JUNIOR MINORS
PHILLIES VS. ROCKIES
The Phillies held off the Rockies 8-7 in an exciting finish. Both teams came from behind in a game that featured four lead changes. Wyatt Gray, Isa Smith and Kyle Goldfarb led the Rockies’ offense. Anthony Randazzo, John Barbieri and Nicolette Catona each had two hits for the Phillies. Thomas Caruso’s double put the Phillies on top to stay. The Rockies threatened in the last inning, but John Barbieri made a game-saving catch for the Phillies. Rachel Licata and Liam Barwick also played solid defense for the Phillies.
DODGERS VS. RED SOX
The “Big Blue Machine” defeated a younger Red Sox team on Sunday. Displaying top infield play, the Dodgers held the Red Sox to four runs, even though not a single Red Sox batter struck out during the game. Rafael Santore and Christian Bauman combined to turn a double play when Santore caught a fly ball and threw to Bauman to double a runner off of first base. Second baseman Theo Munger stabbed a hard line drive by Sebastian Conybeare. Ryan Porcaro, who also went four-for-four, collected three assists in the fourth inning while fielding the pitcher’s mound. For the Red Sox, Brody Sharoff turned an unassisted double play when he caught a fly ball and doubled the Dodger runner off of second base. Alex Hirsch made unassisted putouts at shortstop and first base. Although on the injured reserve list and unable to play, Carson Ferdinand nevertheless rose from bed for the early morning contest and gamely assisted the Red Sox coaching staff.
A strong-hitting Cardinals team defeated the never-say-die Indians 15-9. The Cardinals did a great job both at bat and on the field. Everyone in the Cards lineup got a hit including a triple by Alexander Irikura. Tito Inoa made a run-saving play as he snared a pop fly. The Cards kept the Indians from scoring until the last inning when the Indian bats came alive. Big hits came from Bayley Arens, Niall Gallagher and Nicholas Leong. Max Ripps helped the Indians with great fielding at third base.
PADRES VS. CUBS
The Padres faced the Cubs on a stunning Sunday morning, posting a 5-2 win, despite a valiant late game comeback by the Cubs. Both teams showed fine defensive efforts, led by a spectacular catch and unassisted double play by Cubs’ third baseman, Justin Wenig. Though both clubs were strong defensively in the infield, the Padres pounded the ball throughout the game. For the Padres, Graham Nelson, Will Pangburn, and Michael Shorris led the way with their strong hitting along with Henry “The Slugger” Martin, who nearly hit for the cycle with a homerun, triple, and single.
METS VS. DEVIL RAYS
The Mets rallied to win an exciting game against the Devil Rays in the Sunday afternoon heat. Sean McGowan led the Mets offense with a homerun and two doubles. Mets Max Wilson and Matthew Weldon each made infield catches to secure the win. The Devil Rays’ Jack McGreevy led off the first inning with a home run, and he tripled later in the game. Moses Rubin made some excellent defensive plays including a spectacular dive toward home plate, which was not in time to catch the runner, but was a great effort nonetheless.
MINORS
ORIOLES VS. TIGERS
The Orioles and Tigers squared off in a competitive twilight game, with the Orioles scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth to win the game 15-12. Orioles’ pitcher Campbell Weaver had a triple and a double, and allowed no runs in the top of the sixth. Daniel Chin caught a fly to deep center and doubled the runner off of second base for a game turning double play. Sawyer Petrick also made a key defensive stop, grabbing a sharply hit liner off the first base line to stop a rally in the top of the second.
ANGELS VS. RANGERS
In an exciting game that was at various times a pitchers’ duel, a slugfest, and a track meet on the base paths, the undefeated Angels downed the Rangers at the ballfields Saturday. Big, strong Ethan Skelskie pitched like Roger Clemens through the early innings for the Rangers. Skelskie was greatly aided by his catcher, Anthony Narin, who blocked balls in the dirt, made smart, accurate throws, and pinched off an Angel run at home with a great tag. Henry Costello, making his first career start for the Angels, matched Skelskie’s brilliance, striking out five of six hitters faced, handing a 4-1 lead to his bullpen. Weston Priest behind the plate was a true field general, steadying Costello and keeping the Ranger running game at bay. Anthony Cavanaugh, the closer for the Rangers, took over mound duties and performed superbly. The offensive highlight of the day for the Angels was a screaming R.B.I. double up the middle by Wil McArdle, which capped the final victory.
