Game 2: Riverdogs 12, Mudcats 8

In another rocky start, the Riverdogs proved to be true “Comeback Kids” on Tuesday night as they pulled out a win over the Mudcats. The first win of the season was a hard fought battle that showed both the hitting and fielding ability of the team.

Over the first two innings, the Riverdog offense was shut down and the defense allowed the Mudcats to put 7 runs on the board. The third inning proved to be the turnaround as Ryder started off the hitting spree that brought in 6 runs in just one inning. The fourth and fifth innings were less lucrative but regardless there were 3 runs that crossed the plate in each inning.

Many of the Riverdogs had multiple hits and multiple RBIs. Notably, Nathan and Caleb were 3-3 and Preston was 2-2. William racked up 3 RBIs with Will, Matthew, and Mason bringing in 2 RBIs each. Titus, Ryder and Preston each had one RBI as well. Matthew and Caleb also turned a double play to add to the strong defense display in the last 3 innings.

The next game is Thursday at 7:30pm against the Scrappers.

Game 1 : Bulls 13, Riverdogs 12

In what turned out to be a great battle back, the Riverdogs fell just short in their comeback resulting in a loss in their first game of the season to a strong Bulls team.

A rocky start lead to the Riverdogs being outscored 10-1 over the first two innings but then the bats came alive in the third inning. Ryder started the comeback and the scoring of 5 runs over the third. Will and JP both had 2 RBIs off great hits to the outfield and Caleb had one RBI.

The fourth inning proved to be another great scoring push for the ‘dawgs. The RBIs just kept rolling in with Ryder, Preston and Will joining in totally another 6 runs scored.

An impressive double play by Matthew and JP did not prove to be enough as the Riverdogs offense was stalled in the last 2 innings. The top of the Bulls lineup proved to be too much to overcome and resulted in the loss.

There were strong moments for the Riverdogs in their first game of the season. Will and Caleb had multiple innings with RBIs. Matthew had 2 doubles during the game as well as the double play mentioned previously that he turned with JP. The entire team hustled and put forth a great effort.

The next game is Tuesday at 7:30 against the Mudcats.

Final All-Stars Update (7)

Congratulations to Blake and the 8U Blue all-star team as they won the 8U Cal Ripken Southeast Regional tournament in Martin, TN this past weekend!!! The regional included teams from North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Florida and 8U Blue came out on top!!!

This marks the end of the all-stars season for Blake and 8U Blue as there is no Cal Ripken world series at the 8U level, so Blake and 8U Blue went as far as they possibly could!!! Congratulations to 8U Blue as they won Cal Ripken Area, State and Regional titles this summer, as well as won three local area travel tourneys and finished runners up in a fourth!!

Congratulations to Jacob, Matthew N. and the 8U Red all-star team for a great run in the PONY South Region Zone tournament in High Point this weekend!!! 8U Red went 3-1 in Pool play, and lost in bracket play by 1 run to a strong Western Branch Gold team.

This marks the end of the all-stars season for Jacob, Matthew N. and the 8U Red team. Congratulations to 8U Red as they advanced out of the PONY Piedmont sectional to the Pony South Region Zone tournament, as well as won three local area travel tourneys and finished runners up in a fourth!!

Congratulations to Caleb and the 7U Blue all-star team as they won the Silver bracket of the NC AAU 8U Summer World Series in Oxford this weekend!!! Editor’s Note: 7U Blue got a raw deal as due to weather, they were only able to play one pool play game – a game they lost to the eventual gold bracket champions by one run - whereas most other teams played two, thus were seeded based off one game and assigned to the Silver bracket. Nonetheless, 7U Blue took care of business in the Silver bracket to bring home the hardware and win their second 8U tournament this summer.

This marks the end of the all-stars season for Caleb and the 7U Blue team. Congratulations to 7U Blue as they won Cal Ripken Area and State titles this summer, as well as two 8U local area travel tourneys!! In fact, 7U Blue compiled a 20-2 record this summer (10-0 in Ripken play) with the two losses both coming to 8U teams by 1 run each!!

Here is the official team picture of your 7U State Champions!!!

Congratulations to all Riverdogs who participated in a very successful summer all-stars season!!

All-Stars Update (6)

Congratulations to Blake and the 8U Blue all-star team as well as Jacob, Matthew N. and the 8U Red all-star team as they finished champions and runners-up respectively at the NC AAU 4th Annual Oxford Ring Championship July 9-10. Both teams were undefeated in Pool play as well as bracket play and met for the championship in the Gold bracket, with 8U Blue prevailing over 8U Red in a well-played game. Congratulations to both teams on representing West Raleigh well in the tournament.

