Who was that guy?

I missed the Braves' recent game against the Padres, but some of you noticed and commented on an enthusiastic gentleman who was there in my place. That was my friend Dean, who tries to get to at least one of Nick's Little League games each season. People, especially kids, often assume Dean is my brother and consequently Nick and Zoe's uncle. While Dean and I are not officially related, he is like a brother to me and one of the finest people I know. In his honor, we will all try to be "one with the ball" for the rest of the season.

Game 15: Braves 11, Cubs 2

With a full roster in the dugout for the first time in a couple of weeks, the Braves defeated the Cubs 11-2 Tuesday night at Water Tower.
The victory clinched #1 seeding for the Braves in the playoffs.
As visiting team, the Braves batted first. With one out, Alec, Jack and Connor all drew walks, and Alec scored on a wild pitch. Connor took the mound in the bottom half of the inning, and struck out the side. 1-0, Braves.
The Braves have a team where all 12 players can have good at-bats. They proved this in the top of the second inning, when the lower half of the batting order propelled the team to a big inning. Scott singled up the middle and Tyler drew a walk. Anthony doubled to center field, driving in Scott. Liam grounded out productively to the second baseman, driving in Tyler. Ryan walked. Nick doubled to center field, driving in Anthony and Ryan. With two outs, Jack singled over the first baseman's head, and Nick came in to score. Connor then tripled to right field, scoring Jack.
In the bottom half of the inning, Evan Miller singled for the Cubs, but Connor struck out the next two batters, and Anthony caught a fly ball in right field to end the inning. 7-0, Braves.
The game rolled quietly until the bottom of the 4th, when the Cubs scratched out a run, in part due to fielding miscues. 7-1, Braves.
In the top of the 5th, Nick singled through the right side of the infield, took second base on a wild pitch, and moved to third base on Jack's groundout. Then the fleet-footed Cambodian-American, leading aggressively off third base, drew a wild throw and dashed home to score. Connor singled up the middle, took second base on a passed ball, and scored on Will's single to right center field. Evan then singled to right center, scoring Will. 10-1, Braves.
In the bottom of the 5th, with Alec on the mound, a Cubs batter reached on an infield single. But when the next batter, Sam Horn, hit a foul fly partway down the right field line, Cookie (Will) hustled over from first base to make the catch. Alec struck out the next batter for the second out. With the bases loaded, our big redhead fanned the next batter for the third out. 10-1, Braves.
In the top of the 6th, Scott singled through the left side and moved to second on a passed ball. Tyler hit a strong fly to center field, but the Cubs centerfielder made a nice sliding catch to record an out. Anthony grounded out to the shortstop; Scott moved to third on the play, then scored when the Cubs failed to take care of the ball. Ryan ripped a liner to the right side that the Cubs second baseman speared in a fine play.
In the bottom of the 6th, Cubs batter Zach Casey walked, but was erased on a fielder's choice that left the next batter on base with one out. That Cubs runner was then caught in a rundown between first and second, with shortstop Connor throwing to first baseman Tyler, who applied the tag. Two outs.
Cubs slugged Evan Miller then smacked a ground rule double to right center. When the next batter reached base, Miller scored, and the ball squirted out to the middle of the infield. Tyler alertly scooted over, grabbed the ball and fired to second, with many of us thinking he had thrown the advancing runner out. However, he was called safe. The next batter grounded sharply to the right side, but second baseman Ryan swiftly caught to the ball, pivoted, then calmly threw the runner out. Braves win, 11-2.
Game ball: Coaches awarded the game ball to Connor for his strong three innings of pitching and his consistent hitting all year.
Playoff seeding: Coach Ross also announced that victory clinched #1 seeding for the Braves in the playoffs. The playoffs begin Tuesday July 6. Unofficially, the likely scenario right now is that the #8 and #9 seeds would play on July 6; the winner of that game would play against the Braves on Wednesday July 7. This is a double-elimination tournament, so teams continue to play until they lost two games. The scenario I just outlined is unofficial; Little League will release the playoff schedule after the regular season ends Friday.
Next game: The Braves conclude their regular season on Friday with a game against the Phillies. Game begins at 6:30 p.m.; please have your Brave there at 5:30 p.m. for batting practice and warmups.

