by James Ryder
#Duke commit Ryan Yormack (‘27, NY) went 3-for-3 with two RBI. Consistent performer on the offensive end, creates tons of strength at impact. Plenty of intrigue as a power hitter. #NEFallWS @PG_Scouting pic.twitter.com/hH5PHE3ROE
— PG Mid Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA, MD,DE,DC) (@PGMidAtlantic) October 28, 2023
The Showtime Select and East Coast Lumberjacks met on Field 2 at Lasorda Legacy Park Saturday afternoon as a part of the 2023 15U PG Northeast Fall World Series Tournament. This pool play matchup began at 12:40 and barely lasted an hour and a half, as the Select dominated in such fantastic fashion that the game was cut short after just 3 innings of play. The final score was 24-0.
The majority of Showtime’s runs came in the top of the first inning. Their lineup was 11 batters deep and they didn’t allow East Coast to record an out until the 10th batter came up to the plate. In fact, they batted around twice before the half-inning would come to an end, resulting in an 18-0 lead.
The first 2 of those 18 runs to score came on a 2-run single to left field by Derek Yormack hit right through the gap between third base and shortstop. The two RBI swing came in an at-bat with the bases loaded; which occurred thanks to a 4-pitch leadoff walk from Ray Kim, a single from Charlie Shapiro, and a drawn hit-by-pitch from JD Duffy.
A few moments later, in another bases loaded situation Brian Brower made his first plate appearance and did not waste much time. He unloaded on a towering homerun to right field, a grand slam that put Showtime up 6-0.
Through the next nine at-bats, the Selects would double their lead thanks to more big hits and a few errors from the Lumberjacks. The 11th and 12th runs for Showtime came on another 2-RBI hit for Derek Yormack, this time on a double. Two batters later, Brower came up again with the bases loaded and recorded his 6th RBI on a single to center field, making it 13-0 Selects. The final 5 runs of the top of the first came on RBI hits by Marcos Lopez (2B, 2 R), Dom Longardino (1B, R), and Gianni Purello (FC, 2 R).
Here’s a look at the Lopez 2-run double pic.twitter.com/EU5RD9neez
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 28, 2023
East Coast threw three different pitchers in the that top half before recording three outs. Two of the outs were recorded by Kyle Hubbard, who would end up closing out this game in an attempt to do damage control. He was the most successful of the three pitchers to take the mound for the Jacks, allowing 9 hits, 9 earned runs, and 4 walks in 2.2 IP. That alone should tell you how exceptional the entire Selects lineup was throughout this game.
Speaking of exceptional, starting pitcher Connor Ackerman only threw in the top of the first due to the enormous lead his team built for him. Nevertheless, the skill was on display by Ackerman who mowed through East Coast’s top of the lineup. He threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out the leadoff and number two hitters, and forcing the number three hitter to groundout.
In both the top of the second and third innings, Showtime scored three runs. Duffy led off the top of the 2nd with a double and scored on an error by the Lumberjacks’ left fielder. With Ryan Yormack (reached base on LF error) and Brower at 1st and 3rd base respectively, Thomas Fermiza and Longardino hit back-to-back RBI single’s to bring the score up to 21-0.
In the top of the third inning, Showtime’s final three runs came on a CF error, a bloop single to shallow CF by R. Yormack, and Brower’s final hit and RBI, a single to LF.
Sean Cima pitched in the bottom halves of the second and third inning for Showtime in place of Ackerman. Cima also gave up 0 hits, but did allow one walk while striking out four batters. It may have only been three innings and a single trip through the Lumberjacks batting order, but Ackerman and Cima combined for a no-hitter with ease.
Monstrous hitting and great pitching from the Selects, and an understandable inability to keep up by East Coast, led to this daunting victory. While it’s true that both the pitching and hitting didn’t show up for the Jacks, to be fair it would be tough for any team in this tournament to compete with the hot hitting of Showtime.
