Game 3 Recap: Yankees @ White Sox

Walter Baker West

Congratulations to the White Sox and the Yankees for a fiercely contested game in which they battled right down to the wire.

The Yankees showed great improvement from our first two outings.  The players continue to execute the skills they have learned and their efforts are starting to pay off.  Their throws are becoming more accurate and balls that were previously dropped are being caught.

The bats came alive for the first inning.  Josh got the train rolling, followed by Ken who beat out a throw to first.  That set the stage for Daniel to knock in 2 runs and advance to second on an overthrow.  Lots of good base-running early as Daniel made sure to wait to advance on Isaac’s single and then score on Sam B’s hit.  Staked to a four run lead, Isaac took to the hill for his first start of the season.  The White Sox threatened early with back to back hits, but Isaac responded with two strikeouts and had some help from Kai and Daniel who forced a runner out at third, limiting the Sox to a single run.

Brandon led off the second, keeping a long at-bat alive with a foul tip on a full count before singling to lead off the inning.  Josh and Ken both reached safely, threatening to break the game open, but the Sox pitcher settled down, trading an out for Brandon’s run, then striking out two batters to quiet the Yankee bats.

The White Sox quickly loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning.  Daniel calmly took to the mound and rang up two straight Ks.  The Sox responded  with a couple of ground balls that snuck through the cracks of the defense.  The Yankees tried to run down a wayward baserunner, only to give up a third run in the process.  Daniel then rang up his third K of the inning.  The Yankees held a slight 5-4 advantage heading to the third.

In the top of the third, Ben cracked a one-out double into the outfield.  Sam S came up with a solid hit towards the outfield, but the strong White Sox defense tracked it down forcing Ben to remain at second.  That set the stage for Brandon to ring up his second hit of the inning driving Ben home with a run.  Josh moved Brandon to third base, but the Yankees couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.

Daniel continued to dominate the White Sox in the bottom of the third, snagging a pop up to the pitcher and adding a strike out, but the Sox kept chipping away with a flurry of hits to bring the game within one run.  With two outs, Brandon came in as a relief pitcher, forcing a ground out that he fired to Ken at first base.  Ken reached out to snag the throw and keep the Yankees in the lead.

The Yankees padded their lead in the top of the fourth as Kai doubled home Daniel and Sam B.  Ben followed up with his own RBI, before the White Sox closed out the half-inning with a ground ball out and a strike-out. 

Brandon and Josh started the bottom of the fourth with a ground ball out to first. Brandon continued to pitch well, but the Sox kept hustling, turning their ground balls into hits. After they pulled within two runs, an errant throw turned the tide, scoring two runs and putting the White Sox in position to win the game.

With the wining run at second base, Brandon threw a full count pitch right down the middle for strike three.  The final Sox batter smacked the ball into play moving the winning run to third base.  The throw to third was offline, but Isaac pounced on the ball as the runner turned for home.  Isaac fired the ball on a rope to Ben waiting at home to apply the tag for the third out, preserving a well fought tie between the two teams.

It was a great morning for baseball and all the kids put on a show for the parents who cheered them on. Great Game everyone.  The players’ full potential was on display this morning and I’m looking forward to next week.