The Midwest Aces Select 13-and-under baseball team won the Memorial Day Hoosier Baseball Classic over the weekend at World Baseball Academy in Fort Wayne. 

Members of the Midwest Aces 13U baseball team are left to right: Front row, Cade Thornton, Jaxson Dohrman, Brayden Gearhart, Cooper Craig, Brock Brooks, and Axton Beste; Middle row, Trey Privett, Xzavier Driscoll, Drew Jolley, AJ Streveler, Easton Blair, and Adam Mahnensmith; Back row, coaches Chris Privett, Bruce Dohrman, Jeff Blair, and Neil Brown. (Photo provided)

The Aces, which were the No. 10 ranked team in Indiana by Travel Baseball Rankings, started off with three wins in pool play over the Indiana Lions, Indiana Jacks, and Lansharks Blue. 

The Aces easily defeated the Lions 15-0, with Brayden Gearhart pitching a complete game and allowing one hit. HE also struck out 12 and walked just two. The Aces were dominant at the plate as well, with Jaxson Dohrman driving in four runs and Cade Thornton driving in two. Gearhart and Brock Brooks added hits for the Aces as well. 

Against the Jacks, the Aces battled back in the bottom of the seventh inning to win 6-5. Easton Blair, Axton Beste, and Drew Jolley all contributed on the mound for the Aces. 

At the plate, the Aces hit 12 times. Blair hit a double and single and had three RBIs. Jolley had two hits, Thornton hit a triple, and Cooper Craig hit a double. Blair drove in two runs in the seventh to tie the game with one out in the inning. Then Brooks had the walk-off hit that scored Blair for the win. 

The Aces defeated Landsharks Blue 10-0 in their final game of pool play. Thornton allowed two hits and struck out three in six innings of work on the mound, and Privett closed things out in the seventh. 

Jolley went 3-for-3 at the plate while Brooks came up with two hits and drove in three runs. Adam Mahnensmith and Thornton had two hits each, and Dohrman and Blair added hits.

Those three wins earned the Aces the No. 1 seed in bracket play, which they started off with a 12-3 win over Northern Indiana Elite. 

Jolley showed great accuracy on the mound, with 51 of his 78 pitches going for strikes. He also allowed just three runs on six hits while striking out six and walking two. 

AJ Streveler led the way at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a home run. Privett went 2-for-3. Xzavier Driscoll, Dohrman, and Geearhart all added RBI singles.

That brought the Aces to Monday morning’s championship game to face the SC Vipers. Streveler threw a one-hitter on the mound in that one while striking out five and walking none. At the plate, Jolley hit a triple and had two RBIs. Blair added two RBIs as well. Streveler and Privett each came up with hits too, and the Aces won 10-2. 

The Aces head to the state tournament in Indianapolis on June 17-19. 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR