FPLL Major Yankees

  The Yankees rode a dominant pitching performance by Cabell Thomas, flawless team defense, and disciplined hitting to an 8-1 win over the Mets Saturday to claim the Fleet Park Majors Division 2009 championship.

Thomas was dealing all afternoon under gray skies occasionally spitting rain. He struck out eight, walked one, and surrendered only three hits. In the middle innings, he retired 14 consecutive batters and required only 70 pitches, 15 below the limit, to record the complete-game victory.

Behind him, the Bombers played error-free baseball.  At bat, they continued to be tough outs from the top to the bottom of the order as they have been for the last half of the season. Eight different Yankees scored and every batter reached base.They were typically disciplined, running up high pitch counts.

   The scoring opened in the second when Jason Martinez and Danny DeSmit each walked on full counts. After Ryan Dixon grounded out to second to advance the runners, Marshall Carney also walked. Jason scored on a passed ball before Jack Broach's ground out up the middle scored the second run. 

 In the third inning, Jessie Kane walked to open the frame then was forced on a ground ball by Alec Tekamp. Zach Tekamp singled with Alec going to third. From there, he was out attempting to score on a passed ball. Walks to Cabell Thomas and Jason loaded the bases, but the Yanks were unable to score.

The Bombers broke open the game in the fourth inning when the pitch count for the opposing hurler soared to 85 and he was forced out of the game. Marshall singled with one out. Jack Broach drilled a triple to left to open the floodgates, scoring Marshall, who had reached third on consecutive passed balls. Gray Kiger and Ann Burns Morrison walked to load the bases. Jessie Kane was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Alec, Zach, and Cabell each walked, forcing in three more runs.  

 In the fifth inning, the Yankees threatened again when Ryan singled to right field then Gray was hit by a pitch with two outs. Ann Burns dropped a soft liner into right center to load the bases, but the inning ended on a force out at third base.

 Zach Tekamp took care of one more insurance run in the top of the sixth inning when he scorched a liner to the fence in right-center field then came around to score when the relay throw home was wide.

 On defense, Alec Tekamp returned after missing two games with a sore arm, to smoothly record four assists on ground balls to shortstop. Danny DeSmit in centerfield threw out a runner foolish enough to try to stretch a single into a double. And Ryan Dixon, playing right field, backed up a hit to center, stopping the runner from taking an extra base. 

  In the four-game championship tournament, the Yankees scored 23 runs while holding their opponents to just nine. 

A four-run rally in the fourth inning and solid pitching carried the Yankees to a 7-3 victory over the Braves on the way to the playoffs Saturday. Danny DeSmit and Ann Burns Morrison each fanned four batters while Jason Martinez came on to strike out the last two and save the victory.

 The Yankees manufactured a run in the first inning when Zach Tekamp walked and came around to score on three wild pitches. But they broke open the game in the fourth inning when Alec Tekamp walked before Cabell Thomas tripled to left field. Jason Martinez and Ryan Dixon each walked with Cabell scoring on a wild pitch. After the second out, Danny DeSmit walked before Jack Broach delivered a key, run-scoring single. The Yankees added an insurance run in the sixth inning on a single by Jason and a double by Marshall Carney. 

 Cabell Thomas twirled a one-hitter, striking out 10, and the Bombers bats blasted a slew of extra base hits in an 8-1 triumph over the Red Sox Friday night.

  The scoring started for the home team in the second when Jason Martinez, Marshall Carney and Ryan Dixon coaxed walks to load the bases. Jack Broach singled sharply to left to plate a pair of runs and put the Yankees up for good.

In the third inning, Alec Tekamp stroked his second double of the contest with one out, then went to third on a passed ball before Zach Tekamp walked. Jason Martinez lined an RBI single to right-center to open a six-run rally. Marshall Carney doubled to left field to plate two before Ryan Dixon smashed a grounder up the middle for another RBI hit.  Jack grounded out for the final RBI of the frame.

 Zach Tekamp came on in relief in the sixth inning, striking out both batters he faced. 

  Danny DeSmit's two diving circus catches in left-center field and timely hitting led the Yankees to a 6-3 comeback triumph over the Royals Saturday.

  The Royals scored two in the bottom of the first inning, but Zach Tekamp coolly struck out the five and six batters in the lineup with two runners on base to prevent further damage.

 The game-winning rally for the Yanks began when Ann Burns Morrison worked a full-count walk to open the third inning. Jessie Kane also walked before Alex Tracey was hit by a pitch to load the sacks. Alec Tekamp walked to score a run before Zach Tekamp drove in another with a ground ball. Cabell Thomas ripped an RBI single to left field before Jason Martinez ended the scoring with a ground out to shortstop.

 The Yankees added two insurance runs in the fifth inning when Zach singled with one out and went to second base on a passed ball. Cabell was intentionally walked before Jason walked to load the bases. Marshall Carney was hit by a pitch to plate a run before Danny was also hit, sending the second run across.

Zach struck out four in four innings before yielding to Jason, who whiffed a pair in two innings of work.

The plays of the game were made by Danny who raced into left-center and made a backhanded diving grab of a liner in the third inning, then reprised the play with two runners on base in the sixth inning. The Bombers are now 7-4 and guaranteed a spot in the four-team round robin to determine the championship.

  Aggressive base running, timely hitting, pressure pitching, and flashes of leather keyed a 6-2 Yankees win over the previously undefeated Nationals Wednesday night.  Cabell Thomas pitched five innings of three hit baseball, striking out seven, to earn the victory. At key times, the home team made pressure plays in the field to preserve a slim lead throughout.

 Zach Tekamp opened the scoring with a walk in the first inning, moving to second on another walk to Cabell. Jason Martinez stroked a line single for the game's first RBI. Then Marshall Carney followed with a double to the base of the fence in left-centerfield, scoring Cabell. Danny DeSmit continued the hit parade with another double, Marshall stopping at third. But a strikeout ended the scoring threat.

 In the third inning, Alec Tekamp led off with a ringing single to centerfield. Zach Tekamp laid down a perfect bunt and the Nationals botched the play, throwing the ball away at first, allowing Alec to score and Zach to race to third base. Zach scored on Jason's ground out to the second baseman. 

 In the fourth, the Yankees mounted another scoring threat when Danny reached on an error and Gray Kiger nudged a perfect bunt down the third base line.  But Danny was caught off second before Jack Broach singled hard to left. Jessie Kane's scorching one-hop grounder to first was snared, preventing a run. 

In the fifth, Alec led off with a triple to centerfield and scored on a passed ball. Cabell doubled to left and raced home on Jason's bouncing double to center field. 

 In the field, the Yankees made one clutch play after another. Jason gloved a hard smash to end a threat in the first inning. Jack raced to left-center to track down a fly ball, ending another threat in the second.  Cabell snared a ball bouncing in no-man's land between pitcher and short, then threw to Ann Burns who made a running catch and tag for a force out at second base in the third inning. In the fourth, Alec cut off the throw on a steal of second and nailed the runner at home with Marshall making a smart tag. Danny reached up to snag a high hopper and tag third with the bases loaded in the fifth, canceling that threat. And Marshall shuffled a ball to Jason covering home to nail a runner and end the game in the sixth inning.