LunadaBay

Monster Game!
Without question, last night was the best fielding game the Angels have had all year. Lots of Fielding Stickers awarded as a result. While the mighty Giants hit the ball hard in the first couple of innings, the Angels were able to hold them to 2 runs because of fielding support backing up our pitchers. The Giants had numerous hard hit balls to the outfield. But our boys outfield play was stellar. Even when the ball was not fielded cleanly the boys hit the cut-off man who got it back to the pitcher to prevent runners from advancing. On one occasion, a Giant batter hit a shot to the fence but Max Mandala got the ball back into the cut-off who then threw to the pitcher to hold the runner at 3rd. We were then fortunate to get the final out of the inning, saving another run from scoring.

Fielding stars included, Jack Lambert, Max Mandala, John Hilden, Connor Leach making great outfield and back-up plays, Jack Good with two unassisted put outs for the last two outs of the game . Jack Lambert and Tom Donahue did an excellent job behind the plate. John Hilden had a Monster Game scoring three time on three hits, including a HR and a triple. Brian King had a huge 2 RBI triple in the 5th inning and Connor Leach had a clutch RBI double.

Spanked by the Yanks
Once again, the ever dangerous Yankees had the Angels number! The Yanks played a fine game, storming back to score 5 runs in the 5th inning to take the lead for good as the Angels dropped our 6th game of the season. The Angels had some trouble in the field, which has been uncharacteristic of our team over the 2nd half of the season. When the Angels play defense and our pitchers are throwing strikes, we're tough to beat. But we had a little trouble on both of those fronts this game. No worries though. We're a team that learns from our mistakes and we always come back strong!

Hitting stars - Domenic Barredo had a hit! Tom Donahue had 2 hits and Jack Good had 3 hits, scoring 3 times.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming
Another strong game for the Angels against the scrappy Cardinals. Angel bats were very hot last night. But pitching and defense are really making things happen for us. Over the last four games, the Angels have held some strong opponents to only 10 total runs. That is a tremendous improvement over the beginning of the year when we had games giving up 14, 9 and 7 runs. The boys are paying attention more while in the field, catching the ball at 1st base, keeping grounders in the infield, outfielders are hitting cut-off men, we're making good throws back to the pitcher...the boys are to be commended for improvement in all of these defensive facets of the game. Great work Angels!
Last night's pitching was terrific once again with Brian King, Jack Good and Conner Leach throwing lots of strikes keeping Cardinal coach pitch to a minimum.
Our hitting stars were John Hilden who had a huge game with 4 hits, scoring 4 times, Jack G who had 4 hits and scored 3 times, Conner Leach who had 3 hits including a Home Run and a triple that were the hardest hit balls I've seen all year! Also making big contributions at the plate were Max Mandala who scalded a triple, and Callum May who had a hit and scored. Of note was Domenic Barredo's hit in the 4th inning. When Domenic swung the bat, the ball hit a couple of his fingers. He gamely ran to first to make sure he was safe before having a pinch runner take over for him. Way to go Domenic! And way to go Angels!

Let the Good Times Roll
The Angels played one our best ball games of the season today against the ever dangerous Yankees, who had beaten us twice before. As always, the Yankees pitching and fielding were tough. But the Angels jumped out to a quick start with a single by Jack Good who then scored on a double by Conner Leach. In the 2nd inning, Tom Donahue (who had a Monster game with 3 hits and 3 runs scored) started off the inning with a single and then moved to 2nd on a hit by Will "Stickman" Valenzuela. Big Jack Lambert then knocked Tom D home on another single putting the Angels ahead to stay. Other hitting stars for the game were John Hilden with 2 hits, Will the "Stickman" had two hits, Jack Lambert had 2 big hits, Jack Good had 2 hits, Callum May and Domenic Barredo each had a hit and Connor Leach had a double.
Also of note was Jack Good's pitching in the 3rd inning. He had an 8 pitch inning, striking out the first two hitters on 6 pitches and then make an unassisted putout when he tagged a runner who rounded 2nd a bit too far. Monster inning, Jack!
Keep those Good Times Rolling, Angels!

