Championship Game Recap

Ages 7-9

We had a rematch of the first championship with the Tigers beating the Padres in the semifinals and advancing to the championship series against the Indians. In the first game it was a defensive battle as the two teams found themselves deadlocked at 2 all and needed an extra inning of play. In the bottom of the sixth it was Santos Guevara who knocked in the runner from second to give the Indians a walk off winner, as they took a 1-0 series lead. The second game featured more offensive but ironically all the runs were scored in three innings. The Tigers scored 4 in the first and 5 in the third, while the Indians scored six in the second and were shut out the rest of the game as the Tigers knotted up the series by winning 9-6. The final game was another closely contested battle as the Tigers led 2-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth, but unfortunately that is where things unraveled for them as the Indians put up an incredible 10-run inning which was heavily aided by costly errors. The Tigers gave the Indians a scare in the top half of the last inning as they scored 5 runs but the deficit was too big and the Indians captured the championship again by winning 11-7.

Ages 10-11

It was another rematch in this championship as the Braves squeaked past the Cardinals for a rematch against the Athletics. The Athletics dominated the first game both offensively and defensively as they surrendered only one hit and won 10-0. The second game looked like it would follow suit as the A’s were winning 8-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth. Yet, the Braves battled and cut the lead to 8-6 for their final at bat. With two outs and a man on first, Alexander Lopez hit a two run homerun to tie the game up for the Braves and force extra innings. The Athletics scored in the top half of the extra inning, but the Braves yet again used magic with runners on first and second. Fredman Morales hit a liner into right field and Milton Aleman ran all the way from first to slide under the tag at home to win the game for the Braves. The Braves tied the series in what was the most exciting game of the year. Unfortunately, the Braves used up all their magic in game two and the Athletics looked like a well oiled defensive machine in game three as they played error free baseball and won the game 7-0 while taking home their second championship. 

Ages 12-13

The Reds found a way to upset the Red Sox in the semifinals and advance to their second straight final to play the number one seeded Yankees. The Yankees did what they have done for most of this season and that was score runs. They won the first game 11-1 and the second game they exploded for an 18-9 win. After being upset in the semifinals by the Reds in May the Yankees were able to get the last laugh as they won the championship in convincing fashion. 

Summer 2016 Update

Taking joy in the small things. Sometimes serving is not as peachy as it may seem. Most of the time, for me anyways, it is a very humbling experience without much of a tangible, visual “accomplishments”, for lack of a better word. One wants to tell stories of amazing, powerful things that are happening. Yet there are many days when one can look and feel like no impact is being made, and to be honest that is probably a bi-product of when you look for communities, people, or kids to be completely changed in a day, week, months, or year. The more I am down here the more I realize that it is a process. It takes time for seeds to be thrown on good ground, take root, and grow. When I look and try to find “big” things that have happened since I have been here, I can become frustrated because most of the time there are not many “big” things, or at least what we as human beings would consider “big”, that bless me or give me joy while being here. However, there are the small nuggets that give me the boost I need to keep going. There have been plenty of these over the course of two years that I could share but since we are highlighting the summer months I will share three things that happened this summer.

1)   Before the start of our second season we wanted to go to each of the four communities and have a time to talk with the parents, but it only happened at two of them. One of them was Santa Matilde. I was with Ivan and Walberto and the idea was to just explain the purpose of the league/ministry and answer any questions they had. First, I was really blessed to hear what they, Walberto and Ivan, had to say about the ministry. After they had finished they opened it up for the parents to ask questions. One of the first people to raise their hand to make a comment was a mother of a child who plays for the Cardinals, we will call him Juan. Juan is the oldest on the team and although he has not given me any problems I had to talk to him during the first season because his coach had told me that Juan had been disrespectful towards the coach and towards some of the players who are not as gifted athletically as he is. The young mother who at most was in her early 30s looked at me and said that she wanted to tell me thanks and that she was very appreciative of everything that we are doing because this time last year her son was giving her problems and wanting to go hang out with the wrong crowd, but now when he gets home from school he rushes to get his homework down so that he can go and practice. It was the first time since I have been here where a parent had said something so heartfelt and was genuinely appreciative. It also helped me realize how much of a difference we can make in communities like Santa Matilde where on any given day starting at 5 or 6 at night you will see kids as young as ten years old on the streets sniffing glue. Given where we are working there are plenty of “rougher” kids who are not the most well behaved, but being able to give them an outlet to escape their surroundings is a powerful thing.

