Juniors Division:
JUNIORS TYPHOONS VS. ROYALS
It was another clinical outing for the Juniors Typhoons against the Korean Royals this Sunday as the team rolled on to a nearly flawless 18-4 win and a 6-2 record to hold on to 2nd place in the Juniors division. The entire roster showed its firepower at the plate with 21 hits at 31 at bats, including 5 doubles, 3 triples and 16 RBIs. Leading the pack of power punchers was Shaye Schroth, who went 4 for 4, with 3 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Julian Zhang and Theo Simms slugged out 3 for 4 and Damian Lee and Jacob Lee each hit triples – Damian has hit triples in three consecutive games. The defense was equally outstanding with no recorded errors. On the mound, the nearly flawless bullpen of the Typhoons struck out 8 batters in 4 innings and allowed only four runs. Shaye Schroth took home his third consecutive win carrying on as starter with a wildly productive 21 pitches in the first inning building a comfortable 7-2 lead. In relief Jacob Falch, Theo Simms and Daniel Zhang locked down the Royals over 3 innings, facing only 19 batters and allowing only 3 stolen bases. The U14 Juniors were off this weekend in HKBA action but hope to return to form with a win in 2 weeks time.
Majors Division:
Majors Eagles vs Majors Pirates [Dec 4]
With TTBC having arguably some of the best talent in Majors HKLL, a game between the Majors Pirates and Majors Eagles is always expected to be a good game – and we weren’t disappointed.
The game began as a pitcher’s duel between Adrian Unertl for the Eagles and Khai Harris for the Pirates. Both starting pitchers gave a great showing throwing more than 80+ pitches each.
On defense, both sides flashed some leather. The Eagles held the Pirates scoreless for the first five innings, while the Pirates allowed only one run during the same time.
The show down came in the sixth inning. With the Eagles leading 1-0, Gus Ernst led off with a hit followed by an onslaught of singles by Ken Ando, Roy Sun, Taylor Gardner and Adrian Unertl. This hard-hitting Eagle crew grinded out three runs against a tough defense.
Heading into the bottom of the sixth and down 4-0, the Pirates plugged their ears and apparently didn’t hear the fat lady sing. Briggs Freeman led things off with a single, followed by a single by Khai Harris. Ryan Lem then hit a 2-run RBI double down the first base line making the score 4-2. Up next, Ian Horng kept the momentum going by hitting a single driving in another run. With the tying run on second, the Eagle coaching staff made a strategic call and intentionally walked the next batter. Ryan Kim answered back with a line drive single to drive in the tying run.
With the game tied 4-4 after six innings and with a handful of minutes left in regulation play, the game went into an extra inning. Up first, the Eagles faced reliever Ryan Kim. After putting out the first two batters, Ken Ando stepped up with a single. On the very next pitch, he stole second base; however, the throw was misfielded and with his speed, he was able to score the go-ahead run. The Pirates then tried to make up the deficit against reliever Harrison Waag, but he retired the side to end a spectacular game with a score Eagles 5 – Pirates 4. All around great game for the kids, coaches and parents.
Majors Pirates vs Ninewest [Dec 5]
The Majors Pirates played against Ninewest this past Sunday to win 18-3. In his first debut, Ian Horng started on the mound allowing only one hit with six strikeouts. Isshin Satake came in the third inning as relief throwing gas and retiring the side to end the game early.
The bats were hot as the team racked up 14 hits. Highlights include Takeo Blakely hitting an in-the-park home run and both Ryan’s Kim and Lem going 3 for 3, with the latter hitting back-to-back triples. Next up in the schedule are the Korean Angels.
Minors Division:
Minors Sharks vs. HMT Blue Jays
“Gimme-five” was probably the best way to describe today’s game against a young Blue Jays team who’s got potential to be a threat in the future. The Sharks maxed 3 of 4 innings, to comfortably beat the Jays 16-8.
The Sharks offense continues to balance hitting and patience with 11 hits and 7 walks, and only 5 registered outs. Wicks Freeman, Connor Wang, Ethan Man and Taku Cheng all had two hits today, with the Sharks first home run coming from Taku in the top of the 4th.
Pitching and defense were solid with 6 strikeouts from various pitchers and fundamentals by the infield. The Sharks were never in danger and used the opportunity to try different players in different positions.
Solid win and a few things to work on for the last two games of 2021, great win Sharks!
Minors Typhoons vs Yakult Swallows
Pitching staffs that walk 18 batters in one game usually do not fare well and that is exactly the outcome that took place for the Minors Typhoons this week. Facing the always competitive Yakult Swallows, the Typhoons (5-2) took one on the chin this past week getting walked on – literally – by a score of 13-4.
The offense was swinging away for the second week in a row which was great to see, but the Swallows played some impeccable defense through the first three innings. The Typhoons defense was just as impressive especially George Rao making a catch on a screaming line drive at the hot corner along with a couple of running caught stealing at home. The game was close through those first three innings as the Typhoons were down by a score of only 3-0.
The fourth inning started the walk brigade as the Typhoons could not find the strike zone. The bottom half of that inning saw a hard hit double by Elijah Park that brought in two runs but forgetting to look up and not noticing the runner ahead of him had stopped, ended the rally.
Eugene Yan (2-2) and Simon Chen both struck out three batters while on the mound and Saul Friedman got his first hit of the season. Up next, the Typhoons take on their TTBC brethren the Sharks.
Minors Dragons vs Martins Blue
CP & T-Ball Division:
Sharks 10 – 8 Dragons
After a week off to practice, CP Division was back in action. The Dragons jumped on the Sharks early to take a 5-2 lead, but the defending champs fought back and eventually walked away victorious in another thriller. Blake Amber led the Sharks going 3 for 3 driving in 4 runs. He also made some amazing defensive plays as a pitcher’s helper to close out the game. His brother Bryce started the 4th inning rally with a solo homer, his 4th of the season. Samantha Man collected 3 hits and 2 RBIs. Franklin Karnitz was the star for the Dragons going 2 for 2 with a big triple and 3 RBIs. Liam McDermond also chipped in with 2 hits. This was the farewell game for Calvin Larson and Coach Nate of the Dragons. TTBC will miss you both and wish you all the best in New York.
Typhoons 6 – 13 Thunder
In the sub field, long balls by the Thunder proved to be too much for the Typhoons. Robbie Pliner hit his first homer, a grand slam, and went 3 for 3. Axl Gill continued his hot streak going 3 for 3 including a jack and 3 RBIs. Kelly Shaw and John Lo also contributed with 3 hits each. Defensively, Robbie was robbing hits again in the outfield. For the Typhoons, Emma Oon and Francesco Fossati lead the way offensively, while Blake Shapiro and Jake Plotkin were outstanding again in the field. After 4 games, the Thunder is atop in the standings with a 3-1 record and a run differential of 20.
For this week’s TBall Future All Star, we are featuring Paddy Keenen, #11, Bats/Throws R/R.
Paddy (league age 6) brings positive energy to the TBall division each week with his infectious smile and hustle plays. He is a bat first outfielder with plus speed, but has been improving his glove work and may try middle infield at the next level. One of the very few French speaking players in TTBC, Paddy is also known as a fierce tackler in rugby. He also enjoys surfing and skateboarding in his spare time and his daredevil style is feared by opponents on the baseball field as well.