Game 11: Braves 13, Red Sox 12

Unlike many other sports, baseball is not ruled by the clock. The advantage to being home team is one last chance at bat to seize control of the game.
The resilient Braves proved that Saturday morning, defying the odds and thrilling their audience with a come-from-behind victory over the determined Red Sox.
The Braves began the bottom of final inning down 12-3. But in that fateful frame, 13 batters stepped to plate, scoring 10 runs. The Braves rapped out 8 hits and drew three walks (Nick, Evan and Connor each had two hits in the inning). The Braves scored the final six runs with two outs.
No one would have predicted this outcome based on the start of the game. The Braves dug themselves a ginormous hole. After two innings, they were down 11-0, thanks to a combination of walks, errors, poor throws and concentration lapses in the field (By my bookkeeping, the Red Sox had only two actual hits in the first two innings. But that disciplined and aggressive team made the Braves pay for every miscue.)
Meanwhile, Red Sox pitcher Matt Bernstein was dealing on the mound, changing speed and location of his pitches craftily, and fooling Braves hitters with some filthy changeups. (That's filthy in a good way.)
Will took the mound for the Braves in the third inning, and kept the team in the game by throwing two scoreless innings. Evan helped him in the fourth inning with a fine sliding catch of a fly ball in right field.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Braves began to fight back. With two outs, Evan singled to right field and stormed his way to third base on a couple of Red Sox errors. Then Connor crushed his seventh homer of the season to left-center. Alec (Le Grand Orange)then smacked a line-drive homer to center field, the first of his majors career and the Braves first set of back-to-back homers this season. 11-3, Red Sox after 4.
Both Jack and Matt hit long flies into the outfield in the fifth inning, but the sure-handed Red Sox outfielders made the catches. The Red Sox scratched out a run in the top of the 6th inning to make it 12-3 before the Braves final at-bats.
The Bottom of the 6th

Here's how it went down in the bottom of the 6th.
1. Nick, leading off, bounced a grounder to third base and, foreshadowing some speedy baserunning later in the inning, beat the fielder's throw for an infield single.
2. Evan singled, with Nick moving to third.
3. While Connor was at bat, Nick scored on a wild pitch and Evan moved up to second. Connor then drew a walk. 12-4, Red Sox.
4. Alec doubled, driving in both Evan and Connor. 12-6, Red Sox, with Alec on second base.
5. Will battled in the box long enough for Alec to move to third. He took a called third strike. 1 out.
6. On a full count, Tyler walked, placing runners at first and third. (Let me emphasize that our walks in this inning weren't of the stand-there and take four bad pitches variety. They were battles with a decent Red Sox pitcher.)
7. With Anthony batting, Tyler stole second uncontested. Anthony grounded out to the right side, driving Alec home. 12-7, Red Sox, with 2 outs and Tyler at third base.
[From this point on, with two outs, each batter and baserunner could be the last out. Just keep that in mind.]
8. Jack worked the pitcher to a full count, and then drew a walk. Runners on first and third.
9. Scott singled, driving in Tyler and moved Jack to third base. 12-8.
10. Matt stepped up to bat. Jack scored on a wild pitch, and Scott moved up to second base. Matt singled, driving in Scott. 12-10, two outs.
11. Nick, who led off the inning, came to bat for the second time in the frame. In a thrilling at-bat, he stayed alive with two strikes by fouling off several pitches, then poked a hit to right field, driving in Matt. It was ruled a double, but Nick zoomed around the bases on the throws until he stood at third. 12-11, two outs, with Nick at third base.
12. With Evan at bat for the second time, Nick zoomed home on a wild pitch to tie the game at 12 each. Then, on a 2-2 count, Evan then ripped a double to center field.
13. Connor, batting for the second time, hammered a double to right field, scoring Evan. It's a walk-off win for the Braves, 13-12.
After the game, Coach Ross Harmsen said the team ball would be awarded to the entire team for a great comeback in which every kid played a role.

