The Santa Clara Briarwood Braves majors put on an offensive show during the championship game of the Tournament of Champions to prove their worthiness for the title of 2015 tournament champions. Their offensive efforts, along with solid performances by the pitching staff, were enough to achieve this feat and bring home the champions’ banner with a 10-3 victory over the Campbell Giants on June 17 at Sunnyvale Metro Little League field.
The Briarwood bats came alive through all six innings of the game, recording a total of 13 hits. The team was led by Jayden Greco who finished the day 4-for-4 with two bombs and five runs batted in.
Although the Campbell defense quickly recorded the first two outs in the top of the first, three consecutive singles by Greco, which scored George Bouldt, Lucas DoMoe and Jason Silveira kept the inning alive. Each would go on to score and the two-out rally put Briarwood four runs ahead after the half inning.
It did not take long for starting pitcher DoMoe to settle in on the bump. After sacrificing a walk to the Giants’ leadoff hitter in the bottom of the inning, he quickly retired the next three batters.
During his three innings on the mound, DoMoe would only allow three hits and two runs.
The Braves did damage in the top of the second, as well. This time, it was leadoff Bobby Rivera who got the rally going with a single up the middle. Then, after infield singles by Bouldt and Kalei Caoili brought home Rivera, Greco blasted his first homerun over the centerfield fence. The Braves added three runs to the scoreboard.
The third and fourth were scoreless for both teams and DoMoe was replaced by Caoili on the mound in the fourth.
Briarwood was able to squeeze one run across the plate in the fifth but Caoili in the bottom of the inning gave up a homer to the Giants’ cleanup hitter. However, he would get himself out of the jam via strikeout for the last out of the inning. The homerun would be the last run to cross the plate for Campbell.
Greco retaliated with a homer of his own in the sixth and DoMoe, who reached base by way of a walk, would score on an Ameryss Meza single to left.
The champions’ celebration began three outs later after a shutdown inning by Caoili ended the inning and the game.
The 10-3 victory for the Braves came just two days after their fellow minor league team clinched the tournament title. For the first time in history, both the minor and major league T.O.C. banners will reside with Santa Cara Briarwood.