Top Gun Eastern Spring World Series Game 2: Canes 13, The Boys 12U 0

In front of an attendance estimated by Coach Hardy in the official scorebook as "13 1/2"--no word on which person he was counting as the half, but we have our suspicions--the Canes beat the 12U The Boys (that's their real name) 13-0 in a game shortened to four innings by the run rule.

The quick pool play games allowed the Canes to get down to the real business of the day, which was, of course, a party at Coach Sean's house. And, just as they like to be a team on the field, they like to dress as a team in the pool:

Seedings and game times for tomorrow will be announced later tonight, but it's a safe bet the Canes will play in the afternoon.

Game 2 Canes scoring plays

First inning

Gavin singled, went to second on a balk, stole third, and scored on Chace's two-out single. Chace stole second and scored on Ashton's single.

Score after one inning: Canes 2, The Boys 0

Second inning

Jake reached with two outs. Gavin crushed a homer to center.

Score after two innings: Canes 4, The Boys 0

Third inning
Chace doubled and scored on Ashton's double. Colin singled home Ashton. JT singled. Ben hit an RBI fielder's choice. Elias walked. Bryce cleared the bases with a single that eventually plated three, with Bryce ending up on second. Asher walked. Gavin walked. Drew's fielder's choice eventually scored three.
Score after three innings: Canes 13, The Boys 0

Pitching Performances

Drew fired three shutout innings, allowing just one hit. He did not allow a runner past first base.

Chace struck out the side in the fourth.

Dugout wisdom
As you may have noticed, the players really enjoy keeping the TAB (Team At Bat) chart, and it often turns into quite the battle as to who actually gets to hold the pencil. In the second inning, it was JT who had the honor.

And so, when Gavin blasted a two-out, two-run homer deep over the center field fence in the second, it was JT who ran out with the rest of his teammates to greet Gavin at the plate, then sat back down on the "bench," grabbed the clipboard, and shouted, "Was that a TAB?"

Uh, yes.

Game 2 Web Gems

• Bryce gunned out a pair of runners trying to steal second, one the leadoff man in the first and one in the third.

Game 2 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
The Boys	0	0	1	X	X	X	1	0
Canes	9	6	1	X	X	X	16	18

Top Gun Eastern Spring World Series Game 1: Canes 16, CCC 12U 1

The Evoshield Canes began another 12U tournament with a 16-1 win over the Carolina Crusaders for Christ in a game shortened to three innings by the run rule. 

Now, to be honest, your faithful blogger did not actually see any of the game--kind of like some of the umpires we have had before. But let me tell you, if you ever have to miss a game, the very best way to "see" it is the combination of Hardy's scorebook keeping and Brian's text messages. It was like having Vin Scully call the action and Peter Gammons write about it. So I can tell you with authority that everything described below definitely happened exactly as described.

Game 1 Canes scoring plays

First inning

Jake led off with a triple, which probably should've been a sign. Gavin drove him in with a homer. Drew singled. Chace, Ashton and Andrew singled. Ben worked a one-out walk. Colin lined a double. Bryce singled. Jake and Gavin doubled.

Score after one inning: Canes 9, CCC 0

Second inning

Chace led off with a single. Ashton tripled. Andrew walked and went to second on a passed ball. JT tripled. Colin reached on an error. Bryce doubled. Brady singled. 

Score after two innings: Canes 15, CCC 0

Third inning
Ashton singled and went to second, and then third, on wild pitches. Andrew singled him home.
Score after three innings: Canes 16, CCC 1

Pitching Performances

Three Canes pitchers--Andrew, JT and Brady--combined to throw one inning each of a three-inning no-hitter. Each pitcher had at least one strikeout.

Dugout wisdom
I'm not completely clear on how this happened other than to say just plain old American ingenuity, but somehow the Canes constructed an actual (more or less) bench in the Middle Creek Park dugout. Here, take a look:

The bench worked tremendously while the Canes were hitting. The only flaw in the plan is that Coach Kevin calls pitches while sitting on the black bucket, which means that during the defensive half-innings the Canes had more of a see-saw than a bench. But one out of two isn't bad.

Game 1 Web Gems

• Considering that six of the nine defensive outs were recorded by strikeout, you're probably going to have to look elsewhere for your web gems.

Game 1 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
CCC	0	0	1	X	X	X	1	0
Canes	9	6	1	X	X	X	16	18

Top Gun Spring Nationals Championship: Canes 16, Maroon Crush 0

The Evoshield Canes took the 12U gold bracket title at the Top Gun Spring Nationals, shutting out the Maroon Crush 16-0 in a game shortened to three innings by the run rule. 

