After Drew Horstman flew out to deep left, Jon Doko was hit by a pitch.  Horstman ran for Doko.  Karson Symonds walked and they both advanced on a wild pitch.  Still, they never advanced so it remained 4-2.  Enos allowed the 10-hole hitter to lead off the inning with a little dribbler down the third base line that the Marucci batter questionably beat out after Jackson Jordan's throw.  The next hitter homered to center to tie the game at 4-4.  Then Enos was doomed by suspect defense, and plain bad luck.  Marucci would only hit one more ball hard that inning but they still put up six runs total to take an 8-4 lead.  The Rebels, out of gas, went 1-2-3 in the 4th and after Marucci scored 4 more runs in the bottom of the 4th, the game was called.

ALL IN ALL IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL ROAD TRIP FOR THE FW REBELS WHO PLAYED HARD, HAD FUN, PLAYED AS A TEAM AND CREATED COUNTLESS MEMORIES.

BOTTOM ROW LEFT TO RIGHT - DREW HORSTMAN, KARSON SYMONDS, JACK DALTON, JACE FRANKE

BACK ROW LEFT TO RIGHT - JACKSON JORDAN CHRISTOPHER CALABRESE, EVAN SMITH, QUENTIN ENOS, JON DOKO, EVAN SWINDELL