by Bob Connor
bobc@isb.ac.th
The Bangkok All-Stars U12 travel baseball team won its first tournament of the season at the annual Singapore Turkey international tournament, held each year over the Thanksgiving holidays. Eight teams competed in the U12 age group, from countries including Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Hong Kong. The All-Stars finished the group stage with a record of 2 wins and 1 tie to earn the #1 seed. A victory over The Hit Factory Singapore in its first playoff game, followed by another win over the Japanese team from Singapore in the semi-finals, set up the championship final vs. ILAM from the Philippines. The ILAM team took a 2-1 lead in the first inning, but Bangkok’s ace pitcher, Justin Blumenthal, came in and shut down ILAM, allowing no more runs and only two hits over the last 5 innings. Meanwhile, the All-Stars got some key hits and runs batted in from Milan Pant, Justin and Reece Emery, to power the offense. Hiroki Saito anchored the defense with solid infield play, helping the All-Stars to win the championship game by a final score of 8-2. All the kids on the roster had meaningful contributions towards the team’s success over the 4 day tournament, so it was very much a total team effort!
The Bangkok All-Stars U12 team took 11 players to Singapore: Justin Blumenthal, Oliver Ellison, Reece Emery, Keane Kidwell, Will Melhorn, Matthew Minckler, Milan Pant, Hiroki Saito, Jake Shain, David Werner and Cole Westerman.
Bangkok All-Stars U14 Baseball Team Scores 59 Runs in Route to the Silver Medal
The Bangkok All-Stars U14 travelling baseball team competed against five teams from Singapore and Indonesia in the annual Turkey Tournament. The team got off to a quick start with a thunderous 18 hits in the opening 25-0 win, setting the stage for the weekend. Kaden Bernhard, Ryan Minckler, and Kane Kidwell routinely hit towering blasts that awed their coaches, teammates, and the crowd. A combined 52 hits in the round robin stage resulted in a 4-1 record that pushed the All-Stars into the championship game against rivals Hit Factory. The thrilling final had all the elements of a great battle. Bangkok crushed pitch after pitch from the opposing ace. When the game turned in favor of the Hit Factory, Andrew Smith took the mound and halted their progress. Ultimately, Adam Ducharme’s big day was not enough to topple the home team with a final score of 7-6.
The Bangkok All-Stars U14 team took 11 players to Singapore: Adam Ducharme, Andrew Smith, Calvin Mitchell, Connor McGregor, Jon Jon March, Julian John, Kaden Bernhard, Kane Kidwell, Max Lopez, Nathan Blumberg, and Ryan Minckler.
The All-Stars will next play host to its own international tournament, The Christmas Classic from 19-21 December at ISB, before traveling to Manila for the Goodwill Games tournament from 8-10 January. Come out and support the team if you’re around!