The Season-long Story of # 21 for Redstone Construction

A chinese lion statue

This site will chronicle the exploits of Boomer's first season in the 304 League for 9- and 10-year-olds.  Having never played in an organized baseball league before, he's excited for the new experience.  This site will be updated after each game, so check back often.

The 304 League has 19 teams from 6 different communities in southern Trumbull County, Ohio – Girard, Hubbard, Liberty Twp., McDonald, Niles and Vienna.  Boomer plays for Redstone Construction, which is team # 1 from Liberty (the number is just a way to identify teams from the various towns, not an indication of preseason league power rankings).

League Championship Game:  vs. House Doctors of Hubbard (Hubbard # 3)

June 29, 2009, Girard Legion Field

The game started well for the boys from Liberty, with a run in the top of the first on a single by Connor and a triple by Kevin.  The House Doctors battled back to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, with a couple of hits and a couple of bad throws by the defense.  They stretched the lead to 3-1 with another run in the second, as Redstone seemed a little tight in the field.  Redstone got a run in the fourth on a single by Boomer, then the Hubbard boys scored again, so it was 4-2 going to the top of the sixth.  Redstone scored a run on a sharp hit up the middle by Vincent, but it wasn't enough, as the House Doctors of Hubbard were crowned league champs, 4-3.  Boomer was 1 for 3 with an RBI single to right.

All the coaches remarked on how much Boomer improved as the season went on, especially his hitting, but also his fielding and baserunning.  It was a bittersweet end to the season, but it was a good year for ol' number 21.  We're all very proud of Boomer and the entire team.

Semi-Final Playoff Game:  vs. House Doctors of Girard (Girard # 3)

June 27, 2009, Girard Legion Field

As the home team, Redstone gave up a run in the first inning, but bounced right back with two runs in the bottom of the first, and scored one more run in the third inning.  Great pitching and defense took over from there, and despite some of the worst umpiring of the season, Redstone held on for a 3-1 victory and a berth in the Championship Game.  Boomer was 0 for 1 with a walk.

Playoff Game # 2:  vs. Tucciarones Accounting (Hubbard # 2)

June 26, 2009, Girard Legion Field

Redstone scored twice in the first inning, but the number one team from the regular season bounced back with 4 runs in the bottom of the first.  Then Redstone capitalized on a bunch of walks and hit batsmen to take a 7-4 lead, and Vincent and Connor shut down Tucciarones, holding them to only one run in the last five innings, to post a 7-5 upset win in the league quarterfinals.  Boomer went 0 for 3 in the contest.

Playoff Game # 1:  vs. Tow Jo's (McDonald # 2)

June 24, 2009, Girard Legion Field

Things looked bad for the boys from Liberty in the first inning, as they made several throwing errors and Tow Jo's smacked the ball all over the lot in jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the first.  But Redstone scored three runs in the bottom of the first, and kept scoring one or two runs each innning, posting a 13-7 win in the first round of the playoffs.  Boomer was 4 for 4, scored twice and drove in three runs.

Game 18:  vs. Coletti's Pizza (Niles # 4)

June 18, 2009, Niles Fiedor Field

Shorthanded due to injury, Redstone fell behind 2-0 in the second inning, and could only score one run all night, losing the season finale by one run.  Boomer was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Game 17:  vs. Sudol Electric (McDonald # 3)

June 13, 2009, McDonald Field D

In one of the most nerve-wracking games of the season, Redstone grabbed the lead several times on the home squad, only to see Sudol tie the game up each time.  The game went into extra innings, when finally in the tenth inning after Redstone scored twice in the top of the inning, Sudol plated three runs to take a hard-fought 8-7 victory.  Boomer was 1 for 4 with a walk in the contest.

Game 16:  vs. Gibson Ins. Co. Athletics (Vienna # 2)

June 11, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

The last home game of the regular season was a happy one for Redstone, as the boys from Liberty scored early and often to post a 9-2 victory, their fourth in a row.  The game featured lots of hitting along with good defensive plays.  Boomer was 2 for 3 at the plate.

