On a sunny afternoon this past weekend, the LBLL Farm Division kicked off on the Minors Field in a matchup between the Jefes and the Papas Fritas. Fundamentals (with a capital F-U-N) were on display in this early season showcase of developing skill and sportsmanship.
After just a few spring training pre-season practices, the youngsters looked extremely sharp on their 1st game of the season. It was noticeable from the beginning that players had learned the important lesson of manning their positions and not chasing after the baseball as a group -- a significant feat for the coaches.
The work put into proper fielding drills and techniques was evident as both teams made amazing plays, fielding all the ground balls, executing throws to 1st base, and understanding the race to get the ball to 1st before the runner reaches!
The teams practice batting with the LBLL pitching machine; however, there were issues with the mechanical thrower in the 1st inning, so in an effort to speed up game play both managers agreed to do coach pitch the rest of the way. Making Powerade out of lemons, the kids kept bringing the hits!
All of the young sluggers had fun blasting balls with solid contact --spraying hits all over the big infield, and in many cases way out to the outfield grass.
At the end of the game, Jefes' skipper Gerry Santos gave a big shout out to Manager Pat Carey of the Papas Fritas saying the small fries were "so great, organized, and well mannered." Santos also credited Coach Carey for moving swiftly to ensure the game happened at LBLL after an issue with the fields at PVIS.
Catch more lower division action at the LBLL Park and Plaza this coming Saturday!