(08) THUNDER

   What a great game baseball is. Something you may never have seen before ALWAYS seems to happen. It did on December 11 at Dyer Park in Riviera Beach.

  The 18AAA division All Star game, rained out on Dec. 5, was rescheduled for Dec. 11, but had to overcome some problems to play the game. Due to a scheduling miscommunication, no umpires were assigned to the game. While the field, apparently, had been dragged, there was a huge puddle behind home plate, making it difficult for catchers. Thirdly, both teams had problems getting pitchers to participate, and some rule changes involving innings limitations had to be invoked. One by one, the problems were worked out. Veteran umpire Hector Cruz was contacted and after he tried, unsuccessfully, to get other umpires to the game, he decided to make the trip from his home in Boynton Beach to suburban Riviera Beach.

     Meanwhile, Dave Salley of the winning American Division and the South Florida Beach Bums, agreed to work as a lone umpire behind the pitching mound and did a fine job for almost three complete innings until Cruz arrived and took the standard position behind the plate. One of the fans brought a rake along and by the third inning, catchers Ryan Togher (Beach Bums) and Jose Chinea (Manatees, Nationals) smoothened things out behind the plate to make it playable. Umpire Cruz also picked up the rake to help out.

     As for pitching, Manatees' ace Danny LaPerna, the only regular pitcher assigned to either team, pitched the first three innings and held the Americans to one unearned run and finished his tour with the game tied ast 1-1. On the other side, John Dolan (Thunder) pitched three hitless innings for the Americans, but allowed a run on two walks, a stolen base and a double play grounder that brought Justin Irby (Bandits) across the plate. 

  The Americans posted two runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth as Nationals manager Brian Fitzsimmons was forced to the mound due a pitcher shortage was touched for the five runs on seven hits. The Americans brought in Christian Cancio, who doesn't pitch regularly with his league team, the Senators. He did a nice job for five innings, limiting the Nationals to three runs on five hits. Coupled with an RBI double and a fielder's choice RBI, Cancio was chosen as the game's Most Valuable Player.

  With a 6-4 lead, the Americans scored a run in the 7th on three walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch, all by the Tigres' Martin Suarez, then exploded for five in the 8th inning and three walks, and four hits. Suarez gave up three more walks, and a two run single to Dolan. Tigres' teammate, Nick Adames, gave up a run scoring double to Eric Morales (Thunder), an RBI hit by BJ Smith (Thunder), a single to Charlie Pacheco (Beach Bums) and Cancio's run scoring grounder.

  The game had to be halted by a local 10PM curfew, resulting in the field lights having to be turned off before the 9th inning could start.  That's another thing, lights are turned on and off on Palm Beach County fields by a national lighting company in IOWA.   

  Who says baseball isn't fun?

NATIONALS 12 AMERICANS 3

The National All Stars, led by players from the first place Nationals, scored six runs in the sixth inning to beat the Americans, topped by the second place Sugar Kings 12-3 at Dyer Park in suburban Riviera Beach.  Chris Alicea copped MVP honors by going two for two with a pair of run scoring doubles, a base on balls and stolen base.  He added three shutout innings on the mound, in which he fanned five batters and allowed only one hit.  Nationals' teammate Tyler Wampler got credit for the pitching win, pitching two complete innings in relief of starter Austin Souther, who allowed two of the three Americans' runs with a wild inning-plus, in which he issued six walks.  Wampler struck out four in his relief stint.  Catcher Victor Monteagudo (Nationals) had two RBI singles in two official bats and Mike Alfinez (Nationals) drove in two runs with a pair of singles.  Alfinez, who leads the AA division pitchers with a 6-1 record, finished up the game by striking out the side in the 7th and final inning as the teams ran up against the three hour time limit. 

The Americans managed only three hits.  Yandri Cabrera (Sugar Kings), Juan De La Paz (Colt 45s) and Carlos Sotolongo (Sugar Kings) had singles.  Americans' players struck out fifteen times against the four Nationals' hurlers.  The losing pitcher was Joshua Rivera (Colt 45s), who gave up five runs, four of them unearned.  Joe Mazzeo and Alex Williams (both Marlins) followed him to the hill.  .Nine of the Nats' twelve runs were unearned as the American squad committed four costly errors.   The 18AAA All Star game was postponed on December 5 due to heavy rains and wet gournds at Dyer Park.  It has been rescheduled for Dec. 11.  Scroll down for details. 

   What a great game baseball is. Something you may never have seen before ALWAYS seems to happen. It did on December 11 at Dyer Park in Riviera Beach.

  The 18AAA division All Star game, rained out on Dec. 5, was rescheduled for Dec. 11, but had to overcome some problems to play the game. Due to a scheduling miscommunication, no umpires were assigned to the game. While the field, apparently, had been dragged, there was a huge puddle behind home plate, making it difficult for catchers. Thirdly, both teams had problems getting pitchers to participate, and some rule changes involving innings limitations had to be invoked. One by one, the problems were worked out. Veteran umpire Hector Cruz was contacted and after he tried, unsuccessfully, to get other umpires to the game, he decided to make the trip from his home in Boynton Beach to suburban Riviera Beach.

     Meanwhile, Dave Salley of the winning American Division and the South Florida Beach Bums, agreed to work as a lone umpire behind the pitching mound and did a fine job for almost three complete innings until Cruz arrived and took the standard position behind the plate. One of the fans brought a rake along and by the third inning, catchers Ryan Togher (Beach Bums) and Jose Chinea (Manatees, Nationals) smoothened things out behind the plate to make it playable. Umpire Cruz also picked up the rake to help out.