Don't take the wins while playing up for granted. From what we can tell, looking back at Triangle-area Top Gun tournaments this spring, only two other local 11U teams have played up. Their combined record is 3-5. The EvoCanes got more wins than that this weekend alone.

The surge really began in the semifinals, when they looked a little lost while falling behind GBI Blue 9-1. From there, however, they outscored the opposition 29-1 over the next five innings. Sixteen of those runs came in the title game, and also came in only two innings. Just as a reminder from yesterday: this is not normal, folks. 

The championship win over the visitors from Roanoke, Va., included terrific hitting, stellar pitching and error-free defense. It also featured the first opportunity for this group to try and master the art of the post-championship photograph. How do you like your celebratory photo? A little more traditional?

Or maybe you like the traditional (for this group) team selfie?

Today, they also created a new kind of photo: the felfie. Look at Andrew's impressively long arms!

Felfie, of course, is shorthand for "fake selfie." Because here's how the Canes actually got the above photo:

Championship Canes scoring plays

First inning

Gavin reached with one out and alertly went to second on an error throwing in the ball. He took third on a fielder's choice, then scored on an error. Chace singled Drew to second. Ashton singled to load the bases. Andrew singled in a pair. JT drove in Ashton. Andrew scored on a first and third play.

Score after one inning: Canes 5, Maroon Crush 0

Second inning

Bryce walked. Jake walked. Gavin doubled a grape through a pinhole (after hearing the opposing coach say that phrase, the Canes correctly noted, "That sounds like something Coach Bruce would say") to score Bryce. Drew walked. Chace hit a two-run single. Andrew walked. JT scored Drew. Ben was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Chace. Brady, using the aerodynamics from his adult large jersey to create a wind tunnel, singled in a pair. Bryce cracked a two-run single. Colin reached on a shot to the left side. Drew singled home Bryce. Asher drove in Colin.

Score after two innings: Canes 16, Maroon Crush 0

Pitching Performances

Using the all-Ash mound strategy, featuring players who look so similar they're tough to tell apart, Ashton threw the first two innings and Asher finished it up in the third.

Dugout wisdom
It felt like this game had multiple classic comments that will live for years, along the lines of Coach Biscuit, the magic bat or "Schni-day". It began before the game even started. During the pregame head coach meeting at home plate, the umpires issued the usual instructions, and then the coaches shook hands. "Good luck," Coach Sean told the Maroon Crush coach, who would soon be spotted downing a Big Gulp in the first base coaching box. "Have fun."

Coach Big Gulp held on to Coach Sean's hand with a serious look on his face. "Oh no," he said. "We don't have fun. When we play baseball, there are a lot of angry coaches and shouting."

Even a renowned wordsmith like Coach Sean couldn't really come up with anything to say in response to that one, other than, "Uhhhhhhh...OK." He did eventually get his hand back, though.

Later, after Colin laced a key hit, Asher coined a new phrase, saying, "I'm coo-coo for Kimble Puffs!"  Maybe you had to be there. Trust me, it was funny.

Around the time that inning ended, with the Canes having plated 11 runs in the frame and leading 16-0 while the Maroon Crush didn't have a hit, Coach Big Gulp gathered his team around him and began shouting--really shouting, at a level that was a little uncomfortable because it was so obviously shouting--at his team. His gems included, "They don't hit the ball harder than you!" However, this particular tournament was scored using the "how many runs did they get" method rather than the "how hard did they hit it" method evidently used in Roanoke, so the 16-0 lead was allowed to stand.

Championship Web Gems

• The pitching was good enough that there weren't a whole lot of tough plays in the field. Sorry, web gem fans.

Championship line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Maroon Crush	0	0	0	X	X	X	0	1
Canes	5	11	X	X	X	X	16	8

Top Gun Spring Nationals Semifinals: Canes 14, GBI 12U 10

In probably the best EvoCanes game of the spring so far, the Canes spotted GBI Express Blue a 9-1 lead after the top of the second inning, but responded with 13 straight runs to earn a 14-10 victory.

The first two innings saw some very uncharacteristic defense and a couple of bad hops, as GBI grounders repeatedly turned into baserunners. But after some timely inspiration from Coach Sean and Coach Kevin, the offense caught fire and the defense returned to form. The Canes chipped back with four runs in the bottom of the second, got a huge double play in the top of the third, and then took the lead for good in the bottom of the third. For the game, seven of the 13 hits (which came from nine different players) went for extra bases. 

