By Aidan Edelman
Koa Sports has had incredibly good fortune this season with regards to rainouts. In a very far cry from last spring – when rain wiped out more than half of our games – we had avoided any rainouts for games this season in BABL and only had a few in travel. However, Mother Nature always gets her way in the end.
A week of rainfall knocked out Saturday BABL games and most Sunday travel games. We did get in two travel double headers (10u and 14u), but it was a low key weekend for Koa baseball.
We do have some announcements, however, as we wish to congratulate our BABL All Stars! Our BABL coaches have selected the following players for the games, which will be Thursday May 24th (BABL AAA) and Monday May 28th (BABL A & AA). Congratulations to the following players who will be playing in the games:
BABL A
Bombers
Alex B.
Jae P.
Matty S.
Ouest V.
Crushers
Alex B.
Will F.
Ben H.
Miles U.
Dingers
Elliott R.
Jake R.
Dom S.
Homers
Zach B.
Adam K.
Drew R.
Launchers
Wes C.
Jack H.
Quentin W.
Luke W. (alternate)
Mashers
Ollie H.
Ethan H. (alternate)
Leo P.
Ryan R.
Slammers
Zach C.
Daniel H.
Max R.
Sluggers
Oliver F.
Edward F.
Aaron K.
BABL AA
Baseball Factory
Eddie B.
Andrew H.
Landon J.
Changeups
Connor K.
Nathan L.
Luke S.
Curveballs
Cooper G.
Mateo L.
Brenden N.
Fastballs
Will G.
Landen H.
RJ H.
Movers
Shrey A.
Robert B.
Aaron L.
Aidan W.
Screwballs
Bobby B.
Lance H.
Timmy L.
Will M.
Sliders
Wells T.
Aitan Y.
Yousef Y.
Splitters
Ben C.
Luke R.
Peter S.
BABL AAA
Blasters
Jeffrey B.
Matthew P.
Jack P.
Charlie S.
Mick S.
Nick T.
Dingers
Noah G.
Stevie J.
Matthew L.
Hector S.
Jake S.
Launchers
Davide B.
Larry B.
James H.
Jake R.
Alex R.
Slammers
Benjy E.
Joseph L.
Jack M.
Troy W.
Taylor W.
Wreckers
Ian A.
Jack B.
Anthony C.
Kevin K.
Ethan S.
Congrats again to all our BABL all stars! We’re looking forward to some exciting, fun games in the coming days!
Here are the highlights from the 10U and 14U travel double headers:
Koa 10U vs. Win Within Tribe 10U
Game 1: 5-3 win
Game 2: 19-3 win
After a close victory in the first game against Win Within, the 10U Green Wave took it to their opponent in the second game. Game one saw both teams score two in the first inning followed by a few scoreless innings. Blake G. pitched those three innings and limited the Tribe to just one hit. The offense pulled away late with three runs in the final two innings. Sean B. had a monster game with a triple, a home run, and three RBIs to pace the offense. Jayson C. shut the door for the save, throwing eight of his nine pitches for strikes. Game two was actually close and competitive, with Win Within scoring three times in the top of the first and taking the lead. Koa clawed back to take a 5-3 lead heading into the third. Then in the fourth inning the rout was on. The Green Wave put up 14 runs in the fourth inning, winning via the mercy rule. Drew J. racked up three hits from the leadoff spot (which, combined with his two hits in game one, gave him five hits in as many at bats between the games), Reed S. hit a triple and drove in four, Jacob E. had two hits, and Evan K. and Curtis G. had two RBIs each. It was a dominant effort for the boys in what was easily their best win of the season. Additionally, the defense looked great all day, with limited errors and lots of fundamentally sound baseball – which was more impressive considering several players played at unnatural positions.
Koa 14U vs. Hume Hornets 14U
Game 1: 16-3 win
Game 2: 26-4 win
The 14U Green Wave apparently forgot they were a baseball team, as they put up some football-esque run totals against the Hornets. Game one was over before it began, with Koa plating 14 runs in the first two innings. The offense was paced by Dylan P., Nico L., and Sammy P., who combined for eight hits, seven runs, and seven RBIs between them in the 2-3-4 spots in the lineup. Koa drew 13 walks on the day versus just three strikeouts, and despite some shaky pitching had more than enough to put away an overmatched Hume team. Game two was even better, as the Green Wave scored ten more runs than they did the first game to win 26-4 in another laugher. The offense really woke up throughout the lineup, as everyone reached base at least once, with most players reaching base multiple times. Reece E., Greyson F., Grady W., and Kieran F. had two hits each, Ethan S. and Tyler C. had three hits apiece, and Reece and Sammy each hit over-the-fence home runs. Koa walked 17 times versus two strikeouts and dominated a team that had no business playing a team as good and ready as the Green Wave.
Next Week:
All travel teams will be playing at the Fruitland Baseball Memorial Day Madness Tournament! Check back next week for a recap of how they all fared!
Answers to the lyrics questions from last week (travel section):
10U: “Through the Rain” by Mariah Carey
11U: “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
12U: “Kentucky Rain” by Elvis Presley
13U East: “I Can’t Stand the Rain” by Tina Turner
13U West: “Songs About Rain” by Gary Allan
Standings
| BABL A | W-L | BABL AA | W-L | BABL AAA | W-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombers | 7-2 | Screwballs | 7-1 | Blasters | 4-2-2 |
| Mashers | 7-2 | Factory | 6-1 | Slammers | 4-4 |
| Crushers | 6-2-1 | Movers | 7-2 | Dingers | 4-5 |
| Slammers | 5-4 | Sliders | 4-4 | Launchers | 3-4-1 |
| Launchers | 4-4-1 | Splitters | 4-4 | Wreckers | 2-6-1 |
| Sluggers | 3-6 | Curveballs | 2-5-1 | ||
| Dingers | 2-7 | Fastballs | 1-7-1 | ||
| Homers | 1-8 | Changeups | 0-7 |
| Travel | W-L |
|---|---|
| 10U | 5-7 |
| 11U | 4-6 |
| 12U | 2-8 |
| 13U East | 9-3 |
| 13U West | 3-5-2 |
| 14U | 9-4-1 |
Play It Forward Fundraiser Standings (Only Teams That Have Donated Will Be Listed – Top Team Wins a Pizza Party!)
| Team | Division | Amount Raised |
| 13U East | Travel | $906 |
| 10U | Travel | $228 |
| Blasters | BABL AAA | $100 |
| Fastballs | BABL AA | $50 |
| 12U | Travel | $50 |
| Bombers | BABL A | $36 |
| Wreckers | BABL AAA | $36 |
| Dingers | BABL A | $20 |
