The 15U Patriots of Northern Virginia capped off their undefeated summer a few weeks ago as they brought home the coveted Triple Crown Sports National title. The Patriots are made up of all local players with six local high schools represented on the team. The tournament, held in scenic Myrtle Beach, consisted of pool play, followed by single elimination in the championship round. The Northern Virginia showcase squad not only brought home the title, but dominated their competition with crushing efficiency, winning all but one game by slaughter rule.
The Patriots of Northern Virginia are sponsored by Colangelo Baseball, an organization owned and operated by former Major Leaguer and Hylton High School graduate Mike Colangelo (pictured right).
The Patriots started off the tournament with a bang as they won their first two games by the scores of 16-0 and 8-0. David Edwards and J.T. Beloti were the winning pitchers, respectively. Nick Brown was the offensive star of the day, getting 4 hits and knocking in 8 runs over the two games.
The Patriots finished off pool play by beating the Ohio Heat Blazers by the score of 14-0. Nick Brown gave up only one hit in five innings of work. The shut out was the 3rd thrown by Patriot pitchers in the tournament, and earned them the #1 seed going into elimination round.
The Pats continued their championship run by winning both of their first two elimination games by scores of 12-2 and 15-5. David Edwards picked up his 2nd win of the tournament and Chase Boster grabbed his first. Offensively, the Patriots pounded out over 30 hits in the two games, scoring an impressive 27 runs.
Spencer Porter picked up the win in the semifinal game and Brandon Jewet provided the power by dropping a towering homerun late in the game. The Pats won the championship by a final score of 11-2 with Chase Boster and David Edwards combining for the win. The team pounded out its 7th straight double-digit hitting performance on the way to bringing home the championship. Jewet was named tournament MVP.
Because of the victory, next year's Patriot's squad is granted an automatic bid to defend their title in the 2011 Triple Crown Sports National Championship. Be sure to check out NovaSportsFan for continued Patriots coverage!
