Frederick Hustlers (13U)

The 13U Frederick Hustlers locked horns with one of the better teams in the CRAB League in the opener on Sunday and neither team disappointed. Hunter King of the Rawlings High Heat and Steven Betz of the Hustlers were equally good tossing six innings of scoreless baseball. Betz limited the team from Anne Arundel County to three hits and struck out three. The Hustlers turned the scoreless game over to the bullpen in the final frame and the Heat scored a single run on a walk, double and single. The Hustlers showed incredible poise and fortitude in the bottom half of the final frame. Marshall Mott drew a leadoff walk before Gabe Torres hit a scorching grounder that turned into a 6-4-3 double play. With the Hustlers down to their final out and no one on, Tyler Prather drew a base on balls before Matt Cunningham hit a ground rule double that bounced over the fence in left center. The unlucky bounce prevented Prather from scoring but the Hustlers had runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs. Nick DeLisi, who had drilled a double to left center earlier in the game, stepped to the plate and brought the home crowd to its feet. DeLisi unleashed a two run single up the middle for the walk-off win. Marshall Mott had the only other Hustler hit with a double to left in the fourth.

DeLisi’s big hit in the opener seemed to loosen up the home team in the nightcap even though the boys in black and gold gave credit to Cheetos and some special fans in attendance. In any case, after watching the Lake Shore Graysox stun the Rawlings ballclub in the middle game, the Hustlers came out on fire in the nightcap and scored six in the first and eight in the second against LakeShore. The rout was on as the Hustlers won 18-3 in a game shortened by the run rule. Dustin Isanogle singled on a line drive to right in the first before Brandon Bradshaw drove a monster two-run blast over the fence in straight away center for a two-run home run.   The ball ended up one hopping the school building.  DeLisi then tripled before Prather, Eric Ball, Austin May and Colby Patterson followed with singles. In all, the Hustlers recorded 17 hits with Bradshaw collecting four with two doubles and a home run. Ball ended up with three hits while Prather, May and Betz each had two. Bradshaw, DeLisi and Ball each pitched well for the Hustlers.

The Hustlers are back in action this weekend as they travel to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for the Sports at the Beach Rally Cap Open.