EAST MANATEE — The game started late. There were two rain delays. But that didn’t stop Garrett Richelieu or his Manatee American teammates from a late-inning offensive barrage to pull away from North River National on Wednesday at Braden River Park.
Manatee American tallied eight runs in the sixth inning to defeat North River National 18-9 in a District 26 9s-and-10s All-Star tournament elimination game.
However, it was Richelieu’s fourth-inning double that provided the spark.
“I was just looking for a pitch to hit, and it just happened to be right down the middle, and I just swung at it,” Richelieu said.
The Jessie P. Miller Elementary School student’s slicing shot near the right-field line broke a 5-5 tie.
Richelieu’s two-run extra-base hit helped his own cause. The right-hander earned the win for tossing 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four without issuing any walks.
He did allow seven runs — five earned — that he said was because of the weather.
“It was a little, like, overcast,” Richelieu said. “It felt a little weird — it was a little cold. I felt unusual on the mound, but then I just started getting in my groove.”
The league-age 10-year-old joined Seth Miller (3-for-3, RBI, 3 runs, 2 walks), Jake Wise (2-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 runs, walk) and Chris Walden (3-for-5, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 runs) with multiple-hit games for Manatee American when he drove in his third run in the sixth.
“I’m happy the way we’re swinging the bats right now,” Manatee American manager Ryan Moore said. “The last two games, our guys have come out of their shells. . . . I hope we’re getting hot at the right time.”
Despite the loss, North River National manager Dan Bench said he can’t wait to see his team at the 11-12-year-old level.
“These kids did two things: they’ve won the most out of any all stars in all the ages at our park, and . . . they blew away the 9- and 10-year-olds (in North River National history),” Bench said.
North River National’s Andrew Csubak (3-for-4, 3 runs) and Zach Rodgers (2-for-4, RBI, 3 runs, walk) paced the team from the plate.
The win moves Manatee American into the district championship against Manatee East. If Manatee American defeats unbeaten Manatee East tonight, then a final game is scheduled for Friday night.
MANATEE NATIONAL 9, NORTH RIVER NATIONAL 5 — Devin Whittaker went 2-for-4, and Jett Rayner picked up the win as Manatee National collected a victory in the 11s-and-12s division.
BRADEN RIVER 18, NORTH RIVER NATIONAL 0 — Desmond Smalls led the tournament hosts to victory with two home runs in a 10-11-year-old game. He finished 3-for-3, adding a
double, walk and three runs scored in the rout. Noah Paulsen (3-for-3, two doubles, two runs, walk) also chipped in.
MANATEE EAST 20, NORTH RIVER AMERICAN 1 (4) — Scott Stout, Matthew Roberts and Hunter McGarry combined for eight strikeouts and two hits in helping Manatee East down North River American in an 11-12 year-old game. Manatee East’s Tyler Dietrich (3-for-4, HR, 5 RBI) and J.T. Fischer (4-for-5, 3 RBI) led the offense.
MANATEE EAST 15, MANATEE AMERICAN 5 (5) — Kyle Thoma’s 2-for-4, two-double, two-RBI day along with Kevin Haggerty’s solo home run gave Manatee East a 10s-and-11s division victory.
MANATEE WEST 7, MANATEE EAST 1 — West won a juniors contest. No statistics were available.
BRADEN RIVER 11, NORTH RIVER NATIONAL 10 (7) — Jorge Corbitt (3-for-5, two doubles) lifted the tournament hosts to a win in the juniors division in the bottom of the seventh. NRN’s Cory Gonzales led his team with a 3-for-4 day at the dish.
MANATEE CENTRAL 13, MANATEE AMERICAN 3 (5) — Daniel Schroeder hit two home runs, including a walk-off three-run shot as Manatee Central won via the mercy-rule in an 11-12 year-old game.
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