The New York Nine is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization who rely on donations from people like you. If you would like to make a donation, either one time or recurring, please click here
If you would like to read the recap of the New York Nine Scout Team Winning the NABF World Series please click here
The New York Nine is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization who rely on donations from people like you. If you would like to make a donation, either one time or recurring, please click here
The opening game of the NABF Senior Division World Series at the beautiful Bob Cene Complex saw the Nine take on Means Transformers out of Saginaw, Michigan. In the top of the first the Nine got runners on first and second but couldn’t punch them in. The Nine sent Claudio Rodriguez to the mound in the opening game, but Means got out to an early lead on a three base error and a single. After another single got the runner to third, an RBI ground out gave Means an early 2-0 lead. In the Nine once again got guys on first and second via two walks, but couldn’t put a run on the scoreboard. After a quick bottom of the second for Rodriguez, the Nine opened the top of the third with a Griffin Arnone single, a Reynaldo Angeles walk and a sac bunt error to load the bases. Justin Peralta came through on a 2-2 count, clearing the bases on a gaper to right center. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Peralta scored on a Colm O’Shea ground out to put the Nine up 4-0. The Nine would add one more run in the inning on a John Garcia walk and a Colin Diez RBI single scoring Garcia. After another quick inning for Rodriguez in the bottom of the third, Angeles and Joey Vitiello walked to give Peralta another chance to drive runs in and he delivered. Peralta doubled again to right center driving in both runners and giving the Nine a 7-2 lead. The teams would trade zeros until the top of the sixth when Jesse Spellman used his speed to beat out an infield single before Albery Pichardo laced a pitch just past the center fielder and raced around the bases for an inside the park home run. The Means Transformers added a run in the bottom of the sixth on a double, a hbp, a passed ball and a sac fly. After a single put runners on the corners, Garcia threw the ball into left field allowing Means fourth run to score. The Nine would add a 10th run when JC Morillo singled home Garcia and Rodriguez would shut the door in the seventh giving the Nine the 10-4 win.
Later that night in the prime time game, the Nine would play the local Creekside Fitness. Creekside was anything but local as they finished runner-up twice in the past six years in the Senior Division and have won the Junior Division Championship twice in the past seven years. The Nine started the game loud and full of energy and started the top of the first with a Griffin Arnone walk followed by a Rey Angeles ground ball double to left sending Arnone to third. Albery Pichardo got the run in on a 1-0 ground out to put the Nine up 1-0. Starter Joe Wozny quickly dispatched Creekside in the bottom of the first on 11 pitches including a strikeout to end the inning. The top of the inning started with a fly ball double by JC Morillo followed by Cesar Devarez reaching on a fielders choice. During John Garcia’s walk, the Creekside starter balked Morillo home and Devarez to second. After a double steal by Devarez and Garcia, Phil Li hit an infield single to short, driving in Devarez and advanced Garcia to third, who scored on a throwing error by the SS. Rey Angeles followed that up with a ground ball single to left and Pichardo drove in Li on a ground ball single to left, knocking the starter out of the game. This didn’t slow the Nine down with Joey Vitiello singling home Angeles on a ground ball to left. The final run of the inning came on yet another ground ball single to left, this time by Morillo giving the Nine a 7-0 lead. Wozny once again made quick work of Creekside, inducing three groundouts, this time on 10 pitches. The Nine could muster nothing in the top of the third, going down in order. The bottom of the third saw Wozny dispatch Creekside on nine pitches, on two ground outs and a strikeout. In the top of the fourth, the Nine went down quickly in order. The bottom of the fourth saw Wozny lose command of the strike zone walking the first batter, hitting the second and walking the third to load the bases. Wozny got out ahead 1-2 before walking in a run to make it 7-1. Wozny recovered to strike out the next batter. On a 1-0 count, John Garcia tried to pick the runner off third but threw it into left field and all runners advanced. On the next pitch, Wozny threw a wild pitch scoring another run, which prompted a pitching change to Tyler D’Amico. D’Amico threw 2 balls to complete the walk, which put runners on the corners with 1 out and the score 7-3. D’Amico made quick work of the next 2 batters, striking both of them out. Both teams were losing energy and traded zeroes the rest of the game. Christian Urbina finished off the game after walking the ninth batter and giving up a flare single to left with a flyout, striking out the third hitter and getting the clean up batter to softly line out to first giving the Nine the second win of the day and tournament.