Game 14: Padres 10, Braves 5 (by guest blogger Karen W. Higgins)

I am the guest blogger and want to share three main points about Thursday night's game:
1) We never gave up completely.
2) Mr. Higgins was sorely missed but one of his best friends, Dean Zemel, came to help cheer in the midst of adversity and gave us two phrases: "Be one with the Ball" and "Home of the Braves" as we worked hard to regain some ground. Personally I like "Be one with the Ball" as a good connection was made with the ball. But I learned that only goes so far. And it brought smiles to the peanut gallery watching the game.
3) This team has great parents supporting our young men. Each of us have our own way to cajole the team. And it brings smiles to me the way we all care the kids have a good experience that goes beyond winning.
I end this blog with pictures taken by our family friend Nathan Wallin from a few games ago. Enjoy, and let's look forward to some good games next week. Go Braves.
Karen Higgins and Company








Photos courtesy of Nathan Wallin

Congratulations to Braves All-Stars

Congratulations to Connor and Alec, who were chosen for the U12 All-Star Team, and Scott, who was selected for the U11 All-Star Team. Check the Whitefish Bay Little League website for more details.

Game 13: Braves 25, Brewers 2

The Braves batted around in both the first and third innings and crushed four homers, including two grand slams. But what Coach Ross wanted to talk about the team's 25-2 victory over the Brewers Monday afternoon was the fabulous team defense in the first inning.
As home team, the Braves took the field first, with Evan on the mound. The first Brewers batter dropped down an excellent bunt to the left of the mound. Braves third baseman Jack, pitcher Evan and first baseman Tyler all charged toward the plate as soon as the batter squared up to bunt. Jack picked up the ball and fired to second baseman Nick, covering at first, for the out. A bang-bang play, executed perfectly by the Braves. In the same inning, Matt (at shortstop) and Jack both made fine pickups of ground balls and threw sharply to Tyler at first for the outs.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Nick battled a good Brewers pitcher with foul after foul through ten pitches until he finally drew a walk. That seemed to break the ice for the Braves, who proceeded to bat around. Jack doubled, driving in Nick. Connor singled to right field, bringing Jack home. Will blooped a single to right, scoring Connor. Matt walked. Scott singled to bring Will and Matt home, and scored on a passed ball. Anthony singled, and Liam followed with a single to score Anthony. Tyler drove in Anthony with a groundout to the right side, and Nick singled into right field to score Liam. Braves 9, Brewers 0.
Anthony took the mound in the second inning. As he and our other hurlers pitch to contact, our defense continues to do its job. Third baseman Jack grabbed a grounder and threw out the first batter. Anthony helped himself by snaring a soft liner for the second out. Then Anthony finished off the inning by striking out the third batter with two successive changeups, the second one slower than the first. (I've noticed that's a theme in Little League Majors pitching this year -- the advent of the changeup, a pitch thrown ideally with the same motion as a fastball, but somewhat slower speed, disrupting the batter's timing.)
In the bottom of the second, one of the goofier moments of the season: Matt ducked out of the way of a high pitch, which hit something and rolled onto the field. The alert Brewers catcher picked up the ball and threw to first. The otherwise solid home-plate umpire seemed momentarily flummoxed by it. Both teams agreed the ball hit Matt's bat as he was ducking out of the way. The Brewers contended the ball hit only the bat. The Braves argued it hit the bat and then the catcher's mask, making it a foul ball. In the end, with no instant replay review at Water Tower, the umpire ruled it a ball in play and the out was recorded.
