News from around the Falls Church-Kiwanis Little League.

MAJORS

Nationals 4 – Red Sox 3

Jesse Jones pitched 4 1/3 strong innings for the Nats, striking out seven, including fanning the side in the second, as the Nats triumphed over the Sox on April 30. The Red Sox’ Richard Marsh pitched 4 2/3 innings, striking out nine. In the fifth inning, Devon Johnson knocked in the game-winning run with a single. In the bottom of the sixth, with two outs and runners on second and third, Ted Terwilliger was robbed of a game-winning hit by Chris Meador in center field.

Red Sox 8 – A’s 4

The visiting A's jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Sox in the first, on Saturday, May 3. Brought on in relief, the Sox’ Brennan Jones proceeded to pitch 5 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball, giving the Sox the room they needed to punch out the win. The Sox were led on defense by the strong catching of Austin Clark and the stellar play of Richard Marsh at shortstop and Jackson DuBro in center field. Key hits were contributed by Stevie Lethbridge, Clark and DuBro. William O'Hora, George DeMars and Maggie Goldsmith contributed RBI hits for the A’s.

Yankees 4 – Mason District Pirates 1

The Yankees' Andrew Messner and Anthony Wagner made their mound debuts on Saturday, May 3, and led their team to victory. Alex McMillen handled the other end of the battery for all six innings, calling a very effective game, as the Yankees gave up only two hits and no earned runs. Evan Tracey gave heroic defensive support in the outfield, with diving catches in both left and right field and a rifle throw to hold the runners at a critical juncture of the game.

Colton Hodge was the offensive hero, collecting his second homer of the season. He missed another earlier in the game by about two feet, collecting a double instead. Tracey and McMillen each had two hits as well.

Yankees 19 – Cubs 7

On Wednesday, April 30, the Yankees exploded for nine runs in the fifth inning, breaking through with a combination of solid pitching from Jon Strader and Evan Davis, speed and timely hitting on offense. Ten Yankees reached base in the game, with Evan Davis, Colton Hodge and Jordan Cole (single and two doubles) picking up multiple hits. Alex McMillen reached base five out of five trips to the plate and scored four times.

The Cubs collected some big hits from Ryan Leonard (double, triple), Ben Torpey (two doubles) and Will Iacobucci (single, double).

Cubs 8 – Mason District Phillies 3

The Cubs used solid pitching from Austen Adcock and timely defense to walk away with a victory over the Mason District Phillies on May 3. Adcock finished the outstanding outing with eight strikeouts over five complete innings. The Cubs used a great throw from shortstop Jacob Eye and a diving tag from catcher Ben Torpey to nail a Phillies runner at the plate to end an attempted rally. Torpey had two doubles and three RBI on the day, while Eye finished with two hits for the Cubs.

Cubs at Challengers

The Challengers, an integral part of the Falls Church Kiwanis Little League, used the strong pitching of Daniel Monahan to limit the Cubs’ offensive capabilities, striking out four and surrendering just three hits on May 4. Jack Passalacqua, Ryan Hill, Andy Quezada and Regina Vranesh supplied great defense and timely hitting in support of Monahan’s outstanding pitching performance.

The Cubs all contributed to a great day with the Challengers, including Daniel Anderson, Jacob Eye, David McAllister, Ryan Leonard, Vincent Kanyan, Will Iacobucci, PJ Kern, Ben Torpey and Wesley Coupard.

AAA

Cardinals 8 – Pirates 7

The Cardinals beat the Pirates in a nail-biter under the lights at Westgate Park on Tuesday, April 29. The entire Cardinals pitching staff was spectacular, accounting for 14 of the 18 outs required for the win. Thomas Beddow had four strikeouts in the first two innings. Brant Cole struck out three in the fourth inning, and another in the fifth. Logan Nesson was perfect in the sixth, with a put-out at first, and two strikeouts to close out the game. Ten Cardinals contributed hits, including a single by Beddow, a double and a single by Cole, a single by Nesson, a double by Drew Turner and a triple by Zachary Welch. Welch also had two key plays as catcher in the fifth inning, including running down a bunt to throw out a batter at first.

For the Pirates, Michael Behrens was superb on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings. He also hit a double in the fifth inning, adding an RBI, and scoring on the next hit.

Cardinals 11 – Rangers 7

The Cardinals came from behind to beat the Rangers, Saturday, May 3. The Cardinals had a big fifth inning, with Annie Ferguson following a single in the second inning with a double, and later scoring for the third time in as many at-bats. Zachary Welch followed a single in the third inning with a single in the fifth. The Cardinals’ pitching staff was excellent, with Matthew Livingston striking out five. Thomas Beddow also struck out three, but it was Grant Goodwin’s all-around effort that most stood out. Goodwin had a hit and contributed five outs over the course of the game, including two strikeouts and a put-out at first while pitching, and a huge catch in right field for the final out of the fifth inning.

For the Rangers, Thomas Conroy had two big hits and Sean Brown had back-to-back catches in center field after coming off of a strong pitching effort.

Mets 13 – Marlins 6

The Mets got their fourth win on May 3, beating the Marlins. Harry Slonim started the Mets off strong, with five strikeouts in the first two innings. The game remained scoreless through two innings, but in the third inning Justin Trainor doubled and drove in the first run for the Mets. Jonathon Hoyns and Joseph DePrez also drove in runs in the third. The Marlins got on the board in their half of the third inning with an RBI by Nicholas George and doubles by Billy Smith and Charlie Bernicke, both of whom then stole home to score.

Johnny Peterson closed the game for the Mets by pitching three strikeouts.

AA

Riverdogs 14 – Scrappers 7

Led by the pitching of Dylan Galt, the Riverdogs held the Scrappers scoreless in the top of the first inning. The timely hitting of Nicholas Hutzell allowed the Riverdogs to take the lead 5-0 in the bottom of the first. Mike Curtain, relief pitcher for the Riverdogs, was able to hold the Scrappers to only one run in the top of the second inning. Timmy Winters tripled in the top of the third inning bringing in three runs. Alex Dorsey, pitching for the Scrappers, held the Riverdogs scoreless in the bottom of the third. An awesome catch and double play made by the Riverdogs Dylan Galt and Mike Savory held off the Scrappers for the Riverdogs win.

Storm 15 – Sand Gnats 1

The Storm jumped out to a five-run lead in their first at-bat against the Sand Gnats on May 3, the first in a three-game series the two teams will play. Kaylyn Truesdale led the team’s strong pitching, striking out three and not allowing a walk, while Lou Lindsay and David Gartner each retired four batters. Sand Gnats slugger Sam Luten smashed two singles. The Storm’s defense suppressed Sand Gnats' rallies with good solid play, including Lucas Hertzog’s heads up play at first base for an out. Jack Foster added an RBI, Jack Gieseler contributed two singles and Anthony Cantanio and John Laszakovits each added a single and a double, with Laszakovits accounting for an RBI.