The win advanced the Canes to the championship game of the 12U gold bracket.

Semifinal Canes scoring plays

First inning

Jake reached on an error and stole second, then scored on Gavin's single.

Score after one inning: GBI 4, Canes 1

Second inning

Andrew singled and went to second on an error. He advanced on a fielder's choice. Ben reached on an error. Colin singled in Andrew. Bryce's shot scored Ben. Jake doubled home Colin. Gavin's sacrifice fly scored Bryce.

Score after two innings: GBI 9, Canes 5

Third inning
Chace singled. Ashton, Andrew, JT and Brady recorded four straight doubles. Against the GBI flamethrower, Bryce hit a one-out double and went to third on a balk, where he was driven in by Asher.  
Score after three innings: Canes 11, GBI 9

Fourth inning
Chace singled and went to second on a wild pitch, then stole third. A wild pitch scored him. JT was hit by a pitch. Brady doubled. Colin singled in two big insurance runs.
Score after four innings: Canes 14, GBI 9

Pitching Performances

Chace started and did a good job throwing strikes in front of a defense that had its hiccups.

JT came in and threw some lockdown relief for an inning and two-thirds.

Andrew was terrific in his two innings of relief, getting strikeouts for four of the six outs he recorded.

Dugout wisdom
Since everyone actually had to pay attention in this game (including the guy keeping the book), there wasn't as much time for dugout hijinks. So we'll just flash back to what Coach Sean told the team after they'd committed seven errors in the first two innings and helped GBI build a 9-1 lead. Coach Sean had been coaching third base during that stretch, which put him directly next to the GBI dugout, featuring some coaches who weren't very impressed with the 11U Canes. "They don't think you guys can beat them," Coach Sean told the team. "They're talking about your defense. Let's show them how we play baseball and get back in this game." 

Semifinal Web Gems

• The defensive momentum began to turn a little in the second, when Gavin made a smooth barehand pickup of a hopper and then fired to first for the out.
• But when it really turned around was the third. With a runner on second and one out, the GBI batter hit a grounder to short. Gavin fielded the ball, froze the runner, and threw to Chace at first. Chace caught it for the out, then came off the bag firing and threw a rocket to Colin at third, who easily tagged out the runner for the inning-ending double play.

Semifinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
GBI	4	5	0	0	1	X	10	8
Canes	1	4	6	3	X	X	14	13

Top Gun Spring Nationals G2: Canes 11, Blue Sox 12U 8

Let's play a little "caption this" contest. Anyone got any guesses?

No, Coach Sean didn't utilize his between-games free time to brush up on his electric slide. And he wasn't demonstrating how he once hung ten on the big waves in Maui. See if this adds a little context:

The Canes used the between-games down time to do a little base running work, which needed some improvement after the first game. It paid dividends in a much more crisp second game on the bases (if not in the field), as the Canes came back for an 11-8 win over the Blue Sox.

After a rout in the first game, this one required a comeback. The Blue Sox took advantage of some defensive miscues (they scored four runs on zero hits in the second) to build a 7-4 lead after two innings and 8-5 after three. But the Canes offense exploded for five runs in the fourth and held on for the victory.

They also tightened up the defense after making four errors in the first two innings. Over the final three frames, with Brady on the mound firing strikes, they made just one error, and even that one miscue turned into an immediate out when the runner got too adventurous.

The 2-0 record in pool play gives the Canes the second overall seed, and they will hit the field again on Sunday morning at 10:45.

Game 2 Canes scoring plays

First inning

Jake singled and stole second, then hustled all the way around to score on a routine fielder's choice. Gavin stole second. Chace drove him in with a single. Drew singled. Ashton's ball to the left side scored Chace.

Score after one-half inning: Canes 3, Blue Sox 0

Second inning

Asher reached, then went to third on Jake's double and scored on Bryce's sacrifice fly.

Score after one and a half innings: Canes 4, Blue Sox 3

Third inning
Chace singled and went to second on a wild pitch. A fielder's choice moved him to third, where he scored on Ben's fielder's choice.
Score after two and a half innings: Blue Sox 7, Canes 5

Fourth inning
Asher walked and stole second. Bryce scored him with a one-out RBI single. Bryce stole second and third, Gavin walked and stole second, and Chace scored Bryce with a fielder's choice. Elias dropped down a gorgeous bunt single and stole second. Ben's sacrifice fly scored Chace. A passed ball plated Eli.
Score after three and a half innings: Canes 10, Blue Sox 8

Fifth inning
Jake singled and stole second. Bryce singled and Jake hustled around to score.
Score after four and a half innings: Canes 11, Blue Sox 8

Pitching Performances

Ashton pitched two strong innings while working through some defensive issues.