Caleb and the 7U Blue all-star team did not play this weekend. The Capital City Tigers team did play this weekend, however Carter and Matthew D. were not available to play.

All-Stars Update (5)

Congratulations to Caleb and the 7U Blue all-star team as they won the 7U Cal Ripken State tournament in Wilson this past weekend!!! Much like 8U Blue, 7U Blue did it in dominating fashion as they went 6-0 for the weekend and outscored the opposition 126-2!!!!

There is no Cal Ripken regional tournament at the 7U level, so Caleb and 7U Blue went as far as they possibly could! Caleb and 7U Blue will play 1-2 local tournaments in July to extend their season a little bit and keep the fun going. Stay tuned for updates!

Congratulations to Blake and the 8U Blue all-star team as they won the NC AAU Firecracker Classic in Clemmons this weekend!!! 8U Blue went 4-0 on the weekend to take the title!

All-Stars Update (4)

Congratulations to Blake and the 8U Blue all-star team as they won the 8U Cal Ripken State tournament in Winterville this past weekend!! 8U Blue did it in style as they outscored their opponents 84-3 over six games in the tourney! Good luck to Blake and 8U Blue as they advance to play in the 8U Cal Ripken Southeast Regionals in Martin, Tennessee beginning July 12th.

Congratulations to Jacob, Matthew N. and the 8U Red all-star team as they finished runners-up of the PONY Piedmont Sectional in Garner this past weekend!!! 8U Red went 4-1 on the weekend with the only loss coming in the championship game to a strong Garner team. The runner-up finish advances Jacob, Matthew N. and 8U Red to the PONY South Region Zone tournament in High Point beginning July 15th. Good luck!!

Congratulations to Caleb and the 7U Blue all-star team as they won the NC AAU Beach Super Regional 8U tourney in Oak Island this past weekend!!! Yes, you read that correctly – 7U Blue won an 8U tourney!!! 7U Blue was the only 7U team in the field and came out on top. 7U Blue went 4-0 on the weekend and won the championship game by mercy rule 14-4 in four innings. Good luck to Caleb and 7U Blue as they start the 7U Cal Ripken State tournament in Wilson beginning June 30th.

The Capital City Tigers team also participated in the NC AAU Beach Super Regional 8U tourney in Oak Island this past weekend. While not getting the results they would have liked, the team played extremely hard, got better; and it was fun to watch them and the 7U Blue team root for each other during the games.

All-Stars Update (3)

Congratulations to Blake and the 8U Blue all-star team as they won the 8U Cal Ripken Area tournament in Hamlet this past weekend!! Blake and 8U Blue advanced to play in the 8U Cal Ripken State tournament in Winterville this coming weekend.

Congratulations to Caleb and the 7U Blue all-star team as they won the 7U Cal Ripken Area tournament in Wilmington this past weekend!! Caleb and 7U Blue advance to play in the 7U Cal Ripken State tournament in Wilson in two weeks.

Note: The 9U, 11U and 12U Blue teams of West Raleigh all won Ripken area championships this past weekend as well. 10U Blue has their area tournament this coming weekend.

Congratulations to Jacob, Matthew N. and the 8U Red all-star team as they won the Silver Bracket of the Top Gun Summer World Series this weekend. If you’re keeping tabs at home, that’s three tournaments played, three championships won for 8U Red.

All-Stars Update (2)

Congratulations to Blake and the 8U Blue all-star team as they went 4-0 and won the Gold bracket championship in the Top Gun/ORSS All Star Invitational in Winterville this weekend. Good luck to 8U Blue as they head to the Cal Ripken District tournament in Hamlet next weekend.

Congratulations to Jacob, Matthew N. and the 8U Red all-star team as they won the Silver bracket championship of the Top Gun/ORSS All Star Invitational in Winterville. 8U Red compiled a 3-1 record on the weekend.

Congratulations to Caleb and the 7U Blue all-star team!! In their first ever all-star tournament in the Top Gun/ORSS All Star Invitational, they went 3-1 on the weekend, secured the #3 seed in the Gold bracket in a twenty team field, lost in the semi-finals to a strong Winterville 8U team, while beating two other 8U teams and a strong Winterville 7U team along the way and finished 3rd in the tournament. Had they knocked off the Winterville 8U team they would have played 8U Blue in the Gold bracket championship game!! Good luck to 7U Blue as they head to the Cal Ripken district tournament in Wilmington next weekend.

Congratulations to Carter, Matthew D. and the Capital City Tigers team as they went 2-0 on Saturday and secured the #2 seed in the Gold bracket in the Top Gun Zone World Series Qualifier in Fayetteville this weekend. The Tigers finished fourth in the tournament.

