Blue Jays display great Teamwork in Opener!

The Blue Jays started a great season of teamwork with a fantastic all-around performance in their opening game with the Dodgers Sunday, April 3 at Pyle Middle School.

By our count, the Blue Jays made 16 put-outs in three innings and smashed hits to the outfield on a regular basis.

Wow!

There is a lot of good stuff to report, so let's get started!

High Fives for Teamwork!

As always, the Blue Jays were ready to have fun, do their best, and demonstrate great sportsmanship.

This season, they're adding terrific teamwork to their recipe for success!

That's why they warmed up before the game by practicing the ancient team-building ritual known as the high-five!

This is how the Blue Jays tell their teammates, "Good job! Way to go! Thanks for doing your best for the team!"

We get the feeling that the high-five is not a new idea for many of the Blue Jays.

Happily, when the game began, every player gave his or her teammates plenty of reasons to deliver congratulatory high-fives!

Sunday, April 3 Game Report

John Wyatt led off for the Blue Jays with a new bat, a new helmet, and a devastating swing! His first hit went all the way to left field, putting everyone on notice that he intended to have a big day at the plate.

John's big hits gave him plenty of opportunities to run the bases. He got the Blue Jays off to a great start in every inning!

Ethan Yu put his hitting skills on display after working on his game throughout the winter. Here, we see his outstanding, fundamentally sound batting stance.

Ethan enjoyed a solid season opener, ripping hits through the middle of the field in each trip to the plate. Great job, Ethan!

George Roggie unleashed some serious power at the plate in the game with the Dodgers. George knocked a line drive past the left fielder in the first inning and cracked a double in the second inning. Above, George sprints to first to reach base safely in the final stanza.

George appeared to be quite satisfied with scoring three big runs for his team!

Aleka Frazier proved to be the slugger that every team covets in the clean-up position. Here, she sizes up the pitch that she would smash down the left field line for an RBI base hit!

Aleka's line drive over the 3rd baseman's head in the final inning was one of many highlights for the Blue Jays. She also legged out a hit in the second inning, showing great hustle to beat the throw to 1st base!

Jake Schuman kept the momentum going offensively. Here, Jake prepares to pound a line drive up the middle in the second inning. Jake celebrated the beginning of the spring season with three big hits!

Above, Jake prepares to advance to 2nd base at the crack of his teammate's bat. Jake ran the bases with speed and savvy. He scored a run in each inning!

Allen Tousi appears to be happy to be back with the Blue Jays this spring. Allen got into the swing of things with three impressive hits to the left side of the infield.

Here, Allen digs hard to reach 1st base safely, something he managed to do in all three trips to the plate. Welcome back, Allen!

Look at the great job Ava Curley does keeping her eye on the ball. Yet another Blue Jay who ripped three solid singles in the season opener, Ava uncorked an impressive blast past the 3rd baseman in the third inning!

The Blue Jays can always count on Ava's speed on the base paths. Here, she scrambles to beat the throw to 1st base. Ava had a great game!

Suzanne Pearl is the picture of efficiency at the plate. Suzanne needed very few pitches to blast three awesome hits to the left side of the infield.

A very productive hitter, Suzanne collected an RBI - Run Batted In - on this play. Notice that teammate Jake Schuman is heading for home plate to score a run for the Blue Jays. He was able to do that because Suzanne hit the ball so well. That's great teamwork!

Sam Berman is no stranger to hard hits. In the game with the Dodgers, he came through for his team in a big way, stroking hot grounders to right center field in the first and second innings.

In addition to his 3-for-3 day at the plate, Sam demonstrated his advanced base running skills, getting a great jump to beat the fielder to 2nd base on a ground ball in the final inning. That's heads-up baseball!

Jeremy Robertson really clobbered the ball in the game with the Dodgers. Here, he prepares to run to 2nd base after collecting his third and final hit. Jeremy was yet another Blue Jay who needed few pitches to do some serious damage with the bat!

The return of Andre Schnider's big bat was a welcome addition to the Blue Jays' offensive lineup! Andre's line drives up the middle not only forced Coach Steve to do some rather unnatural looking calisthenics, but also sent fielders running toward the outfield!

Here, Andre rounds 1st base and heads for 2nd as his hit rolls through center field. The ball seemed to jump off of Andre's bat all afternoon!

The very focused William Amorosi did a great job finishing off each inning offensively for the Blue Jays. William learned in practice how to choke up on the bat. Impressively, he remembered exactly how to do it, immediately using the technique to collect three solid hits in Sunday's game. Great job, William!

