Game #7 - Novato American vs Tiburon

Today was game #7 for the Novato American Little League 12 year-old All-Stars who took on a cross-county team from Tiburon. Both squads made it into the elimination round, so we were expecting a close one. Unfortunately, in addition to the game being close, Novato came up a little short, bringing the stellar All-Star run to an all-to-soon close. Which does nothing to lessen the fun, excitement and pride all the parents (like me!), families and friends had in watching the boys play this year.

For the complete photo-set, check out the NALL 12 YO All-Star Shutterfly account.

Game Summary

Tiburon won the coin flip and elected the home side of the field at beautiful Joe Wagner Field. Novato was held scoreless in the top of the first by Tiburon pitcher Colin Galeste. Novato's Evan Bernardy closed down Tiburon in the bottom of the inning for a 0-0 tie after one.

Colin and Evan held tight for their respective teams over the first three innings. Tiburon made an aggressive push in the bottom of the third where some heads-up Novato fielding took advantage of agressive Tiburon baserunning to get one out on an a rundown and two more on a double play after a catch on a hard shot to second. So, after three innings it was still knotted at 0-0.

All the scoring took place in the fourth inning. Novato struck first when Robbie Cassee singled to right and took second on a passed ball. Tyler Torres then hit a rocket to centerfield where it hit the top of the fence and the centerfielders' glove at the same time and bounced back into play resulting in a double and scoring Cassee in the process. After the top of the fourth, Novato lead 1-0.

But the lead was short lived as Tiburon got a man on first and Dillon Blair hit a hard shot over the centerfield fence for a two-run home-run. So, after four innings it was Tiburon up 2-1.

And that was the end of the scoring. While Bernardy closed out Tiburon in the fifth, Tiburon did the same to Novato in the fifth and sixth and the game was over.

Final Score: Tiburon 2, Novato American 1

Here's a few highlight photos from the game to whet your appetite.

Evan Bernardy (99) throwing heat in the first inning

Robbie Cassee (12) drives a single to right in the fourth inning

Tyler Torres (18) drives the ball deep in the fourth inning...

...which bounces back in play for a double scoring Cassee for Novato's only run of the day.

Cheers! - Jason

Game #6 - Novato American vs. Mill Valley

Tonight was game #6 for the Novato American Little League 12 year-old All-Stars who took on my former team from Mill Valley. Both teams came in with 4-1 records, so we knew we were in for a dog fight. And 'oh boy', was it ever!

For the complete photo-set, check out the NALL 12 YO All-Star Shutterfly account.

Game Summary

Novato American again won the coin flip and elected to be home team at Hamann field in Novato. Tyler Torres started for the locals, and worked a few early batters before giving way to Crit Rudkin who ended up going the rest of the way. The Torres-Rudkin combo kept the Mill Valley squad scoreless in the first inning and then Crit did the same thing for the ensuing five innings!

Unfortunately, Brett Bowyer, the Mill Valley starter, did nearly the same thing. For five and one-third innings he kept the Novato side in check in a pitchers duel with Rudkin. He finally reached his maximum pitch count on a walk to Miguel Delgado with one out in the bottom of the sixth in a 0-0 game. After Delgado moved to second on a wild pitch by the Mill Valley reliever, Dylan Wheaton promptly singled to right field. Delgado rounded third with a full head of steam and was narrowly thrown out at the plate by an amazing throw by the right fielder. After the tag, the Mill Valley catcher threw down to second in an attempt to double-up Wheaton who had rounded first and was attempting to take the extra base. Unfortunately, the ball sailed past not only the shortstop covering the bag, but also the centerfielder on its way to the fence. Wheaton popped up off the base and started chugging for third where he was waived on by his dad who furiously pumped his arms motioning Dylan towards home. By that time, the Mill Valley centerfielder had reached the ball and it was on it's way toward home as well, and the inevitable intersection with Wheaton. And then, it was over, as Wheaton slid just under the tag by the Mill Valley catcher. The second time on the play proved the charm, as the umpire signaled "safe" and Novato emerged victorious.

Final Score: Novato American 1, Mill Valley 0

Here are a few highlight shots from today's game

Crit Rudkin (55) mows down one of many Mill Valley batters en route to the win

Dylan Wheaton (10) gets the single that turns into the winning run...

