UPDATED 12/31/2011

POWER SHOWCASE INAUGURAL ALL-WORLD & ALL-AMERICAN  BASEBALL CLASSICS

BABE RUTH CLASSIC (AMERICAN vs. NATIONAL LEAGUE)

PHOENIX, AZ- (December 28, 2011) The first game of the Power Showcase Inaugural All-World & All-American Baseball Classics took place on a chilly Wednesday morning under a retracted roof at the behemoth known as Chase Field.  The National League team hosted the American League in the opener.

The National League team jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning.  American League lefty Justin McAllister (Gilbert HS, AZ) started the game with two no-hit innings, keeping the N.L. hitters off stride with craftiness and a big, slow curveball.

The Nationals held a 3-0 lead going into the fourth when the Americans erupted with four runs.  Senior first baseman/catcher Brent Williams (Fort Cherry HS, PA) crushed a double to right-center to drive in the first two and put the Americans on the board.  Williams, a 6’4”, 260 lb left-handed hitter had no problem generating power with wood and he’d later score the tying run on a groundout.

The Nationals tied it back up at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI groundout by first baseman Seth Breasseale (Union Pines HS, NC).  The 5’10”, 180 lb senior has a sweet left-handed swing and has yet to commit to a college.  He’s also a finesse,  submarining lefty on the mound and came in to pitch later in the 7^th.

Against Breasseale, the American squad was boosted by a three-run triple off the bat of junior first baseman Austin Garcia (LaBelle HS, FL).  The powerful 6’0”, 235 lb right-handed hitter just missed a grand slam, hitting it to the warning track in left field.  That put the Americans up 7-4.

The Nationals scored their fifth run in the bottom of the 8^th on a wild pitch by American righty Cole Stapler, who’d seemed unhittable the inning before.  Two more scored on a blooper “with eyeballs” hit over second base by senior catcher (and game MVP) A.J. Young (Gila Bend HS, AZ) and then a triple by promising junior Casey Worden (JSerra Catholic HS, San Juan Capistrano, CA) drove him in to give the Nationals an 8-7 lead.    After giving up two more runs, Stapler was pulled after 1.2 innings of work with his team down 10-7.

Tim Lynch, a senior from Dwyer HS in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, hit an RBI triple in the top of the ninth to bring it to 10-8 but the Nationals held on for the win.

With big league dimensions and wood bats, it’s surprising that so many runs were scored.  The National League went on to win 10-8.

OTHER NOTES OF INTEREST FROM GAME ONE: The American team featured catcher Corbin Weeks, a senior from Evangelical Christian HS (Fort Myers, FL), who has committed to NAIA Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida.  The 5’10”, 190 lb Weeks shocked everyone at the park by hitting 11 home runs yesterday in the Home Run Derby, sharing the lead with senior shortstop Tanner Rahier (No HS team, CA).  They will both advance to the championship round to be held at 12:15 this afternoon, shortly after the first game.   Weeks didn’t get a hit in the opener, but struck a hard flyout to center in the 8^th inning.

Also headed to the Home Run Derby Championship Round is Weeks’s American League teammate Ryan Sullivan (Hopkinton HS, MA), a junior corner infielder who hit a derby-high four home runs during the wood bat round with a grand total of seven bombs.  Sullivan looks the part of a power hitter, he’s a broad-shouldered, big-framed 6’3”, 205 lbs who’s going to be very big by the time he’s in his prime.  He’ll get considerable D1 college interest over his last two years in high school.  Though Sullivan didn’t get a hit in the game either, Sullivan smoked a line-drive to the pitcher in the 7^th inning.

Junior rightfielder Patrick Madigan (Holy Trinity HS, NY) shined with the glove for the American team, showing a strong arm and making an impressive running catch towards the right field line in the 6^th inning.  The 6’1”, 195 lb righthanded hitter has a good stroke to work with, too.  I’d expect him to be a High-D1 recruit and he may also emerge into a draftable prospect for 2013.

The best pitching prospect to appear in the game was Cole Stapler, though he was ht hard and gave up the Americans’ three-run lead in the 8^th inning.  Stapler is a junior righty from Dutchtown HS in Louisiana.  At 6’4”, 230 lbs, he has a big, projectable body and was throwing in the mid-80s with the makings of a curve.  Stapler showed power potential at the plate, too.  He’s a pro follow and a likely High-D1 college player when he gets out in 2013.  Stapler has already received recruiting interest from SEC schools.

 

The Inaugural POWER SHOWCASE Babe Ruth Classic

GAME 1- 9:05am to 12:00pm

Babe Ruth Classic Schedule & Format -  Home Team: American League

American League Schedule ~ Times – Batting Practice, Defense and Locations

7:15am Player Check-in for both American & National League Roster

7:30am to 8:00am Batting Practice (30-minutes) – Indoor cages located first base side

8:00am to 8:15am stretch/throw – stretch on the side and then throw once the NL outfielders are finished

8:15am to 8:30 Infield/Outfield

8:30am to 8:40am players get dressed

8:40am to 8:50am American League Team is announced

9:00am to 9:05am National Anthem

GAME TIME 9:05am

 

National League Schedule ~ Times – Batting Practice, Defense and Locations

7:15am Player Check-in

7:30am to 7:45am stretch/arms

7:45am to 8:00am Infield/Outfield

8:00am to 8:30am Batting Practice (30-Minutes) Indoor cage first base side

8:30am to 8:50am players get dressed

8:50am to 9:00am National League Team is announced

9:00am to 9:05am National Anthem

Game Time 9:05am