Outlaws win Blue Crab diamond tourney

Going 7-0 the Orleans Outlaws 12u baseball team recently captured top honor at the Blue Crab Classic Tournament held at the Ripken Experience complex in Aberdeen, Maryland.

Playing opponents from Canada, Massachusetts, Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania, the Outlaws outscored their opponents 96-11.

The team was led offensively by Noah Banks and Sam Conte, each hitting over .600 for the tournament, combining for 25 hits and 27 runs. Banks had 3 homeruns and 6 doubles, while Conte contributed 2 triples and 6 doubles. Joining the attack, a total of seven Outlaws hit over .500, including Andrew D’Agostino, Landon Feil, Justyce Yapjoco, Luke Hemmer and Reed Woodruff.

As good as the hitting was all week, the pitching may have been better. Seven different pitchers threw innings for the team, with Jonathan Breese leading the way with 8.1 innings allowing only 5 runs while striking out 17 hitters. Will Shultz, Woodruff, Feil, Conte, Banks and D’Agostino each contributed to the teams 47 strikeouts in 34 innings. Hemmer and Yapjoco did a great job behind the plate all week, while combining to catch every inning.

Not to be overshadowed, the defense performed superbly all week, committing only 4 errors in total. Michael Fedele was gold glove caliber at first base with multiple picks, including a huge pick during the final inning of the Championship game against the 11th ranked 12u team in the state.

The Outlaws next tournament is in Horseheads August 4-6 where 5 Outlaw teams are participating in a wood bat tournament. They then finish the season with the Outlaws tournament Aug. 11-13.