Beast of the East Championship: Canes-Gallaher 23, Canes-Haire 15

Just when you think you've seen it all, along comes the championship game of the Beast of the East tournament. After making the drive to Independence High, which was constructed in Alaska by Amish farmers in 1883, Canes-Gallaher met Canes-Haire for the title. This is an actual photo of the outfield wall at the facility that hosted the championship game:

Needless to say, it was not a domed facility. That meant players, coaches and fans had to do the best they could to stay warm. Some chose to snuggle with a heater provided by the Mathis family, who undoubtedly receives the player of the game award.

The game somehow lived up to its somewhat weird surroundings. The two teams combined to score 38 runs and issue 21 walks in five innings. There were a couple of hit by pitches, a balk, and some truly impressive velocity on the HitTrax machine. Canes-Haire seized an early 7-0 lead in the top of the first, but as they'd done all weekend, Canes-Gallaher came back right away, this time posting eight runs to retake the lead. They did it again in the third after falling behind 11-10, immediately coming back to take a 13-11 lead. Then, after a scoreless top of the fourth (the only scoreless half inning in the game), the Canes put it away with a nine-run bottom of the fourth.

For the tournament, opponents tied the score or took the lead in the top of seven different innings. Canes-Gallaher responded by retaking the lead immediately in the bottom half of every single one of those innings, scoring a combined 33 runs in the bottom of the inning in which they had been tied or fallen behind in the top of the frame. That means the Canes never trailed at the completion of any inning in the Beast of the East tournament.

This one eventually ended with a 23-15 victory thanks to the run rule in the bottom of the fifth. Every available player reached base at least once, and every starter scored at least one run. That enabled Canes-Gallaher to outslug a Canes-Haire team that had been dominant in bracket play and had scored 47 runs in the three games leading up to the title matchup. 

Maybe this should've been dugout wisdom, but it seems like it belongs here better. This happened on the spur of the moment during the semifinal Iron Horse game. You can't say the dugout was too tense. They might be really talented baseball players, but they're also great...very good...uh, they're also dancers.

That video probably made you happy. But did it make you as happy as this guy?

There is no practice Tuesday. 

Championship Canes scoring plays

First inning
Elias singled and went to third on an error. Drew singled him home. Chace walked. Bennett singled. Macon drew an RBI walk. Ty and Colin also drew RBI walks. Bryce was hit by a pitch, scoring Macon. Ty scored on a balk. Elias singled home a pair of runs.
Score after one inning: Canes-Gallaher 8, Canes-Haire 7

Second inning
Drew singled and went to second on a passed ball before scoring on Bennett's single. Macon singled, and then Bennett scored on a double steal.
Score after two innings: Canes-Gallaher 10, Canes-Haire 8

Third inning
Bryce singled. Gavin worked a one-out walk. With two outs, Chace doubled home two, then scored on Bennett's single.
Score after three innings: Canes-Gallaher 13, Canes-Haire 11

Fourth inning
Ty walked. Andrew moved him over with a bunt and beat the play at first. Colin singled home Ty. Andrew scored on a double steal. Bryce walked. Elias hit an RBI single. Gavin walked. Drew reached on an error. Chace doubled home two more. Macon singled home two and took second on the throw. Asher dropped down a bunt and Macon raced all the way around to score.
Score after four innings: Canes-Gallaher 22, Canes-Haire 11

Fifth inning
Gavin walked, stole second and scored on Drew's walk-off single.
Score after five innings: Canes-Gallaher 23, Canes-Haire 15

Pitching Performances

It seemed like virtually everyone pitched. It was Colin who came through with the standout relief performance, tossing three and two thirds innings of good work before giving way to Bryce to finish it up.

Dugout wisdom
During one of the many between-inning meetings, Coach Kevin I told the players to take three seconds and soak in that it was Sunday night and they were getting to play in the championship game of a big tournament. This was immediately followed by Drew closing his eyes and counting out loud, "One Mississippi, two Mississippi..."

In the fourth inning, with the Canes needing just one run to end the game on the run rule, Macon was standing beside me while taking off his shin guards. This surprised me, since he had on his shin guards for virtually the entire day. "It's mathematically impossible for you to hit again," I told him. "You don't need to take those off."

