Top Gun Diamond Wars Championship: WR 10U Blue 18, Mustangs 1

A long break between games gave the 10U Blue players time to tell their fathers how much they loved and cherished them, or, in certain cases, that they were expert piggyback ride providers. That was just a tiny portion of an extensive break. Not that things got punchy during the break, but this is Coach Sean shortly before the beginning of the championship game, as he invited the crowd to "watch me whip:"

With it being the championship game, everyone was of course on pins and needles:

The game eventually was moved to an 8 p.m. time slot to accommodate ESPN, and 10U continued the offensive explosion with an 18-1 win in a game shortened to four innings by the run rule. For the weekend, West Raleigh outscored five opponents 81-11, posting just one scoreless inning out of the 19 times they came to bat and never trailing at the end of an inning.

The win was 10U Blue's first tournament championship of the summer:

Championship 10U Blue scoring plays

First inning

Gavin walked, stole second, and scored on Chace's shot through the infield. Chace scored on an error by the pitcher.

Score after one-half inning: WR 10U Blue 2, Mustangs 0

Second inning
Brady reached on an error and a wild pitch moved him to second. Andrew doubled, and then Colin singled home Brady. A passed ball put Colin on second, where he scored on JT's single.
Score after one and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 4, Mustangs 0

Third inning
Spurred by the rally snipers, Bryce drew a leadoff walk. Banks moved him to third with a grounder, and then Banks stole second. Gavin hit a two-run double and moved to third on a wild pitch. Chace walked and stole second. Ben drove an RBI single through the infield. Brady's fielder's choice scored Chace. Andrew drove in Ben. Colin doubled and JT walked, setting up Bryce to crush a two-run double.
Score after two and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 12, Mustangs 1

Fourth inning
Chace reached leading off the inning. Ben and Brady walked. Andrew hit an RBI single. Colin hit a two-run single. Joe's shot through the infield scored a pair. An error moved him to third, and he scored on a single from Banks.
Score after three and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 18, Mustangs 1

Pitching Performances
Chace went two strong innings, allowing just one run and punctuating it with a called strikeout against the Mustang leadoff hitter with the bases loaded.

Banks cruised through the third with three strikeouts.

Gavin needed just six pitches in the fourth.

Championship Web Gems

• Andrew scooped up a hot shot to third against the Mustang leadoff man and threw to first to get the opening out.
• Solid overall defense continued across the board, as 10U Blue committed just two errors in 12 innings of play on Sunday, and just three errors in the 20 innings played in Wake Forest.

Championship line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
WR 10U Blue	2	2	8	6	X	X	18	10
Mustangs	0	1	0	0	X	X	1	4

Diamond Wars Semifinals: WR 10U Blue 18, Rubber Arm Rockets 5

Next up was a semifinal matchup against the top-seeded Rubber Arm Rockets, who were coming off a 22-0 win on Saturday. After building a 4-2 lead in the third, West Raleigh exploded for back-to-back seven-run innings to take an 18-5 decision in a game limited to five innings.

The game featured a rarity, as 10U had the first scoreless inning of the weekend, a goose egg in the first. They still managed to pound out 14 hits and 18 runs for the game.

With it being the semifinals, Coach Sean had to bring in some overseas consultants for some in-game FaceTime advice:

Because 10U Blue does not have rollover minutes, we eventually had to cut off the connection with Coach Eric, and he set off to try and convert more British 10U fans:

@WR10UBlue Right of the Jet and into the WR UK Mobile! Tooting our Horn for 10u Blue! pic.twitter.com/7bPWZAdfOp

— Eric Chaplin (@HappyChappye) June 20, 2015

Unfortunately, there was no photo evidence of one of the game highlights, as Elias attempted to sit down in Coach Kevin’s tripod chair, only to discover that someone had pulled the chair away. Let’s put it this way: Eli landed in the exact same location where he was hit by a pitch a couple innings later.

The victory sent 10U Blue on to the title game, which was apparently scheduled to be played sometime Monday afternoon. The wait was so long that Coach Sean actually had Baker warm up to pitch just in case he was old enough to play 10U baseball by the time the game started:

Semifinal WR 10U Blue scoring plays

Second inning

Brady coaxed a one-out walk, went to second on a wild pitch, and stole third. Joe drove in a two-out run. Elias walked. Asher drove in Joe with a single.

Score after one and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 2, Rockets 0

Third inning

Banks singled and went to second on a miscue in the outfield. Chace launched a two-run home run.

Score after two and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 4, Rockets 0

Fourth inning

Joe got a leadoff walk and stole second. Elias was hit by a pitch. JT hit an RBI single. Colin singled. Banks brought in a run with an RBI fielder’s choice. Gavin hit a 2-0 pitch over the fence in left for a grand slam. Brady walked, stole second, went to third on a balk and scored on Andrew’s double.

