Astros vs. Angels The Downtown Little League headed into its penultimate game June 21. The weather was warm and sunny as the Astros and Angels lined up.
Both teams had great outings at bat with there being no shortage of hits. The Astros’s John Anthony, Oscar, Mateo, Evan, Milo, Eli, Jack, Kate, and Scarlett, all had strong at bats.
The Angels came out strong as well with Edward, Dylan, Alexa, Jeffrey, Katelyn, Oliver, Michael, all hitting well.
The season has seen great strides by all players and offensively these teams showed it on Saturday.
On defense the game saw four outs. The Astros were able to get a force out at third in the first inning. The Angels’ Jeffrey was able to get a force out at home and Edward was able to get a force out at third in the first as well. In the third inning the Angels’s Dylan stabbed his glove hand over his shoulder and was able to snag a line drive from the air as the ball was going by him. He caught the ball for the out. The entire field erupted in cheer.
The game ended in a tie and the teams thanked each other for a game well played.
A’s vs. Angels Despite the early hour start on June 21 at Rockefeller Park, both Angels and A’s were raring to go for their last game of the season as Rookies. Having honed their fielding and batting skills throughout the year, the teams were now anxious to “play ball.”
Angels Dylan Gutierrez was first at-bat with a hard line drive, expertly fielded by A’s Jack Beaumont and Luca Vertucci, but not in time to stop Dylan from taking first base. After a few soft swings, next at-bat Alexa Klippel popped a quick bunt for a single of her own, followed by Jeffrey Lau sailing one past the A’s shortstop, getting another hit for the Angels.
With bases loaded the pressure was on for next Angels at bat Kaitlan Parker, who, after having a foul tip bounce off her head, got fired up and hit one out, taking another single for the team. But the hit was bittersweet for the Angels, as A’s crackerjack fielder, Nate Braus, fielded Kaitlan’s hit and tagged out her teammate running for home, robbing the Angels of a run—what a tough break!
But the A’s jubilation was short lived, as the Angels’ Oliver Ripps ripped one out far to left field, bringing teammate Alexa Klippel home! But in tit-for-tat fashion, the A’s hung tough when the next batter, Michael Trotta, got a good hit, but right into the glove of A’s first baseman August Biggio for the out!
Next Angel at bat, Daniel Coffey and Edward Dowd, evened the score, each getting solid hits and bringing their teammates home! The A’s would have to work hard at-bat to catch up now!
First A at bat, Luca Vertucci, hit a strong line-drive toward third base; Angels fielder Daniel Coffey made the stop, but the throw didn’t make it to first before Luca, who took a single for the A’s. The next A at bat, Nate Braus, hit one right to Angels fielder Dylan Gutierrez, who quickly made the throw to first, but the tie went to the runner. What a close call!
Both Frederico Cestero and Michael Barbiera each got solid hits, took their bases, and advanced their teammates along, with Jack Beaumont slamming one to center field, bringing those runners home!
Switch hitter August Biggio lobbed a slow, high pop-up to first, taking a single for the A’s, with Dylan Knox sailing out a similar hit of his own—only to have Angels fielder Kaitlan Parker stop the ball infield, keeping Dylan from advancing to second.
Then the A’s Michael Morin, waiting for his pitch, finally popped one up to the infield, hussling, sliding, and…SAFE….barely beating the throw! Last A’s at bat, Luke Sullivan, put another one up high in the infield, with Kaitlan Parker again stopping the ball and holding Luke to first base. What an inning for Kaitlan!
With the Angels taking their turn again at bat, they knew the inning really counted, so Dylan Gutierrez, Kaitlan Parker, Oliver Ripps, Michael Trotta, Daniel Coffey, and Edward Dowd all did their share—slugging hard hits, taking bases, and putting themselves back in the game. The A’s did their job too, with some great fielding by Dylan Knox and August Biggio, who sailed to catch line drives and stretched to cover bases so the Angels wouldn’t get too far ahead. Michael Morin, out in left field, made a good play of his own, catching a hit—after it bounced off his Hulk sneaker—right in his glove; what a play!
The A’s then finished the game as the last team at bat. Powerhouse Luca Vertucci hit one hard for a double, with Nate Braus and Frederico Cestero following up with hits of their own to bring Luca home. Next A’s at bat, Michael Barbiera, popped a high hit that dropped behind the pitcher—with confusion on the infield, Michael B. ran it out and took first base; what hussle!