"I know," he said. "I'm taking these off so I can run on the field faster when we win."

Now that's good planning.

Championship Web Gems

• For the second time on Sunday, the Canes cut down a runner at the plate. This time it happened in the second, as Andrew came up firing on a single to right, threw to Drew, who relayed it to Macon to nail the potential go-ahead run.
• As you might have guessed by the score, there wasn't a whole lot of defense being played. But special note should be made of Macon, who caught all four games in an over 12-hour day.

Championship line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Canes-Haire	7	1	3	0	4	X	15	8
Canes-Gallaher	8	2	3	9	1	X	23	18

Beast of the East Semifinals: Canes 5, Iron Horse 3

In a rematch of the previous day's pool play game, the Canes eliminated Iron Horse Baseball, 5-3.

In a frosty setting in Matthews, the Canes offense managed just four hits and was outhit by a wide 10-4 margin. But after falling behind 2-1 in the top of the third inning, the bats took advantage of some unique scoring circumstances in the bottom of the frame. Four runs eventually crossed on a combination of an error, hit by pitch, balk, walk, and a couple of singles. 

That was enough to support terrific pitching from Andrew and Bennett, both of whom pitched out of some very tough spots. Andrew stranded three runners in the first, and then Bennett got back-to-back strikeouts to end the third with the bases loaded, and then pulled off the same exact same trick in the fifth. For good measure, he got back to back groundouts to end the sixth with runners on second and third. In all, Iron Horse left 13 runners on base in the game, nine of them in scoring position.

The victory moved the Canes into the championship game at Independence High. The team adjourned to their sleighs to make the trip across town.

Semifinal Canes scoring plays

Second inning
Chace walloped a solo homer.
Score after two innings: Canes 1, Iron Horse 0

Third inning
Bryce and Elias singled. Gavin's fielder's choice loaded the bases. Drew earned an RBI walk. Chace was hit by a pitch, scoring Elias. Bennett's fielder's choice scored Gavin, and Drew came home on a balk.
Score after three innings: Canes 5, Iron Horse 2

Pitching Performances

Andrew started and gave up just two runs while walking zero in two and a third innings.

Bennett pitched the Canes out of a jam in the third and then threw three more shutout innings of relief.

Dugout wisdom
This actual conversation was had in the sixth inning, with the Canes trying to build on a 5-3 lead, time running low, and the Iron Horse pitcher having walked the leadoff batter.

Canes player: "So I should take some pitches?"

Me: "Yes."

Canes player: "OK."

Canes player then proceeds to go to the plate and swing at the very first pitch. That's what makes 13U baseball fun and unpredictable, folks!

Also, just like in Los Angeles for the World Series, the celebrity fans start to come out for the biggest tournaments. Just take a look at this:

You can't tell me you don't see the resemblance.

Semifinal Web Gems

• Chace made a backhand stab of a hot grounder at first and stepped on the bag for the out in the second.
• Colin backtracked on a pop fly into shallow right and hauled it in for the second out of the fourth.

Semifinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Iron Horse	0	0	2	0	0	1	3	10
Canes	0	1	4	0	0	X	5	4

Beast of the East Quarterfinals: Canes 4, Akadema Gray 3

The Canes overcame a season-worst seven-TAB performance to earn a 4-3 win over Akadema Gray in the Beast of the East quarterfinals in Matthews.

The offense smacked four hits in a two-run first inning, but then got just two hits the rest of the morning and were off balance most of the rest of the game. But with the bats scuffling, they were picked up by great pitching from Gavin and Chace along with several key defensive plays, including cutting a runner down at the plate in what proved to be a key moment in an eventual one-run game.

The win moves the Canes into the tournament semifinals, which begin at 2 p.m. 

Quarterfinal Canes scoring plays

First inning
Elias singled and stole second. Gavin doubled him home, took third on a passed ball, and scored on a wild pitch.
Score after one inning: Canes 2, Akadema 0

Third inning
Gavin reached on an error. He hustled into taking two bases on a wild pitch, then scored on Chace's single.
Score after three innings: Canes 3, Akadema 0

Sixth inning
Chace was hit by a pitch and went to second on Bennett's fielder's choice. He took third on an error and scored on Macon's fielder's choice.
Score after six innings: Canes 4, Akadema 1

Pitching Performances

Gavin threw four and two-thirds shutout innings, walking just one.

