By Ron Rop
Local Sports Journal
The West Michigan Riptide 15U baseball team finished second in last weekend’s USSSA Firecracker Classic in Ann Arbor.
The Riptide, a young team consisting of seven players who are 13U or 14U, finished with a 4-2 record.
Riptide defeated the NFWB Cobras 16-8, the Northville Broncos 13-6, The Saginaw Bay Riverdawgs 7-6 and Team Athletic Republic 7-4.
Its losses came to the Capitol City Kings 9-8 and the Westkirk Royals 14-6.
Winning pitchers in the four games were Travis Grimm, Ryan Bramer, Austin Curtis and Nicholas Holt.
Coby Holt was the leading hitter for Riptide with a .500 batting average. Ryan Bramer finished at .400, Tyler Trovinger at .388, Zach Huston and Hunter Broersma each batted .375.
En route to the runner-up finish, Riptide played two elite teams, losing to Capitol City in the bottom of the seventh by a single run and defeating Team Athletic Republic.
In all, 9 of the 11 players on the team saw time on the mound.
Riptide 15U is make up of two players who are 13U, five who are 14U and four who are 15U.
