2021 Championship Tournament

Rockies win ECABL Championship

Ward's walk-off, RBI-single leads Rockies past Orioles, 5-4

Sam Ward singled in Kyle Dupas with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Rockies a 5-4 walk-off win and the 2021 ECABL championship.

Dupas was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After a strikeout, Kevin Bennert grounded to shortstop. Dupas advanced to third on a throwing error and Bennert was safe. Ward lined a single down the left field line to score Dupas for the win.

The Rockies beat the Red Sox, 8-3, last week, and the Orioles beat the Yankees, 6-5, to set up the championship game. The Orioles had won four championships in the past five years -- since the birth of the East Carolina Amateur Baseball League -- and the Rockies are in their inaugural season.

The Rockies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Ward led off the game by reaching first base on an error. Jordan Nobles then walked. Sean Garbarino drove in Ward with a ground out to short, and Bill Little drove in Nobles with a ground out to second.

The Orioles answered with a run in the second inning. Parker Mills and Randy Mason singled to lead off the inning. Brock Rouse followed with a sacrifice fly to score Mills.

The Orioles took a 4-2 lead in the third inning on Mills' three-run homer over the left field fence. Mills led the league with five home runs this season.

The Rockies tied the score at 4 in the bottom of the third inning. Sean Garbarino singled to lead off the inning. Bill Little and Landon Vick both were hit by pitches. Garbarino and Little later scored on ground balls.

Mills went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored to lead the Orioles. Hatteras Brooks went 2-for-4 with one run scored. Rouse went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Ward went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Rockies. Nobles and Bennert each went 1-for-3, and Sean Garbarino went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Ward pitched seven innings, gave up eight hits and four earned runs. He struck out six and walked five. Bill Little pitched a hit-less final inning and picked up the win. He struck out two and walked one.

Rouse started for the Orioles and pitched two innings. He gave up two hits and two unearned runs. He struck out two and walked three. Brooks pitched two innings, gave up one hit, struck out one and walked none. Kevin Vanzandt pitched 3 1/3 innings, gave up two hits and three runs, but only two earned. He struck out three and walked none.

Orioles come from behind with four, two-out runs to advance to championship game

The Orioles scored four runs on six consecutive two-out hits to come from behind to beat the Yankees, 6-5, Sunday at Kafer Park and advance to the ECABL championship game.

Down 5-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Matt Weaver started the Orioles' rally with a two-out double. Back-to-back singles by Brandon Cherry and Hatteras Brooks scored Weaver, and a double by Parker Mills scored two more to tie the score at 5. Randy Mason singled to left to drive in the go-ahead run.

The Orioles took advantage of a depleted Yankees's roster in that sixth inning. The Yankees played with eight players, shifting two outfielders to cover the three positions. Three of the six hits in the sixth inning were to right field while the outfielder was playing right-center.

The Yankees struck first with a run in the first inning. Ryan Foreman singled and Micah Caroon doubled. With runners on second and third, Jayson Melendez singled to left to score Foreman.

The Orioles tied the score in the third inning. Brooks doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a single by Mills.

The Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning on a walk to Weaver, a single by Cherry and a sacrifice fly by Brooks.

The Yankees took a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning on a two-run homer by Caroon, and they took a 5-2 lead in the sixth on three consecutive walks and a two-run single by Melendez.

Mills, who started the game, came back into the game in relief in the sixth inning to pick up the win. Brooks, who pitched the fifth inning, came back into the game in the seventh inning to pick up the save.

Micah Caroon went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored to lead the Yankees. Melendez went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Ryan Foreman went 1-for-2 with three runs scored.

Cherry went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI to lead the Orioles. Brooks went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Mills went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a runs scored. Brock Rouse went 3-for-4, and Weaver went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

The Orioles move on to the ECABL championship game against the Rockies at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Ward drives in three to lead Rockies into ECABL championship

Sam Ward drove in three runs and pitched three scoreless innings to help the Rockies to an 8-3 win over the Red Sox and into the ECABL championship game.

