11U Graysox Twice Erase Deficits, Remain Undefeated

By Colin Murphy

The Lake Shore 11U Graysox came from behind to tie the Maryland Cardinals, 10-10, in an exciting back-and-forth matchup at Lake Shore Sports Complex on May 3. After good showings at several early-season tournaments, the Graysox remain undefeated at 3-0-1 in the 11U Metro Baseball League.

“Both excellent ball teams,” said Graysox Head Coach Brian Siwinski of the game against the Cardinals. “In the end it was a tie, which you don’t like in baseball, but that’s baseball.”

The Graysox jumped all over the Cardinals’ starting pitcher in the first inning. After the Cardinals took a 4-0 lead in the top half of the inning, a two-out single in the bottom of the first by Joe Seidler was followed by a walk by Roland “Meat” Siwinski. Seidler and Siwinski both scored on consecutive singles by Tommy McNamara and Bobby Quensberry, cutting the lead to 4-2. Mike Storm and Chase Hilliard kept the Graysox rally going with singles of their own, scoring McNamara and Quensberry in the process. Storm scored on Hilliard’s single to give the Graysox a 5-4 lead after one.

A single by Andrew Colebrook couldn’t jumpstart a rally for the Graysox in the second, and the Cardinals broke out for three more runs in the top of the third to reclaim the lead at 7-5. Strong pitching by the Graysox’s Andrew Revels kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard over the next few innings, as the right-hander struck out three in three innings of work. The Graysox managed to get back on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth; singles by Storm and Dylan Young and an RBI sacrifice fly by Daniel Casalino made for a three-run rally that allowed the Graysox to reclaim the lead at 8-7.

“Everybody on this team can hit,” said Colebrook confidently after the contest. “We can score a lot of runs.”

The Graysox’s team-wide hitting continued in the fifth, as a single and stolen base by Seidler led to another run, pushing the Graysox lead to 9-7. Not going down quietly, the Cardinals plated three runs in the top of the seventh to take a 10-9 lead. Down a run and with his teammates in the dugout cheering him on, the Graysox’s Blake Rebstock shined under pressure in the bottom of the seventh, smacking a single into center field. Rebstock subsequently stole second, eventually scoring on an RBI groundout by Siwinski.

The game was called due to darkness moments later, but even in the tie, the mood amongst the Graysox players was wholly positive, knowing they battled back twice from deficits to give themselves a chance to win, and, ultimately, not surrender the loss.

“These boys have been together since they were five years old,” said Coach Siwinski, adding that the evening’s game was yet another step in the boys’ progress as strong, developing ballplayers. “Our coaches have kept this group together, and they continue to improve every aspect of their performance.”

To see the complete photo gallery of this game, click here.