Chace closed it out with excellent relief and worked through a potential jam in the seventh.

Dugout wisdom
You would be surprised how few Canes have ever heard of Ragu, or know what it is. That didn't stop Ty from composing a rap, which goes a little something like this: "I've got flavor, I've got sauce, I've got Ragu."

It sounds better with a beat behind it.

Quarterfinal Web Gems

• Asher made a couple nice plays in left holding batters to long singles. 
• Gavin bounced off the mound to scoop a slow roller and threw to first to get the first out of the second.
• With a runner on first and two outs in the third, the batter crushed a long drive down the left field line off the fence. Asher hustled over and fired in a perfect throw to Chace, who was in exactly the right spot and then turned and made a perfect throw to Macon, who put on the tag for the last out of the inning.
• Bennett came in and fielded a hopper on a short hop and threw to first for the first out of the seventh. 

Quarterfinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R
Akadema Gray	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3
Canes	2	0	1	0	0	1	X	4

Beast of the East Bracket: Canes 14, Charlotte Elite 2

The Canes opened bracket play with the sun still down, playing an 8 a.m. rematch against Carolina Elite. This time the outcome was a 14-2 victory in a game shortened to four innings by the time limit.

Elite scored a run in the top of the first, but the Canes responded with five in the bottom of the frame and the game was never really in doubt after that. 

You already knew how good they are at baseball, but have you ever noticed what magnetic personalities the Canes have? This is during a pitching change, as Ty entertains almost the entire Elite team:

Bracket Canes scoring plays

First inning
Elias led off with a single. Gavin was plunked. Drew walked, and Chace cleared the bases with a triple. Bennett singled him home. Macon walked. A wild pitch moved the runners up, and Ty's fielder's choice scored Bennett.
Score after one inning: Canes 5, Elite 1

Second inning
Gavin walked. On the next three pitches, he stole second, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a wild pitch. Chace singled, stole second and third, and scored on a wild pitch.
Score after two innings: Canes 7, Elite 1

Third inning
Colin walked. Bryce singled. Elias reached on an error and Colin scored. Drew walked. Elias scored on a wild pitch. Chace drew an RBI walk. Drew scored on a wild pitch.
Score after three innings: Canes 12, Elite 1

Fourth inning
Ty walked and stole second. Colin walked. Bryce drove in Ty with a single. Elias' sacrifice fly scored Bryce. Time expired.
Score after four innings: Canes 14, Elite 2

Pitching Performances

Andrew went two innings and allowed just one hit.

Asher finished it up with two innings of solid relief.

Dugout wisdom
A lot of wisdom gets passed when the Canes are in the field defensively. Watching the team warm up before an inning, Coach Kevin I observed, "Drew looks like a first baseman."

Gavin replied, "Right now he does."

Drew was currently playing first base and standing on the bag.

Bracket Web Gems

• Gavin charged in to barehand a roller and fired to first to end the first.
• Macon caught a runner trying to steal second in the fourth, with Colin making the tag.
• Asher knocked down a line drive to pitcher and then threw to first to end the fourth.

Bracket line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Charlotte Elite	1	0	0	1	X	X	2	4
Canes	5	2	4	3	X	X	14	6

Beast of the East Game 2: Canes 13, Charlotte Elite 5

This seems like a long time ago, but the Canes actually trailed this game 5-3 going into the bottom of the third. That's when the offense exploded for ten runs, sealing a 13-5 win that never finished the bottom of the fourth due to the time limit. 

There was no magical speech that turned around the offense. Instead, after Charlotte Elite took a 5-3 lead, Coach Sean simply said, "Let's go hit." That's what happened, as the bottom of the third inning featured eight hits, four extra-base hits, and was capped by Chace tanking one of the longest homers of the fall. 

