Game Recaps Cardinals Win Opener With Last Inning Run
The Cardinals started their 2005 summer season in fine fashion by beating the Ozone Park-Howard Beach All-Stars 3-2.
The Cards jumped out to a quick 2 run lead on a lead off single by John and a walk to Matt K. Nick P. singled in a run and the second run scored on a fielder's choice to Matt S.
Ozone Park tied the game on in the 4th and the game went to the bottom of the sixth tied at 2. Nick R. started the inning with a single, Eric walked, and Ben grounded into a fielder's choice. After a walk to Chris loaded the bases, John lined a single to score Eric with the winning run.
The Cards played excellent defense highlighted by a line drive double play started by Nick P. Ryan was solid in center field and the infield was air tight with several ground ball plays by Matt S, Kevin, John and Chris.
Nick kept a good hitting team in check by only allowing 2 hits and striking out 7.
Cardinals Sweep Doubleheader with 9-6 Win
The bats awoke for both teams in the second game as they combined for 15 runs and 25 hits.
The Cards scored first in the Top of the first when Matt K. got a 2 out double and then Nick P. homered to straight away center field. In the Top of the 3rd the Cards had a big rally scoring 5 runs all with 2 outs. With Nick R. on first, Chris walked and both scored on a triple by John. Matt K followed with an RBI double and then scored on a triple by Nick P. Nick then scored the last run of the inning by stealing home.
The Cardinal defense in the second game was another story. Several miscues and malaprops let Ozone-Howard back into the game. Either the heat was getting to the players or they were weighed down from the between game spread. The team nutritionist will need to check on the boys "in game" diet.
Ryan came in to pitch for Kevin in the 3rd inning with the bases loaded and no outs. He got the first two batters to strikeout and then induced a ground ball to Nick at short to get out of the inning.
The Cards added two in the 5th on a single by Ben, a triple by Chris and an RBI bunt by John.
Ryan pitched the rest of the way, striking out 4 and only allowing one run.
Great start to the season - let's keep it going.
Syosset Forfeits
Obviously scared off by their scouting reports the Syosset Braves forfeited their game vs. the Cardinals.
"We'll take it ", said an anonymous team official.
Casey is Both Mighty and Speedy
Led by Casey's RBI go ahead single and 4 stolen bases the Cardinals improved their record to 3-0.
Under threatening skies, the Cardinals scored the first run of the day when Casey led of the 3rd with a walk and then stole second and third. He scored on an RBI groundout by Ben.
In the top of the 4th, the Reds scored 2 to take a 2-1 lead. The Cardinals tied it up in the bottom of the inning when John led off with a triple and scored on Nick's RBI groundout.
In the bottom of the 5th, Huckleberry led off with a single and then stole second. He advanced to third when E. Jay was robbed by Ron Swoboda on a line drive to rightfield. Huck then scored the go ahead run when Casey singled between short and third.
The Cardinals used 3 pitchers in anticipation of a long tournament weeked. Huck, Chris, and Nick each pitched 2 solid innings.
3-0 and on the go !
RYO Tournament: Cardinals Clipped in Extra Innings
The Cardinals lost there first ever game on 75' bases losing to the Middle Country Mustangs 7-6 in 8 back and forth innings.
In the top of the first Chris scored on a single by Nick P. who then then stole home. The Mustangs tied it up on single runs in the 1st and 2nd. In the 4th, Nick P. led off with a double and then stole third and home for the third time this season.
Middle Country went ahead with a pair of runs in their half of the 4th. The Cards took back the lead in the 5th when they loaded the bases: Casey reached first on an error, Nick R. singled and Ben was hit by a pitch. Chris then drew a bases loaded walk and then another error on a groundball by John led to two runs.
Unfortunately, the Cards left 7 runners in scoring position through the first six innings and this would come back to bite them when Middle Country tied the game in the bottom of the sixth after two were out.
Moving into extra innings playing with the California Tie-breaker, the Cardinals failed to score in the 7th and 8th. Middle Country finally scored the winning run in the bottom of the 8th.
It was a long game and the day would only get longer ....
RYO Tournament: Cardinals Suffer Big Loss to NJ Bandits
Facing a strong team from New Jersey, the Cardinals jumped out on top by scoring a run in the second. Nick P. led off with a walk and then stole 2nd and 3rd. He then scored on a long single by Ryan that was about 5 feet short of a home run to deep left center.
