January 2016

What a first month to the year! It seemed liked every day was used to do something to prepare for the start of the league. We won’t bore you with all the work done before hand, but we will dive right into the excitement that took place on the days between January 20^th and January 30^th.  Stan Dobner and an awesome team from the Charlotte area arrived on the evening of January 20^th. That night we passed out the uniforms to the coaches. They were overwhelmed with excitement as they had no idea what the uniforms would look like nor did they know what the name of their team would be. The uniforms did not disappoint and the coaches were all thrilled with what team they received. The following two days were spent in making preparations for the kickoff event on Friday night and opening day on Saturday. For the kickoff event we invited all of the teams plus their family members to come. The event was a spectacle to say the least. For the past year everything as far as the “league” is concerned has been done on a small scale. We only saw two or three teams play on one Saturday. We were only dealing with the communities individually. So to see a building full of people that were in some shape of form part of the ministry was breathtaking. In our first year we have 144 kids and about 30 coaches/team volunteers participating in the league.  That is unbelievable and incredible to think about the potential and scope that this ministry can have here. Next year alone we could easily see the number of teams double, but we do not want to get ahead of ourselves. But, it cannot be understated how amazing it was to see so all those people gathered together. It helped bring clarity to know that all the work that had be done the past year was not done in vain. But back to the actually what happened at the kickoff event, which in of itself was pretty amazing. Stan was able to share his dreams, goals, and purpose for the ministry; we introduced all the teams; the Gospel was shared; and kids made decisions to accept Jesus. We are excited to keep pouring into the lives of the kids who came forward on a weekly basis through devotions and showing God’s love towards them. It was truly a special evening!

Darren Adams sharing the Gospel!

All the kids who came forward!

 

The following day was opening day. It was a day that seemed like an unattainable dream for the longest time, but it finally arrived and it was a great day of fellowship, joy and baseball. We had six games take place with two of them being instant classics. We also got in a second weekend of games before January came to a close. There was only one game on the second weekend that brought any excitement. So to get you all caught up on all the game action we have summarized each weekend of games and highlighted the three games (one in each division) that kept us on the edge of our seats.

7-9 Age Group

Through two weekends of games we are left with 2 undefeated teams and 2 winless teams in the youngest division. The Indians of Candelaria dominated the Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer and the Padres of Quitanca in their first two games. The Pirates after falling to the Indians in the first week followed it up by losing to the Tigers of Santa Matilde the second week. Though most of these games have been more entertaining for the cuteness factor rather than actual game play, there was one game that featured such an unbelievable comeback that it would of made one believe that there is a chance pigs could fly. That game was on opening day with the Padres of Quitanca and the Tigers of Santa Matilde squaring off. The Padres were the visiting team and opened up the top of the first with a whopping 17 runs. It looked like the game was going to be over before it started. Although the Tigers dug themselves into a deep hole, they were not fazed as they rebounded with 10 runs of their own in the bottom half of the first. And the comeback was on. After the second inning the Tigers had made it a 5 run game with the score being 23-19. Thanks to some great defense and some more runs in the third inning, the Tigers went into the fourth winning 26-25! The Padres bounced back with great defense of their own and the two teams went to the fifth and final inning tied 27-27. The Padres led off the fifth inning with four runs and looked certain to seal the victory in the bottom half. The Tigers were down to their last out and still trailed by two runs but the bases were loaded. Little Eliseo stepped up to bat in the biggest moment of his life and delivered in a big way by hitting a walk off 3 run triple to win the game for the Tigers! It was a great, entertaining way to start off the league. So as it stands at the moment the Indians and Tigers are 2-0 while the Padres and the Pirates are 0-2. By the end of this Saturday there will be only one undefeated and one team remaining winless as these teams will face each other. Stay tuned to find out what happens on Saturday!

The Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer

Most of the Indians of Candelaria

The Padres of Quitanca

The Tigers of Santa Matilde

 

9-11 Age Group

           
After two weekends in this age group we have a top dog, two teams looking to try to dethrone the top dog and a team that needs to spend more time on the practice field. The Cardinals of Santa Matilde have had a rough two games as they have been handled pretty well by the Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer and the Athletics of Quitanca. The Rangers a week after beating the Cardinals lost in a competitive game to the Braves of Candelaria. That leads us to undoubtedly the best game of the first couple of weekends that featured the Braves of Candelaria and the Athletics of Quitanca. The Braves were eager to show what they had against a well coached, veteran Athletics team. The game started off by the Braves putting a big 0 on the scoreboard in the top of the first and controversially starting their number two pitcher in the bottom half of the inning in hopes of saving their stud for the last four innings. The strategy did not play out well. Though the pitcher, Ricardo, pitched decent the defense behind him played poorly. The Athletics came out hitting and the Braves had two crucial errors in the first inning. A passed ball in the outfield and a dropped ball by the catcher on a play at the plate allowed the Athletics to pull out to a 5-0 lead. The Braves again could not muster up anything in the second and the coach had no option but to bring on the stud from center field to try and keep the game manageable. The Athletics did not skip much of a beat as they started off the bottom portion of the second inning with two more runs. The Braves were startled, but gained some hope as the big hoss on the mound, Alexander, struck out three in a row. The adrenaline gained from the three straight strikeouts woke up the Braves and they were able to put two on with one out as Alexander stepped up to the plate. Not wanting to miss a chance to help himself out, Alexander crushed a bomb to right center field and ran around the bases for a three run homerun. The Candelaria fans were going crazy and one could feel the momentum shifting. In the bottom half of the third the A’s went three up and three down as Alexander struck out two more. The Braves kept the bat party going in the fourth as they were able to bring home four more runs to tie the game, thanks in big part to a two run double hit by none other than Alexander. The game was tied 7-7 heading into the bottom half of the fourth. Despite their early success, the Athletics were not able to touch Alexander until a crucial outfield error turned a single into a homerun and the A’s regained their lead at 8-7. The score stayed the same until the sixth and final inning. The Braves were feeling hopeful with the top of their lineup coming to the plate. The inning started by a walk and was followed up by a strikeout. And with a man on first and already having 5 RBI’s to his name, Alexander stepped up to the plate for the Braves. Unfortunately, Alexander ran out of magic and struck out. The following batter struck out as well to end the game as the Braves started off the season with a loss and the A’s with a big win.

The Cardinals of Santa Matilde

The Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer

The Athletics of Quitanca

 

 

The Braves of Candelaria

12-13 Age Group

            Over the first two weeks, this age group has shaped up very similar to the 10-11 age group. It started off with the Red Sox of Quitanca putting it on the Giants from Nuevo Amanacer. The Giants were able to bounce back in week 2 against the Yankees of Santa Matilde while the Yankees had tough two tough weeks as they also loss to the Reds of Candelaria in the first week and have two early losses. Again the best game was between the teams of Quitanca and Candelaria. The Reds of Candelaria have been feeling pretty confident over the past month and they were eager to take on the Red Sox of Quitanca to prove that they were indeed the best team in the league. The Reds did come out strong with a three up three down in the top half of the first and were able to score one run in the bottom half to take a 1-0 lead. The Red Sox quickly rebounded and were able to put through 2 in the top half of the second to take a one run lead. The Reds couldn’t get anything going in second and the game was 2-1 heading into the third. Sensing opportunity, the Red Sox came out swinging and scored 5 runs to take a 6 run lead. With their backs up against the wall, the Reds were able to find 4 runs of their own to shrink the lead to only 2. The Red Sox were quiet in the top of the fourth and the Reds came up to bat with a chance to cut into more of the lead. Thanks to a home run hit by the one they call “Pitbull”, the Reds tied the game up with three innings remaining in the game. The crowd was alive and beginning to believe that the Reds were going to be able to do what they said all week they would do, win. The Red Sox being calm and collective squashed all of their beliefs with five runs in the fifth. The Reds would not be able to score anymore in the final three innings as the Red Sox added five more and ended up winning 17-7. 

The Reds of Candelaria

The Yankees of Santa Matilde

The Giants of Nuevo Amanacer

The Red Sox of Quitanca

            As you can tell we have had a jam packed first two weeks for the league. We are excited to be able to have games every Saturday and the kids are having a blast. But, we are even more thrilled with what God is doing, already has done, and will do to continue to use the game of baseball to reach the people here in Chichigalpa. We ask that you continue to pray for wisdom, soft hearts, and more opportunities to reach the men here. Thank you and may God bless!

The Coaches!