14 1
A ripping start to the new season. Derick keyed a 5-run first inning with a booming RBI double to the hill in left field, while Victoria chipped in with a 2-run bloop single. Brandon got the start. His line: 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 6 K. That'll do. Derick toed the rubber for two innings and helped his cause by turning a pop fly into a double play with 1B Massimo. Other hitting highlights: Carlos had an RBI single, Brandon hit the ball hard all day and picked up a hit, and Ontoy collected a hit in his first ever game. Derick punished the ball all day, went 4-4 and ended up a homer short of the cycle. Jessica played for the short-handed Yankees, and not only broke up our no-hitter, but drove in their only run, as she enjoyed a 2-2 day.

14 3
The defense was sharp in this one, as Brandon induced a pair of groundouts and a pop up to 3B Carlos for a 1-2-3 inning. The hitting was strong for a second straight game. Victoria, Derick and Brandon all sent hits to the outfield, while Anu did them one better, pounding a double off the right field fence on the fly. Jessica, playing her first game for the Reds this season, continued her hot hitting with a pair of base hits, leaving her one shy of her total from last season. Carlos rapped out a base hit and an RBI groundout, while Jovan knocked in a run with a groundout in his Reds debut. Madison collected her first career hit with a totally revamped swing. The pitching was solid for the second straight game, as Victoria and Anu each logged two solid innings.

11 0
This game was actually much closer than the score would indicate. We were never able to manage a huge inning, but the Reds bats scratched out 2 or 3 runs each inning, and that adds up. Jessica set the table from the leadoff spot, with four hits and a walk. Victoria, Derick and Carlos all enjoyed multi-hit nights, while Ontoy was hit by a pitch 3 times, bringing his total over two games to 5. Anu scorched a ball to the hill in left field with the bases-loaded, but was called out for throwing his bat, erasing at least 3 runs. But the Reds also caught a couple of breaks, as two Dodgers were called out on similar plays, one to end an inning on what would have been an RBI single. The pitching and defense was very solid. 2B Carlos made a nice play on a hot grounder, while Victoria made a couple hustling plays at first, beating Dodgers to the bag by a step, and another smooth pickup in her inning at short. 1B Brooke was also solid in our first shutout in 4 years.

22 6
The Cards pitchers had a rough go in this one, and the Reds built up a sizeable lead mostly through taking pitches and taking their walks, except for Ontoy of course, who got hit. We saw some hitting later in the game, as Massimo and Carlos slammed base hits, and Jessica continued her hot hitting. Both Massimo and Ontoy got a chance to pitch, and while both struggled with their control, both should see more chances to pitch in the future.

9 9
Some new faces got to pitch in this one. Carlos got the start and showed off a very good fastball and decent control. Unfortunately, he plunked two batters in the same inning and had to be replaced. Massimo followed and improved a little on his last outing, while Jessica logged a pair of solid innings. The bats were solid, with Anu providing the big hit of the day, a bases loaded triple that extended the Reds lead to 9-3. But the defense got awfully sloppy after that and allowed the Yankees to get right back into the game. Derick did a nice job in relief keeping the Yankees in check in the last half inning to preserve. This also marked Steven's debut as a Red and he made contact in his first game. We also welcomed Jovan back from an injury, and he contributed strong play at 2B.

12 12
A seesaw game, in which we fought back to take a lead, threw it away - literally - and then pulled out a tie. Once again, defense was not our strong point. During one sequence, the Yankees loaded the bases. Through a series of ill-advised pick-off throws, we unloaded them, allowing all three runs to score without any help from a Yankees batter. Once again, our hitting was solid, with Jessica wielding a big bat, as she smoked a triple into the corner in right field, but we gave runs back as fast as we scored them. In the last inning, trailing 12-10, Jovan kick-started a rally with a base hit. Down to our last out, Brandon managed a two-run single to tie the game.

9 6
A MUCH better game on the defensive side of the ball. The Blue Jays played some very fine defense, so even though the Reds bats were putting the ball into play, it was a tight game. Brooke picked up her first two hits of the season, while Steven picked up his first base hit in a Reds uniform. The pitching was very solid, with Brandon, Anu and Victoria all logging solid innings. A late rally gave the Reds a 9-4 lead, and despite losing C Anu to injury in the final inning (don't reach out to catch the ball!), Victoria held the fort and the Reds pulled out the win.