All-Stars Update

Congratulations to Blake and the 8U Blue all-star team as they finished runners up in the Gold bracket of the Top Gun NC State Games Zone Qualifier tournament this weekend, compiling a 3-1 record.

Congratulations to Jacob, Matthew N. and the 8U Red all-star team as they won the Silver bracket championship of the Top Gun NC State Games Zone Qualifier tournament this weekend.

Congratulations to Carter, Matthew D. and the Capital City Tigers team as they finished runners up in their division in round robin format of the Top Gun NC State Games Zone Qualifier tournament this weekend, also going 3-1.

Caleb and the 7U Blue all-star team did not play this weekend, and will have their first tournament this coming up weekend.

All-Stars Selection

Congratulations to the following players who will be representing West Raleigh and the Riverdogs in all-star competition this summer:

8U Ripken Blue: Blake

8U Pony Red: Jacob, Matthew N.

7U Ripken Blue: Caleb

Also, congratulations to Carter and Matthew D. who have been selected to play on the Capital City Tigers, a team made up of West Raleigh kids who will play some local area tournaments this summer.

Stay tuned to the blog for periodic updates on these teams throughout the summer.

Closing Ceremonies

Closing ceremonies took place Friday night, which marks the official end of the spring 2016 minor league season.

Congratulations to Nolan Jones who won the sportsmanship award for the Riverdogs.

Tournament Game 4: Thunder 4, Riverdogs 2

A day after the Riverdogs played a great five innings but faltered a bit in the sixth; the Riverdogs surpassed that and played perhaps their most complete game of the season offensively and defensively. Unfortunately, the Riverdogs came out on the wrong end of the decision, losing 4-2 to the Thunder. The loss knocks the Riverdogs out of the tournament and ends the spring 2016 season.

The ‘dawgs struck first to take a 1-0 lead, then the Thunder came back with two runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead. The Thunder later added a 2 run HR to go up 4-1. The Riverdogs had no problem hitting the ball; however a stout Thunder defense would not let the Riverdogs get into a rhythm. This was evident in the fifth inning when the Riverdogs had bases loaded with no outs and only came away with one run to make the score 4-2; and in the sixth inning when the Riverdogs had runners on first and second with no outs and came away with no runs. The Riverdogs defense rose to the challenge as well. Of the 4 runs the Thunder scored, three came off over the fence home runs. Therefore other than the Thunder homers, the Riverdogs outscored the powerful hitting Thunder 2-1.

The leading hitters for the Riverdogs were Matthew N. who was 2-2 with a double, single and a run scored; and Carter who was 2-2 with two singles. Jacob added a double, while Caleb, Bobby, Caden, Weston, Nicky D. and Nicholas A. all added a single each. Bobby scored a run, while Jacob and Matthew D. added a RBI each.

Defensively, Jacob and Matthew N. received special recognition from Coach David for their play in the middle infield. Nicholas A. was praised for his diving attempt at a fly ball in right field, while William received recognition for almost catching a pop fly at catcher for the second straight game. Finally, Caleb received the final candy bar of the season for his fly ball catch in the outfield.

The loss ends the minor league careers for seven 8 year olds and three coaches, as Blake, Matthew N., Jacob, Carter, Nolan, Weston and Bobby all move up to Burke field and the Rookie League, while Coach David Gray, Coach Jesse and Coach David Vestal will also be moving up.

The next outing is closing ceremonies on Wednesday night after the Minor League championship game, weather permitting.

Tournament Game 3: Riverdogs 10, Bats 7

In probably the most complete five innings of the season, the Riverdogs built a 10-3 lead over the Bats.

What? The game is six innings? Yeah, we’re going to pretend that sixth inning didn’t happen.

Actually it did happen, and the Riverdogs held on for the 10-7 victory to advance in the tournament. After the Bats struck first to take an early 2-0 lead, the Riverdogs fired back with 5 runs in the bottom of the first to go up 5-2. Behind some great hitting and some exceptional defense the ‘dawgs steadily built a 10-3 going into the last inning. Although the defense fell apart a bit in the sixth inning, the Riverdogs ultimately pulled through and held on for the win.

Offensively, Caden was 3-3 with a double, 2 singles, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored; while Matthew D. was 3-3 with 3 singles and 2 RBI. Five Riverdogs had two hits each as Matthew N. was 2-3 with a double, a single, 2 RBI and 1 run scored; Jacob was 2-3 with a double, a single, 1 RBI and 1 run scored; Carter was 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored; Caleb was 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 RBI and 1 run scored; and Nolan was 2-3 with 2 singles and 2 RBI.

