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Giants 12 Red Sox 3

And they're off. Although it was a tough start for the Red Sox, the game started out on a high note. Led by starting pitcher Jake Jellison, the Red Sox managed to hold the tough Giants offense to no runs while striking out two batters. In the bottom of the first inning, the Sox tried to mount a two out rally with a wicked hit by Max Mandala followed by a shot from Jake Jellison, but the Giants left fielder made a great defensive stab and was able to throw out Max at second base. A great play by the Giants that the Sox could do nothing about.

The top of the second started out benign enough, with tough throwing Max Mandala on the mound. Unfortunately for Max and the Red Sox, the Giants started a two out rally to score four runs and take a 4-0 lead. That lead would have been much greater had it not been for the glove of Griffon Colomer who made not one, but two defensive stops at third base which would have scored more runs. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Red Sox where not able to cash in on two hard hit shots by Jack Lambert and Harrison Harper to cut into the four run four run deficit.

On to the third inning with hard throwing Jack Lambert on the mound. Although Jack gave up a lead off triple to the Giants, he was able to bear down and get out of the inning only giving up a fielders choice RBI and striking out two batters. Great defensive plays included a nice 4-3 out between Jack Moore at second base and Andrew Laurin at first and Andrew Laurin making a great catch at first of a tough throw for the third out. Awesome! In the bottom of the third, the Giants where able to contain the Red Sox offense making the score 5-0 after three.

In the fourth inning, lefty Jack Moore took the mound and had almost identical results as Jack Lambert by giving up a lead off triple but getting out of the inning giving up only one run and striking out a batter. In the bottom of the fourth, the Red Sox finally broke through. After a single by Jake Jellison, Jack Lambert came to bat and ripped a 1 and 1 pitch to the outfield for the Red Sox first home run making the score 5-2. The Red Sox might have been able to gain even more after Conner Sullivan absolutely ripped a pitch down the third base line to the wall, but the third base coach for the Red Sox got too excited and waived Conner on from second base to third and was tagged out on a great play by the Giants to end the inning. The third base coach still feels awful, but it was none the less, the hardest hit ball by the Red Sox this season!!!

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the fifth inning was when things began to unravel. Behind a gutty pitching performance by rookie minor leaguer Anton Richard, the Red Sox gave up 6 runs because of some questionable defensive decisions. This however did not diswade Anton, who showed the "never give up" spirit of this Red Sox team by striking out a batter and got out of the inning! The damage to the Red Sox could have been much worse had it not been for the hustle of left fielder Cole Dean and left center fielder Max Mandala who made excellent plays running down hits and throwing to the cut off man. Smart plays by smart players! In the bottom of the fifth, the Red Sox showed that they were not done though. After a lead off hit by Harrison Harper, Griffon Colomer was able to drive in his first run of the season with a hit up the middle. Unfortunately for the Red Sox though, they were not able to capitalize any further in their first game of the season...

Game 3

Although the eventual outcome of the game was not what the Red Sox wanted, there is no doubt that the “firsts” by far outweighed the final score. Things started out on the right foot with leadoff hitter Jack Moore legging out a hard hit ball to the hole at shortstop for a hit. After a fielder’s choice by Harrison Harper forced Jack out at second, Harrison was able to score on the second triple in the last two games for Max Mandala which brought up Jake Jellison. Jake drove in Max on a double to left who then proceeded to score on Jack Lambert’s RBI single taking a 3-0 lead. Unfortunately, the Red Sox were not able to hold onto the lead in the bottom of the inning given some tough dying quails, but starting pitcher was able to recover by striking out the side.

Although the eventual outcome of the second inning for both teams was unassuming with no runs, the Red Sox where close to scoring when Griffon Colomer was able to move Andrew Laurin to third on a fielder’s choice after Andrew stroked a nice hit to center. In the bottom of the second, new pitcher Jack Lambert was able to get out unscaved by striking out two batters!

The third inning though was the awesome beginning of firsts for the Red Sox, the first being Brody Fleming’s first hit which was a bee-bee to left field. Brody has been working very hard at hitting during practice and the results are starting to show up in games. Just great!!! After Jack Moore was able to leg out another infield hit, Brody was able to score his first run of the season because of a sacrifice RBI hit by Harrison Harper. But that wasn’t all for the Sox with Max Mandala coming to the plate. Max drove Jack Moore in with an RBI single to center who was able to scamper to third base on a single by Jake Jellison. Max was easily able to score on an RBI double by Jack Lambert which allowed the Red Sox to take a 6-3 lead. Unfortunately, the Marlins did not stop coming after the Sox and were able to score two runs in the bottom of the 3^rd to make the score 6-5 Red Sox after three.

In the top of the fourth, the Red Sox started out on the right foot with leadoff hitter Anton Richard stroking a nice single to center and with one out, Griffon Colomer was able to move him to third with his first hit of the game which was a sharp hit up the middle. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, they were unable to capitalize on this fortune and the score remained 6-5 going into the bottom of the fourth. This brought two new firsts for the Red Sox. First off, Griffon played his first game as catcher who caught for first time pitcher Harrison Harper. Although the outcome showed that the Sox still need to work on some fundamentals, which included two great defensive efforts by Cole Dean at 2^nd base, all of the coaches were very happy that none of the Red Sox ever gave up in a tough fourth inning. This “never give up” attitude will definitely serve the team well as they continue to develop their skills. Onto the next game, which will be the first home game for the Red Sox since opening day. It will be good to be back home…

Home is where the walk off is…

The Red Sox finally came home on Saturday after a ten game road trip and immediately went with their perennial starting pitcher, Jake Jellison against the first place and undefeated Angels team. Unfortunately for Jake and the Red Sox, before anyone could get comfortable in their seats, the mighty Angels jumped out to a 1-0 lead. It was quite apparent that Jake took that as a personal slight by striking out the next batter and making a solid play on a shot up the middle to force out the runner with a textbook throw to 1^st baseman Jack Moore. The bottom of the first started off hopeful enough with leadoff hitter Jack Moore stroking a single to left center, but unfortunately for the Sox, even with a nice hit by Jake Jellison, their batters were not able to capitalize against the tough Angels pitching and defense and the score remained 1-0 Angels after one.

In the second inning, Jake Jellison showed what kind of player he is by striking out two and once again handling a solid hit up the middle. Unfortunately, Jake’s throw was a bit high, but 1^st baseman Max Mandala was able to stretch high for the snow cone catch for the third out of the inning!!! Solid catch by Jake and a spectacular catch by Max! In the face of this, the Angels defense proved to be just as formidable holding the Red Sox offense to no runs.