14 5
The Dodgers had only 5 of their own players show for this one, so they fielded players from 3 other teams. The Reds defense was spot on in this one. 2B Jessica retired the first two hitters of the game on grounders, and SS Anu made a great play in the second in support of P Derick. Victoria's hitting was excellent, and Steven came through with a clutch 2-run single, keying a 6-run Reds rally. We lost some concentration a little bit later in the game which led to a handful of Dodger runs, but the offense was able to step back on the gas while the fielding sharpened up (and started paying attention again). Brennon made his Reds debut and took some good swings at the plate.

18 6
The Little Red Machine was running on all cylinders in this one. Derick started, and his control was a little shaky, but after walking in a run he settled down and got out of the inning. The bats went to work. Brandon singled, Victoria rocked a double to the hill in left, Derick walked and Anu and Jessica followed with RBI hits. The defense was excellent. RF Brennon, playing his first full game with the team this year, started a 9-6-2 relay to home to end a Blue Jay rally in the 2nd. Derick and Victoria each made stellar plays at short, while 1B Brandon, 2B Brooke and 3B Jessica were all solid. Jovan put in a good effort in CF. Rookie Ball callup Ian made his Reds debut, making contact in his first at-bat and drawing 3 walks. Jessica went 4-4 and may well be our best hitter right now. Victoria and Brooke also had big nights at the plate. Brooke pitched the last inning, retiring the Jays in order.

17 6
The Reds batted around in the first three innings of this one. Brandon, Victoria, Anu and Derick didn't account for a single out, with Victoria sending a second ball to the hill in left field in as many games. Ontoy cashed in 3 runs on a pair of hits, while Ian had the first two hits of his career. Defensively, 2B Brooke and SS Victoria each came up with fine plays, while 1B Brandon dug out some low throws at first, and LF Steven was aggressive charging the ball and making good relay throws. Brandon pitched a shutout inning of relief, and Ontoy took another turn on the mound, allowing just a pair of runs in his inning on the mound.

8 6
A terrific game, and our first to go 7 innings since the 2-inning pitching rule was instituted. Tight defense and solid pitching by both teams. Derick started and pitched perhaps his best game in a Reds uniform, allowing just a run. The Reds got that one back when Anu walked, stole 2nd and 3rd and scored on an overthrow. Victoria singled in a second run, but the Dodgers got that back and more and jumped out to a 6-2 lead. The Reds fought back, thanks to hits by Jessica and Ontoy and narrowed the lead to 6-5. The Dodgers used the big field to their advantage with a 2-run in-the-park homer. Hits by Ian and Derick sparked a rally in the 6th, but some questionable baserunning took us out of the inning. Jessica drove home Anu in the 7th, but it wasn't enough.

10 2
The pitching was dominant in this one. Anu and Brandon were outstanding, allowing just a run in 4 innnings. The hitting was much better than our previous outing, as we started to drive the ball again. Ontoy had a pair of solid hits out of the leadoff spot, while Derick had two extra base hits, and Anu hammered a ball over the outfield. Massimo hit the ball hard 3 times and showed his best swings of the season, while Jessica wracked up yet another multi-hit game. Ontoy relieved in the 5th and threw a scoreless inning, thanks to a sparkling play by 1B Brooke, who blocked a hot grounder and beat the Blue Jays runner to the bag. In the 7th inning (for the second time in two games) Ian took the mound, becoming the youngest pitcher in franchise history. He notched his first strikeout, and held the Jays to just a run, getting good defensive help from SS Derick and 1B Brandon.

11 8
After escaping the first inning without allowing a run, Derick ran into trouble in the second, walking in a run and running out of gas. Anu relieved with the bases loaded and had some control problems of his own. A double to the fence by the Blue Jays' last batter and the score stood 6-0 Jays. The Reds started to chip away in the 3rd, with a walk to Ontoy, a screaming double by Victoria, a double by Anu and a single by Brandon to cut the lead in half. Victoria took over on the mound and held the Blue Jays in check, while the bats went back to work. Ontoy singled to lead off the 5th, kicking off a 9-batter rally, featuring hits by Victoria, Jessica, and a 2-run single by Massimo to cap off a 7-run inning. The Blue Jays pushed across a run in the 5th and 6th, but 2B Ontoy made a key play, sticking with a dying quail blooper and recording a force-out at second. P Brandon stranded the bases loaded to preserve the win. He also had the at-bat of the game, fouling off about 10 pitches against the Blue Jays top pitcher before finally striking out.

