Myrtle Beach Championship: Canes 2, Rock Solid Red 1

In one of the best pitching duels you will ever see, much less in a 12U baseball game, the Canes won the NYBC Qualifier with a 2-1 win over Rock Solid Red in six brisk innings. The game was highlighted by Drew's outstanding complete game pitching performance (more details below).

The victory completed an impressive 4-0 weekend in Myrtle Beach that included the following eye-popping stats:

The Canes did not commit an error in 17 defensive innings.

Nine different Canes pitched and combined to allow just three runs.

Those nine pitchers walked just four and allowed only ten hits for the weekend (the Canes offense drew 14 walks and pounded out 37 hits).

Those stats can't even quantify some of the stellar base running and taking extra bases. The numbers are even more impressive when you consider we're talking about these goofballs:

Here are your tournament champions:

And here are your slightly questionable dads (Don't ask. There's no viable excuse):

Championship Canes scoring plays

Fourth inning

Chace worked a one-out walk and hustled all the way around on Drew's double. A passed ball put Drew on third, and he scored on a wild pitch.
Score after four innings: Canes 2, Rock Solid Red 0

Pitching Performances

Drew was dominant over six innings. He struck out 13, threw just 71 pitches, threw a first-pitch strike to 15 of the 21 batters he faced, did not walk a hitter, went to a three-ball count on just one batter, threw only six pitches from the stretch, and struck out the first 10 hitters he faced in a row. In other words, Drew was dominant over six innings.

Dugout wisdom
In the middle of the second, Coach Sean gave a great motivational speech to get the Canes fired up. He ended it with, "Tough D on 3, 1-2-3, TOUGH D!" Only one problem: the Canes were the home team, so it wasn't time to play tough D. "Maybe D stands for dingers," Chace offered.

In the bottom of the fifth, as the Canes were locked in a tight, 2-1 defensive battle. Out of nowhere, Ben asked, "Do you think life would be better without nerves? You wouldn't have to feel pain." A good question to ponder...perhaps at another time.

Championship Web Gems

• When your pitcher strikes out 13 in a six-inning game, you don't make a lot of defensive plays. But the Canes did look snazzy throwing the ball around the infield.
• Colin made a diving play on a dying popup in the infield in the sixth.

Championship line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Rock Solid Red	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2
Canes	0	0	0	2	0	X	2	2

Myrtle Beach Semifinals: Canes 10, Coastal Crush 2

Warning to those who think John is just a pretty face: in the midst of yesterday's beach day, he said, "I remember when we played the Coastal Crush at Ripken." Turns out he's exactly right: on Nov. 9, 2013, playing as Big Blue, several of this same Canes group did indeed play the Coastal Crush. Of course, Ani wants to know why John can remember a 9U baseball game three and a half years ago but can't remember what to get at the store.

Renewing the rivalry as 12U, the Canes took a 10-2 win in five innings. The offense wasn't quite as potent as yesterday, but the pitching and defense was just as good, and that was more than enough.

Wearing the sharp USA-style jerseys, the Canes advanced to the event's championship game.

Semifinal Canes scoring plays

First inning

Jake walked and stole second (copy/paste). An error moved him to third. He scored on Gavin's two-run homer, which went over a sign that said, "A homer every time," which is pretty accurate. Chace singled and moved to second on a wild pitch, then stole third. Andrew walked and stole second. Ben smacked a two-run single and took second on the throw. An error put him on third, and he scored on a fielder's choice.
Score after one inning: Canes 5, Crush 0

Second inning

Colin singled and went all the way to third on an error. He scored on a wild pitch.

Score after two innings: Canes 6, Crush 0

Third inning
Drew was hit by a pitch. A balk moved him to second. He advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a wild pitch.
Score after three innings: Canes 7, Crush 2

Fourth inning
Elias was hit by a pitch, stole second, and raced to third on an error. Colin's single scored him. Colin stole second and scored on Jake's single. Chace reached on a fielder's choice, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch.
Score after four innings: Canes 10, Crush 2

Pitching Performances

Andrew started and went three very effective innings.

Asher finished it up with two scoreless frames.

Dugout wisdom
We're saving our wisdom for the championship game.

Semifinal Web Gems

• With runners on the corners in the third, the Crush unwisely tried to steal second, leaving them to watch helplessly as Bryce cut down the runner going for second, with Gavin placing the tag.
• Elias made a nice running catch in the left-center gap in the fourth.
• Asher picked off a runner at first for the final out of the game.

Semifinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Coastal Crush	0	0	2	0	0	X	2	5
Canes	5	1	1	3	X	X	10	9

Myrtle Beach Game 2: Canes 19, CDP 0

The Canes moved to 2-0 in pool play and secured the top seed with a second straight shutout, this one a 19-0 win over CDP in three innings. There was, as you might have guessed, plenty of offense. But the Canes also used six different pitchers to throw their six shutout innings, and played error-free defense over those six frames.

