Game 6: Hastings vs Mt. Seymour

It’s another early game for baseball, here in Joe Martin field. We look very warmed up, probably from an 7:30 am practice beforehand, and we’re are finally home for a change, so we get the advantage of batting last. Yesterday was a scrub game with the parents, coaches, Francesca (Anthony’s sister) and I against the Hastings All-Stars. Jeff Matsuda was the star of the game, getting a grand slam, and 7 RBIs.

Anthony starts off pitching for the 1st inning, and Hastings quickly gets the first 2 outs. There is now a man on second, with Mt. Seymour up to bat, and we get him out at first. There were 15 pitches thrown by Anthony.

Lets try to get some runs in the bottom of the 1st.
Taylor starts it off with a base hit, and Ryan strikes out by the Seymour pitcher, then Robbey. Anthony gets a base hit, then Keenan gets hit in the leg with a pitch-giving him a walk. Josh is next up to bat and he gets a base hit, making the score 1-0. Christian then gets a base on balls, and brings Katie (pinch runner for Anthony) in for another run. Christian gets out running to 2nd base, so the run scored by Keenan doesn’t count.



We get the first out by Robbey running up to get the bunt, and Ryan covering 1st to get the man out. The umpire obviously enjoyed that play because he yelled “OUT!” loud enough to make it echo through the trees. Three hits off Anthony makes the bases loaded, and a nice hit to center field brings in two runs for Mt. Seymour. The inning ends with a tie 2-2 score.



The bottom of the 2nd inning begins with my favourite song, Don’t Stop Believing or Midnight Train by Journey and this pumps up a lot of 80s rock fans. Three outs come quickly for Hastings, and we need to learn to hit off of tough pitchers.

The top of the 3rd starts off with great plays that gets no runs off of one hit for Seymour.

The bottom of the 3rd, starts off with a base hit for Robbey thanks to the sun in the short stop’s eyes. Immediately after, there is a double play for Seymour, clearing the bases. The pitcher strikes Keenan out, getting no runs for Hastings.

There’s a pitching change in the top of the 4th from Anthony to Shota, and right now there is one out with one man on second base. Shota catches a pop fly and gets the second out as Mt. Seymour bats again with the top of their batting order. A hard hit to Taylor catches it, and quickly throws it to first, but the umpire believed it was out. The first base man now stole 2nd, and there is a man on 2nd and 3rd. Ryan catches a fly for the 3rd out.

The bottom of the 4th starts off with Josh batting, and he gets out with Seymour’s pitcher. Maybe we should try bunting. Then, Taz stikes out. Shota is up to bat next, and he has a great hit to the fence, but Mt. Seymour catches it to get the last out.

It is now the top of the 5th inning, and the score is still 2-2. With some immense cheering from the Hastings side, thanks to Shota’s mom Tama, we get two outs fast. A walk to a heavy hitter from Shota, then Ryan gets the last out at second.



The bottom of the 5th starts off with a double down the left field line by Scott. Taylor hits, gets out at first but brings Scott to 3rd. Katie, subbing for Ryan, gets out on three bunt attempts, then Robbie… gets an out of the park home run! He brings in two runs, and the score is now 4-2 for Hastings. Anthony gets out at first for the last out. The Mt. Seymour pitcher is at 72 pitches.

Shota is still pitching at the top of the 6th, and there is now a man on first and second with no outs. Then Taylor, who has put on sunglasses in the sunny short stop position, catches the first out. A hard hit by a Seymour player makes the bases loaded. Robbey gets the second out, but the bases are still loaded. The Hastings crowd is cheering wildly for Shota, who stays in the game at an unknown amount of pitches. Shota walks in the 3rd run on some questionable umpire decisions, and this brings the score to 4-3 for Hastings. Then… Katie makes a great catch to take away a blooper to right field and Hastings win! It was a tough, scary game, but Hastings managed to pull through and the luck of the early games carry on.

Game 5: Hastings vs Dunbar

It’s another early game for Hastings, and the weather is sunny, but cold. The supporters are regretting wearing their summer-wear, luckily we have blankets. Let’s hope Hastings gets their game face on today and removes the loss that was considered “the biggest upset of the tournament” in the Prince George newspaper from their minds.