The victory left the Canes with the second seed--to the consternation of some parents who had been angling for a more favorable schedule--which means they will hit the field again Sunday morning at 8 a.m. for the first of what could potentially be a four-game day.

When you're trying to explain which is left field and which is right. #notsoeasy #macdaddyhacks

A post shared by Canes-Gallaher (@canesgallaher) on Oct 28, 2017 at 4:50pm PDT

Game 2 Canes scoring plays

First inning
Elias singled and stole second, then scored on Gavin's single. Chace singled, stole second and third, and scored on a wild pitch.
Score after one inning: Canes 2, Elite 1

Second inning
Andrew tripled and scored on Colin's sacrifice fly.
Score after three innings: Canes 3, Elite 2

Third inning
Get comfortable. Drew doubled. Chace singled and stole second. With one out, Macon hit a two-run single. Ty reached on an error and Macon scored. Andrew beat out a fielder's choice, then amazingly hustled all the way around from first to score on Colin's single. Bryce walked. Elias cranked a two-run double, went to third on a balk, and scored on a wild pitch. Gavin doubled. Drew lined an RBI single. Chace demolished a two-run homer.
Score after three innings: Canes 13, Elite 5

Pitching Performances

Bennett started and went two good innings.

Macon got a couple of outs in the third and then gave way to Colin, who retired four of the five hitters he faced.

Dugout wisdom
During the course of the ten-run third, there was a long discussion about the correct answer to, "What's half of zero?" Drew made a passionate argument for 0.5. "That's half of zero!" he tried to convince his teammates.

When finally proven incorrect, he lamented, "I would've missed that on a test."

Game 2 Web Gems

• Andrew made a nice running catch deep in the right-center gap to end the Elite fourth inning.

Game 2 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Charlotte Elite	1	1	3	0	X	X	5	9
Canes	2	1	10	X	X	X	13	13

Beast of the East Game 1: Canes 5, Iron Horse 2

The Canes opened play in the Beast of the East by shutting down Iron Horse Baseball (SC) in a 5-2 victory in Matthews. Three Canes pitchers teamed up on a four-hitter to key the win.

Uncharacteristically, the offense had some struggles. Ten runners were left on base in five offensive innings, including seven in scoring position. But even with the RISP hitting issues, the Canes still got a couple of timely hits, scoring a couple of early two-out runs to take a lead they would not relinquish.

Game 1 Canes scoring plays

First inning
Gavin walked and scored on a two-out double from Chace.
Score after one inning: Canes 1, Iron Horse 0

Third inning
Gavin singled, went to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Elias was hit by a pitch.
Score after three innings: Canes 2, Iron Horse 0

Fifth inning
Drew was hit by a pitch and scored on Chace's triple. Bennett walked. Macon's fielder's choice scored Chace. Elias singled home Bennett.
Score after five innings: Canes 5, Iron Horse 0

Pitching Performances

Andrew allowed just one hit in the first three innings and needed just 29 pitches to do it.

Asher worked a couple of hitless innings of relief before giving way to Bennett, who came in throwing smoke and gave up just one hit.

Dugout wisdom
As always with a non-8 a.m. game (sorry Kristie), there was some waiting around before the first game. Ty walked up a little later than a couple of his teammates. "Ty, why did you miss the first game?" Coach Sean asked him, thinking he would instill some panic.

He underestimated Ty. Without missing a beat, Ty looked at Coach Sean and said, "Did we win?"

Friendly tip: do not ever try to rearrange the first letters of player names while announcing your new creations in the dugout. You know, like Bake Jarbour or Dryce Bail or Rennett...uh, never mind. You'd have to ask Chace about the rest.

Elias deemed the umpire to be "very communicative," which seemed like a good vocabulary word for the day.

Game 1 Web Gems

• Flawless PFP work in the third, with Chace fielding and flipping to Andrew covering first.
• Gavin went deep in the hole between third and short to scoop up a grounder in the fifth, and then Chace made a great scoop on the other end to complete the play.

Game 1 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Iron Horse	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	4
Canes	1	0	1	0	3	X	5	5

Winter World Series Championship: Canes 9, Mid-Atlantic Pirates 1

The Canes completed a remarkable blitzkrieg through the gold bracket of the Winter World Series, earning a 9-1 championship victory over the Mid-Atlantic Pirates behind  Chace's no-hitter.

