Game 2: Braves 10, Yankees 4

Buoyed by strong defense and propelled by a big inning, the Braves defeated the Yankees 10-4 Saturday afternoon at Water Tower Park.
With the game scoreless in the bottom of the second inning, Nick beat out an infield single and went to second on the overthrow. Will moved him over to third, and Anthony drove him home with a two-out single, to put the Braves up 1-0.
With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 4th, Scott walked with 1 out and stole second. Then Nick homered over the center field fence to give the Braves a 3-1 lead.
With a double, a bunt single and aggressive baserunning, the Yankees tied the game at 3 in the top of the 5th inning. But the Braves batted around in their half of the inning, scoring 7 runs to take a 10-3 lead. Anthony singled to right, Jack walked and Tyler rapped a single to the left side to load them up. Then Matt crushed a triple to centerfield, clearing the bases. Alec drove in Matt with a single. Connor walked, and both he and Alec moved up on a wild pitch. Nick singled sharply up the middle to bring Alec home. Connor raced home a passed ball. Will doubled to center, scoring Nick.
Notable moments from the game
Fielding: In the top of the 3rd, with the game tied at 1-1, Jack made two catches in the outfield, including a fine running grab of a line drive. If he misses either of those, the game might have turned in a different direction. He also made a couple of nice plays in the infield. Nick ranged far at second base to grab two flyouts, and stretched his long frame at first base to record the putout on a throw across the diamond from Will. Coach Ross also noted after the game that the Braves made smart decisions with the ball: no wild throws or airmailed balls.
Hitting: Kudos to Tyler, who drew a walk and consequently forced the pitcher next time to throw him a strike, which he ripped hard down the left side for a single. Liam crushed a line drive that a good second baseman speared (and Jack alertly got back on second base without getting doubled up). Ryan practically knocked down a Yankees pitcher with a hard smash up the middle (the pitcher was OK).
Pitching: Alec, Will and closer Connor threw strikes and trusted their fielders to get the ball. Unless I failed in my notes, the Braves pitchers did not walk any batters in the game. In three innings Alec struck out 4 batters and did not walk anyone.
The Braves next play Wednesday May 5 vs. the Brewers at 6 p.m. If past practice is any indication, the coaches will ask the players to be at Water Tower at 5 p.m.

Game 1: Phillies 2, Braves 1

The Phillies defeated the Braves 2-1 in a pitchers' duel at frosty, wind-swept Water Tower Park on April 26. It was the opening Majors game of the Whitefish Bay Little League season.
Braves pitchers Connor, Evan and Alec showed good command on the mound, especially given the modest amount of practice the Braves have had to date. Connor also fielded several balls impressively from the pitcher's spot, and scored the lone Braves run by swiping third, then scampering home on an overthrow.
Some other Braves highlights:
Scott, hit by a pitch, was our first base runner of the season.
Matt beat out a single in the second inning. He also got down a solid bunt later in the game, and was narrowly thrown out at first.
Anthony ripped a sharp single in the 5th inning.
In a game short on hits, Evan, Ryan, Tyler, Alec, Connor and Nick all drew walks.
Nick started a double play in the 5th by grabbing a fly ball in the short right-field grass, then throwing to second to double up an early runner.
Liam made a fine catch of a fly ball to right field.
Will made his Braves debut.
I did not get to speak with Coach Ross after the game, but my hunch is that, after praising the effort of our boys, he would say they took too many called strikes. (Our home plate ump had a low strike zone, but he called it consistently throughout the game.)
The next Braves game will be at 3 p.m. Saturday May 1, vs. the Yankees. Look for emails this week from coaches with further details.