Dylan Wheaton (10) scores the only run of the game with two-outs in the bottom of the sixth inning

The Novato American players pile on Dylan Wheaton after scoring the winning run

Postlude: Since Novato American finished with a 5-1 record, they tied San Francisco American as the winners of the round-robin. As Novato had fewer runs allowed (18 for Novato vs. 22 for SF American) they were deemed the #1 seed for the elimination that starts tomorrow. As a result, Novato American will play Tiburon at Joe Wagner Field in Larkspur at 10 AM. No way I'm going to miss that one.

Cheers! - Jason

Game #5 - Novato American vs. West Marin

Tonight was Game #5 for the 2009 Novato American Little League 12 Year-old All-Stars. This time, the competition was another cross-county team, West Marin. West Marin has had a difficult time this year so the challenge was to keep the Novato boys focused on playing their game. They did so, coming into the game loose and ready, and the outcome was never really in doubt.

As with the previous games, the entire set of photos is available on Shutterfly, so check them out if you are interested.

Game Summary

Once again, Novato American won the coin flip and the home side of the field. Frankie Calcaterra started on the mound for Novato and ended up throwing just over 40 pitches in three innings of shutout work and earned the win. Frankie gave up one single in the first and another in the second, although the hitter in the second was thrown out at second by centerfielder Robbie Cassee on the play.

Novato scored quickly in the first. Calcaterra hit a lead-off single and moved to second on a passed ball. Alec Ball then drew a walk so there were two on when Marcus Chiu's double brought them both in. Cassee and Zach Kern then drew walks an Chiu scored on a passed ball. At the end of the inning Novato American was up 3-0.

Novato scored two more in the second. Calcaterra doubled for his second hit of the game. Chiu scored him on single. Cassee then doubled to put two on base and Chiu scored on a passed ball during Kern's next at bat. Novato American lead 5-0 at the end of the second.

Novato scored two more in the third. This time, Aaron Lewko sarting things off with a single and then moved around the bases and scored on a passed ball. Dylan Wheaton drew a walk and then scored on Calcaterra's third hit, another double, to make it 7-0 for Novato.

Tyler Torres pitched the fourth inning for Novato, shutting down West Marin with three straight strike-outs.

Mercifully, Novato struck quickly in the bottom of the inning to invoke the 10-run rule. Ball lead off with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. Torres walked to put two on for Evan Bernardy's first at-bat of the evening. With no outs, Bernardy drove a 1-0 pitch over the right-centerfield fence for a walk-off three-run home-run. And that, as they say, was that!

Final Score: Novato American 10, West Marin 0

Here are a few highlight shots from the game.

Frankie Calcaterra (17) gets the first of his three hits on this single in the first inning

Marchus Chiu (22) drives in two on this double in the first inning

Robbie Cassee (12) doubles to left in the second inning

Tyler Torres (18) mows them down in the sixth inning

Evan Bernardy (99) watches his majestic, walk-off three-run homer in the fourth inning. Game over!

Cheers! - Jason

Game #4 - Novato American vs. Ross Valley

Tonight, I took photos at my son's Novato American Little League 12 Year-old All-Stars Game #4 against another cross-county team, Ross Valley. Once more, a great night taking pictures at the ballpark, this time at Bacich in Larkspur.

As with the previous games, the entire set of photos is available on Shutterfly, so check them out if you are interested.

Game Summary

Novato American won the coin flip and the home side of the field. The game started as a pitchers duel with Evan Bernardy for Novato American and Adam Hussain for Ross Valley each holding the other in check for the first two innings.

Ross Valley scored first by pushing across two runners on wild pitches. Hussain held Novato American scoreless again in the bottom of the inning, so after three, Ross Valley was up 2-0.

Ross Valley pushed across two more in the top of the fourth to go up 4-0, but Novato had the heart of its order coming up in the bottom of the inning. Following a single by Dylan Wheaton, Marcus Chiu crunched a two-run "no-doubt" home-run to right center. With one out, Bernardy singled and moved to second on a passed ball. Tyler Torres then drove a double to the fence in left-center scoring Bernardy. After the end of the fourth, Ross Valley lead 4-3.

In the top of the fifth, Ross Valley eeked out one more to go up 5-3. Not to be outdone, Novato tied the game on another Wheaton-Chiu single and home-run combo. This time, Chiu's drive went even further to center. A monster shot that made it 5-5 at the end of five.

Crit Rudkin came in to pitch the sixth and, after loading the bases on a couple of errors and a walk, took control of the inning, and the game. He struck out the side, leaving all three runners stranded bringing up Novato American for another shot at a win.