Darned Yankees
The Halos took it on the chin last night from a strong Yankees team. Our fielding was a little suspect early but we stayed in the game and came roaring back with 6 runs in the 5th inning. But we came up a little short. Great effort and terrific job battling back. Leading the way with the bats were Brian King with 2 hits and a home run, Jack Good with 2 hits and Max Mandala with 2 hits.

We Won't Get Fooled Again
The powerful Giants took the Angels to the woodshed yesterday. This was one of those games you shake your head, take your shellacking and say let's get 'em next time. Nothing seemed to work for our guys today. So let's shake it off and learn from what didn't go right today.

Good Win
The Angels beat the always dangerous Red Sox yesterday in a well played game on both sides. Tom Donahue, Connor Leach, Brian King and Jack Good all pitched well. Tom Donahue, Jack Good and Brian King lead the team with 4 hits each. Connor had 3 hits, John had 3 hits, Jack Lambert and Max each chipped in with a hit apiece.

It Ain't Over Til the Fat Lady Sings
The Angels played terrific baseball for 5 and a half innings yesterday, losing to a very good Marlins ball club in the last of the 6th inning. Yogi Berra had it right when he said, "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings". Losing daylight quickly and leading 6 - 1 going into the last inning, the Angels gave up 6 runs to some terrific Marlin's hitters. This one was sort of a shocker but we have to give credit to the come-back-kid Marlins. Of note for the Angels, Jack Good scored twice on 3 hits including a home run, Connor Leach and John Hilden had 2 hits apiece, Domenic Barredo and Callum each had a hit.

Darn Those Yankees Again!
The Yankees seem to have our number so far this season. With Jack Good partying in Boston at his mom's 90th Birthday Party, the Angels took one on the chin in a very well played and close game. Connor Leach, Tom Donahue and Brian King all pitched well. Leading the way at the plate was Brian King with 3 hits including a home run, Max Mandala, Connor Leach and Tom Donahue each had two hits apiece in a gallant effort, mounting another late inning come-back by scoring 2 runs in the 6th inning...just coming up short. Way to hang in there Angels!

Now You See It, Now You Don't
Tough loss tonight as we just ran out of daylight. Once again, the Angels made an awesome come back late in the game only to come up JUST short.
Playing with only 8 players and losing 7-1 going into the 5th inning, and the sun going down fast, the Angels ROARED back scoring 7 runs in the top of the 5th inning. After the Angels took lead 8-7, the game was called due to darkness at the bottom of the 5th inning with a two strike count and 1 out. When the game is called, the score reverts to the top of the inning; hence the 7-1 loss. The umpire absolutely made the right call for safety purposes. But it sure was a tough way to lose the game after the way we battled back. But again, the Angels never-say-die attitude is the most important thing to take away from this game. A very balanced attack at the plate saw 7 different Angels score; Max Mandala scored twice, Callum May, Will Valenzuela, Jack Lambert, Brian King and Jack Good all scored once. Jack Good led the team with 3 hits, Connor Leach had 2 hits and Brian King had 2 hits including a home run.

Solid Citizens
Behind some very strong pitching from Tom Donahue, Brian King, Conner Leach and Jack Good, the Halos beat a scrappy Red Sox team in a well played game. Max Mandala scored twice, Jack Good scored 3 times on 2 hits, Brian King hit a massive triple, John Hilden scored once and Tom Donahue had a hit. An all around solid effort by the Angels.

The Boys Are Back in Town
The boys should be proud of their performance tonight for a number of reasons. Our pitching and fielding were top notch, but our teams' behavior was the real highlight tonight. For the most part, the boys were well behaved on the bench and were cheering on their teammates. This is a big part of enjoying the game, for players and coaches.

There were some terrific plays in the field by Domenic Barredo, John Hilden, Connor Leach, Jack Good and Brian King. And our two guys behind the dish, Max Mandala and Jack Lambert were solid rocks.

At the bat, Connor Leach scored twice on 3 hits, Jack Good scored twice on 2 hits, Brian King scored the other run and racked up 3 RBIs on two triples.