Russell Tourdot gave himself a birthday gift late Thursday afternoon.
The 14-year-old shared it with fans of the Janesville 13U Babe Ruth squad.
Tourdot dropped a suicide squeeze bunt down that sent pinch runner Xander Jacobson sliding headfirst across the plate with the winning run in the Generals’ 7-6 victory over Bethel, Connecticut in the 2026 13U World Series in Jamestown, New York.
“It was a great birthday gift,†Tourdot said, who bunted the fourth pitch thrown to him.
The count was 2-1 when Coach Tom Davey gave him the suicide squeeze signal. With Jacobson heading home, Tourdot knew what he had to do.
“Just get it down,†the right-handed hitter said.
The pitch was outside the strike zone, but Tourdot did what he had to do.
“It was a ball, but in a suicide, you’ve got to get it down.â€
Davey, who is known for his fondness of squeeze plays, didn’t hesitate to give Tourdot the all-or-nothing sign. The Bethel third baseman had been playing on third to keep Jacobson’s lead to a minimum the first two pitches. When the count reached 2-1, Davey flashed the suicide squeeze sign.
“They’re probably not going to pitch out,†Davey said. “I wanted to run it when they had to throw a strike.â€
The pitch wasn’t a strike, but Tourdot made that point moot.
“He knows what to do,†Davey said. “He’s a good bunter.â€
The finish made up for a less-than-stellar performance for the Generals. Bethel led 5-2 after a two-run fourth inning. Janesville committed five errors, walked four and hit a batter.
Janesville outhit Bethel 9-5.
Cade James led the Janesville offense going 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Colton Lund was 2-for-3. Cam Demrow, Eli Mosley, Ryan Trumpy and Lucas Martin each had a hit.
Demrow and Mosley each drove in two runs. Tourdot scored one and drove in one, and Martin also drove in a run.
Martin pitched the final three innings to get the victory.
Janesville advances to the semifinals against New Jersey at 6 p.m. Friday. New Jersey went 4-0 in pool play, outscoring opponents 42-6 and had a bye Thursday.
Janesville went 3-1 in pool play and earned the home-team designation against Bethel, which was 2-2 in pool play.
That turned out to be a huge advantage.
The Generals never led in the game until the final pitch. Janesville tied the game at 6-all with a run in the bottom of the sixth, and Lucas Martin pitched around a Bethel single in a scoreless top of the seventh.
“I told the kids after the game that a champion finds a way to win without their best stuff,†Davey said. “We didn’t have our best stuff today.â€
But the stuff at the end had everyone connected to the Janesville team smiling. The biggest smile belonged to No. 27.
“I’m pretty stoked,†Tourdot said. “It was a pretty special day.â€