The Arsenal Blue of the Arlington Travel baseball program finished 5-0 to win the recent Future Stars tournament in Hershey, Pa., scoring 10 or more runs in each contest and rallying in four of the games.
In the first of their two pool-play outings, the team of 12-year-olds defeated the Keystone State Bombers, 10-2, behind strong pitching from Maddox Cory and Charlie Keffer and two hits each from Ethan Hall and Atticus Clark.
In their second game, the Arsenal rallied to defeat Hauss Powwa, 12-10. Dev Kataria hit a three-run homer and Gavin Vaughan pitched two scoreless frames. A fifth-inning rally, started with a Logan Duce eight-pitch walk, and, several batters later, an Anders Gick base hit tied the score. Arlington then took the lead in the top of the sixth, with Miles McBride eventually earning the save on the mound.
In a quarterfinal playoff game, the Arsenal trailed the Staten Island Orioles, 4-0, then home runs in the bottom of the first inning by Hall and Clark tied the score. The Arsenal then plated 12 runs in the third inning for the 16-4 win. Hall, McBride, Kataria, Gick, Clark and Malakai McBee each had two hits in the win.
In the semifinals, Arlington again fell behind early then came back to defeat the Bethel Wildcats, 12-2. Big hits were Luke Guffey’s double and homers by Kataria and Clark. Gleb Kasyan pitched four scoreless innings.
The Arsenal faced Hauss Powwa again in the championship game. Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the third, Kataria caught a hanging curveball and deposited the ball over the center-field fence for a three-run homer (his fourth of the tourney), to give the Arsenal the lead for good.
A nine-run fourth inning, featuring another Clark home run (also his fourth of the competition), a Keffer RBI base hit and a Cory RBI bunt single, sparked the 13-3 win.
McBride, Hall, Vaughan, Gick and Jack Dempsey each had two hits in the final and Kataria pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win.
“It’s been an honor to coach such a talented and enthusiastic group of players,” Arsenal coach Omar Casillas said.
The Arsenal, with many of the same players on the team since age 9, won multiple tournaments the last few years, including four this season. As 12-year-olds, the Arsenal compiled a 32-8 overall record.
Many of the players will join the Arlington United program as 13-year-olds.