Brady fired three stellar innings of relief.

Dugout wisdom
The Canes offense broke out the rally snipers early in this game.

Jake was a part of the rally snipers, but when he saw a picture was being taken, he suddenly disappeared. He returned a few seconds later.

"OK," he said. "I had to get my hat. My hair looks hideous."

Game 2 Web Gems

• Colin ranged up the middle to scoop up a grounder in the third, then fired to first, where Chace dug it out to retire the hitter.
• Chace sneakily allowed an overthrow at first, which tempted the runner into dashing for second and then going for third, where he was promptly eliminated by a terrific long throw to JT, who slapped the tag on him.
• Gavin made a running, diving, sprawling, rolling (MadSports!) catch in left to finish out the game.

Game 2 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Canes	3	1	1	5	1	X	11	11
Blue Sox	3	4	1	0	0	X	8	6

Top Gun Spring Nationals G1: Canes 17, RBI Raptors 12U 1

Get excited, people! It's time for actual good baseball featuring catches and throws and hits and not (all that) many errors! Maybe my bar has been lowered a little by events of the last month or two, but let's be serious for just a very brief second and show all the chips we have in our pocket: sometimes we forget how good these kids are at baseball. As in, they are ridiculously good, and the "normal" things we just expect them to do are not at all normal for 11-year-olds.

OK, now back to expecting them to do absurd things on a regular basis. Such as beating the 12U Raptors 17-1 in three innings in the first game of the Top Gun Spring Nationals. The Canes pounded out 17 hits and a combination of three pitchers allowed just two hits. It was freezing cold and really early and the wind was blowing and all in all, it was really great.

I promise I'll be back to normal soon. Probably not today, though.

Game 1 Canes scoring plays

First inning

Jake singled and stole second. A wild pitch moved him to third. Gavin was hit by a pitch and stole second. Drew singled home both runners. Chace's fielder's choice advanced Drew, who then scored on a wild pitch. Ashton walked and stole second, then a wild pitch put him on third. Andrew's fielder's choice scored Ashton. JT lined a double and stole third. Ben walked and stole second. Colin cracked a two-run double. Bryce walked and stole second. Jake blasted a two-run double. Gavin reached on an error that scored Jake. A balk moved Gavin to second, and then a wild pitch put him on third. Drew walked. Chace hit an RBI single.  

Score after one-half inning: Canes 10, RBI 0

Second inning

Andrew reached through the right side and stole second. JT singled him home, then stole second. Ben singled in JT, then stole second. Bryce lined a one-out RBI single. Asher's single put runners at the corners. Gavin's fielder's choice scored Bryce. Brady's fielder's choice scored Asher. 

Score after one and a half innings: Canes 15, RBI 0

Third inning
Ashton walked and took second on a fielder's choice. A wild pitch put him on third, and JT drove him in with a fielder's choice. Ben singled. Colin's grounder scored JT.
Score after two and a half innings: Canes 17, RBI 1

Pitching Performances

Drew fired a strong first.

Ben mowed them down in the second.

Asher hurled a scoreless third.

Dugout wisdom
This is not really dugout wisdom. It's actually on-field wisdom. OK, maybe "wisdom" is stretching it. Coach Sean was temporarily hit by a lightning bolt and deployed a third-inning infield that consisted of Brady at second and Gavin at first. So that duo was standing out there on the right side of the infield, and Brady was overheard saying, "Do you know what I do on this play?" with Gavin answering, "No, do you know what I do?" 

Game 1 Web Gems

• JT pounced on a slow grounder to third in the second, then threw a rocket across the diamond to retire the hitter.
• Ben deflected a ball back through the middle in the second, watched it ricochet to Gavin, who made a quick change of direction and fired to Chace, who scooped it out of the dirt to retire the side.
• On a grounder to second with a man on first, Brady fielded it and flipped to Chace for the force. Did you hear what I said? That's right--Brady was playing second. All those infield drills paid off.
• Against the last hitter of the day, Asher made some kind of weird kick save of a ball back through the middle, bounced it off his head, and then threw to Gavin (!) at first for the out.

Game 1 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Canes	10	5	2	X	X	X	17	12
RBI	1	0	0	X	X	X	1	2