DALLAS¡ª Day two of the MLB RBI Southwest Regional Tournament has concluded and the championship field has been set for tomorrow¡¯s final games.
For the first time in Rangers Youth Academy history, two Rangers RBI teams will compete in the RBI Southwest Regional Championship. Softball will make its second consecutive appearance in the finals tomorrow, and Rangers RBI 18U Senior Baseball will be making their debut in an RBI Regional Championship Game.
Championship games on Monday, July 25, will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy with the 15U Junior Baseball match-up between RBI Austin and NOLA YA RBI. After the conclusion of the junior game, Rangers RBI will look to defeat Astros RBI in the 18U Senior Baseball championship at noon. The softball championship game will begin at 10:30 a.m. as Rangers RBI faces off against Astros RBI.
In their game against the three-time defending RBI World Series Softball Champions, Astros RBI, the Rangers topped the Astros 14-7.
The team scored in each inning, except the 2nd, with five of their 14 runs scored in the top of the 6th. Starting pitcher Tamya Waiters threw three innings with five strikeouts. Bacone College softball player Ariana Ortiz hit a solo home run, and shortstop Destan Burks reached base safely in three of her five at-bats and led the team with three scored runs.
The victory over Astros RBI secured Rangers RBI¡¯s place in the championship game. The team faced last-place RBI Austin in a consolation game and defeated Austin 11-1. Eight of the Rangers¡¯ nine starters reached base safely, and seven scored at least two runs. Iliana Olivares was 2-4 at the plate with a solo home run and two runs scored.
The 18U Senior Baseball team also secured a spot in the championship game for the first time in Rangers Youth Academy history. In their final game of pool play today, the team beat RBI Austin 6-2.
Pitcher Jax Brashear got the win on the mound after holding RBI Austin to one run in his six-inning appearance. On offense, the Rangers had 14 hits, with all nine starters reaching base safely and eight of the nine earning hits. Steven Ramos and Luis Cruz both went 3-4 at the plate, and John Sanchez was 2-4 with a double.
Rangers RBI Junior Baseball finished the tournament 0-2-1. They played their final game against RBI Austin, which resulted in a 10-10 tie. The Rangers had nine hits and four walks as a team. Greg Lawrence, Isaac Casas and Christian Salazar each scored two runs, and Will Carrigan had the team¡¯s only extra-base hit with a double. On the mound, Santos Salinas had five strikeouts in his three-inning appearance.
All championship games on Monday, July 25, are open to the public at no charge, and winners will advance to the MLB RBI World Series in August.
Note to media - Photos from today's games at the Texas Rangers Youth Academy can be accessed through the following link:
https://txrangers.box.com/s/gqkziyk9412fjt7wxahgs7xmq8mxodqn
ABOUT MLB RBI LEAGUE
The RBI program, which has served approximately 2 million young people since its inception, is administered by Major League Baseball and designed to give youth from underserved and diverse communities the opportunity to play baseball and softball, while also encouraging academic achievement and success and teaching the value of teamwork and other important life lessons. RBI currently serves young men and women in over 200 programs in approximately 200 cities worldwide. MLB and its Clubs have designated more than $40 million worth of resources to the RBI program, and all 30 Clubs support RBI leagues. For more information about the RBI World Series, please visit MLB.com/rbiworldseries.