Onto the third inning we go with Jack Moore on the mound. Jack coolly stuck out two and made it through the third inning giving up no runs and one hit! But once again, the Angels were equal to the challenge holding the vaunted Red Sox offence in check to maintain a 1-0 lead after three.

Coming out of the pen in the fourth came Max Mandala. Strike out, batter one. Shot to second baseman Anton Richard who made a nice grab and throw to Jake for out number two. However, the Angels proceeded to have their next two batters stroke nice hits to right field to make the crowd anxious. This did not bug Max though, who was able to bear down and strike out the last batter to end the inning. This bought up the sleeping Red Sox offense, lead off by Anton Richard who lined a shot to right field to start the inning. Up next was Max Mandala who was able to sacrifice Anton to second base and put him into scoring position which brought up Jake Jellison. Jake took on the challenge by hitting a ball to the right side for a single which scored Anton to tie the game. Coach Moore then asked Jack Lambert if that was enough for the Sox and his actions spoke louder than words. Jack hit a shot to right center for a double, easily scoring Jake for a 2-1 Red Sox lead after four.

Into the fifth inning came Jack Lambert to pitch. Jack was able to strike out two of the first three batters, but couldn’t hold off the tough Angels offense and the Red Sox gave up 2 runs in the inning. Even a shot to right field for a nice single by Andrew Laurin in the bottom of the fifth couldn’t prevent the Sox for being behind 3-2 after five.

Onto the sixth inning we go, with Jack Lambert back on the mound, and what did Jack proceed to do? Jack shut down the Angels impressive offense with the help, once again, by the glove of Max Mandala, who was able to leap in order to catch a tough throw to end the inning. Great catch once again Max!!!

And that brought us to the bottom of the 6^th inning. Down by one; the meat of the order up…With the Angels closer on the mound, Anton Richard hit a bullet up the middle for a single, bringing up Max Mandala. Max worked the count to 3 and 1 and eventually hit a hard shot to shortstop who proceeded to make a great play for the force out at second. So with one out, Max on first, up strode Jake Jellison. Ball one…Ball two…And here’s the pitch…Jake hits a shot up the middle…Max rounds second as Jake rounds first...The third base coach waves Max home for the tie…Jake then rounds third…as Max scores, the Angels defense opens the door with Jake on third. Jake proceeds to take control of the situation by charging home for the winning run!!! Red Sox win, 4-3!!!

Red Sox 13, Yankees 5

After a quick but successful one game home stand for the Red Sox, they were once again out on the road playing a Yankees team who has been playing each team very tough this season. Having seen how the Yankees have been playing, the Red Sox were looking to get out to a quick start and that is what they appeared to do with a leadoff single to the left side by Jack Moore. The Yankees defense quickly responded with a nice grab of a fly ball by Anton Richard and Jack Moore was doubled up at first base which apparently quashed any hope for a rally by the Red Sox. That was until Max Mandala came up and hit one of the hardest singles to left center field seen this year. This was followed by a double to left by Jake Jellison which put a man on second and third with two outs. Could the Red Sox capitalize on this? Jack Lambert said “heck yeah” with a two RBI single to center which enabled the Red Sox to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

In the bottom of the inning, Jake Jellison was given the ball and he pitched the best inning of his young season with some help from the Sox’s defense. The first Yankee batter his a sharp grounder to second baseman Conner Sullivan who made a great catch to prevent an obvious extra base hit. Conner’s throw to first baseman Jack Moore was a bit wide, but as we are seeing with this Red Sox team, Jack did what it took to help out by coming off the base to make the catch and made a great sweeping tag out of the runner for the first out. Jake then proceeded to strike out the second batter and was able to get the third Yankee batter to ground out meekly to Jack Moore to end the inning. A great inning for the Red Sox defense.

Although the Red Sox were able to get a hits by Andrew Laurin and Harrison Harper in the second, the Yankees defense was able to contain the damage to get out of the inning unscathed. The bottom of the second was not as kind for the Red Sox defense who got a bit too aggressive trying to make great plays which didn’t come to fruition. Because of this, The Yankees were able to take a 3-2 lead after two.

This woke up the sleeping giant which is the Red Sox offense. After a quick out to start the inning, Jack Moore hit a shot to center which would have been extra bases had it not been for the solid defense of the Yankees outfield which brought up Anton Richard who quickly hit a single to the left side. With two on and one out, Max Mandala, hit his first home run of the year to left center field which allowed the Sox to take a 5-3 lead. Ice cream anyone? That was not it for the Sox though. Jake Jellison stroked a triple to left center next (ice cream again anyone?), followed by the second RBI hit by Jack Lambert which was a double to left center. Could the Sox get any more? Conner Sullivan said “yes!” blasting an RBI double to left center which gave the Sox a 7-3 lead. Hey Harrison, are you and the Red Sox done? “No” said Harrison who hit an RBI single to right for an 8-3 lead going into the bottom of the third. More damage would have been made had the Yankees defense not made a great play on a nice shot by Cole Dean for an out. So close!!!

In the bottom of the third, the Yankees were able to cut into the lead despite a nice bare handed grab and throw out from Jack Moore to Jack Lambert and the Red Sox held on to an 8-4 lead after three.

The top of the fourth started in a similar fashion as the third for the Red Sox with a quick out to start the inning which brought up Griffin Colomer who extended his hitting streak to two games with a hit to the left side. After yet another hit by Jack Moore, Anton Richard was able to drive in Griffin and Jack with a triple to right. Anton was able to score on an RBI single by Max Mandala who was able to score on an RBI hit by Jake Jellison. Jack Lambert completed the scoring for the Red Sox with a great RBI double to left center which gave the Red Sox a commanding 13-4 lead going into the bottom of the fourth.