Strong Braves defense continued in the third inning. Anthony struck out the first batter. The next batter hit a grounder up the middle and through Anthony's legs, but shortstop Scott was in position and threw him out. Two Brewers walked, but the Braves snuffed out the rally on the next grounder, with Scott throwing to Evan at third base for a forceout.
The thundersticks returned in the third inning. Evan singled and took second on an error. Anthony singled him in. Liam walked. Anthony scored on an error. Nick singled, plating Liam. Then Jack gave Nick's legs a rest, crushing his second homer of the season, so both boys could trot home. Connor followed with a homer to center field, his eighth of the season. Cookie (Will), Matt and Scott all followed with singles, loading the bases for Evan.
If you know Evan at all, you know he approaches whatever he is doing with complete intensity and commitment. I'm sure he stood in the batter's box thinking only about getting the bat on the ball. But he got a pitch in his hot zone and slammed it over the fence in right field for his first home run and a grand slam to boot. He was screaming with excitement as he hopped around the bases.
Anthony and Liam both singled to center field to extend the inning, and Nick drove in the final run with a single. 20-0, Braves.
In the top of the fourth, our rookie Cookie took the ball on the mound. He struck out the first two batters looking, then hard-nosed Brewers player Joey Anzia battled him through several foul balls, then ripped a single. The next batter hit a high line drive that Liam left his feet to snare.
The Braves added more runs in the fifth. Evan singled and took second on an error. Anthony singled. Liam hit into a fielder's choice, driving in Evan. Nick and Jack walked, then Connor followed with a grand slam, his ninth homer of the year.
The Brewers, who never quit, got on the board with two runs due in part to aggressive baserunning. Final score: Braves 25, Brewers 2.
Coaches awarded the team ball to Evan.
Braves alum Chris Pritchard and his dad, our former coach Dave Pritchard, both watched big chunks of the game. I can tell you this: Chris roots for the Braves as intensely as if he were still on the squad. Thank you, Chris, for being one of our role models and a great supporter.
Homer time: I don't want to overemphasize home runs, because boys can mess up a good swing and hurt their team by trying too hard to hit dingers. But the Braves are loving the recent summer power surge they've put on. They were trying to add up the year's total last night. I think this is it: Connor, 9; Nick, 4; Jack, 2; Alec, 1; Evan, 1. Total to date: 17 HRS. I don't know the homer totals for other teams, but I would be surprised if any other team has 5 boys who have homered this year.
Changing speeds: Connor's at-bats have been impressive. He made a point of saying to me, "I hit singles, too," and he does. He has become patient enough to adjust to the speed of each individual pitcher.
Returning to the theme of changeups: Some of the Braves, including some of our better hitters, have more trouble with a slow pitch than a fast one. As we have started to see this season, some of the best pitchers aren't necessarily guys who throw as hard as possible all the time, but who vary the speed and location of their pitches with some control. Matt Bernstein of the Red Sox, for example. This is why studying a new pitcher, including studying your teammates' at-bats, is important. Matt will nearly always throw a good hitter a changeup during an at-bat. (When he pitched against Nick, for example, he threw it with two strikes in the first at-bat, and as the first pitch in the second at-bat.) Swinging out of your shoes on every pitch leads to a lot of misses. Our team success at the plate shows that getting the bat on the ball is the most important thing, not necessarily hitting it as hard as possible each time. Be patient, don't lunge at the ball, and drive it.
Next game: Our next game is Thursday June 14 at Water Tower vs. the Padres. Please have your Brave at the batting cage area at 5:30 p.m. Thanks.

