Illinois Junior Future Games: Recap Stories, Day Two

TEAM ILLINOIS (1) VS. TEAM CALIFORNIA

By: Gavin Smith
Area Scout

Team Illinois pulled off their first win at the PBR Junior Future Games in a late Thursday night game that ended just shy of the midnight mark. Dominant pitching, timely hitting, and aggression on the base paths propelled the team to a must-need victory which was highlighted by a big third inning. Team Illinois won the game 8-3 with many players standing out in the contest. 

RHP/UTL Kash VanHouten (Canton, 2027) was the spark plug the team needed to start a big two-out rally for Team Illinois. VanHouten reached base in both of his at-bats, reaching on a walk in his first and delivering an RBI single in his second. He ignited the dugout when he stole third base on a throw back to the pitcher, eventually scoring on a single from RHP/INF Brady Cunningham (Brother Rice, 2027). VanHouten followed Cunningham, who started the game on the mound, with a short relief appearance that shutdown the California offense. Lighting up the radar gun, he touched 85 mph multiple times, and mostly sat in the low-80s. He consistently stayed in and around the zone throughout his brief outing.

MIF Jacsen Tucker (Oswego East, 2027) and C/1B Keegan Seipp (O’Fallon, 2027) both produced at the plate in big situations. Tucker went 2-for-2 on the day with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. His third inning triple followed by MIF Isaiah Martin’s (Lane Tech, 2027) RBI single capped off an impressive third inning for Team Illinois. Within that same inning, Seipp recorded a double that was blasted over the left fielder’s head, nearly crossing the fence. 

Cunningham’s final line does not do his outing justice, striking out six in the game, he was just missing the zone at times. He kept hitters off balance and challenged them with his ability to place his fastball in the upper-half of the zone and his curveball in the lower third.

Team Illinois (1) will take on Team Pacific Northwest at 7:15 PM on Friday, July 28th on Field 14.

TEAM ILLINOIS (2) VS. TEAM MISSISSIPPI

By: Tyler Defibaugh 
Area Scout 

Team Illinois tallied another win in pool play on Thursday night with a thrilling victory over Team Mississippi 4-3. The win was highlighted by stellar pitching performances, patient approaches at the plate, and solid defensive play all-around. 

The biggest performance of the night came from starting pitcher, RHP Kaden Wasniewski (McHenry, 2027). Wasniewski dominated Mississippi hitters with his two-pitch mix, attacking the zone early, and staying ahead in counts. Wasniewski’s fastball was sitting 81-84 mph throughout the night, topping out at 85 mph. Wasniewski’s final line: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 1 BB.

Out of the ‘pen, RHP Mason Bruesch (Geneva, 2027) came in with runners on base and handled the adversity well to give Team Illinois four important outs late in the game, with two of those outs coming by way of the strikeout. RHP/INF Sean Dabe (Huntley, 2027) came into the game, inheriting two runners in a two-run game with one out. Dabe navigated the inning by throwing out a runner trying to steal home and tie the game, then with the tying run advancing to third, Dabe collected the final out of the game on a flyout to SS Carson Trivellini (Crystal Lake South, 2027), en route to earning the save.

Continuing to stand out at the plate is OF Omar Avalos (Father McGivney, 2027). The L/L prospect notched another hit to his total for the week, while also coming around to score a run for Team Illinois. Having a patient night at the plate was C Derrick Pomatto (Joliet Catholic, 2027) drawing a walk in both plate appearances, stealing a base, and also collecting an RBI. 

Team Illinois (2) will play Pennsylvania at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, July 28th on Field 13. 

CLICK HERE to follow along on PBR Illinois’ Twitter for Team Illinois highlights throughout our week in Georgia.

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