And things started off fast when Torres smoked one to right that worked it to the fence, leaving him standing on second. Presumably, Ross Valley intended to walk Rudkin next to put runners on first and second and leave a force play at first, second or third. But during the intentional pass, Crit swung at one of the intentional balls and Ross Valley decided to pitch to him. The next pitch got away from the catcher and Torres ended up on third. With a 3-1 count, Ross Valley pulled-in the outfield to try to make the play at the plate. After a second strike, Crit got hold of a fastball on the full-count and hit it over the pulled-in outfield to the left-field fence. Torres scored easily on the walk-off single with no outs. So, not only did Rudkin get the game-winning hit, but he made himself the winning pitcher at the same time. Not a bad way to end the day.

Final Score: Novato American 6, Ross Valley 5

Here are a few highlight shots from the game.

Marcus Chiu (22) being congratulated by his teammates following his first two-run homer of the game in the fourth inning.

Tyler Torres (18) slides safely into second with his second double of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, setting up the winning score.

Crit Rudkin (55) driving a 3-2 pitch to the left-field fence for a walk-off, run scoring single to win the game. Since he was the relief pitcher in the top of the inning, his hit also made him the game winning pitcher. Nice day's work!

Cheers! - Jason

Game #3 - Novato American vs. Novato North

Robbie Cassee hitting one of his two 2-run home-runs in the 5th inning

Again tonight, I took photos at my son's Novato American Little League 12 Year-old All-Stars Game #3. This time it was against cross-town rivals Novato North. Not a bad way to spend the week, watching three games (two of them wins!) and getting to take pictures at two of the games.

As with Tuesday's game, the entire set of photos is available on Shutterfly, so check them out if you are interested.

Game Summary

Novato North won the coin flip and elected to be the home team. Since it was a bit cooler than on Tuesday, having the visiting side wasn't as much of an impact as it was earlier in the week. The Novato American (NA) All-Stars jumped to an early 1-0 lead when Frankie Calcaterra, on with a leadoff single, scored on a single to center by Robbie Cassee.

After holding the North in the bottom of the first, the American squad scored another run in the second inning, a walk to Aaron Lewko and a series of passed balls that allowed him to score.

After holding the North again Novato American pushed in 4 more runs in the third inning. After a Dylan Wheaton single and a walk to Marcus Chiu, Evan Bernardy singled to drive in Wheaton. Tyler Torres then tripled to score both Chiu and Bernardy. The scoring was capped by a single by Lewko that scored Torres.

Both teams were scoreless in the fourth inning, but it was only a brief respite before the upcoming Novato American storm.

The fifth inning saw 13 Novato American players come to the plate, accounting for 9 hits and 9 runs before it was over. Chiu lead off with a single and was promptly driven in on a home-run to left by Cassee. Bernardy followed with his second single and was then brought home on a home-run by Torres. Miguel Delgado singled, as did Critt Rudkin, then Calcaterra walked to load the bases with only one out. Delgado was forced at home on a fielder's choice by Wheaton for the second out. Chiu then doubled and took third while driving in Rudkin, Calcaterra and Wheaton for another 3 runs. Cassee capped the scoring with his second two-run home-run of the inning, scoring Chiu, to make it 15-0.

The North side broke-up the shutout in the bottom of the 5th by pushing in 2 runs, but it wasn't enough to stop the 10-run rule from being invoked to end the game.

Final Score: Novato American 15, Novato North 2

Here are a few more highlight shots from the game.

Marcus Chiu (22) leads Robbie Cassee around the bases on Cassee's first home-run in the 5th inning

Tyler Torres (18) is congratulated by teammates following his 2 run home-run in the 5th inning. Also pictured are Brian Bledsoe (2), Dylan Wheaton (10), Aaron Lewko (7), and Alec Ball (44)

Marcus Chiu (22) of Novato American making a play at shortstop in the bottom of the 5th. Also pictured is second baseman Frankie Calcaterra (17). NOTE: Marcus was the starting and winning picture for Novato American.

Cheers! - Jason

Game #2 - Novato American vs. Twin Cities

The 2009 Novato American 12 yo All-Stars

Last night, I pulled out the Nikon D80, clamped on the 80-400 telephoto lens and mounted it on the monopod to take photos at my son's Novato American Little League 12 Year-old All-Stars Game #2 against cross-county powerhouse Twin Cities. While I've taken photos at football games for years, it's been a while since I've done so at a baseball game. So while I felt a little rusty, I had a great time capturing the action and the players during a hot Summer evening watching some great baseball.

