Game Recap February 6, 2016

AGE GROUP: 7-9

Game: Tigers of Santa Matilde vs. Indians of Candelaria

It was the matchup of unbeatens and it ended up being one team flexing all the muscle. The Indians were not playing around and started off the first with 6 runs while only giving up 2. In the second the Indians were able to build upon their lead with 3 more runs. The Tigers repeated their efforts of the first inning by only putting through 2 runs. The Indians all but ended the game with 6 more runs in the third, which would be all the runs for the day as the Indians remained undefeated by winning 15-4. The Indians were powered by their 3,4,5 hitters; Kevin Montes, Ruben Calero, and Norlan Trana who combined for 11 hits, 10 runs, and 9 RBI’s. The Tigers were led by Sander Garcia, Elio Rodriguez, and Ariel Reyes who combined for 4 hits, 3 runs, and 3 RBI’s.

Game: Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer vs. Padres of Quitanca

On the other side of the field was the matchup of the winless, as two teams battled to taste the sweet taste of victory. Again, it was one team dominating from the start. The Padres having built up frustration from their early losses, took it all out on the ball. They rang home 37 runs in 5 innings. All of their team had a hit and scored atleast one run but it was Alexis Espinoza, Yelkel Martinez, and Jordan Zuruga that did most of the damage combining for 11 hits, 15 runs, and 13 RBI’s. The Pirates who were preseason favorites to contend with the Indians, only had 9 runs in five innings with Marvin Timoco and Jordan Hernandez accounting for over half of their runs.

Next Week:

The matchup for next Saturday will undoubtedly be the Tigers vs the Padres. The Tigers won a high scoring thriller with a walk off hit the last time these two met so you better believe the Padres will be seeking revenge. The other matchup will see the undefeated Indians taking on the winless Pirates. We will see if the Pirates can make a game out of it. 

The calm before the storm as the managers meet before the game

All the little kids have the same color of uniforms, which makes for even funnier games!

AGE GROUP: 10-11

Game: Braves of Candelaria vs Cardinals of Santa Matilde

The Cardinals came into the game as serious underdogs as they had only managed one run in their first two games. Believing this was a chance to try out new pitchers and players at different positions the Braves opened the game with a rookie pitcher and a completely different lineup than what they had used in previous games. The Cardinals must of taken offense to being treated like guinea pigs as they rocked the rookie pitcher by putting across 5 runs in the first two innings. The Braves rebounded with 3 runs of their own to make it a 5-3 game heading into the third. The Braves changed pitchers and began hitting to tie the game 5-5 after three innings of play. The Cardinals got a spark in the top of the fourth with a man on one out a hot shot was hit down the first base line that ended up being a two run home run as the Cardinals added more fuel to their upset bid by leading 7-5 after the top half of the fourth. Not being phased the Braves tied it back up in the bottom half as the teams went into the fifth inning deadlocked at 7-7. Feeling the pressure of a possible upset the Braves made the call to bring on their stud pitcher, Alexander. The plan did not work out as the Braves had hoped as the Cardinals had gotten the bases loaded with no outs. Alexander struck out the next two batters and it looked like he might work himself out of the jam. But with the pressure mounting and the crowd screaming, Alexander walked the next three batters before striking another one out. The Cardinals had built a 3 run lead with an inning and half left to play. The Braves rallied for 2 runs in the bottom of the fifth and Alexander took care of business in the sixth to make it a 10-9 game as the Braves faced their final at bat. After a quick out, the Braves got a much-needed single. With one out. down by 1 and a man on second the Braves, due to their lineup change, had what would equivalate  to their 2,3,4 hitters. Unfortunately, the batters did not come through and there was consecutive groundballs to the pitcher and the Cardinals stunned the world with a 10-9 victory.

