By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Chris Sleeper (Rush-Henrietta) shut down opposing batters. Dan Tirabssi (Rush-Henrietta) collected eight bases in one evening. AJ DeBalso picked up his first win of the season, and Tommy Derleth (Fairport) led DII Blue to a pair of wins. The four players earned Upstate Baseball League weekly awards for the final week of the regular season (August 12-16) as announced by the league.
DI PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Chris Sleeper – DI Blue/Rush-Henrietta
Making two mound appearances last week, Sleeper struck out eight over four no-hit innings and logged his first win of the season in a 2-1 victory over DI Gold. In seven innings of work this season, the right-hander has struck out 15 and not allowed a hit. Earlier this month, Sleeper, who will be a junior this upcoming school year, played in the PBR Futures Event at the Lake Point Sports Complex in Cartersville, Georgia. He appeared in three games during the tournament. He later received scholarship offers from Elon University and Rutgers University.
DI PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dan Tirabassi – DI Green/Rush-Henrietta
In two games last week, Tirabassi hit .750 (4-for-6) including a 3-for-3 performance on Thursday night when he connected on a pair of triples and a double. Tirabassi drove in three runs and scored three more for the week along with manning third base without an error.
DII PITCHER OF THE WEEK
AJ DeBalso – DII Blue/Canandaigua
DeBalso started and struck out six over three innings of shutout work in a win on Tuesday. The right-hander retired six straight from the end of the first to the beginning of the third for his first win of the season.
DII PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tommy Derleth – DII Blue/Fairport
Derleth hit .625 (5-for-8) in two games last week. His 4-for-4 night paced a 9-4 win in which he drove in four and scored another run. Derleth’s bases-clearing triple proved to be the difference in that game.
Not to be overlooked
DII Blue’s Wyatt Roselli (Victor) finished 3-for-4 on the week with three walks. Kenny Murphy (Webster Schroeder) collected three hits, two walks, two RBI and five stolen bases. Drew Treviso (Fairport) struck out five over four shutout innings, and Zach Merlo (Fairport) fanned six over three no-hit frames.
Fantastic coverage of games. You make the league that much more enjoyable. Thank you for your hard work.