The dominating victory meant the Canes allowed just three hits in the three gold bracket games, outhitting quality competition 28-3 in those contests. Canes pitchers limited the three bracket opponents to a combined .063 batting average. In the three Sunday games, only six opposing runners reached as far as second base.

For the weekend, the Canes outscored five opponents 54-10 and have now won two straight Winter World Series events.

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhm ingonyama 🦁 🏆 #circleoflife #thecanes #winterworldseries #bigdaddyhacks #twochains #youreup #isacontinent

A post shared by Canes-Gallaher (@canesgallaher) on Oct 22, 2017 at 5:45pm PDT

Championship Canes scoring plays

First inning
Gavin singled and stole second. He sprinted all the way around to score on Drew's fielder's choice.
Score after one-half inning: Canes 1, Pirates 0

Fourth inning
Drew and Chace got it started with singles. Bennett walked. A wild pitch scored Drew. Macon smacked an RBI single and stole second. Ty's big daddy hack double scored a pair. Colin's sacrifice fly scored Ty.
Score after three and a half innings: Canes 6, Pirates 1

Fifth inning
Chace hit a one-out single and stole second. Asher walked. Macon drilled an RBI double. Ty walked. Colin lined a two-run double.
Score after four and a half innings: Canes 9, Pirates 1

Pitching Performances

Chace was tremendous in a five-inning no-hitter. He retired the last ten in a row, allowed only one batter past first base, gave up just one unearned run, and allowed only two balls out of the infield.

Dugout wisdom
There was a big pregame discussion in the dugout about whether we had played the Mid-Atlantic Pirates in previous seasons. It was eventually determined that we had played the Mid-Atlantic Orioles, but not the Pirates.

"We did play the Olney Pirates," I pointed out. (Side note: this was in last year's Winter World Series championship game and was also a 9-1 victory--illuminati confirmed).

"So it looks like they aren't the only Pirates," Andrew said.

You have to say it out loud to really get it.

Championship Web Gems

• Drew raced back behind first to haul in a pop up in the fourth.
• In a testament to Chace's pitching, there honestly weren't many other very tough plays.

Championship line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Canes	1	0	0	5	3	X	9	11
Mid-Atlantic Pirates	1	0	0	0	0	X	1	0

Winter World Series Semifinals: Canes 9, Charlotte Nationals 1

After giving up an early run in the top of the first, the Canes scored nine unanswered runs on the way to a 9-1 win over the Charlotte Nationals in a game limited to five innings by the run rule.

Yet another outstanding pitching performance stymied the C-Nats, as Drew got 15 outs, with ten of them by strikeout. After the unearned run in the top of the first, no Nationals runner made it past first base for the rest of the afternoon.

The offense, meanwhile, was getting more two-out production. This time, it was six of the nine runs that scored with two outs, including the clinching run in the bottom of the fifth to send the Canes to the championship game of the Winter World Series.

Sunday also marked the beginning of the Canes Lifetime Fan Recognition Program. The first recipient was Coach Eric, who was presented with an official Eric Chaplin bus featuring his initials on the side. He will be offering rides to Charlotte next weekend:

Semifinal Canes scoring plays

First inning
Gavin hit a one-out single. Drew beat out a fielder's choice. Chace's double scored Gavin and a wild pitch scored Drew. Bennett's sacrifice fly plated Chace.
Score after one inning: Canes 3, Nationals 1

Second inning
Elias singled and stole second. Colin singled. Andrew's fielder's choice scored Elias. Jake's grounder scored Bryce. Gavin cranked an RBI double. Drew's double scored Gavin, and Chace's single scored Drew.
Score after two innings: Canes 8, Nationals 1

Fifth inning
Jake walked and stole second. A wild pitch put him on third, and Chace's two-out RBI single ended the game.
Score after five innings: Canes 9, Nationals 1

Pitching Performances

Drew went all five innings, striking out ten, allowing just one hit, and allowing only one runner past first base.

