A Round up of an exciting weekend of action at Dubai Little League.
Junior Softball:
Ducks 6 - 15 Gators
There was plenty of action on the basepaths as the Gators collected 16 hits and Ducks had eight. Gators defeated the Ducks 15-6 thanks to a strong start in the first inning led by Audrey, Reese, Noor and Isla. Gators had another big inning in the third with singles by Audrey, Siri and Beliz, with Marcela bringing in 2 RBI. Audrey went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Gators in hits. Nida and Sasha each managed multiple hits for the Ducks. Nida led the Ducks with three hits in three at bats.
Aggies 14 - 5 Gators
Aggies managed through a push by Gators in the second inning where Aggies coughed up five runs, but Aggies still won 14-5 on Friday. Gators’ big inning was driven by singles by Isla and Berrak and a double by Marcela. Marcela doubled on a ground ball allowing three runs batted in. Gators’ infielders Reese and Malak were responsible for multiple outs with their defensive skills. Ariana led things off on the rubber for Aggies. The righty allowed one hit and zero runs over two innings, striking out four and walking zero. Aggies’ Eloisa led her team with 4 RBI. Great defensive plays today by catchers from both teams with multiple outs with runners advancing home.
Subway Player of the Week: Malak Ibrahim (Gators) - Malak played a double header this weekend and helped her Gator team offensively and defensively. Through both games she caught 5 pop flies at shortstop and led the way to turn 2 double plays off of those catches. As well as being new to pitching she contributed again defensively, but also getting a strike out. At the plate she contributed throughout the day as a solid hitter, reaching base all but one at bat. Malak is in 7th grade at GEMS Metropole School. She is American-Egyptian born in Dubai. Malak returned to DLL after a two-year break. Her determination and athleticism in junior softball does not go unnoticed. Outside of softball, she enjoys football where she is on her school’s squad team, and in 2018, was chosen to attend the school world games. Way to go Malak!
Senior Softball:
Huskies 17 - 12 Crimson
The Harvard Crimson scored seven runs in the first inning, but the Huskies managed to pull out the victory. The Huskies scattered 18 hits in the game. Bethlyn Whitehead, Ainsley Whitehead, Aaliyah Haider, Mackenzie Render, and Aalia Gulamhusein all collected multiple hits for the Huskies. Orna Morgan, A. Whitehead and B. Whitehead collected extra base hits. Mila Looten led the offensive effort for the Crimson with 2 hits on the day including a triple. Grace Hofmann also hit a triple and led the Crimson with 3 RBI.
Tigers 13 - 10 Crimson
The Auburn Tigers took the lead late in the game in a 13-10 victory over The Harvard Crimson on Friday. The game was tied at ten with the Tigers batting in the top of the fifth when Bella Boson doubled on a 2-0 count, scoring one run. Tigers hitters racked up 17 hits in the game. Boson, Youna Lucquin, Anaka Brawn, Keila Reque, and Janna Nasr each had multiple hits including doubles by Boson and Brawn and triples by Reque and Nasr. Lucquin went 4-for-5 at the plate to lead the Tigers in hits and Boson drove in 4 runs to lead the team in RBI. Mikoto Kumano led the Crimson at the plate going 2-for-2 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Clara Rice contributed a double and 3 RBI for the Crimson and Emily Rice drove in 2. Congratulations to Mikoto Kumano on being named the Defensive Player of the Week. Mikoto was a standout at third base - making several crucial plays in the Crimson effort of both games.
Subway Player of the Week: Bella Boson (Tigers) - Bella went 3-for-4 with a double, 1R and 4 crucial RBI. She also made an outstanding defensive play at third base. Bella is a newcomer to DLL this season and attends ACS in Abu Dhabi as a 9th grader.
Senior Baseball:
Men's Dodgers 7 - 2 Astros
The Astros watched the game slip away early and couldn't recover in a 7-2 loss to the Men's Dodgers on Saturday. Men’s Dodgers took the lead in the first inning, and held to it until the end of the game. Combination of experience and serious approach at the plate paid off for Men's Dodgers who are now on a four game streak. Evan Langer led Astros Seniors with two hits in three at bats combining with solid pitching by Jack Chapleski shut down the offence of Dad’s team in last two innings. However, the Giants stayed quiet combining for 5 hits throughout the game.
