P3 G1 I4

Aaron's pitch count is 46.  River Park on their second pitcher after first hit 50.

NAPA:  Luke up, strike out.  Hayden single, Cal running for Hayden.  Ty strike out.  Juan Carlos single.  MJ up, ground out.
rp pitcher: 14 pitches

RP: Shot to third, Digger makes the throw to first, OUT (5-3).  Strike out.  Shot to third, play to first again, OUT (5-3).  Three up, three down.  I love the efficiency!!

4-0, us

P3 G1 I3

Update through three innings:

They loaded the bases in the bottom of the third and we ended the inning with no runs.

4-0, us

Relay Update

we are having some technical difficulties, so here is the update so far:

Top of 3, we are up 4-0 (we are visitor)

Aaron is pitching

Gabriel hit a 2 run homer in the second - YES!!

Get'em Boys

Phase III starts today - four of the six Division teams face off this afternoon, and we join the festivities tomorrow, playing the winner of the River Park vs. Sutter game at 10am.  I'm not the slightest bit nervous for the boys, just excited to hear about the game, and sincerely wishing we could watch them live.  These guys play baseball with such drive and commitment, and every game has had its own spectacular moment (if not moments).  We will be waiting impatiently to hear the ones to come.

In the mean time, I thought I would put down all the things that I would be saying if I were there.  You can believe we will be cheering these things on the boat during every game - in Vacaville in spirit:

Let's go, Blue!

Turn two, boys!

Be patient!

See it and send it!

Turn on it!

Find the gap!

Your batter!

And and most importantly,
 Be efficient: Don't waste your energy, your outs or your strikes.  Leave no doubt.  You are here, undefeated, because of what you know how to do.  Play your game.

Go Napa.

Pinch-Hitters: Debbie, Eric, Robin and Laura

As many of the team families already know, Douglas and I are away on vacation for the entire Divisional Tournament.  So we, too, will now be living by our computers hitting 'refresh' every five minutes during the games.  Several of our wonderful parents have agreed - some rather timidly - to carry the blog in our absence.  For this I am deeply grateful - both for the sake of the extended baseball families who follow the games here, and for me personally being able to follow the games real-time myself.

Go Napa!

Nor Cal Division II Bracket PDF

All games played at Centennial Park in Vacaville, CA.

And as my dear friend put it so perfectly: Just win baby!

The Un-Page

A very cool site for those of you interested in seeing who else we face in Divisionals (and how they have fared all along) as well as everything that can come after.  Nerd it up!

Section Championship Highlight Video

These guys put together a great highlight video of the section finals. (Click the title to jump to the Youth Sports Net 365 Website)

Right now this video is available on the home page - not sure how long that will be, or what the navigation will be when they move it.  So check it out!!  Thanks to Art Reyes for forwarding this along!

Article from the day of the Championship Game

I'm late in getting this up, but in the interest of including ALL the Register coverage, here is the article that ran Wednesday - pics made for a full page spread in the sports section.  Awesome.

Love the Napa Register

Great coverage and great pics.

SECTION CHAMPIONS!!!!

NAPA: Aaron wears it, takes first. Pitching change. Cal single to
right. Runners on first and second. Jake bunt, out at third. Luke fly
out, runners held. MJ rips it to left, bases loaded. G strike out.

PN: G pitching. Out (1-3). Walk (hit by the pitch). Double to right.
Out (1). Throw to first scores a run. STRIKE OUT!!!!

5-1 US

Sent from World Headquarters.

P2 G3 I5

NAPA: Hayden deep single to left, Ty running. Luke sac bunt, Ty to
second.Tyler steals third on wp. MJ single to right scores Ty. MJ to
second on bad attempt to pick him off. G HOMER to center!!! Scores
two. Colton hits it to the gap in right for a single. (G warming up in
the bullpen) Dahlen strike out. Juan Carlos shot back to the pitcher,
out at first.

PN: Walk. Strike out. Runner steals first on passed ball. Strike out.
Strike out.

5-0, us.

Sent from World Headquarters.

P2 G3 I4

NAPA: Digger bullets one back to the pitcher, out. Juan Carlos fly
out. Aaron ropes a double up third base line. Luke running for Aaron.
Cal out at first. Upside: we are seeing this pitchers curve ball
Pitch count for him: 53

PN: Strike out. Single to right. Out (6-5). Throw in the dirt, runners
to second and third. Out!!! MJ!!! nice catch - (6).
Aaron pitch count: 41

2-0, us.

Sent from World Headquarters.

P2 G3 I3

NAPA: Cal ground out. Jake single - well placed. Justin fielders
choice, Jake out at second. Tyler running for Justin. MJ ropes a
double to center, Ty on third. G doubles to left, scores two!!!
Colton ground out.

PN: Out (4-3), nicely fielded ball Juan Carlos. Strike out. Strike out.
Aaron pitch count: 28

2-0, us. I think the team just needed Debbie and I to get here.

Sent from World Headquarters.

Through two:

Cal Bard robs them of a homer in right for the third out. Robin J did
an awesome job keeping me on the loop via text - so I will post a
first inning update later. The net is score is 0-0.

Sent from World Headquarters.

We are away. Don't have the starting in-field for you, as I am sitting
in abyssmal bay area traffic getting to the game.

Aaron is our starting pitcher.

Sent from World Headquarters.

Game today, 6pm

At the Lafayette Field
711 St Marys

VS Petaluma National

For aaaalllllll the Section marbles.

Sent from World Headquarters.

Fan of the Game

Meet Eric Schlienger: (He's the one looking at the camera :>)

Eric is step-father to Aaron Shortridge, wonderful husband to Debbie, my dear friend, and our team's own private sports photographer.  Eric hasn't missed a tournament game, and spends each one on the field chronicling and capturing the great moments throughout the series.  His shots have helped bring some of the great coverage in the Napa Register, and are the delight of our families, the boys, and most definitely this blog.

P2G2 Recap

What a game!  Offensively, first and foremost - another game of outstanding pitching.  At bat, Gabriel getting it started in the first with a two run homer was - once again - huge.  And when they came back to tie it up in the second, the boys came back in the third and wasted no time getting base runners for Joe to smack it out to left (where his Dad sat ready for it :>). That got the inning off to a blazing start, and every other batter in the order came up and got a piece of it to finish the inning with 6 runs.  The rest of the game continued to put on the finishing touches on a 10-run lead that kept the game to a very efficiently played 5 innings.

Defensively, my favorite play of the game actually came in the first inning: runner on second with one out, batter hits a sharp grounder to Aaron who holds the runner perfectly, and then lasers it to first to get the out.  It was the kind of patient, perfectly timed play that puts caution into our opponents every time.

And here are a few of Eric's pictures from the game last night to add some great color to the commentary:

1. Tyler
2. Juan Carlos
3. Gabriel
4. Joe - Homer!
5. Hayden
6. MJ

Register Coverage for P2 G2

Thank you Napa Register!