Playoff Game Report: Cubs 10, Braves 8

The Braves’ season ended Thursday evening with a 10-8 loss to the Cubs, but our guys went down fighting. They can hold their heads high.
The Cubs, who had a very rough time winning during the regular season, played extremely well Thursday. Their coaches were amazed at their team’s flawless performance.
The Braves played well, too, with several solid hits and some sparkling defense. Our fielding was simply great.
In the first inning, for example, with a bright sun burning into his eyeballs, second baseman Ryan somehow caught a pop-up in short right field. In the third inning first baseman Tyler saved several runs by s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g ever so far to catch three less-than-perfect throws for outs. Everyone marveled at how he was able to keep his toe in contact with the base on those plays.
The Cubs started to make a move in the fourth, but the Braves cut them short with two nice plays. The first came with a runner on third, Jason pitching, and Ryan catching. A pitch got past Ryan, and the runner sprinted for home. Ryan scrambled back to the fence to retrieve the ball and made a perfect toss to Jason covering the plate for the out. The second play came with two outs and runners on the bases. The batter smoked a line drive toward center field. Chris, at shortstop, dove to his left and somehow snared the ball in the webbing of his glove for the out.
The Braves had lots of success at the plate, too, slamming seven extra base hits. In the first inning Chris bombed a three-run homer to right-center field. Later in the first, Ryan laced a triple down the right-field line, scoring on Alec’s RBI single.
In the second Scott led off with a line shot to the left-center-field fence for a double. Then Matt drove in Scott with a double of his own, this one to right-center. Not to be outdone, Jason blasted a double to left-center, driving in Matt.
The Braves had runners on base in the fourth and fifth innings, but could not get them home. Then the sixth, with the Braves down 10-6. Chris led off with a solo homer over the center-field fence. Jack followed with a double, and after two outs Alec drove him in with a single. Now the score was 10-8, with a good base runner on first. We wanted to stay aggressive and maintain pressure on a flustered defense. We gave Alec the sign to steal. Sadly (for us), the Cubs’ catcher made his best throw of the season to nip Alec at second, and the game was over. The good feelings about the season, however, were not over – and never will be. The evening ended with perfect weather and a wonderful team party at Liam’s house. All of the Braves were there, and everyone had a ball.
Thanks to all of you.
Dave

Cubs game today, then what might be beyond that

Because people have been asking.....
If we beat the Cubs Thursday, we will play the Yankees Saturday at 10 a.m. (unless the Yankees beat the Dodgers, in which case we would play the Dodgers at that time). If we win both Thursday and Saturday, we will play Sunday at 2 p.m. (there's no way to predict against whom).
But first we need to win Thursday. We can't let our heads droop and shoulders sag if the Cubs take an early lead. We've had several come-from-behind victories this year because we didn't give up. We forgot that important lesson against the Rays Tuesday, and they trounced us.
Our season ends with our next loss, so let's get back to never-give-up Braves baseball against the Cubs!
Players, please report to Water Tower at 3 p.m.
See you there,
Dave

Game Story: Rays 16, Braves 5

Maybe you've heard the song, written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and also sung by Mary-Chapin Carpenter:
"Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug."
Unfortunately, the Braves were the bug on the windshield of the speeding Rays in a 16-5 playoff loss Tuesday afternoon at Water Tower Park.
The Rays jumped out early and, after a short Braves rally, pulled away steadily. Their defense was spectacular, as they made outstanding catches of several balls hit hard by the Braves.
A couple of Braves bright spots: Chris crushed a 3-run homer to right-center in the final inning. Liam deftly slid under a tag attempt at third base to avoid getting caught stealing.
Season's not over! Playoffs continue: This is a double-elimination playoff tournament, so the Braves have at least one more game (and I am hoping they will play several more). After the loss Tuesday, Coach Dave exhorted team members to bring their passion and focus to the next game.
It's at 4 p.m. Thursday July 9 at Water Tower vs. the Cubs. Players should be at Water Tower at 3 p.m. for practice.
A team party will follow Thursday's game at the Scobey-Polacheck home from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. I'll post the details on that separately.
Let's go Braves!