The top of the 1st inning begins with some pumpy rock music that is finally better than the country and chicken dance songs played the previous games. Taylor starts off the game with a base hit, and Ryan getting the first out by a pop fly catch in the outfield. Robbey then gets a ‘towering” hit down the 3rd baseline to get on first, and Anthony gets a base hit, then Keenan, who brings home Taylor for the first run. Next, Josh gets a double who then brings in two more runs to make the score 3-0. Keenan then gets another run on a base hit, and Dunbar switches their pitcher. Shota brings in another run by a base hit, then Ian who gets a double by a hit in the outfield hole, to bring the score to 6-0. Ian steals home to get another run during Ryan’s time up to bat. Ryan gets a double, and brings Taylor home. The final score is 8-0, Hastings.



The bottom of the 1st inning brings in no runs for Dunbar thanks to Keenan’s great pitching, and Hastings being on the ball.

The top of the 2nd inning begins with a double by Anthony, and then Josh brings in two runs with an out of the park home run. The score is now a mercy for Hastings.

The bottom of the second begins with a base hit from Dunbar off a bad bounce in the outfield. Josh gets the first out from a nice pop fly catch, and the inning ends with no runs on one hit.

I believe the Hastings All-Stars play better and are more focused during the morning games. Being a little tired to start sometimes helps when it comes to sports, speaking from experience.

Dunbar changes their pitcher in the top of the 3rd inning, and Ryan gets his second double to bring in a run. Robbey then gets a RBI after a hit to the fence, then steals home for another run. Keenan gets a base hit, and brings Katie home to bring the score to 14-0. Straight after, Christian gets 2 RBIs on a double. The top of the 3rd ends with 7 runs on 6 hits. The score is 17-0.



The bottom of the 3rd inning is played well by Hastings who are staying alert and calm with their lead in runs and they continue to keep composed into the top of the 4th inning. Anthony gets an out of the park home run to bring the score to 19-0. It’s like a totally different team is playing today, compared to yesterday’s game. A wacky double hot-box gets one out, but Keenan steals home to make the score an even 20-0.

It is now the bottom of the 4th, and Dunbar’s last chance to score some runs. An error in the outfield brings in 2 runs for Dunbar, and the final score is 20-2.

Game 4: Hastings vs Trail

Unlike yesterday’s game, today is ocean blue skies, wispy white clouds, and smokin’ hot with a slight breeze. It’s a perfect day for baseball, and the Hastings team have taken off their under armor to ensure that perfect “baseball tan”. It’s crazy to think that these boys and Katie are wearing two shirts, long pants, long socks, a helmet or a hat and their cleats in this heat. All these teams are an inspiration that have had numerous 3-4 hour practices through any kind of weather, everyday for these upcoming tournaments. It’s hard to have a normal life when you’re so dedicated to the game.

The top of the 1st inning starts off with two outs by the Trail pitcher, and a base hit by Robbie. The Trail team only has 9 players, so no breaks for any of them. The inning ends quickly with no runs on one hit, with Robbie left on 3rd base.


The bottom of the 1st is full of errors, until a nice throw from Josh to Christian at home prevents a run. Robbey continues to pitch well but he needs the support from the rest of the team who is recovering from letting a few men get on base. Another hard line drive brings in another two runs. The second run was a head-first slide, and the Trail player had to tag the base again when Robbey was already there, but the umpire called it safe. Vito is now talking to the umpires as well as the other coach, and at the same time the Trail parents are heckling and screaming “Whiners! Stop whining!” to the Hastings team. There is controversy already in the bottom of the 1st, but the Hastings parents are unfazed and continue cheering. The 1st inning’s final score is 2-0 Trail.



The top of the 2nd inning ends with no runs on no hits from Hastings. Let’s hope that we can keep more runs from scoring.

Maybe Taz can use his accuracy here in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Taz won a glove from the Skills competition last night for accuracy, throwing from home to second base. He was the only Hastings winner, but all played well.
There is also a pitching change from Robbey to Anthony, and Anthony ends the inning with no runs on one hit.

Trail remains pitching well, getting our Hastings batters out quickly in the top of the 3rd inning. The score is still 2-0 for Trail. Ian then gets a base and steals second, then third to hopefully start a rally. Yet Hastings is unsuccessful, and the top of 3 ends with no runs on one hit.

The bottom of the 3rd brings in no runs for Trail.

