The FW Rebels went 2-1 in the 28-team TBS Mother's Day Classic over the weekend.  A 2-0 Saturday where the Rebels only allowed 1 run earned them the #2 seed in the Gold Bracket in Sunday Pool Play.  Unfortunately, that paired them with the team that snagged the #7 seed..... Dallas Tigers Reynolds....a 13U Majors team with a sparkling 22-4 record.  That resulted into a 16-1 loss that ended the Rebels run really before it began but finishing pool play 2nd out of 28 teams was still a proud accomplishment for our Rebels and the 16-1 loss will work as a learning experience in future games.  Here are the game by game recaps:

FW Rebels 9

USA Prime Vazquez 0

Coleman Peck got his second start on the mound this season and did not disappoint.  Peck needed only 18 pitches to get through 2 innings of work.  By the time he departed, the Rebels had an 8-0 lead. 

Carlos Guerrero had a clutch 2-out 2-run triple in the 1st inning that scored Peck and Jace Franke who had walked.  In the top of the 2nd, Charlie Rusk made a smooth running catch in center field then threw to 1b to double off a runner.

The Rebels scored 6 in the bottom of the second that put the game away.  Bryson Snow singled down the left field line to open the inning.  With 1 out Snow advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Kameron Mantyh singled in Snow to make it 3-0.  Caden Spurling then singled in Mantyh who came into score when the right fielder misplayed it.  Evan Swindell walked, and Christopher Calabrese was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  With two outs, Spurling scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0.  Jace Franke then reached on an error that scored Swindell.  After Evan Smith walked, Wyatt Baccus also reached on an error scoring Calabrese and Franke to make it 8-0.

Guerrero & Spurling were both sensational on the mound and shut the Vazquez team down the rest of the way.  The Rebels scored one more run in the fourth.  Caden Spurling reached on an error to open the inning.  Evan Swindell grounded out up the middle to SS enabling courtesy runner Kameron Mantyh to get to second. Mantyh advanced on a wild pitch to third, and then scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Christopher Calabrese to finish the Rebel scoring.

FW Rebels 3

UBC Stripes Coggan 1

They say pitching and defense is the key to winning baseball games.  The Rebels followed that script in their 3-1 win and added baserunning to the mix.  Kameron Mantyh started on the mound for the Rebels and things got off to a shaky start.  Mantyh walked the first three batters in faced in the top of the first.  The next batter hit a hard ground ball to shortstop Carlos Guerrero who survived a wicked hop to glove the grounder.....he then flipped in to Coleman Peck at second who barehanded the flip and fired to Jace Franke at first for a key 6-4-3 double play.  Mantyh got out of the inning by fielding an attempted bunt base hit to end the inning with the Rebels only down 1-0.  

Coleman Peck led off the bottom of the first with a 9-pitch walk. With one down, Evan Smith singled to center advancing Peck to second.  Cleanup hitter Wyatt Baccus hit a hard ground ball to the Stripes' SS who wanted to go the short way to second for the out.  However, Evan Smith was hustling all the way and the SS had to throw to first instead.  He threw wildly enabling Peck to score and tie the game at 1.  With Smith on 3rd, and Carlos Guerrero at the plate....Smith scored on a wild pitch to give the Rebels a 2-1 lead.

Mantyh then settled down on the mound and was aided by yet another Rebels double play.  This time a line drive to Evan Smith in center who doubled off the runner who was on second.

In the 3rd, Evan Smith was hit by a pitch, and Carlos Guerrero walked.  With two outs and Charlie Rusk at the plate, Smith alertly broke for third on a steal attempt.  The Stripes' C threw the ball into left field scoring Smith to give the Rebels a 3-1 lead.

The rest was all Kameron Mantyh who struck out the side in the 4th inning as time expired to give the Rebels a 3-1 victory.  Mantyh pitched a complete game in his first start of the season.

Dallas Tigers Reynolds 13U MAJ 16

FW Rebels 1

Although the Rebels had a very successful Saturday, and the #2 overall seed in a 28-team tournament, the Baseball Gods weren't on their side with the matchup for the first bracket play game.  The #7 seed was Dallas Tigers Reynolds, a 13U Majors team that has been together for quite some time and already had played 30 games this season.  They went on to become tournament Champs with a 3-0 Sunday.  Wyatt Baccus started on the hill and pitched himself out of a jam in the 1st inning striking out the final two hitters of the inning with runners at 2nd and 3rd.  Then, in the bottom of the 1st, Jace Franke laced a 1-out double down the left field line while Wyatt Baccus crushed a 2-out double deep to left to make the score 2-1.  But Dallas Tigers kept tacking on with 3 in the 2nd, 4 in the 3rd, and 7 in the 4th....while the Rebels bats fell silent.  Still, a learning experience for sure on making sure the seeds don't mean anything more than who is home, and who is visitor in bracket play....and the Rebels need to come together as a unit....every game/inning/pitch.