The defending AABC National Champions and Baseball Fest Champions Albany Athletics (12-0 ATL/20-4) rebounded from an opening round pool play loss to Brothers Oven Pizza (Rhode Island) to capture its 3rd straight Baseball Fest title. The event was a Coaches vs Cancer benefit and sponsored in part by Pure Elements Hair Salon in Guilderland (www.pure-elements-salon.com). Each participating player was provided a set of pink wristbands and the champions were provide pink “champion” t-shirts. Proceeds went to the American Cancer Society, Coaches vs Cancer.
The A’s won the tournament by defeating Brothers in the championship 6-1. Tournament MVP Derek Horn had a pair of RBI singles in the game and Jayson Sullivan singled twice. Righthander Bill Lawton went the distance and struck out 5 batters.
The A’s had to win the championship, a semifinal game and finish 4 innings of a suspended pool play game all on the final day of the tournament. In the semifinal against Twilight foe Albany Thunder, the Athletics overcame a late-game 2-0 deficit when Horn tied the game in the 5th inning with a 2-run single then added a 2-run single in the 6th. Dan Barbero, who finished 2-for-3 in the game, doubled in two runs in the 6th inning rally as well. A’s righthander Justin Brantley went the distance and struck out 2 while scattering 7 hits.
In pool play, the A’s lost 3-2 to Brothers in the first game. Mike Allen led the Albany offense with three singles and two RBI. In the second pool play game A’s lefty Don Potter fanned 9 batters enroute to a perfect game, no-hitter to lead the A’s to an 8-0 victory. Horn drove in three runs while Luke Burns singled twice and doubled. Sullivan singled and doubled. In the final pool play game, Albany defeated New York City by a 16-5 score–a game in which they played 3 innings on Saturday, then continued the final 4 innings on Sunday. In the win over New York City, the A’s got 3 singles, a double and 5 RBI from Horn while Burns hit a grand slam and single. Barbero also singled three times and Drew Cody hit a solo homer and doubled in three runs.
Horn finished the tournament 10-for-14 with 14 RBI to earn MVP plaudits while Burns went 8-for-16 with 6 RBI and 9 runs. Barbero was 8-for-19 with 4 RBI and 6 runs, and Sullivan was 6-for-19 with 6 runs and an RBI.
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