Devil Ray third baseman Liam Kavanaugh stretches for the force out as Angel George Simonds slides in Saturday in a Downtown Little League game.
Rookie Ball
Mets vs. Devil Rays:
The Mets hosted the Devil Rays this past Saturday at the Battery Park City ballfields. Walker Brandt of the Mets continued his torrid hitting and was active all over the field. Coming back heroically from a broken arm, Blaise Behar collected several hits while swinging one handed. Mets fans rose to their feet when Maya Greenberg and Lauren Davidson ripped hard hits into the outfield. Chase Gatling led his team with several towering drives that inspired loyal Devil Ray fans. Other Devil Ray highlights included the clutch hitting and fielding of Katherine McGreevy and Caleb Rubin. The weather may have been cool, but the hitting was hot.
Mariners vs. Phillies
Morgan O’Mara provided great field play for the Mariners, making an excellent double play when he caught a popup and then tagged a runner at second. So did third baseman Alex Mimura, who did an outstanding job fielding the ball and delivered two outs. Ariana Lamser was a strong hitter, getting a crucial single in the game. The Phillie power hitters were Morgan Witt and Katie Golon, both of whom hit home runs. Indy Halpern made some amazing plays with his powerful and accurate arm.
Junior Minors
Mariner shortstop Henry Grant, right foreground, tags out Phillie Ash Hawthorne in a Rookie Ball game as second basemen Alex Mimura stands on the bag. Below, Morgan O’Mara connects.
Indians vs. Pirates
On Mother’s Day, amid the flowers and good will, an epic Junior Minor battle blossomed as the undefeated Indians risked their manicures in a nail biter against a rising and spirited Pirates squad. Quirky mechanics on the mound limited scoring in the first, as many hitters flailed at pitches over their heads. But the Indians squeaked out a slim lead despite the K’s, as offensive star of the game Ellis “Gazelle” Feldman (3 for 3 and hitting 1.000 for the year) scored her first of two on the day courtesy of Aidan “Flash” Rogers’ 6th R.B.I. of the year, after Charlotte “Big Stick” Youklis had kept her hitting streak alive to put runners on the corners.
In the top of the second the Pirates answered with two of their own, as Kalli Grant scored on an R.B.I. double by Mak Manheim, who was then driven in by brother Tai. Fine catches by shortstop Nick-the-Quick Leong and second baseman Max Ripps stopped the bleeding. The bottom of the second was all K’s for the Indians and the Pirates started to smell blood.
In the top of the third the Pirates added to their lead as Jackson Vertucci turned a single into a double and came home on Jackson Mansfield’s line drive R.B.I. But smooth fielding by short-centerfielder Jake Turner nabbed a speedy Taidgh Barron at second and a nice play by Indians’ pitcher Liam Fuerst killed the rally.
In the bottom of the stanza the Indians’ attack finally awoke as third baseman Kyra Russo reached with a double. Nick Leong beat out an infield single and both scored on Ellis Feldman’s third R.B.I. of the year. The “Gazelle” moved to third on the throw to the plate and then legged it home as the “Flash” beat out a close infield single, which he stretched for two on the overthrow. Rogers moved to third on a fielder’s choice as Nathan Goldberg was narrowly nipped by Justin Wong at first, setting the stage for Niall “Tomahawk” Gallagher, who punched one through the middle to keep him near the top of the Indian’s R.B.I. leaderboard. Fine fielding by the Pirates’ James Borelli and Gabriel Colon helped limit the damage.
The Pirates rallied again in the top of the fourth as co-offensive star of the game Mak Mannheim blasted a double to right. Peregrine Donaldson reached on a seeing-eye grounder up the middle, bringing heavy hitter Tai Mannheim to the plate. The Mannheim “Express” unloaded for his second R.B.I. of the game driving brother Mak home, but fine fielding by Ian O’Connor, Leong, Rogers and Ripps shut down the Pirates to preserve a one run victory for a visibly relieved Tribe.