After the wins, the team adjourned to the beach, where the temperature was about 15 degrees cooler than the field. And after playing two baseball games, when finally given some time off, what did they do?

Play baseball, obviously:

That is, until these two big kids came along and took over the game, with one of the big kids (who kept calling himself "Coach Kevin") pitching, and the other big kid, who said he was a fence installer in Myrtle Beach, doing the catching/umpiring/video replay officiating:

Bracket play starts Sunday at 1 p.m. Until then, we'll leave you with what happens when you tell the team, "OK, you took a good one, now take a crazy one:"

Game 2 Canes scoring plays

First inning

Gavin smoked a one-out homer. Drew demolished a two-out homer. Andrew smashed a two-out homer.
Score after one-half inning: Canes 3, Not Canes 0

Second inning

Elias singled and stole second. A wild pitch moved him to third, and he scored on Colin's single. Colin stole second. Jake was hit by a pitch but this time he didn't call it. Gavin hit a two-run double. Chace was hit by a pitch and promptly went to get a banana split at Painter's. Drew doubled home Gavin. Brady hit a two-out, two-run single. Bryce reached on a ball through short that scored Brady. Eli hit an RBI single. 

Score after one and a half innings: Canes 11, Not Canes 0

Third inning
Jake dropped a fly ball into left and raced into second. Asher singled him home and took second on the throw. Chace doubled home Asher. Ben doubled home Chace. Brady hit a one-out RBI single. A wild pitch moved him to second. Eli beat out an infield single. JT beat out a ball in the infield, scoring Brady. Colin lasered an RBI double. JT and Colin both scored on Jake's ball through short.
Score after three innings: Canes 19, Not Canes 0

Pitching Performances

Gavin threw a hitless first.

Elias retired three straight to end the second.

Jake created some excitement and then decided to bear down against the top of the order, retiring the top three in order.

Dugout wisdom
No dugout wisdom in this game, so have a team photo from pregame instead:

Game 2 Web Gems

• After a wild pitch from Gavin went to the backstop in the first, the runner at first thought he had a free pass to second. Not so fast--Drew went back and got it, then threw a laser to Chace at second to end the inning.
• Bryce ranged over to the line to snag a fly ball in the third. 

Game 2 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Canes	3	8	8	X	X	X	19	17
Not Canes	0	0	0	X	X	X	0	2

Myrtle Beach Game 1: Canes 14, Walk Off Warriors 0

Saturday was a very special day in Myrtle Beach: Gavin's 10th birthday! They even painted the rock for him:

He's a pretty good hitter for a 10-year-old, as he helped power an offense that outscored the Walk Off Warriors 14-0 in three innings. Gavin's two homers were part of a three-homer attack in the first game (don't worry, more to come in the second game), which supported a trio of Canes pitchers who combined on the shutout. 

Take a look at this expert groundskeeping (not pictured: Coach Kevin II doing fence work in the outfield):

Sadly, no one was able to take advantage of one of the few fields in baseball history with fair territory between the base and the line.

Don't forget to follow the Canes on Instagram for the latest in coaching fashion.

Game 1 Canes scoring plays

First inning

Jake walked and stole second (I just copy and paste this from previous games). He went to third on an errant pickoff throw and scored on Gavin's homer. Chace singled. Drew singled, with Chace moving to third on a throwing error. Drew stole second. Andrew singled home a pair and then stole second. Ben walked. Bryce walked. JT's sacrifice fly scored one. Elias walked. Asher drove in a run. Jake was hit by a pitch. Gavin collected an RBI walk. Chace singled home three (yes, a three-run single).
Score after one inning: Canes 10, Warriors 0

Second inning

Andrew singled, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Bryce's sacrifice fly.

Score after two innings: Canes 11, Warriors 0

Third inning
Elias cranked a homer. Jake walked. Gavin hit another homer.
Score after three innings: Canes 14, Warriors 0

Pitching Performances

Chace fanned three in his one inning of work.

Colin tossed two scoreless innings and faced the minimum.

Ben closed it out without allowing a hit.

Dugout wisdom
Sometimes they can see the future. Before his second at-bat, Jake announced, "I'm going to get hit next time up." In his next trip to the plate, on a 2-1 pitch, he was plunked in the back, then promptly turned and pointed at the dugout.

Late in the game, Coach Sean was getting creative with the defensive alignment. He asked, "Bryce, do you want to play second or third?" Bryce's answer: "Well, since first is the worst, and second is the best, and third is the one with the hairy chest, I'll play third, since I'm a man."

