In these crazy times of 2020, the FW Rebels just want to play ball.  The masked men were feeling good after their 11-1 victory in Game 1.

The FW Rebels played in their second TSB World Series this year and were eliminated after a 4-3 loss to USA Prime Deacon during Gold Bracket play.  The Rebels had one string of bad luck after another that minimized the amount of game they would play.  They also gained valuable experience playing 13U Majors-level teams that will set them up well for future contests.  Here are the game recaps:

Game 1

FW Rebels 11

Academy Select Laurin 1

Karson Symonds' triple got the bats started early in the 2020 Travel Sports World Series.  Symonds had 2 hits and scored 3 runs in the Rebels 11-1 victory.

After a 2-week layoff, the FW Rebels went with a pitching by committee approach to the TSB World Series pool play.  Game 1 was against Academy Select Laurin and the pitching was stellar.  Jack Dalton, Charger Nguyen, Evan Smith, Coleman Peck, and Brady Franz shut Academy Select down to just 1 run on 4 hits in 5 full innings of work.  Nguyen & Franz struckout the side in their innings.  Offensively, the Rebels scored 3 runs in the top of the 2nd to take a 3-0 lead, and they never looked back.  Karson Symonds started the rally with a booming triple to left center field.  Drew Horstman knocked in Symonds with an RBI ground-out.  Brady Franz walked, Jackson Jordan singled, and Charger Nguyen walked to load the bases.  Coleman Peck was able to work a bases loaded RBI walk to make it 2-0.  Evan Swindell then added an RBI groundout to 1st to make it 3-0.  The Rebels added 3 more in the 3rd and 5 more in the 5th to put Academy Select away 11-1.  Quention Enos led the Rebels with 2 RBI while Karson Symonds scored 3 of the 11 runs.  Symonds, Horstman, and Nguyen each collected 2 hits.  Jack Dalton was credited as the winning pitcher.

Game 2

FW Rebels 7

Dallas Patriots Porter 0

Forfeit victory due to a Covid related illness.

Game 3

Frozen Ropes Ashby 7

FW Rebels 2

The FW Rebels went into Sunday pool play as the #2 seeded team (out of 42).  As the day moved on, more and more teams were getting to 3-0 and the Rebels coaching staff began to strategize different scenarios and what would be best for the team to make a deep World Series run in bracket play.  It was realized that if the Rebels lost to the FR Ashby Majors team, AND gave up at least 7 runs, they would earn the #1 seed in the Silver Bracket.  As luck would have it, the Rebels were defeated 7-2 and although it was a loss and a hard fought effort, the end result was satisfying.  Jackson Jordan, Quentin Enos, Karson Symonds, & Drew Horstman all pitched well on the mound.  Rebels defense was shaky allowing a few unearned runs.  At the plate Symonds went 1-1 with a double, RBI, and a run scored.  Drew Horstman also had an RBI single while Brady Franz & Jace Franke all had solid base hits.  Immediately after the game, the bracket schedules came out, and FW Rebels were #1 silver.  That lasted for all of 20 mins.  Covid struck another team and they had to exit the tournament...which forced teams to all move up a spot.  This moved the FW Rebels as the last seed in the Gold Bracket.  Unfortunate and unlucky.

