PBR Virginia/DC Columbus Day Classic Tourney Recap

October 13, 2015

By John Nolan
PBR Virginia/D.C.

Over the weekend, Prep Baseball Report Virginia/DC and the Gainesville Haymarket Baseball League hosted their first Columbus Day Classic at Patriot High School and Catharpin Park in Northern Virginia. 46 teams across seven age groups participated in the tournament, and while Mother Nature had some fun with the Friday night slate of games, the weekend ended up being a perfect one for baseball in Northern Virginia.

15U
Dig In Baseball and Stars Baseball Blue both went 2-0 in pool play to set themselves up as the top seeds entering bracket play on Sunday. Sunday saw a series of tight, back-and-forth games. The semifinal matchup between Stars Baseball Red and Stars Baseball Blue was a well-pitched affair, featuring talented young arms Chris Chaney (RHP/MIF, St. James-MD, 2019) for Blue and Cole Wallace (RHP, Hanover, 2019) for Red. Ultimately, Stars Blue advanced to face MVP Elite in the Championship Game.

The Championship Game was another tight one as MVP Elite sent Seth Richards (LHP/OF, Oakton, 2019) to the mound and Stars Blue tabbed Dylan Siesky (3B/RHP, Chantilly, 2019) to start the game. Both teams picked up a run late and the game went to extra innings tied, 1-1. MVP Elite scored three in the top of the eighth to take the lead, but Stars Blue rallied with three of their own in the bottom of the eighth, scoring the tying runs on a Craig Miles, Jr.(OF/RHP, Battlefield, 2019) two-run single. The game entered the ninth and went to International Tiebreaker Rules, and MVP Elite scored in the top of the ninth to carry a 5-4 lead into the bottom half. Eric Lingebach(MIF/RHP, Oakton, 2018) closed the game out as MVP Elite captured the 15U Columbus Day Classic Championship.

14U
Saturday pool play in the 14U was dominated by the Virginia MadDawgs, Stars Baseball, and Dig In Baseball, who all went 2-0 and found themselves as three of Sunday’s four semifinalists. Stars Baseball captured the 14U Championship as their pitching dominated the day, allowing just one run in three games of bracket play.

13U
Saturday play saw a couple of close games as Stars Baseball Red emerged from pool play as the only 2-0 squad. Red kicked it into another gear on Sunday as their bats exploded and pitching dominated en route to capturing the 13U Championship.

12U
12U was one of the most evenly matched divisions in the Columbus Day Classic, as Saturday pool play featured four one-run games and a tie, setting up an exciting Sunday bracket. The Reston Warriors Black had finished Saturday in the eighth position in pool play, but that mattered little as Sunday dawned and the Warriors ripped off three victories in a row over the Virginia Stars, EvoShield Canes DE, and Virginia Cannons to capture the 12U Championship.

11U
Four teams went 2-0 in pool play on Saturday, setting up an exciting Sunday bracket. Virginia Stars Red and Virginia Stars Blue both had to win an extra game along their way to meeting in Sunday evening’s Championship, which saw a well-played game end with Virginia Stars Blue as the 11U Champion. Stars Blue’s pitching was dominant on Sunday as they allowed just three runs across three games, and Kyle Vandenburg launched four home runs to power the offense.

10U
Pool play in the 10U bracket was dominated by Fielder’s Choice and TEAMS Baseball Academy, who both went 2-0 on Saturday. Fittingly, they met in the Championship Game on Sunday and played a close game that saw Fielder’s Choice collect the Columbus Day Classic Championship.

9U
The 9U tournament saw a pair of tight games played by the Summit Point Cannons and the GHBL Rangers, with the Cannons winning in pool play on Saturday and the Rangers winning in the semifinals of bracket play on Sunday. The Rangers advanced to face the Virginia Stars, which won the Championship Game and finished the weekend 4-0.

Prep Baseball Report Virginia/DC would like to thank the Gainesville Haymarket Baseball League, all of the umpires, and all of the players and their families for their participation and cooperation in a great event last weekend. We look forward to hosting our next tournament, which take place in the spring of 2016.