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Mike Zier and Dom Byrnes singled and Ray Hower walked to load the bases. Jacob Fink's ground ball fielder's choice scored Zier.

The Rockies took a 4-1 lead in the second inning on two hits, two walks, two errors, a hit by pitch and singles by Sean Garbarino and Ward.

Garbarino made it a 5-1 lead in the third inning with a solo home run to left field.

The Red Sox scored two in the fourth inning. Zach Deck reached on an error and moved to third on back-to-back singles by Brian Willis and Eric Cruz. Deck scored on a single by Stephen Billings, and Willis scored on a single by Zier.

The Rockies scored their final three runs in the sixth inning. Gage Spires singled. Back-to-back errors scored Spires and put two runners in scoring position. Ward then doubled in two runs.

Bill Little pitched four innings, gave up eight hits, two walks and one earned run while picking up the win. He struck out three. Ward picked up the save, pitching the final three innings, giving up three hits, no runs and one walk. He struck out six.

Byrnes went 3-for-4, Stephen Billings and Brian Willis went 2-for-3 and Zier went 2-for-4 to lead the Red Sox offense.

For the Rockies, Garbarino went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, Ward went 2-for4 with three RBI and Gage Spires went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

The Rockies move on to the ECABL championship game against the Orioles at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Willis, Coffield lead Red Sox into second round

Brian Willis went 2-for-3, scored two runs and drove in a run to help the Red Sox advance to the second round of the championship tournament with an 8-4 win over the Braves Sunday at Kafer Park.

The Red Sox scored five runs in the first inning. Mike Zier, Dom Byrnes Zachary Deck and Willis reached base on four consecutive singles with one out. After a flyout to left field, Neil Coffield drove in two runs with a double off the left field fence. Joshua Weilbacher then drove in Coffield with a single.

The Braves scored a run in the second on a single by Brandon Braxton, a walk to Andre Perez and a single by Rob Fravor.

The Braves chipped at the lead with two runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth, but the Red Sox answered with three in the bottom of the sixth to put the game out of reach for the Braves.

Every Red Sox player had at least one hit. Byrnes pitched the first three innings and earned the win, giving up two hits, a walk and one earned run while striking out three. Willis pitched two innings and gave up no earned runs to pick up the save.

Tanner Brown went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Braxton went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI. Fravor and Alberto Sosa went 1-for-3.

The Red Sox will face the Rockies in Round 2 at 1 p.m. Sunday at Kafer Park.

Caroon powers Yankees past Cubs, 14-4

Noah Caroon went 5-for-5 with four singles, a home run, five runs scored and three RBI to lead the Yankees past the Cubs Sunday and into Round 2 of the championship tournament.

The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Will Scott singled and later scored on an error.

The Yankees tied the score at 1 in the first inning when Caroon singled, stole second and third and scored on Micah Caroon's ground out to second base.

The Cubs took a 3-1 lead in the top of the second inning. Tyrone Robertson walked and Dahlton O'Neal reached on an error. David Schifano drove them both in on a single.

After the top of the second inning, the Yankees offense took over. They scored two in the second to tied the score, four in the third, three in the fourth, one in the fifth and three more in the sixth.

Noah Caroon went 5-for-5 to lead the Yankees offense. Micah Caroon went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Jayson Melendez went 2-for-2, Ryan Foreman went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, and Teddy Cardenas went 1-for-3 with two runs scored.

Melendez pitched five innings, gave up four hits, one earned run and three walks while striking out seven.

Schifano and O'Neal went 1-for-2 to lead the Cubs offense. Geoffrey Weston, Nathan Johnson and Scott each went 1-for-3.

The Yankees advance to Round 2 of the championship tournament, where they will play the Orioles at 4 p.m. Sunday at Kafer Park.