CARDINALS VS. BRAVES
What a great day for baseball! In a game that saw the Cards defeat the Braves by two, all players gave it their very best. For the Braves, Gabe Smith led the offense with three hits and three runs scored. He also pitched three very solid innings. David Hersey had two hits, scored three times and pitched one good inning, an inning in which he caught a line drive and doubled off the runner on third base. Daniel Sexton pitched in with two hits of his own, including a triple. Robbie Martino also hit a long triple over the head of the left fielder. The Cardinals players came out fighting, scoring five times in the first inning. Nicholas Fils-Aime was up to his old tricks in the outfield, throwing out a runner at first from leftfield — that makes two this season! Cardinal Jeremy Karson had two hits and stopped a hot shot at third and stepped on the bag. Nicky Bader had two hits and caught a scorching line drive off the bat of David Hersey. Jack Fino provided three innings of solid pitching.
GIRLS SOFTBALL
POWDER KEGS V.S PATRIOTS
The final score didn’t reflect the closeness of this exciting mid-season matchup between the Powder Kegs and the Patriots, with the Powder Kegs winning 13-3. The Kegs opened with a pair of base hits from sluggers Madeleine Steinberg and Sarah Weldon. After the Patriots gave up two runs on three walks, Katerina Michaels singled the final run of the inning.
Starting Kegs pitcher Aimee Chico, who went on to pitch a two-inning shut out, led the bottom of the first with a strikeout but then loaded the bases with three walks before settling down and forcing a pop fly ball to Sarah McGowan who got an unassisted double play to get the Kegs out of the inning. Patriots’ pitcher Miranda Watson settled down in the second, striking out the side and only giving up one run on two hits by Madeleine Steinberg and Sarah McGowan and one walk.
The Patriot’s pitching proved to be too much in the top of the third, with the score 4-0, when they retired the side with two strikeouts and a force at home with the bases loaded. The bottom of the inning saw the first appearance on the mound in four weeks by Powder Kegs pitcher Greta Jenkins, who pitched her way out of the inning with runners poised to score on second and third with a pop fly to Sarah McGowan.
The top of the fourth saw the most damage by the Kegs when the inning opened with six walks scoring three runs. The half ended with Miranda Strand hitting a two-run single for her first R.B.I. of the year. Patriot batters Kristen White and Magda Diaz came alive in the bottom of the fourth inning to score their first run of the game. The damage was only limited by a heads-up play at third base by Katerina Michaels to end the inning. The Kegs bats finally put the game out of reach in the top of the fifth with hits from Madeleine Steinberg, Sarah Weldon, an R.B.I. single from Willa Nathan, a two run R.B.I. double from Sarah McGowan, and an R.B.I. single from Katerina Michaels.
Marina Ouranitsas, pitching in her first start in Little League, put in a strong showing, giving up only one run on two walks and two hits. In a game of many firsts, Willa Rubin also had an outstanding performance as catcher behind the plate.
REVOLUTION VS. YORKVILLE
In a close game till the final innings against Yorkville, Willa Kendricks pitched particularly well. Unfortunately in the end the Revolution girls were overwhelmed by the age and experience difference of the other team. Emilia Petrarca had another good game behind the plate and was helped by some nice defensive plays by Francie Seidl-Chodosh, Bria Schirripa, Sarah Shore and Alessandra Fusillo. Sasha de Graeve and Laura Karson also played well. Everyone played hard on Saturday, despite the lopsided score.
ALL STAR GAME SUN
Both Francie Seidl-Chodosh and Bria Schirripa represented Revolution in the Softball Division All Star game. Francie had two assists and caught a line drive while playing second base and Bria had a two run hard single through the middle of the field to extend a big rally in the bottom of the sixth, helping to put the game out of reach for the opposing team.
T-BALL
METS & DIAMONDBACKS
The Mets met the Diamondbacks in a clash of T-Ball powerhouses at the ballfields Saturday. The D-Backs were led by the fielding of William Sisson, Yannick De Guchteneere, Michael DiPeri, and Ted Eustace, while Alex Hall, Landry Kamron, and Liam O’Connor contributed big hits. But the Mets were brilliant in the field, with Alexandra Gottlieb and Sofia Agnifilo combined for four nifty putouts on hard-hit balls to third base. Hannah Sklover is emerging as a top shortstop.
Catherine Koerner hit a near home run for the Mets while Delia Costello slid home with a key run. Alexandra Agnifilo and Josh Goodman were also brilliant on the base paths. On the D-Backs side, Luca Romeo, with a double, and William Sisson, with a triple, continued their strong improvement, as did Ben Steinberg and the steady T.J. Westfall.
MARINERS & MARLINS
It’s coming down to the final games and both the Marlins and Mariners despite the muddy field, played a close game as both teams are seeking playoff berth.