After the previous nights opening ceremonies, the Nine had an early 9 am game vs Team Ontario Astros. Incoming Hofstra RHP, Bryce Martino toed the slab for the Nine and breezed through the first 2 innings before running into trouble in the top of the third. Martino allowed a leadoff bunt single before a sac bunt put the runner at second. The next hitter hit a long triple to center scoring the games first run and immediately followed that up with a squeeze bunt single to third scoring the Astros second run. Martino quickly got out of the inning without any more damage done. The Nine opened up the bottom of the third with Phil Li reaching on an error by the SS. Griffin Arnone followed with a HBP. During Rey Angeles at bat, Li reached third and Arnone reached second on a throwing error by the pitcher trying to pick off Li. Angeles then reached on a fielders choice to shortstop, with Li scoring. Albery Pichardo drove in Arnone on a ground ball single to left and advanced to second on an error by the left fielder. Cesar Devarez followed it up with an RBI single to right field. After a Devarez steal, Wilmer Polanco doubled him home on a line drive to left to put the Nine up 5-2. The Nine did not stop there as Polanco tagged up on a pop up to first and scored on a wild pitch during Jesse Spellman’s at bat, who then proceeded to hit a fly ball double to left center. After another wild pitch advanced Spellman to third, Colin Diez hit an line drive RBI single to center. After Li flied into a forceout, Arnone singled to the SS and Angeles singled on a pop fly to first, scoring Li and Arnone on a throwing error by the 1B, which would be the final run of the inning, putting the Nine up 9-2. Martino only needed 9 pitches to get through the top of the fourth before the Nine bats got going again in the bottom of the inning. The inning started with 2 walks by Polanco and John Garcia before Spellman reached on an error by the right fielder to load the bases. Li then walked in a run before the Astros made a pitching change. On 1-1 count, Arnone smoked a line drive to right for an inside the park home run to put the Nine up 14-2. It wasn’t the end of the inning, however, with Pichardo walking and Eury Vazquez singling Pichardo to third. The Nine showed great patience with the score at 14-2 with Polanco, Garcia and Spellman all walking to make the score 16-2. Pinch hitter Joe Wozny finished the game with a fly ball double to left scoring two making the final score 18-2.
With the Stark County Terriers losing late the previous day, the New York Nine won the pool and rested some players for the quarter-finals. The first inning saw both teams trade zeros with Nine starter Ray Winter throwing only 12 pitches. The second inning saw the Terriers lead off with a single and a double and on a missed catch error by catcher Cesar Devarez, the Terriers took the lead 1-0. The next batter promptly singled in another a run on a ground ball to center. After a bases loaded walk to make the score 3-0, Winter got a foul pop up to first to end the inning. The bottom of the second saw the Nine go down quickly. In the top of the third, the Terriers had a 1 out triple and a sac fly to put them up 4-0 before Winter got the strikeout to end the inning. The Nine went down quietly in the bottom of the third and the fourth saw the Terriers put the game out of reach with a single, walk, single, single, single, error, walk, walk and the score was 9-0 after the half inning. The Terriers would tack on six more runs to make the final score 14-0. For the first time at Bob Cene Complex, a player played all nine positions in the same game when Cesar Devarez accomplished the feat when he went to the mound on the top of the sixth inning.
With the top seed in the pool, the Quarter-Finals saw the Nine play against Diamond Hit Club, who the Nine barely escaped last year by the score of 4-3. The Nine sent Colm O’Shea to the mound to face the Hit Club and he got through the top of the first cleanly. In the bottom of the first, on a 2-1 count, Griffin Arnone hit a leadoff triple on a line drive to right field. Reynaldo Angeles would follow with a sac fly to left scoring the games first run. The top of the second fell apart for the Nine. It started with a four pitch walk and a strikeout. Then followed up with a seeing eye single to left field and a slow roller single to SS to load the bases. O’Shea then get a strikeout for the second out, but hit the next batter to score a run and tie the game. O’Shea looked to be out of the inning on the next batter, but on the ground ball to Phil Li, who muffed it and another run scored. Hit Club capitalized on this error with a two run ground ball single to center to make the score 4-1 before a ground out to third ended the inning. The Nine would get 2 on from a John Garcia HBP and a Phil Li catcher’s interference before the bottom of the second fizzled out. O’Shea rebounded in the third to throw a 1, 2, 3 inning with two strikeouts. The bottom of the third saw the Nine once again get two runners on from an Angeles HBP and a JC Morillo single before failing to cash in. The fourth saw both teams trade zeroes. The top of the fifth started with a walk and then the Nine brought in lefty Colin Diez to get through the inning, which he did with a caught stealing, strikeout and flyout. The bottom of the fifth saw Albery Pichardo start it off with a one out ground ball single to third base and advanced to third on a pickoff throwing error by the pitcher. Morillo was hit by a 3-1 pitch to put runners on the corners. On a 1-0 pitch to Wilmer Polanco, Morillo stole second and Polanco loaded the bases on a walk for pinch hitter Cesar Devarez. On a 1-2 count, Morillo drew a pickoff throw which went into centerfield, scoring Pichardo and advancing everyone a base to make the score 4-2. Devarez then hit a hustle infield single placed perfectly to the pitchers right to make the score 4-3. Pinch runner Alejandro Soler stole second base on a 1-0 count followed by a John Garcia RBI single to third to tie the game. On an 0-2 count to Jesse Spellman, the Hit Club pitcher tried to pick off Garcia, but threw the ball into CF allowing Soler to score the go ahead run. On the next pitch, Spellman drove a long double to right center field putting the Nine ahead 6-4, but was thrown out trying to advance to third. Phil Li started it up again with a ground ball single to right and Arnone followed it up with a fly ball single to right, which scored Li on a fielding error by the right fielder to make it 7-4 and end the scoring for the Nine. The first pitch of the top of the sixth was a long triple to left. After a Diez strikeout, Hit Club was able to drive him home with a sac fly to left, but Diez closed out the inning with a strikeout. After a quiet bottom six for the Nine, the Hit Club lead off the top of the seventh with a double but Diez got a quick pop up before getting the next two batters to strike out looking to end the game and advance to the semi-finals to face the hometown, pre-tournament favorites, Astro Falcons.
