SARASOTA – No matter who the opponent is, no matter what city, state or country of origin they come from, the Sarasota Babe Ruth 16U All-Stars are taking no prisoners at the 2024 Babe Ruth World Series in Branson, Missouri.
This time it was Chinese Taipei that succumbed to Sarasota’s combination of hitting and pitching. With starting pitcher Braedon MacKay stifling Taipei’s offense, Mike Marquez’s team got hits from seven different players on Friday and won 7-1, putting Sarasota just two wins away from the Babe Ruth World Series title.
On Saturday at 9 a.m., Sarasota will play in a semifinal against the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between West End (Williamsport, Pennsylvania) Babe Ruth and Torrance (California). In the other semifinal, Korea will play Puerto Rico. If Sarasota wins, it would play in the final at 4 p.m.
Title in sight: Sarasota Babe Ruth U16 All-Star team beats Branson 13-2 to advance to BRWS round of eight
Unlike the previous two games, Sarasota did not fall behind early. They scored two runs in the first inning and then added five more in the third. The All-Stars did not have any extra-base hits in the game, but they made good use of their eight singles, helped by three errors from Taipei.
First batter Conner Boyd batted 1-for-3 and scored two runs. Tobias Pena batted 1-for-2 with a walk and scored two runs. The hero of Thursday’s 13-2 win over host Branson, first baseman Luke Duffy, collected two base hits, scored three runs and scored one. MacKay added to his own performance with a single, walk and RBI.
Jeremy Flores went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Nate Dominguez had a hit and an RBI, and right fielder Evan Whitlock added a single. The effort was more than enough for the lanky MacKay, who allowed two Taipei hits and a run in six innings. Nicholas Gibson pitched the seventh inning for Sarasota. With the win, Sarasota’s record improved to 6-0 in the inaugural 16U BRWS. They have outscored their six opponents 59-13. And since district play began, the All-Stars are 16-0 and have outscored their opponents 158-34.
“The team came together at the right time,” said Marquez. “These guys have been fighting all week to earn a spot in the Final Four and now we have a chance to get to the final. I’m so proud of these guys; all 15 of them have contributed in one way or another to us being here. The work is not done and I can’t wait to get back into action in the semifinals.”
