Volume 21, Number 1 | THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN | May 16 – 22, 2008
Marlin Henry Lilien is safe at home in a Downtown Little League game Saturday against the Tigers. The Tigers right fielder William Watt tries to throw out Ben Karam running to first, below.
Downtown Little League action
Rookies
Angels vs. Braves
Game three for the Angels brought the threat of a rain out against the Braves. But despite a persistent rain the night before, the day was overcast but dry. The field also was in surprisingly good condition and the game was on.
The Braves led off with Sean. He quickly hit a grounder and got on base safely. Graham had a monster line drive to right field that was good for a single. The Angels recorded the first of what would be five outs on the day as Carter hit a fly ball to second which was picked out to force the runner out at second. The Braves batted round the order and were able to all round the bases to close out the side.
The Angels were led off by Alex who promptly got to first safely. The team batted around and Oliver closed out the hitting with the first of two towering hits to deep left field, again good for a single.
The second inning saw the Braves again bat around. The Angels recorded two force outs, one by the Angles’ Jeffrey and the other a team effort at second base as the group surrounded the ball and tagged second. The Braves rounded the bases to finish half the inning. The Angels were then led off by Danny, followed by the rest of the team batting around safely.
The final inning saw the Braves bat the lineup of Olivia, Paul, Jack, Sean, Spencer, Carter, and Graham. Again the Angels were able to log two force outs as the teams’ defensive skills are starting to manifest themselves. Then the Angels, as has been their tradition, continued to cheer each others’ name at each at bat in the final inning. This kept the energy level elevated and Dylan, Alexa, Jeffrey, Kaitlin, Oliver, Alex, and Danny, all reached base safely.
As has been the trend all season the game ended in a tie. The teams lined up, thanked each other for a fun morning, and headed out.
Junior Minors Upper
Tigers vs. Blue Jays
The Tigers fielded several strong innings to cap a string of runs by the Blue Jays in a May 11 game. In one notable play, Caleb Rubin threw to third baseman Drew Child for an out. Jasper Stoch, Melina Driscoll and Sophia DeLaney each fielded the ball to first baseman Arthur Perry to tag out batters. At second, Zoe Morrison tagged base to force a runner out. Jonathon Romano tagged out a Jay at third. Strong hitting helped the Tigers rack up runs: Perry wowed the crowed with a fly ball to take second base. Driscoll hit a double, scoring a run with help from a single by DeLaney. Maude Latour and Maria Scovel both showed off good contact hitting skills, batting singles. In a by-the-book play, Devyn Zaminski drove a groundball along the third base line for an easy base grab.
On the Jays side, stellar defensive plays by second baseman Jason Kao, and infielder Morgan Witt kept pace with a strong offensive attack for an all-around outstanding performance. Led by contact hitters, Carlos Ritchie, Patrick Costantin, and Christopher (C.J.) Araujo, the Jays managed to score runs early and often, capped off by Mairead Farrell’s fifth inning, bases-clearing home run! The Jays’ shortstop Ava Villalba and catcher Katerina Coggeshall connected on an exciting throw out, put out, at home plate that characterized the Jays’ awesome steady play throughout the day. James O’ Grady and Bobby Baumann also knocked in critical runs for the valiant Jays. All in all, it was a fantastic game for both teams on a warm and sunny Sunday morning.”
Athletics vs. Rays The Battery Park Ballfields were back in action on Sat. May 10 after
a rained out Friday. The Athletics hosted the D-Rays in an 8 a.m. game which had a short delay as the ground crew pulled the tarps off the infield and got the diamond ready for play. The extra warm up time paid off as both teams hit the ball hard and it took a late rally by the A’s to come out on top by a score of 11 to 3.
The Rays scored first with three hits in the first inning including a triple. The Athletics came back in the second inning to score a pair of runs as Thomas Burns lead off with a single and two outs later David Wong drove a ball down the left field line for a home run. It took good defense by the A’s to keep the visitors off the board in the third inning as the Rays had three hits and two other hard hit balls. The Athletics’ David Lampietti snared a line drive and ran to first to record an unassisted double play. After two more hits by the Rays, Hudson Kussie fielded a ball down the third base line and fired to first for the third out. The Rays limited the A’s scoring with their own good fielding throughout the game. It wasn’t until the fourth
inning that the Athletics offense broke through for several runs led by Jonah Frere-Holmes, Jim Huynh, and Ben Norrito as each player ended the game with two hits apiece. Justen Lam made two outstanding defensive plays in the fifth inning nabbing a line drive for one out and later in the inning throwing out a Ray batter on a ground ball to shortstop. A few puddles and muddy areas on the ball fields proved irresistible to some players as they competed in a non-league sanctioned post-game contest of sliding and wrestling.