Dugout wisdom
My favorite dugout moment actually occurred in the other dugout. Nixon was chasing foul balls all over Nash Central High. One went near the Nationals dugout, and a coach/loud fan snagged it before he could get to it. The coach gave the ball back to the umpire even though Nixon was clearly asking for it. After he'd thrown the ball back to the ump, the coach turned to give Nixon a high five...only to discover that he had already turned his back and walked away. Asked about it later, Nixon said, "I wasn't giving him a high five when he didn't give me the ball!" Can't argue with that.

Semifinal Web Gems

• Macon made a laser throw and Gavin applied a slick tag to cut down a runner trying to steal second in the second.
• Great PFP work in the fifth, as Chace fielded a grounder and flipped to Drew covering the bag at first for the out.

Semifinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Nationals	1	0	0	0	0	X	1	1
Canes	3	5	0	0	1	X	9	8

Winter World Series Quarterfinals: Canes 11, Virginia Stars White 3

Two-out runs played a big role as the Canes beat the Virginia Stars White 11-3 in the Winter World Series quarterfinals. Eight of the eleven runs were scored with two outs, including all four in a fourth inning that broke the game open. The game was ended by the run rule in the bottom of the fifth.

While the offense was collecting clutch hits, the defense played mostly airtight, turning in nearly one highlight reel play every inning. The victory advances the Canes to the semifinals against the Charlotte Nationals at 2 p.m.

Quarterfinal Canes scoring plays

Second inning
Bennett walked and stole second. Macon's fielder's choice moved him to third and Macon was safe. Macon stole second. Ty beat out a single. Macon and Ty worked a double steal, with Macon scoring. With one out, Colin moved Ty to third. Bryce reached on an error and Ty scored. Jake walked and Gavin was hit by a pitch. Drew demolished a bases-clearing double.
Score after two innings: Canes 6, Stars 0

Fourth inning
Colin worked a one-out walk and stole second. Jake hit a two-out RBI single and stole second. Gavin's single scored Jake. Drew singled, and Gavin raced all the way around. Chace's double scored Drew.
Score after four innings: Canes 10, Stars 3

Fifth inning
Macon singled and went to second on an error. Andrew's single moved him to third, and Eli's grounder scored him with the run that enacted the run rule.
Score after five innings: Canes 11, Stars 3

Pitching Performances

Ty worked two scoreless innings before running into a jam in the third.

Andrew got the Canes out of the third and then pitched a hitless fourth.

Bryce closed it out with a hitless fifth.

Dugout wisdom
After the Stars brought in a relief catcher with a big curveball, the dugout was commenting on the loopy nature of the pitch. "Yeah," Ty said. "It goes up to Mount Everest and then comes down."

Quarterfinal Web Gems

• Chace hustled over to grab a foul pop at the fence behind first base in the first.
• Elias made a diving catch to snare a sinking fly ball in the second.
• Bryce ran deep into the left-center alley to run down a fly ball in the fourth.
• Gavin, Colin and Chace teamed up on a 6-4-3 double play in the fifth, and then Gavin ended it one batter later by making a great play and strong throw from the hole at short.

Quarterfinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
VA Stars White	0	0	3	0	0	X	3	2
Canes	0	6	0	4	1	X	11	9

Winter World Series Game 2: Canes 10, Virginia Stars 3

The Canes finished pool play 2-0 at the Winter World Series after taking a 10-3 victory over the Virginia Stars.

After falling behind 3-1 after one inning, the Canes clawed back with a run in each of the next two frames, then exploded for five runs in the fifth. For the game, five of the offense's ten runs were scored with two outs. Canes pitchers locked down the Stars offense after the first inning--the team from Virginia got three hits in the first, but then managed just one hit over the next five innings.

The victory puts the Canes in tomorrow's single elimination gold bracket, but seedings and times will not be determined until later today.

