PF Flyers 13U wins Florence Y’alls Memorial Day Classic
The PF Flyers 13U won the competitive, 17-team Florence Y’alls Memorial Day Classic on Monday, going 5-0 in the tournament.
On the tournament, the Flyers’ bats were scorching hot. The Flyers hit six home runs, seven triples and five doubles.
The Flyers earned the walkoff in the championship game when Gavin Rutherford hit a hard ground ball through the drawn-in infield and with an all-turf outfield it went to the fence for an inside-the-park three-run home run. It was Rutherford’s first ever home run.
The tournament began on Thursday night when Carson Tabler and Gavin Rutherford started the first game of the pool play with back-to-back triples. The Flyers pounded out 15 hits in that game, en route to a 14-5 win over the No. 7 ranked team in Kentucky.
In that game, Alex Madrigal was a double short of the cycle. Madrigal went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Corwin Wang earned the win on the mound for the Flyers with 3 1/3 innings pitched, allowing one earned run. Carter Stone and Joe Cafferky closed the game out.
The Flyers received an 8 p.m. Friday night game under the lights at Thomas More Stadium. After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning, the Flyers battled back when Henry Sims hit a leadoff double and then Joe Cafferky hit a two-run home run.
The Flyers added five runs in the third inning to take the lead for good. Shea Dillon had the big blow with an RBI triple.
The Flyers went on to win 12-4. Dillon pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings, allowing only two hits while striking out four.
Gavin Rutherford (right) and Carson Tabler (left) celebrate Tabler’s leadoff home run.
The Flyers entered bracket play as the four seed. Stone pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first inning, and then Tabler started the offense rolling with a line drive into the gap for a home run. The Flyers would score four more times in the bottom of the first to take a 5-0 lead.
Stone went 3 2/3 innings allowing three earned runs. Tabler entered the game in relief and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits. The Flyers held on to win 6-5, thanks to spectacular defense by Rutherford who had a diving catch in right field and then a strong running catch in left. Both times there were runners in scoring position.
That sent the Flyers to the next round and a semifinal matchup with the top seed, the No. 16 ranked team in Indiana. Again, the Flyers offense scored first.
Tabler started the game with a line drive single to center. After he advanced to third, Dan Cafferky drove him in with a sacrifice fly.
The home team responded in the bottom of the first, scoring two unearned runs off Joe Cafferky.
But the Flyers offense answered in the top of the second with three runs. Joe Cafferky led off with a single. Sims followed that up with an RBI triple. Wang had an RBI groundout to make it 3-2 Flyers. One out later, Dan Cafferky singled to score Jack Andolina and give the Flyers a 4-2 lead.
Joe Cafferky gave up two hits and a run in the bottom of the second inning. The Flyers would allow only one hit the rest of the game.
Joe Cafferky settled in and finished with five innings on the mound, three hits, one earned run and four strikeouts. His brother, Dan, came in for the final six outs. Dan went two innings, allowing no hits and striking out three to earn the save.
Sims was 3-for-4 on the game.
The Flyers were headed to the championship.
After Wang pitched a scoreless top of the first, Dan Cafferky hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first and Rudy Glotfelty added an RBI single to give the Flyers a 3-0 lead.
Wang pitched out of trouble in the second leaving two stranded before Dan Cafferky went deep again, this time a three-run homer to put the Flyers up 6-0.
Again, Wang pitched out of trouble in the third, leaving runners stranded at second and third after one run scored.
The score stayed 6-1 through four innings.
Dillon pitched the top of the fifth, allowing one run on two hits. That left the Flyers with a 6-2 lead.
After back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the fifth, Glotfelty lined an RBI single to left to make it 7-2. That set up Rutherford’s walkoff to end the game at 10-2 and give the Flyers the tournament championship.
Joe Cafferky and Rudy Glotfelty each hit .667 on the tournament. Madrigal and Dan Cafferky each hit .500. Madrigal added a triple, a home run and four stolen bases. Cafferky had two doubles and two home runs.
Wang pitched 7 1/3 innings in the tournament, earned two wins and allowing only one earned run. Joe Cafferky pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing only one earned run. Dillon pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing only one earned run.
The Flyers are now 23-8-1 with three tournament championships. They’re back in action this weekend in the Tournaments for a Cause Hits for Heroes tournament.