Minors
Reds vs. Cardinals
The groundskeeper at the Battery Park City ball fields had his hands full Saturday morning, but the fields were ready to go when the Reds faced the Cardinals for the second week in a row. It was another roller coaster ride with a comeback victory, but this time the win went to the Cardinals.
William Steere took the mound for the Cardinals, walking the Reds’ first two batters, Spencer Kiehl and Tyler Kraehling. Tyler Rohan made contact with a grounder to the shortstop that drove in Kiehl. Jonathan Parker took a base on balls and stole second but was stranded there.
The Cardinals faced Reds’ pitcher Rohan, who also walked the first two batters, Luke Dilworth and Ben Steinberg. He struck out Jack Steinberg but Dilworth and his brother Ben had stolen bases and had rounded to third and second. Steere stepped up to the plate and sent a pop fly into right field, almost into the glove of the Reds’ Taylor White, driving in Dilworth. Douglass Stapler grounded to second base, driving in a run, but was put out at first. Max Wilson struck out to end the inning with the Cards in the lead 3-1.
The Reds rallied in the second, starting with a walk by Oliver Mettle. Josh Steinberg fanned, but consecutive walks to Taylor White, Liam Barwick and Miles Donnelly loaded up the bases and walked one in. Kiehl was credited with an R.B.I. when his hard grounder found its way to right field for a stand-up single. Kraehling’s smack to centerfield drove the fourth and fifth runs in.
Rohan was a little more relaxed on the mound in the bottom of the second with a 6-3 lead, and he shut the Cards out. Theo Kaufman walked but was caught stealing a run-down after Parker’s first successful throw from home plate to second. Balthazar Merrin flied out to short, and Rohan used up his last pitches to bring Luke Carson to a full count. Relief pitcher Kraehling finished him off with a third strike.
The Reds faced Merrin on the mound, who started off the third inning with a strikeout. Parker walked and Will Best popped up between the pitcher and the catcher. Both hustled but almost collided as the ball dropped between them, and Best made it to first. Frere-Holmes cranked a bomb into centerfield (the best hit for the Reds all season), driving in Parker and Best with a stand-up double. But Merrin found the magig striking them out two to hold the Reds to two runs.
The Cards came back in the third when Milo Schreier used his four iron to punch one into left field. Taigh Barron was hit by a pitch and Sam Davis walked to load the bases. Walks to Dilworth and Ben Steinberg brought in another two runs. Kiehl took the mound and hit Jack Steinberg. Steere’s grounder was handled nicely by Rohan at second, who stepped on the bag and then threw home to try to stop Ben Steinberg, who was tearing around the bases. Steinberg slid in safely, ending the inning with the mercy rule and tying the score at 8.
Merrin shut out the Reds in the top of the fourth. Jack Steinberg skillfully handled a grounder for the third out.
The Cards moved ahead in the fourth. Kaufman walked, stole two bases and went home on an overthrow. Merrin and Carson walked as well. Schreier’s hard grounder to third base was a hair from the foul line, going under the legs of White and into the thicket in far left field, for a three-run inside-the-park home run. Barron struck out to end the inning, and the Cards were now ahead 12-8.
The Reds started the fifth with a massive smash over the left fielder’s head by Parker for what would have been a flawless stand-up double, had he not attempted to run to third, where he was tagged out by Schreier in a heads-up play. Sam Frere-Holmes whacked one to shortstop but Steere smothered it and held Frere-Holmes to a single. Mettle and Steinberg walked, and Merrin had to retire after hitting White and Barwick in the same inning (and giving up two runs). Stapler came to the mound, walking Donnelly and closing the gap by another run. But Kiehl’s pop fly was handled nicely by Carson at second base, and the score was 12-11 going into the bottom of the fifth.
Davis led off for the Cards, and the count was full when Frere-Holmes was brought in to pitch for the Reds. He was unable to find Davis’ strike zone, though. Dilworth also walked and stole a base, and when Ben Steinberg walked, the table was set for his brother Jack. His grounder to first made it a sacrifice, and Dilworth ratcheted up Jack’s R.B.I. to two by heading home despite coach Todd Steinberg’s wishes. Rohan winged the ball home, but he caught Parker unaware, and Dilworth was safe. Steere struck out, and Stapler’s grounder to second ended the inning with 14 runs for the Cards.
In the top of the sixth, Kraehling grounded to Kaufman at second for the first out. Rohan hit a hard grounder to the pitcher and put on the wheels to reach first base just in time. He stole two bases but was stranded at third when Stapler finished off Parker and Best with strikeouts. The final score was Cardinals 14, Reds 11.
