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Sarasota Babe Ruth 16U All-Star team beats Chinese Taipei to move to World Series semifinal

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Sarasota Babe Ruth 16U All-Star team beats Chinese Taipei to move to World Series semifinal

SARASOTA – No matter the opponent, no matter its city, state, or country of origin, the Sarasota Babe Ruth 16U All-Stars are taking no prisoners at the 2024 Babe Ruth World Series in Branson, Missouri.

This time, it was Chinese Taipei to succumb to Sarasota’s combination of hitting and pitching. With starting pitcher Braedon MacKay stifling Taipei’s offense, Mike Marquez’s team got hits from seven different players in a 7-1 victory on Friday which puts Sarasota two wins shy of the Babe Ruth World Series title.

Saturday at 9 a.m., Sarasota will play the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between West End (Williamsport, Pa.) Babe Ruth and Torrance (Calif.) in one semifinal. Korea plays Puerto Rico in the other. Should Sarasota win, it would play at 4 p.m. in the championship game.

Title in sight: Sarasota Babe Ruth U16 All-Star team whips Branson, 13-2, to move into round of eight at BRWS

Unlike in its previous two games, Sarasota did not fall behind early. It scored two runs in the bottom of the first, then tacked on five more in the bottom of the third. The All-Stars didn’t collect any extra base hits in the game, but they put their eight singles to good use, aided by three Taipei errors.

Leadoff batter Conner Boyd went 1-for-3 and scored two runs. Tobias Pena went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored. The hero of Thursday’s 13-2 winner over host Branson, first baseman Luke Duffy, collected two base hits, drove in three runs, and scored one. MacKay helped his own performance with a single, walk, and RBI.

Jeremy Flores went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Nate Dominguez had a hit and RBI, and right fielder Evan Whitlock chipped in with a single. The output was more than enough for the lanky MacKay, who allowed two Taipei hits and one run in six innings. Nicholas Gibson pitched the seventh for Sarasota. The win moved Sarasota’s record at the inaugural 16U BRWS to 6-0. It has outscored its six opponents 59-13. And since the start of district play, the All-Stars are 16-0, outscoring its opposition 158-34.

“The team has put it together at the right time,” Marquez said. “These boys have battled all week long to earn a spot in the Final Four, and now we get a chance to advance to the championship game. I’m so proud of these guys; all 15 have contributed in one way or another to get us here. The job isn’t finished, and I can’t wait to get back to action in the semifinals.”

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