Game 15:  vs. D'Urso Bakery (Niles # 2)

June 9, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

This was one of the best games of the year for Redstone — the opponents weren't a bad team, but we really took control of the game in the third inning.  Both teams scored two runs in the first, and D'Urso got three more in the top of the 2nd.  Then Redstone sent 16 men to the plate in the third inning, scoring 10 runs to take command.  The home team scored three more times in the bottom of the fourth to end the game with a ten-run margin.  Boomer walked once and hit into two force-outs.

Game 14:  vs. Jenson Lock and Alarm (Girard # 4)

June 8, 2009, Girard Legion Field

Neither team played really well, but Redstone did just enough to earn a 4-1 win.  Kevin led the offensive show with a home run down the right-field foul line.  Boomer walked once in three plate appearances.

Game 13:  vs. Buckeyes (McDonald # 1)

June 4, 2009, McDonald Field D

Redstone jumped all over the Buckeyes in the first inning, batting around and scoring 7 runs, mostly because of walks and hit batsmen.  Redstone scored a run in the second and two more in the third, then held on for a 10-3 win.  Boomer walked and scored a run in the first, then went 0 for 2 the rest of the way.

Game 12:  vs. Plaza Donuts (Liberty # 3)

June 2, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

In a closely-fought contest, Redstone fell short, losing 5-4.  We loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, but couldn't bring the tying run home.  Boomer was 0 for 2 with a walk.

Game 11:  vs. Tucciarones Accounting (Hubbard # 2)

May 28 and 30, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

The boys from Hubbard struck for three runs in the first inning, before the game was postponed after one full inning due to rain.  When the game was resumed on Saturday, Redstone played very well, yielding only one more run to the other team which was loaded with big, strong hitters.  Redstone scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.  Boomer went 0 for 2 in the second game of his first-ever double-header.

Game 7 (continued):  vs. Seidler Engineering (Girard # 1)

May 30, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

The continuation of the postponed game from May 16 went very well for the home squad.  Continuing the bottom of the second inning from when the game was called due to rain, Redstone scored seven runs.  They posted three more runs in the bottom of the third, and held Seidler scoreless to earn an 11-0 mercy rule shortened win.  Boomer had two hits in the game, scored a run and had two RBIs.

Game 10:  vs. Kiwanis Colts (Vienna # 1)

May 26, 2009, Vienna North Field

The Memorial Day layoff was not kind to Redstone, as they played their worst game of the season.  The Colts scored in every inning and were never challenged in claiming a 12-4 victory.  Boomer had one of only five hits on the night for Redstone.

Game 9:  vs. Tow Jo's (McDonald # 2)

May 21, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

Tow Jo's scored one run in the top of the first, but Redstone plated two runs to take the lead in the bottom of the first.  But in the third inning, the visitors scored 6 runs, and held on for an 8-4 victory.  Boomer reached base once while going 0-2 on the day.

Game 8:  vs. Carbone Plumbing (Niles # 3)

May 19, 2009, Niles Fiedor Field

Redstone jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and never trailed in posting a 4-1 victory on a beautiful night in Niles.  Boomer went 0-2 in the contest.

Game 7:  vs. Seidler Engineering (Girard # 1)

May 16, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

Redstone scored once in the bottom of the first inning, and then got two men on in the bottom of the second when the rains came hard and heavy, forcing the postponement of the game.  It will be resumed at a future date to be determined.  Boomer was the last batter before the game was called, and he singled in his first at-bat of the game.

Game 6:  vs. My Bar and Grill (Niles # 1)

May 14, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

It was a good pitchers' duel early, then My Bar and Grill scored twice in the top of the third to take a 2-0 lead.  Through the first four innings, Redstone didn't have a baserunner.  Then in the top of the fifth, Redstone loaded the bases on three walks, and with two outs, a walk led to the first run of the game for the home team.  Then Boomer came up with 2 outs and the bases loaded, and on a 1-ball, 2-strike count, he hammered a single to left over the shortstop's glove to drive in two runs.  Connor struck out the side in the sixth and Redstone won 3-2.  Boomer was 1 for 2 (it was the only hit of the game for Redstone) and was presented with the game ball by Coach Silverman.