With Max Mandala on the mound and newfound catcher Brody Fleming behind the plate, the Yankees got a lead off hit to left field which would have easily been extra bases had it not been for the outstanding defensive play by Cole Dean in left field who made a great stop and perfect throw to the cutoff man!! Would the Red Sox defense begin to fold? No way!!! After a shot was hit to third baseman Harrison Harper, Harrison tried to make the out with a nice throw to first which was a tad late. The Yankee’s runner at second tried to get a bit greedy by trying to take an extra base, but was thrown out at third because of a nice throw by first baseman Jake Jellison and an even better catch and tag of the runner by Harrison Harper at third!!! Just awesome!!! Although the Yankees were able to score a run in the inning, Jake Jellison ended the game by making a nice stab of a line drive for the final out to complete the 13-5 win by the Red Sox which enables the Red Sox to have their first winning streak of the season!!! The Red Sox come back home to play the Cardinals next and hope to continue to build on their success…

Cardinals 3 - Red Sox 4

The Red Sox came home for Saturday morning's game to a wet field because ofa constant, annoying sprinkle. There was some concern whether or not theywere going to get the game in, so it was decided to quickly start and seewhat happen. And what happened was starting pitcher Jack Lambert shuttingdown the tough Cardinal's offense!! Jack gave up no runs and got out of theinning with a nice play on a grounder to 1st baseman Jack Moore who grabbedthe ball and ran to first base for the final out of the inning. The RedSox wanted to continue their recent streak of jumping out to an early leadand leadoff hitter Jack Moore got the offense going in the right directionby stroking a full count double to right field. The Cardinals weren't justgoing to let Jack score and quickly retired the next two batters, althoughMax Mandala was able to move Jack to third base with a sacrifice. Up came Jake Jellison who ripped an 3 and 0 cut fastball to the left side for an RBIdouble. Jack Lambert then came to the plate and took a HUGE swing at a 3-1pitch and crushed it into the ground up the middle which went about 6
inches. Jake took off running as did Jack, who was able to outrun a wildthrow to first and was able to move to third because of the wild throw withthe Red Sox taking a 2-0 lead after one.

The Red Sox management went back to the beginning of the season and calledupon Anton Richard to take the mound in his first pitching performance sincethe first game of the season. Anton unfortunately gave up a quick single,but was able to bear down, retiring the next three consecutive batters andstriking out one. The bottom of the second was sublime enough althoughHarrison Harper was able to hit a solid shot to the left side for a single.The Red Sox were unable to take advantage of their good fortune though andended the second inning holding onto a 2-0 lead.

The 2-0 advantage was a precarious lead however for the Red Sox defensethough. With Max Mandala on the mound and pitching very well tossing beebees to catcher Cole Dean, the Cardinals were able to get not one, but three consecutive infield hits using almost nothing more than hustle.Unfortunately for the Red Sox, thethird hit was mishandled which allowed the Cardinalsto take a 3-2 lead. Just bad luck for Max who pitched really well.

Controversy though was in attendance this game though and reared its uglyhead. When a runner who was on first base tried to take second, Max who was thrown the ran through the pitcher's circle and threw a bullet to secondbase which was being covered by Conner Sullivan. Conner caught the ball and made the tag for an apparent out. This out was overturned because of aseldom noticed rule where if the pitcher has the ball and enters the pitcher's circle, the play is automatically ruled dead. Coach Moore argued their point and even kicked dirt on the opposing coach but to no avail.This did not affect Max though, who quickly struck out the next batter to end the inning. The Red Sox offense suffered though, with the meat of the order going down for the first time this season one, two, three with the score Cardinals 3, Red Sox 2 after three innings.

The top of the fourth brought Jack Moore to the mound. Jack quickly struckout the first batter and caught a pop up for the second out. After givingup a single, Jack got back at it with the help of the other Jack on theteam. With one on and two out, shortstop Jack Lambert was able to make asolid grab of a line drive to his right to close out the inning with JackLambert leading off the bottom of the fourth. Jack promptly hit a fullcount slider for a home run to tie the game 3-3 heading into the fifth.

Out of the bullpen came this days closer, Jake Jellison with his batterymate Andrew Laurin behind the plate. Jake immediately faced the Cardinalsnumber three batter. After a seven pitch duel which included four foulballs and three dented cars, the Cardinals hitter was able to hit a singleto the left side. Jake was able to make a nice catch of a ground ball forthe throw out at first but gave up a hit to the right side to the nextbatter. The Cardinals runner at second base tried to get a little toogreedy on the hit and ran through the hold sign by the third base coach inorder to try and take the lead. Jake was having none of that and when hewas thrown the ball, ran towards home base and made a diving tag of therunner for the OUT!!! The Red Sox got out of the inning maintaining the tiegoing into the bottom of the last inning.

With one out, up came Jack Moore. Jack worked the count to 3 and 1 andripped a hanging curveball to left center field for a triple which broughtup Anton Richard. What would he do? Was the squeeze play on? Only timewould tell. Anton showed great patients at the plate and took a 3 and 0fastball and destroyed it for walk off single to drive in Jack Moore for the4-3 walk off win extending the Red Sox winning streak to three games, two byway of walk off hits! Up next, the Red Sox go back on the road to play thetough Giants team and hopefully continue their recent streak of playingsolid, fundamental baseball.

Red Sox 11, Giants 7

The Streak Continues Going Into the Break

The Red Sox Nation hit the road for their last game going into spring break and they wanted to not only go into the break playing well, but to also build upon their current three game winning streak. In doing so, the Red Sox tried to extend their recent early inning offensive success and got off to a great start with leadoff hitter Jack Moore lining a single to right field and moved to second with a follow up single to left by Anton Richard. With one out and two on, Jake Jellison ripped a triple to the fence to drive in the first two runs of the game and with two outs, Harrison Harper continued to build upon the lead by driving in Jake with an RBI single to the left side allowing the Red Sox to take a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom of the first, starting pitcher Jake Jellison gave up a leadoff double to the Giants but it was apparent that Jake had enough of that by catching a line drive for the first out, striking out the next batter a sweet 1 and 2 fastball which caught the corner and made an amazing stabbing catch on a line drive for the third out to allow the Sox to maintain a 3-0 lead after one.

The undermanned Giants were able to hold the mighty Red Sox offense at bay in the top of the second by giving up no runs going into the bottom of the second. Out of the pen came first time left handed pitcher Andrew Lauren who showed flashes of brilliance and although the Red Sox gave up three runs, Andrew took matters into his own hands by striking out a Giants batter looking on Andrew’s powerful 2 and 2 fastball and was able to make a great play on a dying quail for the third out of the inning!!!

Up came Conner Sullivan in the top half of the tied third inning, and Conner didn’t wait long to contribute with yet another triple by ripping the first offering down the right field line. The Giants defense stepped up by getting the next two batters out and were hoping to get out of the inning unscathed. They did their best at this, but unfortunately for the Giants, Max said “not this time!!” and crushed a 2 and 2 pitch for an RBI triple to right center field. The inning didn’t stop there though for the Sox, which saw them take a 6-3 lead on Jake Jellison’s two run blast to right field after two and a half innings.

