Athletics

At the annual general meeting, the NMBLL elected its Board of Directors for 2008. The Board will have its initial meeting on August 1, 2007, to elect officers and begin planning for the 2008 season.

Down to their last strike, the Astros rallied from a 1-run deficit in the bottom of the 6th to defeat the Braves and claim the Majors Championship. After the Braves broke a 3-3 tie to go ahead 4-3 in the top of the sixth, Braves ace Eli Iaslovitz made quick work of the first two Astros batters in their last at bat. Zev Gassner quickly fell behind 0 and 2, but then fouled off 4 straight pitches before singling to start the rally. After Zac Groffman walked and two stolen bases later, Imani Edwards came through with a walk-off single to drive in two runs and win the game and the championship. Though the Astros never had a lead until the game winning hit, strong pitching by Ian Santana and Zev Gassner and solid defense by Edwards, Evan Yavner and Matthew Klein kept the Astros within striking distance the entire game. Congratulations to all the Astros!

The Dodgers concluded their 2007 storybook season by winning the Minors Jr. Championship in a thrilling game over the White Sox 8-7. In describing his team, Manager Irl Solomon explained, "The Dodgers possessed the ultimate blend of speed, power, defense and baseball savvy. The team had the kind of chemistry rarely found in sports today....holding the utmost respect for each other, opposing players, coaches and umpires. This team truly is a champion and will always be remembered for its discipline, focus and desire to be the very best!!!" Congratulations, Dodgers!

The Marlins stormed to a 12-6 victory over the Yankees to win the Minors Division Championship game on Thursday, May 10. The team went undefeated in the playoffs winning four playoff games in a row against the League’s best. Starter Josh Swerdlow held the Yankees to 5 runs on 4 hits while striking out 3. Christopher Durante came on in relief for the last 2 innings, and shut down the Yankees for the rest of the game, striking out 5 of the last 6 batters he faced, giving up just 1 hit. More details on the game can be found on the game story. Congratulations, Marlins!

The results for the Pitch, Hit & Run competition are as follows:

7 & 8 years olds All Around Champion 1st place: Lenny Bates 2nd place: Richard Rodriguez 3rd place: Maximilian Asnis Pitching: Lenny Bates Hitting: Lenny Bates Running: Maximilia Asnis

9 & 10 year olds All Around Champion 1st place: Alex Vallejo 2nd place: Ian Santana 3rd place: Andrew Feldman Pitching: Alex Vallejo & Ian Santana Hitting: Alex Vallejo Running: Alex Vallejo

11 & 12 year olds All Around Champions 1st place: Imani Edwards 2nd place: John Farrell 3rd place: Nico Zambrano Pitching: (tie) Imani Edwards, John Farrell & Taylor Fisher Hitting: Nico Zambrano Running: Imani Edwards

13 & 14 year olds All Around Champions 1st place: Orgen Martinez 2nd place: Deandre Smith 3rd place: EP Farrell Pitching: Orgen Martinez Hitting: Orgen Martinez Running: Deandre Smith Congratulations to all the winners!!