In the bottom of the second, 2 errors to the first two batters opened the door to 2 grand slams and 9 runs in what can easily be described as the worst inning the Cardinals played since their first season of travel baseball in 2003.
The Cards scored two run in the 3rd when Casey continued his rampage on the bases with a walk and steals of 2nd and 3rd. He then scored on Ben's RBI groundout. Eric then duplicated the "Casey triple" with a walk and two steals. He came in with the 3rd Cardinals run on a double by Chris.
The Cardinals then held NJ to only two runs the rest of the way. The defensive highlight was Eric throwing a runner out at the plate from centerfield.
While the final score was not pretty - make no mistake - this was a recruited team with kids coming from all over Bergen County - not just one town, who play on 75' bases all season. Considering that this was just the second game the Cardinals played on 75' bases the final result could have been a lot worse.
RYO Tournament: Cardinal Bats Silent in 4-2 Loss
With Nick P. taking the hill the NYC Westside team scored a run in the first inning. Sayville answered back in their half of the inning. Chris led off with a single and was sacrificed to second on a perfect bunt by John. Nick then singled in the run and then proceeded to steal second, third, and home plate completing the offensive output for the game.
The Cardinals lineup was stymied by the Westside pitcher's array of off speed pitches. Meanwhile Westside scratched out 3 runs in the last 3 innings to take the game 4-2.
Of the 4 walks issued by Sayville pitching, 3 of them scored.
Oh, those base on balls.
Game 3 of the weekend tournament was another tough loss but we were just getting started.
RYO Tournament: Cardinal Lose another Heartbreaker
In the final game of the tournament the Sayville bats game to life and rapped out 16 hits. Unfortunately their defense and tired pitchining staff would be their ultimate undoing.
Scoring Summary:
In the first, singles by John, Matt K. and Nick P. scored the first run of the game.
In the second, Kevin led off with a single, Huck walked and then with one out E. Jay singled in a run. Caset got an RBI on a fielder's choice and then singles by Ben and Eric plated two more runs.
In the fourth, Nick R. doubled and scored on E. Jay's single. Casey then doubled in the 7th Cardinal run.
In the fifth, with one out John and Matt K. scored on Nick P's triple to left center field. Ryan then hit a double deep down the left field line giving the Cardinals 11 runs for the game.
In the bottom of the sixth, the long hot weekend and longer pitching distance had finally wore out the Cardinal pitching staff and Chris was forced to take one for the team.
While the final results don't look too good, the coaching staff felt that the team played very well in making the adjustment to the larger playing field and new rules. The fact that the team was in 3 of the 4 games played against teams more experienced at this level bodes well for the future when we will be playing on the 75' field.
OK, back to NJBL where the Cardinals are still UNDEFEATED and a FORCE to be reckoned with.
Cards Roll Over Raiders 17-1
Under clear skies and hot temperatures the Cardinals bats heated up quickly and kept getting hotter. In the top of the first Chris led off with a single and advanced to third on the Jeter play as John got down a bunt and beat it out for a hit. Nick P. then doubled in John and Matt to put the Cards up 3-0.
In the 3rd Nick P. singled and moved to third on Ryan's single. Nick then stole home and Ryan scored when Kevin reached on an error.
In the 4th, Ben walked and Eric singled. Both scored on Chris' single. After Chris stole second, Matt K. walked and both runs scored on Nick P.'s double to left center.
In the 5th things got silly. E Jay, Ben, and Eric all walked to load the bases. This was followed by RBI walks to Chris and John. When Matt K finally put a ball in play the Raiders defense was in a deep coma and an error allowed a run to score. Nick then singled in 2 more runs. This was followed by RBI walks to Ryan, Kevin, and Huckleberry. When the inning was over, the Cardinals had sent 14 batters to the plate and scored 8 runs.
Meanwhile in the field, Nick P coasted through 4 innings and only allowed one hit with 2 outs in the 4th inning. John made his pitching debut to close out the game in a merciful 5 innings. The last inning also saw the debut of E. Rod Zarett at third base.
Offense Buoyed by Chris' Hustle
After spotting the Raiders 4 runs in the top of the first, the Cards answered back with 3. With two outs and the bases empty, E. Jay got things started with a single. Nick R walked and then Matt S. hit a 2 run triple to the right field corner. Matt scored on Chris' RBI single.
