Derek Wu lays down the perfect bunt
Playing their fourth consecutive tournament, Blue Wave 12U saved their best for last when they swept the field OCT 15-16 to win the Triple Crown Rocktober Slam tournament at Big League Dreams Park in West Covina.
“The boys are playing well right now,” Coach Mike Fuchs understated. “They are really starting to jell.”
If not, the fourth time was the charm as 12U-Fuchs started their four-week grind with the SoCal AAU tournament SEP 24-25, then played the USSSA Oktoberfest OCT 1-2 before travelling all the way to Paso Robles to play in the Triple Crown Fall Finish OCT 15-16.
“I don’t think the boys liked finishing second in that tournament, it was a long drive back home,” Fuchs reported.
After winning four straight games in Paso Robles, the team lost in the championship game that was not concluded until after 9 PM. Most players did not get home until 1 AM or after, with school that next day.
Though a shorter drive this time, Blue Wave 12U-Fuchs would go home a whole lot happier after taking the Triple Crown title in West Covina. On top of their championship, the team received their official entry berth to Cooperstown Dreams Park National Championship (NATC) week starting Aug. 18-24 in Cooperstown, NY.
Blue Wave 12U-Fuchs opened up the Rocktober Slam tournament with a 10-1 win over the Temecula Tritons, and then held off a determined Ladera Grays team 6-2 on Saturday (OCT 15) to take the No. 1 seeding slot for Sunday’s playoff games.
After defeating the Tritons 10-2 in a rematch Sunday (OCT 16), Blue Wave faced the undefeated Southbay Titans in the championship game, which they went on to win 3-0.
“We only gave up five runs the entire tournament,” Fuchs pointed out. “I am very proud of our defense and aggressive play; we have won 8 out of our last 9 games so we are headed in the right direction.”
Members of the Blue Wave 12U-Fuchs team are: Ben Berkel, Chris Buting, Tom McCarty, Brendan Salgado, LJ Ryan, Trevor Chen, Derek Wu, Max Crabbe, Nino Losi, Kyle Luckham, Kekani Gonzalez, Preston Hartsell, and Kyle Giberson.
