It’s a beautiful day for Little League baseball at Nike Park in Naperville as Everett Gudauskas and Caleb Alcacio of NCTV17, take on Jude Duell and Beau Johnson of ITG Transportation Services, also known as Naperville Prime. The winner will be crowned Supreme A Little League champions. Remember to order a personal copy of the game by visiting the NCTV17 online store and purchasing an MP4 download!
Team NCTV17 gets on the board first
We’ll kick things off in the bottom of the 1st inning. Jay Esser is at the plate for NCTV17, also known as The Pickles. Esser drills a line drive right down the 3rd base line. Rory Moran takes the turn around 3rd base and crosses the plate, scoring the first run of the game. It’s 1-0 Pickles in the 1st.
In the bottom half of the inning, Will Hammond hits one past the shortstop and the ball bounces into the outfield. Jude Duell throws it to second, but Hammond steps in safely. NCTV17 has a runner in scoring position with no outs. However, the Prime are able to get out of the inning unscathed.
ITG Transportation takes the lead in the middle innings
Now in the top of the 3rd, Keats Reed is at the plate with a runner on 2nd. He goes the opposite way with it and it just bounces past the second baseman. Meanwhile, Aleks Gierstikas comes around from second base and crosses the plate to tie the game at 1-1.
The next batter up is Knox Caldwell-McMurrin. He grounds one to first, but Carter Schmitt is there and makes the play for the out. But the Naperville Prime now has runners on 2nd and 3rd base with 2 outs.
With the bases loaded, Landon Limbaugh steps up to the plate. He sends one towards 3rd base and it finds its way into the outfield. Landon Lumley scores from 3rd base and not far behind him is Keats Reed from second. He slides in and ITG is now up 3-1, thanks to the RBI double by Landon Limbaugh.
The next batter is Patrick Fischer. He sends one right back to the pitcher Dylan Rutherford. He knocks it down, and throws to Schmitt just in time to close the inning. It’s 3-1 Prime.
To the bottom of the third with a runner on third base, Luke Estacio hits a slow roller down the 3rd base line. Landon Lumley grabs the ball and throws to first, but Estacio is in safely. Meanwhile, Jero Bracamontes slides in to score and it’s now a 3-2 ballgame after three.
Moving on to the top of the 4th inning. Jude Duell is at the plate. He gets a hold of one and lines it between the first and second baseman. Rory Moran throws it in, but Jude Duell kicks off the inning with a leadoff single.
Later in the inning, Holden Fatig is at the plate with the bases loaded and 2 outs. He hits a high pop-up to center field, Zain Malik isn’t able to make the catch and now the runners are advancing. Beau Johnson crosses the plate first, he is followed by Evan Herrbach, and then Aleks Gierstikas comes all the way around from 1st base to score. Holden Fatig makes his way safely to third base. ITG is now up 6-2 in the top of the 4th.
Next up is Landon Lumley. He hits a chopper back up the middle and the ball makes its way to center field. That’s enough to bring Holden Fatig in from third and Naperville Prime ITG has extended the lead over NCTV17 to 7-2 in the Little League Supreme A Championship.
NCTV17 looks for a late comeback
In the bottom half of the inning, Zain Malik is at the plate with a couple of runners on base. He lays off the pitch and that’s ball 4. Bases are loaded for NCTV17.
Emmet Lowder is the next batter. He stands in with the bases loaded and takes one for the team. Emmet is able to shake it off and make his way over to first base, earning an RBI in the process. It’s now 7-3 ITG in front as the Prime are able to avoid further damage.
Now, in the top of the 5th, Aaron Brown is on the mound facing Jude Duell. He freezes the batter with this pitch and gets the called-third strike. There are now 2 outs in the inning.
Jacob Eckman is up to bat next. He hits a slow roller to the second baseman Caleb Alcacio who makes the scoop and throw to first. Eckman has enough speed to beat the throw and now ITG has the bases loaded once again.
Next to the plate is Evan Herrbach. He hits a pop-up that lands right behind the second baseman and he’s bringing the runners home. Landon Limbaugh is the first one around, and Patrick Fischer is the second runner to score on the double by Evan Herrbach. The Prime now take a 9-3 lead with two innings to play.
Moving on to the bottom of the 5th inning, the Pickles need some offense. Luke Estacio smokes one out to center field. Rory Moran takes the turn towards home and he will score, and then Estacio advances past second base and gets in safely at 3rd. It’s now 9-4 as NCTV17 has some hope left.
Naperville Prime wins the Supreme A Championship
Now in the bottom of the 6th, ITG is just one out away from victory. Knox Caldwell-McMurrin winds up, throws, and it’s a called third strike to end the ballgame. ITG Transportation wins by a 9-4 score and the Naperville Prime are the 2023 Supreme A Little League champions over NCTV17! A fantastic season for both teams.
