Original Florida Pokers. {Courtesy}
The Original Pokers 17U baseball team shined in the BCS National Championship, winning a second straight title.
The Pokers, who practice at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, went 5-0 in pool play, outscoring their opponents 62-14. Breylynn Courtney picked up two wins, while Daniel Tartaglia, Marcelo Young, and Jonny Lopez all had one. Luke Cherry recorded a pair of saves. Cole Lasher, Andrew Alvarez, and Zach Beyra all homered twice, while Nick Diaz went deep once.
The Pokers then went on to bracket play and picked up three wins on July 17. They won 3-0, 6-2, and 10-2 to reach the semifinals, with Abreu pitching four scoreless innings to earn the win in his start. Alvarez and Lopez both homered while Cherry earned another save. Tartaglia and Zach Beyra both threw complete games, while Bennett Gary homered in the third game.
In the semifinals, Thomas Giltner pitched the first four innings and earned the win before Marcelo Young earned the save with three hitless innings in a 10-1 win. Lasher and Lopez combined to drive in five before winning 8-4 in the final. Despite a long rain delay, Courtney pitched the first four innings and won before Cherry came in to close it. Alvarez drove in a team-high three runs, while Gary and Lopez had triples.
“This was the conclusion of the summer baseball careers for all these guys, many of whom have been playing together or against each other since they were 8U,” Head Coach Rob Georgiou said. ” They deserved to go out like this, going 10-0 in the BCS and ending as National Champions. “
Next, the 16U Pokers team will compete in the BCS Championship. The Pokers have won four championships in the past four years.
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