In the bottom of the third, out came lefty Jack Moore to the mound. After quickly striking out the first batter to start the inning, Jack made a solid play on a bullet up the middle and followed up with good throw to first baseman Jack Lambert for the second out.The next Giant’s batter stroked a solid hit to right field but the Red Sox clamped down and was able to make the force out of a ground ball to shortstop Jake Jellison who made the quick throw to second baseman Max Mandala for the third out of the inning to maintain a 6-3 lead after three.

The Red Sox were able to build upon this lead with leadoff hitter Harrison Harper nailing a 1 and 1 changeup to left field for a double bringing up Andrew Laurin. Andrew proceeded to drive in Harrison by smacking a single to the left side. Things did not end there for the Red Sox with Brody Fleming driving in Andrew which allowed the Sox to lead 8-3 going into the bottom of the fourth. The Red Sox were this close from building an even bigger league had it not been for a stellar defensive play by the Giants second baseman who was able to make a great play on a well hit ball by Cole Dean, who has started to swing a solid bat!

But if the Red Sox thought that the Giants were going to go down without a fight, they had something else coming to them. The Giants rattled off 5 consecutive hits before the Sox knew what hit them which allowed the Giants to cut the lead to 8-7. The defense came back to life just in time with Jack Lambert making not one, but two great grab and throws for the final two outs to preserve the lead.

After another quite inning for the Red Sox bats, out came Max Mandala to pitch in the bottom of the fifth as the Red Sox clung to a one run lead. Max promptly struck out the first batter on an 0 and 2 cut fastball for the first out. After the second batter was able to reach first on a nice hit to right field that was expertly cut down by Griffin Colomer who made a perfect throw to 2^nd baseman Anton Richard, up came the meat of the Giants batting order. On a 1 and 0 fastball, the next Giants batter hit a bullet down the third base line that easily would have given up the lead that the Red Sox were working hard to maintain. “Would have” had it not been for one of the best defensive plays by third baseman Cole Dean!!! Bringing back shades of South Bay local George Brett, Cole made an outstanding catch of this hard hit ground ball and instead of making the easy play of throwing the ball to the pitcher to end the play, Cole turned to make a perfect throw to second base for the second out of the inning!!! Cole just made what was easily one of the best defensive plays of the season for the Red Sox!!! Jack Moore got the Sox out of the inning with a great catch of a pop up in heavy traffic similar to the 101 freeway at 5:30 PM for the final out of the inning.

Entering into the final inning, the Sox were only looking for an insurance run or two, and with one out, Jake started things off with yet another triple to right center field. Jack Lambert said “I can do that!” and he stroked another triple to right field which easily scored Jake bringing up white hot hitter Harrison Harper. Harrison apparently thought that the last two hits looked like a lot of fun, and he too hit an RBI triple to right field that gave the Red Sox a 10-7 lead. The Red Sox wanted more though, and got it with an RBI single to the left side by Andrew Laurin giving the Red Sox an 11-7 lead going into the bottom of the sixth.

The Red Sox gave the ball back to Max Mandala who was hoping to go back to the 1970’s for a rare two inning save opportunity. Max was up to the challenge by once again striking out the first batter that he faced. The second Giant batter hit a full count line drive to shortstop, but it was hit right towards Jake Jellison who made a perfect catch for the second out of the inning. The third Giant batter hit a pop out to the right side that Andrew Laurin was able to make a nice play on for the final out of the game to close out the Red Sox 11-7 win allowing the Red Sox to enter the spring break the way that they had hoped…Increasing their winning streak to four games and continuing their solid fundamental baseball!!!

After a fun and relaxing spring break, the Red Sox were anxious to continue their recent streak of success against the young and tough Marlins team to see if they could even the season series against the Marlins. Unfortunately, the Marlins showed that they were not a team that was going to give the game to the Red Sox and quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead on some solid hitting and aggressive base running. Starting pitcher Jake Jellison was able to find his groove though after the time off and was able to strike out two allowing the Red Sox to get out of the inning. In addition, the lead would have been much greater had it not been for the selfless act of tough minded (and body) Brody Fleming at third base, who decided to do whatever he had to do in order to stop a screaming line drive down the third base line, knocking the ball down with his body, scrambling for the loose ball and expertly threw it to the pitcher to stop the play! Yet another act of a Red Sox player doing whatever it takes for the good of the team and teammates! Fortunately, Brody was able to stay in the game and contribute to the crowds delight.

The bottom of the first showed that the Red Sox weren’t going to roll over either, with a quick “kid pitch” single by leadoff hitter Jack Moore who moved to third base on a solid hit by Anton Richard which brought up Max Mandala. Max hit a comebacker to the pitcher which drove in Jack to cut the lead to 3-1. Up next was Jake Jellison who ripped a double to right to easily drive in Anton. Jake moved to third base on a hit by Jack Lambert and was able to score on an RBI fielder’s choice by Conner Sullivan which tied the score 3-3.

The Red Sox were able to successfully hold the Marlins scoreless in the top of the 2^nd behind the pitching combination of Jake Jellison and Anton Richard who was able to finish the inning giving up no hits or runs. The Sox were able to capitalize on this opportunity led by leadoff hitter Andrew Laurin who hit a single to the left side and moved to second when Brody Fleming was hit by the pitch.Brody showed once again how tough he is by staying in the game! Andrew and Brody were successfully moved up to second and third on a nice sacrifice hit by Cole Dean which brought up Jack Moore. Jack was able to drive in both Andrew and Brody with his second hit of the game enabling the Red Sox to take a 5-3 lead after two.

The top of the third truly showed how the hard work is paying off for the Red Sox. With Jack Moore on the mound and the heart of the Marlins order coming to bat, Jack’s second pitch of the game was ripped down the third base line looking as if it would easily be extra bases. “Easily” had it not been for the outstanding defensive play by third baseman Harrison Harper. Harrison made a great catch and perfect throw to first baseman Jack Lambert for the first out. The next Marlins batter hit the first pitch to shortstop Max Mandala who made a charging catch and sweeping throw to Jack Lambert for the second out, and Jack Moore took matters into his own hands by striking out the third batter throwing a sweet 1 and 2 cut fastball to end the inning.

The bottom of the third was relatively benign for the Red Sox hitters…Accept for Max Mandala. Max absolutely nailed a 2 and 1 “kid pitch” for a deep fly ball to left field for a solo home run which allowed the Red Sox to extend their lead to 6-4 after three innings!

