Game Recap March 19, 2016

AGE GROUP: 7-9

Game: Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer vs Padres of Quitanca

The Pirates continued their losing ways and the Padres finally got back in the win column after losing four straight games. The Pirates beat the Padres the last time these two teams met, which is the only win on the year for the Pirates. After what the Padres did to the Pirates this time it is hard to imagine how they could of lost to the Pirates. The Padres served an extra dose of run scoring to the Pirates as they dominated the whole game to win 20-1. Everyone on the Padres at least got one hit and scored a run so it was the definition of a total team effort, but young Victor Reyes highlighted the effort by hitting his second homerun of the year.

Game: Indians of Candelaria vs Tigers of Santa Matilde

This was the best game of the day as the Tigers continued their pursuit to blemish the Indians’ perfect record. After giving up 2 runs in the first half of the first inning the Tigers put through 5 of their own to take a 3 run lead. The Tigers would add 2 more runs in the second to make the Indians worried with a 7-2 lead heading into the third. Yet the Indians, showing their incredible resiliency, scored 4 runs while already having two outs in the third inning. It was thanks to a 3 run homerun by Ruben Calero and Norlan Trana followed with a solo homerun of his own as these two studs hit back-to-back homeruns for the second straight game. The Indians would score one more run in the fourth to tie the game 7-7 heading into the fifth and final inning. With one out and a man on first Ruben Calero stepped to the plate already having two homeruns on the day in as many at-bats and he decided that two was not enough as he hit his third homerun giving the Indians a 9-7 lead. The Tigers looked as though they would tie the game as they were able to get three runners on base during the bottom half of the inning, but the Indians made sure none of them would touch home as they sealed the victory.

Next Week:

The kids will take a break next weekend as we lend way for the pastors and coaches to play some softball. When play resumes on April 2^nd, the Pirates will face off against the Indians for the final time and the Padres will look to make a push for second place before the tournament as they will play the Tigers. 

It's always funny watching the little ones stretch!

Hanging out waiting for the snacks!

 

AGE GROUP: 10-11

Game: Braves of Candelaria vs Cardinals of Santa Matilde

This game looked as though it was going to be a blowout early. The Braves shut down the Cardinals in the top of the first and put through 3 runs in the bottom half thanks to the Cardinals pitcher walking the bases loaded. Yet, the game quickly turned interesting as the Cardinals scored 2 in the second and 3 in the third while the Braves added 2 runs in the second as the two teams were all tied up 5-5 heading into the fourth. The Braves changed pitchers to start the fourth and after walking the first two batters the pitcher struck out the next three batters. In the bottom half the Braves were able to sneak across another run to retake the lead 6-5. The Cardinals were once again shut down in the top of the fifth and the Braves then were able to run away with the game by scoring 4 runs thanks to another homerun by Alexander Lopez, his fourth of the year. The Cardinals did not produce any runs in the sixth and the Braves took a two game lead on second place with a 10-5 win.

Game: Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer vs Athletics of Quitanca

Stop me if you have heard this before, the Athletics come out strong and build an insurmountable lead to win the game? Well that is exactly what happened again, as the Athletics only needed two innings to build an 8-0 lead. Although, the Rangers played better over the final four innings it was not enough as they fell to the Athletics 12-6. The A’s were led by Angel Somarilla and Carlos Mesa who combined for 7 RBI’s.

Next Week:

On April 2^nd the Braves will get their last chance to knock off the Athletics as the Rangers look to seal the Cardinals in the fourth place position for the year.

The Cardinals not looking to happy as they hop on the truck to ride back to Santa Matilde

Junior is laughing at something!

 

AGE GROUP: 12-13

Game: Red Sox of Quitanca vs Yankees of Santa Matilde

The last time these two played the Yankees shocked the world and handed the Red Sox their first and only loss as they won their first game of the season. Since then, both of the two teams won their following two games. There was intrigue in the air to see what would happen in the rematch. Neither of the two teams did anything in the first inning, but in the top of the second the Red Sox exploded for 6 runs thanks to a 2 run homerun by Jose Reyes. From there the Red Sox did not look back as they would add 7 more runs over their final four at bats, and they only surrendered 3 runs to take the game and their revenge by winning 13-3.