Game: Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer vs Athletics of Quitanca

The Athletics looked to keep their win streak going against the Rangers who were coming off a game that they let get out of hand. It was the A’s who had their foot on the gas and never let up the whole game. Thanks again to good pitching and great defense the A’s held their opponent scoreless for the second straight week. They helped out their defense with their bats and savy base running by scoring 15 runs in three innings. This game only made it through 3 ½ innings as the A’s won 15-0. It was Bryan Sarria, Angel Samarillo, and Yorlan Rostran that combined for 9 runs and 6 RBI’s. The A’s also used their third different starting pitcher and now have three pitchers with a win to their names.

Next Week:

Like the younger division there is a clear matchup of the week, which will also probably once again be the best game out of the six we have next week, and that is the rematch of the Athletics and Braves. The A’s won by a single run in their last matchup that was full of twist and turns. We will see how the Braves will respond after losing to what seemed to be the worst team in the division. The other matchup should be interesting as well as the Rangers, after beating the Cardinals in week 1, have followed it up by losing 2 straight and the Cardinals are looking to build off their thrilling upset.

The Quitanca fan section! They come early and stay all day to support their teams!

Giving God thanks for the blessing of being able to participate in this league after the game!

 

AGE GROUP: 12-13

Game: Yankees of Santa Matilde vs Red Sox of Quitanca

The Yankees, Red Sox what more could one ask for. The biggest rivalry in all of baseball. Too bad that does not translate to Nicaragua. The winless Yankees were looking for their first win against the undefeated Red Sox. The game was deadlocked as nobody made it to base through the first two innings. The Red Sox got their bats going In the next two innings as they scored four runs while the Yankees were only racking up strike outs. The Red Sox really opened up the game in the fifth thanks to a two run shot by Jean Carlos, it was also his second home run of the game and the Red Sox led 8-0 heading into the sixth. The Yankees were able to muster one run in the sixth and cut the lead to 8-1. It was all for not as the Red Sox doubled their run total in the seventh inning and the game was called for the “mercy rule”. The Red Sox were led by their studs Jean Carlos and Jose Reyes who were able to reach base 9 out of the 10 times they went to the plate. Nelson Castillo went 6 innings, struck out 8 and surrendered 0 runs on 6 hits to take home the win from the mound.

 Game: Reds of Candelaria vs Giants of Nuevo Amanacer

It was the day cap and what many expected to be the best game of the day as these two battled to see who would take hold of second place in the division. Both teams were able to get on the scoreboard in the first inning and it was the Reds who took a 2-1 lead. The Giants went scoreless in the second while the Reds scored three more thanks to three hits and a costly error made by the shortstop. The Reds lead 5-1 heading into the third as their pitcher, Isaias Pereira, continued dealing and was able to strike out two of the four batters he faced in the inning. He received more help in the bottom half of the third as the man who has a perfect batting average through three games, Pitbull, hit a three run homerun and with nothing happening in the fourth inning the Giants opened up the fifth down 8-1. Not wanting to succomb to defeat the Giants mounted a rally with two outs to cut the lead to only four. The pitcher for the Giants, Joel Vilchez, came out and struck out three to give the Giants hope heading into the sixth inning. They kept the magic going with two more runs in the top of the sixth as the Reds looked like they were unraveling. Joel Vilchez looked to give his team one lost shot to tie or take the lead after striking out two batters. He had a man on first but two outs as Lenin Aguirres stepped to the plate for the Reds. He hit a laser in the gap between the left and center fielder and came all the way home for a two run home run and the Reds pushed their lead to 10-6. Joel Vilchez struck out the next batter for the Reds, but the damage was done. The Giants went three up three down in the last inning to give the Reds the win.

Next Week:

The two games on Saturday are rematches of two games that were not very close the first time. Although the Reds of Candelaria should look at their counterparts, the Braves, to see what can happen when you take a team from Santa Matilde lightly as they will take on the Yankess in the first matchup. The Red Sox look to stay undefeated as they face the Giants. 

The smallest kid in the division, Kevin Reyes, batting for the Red Sox!

I know it's hard to tell but Isaias has laser focus on the mound!