The VandyBoys wrapped up their annual David Williams Fall Classic on Tuesday at Hawkins Field. After Team Gold won in Sunday’s series opener, Gold won again in extra innings 8-7 to secure the sweep in a seven-inning game.
“We’ve played a lot during the course of the fall, and that’s been good to see,” head coach Tim Corbin said of the series. “The focal point was probably a lot of these young kids on the mound. So that was helpful for them and let us watch them in these situations. So just everyone gets a chance to play. I think that’s good.”
Fifth-year righty Sam Hliboki started on the mound for Team Black against sophomore right-hander David Horn Jr.
Team Black opened the scoring in the bottom of the second when two walks by Horn Jr. came around to score. Braden Holcomb and Alan Espinal walked before they scored on a Cooper Holbrook sacrifice fly and a passed ball, respectively.
Team Gold got on the board when Matt Ossenfort, who hit the walk-off home run on Sunday, hit another opposite-field blast to bring the score back to 2-1.
After giving up singles to Team Black’s Camden Kozeal and Chris Maldonado, Horn Jr. was pulled with one out in the third for Alex Kranzler. Horn Jr. allowed 3 walks, 3 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) against the 12 hitters he faced. The third run for Team Black came when Jonathan Vastine singled down the left-field line to score Kozeal, putting Team Black up 3-1.
In the top of the fourth, Raymond Velazquez hit a line-drive homer over the left-field wall to score three runs, putting Team Gold ahead 4-3. That homer also knocked Hliboki out of the game with 3.2 innings pitched, 4 hits, 1 walk, no strikeouts and 4 earned runs. He was replaced by Levi Huesman.
Team Gold added to its lead in the top of the fifth on doubles by Colin Barczi and Troy LaNeve to go up 5-3. That run knocked out Huesman, who gave up 2 walks and 2 hits in one inning of work.
“I love playing here. I love everything about this place,” LaNeve said of his return for a fifth year. “I had the opportunity to come back and I didn’t even question it. It was just something that I needed to do.”
Kranzler, the right-handed freshman from Norwood, N.J., finished his day with 2.2 shutout innings pitched, 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 strikeout. He was replaced by fellow freshman Nate Teague.
In the bottom of the sixth, Logan Poteet and Holbrook got on base to lead off the inning. A sacrifice bunt by Matthew Polk advanced the runners and then scored Poteet when Teague’s throw got away. Calvin Hewett subsequently doubled to score Holbrook and tie the game 5-5.
With the game tied after seven innings, it went into a “shootout” in which each half-inning started with the bases loaded and one out. Troy LaNeve started the top of the eighth with a single that scored two of the ghost runners. RJ Austin then scored on a grounder to the infielders to put Gold up 8-5.
In the bottom of the eighth, Hewett led off with a hit-by pitch to score a run. Teague walked in another run to make it 8-7, and Gold brought in Nik Copenhaver with the game on the line. Holcomb grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the game and secure the series sweep for Gold.
With the fall series now concluded, the Commodores will open their 2024 season on Friday, Feb. 16 at home against Florida Atlantic.
