Weekend recap: District Tournament

We may have to put the blogger on waivers. Here we are, a mere 12 hours before the next tournament, and the weekend recap from the district tournament is just now being posted. Don't worry--I have docked his salary from the 8U Blue Slush Fund and he will have to use his own money to fill up his team RV this week rather than using the West Raleigh gas card.

As you might remember if you think waaaaaaay back to Tuesday, 8U Blue captured the district title on Tuesday after a snappy tournament that took just five days. Some key numbers from the weekend:

• Districts were the lowest-scoring tournament of the summer so far for 8U Blue. They averaged 11 runs per game, down from the 12.3 they scored in Clemmons, which was the previous low.
• As you would probably expect from the above stat, the team batting average of .488 in Wake Forest was the lowest of the season and well under the season average. 
• The defense was alternately phenomenal and a little porous. West Raleigh played two error-free games, the first time this season they've packed two zero-error games into the same tournament. But in the other two games, they committed four errors in each contest. The tournament total of eight errors was tied for the lowest in a tourney this season.
• 8U Blue added two more double plays to the season total--including a sweet 4-6-3 that ended what could have been a giant North Wake inning in the title game--to bring the cumulative total to 12.
• JT, as far as we know, didn't pass on his illness to anyone on the team. 8U Blue had to play two games without a full roster, as JT missed Friday night's game and Joey was very limited in the championship game.

Here's a look at the district tournament points of emphasis and the results:

Win the district tournament. None of this summer's other goals can happen without winning the district.

Although you couldn't really tell it by the reaction of the event hosts, winning the district is a big deal. Lots of teams would consider it a highlight of their summer, especially in a solid district like ours.

Refocus on defense. Seventeen errors in four games are simply too many. 

8U Blue significantly cut their errors, and just as importantly, they made the key defensive plays when they had to make them. Take out the one bad first inning against North Wake on Tuesday night and it would have been a terrific defensive weekend.

Stay in a groove offensively, and hit at least .650 as a team in Wake Forest.

This one didn't happen, with the team batting average dipping below .500 for the first time this season.

Make adjustments from pitch to pitch offensively. This means getting adjusted to a new machine, or to a change in the current machine. 

See above. One challenging part of the weekend was the wide variation in pitching machines. Some through much slower (Friday night) while others were throwing gas (Tuesday). Figuring out how to adjust is all part of becoming a more mature hitter.

Now, some goals for this weekend in Greensboro:

• Get back in a rhythm offensively. Get the team batting average for the weekend back above .600.
• Have at least one game in which everyone in the lineup gets at least one hit.
• Score at least 55 runs in the tournament and have no more than one scoreless inning in the tournament.
• No selfish moments (the team talked about this on Thursday during the practice rain delay). Play as a team and for the team at all times.
• Try to set the team summer record by committing fewer than eight errors over the four-game tournament, all while getting players some experience at multiple positions. 

 

District Tournament Championship: WR 8U Blue 10, North Wake Rockets 5

I would like to suggest that all of you stand in as close proximity to Coach Hardy during the games as you possibly can. This will be good for your heart rate.

It seems that after the North Wake Rockets scored five runs in the top of the first inning in Tuesday night's district championship game, Coach Hardy--better known as Bryce's grandfather--turned to Coach Chris and said, "That's all they're going to get."

Now, wouldn't it have made you feel a little better if you had known that? It would really be nice if Coach Hardy and Coach Chris would share their insights with the class rather than being so secretive about them. As it turned out, they were exactly right, and 8U Blue proceeded to put 10 unanswered runs on the board while allowing just one North Wake runner past second base over the final five innings. The comeback gave West Raleigh the district title in a game played under the romantic lighting at The Factory.

As Coach Sean correctly pointed out after the game, the 5-0 deficit was the biggest deficit this team has faced this summer and the most ever that this particular group has faced against a team of the same age group.