20 4
The bats went to work early and often in this one. 9 of 10 Reds in the lineup collected a hit, with multiple hit efforts by Derick, Victoria, Anu, Brandon and Jessica. Anu showed off some impressive power with a blast up the hill in left field, and later emptied the bases with a triple. Ian dumped a 2-run single into right field in the second inning, and it was 10-1 Reds after two. Anu and Victoria took care of things on the mound, while both Ian and Ontoy made their catching debuts. Jessica got a good workout at shortstop. 3B Derick made an alert play to race to the backstop and retrieve a wild pitch in time to nab a Cardinal baserunner breaking for home. Brooke pitched the final inning and struck out the side.

16 7
This game began and ended in a fine mist. Derick led off with a solid single, Ontoy walked and was followed by victoria who drove in Derick with her first of 3 hits on the night. Anu then lost his mind and decided to bunt with 2 strikes - you can imagine how that turned out, but he was bailed out by the rest of the offense, who turned in a 3-run inning. Anu redeemed himself on the mound, holding the Cards in check in the first. The defense let down a little in the second, despite good efforts from 2B Jessica and 1B Brandon, but the offense kept pace, wracking up 15 total runs at the end of three. Ontoy continues to hit the ball well, Brennon made some contact and played a hustling right field, and once Anu stopped bunting he got in on the hitting as well. Victoria relieved the final two innings and continued her recent run of solid performances. A nice play by 2B Ontoy and C Derick throwing out a runner helped her cause, and helped to clinch the pennant.

Playoffs

9 3
Solid pitching and defense kicked off the playoffs in style. The Yankees loaded the bases in the first, but Derick pitched out of it without any damage. A bases-loaded walk put the Reds ahead 1-0 in the first, and a bat-around second to make the score 4-0. It would have been more, but the Yankee pitcher knocked down a line drive by Brooke with his bare hand (!) and retired her at first. The Yankees scratched out a pair of runs and held the game close, but the Reds exploded for 4 in the 5th, highlighted by a smash to right field by Massimo. Ian showed off some great baserunning throughout the game, with a particularly nice slide to avoid an out at third. He scored an insurance run on a booming double by Derick over the head of the left fielder in the bottom of the sixth. The pitching was excellent all night long, with Victoria and Brandon filling the middle innings and Anu closing the game out with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, helping himself out by snagging a pair of comebackers.

11 3
This was a tight game for a long time. Derick shut down the Jays in the first while the Reds struck for 2, as Derick tripled and scored following an overthrow. Anu walked, stole second and scored as Jessica hustled to first on a short grounder. Brandon pitched the 2nd and 3rd and was a strike-throwing machine. The Reds tacked on a run in the 2nd, but the Jays bounced back with two of their own and could have had more, but Derick worked out of a bases-loaded jam. Ian doubled down the first base line to score Jessica to extend the lead to 4-2. The Reds bats busted out in the 5th, sending 9 Reds to the plate, featuring a near home run by Victoria and a 2-run triple into the right field corner by Jessica. Victoria pitched the final two innings and allowed just a run. We had great hustle from our outfielders, especially RFs Massimo and Ian, whose hustle held any long Blue Jays hits to singles. 1B Brandon also deserves an honorable mention for one of the best plays we've ever seen from a first baseman, as he nearly did the splits and gloved a one-hopper from SS Anu in the first inning. Unfortunately his foot came off the bag by about an inch, but it was still an outstanding effort.

10 3
Another close game with the Dodgers as the score doesn't tell the whole story. Derick started and threw gas for two innings. The Dodgers top hitter scooted a ball up the hill in left. The defense had a shot at him at third, but a throw into the dugout resulted in a run. No problem, as Derick led off with a double, Ontoy walked, and both scored when Victoria sent another rocket off the fence in right. She scored on Jessica's RBI groundout. The offence pounced for three more in the 2nd on an RBI walk to Steven and a 2-run single by Derick. The meat of the Dodger order made a little noise in the 3rd, but P Anu held the fort, allowing just 2 runs. He got a boost when C Victoria gunned down a base stealer at 2B. She pitched a scoreless 4th, then produced a 7th run with a double, a steal and an errant pickoff throw. Brandon threw two solid innings and left the bases loaded in the 6th, striking out a good hitter to end a Dodger rally. In the bottom Carlos - who'd had a tough luck night smashing into the first 6-4-3 double play we've ever seen at this level - hammered a bases-loaded bomb to centre field to score two more runs. Brooke then drove home Brandon for the 10th run. 2B Jessica and SS Derick both made fine plays in the field in support of their pitchers.

