Weekend Recap: Summer NIT

As we wait for this weekend's state tournament brackets, here's a look back at 8U Blue's 4-0 run through the USSSA Summer NIT in Greensboro this weekend. This tournament will forever be known as the pink-out tournament. Even a few dads got into the spirit, even if it left them just a little confused:

A few key numbers from the weekend:

• The story of the weekend was defense. West Raleigh pitched three shutouts in four games and allowed zero hits in two of those games. For the weekend, they allowed just four hits in 11 games. 
• Some of the defensive prowess was due to weaker opponent hitting on Saturday, but some of it was due to solid defense. For the weekend, 8U Blue made only a combined four errors in four games. That's as many as they made in one game in, for example, Clemmons.
• Sunday's game against 7U Blue marked just the fifth time in 20 games that every batter in the lineup got a hit, and the first time since June 16 against the Western Wake Wildcats.
• The 21 hits in that three-inning game against 7U were the most since that same game against the Wildcats, and the fifth-most in a game this season.
• Everyone on the roster drove in at least one run during the weekend.
• Somewhat surprisingly, the 42 runs scored in the four-game tournament are the fewest scored in any tournament this season. That's partially due to the different run rules, but it's also partially due to a somewhat lethargic effort on Saturday.
• The three runs allowed in the tournament were by far the fewest of any tournament this year (second-fewest were the 11 runs allowed in the district tournament). 
• There was one incredibly impressive postgame dance party during which many longstanding theories of genetics were disproven.

A look back at last week's goals for the weekend:

Get back in a rhythm offensively. Get the team batting average for the weekend back above .600.

Close. The team batting average for the weekend was .590. And while 8U Blue was most definitely in an offensive rhythm for part of Sunday, they weren't at all on Saturday.

Have at least one game in which everyone in the lineup gets at least one hit.

Yep!

Score at least 55 runs in the tournament and have no more than one scoreless inning in the tournament.

Didn't reach the 55 runs, but that was partially a function of the run rule. There were only three scoreless innings, which was down from the previous weekend.

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.

This was much improved. The focus wasn't always there, but most players seemed to be playing with the team in mind 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. 

Mission accomplished on both fronts.

Now, as hard as it is to believe since it seems like the summer just started, it's on to state tournament week in Laurinburg. A few goals for this weekend:

• Win the state tournament.
• Hit over .600 as a team for the weekend.
• Maintain the solid defense. 8U Blue will probably have to make tougher plays in Laurinburg than they made this weekend. With a possible seven games, a goal of 10 errors or fewer seems reasonable.
• No more than six scoreless innings in the potential seven games.
• At least 20 extra-base hits.

 

 

 

 

 

Summer NIT Championship: WR 8U Blue 9, Carolina Red Sox 3

Baseball is a weird game. 8U Blue got 10 hits in the first inning in their first game of the day, stopping only due to the run limit. Then they went out and got 10 hits in the entire championship game against the Carolina Red Sox--but those 10 hits were enough, as West Raleigh earned the tournament championship (and rings!) with a 9-3 victory.

The win was especially important because 8U Blue had chosen to wear their pink shirts on Sunday.

They did this for one of two reasons:

1. The moms had been so nice to the dads on Father's Day, and the players wanted to reciprocate by showing their appreciation for all the hard work and support their moms give them.
2. Pink shirts are cool.

You decide which one you believe.

You can read about the big hits and big defensive plays below. But let's be honest: the highlight of the day was the postgame dance party. Full video below:





Championship 8U Blue scoring plays
Second inning
Jake led off with a double and moved to third on Andrew's single. Mason's sacrifice fly scored Jake.
Score after two innings: 8U Blue 1, Red Sox 0

Third inning
Asher led off with a single. After a fielder's choice and a flyout, 8U had Joey on first but two outs, facing a 2-1 deficit. Not content to stop there, they turned it into two runs, as Bryce came up with a big two-out hit down the third-base line and flew all the way around the bases to score himself after the ball was muffed in the outfield.
Score after three innings: 8U Blue 3, Red Sox 2

Fourth inning
Gavin reached on a ball through the right side. Chace doubled home Gavin. Jake toughed out a freak injury and after some ace work by the 8U Blue team medical staff, singled to right. Andrew lifted a sacrifice fly to left-center that scored Chace.
Score after four innings: 8U Blue 5, Red Sox 3

Fifth inning
West Raleigh finally cracked open the game in the fifth by doing something unusual--playing small ball. Ben skittered a single through the middle. Asher dropped down a bunt and Ben raced all the way to third, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Joey lined an RBI single off the machine (note that "The Machine" is not just a nickname for Coach Bruce, who was doing the pitching--Joey actually hit it off the machine). Elias laid down a beautiful bunt and beat it out to load the bases. Bryce knocked a sacrifice fly to left--8U's third sacrifice fly of the game after having four sacrifice flies in the previous 19 games. JT beat out a ball to shortstop, scoring Joey and then allowing Elias to score when the throw was errant.
Score after five innings: 8U Blue 9, Red Sox 3

Championship Web Gems

• Jenn made a tough play look easy, playing a foul ball off the shade tent and catching it in the air while seated in her chair. Coach Sean looked over, yawned, and said, "Call me when you save a baby." It should be noted that this is Jenn's second career Web Gem.
• With a runner on first and one down in the second, the hitter slapped a shot back up the middle. Gavin ranged over from shortstop, gathered it into his glove, stepped on second, and then fired to Chace at first, who got the tag on the runner to complete the double play.
• With 8U holding on to a narrow 5-3 lead in the top of the fifth, the Red Sox put a man on first with one outs and the heart of the order due up. The hitter cracked a single to left, but Andrew came in hard, fielded it and threw to Bryce at second for the force, in a big momentum-turning play.