Blake and William both added a double each, while Nicky D. and Nicholas A. added a single each. Blake, William and Nicholas A. all scored a run each.

As stated, the defense in this game was exceptional (especially considering the previous game against the Scrappers). Matthew N. led the way at shortstop making great throws to get outs, completing a nice double play where he fielded the ball up the middle, stepped on second to get the lead runner, then fired to Blake at first to complete the play. He also earned a candy bar when he went back into the outfield for a diving catch. Caden also got a candy bar for his fly ball catch in the outfield. Finally, William received a prestigious two candy bars for his fly ball catch at the catcher position, where he perfectly shed the mask, turned his back to the infield and made the catch to get a crucial out.

The win advances the Riverdogs to a match with Thunder on Monday at 7:30 PM, with warm ups beginning at 6:30 PM.

Tournament Game 2: Riverdogs 13, Scrappers 10

In a game that was a bit too close for comfort, the Riverdogs came from behind to defeat the Scrappers 13-10.

The Scrappers struck first by scoring two runs in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead; however the Riverdogs responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to go up 4-2. Some shaky Riverdog defense throughout the game allowed the Scrappers to go up 9-4, forcing the Riverdogs to scrap (no pun intended) away at the lead to eventually go up 13-10 after five innings. The Riverdogs held the Scrappers scoreless in the sixth to secure the victory.

Leading the way for the Riverdogs were Nicky D. who was 3-3 with a double, 2 singles, 4 RBI and 2 runs scored; and Nolan who was also 3-3 with 3 singles, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Six Riverdogs had two hits each as William was 2-3 with a double, a single, 3 RBI and 1 run scored; Jacob was 2-3 with a double, single, 2 RBI and 1 run scored; Blake and Caleb posted identical stats as both were 2-4 with a double, single and 1 run scored; Matthew N. was 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored; and Caden was 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 RBI and 1 run scored.

Matthew D., Weston and Nicholas A. all added a hit each. Matthew D. and Weston scored a run each, while Matthew D. and Nicholas A. each added a RBI.

There wasn’t much you could say about this game defensively, as the Riverdogs made numerous errors throughout the game (which allowed the Scrappers to build their lead) and there were no fly ball catches in the outfield. However, Caden did spear a hard hit line drive back at pitcher, and Nolan snow coned a hard hit line drive at third base to end the game. In a nice gesture, the umpire gave Nolan the game ball for that big time catch.

The win advances the Riverdogs in the loser’s bracket to a matchup with the Bats on Sunday at 12:00, with warm ups beginning at 11:00 AM.

Tournament Game 1: Mudcats 11, Riverdogs 3

The end of season tournament got off to a rough start Wednesday night as the Mudcats defeated the Riverdogs 11-3.

While the defense played well for the most part, the offense could never get going as the Riverdogs only accounted for 11 hits as a team. Only three Riverdogs had multiple hits, and none of the 11 hits went for extra bases.

Leading the way for the Riverdogs were Caleb who was 2-3 with two singles and a RBI; Bobby who was 2-2 with two singles and a RBI; and William who was 2-2 with two singles and one run scored. Blake, Matthew N., Jacob, Nolan and Weston all added a hit each. Matthew N. and Weston each scored a run, while Nicholas A. had a RBI.

Defensively, Weston and Caden earned candy bars for their fly ball catches in the outfield. There was also a nice double play where Matthew N. fielded a ground ball up the middle, stepped on second and then fired to Blake at first to complete the play and end the inning.

The loss puts the Riverdogs in the loser’s bracket with their next game on Friday at 5:30 against the Scrappers. Warm ups begin at 4:30.

Game 14: Bulls 7, Riverdogs 6

The Riverdogs’ attempt at wrapping up the regular season on a three game winning streak came to a halt as the Bulls defeated the Riverdogs 7-6 in a game that went extra innings. The loss puts the Riverdogs record at 6-8 for the regular season, with a fifth place finish in the standings.

In a well played defensive game by both sides, the Riverdogs had no problem hitting the ball; however the Bulls defense rose to the occasion only allowing two Riverdogs runs in the first five innings. The ‘dawgs finally exploded for four runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 6-6, then held the Bulls in the bottom of the sixth to send the game into extra innings. While the Riverdogs failed to score in the top of the seventh, the Bulls were able to push across the winning run with bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh to take the victory.

Leading the way for the Riverdogs were Bobby who was 3-3 with two doubles, a single, 1 RBI and 1 run scored; Caleb who was 3-3 with a double, two singles and 1 run scored; William who was 2-3 with a double, a single and 1 run scored; and Nicky D. who was 2-3 with two singles and 2 RBI. Blake, Matthew N., Jacob, Matthew D., Nolan and Weston all added one hit each. Blake, Carter and Matthew D. all had a RBI each, while Matthew N., Jacob and Weston all scored a run each.