Game story: Orioles 6, Braves 1

The Braves' regular season ended the way it began, with a lineup of nine Braves facing the Orioles at Water Tower Park. This time, however, the Orioles prevailed, 6-1, behind strong pitching from Os' hurler Nick Cafaro.
As Coach Dave pointed out after the game, a few concentration lapses by the Braves helped the Orioles take the game. But Dave also saluted fine defensive work by our catcher-pitcher combos (Scott-Jason and Scott-Evan) who tagged out three Orioles runners who were trying to steal home.
The Braves got their run, and temporarily tied the game, in the 4th inning. with 1 out, Tyler walked, and went all the way to third on a groundout by Liam. Then Tyler scored on Jason's hard single to center field.
Jason, taking his turn as the last batter in the lineup, also torched a double down the third-base line.
Batting: Nick doubled deep to center field in the first inning; Chris singled to center in the third, and hit another ball hard that was snared by the Orioles shortstop in a fine running play.
Defense: Matt made several plays at third. At first base, Tyler stretched his compact frame to the max to retain a throw from third to record an out.
The Braves finished the regular season with a record of 9-6-1, in 4th place in the 10-team Majors. Dave said: "Fourth place for an expansion team that has 11 5th graders on it. You guys should be really proud." He also saluted the Braves' six-game winning streak as a factor in the team's upper-division finish.
Urging the team to "be more mentally sharp" than they sometimes were against the Orioles, Dave reminded the team that their playoff games start with a 4 p.m. contest Tuesday July 7 against the Rays.

Majors Playoffs: The Latest Info

Everyone,
It seems as if the schedule for the post-season tournament is set, so I'm attaching it. If I hear of any changes, I will let you know pronto. The Braves will be seeded fourth, and thus will play in Game 3 at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Where we go from there will depend on whether we win or lose games.
I append some comments from Majors commissioner Darren Miller.
Dave
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Coaches,
I've received comments from most of you (enough of you) that I'm near final with our playoff schedule. Here's where we're at:
* I've been able to structure the schedule so that the only back-to-back games will be on Sat/Sun July 11/12. Everyone left in the tournament at that time will play back-to-back.
* I understand the U12 All Stars will begin play during the second week of the tournament. I can't jam the tournament into the weekend for 130 kids to accommodate the handful of U12 kids that will still be in our tournament and playing All Stars (there will be 4 teams at that point). We'll work around All Star tournament times the best we can.
* All games will be played out to 6 innings - no time limit on games
* In the event the teams are tied after 6 innings, we will continue to play extra innings until a team wins (no California rule)
* You voted to have the mercy rule - if a team is up by 10 runs after 4 innings (3.5 if the home team is up), the game will be called
* If a game is suspended due to rain before the completion of the 4th inning: mark exactly where the game is (count, base runners, etc.) and we will resume the game the next day
* If a game is suspended due to rain after the 4th inning: if a team was ahead at the last completed inning, that team will be declared the winner of that game. If the teams are tied, mark exactly where the game is (count, base runners, etc.) and the game will be resumed the next day.
* If a game is suspended due to darkness, it will be resumed the next day. I could see this happening during the week with extra inning games.
* Pitch count carries over from the regular season and is the same throughout the playoffs
* The games during the second week are still in a bit of flux. I have the championship game(s) Saturday morning. If the undefeated team loses that game, they'll turn around and play another one. This could potentially take all morning, and may work out better for a second game on Sunday or Monday, but I also understand that people have other commitments starting July 19th.
* Final seeding won't be done until Friday this week (seeds 2-9 are still in flux)
Also, be aware of your conduct with the umps as we transition into the playoffs. The higher level of competition will make the games more intense. We'll have what we consider to be the better umps on the field for these games, but there will be close calls that don't go your way.
There is great competition in the Majors right now. Should be a great tournament!
Thanks,
Darren

No Practice Wednesday; Game Thursday

Braves,
Today's practice is CANCELLED because (a) afternoon rain showers are likely and (b) most of the guys on the team have other commitments.
Be sure to be at Water Tower Thursday at 5:45 p.m. to get ready for our regular-season finale.
Dave