The top of the fourth was the Jack and Jack show with Jack Moore on the mound and Jack Lambert at first base. The first Marlins hitter of the inning hit a ground ball shot to Jack Lambert who made the catch and touch of the base for the first out. The second batter of the inning hit a slow roller again to Jack Lambert who again made the catch and touch of the base for the second out. The third batter hit a hard comebacker to Jack Moore which Jack knocked down and then threw his last strike of the inning to Jack Lambert for the final out.

The bottom of the fourth showed what kind of hitting team this Red Sox team wants to be. Again, led by leadoff hitter Andrew Laurin, Andrew had his second hit of the game and again was able to move to second by Brody Fleming, but this time, Brody did it by hitting a single to the left side which brought up Cole Dean. Cole was able to work the count to 3 and 1 when he tagged the next offering for and RBI double to the left side to extend the Red Sox lead to 7-4!!! The crowd and dugout went wild! Up strode Griffin Colomer who decided that he too wanted to get in the action and promptly hit a 3 and 0 pitch for an RBI single as well. Jack Moore, Anton Richard and Max Mandala all followed with RBI singles followed by a double by Jake a triple by Jack Lambert and a single by Conner Sullivan which allowed the Red Sox to take a commanding 14-3 lead going into the top of the fifth inning.

With Jack Lambert now on the mound, things started a bit shaky on defense with a leadoff triple to right field. This did not dissuade Jack though, who was able to close out the game by striking out the next three batters, stranding the runner at third and enabling the Red Sox to start off the second half of the season on a great note with a 14 – 3 win…

Red Sox 8 Angels 1

In a rare night weekend game, the Red Sox were hoping that the unusual start time would not throw off the team. Heading into the game, the Red Sox wanted to build upon their recent five game winning streak by continuing to play solid, fundamental defense to go along with their opportunistic offense. Standing in the Red Sox way however was the solid Angels team on the Angels home field. As with prior games, the Sox wanted to get off to a quick start offensively to put pressure on their opponent and again hoped that leadoff hitter Jack Moore would move them in the right direction. Jack came through by hitting a fly ball that hit the third base for a bloop single. It looked as if that was all the Red Sox Nation would get after the Angels starting pitcher struck out the next two batters. Jake Jellison thought differently by hitting a single to right center to move Jack to third base. Jack Lambert dug into the batter’s box hoping to help the Red Sox break through and Jack did just that with a double driving in two runs. The crowd wanted more though, and Conner Sullivan obliged by hitting an RBI single to right. Conner tried to leg the hit into a double, but the Angels defense stepped up big time by throwing a perfect throw to second for the tag out to end the inning. The damage was done though with Conner extending the Red Sox lead to 3-0 with the Angels coming up.

The ball was given to starting pitcher Jake Jellison to try and shut down the mighty Angels offense and regardless of the fact that Jake was coming off not one, but TWO club soccer games in the Valley earlier in the day, Jake stepped up as he has so many times by striking out two of the three batters that he faced to get out of the inning unscathed.

In the top of the second, up came hot hitting Red Sox Harrison Harper, and Harrison wasted no time by hitting a rocket to right field for the hardest hit in baseball, the triple! Andrew Laurin worked the count to 3 and 2, and hit the next offering for an RBI single to right to extend the Red Sox lead to 4-0. Despite another second single by Jack Moore, the Angels stopped the scoring there and ended the inning with the Red Sox leading 4-0.

The bottom of the second was déjà vu all over again with Jake on the mound. Once again, three up and three down with Jake striking out two more Angels bring the Red Sox up in the top of the third maintaining their 4-0 lead.

With one out in the top of the fourth, Jake hit a bullet down the third base line for a double which brought up Jack Lambert. Jack worked the count to 3 and 1 and hit the next pitch for an RBI single to right field allowing the Red Sox to take a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the third.

The Red Sox went to the pen and called out right hander Max Mandala to take the mound. Max gave up a quick single to right field on a 1 and 0 change up. The Angels runner got a bit greedy by trying to take second, but a great throw by left fielder Conner Sullivan to shortstop Jack Lambert caught the Angel in “no man’s land” between first and second. Pickle anyone? Jack ran the Angel back to first and made a good throw to first baseman Jack Moore who ran the Angel back towards second base. Jack Moore made a second great throw of the pickle back to Jack Lambert who applied a perfect tag on the runner for the out!! Well played by Conner, Jack and Jack!! Max then proceeded to settle down by striking out the next two batters on a total of seven pitches maintaining the 5-0 lead after three!

The top of the fourth showed what kind of team that the Angels have, who held the mighty Red Sox offense in check by giving up no hits. The Red Sox then turned to righty Jack Lambert to follow suit. Jack was up to the task by striking out the leadoff hitter before giving up a double to right. This did not distract Jack from the task at hand, who promptly stuck out the next Angel and then was able to scoop up the next line drive up the middle with an excellent throw to first for the third out of the inning. Great defense by both the Angels and the Red Sox!

With the Red Sox leading 5-0 going into the top of the fifth, Jack Moore hit a 3 and 1 fastball to right field for a leadoff double which brought up Anton Richard. Anton worked the count to 3 and 1 and hit the next pitch up the middle for a single which moved Jack to third base. Max Mandala was then called upon to cash in Jack, and cash in he did by hitting an RBI single up the middle. The Angels wanted to stop the damage there and retired the next two batters. Hoping to get out of the inning the Angels had to face Conner Sullivan. With two outs and the runners going, Conner hit a two RBI single to right center field allowing the Red Sox to take a commanding 8-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Red Sox went with left hander Jack Moore on the mound. The Angels quickly jumped on Jack by stroking a single to left field. Similar to the third inning, the Angels batter was hoping to catch left fielder Andrew Laurin napping by trying to take two on the play, but napping Andrew was not. Andrew threw a bullet to shortstop Jack Lambert at second base who applied a sweeping tag for the first out of the inning!!! Great play by Andrew and Jack!! A single by the next batter showed how important that first out was especially when the next batter hit a shot to right center. Outfielder Brody Fleming made a great stop and made a perfect to shortstop Jake Jellison cover second. Jake turned and threw a strike to third baseman Jack Lambert who applied the tag for the out! Two tag outs in one inning for the improving Red Sox defense!! Pitcher Jack Moore had enough of these tough but outstanding outs that the Red Sox had made by striking the last batter out looking at a 1 and 2 changeup maintaining the 8-0 lead.

