The FW Rebels wrapped up the 13U Season with a 2nd place finish in the TSB Summer Championships Tournament in McKinney & Princeton, TX

No doubt the 13U Spring/Summer season had it's challenges due to Covid & the late start and the Rebels had a rash of injuries to overcome along the way as well.  Still, like they did at 11U & 12U....the Rebels were playing some of their best baseball towards the end.  The final tournament of the season was the TSB Summer Championships and the FW Rebels overcame quite a bit to finish 2nd out of the 15-team field.  The Rebels were missing a couple of pitchers to injury and a couple of other players were out of town.  Add that to having practiced only once in the 14 days prior to the previous games and there really wasn't any telling what sort of success the Rebels would have in this tournament.  Here are the game-by-game recaps:

Game 1

FW Rebels 12

USA Prime Wuest 8

Devin Hood's Home Run broke an 8-8 tie in the last inning.

The Rebels were the visiting team and busted out of the gate with a 5-run first thanks to USA Prime walking seven Rebels.  Quentin Enos had the lone single of the inning which was a line shot to right center to score Jace Franke with the first run.  Coleman Peck, Christopher Calabrese, Evan Swindell, and Jack Dalton all walked with the bases loaded to make it 5-0.

Evan Smith started on the mound for the Rebels and allowed 1 run in 2 innings of work with 5 strikeouts and 0 walks.  USA Prime scored 7 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning and quickly the Rebels found themselves down 8-6 as they headed to the final inning.

Cade Crow singled to open up the last inning. With one down, Evan Smith crushed a 2-run inside the park HR deep over the right fielders head to tie the game up at 8.  After two were out, Devin Hood blasted a deep bomb to left center for his own inside the park HR giving the Rebels a 9-8 lead. But they weren't satisfied with that.  Brady Franz tripled down the left field line and then scored on a solid opposite field single by Coleman Peck.  Christopher Calabrese walked and then stole second.  Evan Swindell laced a line drive deep into the hole at SS and was safe at first scoring Peck & Calabrese who never stopped running. 

Evan Swindell's 2-run single in the last inning provided the Rebels with some insurance in their 12-8 come-from-behind victory over USA Prime Wuest

Devin Hood shut down USA Prime with three straight strikeouts to end the game and the Rebels were 1-0 in pool play.

Game 2

FW Rebels 7

USA Prime Mullin 7

This time the Rebels were the home team and dug themselves a huge hole with sloppy defense in the first inning with Brady Franz on the hill.  Franz could have easily had a 1-2-3 inning but instead allowed 4 unearned runs thanks to three Rebel miscues in the field. 

The Rebels answered quickly.  Jace Franke led off with a single and went to second on a walk from Drew Horstman.  Evan Smith followed with a laser beam deep to right center field for a three-run inside the park HR.

Evan Smith crushed a 3-run HR to right center in the first inning

Prime Mullin added 1 in the second and 2 in the third to take a 7-3 lead.

As always, the Rebels fought back. Jack Dalton was hit by a pitch to open the inning.  Jace Franke crushed a 2-run inside the park HR to narrow the gap to 7-5.  Drew Horstman walked and Quentin Enos singled and both moved up on an error.  Brady Franz then clutched up for a two out two-run single to tie the game at 7.

Jace Franke's 2-run HR started the Rebels comeback in the 3rd inning after they were down 7-3

Things got exciting in the top of the final inning when Prime Mullin filled the bases with one out.  Drew Horstman, who was pitching, struckout the hitter and the runner from third tried to score when the ball got by catcher Quentin Enos.  Enos though hustled to retrieve the ball and then alertly tagged him to end the inning and the threat.

This controversial call on Jack Dalton's bunt probably cost the Rebels the victory instead of a tie.  Dalton was ruled to be out of the box when he bunted the baseball.  Um, wrong.

The game ended in a 7-7 tie after a controversial call by the home-plate umpire that Jack Dalton bunted a ball while he was not in the batter's box.  Replay showed this call to be incorrect.  Rebels finished pool play 1-0-1 and the #5 seed out of 15 teams.

Game 3

FW Rebels 10

USA Prime Mullin 8

An instant Rebels classic.  This was a rematch with Prime Mullin from the previous night which was a 7-7 tie.  The Rebels jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Jace Franke doubled to open the game and then scored on an Evan Smith triple.  Quentin Enos singled in Smith to make it 2-0. 

