Lightning 11u Run Ends in the Finals

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With two games stopped and resumed the next day, the 11u baseball team didn’t miss a beat in dodging the raindrops this week, according to their coach. “These boys are resilient. So they can play around the rain, and they can play around the mud,” said Jeremy Tubbs. “They’ll turn it on when they have to.” And the Lightning proved their coach’s words true.

The boys returned to complete a 5-4 victory over the Hudson Valley Renegades on Thursday August 1 and moved into the GHVBL Finals on Sunday with a rain completed 2-0 win over White Plains.

That said, the foreboding skies weren’t the only thing that looked bad on Wednesday. The Lighting fell behind 3-0 when the rains came to end the third inning and the restart wasn’t much better.

Down 4-0 in the fourth, the boys needed an answer quick. Unfortunately, the first two batters went quietly, but then the noise started. Dean Scott walked, Matt Salerno singled and Hugo Samanich tripled both in.

The lead cut in half, Lewisboro wasn’t done hitting the trifecta. Mac Sullivan singled in Samanich, and Chase Vosler tripled in the tie.

Taking over on the mound, Maxim Wredberg maintained the status quo in the fifth and more clutch grabbed the lead. Thomas Colaco on second with two outs, Nate Tubbs did the honors and knocked in the go-ahead run. Three outs to go, Wredberg got the first two, and a ground out to first with the tying run at third completed the comeback.

A day later, the sunny skies turned sour, and it was the third inning again. This time White Plains was threatening as much as the clouds, and a first and third, one out situation would have to wait until Sunday.

The skies cleared by morning, Dean Scott was the same. He got a pop to short and a fly to center, and the scoreboard remained blank.

But the Lightning weren’t complaining when the fourth inning began by leaving a mark. Gavin Whalen was hit by a pitch, and after a stolen base and a fielder’s choice, the first run was out there for another clutch two out hit.

This time it was Wredberg, and he simply stayed centered. “I wanted to hit one up the middle,” said the third baseman, and since that’s where the pitch came, that’s where the hit went.

Now with a lead, Scott maintained order. A pop to the catcher, a grounder to short and a line drive back at him moved the game to the bottom of the fourth.

There, White Plains provided more help. Salerno reached on an error, and two stolen bases later, Samanich drove him in with a single.

Now 2-0, Scott got three ground balls. He deflected the first one to Sullivan at second for the out at first, and Samanich gobbled up two grounders to put his team three outs away.

Good defense, it was no accident, according to Tubbs. “Dean kept the hitters off balance. So they didn’t put the ball in play very hard, and that allowed his fielders to make the plays,” said the coach.

Still, a lead off infield hit did raise some doubt, but Samanich was up to the challenge. First, he elevated on a line drive at him, and then the moment of truth bore down on the shortstop. “I was so scared I was going to mess it up,” Samanich admitted.

He didn’t and Tubbs could only marvel. “The double play was beautiful,” he boasted.

A championship was not to be, though. The Lightning fell 7-1 in the finals and have no reason to be ashamed.