2)   As many of you know at the beginning of the first season we decided to buy cleats for all the players because probably about only ten percent had a pair. It turned out to be quite a frustrating ordeal because buying 144 pairs of used cleats in Nicaragua is not as easy to do as it would be in the States. The cleats have been a blessing to most of the kids and it makes me happy seeing the ones who deserve them wearing them each and every Saturday. But one instance struck me more than others. A few Sundays back we had a joint church service where all the churches came together. An event like this is always humbling as you see a large amount of people who do not have much materially speaking, dress themselves up with their best. As I began looking for a seat I spotted an elderly woman who I always sat beside when there where church services in the church in Candelaria. I had not seen her in awhile and it brought back memories as I sat down beside her. That night her grandson who plays on the Indians was with her. During one point in the service we were praying and I knelt my head down and when I opened my eyes I noticed her son was wearing his cleats. It struck a cord in me because those cleats may or may have not been the only shoes he has. His grandmother is a sweet, loving lady but she does not have much. Although some may have abused or not have been “deserving” of those cleats it really hit me that night how much those cleats meant to some of the kids if not only that little boy.

3)   This last one would be classified by a “big” thing my most so it might be cheating, but it is definitely worth sharing. Mario Gomez is the coach for the Reds of Candelaria, which is in the oldest age group. I met Mario during our first “coaches” meeting in the fall of 2014 when I was in Nicaragua for about 3 months deciding on whether or not I wanted to move here full time. I had never seen him before but one of the men who was helping at the time invited him to come. I remember he was looking at me like I was an idiot during the whole meeting, and I did not know if it was because of what I was saying about what this league/ministry will be about or because he just didn’t understand what I was saying. But either way I did not like the facial expressions he was giving me. Fast forward to January 2015 when we were trying to square the fields, putting marks where the bases and base paths were going to be, and Mario was out there everyday helping me out. Neither of us knew what we were doing and we did it about five times before we got it somewhat right, but he was there offering help. That is when I started developing a relationship with him. Unfortunately in the fall of 2015 Mario started dialysis and was making a trip five days a week to Managua (3 hour bus ride) to receive treatment. But, he promised me that in January he would be able to coach and help out even though he would be going to Managua three times a week. He stayed true to his word and Mario has been giving practices and coaching games while receiving dialysis treatment. Stan has a longer relationship with ole Mario and ever since Stan has started coming to Nicaragua he has been sharing the Gospel with him. It was during Stan’s last trip in June when the three of us found ourselves talking outside of the church building. Stan began ministering to Mario and during that moment Mario asked Jesus to save him. It was amazing to see and great to know I will be seeing my brother in heaven!

Coaches

It is long over due but we wanted to highlight those who have been faithful in helping and coaching this year. We have a great group and we are looking forward to working alongside them as well as many others for years to come!

Candelaria

Rosita Vega - Indians

Rosita is currently in her final year of high school, and is an avid sports lover having played softball for most of her life. She is actively involved in the church and has been for almost 7 years. Rosita loves children and does a great job with the youngest ones. She always refers to them as her “children”. Rosita began helping out in August of 2015 when we started with some scrimmages. The picture above is her with her team at the time (six are still playing today) after a scrimmage and the bottom picture is her with her team after winning the championship!

Mario Gomez – Reds

  

Mario is married with two kids. Pictured are his wife, nephew, and granddaughter. His daughter, Scarlet (not pictured), helps him with the team and is also one of the best softball players in all of Nicaragua. Mario is currently undergoing dialysis and at the moment goes to Managua (3 hour bus ride) every Monday and Friday to receive treatment. He gives practices Tuesdays and Thursdays, and his free time is spent with his family. Two months ago in June, Stan got to lead Mario to Jesus after having spent years of sharing the Gospel with him!  