11 6
With a spot in the finals already guaranteed, we shuffled some faces around in this one. Ian got a chance to catch, Ontoy played some 1B, Brooke and Jessica shuffled around the infield, and we used some different pitchers. The Cardinals took much the same approach and it made for a fun game. Ian led off with a single and would later score on a Jessica groundout, but the Cards struck back for 4. Carlos pitched the second, quickly loaded the bases, then even more quickly struck out the side. Ontoy tossed a scoreless inning, thanks to C Anu throwing out one runner, and SS Victoria running down another. Leading 9-6 in the fifth, Jessica loaded the bases via a walk and a pair of HBPs, meaning she could no longer pitch. Ian stepped in and struck out the final batter. The Reds hitting wasn't TERRIBLY impressive, but we had a couple of standouts, with Ian going 2-2 with an RBI, Brooke made solid contact all game and picked up a hit, and Ontoy had the best game of his young career. He smoked a triple to the fence in the second inning and then went one better BLASTING a 2-run homer out of the park in the sixth. A thunderstorm started almost immediately afterward. Coincidence? We think not.

12 11 (8 innings)
Ummm. Wow. The atmosphere for this game was often raucous, with a huge "Go Dodgers Go" banner on the outfield fence, an air horn in attendance and probably in excess of 100 spectators at its peak. They weren't disappointed. Victoria won the coin toss to give the Reds home field (her 4th in 5 tries in the playoffs).

Derick got the start and allowed 3 runs over his two innings, but worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the 1st inning. He delivered a leadoff single in the home half of the first, stole 2nd and 3rd and scored on an RBI groundout by Ontoy. Trailing 3-1, Anu took the mound and pitched one of his best games as a Red, holding the Dodgers to just a run over two innings, and that one almost didn't score, as 2B Jessica, 1B Brandon and C Victoria very nearly combined on a 4-3-2 double play. Brandon also snagged a laserbeam to save another run. With two out in the 3rd, Ontoy lofted a double into right field and managed to score on an overthrow. Jessica led off the 4th with a single, Brandon and Brooke walked, and Massimo smashed a 2-run double to the fence to tie the score.

Brandon relieved to start the 5th and retired the side on a pop out and two strike outs, but not before a single and a double had given the Dodgers a 5-4 lead. The wheels fell off a little in the 6th, as the Dodgers banged out 4 hits and 4 runs, to lead 9-4. After another double by Ontoy, he was erased trying to score on grounder to short and things were starting to look grim. Victoria pitched the 7th. She walked the leadoff batter, who was then erased stealing second on a good throw by C Anu and a smart play by SS Derick who held the tag on as the runner over ran the bag. Victoria quickly finished the Dodgers off with two strikeouts.

At this point, pitching depth - our biggest strength throughout the season - became the story of the game. The Dodgers pitcher walked the bases loaded to start the 7th. An infield single by Massimo cut the lead to 9-5. Ian, the youngest and smallest player on the field, then ripped a laser past the bag at third base to make it 9-6. After Brennon was retired, Carlos watched 4 pitches sail wide. 9-7. The Dodgers changed pitchers, only to watch the new hurler throw high to both Steven and Jovan. 9-9, with the bases loaded, one out and two of our top hitters due up. To the Dodger pitcher's credit, he bore down and struck out Derick and Ontoy to preserve the tie.

On to extra innings for the first time since the 2000 championship final - foreshadowing anyone? Victoria battled the heart of the Dodger order in the 8th and was one strike away from escaping unscathed, but a two run double gave the Dodgers an 11-9 lead. She led off the bottom of the 8th with a walk. Jessica worked a full count before striking out, then Anu and Brandon walked to load the bases. Brooke smacked a hard groundout to second, scoring Brandon. Anu never broke stride from second base, tearing for home as the Dodger first baseman held the ball a split second too long. Anu slid home under the tag to tie the score at 11-11. Brandon stole 3rd two pitches later setting the stage for Massimo, who singled to right field - his 4th hit of the day (!) - to capture the 2007 Championship.

Other highlights? SS Derick almost turned a 6-3 double play, 1B Victoria tracked a short fly to right to save a run and P Anu caught a shallow pop fly on his knees to end the 3rd inning. Congratulations to the Dodgers - who played a terrific game and showed tremendous team spirit.