By Nolan Locke
A complete game shut out for Willis Otanez Baseball Academys Angel Castano as they seal their tournament Victory with a 7-0 win over the Long Island Barrels! pic.twitter.com/hnKctPUy1U
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 17, 2026
Angel Castano delivered a complete-game masterpiece when it mattered most. The Willis Otáñez Baseball Academy starter stifled the Long Island Barrels’ bats to secure a shutout victory and capture the 2026 Rob Oliveri Summer Open title.
It capped an overall dominant performance from the Willis Otáñez Baseball Academy on both sides of the ball, securing the 6-0 victory and championship rings for the New Jersey squad.
Castano faced early traffic after a leadoff double from Antonio Ramirez and a subsequent walk put runners on base with nobody out. However, two strikeouts and a phenomenal throw from catcher Alexis Martinez to nab Ramirez at third got Castano out of the jam unscathed.
Willis Otáñez jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first and never looked back. A leadoff hit-by-pitch and a walk put two runners on for Pedro Jimenez, who opened the scoring with an RBI single before a costly two-run error on an infield dribbler pushed the lead to 3-0.
From there, Castano remained dominant, picking up a pair of strikeouts in a clean top of the second. Meanwhile, Barrels starter Leo Karakostas found a groove of his own, tossing two straight scoreless frames to keep his team within reach heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Angel Castano was dominant on the mound today tossing a complete game shut-out leading the Willis Otanez Baseball Academy to a tournament win and a championship ring, making him our player of the game! pic.twitter.com/wH7rHSkFAa
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 17, 2026
That changed in a flash, however, when right fielder Janzel Berrios crushed a monstrous two-run moonshot to opposite field, pushing the Willis Otáñez lead to 5-0.
From there, Willis Otáñez slammed the door. Damyan Ortega singled in the bottom of the fifth to stretch the cushion to 6-0, giving Castano all the support he needed.
Castano finished what he started, surrendering just five hits and three walks while striking out eight to cap a championship-winning performance.
“I felt great,” Castano said. “The changeup was working for me, as well as getting ahead of hitters.”
Willis Otáñez Baseball Academy coach Ruben Rodriguez echoed much of the same sentiment.
“Angel is one of the aces of our team,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a very experienced and well-rounded player.”
Rodriguez also spoke on the team’s success in the tournament and the experience it provided for his squad.
“This was our first experience in this tournament,” Rodriguez said. “The umpires were great, the organization was great, and the teams were competitive. Overall, it was a great experience.”