Game 1 Web Gems

• Sweet pickoff move from Colin to get the second out in the second, with Chace applying the tag.
• Gavin went across the middle to snare a hopper and throw to first for the second out of the third.
• Bryce made a terrific play in the hole at short, then completed the long throw across to Brady for the final out of the game.

Game 1 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Warriors	0	0	0	X	X	X	0	1
Canes	10	1	3	X	X	X	14	9

Beast of the East Quarterfinals: MGBA Bulldogs 6, Canes 3

The Canes saw a 37-game winning streak come to an end as the defending champion in the Beast of the East, the MGBA Bulldogs (Ga.), fought back from an early 2-0 hole and won 6-3 in seven innings. The loss eliminated the Canes from the single-elimination bracket.

The game was highlighted by an outstanding pitching effort from Drew, who went six innings and gave up just three hits. The Bulldogs, a team that finished tied for fifth at last year's USSSA Elite World Series, went to a powerful righty pitcher in the second inning and he was equally terrific, at one point retiring 14 in a row, with only one of those 14 leaving the infield. 

The Canes managed just three hits in the game but once again kept it close with great defense. For the weekend, the Canes committed just two errors in four games.

Quarterfinal Canes scoring plays

First inning

Jake walked and stole second. Gavin’s double scored him. Gavin tagged and went to third on Chace’s long fly to right. Drew’s sacrifice fly scored Gavin.

Score after one inning: Canes 2, MGBA 0

Seventh inning

Gavin started on second due to the tiebreaker and scored on Chace’s single.

Score after seven innings: MGBA 6, Canes 3

Pitching Performances

Drew was sensational while giving up just three hits in six innings and striking out seven.

Chace had to deal with the international tiebreaker in the seventh, and then Gavin closed it by getting the final two batters.

Dugout wisdom

During a particularly tense portion of the game, as the MGBA first base coach was sharing his various perils of wisdom with the Canes dugout, Coach Kevin II hit upon an ingenious strategy that often works with toddlers. “OK,” he said. “On the count of three, we’re all going to stop talking. 1-2-3…stop!”

It didn’t work, possibly because it was money time. But it was a worthy effort.

In the top of the third, Drew got two quick outs and then went 0-2 on the next batter. The 0-2 pitch was close but was called a ball. "ALL THAT HOLLERIN' AIN'T GOING TO MAKE HIM CALL IT A STRIKE!" our friend in the first-base coaches box told us. The next pitch was down the middle for strike three, and the batter was dutifully punched out by the home plate umpire. "Guess we didn't need to do any hollerin' on that one," JT observed.

Quarterfinal Web Gems

•   Andrew ran down a ball in deep center for a terrific play in the fourth.

•   JT crashed in and made a good scoop and throw to Chace at first for the last out of the fourth.

•   Drew bounced off the mound and snatched a bunt out of the air on the first base line in the fifth.

Quarterfinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R
MGBA	0	0	0	1	1	0	4	6
Canes	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	3

Beast of the East Bracket Game: Canes 9, Havoc 1

Facing a very tough pitcher, the Canes offense knocked him out after two innings and went on to a 9-1 win in a game shortened to five innings by the run rule.

A four-run first inning set the tone for the game and was plenty of cushion for Andrew and Bryce on the mound. The win advanced the Canes to the quarterfinals against the MGBA Bulldogs, in a game scheduled to be played at money time.

Bracket Canes scoring plays

First inning

Gavin singled and stole second. Chace singled him home and then took second on the throw. A wild pitch moved Chace to third, and another wild pitch scored him. Drew singled and stole second. Ben beat out a fielder’s choice that put Drew on third. Ben stole second. A wild pitch scored Drew and advanced Ben to third. Bryce cracked a two-out RBI triple.

Score after one inning: Canes 4, Havoc 0

Fourth inning

Asher’s two-out single scored JT, who had worked a walk and stole second.

Score after four innings: Canes 5, Havoc 0

Fifth inning

Gavin singled. Chace beat out a grounder. Drew lined an RBI single. A wild pitch advanced Chace to third and Drew to second. Ben walked. Elias’ grounder scored Chace. JT hit a two-out RBI single. Colin’s RBI single walked it off.  

Score after five innings: Canes 9, Havoc 1

Fourth inning

Drew homered into the wilderness. Asher walked and went to third on Ben’s single. Brady ended it with an RBI walk-off single.

Score after four innings: Canes 11, Rivercats 1




Pitching Performances

Andrew started and allowed just one hit in two innings.

Bryce closed it out with three strong innings of relief and retired four of the final five he faced.

Bracket Web Gems

•   Chace stabbed a ball headed down the third base line and threw across the diamond to Drew for the last out of the fourth.

•   Gavin made a good play in the hole at short and then completed the long throw for the last out of the fifth.

Bracket line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Havoc	0	0	0	1	0	X	1	3
Canes	4	0	0	1	4	X	9	11