Astros vs. Tigers
Saturday brought the long-anticipated rematch between these two Minor league teams. The Tigers had won the series opener. The Astros jumped out to an early lead with 3 runs off of hits from Wyatt Gray and Sean McGowan. It was one they would retain throughout, winning by a final score of 13-6. McGowan then took the mound in the bottom half of the inning and retired the side with two strikeouts. In the second, Tiger pitcher Chris Riddick came right back with a 1-2-3 inning, dusting off the Astros on strikes. The Tigers won one back in the bottom when William Carr scored after reaching on a walk.
The Astros got back to a 3-run lead when Wyatt Gray crossed the plate after having reached on a walk. McGowan had control of his stuff as he struck out four of the next seven batters he faced. In the top half of the 4th, the Astros’ bats lit up, scoring 5 runs on walks by Connor Cimino, Lindsay Holcomb, Miranda Kalish and Matthew Weldon, and two smash doubles from 2nd baseman Bryan Gomez and 3rd baseman Wyatt Gray. Tiger reliever Elliot Loving calmed the Astros down to end the inning.
In the top of the 5th, the Astros stretched their lead, adding 4 runs on a lead-off double from Sarah McGowan, who was then driven home by doubles from brother Sean and teammate Matthew Weldon. Reliever Sasha Auerbach shut the Astros down in the top half of the inning, setting the stage for a comeback finale. In the bottom of the inning the Tigers proved that they would not go away easily, scoring 5 runs when Nathan Goldberg, Nashawn Kearse and Friso Clarke loaded the bases. Jake Wegweiser smashed a base-clearing triple and only a great throw from Astro center fielder Owen O’Keefe stopped the grand slam. Jake scored the 5th run when Chris Riddick smashed a double.
In the top of the 6th, the Astros were quickly closed out when Sarah McGowan threatened another big hit, but it was snagged by leftfielder Elliott Loving who quickly relayed the ball to shortstop Friso Clarke who threw to catcher Wegweiser for a home plate tag double play. With Astro ace Lindsay Holcomb taking the mound and the game on the line, the Tigers refused to go down. Great fielding by Bryan Gomez and Connor Cimimo caught Tiger William Carr in a rundown between second and third. This terrific rematch ended climatically when the Astro catcher threw a strike to shortstop and brother Sean and caught Tiger Nathan Goldberg stealing second.
Athletics Vs. Red Sox
The Athletics-Red Sox game had all the elements of great baseball: strong pitching, great fielding, and a home run that soared over the head of the leftfielder. The Red Sox won on strong pitching performances by Louis Moreschi, Justin Wenig, and Wil Merrill, a great catch by rightfielder Laszlo Horzat, and some timely hitting by several players. The Athletics also turned in strong pitching performances by Brennan Giffin and Jeremy Karson and demonstrated their batting power with a long two-run homer from Ethan Gross and a double up the rightfield line from Trevor Moynagh-Cronin. Both teams showed great fielding with few errors and some notable infield plays.
Devils Rays Vs. Athletic.
Despite the Devil Rays’ early lead, the return of their starting pitcher Anthony Cavanaugh from the disabled list, capable relief by Anthony Narin, outstanding defensive work by Cale Donaldson at second base, Liam Kavanagh at third and Billy Byrne behind the plate, the Angels decisively won last Saturday’s game 16-6.
The Angels made a strong return after two nail biting losses and it is a strong testament to how far they’ve come as team. The pitching by Adam Kester, with relief by Ethan Feldman, was very strong. Catcher Max Akselrad did a heroic job keeping the score low with the quick recovery of passed balls, only to be hit with a foul tip in the top of the third inning. George Simonds, the relief catcher, quick on his recoveries, continued the rally. Great power hitting by Dontree Riangkrul and outstanding fielding by Grant Laifer, Jordan Kasarjian, Alex Garcia and the rest of the Angels lineup were just enough to hold the Rays. Both teams were at their best and played an exciting game of baseball.
Majors
Dodgers vs. White Sox
The Dodgers won this hard fought game 7-5. It was a pitching duel between Dodger Tyler Brandon and White Sox Josh Lawrence for the first 4 innings. The White Sox had big hits from Yanni Feldman,and Henry Costello. Great outfield play by the Dodgers’ Justin Basso, Nicky Bader and Daniel Sexton kept the score tied.
The Dodgers scored 4 late runs to take the lead. In the rally, Tommy Nellen stole home.
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