Braves albums Chris & Jason, Part 2: A Stirring Comeback

[Dave Pritchard sent this note about a recent game featuring Braves alums Chris & Jason]:
Ex-Braves Chris Pritchard and Jason Blacher played key roles in their team’s never-say-die, come-from-way-behind victory in a tournament in West Bend Saturday afternoon.
Chris and Jason’s Wildcats were down, 12-0, before they even came to bat, the Wildcats’ best pitcher having been pounded, hammered, shelled, and battered by a very strong BOSS team. But the pitcher held his head high after a 59-pitch inning, and so did the rest of the Wildcats. The team dedicated itself to winning every inning from there on.
They chipped away at BOSS’s lead little by little, and going into bottom of the last inning they were down only – only! – 15-7, in large part because Jason had taken over on the mound and held the powerful opponents in check.
I won’t keep you in suspense. The Wildcats scored nine runs for a walk-off 16-15 victory, with everyone in the lineup contributing in the fateful last inning (including Chris with a line-drive RBI single).
The victory meant that the Wildcats won their pool in the tournament. They will play in the semi-finals Sunday morning, and if they win that game they will play for the championship at noon.
All in all, an exciting game that reminded me of what I read on the blog about the Braves’ amazing victory over the Red Sox. These are the kinds of games that reveal the character of a team.
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon at Water Tower!
Dave

Coach Ross speaks

Team,
Just a quick reminder, our next game is Monday June 21st vs. the Brewers at
4:30pm. Pregame warm-up will begin at 3:30pm. The Braves are the home team
(first base dugout) so we get the batting cage first. The first players
there typically get more swings ... it just works out that way. :-)
NO PRACTICE on Sunday, June 20th. Its Fathers day, Braves fathers should be
especially proud of their sons ... ALL have done an awesome job of
representing the team, themselves, and their fathers. :-) Good work Dads!
Lastly, another great team effort today by the Braves (15-5 win) ... the
Padres pitched one of their best pitchers and we got to him in the 3rd
inning by scoring 7 runs. I think we've had a few big innings this year. :-)
We are a fun and exciting team to watch.
Have a Happy Father's Day.
Ross

Games 12: Braves 15, Padres 5

With several regulars on vacation or unavailable, the Braves relied on strong performances from a nine-man squad and a younger brother to defeat the Padres 15-5 on a warm Saturday afternoon at Water Tower Park.
The coaches awarded Jack the game ball for a strong afternoon that included his first homer, a blast over the right-center fence; four rbis; and a sparkling, intelligent play at third base that Coach Ross talked with the team about after the game.
With a runner on third, you will hear coaches yell, "Check 3, go 1." In this case, Jack actually did it, and made it pay off.
With runners on first and third and no one out, the Padres batter grounded sharply to third. Jack scooped up the ball and looked at the runner on third base, freezing him for a few moments. Jack then threw to Tyler at first base for the first out. The runner at third took off for home. Tyler fired home and Scott applied for the tag, for a rare but sweet 5-3-2 double play. Jack's look at the runner, freezing him for a few moments, made the double play possible, Ross said.
The Braves began the game with nine team members, plus Connor's brother Carson as a call-up from the minors. Tyler, who started on the mound, dispatched the Padres in the first inning with an economical 7 pitches, aided by a double play started by Connor when he caught a line drive.
The Braves scratched out a run in the second. Connor singled sharply on the first pitch he saw, moved to second in the course of play and scored on a single by Scott. Braves 1, Padres 0.
But in the top of the third, the Padres, aided by a couple of walks and some miscues in the field, put up 4 runs. Padres 4, Braves 1.
The Braves showed their resiliency by batting around and putting up 7 runs in their half of the third inning. Liam singled on a two-strike pitch (the first of his two two-strike hits this afternoon). Then Carson was hit by a pitch, putting runners at 1st and 2nd bases. Nick doubled to drive in Liam, with Carson moving to third. Matt singled, driving in Carson. Alec singled, driving in Nick. Then Connor singled, driving in Matt. With Alec and Connor on base, Jack fouled off several pitches to stay alive, then clouted his first homer in the majors, to genuine shouts of joy from his teammates. In the same inning, Anthony showed the value of batting cage work, laying down a perfect bunt single. Braves 8, Padres 4.
Matt took the mound in the top of the 4th, striking out the first batter and inducing ground balls to the next two.
In the bottom of the fourth with one out, Nick started the action by drawing a walk after a full count. Matt singled. With two strikes, Alec ripped a double, scoring Nick and Matt. Connor singled to drive home Alec, then Jack singled to drive in Connor. Jack eventually came around to score himself. Braves 13, Padres 4.
The Padres scratched out a run in the fifth, but the double play initiated by Jack snuffed out their rally. In the bottom of the fifth, Liam capped an 8-pitch at-bat by singling. Nick followed with a double. Then, with two outs, Alec singled, driving in both Liam and Nick. Braves 15, Padres 5.
Matt and the defense shut the Padres down in the top of the sixth. Final score: Braves 15, Padres 5.
Afterwards, Coach Ross stressed that playing solid defense, especially in the infield, and making smart decisions with the ball would be priorities over the next few games, as the Braves prepare for the playoffs in July.
Next game: Our next game is Monday June 21 at 4:30 p.m. vs. the Brewers. Please have your Brave at Water Tower by 3:30 p.m. If your player can't make a game, please let us know as soon as you can.