The Astro Falcons sent Youngstown State commit Bryce Warwick to the mound against the Nine, while the Nine countered with Ulster commit Robert Bradley. The Nine started off fast with an Griffin Arnone walk, a line drive single to right by Angeles and a bunt single to third by Albery Pichardo to load the bases for JC Morillo. On a 2-1 count, Morillo hit a ground ball single to left scoring the game’s first run. On a Peralta strikeout, everyone advanced one base on a wild pitch, scoring a run to put the Nine up 2-0. Bradley made quick work of the Falcons in the bottom of the first with two strikeouts. In the top of the second the Nine were able to take advantage of a couple of miscues from the Falcons. It started with John Garcia reaching on an error by the shortstop and followed by a Joey Vitiello walk to put runners on first and second. Phil Li sac bunted, but the 2B missed first base and Li was safe to load the bases for Griffin Arnone. Arnone showed his patience and walked on four pitches and giving the Nine a 3-0 lead. After a force out at home plate by Angeles, Pichardo singled on the ground to left field scoring Li and Arnone and giving the Nine a five run lead. The bottom of the second saw the Falcons get a leadoff single to center, but Bradley quickly shut the door including two swinging strikeouts. In the top of the third, the Nine went down in order. The bottom of the frame saw the Falcons get a one out walk and moved along to second on a ground out before a fly ball single to right drove him in for the Astros sole run of the inning. The Nine immediately responded with a 1 out single to the shortstop by Phil Li and a walk by Arnone. Rey Angeles then hit a line drive single to center scoring Li and putting the Nine up 6-1. The teams traded zeros the rest of the game with no threats to score by either team and Bradley finishing up the game on a lazy fly ball to right field sending the Nine to the Championship game to meet Creekside Fitness. Bradley finished with six strikeouts and one walk in his complete game.
With the Championship game being New York Nine vs Creekside Fitness, three of the final four teams were from the same pool, with Means Transformers being the other team. The game started off with Griffin Arnone reaching on an error by the 2b and Rey Angeles singling on a line drive to left field with Arnone thrown out trying to advance to third. Albery Pichardo followed with a ground ball single to left and JC Morillo loaded the bases with a fly ball single to right. This brought up Justin Peralta, who drove a 2-2 pitch over the right fielder’s head for a bases clearing triple. On a Wilmer Polanco walk, Peralta scored on a wild pitch, giving the Nine a 4-0 lead before Tyler D’Amico had to throw a pitch. In the bottom of the first, Creekside got a player to third on a HBP and a throwing error by John Garcia, but D’Amico got the fourth hitter to ground out, ending the threat. The teams traded zeroes in the second with D’Amico striking out the side on 12 pitches. The Nine went quickly in the third but Creekside mounted a rally in their half of the third. With one out, Creekside singled on a fly ball to center and the leadoff hitter reached on a fielders choice to first. Their All Tournament two hitter hit a fly ball single to right to load the bases with one out. D’Amico got a first pitch line out to third and on a 2-1 count got the clean up hitter to ground into a force out to end the threat. In the fifth inning the Nine mounted a threat on a one out Arnone line drive single to right, Angeles line drive single to left and Pichardo walk to load the bases for Morillo, who struck out swinging and Peralta grounded out to end the threat. The sixth inning saw the top of the Creekside lineup come up again and their two hitter led off with a line drive single to center, followed by a line drive single to right. But that’s all Creekside could muster in the inning as D’Amico got the next three batters with a strikeout, flyout and a strikeout. The Nine tacked an insurance run on when Arnone singled on a ground ball to the shortstop and pinch hitter Colm O’Shea drove a double to right center to score Arnone giving the Nine a 5-0 lead and 3 outs away from the National Championship. D’Amico got a first pitch foul pop up to Garcia and a second pitch pop up to Joey Vitiello leaving the Nine one out away from their first NABF World Series Championship. And on a 2-2 count, D’Amico got the swing and miss and the Nine won the NABF National Championship. The 5-0 score was the first shutout in a Senior Division Championship Game since 2008 and only the third since 1981. Tyler D’Amico won MVP with 9.2 innings, 15 strikeouts, 1 walk, 5 hits and no runs allowed.