Game Story: Braves 16, Cubs 1

Coaches Dave and Ross have drilled and hammered the Braves on their defensive responsibilities in practice during the last week-plus. The Braves proved they've been paying attention in a 16-1 victory over the Cubs Monday evening at Water Tower Park.
While the Braves hit well on this windy and rain-interrupted evening, they weren't hammering the ball out of the park. Instead, they took advantage of every Cub mistake, while playing stout defense they deprived the Cubs of any chance to make it a game.
Liam led the parade with stellar fielding in right field and left field. He caught a deep fly ball in right field with no outs and a runner on first base, likely preventing a run. He also cleanly picked up two other singles hit to the outfield, and made strong, accurate throws to the cutoff men. Coach Dave was beaming about Liam's outfield play.
Jason started the game on the mound, and helped his own cause by spearing a liner and grabbing a grounder.
Then the Braves batted around in the first inning. Jason doubled. Chris brought him home with a single to right field. Jack walked, and Alec singled Chris home. Matt walked, Jack stole home on a passed ball. Evan singled, driving in Alec and Matt. Nick singled. Evan scored on a passed ball. Tyler walked, Anthony singled, scoring Nick. Connor singled, bringing Tyler home. Jason came to bat for the second time in the inning, and ripped a hard liner that was snared by the Cubs shortstop. The inning ended with the Braves up 8-0.
More highlights:
Batting: Each Brave reached base at least once, and 10 different Braves scored at least one run.
As Coach Dave pointed out after the game, three Braves took one for the team, getting hit by pitches: Scott, Alec and Tyler, all in the second inning.
Two Braves hit the ball hard, took off running, and never stopped until they cross home plate. In the third inning, with Jason on base, Scott ripped a ball into center field that bounced hard and got past the Cubs centerfielder. Scott made it all the way home. Coach Rick scored it a triple and error by the Cubs, but the boys treated it as a homer and rushed out to greet Scott.
Then, in the fourth inning, Nick smashed a ball down the right field line and zoomed around the bases before sliding safely across home plate. Coach Dave called it a legit inside-the-park home run, as the Cubs made no errors on the play, and joked that he had never seen Nick run so fast. What I noticed was how flawlessly Nick turned at each base.
Connor was 3 for 3 with 3 singles. Jason, Chris, Alec, Nick & Anthony each had 2 hits. Matt walked 3 times. With a single and a walk, Evan drove in 3 runs.
Pitching: Scott made his Braves pitching debut in the 4th inning. Aided by their stingy defense, Jason, Matt, Chris and Evan turned in scoreless innings. Evan finished off the final out with a running snow-cone grab of a soft liner.
Defense: At shortstop, Chris snagged a hard liner by Cubs' slugger Zach Casey. In the 4th inning, with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs, shortstop Jason scooped out a hard grounder and threw alertly to Matt at 3rd to get the lead runner. (I love watching Jason in the field -- he always has his head in the game.) In addition to his other fine plays, Liam almost threw out the lead runner going to second on a single to right field.
Debuts: In addition to Scott's pitching debut, Jason made his Braves' debut as a catcher in the 6th inning.
Next game: 6:30 p.m. Thursday July 2, vs. the Orioles. Have your Brave at Water Tower by 5:45 p.m. for warmups and practice.

Game Night: Scoresheet

 

[As usual, click to enlarge. Thanks to Coach Rick Rojahn for providing the scoresheet.]

Game Day: Braves 5, Rays 5

[Photo courtesy of Joe Kimple.]