Game 5:  vs. Graziano Construction (Girard # 2)

May 12, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

After giving up a run in the top of the first, Redstone took control with 3 runs in the first and 4 runs in the second inning.  The teams traded some runs in the middle of the game, and then Redstone exploded for 6 runs in the bottom of the fifth to push the score to 14-4 and invoke the 10-run rule.  Boomer was 0 for 3 on the night.

Game 4:  vs. House Doctors of Hubbard (Hubbard # 3)

May 7, 2009, Hubbard Field # 2

Redstone scored two runs in the top of the third, but the House Doctors chipped away with a run in the fourth, and then tied the game with a run in the bottom of the sixth.  The game went to extra innings, and the House Doctors scored by playing small ball to win 3-2.  Boomer went 0 for 2.

Game 3:  vs. House Doctors of Girard (Girard # 3)

May 5, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

The teams traded runs in the first two innings, and the score was 4-4 entering the third.  Then a pitcher's duel ensued, with Redstone turning two double-plays while the House Doctors pitcher mowed down the home team's batters.  The game went to extra innings, and in the top of the 10th, the House Doctors erupted for 7 runs. Redstone scored once in the bottom of the 10th, but fell short in suffering their first loss of the season, 11-5.  Boomer went 0 for 4 on the night.

Game 2:  vs. Frankie's Main Street Café (Hubbard # 1)

May 2, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

Redstone fell behind 5-0 after an inning and a half, but chipped away with a run in the second and one in the third.  Then in the fourth inning, Redstone scored four times to take the lead, and Connor's three shut-out innings at the end of the game sealed the 6-5 win for Redstone.  Frankie's starting pitcher struck out 7 batters in 22/3 innings before losing all control and throwing 11 straight balls leading to his being yanked.  Boomer wore the collar, going 0 for 2.

Game 1:  vs. Jimmy's Italian Foods (Liberty # 2)

April 30, 2009, Liberty Field # 3

Redstone Construction never trailed in posting a 9-2 victory in the season lid-lifter.  After grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Jimmy's came back to tie the score in the fourth.  But the winners took control, scoring 4 runs in the top of the 5th and 3 more in the top of the 6th.  Cameron led the offensive attack with a 4-4 showing at the plate.  Boomer was 1 for 2 and scored a run.

League Championship Game notes

In the awards ceremony after the game, both coaches praised both teams for good fielding throughout the season.  The House Doctors coach said that Redstone gave them their two best games of the season, taking them to extra innings in game 4 of the season, and almost taking them to extra innings again.  Boomer was thrown out at second after his RBI hit, because the first-base coach told him to go when all the parents along the first-base line yelled "NO!", then told him to come back too late for him to change his momentum.  He actually avoided the kid's tag and was safe at second, but the ump called him out.

Semi-Final Playoff Game notes

This game was nerve-wracking, but Redstone was never seriously challenged.  The one exception was the third inning, when Kevin walked the bases full.  But then he struck out the next batter, the next guy hit a grounder to short that Conner alertly threw home to get the lead runner, and then Cameron ranged far to his left to snag a hot shot that was headed for right field and threw the kid out at first in a great play.  The team is really playing well at the right time of the season!

Playoff Game 2 notes

The starting pitcher for Tucciarones was a big kid and a fireballer, but he only pitched one inning.  In the fourth inning, Alec hit a smash to left-center and Coach Moamis sent Cameron around third trying to score on the play; the team insists he slid under the tag, but the ump called him out at the plate.  It would have been nice to have an insurance run, but it turns out Redstone didn't need it.

Playoff Game 1 notes

Cameron was back after a month on the disabled list with a broken finger, and Vincent also recovered from the cut on his hand, so Redstone was at full strength for this playoff game.  Boomer also fielded one hard shot to right-center well, and threw the ball back in quickly, holding the hitter to a single in the first inning.  Kevin threw three shutout innings, and Connor closed out the last two innings without giving up a run.

Game 18 notes

Redstone stranded 11 runners on base in this game, leaving the bases loaded in three of the six innings, including the top of the fifth and the top of the sixth.  We brought up three 8-year-olds from the minors to replace Cameron (broken finger) and Vincent (cut his hand with a knife), and they played pretty well.

