Fighting Phillies defeat Hacks Baseball 12-3 behind the arm and bat of Jakaii Williams. Williams took the mound for the Fighting Phillies. He pitched 3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 1 hit and striking out 2. At the plate, Williams went 1 for 3 driving in 2 runs.
The Fightin Phillies won the Grand Slam Summer Series June Jam Week 4 Tournament. Shaking off the rust from the pandemic enforced break, the Phillies played inspired baseball all weekend long. Zion Menafee, Jakaii Williams, and Aden Rucker hit their first home runs of the season. Sam Kurkian, Jayden Bradley, and Tyler Bright all had strong pitching performances for the Phillies as well.
The Phillies won their first game 9-5 over Georgia Stars Baseball Academy – Waters. Aden Rucker lead the way with 2 home runs and 5 RBI’s. The Phillies would use the long ball to their advantage. Trailing 5-2 in the top of the second inning, Zion Menafee hit a home run to close the gap to 5-3. The Phillies added 2 more home runs in the 3rd inning. Williams and Rucker both hit home runs in the 3rd to give the Fightin Phillies a 6-5 lead. Rucker would put the game away in the 5th with his second home run of the game, a 3 run blast over the left-field fence, putting the Phillies ahead 9-5 and sealing the victory.
In Game 2, the Phillies were matched up against the Oconee Wood Ducks. The game would end in a rain-soaked 3-3 tie. With the Phillies leading 7-3 in the top of the 4th, strong showers forced the teams off the field. The game would later be canceled and scored based on the last completed inning resulting in a tie.
The Fightin Phillies continued their strong play on Sunday. The Phillies won their semifinal matchup 12-4 against Georgia Select 11U. They collected 17 hits in the game. Tyler Bright started the game on the mound with Sam Kurkian later coming on in relief. Behind strong performances from both Bright and Kurkian, the pitchers combined to hold Georgia Select to only 3 hits on the day.
The Championship game would be a rematch of the rain-shortened game vs the Oconee Wood Ducks. The Phillies struck early in the game, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead of 3-0. After a scoreless 2nd inning, the Phillies pulled away in the bottom of the 3rd inning, adding 5 runs for an 8-0 lead. Sam Kurkian and Jayden Bradly would do the rest, combining to pitch 5 shutout innings. The Phillies went on to win the game 8-0 and captured the tourney championship in the process.