4 in a row!! Royals win again 4-0

Well it's actually technically early evening before I got this blog post started but at least I did get to it today. What a finish to the year for the 3rd & 4th grade baseball team. Starting the year 1 and 5 surely would have left most teams just going through the motions for the rest of the year but to this group of kids credit, they never gave up. They finished with a flurry, winning their last 4 games in a row and winning 5 of the last 7. Thursday's game showed just how good of baseball they are playing as the Royals took control early and never let Colo have any sustained rallies. The Royals got on the board in the top of the 1st with Dylan Gill hitting a one-out double to left, Alex Good followed with a RBI double of his own scoring Dylan from second and getting the Royals on the board. Peyton Larsen was then hit by a pitch and Grant Tiarks grounded a sharp single to short that forced Alex at third. Garret Tiarks then was hit by a pitch loading the bases for Ben Pepper. Ben hit the second pitch offered by the Colo pitcher for a sharp, 2-RBI single to left center scoring Peyton and Grant and giving the Royals a 3 run lead to start the game. That was all Alex Good needed as he pitched 3 masterful innings, striking out 7 of the 11 batters and only allowing 2 hits. Dylan Gill again provided the spark for the Royals as he led off the 3rd inning with a single and advanced on an Alex Good sacrifice. That set the table for Grant Tiarks' RBI double that scored Dylan. Parker Eley continued his new-found confidence at the plate hitting several foul balls to stay alive in the count and getting a solid single past the first baseman. The player of the game though had to be Jeff Haskin who missed 3 early games due to illness and injury. Jeff has been able to foul off several balls in the games he has played but just couldn't catch the break to get one to fall in. Thursday night things went right for Jeff as he got his first hit of the year, a solid single to Right-center and had a great at-bat against Colo's ace, Wes Greeder, where after 2 initial strikes he fouled off 4 consecutive pitches, battling the whole time. Jeff also made his pitching debut in the 4th inning, talking his coach into the chance and proving that he could do it. Jeff faced 4 batters and struck out 2. Jeff also had an unassisted putout and an assist in the field for the night. The Royals won't be participating in the tourney this year as only 7 players could be there. 4 talented 4th graders move on to the next level next year: Alex Good, Peyton Larsen, Dylan Gill, and Jeff Haskin. The entire team should be proud of the way they stuck together and turned things around. This group along with Colo's players should make for some very good baseball teams for Colo/Nesco High.

Boy's T-Ball play 2 in Nevada

The boy's T-Ball squads took on 2 Nevada teams on a miserably hot and sticky night in Nevada Tuesday. Hitting was in great form for the Nesco T-Ballers as almost all on both Nesco teams hit the ball off a coach pitched at-bat instead of just of the Tee. There has been a vast improvement from the beginning of the year in hitting the ball off the coach which is the ultimate goal of the T-Ball league, to get the kids an understanding of the game and prepare them to hit in the Pee-wee level where they will face an opposing pitcher who is trying to get them out. Defensively the Royals made several nice plays and are showing an understanding of where to go with the ball and when. Garret Tiarks made a nice unassisted double play on a catch at his shoestrings on a ball hit to Right-center and then running to second to double off the runner. The T-Ballers play 2 again Thursday night in Zearing.

