From the first at-bat, Top Tier Americans were on top of their game in the final of the PBR at The Rock 13U Summer Championships on Sunday, June 5. With the help of a no-hitter, and a 3-for-3 performance from their catcher, the Americans were able to dominate the championship game. A seven-hit first inning led to seven runs for the club, giving them a 7-0 lead before the Upper Deck Cougars were able to bat.

C/RHP Dylan Kassab (Hinsdale Central, IL, 2026), who we saw record an 87.4 mph max exit velocity at a showcase in April, drove in two runs with a double to left-center field to start the scoring for Americans. SS Anthony Perez (IL, 2026) and OF Brady Koren (IL, 2027) continued the scoring with singles, and caused havoc on the bases as Koren stole one and forced an error, allowing Perez to score from third. C David Klein (Nazareth Academy, IL, 2026) stroked a two-run single that capped off the scoring in the first inning for the Americans.

C Dylan Kassab (Hinsdale, IL, 2026) helps @TopTierBaseball Americans take a huge lead in the championship game; crushed this RBI double into the L/C gap and launched a no-doubt HR into the opposite gap in his next at-bat.#PBRatTheRock | @PBRIllinois pic.twitter.com/5T9IFflqPG

— PBR Wisconsin (@PBRWisconsin) June 5, 2022

The Americans also dominated on the defensive side in this championship game. RHP Matthew Cook (IN, 2026) brought a high ¾ delivery with a fastball that ranged from 74-76 mph, and a slider with tight horizontal movement between 64-66 mph. With that combination, Cook was able to keep the Cougars off balance for the entire game. While working through a couple of defensive errors, Cook struck out four Cougars and didn’t allow a walk or HBP during the game. The Americans’ offense was able to add a couple more runs to help Cook as well.

Kassab continued his dominance in the second inning as he drove a no-doubt two-run home run to right-center field, up the hill beyond Pirates Park, to increase their lead to 9-0. Kassab scored again after recording his third hit of the game, capping off his 3-for-3 performance, byway of a single from 3B Noah Hallahan (Geneva, IL, 2027), who went 2-for-3 with two base hits in the championship game.

As for Upper Deck, they were able to get quality relief work from RHP Brady Cunningham (IL, 2027), who threw 2 ⅓ innings in relief without giving up a run. He only gave up one hit, walked two, and struck out three Americans. OF Sebastian Wilson (IL, 2027), who showcased one of the best BP rounds at April’s Lockport Rising Stars ID, illustrated his ability to put the ball in play throughout the weekend, and was one of the few who reached base Sunday, albeit via an error. Wilson and the remainder of the hottest lineup in the tournament to that point just fell short inside the championship game as the opposing team had one of the most effective arms our staff saw all weekend.

In the bottom of the fourth, a fly ball, a groundout to the pitcher, and a diving catch in left field secured a no-hitter for Cook in four innings of work, in which Top Tier Americans won our first PBR at The Rock Summer Championships event of the season, and by the one-sided score of 10-0. 

Americans finished with a 5-0 record on the weekend, and the Cougars finished 4-1. The Americans outscored their opponents 59-17, and their total team output Sunday against the No. 1 seed capped an excellent start to the tournament season ahead in Franklin this summer, as the 14U event awaits us, beginning this Thursday.    

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