Tournament Notes:
–Reynaldo Angeles Jr. led the team in batting average with .471 and tied for the team lead in hits with 8
–Griffin Arnone led the team in on base percentage with .542, slugging percentage with .667 and runs scored with 9. He tied for the team lead in walks with 5
–Albery Pichardo tied for the team lead in hits with 8
–John Garcia tied for the team lead in walks with 5 and saw 5.4 pitches per plate apperance
–Justin Peralta led the team in RBI with 8
–Cesar Devarez led the team in stolen bases with 3 and played all nine position in one game
-The team scored 53 runs total, averaging 7.57 per game and hit .291/.406/.401 for the tournament
–Tyler D’Amico led the team in IP (9.2) and K (15)
-Outside of the 14-0 loss, Nine pitching and defense gave up 2.14 runs per game
-The Nine threw 4 complete games including the mercy shortened game
The New York Nine is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization who rely on donations from people like you. If you would like to make a donation, either one time or recurring, please click here
The New York Nine opened the tournament season at the Blue Chip Prospects Great American Classic. Facing The Cage Warriors at Trunzo Field at the Brentwood State Park Athletic Complex, The Nine started Bayside rising Senior Ray Winter. Winter threw two strong innings, striking out four while not allowing a run. The Nine started the scoring in the first inning by loading the bases before a Jean Carlos Morillo RBI groundout and an Albery Pichardo RBI single to give them a 2-0 lead. The bottom of the 2nd saw the Nine strike again after booming doubles to left center by John Garcia and Rey Angeles, Jr. Christian Urbina threw two innings of scoreless relief. Claudio Rodriguez picked up the win by throwing the final three frames, striking out four and walking none while the Nine tacked on the final 3 runs to win 9-0.
Game Two saw the Nine face the Long Island Hawks at the same Trunzo Field. The Nine offense came out hot in the top of the first with ten straight batters reaching base while putting up a twelve-spot in the inning. The highlight being a long 2 RBI double by Reynaldo Angeles, Jr. with Cesar Devarez chipping in two singles in the inning. The 3rd inning saw the Nine tack on three more runs on a Christian Urbina single, a long Steven Santos double to center and a Jesse Spellman RBI single to right. After John Garcia reached on an error, Justin Peralta hit a fly ball single to right scoring Spellman. Joe Wozny picked up the win, firing a run rule shortened complete game, while only allowing a single hit.
The Nine went into day two needing a win to advance to the playoffs and only allow one run or fewer to claim the top seed that came with a bye into the Championship Game. Standing in the way was the New York X and Walton HS RHP Fraini Tejada. The Nine went to Albert Cuello on the mound and he came out firing, striking out the first two batters he faced. After an error and two walks to load the bases, Cuello got a weak ground out to end the inning without a run scoring. The 2nd inning for Cuello saw the defense both desert him and help him. The first batter of the inning walked and the 2nd batter reached on an error. After a HBP to load the bases, Cuello got the strikeout he needed for the first out and got the X leadoff hitter to hit a lazy fly ball to right field and the runner on 3rd faked the tag and the runner on 2nd tagged to go to 3rd. Jean Carlos Morillo threw the ball home to Teo Estevez, who quickly threw the ball to 2nd where the runner was going back to 2nd and Rey Angeles Jr. cut the ball off to throw home to gun the runner trying to score to complete the double play and get the Nine out of another jam.
The top of the 3rd opened with Albery Pichardo legging out an infield single and stealing 2nd on the first pitch. Teo Estevez then came through with a fly ball single to left scoring Pichardo and giving the Nine a 1-0 lead. The bottom of the inning saw the X once again load the bases with one out. This time, the X got a run home on a sac fly and the game was tied at one. Both teams traded zeros in the 4th inning. The 5th inning started with Wilmer Polanco hitting a hard ground ball down the left field line for a double and using his speed to force the issue, advanced to 3rd on a throwing error by the left fielder. Joey Vitiello immediately singled to right on a fly ball, driving in the 2nd run for the Nine. Colin Diez, who came on to start the 4th, baffled the X in his 3 innings of work, only allowing 2 hits as the game ended quietly on a fly out to Pichardo giving the game and the #1 seed in the tournament to the Nine.
The Championship game saw the #1 seeded New York Nine vs the #2 seeded Team Connecticut Blue Jays in what promised to be an excellent game. The Nine started Robert Bradley on the bump and he opened the game quickly with 2 strikeouts and fly ball to left. In the bottom of the 2nd, Jesse Spellman started off the inning with a walk and Justin Peralta smoked a single up the middle. After a strikeout, Teo Estevez worked the count to 3-1 before slicing a double down the line to right scoring Spellman. Bradley made quick work of the Blue Jays in the 3rd with 2 punchouts in the inning. In the bottom of the 3rd, Griffin Arnone singled, Cesar Devarez walked and Spellman walked to load the bases for Justin Peralta. Peralta battled for 8 pitches before smoking a line drive through the 3rd baseman into left field for a 2 RBI single to give the Nine a 3-0 lead they would not relinquish. Bradley would stifle the Blue Jays until the 5th inning when he lost control of the strike zone for a few batters and walked 3 to load the bases with 2 outs. With the bases loaded and the Championship on the line, Bradley bore down and got a critical strikeout on 3 pitches to end the Blue Jays rally. In the 6th, Colm O’Shea relieved Bradley and quickly got 2 ground outs and a strikeout to push the Nine on to the 7th. O’Shea dispatched the Blue Jays in order including a strikeout to end the game and give the Championship to the Nine. Catcher Teo Estevez hit .500/.500/.650 (batting average/on base %/slugging %) with 3 RBI and played excellent defense to earn Blue Chips Tournament MVP.