Royals Offense clicks in 3-0 win over Colo

The Royals offense which has at times been non-existant showed up for Wednesday nights game with Colo in Zearing. The Royals had 7 hits in the game and other balls put in play only to be denied hits on good plays by the Colo players. Playing Colo is always fun for the kids on both sides as a lot of them know each other and coaches and fans comments on both sides are always on a positive note as everyone realizes that these kids will be meddled together in the future for Colo/Nesco high school. Facing probably the best pitcher and hardest thrower they have seen this year in Colo's Wes Greeder the Royals did a nice job of getting the bat on the ball. Wes kept the Royals at bay until the third inning when Parker Eley smacked a double down the right field line and slid safely into second. Jeff Haskin then hit a line drive to the right side that the Colo Right-Center fielder made a nice catch on and sent Parker scambling back to second ahead of the throw. Austin Britten then drove a double down the right field line that scored Parker from second to give the Royals the lead. Colo came right back in the top of the 4th getting a one out hit and then a triple by Wes Greeder but a sensational play cut the run down at home as Grant Tiarks chased the ball down in Right-center and hit his cut-off, Peyton Larsen, perfectly. Peyton had a picture-perfect cut , spin and throw to the plate that Jared Johnson caught on the fly, with the plate blocked and tagged out the advancing runner a step short of home. Alex Good then closed the door on the Colo threat getting the final batter out and stranding the runner on third. The Royals got 2 more runs in the bottom of the 4th on a base hit by Peyton Larsen, followed by a deep triple to Right-center by Grant Tiarks scoring Peyton. Dylan Gill then followed with an RBI single to plate Grant. Other hits on the night went to Alex Good on a solid single to the left side and Nic Price who hit a solid rap up the middle that the Colo pitcher flagged down and threw off-line to first causing a violent collision between Nic and the Colo first baseman. Both players were ok and play continued. Jared Johnson kept the Colo batters at bay all night in a strong performance for 2 1/3 innings. Peyton Larsen and Alex Good pitched strong again for the Royals in relief. This was the 3rd win in a row for the Royals and 4th on the year. The Royals will try and end the season with their 4th win in a row Thursday night.

What a game! 3rd and 4th baseball win close a one!

On a very sticky night in Zearing the 3rd and 4th grade baseball team won their second game in a row and third on the season. The Royals won 2-0 against a good Nevada 1 team that had beaten them earlier in the year. What was a well played game by both teams swung in favor of the Royals in the bottom of the 4th inning with the score still knoted at 0-0. Jared Johnson got things started with a one out single that was overthrown to first and Jared sped and slid safely into second. Alex Good then came through with a clutch 2 out single and advanced to second trying to draw a throw to allow Jared to score. Nevada 1 players showed great understanding of the situation and held the throw, not risking letting the runner on third to advance with the go ahead run knowing they only needed one more out to get out of the jam. Step up Peyton Larsen, who has been the Royals most consistent hitter on the year, who promptly delivered a 2 RBI double to get the Royals out in front. Alex Good then struck out the side in the top of the 5th to end the game. Pitching and defense were in fine form on both sides of the ball as several hard hits were stopped from becoming problems or they were turned into outs by both squads. The Royals used 4 pitchers on the night not out of necessity but rather in an effort to get all 4 pitchers valuable pitches but not to wear any of them out with 2 more games remaining this week. The four pitchers, Grant Tiarks, Jared Johnson, Peyton Larsen and Alex Good combined for 11 strikeouts on the night with Peyton and Alex recording 4 each. Nevada 1 did a nice job placing the ball in play getting 6 hits on the night however several defensive plays stopped rallys and stole base hits. Garret Tiarks seemed to be involved in a lot of the defense for some reason as he had an putout on an assist from Dylan Gill on a nice pick-up by Dylan, he had a putout on a nice assist at short by Jeff Haskin and had an unassissted putout on a good pick-up and tag of a runner headed to second. Grant Tiarks recorded another putout on a sharpely hit ball to first. Peyton Larsen and Alex Good both made great plays in Right Center on 2 balls hit very well by Nevada players. Peyton stopped a screamer hit to his left slightly and kept the runner to only a single while Alex made a diving effort on a sharply hit ball to dead center, laying full out to knock the ball down and keep the runner at first. It was a wonderful team effort in the victory as the Royals are really starting to gel and play good baseball. The Royals look to keep on their win streak with games Wednesday and Thursday this week.

You can put it on the board.....Yes!

