By: Brett Greenberg
MARIETTA, Ga. – The 15U division of the 2020 PG 15U Southeast World Series came to a close Thursday afternoon with eXposure 15U Prime being the last team standing. eXposure took on the East Cobb Astros 15U, a team that was favored to win it all this week with their elongated list of D-1 commitments. eXposure ended up beating the Astros in a pitcher’s duel, 1-0, to take home the crown of tournament champions.
eXposure finished the week a perfect 7-0 and was rewarded with the fourth seed in the bracket. They finished pool play 3-0 while scoring 25 runs and giving up only four. Four of the team’s first five games were mercy rule victories. Pitchers Landon Skeen and Sebastian Leinberger combined to one hit the Georgia Bombers in the first bracket play game. eXposure won easily in the quarterfinals behind Chase Goddard’s performance at the plate going 2-3 with one triple and two runs scored. The first test for this squad was in the semifinal game against the East Cobb Colt .45’s. They came out with a win 4-1 after scoring three runs in the fifth inning and shutting the door on the Astros batters.
Starting pitcher, Blake Rogers, was dominant on the mound for eXposure going the distance while managing to preserve his team’s one run lead. He pitched seven innings while striking out two earning him the shutout victory. Rogers was able to fool the Astros hitters with his curveball and fastball, which had late movement, forcing the Astros hitters to produce weak ground balls and pop outs. Rogers was clocked between 71-80 mph for seven innings.
The championship game did not have much action until the bottom of the second inning when the lone run of the game was scored. eXposure got the inning started thanks to a single by Caleb Hampton, who took home tournament MVP honors. After an infield hit and a double steal, eXposure’s next batter walked to load the bases. Blake Rogers hit a ball on the ground slow enough to score the run and beat out a potential double play ball. eXposure’s pitching and excellent defense allowed for the shutout as they played error free baseball. Caleb Hampton finished the week with a .529 batting average with four RBIs and four runs scored on the week.
eXposure 15U Prime are the 2020 PG 15U Southeast World Series champions by a score of 1-0 and will be headed to Hoover, Alabama next week to compete in the 2020 PG 15U WWBA East Championship.
Perfect Game is hosting the 16U WWBA National Championships this week, which is filled with several top teams in the Southeast with plenty of talent across the board. It looks to be a continued week of excellent baseball.
MVP: Caleb Hampton – eXposure 15U Prime
MVPitcher: Parker Marlatt – ECB Astros 15U
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