Game: Giants of Nuevo Amanacer vs Reds of Candelaria

Thanks to the Red Sox beating the Yankees the game before, this game was a battle to see who would take over second place. The Reds made the first claim for it as they scored 2 runs in each of the first two innings to take a 4-0 lead into the third. Realizing the game could be slipping away, the Giants put through two runs of their own to halve the lead 4-2. The Reds added another run in the fourth and the Giants would add one run in the fourth and fifth inning to make the game 5-4 Reds heading into the bottom of the fifth. That is where the Reds found themselves with the bases loaded and two outs with the best hitter in the league, Alejandro Melendez, coming to the plate. He lived up to his billing of the best hitter as he hit a grand slam homerun, which was his seventh homerun on the year (he has missed two games due to injury). The grand slam comfortably put the Reds up 9-4 with two innings to play. Although, the Giants threatened in their final at bat by scoring 2 runs it was not enough and despite their recent struggles the Reds took control of second place by winning 9-6.

Next Week:

In two Saturdays the Yankees will look to bounce back and stay in the second place conversation when they face the Reds. After losing three straight, the Giants as well will try to stay in the race for second as they try to figure out things against the Red Sox.

The Red Sox warming up before the game!

It was a scorcher on Saturday and yet there were two braves souls who didn't search for shade

Game Recap March 12, 2016

AGE GROUP: 7-9

Game: Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer vs Tigers of Santa Matilde

The Tigers have been surging and they continued their surge against the Pirates. The Tigers came out strong with 5 runs in the first. Surprisingly, the Pirates answered with 4 runs of their own in the second, but those were the only runs they would find on the day as the Tigers would add 10 more runs over the last three innings to win 15-4. The Tigers were led by Eliseo Rodriguez and Jose Aranda who combined for seven runs, five hits, and a home run.

Game: Indians of Candelaria vs Padres of Quitanca

This game was entertaining throughout as the Padres continued to strive for their goal of taking down the mighty Indians. Their upset bid looked promising as both of the teams flashed great defense to arrive at a 2-1 game with the Padres winning through three innings. In the top of the fourth the Indians hit three solo home runs within their first four batters and added two more runs to take a 6-2 lead. It looked as though the Padres would fall apart, but that is the opposite of what they did. They scored 5 runs of their own in their bottom half of the inning thanks to a 3 run homerun hit by Victor Reyes. The Padres could sense victory as they entered the final inning winning 7-6. But, their senses deceived them as the Indians hit two more homeruns and for the second straight inning scored 5 runs to retake the lead 11-7. The Padres had their opportunity in the bottom half but could not get anything going as they lost again to the Indians 11-7.

Next Week:

Going into next week the standings are: Indians (8-0), Tigers (5-3), Padres (2-6), and Pirates (1-7). The two worse teams and the two best teams will face each other next week so all the eyes will be on the Tigers-Indians game as the Indians continue their dream of a perfect season. 

Although undefeated, the Indians team picture game is not quite on the level of the Panthers

Two awesome coaches, Walberto and Rosita, going head to head

 

AGE GROUP: 10-11

Game: Athletics of Quitanca vs Cardinals of Santa Matilde

Speaking of undefeated teams, the Athletics continued their perfect season as they easily took care of the Cardinals. The last time these two teams met the Cardinals almost pulled off the mammoth upset. This time the A’s wanted to eliminate any hope that the Cardinals could have as they scored 11 runs through three innings and only surrendered one. This game was called an inning short as the Athletics won 11-1.  The star for the A’s was their pitcher, Angel Somarrilla, who only gave up 2 hits and at the plate he was 2-2 with a home run and 4 RBI’s.

Game: Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer vs Braves of Candelaria

The Rangers were looking for their first win against the Braves and for the opportunity to tie them in the standings. The Braves took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a 2 run homerun by Alexander Martinez. The Rangers did not blink an eye as they rattled off four runs in the top half of the second and took  a 4-2 lead. The Braves would add 1 run in the second and 2 runs in the third and took a 5-4 lead into the fourth where they opened up the floodgates. Assisted by errors and walks, the Braves, scored 7 runs in the fourth to take a commanding 12-5 lead. The Rangers looked to have some life as they cut the lead to 5 after the fifth, but they would not be able to score any more runs and the Braves would add 1 more to win 13-7. The Braves were led by Alexander Martinez who along with his homerun had 4 RBI’s and pitched the last two innings of the game without allowing a hit to save the game for his team.

Next Week:

The standing for this age group are: Athletics (8-0), Braves (4-4), Rangers (3-5), Cardinals (1-7). On paper it would not look like the two games next week would be entertaining as the Athletics will face the Rangers and the Braves will face the Cardinals. But it is easy to see that there is untapped potential on the Rangers that could be found at any moment and the past two games between the Braves and Cardinals have gone to the end with each of the two teams winning one a piece. 