Tournament Notes:
–Albery Pichardo led the team in the triple slash categories (batting average, on base % and slugging %) with a .667 batting average, .714 OBP and a 1.000 slugging %
–Reynaldo Angeles, Jr. led the team in hits with 5 and doubles with 3 and RBI with 5
–Cesar Devarez led the team in walks with 4 and Devarez and Jesse Spellman tied for the team lead with 4 runs scored
–Joey Vitiello led the team with 3 stolen bases
–John Garcia led the team and saw 5.14 pitches per plate appearance
–Robert Bradley led the team with 8 strikeouts
-The pitching staff had a .29 ERA and struck out 26 in 24 innings
For the first time since 2008 in Jackson, Mississippi the New York Nine Scout Team appeared at the NABF Senior Division World Series. This year’s sixteen team event was held in Struthers, Ohio at the beautiful Bob Cene Park. The 2008 club made a run all the way to the Semi-Final game, losing a heartbreaking 1-0 decision on a throwing error. The 2018 iteration that hoped to claim the first national title for the Nine boasts solid pitching and defense and a very capable but boom or bust offense.
The first game of the tournament saw the Nine play College Connect, out of Michigan. The Nine struggled to get going offensively as their offense was completely stifled by a legitimate knuckleballer with a mid 80s fastball and pinpoint control. With the aid of some defensive miscues, Connect posted a six run second inning and cruised to a 7-0 victory.
The 2nd game of the day saw the Nine playing the Ohio Longhorns. The Longhorns opened the scoring in the 2nd inning by plating 4 runs. In the bottom of the 3rd, the Nine scored 2 runs on a Jean Carlos Morillo walk, a Freddy Rojas, Jr. RBI double and a Chris Mondesi, Jr. RBI double. Joe Wozny, who came in in the 3rd inning, shut down Ohio giving the Nine the chance to come back and win the game. With two outs in the bottom of the 6th inning, Jesse Spellman and Joe Caba singled pushing pinch runner Tommy Tavarez to 3rd. JP Compres delivered the 2 out RBI single to cut the Ohio lead to 4-3. Wozny continued his dominant pitching and threw a clean top of the 7th with 2 strikeouts to give the Nine a shot to win. Pinch hitter John Garcia opened the inning by singling up the middle then Freddy Rojas, Jr. roped a single to center putting runners on first and second with no outs setting the stage for Chris Mondesi, Jr. Mondesi hit a line drive to the opposite field that got past the right fielder scoring Garcia with Rojas, Jr. racing home behind him to give the Nine their first win of the tournament.
The next day saw the Nine play the West New York Tigers under the lights in prime time. The Nine manufactured the first run with a Jeissy De La Cruz walk, stolen base and scoring on a wild pitch. In the 2nd, the Nine again took advantage of a defensive miscue when Joe Caba scored on an error. West New York got to Bryce Martino in the 4th inning when a few ground balls got through the infield after a Nine error. With 2 runs in and men on 1st and 3rd, JP Compres came in and threw three straight fastballs, each at or near 90 mph, to shut the door on the rally. The Nine came out in the bottom of the 4th and started to put the game away. Showing plate discipline, Nine hitters walked three times in the inning and Wilmer Polanco hit a 2 RBI double. The bottom of the 5th saw more of the same from the Nine. Nazir Mendez singled, Teo Estevez was hit by a pitch and Joe Caba singled to load the bases. Phil Li walked in a run and Estevez and Caba scored on wild pitches to make the score 8-2. The game ended when catcher, John Garcia threw an absolute seed to 2nd base to pick off a runner. The Nine struck out 10 Tigers, including 6 from Martino and 3 from Alejandro Soler.
The final day of pool play saw the Nine controlling their playoff seeding. With a win vs Diamond Hit Club, the Scout team would advance. In a game being broadcast live, The Nine opened scoring in the bottom of the first with De La Cruz hit by a pitch Martin Jimenez doubling him home on a long fly ball to center field. In the 3rd inning, De La Cruz hit a triple on a fly ball to right field and scored on an error by the SS. Jimenez also singled in the inning. In the 3rd inning, Freddy Rojas, Jr. singled home JP Compres, who singled earlier, on a fly ball to left field. In the 4th inning, the Nine once again plated a run when Jimenez singled to lead off the inning, followed by a Spellman walk and a Morillo RBI single. In the top of the 6th the Hit Club opened with a single and a FC error. Starter Jon Allcock was stellar through five plus strong innings. After a CS, a ground out, an RBI ground ball single to right and a walk, JP Compres came in to pitch with the score 4-1. Compres allowed a ground ball single to center and a walk to make it 4-3. With the bases loaded and the count 3-2 count, Compres induced a fly out to end the inning. Compres came back out for the 7th, striking out 2 and not allowing a baserunner, advancing the Nine to the playoffs.