But after making three errors in the top of the first to crack the door for the big inning, 8U Blue responded by scoring five runs of its own in the bottom of the frame, then tightening the defense and making just one inconsequential error over the final five innings. That gave the offense time to scratch out five more runs after the big first inning, providing some cushion and allowing the facility supervisors to prepare for their elaborate championship celebration. Their plans apparently consisted of shoving some medals and a plaque at Coach Sean and telling him to take care of it. That's exactly what he did, asking his team to take the field and serving as both head coach and tournament director:

The victory earns West Raleigh a spot in the state tournament in Laurinburg from July 5-7. More information on that event will be forthcoming. In the meantime, enjoy your 2013 district champions:

Championship 8U Blue scoring plays
First inning
With one out, JT singled the other way. Gavin singled to left, putting two on for Chace, who singled to right-center to drive in JT with the first Blue run. Chace moved up on the throw, putting runners at second and third for Jake, who demolished a double to right that scored a pair. Mason doubled straight down the left-field line to score Jake, then scored on Andrew's game-tying single.
Score after one eventful inning: 8U Blue 5, Rockets 5

Third inning
Gavin led off with a double to right, moved to second on Chace's fielder's choice, and scored on Jake's grounder to second.
Score after three innings: 8U Blue 6, Rockets 5

Fourth inning
Andrew and Ben led off with back-to-back singles. Elias dropped down the second of his three straight perfect bunts to load the bases. North Wake couldn't convert the force at home on Carter's grounder up the middle, scoring Andrew. Bryce picked up an RBI groundout, then JT's single through to center scored Elias.
Score after four innings: 8U Blue 9, Rockets 5

Fifth inning
Jake led off with a rocket to right that put him on second. Mason's grounder to the right side put runners at the corners. After solid baserunning by Mason and Jake avoided the double play on a liner to shortstop, Ben's one-out fielder's choice scored Jake.
Score after five innings: 8U Blue 10, Rockets 5

Championship Web Gems

• The 8U Blue defense got itself out of what had been an unfortunately eventful first inning by turning a sweet double play. With the bases loaded, five runs already in, and one out, Bryce fielded a sizzler to second, flipped to Gavin at second, who whipped the throw to Chace at first to complete the inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
• Chace somehow got his glove between the ball and the dirt on a hard shot back to first base that ended the second inning.
• With a runner on first, Gavin went deep in the hole at shortstop to field a grounder in the third, then threw to Bryce covering second to record the force.
• With runners on first and second and two down later in the third, Ben ran in and grabbed a shallow pop fly near his shoestrings in right-center.
• Chace made a nice play at first to grab a throw from Bryce and tag the runner a split second before the runner's foot hit the bag in the fourth.

Championship line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
NW Rockets	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	12
WR 8U Blue	5	0	1	3	1	X	10	14

District Tournament Game 3: WR 8U Blue 14, North Wake Rockets 4

In a rematch of two teams that just played in a tournament championship game last weekend, 8U Blue used a big seven-run first inning to take a 14-4 win over the North Wake Rockets in five innings.

This time, however, West Raleigh had a secret weapon: Coach Bruce led the team in a little pregame yoga.

Please note (in a photo provided by Coach/Paparazzi Regan) Coach Bruce also getting loose. He is constantly bugging Coach Sean to put him in the game and he wanted to make sure he was ready to run the bases if possible.

The stretching must have worked, because the seven runs scored by 8U Blue in the top of the first were their best inning of the weekend so far. That potent offense was coupled with airtight defense, as West Raleigh played its second error-free game of the weekend, making it perhaps one of their most complete efforts of the season.

The victory puts West Raleigh in the district championship game, which is scheduled for Monday night at 6:30 p.m. The opponent is unknown, and rain at The Factory has delayed all of Sunday afternoon's games, which means the opponent may not be known until much later tonight.

Game 3 8U Blue scoring plays
First inning
Bryce and JT led off with back-to-back singles. Gavin ripped a one-hopper to short and then aggressively went all the way to second, with Bryce crossing the plate. Chace, on his way to a 5-RBI game, crushed a two-run double to left. With one out, Mason hit another double, scoring Chace. Andrew singled down the third-base line, and when the throw back into the infield squirted away, Mason scored and Andrew flew all the way to third. Ben singled to drive in Andrew. After a fielder's choice, Asher singled. Bryce's single scored Elias and finished the scoring with seven big runs.
Score after one-half inning: 8U Blue 7, Rockets 0