Most of the Braves arrive at 8 and sometimes have to wait over 2 hours until they can start warming up

Lucia and Amelio love Saturdays as they sell food and drinks to help support their 7 children!

 

AGE GROUP: 12-13

Game: Giants of Nuevo Amanacer vs Yankees of Santa Matilde

After an abysmal 0-5 start where people were wondering if they ever were going to win a game, the Yankees have won two straight and made it three straight on Saturday. The Yankees have found their hitting and do not intend to lose it again. They have been crushing the ball all over the field the past couple of weeks and they used steady scoring to amass 14 runs in seven innings. They were led by Julio Flores and Crisanto Mesa who combined for 7 hits including a homerun, 2 triples, and 2 doubles and they also had 7 RBI’s between them. The Giants who just a couple of weeks ago looked like the second best team in this category only scored 5 runs and lost for the second straight week, 14-5.

Game: Red Sox of Quitanca vs Reds of Candelaria

About the same time the Yankees were finding their bats the Reds were losing them. After the first month the Reds looked like the only competitors for the Red Sox but that narrative has quickly changed. The Red Sox scored at least one run every inning and dominated the Reds 13-2. The Red Sox got excellent pitching from Yelsner Quiroz who in six innings of work only allowed 3 hits. At the plate they were led by their studs Jose Reyes and Jean Carlos who reached base in all of their at bats and inflicted serious damage on the baseball as they combined for 6 hits.

Next Week:

This division has took an interesting turn as the Red Sox (7-1) enjoy first place. The three other teams: Yankees, Giants, and Reds all sit tied at (3-5). Next week will be very intriguing as the two teams that are struggling, the Giants and Reds, will face off. But the game everybody will be looking forward to will be the Yankees versus the Red Sox. 

Julio Flores enjoying some tahadas! We are sure they taste even better after a win!

Jean Carlos taking a quick nap in between innings

Game Recap March 5, 2016

 

AGE GROUP: 7-9

Game: Pirates of Nuevo Amanacer vs Indians of Candelaria

There is not much to say about this game as it was business as usual for the Indians. They put through 5 runs in the first inning and did not surrender any to take a quick 5-0 lead. They would add 7 more runs over the last four innings as they only gave up 2 as they continued their impressive win streak by winning 12-2. The Indians were led by Norlan Trana and Jelson Mendoza as they combined for 8 runs and 6 RBI’s.

Game: Padres of Quitanca vs Tigers of Santa Matilde

In the ongoing battle for second place in the division, the Padres looked to once again pull even with the Tigers as these two teams battled it out. The Tigers had a nice start as they forced the Padres to go three and out and then scored 2 runs in the bottom half as they took the early 2-0 lead. Neither of the teams registered a hit as the scored stayed the same heading into the third when the Padres found magic in the bottom of their lineup and rallied to tie the score 2-2. The impressive defense continued for the Padres as they kept the Tigers quiet and entered the top of the fourth with aspirations of grabbing the lead. That is exactly what the Padres did as the middle of their lineup was able to produce 1 run to take a 3-2 lead going into the bottom half of the fourth. After being shut down for 2 straight innings the Tigers finally woke up and answered the Padres with 2 runs of their own and retook a 4-3 as the two teams entered the final inning. The magic ran out for the Padres as they were not able to get anybody on base and the Tigers took a 2 game lead in the battle for second.

Next Week:

After a heartbreaking loss, things do not get much easier as the Padres will have to take on the Indians. In the other game the Pirates will try to correct the ship and pull of an upset against the Tigers.

The Tigers taking a play out of the Panthers' playbook and took a team photo in the dugout!

Don't be fooled this youngin' is a stone cold baseball killer!

AGE GROUP: 10-11

Game: Cardinals of Santa Matilde vs Rangers of Nuevo Amanacer           

Both of the games this week were competitive to the end and the first was between the Cardinals and the Rangers. The Cardinals have been steadily improving and have beaten the Braves and got robbed of a win against the Athletics but have yet to come close to the Rangers and they were determined to change that on Saturday. The Cardinals come out on fire and quickly had 5-0 lead after two innings. It was not until the third inning that the Rangers scored and they scored in a bundle as they put through 4 to cut the Cardinals lead to 1. The Cardinals responded with a run in the top of the fourth but the Rangers came firing back as they scored 2 and tied the game 6-6. That is how the game stayed until the bottom half of the final inning where the Rangers got a two out walkoff double by their cleanup hitter, Manuel Guardian, as they beat the Cardinals for the third time winning 7-6.