Comeback victory: A message from Coach Ross

Team,
I still cannot believe what our team accomplished today. This is great an
example of the saying "it's not how you start ... it's how you finish".
It's true in life and WFB Little League. :-) We are so proud of ALL the
boys ... another example of TEAMWORK. The only way we could erase and
comeback from an eight-run deficit in the final inning was that everyone
needed to contribute and that's what happened!!! Also, we earned it ... our
team showed that they can hit, run bases, be disciplined at the plate, and
most of all will not give up!!
I will remember this game forever. :-)
Thanks team!
Coach Ross

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.

Success story!

[At my instigation, Karen Kimple has written this guest post about a great team victory that includes Connor's younger brother, Carson.]

Although this isn’t directly related to the Braves, I thought I would share some good baseball news with you. This past weekend the Jr. Dukes Baseball U-10 Team won the Cudahy Baseball Tournament and became the first Jr. Dukes Baseball team to win a tournament! The team includes Connor’s younger brother, Carson, and is coached by Darren Miller.
The team won their first game on Saturday morning by beating the New Berlin Magic 7-0. Scattered showers interrupted their Saturday afternoon game against Southwest. The Jr. Dukes were ahead by quite a margin when the skies really opened up and the umps decided to finish that game on Sunday.
Early on Sunday afternoon, the team resumed the game and beat Southwest to advance to their next game. I can’t remember which team they played, but this was a very close game which resulted in a 1-1 tie (Carson scored the only run). They had to play a California Rules tiebreaker. The Jr. Dukes smacked in a number of runs to win the tiebreaker and advance to the championship game.
The championship game against New Berlin Magic was a real nail biter, with our team down by something like 5 runs in the 3rd inning but the team rallied. They believed - they made plays, they got hits, and they really supported each other as a team. It came down to a 6-6 tie in the 5th inning. One of Carson's teammates hit a single that allowed the runner on 3rd to run home and score the go-ahead run. It couldn’t have been any more exciting and we delighted that our boys were able to bring home trophies!
-- Karen Kimple

A Tangent: Chicken on the Hill with Will

Every time Braves player Will Koch comes up to bat and I reflexively yell, "Go Will," I think about Willie Stargell, a great slugger for my hometown team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Stargell owned a chicken restaurant in Pittsburgh's Hill district, and the restaurant had a standing promotion that if you were buying chicken in the place when Stargell hit a home run, you got your chicken free.
Pirates announcer Bob Prince (the Pittsburgh equivalent of Bob Uecker or Vin Scully, but even more fervent) used to shout this catchphrase when Stargell would come up to bat: "Spread some chicken on the Hill with Will!"
Thanks for indulging a little nostalgia. We now return you to regular WFBLL Braves programming.

