Northeast 49ers Go 7-1, Achieved Multiple Wins in Yakima

The Northeast 49ers AAA 19U baseball team continued its strong summer season by winning seven of eight games, including four victories during the Firecracker Tournament in Yakima just before the district playoffs begin. The 49ers swept three games against the Spokane Bandits before going 4-1 in tournament play.

Northeast outscored its opponents 85-28 during the eight-game stretch and improved to 21-7 overall. Northeast opened the week July 7 with a doubleheader, beginning with a 13-8 victory over Spokane at Mt. Spokane. The 49ers carried an 8-6 advantage into the fifth inning, but the Bandits scored twice to tie the game. Northeast answered with five runs in the top of the seventh inning to secure the win. Gus Schatz went 2-for3 with three RBIs, while Kyle Bradfield collected three hits, drove in two runs, and scored once.

Miles Krausz finished with two hits and two runs, Patrick McGuire had two hits and an RBI, and Luke Bateman drove in two runs. Travis Wellhausen earned the victory by allowing three hits and no runs over 2⅔ innings of relief. The 49ers completed the doubleheader with a 3-0 win behind a complete-game shutout from Brayden Payette. Payette allowed four hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven innings. Northeast managed only two hits, scoring once in the first inning and adding two insurance runs in the seventh.

Jet Bateman doubled and scored, while Cody Adams recorded a hit and an RBI. The 49ers completed the three-game sweep July 8 with a 17-0, five-inning victory. Northeast scored six runs in the first inning before breaking the game open with 10 in the third. Krausz and Jet Bateman each had two hits and scored multiple runs, while Adams went 2-for2 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Bradfield pitched four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out six. Schatz struck out two during a hitless fifth inning. Northeast carried that momentum into the Firecracker Tournament, beginning with a 16-2 victory over the Kelly Brady Bagpipers on July 10. The 49ers scored 10 runs in the fifth inning and finished with 12 hits.

Jet Bateman went 3-for-5, while Bradfield had two hits and four RBIs. Schatz added two hits, two runs, and two RBIs, and Ethan Johnson drove in two runs. Adams earned the win after throwing 2⅔ scoreless innings. Jace Lovato completed the five-inning game, allowing one earned run over 2⅓ innings. Northeast suffered its only loss of the week later that evening, falling 8-6 to the Yakima Pepsi Beetles. The 49ers held a 6-5 lead entering the bottom of the fifth, but Yakima tied the game before scoring twice in the sixth.

Jet Bateman went 4-for-4 with two runs, an RBI, and four stolen bases. Krausz, Schatz, Bradfield, and Lovato each recorded two hits. McGuire tripled, scored once, and drew three walks. The 49ers rebounded July 11 with a pair of five-inning victories. Bradfield threw a complete game in a 9-1 win over the RBI Dirtbags, limiting the opposition to two hits without issuing a walk. He struck out five. Northeast scored three times in each of the first two innings and finished with 11 hits. Bradfield and Adams recorded two hits apiece, with Adams driving in two runs. Schatz tripled and scored twice.

The 49ers followed with a 14-5 win over Plakata 16U/18U. Northeast scored six runs in the opening inning, added three in the fourth, and finished the game with five runs in the fifth. Bradfield led the offense by going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs. Johnson finished with two hits, three runs, and two RBIs, while Lovato had two hits and three RBIs.

Wellhausen earned the win, while Josh Shope struck out three over two scoreless and hitless innings of relief. Northeast closed the tournament July 12 with a 7-4 victory over NW Blaze. The 49ers trailed 3-1 after three innings before scoring five runs in the bottom of the fourth. They added another run in the fifth and held NW Blaze to one run over the final four innings.

Bradfield, Luke Bateman, and McGuire each had two hits. McGuire also stole three bases, while Luke Bateman stole one. Adams earned the win after allowing one hit and no earned runs over four innings of relief. He struck out four. Shope started and allowed two earned runs over three innings.

The 49ers finished the Firecracker Tournament with a 4-1 record and have won 10 of their past 12 games.