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PBR at The Rock: 13U & 14U Championship Game Recaps

June 7, 2021
By Taylor Castro & Andy Sroka
Wisconsin Staff

From June 4 to 6, the PBR Wisconsin staff headed back to The Rock Complex in Franklin to host the third annual PBR at The Rock 13U/14U Championships. Over 40 teams made the trip to southeast Wisconsin to participate in the tournament where they met our crew of scouts to perform in front of. Today, we’re publishing the game stories from Sunday’s 13U and 14U championship games.

14U

Top Tier South took home the PBR at The Rock 14U Championship in Franklin, Wis., on Sunday. They defeated Slammers-Coyote 16-4 after four innings of play. Top Tier South went 3-1 during pool play throughout the weekend.

A nine-run second inning put Top Tier South up early. They were led by 1B/LHP Conor Essenburg (Lincoln Way-West, IL, 2025), whose two extra-base hits brought in five runs. Essenburg’s double in the second inning with bases loaded scored three and another double in the third scored two. He also took care of business on the mound, coming in to pitch the final inning and striking out all three batters.

OF Donovan Williams (Oswego, IL, 2025) went 3-for-3, leading the team in hits with three singles and a stolen base. SS Jackson Natanek (Brother Rice, IL, 2025) was the third Top Tier South player with multiple hits in the game; Natanek stood out on several occasions throughout the weekend, and especially at shortstop. Essenburg, Williams and Natanek combined for seven of the team’s 13 hits.

Slammers-Coyote scored four runs on three hits, but were unable to overcome Top Tier South’s offense. Top Tier South was able to score in all four innings, with all nine runs in the second and all three runs in the third were scored while there were two outs.

Top Tier South’s Road to the Championship:

+ Pool Play

  • GRB Rays MKE Green: W 11-0
  • Rhino Baseball: W 6-4
  • Chicago Elite: W 12-0
  • STL Dynamite-Black: L 6-9
+ Playoffs (5-seed)
  • [4] Top Tier West: W 6-2
  • [1] Cangelosi Sparks North - Clarke: W 20-8
  • [3] Slammers-Coyote 2025: W 16-4

13U

Hitters Baseball’s 13U Navy squad won five of its six total games in Franklin this past weekend, ultimately winning PBR at The Rock 13U Championship after outscoring their semifinal and championship game opponents 25-5. After a 13-1 win over STiKS Academy Black on Sunday afternoon, Hitters was matched with a talented Top Tier Americans team in the final.

Hitters’ lineup was one of the tournament’s most productive, and they struck quickly in the title game, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first. With two in, two on, and two down, Cameron Carter (Arrowhead, 2026) sliced a triple down the first base line that scored two more runs to make it a 4-0 game. RBI base hits from Gavin Coury (Marquette University, 2026) and Gabriel Ciralsky (University School, 2026) propelled Hitters to a 6-0 lead after one that they didn’t waste any time adding to. O’Neil Wright (Milwaukee Jefferson, 2026) hit a hard ground ball up the middle that scored another two runs, adding to his huge production totals on the weekend. Wright finished the tournament with 13 RBIs in 16 plate appearances on eight hits.

And while Hitters’ offense was hard at work, starter LHP Dominic Santarelli (St. Joseph, 2026) pitched three shutout innings with four Ks to keep this big lead up. Once Santarelli’s day was done, Top Tier began to show some life at the plate, but that spark was put out when Cade Minatto (Indian Trail, 2026) slugged a walk-off two-run homer to end the championship game early and stylistically. Minatto was another one of the team’s most productive players throughout the tournament, and his dramatic homer capped off a highly successful weekend for the local program, finishing as 13U champs.

Hitters Baseball Navy’s Road to the Championship:

+ Pool Play

  • GRB Rays MKE Green: W 12-4
  • Midwest Halos Red: W 12-0
  • Naperville Renegades American: W 11-0
  • Cangelosi Sparks North: L 4-3
+ Playoffs (3-seed)
  • [2] STiKS Academy Black: W 13-1
  • [4] Top Tier Americans: W 12-4

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