Lou Gehrig 'AAA' Athletics steal day from Orioles

The Lou Gehrig "AAA" Athletics recently stole a big win from the undefeated Orioles, 12-11.

The A's winning combination of pitchers led off with Steven Bunce, George Attea, Nick Pilon, Alex Dimitroff, and Ryan Forczak each throwing the ball well and showing their dominance.

After spotting the Orioles to an early lead, the A's battled back. Justin Fineberg was the hitter of the day, energizing his team with a solid hit to begin the second inning and giving the spark needed to rally his team from behind.

Despite the high temperatures, the A's followed through with big hits by Bunce, Zach Suroweic and Alex Dimitroff.

The A's were really on their toes, taking their share of stolen bases and plays in the field. Handling the catching duties were James Schaab, Dimitroff, and Attea, who managed to keep the score close throughout the game.

The crowd went wild when Pilon made a huge play, catching a fly ball in center field to shut down the Orioles in the fifth.

Matt Schwallie, Michael Paolini, and Zachary Weinberg had solid hits to help lead their team to the early advantage.

Orioles 5, White Sox 1

The Orioles and White Sox battled to a scoreless tie after five innings of play. Strong pitching from both sides along with solid defensive play led to an exciting finish.

Ben Wald led the Orioles' pitching staff while Dylan Lambert led the White Sox staff.

Ben Wald scored the winning run on a base hit by Matt Schwallie in a five-run outburst by the Orioles in the top of the sixth.

'Major A' baseball

Yankees 19, A's 2

The Yankees took the early lead and were able to maintain it thanks to four solid innings pitched by Matt O'Dwyer, Kyle Fabian, Trevor Morcelle, and Vinnie DiNatale. The foursome only allowed one run.

Zach Thomas went 3 for 3, Tyler Trubish hit 2 for 3, and Jake Honsberger went 3 for 4.

Yankee Burak Spoth had a bases-clearing double. The A's Sean and Brad Bailey scored both runs and combined for three hits.

Yankees 6, Red Sox 4

Carl Reardon, Zach Thomas, Andrew Weinberg, and Chris Searles combined for four shutout innings while Justin Fillmore made a great defensive play on the mound to keep the game close early. Thomas scored two runs.

Jonah Wrest and Mark Flemming had extra base hits for the Red Sox.

'Minor' baseball

Mets 10, Athletics 3

The Mets and Athletics game featured some great all-around plays by both teams.

The Mets pounded out 21 hits to outduel the A's, 10-3. Dylan Birzon led the Mets with three hits. Ben Hingston also had a big day with two hits and scored two important runs.

Timely hitting in the fifth was provided by Birzon, Justin Genneve, Kyle Spoth, Carter Wild, and Jake Zurat as they kept the late rally alive, driving in three late runs, all with two outs.

The defensive in the game was outstanding. Sam Barillari was involved in three sparkling plays. One was at first base where Carter Wild made a nice knockdown only to have second baseman Barillari cover the base and get the putout on the flip.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Mets attempted to turn a 6-4-3 double play only to have the ball get by first baseman Zurat who swiftly retrieved the ball and threw a bullet to second baseman Spoth for the unusual 6-4-3-4 double play.

There were some great defensive plays to be noted also by the A's, as a diving left fielder Nicholas Kieffer stole an extra base hit from Zurat in the first.

Mets 22, Red Sox 9

The hard-hitting Mets scored 22 runs in five innings as the game was cut short by heavy rains.

Leading the way with big hits was an amazing array of players going 3 for 3 including Ben Hingston, Matthew Schrlau, Justin Genneve, Kyle Spoth, Jake Zurat, Steven Metzger, and Brady Homberger. Notable big day hitter Patrick Allen went 3 for 4.

Jake Zurat was like a magnet on defense, getting involved in six putouts. Big league plays were also made by the likes of Dylan Birzon and Sam Barillari, who each had a great unassisted putout.

Mets 20, Giants 13

The New York Mets battled from behind early, as they over came a six-run deficit in the second for a 20-13 win.

The Mets' offense was led by Patrick Allen (4 for 4). The other perfect hitters included Kyle Spoth (two doubles), Jake Zurat (double), and Sam Barillari (double), who each went 3 for 3 with three runs scored.

Carter Wild also was 3 for 3 with two runs scored. Alex Wanat also kicked in three hits (two doubles) to help the rally.

The Mets shined on defense as they made several sparkling plays to shut down the Giants.

'Minor A' softball

White Sox 10, Red Sox 8

The White Sox had just enough to defeat the Red Sox on Thursday evening at Lou Gehrig.

The visiting White Sox scored first when Rachel Kieffer knocked in Abby Welch with an RBI single. The Red Sox responded with four runs in the bottom of the first as Kylie Smith, Abby Gnozzo, Sydney Hall, and Olivia Sharf all scored after starting the inning with four consecutive singles.

