Dodgers top Cardinals, earn 'AAA' crown

The Dodgers topped the Cardinals, 14-9, to win the Central Amherst "AAA" championship.

The first half of the game highlighted some great offense by both teams while the second half featured many fantastic defensive plays.

The Cardinals' Peter Byrne and MJ Morris each walked to start the game and Jack Quinlivan singled to load the bases. After Dodgers pitcher John Schmitt struck out the next two batters, Austin Ballard drew a walk to plate the first Cardinals' run.

The Dodgers struck for five runs in the bottom of the first inning, starting with a leadoff walk by Will Boerema and singles from Connor Harrington and John Schmitt and doubles by Ryan Gibbons and Mike Murphy.

Tom Greco, Sean Gibson and Zack McPherson were each credited with walks in the inning.

The Cardinals answered with five runs in the second inning in a game that looked to quickly become a game where neither offense could be stopped before producing many hits and runs.

Leadoff batter August Howell started the inning with a walk followed by strikeouts to record the first two outs of the inning. Morris drew a walk and Quinlivan and Andrew Boccio hit singles to drive in runs. Tony Regan then cleared the bases with a home run that ran to the fence in right center field to put the Cardinals back on top, 6-5.

The Dodgers' bats continued to produce in the second inning and regained the lead with six runs that started with a leadoff triple by Boerema. Harrington drove Boerema home with a home run that rolled to the fence in left field.

After John Schmitt walked, he stole bases to move to third base and was driven in on a single by Gibbons. Jack Pieroni followed with an RBI double to right field. Greco reached with a walk and John Hazelett moved Greco up with a single. MacPherson drew a walk to load the bases followed by Peter Mattar, who also drew a walk to force in the sixth and final run of the inning.

Schmitt's pitching was able to keep the Cardinals off the scoreboard in the third inning although Adam Merkle and Byrne did reach base to give the Cardinals an opportunity to score.

Boerema led off the third inning with another triple for the Dodgers. Four walks during the inning to Harrington, Gibbons, Pieroni and Greco helped the Dodgers plate a couple of more runs to make the score 13-6 at the end of three innings.

The Cardinals showed no signs of giving up and quickly closed the lead by adding three runs in the fourth inning to close the gap to 13-9. Quinlivan and Boccio led off the inning with consecutive doubles followed by singles from Regan and Ballard. Dante Merrill contributed an RBI.

Great infield play came from Mattar, at third base, and Murphy at first base, who each knocked down hard hit balls to stop runs from scoring, preventing the Cardinals from further eating away at the Dodgers recently diminished lead.

Quinlivan, throwing hard and accurately, took over the pitching duties for the Cardinals in the fourth inning. The only Dodger to reach base in the inning was MacPherson, who singled on a hit between second and third base.

The top of the Cardinals lineup, looking to continue the comeback, came out swinging in the fifth inning against Dodgers pitcher Harrington. Leadoff man Byrne connected with a ball that looked like a sure base hit before Boerema, at shortstop, reached over his head and made a great diving catch to record the first out. Morris then roped the next pitch to left center field where Gibson moved in and positioned himself under the fly ball to make the next out.

Quinlivan then connected on a ball that was headed further out in left center field but the steady Gibson, after taking steps to his right, retreated backwards toward the fence and made the second of his consecutive putouts with another great over the head catch to end the inning.

The Dodgers added an insurance run in the bottom half of the fifth after Schmitt doubled and stole third base. Pieroni then was thrown out at first base by shortstop Boccio but was credited with the RBI. Dodgers closer Greco came on to pitch the sixth.

Boccio hit a fly ball which was caught behind first base by Gibbons. Regan then laid down a great bunt but Schmitt, playing catcher, fielded it cleanly and threw quickly to first base before the speedy Regan could touch first base. Greco then took care of the last out on his own by catching a high pop-up back to the first base side of the mound to put the Cardinals down in one, two, three order and give the Dodgers the victory.

Dodgers 13, Red Sox 6

The Dodgers defeated the Red Sox in a semifinal game in the "AAA" division to continue on in the playoffs.

Leadoff batter Jacob Zarzecki started the Red Sox off with a single and Joshua Menegaux reached with a base on balls. Dodger pitcher John Schmitt struck out two hitters. The top half of the first inning ended when Zarzecki was caught trying to steal third base. Catcher Ryan Gibbons made the strong throw to third baseman Mike Murphy who applied the tag to end the threat.

The Dodgers struck for two runs in the first inning after a single by Connor Harrington, an RBI triple by Schmitt and an RBI by Gibbons to drive in Schmitt.

Chris Multerer started the second inning for the Red Sox with a single and Austin Martin reached after being hit by a pitch. Schmitt struck out the next batter but was removed after hitting the second batter in the inning.

Harrington came on in relief and worked out of the jam not allowing the Red Sox to get on the scoreboard by striking out the next hitter and causing a fly out to right field on a great catch by outfielder Tom Greco. Red Sox pitcher Nick Gioia struck out the side in the second inning after giving up a single to John Hazelett.

Rocky Canna led off the Red Sox's third inning with a walk followed with a single by Zarzecki but a force out was made at second base by shortstop Will Boerema. Walks by Amanda Helak and Menegaux loaded the bases. Gioia doubled in two runs in the inning to tie the score at 2-2.

After the Red Sox recorded two outs in the third inning, Harrington and Schmitt drew walks followed by a two-RBI double by Gibbons. Gibbons was then driven home by an RBI single from Mike Murphy. At the end of three innings, the Dodgers led 5-2.

After Dodgers outfielder Zack MacPherson made a catch in left field to retire the Red Sox first batter of the fourth inning, Ruairi O'Loughlin, Canna and Zarzecki drew walks to load the bases once again. Halek then drove in O'Loughlin and Canna for two runs on a hit up the middle that went through to the outfield.

The Dodgers inning ended the rally by getting two strikeouts to end the inning. After the first two batters were put out by the Red Sox in the fourth inning, including a great catch by Helak, the Dodgers started another two-out rally. Jack Pieroni singled and moved to second on an overthrow. MacPherson then singled, followed by a walk by Boerema to load the bases. Harrington then tripled to left field to drive in three runs. Schmitt doubled and was driven in on a single by Gibbons to make the score 10-4 at the end of four innings.

Gioia started the fifth inning with a base on balls. Defensive putouts on fly balls to the outfield were made by Murphy in right field and Boerema in left center field to keep the Red Sox from adding to their total. The Dodgers' Greco got aboard first in the fifth with a walk followed with a double by Pieroni and an RBI single by MacPherson.

Boerema and Harrington then both drove in runs to make the score 13-4 at the end of five.

Dodgers closer Greco came on to pitch the sixth. Jackson Coe started the inning with a single and O'Loughlin and Joseph Wittmann got aboard to load the bases. After O'Laughlin and Coe reached base, they each came around to score runs as Canna, Zarzecki and Helak either got hits or walked to move them around the bases.

Boerema knocked down a hit at shortstop and threw from a kneeling position to home plate to get the force out and prevent a run. Greco struck out the final batter to end the Red Sox rally.