Cuitanca

Ivan Ramirez – Red Sox, Athletics, Red Sox

Ivan is the elder statesman of all the coaches. Here he is pictured with his two daughters (left), his wife, son-in-law, and two of his grandsons. The older grandson pictured is Ivan who plays for the Red Sox. Ivan owns a couple of acres in Cuitanca where he harvests plantains and sells them at the market.  Ivan has over 15 years of experience in coaching young kids. He says he prefers working with younger kids instead of sixteen year olds. For the past five years or so he has been the coach of Chichigalpian All Star teams, and is one of the most prominent figures for youth baseball in Chichigalpa.

Walberto Reyes – Padres, Athletics, Red Sox

 

Walberto is married with three boys all whom play in our league. Ceasar (pictured) is the youngest in the league at only 6 years of age; Kevin, 12, plays for the Red Sox; and Jose, 13, also plays for the Red Sox. Walberto worked for the sugar cane company for over 15 years and currently works odd end jobs. He has been coaching with Ivan for around 10 years and has helped Ivan coach the All Star teams for the past 5 years. The teams from Cuitanca are not only the best coached teams, but the most respectful kids that we have and for that reason we are looking at these two to work with us in helping us develop our sports ministry.

Santa Matilde

Marvin Rodriguez – Tigers

 

Marvin is pictured with his wife, daughter, nephew, and son. His daughter Belen, 8, and his son Eliseo, 10, (the two on the ends) are members of the Tigers. Marvin started coaching the team halfway through the first season, and we are glad he did because he does a great job. He works in construction but always makes time to give practices and come to the games. He is an active member in the church at Santa Matilde and is a great example to the coaches and kids.

Orlando Flores – Cardinals

Orlando is pictured with his wife, two kids, and nephew. His son, Orlando (pictured in the middle), plays for the Tigers. Orlando worked for the sugar cane company but no longer works. Like Marvin, Orlando started coaching the Cardinals half way through the first season. Unlike all the other coaches, Orlando has never played baseball, but he has a passion to learn and teach. He has been faithful in giving practices and it has paid off as the Cardinals are the most improved team in all of the league. He is also an active member of the church in Santa Matilde.

Ervin Arroyo – Yankees

Ervin is pictured with his wife, sister-in-law, son, and three daughters. Two of his daughters Britney and Natalie play for the Cardinals and Tigers respectively. Ervin is the youth pastor for the church in Santa Matilde and works in the small farm the church has. Ervin also has helped us with the upkeep of the baseball fields for over a year. He grew up playing baseball and softball and does a great job developing relationships with the older kids in the league.

Nuevo Amanacer

Esteben and Lissette Lacayo – Pirates, Rangers, and Giants

Lissette is pictured with their daughter and two sons. Their sons Estiven and Eslyn play for the Giants and Pirates. Esteben and Lissette have double teamed coaching the three teams. Esteben worked for the sugar cane company but now spends his time as somewhat of a political figure in the community. Most of his time is spent being the voice of ex-sugar cane workers who have not received pension money. He represents them in front of the company. Both he and his wife are baseball lovers, and both still play softball.

July 30 - August 13 Game Recap

We have missed a couple of updates so here is a three game recap!

AGE GROUP: 7-9

Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer

Past three games: Lost 12-1 to Tigers, Lost 13-0 to Indians, Lost 10-3 to Padres

Unfortunately the little Pirates are just overmatched. They have faced similar results over the past three weeks. They fight hard but the other teams are just better. Despite their struggles as a team Marvin Tinoco, Eslin Lacayo and Jostin Mayorga always seem to shine each week. Through six games their batting averages are .400, .286, and .250 which are the best on the team.

The young catchers always look so cute

Tigers of Santa Matilde

Past three games: Won 12-1 against Pirates, Won 6-5 against Padres, Lost 11-4 to Indians

The past three games for the Tigers was highlighted by a walk off winner to come down from 1 run in the bottom of the fifth to beat the undefeated Padres. Yet they were brought down to earth by committing too many errors against the Indians. Jose Aranda, Justin Sommarrilla, and Elisero Rodriguez have led the way so far by batting .462, .375, and .375 respectively, but little Belen Rodriguez is close behind them as she is batting .357 on the year.

