Mustang Yankees Are Dream Team

It was a dream win for the Yankees, when they beat the Tigers, 3-0, in the final game of the Mustang World Series at the Field of Dreams last Thursday.
After a season that left the Yankees tied for last place with the Orioles, both with 6-11 records, the championship was especially sweet for coach Joshua Morrow.
“When people asked who was going to win the World Series, I said we were,” Morrow said. “We lost the last six games of the year by a 9-run total so I knew we had it in us.”
He told his players after their championship game, “You started putting it together at the end of the season and we were a wrecking shop. You showed hearts, guts and determination.”
The PPBA World Series is a double elimination tournament, meaning teams are eliminated after two losses. The Yankees were undefeated going against the Tigers, who had lost during the playoffs to the Yanks.
On Wednesday, the first game of their final showdown ended in a 9-9 tie after nine innings (a normal game is six-innings) because of darkness on diamond 3.
On Thursday, parents from both teams brought food and settled in for the 10th inning, not knowing if there would be a second game.
The Tigers stayed alive by scoring a run when Jaden Rosenbaum walked and stole three bases. Pitcher Billy Bzura then held the Yankees scoreless.    After a quick trip to the dugout, the teams began a new game.
Tigers coach Bill Lawrence, who has coached for PPBA for three years, said “It was amazing to see kids this young (ages 10-11), finish one game and go right into the second. I couldn’t be more impressed.” Lawrence also gave credit to Preston Barnes, who pitched six innings across the two games and gave up only one unearned run.
The second game saw a strong defensive effort by the Yankees, who supported pitchers Griffin Milner, Jack Gurevitch and Truman Pauley (who got the win) with errorless play.
“We fought every second, our defense was unreal,” Morrow said. “Other teams matched our hitting in the playoffs, but we did not have an error. During playoffs, catcher Cooper Morrow threw out seven runners at third [to Milner or Gurevitch] and teams stopped sending runners.” Duncan Grimes or Justin Lee played first, Nolan Ahders or Matt Gottesman played second, Skyler Chang was shortstop and the outfielders were Todd Davis, Liam Ahders and Billy Garland, who nabbed any ball near them.
The Yankees scored in the second inning when Milner singled, stole two bases and came home on a Cooper Morrow single. In the fourth, Chang was hit by a pitch and scored on a Pauley double.
The Tigers threatened in the top of the fourth with runners on base, but on a ball hit back to the pitcher, the runner from third was thrown out at the home, stopping a rally.