The Trail coach is trying everything to win this, pointing out that Ian doesn’t have a proper helmet and that Anthony is trying to distract their batter with a batting glove accidentally under his glove. Both teams aren’t let any other runs score in the top of the 4th inning. Now, the Trail back catcher is injured from “the bat” hitting his kneecap, or so he says. In actuality, the ball from their own pitcher hit him. Again, remember there is only 9 players, and the back catcher is unable to walk without help. So, the coach made the decision to put him out in the outfield with another catcher to avoid a forfeit. Let’s hope what goes around, comes around.


It is now the bottom of the 4th inning, and there was a pitching change from Anthony to Taylor. Trail has just scored another 2 runs on a home run to make the score 4-0. There was another pitching change from Taylor to Ryan, and Trail is having a great day for hitting. They now brought in another 2 runs after a hit straight down the 1st baseline. The score is 6-0, and let’s hope Hastings can show their true colours in the 5th inning.


It’s now the bottom of the 5th inning, and Hastings brought in no runs in the top of 5. It’s not over ‘till it’s over, and Ryan pitches no hits and no runs.


The 6th inning ends with Trail winning, 6-0 with injured players. They played well this game, and they did deserve to win. (maybe not the parents and coach) The odds weren’t in our favor today, but Trail needed a win, and Hastings needed a loss. This also shows that we are not perfect, and maybe it was good to show our team what we need to work on. So, on to the next game!

Game 3: Hastings vs Prince George All-Stars

It’s a gloomy day here at the ballpark, at an appalling 8:55 am, but the game starts off nicely with a beautiful rendition of the national anthem and the little league pledge. It was ended by a good luck “manly” handshake by Ian and a Prince George player. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain.

The top of the 1st inning starts off with a fantastic out of the park home run past the 208ft fence by Taylor. Unfortunately, there were no men on base as well. There are two great hits to the fence by Robbey and Anthony. This brings the score to 2-0 for Hastings. As if the game could not get any better, Josh smacks the second out of the park home run to make the score 6-0. Joe Mama is back! The hits continue to be great as we advance into the line-up.
Scott makes a dive over the 2nd baseman’s arm to get to second base, then Taylor gets a double to bring Scott home. Ryan is up next, and with a failed catch from the 3rd baseman, Ryan is safe at first, bring Taylor home to make the score 8-0. The top of the 1st inning ends with 8 runs on 7 hits, making the score an almost mercy.



The bottom of the 1st inning ends with Robbey pitching no runs by Prince George on 1 hit, with 1 man left on base. It has also began to drizzle, and the dedicated fans start to bring out their fleeces and blankets like the prepared Canadians they are.


In the top of the 2nd inning, Hastings continue to hit everything including the 3rd baseman, and many cars parked dangerously close to the diamond. We then bring in another 3 runs to make the score 11-0. This is maybe the best Provincial game yet for stealing and hitting.
At this point the score is 12-0. Speaking of hitting, Robbey has just hit an out of the park home run bringing in yet another 3 runs to make the score 15-0.
Taylor’s birthday homer has set the tone for this early baseball game.



It is now the top of the 2nd inning, and there is a pitching change from Robbey to Shota. The Hastings kids must be warmed up from last night in Keenan’s hotel room consisting of pillow fights for batting practice, wrestling for agility, video games (Halo) for focus, and farting competitions for endurance. They are also ready thanks to feast the mothers made.


Taylor is having a great (birthday) game, showing off his catching talent by making a diving, turn-around catch to get the 3rd out in the bottom of the
second.

The score is still 15-0 in the top of the 2nd inning… until Keenan gets an out of the park home run, again past the 208ft fence to make the score 16-0. Give us a break! The Hastings parents have barely sat down until Shota got another out of the park home run. The ball continues to land in the same spot past the fence. We are still batting in the top of the 2nd, and the score is now 19-0. The sun and blue skies are beginning to show their face as well.



Well as I was talking to my mom and grandmother about maybe Hastings should tone it down, my grandmother informs me that if there is a tie in the championship game, the most points win. That means that the more points that you receive in your games, you will win the tie. So White Rock already has a great advantage, from their first score of 32-0 against Prince George. This doesn’t really seem fair in my opinion, but I guess we have to keep going.

The top of the 4th inning ends off with the score is 21-0.



The bottom of the 4th starts and ends with another fast-reflexes catch by Taylor, and great pitches by Ryan. That's the ball game!