Who knows what they are all looking at

Indians of Candelaria

Past three games: Lost 1-0 to Padres, Won 13-0 against Pirates, Won 11-4 against Tigers

The 1- 0 loss to the Padres was one of the best games all season. The two teams played great defense but ultimately it was the Padres who had the bases loaded with 2 outs in the bottom of the fifth that came through with a clutch hit to win the game. The Indians have bounced back big time by scoring 24 runs after being shutout. They have been led by Norlan Tranan, Martin Gonzales, and Wilber Munez who have averages of .533, .500, and .421 respectively.

Kevin and his killer eyes

 

Padres of Quitanca

Past three games: Won 1-0 against Indians, Lost 6-5 to Tigers, Won 10-3 against Pirates

The 1-0 victory over the Indians was the first time they have beat the Indians in five tries and they were thrilled after the game. They followed up their walk off winner to lose on a walk off to the Tigers, but got back on track against the Pirates. The Padres as a team are batting .375, which leads this division, and it has been Josue Rostran, Norlan Vasquez, and Roger Espinoza leading the way with averages of .600, .533, and .467

Standings

Padres 5-1, Indians 4-2, Tigers 3-3, and Pirates 0-6

Walberto giving instructions to his hitter from the mound

AGE GROUP: 10-11

Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer

Past three games: Lost 13-0 to Athletics, Lost 4-0 to Cardinals, Lost 12-0 to Braves

The Rangers and the Pirates share in the same struggle, and that is at the moment they are just overmatched. The whole team cannot find their bats, but they look to turn things around over the last three games. Jefry Zelaya, Junior Zelaya and Kevin Vilchez always come rearing to go each and every week to give the Rangers some hope.

Everybody is watching the Rangers bat

Cardinals of Santa Matilde

Past three games: Lost 6-3 to Braves, Won 4-0 against Rangers, Lost 9-7 to Athletics

The Cardinals are definitely the most improved out of all of the twelve teams they have. They have practiced hard and it shows. They are always a tough out as the Braves and Athletics can attest. They are a team that fights to the end and will look to continue improving over the final three weeks. There is not another player that defines the kind of improvement that the Cardinals have had more than Luis Marin. Last season he was batting below .150 and this season he has an average of .474 highlighted by a enormous homerun shot against the Athletics. 

Jose being his goofy self

Braves of Candelaria

Past three games: Won 6-3 against Cardinals, Lost 7-6 to Athletics, Won 12-0 against Rangers

The Braves would like to have the second inning against the Athletics back. After taking a 3-0 lead in the first they gave up 5 runs on zero hits. It was an error-riddled inning that ultimately did them in. However they did bounce back very well against the Rangers as they shut them out in a big victory. Alexander Lopez, Jose Luis, and Missael Rivas have led the way for the Braves this season as they are batting .600, .313, and .294 respectively.

The Braves feeling pretty good

Athletics of Quitanca

Past three games: Won 13-0 against Rangers, Won 7-6 against Braves, Won 9-7 against Cardinals

The Athletics got back on track in a big way by winning three straight games. They had two tough, nail biters against the Braves and the Cardinals but the A’s used their championship resolve to pull through with victories. Like the Padres, this team from Quitanca leads the division in batting as they have an average of .343. They can thank Julio Somarrilla, Luis Ramirez, and Evert Somarrilla who have contributed to such a great team average as they are batting .444, .421, and .400 respectively.

Standings

Athletics 4-2, Braves 4-2, Cardinals 4-2, and Rangers 0-6

The A's are back rolling

 

AGE GROUP: 12-13

Reds of Candelaria

Past three games: Lost 7-3 to Yankees, Won 7-5 against Red Sox, Won 5-4 against Giants

After struggling the first go around by only winning one game, the Reds reversed their fortune by going 2-1 over the past three games. Although they have had helped from other teams committing errors, they will gladly take wins any way they can get them. It has been Luis Santana as the clear leader for batting as he has an average of .429. After Luis there are four players who sport a .250 average.