The Marlins started the game with a first inning home run by Greg Elefterakis. Later in the third inning, Nicole La Greca drove in two runs with a hard hit single to right field. Gianna La Greca and Sammy Duffy provided the offense with spectacular base running to give their team a commanding lead.
Down the stretch, the Mariners would strike back with crucial defensive plays from Aidan Ostermaier and Justin Tyler Lee. The defensive play of the game came at the fifth inning when Blas Lee, playing third base, caught a prefect throw from Thomas Burns, which prevented the Marlins from getting into scoring position. Lauren Barragan had the game’s most memorable at bat, hitting a line drive to the outfield. It brought Matthew Gunther home for the final run.
It was a mix of great offense and superb defense, by both teams, as the Marlins and Mariners provided another top-notched performance, and yet another exciting game to remember. The playoff hunt continues next week for both teams.
Yankees & Pirates
This T-Ball game proved that even well into the season the newest crop of Little Leaguers remain focused and enthused. The highlights were many. In the first inning, Yankee Kelly DeKlerk showed impressive fielding, stopping the ball in the infield and throwing to first. Up at bat, a determined Pirate, Jacob Morris, surprised the Yankees with a solid hit that landed him on first.
When the Yankees were up, Zak Wegweiser hit a homerun, while in the field Pirates pitcher Richard Wang made a clean throw to first baseman Tyler Rohan who made the catch. At the plate, the Pirates James Borrelli hit a triple while in the field Yankee Gabriel Colon did some fine fielding. Near the end of the game, the Yankees Rusty Gerber capped things off with a grand slam homerun. All in all, the game showed the T-Ballers displaying fine progress along with good sportsmanship.
MAJORS
ASTROS VS. BLUE JAYS
In perhaps the longest rain delay in Downtown Little League history the Astros defeated the Blue Jays by a score of 11-0. The game started on May 22 and was postponed for rain. The game picked up on June 1 and the Astros continued their excellent play in both rain and sunshine. The star of the game was Cal Cook, the Astros’ pitcher. Cook pitched a beautiful no hitter. The only base runners for the Blue Jays was Lucas Ortega, who reached on an error in the first inning and Jess Coleman who reached base on Cook’s only walk. In addition, Cook struck out nine batters in the five innings of play. He also helped his own cause going two for three with a walk. Eben Cooper led the Astros’ hitting going three for three with a monster double and a walk. Andrew Chow had the longest hit of the day for a double. Owen Kimmel delivered two timely hits and Jack Scordato played some stellar defense in centerfield.
ASTROS VS. CARDINALS
In the hottest game of the year, the Astros and Cardinals survived the heat with the Astros offense shining in a 16-8 victory. Sean Wils pitched four gutsy innings for the Cardinals but the Astros bats were too hot to handle. Jake Shapiro led the Astros hitting going three for four with a big first inning triple. Max Bowens also contributed a triple along with a single and went two for three while playing steady behind the plate for the Astros. The big event of the day was the return of Sam Fishman who missed the first half of the season with a broken arm. He debuted with a stellar performance, going two for two at the plate for the Astros. Jack Scordato and Andrew Chow were key contributors with excellent catches in the outfield as well as some solid hits and R.B.I.’s while at bat. The longest drive of the day was by Cardinal right fielder David Benjamin who drilled a triple to left centerfield. Jake Shapiro started the game on the mound for the Astros and got the win. Cal Cook put in two solid innings on the mound and Owen Kimmel came in to relieve and got the save. The three Astros pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts.
BLUE JAYS VS. ROCKIES
The Blue Jays gained their sixth win against only two losses with an 11-6 victory over the Rockies. Harrison Hatton pitched five strong innings with seven strikeouts and giving up only three hits. Charles Porcaro earned the save with two strikeouts in the bottom of the sixth. Josh Lawrence led the offense with two hits and Jackson McGonagle and Nick Licalzi had two R.B.I. each. Lucas Ortega and Jess Coleman each reached base three times. The Blue Jays are the first team in the Majors Division to earn their sixth win of the season.
CARDINALS VS. DEVILS RAYS
A persistent drizzle made the Friday night game between the Cardinals and the Devil Rays a messy affair. The starting pitchers for both sides – Roy Vlcek and Felix Chmiel – initially had some trouble gripping the ball, but after a while, both found the rhythm, with Chmiel ultimately striking out the side in the first three innings. Harris Uslander ripped an R.B.I. double to stake the D-Rays to an early lead, and added to it with an R.B.I. single in his next at-bat. The Cardinals scratched their way back with some aggressive base running and R.B.I. singles by Vlcek and Jake Bader, but some key defensive plays by Eric Chang and solid relief pitching by Justin Valenzuela sealed the 12 – 8 victory for the Devil Rays.
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