Championship line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Red Sox	0	0	2	1	0	0	3	9
WR 8U Blue	0	1	2	2	4	X	9	10

Summer NIT Semifinals: WR 8U Blue 15, WR 7U Blue 0

This probably makes sense to someone: on Sunday morning, 24 ballplayers and their families woke up early in the Apex-Cary-Raleigh area and then drove 90 minutes to Greensboro so they could play a baseball game against each other. The semifinals of the USSSA Summer NIT paired 8U Blue with West Raleigh's 7U Blue team in a rematch of last weekend's game in the district tournament.

This time, 8U's offense was a little more potent, carrying them to a 15-0 victory. How good were the bats in this game? The first time through the order, all 12 8U Blue hitters recorded a hit. The onslaught paused only when 8U hit the seven-run limit after 10 batters...then started right up again in the bottom of the second. It wasn't until the 14th hitter of the game that 8U Blue made an out. The seven runs in the first were tied with three other innings this summer for the biggest run production in a single inning this season.

The slugging covered up another solid defensive performance. For the second time in three games, 8U did not allow a hit, and although a 7U runner did make it to second base in the third, no opponent reached third base, making it 13 straight defensive innings without allowing a runner to third base.

Basically, Sunday morning's effort was better in every way than the two games on Saturday. From the pregame dance party to the aggressive offensive approach to the solid defense, 8U Blue was very good in all phases of the game. "That," Coach Sean told the team right after the game, "is what I'm talking about. That right there was fun, and that's how we play baseball."

The victory put 8U into the championship game and gave 7U a chance for redemption in the third-place game against the Showtime team that had upset them on Saturday.

Fortunately, there wasn't much of a break between games, because that prevented the 8U parents from wandering around the complex. The West Raleigh paparazzi captured these two pink-clad looneys a  little confused about where they were supposed to be (but look how happy they are about it!):

Game 2 8U Blue scoring plays
First inning
8U Blue unleashed their best inning of the weekend in the bottom of the first. After retiring 7U 1-2-3 in the top of the frame, 8U sent 10 hitters to the plate in the first and picked up 10 hits plus the seven-run limit. Bryce went all the way to second on his leadoff shot to third. JT moved him to third with a single. Gavin drove in the day's first run with a single. Chace powered home JT with a single through the left side, and then some aggressive baserunning also allowed Gavin to score and Chace to go to third. Jake's single scored Chace. Andrew went the other way for an RBI single, scoring Jake, with Andrew moving up to second on the throw. Mason singled Andrew to third. Carter ripped an RBI single through the left side. Ben singled back through the middle. Asher's single scored Mason and enacted the seven-run rule.
Score after one inning: 8U Blue 7, 7U Blue 0

Second inning
The hit parade continued with Joey and Elias bashing back-to-back singles. Bryce singled home Joey. After a fielder's choice, Gavin went the other way for an RBI single and took second when the ball was misplayed. Chace slammed an RBI single. Jake's sacrifice fly scored Gavin. With two outs, 8U added two more runs, as Andrew's double scored Chace, and Mason's single scored Andrew.
Score after two innings: 8U Blue 13, 7U 0

Fourth inning
Asher and Joey started the inning with singles. After two consecutive fielder's choices scored Asher, JT  walloped a double to right, and then Gavin singled home Bryce with the 15th and final run due to the 15-run rule.
Score after three innings: 8U Blue 15, 7U 0

Semifinal Web Gems

• The corner infielders combined for a highlight play in the second. 7U's Tucker ripped a shot down 
• With the first 7U baserunner on first in the third, Elias fielded a tough hop at third near his waist, then threw to Mason at second to get the force.

Semifinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
WR 7U Blue	0	0	0	X	X	X	0	0
WR 8U Blue	7	6	2	X	X	X	15	21

Summer NIT Game 2: WR 8U Blue 10, Rubber Arm Rockets 0

Sometimes I wonder what goes on in the stands during all these hours the fans have to pass at baseball games. Now, thanks to Coach/Paparazzi Regan, I know: you're all over there writing on yourselves.

After a short turnaround and a quick left-field pep talk, 8U Blue was back on the field against the Rubber Arm Rockets. This provided a very handy way to gauge your maturity. If you found out who we were playing and said, "OK, sounds good," you may actually be an adult. On the other hand, if you found out who we were playing, started giggling, and then spent 45 minutes of the ride to Greensboro coming up with possible uniform combinations for a team called the Rubber Arm Rockets, then you are...a Lucas.

