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ALL STAR GAMES FALL 2011

Posted by Lou Palmer at Dec 16, 2011 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

¨ All Star Games Fall 2011

18AAA Nationals rout Americans in lightly attended game

(Royal Palm Beach, Dec. 13, 2011)—Jimmy Efre, the Manatees’ speedy outfielder, was the only of six players from his team who showed up to play the rescheduled 18AAA All Star game at Seminole Palms Park in Royal Palm Beach. And, he took full advantage of it. Not only was the winning manager as the Nationals clobbered the Americans 14-2 in a game shortened to seven innings due to the “mercy” rule, he was also the game’s Most Valuable Player, going 4 for 4 with a stolen base and two runs driven in.

Due to the absence of players who may have had prior commitments, the Nationals played with only 11 players, the Americans only 10, as opposed to the 16 spots allotted to each of the two sides.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third inning when the Nationals produced three runs, including one on a double steal executed by Kelvin Jimenez (Titans), who swiped home as his Titans’ teammate Papo Torres stole second. Efre singled to right to drive in another run, and the third tally occurred when Richard Paulino (Twins) lined sharply to left and the ball was mishandled for an error. Paulino picked up an RBI on it, though, as Efre would have scored easily had the catch been made.

The Nationals blew it open in the next inning, scoring six runs on four hits, three walks, three wild pitches and a stolen base. Key blows in the inning were an RBI double by the Titans’ Christian Cancio, Efre’s second RBI single on his third hit, and a run scoring single by Omar Javier (Twins).

Chamos’ first baseman Robbie Conver got the first hit of the game for the Americansin the fifth inning off Melvin Bruno (Twins), who relieved starter and eventual winning pitcher Andres Rosales, another Twin. Rosales pitched no hit ball for four innings, walking three but striking out five. Conver ripped a fast ball into the left field corner for a two bagger, stole third and eventually scored his team’s first run on a bases loaded walk by Kyle Calloway (Hurricanes), one of three walks in the inning.

Rosales singled sharply to left to score Jimenez to give the Nationals a 10-1 lead, and the only remaining question was what the final score would be, as the Americans’ pitching had fallen apart.

Conver had the Americans’ only other hit, cracking a single to left in the sixth inning. The Americans had scored their only other run in that frame. Ray Infante (Chamos) reached second base on an infield error and scored from second on a wild pitch thrown by reliever Francis Dinzey of the Twins. The Americans loaded the bases without a hit in the 7th inning, but Dinzey got out of that situation with a strikeout.

The Nationals closed things out in the bottom of the 7th, scoring four runs on five straight hits, including a two run double by the Titans’ Torres, and singles by Nestor Sanchez (Twins), Cancio and Jimenez of the Titans and the Twins’ Rosales, who would up with a pair of RBI singles in his two at-bats.

Marcos Colon (Chamos) was the starter and loser, with Dave Salley (Beach Bums), Evan D’Angelo (Thunder) and Kyle Calloway (Hurricanes) also seeing mound action.

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18AA-Sugar Kings-dominated Nationals crush Americans

(Royal Palm Beach, Dec. 7, 2011)—In the end, this one finished up pretty ugly, but it didn’t start that way. The Nationals, dominated by a half dozen representatives of the division leading Sugar Kings (9-0), completely dominated the Americans 16-1 in the 18AA Fall League All Star game at Seminole Palms Park December 7. The game was halted by the league’s “run rule” (down 15 runs after five innings), after the Americans’ at bat in the top of the sixth inning.

The Americans squad, featuring six players from the division runnerup Industriales (7-2) scored first, getting a run in the top of the first inning, but that’s all they were to get off three Nationals’ pitchers. Leadoff hitter Alejandro Gonzalez (La Habana) reached second on a two base error in right field, moved up on a single by Rolayne Ortega (Industriales) off the third baseman’s glove, and scored when Boris Fernandez (Industriales) hit into a fielder’s choice out. The Americans failed to get another hit until a sixth inning single by Tim McManus (Expos) off Mets rookie Riley Otero. McManus stole second, but was stranded when Riley Otero got the next two hitters, striking out the Industriales’ Yosvany Quesada to end the game.

A double to the gap in right center field by the Nationals’ Joe Perez (Sugar Kings) tied the score, as his Sugar Kings’ teammate Nestor Sanjurjo scored from first base after reaching on a fielder’s choice. Perez was to add an infield single and another base hit to right, later in the game, winding up the night 3 for 3 to earn the game’s MVP award. Perez scored on a base hit by Yandri Cabrera and the Nationals never looked back. Both runs were unearned with the Americans committing two errors in the inning, and seven for the game.