Game 2 Canes scoring plays

Second inning
Drew singled and scored on Chace's two-out RBI double.
Score after one-half inning: Canes 1, Stars 0

Second inning
Colin reached on an error. Eli's ball to right fell. Andrew's RBI single scored Colin.
Score after one and a half innings: Stars 3, Canes 2

Third inning
Gavin hit a leadoff single and went to second on a wild pitch. An error put him on third, and he scored on Bennett's sacrifice fly.
Score after two and a half innings: Canes 3, Stars 3

Fifth inning
Jake singled. Gavin roped a double. Drew hit a two-run single. Chace blasted an RBI double. Colin's fielder's choice scored Chace. A wild pitch put Colin on second, where he scored on Eli's single.
Score after four and a half innings: Canes 8, Stars 3

Sixth inning
Gavin reached on an error. Drew singled. Chace hit an RBI single. Drew scored on Bennett's fielder's choice.
Score after five and a half innings: Canes 10, Stars 3

Pitching Performances

Drew started, went two innings, and got strikeouts for all six of the outs he recorded, including three straight to retire the side in the second.

Bennett worked three scoreless innings of relief and did not allow a runner past second base.

Chace closed it out with a hitless sixth inning.

Dugout wisdom
Most of the dugout wisdom came from Coach Kevin II's good friends in the opposing dugout, which you would expect since there were a half-dozen of them so there were plenty of wisdom opportunities. Not many that were printable, though.

Over in the Canes dugout, the highlight came from Bennett, who walked up at one point with a very serious look on his face. "Do you know how good that book is?" he said, referring to the Book Club book of choice.

"How good is it?"

"It's so good that my mom is reading it, too."

So NOW we know why she doesn't like those early games--it interferes with her reading time.

Game 2 Web Gems

• With a runner on first in the third inning, Chace dove to spear a low line drive, then stepped on first for the inning-ending double play.
• More good work behind the plate from Macon, who went the whole way at catcher and blocked numerous balls in the dirt.

Game 2 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Canes	1	1	1	0	5	2	10	13
VA Stars	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	4

Winter World Series Game 1: Canes 15, Holly Springs Rage 2

The first time through the order was all the Canes needed, as everyone in the order got a tab in the first inning. That led to a 7-1 lead after one inning, which eventually turned into a 15-2 decision over the Holly Springs Rage in a game shortened to four innings by the run rule.

The offense pounded out ten hits in three innings, more than enough to support three Canes pitchers. The defense also played an error-free game, which is even more impressive when you consider the outfield featured divots that look like this:

The Canes are now 1-0 in pool play and will finish pool competition in the morning at 10:30 against a tough Virginia Stars squad.

Game 1 Canes scoring plays

First inning

Jake walked and stole second. He went to third on Gavin’s fielder’s choice. Drew and Chace walked. Jake scored on a wild pitch. Bennett singled home Drew. Macon walked. Ty’s grounder scored a pair. Colin’s fielder’s choice scored Macon. Andrew singled home Ty, then stole second, which enabled him to score on Bryce’s single.

Score after one inning: Canes 7, Rage 1

Second inning

Gavin singled and went to second on a balk. He scored on Drew’s single, who then took second on the throw. Chace singled. Two scored on Macon’s grounder. Ty singled home Macon.  

Score after two innings: Canes 12, Rage 1

Third inning

Elias singled and stole second. Gavin beat out a single to short. Drew walked. Chace’s sacrifice fly scored Eli. Bennett crushed a two-run double. Macon walked and Ty was hit by a pitch. Colin earned an RBI walk.  

Score after three innings: Canes 15, Rage 2

Dugout Wisdom

When Elias hit a ball past a rolling second baseman, Ty announced, “He rolled like a doughnut.”

A little confused, Andrew asked, “Doughnuts roll?”

Ty looked at him as if this was common knowledge. “They do if you roll them,” he patiently replied.

A little later, Bennett hit one deep over the center fielder’s head. “He burned that biscuit!” Ty said. You had to be there, but it was really funny. Ty should probably have his own show. I would watch.




Pitching Performances

Andrew started and went two good innings with a pair of strikeouts.

Gavin and Colin each worked a solid inning of relief.

Game 1 Web Gems

•   Error-free game in four innings for the Canes defense, with especially nice work by Macon behind the plate keeping runners from taking advantage of the huge backstop.

Game 1 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
HS Rage	1	0	1	0	X	X	2	3
Canes	7	4	4	X	X	X	15	10