Championship Sunday at the annual PBR at The Rock 15U Summer Championships featured players from four programs – Encompass Expos, Slammers-Coyote, Top Tier South, and Canes Great Lakes – across the Midwest representing four different states: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Below, we'll take you through the semifinals, as well as the lopsided championship game that featured yet another excellent pitching performance from the Encompass Expos that allowed their offense to coast to an 11-1 championship victory.

Semifinal #1: Slammers-Coyote vs. Encompass Expos

In one of the two PBR Summer Championships at the Rock 15U Tournament semifinals, a pitchers duel presented itself between the Slammers-Coyote and Encompass Expos. 

For the Slammers-Coyote, LHP Baris Brua (Mundelein, IL, 2025) faced off against Expos’ pitcher RHP Carter Boos (Duluth Marshall, MN, 2024).

Right away in the first inning, Encompass took a commanding lead. A leadoff walk from Boos, a couple of hits, including an RBI single from OF Sam Haugen (Elko, MN, 2025), and two errors led to a 3-run inning for the Expos. 

After that inning, the Expos couldn’t plate anymore runs. Brua kept the offense off-balance for four innings, striking out three batters and only walking one. 

On the other hand, Boos finished his day with a complete-game shutout. Boos finished with 10 strikeouts on the day, and scattered five hits. He didn’t allow multiple hits in one inning in his seven innings of work. 

Encompass didn’t make any errors behind Boos, and with the help of an eventful first inning, the Expos cruised to a 3-0 victory to advance to the championship game.  

Notable performances from the Expos were INF Noah Asuma (Cherry, MN, 2026), who finished 2-for-3, and INF Tristan Moore (Buffalo, MN, 2024), who went 1-for-2 with a double.

Semifinal #2: Top Tier South (Stanford) vs. Canes Great Lakes Gold

In a back and forth offensive battle, both Top Tier and Canes showcased their aggressive hitting, with Top Tier scoring one more run in the game to advance to the championship

In the bottom of the first, Canes took an early lead when RF Kaden Milliser (2025) drove a hard hit ball to right field for an error for Top Tier. Both 2B Hunter Steenbeke (Penn, IN, 2025) and RHP Cole Hundt (Mishawaka Marian, IN, 2025) scored on this error, giving Canes a 2-0 lead.  

Top Tier battled back quickly in the second inning, as 2B Mateo Tristian (2025) singled deep to left field, scoring both courtesy runner SS Ximi Baftiri (2025) and LF Gavin Persson (2025). This brought the game to a tie through two innings.

Canes brought the lead back in the bottom of the third, with C Kydin Horvath (Penn, IN, 2025) scoring on a passed ball, giving Canes a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the fourth inning, Tristian singles on a hard hit line drive to right field, scoring LF Gavin Powels (2025), to bring the game back to a tie at 3-3. Following right after, CF Gage Marshall (2025) brought Top Tier to their first lead of the game, grounding out to shortstop, but scoring Baftiri on the play for a 4-3 lead. 

In the following innings, there were another series of lead changes. In the bottom of the fourth, Canes tied the game back up at four, then scoring another run in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 5-4 game, followed by Top Tier tied making it a tie game yet again in the top of the sixth at 5-5.

Top Tier was able to secure the final lead of the game in the top of the seventh, when 1B Dylan King (2025) had a clutch hard hit line drive to center field, scoring two to make it a hard-earned 7-5 game.  

Top Tier was able to hold Canes off in the bottom of the seventh, only allowing one more run, for a final score of 7-6, with Top Tier knocking out Canes. 

Pitching for Top Tier was Persson and RHP Ben Geary (2025). Persson started for Top Tier, pitching 3.2 innings, allowing four runs with three hits, and throwing four strikeouts. Geary came in in the fourth with two outs and finished out the game, allowing two runs on five hits, and throwing one strikeout. 

Pitching for Canes was Hundt, who pitched all seven innings, allowing seven runs on 12 hits, getting three strikeouts in the game. 

Championship: Encompass Expos vs. Top Tier South (Stanford)

Going 6-0 on the weekend, and only allowing four runs in those six games, the Encompass Expos eased past Top Tier to secure the 15U championship in a four inning run-rule game. 

Expos started the game off quickly, putting two runs on the board in the first inning. C/RF Owen Marsolek (Duluth Marshall, MN, 2025) started the surplus of scoring for the Expos, singling on a line drive to left field to score SS Carter Boos (Duluth Marshall, MN, 2024). Marsolek then scored on a groundout to first base by CF Sam Haugen (Esko, MN, 2025). 

Expos put up two more runs to extend their lead to four in the bottom of the third inning. Marsolek goes 2-2, collecting another RBI in the third, this time a line drive to right field, scoring Boos again. After going 2-2, 3B Noah Asuma (Cherry, MN, 2026) scored the second run of the inning, on aggressive baserunning stealing home. 

Top Tier put up their only run of the game in the fourth inning, not enough to make a comeback against the Expos. RHP Pablo Herrera (Plainfield South, IL, 2025) scored this run with a steal at home. 

After putting one run on the board, Top Tier struggled with pitching that brought in four of the seven runs scored in the fourth. These four runs were brought in on three consecutive bases-loaded walks and one bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Haugen shot a 2 RBI double down the right field line with the bases loaded to score Asuma and Marsolek. For the walk-off, RF/C Tristian Moore (Buffalo, MN, 2024) singled on a dropped fly ball to second, scoring 1B Max Berrisford (Duluth Marshall, MN, 2025).

RELATED CONTENT