The Quarter-Finals of the NABF World Series saw the Nine face off against Troy Post 43 Legends, from Ohio. In another live broadcast, The Nine started off the scoring in the bottom of the 1st. Freddy Rojas, Jr. singled to center field, followed by a Chris Mondesi, Jr. RBI double to left. Martin Jimenez immediately hit a line drive single to left to bring in Mondesi, Jr. Wilmer Polanco led off the 2nd with a triple to center, followed by a Jeissy De La Cruz RBI line drive single to center. De La Cruz stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch during Rojas, Jr. at bat, who then walked. Mondesi, Jr. followed with a walk during which Rojas, Jr. stole 2nd and De La Cruz scored on a wild pitch. Jimenez made it 5-0 with an RBI single to left that scored Rojas, Jr. After a sac bunt, Mondesi, Jr. scored on a passed ball and John Garcia drove in Jimenez with a ground ball single to left. In the top of the 3rd, Troy scored on a wild pitch with 2 outs. The Nine capped off their scoring in the bottom of the 4th after Jimenez opened the inning with a walk, followed by a Spellman walk, a Morillo fly ball RBI double to right and a Garcia 2 RBI ground ball single to left making the score 10-1. DJ Flug was outstanding pitching into the sixth, allowing no earned runs. Troy managed to close it to 10-6, but it was too little, too late as Kristian Castro got the final outs to move the Nine along to the Semi-Finals on Sunday.
The Semi-Final game pitted the Nine against the first team they played in the tournament, College Connect. Both teams matched zeroes through the first five frames. Joe Wozny was brilliant, firing 5 innings with 2 hits, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Unfortunately for the Nine, Wozny tired in the 6th and after a quick fly out, Wozny allowed a walk and HBP and gave up an RBI double and after an intentional walk to their Texas Tech bound switch hitting catcher. A 2 RBI ground ball single put Connect up 3-0. In the 7th, the Nine got runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs but failed to push across a run. With the loss the Nine once again finished in the National Semifinals.
NABF National Senior Division President Derek Topik stated, “There were some really competitive teams at the NABF Senior World Series this year in Struthers, Ohio. One in particular, the New York Nine, showed a lot of enthusiasm and talent this past week. The Nine played hard all week and showed why they were deserving of a spot at the World Series. I really enjoyed watching them play at a high level all week.”
NABF World Series Notes:
Martin Jimenez was named to All-Tournament Team and hit .433/.500/.500 with 2 RBI and 3 runs
Jesse Spellman got on base in all 6 games and had a .529 OBP with 5 walks, leading the team in both
Jeissy De La Cruz had a .478 OBP with 4 runs scored and 4 HBP
Joe Wozny threw 10.1 IP with 8 K and .968 WHIP
Alejandro Soler threw 5 innings with a 0.00 ERA
DJ Flug threw 5 innings with 6 Ks and a 0.00 ERA
Kristian Castro threw 5 innings with a 0.00 ERA
Bryce Martino threw 3.2 with 6 Ks
Media:
The 2017 summer season saw the New York Nine Scout Team experience great success on and off the baseball diamond. On the field, the Nine defeated a who’s who list of area “powerhouse” programs en route to a 33 victory season with an outstanding .750 winning percentage (33-9-3 overall record).
The 2017 Nine Scout Team was a very special team. The passion the team played with, respect for the game and care that they had for each other and the coaches was incredible. All summer, opposing coaches and players, parents, tournament staff, scouts, college recruiters and spectators all commented on how the club carried themselves, cared about each other, played with passion, and was just more talented and athletic than almost everyone else. One ACC coach mentioned this was the closest thing to a GCL (Gulf Coast League) team he had seen in some time.
The team claimed three major tournament titles, winning the Blue Chips East Coast Championships, the Mid-Atlantic Showdown at Baseball Heaven and the Baseball Heaven Independence Championship. In their final three tournaments, the team amassed an incredible 17-0 record. Upon claiming the East Coast Challenge Championship they defeated the Body Armor Titans, for the Independence Championship they trumped the Bayside Yankees and in non-tournament action beat teams such as Next Level, Youth Service and NABF World Series participant SAYO Grays.
The most memorable moment of the summer belonged to a rising senior. During the Blue Chips East Coast Championships, the Nine were down to their final out trailing by two runs. Pinch hitter Jesse Spellman stepped to the plate and hit an improbable two out, two run home run that caromed off the left fielder’s glove trying to rob him, as he jumped over the fence. The home run tied the game, ultimately allowing the Nine to win in the ninth inning and advance to the semi-finals.
After the game, Scout Team manager Ian Millman stated, “I am both proud to have been a part of this special group and honored to be their coach. #TeamPanda will live forever. Vamos Panda!”
