By Marisa Dawson, Photo courtesy of Christina Rezac

The Bennington Premier 14U Blue baseball team overcame an early setback and a grueling championship Sunday to claim a tournament title last weekend, finishing with five consecutive victories after dropping its opening game.

Competing in a 10-team tournament where only six teams advanced to the championship bracket, Bennington knew there was little room for error following a 6-4 loss to Flash 14U of Iowa City on Friday night.

The game turned on a difficult third inning in which Bennington surrendered four runs while committing five errors. “We lost the game 6-4 as a result of a disastrous 3 innings where we surrendered 4 runs on 5 errors,” Head Coach Tim McDermott said.

No Bennington player recorded more than one hit in the contest, and the pitching staff struggled to find its rhythm. Rather than dwell on the loss, however, the team quickly shifted its focus to the task ahead. “After the game we regrouped and the players knew they needed to have a short memory and get two on Saturday to advance,” McDermott said.

The team spent part of Saturday together away from the ballpark, sharing a meal and enjoying some pickleball before returning to competition.

Facing a must-win situation against the Midwest Longhorns of St. Joseph, Missouri, Bennington delivered a 5-3 victory. The game was tied 1-1 until the sixth inning when Bennington erupted for four runs, highlighted by an inside-the-park home run from Bradyn White.

Easton Kulp and Kellen McDermott each collected two hits, while pitchers Colin Tysor and Cody Wingender combined to allow just one earned run.

Bennington carried that momentum into its final pool-play game against the KC Wildcats, cruising to a 16-0 victory. Nine players recorded at least one hit, with Cooper Redlinger and Wingender each collecting two. Kellen McDermott and White teamed up for a perfect game, allowing no runs, hits or walks in a mercy-rule-shortened contest.

The victory secured Bennington the No. 5 seed and a place in the championship bracket.

The team’s offense continued to roll Sunday morning against fourth-seeded Inside Edge of Lee’s Summit, Missouri. After falling behind 3-1 in the opening inning, Bennington responded with six runs in the second and never relinquished the lead in a 12-7 victory.

Bennington pounded out 17 hits, with White leading the way with three. Mason Rezac, Riley Walter, Wingender, Redlinger and JJ Bishay each added two hits, while 10 different players contributed at least one hit.

“We had 5 hits with 2 strikes in the count,” McDermott said. “We aren’t afraid to hit in any count.”

That set up a semifinal rematch with Flash, the team that handed Bennington its lone loss of the tournament. “The Friday night loss was tough because we didn’t play to our potential,” McDermott said. “Our players hadn’t forgotten and wanted this opportunity to play them again.”

This time, Bennington came out on top, earning a 6-3 victory behind a dominant performance from Tysor, who pitched four innings of one-run baseball while striking out five. He also went 3-for-3 at the plate. Redlinger added two hits as Bennington totaled 10 hits and delivered several clutch two-strike and two-out hits.

The championship game against the KC Old School Ducks presented yet another challenge. Both teams were playing their third game of the day after spending nearly 10 hours at the ballpark under the hot sun. “Both teams were on the third game of the day, the boys had to dig deep to keep the intensity and they did,” McDermott said. “There wasn’t a physical or mental drop off. If anything they raised the intensity.”

Trailing 6-5 in the fifth inning, Bennington produced the decisive rally. With the bases loaded, Kellen McDermott lined a two-run double over the right fielder’s head to put Bennington in front. The team added two more runs in the inning and held on for a 9-7 victory.

Rezac led the offense with two hits, while Tysor, Gavin Slaughter and White battled through fatigue on the mound to secure the championship.

McDermott also praised several players for their defensive contributions throughout the weekend. “Lincoln Main was a vacuum at 2nd and Short Stop,” he said. “It seems like no ball is out of his range.”

He also highlighted center fielder Bryson Zurek, who entered the tournament as the team’s batting average leader. “Bryson Zurek, who leads our team in Batting Average, played a great Centerfield,” McDermott said. “He had to make a few tough catches on the weekend.”

The championship run was not without disappointment. Kulp suffered an arm injury while sliding during Saturday night’s game and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. “He has been a reliable player for 3 years on this team and we will miss seeing him out there competing,” McDermott said.

Several players posted impressive individual performances during the tournament. White hit .636 after going 7-for-11 at the plate, while Kulp batted .600. Redlinger and Bishay each finished at .500. Kellen McDermott drove in a team-best seven runs, and Tysor recorded a 2.625 ERA across eight innings pitched. Walter, Wingender and McDermott each collected two doubles and a triple during the tournament.

For McDermott, however, the championship was about more than statistics. “I’ve had most of these players for 3 years,” he said. “Dealing with adversity is a nonstop conversation. Well adversity was thrown at us all weekend and the coaches were proud of how they handled it. We were mentally tough.”

He credited the entire roster for contributing to the championship effort against a highly competitive field.

“The level of competition was extremely high this weekend,” McDermott said. “Those were three great teams we beat on Sunday. It was a team championship. Every player contributed. They all played a role in getting us the Title.”