As said earlier, both teams played well overall defensively in the game. The Riverdogs held the Bulls to one “three up, three down” inning in the game¸ while Caleb had two fly ball catches in the outfield.

The fifth place finish means the Riverdogs will open the league tournament up against the 4 seed. That team has yet to be determined as there are still three games left to be played in the league regular season. Coach David will be in touch regarding upcoming tourney games and practices.

Game 13: Riverdogs 8, Mudcats 6

In perhaps the most surprising win of the season, the Riverdogs played a great overall defensive game in defeating the Mudcats 8-6. The win puts the Riverdogs record at 6-7 with one game left in the regular season.

The tone of this game was set early as the ‘dawgs held the Mudcats scoreless in the top of the first; then responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning for an early 2-0 lead. The Riverdogs then added six runs in the third to go up 8-1, and that would be all the runs they would score (and ultimately all they would need); as the offense only accounted for 11 hits in the game. Each time the Mudcats would get a couple of runs and looked ready for an explosive inning, the Riverdog defense stood firm and was able to get out of the inning with minimal damage.

Mathew N. and Bobby led the way offensively for the Riverdogs as Matthew N. was 3-3 with a double, two singles, 1 RBI and 1 run scored; while Bobby was 2-3 with two singles, 2 RBI and 1 run scored. Caleb, Jacob, Caden, Nolan, Weston and Nicky D. all added a hit each. Blake, Jacob, Caden, Matthew D. and Caleb (2) all scored runs. Jacob, Caden, Weston and Nolan (2) all added RBI’s.

As stated, this was a very good overall team defensive game, as the Riverdogs got out of several innings where it seemed the Mudcats were about to score big. Individually, Weston had two fly ball catches in the outfield, while Caleb had one. There was also a timely double play where Jacob fielded the ball at second, stepped on second base to get the force out then fired over to Caleb at first to complete the double play. Needless to say this was a huge play as the Mudcats had bases loaded with one out at the time.

The Riverdogs wrap up the regular season on Saturday at 6:00 against the Bulls, with warm ups starting at 5:00. Reminder: pictures are at 4:45; if you are not participating in an individual picture, please be there if you can for the team picture.

Game 12: Riverdogs 27, Scrappers 17

In a game in which the final score resembled a football game, the Riverdogs broke a three game losing streak with a 27-17 win over the Scrappers.

As the Scrappers are severely over matched in the league, Coach David decided to shake up the batting order, and the ‘dawgs responded with a season high 27 runs on a season high 37 hits. Every Riverdog in the lineup had multiple hits and at least one RBI, and all but one Riverdog scored at least one run in the game.

With the high volume of runs and hits, it’s safe to say everyone played a huge part in the win offensively; however there were some notable performances that stand out. Weston and Matthew N. were both an impressive 4-4 batting. Nicholas A. smashed a nice triple down the first base line. The Riverdogs recorded six doubles in the game, including two a piece by Blake and Matthew N. (and this could have been more if not for the coaches holding the runners out of respect to the Scrappers), Caleb had a team high 5 RBI.

William: 2-4, 2 singles, 1 RBI, 1 run scored

Nolan: 2-3, 2 singles, 2 RBI

Weston: 4-4. 4 singles, 1 RBI, 3 runs scored

Nicky D: 3-4, 3 singles, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored

Nicholas A.: 3-3, triple, 2 singles, 1 RBI, 3 runs scored

Caleb: 2-2, double, single, 5 RBI, 2 runs scored

Blake: 3-4, 2 doubles, single, 1 RBI, 3 runs scored

Caden: 3-4, 3 singles, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored

Matthew D.: 3-4, double, 2 singles, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored

Matthew N.: 4-4, 2 doubles, 2 singles, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored

Jacob: 3-3, 3 singles, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored

Bobby: 2-4, 2 singles, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored

Carter: 3-3, 3 singles, 2 RBI, 1 run scored

Just as he did with the batting order, Coach David also switched up the defensive assignments throughout the game, giving some players a chance to play some positions they would not normally get to play. As you would expect, this led to some shaky defense as the Riverdogs gave up 17 runs. On the bright side, the Riverdogs did record one “3 up, 3 down” inning and Caleb caught two fly balls in the outfield.

The next practice is Sunday at 1:30 at Nowell. The next game is Wednesday at 6:30 against the Mudcats, warm ups beginning at 5:30.

Game 11: Bees 8, Riverdogs 7

For the second time in the last three games, a sixth inning Riverdog rally came up a little short as the Bees defeated the Riverdogs 8-7. The loss put the Riverdogs record at 4-7 on the season with three regular season games remaining.