As a unit, the offense hit a robust .315/.423/.454 (batting average, on base percentage and slugging), good for an incredible 6.1 runs per game. In 1384 plate appearances, the Nine had 358 hits with 105 going for extra bases (74 doubles, 9 triples and 22 home runs). There were 197 offensive walks and 294 strikeouts in the 45 games.
Carlos De La Cruz led the team in batting average (.444), 2nd in OBP (.496) and 1st in slugging (.789). He also led the team in home runs (7), doubles (11) and RBI (49). He tied for the team lead in hits (48), finished 2nd on the team in runs (32) and tied for 2nd in stolen bases (10).
Danny Perez finished 2nd in batting average (.379), 1st in OBP (.511) and 3rd in slugging (.544). He also finished 1st in walks (26), 3rd in hits (39), 3rd in doubles (9) and 2nd in RBI (29).
Danny Alfonzo finished 3rd in OBP (.484), 2nd in slugging (.581), 2nd in home runs (4), 2nd in doubles (10) and 3rd in RBI (23). He also finished 3rd in runs with 31 and led the team and set a New York Nine record with 12 HBP.
Angel Presinal finished 3rd in batting average (.372), tied for first in hits (48) and led the team in stolen bases (14) and runs (34).
Nick Vella finished tied for 3rd in home runs (3, with Francisco Soriano), finished 2nd in walks (23) and tied for 3rd in stolen bases (10).
Elvis Torres and Oliver Fernandez tied for 3rd in walks (16).
On the bump, Nine hurlers threw 284 innings, struck out 324 and had a 2.44 team ERA. In those 284 innings, the Nine only allowed 206 hits. The Nine struck out 25.7% of batters faced, generated an impressive 11.9% swing and miss rate and had a 49.6% ground ball rate.
Chris Pichardo led the team in wins (8), set the organization’s record and tallied 14 victories in his previous two seasons.
Dimitri Papazoglou struck out 41 (good for 2nd) in 27.2 innings. Dimitri struck out 35.3% of batters faced and generated swings and misses on 18.7% of pitches. He controlled his contact, allowing only 3.29 hits per 7 while generating a 53.8% ground ball rate.
Austin Cole led the team in strikeouts (43) and only allowed 3.78 hits per 7.
Anthony Costa led the club with a 1.82 ERA to go along with 4 wins and 33 strikeouts (finishing 3rd)
Mark Novello struck out 30 in 23.2 IP
Mike Garcia struck out 17 in 11 IP and had a 1.27 ERA
DJ Flug struck out 21 in 20 innings with an excellent 64.2% ground ball rate to go along with 4 wins
Brayan Garcia struck out 26 in 17.1 IP while only walking 4 with a 1.62 ERA. He also had a 55.8% ground ball rate.
Bryant Gomez struck out 19 and had an ERA of .84 in 16.2 innings
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The New York Nine Scout Team ended the 2017 summer season in grand fashion winning the Blue Chips East Coast Championship at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, Long Island. In their final three Baseball Heaven tournaments, the Scout team went on an incredible 17 game winning streak, finishing those tournaments at 6-0,6-0 and 5-0 respectively.
The tournament opener saw the Nine face the Long Island Titans (who finished the tournament 3-1), beating them by a 6-2 score. In the first inning, Danny Alfonzo was hit by a pitch for the 11th time this summer, which is a new Nine record (the previous record held by Ricardo Espinosa, stood since 2006). With two on, Carlos De La Cruz took an 0-1 fastball and drove it out of the park. The very next batter, Oliver Fernandez, went back to back, hitting his first home run of the summer. With the score cut to 4-2, in the 6th inning, Danny Perez hit the longest home run of the summer, which scouts in attendance said would have landed in the upper deck of Yankee Stadium. The very next batter, one Carlos De La Cruz hit his second home run of the game putting the Nine comfortably ahead 6-2, where the game finished. Austin Cole fanned four in his final start for the Nine, while Matt Demartini pitched a perfect 2 2/3, striking out four in the win.
In game two of pool play, the Nine faced a tough New York Grays team and their hard throwing righthander John Rodriguez. Daniel Alfonzo opened the scoring in the top of the first inning hitting a missile into the left centerfield trees plating Freddy Rojas for a quick 2-0 lead. The Grays quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first on a two out, two run single and took the lead in the second, 3-2. After an Alfonzo leadoff double and a Danny Perez walk, Carlos De La Cruz singled to center plating Alfonzo. Perez scored when JP Compres reached on an error. In the fourth inning, Shawn Harrison led off with a walk and forced at second on a Preston Milano groundout. Angel Presinal singled to push Milano to 2rd and Alfonzo singled on a fly ball to right to score Milano. Perez then hit a long double to center field to score Presinal and Alfonzo, giving the Nine three runs in the frame. The Grays cut the lead to 7-4 in the fourth and the Nine completed their scoring on a Jesse Spellman single, Harrison walk, Presinal RBI single, Rojas walk and an Alfonzo RBI groundout. Anthony “Ace” Costa was superb considering the lack of strike zone, tossing a CG and striking out 6.