Prime Mullin answered though with a 5-run first inning to take a 5-2 lead.

The Rebels came right back.  Jackson Jordan led off with a single.  Cade Crow reached on a ground ball that retired Jordan at second.  After Crow stole second, he was able to score when Coleman Peck reached on a fielder's choice.  Evan Swindell followed with an infield single to 3rd to make it 1 & 3rd for Jack Dalton.  Dalton who has been playing hurt for about a month now swung the bat and singled to center to score Peck.  Jace Franke followed with a 2-run triple deep to left to give the Rebels a 6-5 lead.

Devin Hood's 5+ innings of pitching saved the day for the Rebels.  Hood allowed 1 earned run and struckout 8. Here he gets a clutch strikeout in a key part of the California Rule inning.

The Rebels turned the game over to Devin Hood on the hill and he did not disappoint.  Hood calmed things down and allowed just 1 run over the next 4 innings and the score was tied at 6 as time expired. 

This brought on the tiebreaking California Rule.  This rule gives the batting team the bases loaded and 1 out to start the inning. Evan Smith patiently worked out a walk to open the inning and the Rebels took a 7-6 lead.  The following batter, Quentin Enos smoked a double to left that score three runs and gave the Rebels a 10-6 lead.

Quentin Enos' 3-run double gave the Rebels all the runs they needed to complete the victory over USA Prime Mullin.  Enos went 2-3 with 4RBI in the game.

Attention back to Hood on the mound as he now had to pitch with the bases loaded and 1 out.  After a little infield single made it 10-7, Hood then struckout the next batter looking.  Another run came in on a passed ball to make it 10-8 with the tying run on second.  Hood got in on the Mullin hitters hands and he weakly ground out to Drew Horstman and second to finish the game, a 10-8 Rebels victory.

Game 4

FW Rebels 8

Texas Barons Hankins 7

Brady Franz started on the hill for the hometown Rebels and the game got off to a rough start. Franz hit the first batter of the game with a pitch and then walked the next hitter.  The 3-hole for the Texas Barons roped a ball up the middle that struck Franz on the right knee.  This enabled a run to score but the concern was on Franz who was down in pain.  After a brief delay, Franz felt like he could stay in the game.  The Barons tacked on two more runs and it was 3-0.

Brady Franz strikes out a Texas Barons batter to finish off the 3rd inning

Common theme, the Rebels answered right away.  Jace Franke led off with a single and stole second.  Cade Crow, Quentin Enos, and Devin Hood all walked to force in a the Rebels first run. Drew Horstman his an RBI ground out to make it 3-2.  Brady Franz then helped his own cause with a 2-run double to make it 4-3.

The Texas Barons then scored 1 in the 3rd and 3 in the 4th to take a 7-4 lead and the Rebels were down to their final at bat of the game. Jackson Jordan doubled to right to open the inning.  Coleman Peck singled to make it 1st and 3rd.  Christoper Calabrese hit a deep fly to left to score Jordan to make it 7-5.  Evan Swindell & Jack Dalton walked to load the bases.  Jace Franke and Cade Crow both had run scoring singles to tie the game at 7.  This set the stage for Evan Smith who worked a walk and the Rebels were on their way to the championship game in walkoff fashion.

A walk-off walk from Evan Smith scored Jack Dalton from third to complete the Rebels 8-7 comeback victory

A gutsy performance from Brady Franz tossing 3.2 innings on a hurt leg.  Coleman Peck came in to strike out the only batter he faced and earned the Win.

Game 5

Academy Select Baseball McDaniel 11

FW Rebels 3

It was apparent pretty much from the start that the two taxing games from earlier in the day took a lot out of the Rebels.  Jace Franke walked to open the game and Cade Crow singled.  But the 3-4-5 hitters of the Rebels stranded them there.

With Coleman Peck pitching, the Rebels defense looked lethargic and ASB McDaniel quickly grew an 8-0 lead and that was basically all she wrote.  McDaniel went on to win the Championship 11-3.

 The FW Rebels show off their rings and banner from finishing 2nd in the TSB Summer Championships Tournament which ended the 13U season.