Second inning
Gavin smoked a leadoff double and tagged and moved to third on Chace's line drive to left field. Jake's bullet to first scored Gavin. With the Rocket defense shifted to left, Mason took advantage of the shift and powered an RBI double to right-center.
Score after one and one-half innings: 8U Blue 9, Rockets 1

Fourth inning
Gavin once again popped a leadoff double, then ran all the way to third when the throw wasn't handled. He scored easily on Chace's drive to left-center. After a pair of fielder's choices put Joey at third with two outs, Ben's grounder scored Joey.
Score after three and a half innings: 8U Blue 11, Rockets 4

Fifth inning
Asher led off with a double to left-center. With one out, JT singled to put runners at the corners, then took second on the throw. Gavin drove in Asher (who looked suspiciously like Jake). Chace powered a two-run double deep to left-center.
Score after four and a half innings: 8U Blue 14, Rockets 4

Game 3 Web Gems

• Andrew bounced off the mound quickly to field a bunt in the third, and made a good throw to first to retire the hitter.
• Showing a little versatility at pitcher, Andrew dove towards the first base side to snag a hot grounder in the fourth, then threw to first to get the out.
• Not being weighed down by the terrible Adam Lucas jersey, JT somehow managed to leap and grab a line drive that looked like it was over his head on the third-base line in the fifth.
• In a tougher play than he made it look like, Gavin ranged back into shallow left field to gather a pop fly over shortstop in the fifth.

Game 3 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
WR 8U Blue	7	2	0	2	3	X	14	17
NW Rockets	0	1	3	0	0	X	4	9

District Tournament Game 2: WR 8U Blue 5, WR 7U Blue 2

I know you can't tell by the maturity level, but we're getting older. Well, not the moms. But the dads definitely are. That's because it was over a year ago that many of these same players were 7, and had to match up with the big, bad West Raleigh 8s in Wilmington. Our guys looked tiny and their guys looked huge and we somehow kept it close.

Fast forward about 53 weeks and now our kids were the 8s, and the brackets dictated that we had to play the West Raleigh 7s in a district tournament game. Now it was their guys who looked tiny and our guys...well, OK, most of our guys...who looked huge. The score even ended up being similar. Last year, the 8s took a 6-2 decision. This year, the 8s won a 5-2 victory.

That wasn't the only similarity to last year's game. In that 2012 contest, the 7U team, with many of these same players, scored just two runs and collected just nine hits. Saturday's output of five runs and 11 hits was the lowest in both categories since that game.

Players and coaches agreed that facing off against familiar players and coaches might have lessened 8U Blue's competitive edge. Coach Sean used it as a teaching point. "It doesn't matter who you play," he told the team afterward. "You just play your hardest. And as long as you're doing your best, there is nothing to worry about."

There remains a good chance that these two teams could see each other again (brackets can be found here), either sometime on Sunday or perhaps even on Monday in the district championship game. Until then, enjoy this West Raleigh family photo from two very good baseball teams:

Game 2 8U Blue scoring plays
First inning
Andrew roped a one-out triple, then scored on Gavin's RBI single.
Score after one inning: 8U Blue 1, 7U Blue 0

Third inning
Andrew led off with a single, then scored on Gavin's double. Chace drove in Gavin with a single. After a fielder's choice advanced Chace to second, Mason scored him with a line drive to left.
Score after one and one-half innings: 8U Blue 4, 7U Blue 0

Fifth inning
Chace hit a one-out single. He moved to second on a fielder's choice, then was able to hustle all the way around to score on Mason's ball to shortstop.
Score after two and a half innings: 8U Blue 5, 7U Blue 2

Game 2 Web Gallahers

• You might notice that the name of this section has been changed. That felt like the only suitable tribute after a play that will live in baseball history forever. As fans, players and coaches stood around watching the game before 8U Blue, a foul ball was hit from an adjacent field. Sensing danger, Coach Sean politely excused himself from his conversation. He disappeared momentarily, but then reemerged just in time to take about five steps forward, find the foul ball in the sky, and then grab it--with two hands, as usual showing good fundamentals--approximately half a second before it would have conked an innocent bystander and her baby on the head. Already, as this story has been retold, it has gained some embellishments. For example, I don't think it's completely true that once Coach Sean placed his hands on the baby, the baby immediately crushed a triple. And it may be a slight exaggeration that Coach Sean came to the rescue while simultaneously helping an old lady across the street. But it was still a nice play, and all great defensive efforts shall henceforth (well, at least for today) be known as Web Gallahers. However, I think all of us can agree that we are a little tired of hearing Coach Sean constantly retell the story. I mean, does this guy ever stop talking about himself? I was able to catch this photo of one West Raleigh fan who I think expresses all our sentiments when Coach Sean begins yet another sentence with, "So the foul ball went up..."