Game 4

Texas Stix DIaz 13U Majors 13

FW Rebels 3

Brady Franz started on the hill for the Rebels and was brilliant through the first two innings.  Franz needed just 27 pitches to breeze through the first 6 hitters while striking out 3.  The Rebels scored 2 in the first inning.  With 1 out Jack Dalton & Evan Smith reached on back to back singles.  With two outs, Drew Horstman grounded up the middle and the shortstop made a sliding stop.  When the shortstop got to his feet and threw to first, Smith raced all the way home from 2nd to score two runs on the infield single.  The Rebels scored 1 more run in the third inning when Jace Franke singled with one out.  He then went to second after Dalton walked.  After a pitch in the dirt, Franke alertly took off for third and the catcher threw the ball into left field allowing Franke to score to make it 3-0.    Franz got the first two out in the 3rd inning and then ran into some trouble.  He hit the next batter with a pitch.  Then on a 2-2 pitch, threw a ball right on the outer corner at the knees but the umpire froze making it a full count instead of ending the inning.  The hitter then tripled to deep left center, while the next three hitters all walked, followed by another triple, and it was quickly 5-3.  Franz tripled himself with 1-out in the 4th but was stranded there.  Some shaky defense and wildness doomed the Rebels as the Stix tacked on 8 more runs to end the game 13-3 in the 4th.

Game 5

USA Prime Deacon 4

FW Rebels 3

An elimination game at 8am.  Quentin Enos started on the hill for the Rebels and ran into some serious control problems in the first inning hitting the 2, 3, 4, and 6 hitters with pitches to make it 1-0.  Two walks and a double scored another run for USA Prime off of Enos in the top of the 2nd.  The Rebel bats finally woke up in the top of the 3rd.  Coleman Peck led off with a single, and Evan Swindell walked.  With one out, Jace Franke walked, and Jack Dalton was hit by a pitch to make it 2-1.  Swindell was retired on a force play at the plate when Karson Symonds grounded back to the pitcher.  However, the next hitter, Brady Franz walked tying the score at 2.  The threat ended their though as Drew Horstman flew out on a nicely hit ball to right field.  USA Prime came right back to score in the bottom of the 3rd to make it 4-2.  The Rebels answered in the top of the 4th.  Evan Smith hustled out an infield single and Quentin Enos singled on a grounder to left.  With runners at the corner and none out, Charger Nguyen drove in Smith on a fielders choice that retired Enos at 2nd.  The Rebels threat ended there though.  Relief pitcher Jackson Jordan retired all 5 hitters he faced but the Rebels ran out of rallies and fell 4-3.

TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHTS

JACE FRANKE - returned to action for the first time in 1 yr and hot .400 and reached base 6 times in 9 AB. Scored 3 runs, made diving play at 2nd base and played stellar in the OF.

JACK DALTON- Winning pitcher in Game 1 vs Academy Select.  Played through some arm soreness. Scored 2 runs and drove in 1.

EVAN SMITH - scored a run in every game with aggressive baserunning.  4 runs total in the World Series with 2 hits and a .500 on base percentage

KARSON SYMONDS- doubled and tripled in the series and hit .375. Scored 4 runs and drove in 2.  Made his pitching debut and was solid.  Also played well at 1b.

QUENTIN ENOS- .385 on base percentage, Scored twice and knocked in two runs. Bracket play opened up with one of his best defensive games at catcher. Appeared on the mound in 2 of the 4 games and struckout 4 in 2.2 innings.

DREW HORSTMAN- Hit .444 in the World Series with 4 RBI. Played well at 2b and made two pitching appearances striking out 2 in 1.2 innings.

BRADY FRANZ - Hit a team-leading .600 in the World Series while reaching base 75% of the time!  Dominant on the mound and some terrific catches in RF.

JACKSON JORDAN - .375 on base percentage at the plate.  Did not allow a run in his 2.2 innings of work.  Also didn;t walk a batter and struck out 2.

CHARGER NGUYEN- Hit .429 for the Rebels at the plate with a run scored and an RBI.  Played solid defensively at C and at 2b. Also had a .500 on base percentage and pitched well in both of his outings.

COLEMAN PECK- scored a run and had an RBI in the 4 games. Battled through an injured leg. Appeared in 2 games in the mound and also played SS, 3b, and 2b.

EVAN SWINDELL - .286 on base percentage and had an RBI.  Only struck out once in seven plate appearances.  Rested a sore foot.

CHRISTOPHER CALABRESE - Breezy battled through some arm issues.  Played solidly in RF the entire game vs FR Ashby Majors team. Hit the ball hard a couple of times but right at people.