The second inning was the most productive in team history. John led off with a walk. Matt K. walked and then Ryan, Kevin, and Eric all had RBI singles. Ben grounded out to score a run and the E. Jay walked. At this point a courtesy runner was sent in for E. Jay, the catcher, who felt the stolen bases of his courtesy runners should be counted towards his stats. After a ruling from the league commissioner that request was denied although the two runs scored by his runners will be counted towards E Jay's stats. Nick R. and Huck followed with RBI singles. Chris and John then walked. With two outs Matt K. grounded to shortstop, Chris who was on second saw that the shortstop was going to throw to third and instead of simply trotting to third he ran full speed and beat the throw to third. This hustle play not only kept the inning going but allowed the Cardinals to score 5 more runs. This is the kind of hustle the coaching staff want to see from each player ALL THE TIME ! Nick P, Ryan, Kevin, Eric and Ben all followed with hits. Summary for the inning: 19 batters, 11 hits, and 14 runs.
In the 3rd inning the Cards tacked on 2 runs on an RBI groundout by John and a single by Matt K.
There was some defense and pitching by the Cardinals but it was overshadowed by the offensive explosion. Ryan pitched 2 innings and struck out 4 and Eric pitched the last inning and struck out two.
Totals for the day 38 runs and 28 hits but most importantly - 2 wins. The Cardinals remain undefeated and in first place with a 5-0 record.
Cardinals Lose Pitching Duel
The Cardinal bats were silenced just 4 days after their big offensive display. Each team managed only two hits but the Astros were able to capitalize in the second inning on a leadoff walk and a triple. That was all the scoring in the game as the Cards couldn't mount any sort of threat. Their best chance came in the 4th inning after Chris and John got on to lead off, but Nick P. lined into a double play.
"Momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher." - Earl Weaver
The Cards record dropped to 5-1 in league play.
Seeing Triple
The Cardinal bats arrived early on Sunday, the score was tied at 1 when Eric and Chris blasted back to back, and belly to belly triples to start a 5 run rally which concluded with a triple by Nick P. that gave us 3 triples in one inning!! We scored 6 runs in the 5th inning highlighted by doubles from Nick P. and Kevin. Oh Yeah, another 2 run triple by Casey ended the scoring. 4 Runs in the sixth inning closed the scoring with 5 straight hits by Eric, Chris, John, Matt K and Nick P.
Eric went 2 for 3 and played stellar defense. Matt K had 3 hits. Nick Petrella pitched 4 innings and struck out eight. He had a Single, double and triple and 7 RBI’s needing only a home run for the cycle. A sign of things to come...
Cards Lose Extra Inning Thriller
The Sharks came out for Game 2 swinging the bats and scored 3 quick runs. They started a Tommy John-like pitcher who induced 12 ground balls over 6 innings. The Cardinals scratched out a run in the fourth with a single and three ground outs. Good defensive plays by Eric and E. Jay in the 1st and a 1-3-2 Double play by Ryan, Matt K. and E. Jay kept the score close.
In the top of the sixth, the Sharks threatened to put the game away with a walk and two hits, but Chris turned his trademark tag-out throw-out double play and a nice play by Kevin at third ended the inning.
Once again, the Cardinals did not let frustration build up. In the bottom of the sixth, John reached on a bunt single bringing up the tying run, John moved to second on a passed ball and Matt K. blooped one over the second baseman’s head but a nice running catch provided the second out. The Sharks coach came to the mound to talk strategy and maybe walk Nick P and pitch to Ryan. They decided to pitch to Nick and he made them pay with a mighty blast over the center field fence for a game tying two-run homer!!! The Pet-rell-bino strikes again.
The Sharks scored 2 runs in the top of the 7th , but there is no quit in these Cardinals, Kevin led off with a single, moved to second on a ground out the scored on a single by Nick R. With two out and the tying run on first, Ben lined a shot toward the left field line. The left fielder came in running and stumbling and made a fantastic catch to end the game.
Other great defensive plays were Eric charging a hit, E. Jay cutting it off an picking off the runner at first.
Ben's Two Hitter Allows Cards to Come Back
On another hot and humid day, the Cardinals took the field against the Eastport South Manorville Sharks. After the ESM lead off hitter got an infield single on a questionable call, their cleanup hitter poked a home run to left center to put the Sharks up 2-0.
From that point on Ben did not allow any hits with only one ball getting out of the infield. He pitched a complete game two hitter with 12 strikeouts.