The Angels once again stepped up their defense in the top of the sixth by getting the Red Sox to go down in order which led to the Red Sox to call out their second consecutive left handed pitcher of the game, Andrew Laurin. Although the Red Sox gave up a run in the bottom of the sixth, they were almost able turn a excellent 4-5-3 double play but the throw to first base was just a moment too late. Andrew closed the door on the Angels ending the game with the Red Sox winning 8-1 behind one of their best defensive games of the season. Up next the Red Sox come home to play one of the hottest team in the minors, the Yankees, winners of four straight…

Red Sox 16, Marlins 3

The pressure was not on the Red Sox players as much as it was the original Red Sox coaches, who were back behind the helm to try and build upon the tremendous 3-1 win led by the ladies the previous weekend. Standing in the way of the Sox was a tough Marlins team who have been beset by injuries. The Red Sox as usual wanted to put the heat on the Marlins by getting off to a good start, and with one out, Anton Richard started things in the right direction with a single up the middle. With two outs, Jake Jellison moved Anton to third with a single to bring up Jack Lambert. Jack swung hard and fast and ripped a triple down the right field line to drive in two. Jack proceeded to score on an RBI single by Harrison Harper, and although Andrew Laurin stroked a single to left, the Red Sox were stopped there by the Marlins with the Sox leading 3-0 going into the bottom of the first.

The Marlins showed that though injured, they are no team to be trifled with by hitting a leadoff single against starting pitcher Jack Moore. One out later because of a nice grab and throw to first by Jack, the next batter hit an extra base hit to right field which turned into a two run homerun allowing the Marlins to cut into the lead 3-2. Jack settled down by retiring the next two batters, the last one via strikeout.

The top of the second, the Red Sox exploded for seven runs by batting around the order, all runs scoring with two outs led by a double by Griffin Colomer. Jack Moore drove in Griffin with his own triple to left field and Jack scored on an RBI single to right center by Anton Richard. Anton moved to third on a single to right by Max Mandala which brought up hot hitting Jake Jellison. Jake drove in both Anton and Max with an triple to center field, and Jake scored on yet another triple by Jack Lambert. Harrison continued the scoring with an RBI single to left and moved to third with another single by Andrew Laurin. Conner Sullivan completed the scoring by driving in Harrison with an RBI single to center which completed the inning with the Red Sox leading 10-2.

With the ball back in Jack Moore’s hand, the bottom of the second started out much the same as the first with a quick leadoff single to left. Jack settled down by striking out the next three batters to preserve the 10-2 lead.

The top of the third inning showed off the defensive skills of the Marlins who were able to retire the side in order. The Marlins hoped to cut into the lead in the bottom of the third, and that is just what they did. With Jack Lambert on the mound, the first two Marlins hitters stroked consecutive singles to left. Max Mandala retired the next batter with a nice grab of a hard hit ball to first base for the first out. The Red Sox where hoping to building upon this, but the next batter hit an RBI single to the left side for a 10-3 lead. Jack Lambert took matters into his own hands by striking out the next two batters to preserve the 10-3 lead.

The top of the fourth brought up to the plate Jack Moore who hit a fly ball single to right center field. When the center fielder bobbled the ball, Jack took off to second to see if he could steal a base but to no avail. The center fielder recovered the ball and threw a strike to the second baseman who applied the sweeping tag for the first out. A great, aggressive move by Jack only being prevented by an ever better play by the Marlins defense. The Sox weren’t done there though. With two outs, Max Mandala hit a solo homerun to right field for an 11-3 lead. Jake Jellison then hit a double to left and scored on Jack Lamberts own double to left. Harrison Harper finished the scoring with his third consecutive RBI single of the game allowing the Red Sox to take a commanding 13-3 lead.

The bottom of the fourth brought out right handed pitcher Max Mandala to the mound. The first batter worked the count to full and then proceeded to smack a line drive up the middle which looked to easily be extra bases. Looked to everyone accept for Max who lunged to his right side to snag the liner for the first out!! Max retired the next batter on a perfect 0 and 2 change up, and the Red Sox finished the inning when the next batter grounded the ball to second baseman Conner Sullivan who made a nice grab and sweeping throw to first baseman Jack Moore for the final out of the inning.

With darkness approaching, it was decided to try and play one more inning. Conner Sullivan lead off things for the Sox with a single to right which brought up Brody Fleming. On a 1 and 0 pitch, Brody hit his first home run of the season to the right side, a two run homer which gave the Red Sox to take a 15-3 lead. Cole Dean was up next, and Cole hit a full count cut fastball for a single to left. Cole moved to second on Griffin Colomer’s single to left but Cole was unfortunately tagged out after rounding second. Jack Moore then double to right field moving Griffin to third which brought up Anton Richard. Anton finished off the scoring with an RBI single allowing the Red Sox to take a 16-3 lead. With darkness quickly approaching, the game was stopped there. A solid win for the Red Sox with the regular season coming to a close…

Angels 5, Red Sox 8

As the 2011 season rapidly comes to a conclusion, the Red Sox wanted to do what they could in order to enter the playoffs playing solid fundamental baseball. In their way was the always tough Angels team who has always played the Sox close. Starting for the Red Sox was first time starter Max Mandala who gave up an opening double to left center. Max quickly rebounded though and preceded to strike out the next three batters to get out of the inning untarnished. The Angels though were equal to the task. The starting Angels pitcher dominated the dominant Red Sox batters by striking out the side and maintaining a scoreless first inning.

The top of the second was almost identical to the first, with Max Mandala giving up a leadoff single, but then retiring the next three batters in order on two strikeouts and solid grab by first baseman Jack Lambert who made a fine catch on a hard hit ground and making the unassisted out at first!

The bottom of the second was when the Red Sox started swinging the bats led off by Jake Jellison who ripped a single to right field. Jack Lambert followed up with a solid single to right as well moving Jake to second base. With one out, Andrew Laurin loaded the bases with a single to left center fielder bringing up Conner Sullivan. Conner absolutely hammered a 2 and 1 pitch to right field doubling in two runs allowing the Red Sox to take a 2-0 lead.

Now pitching for the Red Sox was lefty Jack Moore who pitched very well in the top of the third. The first batter grounded the ball to second baseman Conner Sullivan who made a perfect throw to Max Mandala for the first out. Jack struck out the next batter and then gave up a single to center field. Jack took matters into his own hands to end the inning by scooping up a grounder up the middle and throwing to Max at first for the final out of the inning preserving the 2-0 lead.

The top of the fourth was pretty quiet for the vaunted Red Sox offense, who was unable to convert a nice single to center by Anton Richard into a run.

