THIS is Baseball!

The Blue Jays and the Orioles treated fans to a well played baseball game on Sunday, April 22, at Ritchie Park Elementary School.

This was a significant step up in quality of competition for the Blue Jays.  They learned that playing a good team means that you must do all of the little things correctly in order to get desired results.

The Blue Jays were up to the task, turning in a spirited performance and achieving their goal of completing nine put-outs in the field.

Prospects in attendance were inspired!

April 22 Game Report

Jacob Carle enjoyed an efficient day at the plate.  Hitting the ball hard in the first and third innings, Jacob kept the line moving from the middle of the Blue Jays' lineup.  We were impressed with Jacob's hustle to 1st base in the top of the second after he knocked a tapper to the left side.  When we start to keep score, small hits will be better than big outs.  An infield hit can completely change a game.

Jacob certainly flashed the leather in this contest, collecting a combined FIVE unassisted put-outs at two different infield positions.  The highlight of the game was Jacob's running catch of a fly ball at 1st base in the bottom of the first.  Remembering what he had practiced on Friday, Jacob raced back to the bag to double up the runner who had not tagged up.  That's an unassisted double play!  Jacob later notched another unassisted put-out at 1st base.  Then, playing at left pitcher's helper in the final inning, Jacob tagged out two consecutive runners who were trying to score.  What a day!

Niara Gupta might be Blue Jays' most consistent batter when it comes to making quality contact.  That's the product of frequent practice on her own!  Baseball rewards the hard-working more than the fast and the strong - and that's not to say that Niara isn't fast or strong!  She legged out three singles up the middle versus a formidable Orioles defense on Sunday.

Last week in this space, we shouted to the world that Niara can catch good throws and make assisted put-outs at 2nd base if only her teammates would deliver the ball to her mitt.  She made us look smart during the second inning of Sunday's game!  Niara covered the bag and caught a good throw from a teammate to notch her first assisted put-out!  Later in the same inning, Niara mishandled a challenging throw but alertly picked up the ball and stepped on the bag for another assisted put-out.

Wyatt Fotiades took a huge leap forward at the plate this week!  He, too, must have practiced on his own!  The coach saw evidence of that at the practice scrimmage on Friday when Wyatt approached his at-bat with newfound confidence and vastly improved timing.  The positive trend continued in the game.  Above, Wyatt grins as he prepares to run home from 3rd base following one of his three solid efforts at the plate!

Wyatt also caught a couple of thrown balls at Friday's practice and earned an opportunity to play "up front" at right pitcher's helper in the second inning of Sunday's game.  Notice a trend?  Practice matters.  That's the Blue Jay Way.  Wyatt is catching on quickly.

Josh Porter is beginning to make adjustments on his own, which is great to see!  Nobody had to tell him to choke up on his bat in the game with the Orioles.  Handling his own business and working to swing hard every time, Josh ripped three well hit balls to the left side of the infield.

Josh continues to earn opportunities to play at right pitcher's helper thanks to his aggressiveness and willingness to put his body on the line to cut off well hit grounders.  Josh turned in excellent glove work in the bottom of the third inning, hauling in three consecutive hard grounders.  As Josh continues to develop his throwing technique, he will collect infield assists in bunches.  He's already good at the hard part!

Milen Hukmani blistered a line drive that made it through the densely populated infield and bounded into left field in the top of the first inning.  Milen has demonstrated increased power in recent weeks.  On Sunday, after finally getting a good pitch to hit, he proved that he knew what to do with it.

Milen brings good awareness and a solid glove to the corner infield positions.  He managed to keep a couple of errant throws from going out of play at 1st base in the second inning.  In the bottom of the third, Milen fielded two difficult bouncing grounders and, knowing what he would do before the ball was hit, delivered throws to the correct base in order to get force outs.

Luke Kavounas rejoined the Blue Jays and added punch at the top of the batting order.  Above, Luke sizes up a pitch and drives a groundball base hit that didn't stop until it reached right field!  Finding live pitching to his liking, Luke hit the ball well in each plate appearance on Sunday.

Luke appeared to benefit from the graduated distance throwing-and-catching drill in practice on Friday and during warm-up prior to the game.  Keeping busy at 3rd base in the bottom of the second inning, Luke worked on fielding a flurry of well hit grounders.  The Blue Jays loved having Luke back in the nest!

A fundamentally sound hitter, Noah Solovey enjoyed a productive afternoon in the game with the Orioles.  He ripped a solid base hit to the left side of the infield in each at bat.  Ready to take the next step, Noah is working on his base running - knowing when to run and when not to run - and getting a good "jump" when he is on the bases and his teammates hit groundballs.  Those skills become very important when you play against teams that can catch and throw like the Orioles.

Not lacking for toughness, Noah attended practice on Friday mere hours after having his nose cauterized!  The head coach has been putting off that particular procedure for more than 30 years!  Noah appeared to be no worse for wear.  We would not be surprised to learn that he ate nails for breakfast and pumped iron for a couple of hours prior to Sunday's game!

