by Jacob Infald
Miller retires the side in order to secure the win for Mayhem. Levine with a great play at shortstop to end the game
Mayhem 13 – Yankees 12. pic.twitter.com/XFzSAlwqKx— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 9, 2024
In the first game of the ECYBL 9u Summer Showdown American League at Plainedge Park, Mayhem-Berman demonstrated tremendous poise as they battled back from an early 7-0 deficit to defeat the Bayside Yankees American 13-12.
The game got off to a blazing start as the Yankees bats caught fire early. Levi Gross got the start for Mayhem, and while he was throwing strikes early, the Yankees hit him hard. After Daniel Seabrooks was able to leg out an infield single, Peter Gagliano hit a laser over the right fielder’s head. By the time the ball was thrown back in, both Seabrooks and Gagliano had crossed the plate to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.
The Yankees were able to manufacture two more runs that inning. Johan Figueras was hit by a pitch and advanced to second base on a fielder’s choice by Crosby Christ.The following hitter Sebastian Gonzalez hit a single to left and proceeded to steal second. Now, with two runners in scoring position, James Scigliano stepped to the plate. After Figueras scored on a passed ball, Scigliano was able to drive in Gonzalez with an RBI groundout to the pitcher. Gross was able to retire the following hitter to get out of the inning.
After a quick inning by Yankee starter Joseph Civitano, the Yankees added more runs in the second. After Gross was able to retire the leadoff hitter, James Roubanis and James Frangas both recorded hits for the Yankees. The following hitter, Declan Cruz was able to advance Roubanis and Frangas on a groundout to Gross.
Now, the top of the order was up again for the Yankees looking to do more damage. Seabrooks was able to clear the bases with a double to left center to make it a 6-0 game. Next, Gagliano was able to drive in Seabrooks with an RBI single to left. However, Gross was able to stay composed and was able to retire the following batter, Figueras, to help keep his team in the game.
In the bottom half of the frame, Mayhem began to fight back. They plated four runs with the help of some walks and sloppy play by the Yankees. Mayhem ran the bases well, capitalizing on the Yankees’ mistakes. However, the damage was halted by a sensational play by Figueras at third base to end the inning. With a runner on third and two outs, Figueras charged in on a slow roller, barehanded the ball, and threw a rocket to first to retire the batter, saving at least one run.
Mayhem continued its new found momentum in the third. James Catton came in to relieve Gross and threw a shutout inning. Catton was helped by his catcher, Zack Feinman who blocked a ball in the turf and threw out a runner attempting to steal second base to record the first out of the inning.
In the bottom half of the third, Danny Brannigan started the action with a double to left-center. He advanced to third on a groundout from Lucas Levine. The following batter, Cooper Ciplazido hit an RBI groundout to cut the deficit to only two runs. Civitano was able to escape the inning without allowing any more damage after a great play at shortstop by Gagliano and the Yankees led 7-5 halfway through.
Branigan continues his dominant afternoon. He drives in two runs to give Mayhem the lead with a single to left. pic.twitter.com/2TNlR02ypH
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 9, 2024
While the Yankees added on two runs in the top of the fourth, Mayhem stopped the bleeding keeping the game close. With the score now 8-5, Gagliano hit an RBI to right-center. This hit scored Frangos, however, a great relay from Mayhem led to Cruz being thrown out at the plate.
Mayhem opened up the flood-gates in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Gross, who started the game on the mound, hit a blast to right field, for a solo inside the park home run to make it a 9-6 game. Gross said that after falling behind in the count, he knew he had to focus and get a timely hit for his team.
“At first I thought don’t swing until I heard strike one but that didn’t work,” said Gross. “And then when I hit a foul I just knew I had to hit a bomb.”
Gross’s home run lit a fire under the Mayhem hitters. They rallied with a combination of hits and walks including a go-ahead two RBI single from Brannigan, his second hit of the game. This was followed by a three-run inside the park home run by Levine and now Maylem led 13-9.
Coach Russ Berman said his squad loves pressure and has both the talent and trust to be able to battle back during games.
“We got a very resilient team,” Berman said. “We got a lot of talent on this team…there’s a lot of trust amongst the teammates so we never give up at any point in the game and we battled back. We’ve done this before and will continue to do this again.”
The Yankees did not go away easy. A leadoff single and eventual run scored by Christ helped to spark a rally. Roubanis picked up another hit to drive in Gonzalez to make it 13-11. However, relief pitcher Dylan Miller, was able to work his way around trouble and help Mayhem hang on to a 13-12 lead.
After a huge scoreless fifth inning pitched by Cruz who had come on in relief, the Yankees hoped to have one more rally in them. However, Miller, who Coach Berman refers to as his ace, was able to hold his ground against some of the Yankees’ best hitters. He retired the side in order, picking up the save and Mayhem was victorious 13-12.
Coach Berman says that this win was a great way to start the long summer season. He hopes his team will be able to build off of today’s battle.
“We’re excited,” Berman said. “We’re going to continue to get better and better, we’re gonna work hard during practices and we’re going to take advantage of the opportunities we have when we are out on the field.”