The Reds trying to get a groove going

Yankees of Santa Matilde

Past three games: Won 7-3 to Yankees, Lost 5-3 to Giants, Lost 9-5 to Red Sox

After starting off red hot, the Yankees have cooled down a bit by losing two in a row. The Giants loss was especially hard to swallow as a routine pop fly was dropped by their star Crisanto Mesa. The error eventually led to a 4 run inning by the Giants. Yet, the Yankees knowing how good they are, will surely bounce back with vigor. The Yankees are led by their three oldest player Crisanto Mesa, Julio Flores and Francisco Mendoza as they are batting .571, .438, and .438 respectively. Julio Flores gets a special shotout as his 3-run homerun against the Giants was the longest hit so far.

 

Julio is always filthy after the game but always enjoys the snacks

Red Sox of Quitanca

Past three games: Lost 13-3 to Giants, Lost 7-5 to Reds, Won 9-5 against Yankees

The Red Sox were humbled in a mighty way against the Giants and they looked like they were still feeling the sting of the loss as they followed it up by also losing to the Reds. The Red Sox have not been batting as well as they were last year but they did not have any problems against the Yankees. It will be interesting how this team finishes out the season as they have been Jekyl and Hyde like over the first six games. The Red Sox have two studs who can always be counted on an they always lead the way for them each Saturday. Pedro Perez and Ivan Zeledon are batting .545 and .500 respectively as Pedro Perez has a ridiculous 14 RBI’s so far which is double the amount of the next closest.

Pedro (middle) thinks he is cool

Giants of Nuevo Amanacer

Past three games: Won 13-3 against Red Sox, Won 5-3 against Yankees, Lost 5-4 against Reds

The Giants were rolling as they took down the Red Sox and the Yankees. They did end up hitting a bump in the road as they gave the game away to the Reds. The Giants would have been sitting solo at the top of the division with a 4-2 record, but they will have to settle for a 3-3 record like everyone else. Estiven Lacayo, Joel Vilchez, and Jorge Aragon have done most of the damage for the Giants as they are batting .476, .412, and .375 respectively.

Standings

Giants 3-3, Red Sox 3-3, Yankees 3-3, and Reds 3-3

Giants playing some lock down defense

July 23, 2016 Game Recap

AGE GROUP: 7-9

Game: Padres of Quitanca vs Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer

The Pirates started the game off strong as Marvin Tinoco had a 2 run double to give the team from Nuevo Amanacer a quick 2-0 lead. Yet the Padres would respond with 5 runs of their own and from there they would never look back. They would add 5 more in the second and another 2 in the third inning to allow them to remain undefeated by winning 12-2. The Padres were led by Victor Reyes and Josue Rostran the former went 2-2 with a homerun and 4 RBI’s while Josue went 2-2 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.

Game: Indians of Candelaria vs Tigers of Santa Matilde

It was the first time these two teams had faced off since their championship series back in May, and through two innings the game was deadlocked at 2-2. But in the third inning, the Indians would burst through with 4 runs. They used stifling defense to suffocate the Tigers and did not surrender any more runs over the last three innings and ended up winning 8-2. Ana Mesa, Eliseo Rodriguez and Nataly Arroyo were the only Tigers to register a hit. While Norlan Trana, Wilbert Munoz, and Jelson Mendoza tallied 2 hits a piece to lead the Indians.

Next Week:

The Pirates will look to register their first win against the Tigers, but all the attention will be on the game featuring the Padres and Indians. The first time they played the Indians won the game but had to forfeit because only seven of their players showed up to play. The Padres will try and keep their perfect record unblemished.

Our transition from tee ball to coach pitch has gone great!

Nothing makes these kids run faster than going for the snacks after the games!

AGE GROUP: 10-11

Game: Athletics of Quitanca vs Cardinals of Santa Matilde

The Athletics were not happy to suffer their first loss the previous week and they came out with vengeance and unfortunately for the Cardinals they were the recipients. As a team, the Athletics had eleven hits two of which were homeruns by Luis Ramirez and Angel Somarrilla. At the end of the day they would match their eleven hits with 11 runs as they beat the Cardinals 11-1.

Game: Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer vs Braves of Candelaria

The Braves took a quick 1-0 lead until Nassael Lezama led off the bottom of the first with laser homerun to tie the game 1-1. The game stayed tied until the top of the third when the Braves would score 2. The Braves seemed to be cruising with a comfortable 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth, but the Rangers used wild pitching to cut the deficit to only 1 going into the final inning. The Braves being cool, calm and collective rattled off 4 runs in the top half and their closer shut down the Rangers in bottom half to give the Braves an 8-3 victory.

