Close play at third for Jeremy Allen, left, and Michael Porter.
MINORS
BRAVES VS. ATHLETICS
The Braves put on a defensive clinic for the many fans who came out to watch
the Braves-A’s game in the minors. The Braves threw out three base runners
at the plate, two of them in a heads-up double play. David Hersey threw out
a third Athletics player by pegging him at the plate from leftfield. The game ended with a stellar lunging catch by third basemen Grant Laifer.
Daniel Sexton, who had two hits and scored three times, led the offense. Peter Manny scored twice and pitched in with a hard-hit double. The pitching effort, led by Gibe Smith and Louis Moreschi, gave up only two base hits and only three walks. The Braves left the field with their season’s first victory, despite a homerun by the A’s Nico Michaels and fine defensive plays by the A’s Tyler Paige behind the plate.
MARINERS VS. TIGERS
In one of their best performances of the season, the Mariners dominated the Tigers 14-2 with strong pitching and hitting. Starting pitcher Joshua Blaney pitched three solid innings for the Mariners to lead his team to the win. Jeremy Leung reached base all three times he was up and Teddy Lau got on base twice. Standout performances for the Tigers were the base running of Sam Cohen and Weston Loving, and nice hitting by Jake Wegweiser.
WHITE SOX VS. CARDINALS
The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead against the White Sox, but the Sox hitters were relentless in their attack leading the team back to a 15-11 win. The White Sox were lead by crisp pitching from Cameron Spector and Isaac Simmons before their bats also got hot. Charles Eltrick drove in two runs with a hard hit single. Kael Donaldson scored two more runs with a single in the fifth inning. Defensively, catcher Zach Kraeling tagged out two Carndinal runners trying to steal home. Jack Finio was the starting pitcher for the Cardinals and went two innings without giving up a walk. But having played another game only three days earlier, the Cardinals were forced to go deep into their bullpen. The defensive play of the game came at the end of the third inning when Nicky Bader, playing second base, caught a pop fly, touched second base to catch the runner leading off, and made a solo double play.
CARDINALS VS. BRAVES
In the first night game of the year for the Minors Division, the Cardinals defeated the Braves on Thursday. Starting pitcher, the Gabe Smith of the Braves, with help from catcher Louis Moreschi, who held runners at bay, kept the game close until timely hitting from Jeremy Karson and Ian Petrarca put the Cardinals ahead. The game ended on a fine play by Cardinal catcher Jack Fino, who threw out a runner attempting to steal second base.
GIRLS SOFTBALL
BATTERIES VS.
GREENWICH VILLAGE
The Downtown Little League Batteries softball team faced off against Greenwich Village at Waterside Park this past Saturday. The Batteries brought all their offense and defense prowess to bear in a 13-5 win. The Batteries offense kicked it into high gear in the first inning with singles by Emily Loewus and Jessica Consalvo followed by a bases-clearing homerun to right field by Caroline Rauffenbart. In the bottom of the first, the Village team struck back for a run but was turned away with the bases loaded as Battery pitcher Rauffenbart struck out the final hitter.
In the second inning the Batteries broke the game wide-open with five runs. Jaclyn Livoti and Ellen Mullan-Jayes got the inning going with singles and were brought home on doubles by Sarah Fadel and Emily Loewus. Jackie Benfield, Bridget Doherty and Macie Rosenthal also contributed to the offensive display.
Throughout the five-inning game, the Batteries were helped out of tight spots by outstanding defensive play from Jaclyn Livoti, Jessica Consalvo, Jackie Benfield, Ellen Mullan-Jayes and Max Kenig.
LIBERTY VS. POWDER KEGS
The match-up lived up to the pre-game hype when these two powerhouses met in an exciting face off. The Powder Kegs came ready to avenge their only divisional loss at the season opener. But the Liberties showed that this would not be easy and opened with a four-run slugfest. The Powder Kegs looked poised to even the score with hits from Madeleine Steinberg, Sarah Weldon, and Aimee Chico, but the Liberties hung tough and limited the damage to one run when Greta Jenkins drew a walk with the bases loaded. Madeleine Steinberg followed the first with two nearly perfect innings giving up only one run within the second and a three-up-three-down third that saw beautiful fielding from Emma Dries and Sarah McGowan. The Powder Kegs’ bats came alive in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Sarah McGowan cracked a two-bagger and drove in Sarah Weldon who had reached on a single. Greta Jenkins, Emma Dries, and Katerina Michaels showed outstanding patience leading to three walks and a forced run to round out the rally.