The entire set of photos is available on Shutterfly, so check them out if you are interested.

Game Summary

Twin Cities (TC) won the coin flip and elected to be the home team, which is a no brainer at Novato's Hamann Field since the visiting dugout and sidelines run 10-20 degrees hotter this time of year. The Novato American (NA) All-Stars threatened to score in the top of the first inning, but were unsuccessful. TC was able push in one in the bottom, leaving them up 1-0 after the first.

In the second inning, NA scored on a solo home-run by Robbie Cassee (yup, my son) to tie the game. Twin Cities took the lead again by scoring two more in the bottom of the inning on a couple of tough, high doubles to the outfield and a hard single to right past a diving Frankie Calcaterra at second base.

Down 3-1, Novato American came back in the top of the third. After Miquel Delgado drew a walk and stole second and third, Marcus Chiu drove him home with a double down the third-base line. After stealing third, Chiu was scored on a sharp single by Evan Bernardy knotting the game at 3.

Unfortunately, TC retook the lead 4-3 in the bottom of the third on a solo home-run, and they would never relinquish it.

After holding Novato scoreless in the fourth inning, TC added 4 more runs in the bottom of the inning to go up 8-3.

Undaunted, Novato fought back in the fifth, scratching out three runs on a two-run home-run by Chiu (again scoring Delgado after a single and stolen base) and a solo homer by Alec Ball, the first of his Little League career.

Reliever Robbie Cassee was able to hold Twin Cities scoreless in the bottom of the fifth to set up a sixth inning showdown with TC leading 8-6. But the comeback fizzled as the TC reliever shut down the Novato hitters in order.

Final Score: Twin Cities 8, Novato American 6


Here's a couple of highlight shots from the game.

Robbie Cassee goes deep to left with a solo HR in the 2nd inning

Marcus Chiu drives in 2 with a monster HR in the 5th inning

Alec Ball hits a solo home-run to right in the 5th inning

Cheers! - Jason

Game #1 - Novato American vs. Novato South

The 2009 Novato American 12 Year-Old All-Stars

Carrie took photos today at my son's Novato American Little League 12 Year-old All-Stars Game #1 against cross-town rival Novato South. It's always great to get shots of the boys playing ball so we've made the entire set of photos available on Shutterfly. Check them out if you are interested.

Game Summary

Novato American won the coin flip and elected to be the home team, giving us the cooler dugout and sideline for our fans. Evan Bernardy pitched well in the first, giving up a hit to the leadoff hitter, but then getting a groundout and two strikeouts. Novato American got a leadoff single by Miquel Deldago, but followed it with three strike-outs so the game was knotted at 0-0 after the first.

The second through fourth inning were much the same: a pitchers duel. Bernardy battled with the South's Paul Kunst, neither giving an inch until the fifth.

The South side stuck first in the fifth after a couple of walks leading to a 12-pitch confrontation with Danny Dreher. Danny worked his way to a sacrifice grounder to second baseman Frankie Calcaterra, scoring Ricky Clary on the throw to first. South up 1-0.

The American side came roaring back in the bottom of the inning. Brian Bledsoe walked to lead off the inning followed by two quick outs. Calcaterra, in his first at-bat of the All-Star season, then crunched a two-run home-run to left for a 2-1 lead.

The South pushed back to the lead with two in the top of the sixth. Kunst's lead off with a single and was promptly scored on a double to left-center by Jason Rodriguez. After a passed ball, Rodriquez scored on a sacrifice grounder to first by Clary for a 3-2 lead.

The American side made the most of the bottom of the inning. Marcus Chiu lead off by getting hit by a pitch followed by a walk to #4 batter Tyler Torres. Bernardy drove in Chiu with a single to tie the game. Robbie Cassee's walk loaded the bases with no outs and things were looking good. After a strikeout to the next batter, Ryan Fong hung tough in his at-bat and worked his way to a 3-2 count. The sixth pitch was low and in the dirt. Ryan swung and was out on strikes, but the ball continued past the catcher enabling Torres to score from third. In Fong's understated words, "it's the first time I've ever had a walk-off strikeout" for a win!

Final Score: Novato American 4, Novato South 3


Here's a couple of highlight shots from the game.

Starting picher Evan Bernardy throwing some heat!

Ryan Fong during his now famous "walk-off strikeout" for the win!

Novato American and South players congratulate each other following the game

Cheers! - Jason