Game: Braves of Candelaria vs Athletics of Quitanca

These two teams always provide drama when they face each other, and although this game did not provide as much drama there was still plenty to be found. The Braves found themselves in an all too familiar place after two innings as they dug a 5-0 hole thanks to mental and fielding errors. The Athletics kept a stronghold of that lead as the Braves could not figure out the left-handed pitcher from Quitanca. It was not until the top of the fourth when the Braves finally got on the board and cut the lead to 5-1. Quitanca again were not able to score in the bottom half of the fourth and the Braves found themselves with their best opportunity of the day as they had the bases loaded with two outs and their best hitter, Nidia Pastrana, up to bat. Unfortunately, she was not able to come through and hit a pop fly that was caught by the catcher. Yet, again in the top half of the last inning, the Braves had the bases loaded with two outs and again they were not able to do anything as the A’s pitcher struck out the batter and closed out the game for a 5-1 win.

Next Week:

After being so close their past couple of games, the Cardinals will look to spoil the Athletics perfect season and the Rangers will try to beat the Braves for the first time all year and take control of second place.

We love how the Santa Matilde teams kneel down to pray as a team before every game!

We figured out the reason the Athletics always wins...they're ninjas

AGE GROUP: 12-13

Game: Yankees of Santa Matilde vs Reds of Candelaria

The Yankees coming off their first win of the season were poised to start a win streak as they faced the Reds. And that is what they did as they took advantage of the Reds trying out a new pitcher and rocked the youngster, although the defense did not lend any help, for 6 runs in the first two innings. Even after the pitching change the Yankees refused to let up and added on five more runs in the third and fourth to take a 11-4 lead. The Reds got one more run in the sixth and trailed 11-5 heading into their final at bat. They started a little rally with back to back triples but it was not nearly enough as they only scored 2 runs and lost 11-7.

Game: Red Sox of Quitanca vs Giants of Nuevo Amanacer

The final game of the day was a defensive battle as the Giants were looking to give the Red Sox their second loss and move closer to them in the standings. It was looking good for the Giants through the first three innings as they led 1-0 and their pitcher was giving the Red Sox all sorts of complications. In the bottom half of the fourth the heart of the order for the Red Sox were able to get the best out of the Giants’ pitcher and scored 2 to take a 2-1 lead. The Red Sox later added another run in the bottom half of the sixth and led 3-1 heading into the final at bat for the Giants. Brayan Mainera, the best hitter for the Giants, started the inning off with a triple and it looked like the Giants would have a chance to tie or take the lead. But that hope quickly vanished as Ivan Zelodan struck out the next three batters to give the Red Sox the win.

Next Week:

The Yankees will look to extend their win streak to three against the Cardinals and the Reds will look to stop their losing streak at three against the Red Sox.

It seems that the Giants have resorted to doing sacred Indian tribal dances before games

The routine pic of the field with the volcano in the background #ItNeverGetsOld #ThatStanceThough

February 2016 Update

February has come to a close and the whirlwind of the new year 2016 continues to whizz on by. As the dust settles from the craziness of January and the catching up that took place in February we are looking forward to delving into more concentrated ministry in March. Before talking about things to come let’s first get you all caught up on the final games of February.

We completed our second round of games and the competition is really beginning to level out. In the youngest division, the Tigers took on the undefeated Indians. The Tigers come out roaring as they took a 3-0 lead into the second inning. Yet, the Indians like they always do responded with 3 runs of their own to tie the game in their half of the second and they added 2 more in the third to take a 5-3 lead heading into the fourth. The Tigers found a run in the fourth and in the top half of the fifth to tie the game 5 all heading into the final at bat for the Indians. The Indians had not find themselves in any situation close to this in their first 5 games but they did not blink as they quickly had the bases loaded with only one out and their best hitter at bat. Norlan Trana did not waste any time as he hit a shot to the outfield that easily scored the runner and the Indians remained undefeated in dramatic fashion. On the other side of the field it was the winless Pirates facing the surging Padres. The Pirates frustrated with their losses came out on a mission and attacked their opponent by taking a 13-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. The Padres got the bats going a little bit and put through 4 runs to give themselves a glimmer of hope as they trailed by 8 going into the final inning. The Pirates all but ended the game by adding an extra 4 runs to their cause. An impressive 8 run rally by the Padres was all for not as the Pirates won their first game of the season by defeating the Padres 17-13. The standings through the first six games are as followed: Indians (6-0), Tigers (3-3), Padres (2-4), Pirates (1-5).

We have seen some highlight reel plays!

"Ugh...did we almost lose?"

