Yankees are Minor League champs
- Published: July 18, 2019
Minor League play
The Nipper’s Corner Yankees, the self-proclaimed “Gaunt Park Bombers,” are the 2019 Minor League regular season champions, thanks to their strong showing in the final two weeks of one of the most competitive seasons in league history.
With the Sam and Eddie’s Open Books Brewer’s 16–13 win over the Tom’s Market Pirates on Monday, July 15, the Yankees clinched the title with an 8–4 overall record.
The Brewers held on to second place with a 7–4 record following Monday’s win, with the Pirates in third at 6–5 and the Peach’s Dodgers in fourth at 2–10. The final second and third place finishers may change if a final game between the Brewers and Pirates is played.
The Yankees did all they could to put themselves at the top, winning all three of their final games last week, including taking a pair from the Brewers.
Yankees dominate
Versus Dodgers July 10: Their first win came by stealing the lead late in the game in an 11–8 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday, July 10. The Yankees led 7–5 after two innings, only to have the Dodgers knot the game up at seven in the top of the third when Ezra Lydy smacked a two-run homer, his first ever. The Yankees took the lead for the good in the bottom of the fourth on Neirin Barker’s RBI single to score Zander Breza. Sameer Sajabi was a standout with a three-for-three day and three RBIs, including a second inning two-run homer. Lydy’s two base hits and a home run for three RBIs led the Dodgers.
Versus Brewers July 13: The Yankees then took their first of two from the Brewers on Saturday, July 13, when Breza homered in the first, doubled in the second and third and singled in the fourth to lead his team to a 19–14 win. Both offenses were strong at the plate as the Yankees collected 27 hits and the Brewers had 22 in the high-scoring affair that saw the Yankees smash seven home runs. After Breza’s first inning long ball, Henry Lake and Noelle Fisher each homered, while Aiden Gustafson went deep in the first and second innings, and Sajabi hit a pair in the first and third innings.
Lili Herzog led the Brewers with four hits in four at bats and four RBIs, while her brother Logan, Luc Amend, Henry Babb, Naima Jones, Rocket Cowperthwaite and Noah Horn all finished with multiple hits and 11 total RBIs.
Versus Brewers July 14: The Brewers looked to be on their way to taking the week’s second meeting with the Yankees on Sunday, July 14, leading 11–6 after three innings. But the Yankees roared back to tie the game at 11 in the fourth on an Ella Fodal RBI single to score Fisher and top off a five-run inning.
After holding the Brewers scoreless in the top of the fifth, the Yankees won the game 12–11 on Lake’s two-out walk-off RBI single to score Barker as the winning run. Lake led the Yankees with four RBI’s from a four-for-four day at the plate, including a home run in the third, followed by Sajabi smacking his fourth home run of the week.
The Brewers collected 21 hits on the day, with multiple hits and eight total RBIs contributed by Babb, the Herzog siblings, Jones, Joey Amend and Aaron White.
Brewers accumulate wins
Versus Pirates July 8: Despite a nine-run deficit in the second inning, the Pirates almost came all the way back, eventually falling 21–20 to the Brewers on Monday, July 8, for the first of two one-run losses for the week.
With the game tied at 19 in the top of the fifth, Lili Herzog’s line drive RBI triple scored Theo Collins to put the Brewers up for good.
The Brewers collected 31 hits on the day, including five each from Collins, Jones and Babb. Multiple hits also came from the Brewer bats of Herzog, Amend, Cowperthwaite, Jaida Jones, Luc Amend, and Horn.
The Pirates totaled 29 hits in the game, led by Tavey Johnson’s six RBIs off a pair of base hits, a double and two triples. Tyler Blair, Tanner Miller, Sherrod Wheeler, Bryce Fleming, My’Son McCain, Wyatt Nilsson, Allee Bayard and Nylaiyah Miley collectively added 14 RBIs off 24 total hits for the Pirates
Versus Pirates July 14: It was another tough one-run loss for the Pirates on Saturday, July 14 when, trailing 5–4 in the bottom of the final inning, Ben Morris’ walk-off two-RBI single scored Lucas Mikesell and Ezra Lydy to give the Dodgers a 6–5 win.
Trailing 4–0 in the bottom of the third, RBI base hits by Lydy and Henry Carr and RBI doubles from Mikesell and Ashby Lyons tied the game at 4.
The Pirates added one in the top of the fourth when Ainsley Johnson’s one-out RBI single scored sister Tavey. But the Dodgers’ defense ended the inning with a double play when Edwin Harrah flied out, and Tanner Miller was doubled off at second. The Dodgers totaled 14 hits in the game, led by Lydy’s three-for-three day at the plate. The Pirates finished the day with 10 hits, led by Nakye Miley and Tanner Miller, each with an RBI off a pair of base hits.
