Majors
Athletics vs. Yankees – The Athletics beat the Yankees 5-3 on Friday, May 8 under the lights at Westgate 2.
Majors
Athletics vs. Yankees – The Athletics beat the Yankees 5-3 on Friday, May 8 under the lights at Westgate 2. The game was a classic defensive duel, opening with two scoreless innings, as Yankees’ pitcher Michael Behrens struck out five A’s, finishing with nine over four innings. Patrick Evans of the A’s added five K’s in three innings of work on the mound. The A’s defense was aided by the strong play of shortstop Brian Nelson. In the top of the third, Evans hit his third home run of the season, a towering three-run blast to left center.
The A’s defense continued to stymie the Yankees in the third inning, aided by Annie Ferguson’s catch in left field. But the Yankees battled back, with Jordan Cole doubling home Shane Doherty to make it 3-1. A’s middle reliever Brian Nelson held the Yankees to one run through the fourth inning, and Aidan Fitzpatrick added three strike-outs in the fifth and sixth as the A’s held on to win.
A’s vs. Red Sox – The Swingin’ A’s beat the Red Sox 12-6 on Saturday, May 9 at Westgate 1. Both teams showcased their hitting prowess, with nine A’s and six Sox getting hits. The A’s started the slugfest, with Joey Kammerer hitting a two-run homer in his first at-bat. Kammerer would go on to add three singles for a perfect day at the plate. The Red Sox answered with four runs in the bottom of the first.
The A’s then evened the score, when Chris Porter scored on a steal and Kammerer knocked in an RBI. The Red Sox battled back, with Jackson DuBro, who had three hits on the day, scoring on a steal. The A’s responded on a single by Lindsay Charters followed by Aidan Fitzpatrick’s two-run homer over the center field fence.
The A’s added three more runs in the fourth, with George deMars getting his second of three singles, and Patrick Evans adding a single. The Red Sox added one more on Ted Terwilliger’s steal of home, while Brandt Cole hit his second of two singles. But the A’s weren’t through. Logan Nesson roped a double in the sixth, and Annie Ferguson, Matthew Dassira Jimmy Porter singled to round out the win.
Nationals vs. Cubs – Perhaps not since the Washington Senators’ Walter Johnson faced Smokey Joe Wood of the Red Sox in 1912 has there been such intense anticipation of a pitching duel as when aces Ryan Leonard of the Cubs and Daniel Donovan of the Nationals squared off on Friday, May 8 at Westgate 1. The many fans present, including several players and coaches from other teams who stayed to watch the late game, were not disappointed. Fittingly, the two top teams in the standings were deadlocked 1-1 after a tense, well-played five innings.
The Nationals eventually prevailed 5-2, with Donovan completing a two-hit, 12-strike out effort. Leonard was also exceptionally strong, allowing just two hits through his five innings of work. Both pitchers aided their own causes, with Leonard blasting a solo home run in the sixth, and Donovan ripping an RBI-double in the first. Will Iacobucci accounted for the Cub’s other hit. The clutch-hitting Chris Meador led off the Nationals’ four-run sixth with a sharp single, followed by timely hits from Nate Jones and Nate Thatcher, as the Nats secured a hard-fought victory.
Nationals vs. Yankees – In the game to decide the winner of the first half of the season, with a guaranteed place in the June 6 Majors championship game, the Nationals defeated the Yankees 9-6. It was a comeback with for the Nats, as they had to overcome the Yankees’ early 6-3 lead. The Nationals’ Chris Meador threw three shutout relief innings to seal the Nationals win.
For the Yankees, Evan Davis had two hits, as he and teammate Michael Behrens reached base all three times they batted. For the Nationals, Nate Jones had a single and double, second baseman Noah Anderson added two hits, and Casey Lauer got on base all four times at bat. Lauer also caught a hard line drive in left field to shut down a late rally by the Yankees.
Matt Salvador’s clutch RBIs on a hit in the fourth inning and sacrifice fly in the fifth were the turning points for the Nationals as they rallied past the Yankees.singles and got on base in all five at bats. Jackson DuBro blasted a two-run homer over the left field fence in the first inning for the Red Sox.
AAA
Dodgers vs. Marlins – On Saturday, May 9, the Dodgers outlasted the Marlins in a hard fought game, rallying late to win 16-3 over the Marlins. Dodgers’ pitcher David Miller was exceptional, striking out seven batters in three innings. Jacob Plata struck out two batters in the sixth inning for the Dodgers, with Sam Whitaker coming in to strike out the final batter and end a rally by the Marlins.
At the plate, Dodgers’ shortstop Jack Fletchall hit a single, double and triple, with Grinden Collins and Mike Williams adding two hits apiece. For the Marlins, Chris Beddow had a hit, scored a run and stole two bases. Joe DePrez, Craig Fisher and Eddie Donnellan each had an R.B.I. But the Dodgers defense was stubborn, turning in an error-free performance.
Pirates vs. Rangers – In a complete game three-hit shut out with five strike outs by pitcher Dylan Galt, the Pirates defeated the Rangers 7 to 0 on Saturday, May 9. The final result was by no means clear in the early innings, as Ranger pitcher Trevor Deutsch struck out four batters and held the Pirates to three runs in the first three innings.
A classic double play in the fifth inning, with first baseman Louis Klarfeld handily catching a line drive and throwing to catcher Jacob Walters, kept the Pirates on their toes till the very end. Pirates Alexa Tracey, Jessica Manning, Nick Lillis and Joey Handley provided strong hitting, ensuring the final victory for the Pirates in spite of the Rangers excellent defense. The Pirates defense was also superb, playing an error-free game.
AA
Storm vs. Scrappers – Spectacular pitching by Patrick Marsh led the Scrappers to victory against the Storm, 14-4, on Saturday, May 9, when the two teams had their second face-off of the season. Marsh pitched three full innings, striking out five, allowing no runs and assisting in three outs. With Marsh on the mound and his twin brother Sidney at first, the Storm faced double trouble in the bottom of the third.
Working in sync, Patrick and Sidney put out two Storm batters at first, with Patrick striking out a batter in between. The Scrappers’ Holden Forbes hit a double and a single in the game. Gabriel Lauarito and Colin Henderson each had an RBI for the Storm.
A
Raptors vs. Ironbirds – On Saturday, May 9, the Raptors secured another win in a close game, defeating the Ironbirds 9-8. The Raptors’ Quinn Lipetz hit a double in the second inning and contributed an out on defense in the fourth. Sebastien Langlois had two unassisted outs at first base. The Ironbirds’ shortstop Julianna Markus made a superb catch of fly.
Raptors vs. Express – In a closely contested game, the Raptors staved off a valiant effort by the Express to win 9-8. The Raptors’ offense was sparked by Alexander Savinski, who scored three runs, along with Aidan Freeman and Avi Urbach, who hit doubles. Urbach helped the Raptors cause on defense, making a nice unassisted out at first base. Max Freese hit a double to lead off a four-run second inning for the Express.
