SP Gold Team Wins Co-Op Baseball Championship

Losing 5-2 in the top of the seventh inning, Severna Park's 15U Gold team was down to its last three outs in the Platinum Division Championship game of the 32-team Anne Arundel Co-Op Baseball League in late June.

Mathew Marsella continued his clutch hitting over the season by starting off the rally with a leadoff single. Joel Mitchell doubled in the tying and go-ahead runs, and Ian Hart added two more insurance runs with a double of his own. Evan Tarsi finished his fourth inning on the mound with his 12th strikeout to close out the Lake Shore Carolina/Gray squad and secure the 8-6 upset victory.

Over the weekend, SP Gold overcame a 7-1 deficit in the semifinals on June 15 against top-seeded GORC White. Thanks to some timely hitting from Derrek Bennett and George Impallaria III, the SP Gold came back to win that game 10-7.

In the championship game, pitcher Dominic Tangrea kept the game close with an outstanding start. Strong defense from Jake Tarsi at shortstop and Reece Heckert behind the plate allowed SP Gold to stay within striking distance throughout the game. In the final inning, Paul Puckett and Noah Klein scored for the Gold and Henry Pavlitsa, Nathan Riggins and Sebastian Boyle provided the necessary defense to keep the dream alive until the comeback was complete.

SP Gold’s two comeback wins in the playoffs showed their heart and connection as a team. Led by Gregg Heckert, Adam Tarsi and Mike Tangrea, the SP Gold team finished the season with a 15-1 record.