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!