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