Fuego 14U (2029) Earn 2nd Place Finish at the Summer Classic

The Fuego Baseball 14U team put together another strong showing at the Summer Classic 2025, played June 28–29, finishing in 2nd place after a weekend of sharp defense, timely hitting, and dominant wins mixed with hard-fought battles.

The tournament opened with a 5-2 win over the SSF Dirtbags. Parker Bunnell doubled in two runs in the first, and both Brig Puntanilla and Andrew Lopez added RBIs in the second. Lopez and Bunnell each collected two hits, while the defense was flawless, turning two double plays and committing no errors.

Game two proved tougher, as Fuego fell 10-0 to GamePrep Navy despite outhitting their opponent 6-5. Brig Puntanilla was a bright spot with two hits, but defensive miscues in the early innings made the difference.

Sunday brought a huge rebound with a 17-0 rout of Trosky Select. Bunnell drove in four runs, while Marcus Martinez, Dario Catalano, and Lucas Dullaghan all added big hits in the late innings. Takeshi Ibuki threw five strong innings, allowing just one hit to complete the shutout. Fuego piled up 12 hits and 11 walks while playing error-free defense.

That set up a rematch against GamePrep Navy in the championship game. This time it was a pitchers’ duel, with Dario Catalano going the distance and giving up only one run on four hits. Fuego outhit GamePrep again, but couldn’t push a run across in a 1-0 loss. Puntanilla collected two hits, and Ryo Fujiwara added two stolen bases, but the big hit never came.

Fuego 14U left the Summer Classic with a 2nd place finish, marked by strong pitching performances, airtight defense, and plenty of offensive firepower. The team showed grit in battling back after a tough loss and proved they can compete with top programs.