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PEORIA, Ariz. – In a back-and-for affair that saw three lead changes and one tie, TB SoCal Adidas defeated Team California 2018, 7-4, on Friday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Team California’s starting pitcher, Connor Chapman, looked untouchable early on, retiring the first 11 batters he faced. Team California 2018 manufactured insurance runs for their pitcher in the top of the second, knocking a leadoff double and scoring him off a sacrifice fly to pull an early 1-0 lead. Ty Matsunami sent a RBI single into the outfield an inning later, tacking on another run for Team California 2018.

Connor Chapman of California held TB SoCal Adidas relatively in check for the first three frames, as it wasn’t until the fourth inning that they scored their first run off Chapman. Lacing two singles with two outs, TB SoCal Adidas tied the game up at two apiece after a balk and a throwing error. Chapman retaliated by catching Keaton Carattini looking for the third out, but the damage was already done.

Helping himself out on the mound, Chapman sent a leadoff double into the alley in the fourth. Connor Henriques sent him home with a two-run home run into the bullpen in left field to give California a 4-2 lead.

That’s all the team scored, however, as Jake Thau of TB SoCal Adidas entered with one out in the fifth inning and shut Team California 2018 down. Thau pitched 2.1 innings of perfect baseball, allowing no runs off no hits while striking out three.

TB SoCal Adidas increased their lead with a three-spot in the bottom of the fifth using four hits, a sacrifice fly and an error. Grant Holman demolished a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth to bring the score to the final 7-4.