Score after three and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 11, Rockets 2

Fifth inning

Elias walked and stole second. JT walked. Colin’s shot to the left side scored Elias. JT stole home, with Colin going to second. Banks walked. Gavin smoked an RBI single. Ben drove in Banks. Brady singled home Gavin. Andrew doubled home a pair.

Score after four and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 18, Rockets 2




Pitching Performances

Andrew was dominant in his three innings, which included striking out the side in the first inning with just 11 pitches.

Colin hurled a scoreless fourth.

Bryce closed it out with a flurry of strikes in the fifth.

Semifinal Web Gems

•   Ben and Gavin worked a perfect rundown to retire a runner off third in the third.

•   JT once again proved to be a ball magnet, as he went into the game in left field in the fourth and promptly had the sixth pitch hit to him. Of course, he made the play.

•   Joe and Ben teamed up to nab a runner off third in the fourth.

Semifinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
WR 10U Blue	0	2	2	7	7	X	18	14
Rubber Arm Rockets	0	0	2	0	3	X	5	6

Top Gun Diamond Wars Quarterfinals: WR 10U Blue 16, Clippers 1

With it being Sunday, it was time for West Raleigh to bring out the much-rumored ringers for bracket play:

 That’s right. No messing around on Sunday this time. Play began at what was allegedly 2 p.m. but currently feels like three days ago with a game against the Clippers. In a pretty amazing feat, West Raleigh took a 16-1 win by invoking the 15-run rule after just two offensive innings.

The pitching duo of Joe and Elias combined to allow zero walks and the defense played three error-free innings behind them. The victory moved 10U Blue on to the semifinals against the Rubber Arm Rockets, who do not, in fact, have rubber arms.

Quarterfinal WR 10U Blue scoring plays

First inning

Bryce led off by reaching base and then went to third on a double from Banks. With one out, Chace walked. Ben cracked a one-out double that scored two. Brady walked, and then Andrew worked an RBI walk. Colin hit an RBI fielder’s choice. Joe smacked an RBI single. Asher walked. Bryce ripped a two-run single.

Score after one inning: WR 10U Blue 8, Clippers 1

Second inning

Gavin crushed a leadoff double and went to third on a balk. Chace hit an RBI single. Ben hit a second straight RBI double. A balk moved him to third. Andrew walked and stole second. Colin hit a two-run single. Joe brought in a run on a shot to the right side. Asher singled. Bryce singled. Banks hit an RBI fielder’s choice. Elias walked, and then JT hit an RBI single to finish the scoring.

Score after two innings: WR 10U Blue 16, Clippers 1

Pitching Performances

Joe started and went two strong innings, striking out three.

Elias finished it up by facing the minimum in the third.

Quarterfinal Web Gems

•   Nice job by Joe getting over to cover first on a grounder to Chace in the first inning. Chace made the flip and Joe tagged the bag for the out.

•   Joe and Chace teamed up again, this time on a pickoff at first base in the second inning.

•   Elias made a play from his knees, as he came off the pitcher’s mound to field a ground ball to the left side, then threw to first to get the final out of the game.

Quarterfinal line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
Clippers	1	0	0	X	X	X	1	3
WR 10U Blue	8	8	X	X	X	X	16	11

Top Gun Diamond Wars Game 2: WR 10U Blue 13, Carolina Pirates 1

You know it's hot when the creative Frogg Togg wearing begins. That's JT under there somewhere:

And no, Bryce doesn't have a toothache:

If Saturday's first game was about consistency, the second game was more about timely (and big) hits. 10U Blue got just nine hits but got them at the right time, and a trio of pitchers combined on a three-hitter. 

The highlight of the game was Coach Kevin's amazing display of his razor-sharp predictive abilities, made even more impressive by the fact that Jennifer is out of town, meaning he is having to think for two. In the fourth inning, with West Raleigh holding an 8-0 lead, Asher began asking everyone in the dugout, "What time is it?" The answer, of course, is "Game time," despite the fact that the actual game time had been about 90 minutes before. Those tiny details are not really important.

Coach Kevin, however, responded to Asher's question by saying, "Time to get two runs." Literally, on the very next pitch, Gavin hit a two-run home run, leading to the obvious question: COACH KEVIN, WHAT KIND OF WIZARD ARE YOU?

West Raleigh finished the day 2-0 in pool play and awaits seeding and times for tomorrow, when the Gold bracket has craftily been scheduled for mid-afternoon so as to take advantage of the mild North Carolina summers. There may be some tricky seeding issues, because late afternoon and evening games were canceled due to a cloudburst that left the field looking like this:

Hopefully maybe it washed home plate over in line with second base.