Next Week:

The Braves look to stay undefeated against a feisty Cardinals team and the Athletics look to keep their bats going against the Rangers.

We have had a nice crowd from Santa Matilde over the first three weeks, it has been great!

Getting ready for the first pitch in the Rangers - Braves game!

 

AGE GROUP: 12-13

Game: Red Sox of Quitanca vs Yankees of Santa Matilde

The most anticipated game of the day lived up to the billing as these two teams battled until the final out. The Red Sox were the first to get on board when they scored 1 run in the top of the third. The Yankees would respond with 3 of their own to lead 3-1. Their lead was short lived as the Red Sox took advantage of a crucial error to give themselves an extra out and they scored 4 to lead 5-3 after three and a half innings of play. The Yankees would score 2 more over the next three innings and the Red Sox would only add 1 as the score was 6-5 heading into the final inning. Kevin Reyes faked out the Yankees with a fake squeeze attempt that he pulled back and looped a ball to where the shorstop would have been and the Red Sox padded their lead to 8-5. In turned out the Red Sox wouldn’t need the extra runs as the Yankees couldn’t get anything going in the bottom of the seventh and fell for the first time of the season.

Game: Giants of Nuevo Amanacer vs Reds of Candelaria

After taking a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first, the Giants nor the Reds did much over the first four innings of play as Joel Vilchez of the Giants absolutely shut down the Reds’ offense. The Reds finally broke threw in the fifth with a run only to see it answered in the sixth by the Giants. Yet, it was Isaias Perira who brought the game level with his 2 run triple in the bottom of the sixth and the score was 3-3 going into the seventh. The Giants would score a run and seemed to be on their way to winning as the game stood at 4-3 after six and half innings played. After having the first batter strike out, the Reds’ Luis Santana and Pedro Davilla came through with hits and were on second and third with only one out. Allan Marenco, not known for his bat, stepped to the plate and came through in the clutch with a perfectly hit fly to short right field which fell in between the right fielder, second baseman, and first baseman. The play at the plate was tight but the runner slid under the tag and the ump called safe as the Reds ended the day with a walkoff thriller.

Next Week:

The Reds will try to use their momentum to propel themselves over the Yankees and the Red Sox seek revenge on the Giants.  

Ivan talking with the Sox! They really wanted to win that game!

The Reds celebrating as the ump said the was safe!

July 9 & 16, 2016 Game Recap

AGE GROUP: 7-9

Game: Padres of Quitanca vs Indians of Candelaria

The Indians had an unfortunate start of their season with a mix of kids being sick, on vacation, and “grounded” they only had seven players show up to play. They had to forfeit their game but being that the Padres had all twelve all show up, two of their players played with the Indians show that the kids could still enjoy a game. It turned out to be a thrilling game. The two teams went back and forth the whole game and although we changed this category from tee ball to coach pitch the kids were still hitting the ball with ferocity. The game was tied 8-8 heading into the fifth and final inning. The Indians saw routine singles turn in to doubles and triples as the Padres committed crucial errors and gave away four runs to trail 12-8 heading into their final at bat. The little guys from Quitanca fought back and scored three runs but could not muster anymore as the Indians used skillful defense to get the last three outs. The Padres were led by Jordan Zuniga and Erwin Valdivia who went 2-3 with 3 RBI’s and 2-3 with 2 RBI’s and a double respectively. While the Indians were led by Norlan Trana and Jelson Mendoza who went 2-4 with a homerun and 2 RBI’s and 2-4 with a double and 3 RBI’s.

Game: Tigers of Santa Matilde vs Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer

The Pirates came out hot and took a surprising 4-2 lead after one inning of play over the heavily favored Tigers. But, after three innings it was the Tigers who led 9-5. Each team would add one more run as the game ended 10-6. The Pirates were led by Sergio Sarria and Jostin Mayorga who had the exact same stat line of 3-3 with a run, RBI, and a triple. The Tigers were very well balanced but were led by Elio Rodriguez and Justin Somarrilla who surprisingly also had the same stat line of 2-3 with a triple, run, and RBI.

