This weekend marked the first set of baseball games for both our BABL and travel divisions here at Koa Sports, and we couldn’t have been happier! We had perfect weather. We had a ton of energy from both the players and the coaches. We had comebacks. We had walk-offs. And we set the stage for what’s sure to be another great fall baseball season. Here are the highlights:
BABL A
Mashers @ Bombers
Mashers 5
Bombers 17
The Bombers looked in midseason form on Opening Day with a dominating 17-5 win over the Mashers. Ian L. and Luka S. combined for four innings on the mound, and team-wide patience helped the Bombers capitalize on the Mashers’ pitching. Watch out for this team going forward.
Homers @ Sluggers
Homers 4
Sluggers 13
The Sluggers got out of the gate strong with a 13-4 victory over the Homers on Opening Day. Edward F. (3-3 at the plate, three solid innings at catcher, and an unassisted double play at first base) and Teddy B. (two scoreless innings on the mound), led the team in the box score, but Coach Miles Fisher loved the fact that his whole team was having a lot of fun on the field and learning new things as well. We’re looking forward to seeing both these teams going forward!
Next Week:
Sluggers @ Mashers
Homers @ Bombers
Mashers @ Homers
Bombers @ Sluggers
BABL AA
Fastballs @ Screwballs
Fastballs 6
Screwballs 14
A resounding victory for the Screwballs on Opening Day, as they beat up on the Fastballs to the tune of 14-6. Bobby B. let up only one run for three innings, sparking the Screwballs on the mound, and they never looked back. But, as you’ll see later on, the Fastballs got it back a few days later.
Changeups @ Splitters
Changeups 6
Splitters 22
Led on the mound by Tamirat “Tommy” D. (no baserunners allowed in two innings) and at the plate by the man they call “Moonshot,” Brandon M. (RBI 2B and RBI 3B), the Splitters looked in complete control on Opening Day. Jackson F. (2-3 at the plate) performed well in defeat for the Changeups, who will look to bounce back next weekend.
Curveballs @ Sliders
Curveballs 3
Sliders 15
The Sliders big strength in their Opening Day win proved to be their pitching and defense. Wells T. and Yousef Y. combined for 2 runs in 5 innings pitched, striking out 9 in the process. Cameron R. provided a spark at the plate for the Curveballs, notching several hard hit balls and playing excellent defense.
Baseball Factory @ Movers
Factory 3
Movers 7
What a competitive game! The Movers and Baseball Factory played a close one that ended with the Movers getting the win. That win had a lot to do with Chand A., who struck out 6 and allowed only one run in 4 innings of work on the mound. Both teams played solid defense and will look to continue to do so throughout the season.
Fastballs @ Screwballs (Monday Night BABL)
Fastballs 5
Screwballs 4
New to Koa this season is Monday Night BABL, which is played under the lights at Cabin John Regional Park. In the first ever MNB game – a rematch from Saturday’s Fastballs-Screwballs matchup – the Fastballs got their revenge with a 5-4 victory. The Fastballs took an early 4-0 lead in the 1st, then got the key insurance run in the 5th to put them up for good. Up by one with the bases loaded and two outs in the final inning, Will G. made an incredible diving catch to end the game! Hopefully we get plenty more exciting games like this one throughout the season on Monday Night BABL!
Next Week:
Splitters @ Screwballs
Fastballs @ Factory
Sliders @ Movers
Changeups @ Curveballs
Sliders @ Splitters
Fastballs @ Changeups
Movers @ Screwballs
Curveballs @ Factory
Splitters @ Curveballs (Monday Night BABL)
BABL AAA
Dingers @ Slammers
Dingers 5
Slammers 13
The Dingers and Slammers opened up the BABL AAA season Saturday morning at Richard Montgomery HS. The result was a resounding Slammers victory. The Slammers rode a terrific pitching performance from Oree Y., clutch hits from Alex C. and Benjy E., and a team wide aggressive approach on the bases to victory. It’s always good to get that first win out of the way early!
Slammers @ Wreckers
Slammers 12
Wreckers 14
The Slammers and Wreckers followed up the first game with a hotly-contested, back-and-forth contest that ended with a Wreckers win. The Wreckers got a solid pitching performance from Kevin K. and drew 16 walks, which was enough for them to pull out the W. Despite the loss, the Slammers racked up 13 hits in the game and look poised for a good season.
Wreckers @ Dingers
Wreckers 10
Dingers 11
What a finish! The Dingers mounted a comeback late in their second game of the afternoon and won on a walk-off! Noah G. kept it close with a diving catch at second base, and Robert A. hit a perfectly placed infield single to score the game-winning run from third base the next half inning. You can bet they’ll be looking to take those good feelings into their matchup next weekend.