• Chace had a hand in all three outs in the second inning. He smoothly fielded a bad-hop grounder for the first out, scooped up another grounder for the second out, and then speared a hard line drive for the third out.
• Gavin went deep into the hole in the sixth to grab a sizzler by the leadoff man, then threw to first for the out.

Game 2 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
WR 7U Blue	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	4
WR 8U Blue	1	0	3	0	1	X	5	11

District Tournament Game 1: WR 8U Blue 15, NW Daredevils 0

It takes a lot of effort behind the scenes to put together an 8U baseball team. Mostly, this means the moms have a lot of work to do. But there are a few other individuals who contribute mightily to 8U Blue. For example, just take a look at the impressive effort today in getting the team drinks ready:

You'll be glad to know that we didn't give that particular drink to a player. We gave it to Coach Sean, obviously.

The district tournament began Friday night in Wake Forest, with 8U Blue starting the event with a rematch against the North Wake Daredevils, a team they had just faced last weekend at Thomas Brooks. This time, the rules were slightly different--no run limit during innings, only 10 hitters bat rather than continuous batting, and no coolers are allowed in the venue since such delicious water and cups are provided in the dugout.

West Raleigh responded to the new environment with a solid hitting performance and an even better defensive performance, as they played their first completely error-free game of the summer. Just two North Wake runners reached base, and none went past first, as 8U Blue claimed a 15-0 win. The Daredevil hitters continually peppered the WR 8U infield with grounders, and the infield made every play to preserve the win.

The victory sends 8U Blue into an 11 a.m. Saturday matchup against the winner of the West Raleigh 7U-Durham game.

Game 1 8U Blue scoring plays
First inning
8U Blue batted around in the first inning. Bryce started it with a single, then moved to second on a fielder's choice. Gavin doubled to left, scoring Bryce. Chace's shot to shortstop wasn't fielded cleanly, and Gavin ran hard all the way from second to score even when the ball didn't leave the infield. Jake singled to right. Carter's RBI single scored Chace. Mason, on the way to a 4-RBI day, blasted a triple to deep center that cleared the bases. Ben's RBI groundout brought Mason home.
Score after one inning: 8U Blue 6, Daredevils 0

Second inning
Joey reached on a bullet to third. Gavin crushed an RBI triple, and then 8U Blue pulled off the rare back-to-back triples when Chace also ripped one. Jake singled home Chace. With two down, Angry Ben smashed a double to left that scored Jake.
Score after two innings: 8U Blue 10, Daredevils 0

Third inning
Bryce led off for the second time in three innings and singled again, then moved to second when the ball wasn't fielded cleanly. Andrew smoked a double to left and scored Bryce. With one out, Chace and Jake had back to back singles. Carter drove in Andrew, then Mason drove in a pair with a double. After a fielder's choice, Asher's fielder's choice scored Carter with the game's final run.
Score after three innings: 8U Blue 15, Daredevils 0

Game 1 Web Gems

• Chace played a solid first three innings at third base, showing some agility to get to some grounders and also spearing a hard line drive.
• Playing on the right side of the machine in the third, Mason raced over to the line, picked up a nubber, and made a good throw to retire the hitter on what should have been a difficult play. 
• The game ended on a double play. With a runner on first base, the North Wake batter ripped what looked like a single through the left side. But Gavin sprinted into the hole, picked it out of the air, then threw across the diamond to Chace at first to double off the runner and complete the double play.

Game 1 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
NW Daredevils	0	0	0	0	X	X	0	2
WR 8U Blue	6	4	5	X	X	X	15	17