PBR at the Rock: Indiana Elite triumphs over PTA Cardinal to win 14U Championship

Ben Murphy (Center Grove, IN, 2023) and Ben Orrill (Madison, IN, 2023) struck out four and combined for seven shutout innings en route to a 5-0 Indiana Elite 14U victory over the 14U PTA Cardinal in the championship of the PBR at The Rock 14U tournament.

Both teams were stifled offensively out of the gate, but it was Elite who struck first on an RBI single from Noah DeArmitt (Franklin, IN, 2023) in the top of the third inning. That would be the only run allowed by PTA starting pitcher Austin Banks (Muskego, WI, 2023), who walked nobody and gave up no earned runs over five strong innings.

Elite broke the game open in the top of the sixth inning, scoring three runs on RBI singles from Keegan Manowitz (Jennings County, IN, 2023), Brent Stone (Westfield, IN, 2023), and Caden Cornett (Center Grove, IN, 2023). Elite would tack on one more in the seventh, putting the game out of reach for good.

Pitching was the name of the game, as both teams scattered a combined 12 hits on the day, with only two of them being extra base hits. The Elite offense was led by Manowitz and Cornett, who combined for four of the team’s seven hits. DeArmitt also drove in a run and reached base twice.

The PTA lineup struggled to find answers offensively for Murphy and Orrill, failing to deliver the big hit when it mattered. The Cardinals stranded four runners in scoring position, most notably in the bottom of the sixth when they left runners on second and third to end the inning. Outside of Nathan Cumberbatch (Shorewood, WI, 2023), and Ryder Lindahl (Greenfield, WI, 2022), who both reached base twice, the offense combined for only three hits.

The championship victory capped off a dominant tournament performance from the 14U Indiana Elite squad, who went 4-0 and outscored opponents 30-5 on the weekend.

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If you're looking for more in-depth analysis on the tournament, check out our weekend scout notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

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