The Braves battled from behind to tie the mighty Rays, 5-5, in a rematch Saturday afternoon at Water Tower Park. (Earlier this season, the Braves beat the Rays in a tense 4-3 thriller.)
If I told you Chris Pritchard led the team effort, you might assume Chris had a couple of mighty clouts. But Chris' magic today came from his quickness and his golden arm.
After the Rays took a 1-0 lead in the first, Matt walked with two outs in the top of the second inning, stole second and third, and scored when Ryan pounded a double to left field.
In the third, the Braves went up 3-1 after Connor singled in Scott, and Jason doubled Connor home. The Braves might have stretched the lead further in the 4th, but Jack was thrown out at home on a very close play.
With a few big hits and aggressive base running, the Rays opened up a 5-3 lead. Runs for the Braves were looking scarce, because the talented Rays are loaded with quality pitchers. So the Braves manufactured some offense.
In the top of the 6th and final inning, Jason walked, and Chris singled to left field. Both runners moved up on passed balls. then Jason scored on a wild pitch with 1 out to cut the Rays' lead to 5-4.
As Coach Dave pointed out after the game, the speedy Jason scoring on a passed ball isn't a big surprise. But Chris moved to third base on the same play, and scored on another passed ball to tie the game.
Chris took the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning, striking out the first two batters (one looking, one swinging) before inducing the dangerous Chris Siebert to fly out to Evan at in foul territory near first base.
You may ask: Why a tie game? The rules of our league stipulate a maximum of 6 innings, no matter where the score stands. That'll change for the playoffs.
While we're on the subject of Chris, kudos to him for fine defensive plays, too: He caught a deep fly ball to center field by the powerful Brandon Turer in the third inning, and speared a hard liner while playing shortstop in the 5th.
Next practice: 5:15 p.m. Sunday (June 28) at Atwater in Shorewood.
Next game: 6:30 p.m. Monday (June 29) vs. the Cubs. Plan to have your Brave at Water Tower by 5:45 p.m. that evening.

Game Day: Beautiful Day

Braves,
Looks like a great day for a ball game! Blue sky, moderate temps, a cooling breeze from the lake.
We will be playing when the sun is at its peak, so sunscreen might be a good idea for players and fans alike.
See you at Water Tower.
Dave

Game Story: Yankees 13, Braves 11

Sometimes the other team makes good plays and beats you.
That's what Coach Dave told the Braves after a 13-11 loss to the Yankees Monday night at Water Tower Park.
The defensively sound Yankees made two double plays in the game, snuffing out potential Braves rallies. One was a typical Little League double play, a combination of alertness and luck: the Yankees first baseman caught a line drive and stepped on first to double off a baserunner.
But the other DP was special. The Braves had the bases loaded with no outs. Scott hit a hard grounder toward third base. The Yanks' third baseman grabbed the ball, stepped on third and threw to second base to get a second Braves out. One batter later the game was over.
The Braves were down 3-0 entering the bottom of the 1st, but responded with a fine team rally. Ryan walked and moved to second on a passed ball. Connor beat out an infield single, with Ryan smartly holding at second. Evan reached on an infield single, loading the bases. On a 2-ball, 2-strike count, Nick ripped a hard single through the infield, driving in Ryan and Connor. Three batters later, Jack smashed a double to center field, bringing Nick and Jason home. ("I thought it was going to go out," Nick said of Jack's mighty jack.) The Braves were up 4-3.
In the bottom of the third, the Braves lit up the scoreboard again. Chris singled to right, then stole second and third. Ryan walked and stole second. Connor singled, driving in Chris. Ryan scored on a passed ball. Evan was plunked on the helmet by a pitch: it wasn't thrown that hard, and Ev was OK. See for yourself in this video clip, courtesy of Joe Kimple. Nick then lifted a towering sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Connor home and giving the Braves a temporary 7-5 lead.
Unfortunately for Braves fans, the Yankees scored 8 runs in the 4th through a combination of timely hitting, well-executed bunting, heads-up baserunning and Braves miscues. The Braves battled back with 3 runs in the fourth and one in the sixth, but couldn't close the gap.
One bright spot was the return of Connor from the disabled list. Connor singled twice, scored twice and pitched two flawless innings, striking out 5 Yankees. It appears all of our flu victims have recovered, and the Braves are healthy and ready to close the season strong. (Sigh. I hate writing the words "close the season.")
More highlights and notes:
Defense: As he habitually does (though we never take it for granted), Jason made several fine plays at shortstop, including two straight bang-bang throws to Tyler to nab consecutive batters in the second inning. Connor made two strong, accurate throws from center field to home plate to prevent runners at third from scoring. Ryan stuck with a tricky grounder to throw out a runner, and also caught a hard liner to end an inning.
Batting: Ryan, Connor, Evan, Nick and Jack all reached through hits/walks/HBP twice. Tyler, continuing his recent improvement, singled sharply up the middle.
NEXT GAME: 11 a.m. Saturday June 27 is our rematch against the Rays. The coaches will expect to see players about 10:15 a.m. at Water Tower.

