North Riverdale Baseball League
Facing elimination after losing the first game of the NRBL boys’ Major Division championship, the Yankees defeated the Nationals 7-2 at Kelly Field on Monday evening, June 18, forcing a third and deciding game in two days.
“It’s great that we were able to win the game with a whole team effort,” Brian Alberts, the Yanks’ winning pitcher said after the game, his face partially covered with a celebratory whipped cream pie.
After Alberts stranded the Nationals’ Liam Coffey on second in the top of the first inning, the Yankees pushed across a pair of runs in their half, courtesy of hits by Griffin O’Keefe, Lucas Ludgate and Alberts.
In the bottom of the third, the Yankees tacked on two more runs on a RBI double by Alberts followed by an RBI single by Ludgate.
The Nationals had the opportunity to score and cut the lead in the fourth inning but could not convert.
With Eamon Coffey on third base and Colin Bhat on second, Jake Morrow hit a rocket up the middle, but Alberts, who was still pitching, snatched it out of the air without even flinching, robbing Morrow of a base hit.
“It was too quick to even think,” said Alberts, who said he was amazed to find the ball in his glove.
The Yankees continued to pad their lead in the fourth and fifth innings on RBIs from Ludgate, Justin Hill and Rory Naughton.
In the top of the sixth, back-to-back doubles from Liam Coffey and Christopher Fox put the Nationals on the scoreboard. They tallied one more run when Eamon Coffey’s groundout scored Fox.
Alberts struck out 11 batters in 5.1 innings and also went 2 for 2 at the plate, with a walk.
William Rybka was 2 for 3, and Kaan Cebeci and Fian Ward both had singles for the Yankees.
