Lou Gehrig 9U posts third tournament victory

Lou Gehrig Red kept their summer record unblemished after winning their own 9U tournament from Aug. 2 to 5. Members of the team, pictured from left, are: first row - Alex Finley, Alex Bender, Dylan Lambert, Connor Bender, Ben Wald, Jon Tucker; second row - Alex Dimitroff, Jordan Jenneve, Andrew White, Nick Pilon, Collin Hunt, Mike Shanahan; third row - coaches Paul Bender, Tim White, and Dave Wald and manager Mark Shanahan.

In 9U tournament action played at the Lou Gehrig complex from Aug. 2 to 5, Lou Gehrig Red swept the field on their way to winning their home championship. The title was their third of the summer as they remained unbeaten, posting a 15-0 record.

Using a combination of power at the plate and some outstanding pitching performances, the Red team scored an average of nearly 15 runs per game while only allowing five.

The offense was led by Nick Pilon (.667), Connor Bender (.643, eight RBIs) and Mike Shanahan (13 RBIs). Leaders on the mound were Andrew White (no runs, no hits, 13 strikeouts), Alex Finley (no runs, no hits, seven strikeouts) and Alex Bender (nine strikeouts, seven innings pitched).

Lou Gehrig Red 6,

Lou Gehrig Blue 2

In a rematch of the Lew-Port final, Lou Gehrig Red used timely hitting and three excellent pitching performances to win the championship.

All six of Lou Gehrig Red's runs came with two outs. Ben Wald got things going in the first when he knocked in Alex Dimitroff.

Dimitroff drove in Alex Finley in the third to give Lou Gehrig Red a 2-0 lead.

Lou Gehrig Blue tied it in the fourth with a pair of doubles, but that is all the scoring they would get. Jordan Jenneve knocked in Alex Bender while Connor Bender stroked a two-run double in the fifth. Andrew White doubled and scored in the sixth to add an insurance run.

White was nearly perfect as he allowed no hits while striking out eight over the first three innings. Ben Wald was solid over the next two innings, and Alex Bender closed things out with a shutout sixth.

Lou Gehrig Red pitchers struck out 11 and walked only one while giving up only three hits. At the plate, Lou Gehrig Red used five hits, five errors and a couple of timely sacrifice bunts to score their runs. Not a single Lou Gehrig Red batter struck out.

Lou Gehrig Red 10,

Mel Ott A 3

In a rematch of a one-run, extra inning thriller from a previous tournament, Mel Ott was looking to even the series while Lou Gehrig Red was looking to get to its third straight tournament final.

Defense was the key for Lou Gehrig Red as they flashed their gloves early and often. With runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the first, Mel Ott tried a sacrifice bunt, only to have catcher Andrew White catch the bunt and make a nice toss to Dylan Lambert at first to double up the runner. Lambert fielded a tough grounder from the next batter to end the threat.

White made a diving catch of a bunt attempt in the third inning while both he and Connor Bender threw out runners attempting to steal as the catchers accounted for five of the 18 outs in the game. Alex Dimitroff was excellent at shortstop, making a handful of plays to stop rallies.

The offense scored four runs in the second, highlighted by bunt singles by Lambert and Dimitroff. They scored four more in the third to put the game away. Alex Bender was tough over the first three, and Alex Finley tossed a scoreless final inning.

Lou Gehrig Red 18,

Lew-Port 2 (four innings) After jumping out to a four-run lead after the first inning, Lou Gehrig Red batted around in the second as they put 12 more runs on the board.

The big blow was a three-run triple by Collin Hunt that followed a three-run double by Andrew White moments earlier. Mike Shanahan also doubled in the inning. Nick Pilon needed only a home run to hit for the cycle in his 3 for 3 effort at the plate.

Ben Wald pitched two scoreless innings, and Alex Finley struck out three in his one inning on the hill. Jordan Jenneve closed things out with a pair of strikeouts.

Lou Gehrig Red 24, Matthewson McCarthy 8 (four

innings)

Lou Gehrig Red put 15 runs on the board in the opening inning and coasted to an easy win.

Andrew White struck out five over the first two innings, and Alex Bender struck out three to end the game after entering the game with a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth.

The offense saw Collin Hunt, Alex Finley and Ben Wald score three times each, while Mike Shanahan and Dylan Lambert knocked in five runs apiece. Jon Tucker chipped in with a pair of singles.

Lou Gehrig Red 14,

Mel Ott B 11

Mel Ott jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and held a 9-4 lead in the third inning, only to see Lou Gehrig Red score 10 runs in their final three at-bats.

Connor Bender scored three times while Jon Tucker, Nick Pilon and Jordan Jenneve all scored twice to lead the offense. Collin Hunt's perfect sacrifice bunt opened the door to a four-run fourth inning.

Alex Finley pitched two scoreless innings to hold Mel Ott while the offense got going. Ben Wald closed the game with a pair of strikeouts in the sixth.