Hits and runs were hard to come by in this game as the ‘dawgs could only manage nine hits and three runs over the first five innings. Finally, they cranked things up in the sixth inning with four runs on five hits to close the gap to 8-7 and make things interesting, but ultimately could not pull off the comeback.

Only three Riverdogs had multiple hits as Blake went 3-3 with 3 singles, 1 RBI and 1 run scored; Jacob went 2-2 with a double, a single, 1 RBI and 1 run scored; and Nicky D. went 2-2 with 2 singles, 2 RBI and 1 run scored. Caleb, Matthew N., Carter, Nolan, Weston, William and Nicholas A. all added a hit a piece, with the hit by Carter going for a double. Matthew N., Bobby and Carter all had an RBI each, while Matthew N., Nolan, William and Nicholas A. all scored a run each.

Defensively, Caleb and Weston received candy bars for fly ball catches in the outfield. There was also a nice heads up play where Blake fielded a ball at first, bobbled it and fell to his knees. From his knees, he quickly picked up the ball and threw over to Matthew N. who was covering at second, but the ball was thrown low and turned into a ground ball. From second base, Matthew N. was able to keep his foot on the bag and reach out to field the ball and get the force out.

After a three day break, the Riverdogs return to practice Friday night at 6:30 at Carolina Pines #2. The next game is Saturday at 6:00 against the Scrappers, with warm ups beginning at 5:00.

Game 10: Lookouts 12, Riverdogs 4

In a game where the Riverdogs recorded only 10 total hits, they lost to the Lookouts 12-4.

To put the 10 total hits in perspective, that’s the same amount of hits they had in the sixth inning comeback alone in the previous game against the Thunder. After scoring four runs in the first inning, the Riverdogs could not push across anymore runs for the remainder of the game. Of the six Riverdog offensive innings, three of those were “three up, three down” innings, and in two of the six innings the Riverdogs only sent four batters to the plate.

Only one Riverdog had multiple hits, and that was Caleb who was 2-2 with a double, a single and 1 run scored. Blake added a double and a run scored. Matthew N., Jacob, Bobby, Carter, Nolan, Weston and William added a single each. Matthew N. and Jacob scored a run each. Matthew N., Jacob, Bobby and Carter all added a RBI each.

Defensively, Weston received his second candy bar of the season for his fly ball catch in the outfield (and added his Weston dance to go along with it). Nicholas A. and Bobby teamed up for a nice double play as Nicholas A. caught a pop fly at pitcher, and threw over to Bobby at third to pick off the Lookouts runner.

The next practice is Sunday at 7:30 at Nowell. The next game is Monday at 6:30 against the Bees.

Game 9: Thunder 11, Riverdogs 10

An exciting sixth inning rally fell a little bit short as the Riverdogs lost to the Thunder 11-10 Thursday night. The loss snapped the Riverdogs two game winning streak.

The Riverdogs had a chance to strike early in the top of the first with two runners on and no outs. However the stingy Thunder defense held tight and didn’t allow any runs. That seemed to be the theme of the game as the ‘dawgs had no problem hitting the ball, they just couldn’t seem to find the gaps. Meanwhile the Thunder steadily built their lead until it was 11-2 going into the top of the sixth inning.

That’s when the Riverdog bats finally came alive and the comeback was on. Eight runs were scored in the inning on 10 hits. Of those 10 hits were two doubles and an inside the park home run. With the score 11-10, the ‘dawgs had runners on 2nd and 3rd and only one out, but again the Thunder defense held firm and recorded the next two outs to stop the come comeback and seal the win.

Leading the way offensively for the Riverdogs were Caleb who was 3-3 with a double, 2 singles, 1 RBI and 1 run scored; Blake who was 3-3 with 3 singles, 2 RBI and 1 run scored; Bobby who was 3-3 with 3 singles and 1 run scored; Matthew D. who was 2-2 with a double, a single and 2 run scored; and Weston who was 2-3 with a double, a single and a team high 3 RBI.

Registering a hit a piece were Matthew N., Jacob, Carter, Caden, Nolan, Nicholas A. and William. The hit by Matthew N. went for an inside the park home run; while Nicholas. A’s hit went for a double. Matthew N., Jacob, Caden, Nicholas A., and William all added a run each. Matthew N. added two RBI, while Carter and Caden added a RBI each.

Defensively, Bobby received his first candy bar of the season for his fly ball catch in the outfield. Caleb added a fly ball catch in the outfield as well. Caleb also turned an unassisted double play at first base. Bobby and Caleb both had heads up plays in the outfield where they charged balls that were hit to them, fielded and came up firing to second base to get the force outs.