A little Chicago White Sox tribute there, even though I'm not a White Sox fan. The Royals notched their 2nd win of the year Wednesday 1-0. It was a very well pitched game on both sides as the Nevada pitchers and Royal pitchers battled all night. Things started off great for the Royals as Alex Good retired Nevada's first 3 batters, 2 on strikeouts and one on a pop up back to him, then in the Royals half of the 1st inning Jared Johnson led off with a double and scored on Ben Peppers base hit. Alex Good then followed with a single and things looked like it would be an offensive explosion for the Royals. But to the Nevada pitchers credit, he really buckled down and got the next batter to fly out to right and then struck the next 2 batters out to get out of the jam. That run proved to be the only one needed but not without a couple of anxious moments for Royal fans. Alex Good and Jared Johnson combined for 13 strikeouts on the night and allowed only 2 hits to the Nevada batters. Alex Good in a dominant performance allowed only one runner on a bobbled come-backer that the runner beat out to first. Other than that Alex struck out 8 of the 10 batters he faced. Jared Johnson came in in the 4th inning and struck out 5 of the 8 batters he pitched to. Defensively the Royals quelched the 2 Nevada threats during the game one on a triple that was hit sharply down the line just inside the 3rd base bag in which Garret Tiarks chased down the ball and quickly got it in to hold the runner there and the other being a double hit to right that Parker Eley chased down and threw to Garret Tiarks who relayed it to 3rd to hold the runner at 2nd. After both, Royal pitchers shut down the next batters to strand the runners on base. Offensively the Royals had four hits on the night, 3 of which came in the first and the only other actual hit being Grant Tiarks' triple to right center field in the 4th. Additional balls were put in play by the Royal batters as Nic Price, Dillion Gill, and Grant Tiarks all hit the ball and were robbed of hits by nice plays made by the Nevada team. The Royals hope to build on the success when they play again Monday night in Zearing.

Royals Boy's T-Ball play 2 in Nevada

The 2 Nesco Rec boys' T-Ball teams played on an ideal night for baseball in Nevada. Both teams did a great job and you can really see the improvement as the season has gone along. Players who may have not known where to throw a ball or what base to run are now understanding the basics which is really fun to see. The Royals had several good hits again in both games and a marked improvement over the last game I watched in hitting the ball off the coach-pitched ball instead of always off the tee. The Royal batters sent many hits into the outfield on the night. Fielding has also improved greatly as many quality plays were made in both games. I did want to make special mention of one play as it is a rare occurrance at any level of play. In the second game of the evening Ryan Banks, playing the pitcher position, made a nice overhead grab of a line drive up the middle and then threw to Jared Roberts at 1st to double off the runner. Jared then noticing the runner on second also had not tagged up, ran to second for a TRIPLE PLAY!!! With all the parents, coaches from both sides and kids in the field yelling where to throw and who to tag and what base to run back to, I thought the umpire did a nice job after the play of explaining to runners and fielders alike what had just happened and why they were out. Because to be honest, the looks on some of the faces on both teams showed not quite a full understanding of what had went on. The Royals play again on Thursday in Colo.

Short-handed Royals play one of their better games but end up on short end of stick in 0-1 loss

A short-handed Royals squad played one of its better games of the year in a vailant effort but came up just short in a 0-1 loss to Nevada 4. The team was depleted by 2 players playing in another league and one on vacation, leaving coaches to scramble to find enough players to field a team. Step in Jared Roberts and Katie Price (younger sister of Nic) who willingly offered to help the team out. The already young squad then had the adversity of only having 9 players instead of the normal 10 in the field as 1 player did not show, leaving only two 4th graders on the squad and the rest to be made up by 3rd graders, three 2nd graders and one first grader. A scenario that could have lead to a complete collapse turned out to be a joining force as the young team decided to give it their all and almost pulled out a victory. Pitching and defense returned in full force for the Royals as Peyton Larsen pitched 2 1/3 innings and Grant Tiarks came in in relief. They two allowed only 2 hits and struck out 5 in great pitching performances. Unfortunately 1 of the 2 hits was a HR that plated the only run of the night. The HR was a very sharply hit ball that Garret Tiarks made a diving effort to stop on the infield, but made it through and due to only having 3 outfielders because of missing players it went deep into the outfield. Nic Price and Katie Price sprinted to retrieve the ball and a good cut off and throw by Garret to home plate just missed getting the sliding runner at home. Defensively several nice plays were made with Garret Tiarks having 2 assists and 1 putout, Peyton Larsen getting an assist and Grant Tiarks having 3 putouts and an assist for the game. Offensively Peyton Larsen had a double on a good hit to center, Garret Tiarks and Ben Pepper had solid singles and Parker Eley had a solid rap that the 2nd baseman made a good stop on, and was able to get Parker by a step at first. Jared Roberts playing in his first game at the 3rd & 4th level and seeing his first live pitching, hit a solid base hit off a ballthrown by the Nevada pitcher and Katie Price showed great determination and grit in her first action versus live pitching as she stayed in on a inside-pitched ball that brushed her jersey as it went by. The ump awarded her first base but Katie told him it hadn't hit her and she showed her mental toughness and stepped right back in and took her cuts. The Royals out-hit Nevada 4 to 2 and had half of their at-bats ended up with the ball in play but the lone home run was the difference and likely would have been kept to a single had we had all 10 positions filled. I personally would like to thank Katie Price and Jared Roberts and their parents for stepping up for the 3rd and 4th baseball team. With out them playing we would have had to forfeit the game and no one would have gotten to play. Also Garret Tiarks and Parker Eley and their parents deserve a special thank you for stepping up a level all year and foregoing a lot of their games in T-Ball so that 3rd & 4th baseball could field a team this year. The Royals return to action Wednesday in Zearing at 6:00.