Sarah McGowan pitched a flawless top of the fourth inning striking out three in a row. Once again, the Powder Kegs seemed poised to open the game up when Madeleine Steinberg led off with a single and was driven in by a game-tying hit from Aimee Chico. But, again, the Liberties hung tough and pitched out of a bases loaded situation. In the fifth, with the game tied at 5-5, the Liberties struck again, seemingly putting the game out of reach with a five run rally. But the Kegs didn’t give up. With two out, Sophia Jenkins, playing catcher for the first time with her sister Greta, and Marina Quranitas drew walks followed by hits by Madeleine Steinberg and Sarah Weldon. With the bases loaded, two out, Aimee Chico smashed a base clearing double driving in three runs to bring the Kegs within one. Sarah McGowan again closed down the Liberties in the top of the sixth. The Liberties hung on to win this tough match when they struck out the side, stranding two runners in the bottom of the sixth and winning the game 10-9.
JUNIOR MINORS
PHILLIES VS. RED SOX
The Phillies and the Red Sox teams both came to play ball, but rain ended an exciting game after two and a half innings. Red Sox fielding helped keep the Phillies off base in the first inning with first baseman Alex Hirsch making two putouts, with one assist by Gideon McCarty. Eli Silver of the Red Sox led off the bottom of the first with a double. Pitcher John Barbieri of the Phillies, assisted by first baseman, Michael DiMaria, kept Silver from doing any damage with a neat put-out at first base.
A string of singles by Anthony Randazzo, Jenna Tuzzino, and Thomas Caruso highlighted the Phillies’ batting strength in the top of the second inning. Samantha Sewell played tough defense at third for the Sox during the tense and dramatic inning. With the bases loaded, Michael Marino’s single batted in Randazzo for the only run of the abbreviated game.
The Red Sox’s batting ignited in the bottom of the second with a pop fly by Michael Banks, a single slugged by Dante D’Arrigo-Stoeri and a single by Gideon McCarty. Phillie shortstop Anthony Randazzo, assisted by Michael Marino, made a putout at second base and prevented the Sox from scoring.
In the top of the third inning Michael Banks made a nice putout at first base for the Red Sox, the last notable play of the game before rain ended it in the Red Sox half of the inning.
PADRES VS. ROCKIES
Gray skies parted at noon this past Sunday and the sudden sun seemed to inspire the Padres who opened the game with a tremendous offensive barrage. Leadoff hitter, James “Dimaggio” Demsak, (three for three on the day), singled to start the rally as did Owen “Little Dog” Keefe. The stage was set for slugger Henry Martin, whose drive to the opposite field drove in both. Clean-up hitter Michael Shorris doubled moving Martin to third. Martin scored on the first of two singles by P.S. 150’s Graham Nelson. Third Baseman Alexander Komanoff’s seeing-eye grounder knocked in Shorris to make it 4-0.
In the bottom of the first, the Padres’ gold glove fielding pair Gomez and Martin, held the Rockies scoreless, collaborating on three straight putouts. Skies were smiling again in the second for the Padres as the bottom of the order had a few prayers answered. Speedy Will Pangburn beat out an infield single and moved to third on second baseman Aidan Rogers’ first of two sharp singles to right on that day. Elaine Farah drove in Pangburn for her second R.B.I. of the season setting the table again for Joltin’ James Demsak, who lined a double up the middle scoring Rogers and Farah. Gomez singled moving Demsak to third, and you could almost feel the air go out of the park as Henry Martin blasted a triple to center to make the score 9-0 in what would be a five-R.B.I. day for the Padres’ offensive star of the game.
The Rockies fought back in the bottom of the inning loading the bases with two out, but again defensive star Bryan Gomez was the difference turning a tough bouncer into a perfect throw to third baseman Owen O’Keefe, who made the tag preserving the shutout.
The third inning was all Rockies, whose sparkling fielding handed the Padres their first goose egg and they roared back with five runs of their own. Wyatt Grey broke the ice with a leadoff single. Jack Anderson followed and both scored on Conner “Big Stick” Cimino’s soaring double to right. “Little Jack” Weil followed with an R.B.I. single of his own. Balthazar Merin would also score on Gabriel Quinonez’s R.B.I. single for the fifth and final run.