Game 9: Braves 9, Yankees 2

The Braves have some excellent players, but no one is The Man. Actually, when it comes to Braves, any player can be The Man on any given play. The team's 9-2 victory over the disciplined and well-coached Yankees is the latest evidence of that.
The Braves batted first. With one out, Evan singled past the shortstop, Nick singled to center field, and Connor drew a walk, loading the bases. Ryan drove in Evan with an RBI groundout to short. 1-0, Braves.
The Yankees battled back to tie the game in the first through a combination of walks and an error, but catcher Ryan ended the Yanks' rally by throwing back to pitcher Connor to tag a runner out at the plate. 1-1.
In the top of the second, Tyler, Will & Jack all walked to load the bases. Anthony singled to drive in Tyler. Scott hit a fielder's choice to short, driving in Will. Liam singled through the right side, but Yankees third baseman Jack Friesch grabbed a line smash by Alec to end the inning. 3-1, Braves.
After his first-inning jitters, Connor found his command in the second inning, striking out the side around a harmless walk.
The Braves broke through in the third with a big timely hit. Evan singled sharply up the middle. Nick pushed him over to second with a groundout to the first baseman. Connor singled through the left side, then Matt walked to load the bases. Lefty Tyler then smashed a double to center field, driving in all three runners. 6-1, Braves.
Connor's infield defense supported him in the bottom of the third. The first batter grounded into the hole on the right side of the diamond, but Nick ranged over quickly to vacuum it up and throw him out. Then, with runners on first and second and two outs, third baseman Jack fielded a grounder and calmly fired a seed to first for the third out. Folks, a Little League third baseman throwing out a runner at first is not a given! Excellent play by Jack.
In the top of the 4th, the Braves took advantage of some Yankee generosity to extend their lead. With two outs, Scott and Liam both drew walks. Alec's single to right field plated Scott. 7-1, Braves.
This is a good place to point out that at-bats can be good even when they don't produce hits. Nick, Ryan and Evan all had at-bats where they fouled off multiple pitches, running up the opposing pitcher's pitch count.
The Braves shut down the Yankees in the bottom of the 4th with more good defense, including Evan snatching a fly ball at third.
In the top of the fifth inning, Nick singled sharply over the first baseman's head. Then Connor crushed his sixth homer of the season over the center field fence. 9-1, Braves.
Will relieved Connor on the mound with one out in the bottom of the fifth. He pitched effectively to contact, inducing a grounder for the second out and grabbing a comebacker and firing to first base to finish off the inning.
After the Braves failed to score in the top of the sixth, Will came back out to the mound. With one out, a Yankee runner reach first on an error. When he tried to go to third on the ensuing batter's hit, centerfielder Matt fired a perfect throw to Jack at third base to tag the runner out. A subsequent batter drove in a run, but the game ended with shortstop Connor spearing a line drive. 9-2, Braves.
Next game: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday vs. the Red Sox at Water Tower. Please have your Brave there by 5:30 p.m.

Mid-season report from Coach Ross

Team,
It appears that we’ll have the entire team at today’s game which is GREAT! The coaches will get to WTP (Water Tower Park) around 3:30pm with pre-game warm-ups starting shortly thereafter. Game time is scheduled for 4:30pm with the Braves batting first as we are the visitors which means we’ll have the 3rd base-side dugout.
We’ve completed half of our season and we’re off to great start … 1st place with a 7-1 record. Everyone is doing a great at the plate. The team has scored 102 runs in eight games and only given-up 40 runs. We are batting .483 as a team. Our aggressiveness at the plate has showed ... we’ve only been “called out” (not swinging) on strikes 21 times over 279 plate appearances which equates to approximately 7% of the time … that’s AWESOME. We have a team “on base percentage” of .552 … we get on base over 50% of the time! While I don’t have the numbers on this one, I recall a lot of “two strike hits” which is another stat that shows maturity at the plate. Rick Rojahn does an incredible job of recording our team stats which allows me to share this with you. If you’d like more on an individual player see Rick … he has those as well. We are fun team to watch. J
We start the second half of our season this afternoon. I will remind the players not to take things for granted and to keep working hard and stay focused. If you recall, we started out last season 7-1 as well and I believe finished 9-7 winning only two or our last eight games. I expect our team to respond with the same focus and humility shown thus far. We are looking forward to great second half of the season. I hope to see all of you at the game today.
If you have any questions or comments please see Rick or I.
Ross

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.

The Team Celebrates a Victory

 

Photo by Karen W. Higgins

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.