Motor City Hit Dogs 13U finished the season as 2024 World Series champions. The team includes players from Clarkston, Lake Orion, Oxford and the surrounding areas. Photo: Provided by Meg Buckley
CANTON — Hitters from Motor City Hit Dogs Yates 13U finished the season as the 2024 Global World Series 13U AA Champions.
The team, which includes players from Clarkston, Lake Orion and Oxford, won the championship with a 15-14 win over Novi Heat Black 13U with a walk off, finishing the tournament with a 6-0 record, July 21.
The game was tied at 14 in the bottom of the eighth when Tommy Kelley hit a double, scoring one run. Motor City Hit Dogs Yates 13U collected 10 hits and Novi Heat Black 13U had 12 in the high-scoring game.
Novi Heat Black 13U got on the board in the top of the first inning with five runs.
Motor City Hit Dogs-Yates 13U scored five runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth inning. Briggs Brzustewicz hit a single, scoring one run. Ryan Preston hit a triple, scoring two runs. Aaron Buckley hit a triple, scoring one run. Gianni Nori grounded out, scoring one run.
The Hit Dogs tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning from a ground out by Brock Uhlig and a dropped third strike by Novi.
Novi Heat Black 13U took the lead in the top of the eighth with one run off a single, putting the score at 14-13.
Motor City Hit Dogs-Yates 13U jumped back into the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning after Austin Wrobel grounded out and Kelley doubled, each scoring one run.
Emmet Mitchell II opened the game for Motor City Hit Dogs-Yates 13U, with five hits and seven runs over two innings. He had three strikeouts and three walks.
Kelley, Buckley, Uhlig and Vincent Mirjah each appeared in relief for Motor City Hit Dogs-Yates 13U. Buckley and Preston each collected two hits for the Hit Dogs. Matthew Jones and Preston each drove in three runs for the Hit Dogs.
The Hit Dogs opened the tournament with a shutout and a mercy on the first day. In their first game they had 8-0 win over Top Tier Americans 13U, July 18. During their second game of the day, they mercied Michigan Bulls-Rosenberg 12U, 15-3.
They outscored Bloomfield Sting 13U the next day to take the win, 11-1.
The Hit Dogs had a closer game on Saturday as they went against State Line Stars 13U in their 13-11 win.
The Hit Dogs were trailing 7-2 after the top of the second inning, but
Hit Dogs collected 12 hits, while State Line Stars 13U had 10. Motor City Hit Dogs-Yates 13U came back to win despite trailing 7-2 in the second. Motor City Hit Dogs-Yates 13U got on the board in the bottom of the first inning a single from Buckley, a ground out by Mirjah, a triple by Uhlig, a single by Mitchell, and a double by Jones.
The State Line Stars took the lead in the top of the fourth inning, 9-7.
The Hit Dogs took the lead back scoring four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning when an error scored one run, Jones drew a walk to score one run, and Javi Hernandez doubled to score two runs, 11-9.
The teams battled for the lead as the Stars scored two runs in the fifth inning and the Hit Dogs came back with three runs in the inning. Uhlig singled, scoring one run, to give the Hit Dogs a 12-11 lead.
The Hit Dogs defeated Oakland Reds 13U Sykes on the last day of the championship, 8-7.
The game was tied at seven in the bottom of the seventh when Uhlig hit a single and scored one run.
The Motor City Hit Dogs 13U Yates team is: Aaron Buckley, Austin Wrobel, Bennett Kazak, Briggs Brzustewicz, Brock Uhlig, Connor Kraft, Emmet Mitchell II, Gianni Nori, Javi Hernandez, Matthew Jones, Ryan Preston, Tommy Kelley, and Vincent Mirjah. They are led by coaches Chris Yates, Brandon Wrobel and Emmet Mitchell. — Wendi Reardon Price