The Wreckers and Dingers in the hand shake line after a close game.
Blasters @ Launchers
Blasters 11
Launchers 10
Our only game at Whitman HS this weekend, the Blasters and Launchers played another close game, with the Blasters eeking out a narrow victory on a team-wide effort. Nicolas C. had a great game for the Launchers, and Coach Noah Sherman is happy with how early his team is beginning to round into form. Both teams are looking good, and are eager for next weekend.
Next Week:
Slammers @ Blasters
Blasters @ Wreckers
Wreckers @ Slammers
Dingers @ Launchers
Travel
Koa 10U vs. Dig In Baseball 10U
Game 1: 13-12 win
Game 2: 8-13 loss
In the 10U Green Wave’s first game, the team totaled 12 hits, none bigger than a walk-off, bases loaded double courtesy of Blake G. In the second game, the team staged a valiant comeback attempt, but unfortunately ran out of time. Despite the 1-1 day, coaches Howard Bolden and John Paseur are very pleased with the team’s defensive effort, and are hoping for more of the same going forward.
Koa 11U vs. Kidball Baseball 11U White
Game 1: 0-15 loss
Game 2: 5-4 win
That’s how you bounce back. After coming out flat in their first game, the 11U Green Wave bounced back with a 5-4 win over Kidball Baseball in round 2. That second game saw starting pitcher Shane M. put his team in a position to win, with Sam W. closing it out in the end. The boys will look to ride the momentum of that second game into next weekend’s games.
Koa 12U vs. BCC Big Train 12U
Game 1: 3-4 loss
Game 2: 6-7 loss
A couple of tough luck losses for the 12U Green Wave on Opening Day. Game one saw BCC’s pitchers stymie the Green Wave, while the bats woke up in game two, though the team ultimately fell just short both times. Massimo L. (4 innings, 1 earned run, 3 hits) and Kanen K. – making his travel debut – (2-4, 2B, 3 RBI) provided some of the highlights. With a little more luck, these guys are going to be very dangerous in the NVTBL.
Koa 13U vs. Dig In Baseball 13U
Game 1: 8-1 win
Game 2: 13-4 win
Oh how *sweep* it is! The 13U Green Wave took care of business with two dominating victories over Dig In Baseball at Richard Montgomery HS on Sunday. Seth K. (2-5, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 SB) and Paul W. (1.2 scoreless innings, got out of a bases loaded jam) led the way with newcomer Noah K. performing well in his travel debut. Way to go, fellas, keep up the hard work!
Koa 14U vs. Dig In Baseball 14U
Game 1: 3-13 loss
Game 2: 16-15 win
A tale of two games for the 14U Green Wave. After getting pretty thoroughly beaten in game 1, the squad managed to rally back for a dramatic, come-from-behind victory in game 2, capped off by a walk-off from Will P. You can bet the boys were excited with that, and they’ll look to capitalize next Sunday.
Koa JV vs. Metropolitan Senators JV South
Game 1: 28-8 loss
Game 2: 20-4 loss
It was a tough first week for the JV team, as they couldn’t seem to find the strike zone or get into any sort of offensive rhythm throughout their two games. It wasn’t all bad though – Dean W. and Aidan D. both provided some spark at the plate. Despite a less-than-stellar season debut, we know these guys are eager to get back out there next weekend.
Next Week:
Koa 10U vs. DC Dynasty 10U Red
Koa 11U vs. DC Dynasty 11U Red
Koa 12U vs. Alexandria Aces 12U White/Cobras 12U
Koa 13U vs. Manassas Militia 13U
Koa 14U vs. NFC Knights 14U
Koa JV vs. Bradley Eagles 15U
Player of the Week
Edward F. (Sluggers)
3-3, turned an unassisted double play at first base
Pitcher of the Week
Yousef Y. (Sliders)
4 IP, 7 K, 1.25 WHIP
| BABL A Standings | W-L | BABL AA Standings | W-L | BABL AAA Standings | W-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombers | 1-0 | Splitters | 1-0 | Blasters | 1-0 |
| Sluggers | 1-0 | Sliders | 1-0 | Slammers | 1-1 |
| Mashers | 0-1 | Movers | 1-0 | Wreckers | 1-1 |
| Homers | 0-1 | Screwballs | 1-1 | Dingers | 1-1 |
| Fastballs | 1-1 | Launchers | 0-1 | ||
| Changeups | 0-1 | ||||
| Curveballs | 0-1 | ||||
| Factory | 0-1 |
| Koa Travel | W-L |
|---|---|
| 10U | 1-1 |
| 11U | 1-1 |
| 12U | 0-2 |
| 13U | 2-0 |
| 14U | 1-1 |
| HS JV | 0-2 |
