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GCL Nationals defeat GCL Marlins, 5-4


to win league championship.

Box score and recap are online.

LHP Graham Hicks allowed three runs on seven hits over 4IP; RHP Wilson Eusebio struck out five and gave up a run on four hits over four innings of relief; and RHP Rob Wort picked up the save with a scoreless ninth. CFEury Perez was 1/3 with arun scored; SS Justin Cuevas was 2/4 with a double & two RBI; CA Adrian Nieto was 2/4 with a double & two RBI; RF Angelberth Montilla was 2/4 with a game-tying solo homer; and LF Naoya Washiya was 2/3 with a run scored.

The GCL Nationals trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of the seventh but took the lead for good when Cuevas doubled in Washiya & Perez.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 3rd, 2009, 2:49 PM and is filed under Gulf Coast League (R). You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

  1. #1 by cjrugger - September 3rd, 2009 at 14:51

    Nice, congrats

    love to see these young guys have a culture of winning

    any word on individual performances?

  2. #2 by Brian Oliver - September 3rd, 2009 at 14:52

    Nothing yet.

    My gut tells me that Bill Gluvna of the Nationals was on the phone with someone down in Viera getting real time score updates and then emailing me (and Tweeting)

  3. #3 by Pilchard - September 3rd, 2009 at 14:55

    Dynasty….

    In your face Marlins!

  4. #4 by VladiHondo - September 3rd, 2009 at 15:10

    YEAH!! Beat them darn Guppies!

    Kudos to the Gluvna-nator, or, umm Gluvna-tor??!!!

  5. #5 by Ronny/Daggerrrrrr - September 3rd, 2009 at 15:15

    We lost in the championship game last year, and we win this year. I like where our farm system is heading.

  6. #6 by Ronny/Daggerrrrrr - September 3rd, 2009 at 15:31

    Adrian Nieto 2 for 4, 2B with 1RBI. I think Nieto wins the championship MVP.

  7. #7 by VladiHondo - September 3rd, 2009 at 16:07

    Nieto was also picked off of 3rd :(

  8. #8 by Mark - September 3rd, 2009 at 16:43

    A balance must exist with “winning a champioship” in the lower levels and fielding/promoting the right players. I can’t help but remember the ridiculous record the 2008 DSL1 team had, where the players were an average of 21 years old (or something like that), tearing a four team league made up of mostly 17-18 year olds. God job for winning, but are the players really developing?

  9. #9 by dd - September 3rd, 2009 at 16:58

    “Nice, congrats

    love to see these young guys have a culture of winning any word on individual performances?”

    Winning a championship in the GCL, as exciting as that is, does not create a “culture of winning”. It is merely a step. If someone prepares a great pasta dish, it does not make them Italian. The culture is more than a championship or “dish”. It is a good step in the right direction. Congrats GCL Nats, savour in the victory, revel in the bragging rights.

  10. #10 by Positively Half St. - September 3rd, 2009 at 17:53

    I think the bigger point is that we had GCL win, and 2 other teams at least vie for a playoff spot (after Potomac won it all last year). Individual championships doesn’t mean all that much, but when the system starts to win throughout, then perhaps you are seeing real improvements in the system’s health.

  11. #11 by cjrugger - September 3rd, 2009 at 18:36

    My culture comment came from the fact that Phillips, Hansen, Hicks, Newsome and any other GCL repeaters have played for a champ 2 straight years. Perez, Jimenez, Romero, Sanchez and the rest of the DSL guys have now won back to back championships. When guys like that, who have only know winning, move up they bring that culture with them.

    I know that a GCL champ doesnt change guys in Harrisburg or Syracuse’s mindset, but I think it will as these guys progress and move up

  12. #12 by VladiHondo - September 3rd, 2009 at 23:00

    We’ve had a 2 year streak of things moving in the right direction in the low minors. The last two years, we’ve had significant contribution from the DSL into the GCL – unfortunately, last year, one player was GCL MVP Smiley-not. But that doesn’t mean we can belittle guys like Marco Frias, Juan Jaime, Francisco Soriano (Vermont team MVP voted by fans this year) – all DSL grads on that team.

    The group this year was very good, Eury hit like .380, de la Rosa was lights out in the pen – Cuevas was a playoff stud, and Jimenez managed to hit over .300 in Eury’s shadow.

    Trouble is the pipeline runs dry next year, due to Smiley-gate, this year’s DSL team did not impress – though it was FINALLY age appropriate.

    I like the win attitude, there’s alot to be said for it – brings a swagger to the kids coming up through the system, so they EXPECT to win whereever they go.

    Good on them! just wish the GCL guys wouldn’t sac bunt so darn much!

  13. #13 by Thomas - September 4th, 2009 at 08:55

    nieto wasn’t picked off. it was a squeeze play

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