In the top of the second, the White Sox rallied to tie the score as Brooke McKinnon, Julia Myer, and Amanda Greenwald scored, two on an RBI double by Clare Ahern, and one on an RBI single by Julia Gaglio.

The Red Sox responded with another run by Gnozzo to take a 5-4 lead after two. If not for two outstanding putouts from shortstop Welch to first baseman Greenwald, the damage could have been worse.

The third inning started with the White Sox bats' awakening to score five runs. McKinnon, Welch, Elena Kotrides, Greenwald, and Ahern scored with Gaglio and Kieffer collecting key RBIs.

The Red Sox battled back with Sydney Sadkin and Jessica Weaver scoring on RBI singles by Smith and Gnozzo.

The White Sox led, 9-7, after three innings.

Neither team scored in the fourth as the White Sox came to bat in the fifth looking for insurance runs. Kotrides led off with a single, followed by a Greenwald double. Kendal Rehak then delivered an RBI single to give the White Sox a 10-7 lead.

The Red Sox loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth and Smith scored on an RBI single by Maribeth Vain but the White Sox retired the next three batters to preserve the victory.

White Sox 12, Marlins 5

The White Sox used a solid defensive effort and some late inning timely hits to score a 12-5 victory over the Marlins for their fifth win in a row.

The White Sox were held scoreless in the first. In the bottom of the inning, the Marlins took the early lead when Samantha Maczka singled in Kaitlin Battaglia.

The White Sox scored two runs in the second when consecutive singles by Abby Welch and Amanda Greenwald scored Kendal Rehak and Shannon McNulty. The damage could have been worse as Clare Ahern lined what looked to be a two-run double to the right side but Kirsten Grasso stretched out from her second base position to make an amazing stab, robbing Ahern of an extra base hit and retiring the side.

The Marlins came back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the second with Grasso and Emily Nicosia plating runs to regain a 3-2 lead.

The White Sox tied the score at 3-3 in the third when Julia Gaglio scored on a Brooke McKinnon single.

After holding the Marlins scoreless in the bottom of the third on a nice defensive play by Welch and Greenwald, the White Sox rallied for four runs in the fourth. Greenwald, Ahern, Gaglio, and Rachel Kieffer led off the inning with four consecutive singles and Rehak, Heather Hurley, and Welch hit RBI singles.

Once again, the White Sox defense stood up to the task, surrendering only one run in the bottom of the fourth to regain a 7-4 lead. Ahern and Welch combined for back-to-back standout plays at third base and shortstop to keep the Marlins' rally at bay.

Mary Francis Gage collected the RBI for the Marlins in the fourth, knocking in Morgan Cicero.

The White Sox sealed it in the fifth with a five-run rally on eight consecutive singles with Welch, Elena Kotrides, Greenwald, Ahern, and Gaglio scoring. Julia Myer went 1 for 3 in her return to action for the White Sox. Gaglio scored a game-high three runs and Ahern had two doubles and three RBIs.

Cubs 8, Marlins 8

The Minor "A" Cubs and Marlins tied their season opener, 8-8, on a sunny but chilly May 5 morning.

Leadoff Cub batter Lisa Cicatello started the offense off with a bang. In her first time at bat at the machine pitch level, Cicatello swung at the first pitch and nailed a solid single. She was awarded a well-deserved MVP for the game. Also wielding heavy bats were Julianna Burkard and Gabby Miranda.

Kendyl Kratzer had a strong day in the field. In the first inning, she jumped high to catch the hit ball and make the out at first. Miranda made a great stop at third and fired to Kratzer for another out at first.

Pitcher Melanie Basile teamed up with Cicatello at first for a great out in the second inning. To prove it wasn't beginners' luck, they made the exact same play right after that.

Marissa Birzon had an excellent day at third base and Burkard was awesome at pitcher.

The Marlins' red-hot offense was led by Mary Gage, Samantha Maczka, Emily Nicosia, and Kirsten Grasso with three hits each. Sam Crane and Caitlin Quinn had two singles each. Katilin Battaglia also had a hit.

Cubs 19, Red Sox 0

The Cubs met the Red Sox on Monday evening, May 7.

Cub first baseman Marissa Birzon made a great grab and took it herself for a great out in the first inning.

In the second, pitcher Melanie Basile hustled to grab the ball and throw to Olivia Rutkowski at first for the out. In the sixth, pitcher Lisa Cicatello and Birzon at first also teamed up for a play.

Offensively, the Cubs' big batters for the evening were Rutkowski, Birzon, and Jessica Searles, who all went 5 for 5. Basile hit a double in the fourth and was awarded game MVP.

The entire Red Sox team played a tremendous game and the final score does not accurately reflect their effort or enthusiasm.