The Cardinals started their comeback in the bottom of the first after Chris and John pulled off the Jeter play again. Chris scored when Nick P. doubled off of the right field fence. In the 4th inning the Pet-trell-bino tied the game with a line drive home run that just cleared the center field fence.
Meanwhile, when Ben wasn't striking out Sharks, the Cardinals were providing solid defense behind him. Ryan, Matt K, John, Eric and Kevin all made exceptional plays.
In the bottom of the 6th, Matt K. got things started with a single and then stole second and third as the Sharks intentionally-un-intentionally walked Nick P. Ryan then chopped a bouncing grounder to short and Matt - who committed a baserunning faux pas on a similar play earlier, streaked home and scored the winning run. The game was won 3-2 in a manageable 90 minutes.
Pack your bags everyone - the Cards leave on a 5 game road trip starting in Iowa on Sunday.
Cardinal Lose Another One Run Game
Today's twinbill got off to a good start when Chris & John pulled off the Jeter play once again. Matt K. then scored Chris with an RBI groundout. In the 4th the Cards manufactured a run on 2 walks and an RBI fielder's choice by Ryan. In the 5th Huckleberry singled and scored on an RBI groundout by Ben,
Going into the bottom of the sixth, the Cards were up 3-2 but had amassed only 4 hits and left 4 runners in scoring position. The Plainedge team scored 2 on a game winning home run and the Cardinals had dropped their third game of the season - all of which have been by one run.
Sayville Bounces Back to Split Doubleheader
The Cards spotted Plainedge 4 runs in the first inning due to some shaky defense. They answered back after Chris reached on a hit by pitch and then came in to score on a single by Nick P. Down 5-1 going into the bottom of the third, the Cardinals bats finally came to life after 3 hours of somnabulation. Chris walked and then John singled. Matt K followed with a 2 run double and then Kevin knocked in two more with a bloop single behind third base.
In the 4th, the Cards took the lead on and RBI single to right by Ben that scored Nick R. who had singled to lead off. Nick was in scoring position because he was moved over on a groundout to the right side by E Jay. Chris walked and then John knocked in two more runs with a single. Sayville tacked on another run in the 5th on tripled by Nick P. and Kevin.
After the first inning Chris held the Plainedge lineup down and allowed the Cardinals to tie the game. Matt S. then pitched 2 2/3 strong innings to get the win and Nick finished up striking out the last batter.
The Cards take a few days off to allow the All-Star tournament to complete its schedule.
Cardinals Rally in Last Inning to Tie on 3 RBI Day by Blue Cow
The Red Devils jumped out to a quick 2 run lead in the top of the first. The Cardinals answered right back in their half of the first. After Huck reached on a fielder's choice Matt K. singled and the Ryan followed with an RBI single. Nick R then lined a two strike pitch down the left field line for a chalk raising two run double.
Plainedge took a 4-3 lead with single runs in the second and fifth innings. In the bottom of the 6th Matt K. reached on an error and moved to third on a double by Ryan. Nick R. then hit a single that eluded the third baseman.
The teams played 7 innings but the game ended in a 4-4 tie.
Errors, errors, and errors
Game story too painful.
Cards Finish Regular Season with 12-0 Drubbing of the Hell Cats
Playing on the beautiful plush fields of Oyster Bay, the Cardinals got a quick two runs on a leadoff triple by Chris, and RBI groundout by Matt K. and a single by Ryan.
In the second the bats finally erupted. Eechiro led off and then stole second and third (No courtesy runner !), Casey walked and then Eric knocked in E. Jay with a sacrifice fly to left. Chris walked and then John singled in two runs. Matt K then walked and Nick P. doubled in two more runs. Ryan singled in a run and then Kevin tripled in another run. It could have been a home run but the non anchored third base bag slipped and Kevin had to hold at third.
In the top of the third, E Jay walked, Casey singled and then Eric, just back from vacation, hit a three run homer. This put the Cardinals up 12-0 and in position for a 4 inning mercy game.
Meanwhile, the other returning vacationer, Kevin, was mowing down the opposition. In the first Oyset Bay had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs but Kevin struck out the next 3 batters. John closed out the game pitching a scoreless 4th inning. The final out was made when the runner on third attempted to steal and Nick P. flipped to John who tagged out the runner.
At this point the Oyster Bay manager thought the score was only around 9-0 but his scorebook was missing several at bats. By the time he realized his error the umpire was already on the LIE so the game ended in a 12-0 shutout and the Cardinals had clinched a playoff spot.