Not much goes right for 3rd & 4th baseball in 6-0 loss

Playing the same team, Nevada 3, that they faced Monday, the Royals had a tough night all around. The usually sound defense was nowhere to be seen on this night as the young Royals committed 7 errors. Pitching although shaky at times did seem to come up with the big pitches when needed as Grant Tiarks in relief in the first inning after being hit in the arm by a liner back up the middle, struck the next batter out on 4 pitches. The next three batters for Nevada all reached on errors, compounded by more throwing errors that allowed 5 runs to end up crossing the plate, only one of which was an earned run. On the offensive side, confidence that had been growing seemed non-existant on the night as 9 of 13 at-bats ended in strikeouts for the Royals. The 2 bright spots being Dylan Gill's leadoff double in the 4th and Nic Price's solid single to the right side that he outraced the first baseman to the bag for. Jeffery Haskin hit a nice ball to deep in the hole at short that the shortstop made a nice play on to field in the air. Defensively Grant Tiarks made a couple of nice grabs up the middle while pitching, Garret Tiarks stopped 3 sharp grounders hit at him at 2nd and the play of the night went to Dylan Gill who made a great grab on a foul ball hit down the first base line and then dove head first to tag the base and double off the runner on first. The Royals hope to get back on the winning side next Monday in Nevada.

T-Ballers rule the day in Zearing!

NESCO T-Ball teams (2 boys teams and 2 girls teams) took over Veteran's Memorial fields in Zearing Tuesday night for games against 4 teams from Nevada. Official scores are not kept in T-Ball games as teams bat every player each inning so one team may have 14 players while the team they are playing can have 10 players. NESCO boys teams had impressive nights at the plate with multi-base hits coming in abundance. Also several nice catches and fielding plays were made on the night. Th NESCO girls teams also had several impressive hard hits and some stellar fielding plays that gave coaches and parents alike great satisfaction and optimism in the athletic talents for the future of C/N Royals softball. T-Ball games continue on Thursday for both the boys and girls teams. If you get a chance to come to a game and want to see good plays and hits as well as kids and fans enjoying the sport as it was intended, you will be glad you came!

Royals Win First of the Year!!

The NESCO Royals 3rd & 4th baseball team broke into the win column with a 1-0 win over Nevada 3. Hitting has really started to come around as up and down the order the Royals are getting more confident with each game. Against Nevada 3 the young Royals had 9 of 14 at-bats where they put the ball in play. The Royals still aren't seeing the results as actual hits in the scorebook but are definitely putting pressure on opposing teams to make plays. The Royals scored the lone run of the night in an almost perfectly scripted baseball scenario. Peyton Larsen led-off with a double, then next batter Grant Tiarks pushed a ball to the right side to sacrifice and move Peyton to 3rd with one out, next Garret Tiarks hit a solid single to the right side allowing Peyton to score, an overthrow to home advanced Garret to 2nd. Some very nice defensive plays and some timely pitching helped preserve the victory for the Royals. Garret Tiarks fielded a sharp grounder up the middle and forced the runner at second for an unassisted putout and the very next play and nice pick up by Grant Tiarks at short and throw to Garret at second ended a rally attempt by Nevada in the 3rd. Dylan Gill in his first outing of the year at pitcher did a nice job and fielded his position on a sharply hit ball back up the middle for a 1-3 putout. Jared Johnson pitched well in relief getting the Royals out of a couple of sticky situations leaving Nevada runners stranded on 2nd and 3rd. Alex Good then came in to close out the game's final 2 innings shutting down Nevada's bats and making a nice play on a come-backer to get the final out at first with the tying run in scoring position. The Royals next game is Thursday at 6:00.

