Go BCC Blue Jays!: Blue Jays equal to the task in Rematch

The Blue Jays came through in a big way in their rematch with the Tigers (black) Sunday, June 3, at Westland Middle School.

Justin Conner, Braden Poon, Dylan Yoon, Jack Raymond, George Roggie, Ethan Yu, Ryan Groban, Jeremy Robertson, Sam Berman, Charlie Knowles, Gavin Ferguson, John Wyatt and Dylan Edwards worked together and performed admirably in a highly competitive game.

The seesaw affair ended, appropriately, in a tie.

The final score was Blue Jays 17, Tigers 17.

June 3 Game Report

Jack Raymond jump-started the Blue Jays' offense when he led off the third inning with a line drive single up the middle. He advanced to 3rd base on two overthrows and went on to score his team's first run of the game. Jack would later contribute to a frantic fifth inning rally with another single and an RBI.

Defensively, Jack held the opposition in check when he chased down a grounder in right center field and returned the ball to the infield, preventing runners from advancing in the fourth inning.

The Blue Jays were kept busy in the field by an opponent that did not strike out very often. Dylan Edwards was no exception. He fielded difficult bouncers at 2nd base in the sixth inning and did a great job of not allowing the ball to get to the outfield grass.

Dylan was a key cog in the Blue Jays' offensive attack. He followed up his third inning single with a sixth inning double, the first extra base hit of his budding baseball career. Dylan also scored two runs and collected an RBI.

Justin Conner put his wheels in motion after providing his customary power surge at the plate. Justin's 3-for-3 day included a double in the fifth inning, singles in the second and fourth, a run scored and two RBI. Justin leads the team after six games with an incredible 1.526 slugging percentage. That means that he averages an extra base hit in each at bat!

Justin did a fine job behind the plate at catcher, but it was his mental approach to playing the outfield that really caught the coach's eye. Twice, Justin alertly backed up first base, stopped an overthrown ball and returned it to the infield to prevent runners from advancing. Heads-up plays like those should not be underestimated, particularly in close games.

Dylan Yoon is a spark plug in the middle of the Blue Jays' defense. He stopped a ground ball at pitcher's helper and threw to Charlie Knowles at 1st base for an out in the second inning. Dylan was even better in the bottom of the sixth, first sprinting to his left and catching a fly ball and then knocking down a bouncing grounder and delivering a perfect throw to Charlie at 1st for another out.

Dylan was involved in the big offensive rally that gave the Blue Jays the lead in the fifth inning. Above, he prepares to deliver his solid single to shortstop. Dylan drove in a run and later scored.

Jeremy Robertson listened to the coach, moved back in the batter's box, and commenced to crushing the baseball in the game's latter stages. Jeremy grounded a single to the shortstop in the fourth inning. He then laced a liner down the 3rd base line for an RBI ground rule double in the fifth inning.

Defensively, Jeremy played well at pitcher's helper and in the outfield. He also took a great turn at catcher in the scoreless bottom half of the third inning.

Ethan Yu is always ready in the field. That's a good thing when you play a team that hits as well as the Tigers. Ethan worked hard to stop three difficult grounders at 2nd base.

A dependable offensive contributor, Ethan put together an impressive 4-for-4 batting line that included singles in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings. He also scored three runs and added two RBI. Ethan is now hitting at a robust .750 clip and is one of the team leaders with ten runs scored this season.

John Wyatt continued to get on base with regularity, thanks to his hot bat. He assembled a 3-for-3 batting line with singles in the second, third and fifth innings. John also scored a run and had two RBI. He is hitting .737 this season and is one of the team's top run producers with nine RBI in six games.

John had his hands full at 3rd base in the second, fourth and sixth innings. He handled tough grounders and backpedaled in a great effort to catch a deep fly ball.

Braden Poon got the Blue Jays' defense off to a quick start in the top of the first, snagging a fly ball at 3rd base. Braden later made several good plays to cut off grounders before they could escape the left side of the infield.

Braden delivered the big blast offensively in the top of the sixth inning. His 3-run home run ensured that the Blue Jays could do no worse than a tie. Braden also knocked singles in the third and fifth innings, scored a run, and delivered four RBI. He is among the team leaders in the latter category with twelve runs batted in this season.

Charlie Knowles is a leader in every way. In the game with the Tigers, Charlie hit in the lead-off spot and generated a 4-for-4 line that included a double in the fifth inning and singles in the first, third and sixth. He scored three runs and collected an RBI. Charlie leads the team with a .900 batting average.

The ball tends to find Charlie when he plays at 1st base, and that's a very good thing for the Blue Jays. Charlie completed two unassisted outs by knocking down grounders and stepping on the bag in the first inning. He also collected two infield assists, one in the first and one in the sixth, hauling in great throws from pitcher's helper Dylan Yoon. Charlie leads the team in both assisted and unassisted outs, having collected eight of each.

George Roggie provided a defensive highlight at 1st base in the bottom of the third. He speared a searing line drive and alertly stepped on the base ahead of the retreating runner to complete an unassisted double play.

George participated in the Blue Jays' offensive rallies in the third, fifth and sixth innings. His contributions included a double, two singles, three runs scored and two RBI. George leads the team in runs scored (11) and RBI (14) through six games.

Ryan Groban joined the fun offensively with a single and a run scored in the fifth inning. He also reached base on a fielder's choice in the second and fourth innings. Ryan has now scored seven runs in six games.

Despite playing three innings at shortstop, Ryan saw surprisingly little action defensively. He made a good stop on a ground ball that appeared to be headed for left center field. Otherwise, the ball never seemed to come his way. When it does, he'll be ready.

Sam Berman always finds himself in the middle of the action. In Sunday's game, Sam caught a low liner at shortstop to thwart a potential rally in the bottom of the first inning. He also did a great job of tracking and catching a high fly ball in the fifth and knocking down grounders throughout the game.

Sam extended the Blue Jays' offensive carousel in the top of the sixth. His chopper to 3rd base was good for a single. He later scored a run.

Gavin Ferguson continued to take some aggressive cuts at the plate. We have no doubt that his hard work will soon pay off!

Gavin again played well at pitcher's helper. His heads-up play in right center field likely prevented a run from scoring in the fourth inning. Gavin pursued a well hit bouncer and returned the ball to the infield, stopping the base runners in their tracks. That's an important play when you're facing an aggressive team.

Great Experience

There is no doubt that players on both sides felt some pressure. When the Blue Jays and Tigers (black) get together, the game has the feel of a rivalry.

How often do kids get to perform in a high-pressure situation that is devoid of meaningful consequences? Games like this provide opportunities to learn and grow.

Leadership

We finally permitted James Yoon to leave his camera behind and join us on the field! We're glad we did, too, because James proved to be a terrific 3rd base coach and umpire.

Coach Tom Yu did an outstanding job coaching and umpiring at 1st base. He also provided valuable leadership in communicating with the other team.

Thanks also to bench coach Trista Robertson and scorekeeper Susan Poon.

The players thank Eileen and Derrick Raymond for providing the post game refreshments!

Onward!