Practice on Friday has been moved to The Performance Academy at 5:00. The next game is Saturday at 2:00 against the Lookouts, with warm ups starting at 1:00.

Game 8: Riverdogs 18, Bats 13

The Riverdogs put together their first winning streak of the season as they won the re-match with the Bats 18-13. The win improves the Riverdogs record to .500 at 4-4, and they remain currently in fifth place in the standings.

As we have been accustomed to this season, when the opposing team hits first they tend to put a big scoring inning on the ‘dawgs; and that looked to be the case in this game as the Bats had a 1-0 lead with one out and runners at second and third. However, the Riverdog defense held tight by recording the next two outs and held the Bats to a single run for the inning. The Riverdogs then exploded for six runs of their own in the bottom of the inning taking a 6-1 lead. The game became a nip and tuck affair and was tied at 12 when Bobby broke the tie with a 3 run BOMB in the fourth inning to go up 15-12. The Riverdogs tacked on three more runs after and only allowed 1 more run to the Bats to seal the victory.

The Riverdogs were led by, er…who are we kidding here, Bobby was the star of the show as he recorded his second straight 4-4 hitting performance; which included his three-run homerun. Congrats to Bobby on his first career HR. Bobby also added three singles, 5 total RBI and 2 runs scored.

Five Riverdogs had three hits each as Matthew N. went 3-3 with a triple, 2 singles, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored; Jacob and Blake both went 3-4 with 3 singles, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored; Caden with 3-3 with a double and 2 singles, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored; and Weston went 3-3 with 3 singles and 2 RBI.

Three Riverdogs had two hits each as Nolan went 2-2 with a double and a single, 4 RBI and 1 run scored; Matthew D. went 2-2 with 2 singles and 3 runs scored; and Caleb went 2-4 with 2 singles, 1 RBI and 1 run scored. Carter and Nicky D. added a hit each. Carter added 1 RBI and 2 runs scored while Nicky D. added a RBI and a run scored.

Defensively, the ‘dawgs played well overall and set the tone in the first inning. However, two things stood out: in the top of the 6th with the Bats trying to mount their comeback, a Bats hitter cracked one down the right field line to the fence. The ball was fielded but over threw the cutoff man. Matthew D., who was at pitcher backed up the throw, noticed the eager Bats runner trying to get to third, and threw to Jacob at third who slapped the tag to get the out and stop the momentum.

Jacob and Nolan both received candy bars for fly ball catches in the outfield, both in dramatic fashion. Jacob caught his as he was backing another Riverdog up, while Nolan’s was the last out of the game; sealing the win.

The next practice is Sunday at 5:00 at Nowell. The next game is Thursday at 6:30 against the Thunder with warm ups beginning at 5:30.

Game 7: Riverdogs 18, Bats 17

The Riverdogs ended a three game losing streak as they defeated the Bats 18-17 in a thriller Monday night at Nowell field. The win improves the Riverdogs record to 3-4 at the half way point of the season, and currently puts them in fifth place in the standings.

In a nice reversal from the previous two games, it was the Riverdogs who attacked first by plating four runs in the top of the first. The Bats responded with six runs of their own in the bottom of the first; however the Riverdog bats stayed hot as they tied their season high with 29 hits (a feat previously accomplished against the Scrappers) and scored 18 runs, one run off their season high of 19 (again against the Scrappers).

Bobby led the way for the Riverdogs with an impressive 4-4 hitting performance; becoming the first Riverdog this season to get four hits in a game. Bobby also added a RBI and scored two runs.

Several Riverdogs had three hit performances. Matthew N. was 3-4 with a double, 2 singles, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored; Carter was 3-4 with 3 singles, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored; Caden was 3-3 with 3 singles, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored: Blake was 3-4 with 3 singles and 3 runs scored; Weston was 3-4 with 3 singles, an RBI and 2 runs scored; and William was 3-3 with 3 singles, 2 RBI and a run scored.

Caleb and Matthew D. both had two hits; with Caleb going 2-4 with 2 singles, 2 RBI and 1 run scored; and Matthew D. going 2-2 with 2 singles, a RBI and a run scored. Nolan, Nicky D., and Nicholas A. each added a hit each. Nolan and Nicholas A. tacked on a run each, while Nicky D. added 2 RBI’s and Nicholas A. added a RBI.

As much as the Riverdog defense has been an issue this season (and at times was during this game) it was actually the defense that had a major impact on this game in several ways:

- There were a season high four fly ball catches in the outfield; as Weston and Nicholas A. received their first candy bars of the season; Matthew his second, and Caleb his fourth.

