Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Nebraska team wins Wolff Classic
FAYETTEVILLE — The Omaha (Neb.) based Wolfe Electric Wildcats gave the Yard Baseball Club Black an early jolt and went on to a 13-1 win in five innings to claim the 17-18-year-old division of the eighth annual Chad Wolff Classic on Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Wildcats trailed 1-0 after a half inning, but that lasted for exactly two batters in the bottom of the first. Drew Borner singled, stole second and scored on Rice Whitaker’s double into the right-center field gap to tie the game.
YBC Black pitcher Josiah Golden retired the next two hitters, but first baseman Peyton Moore singled to left to give his team the 2-1 lead it would not relinquish.
Wolfe Electric banged out 11 hits and scored in every inning. Moore went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs, while three other Wildcats added two hits each. Jackson Williams homered and drove in four runs, while designated hitter Nixon Snyder doubled and drove in three runs.
Wolfe Electric coach Steve Frey said his team hadn’t hit particularly well coming into the tournament, but they got contributions up and down the lineup all weekend. The Wildcats averaged more than 10 runs per game in its seven-game run to the championship.
“We hit really well all weekend, but what’s funny is we hadn’t hit well coming into the tournament,” Frey said. “I don’t know whether it was the heat, but we hit well. We had some great pitching performances, too. We were playing all aspects of the game really well this week.
“We were hitting this whole tournament from one to nine. Our lead-off hitter probably had 10 or 12 hits, but it was literally everybody.”
Pitcher Brady Tate allowed only a run on two hits over five innings. He struck out three, walked two and hit a batter. Teammate Jaxson Cahoy also threw a seven-inning perfect game in the Wildcats’ 7-0 win over Sluggers Elite earlier in the event. He struck out 10.
Seeing this group excel is no surprise, Frey said. This team is made up mostly of the Millard West High School team that won the Class A state championship in Nebraska in the spring.
“This team is used to going out and competing and winning,” Frey said. “They play good baseball.”
It’s the second straight year his team has competed in the Chad Wolff Classic and they have been pleased with the experience. This year’s event was the largest ever and included more than 150 teams from six states.
“We loved it down here,” Frey said. “We didn’t quite play as well (last year), but it’s just a great atmosphere and all the high schools have great facilities. It’s just a great experience for the boys especially to come and play at Baum Stadium.”
The U. S. Nationals won both the 16U and the 15-16-year-old divisions. U.S. Nationals Mid-South edged Prodigy Prospects 3-2 to win the 15-16-year-old division, while U.S. Sunbelt defeated Rawlings (Ark.) Prospects Platium 16-8 in the 16U finals.