Playoff Game #2: Braves 3, Rays 2 (7 innings)

Tyler drove a single through the middle, scoring Evan with the winning run as the Braves defeated the Rays 3-2 in extra innings Saturday afternoon in a Whitefish Bay Little League Majors playoff game.
For the Braves, Connor pitched 5 and two-thirds innings, nearly a regulation complete game.
While the score was low, the action was intense and the fielding was usually crisp.
After Connor held the Rays scoreless in the first, Matt led off the bottom of the first with a walk. Nick then ripped a double to right center field. Matt scored and Nick went to third on the throw. Alec walked. Connor hit a sacrifice fly deep to right field, scoring Nick. 2-0 Braves.
After neither team scored in the 2nd, the Rays threatened in the top of the third. A Rays batter walked, then moved to third on wild pitches. With one out, Rays batter Paul Presberg hit a fly ball to right field. Will made the catch, and threw home to Ryan to tag the runner trying to score. A 9-2 double play.
The Rays tried to breakthrough again in the 4th. With one out, Brandon Turer singled to right field. Cole Miller hit a fly ball to right, but Liam slid to the ground to make the catch, and Connor fanned the next batter to end the inning.
After the opening inning, Rays hurler Ryan Hummer was just as effective as Connor, changing speeds subtly (as former Braves coach Dave Pritchard noted) and keeping our batters off-balance.
In the top of the 5th, Rays pulled closer when Connor Nethen homered over the center field fence. The next batter walked. Then a Rays batter hit a low bouncer to third. Evan got to his knees to knock it down, then calmly through to Jack at second base for a force out. Rays hitter Paul Presberg singled, but our Connor struck out the next batter to end the inning. 2-1, Braves.
In the top of the 6th, the last regulation inning, Connor induced a pop-up to himself for the first out, but then Cole Miller homered to left field, tieing the game. Connor got a second out on a fly ball to Nick at second base before turning the ball over to Alec, who struck out the next batter to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 6th, Matt singled with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch, but Rays reliever Brandon Turer induced pop-ups from the next two batters. With the score tied at 2, the teams went to extra innings.
Pitcher Alec first faced dangerous slugger Connor Nethen, who grounded the ball up the middle. It deflected off Alec's glove, but second baseman Matt alertly fielded it and threw to Nick at first for the out. Coach Ross pointed out afterwards that it was the second game in a row where Matt alertly grabbed a deflected ball for an out. Alec struck out the next two batters, setting the stage for walk-off drama.
In the bottom of the 7th, Connor hit a hard grounder to Rays' Brandon Turer at short, who made a fine play to throw him out. Then Evan doubled to right field. Will singled through the right side, with Evan moving to third.
With two outs, Tyler came to the plate. If you've followed this team for the past two years, you know that Tyler is a vastly improved hitter this season. He knows the strike zone, takes bad pitches and swings at good ones. He ripped a hard single back up the middle, scoring Evan from third with the winning run. Final score: Braves 3, Rays 2.
Coach Ross praised the effort and intensity of the boys. Game balls were awarded to Connor for his heroic pitching performance, and Tyler for his magnificent walk-off hit.
Other notable moments from the game: Anthony put down a perfect sacrifice bunt in the second to move Tyler to third base. Tyler and Will also caught fly balls in the game.
The Braves have Sunday off before playing the disciplined Yankees at 4:30 Monday at Water Tower. Look for a future e-mail from Coach Ross on reporting time to the ballpark.

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.