Tough loss but a game a firsts for 3rd and 4th baseball

3rd & 4th baseball suffered another tough loss Thursday night to a well coached Nevada 1 team. The Nevada 1 team was a solid group that hit the ball as good as any team the Royals have faced this year. Along with some outstanding pitching from Nevada 1's lead pitcher for the first 3 innings, the Royals were hard pressed in all areas of the game. As many parents and fans can attest the wind was definitely a big factor as howling winds made it difficult to see at times let alone catch a pop up or throw a ball that would stay over the plate. Side Note here: As a coach I have been concerned that our lack of offense would start to frustrate the kids and cause them to start pressing but I have been very impressed by the attitude of the kids as they continue to make contact during their at bats and even put the ball in play but are just not getting the breaks that get them hits. What impresses me is that when they head back to the bench they are still managing to crack a smile or feel a sense of confidence that they made contact and are getting better. I'm glad the kids are taking the game for what it is, that it is just a game and that you are supposed to have fun. Back to the game, we had some definite firsts - Austin Britten, playing second base, made a nice play on a ball hit up the middle as he stopped the ball behind second and stepped on the bag for his first putout of the year, Grant Tiarks, in pitching relief, recorded his first strikeout ever, Garret Tiarks put his first ball in play at the 3rd & 4th grade level and although Parker Eley probably doesn't really want to consider this a first of note, this was Parker's first game at 3rd & 4th baseball where he hasn't been hit by the opposing pitcher. Parker as one of the youngest members of the team has really showed his older teammates how not to be intimidated by the ball and how to stay aggressive at the plate. Peyton Larsen continued his hot hitting going 1 for 2 for the third game this season and Ben Pepper also went 1 for 2 hitting the ball sharply both times. The Royals will, on Monday in Zearing, look for another first, that elusive first win.

3rd & 4th Baseball offense struggles in loss

Pitching and defense were the theme of the night, NESCO also was playing with a 9-man roster for the game(with two of the nine being 2nd graders Garret Tiarks and Parker Eley playing full time with the squad, up a level from T-Ball) as outside conflicts dwindled the Royals normal 11-man roster. The young Royals again couldn't muster the timely hits to put together any scoring rallys. But the Royals are making strides as they become much more aggressive at the plate. They had several good at bats that ended in good plays made by Nevada or fouling out on Coach-pitched balls. Of note were Grant Tiarks' rocketed foul ball into the Nevada dugout and Austin Britten's line drive that the Nevada pitcher somehow got his glove up in self defense and managed to catch. Peyton Larsen recorded the only hit of the game for the Royals, a single in the 4th inning. Pitching was a plus for the Royals as Jared Johnson in his first pitching performance pitched 2 very strong innings allowing only 3 runners (on Coach-pitched hits and hit batsman) and striking out 5. Peyton Larsen again pitched a solid 2 innings for NESCO in relief, striking out 3 and allowing only 3 coach-pitched hitters to reach base. NESCO's defense was again a bright spot with several very nice plays made. Grant Tiarks, Peyton Larsen, and Dylan Gill turned in some of the nicest defensive plays. With another game Thursday the Royals will again be looking for that first win. Hitting is coming along as the Royals have only three 4th graders that played last year with live pitching. The remaining 8 players are witnessing their first at-bats in "real" baseball. Of special note was the condition of the field at Nevada's Score complex, Rhonda M. of Nevada Parks and Rec. has done a wonderful job with these ballfields as they are some of the finest in the area. With the perfectly groomed infields, scoreboards, and lights, the fans and players are made to feel that they are playing in the big time. My congratulations to Rhonda and her staff on an excellent facility.

Boy's T-Ball

Parents,
Please have your child to the games 30 minutes before each game. If you can't make it to a game please let Matt or Joel know ahead of time. Please check the schedule and call with any questions.

Matt Banks (515) 434-2343
Joel Niemeyer (515) 434-2007

Team 1
Ethan Wilson
Dillon Coree
Mason Lytle
Bryce Niemeyer
Tyler Anthony
Parker Eley
Gavin Fredrigill
Conner Clark
Alex Dunahoo

Team 2
Logan Soe
Ryan Banks
Garret Tiarks
Matthew Hill
Wyatt Origer
Gabe Thompson
Jared Roberts
Devin Simpson
Etienn Bouchard