COSTA MESA NATIONAL LITTLE LEAGUE-Strong pitching key in D’Backs

win

Bryce Alderton

COSTA MESA - Diamondback pitchers Ryan Redding and Riley Hart

combined to fan Astro batters 10 times in a 5-4 Diamondback win April 24.

The D’Back bats came alive in the third inning as Ryan Redding, Chase

Harrison and Gavin Montague singled and doubled to score five runs.

Stellar defense by Brandon Maurer at shortstop and Andrew Ayala’s

diving catch in right field stopped the Astros from scoring.

In other Majors action Saturday:

* DODGERS 3, MARLINS 2 - Dodger pitchers combine to strikeout 11

Marlin batters in the win.

Starter Ian Abernathy gave up two runs on two hits while striking out

eight in 4 2/3 innings, and was relieved by Justin Long who struck out

three of the remaining five batters for the save, and contributed at the

plate lifting a sacrifice fly to score the Dodgers’ first run.

The Dodgers scored their runs in the first two innings.

In the first, Ian Abernathy reached on an error, advanced to third on

a Bryan Bennett single and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Nick Pedersen’s single brought home Cody Green, who had walked, and

Nick Oliver, who had singled, to make it 3-0 Dodgers.

* DIAMONDBACKS 2, CARDINALS 1 - The Diamondbacks clinched first place

in the Major Division for the first half of the season with a 2-1 win

over the Cardinals Saturday.

Steady pitching and timely hitting mixed together for the winning

formula.

Diamondback pitcher Brandon Maurer pitched six innings, striking out

10, while providing solid defense and he scored the winning run in the

bottom of the sixth.

Cardinal pitcher Garrick Williams went five innings, fanning eight

D’Back hitters.

The game was tied, 1-1, going into the sixth when the D’Back defense

led by Joseph Dzida, Chase Harrison, who scored the D’Backs’ first run,

and Maurer kept the Cardinals from scoring.

The Cardinals thwarted a D’Back scoring chance in the first inning

when Cardinal Juan Guzman caught a long fly to right field and made a

throw to Eddie Tomasek (who doubled and scored the only Cardinal run in

the fourth on Chris Falbo’s single) at first base, catching the D’Backs’

Troy McClanahan off first base for a heads-up double play.

In Major action April 23:

* CARDINALS 5, MARLINS 3 - The Cardinals scored four runs with two

outs in the fifth inning to go ahead for good and defeat the Marlins,

5-3.

With the score tied, 1-1, Carlos Guzman walked, Wes Barloon (who made

a strong defensive play in the fifth) singled, and Ryan Knapp walked to

load the bases for the Cardinals.

Garrick Williams (who struck out the side in the sixth inning) ripped

a double to center field scoring two runners, followed by Eddie Tomasek’s

double plating two more runs to give the Cardinals a 5-1 lead. Tomasek

pitched five strong innings with five strikeouts.

The Marlins scored a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Chris Falbo

made a strong defensive play stopping the Marlins’ rally.

In Minor A action Saturday:

* DIAMONDBACKS 5, DODGERS 4 -

Eric Mickelson drove in the winning run, scored by Ian Seagondollar,

as the Diamondbacks edged the Dodgers, 5-4, collecting their second win.

Consistent pitching from Johnathon Jones and Cody Woods held tough

throughout the game.

Defense for the D’Backs proved strong as Joseph Eggers made a flyball

catch in center field, and was helped in the field by Joshua Bowman,

Kelly Plummer and Jazmine DeMartino.

The D’Back offense was powered by Sebastian Fainsztein, Juan Vasquez

and Zachary Baldwin.

In Farm Division play Saturday:

With just two weeks to go before tournament play begins, the Rockies

and the Diamondbacks faced each other Saturday under sunny skies.

Both teams’ offenses came around at different times.

The Rockies’ started off strong, batting for a number of runs.

Robert Murtha (third base and catcher) had an RBI and a run scored on

two base hits. Aaron Wood (pitcher, first base) had an RBI and a run

scored, hitting for a double and two singles, while teammate Erik

Rasmussen (center field, right field) had two hits and scored for the

Rockies. Adam Ward (catcher, second base) saw a lot of action at second

courtesy of Diamondback hitters that sent several grounders his way. He

finished with a base hit and an RBI. Alex “Big Al” Mazur (pitcher, right

field) was hit by a nasty line drive while pitching and bravely finished

the game with no other Rockies in reserve.

Maliah Murtha (first base, third base) was kept busy at both

positions, helping record several outs for the Rockies. She had a big day

at the plate with three singles, a double, run scored and collected three

RBIs. Jesse Paz (shortstop, center field) helped the Rockies record

several outs against Diamondback ground balls while at shortstop, and hit

for two doubles and two singles in the game while scoring two runs for

the Rockies.

The Rockies’ Matthew Spicer (second base, shortstop) made some good

infielding plays against Diamondback hitters. He also singled four times

and scored three runs.

The Rockies were missing Nathan Frank, Hannah Jeyrajah and Noah

Jeyarajah from their lineup. They all whom hope to return for the teams’

final two games.

In Majors Division action April 20:

* CARDINALS 12, TIGERS 4 - An 11-run fourth inning catapulted the

Cardinals to a 12-4 victory over the Tigers.

Cardinal batters Eddie Tomasek, Chris Falbo (who singled twice in the

fourth), Peter Frydendall (who also doubled in the fourth), Johnny

Person, Aaron Gross, Joey Palacios, Wes Barloon and Ryan Knapp, all

singled in the fourth.

Garrick Williams added a triple in the Cardinals’ fourth inning hit

parade, and was one of three Cardinals who singled in the fifth inning.

Carlos Guzman and Wes Barloon also singled in the fifth.

The Tigers struck first, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first

inning, and added two more runs in the fifth, but it was not enough to

overcome the deficit.

* DODGERS 7, ASTROS 1 - Sparkling defense and a string of singles

helped the Dodgers down the Astros, 7-1.

A four-run fifth inning helped the Dodgers pull away from the Astros.

Bryan Bennett led off the fifth with a single and was followed by five

more one-baggers off the bats of Justin Long (who pitched six strong

innings striking out eight), Brandon Grimmett (who threw out a runner

trying to score), Cory Ames, Alex Grosek and Nick Oliver (who also threw

out a runner at the plate), giving the Dodgers a four-run inning.

The Dodgers’ defense was also led by Juan Guzman, Matthew Telles and

Cody Green who threw runners out at the plate.

In Major Division action April 17:

* DODGERS 3, CARDINALS 1 - The Dodgers scored the go ahead run and

tacked on another in the fifth inning to pull out a 3-1 win over the

Cardinals.

Dodgers’ Juan Guzman and Cory Ames reached base in the fifth inning on

walks and both came around to score.

Both starting pitchers went the distance. Dodger pitcher Ian Abernathy

(who scored the first Dodger run on an error in the first inning) struck

out seven, allowing two hits and three walks. Cardinal pitcher Garrick

Williams struck out eight, giving up two hits and three walks. He made a

defensive gem in the fourth inning fielding a grounder back to the mound,

fed Johnny Person at short, who then threw to Eddie Tomasek at first to

complete the double play and end the inning.

The Cardinals tied the game in the third when Chris Falbo scored on an

error. The Cardinals may have scored more in the inning, but Dodger Cody

Green cut the rally short with a great catch in left field to end the

inning.