Game 10: Braves 11, Red Sox 8

The Braves built a big early lead, then shut down a final-inning rally to defeat the determined Red Sox 11-8 Wednesday evening at Water Tower Park.
As visiting team, the Braves batted first. Matt and Alec drew walks. With one out, Connor singled to bring Matt home. Evan's single plated Alec and Connor. Anthony singled, then Ryan doubled to drive in both Evan and Anthony. Jack's groundout drove home Ryan with the final run on the inning. 6-0, Braves.
On the mound, Alec was dealing from the start. (Translation: he was pitching well, firing strikes.) The Red Sox scratched out a run in the first, but that's all they would see for several innings. 6-1, Braves, after one inning.
In the top of the second, with two out, Nick ripped his fourth homer of the season into the trees beyond the right-field fence. Evan also hit a big poke to left field that the Red Sox outfielder corralled just a few feet short of the fence. 7-1, Braves.
Neither team scored in the third or fourth inning. Alec's pitching was aided by some strong fielding, including third baseman Ryan gloving a smash and throwing the runner out at first.
In the top of the fifth inning, Connor singled (he went 4 for 4 in this game), stole second and third and eventually scored on a passed ball. 8-1, Braves.
In the bottom of the fifth, with Alec still on the mound, third baseman Jack caught a line drive for the first out. Two Red Sox reached base on singles. But Alec reached back and struck out the next batter, then catcher Anthony fired to Jack at third to nab an attempted base stealer. A strike' em out, throw 'em out double play.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Braves added some insurance runs that turned out to be useful. Jack singled and Liam walked; both came around to score after a series of wild pitches and an RBI groundout by Tyler. Then Nick showed his speed by beating out an infield single and then swiping second base in a straight steal. Connor singled to drive Nick home. 11-1, Braves.
The Red Sox, though would not go quietly. The Red Sox parlayed a leadoff walk, a few hits and a few Braves throwing errors into a bigtime rally. Evan relieved Alec with one out and rung up a Red Sox batter for the second out. Then he battled through some adversity before striking out the final batter on a 3-2 pitch. The final score was 11-8.
Notes: The game ball for our previous game was awarded to Tyler, for his three-run double that broke open the game...With Nick's fourth homer of the season tonight, the Braves now have ten as a team (Connor has six)...because of external commitments that had the audacity to intrude into baseball, Matt and Tyler shared the leadoff spot: Matt played the first few innings before he had to leave, then Tyler arrived to finish off the game...Carson, Connor's younger brother, served as bat boy this evening.
Next game: Our next game is a rematch against the Red Sox at 9 a.m. Saturday June 12 at Water Tower. Please get your Brave to the park by 8 a.m.
Importance of communication: Coach Ross Harmsen noted that a few boys have family vacations in the near future, so we will play some games with a minimum 9 players. Please make sure you keep Ross posted on your son's availability for each game. Thanks.

Busy week ahead with 3 games

From Coach Ross Harmsen:
Team ... NO Braves games this weekend (June 4-6). However, next week we are busy.
Below is a listing of next weeks' games. Please review and let me know ASAP
if you cannot make any one these games.
Monday, June 7th vs. Yankees @ 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 9th vs. Red Sox @ 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 12th vs. Red Sox @ 9 a.m. (this game was originally
at 11am)
I believe Wednesday's game may be questionable due to other WFB events. I
just want to make sure we can field at least 9 players for each game.
If your Brave CANNOT make any of these games, please get back to Ross ASAP.

Game 8: Braves 10, Rays 5

The Braves jumped out to an early lead, then rode pitching and defense to a 10-5 victory over the talented Rays on Monday afternoon at Water Tower Park.
With one out in the first, Alec singled up the middle and Nick drew a walk. Connor then crushed his 4th homer of the season over the left-field fence. 3-0, Rays.

Alec started the game on the mound. He set a tone with the first Rays batter, Chris Siebert. Chris hit the ball hard right back up the middle, but Alec grabbed the comebacker and threw him out. With his height, athleticism and basketball-honed leaping ability, Alec has a gigantic, pteryodactyl-like range as a fielder, and puts it to good use.
Later in that inning, a Rays runner tried to steal second, but catcher Ryan threw him out, with shortstop Connor moving swiftly to the second-base side of second to make the tag.
In the top of the second, the Braves broke the game open. Scott and Anthony singled. Ryan singled down the first-base line, driving in Scott. Matt walked. Will hit a long fly deep to right field; Anthony tagged and showed his hockey toughness by barreling through the catcher to score. Alec singled to bring Ryan home. Then, with runners on first and third, Nick ripped a line drive into the right-field corner, plating both Braves on base. The fleet-footed Nick dashed to third and scored when the Rays mishandled the ball. It was Nick's third triple of the season. Braves 9, Rays 0.
Braves' strong defensive play continued in the middle innings, highlighted by Connor in right field throwing a runner out at first (in the third inning), and Matt at short throwing out the speedy Chris Siebert in the fourth. Braves first basemen Tyler, Will and Scott provided steady, surehanded service at the bag.
In a potentially scary moment, Rays batter Paul Presberg got plunked in the head with the pitch: this is why kids wear helmets. Paul got up smiling. I checked with him after the game and he said he was fine. Of course, he's a famous tough guy and Junior Blue Dukes football player.
The Rays pecked away at the Braves lead, narrowing it to 9-4 in the fifth inning. Connor came on as the closer in the bottom of the fifth with two outs and runners on second and third. He induced a fly ball from the powerful Connor Nethen that Will speared to end the rally.
In the top of the 6th, Connor helped himself with his second homer of the day (and fifth of the season), a line drive that cleared the center-field fence. 10-4, Braves.
The Rays pushed across another run in the bottom of the final inning, but Connor closed out the game by inducing a comebacker and tossing to first for the final out. Final score, 10-5 Braves.
Notes: The previously scheduled June 5 against the Yankees will be rescheduled. So the Braves' next scheduled game is 6:30 p.m. June 9 against the Red Sox. Coach Ross Harmsen did indicate he will schedule a practice between now and next week's game.