Cubs 10, Mets 4

Lou Gehrig Diamond 4 was the setting for the match-up between the Cubs and Mets on Saturday, May 12.

The Cubs' Julianna Burkard and Lexi Skibitsky showed what teamwork is all about in the first inning when Burkard, playing third, charged the ball and threw it to Skibitsky, who, playing shortstop ran over to cover third and get the out.

The third inning brought another great display of teamwork when Lisa Cicatello, then playing third, made a grab for the ball and threw it back to her base which had been covered by Jessica Searles for the out.

Also, Kendyl Kratzer at second, Cicatello at first, and Burkard at third, all made great solo outs by hustling for the ball and beating the runner back to the bag. Cicatello and Kratzer teamed up in the fourth for a great out between pitcher and first.

In the bottom of the fifth, Marissa Birzon made a stunning diving catch at first. Throughout the game, call-up Samantha Spokane did an outstanding job in the field, supporting the Cubs.

Offensively for the Cubs, Birzon and Kratzer both went 5 for 5. Searles earned game MVP honors.

The Mets' Alana Wheeler and Shannon Kelley led the charge offensively, with Kelley earning a double in the third.

Cubs 14, Diamondbacks 5

On Saturday, May 19, the Cubs and Diamondbacks met on machine-pitch Diamond 4 at the Lou Gehrig complex.

The Cubs' defense was really on that day. The dynamic duo of pitcher Melanie Basile to first baseman Olivia Rutkowski made two outs in a row in the first inning. Samantha Mendelsohn and Lexi Skibitsky made the exact same play twice in the fourth. Skibitsky, at catcher, also made a spectacular out by catching a big pop-up in the first inning.

Other notable defensive plays were Rutkowski at pitcher to Kendyl Kratzer at catcher for the out, and Mendelsohn at shortstop to Jessica Searles at third for the last out of the game.

Julianna Burkard won a well-deserved MVP for hitting a double in the first inning and bringing in two runners. Other big bats for the day belonged to Mendelsohn, Rutkowski, Marissa Birzon, and Skibitsky.

The Diamondback bats were also hot, led by big hitters Leah Cutler, Erin Fabian, and Adrianna Soucy.

Cubs 16, Phillies 9

The Cubs and Phillies showed great spunk and attitude at their game on May 25.

The Cubs were led offensively by the bats of Olivia Rutkowski, Melanie Basile, Jessica Searles, Marissa Birzon, and Samantha Mendelsohn. The team displayed great hustle both offensively and defensively and Rutkowski was award game team MVP.

For the Phillies, the offensive effort was led by Lauren Curtis and Riley Crage.

Cubs 12, Phillies 3

The Minor Cubs and Phillies met on Lou Gehrig Diamond No. 4 with the Cubs winning 12-3.

The Cubs' story was all about first base. Marissa Birzon and Kendyl Kratzer both made solo outs at first (first and second innings, respectively.)

In the third inning, pitcher Olivia Rutkowski threw to first baseman Lisa Cicatello for the out at first twice.

In the fourth, the Cubs made that double play again, this time with pitcher Melanie Basile throwing to first baseman Samantha Mendelsohn.

In the fifth, Birzon, now pitching, threw to Rutkowski at first for the last out of the game. Birzon was recognized for her defensive play by being awarded MVP.

The Phillies had strong bats throughout the game, but most notably in the third inning. Rachel August and Sarah Mietus both went 3 for 3.

Cubs 23, Marlins 4

Lou Gehrig field No. 4 was the setting for the second match-up between the Cubs and Marlins for 2007.

Leading the Cubs' offense was Olivia Rutkowski, who pounded the bat throughout the game, getting a double in the first inning and ultimately going 5 for 5.

Other strong bats belonged to Julianna Burkard, Lexi Skibitsky, Lisa Cicatello, and Samantha Mendelsohn. The slide-of-the-day went to Marissa Birzon, for her exciting fourth-inning arrival at third base.

In the field, the Cubs were awesome. Pitcher Melanie Basile and first baseman Mendelsohn made a great play in the first inning, then Skibitsky and Birzon did it again in the fourth.

The second inning was just spectacular, as together, Birzon and Cicatello made all three outs while playing shortstop and third base, respectively and demonstrating what teamwork and backing each other up are all about.

Basile made a great solo out at third in the fifth.

Rookie Kasey Vangelov made two spectacular plays in the third and fifth innings, both times making superb catches of the super-fast ball thrown by Skibitsky. Vangelov was the hands-down winner of MVP for her outstanding fielding.

The Marlins kept the Cubs on their toes the entire game, especially with their incredible hitting.

For the Marlins, Emily Nicosia and Brianna Bucello each had four hits, and Rachel Mackowiak, Kirsten Grasso, and Yosseline Eisenbaum each had two hits.