Post-season tournament set
The Minor League post-season tournament will open with the Brewers and Pirates facing each other again in the first semi-final on Monday, July 22, at 7 p.m.
The Yankees will host the Dodgers in the second semi-final Wednesday, July 24, at 7 p.m. The winners of these games will then square off in the tournament championship Saturday, July 27, at 5 p.m.
Major league play
Despite trading wins with the Adoption Link Dodgers and tying the Ye Olde Trail Tavern Cardinals, the Sunrise Café Orioles still led the Major League standings after last week’s play.
Dodgers versus Orioles July 8: After the Orioles’ Dylan Reed stole home in the top of the last inning to tie the game at 10, the Dodgers seized a 12–10 victory on Monday, July 8, off Krishan Miller’s two-RBI walk-off double, scoring Brady Baker and Violet Babb.
The Dodgers scattered 10 hits in the game, led by Miller’s two singles, a double and a triple. Jake Ortiz-Thornton, and J.P. Anderson also added multiple hits for the Dodgers.
The Orioles’ big inning came in the third, with four runs driven in by singles from Shawn VanHoose and Sam Linden and a Kian Rainey walk. VanHoose led his team with a pair of hits and three RBIs.
Miller started on the mound for the Dodgers, surrendering six runs on six hits over three innings, while striking out three. Ortiz-Thornton came on in relief and notched the win, giving up four runs on two hits over three innings while, striking out five.
Cardinals versus Orioles July 11: A tight game between the Orioles and Cardinals ended in an 8–8 tie on Thursday, July 11, when the Cardinals scored on a stolen base in the bottom of the final inning. Antonio Chaiten was at bat with two outs when Frank Machi stole home.
Cal Freeman, Brendyn Slone, and Josh Clark were responsible for their team’s three hits, while Chaiten stole three bases.
The Orioles had 10 hits in the game, led by Dylan Reed’s two singles and two RBIs. Oskar Dennis and Sam Linden also had two hits each. Hazen VanMeter, Kian Rainey and Dennis each threw two innings for the Orioles, giving up eight runs on three hits and 11 walks, while striking out 11.
Orioles versus Dodgers July 12: The week’s second meeting saw a walk-off single propel the Orioles to a dramatic victory over the Dodgers, 18–17 on Friday, July 12.
The game was tied at 17 with the Orioles’ Kian Rainey batting in the bottom of the sixth when his RBI single scored Oskar Dennis as the winning run.
The Dodgers held what appeared to be a commanding 11–4 lead in the fifth when the Orioles put up 13 runs in the bottom of the inning to go up 17–11. Rainey, Shawn VanHoose, Azel Schindel, Hazen VanMeter, Lucas Price and Colin Linderman each drove in runs during the big inning.
The Dodgers then scored six runs in the top of the final inning to tie the game when Sam Miller scored on a wild pitch, Krishan Miller stole home, RBI singles from Brady Baker and Violet Babb, who both scored on a steal and a wild pitch. Grayson Horn then tied the game at 17 on a passed ball.
Linderman earned the win for the Orioles, surrendering six runs on two hits over one inning, striking out two.
Dodgers versus Cardinals July 13: The week’s final game saw Cardinals fall behind the Dodgers early and not recover in a 25–9 loss.
The Dodgers put up eight first inning runs on RBI singles by Violet Babb, Grayson Horn, Shawn VanHoose and Jake Ortiz-Thornton, with an RBI groundout by Isaac Grushon. The team added 11 more in the third on RBIs from Grushon, Ortiz-Thornton, J. P. Anderson, Sam Miller, Horn and VanHoose.
The Cardinals scattered six hits in the game. Colin Linderman, Kian Rainey and Hazen VanMeter each had two hits to lead the Cardinals, who also had five players steal at least two bases, with Rainey leading the way with five.
Season ending standings
The Orioles at 6–2–1 led the Dodgers at 5–4–0 by a game-and-a-half with additional make up games still being considered.
The Minor League post-season tournament championship game July 27, will be immediately followed at about 6:30 p.m. by the all-league potluck picnic, awards ceremony and Yellow Springs Youth Baseball, Inc.’s annual meeting. All Minor and Major League players, parents and family members are encouraged to attend. See the league website above for a link to RSVP. Bring a side dish to share and your own non-alcoholic beverage. Hamburgers, hot dogs, dinner ware and cutlery will be provided.
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