With memories of last week’s late inning collapse echoing in their ears the Padres were determined not to let lightning strike twice. They exploded in the fourth for a tremendous six runs led by Anthony O’Donnell’s opening single and ending only when Rockies’ shortstop, Cameron Risse, tagged out power-hitter Michael Shorris trying to stretch his two R.B.I. double into a triple.
The Rockies showed what they were made of in the last stanza, putting up three more runs behind Kalie Cimino’s lead-off triple, Halle Darling’s R.B.I. double and Isa Smith’s R.B.I. single, but it was not enough to close the gap as the Padres scaled the Rockies 18-8.
T-BALL
DIAMONDBACKS & MARINERS
The Mariners led off the game with great hitting from Justin Tyler Lee, and the hot bat of Lauren Barragan, who continued her stellar hitting from last week. The Diamondbacks came back with homeruns from Teddy Eustice, William Sisson, Alex Hall and two homers from Luca Romeo. Great hitting all around from Mickey DiPeri, who also had two putouts, and T.J. Westfall, who hit a line shot that was caught by Aidan Ostermaier on the mound for the Mariners. Great hitting also came from Yannick DeGuchteneere, Kamron Landry and Ben Steinberg. Liam O’Connor had a nice putout at second as well. All in all it was a great display of hitting and fielding from both the Mariners and the Diamondbacks.
MARLINS & YANKEES
The Yankees were off to a good start in the first inning when Gabriel Colon hit a homerun. Out in the field, the Marlins’ pitcher Sammy Duffy did a nice job of fielding, capped off by a throw to third basemen Greg Elefterakis who got the runner out.
In the second inning Elefterakis came through again; this time with a homerun. When the Yankees got up, Dylan Paige slugged a solid base hit followed by a triple from Jacob Turner. On the field, the Marlins’ Douglass Stapler hustled to tag a runner out at home. In the third inning Yankee Zak Wegweiser hit a triple while Marlin Sammy Duffy tagged a runner out just before home plate.
MAJORS
BLUE JAYS VS. ROCKIES
Pitching duo Charles Porcaro and Harrison Hatton pitched the Blue Jays to their fourth straight victory with a 14-2 win over the Rockies on Friday night. Jackson McGonagle led the offensive attack with a single, an R.B.I. double and an R.B.I. triple off the base of the right field wall. Nick Licalzi was 2-2 with two R.B.I. and Rahul Khana reached base four times going 2-2 with two walks. Liam Gallagher, Jess Coleman and Josh Lawrence each had two R.B.I. as well. Kyle Maer reached base three times with an R.B.I. single and two walks. The Blue Jays remain in first place in the Majors Division.
And in action a week ago:
CUBS VS. CARDINALS
After a Friday night low-scoring win by the Cubs, the Cubs and Cardinals dueled in a high-scoring, well-pitched, game with timely hitting all around. The Cubs’ pitchers Mark LaGreca and Michael Indelicato struck out nine in four innings while their team scored six runs. Of particular note was the fact that Indelicato struck out three straight Cardinals in the third with the bases loaded. Sean Wils of the Cardinals almost matched them the first four innings, striking out seven Cubs.
The Cubs broke out in the fourth for good, scoring six runs, but Roy Vlcek of the Cardinals was able to come in and keep it close for the remainder of the game
There were many defensive stars, especially Nicholas Morton, the Cubs’ catcher, throwing out a key Cardinal runner in the fifth attempting to steal third and Cardinal center fielder Zane Holmes teaming up with catcher Elias Sosa to nail two runners at the plate.
The hitting stars for the Cubs were Max Sternberg with four hits including a double and triple and three runs scored; Michael Indelicato with three hits and two runs scored; Kevin Kolb had two hits and scored three runs; Nick Morton had two triples and knocked in four runs and Marlon Geshiler; and Michael Galindo and Vincent Licata each knocked in two runs.
For the Cardinals Sean Wils collected three hits. Eamon Gallagher contributed two doubles and four R.B.I.’s. Also timely contributors for the Cubs were David Benjamin, a booming double by Troy Wong and a surprise, perfectly executed bunt by Alex Wainger. Brando Monari contributed two base hits and the very timely stealing of several bases. Kevin Kolb of the Cubs pitched the final two innings to get the victory.
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