NMC Baseball defeats Fielder’s Choice 11–1, wins 16U Tim Lally Memorial Diamond League Tournament

HUDSON, Ohio — After three days of pool play from Friday to Sunday afternoon in the Tim Lally Memorial Diamond League Mickey Mantle 16U Tournament, Premier Ohio CP went undefeated, and Diamond Boys Showcase finished second at 3-0-1. Those teams received a bye to the semifinals while Fielder’s Choice battled Boys of Summer and NMC Baseball took on Ohio Longhorns AD each in the quarterfinals. Fielder’s Choice narrowly won 4–2 to face Premier Ohio CP, and NMC dominated the Longhorns 11–2 to reach the semifinals against Diamond Boys Showcase.

In the first semifinal, NMC plated 12 runs in six innings and scored three or more runs in three separate frames to take it 12–3. Nathan Sadlis tossed six innings of three-run ball and struck out five.

The second semifinal was a white knuckler for six full frames where pitching and defensive stole the show and stopped rallies from the opposition. Five of the first six hitters got aboard for Fielder’s Choice in the seventh, and they all came around to score. Premier Ohio CP only got a run in the bottom half to fall 5–1.

With the two top seeds knocked out in the semifinals, NMC was the home team in the championship as they were the highest seed remaining. NMC again got solid starting pitching, this time from Chandler Kosh, who pitched five innings of one-run ball and struck out four. His teammates gave him an early 2–0 advantage on a Carson Tanner one-out double, who later came around to score on a Ja’Von Clayton throwing error.

Fielder’s Choice cut the lead in half by getting a two-out RBI single from Rylan Batley. An inning and a half later, NMC plated three runs as one came home on a throwing error by catcher Ryan Wieche, while Kosh brought in the other two by lining a single to center, extending its lead to 5–1.

In the fourth, Kosh walked Cullen Rooney and Chase Dennison, meaning the tying run was on deck. However, Batley and Johnny Neal struck out looking and popped up to second, respectively, ending a chance to cut the deficit to three or two. NMC came up in the bottom half and continued where they left off in the previous inning by scoring six times on four hits. Hayden Meese lined a single to left, driving in a pair, and then Tanner brought in his second and third runs of the game on a two-run double. Tanner would score on a wild pitch two batters later, making it 10–1 NMC. David Wendt joined the act by driving in Bryson Wittmer on a sacrifice fly.

Kosh finished Fielder’s Choice off in the fifth by fielding a comebacker that deflected off his body and threw to Danny Ours to retire Joseph Porter III at first to become the 16U Diamond League Tournament champions.