The Blue Jays restarted the spring season on Sunday, June 4, at Tilden Middle School with a great game versus the Phillies.
Remaining focused throughout a sundrenched afternoon, the Blue Jays turned in their best defensive performance yet!
June 4 Game Report
Milen Hukmani further established himself as a sure-handed 1st baseman, hauling in an excellent throw to complete an assisted put-out in the bottom of the second inning. It was the second consecutive game in which Milen was on the receiving end of an infield assist.
Milen broke out with three hits, two of which bounded to left field, in the game with the Phillies. A key cog in the Blue Jays' potent lineup, Milen continues to pull hard hits to the left side of the field.
She might appear to be sweet and relatively harmless, but Lila Schruefer is not to be underestimated. After posing for this photo, Lila promptly whacked her best hit of the season, a well-struck grounder to the 5.5 hole between 3rd base and shortstop in the top half of the third inning.
In the field, Lila is a dependable right shortstop. She pursues the ball until a teammate gets it, at which point she darts out of the way, allowing the teammate to make the play. That's smart baseball!
Working to start her swing with her hands back, Niara Gupta crushed three fantastic hits in the game with the Phillies. Here, Niara sizes up an offering that she would deposit near the shortstop on the left side of the infield.
Niara achieved a personal milestone at 2nd base in the bottom of the second inning. With the bases loaded, she shuffled to her right and stopped a well hit grounder. She then reached down and grabbed the ball while keeping her foot on the base. The result was the first unassisted force out of Niara's baseball career.
Jacob Carle thrives on action in the infield. Above, Jacob sets his feet and throws a perfect dart to 1st base to complete an assisted put-out, his second assist in as many games. Later, Jacob played 1st base and handled two grounders on his own for unassisted put-outs.
Luke Kavounas worked on starting with the bat back and focused on hitting pitches in different locations. As expected, the results were fantastic. Luke's hits in the first and second innings were prime displays of big boy power.
Luke manned the 3rd base bag for the Blue Jays in the bottom of the third inning. Above, he stands ready to make a play on anything that might come his way. Luke also did an excellent job at 1st base in the bottom of the first.
Adam Farber is serious about his ready position. Above, Adam is prepared for anything at 2nd base in the bottom of the first inning. As he works to cover more ground in the field, Adam is careful to remain in position to cover the bag.
Blue Jays fans that have become accustomed to watching Adam crank out big hits were not disappointed by his efforts versus the Phillies. Above, Adam takes off for 1st base after belting a ball to center field that probably would've resulted in a double if the Blue Jays were allowed to take more than one base. We'll do that next season!
Jake Wilson made quick work of his three plate appearances. Above, Jake gets ready to hit a high chopper past 3rd base in the top of the second inning. When Jake steps to the plate, opposing fielders move back!
Defensively, Jake took an impressive turn at 3rd base in the bottom of the first. His aggressive pursuit of ground balls and bouncers was cause for a grin. A fearless fielder, Jake does not back down from bad hops and well hit balls.
Noah Solovey's advanced mental approach to the game belies his youthfulness. Noah again knocked three solid hits through the infield in Sunday's game. Above, he gets ready to run to 2nd base as soon as his teammate hits the ball.
Noah is consistently ready on every pitch in the field regardless of the position he plays. Here, he stands in ready position at right pitcher's helper. Noah's alertness at five years of age is as impressive as it is promising.
In the photo above, Dominic Delgado hustles out of the batter's box toward 1st base to beat out an infield grounder. A relentless competitor, Dominic makes the most of every hit by running hard to the bag. His two other at-bats in the game with the Phillies resulted in hard hits up the middle.
In the field, Dominic is a fiend. Here, he poses for a pregame photo while working on grounders and throws. When the game began, he scampered around the field to shag grounders at 2nd base.
Ethan Chu is going to be a very good baseball player. Above, he demonstrates ready position in left field. Ethan pays attention, listens, and improves at every practice and game. In Sunday's tilt, Ethan played heads-up baseball at shortstop and in the outfield.
Ethan Chu earned his ice pop by spraying excellent hits through the infield in each successive at-bat. A batter that hits to all fields, Ethan does a terrific job of keeping opposing fielders guessing.
In this photo, Grady Blair makes solid contact, knocking a sinking liner down the 3rd base line. Grady's work with the bat resulted in three big hits in the game with the Phillies.
Grady kept his eyes on the batter in right field in the bottom of the first inning. He also did a nice job fielding grounders at right shortstop in the bottom of the second.
Clark Roggie again swung the bat with authority, this time from the fifth spot in the order. Above, Clark watches the batter and gets ready to "run on contact" to 2nd base as soon as the ball is hit.
Clark contorted his body in various positions to field ground balls at 2nd base in the bottom of the final inning. Clark did an outstanding job of getting the ball between his feet to not allow it to bounce to the outfield.
When the game was over, the Blue Jays congratulated the Phillies, a good team that we will see again in two weeks.
The A Team
Rishi Gupta held the fort in the 1st base coaching box in the early innings.
Eric Delgado helped the batters line up correctly and retrieved the few balls that weren't hit when the Blue Jays were at bat.
Peter Kavounas was a Jack of All Trades, coaching at 1st base and serving as bench coach.
George Roggie pitched to the right-handed batters in the Blue Jays' lineup. He was relieved by an old and infirm stand-in when lefties stepped to the plate. We like our left vs right match-ups!
The Kavounas Family provided the ice pops after the game. They were much appreciated!
Back in Action!
The Blue Jays are indeed back in action as the season reaches the home stretch.
Feel the intensity!
Feel the love!
Coach Steve
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