Fielding Fanatics

Spectacular play in the field gave the Blue Jays plenty of reason to celebrate with high-fives!

Congratulations to Ava Curley, who collected the first infield assist of her baseball career! Playing at left shortstop in the second inning, Ava fielded a ground ball and threw to Jake Schuman at 2nd base for the force-out. She also did a great job stopping a hard hit to center field in the third inning. Those were great plays!

Here, Jeremy Robertson stands in ready position. Jeremy's heads-up play would pay off in a big way!

In the third inning, Jeremy smoothly fielded a grounder at right shortstop and delivered a perfect throw to Andre Schnider at 1st base just before the runner arrived. Jeremy's throw and Andre's catch were pure poetry in motion!

Andre enjoyed a typically productive day on defense. He handled a ground ball and stepped on 1st base for an unassisted put-out in the third inning. In the first inning, Andre threw twice from the left pitcher's helper position to Jake Schuman at 2nd base for force outs.

Jake added an unassisted put-out of his own, nabbing a ground ball and stepping on 2nd base in the first inning. Jake also teamed up with Sam Berman for an assisted put-out at 1st base in the second inning.

Above, Sam gets the Blue Jays off to a great start defensively in the second inning with an unassisted put-out at 1st base. In the third inning, Sam was an out-making machine, grabbing three consecutive ground balls and running to make force-outs at 2nd base from the left pitcher's helper position. That's serious production!

John Wyatt specializes in stopping hard hits in the infield. He made three terrific stops on ground balls at right shortstop in the first inning. John also fielded a tough grounder at 2nd base in the second inning. John stopped base runners in their tracks with his smooth fielding!

Allen Tousi made a big play with his glove in the third inning, stopping a well hit bouncing ball at left shortstop and holding the runner to a single. Great job, Allen!

Suzanne Pearl was pink perfection at left shortstop in the first inning. She stopped a very hard hit and prevented the runner from advancing to 2nd base. Suzanne is always a smooth operator in the field!

George Roggie pulled off a rare defensive feat in the second inning - a Triple Play! Playing at the left pitcher's helper position, George dove and caught a fly ball backhanded, got up and tagged 2nd base to double the runner who didn't tag up, and then threw to Sam Berman at 1st base to get the third out on another runner who forgot to tag up. Unbelievable! Later, George fielded a ground ball and stepped on 3rd base for an unassisted force out to end the 2nd inning. Just for good measure, he tagged a runner out at 1st base in the first inning. What a day!

After the game, William Amorosi noted that the ball wasn't hit to him very often. That's true and that happens sometimes in baseball. The important thing is to be ready when the ball does come to you! Take a look at William in the photo above. He was ready, paying attention and keeping his head in the game. If you do that, then good things will happen. Great job, William!

Ethan Yu demonstrated his fielding skills to fine effect at 2nd base in the third inning. He stopped two tough ground balls and worked hard to force the runner at 2nd. Ethan also played well at 3rd base, getting his mitt up in ready position so that he would be prepared to make the play if the ball were to come to him. Well done, Ethan!

Check out Aleka Frazier's great work fielding a ground ball at right shortstop in the 2nd inning. She stopped another well hit ground ball in center field in the first inning. Aleka also took a fine turn at 3rd base, where she always excels!

Afterward, the Blue Jays demonstrated great sportsmanship, congratulating the Dodgers for a fun, well played game!

Family Affair

Thanks to Tom Yu for doing all of the work behind the plate for the Blue Jays. Tom's crisp, accurate throws back to the pitcher are always appreciated!

Thanks to Phil Pearl for coaching at 1st base. Phil deftly combined the aggressiveness of a competitor and the restraint of a sportsman. Good job, Phil!

The Blue Jays kept 3rd base coach Shari Schuman plenty busy throughout Sunday's game. Not surprisingly, she was very much up to the task. Thanks, Shari!

Thanks also to Trista Robertson for managing the bench and the batting order. Trista's work on the sidelines allowed Sarah to take all of the photos you see here!

Thanks to the Curley Family for providing the delicious ice cream sandwiches after the game. As Tom Yu opined, the Curleys set the bar pretty high. Aleka and Ava obviously agree.

Thanks also to the Tousi Family for bringing the drinks. Allen clearly approved of the day's refreshments!

Great game, Blue Jays! The season is off to a truly terrific start!

Let's have fun, do our best, and demonstrate great sportsmanship and teamwork again next week!

Go Blue Jays!

Coach Steve