Aptos Aces Pose with the Winter Blast Championship. • FRONT ROW (from left): Finn Cormier, Cole “Driver” McGillicuddy, Derek “D-Rock” Allen, Nick “Hollywood” Bjorn, Gavin “Boss” Boston, Jordan “J Money” Ramirez, and bat boy Rider Bergh • BACK ROW (from left): Dylan “Punisher” DiPalma, Max “Primetime” St. Denis, Luke “Shoe” Shoemaker, Dylan “Rip” Bergh, Connor “Big Red” Corlett. NOT PICTURED: Manager John Bergh, Coaches Steve Allen & John “Captain Morgan” St. Denis.
The Aptos Aces 10U baseball team traveled to Sunnyvale in January to compete in the 2019 Winter Blast baseball tournament at Twin Creeks Sports Complex.
On the first day of the tournament the Aces relied on strong defense and an early Home Run by Max “Prime Time” St. Denis to keep them in the game against a very good Prodigy team.
The Aces trailed 4-1 but came back in the last inning of the game against Prodigy Baseball Club of Castro Valley to end the game in a tie 4-4 thanks to a big hit by Finn Cormier to bring around Jordan “J-Money” Ramirez to score the tying run.
The Aces went on to beat the Pleasanton Panthers by 10 runs in the second game of the day. Strong Pitching by Derek “D-Rock” Allen, Connor “Big Red” Corlett, Finn Cormier, Luke “Shoe” Shoemaker and closing performances by Dylan “Rip” Bergh carried the Aces to the top seed going into day 2 of the tournament.
After a leadoff home run by Dylan “Rip” Bergh the Aces trailed after the first inning during their first game of the second day of the tournament by allowing 2 walks and a 2 hits to score. A big home run by Gavin “Boss” Boston and hits by Cole “Driver” McGillicuddy, Dylan “Punisher” DiPalma, Dylan “Rip” Bergh, Jordan “J-Money” Ramirez and Finn Cormier proved too much for the Panthers as the Aces won by Mercy Rule to force a rematch in the Championship Game against the Prodigy Baseball club later in the day.
The Aces found themselves playing for the Championship against the same team they tied the day before. While playing from behind 4-1 in the Championship game against Prodigy Baseball Club, Dylan “Rip” Bergh hit a two out grand slam homerun to take the lead 5-4. Stellar play at 2nd base by Nick ‘Hollywood” Bjorn helped solidify the defense.
That proved to be all the Aces needed as Derek “D-Rock” Allen continued to pitch well for Aptos prior to Connor “Big Red” Corlett coming in to close the game out and deliver the Winter Blast Championship Trophy home to Aptos.
“The boys played with grit and determination in the 4-4 tie with Prodigy Baseball to earn the top seed going into day 2. They came from behind in both games on the Championship day of play.
They never got down on each other and picked up one another on their way to winning the tournament. That’s what good teamwork and sportsmanship is all about.” said Manager, John Bergh.
Derek “D-Rock” Allen earned MVP Honors for the tournament and the Aptos Aces 10U team celebrated their victory in front of the NCTB Tournament Pavilion, taking turns posing for pictures with the team trophy and showcasing their medals and hardware before the short drive home from Sunnyvale.
The Aptos Aces have multiple age groups representing Aptos in tournaments around California.
Playing for the Aces provides an opportunity for young baseball players to go against baseball programs big and small around Northern California to test their abilities and hone their skills in a competitive environment.
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For more info contact: Team Manager, John Paul Bergh at [email protected]