A’s Michael Morin then swung hard and sailed one toward left field; only to be grabbed by Angel Dylan Guterriez who made the throw to stop Michael from advancing to second. Jack Beaumont then gets the best hit of the game, sailing one high and far over left field; what a shot!
August Biggio, hitting lefty this time, put one past the pitcher, and Dylan Knox hit a hard line drive to bring Michael Morin sliding home! Last at bat for the game and the season was A’s Luke Sullivan. All were quiet as Luke took a few missed swings, then Luke slammed one right through the legs of the pitcher, bringing his teammates home and ending the game against the Angels in a tie.
Reds vs. Tigers In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Reds faced the Tigers for the first time on a sunny Saturday, June 21. Michael Bogdanos smacked a ball between first and second, befuddling the rightfield. Ethan Wallis walked and Max Ripps singled, loading up the bases. When Uriah Fredericks walked, and brought in another run, Kraehling was relieved by Kai Glick on the mound, who characteristically threw searing heat. Ben Karam went down looking, but Tyler Adams grabbed a hold of a ball for an RBI single. Graham Nelson also went down looking, and for the fourth time this season, Glick got the Reds out of a bases-loaded situation by striking out Kyle Goldfarb to end the inning.
In the bottom of the first, Spencer Kiehl hit a lazy fly ball to centerfield for a single, followed by a stolen base. Tyler Rohan also singled, moving Kiehl to third. Glick’s soaring double brought in Kiehl easily, and Rohan rounded third for home. Seeing that the ball was being thrown to the Tigers’ catcher, Rohan doubled back to third, forcing the catcher to throw back to the third baseman. He got out of the pickle, however, by zipping back to home, sliding in safely. Kraehling blasted a ball into the brush outside of left field for a ground rule double, driving in Glick. Taylor White stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out, and produced his first hit of the season, an R.B.I. single.
The Tigers answered and then some in the second inning. Justin Ho walked and stole second, and Max Dell-Thibodeau’s single brought him to third. Niall Gallagher’s single sent Ho sliding for home, and though the throw was there, he was safe. Adams’ line drive to centerfield knocked in a run. White in CF threw the ball to Glick, who smartly whipped the ball to Rohan at the plate. Rohan tagged Karam for the third out, but the Tigers were now ahead 8-5.
In the second, Kraehling drove in Kiehl with another nice hit, but Will Best’s little blooper in front of the plate resulted in Rohan being forced out at home. Parker walked in a run, and Sal Derogatis singled to drive in another.
In the third inning, the Tigers added another two and came ahead 10-9. And in strode Jonathan Parker in his debut appearance on the mound. With the bases loaded and two outs, he got a strikeout to enthusiastic cheers from the Reds and their fans.
But the momentum paused for the Reds in the bottom of the inning, as the Tigers played their best defense. Fredericks struck out the first batter. Kiehl’s blistering grounder between 3rd and short was smothered by Gallagher, who threw from his knees to 1st a split second before Kiehl’s cleat landed. Parker returned the favor by almost single-handedly shutting out the Tigers in the top of the fourth. He snagged Fredericks’ grounder and put him out at first, then pounced on Karam’s grounder and from his stomach, threw him out as well, then got a strike out.
In the bottom of the fourth, Kraehling led off with a single. Best followed with a one-bagger, but Parker’s grounder forced him out at second. Parker was caught stealing, so only Kraehling remained on base for Derogatis, who drove him in. During the best at-bat Barwick had all season (during which he made great contact with the ball but couldn’t straighten it out), Derogatis stole third, and went home on the overthrow just before Barwick struck out to end the two-run rally.
Down 11-10, the Tigers’ Goldfarb cranked the ball to right field for a single. The Tigers enjoyed a two-out rally. Wallis walked and loaded the bases for Ripps, who “Ripps-ed” it into left field for a three-R.B.I. triple. Fredericks walked, but Parker got a strikeout to end the inning.
aIn the Reds last licks, down 14-11, Sharoff stepped up to the mound and threw smoke for a strikeout. He gave up two runs, but saved the game for the Tigers, 14-13