It turned out that they did not actually have rubber arms, which was a little disappointing, especially for Harrison Ford, who had stopped by and kept saying something about a one-armed man.


After searching every warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and dog house, 8U Blue put up four quick runs in the first two innings and cruised to a 10-0 win in a game shortened to four innings by the mercy rule. The game included the first truly explosive offensive inning of the weekend, as West Raleigh sent 11 hitters to the plate in the fourth and scored six runs on eight hits.

The 8U Blue defense was again solid, playing an errorless four innings, which makes it three of the last six games that they have been completely error-free. The outfielders were even able to get some work in this one, as Andrew snagged a line drive in right-center and Carter had a nice backup at first base. The back-to-back shutouts are the first time in two summers together that this group has put up two consecutive zero-run defensive games.

The win and the zero runs allowed for the day gave 8U Blue the event's top seed and a spot in the 10:15 a.m. semifinal on Sunday, where the opponent is very likely to be 7U Blue. Reminder: Sunday's games are what is likely to be the one and only pink-out of this summer.

Game 2 8U Blue scoring plays
First inning
Bryce reached second on his leadoff shot through short. He moved to third on a fielder's choice and scored on Gavin's triple. Jake scored Gavin with an RBI groundout.
Score after one-half inning: 8U Blue 2, Rubber Arm 0

Second inning
JT led off with a single. That put him in position to score on Mason's triple to deep left, but only after Mason and JT nearly met on the basepaths so they could discuss their respective hitting strategies. Ben brought Mason home with an RBI groundout.
Score after one and a half innings: 8U Blue 4, Rubber Arm 0

Fourth inning
The bats finally came to life in the fourth, as 8U sent 11 hitters to the plate in building their biggest inning of the day.
Score after three and a half innings: 8U Blue 10, Rubber Arm 0

Game 2 Web Gems

• Bryce started the defensive half of the first inning by ranging to his right and making a leaping grab of a line drive that appeared ticketed to go up the middle.
• Carter hustled over to back up a throw to first in the third. When the throw got past the first baseman, Carter was there to scoop it up, saving what would've been an extra base.
• Asher was a ball hog in the fourth, making all three outs at pitcher, and ending the game on a line drive back to him that he turned into a game-ending double play by throwing to Elias at first to nab the overaggressive runner.

Game 2 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
WR 8U Blue	2	2	0	6	X	X	10	13
Rubber Arm Rockets	0	0	0	0	X	X	0	2

Summer NIT Game 1: WR 8U Blue 8, Southern Heat 0

The day began with Bryce showing up wearing freshly washed gray pants. The only problem was that the rest of the team was wearing white. Luckily, Coach Kevin always travels with an extra pair of white baseball pants (never know when you might need them), and was able to save the day:

This unique strategy enabled Bryce to both play second base and catch fish at the same time.

Quite honestly, Bryce's pants (no, he didn't actually wear them for the game) were kind of the highlight of the first game. 8U Blue took an 8-0 win in a game shortened to four innings by the run rule, and it's always nice to win, but a lack of energy in the dugout, on the field and in the box led to some pointed suggestions from the coaches as to some things that needed to be improved on in the second game.

On the bright side, although the Heat weren't hitting the ball particularly hard, the Blue infield did make almost all the plays they were given, holding the Heat without a hit and not allowing a runner past first base.

If for no other reason, the game was worth watching because it featured a machine-pitch first (at least for me): the Heat opted to intentionally walk Joey in the fourth inning to try and set up a force at home to prevent the potential game-ending run from scoring. Why the rules would allow for intentional walks in a format that doesn't allow any other kind of walks is another question.

With short turnaround, 8U Blue prepared to play the Rubber Arm Rockets immediately after the win.

Game 1 8U Blue scoring plays
First inning
Bryce ripped a one-out single. Gavin singled him to second. With two outs, Chace lifted a double to left that scored both runners.
Score after one inning: 8U Blue 2, Heat 0

Third inning
Elias led off with a seeing-eye single, then moved to second on Andrew's single. Bryce singled to load the bases, and then Gavin cleared them with a mammoth three-run double.
Score after three innings: 8U Blue 5, Heat 0

Fourth inning
Singles by Mason, Ben and Asher loaded the bases. Carter drove in a pair with a double, and then after an intentional walk--yes, that really happened--loaded the bases, Elias ended the game with an RBI single to center.
Score after four innings: 8U Blue 8, Heat 0

Game 1 Web Gems

• With all the plays taking place in the infield, most of the outs recorded were of the routine variety. But Chace made a nice scoop on a short-hop throw to first to end the third.
• He then followed that up by tracking down an errant throw in the fourth, then hustling back to slap his glove on the bag to get the force. 
• The around-the-horn combination of JT, Gavin, Bryce and Chace combined to make 7 of the outs (in a four-inning game) flawlessly.

Game 1 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Southern Heat	0	0	0	0	X	X	0	0
WR 8U Blue	2	0	3	3	X	X	8	14