Kansas City Takes Bronze Title
Last updated Sunday, August 3, 2008 6:56 PM CDT in Sports
By Jared Souza
SPECIAL TO THE MORNING NEWS
SPRINGDALE -- After an early setback, Kansas City Building Champions rallied and never looked back en route to a 10-5 win over the Burkburnett (Texas) Blacksox Sunday afternoon in the Bronze Division finals of the Premier Baseball 16-Under Sophomore Championships.
Burkburnett (3-6) got off to a fast start when first baseman Jesse Pollard blasted a two-run home run to give the Blacksox an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Kansas City rallied and took the lead in the bottom of the frame. David Wiedeman walked and scored on a single to left field by Jason Adam. Bubba Starling then drove in Conner Murray to tie the score at 2-2. Adams and Starling would both eventually score on a fielders' choice.
"After we lost a few games early in the tournament it would have been easy for the kids to hang it up," Kansas City coach Tim Dougherty said. "Especially with the temperatures we've been playing in. They didn't though, they played through it and we finished our season on a great note."
Kansas City (4-4) went right back to work, scoring three more runs in the second inning to take a commanding 7-2 lead. Jacob Wolf drew a walk, stole second, then scored on an opposite field single by Wiedeman. Wiedeman then scored on an infield single by Murray, who was eventually driven in by an RBI single from Starling.
Burkburnett never quit despite the 100-degree heat at the Tyson Sports Complex. The Blacksox rallied and scored a pair of runs in the top of the third to cut the deficit to three. Thomas Clay scored on a double to left-center field by Pollard, and Cord Barrientes scored on an over throw. The short term rally, however, was too little too late as Kansas City put the game away with three runs over the game's final two innings. Devin O'Rourke singled and scored in the fifth for the Building Champions, and also delivered an RBI double in the sixth. Mitch Meyer had an RBI single in the sixth inning as well.
Joe Foley picked up the win for Kansas City, allowing four runs on six hits in five innings pitched. Foley (1-0) waked one and struck out three.
"He has really been working hard on his change-up this summer and today he got comfortable with it and let it work for him," Dougherty said.
Josh Powe took the loss for Burkburnett after not recording an out in the first inning. Powe (0-1) allowed four runs on two hits with a pair of walks.
Bronze Division Championship
KC BUILDING CHAMPIONS 10, BURKBURNETT (TEXAS) BLACKSOX 5
Burkburnett 202 001 0 -- 5 9 1
Kansas City 430 012 x -- 10 9 1
Powe and Hicks; Powe, Barrientes (1), Murray (6) and Nowell. W - Foley. L - Powe. HRs - Burkburnett, Pollard (2).
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