GBC/TA 11U gets written up(In a good way) at TravelBall Select

11U- Greensboro Super NIT- Championship Game- #2 Leon Medical Centers Baseball
vs. #3 GBC Team Accel

Sunday night after all of the other teams in the 11U age group at the Greensboro Super NIT had already packed up and gone home, two powerhouse 11U travel baseball teams took the field at Barber Park. It was a game for the ages, the TBS ranked #2 and #3 11U ranked teams in the country matched up for a trophy, an Elite 32 berth and a years worth of bragging rights.

LMC sent their ace pitcher, Austin Bergner to the mound. Coach Humberto Bencomo mentioned “Austin came up to me on Friday night at a team dinner, Austin said he wanted the ball in the Championship Game. Give me the ball coach, I’m gonna be lights out!” Coach Bencomo knew not to go against his ace’s wishes and Bergner did not disappoint. Bergner threw six innings, giving up 4 runs, while striking out 9 GBC hitters.

Luke Gesell started on the mound for GBC Team Acceleration, LMC got to Gesell quick putting up three runs in the first. The Acceleration saw themselves down 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning, it was their turn to try and put some runs on the board. Cobie Vance reached on a single up the middle. Then with runner’s on 2nd and 3rd Bergner makes a great pitchers pitch to strikeout the last batter of the inning. After one inning the score is 3-0 in favor of LMC.

The player of the game had to be shortstop Andres Sierra, after getting hit in the face with a ball thrown by the catcher on a steal attempt, with his mouth bleeding and his jaw swollen Sierra pleaded with his coach to let him stay in the game. Sierra bloodied and swollen came up in the bottom of the 2nd and ripped a double to left field, Sierra showed a lot of heart in this game. Zack “Husky” Roberts, the big bopper for LMC came up in the top of the 3rd and blasts a solo homerun to left field. He would be intentionally walked in his last two at-bats of the day. Kameron Pruitt came in relief for Luke Gesell and pitched wonderfully for GBC.

Samir Santos picked up a sac fly RBI to push the lead to 7-0 in the 4th inning. Trailing 7-0 in the bottom of the 5th, GBC battles back. Walton Chamblee scored on a squeeze bunt, the speedy Carter Williams scored on a wild pitch, making the score 7-2. LMC adds one run in the top of the sixth inning, GBC finds themselves down 8-2 with only three outs left to find a way to win.

GBC played hard the entire game, scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth when Chamblee hit an RBI single up the middle and Kameron Pruitt scored on a wild pitch. However, Bergner had one thing on his mind, winning the Championship and taking it back to Miami, FL. Bergner struck out the last batter of the game to give LMC the Greensboro Super NIT Championship winning 8-4.

“We didn’t put the bat on the ball that well, Bergner pitched great,” GBC Coach Danny Robinson stated. “We fought hard the whole game and I am so proud of our boys,” added Robinson.

“Bergner looked fresh, he is our work horse. He pitched a great game,” Leon Medical Centers Head Coach Humberto Bencomo stated. “Every game we try and focus on the fundamentals of baseball. It’s the little things that count,” added Bencomo. Coach Bencomo emphasized “the TEAM philosophy. We won the Championship with an entire team effort, Championships are not possible unless you play as a team.”