The Nationals made it 3-1, with a second inning run, on a walk, hit batter, an infield single by Anthony Palmer (Giants) and a single past third base by Otero.

With Joshua Rivera (Bulldogs), and Steven Hibbs (Tigers) firing blanks at the Americans, the Nationals put it away with six runs in the fourth and seven more in the fifth inning. After starter and eventual losing pitcher Marty Breeden (Blue Jays) left after two innings, the Nationals jumped all over four relievers, collecting five hits, and drawing five walks. The Americans, with a shortage of regular pitchers, added to their own problems by uncorking three wild pitches and committing five errors in those two frames.

Hibbs, coming off a brilliant 5-inning relief job last Sunday to earn himself 18AA Pitcher of the Week honors, was totally unhittable in his two innings, striking out all five hitters he faced in the fourth and fifth innings. Rivera, who left with a 3-1 lead, was the winning pitcher under the special All Star game scoring rules, which do not require that a starting pitcher complete five innings.

Cabrera had two singles and two RBIs for the winners. Others in the hit column were Darien Viera (Sugar Kings) with a double, Tony Rodriguez (Sugar Kings) an RBI single, Kyle Downey (Tigers) an RBI triple, Palmer. and Otero with an RBI single.

BEACH BUMS FALL SHORT, BUT TAKE SOLACE IN BEATING CHAMPION CARDINALS IN NABA WORLD SERIES

Posted by Lou Palmer at Nov 13, 2011 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

CARDINALS, YANKEES WIN NABA WORLD SERIES TITLES

BEACH BUMS FAIL TO MAKE PLAYOFFS DESPITE 3-2 RECORD AND WIN OVER EVENTUAL CHAMPION CARDINALS.

The Florida Cardinals held on to beat the Virginia Beach (VA) Snipers 5-4 to annex their second straight 18 Wood Division championship, and third overall, and the Southern Maryland Yankees erupted for six runs in the seventh inning to down the Southeast Astros (Broward County) 9-5 to win the 25 Wood Division crown. Both championship games were played at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, capping the four day NABA Florida World Championship Series on Sunday, November 6. Palm Beach League players were on the rosters of several of the tournament teams.

The Cardinals, led by pitcher Wilton Garcia's route-going performance, beat the Snipers in the title game for the second straight year. Garcia had a two hit shutout and nursed a 2-0 lead through the first seven innings before his teammates added three inb the top of the 8th for a 5-0 lead. The Snipers battled back with six hits and three runs in the 8th inning and added a runb on a double by first baseman Ernie Banks, and two fly outs to cut it to 5-4. Right fielder Juan Infante made a diving catch on the second fly ball to save the game, for which he was award NABA's Gold Glove award. Garcia was selected as Most Valuable Player award.

Palm Beach League player Marcos Rodriguez (Chamos) played with the Cardinals throughout the tournament, collecting a single, run scored and run batted in in the title game. He also made a diving catch when he started the game in right field. He later finished the game as the center fielder. Earlier in pool play, Rodriguez lofted a long home run.

The Palm Beach League's South Florida Beach Bums missed the four team playoffs in the 18 Wood Division, despite edging the Cardinals 4-3 in their final pool game and finishing 3-2. The Cardinals and Beach Bums and two other teams finished with identical pool records of 3-2, but the Beach Bums were eliminated on the basis of the tiebreaker, which is pegged to the number of runs allowed in pool play.

Southern Maryland finished a 7-0 week by coming from behind to beat the Southeast Astros, featuring a number of Palm Beach League players and managed by Jay Caddle, a former Palm Beach player who is President of the NABA's league in Broward County. The Astros finished with a 5-2 record for the tournament, the only two losses coming at the hands of the Marylanders.

After spotting the Yankees a 3-1 lead after an inning, the Astros posted three runs in the second for a 4-3 lead, which lasted behind left handed reliever Mike Whittaker until the Yankees erupted for six runs in the bottom of the 7th for a 9-4 lead. The Astros got a run in the 9th, but it was too little, too late. Second baseman Danny Lydon was the game's MVP, getting three hits and swatting a two run double that put his team ahead for good. The Gold Glove award went to the Astros' third basseman Malaika Murray.

Complete tournament results are available by logging on to the NABA national web site at www.dugout.org.