     As for pitching, Manatees' ace Danny LaPerna, the only regular pitcher assigned to either team, pitched the first three innings and held the Americans to one unearned run and finished his tour with the game tied ast 1-1. On the other side, John Dolan (Thunder) pitched three hitless innings for the Americans, but allowed a run on two walks, a stolen base and a double play grounder that brought Justin Irby (Bandits) across the plate. 

  The Americans posted two runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth as Nationals manager Brian Fitzsimmons was forced to the mound due a pitcher shortage was touched for the five runs on seven hits. The Americans brought in Christian Cancio, who doesn't pitch regularly with his league team, the Senators. He did a nice job for five innings, limiting the Nationals to three runs on five hits. Coupled with an RBI double and a fielder's choice RBI, Cancio was chosen as the game's Most Valuable Player.

  With a 6-4 lead, the Americans scored a run in the 7th on three walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch, all by the Tigres' Martin Suarez, then exploded for five in the 8th inning and three walks, and four hits. Suarez gave up three more walks, and a two run single to Dolan. Tigres' teammate, Nick Adames, gave up a run scoring double to Eric Morales (Thunder), an RBI hit by BJ Smith (Thunder), a single to Charlie Pacheco (Beach Bums) and Cancio's run scoring grounder.

  The game had to be halted by a local 10PM curfew, resulting in the field lights having to be turned off before the 9th inning could start.  That's another thing, lights are turned on and off on Palm Beach County fields by a national lighting company in IOWA.   

  Who says baseball isn't fun?

NATIONALS 12 AMERICANS 3

The National All Stars, led by players from the first place Nationals, scored six runs in the sixth inning to beat the Americans, topped by the second place Sugar Kings 12-3 at Dyer Park in suburban Riviera Beach.  Chris Alicea copped MVP honors by going two for two with a pair of run scoring doubles, a base on balls and stolen base.  He added three shutout innings on the mound, in which he fanned five batters and allowed only one hit.  Nationals' teammate Tyler Wampler got credit for the pitching win, pitching two complete innings in relief of starter Austin Souther, who allowed two of the three Americans' runs with a wild inning-plus, in which he issued six walks.  Wampler struck out four in his relief stint.  Catcher Victor Monteagudo (Nationals) had two RBI singles in two official bats and Mike Alfinez (Nationals) drove in two runs with a pair of singles.  Alfinez, who leads the AA division pitchers with a 6-1 record, finished up the game by striking out the side in the 7th and final inning as the teams ran up against the three hour time limit. 

The Americans managed only three hits.  Yandri Cabrera (Sugar Kings), Juan De La Paz (Colt 45s) and Carlos Sotolongo (Sugar Kings) had singles.  Americans' players struck out fifteen times against the four Nationals' hurlers.  The losing pitcher was Joshua Rivera (Colt 45s), who gave up five runs, four of them unearned.  Joe Mazzeo and Alex Williams (both Marlins) followed him to the hill.  .Nine of the Nats' twelve runs were unearned as the American squad committed four costly errors.   The 18AAA All Star game was postponed on December 5 due to heavy rains and wet gournds at Dyer Park.  It has been rescheduled for Dec. 11.  Scroll down for details. 

   What a great game baseball is. Something you may never have seen before ALWAYS seems to happen. It did on December 11 at Dyer Park in Riviera Beach.

  The 18AAA division All Star game, rained out on Dec. 5, was rescheduled for Dec. 11, but had to overcome some problems to play the game. Due to a scheduling miscommunication, no umpires were assigned to the game. While the field, apparently, had been dragged, there was a huge puddle behind home plate, making it difficult for catchers. Thirdly, both teams had problems getting pitchers to participate, and some rule changes involving innings limitations had to be invoked. One by one, the problems were worked out. Veteran umpire Hector Cruz was contacted and after he tried, unsuccessfully, to get other umpires to the game, he decided to make the trip from his home in Boynton Beach to suburban Riviera Beach.

     Meanwhile, Dave Salley of the winning American Division and the South Florida Beach Bums, agreed to work as a lone umpire behind the pitching mound and did a fine job for almost three complete innings until Cruz arrived and took the standard position behind the plate. One of the fans brought a rake along and by the third inning, catchers Ryan Togher (Beach Bums) and Jose Chinea (Manatees, Nationals) smoothened things out behind the plate to make it playable. Umpire Cruz also picked up the rake to help out.

     As for pitching, Manatees' ace Danny LaPerna, the only regular pitcher assigned to either team, pitched the first three innings and held the Americans to one unearned run and finished his tour with the game tied ast 1-1. On the other side, John Dolan (Thunder) pitched three hitless innings for the Americans, but allowed a run on two walks, a stolen base and a double play grounder that brought Justin Irby (Bandits) across the plate. 

  The Americans posted two runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth as Nationals manager Brian Fitzsimmons was forced to the mound due a pitcher shortage was touched for the five runs on seven hits. The Americans brought in Christian Cancio, who doesn't pitch regularly with his league team, the Senators. He did a nice job for five innings, limiting the Nationals to three runs on five hits. Coupled with an RBI double and a fielder's choice RBI, Cancio was chosen as the game's Most Valuable Player.

  With a 6-4 lead, the Americans scored a run in the 7th on three walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch, all by the Tigres' Martin Suarez, then exploded for five in the 8th inning and three walks, and four hits. Suarez gave up three more walks, and a two run single to Dolan. Tigres' teammate, Nick Adames, gave up a run scoring double to Eric Morales (Thunder), an RBI hit by BJ Smith (Thunder), a single to Charlie Pacheco (Beach Bums) and Cancio's run scoring grounder.

  The game had to be halted by a local 10PM curfew, resulting in the field lights having to be turned off before the 9th inning could start.  That's another thing, lights are turned on and off on Palm Beach County fields by a national lighting company in IOWA.   

  Who says baseball isn't fun?