Down 2-0, the Angels fought back like the team that they are known to be. With Jack Moore still on the mound, the Angels led off the inning with a double to left and score when the next batter singled to center field cutting the lead to 2-1. The following batter reached base when he was hit by a pitch putting two on with nobody out. Jack Moore came back though a struck out the next two batters. At this point, the coaching staff went to the bullpen and called out Jack Lambert to pitch. The Angels took advantage of this and unfortunately for the Red Sox hit a three run home run to right field to take a 4-2 lead. Jack Lambert came back and got the last batter out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Red Sox fought back with consecutive one out doubles by Jack Lambert and Harrison Harper, with Harrison’s double driving in Jack to cut into the lead 4-3. With Jack Lambert still on the mound in the top of the fifth, he quickly struck out the first batter on three pitches. The next Angels batter hit a single to center, but Jack came back by striking out the next batter, again on three pitches. The Sox where hoping to get out of the inning, but the Angels had other ideas. With the runner at first going, the Angels batter hit a long single to left center field which drove in the fleet footed runner giving the Angels a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning.

Red Sox 11, Yankees 5

And down the stretch they come. With only two games left in the regular season, the Red Sox wanted to continue to building upon their recent success, but had to go through a Yankees team who beat them the last time out at Yankee stadium. The Red Sox looked to Jack Moore to start them off, and Jack did not disappoint hitting a dying quall to left which he stretched into a double using his speed. With one out, Max Mandala blasted a triple to right field which easily scored Jack for a 1-0 lead. The Yankees were able to bear down and got cleanup hitter Jake Jellison to ground out to shortstop but Jake’s grounder was more than enough to score Max from third to increase the lead to 2-0. Up came Jack Lambert to try and keep things going, and that is precisely what Jack did by driving the ball to right field for a double. With two outs and Jack on second, Harrison Harper came to the plate hungry for more runs. Harrison ripped a 3 and 1 changeup to left field for an RBI double!! Andrew Laurin didn’t want to stop there though. With two outs and Harrison running hard on the play, Andrew hit a single to right, driving in Harrison allowing the Red Sox to take a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the first.

The Red Sox called upon left handed pitcher Jack Moore to lead them in the right direction and things started out very promising. Jack was able to strike out the first batter on a 2 and 2 fastball. The second Yankees batter tagged a 3 and 0 pitch towards shortstop Jake Jellison. Jake ably scooped up the grounder and made a great throw to first baseman Max Mandala who made a great catch for the second out of the inning. The Yankees though were not going to go down without a fight though, and their third batter hit a single to left, but Jack was able to induce the next Yankees batter to ground out to second baseman Conner Sullivan who was able to keep the ball in front of him and then made a perfect throw to Max to get out of the inning with a 4-0 lead.

The Sox wanted to keep the offense rolling in the top of the second, and with two outs, Griffin Colomer stroked a two out double to left. Because of the two outs and the ability to run hard on any hit, Griffin easily scored on Jack Moore’s own double to left allowing the Red Sox to take a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the second.

Jack Moore was given the ball again in the bottom of the second, and was able to induce the first batter to hit a pop up which shortstop Max Mandala expertly grabbed for the first out. But the Yankees weren’t about to quit. The next batter hit a single to left field and moved to third when the next Yankee hit a single to center. That batter got a little greedy though and tried to go for two, but Jake Jellison threw a rocket to second baseman Andrew Laurin who applied a great tag for the second out of the inning. The Red Sox were unfortunately not going to be able to get out of the inning unscathed though, when the next Yankee hit an RBI single to left to make the score 5-1. With Jack Moore looking a bit tired, the Red Sox went to the bullpen and called upon right handed rookie pitcher Griffin Colomer to close out the inning. This first time pitcher took the ball and told the Red Sox Nation to rely on him. First pitch, STRIKE ONE! Second pitch a bit outside; 1 and 1. The next pitch a swing and a miss, STRIKE TWO; 1 and 2. The fourth pitch was a little low, 2 and 2. The fifth pitch was swung on and missed!!! STRIKE THREE, YOU’RE OUT!!! An excellent debut for Griffin, enabling the Red Sox to hold onto their 5-1 lead!!

As always, the Red Sox were hoping to extend their lead in the top of the third, which leadoff hitter Max Mandala accomplished immediately by launching a home run to center field for a 6-1 lead. Any further extension of the lead looked bleak after the Yankees retired the next two batters, but up came Harrison Harper, who throttled a 3 and 1 fastball to left center field for a double. Once again, Andrew Laurin drove in Harrison with a single to right and moved to third on a single by Conner Sullivan. Brody Fleming then hit an RBI single to right field scoring Andrew for an 8-1 Red Sox lead which brought up Cole Dean. Cole didn’t want to stop the scoring there though, and Cole was able to pounce all over a full count fastball for an RBI single to right field enabling the Red Sox to take a commanding 9-1 lead going into the bottom of the third.

Max Mandala was called upon to help preserve the lead, and Max showed the crowd what a developed pitcher he has become by striking out the first batter on three pitches, inducing the next batter to ground out to first baseman Jack Moore for the second out and retiring the side by getting the third batter out. Another excellent performance by Max on the mound!!

In the top of the fourth, it looked as if the Sox were not going to be able to extend their lead because the tough Yankees defense showed what they can do by retiring the first two batters. Max Mandala then hit a double to left center field which brought up Jake Jellison who then hit a 1 and 1 changeup to left center for a two out single, but took second on some heads up base running. Up came Jack Lambert and Jack was able to drive in Max on an RBI single to left which made the score 10-1.

The bottom of the fourth brought back well rested Jake Jellison to the mound. The Red Sox though were unable to hold the line on the Yankees this inning who started out with a triple to right field who then scored on a follow up double to right again. One out later, the runner on second was able to score on a double to right field, but the runner tried to stretch it to a triple. Right center fielder Harrison Harper was going to have none of that, who threw a bullet to Jake Jellison covering at second who then threw a strike to third baseman Conner Sullivan who applied the tag for the second out of the inning! A great defensive play by the Sox!! Jake then struck out the next batter allowing the Red Sox to hold onto a 10-3 lead going into the top of the fifth inning.

In the top have of the fifth inning, Andrew Laurin started things off with a triple to left center field which hit the wall (ice-cream anyone?). Andrew easily scored on an RBI groundout to shortstop by Conner Sullivan. The Red Sox tried to extend the rally with a two out single by Cole Dean to left field, but the Yankees came back to end the inning with the Sox maintaining an 11-3 lead.