  The excitement continued into the 10-11 year old games. It started out with the Braves looking to fully secure the second place spot as they took on the feisty Cardinals. It was an absolute pitching duel through the first two innings as the teams combined for 11 strikeouts. The Braves finally got things going in the top of the third as they scored 6 runs, which was highlighted by a two run bomb hit by their star girl Nidia Pastrana. The Cardinals saw their strikeouts continue to pile up until the fifth inning, feeling confident in the 6 run lead the coach of the Braves changed pitchers and gave an opportunity to a youngster who had never pitched before in hopes of finding a third pitcher for the club. Full of nerves, the young pitcher threw eight pitches and walked two batters. The Braves brought in their only other pitcher and the Cardinals managed to get the two walked batters and another batter home as they halved the lead to 6-3. The Braves did nothing in the bottom half of the sixth giving the Cardinals one final at bat to score at least 3 runs. The Cardinals, helped by two costly errors, had cut the lead to 1 with two outs and runners on second and third. Not trusting his defense the pitcher, battling a cut on his index finger of his pitching hand, dug deep and struck out the final batter to secure a 6-5 win for the Braves. In the other game featuring the Athletics and the Rangers it was business as usual for the undefeated A’s as they methodically scored 6 runs in the first three innings. They gave up 2 runs in the fifth, but that was all they would surrender as they continued to roll through the competition beating the Rangers 6-2. The standings for this division are: Athletics (6-0), Braves (3-3), Rangers (2-4), Cardinals (1-5).

Nidia running for her homerun!

Some of the Rangers playing in the trees

 

In the oldest division all the eyes were looking toward the last game that would have the Reds and the Giants battling for second place. Although that game did not disappoint, the Yankees shocked the world as they took down the mighty Red Sox. The Yankees took their centerfielder, who is a 12 year old trapped in a 16 year old’s body, and tried him at pitcher for the first time all season. This is his first season playing baseball and you can tell as he is a little clumsy in his movements, but the kid can hurl the baseball and surprisingly for his first time pitching he had great control. After surrendering one run in the first, young Domingo Dolmos pitched five scoreless innings. He was helped by some good defense and run support. The Yankees have struggled to score runs all year but things came together on Saturday as they scored five runs, which was plenty and they won their first game of the season 5-1. It will be interesting to watch how this team fairs this week with their newfound pitcher and bats. Finally in what many thought would be the best game of the week, the Reds and the Giants lived up to expectations.  It was a showcase of pitching and defense as these two teams battled through six innings and were deadlocked 1-1 heading into the final inning.  The Reds broke the tie thanks to Luiz Santana who hit a rocket to left center that just never stopped rolling as he raced around the bases to give the Reds a 2-1 lead. The other batters all struck out and the Reds looked to close out the game in the bottom half of the seventh. The Giants started off with a strikeout, but then a hit and an error led to runners on second and third with only one out. Wilson Martinez, the closer for the Reds, struckout the following batter as the nerves were on full blast as the Giants were down to their last batter with a chance to tie or win. Edward Bacca stepped up to the plate and hit a streamer down the third base line that scored both runners and it was a walk off victory for the Giants as they tied themselves with the Reds for second in the standings. The oldest division has the Red Sox at 5-1 followed by the Reds and Giants at 3-3 and finally the Yankees have life as they sit at 1-5. 

The Yankees could barely hold in their excitement and the Giants were left astonished after the big upset!

This pictures was taken right before he raced home to tie the game

 Saturdays are always a fun and special time for us. As we have four different communities coming together and playing baseball. The joy and excitement from the kids is contagious but, we know that this ministry is meant for a lot more than games on Saturdays and we are excited to be able to share the things that will be taking place in this month of March. Now that the league is up and running smoothly it allows time to get inside these kids homes on a weekly basis to start to develop relationships and open up doors to minister to hearts. It is crazy to see how many hours can be used up on getting everything ready for Saturdays. But now that we have systems in place we are looking forward to be more intentional in seeking out families and kids in their homes during the week and not just on game days. Another avenue that we are eager to see how God will move is ministry to the young men/men in the community. In March we will begin having our community outreach ministry that will take place every Sunday afternoon. It will be a time where we will open up our fields to any young man/man that wants to come and play baseball for a couple of hours. The catch will be in order to play they will have to come before hand for a devotion. We believe this will be a great opportunity to share the Word and also build relationships in a lighthearted atmosphere. God is moving in the hearts of some young men who stay on the street corners, and we pray that this will further advance the movement of the Holy Spirit. We ask that you partner with us in prayer in these things as we head into March. Thanks and God bless!