Having already clinched their pool, the Nine played an early Sunday morning contest against the CGI Braves out of Long Island. DJ Flug got the start striking out four, allowing two hits and no runs. Eury DeJesus fanned two in his inning of work, and Mario Medina worked a perfect inning striking out a batter. The Nine once again jumped on the board early as Carlos De La Cruz, who you may have heard of by now, hit another three-run homer. In the second, Shawn Harrison, Elvis Torres, Nick Hernandez and Angel Presinal all walked to start the inning. Freddy Rojas scored Elvis Torres on an RBI and Danny Alfonzo‘s sac fly scored Hernandez. Carlos De La Cruz reached on an error, scoring Presinal, leaking the Nine out to a quick 7-0 lead. The bottom of the third saw more of the same as a Nick Hernandez walk plated Jesse Spellman and a Presinal ground ball single to center scored two. Danny Alfonzo added an RBI on yet another HBP. With this win the Nine moved into the quarter finals as the 4th seed.
On a drizzly, rainy day, the first game of the playoffs saw the Nine take on the fifth seeded Freedom Baseball out of Long Island. Starter Wellington Belen was solid, fanning five in five plus innings while giving up three hits. In the top of the sixth, after a walk and double chased Belen, Freddy Rojas got consecutive ground outs to Shawn Harrison, who did not convert either out at the plate and Freedom ended their inning up by two. Mike Garcia held the game where it was with a perfect seventh setting the stage for one of the greatest moments in Nine history. With one out Carlos De La Cruz singled on a line drive to left, followed by a Rojas flyout to left. With an 0-1 count, pinch hitter Jesse Spellman did this:
What is unclear in the video is the leaping attempt by the left fielder to rob him of a home run. This is similar to the final play of the 2016 season where Oakland Athletic draftee, Nate Webb put a bases loaded fastball over the centerfield wall in Charleston, South Carolina only to have it brought back. Fortunes would be different this time as Spellman’s shot caromed off of the glove of the left fielder falling over the fence for a home run, tying the game at 2. With score still knotted at two in the 9th inning, the bases were loaded with one out. Reliever Brayan Garcia punched out two consecutive hitters with fastballs in low 90s to get out of the inning. In the bottom of the inning, with the bases loaded, Angel Presinal hit a fly ball over the left fielders head scoring pinch runner, Braulio Melo to push the Nine into the semifinals vs. the Body Armor Titans, the tournament’s number one seed who had not allowed a run all tournament.
That streak ended quickly as Francisco Soriano lasered a 3-1 fastball into the parking lot in right center giving the Nine a quick 1-0 lead. The Nine scored another run in the top of the second when Oliver Fernandez singled to right center, and when trying to throw out Jeremy Bueno, the center fielder threw the ball into the dugout, giving each player 2 bases. Starter Chris Pichardo battled the rain all game, allowing a run in the bottom of the second and another In the bottom of the third, when he escaped further danger by getting a shallow fly out to center, leaving the bases loaded. After a brief delay due to driving rain, the Nine came out swinging with a Danny Perez fly ball single followed by Elvis Torres running for Perez. Freddy Rojas lined a single to right and Jeremy Bueno‘s single to center plated Torres. Rojas scored on a Fernandez force out and Braulio Melo scored on a Shawn Harrison single, which was followed by a Leury Tejada single scoring Harrison. The Nine plated four runs in the frame giving them a 6-2 lead. In the bottom of the 5th, Body Armor cut the lead to 6-3 on a deep double to left. Chris Pichardo was incredible the rest of the way, with the hard fought complete game victory. The win was Pichardo’s 8th, a New York Nine record, and 14th victory in the past two seasons. This was also the Body Armor Titans second loss all summer. As the rains fell again the tournament was halted, and co-champions were declared. The Nine were the only five win club in the tournament and beat the number one seeded playoff club in the process. It was a fitting ending to a fantastic summer. The final record for the Scout team was an outstanding 33-9-3.
Tournament notes:
Angel Presinal led the team in batting average and OBP and had a line of .500/.588/.571
Carlos De La Cruz slugged 1.000 for the tournament with a team leading 3 home runs and 8 RBI
Shawn Harrison led the team in walks with 6 and had a .538 OBP
Danny Alfonzo set the Nine record for HBP in a season and got hit with 2 pitches this tournament. He hit .417/.500/.833 with a team leading 5 runs scored.
Oliver Fernandez slugged .889
Danny Perez hit .333/.500/.667 including the longest home run of the season, and his 3rd on the season
Anthony Costa led the team in strikeouts with 6 and had a 63.2% ground ball rate
Brayan Garcia struck out 75% of batters faced
Matt Demartini struck out 50% of batters faced
DJ Flug had a groundball rate of 71.4%
The Nine averaged 7 runs per game and hit .306/.437/.545 as a team
The Nine allowed an average of 2.2 runs per game and struck out 32 in 32.2 innings.