Game 2 10U Blue scoring plays

First inning

Banks was hit by a pitch and stole second. Chace walked. Both runners stole a base, and then Banks came home after an error by the catcher. Chace moved to third, where he scored easily on Ben's double.

Score after one-half inning: WR 10U Blue 2, Pirates 0

Second inning
JT singled and stole second and third. Colin's fielder's choice scored him.
Score after one and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 3, Pirates 0

Third inning
With one out, Banks singled and stole second. Gavin singled. The runners worked a double steal, and then Chace drove them both in with a two-run triple. Ben's fielder's choice scored Chace.
Score after two and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 6, Pirates 0

Fourth inning
Joe walked. Asher went to second on an error, with Joe going to third. Andrew drove in Joe. Banks lifted a sacrifice fly that scored Asher. Gavin went deep to left for a two-run home run. Chace singled, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Ben walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Brady singled in Chace. JT lined a two-run single to finish the day's scoring.
Score after three and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 13, Pirates 0

Pitching Performances
Colin started and threw two scoreless frames, facing just one over the minimum.

Brady cruised through a hitless third.

Chace entered in relief in the fourth and got out of a jam with no further runs allowed.

Game 2 Web Gems

• Asher fired to second to nail a runner trying to steal second in the second, with Bryce applying the tag.
• 10U Blue put together a nifty double play in the fourth. With a runner on second, the hitter smoked a grounder to Gavin, who came up and threw to Brady to retire the hitter. The overeager runner went to third and never stopped. But Brady was too smart for that play, and immediately fired to Ben at the plate, who made a nice catch and slapped on the tag for the 6-3-2 double play.

Game 2 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
WR 10U Blue	2	1	3	7	X	X	13	9
Pirates	0	0	0	1	X	X	1	3

Top Gun Diamond Wars Game 1: WR 10U Blue 14, Youngsville Intimidators 3

Saturday brought a return to Wake Forest, the place it all began in summer ball way back in the 7U era. The Factory is also the location of the first-ever Justin Beaver sighting, one of West Raleigh's most famous fans who made a pair of appearances on Saturday to check on how his favorite team had grown up. Of course, in the four years since that original Justin Beaver appearance, the team has gotten so big-time that they now have international fans, such as this questionable character:

@WR10UBlue WR 10u swag on way to the UK. Wish I was with you guys. pic.twitter.com/8b9SpTtgux

— Eric Chaplin (@HappyChappye) June 20, 2015

Despite this impressive fan club, one thing 10U Blue doesn't have is bases that are aligned. At least, not this morning. That led to this meeting of the minds on the field:

Note that Coach Kevin had taken his glove on the field just in case he had to take some ground balls while measuring the bases.

Eventually, it was time to play baseball, with West Raleigh taking a 14-3 win in a game shortened to four innings by the run rule. 10U Blue was the model of consistency, stroking four hits in every inning and getting error-free defense plus zero walks from the Ben/Joe pitching combination.

Game two was due up immediately following the win, meaning the Shady Committee didn't even have to relocate the tents.

Game 1 10U Blue scoring plays

First inning

Bryce led off with a single and stole second. Banks doubled him home. Gavin singled and stole second, and then Chace walloped a three-run home run that cleared the bases.

Score after one-half inning: WR 10U Blue 4, Intimidators 0

Second inning
Asher drew a one-out walk. Bryce singled, and both runners stole a base. Banks singled in Asher. A balk scored Bryce and put Banks on second. Gavin singled and stole second. Chace walked. Ben ripped a two-run single.
Score after one and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 8, Intimidators 1

Third inning
Asher cracked a one-out single and stole second. Bryce singled him home, moved to second on a balk, and stole third. Gavin took a 2-0 pitch deep to left for a two-run home run.
Score after two and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 11, Intimidators 1

Fourth inning
Elias walked and went to second on a balk. Colin singled him home, then took second on the throw. A fielder's choice put Colin at third, and Bryce doubled him home. A single from Banks scored Bryce.
Score after three and a half innings: WR 10U Blue 14, Intimidators 1

Pitching Performances
Ben started and allowed just one run over two innings, stranding a runner at third in both frames.

Joe worked the final two innings, including finishing his performance with a pair of strikeouts.

Game 1 Web Gems

• With one out and a runner on third in the second, Elias made a solid catch in medium center field, then uncorked a rocket throw to the plate on the fly to keep the runner from tagging and scoring.
• Bryce hosed a runner trying to steal second in the third, with Gavin applying the tag.
• Playing second base in the fourth, Elias ran over behind first base and made a snow cone grab for the first out.

Game 1 line score	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H
WR 10U Blue	4	4	3	3	X	X	14	16
Youngsville	1	0	0	2	X	X	3	7