Published: June 25, 2009 11:45 pm      

KASEY TOURNEY: Mike’s Pizza wins tournament

GREENTOWN — Seven years ago, Tait Sanders served as a bat boy for Howard County youth baseball champion Mike’s Pizza.

Nowadays, he carries a big stick of his own.

Sanders cracked a two-run home run to straight-away center field in the first inning to help Mike’s Pizza down Stout & Son 7-2 in the 2009 David A. Kasey Memorial Youth Baseball Tournament championship game here Thursday night.

“Coming out that first inning, getting that dinger to put us up 2-0, was huge for our team,” said Mike’s manager and Sanders’ father Tyler Sanders, whose older son Tyler played on the 2002 tourney champs.

“I couldn’t be any more proud of a group of kids,” he added. “They have worked their butts off.”

Jake Stout, whose parents sponsor Stout & Son, tossed four solid innings to earn the win in the all-Russiaville matchup. He allowed two runs and three hits, struck out three and walked two. He attacked the strike zone for the bulk of his outing, throwing 29 of his first 32 pitches for strikes.

“Jake pitched great,” Tyler Sanders said. “We had to work a little bit before we got here in the heat because he’s been a little off balance, but we got him going up and driving home and he hit his spots. He pitched great for four innings. You could tell he was tired and worn down in the fifth.”

After Jake Stout walked the first two batters he faced in the fifth, Gabe Harp relieved and finished the inning. Tait Sanders took the mound in the sixth and after allowing two baserunners, he recorded two strikeouts. Jake Stout, who moved behind the plate after his pitching stint, then gunned down a runner trying to take third on a wild pitch for the final out of the game.

Second baseman Nolan Stout had a terrific game in support of Mike’s pitchers. He recorded five assists and one unassisted putout.

“It was a fantastic game,” Tyler Sanders said. “I knew it was going to be tough playing them because they’re a good team. They looked a little more tired than we did and I think we had a little more pitching left at the end.”

Mike’s (20-4) is the fifth Russiaville team to win the Kokomo Tribune-sponsored tournament, which debuted in 1957.

Stout & Son finished with a 15-9 record after an unlikely run to Thursday’s final.

“Mike’s Pizza is a very deserving team. They have a lot of great kids on the team,” S&S skipper Shawn Burton said. “Right now, I just can’t say enough about my team. Runner-up is quite an achievement. I told the kids that I’d be really surprised if anyone in the county would have picked us to be where we’re at right now at the beginning of the season or for that matter, at the beginning of this tournament.”

Up 2-0 after Tait Sanders’ homer in the first, Mike’s added to its lead in the second when Nolan Stout cracked a double to score his cousin Logan Stout from second.

S&S put together its first offensive threat in the top of the third. Speedy leadoff hitter Jacob Gascho reached on a bunt single and Tyler White followed with an RBI double to center to cut Mike’s lead to 3-1. But Jake Stout buckled down and recorded a strikeout and a flyout to leave White stranded at second.

Mike’s broke the game open in the fourth, sending nine players to the plate and coming away with four runs — all after S&S had retired Mike’s first two batters. No. 9 hitter Aaron Sparling ignited the big inning when he smacked a solo homer to left field.

“That’s the third time he’s done that this year. He’s not really consistent all the time hitting, but when he hits the ball, he hits it hard,” Tyler Sanders said right before his players doused him with a cooler of water.

After Sparling’s homer, Nolan Stout rapped a single and Harp reached on an error. S&S decided to intentionally walk Tait Sanders, loading the bases. Cleanup hitter Jake Sheets made S&S pay as he cracked a two-run single to left. One batter later, Tait Sanders scored on an error for a 7-1 lead.

S&S threatened in the fifth, loading the bases with no outs following two walks and a fielder’s choice. But Harp worked out of the jam, recording a pop-up for the first out and a 1-2 fielder’s choice for the second out. After Tyler McFauls drew a walk to score Kaleb Harness, Harp struck out the next batter to end the threat.

S&S put runners on first and second with no outs in the sixth, but Mike’s quickly slammed the door shut to set off a celebration.

Tait Sanders finished 2-for-2 and scored two runs to lead the champs. Sheets went 2-for-3 and Nolan Stout went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Pinch-hitter James Richmond also had a hit for the champs.

Gascho, White, Jacob Cox and Jonathon Raines each had a hit for S&S. White suffered the loss. He pitched three innings and Jake Burton pitched the other two.