- In the fifth inning when the Bats were trying to close the gap, Caleb fielded a blooper hit just short of first base, tagged the runner and fired to second where Matthew N. applied the tag on the runner headed for second base.

- On a ball hit sharply to the fence, Weston was there to back up the left fielder, then fielded the ball and instinctively fired to second base, preventing the runner from going to third.

- Carter fielded two ground balls at second where he bobbled them, but quickly recovered and FIRED to first base to get the out both times.

- A unique play where the ball was thrown home in an attempt to get a runner out but the runner was safe. Bobby quickly noticed that the runner on first was almost at second base, while another runner was standing on second base. Bobby threw the ball to Caleb at first who applied the tag on the caught runner.

- Nicholas A. and Caleb both displayed great effort in diving attempts to catch fly balls in the outfield.

The next Riverdog practice is Friday at 6:00 at Nowell field.

Game 6: Thunder 18, Riverdogs 10

On an extremely windy day at West Raleigh, the Riverdogs re-discovered the hot bats that had been missing the past two games as they pelted out 22 hits. The defense however could not match the offense as the Riverdogs fell 18-10 to the Thunder.

Following the script of the previous game against the Lookouts, the Thunder struck early by scoring seven runs in the first inning, with most of those runs coming off Riverdog errors. The Thunder tacked on another five runs in the second inning to take an early 12-0 lead. The Riverdog bats then went to work, outscoring the Thunder 10-6 for the rest of the game. However, the ‘dawgs could not quite push across enough runs to make up for the early innings.

Offensively, there were several Riverdogs with multiple hits, including three Riverdogs with three hits each. Caleb was 3-3 with three singles, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored; Carter was 3-3 with three singles, 1 RBI and 1 run scored; and Nolan was 3-3 with three singles and 1 RBI.

Matthew N. was 2-3 with two singles, a team high 3 RBI and 1 run scored; Jacob was 2-3 with two singles, 2 RBI and 1 run scored; Weston was 2-3 with two singles and 1 RBI; William was 2-2 with two singles and 2 runs scored; and Nicholas A. was 2-3 with two singles and 1 run scored. Blake, Bobby and Matthew D. each added a hit a piece. Blake and Caden added a run each, while Bobby added an RBI.

As was pointed out after the game, while there were some defensive issues, there were also several positives. Of the six defensive innings played by the Riverdogs in the game, three of those inning the ‘dawgs gave up a combined 1 run. Matthew N. received a candy bar for his fly ball catch in the outfield. Carter and Blake combined for a sweet double play when Carter snagged a hard hit line drive at second base, then fired over to Blake to pick off the runner. And William was praised by the coaches for his diving attempt to catch a foul ball at catcher.

The next practice is Sunday at 7:30 at Nowell. The next game is Monday at 6:30 against the Bats, with warm ups starting at 5:30.

Game 5: Lookouts 11, Riverdogs 5

On a chilly night at West Raleigh, the Riverdogs followed suit and suffered an 11-5 loss to the Lookouts. The loss drops the Riverdogs to 2-3 on the season; and puts them currently in sixth place in the standings.

The Lookouts jumped on the ‘dawgs early by putting across five runs in the first, and the Riverdogs could never recover as they only scored five runs for the entire game. The Riverdog defense held tight in innings 2-4 only allowing two runs, but the Lookouts struck again for four runs in the fifth to seal the game. Meanwhile, the Riverdogs only recorded 13 hits for the game (1 more than the previous game) and only two of those went for extra bases.

The ‘dawgs were led by Blake who was 2-2 with 1 double, 1 single, 2 RBI and 1 run scored; Jacob who was 2-2 with 2 singles and 1 RBI, and Caleb who was 2-3 with 2 singles. Bobby, Matthew D., Caden, Weston, Nolan, Nicholas A., and William all added a hit each, with the hit by Nicholas A. going for a double. Carter, Matthew D., Nicholas A., and William all added a run, while Nolan added 2 RBI’s.

Defensively, there were several bright spots for the Riverdogs. The defense went two innings without allowing any runs, and they were also “three up, three down” innings. Caleb got his third candy bar of the season for his fly ball catch in the outfield. Caleb also turned an unassisted double play at first base, his second unassisted double play of the season. Jacob and Caleb also combined to turn a double play, as Jacob snagged a hard hit line drive to the pitcher, then fired over to Caleb at first to pick off the runner.

The Riverdogs have practice on Thursday at 5:00 at Carolina Pines #2, as well as on Friday at 6:00 at Nowell field. These will be important practices leading up to our game on Saturday at 2:00 against a really good Thunder team.

Thanks again to Tori DeMoss for the pictures!