We continue to marvel at Evan Phillips' ability to show up and hit the baseball.  Gifted with rare ability to block out distractions and focus on the pitch, Evan is rapidly establishing himself as the Blue Jays' most consistent contact man.  In Sunday's game, Evan needed only a handful of pitches to generate a legitimate 3-for-3 batting line.  That's quite an accomplishment given the quality of the Orioles' defense.

Evan likes to be certain that he knows what he's doing.  He will get to that point as he gains experience in the infield at practices and games.  A sound decision-maker, Evan is working to increase his aggressiveness on groundballs.  As a team, the Blue Jays are learning that making outs is all about TIME.  Some things - like getting to the ball - must happen quickly.  Other things - delivering an accurate throw - cannot be rushed.  Every assisted out requires that players execute five different skills flawlessly in a duration of four seconds.  Evan is making progress toward putting it all together.

Dominic Delgado clobbered the most aesthetically pleasing hit of the game in the top half of the second inning.  His line drive hit to center field was a sight to behold!  He certainly earned the respect of the Orioles, who backed up several steps in the field when Dominic returned to the plate in the top of the third!  Dominic's work on his own has made him a threat to go deep on every swing!

Dominic prepared for Sunday's game by successfully completing ten assists with a teammate at distances of 20, 30, 40, and 50 feet at Friday's practice.  Truthfully, we did not expect anyone to finish that drill on the first try!  Playing the way he had practiced, Dominic keyed the Blue Jays' most unlikely put-out of the day on Sunday.  Playing in right field, he handled a grounder and threw to 2nd base for a force out that wasn't even close!  That was amazing!

Adam Farber is this close to unleashing the kind of consistent power that is rarely seen in the BCC National League.  In Sunday's game, Adam knocked two hard hits to the right side of the infield.  With ample experience under his belt, Adam has reached the point at which a couple of small adjustments will enable him to punch balls to the outfield with regularity.  The day is coming!

Adam put a bow on the Blue Jays' effort to collect nine put-outs in the bottom of the final inning.  Playing at 2nd base, Adam knew before the ball was hit that he had a relatively easy force play in the event that a grounder was hit his way.  And that is exactly what happened.  Adam calmly fielded the grounder between his feet and stepped on the bag to record the Blue Jays' ninth put-out of the game!

Assuming the look of a ball player, Brody Gottfried sustained the upward trajectory of his batting prowess in the game with the Orioles.  Sporting a fundamentally excellent batting stance and demonstrating increased recognition of pitch location, Brody delivered solid contact in each trip to the plate.

Brody earned an opportunity to play at right pitcher's helper in the game due to his hustle, improved quickness to the ball, and accurate throws to 1st base in practice.  Brody's game is developing at an astounding clip.  If he were to play in a league with kids his own age, he would be the GOAT!  As it is, Brody is showing everyone that listening, learning, and practicing can go a long way toward closing the age gap!

Henry Goldstein and his dad took an hour of their Sunday morning to work individually with the coach.  Having digested a bonanza of new information in the first two weeks of his baseball career, Henry was motivated to learn what others were able to gather in 14 weekends of baseball last year.  On Sunday afternoon, Henry grounded three consecutive bouncing balls to the left side of the field.

Possessing natural speed, Henry is working on "playing fast," which tends to come only with experience.  The Orioles gave him plenty of exposure to well hit baseballs at left shortstop in the second inning of Sunday's game.  We haven't worked at all on outfield defense, but Henry proved willing to chase down hard hits and return the ball to the infield from the left field position in the bottom of the third.

Clark Roggie has learned to run hard after he hits the ball.  Above, Clark surveys the situation after successfully reaching 3rd base in the top of the first inning.  Clark's best hit came in the second frame when he crushed a line drive that bounded to center field.  When you play a team like the Orioles, you can't count on reaching safely on balls that are hit to the infielders.

Clark started the Blue Jays' nine-out effort in the field in the bottom of the first inning.  Playing at 2nd base, he scooped up a grounder and stepped on the bag for a force-out, the team's first put-out of the game.  Clark looked as if he was thinking about throwing to 1st base to try to get the double play.  That will happen some day!  We also liked the way that Clark moved quickly to the baseball and delivered good throws to 3rd base from the left pitcher's helper spot in the bottom of the third.

The Blue Jays and the Orioles are well matched teams that challenge one another.  We look forward to playing these guys again in June.

Chipping In

Shrugging off a nasty shoulder injury, Coach Eric Delgado provided catching services and kept the fielders ready and lined up properly.  The latter can be a challenge in the late innings of the last game of the day!

Coach Rishi Gupta provided advanced instruction to runners at 1st base.  When the other team can catch and throw like the Orioles, understanding when to run and when not to run becomes important.

Adam Fotiades advised base runners on the left side of the field.  He, too, had to calculate contingencies in order to spare the Blue Jays the misfortune of running into tag outs.

Evan Gottfried and Jaclyn Kanarish delivered the postgame snacks and drinks.  Brody and his teammates were happy to be warm enough to consume at the field following the game!

Baseball will only get more complicated as teams improve and rules and concepts are introduced.  Believe it or not, those things will make the game even more fun!

With this one in the rearview mirror and their first nine-out game in their back pocket, the Blue Jays appear ready to take the next step!

Coach Steve