Dodgers 12 - 9 Giants
The Senior Dodgers bounced back from a devastating defeat last week from the Mens' Dodgers to defeat the Giants 12-9. Collin Bianchi started for the Dodgers and went 3 innings giving up 2 earned runs while striking out 4. Bianchi also hit a key two run single to thwart the Giants comeback. Ollie Duthie got things going for the Dodgers with a triple in the first inning scoring. Gabri Reque who lead off the game with the walk. Duthie ended up 2-4 with 3 RBIs while Josh Jamal followed Bianchi's RBI single with one of this own, cementing the victory. Bianchi picked up his second win of the season while Duthie closed out the game to earn his first save of the season going three innings, striking out 7 and giving up one earned run. Jacob Essick went 1-4 to keep his five game hitting streak in tack. Youngster Zach Durbin made his Senior debut and went 1-3 but made a key defensive play at short early in the game. His solid defensive helped secure the Dodgers fourth win of the season against one loss. The Senior Dodgers kept pace with the men's Dodgers to remain tied for first place. The Senior Dodgers kept pace with the men's Dodgers to remain tied for first place.
Subway Player of the Week: Collin Bianchi (Senior Dodger's) - Collin picked up his second win of the season while contributing to his team with his great offense as well. Collin is showing great potential this season and deservingly takes the player of the week award.
Majors Baseball:
Braves 18 - 3 Dodgers
The Braves had everything working on Saturday, winning big over the Dodgers 18-3 in the first game. Matthew Yeh tripled in the first to get things going, scoring one run. The Braves then tallied six runs in the fourth inning. The hitters contributing to the big inning included runs being driven in by Shiven Joshi and Sulaiman Khwaja. Khwaja also took the win for the Braves. The fireballer allowed four hits and three runs over three innings, striking out five and walking one. Yeh threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen. Making his mound debut, Albie Robinson toed the rubber for the Dodgers. The Dodger Dog allowed three hits and four runs over one inning, striking out two. Billy Fordyce, Nathaniel Anderson, and Aiden Zoretic each contributed in relief. The Braves racked up 12 hits. Joshi , Chanhong Min , Khwaja, and Zachary Swartz each managed multiple hits for the Braves. The Braves tore up the base paths, as Ayden Stefaniuk stole three bases.
Athletics 19 - 9 Red Sox
The winless Athletics took the lead late and defeated the previously undefeated Red Sox 19-9 on Saturday in the second game. The game was tied at eight with the Athletics batting in the top of the fourth when Cohen Miller doubled, scoring two runs. Miller went 4-for-4 at the plate. The Athletics got things moving in the first inning, when Miller singled, scoring two runs. In the bottom of the third inning, the Red Sox tied things up at eight keeping the game tight. The Athletics broke the game open with seven runs in the sixth inning. The offensive onslaught was led by Will Brawn, Ethan Harlin, Nyle Chaudhry, Joseph Khoury, Tysei Murao, and Kima Sepic, who each had RBIs in the inning. Miller led things off on the pitcher's mound lasting one and two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and eight runs while striking out three. Dorian Fredrick took the mound for the Red Sox. The hurler allowed eight hits and eight runs over two and two-thirds innings, striking out four. Conner Hall and Mahdi Mroueh entered the game as relief, throwing two innings and one-third of an inning respectively. The Athletics scattered 15 hits in the game. Miller, N. Chaudhry, Sepic, and Harlin all had multiple hits. Alex Zabst led the Red Sox with two hits in four at bats. Milad Mroueh led the Red Sox with three stolen bases.
Subway Player of the Week: Nyle Chaudhry (Athletics)
Minors Baseball:
Braves 12 - 13 Yankees
Yankees pick up their first win of the season in a dramatic walk-off walk. Yankees were leading the game 12-4 up until the 5th inning but Braves fought back and tied the game scoring 8 runs. The game had 27 hits in total. For the Yankees Diego Ghosh had 2 hits with 3 RBIs while pitching 3 innings. For the Braves, Joud Nasser led the team with 3 hits and 2 RBIs.
Royals 7 - 9 Dodgers
Royals miss out topping the league by losing a close game against the Dodgers. Despite a 5 run deficit in the 4th inning the Royals gained 3 runs in the 5th inning but was not enough to close the gap. Dodgers had 11 hits while the Royals had 7 with only 4 strike outs each. Royals were beaten badly against the Dodgers 14-4 in the previous game, but they were able to play a close game this time, Minors Division race is definitely becoming more interesting. For the Dodgers Woojin Lee led the team with 2 hits including a double and 2 RBIs. For the Royals, Kakeru Enkaku led the team with 3 hits and 4 RBIs.
Subway Player of the Week: Diego Ghosh (Yankees) - Diego led the Yankees with 3 RBIs off 2 hits and came in to relief pitch for 3 innings.