By PBR Staff

The inaugural PBR Fall Championships are underway at Grand Park in Westfield, IN. More than two dozen travel teams from across the Midwest are competing in two divisions with more than 100 scouts and college recruiters in attendance. There will be notebooks each day covering the 18U and 17U/16U divisions.

Behind the top three hitters in its lineup and strong pitching, Team Indiana cruised to a 5-2 victory over the Iowa Sticks Friday night, highlighting the first day of action at the PBR Fall Championship. 2B Jared Poland (Cathedral HS, IN), SS Riley Bertram (Zionsville HS, IN) and OF Nick Schnell (Roncalli HS, IN) combined to go 7-for-8 with five runs scored and four RBIs. Poland got things started by smoking a triple over the left fielder’s head, using a short, simple swing and direct path. Bertram followed with a single to drive in Poland and open the scoring. Team Indiana tacked on three more runs in the third after Poland led off with a hard single to left field. He stole second before Bertram blooped a ball into right field for a double that drove in Poland. Schnell then squared a ball up for an RBI triple to deep left-center field and came into score on a sacrifice fly by 1B Jack Van Remortel (Carmel HS, IN). In the fifth, Poland went the other way, squaring up a double to right field. Bertram collected his third RBI of the night with a hard single to left.

A Michigan recruit, Bertram is a rock-solid, all-around player. The bloop double came on a breaking ball down and away. He stayed with it and wrist-flicked it into right field. He gets out of the box well, runs the bases aggressively and is a reliable defender with a strong, accurate arm.

Team Indiana used four arms, starting with RHP Garrett Burhenn (Lawrence North HS, IN). An Ohio State recruit, he was 85-87 mph from a 3/4 slot in two innings of work. He faced the minimum, striking out three and throwing 74 percent strikes. He was relieved by RHP Luke Albright (Fishers HS, IN), a Kent State recruit. Albright walked the first batter he faced, but went into cruise control after that, striking out five straight. He was 85-88 and showed feel for a changeup with fade and sink and 79-80. Van Remortel and Poland combined for the final three innings. Van Remortel pitched two innings and allowed two runs on three hits while Poland struck out three and walked one in one inning.

Here are some more highlights from Friday’s action…