The Blue Jays learned another important lesson about kid-pitch baseball in their game with the Cubs (Blue) Sunday, April 21, at Glen Hills Park. Specifically, a standout pitcher can shut down just about any offensive lineup. Sometimes, a team must rely on good defense just to stay in the game.
The final score was Cubs 11, Blue Jays 2.
Jack Raymond came through with the team's third and final hit of the day with a big ground ball single in the bottom of the fifth inning. He also drove in half of the Blue Jays' two runs. Defensively, Jack played well in left field and in right field.
Charlie Knowles managed to get on base twice, drawing walks in the first and sixth innings. Defensively, Charlie assisted on an out and then finished off the top of the first by fielding a grounder at 1st base and stepping on the bag. In the top of the fourth, he collected an infield assist and made another unassisted put-out at the same position.
Chris Pernie continued to play solid baseball at 2nd base. In the top of the first, he snagged a grounder and threw to 1st base for the second out of the inning. Offensively, Chris drew a walk to reach 1st base in the bottom half of the first.
John Wyatt demonstrated a keen batting eye throughout the game with the Cubs. He drew walks in the fourth and fifth innings. John enjoyed a very productive game in the field, assisting on an out at 1st base in the fifth and completing an unassisted put-out on a grounder in the sixth.
Ethan Yu hit well despite a very tough opposing pitcher. After drawing a walk in the first inning, he cracked a ground ball single and scored a run in the sixth. Defensively, Ethan played effectively in center field, at 3rd base, and, for the first time this season, at shortstop, where he nearly pulled off a great force-out at 2nd base.
Jake Lang played well at 3rd base, in left field and in center field. Offensively, he scored one of his team's two runs after he was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fifth. That's taking one for the team! Jake also put his wheels in motion to steal two bases.
Gavin Ferguson made his kid-pitch infield debut and drew rave reviews. He snagged ground balls and executed a stop-and-flip at 2nd base that very nearly ended with a big out in the sixth inning. Gavin continued to swing the bat aggressively at the plate.
Dylan Edwards was another Blue Jay that excelled at the 2nd base position. He stopped hard grounders in the third and fourth innings. At the plate, Dylan displayed good judgment, drawing a walk in the bottom of the fifth.
The Blue Jays' pitching staff turned in a fine performance of its own against a team that is known to hit for power. Jaden Smith got the start and struck out four batters in two innings of work. Offensively, he drew a walk in the top of the fifth.
Sam Berman kept the Cubs at bay in the middle innings, giving up zero runs on one hit and one walk. He struck out three batters in two innings. Sam fielded his position well, not only nabbing a grounder and throwing to 1st base for an out, but also catching a pop-up. Sam's day at the plate included a tough ground out in the third inning.
Rayan Nair was an effective closer for the Blue Jays. He struck out four and walked just one in two innings of relief. Defensively, he stopped a grounder and threw to 1st for an infield assist. Offensively, Rayan dumped a double into right field in the first innings, drew a walk in the fourth, and collected an RBI.
It should surprise no one that Tom Yu proved to be an outstanding manager. Thanks, Tom, for everything!
And thanks to all who helped out last week. We're very excited to return to the team this weekend!
Coach Steve
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