Evan takes one for the team

If Evan ever gets tired of baseball, I think he has a career in show biz waiting.
Thanks to videographer extraordinaire Joe Kimple for the clip.

Game Night: Scoresheet

 

[Click to enlarge.
Thanks, as always, to Coach Rick for the scoresheet scans.]

Game Night: Yankees 13, Braves 11

The Braves battled hard, but good defense by the scrappy Yankees scuttled potential comebacks as the Yanks prevailed, 13-11 Monday night at Water Tower Park.
I'll post a game story on Tuesday. But here's a hint about one of the more unusual events Monday night: if you seen Evan Howell in the meantime, ask him how his head feels.
Jim Higgins

Beautiful Day for Baseball

Braves,
What a beautiful day for a ball game! Look forward to seeing everyone up at Water Tower by 4:15 p.m.
Sounds as if Chris and I missed a great game against the Phillies Thursday. They are an excellent team -- everyone should feel good about our two games against them.
Dave

Game Report: Phillies 10, Braves 7

Team,
The Braves were able to beat the flu and field a team to face the Phillies. However, the Phillies were able to erase a 4-0 deficit and hold on to beat the flu-weakened Braves 10-7. Behind the solid pitching of both Alec and Evan, the Braves held the Phillies to three scoreless innings. The Phillies did all their damage in two innings … scoring 4 runs in the second and 6 runs in the fourth. But the Braves did not give up and scored 3 runs in the final inning only to come up short.
The Braves are now tied for second with the Phillies at 8-3 trailing the Dodger at 10-0-1. Our next game is at 5pm on Saturday, June 20th vs. the Pirates who tied the powerful Dodgers this past Wednesday. The Pirates are a very good team and will come into our game with a lot of confidence. This should make for another exciting game so don’t miss it!
Lastly, I want share a compliment we received from one of the Phillies coaches following tonight’s game … he approached me unsolicited and said “you have a really nice team” and had nice things to say about every player. So, parents and players, keep up the good work. We’ll see you on Saturday.
Ross

Thursday's game (June 18)

Everyone,
Players should meet at Water Tower Thursday (June 18) at 3:45 p.m. to get ready for the 4:30 rematch against the Phillies.
Chris, Kathy, and I leave for a few days in Door County Wednesday morning, so we will miss the game. Please contact Ross with info about your son's availability and anything else that relates to Thursday's game.
The best way to get in touch with him is via e-mail, which he seems to check several times each minute. His e-mail address is ross.harmsen@pkware.com.
You have Ross' phone numbers on the laminated card you received at the beginning of the season.
Thanks, everyone. We'll be back for Saturday's game (June 20) (players should be at Water Tower by 4:15 p.m. for that one).
I look forward to hearing about a seventh victory in a row when I check e-mail Friday morning!
Dave

Braves game rained out

Our game against the Orioles this evening was rained out, despite a loud "let us play!" cheer led by the Braves (with most other teams joining in).
The makeup is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 25, at 4:30 p.m.
We are hoping for better weather for our next game, Thursday June 18 at 4:30 p.m. against the Phillies.
Dave