With the ball back in Jake’s hands, he quickly showed the dominance that the crowd had seen in the past, striking out the first two batter. Because it had been weeks since Jake had last pitcher, the Red Sox went with rookie right hander Brody Colomer to close out the game. Unfortunately for Brody though, the Red Sox defense was not able to hold the line, allowing the next two batters to score, but Brody was able to get the next batter to ground out to end the inning, allowing the Red Sox to win 11-5!!! Well done on all sides of the game for the Red Sox..

Giants 9, Red Sox 9

With only one game left before the two top seeded teams enter the playoffs, both the Red Sox and the Giants wanted to send a message to the other that what awaits them in the playoffs will not be easy. This is exactly what the Giants did in the top half of the first inning. With the Red Sox still half asleep in this unusual 8 AM start time for the Sox and with Jack Moore on the mound, the hot hitting Giants pounced all over the Red Sox by hitting an incredible five home runs to take an awesome 6-0 lead before the seats were even warm.

The Red Sox could easily have thrown in the towel and said “hey, this game doesn’t count anyway”, but is that the kind of team that the Red Sox Nation has grown to love. Only time would tell. Offensively, things got off to a promising start with leadoff hitter Jack Moore ripping a single to left center field. Jack moved to third when Anton Richard stroked a single to left center field as well. With one out, Jake Jellison drove in Jack Moore with a double to left moving Anton to third. Jack Lambert drove Anton in with a single up the middle, and Andrew Laurin finished the scoring by driving in Jake with a single up the middle enabling the Red Sox to cut into the lead to 6-3 after one.

With things looking up for the Red Sox, Jack Moore took the mound again. Unfortunately, the tough Giants offense jumped all over the Red Sox with three consecutive hits to drive in three more Giant runs allowing the Giants to take a 9-3 lead. Still with no outs, the next Giants batter ripped a shot up the middle that struck and rebounded off of Jack Moore’s shoulder area, dropping the pitcher to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The Giants showed the utmost of sportsmanship by holding the batter at first while the Red Sox Management, family and training staff attended to the wounded pitcher. After a minute or so, and with both teams rooting him on, Jack got up and triumphantly said that he wanted to pitch. Very gutty of Jack to bounce back in there.

Up next, the Giant batter lofted a pop up to shortstop which Jack Lambert made a good catch. With the Giant still running from first to second, Jack attempted to throw back to first to double him up. In doing so, Jack dropped the ball and controversy reared its head. With managers, coaches and people yelling from every part of the field, including the outfield, the Giants Manager made the right call by stopping the fiasco and pulling both Managers to huddle with the umpire to hear what his call was. The umpire made a concise call saying that Jack caught the ball and dropped it on the transfer and that since the runner who was on first didn’t tag up, he too was out resulting in an unusual double play. With two outs, the Giants weren’t going to just roll over though, and the next batter blasted a triple to left field. With Jack Moore at his pitch limit, the Red Sox called upon Cole Dean to close out the inning. Cole not only closed out the inning with a strike out, he also seemed to loosen the Red Sox up for the rest of the game, even with the Giants still maintaining a 9-3 lead!!

The Red Sox offense unfortunately was not able to break through in the bottom of the second, so they went to Max Mandala to lead the defense on the mound. Max did and the defense behind him did not disappoint. The first Giant batter hit a shot to shortstop Jake Jellison, who scooped it up and made a great throw to Jack Lambert at first for the first out. The next Giant hitter stroked a shot to right center field for an extra base hit, but Brody Fleming made a great play on the ball, proceeded to make a perfect throw to Jake who turned and fired a rocket to third baseman Anton Richard who applied the solid tag for the second out of the inning. The next batter then hit a popup to second baseman Conner Sullivan, and Conner closed it out by making the catch to retire the side.

The Sox offense made some waves in the bottom of the third led by Jack Moore’s leadoff triple to left center field. With one out, Max Mandala followed up with his own triple to right field easily scoring Jack from third. Jake Jellison drove in Max with a single to right cutting the lead to Giants 9, Red Sox 5. That was not all for the awakening Red Sox though. Jack Lambert moved Jake to third with a single to center and with two outs, Conner Sullivan came to bat. With the crowd going crazy, Conner took two great strokes at the ball which made the count 1 and 2. With the crowd wondering what might happen, Conner launched a 1 and 2 changeup to right center field for a double, driving in 2 runs and reducing the lead to 9-7 after three.

The ball was again given to Max Mandala on the mound. The first Yankees batter hit a grounder to shortstop Jake Jellison, who smoothly made the catch and threw a perfect throw to first baseman Jack Moore for the first out of the inning. The next Yankees batter hit a pop up to Max for the second out of the inning. But the Yankees weren’t about to let the Red Sox off the hook, with the next two batters stroking singles to right and center field putting runners on first and second with two outs. Max did not break though, and was able to retire the next batter by scooping up a grounder up the middle and throwing to Jack Moore to retire the side.

The Yankees defense was just as capable in the bottom of the fourth, retiring the side without giving up any runs which maintained the 9-7 Yankees lead going into the fifth inning.

The Sox again went to the bullpen and summoned right handed pitcher Jake Jellison to the mound. Jake showed great form and wasted little time while on the mound. The first batter hit a screamer to shortstop Jack Moore who was able to bat the ball down and keep it in front of him. While most fielders would have ended the play there, Jack threw to first baseman Jack Lambert, but the throw was late. The Yankees runner was unaware of the throw and rounded first which allowed Jack Lambert to apply the tag for the first out of the game. The second batter hit a runner down the right side which Jake grabbed and ran to first for the second out of the inning. The third batter hit another grounder up the middle which Jake again grabbed and threw to first to end the inning which kept the score 9-7 Yankees.

Going into the bottom of the fifth, the Sox started with the top of the lineup. Hoping for a quick start, Jack Moore ripped a liner up the middle for an obvious extra base hit. Extra base hit had it not been for an awesome defensive play by the Yankees pitcher who made an outstanding catch for the first out of the inning bringing up Anton Richard. With one out, Anton stroked a single to right field, but things started to look bleak when the Yankees retired the next Red Sox batter for the second out of the inning. Up came Jake Jellison who was the Red Sox last hope, and Jake did not disappoint by hitting a triple to left center scoring Anton cutting the lead to 9-8. Up came Jack Lambert who was the Red Sox last hope, and Jack did not disappoint by hitting a double to right center field which easily score Jake to tie the score 9-9 which is the way the game ended. A great start for the Yankees and a great comeback for the Red Sox which showed how evenly matched these two teams are heading into the playoffs. The message was received load and clear for both teams heading into the 2011 playoffs…