A new Arlington United team with the 13-under regional baseball program won two tournaments over consecutive October weekends.
One was at the Ripken Experience in Aberdeen, Md., the other in Arlington at the Coach Sam Fox Fall Classic at Gunston Park.
In pool play at Aberdeen, the United defeated Brooklawn, N.J.,17-2, then swept the elimination games. In a 16-1 win over All Ripken, Sam Pyser earned the win on the mound. In the semifinals, Miles McBride got the win in a 7-4 victory over the Snyder Bucks of Manassas.
In the championship game, the United pummeled an Athletics team from Maryland, 12-2, with Dev Kataria going the distance for the complete-game victory. Will Bruce was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player — he had one or more extra-base hits in each game, including two home runs.
In Arlington at the Sam Fox Classic, the United went 2-0 in pool play, blanking the Vienna Vipers, 9-0, and routing the Metro Senators North of Fairfax, 12-3. A balanced hitting attack was led by Miles Quinn, Gavin Vaughan, John Anderson and Griffin Baynham. They all had multiple hits in pool-play games.
In the semifinals, the United defeated the Metro Senators South of Fairfax, 9-0, behind shutout pitching from Kataria and multiple hits from Gleb Kasyan and Maddox Cory.
In the title game, the United nipped the Canes NOVA, 4-3, in walk-off fashion when Cory scored from third on Sam Schobel’s sacrifice fly.
The United did not score until the last inning, trailing 3-0. McBride led off with a single, and after a Quinn double, two walks and a double by Luke Guffey, the score was tied at 3 with the bases loaded and one out. Schobel then drove in Cory.
The United 13-under team compiled a record of 25-4 in its initial year, coached by Rich Mandleur and Hector Campos.
The Arlington United program features Arlington players ages 13 to 15 who participated in the Arlington Little League and Arlington Babe Ruth programs, and also played for both the Arlington Storm and Arlington Travel Baseball organizations at ages 8 through 12.