Game 17 notes

Several unlucky things conspired to foil Redstone's bid to beat one of the league's leading teams.  Redstone left the bases loaded twice in the contest, and because this was the fourth game of the week, ran out of pitchers.  Sammy had to come in to pitch the tenth inning, and even though he did a good job for an 8-year-old, Sudol's hitters smacked the ball to earn the extra inning win.

Game 16 notes

The Athletics lead-off hitter was a very good player — to lead off the game, he hit a hard smash that got past Boomer in left-center on one hop and went all the way to the wall for an inside-the-park homer.  Ben got a little flustered, and Redstone fell behind 2-0, but rallied for the big win.

Game 15 notes

It was a great offensive game for lots of Redstone hitters.  Kevin tripled to score two runs in the first inning, and Connor hit a grand slam as part of the ten-run third inning.  Boomer hit the ball hard twice in the third inning, but right at a D'Urso player each time.

Game 14 notes

Jenson's featured the biggest kid we've seen all year, by far — this kid looked almost like a high-schooler.  He was the starting pitcher, but didn't throw very hard; then in the 4th inning, he became the catcher, and was throwing bullets to 2nd base in the warm ups.  The Girard field isn't very nice — worst one in the league, in our opinion.

Game 13 notes

The first three or four pitchers for the Buckeyes couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, which led to lots of baserunners and runs for Redstone.  There were about six hit batsmen in the game for Redstone, with no one seriously injured.  Boomer played every inning in the outfield in this game.



















Game 11 notes

The coaches were happy with the effort Redstone put into this game, and the fact that they didn't quit and almost came back in the last inning.  Tucciarones will beat most teams in this league, for sure.

Game 7 (con't.) notes

Random foliage

Connor smacked a grand slam to cap off the seven run 2nd inning for Redstone — a line smash to the fence in right center.  The team had much more energy than in the last two games.

Game 10 notes

Redstone had three different innings in this game when they went out 1-2-3.  The Colts had a couple of good hitters, but they really weren't that good of a team.  The hitting needs to improve if Redstone is to turn around this current losing streak.

Game 9 notes

Tow Jo's is the best team Redstone has faced this season, especially in the hitting department.  Several long shots were hit to the outfield, including one that Boomer blocked with his body to hold the hitter to a double in the sixth inning.

Game 8 notes

This game featured the biggest strike zone ever seen by most of the spectators – anything from the top of the head to the shoelaces was called a strike.  At least the called strikes went against both teams equally.  Boomer made a nice play in the outfield backing up Nicholas who missed a fly ball; Boomer threw the ball back in to shortstop, holding the batter to a single.

Game 7 notes

Ben was the starting pitcher for Redstone, and in two innings of work, he walked six and struck out six, leaving the bases loaded in both innings.  It was a very heavy rain, and the field was unplayable after about ten minutes of the downpour.

Game 6 notes

Boomer's first at bat was a little unlucky – his hard smash up the middle hit the pitcher, who recovered quickly enough to throw out Boomer at first.  Boomer was drenched with Gatorade after the game by one of his teammates, which could be a problem with picture day coming up Saturday.

Game 5 notes

Connor hit the hardest shot of the season so far, right through the legs of the left fielder for a 3-run homer in the second inning.  With the score 9-2 in the top of the fourth, the coaches let Alec pitch, and he hit four consecutive batters before being removed.

Game 4 notes

Random foliage

Redstone dropped their second consecutive game to a team sponsored by the House Doctors, both in extra innings.  Everyone went to Dairy Queen after the game, so the mood was upbeat.

Game 3 notes

Vincent hit a "home run" (actually a hard smash up the middle that eluded the centerfielder and turned into a 3-run hit).  Boomer fielded two hits to right-center cleanly in the top of the 10th when the House Doctors broke the game open.  H.D.'s one pitcher pitched 6 innings and struck out 16 batters!

Game 2 notes

Boomer's new spikes worked well, he reported (black Adidas with white stripes); he had better footing in this game.  Through the first two games, no balls have been hit to Boomer – he has thrown two balls into the infield after backing up an adjacent outfielder who missed the ball.

Game 1 notes

Random foliage

We haven't had a chance to get to Dick's Sporting Goods to get Boomer a pair of spikes yet, so his first game was played in sneakers.  The other team razzed him about it when he came to the plate.  We'll head to the store Saturday morning to get some spikes before game # 2.