Mustang Yankees Rally Past Tigers

Dust was flying on all four diamonds at the Palisades Recreation Center’s Field of Dreams last Saturday, where Pacific Palisades Baseball Association action resumed with a number of high-scoring games. Perhaps the most thrilling of all was in the Mustang Division (ages 9-10), where the Yankees rallied for seven runs in the final frame to top the Tigers 20-16 and stay one game behind the undefeated Red Sox in the American League. 

The teams totaled 25 hits, including three extra-base hits, and there were eight lead changes. Seven Yankees batters combined for 13 hits, 12 RBIs and 17 runs scored. The Yankees took a 5-0 lead in the top of the first but the Tigers answered with eight runs in the bottom of the inning and added four-run rallies in the fourth and fifth innings to build a three-run advantage.

Coach Stephen Kaplan’s Red Sox (7-0) followed last Wednesday’s 15-7 triumph over the Orioles with a 14-11  victory that kept their perfect record intact. In the National League, the Cubs and Cardinals plated a combined 61 runs in their two games, both Cubs victories, while the Phillies and Dodgers split a pair — the Phillies winning 6-4 on Wednesday and the Dodgers prevailing 7-6 Saturday.

In the Bronco Division (ages 11-12),  Coach Bill Lawrence’s Phillies dealt the Tigers their first defeat, 11-6, while the Dodgers (6-1) remained in first place in the National League after a 15-2 interleague win against the Yankees. The Cardinals stayed one game back of the Dodgers by topping the Orioles, 15-5. The Tigers (6-1), who beat the Phillies 11-6 last Thursday, entered play this week having allowed 37 runs, the fewest of any PPBA team.

In the Pinto Division (ages 7-9), the Cubs and Cardinals combined for 52 runs — 26 each — and split their two National League games while Coach Darren Wald’s first-place Phillies defeated the Dodgers 13-2 Saturday after the teams had battled to a rare 4-4 tie last Thursday. The Red Sox beat the Orioles 8-5 and the Tigers edged the Yankees 9-8, avenging a loss by the same score last Thursday. Thus, the Red Sox pulled even with the Yankees in the American League standings, both at 4-3.

In the Pony Division (ages 13-14), Pali Blue hosted  the Cheviot Dodgers at the Rec Center and lost 6-3, dropping to 5-4-1. Coached by John McNamee, Pali Blue  has been led by pitcher Cole Aragon, who has a club-best 11 runs batted in and a .462 batting average.

Pali Blue began this week having scored 58 runs and was in second place in the standings behind Santa Monica Gold (5-1-4), a half game ahead of the Cheviot Phillies.