July 16 Games

The Indians easily took down the Pirates 11-5 thanks to homeruns by Jelson Mendoza and Martin Gonzalez.

The Padres got revenge on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in a defensive battle by winning 4-2.

Next Week:

We will have the championship rematch when the Indians face the Tigers and the Pirates will look to get in the win column as they face the undefeated Padres.

Belen is ready to get back to it!

These guys are on the quest to defend their title!

 
 

AGE GROUP: 10-11

Game: Braves of Candelaria vs Cardinals of Santa Matilde

It was a pitching battle through the first two innings as the score was 1-1 and each pitcher had 6 strikeouts. The game started unraveling for the Cardinals in the third as the pitcher walked the bases loaded and the defense made crucial errors and the Braves scored five. The game did not change much after that as the game ended as a 7-2 victory for the Braves. Alexander Lopez led the way for the Braves as he pitched 4 innings while surrending only 1 run and striking out 10. At the plate he went 2-2 with a triple and a RBI. Luiz Marin struck out 9 and only gave up 2 earned runs in four innings of work for the Cardinals as he came in relief of the starter Adolfo Cordoba.

Game: Athletics of Quitanca vs Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer

The Athletics picked up where they left off from their undefeated championship season and once again dominated. Like always they were well balanced at the plate but it was Carlos Mesa and Julio Somarriba who did the most damage as the four and five hitters. Carlos hit a homerun and Julio pitched in with 2 RBI’s as the Athletics easily won 11-1. Josel Sarria was the only Ranger to get a hit and he also scored the lone run for the team from Nuevo Amanacer.

July 16 Games

In an exciting game it was the Cardinals outlasting the Rangers to win 8-7 thanks to a crucial 2-run double hit by Ana Mesa in the bottom of the fifth.

The Braves finally made it over the hump and took down the big, bad Athletics. Alexander Lopez was a triple away from the cycle as he led the Braves to a 6-5 victory.

Next Week:

The A's will look to get back on track as they face the Cardinals and in the other tilt, the Braves will look to remain undefeated as they face the Rangers.

This tree turns into one of the favorite hangout spots before games

Eduardo was thrilled after the Cardinals' first win of the year!

 

AGE GROUP: 12-13

Game: Reds of Candelaria vs Yankees of Santa Matilde

The Yankees set out to send a message to the Reds after the Reds pulled a miracle in the semifinals of the playoffs and send a message they did. After the Reds scored a run in the first the Yankees would shut them down and only allow one more run over the final six innings. The Yankees used a big second inning where they scored 4 to propel them to victory as they won 7-2. Domingo Dolmos pitched five innings and struck out 7 while only surrending one run to win the game for the Yankees. At the plate it was the catcher Francisco Mendoza who shined the brightest as he went 2-2 with 2 RBI’s and 2 runs.

Game: Giants of Nuevo Amanacer vs Red Sox of Quitanca

The last game of the day turned into an absolute slugfest. The Giants scored 14 runs through the first three innings including an 8 run third. The Red Sox although scoring 8 runs through two were shell shocked as they trailed 14-8 through three to the team that finished last in the previous season. The Giants would calm down and only scored two runs over the final 4 innings. The Red Sox tried to mount a comeback but the Giants were there to shut them down every time they got something going. The Giants made a statement by taking down the defending champs 16-13. The thee and four hitters for the Red Sox, Ivan Zeledon and Pedro Perez, played their parts as they went 3-5 with 4 RBI’s and 3-4 with 3 RBI’s and a home run. While the three and four hitters for the Giants, Stiven Lacayo and Joel Vilchez, identically went 3-5 with 3 RBI’s and 3 runs.

July 19 Games

The Yankees, led by Crisanto Mesa, took down the Giants 5-2 to stake their early claim as the division's best team.

Not wanting to start the season 0-2 the Red Sox rallied from behind and won on a walkoff single by Pedro Perez.

Next Week:

The Yankees are poised to show they are the best team while the Red Sox will look to prove why they are the defending champs as these two heavy weights will battle it out. The Reds will try to avoid an 0-3 start as they take on the Giants.

Ivan and the Red Sox have had a tough two first games

It is great to have everybody back around on Saturdays!