Knights Jump Out Early and Coast to 10-1 Win

Recap

	1	2	3	4	5	-	R	H
VISITOR	1	0	0	0	0	-	1	5
KNIGHTS	1	5	1	3	1	-	11	21

Round Rock — The Royal Knights refused to relinquish the lead after grabbing it early, recording a 11-1 victory on Saturday at Field 10.

The game was decided quickly as the Knights exerted their will early with seven runs in the first three innings.

An RBI single by Connor in the first inning and an RBI single by Shay, an RBI single by Graham, a two-run single by Tristan and and inning-ending double by Adam during the second inning supplied the early offense for the Knights.  Tristan racked up three RBIs on three hits and scored three runs for the Knights.

After posting one run in the third, the Knights again scored one in the fifth. In the third, the Knights scored on an RBI single by Michael, bringing home Lucas.

The Knights increased their lead with three runs in the fourth. Tristan kicked things off with a double, scoring Graham. That was followed up by Connor's single, plating Tristan.

Box Score

NO	NAME	AB	H	R	RBI	AVG
4	Tristan	3	3	3	3	.800
32	Connor	3	3	1	2	.833
99	Adam	3	2	0	2	.889
15	Lucas	3	2	1	0	.722
1	Elijah	3	2	0	0	.889
6	Carlos	3	0	0	0	.235
00	Michael	3	3	2	1	.667
17	Josiah	3	2	1	1	.467
10	Shay	3	1	1	1	.600
7	CJ	3	1	0	0	.714
5	Graham	3	2	2	1	.615
88	Bradyn	2	0	0	0	.000

2B: Tristan 2, Adam
TB: Tristan 5, Connor 3, Adam 3, Lucas 2, Elijah 2, Michael 3, Josiah 2, Shay, CJ, Graham 2
RBI: Tristan 3, Connor 2, Adam 2, Michael, Josiah, Shay, Graham
FC: Elijah, Shay

End-of-Season Scheduling Update

There was some discussion within the RRBL yesterday about whether to do the End of Season Tournament (EOST) or skip the EOST and make up the games rained out last weekend.  The managers were polled, and I, of course, voted for the EOST.  We only missed one game, and we'll get one game next weekend either way.  With the EOST, we may play as many as four.

The vote came out in favor of the EOST, so I believe that will proceed as planned.  I expect to see a bracket soon.

The surprising outcome (to me) is that the RRBL is apparently trying to reschedule makeup games on week nights this coming week.  Just giving you the heads-up that our schedule next week may change.  I'll let you know as I learn more.

~Coach Greg

Game Day Schedule Sat., 10/13

Fortunately, our games today are well after the big football game is over.  (I'm of course talking about Kansas State at Iowa State.)

Schedule

• 4:30 — Pre-game BP at batting cages
• 5:00 — Pre-game warm-up at Field 10
• 5:30 — Game on Field 10 (H)
• 7:00 — Game on Field 10 (H)

Notes

• We will only have about 15 minutes between games, so we will only have time for a quick bathroom break.

~Coach Greg

End of Season Tournament Update

I just received a note from the league about the End of Season Tournament.  The tournament is on Sat., 10/27 and Sun., 10/28.  It will be a simple single-elimination format, with seeding determined tonight (Tues.) by blind draw.  I will post the bracket, or a link to it, once it's available.

We will play a minimum of one game and a maximum of four games (two on Sat., and two on Sun.)  The Saturday games will be at either 9:00 and 12:00, or 10:30 and 1:30, depending on our location in the bracket.  If we lose the first game, then we will not play the second.

If we win both Saturday games, we will play a semifinal game on Sunday at either 1:00 or 2:30.  The championship game is Sunday at 4:00.

I will let you know more as I get updates.

~Coach Greg

Hot Bats Not Enough, Royal Knights Succumb to 8U Fajardo, 19-14

[Note: The headline above and recap below are auto-generated by my scorekeeping app, and I thought it was kind of fun.  I modified it a little and scrubbed out the last names.  "8U Fajardo" is the official name of the team we played, much like ours is "8U Roush".  I don't know what their nickname is.]

Recap

	1	2	3	4	5	-	R	H
KNIGHTS	3	5	3	0	3	-	14	19
HOME	5	5	4	5	X	-	19	23

Round Rock — The Royal Knights lost a battle of the bats on Saturday at Field 10, falling short in a 19-14 ballgame against 8U Fajardo.

Tristan boosted his batting average thanks to a perfect 3-3 day at the plate to pace the Knights. He singled in the first and second innings and tripled in the fifth inning.

8U Fajardo answered with nine hitters combining for 20 hits, 16 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

The Knights jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Tristan got things going with a single. A single by Connor then moved Tristan from first to second. Adam singled, scoring Tristan. The Knights pushed more runs across when Connor and Adam scored on a two-run single by Elijah.

8U Fajardo answered with five runs of its own in the first, and again in the second.

The Knights brought home three runs in the third inning, and matched that run total in the fifth. In the third, the Knights scored on a two-run single by Elijah, plating Adam and Lucas.

8U Fajardo went up for good in the third, scoring four runs on a two-run home run and two singles.  8U Fajardo built upon its lead with five runs in the fourth.

After pushing across three runs in the top of the fifth, The Knights faced just a 19-14 deficit. An RBI single by Connor and a two-run single by Michael sparked a late rally, but it came up short.

Box Score

NO	NAME	AB	H	R	RBI	AVG
4	Tristan	3	3	3	2	.765
32	Connor	3	3	1	2	.800
99	Adam	3	2	2	1	.933
15	Lucas	3	2	2	0	.733
1	Elijah	3	3	2	4	.933
6	Carlos	3	0	0	1	.286
00	Michael	3	1	0	2	.583
17	Josiah	3	1	1	0	.417
10	Shay	2	1	1	1	.667
7	CJ	2	1	1	0	.818
5	Graham	2	2	1	1	.600
88	Bradyn	2	0	0	0	.000

3B: Tristan
TB: Tristan 5, Connor 3, Elijah 3, Adam 2, Lucas 2, Graham 2, Michael, Josiah, Shay, CJ
RBI: Tristan 2, Connor 2, Adam, Elijah 4, Carlos, Michal 2, Shay, Graham
FC: Carlos

(Optional) BP Sun., 10/7

I'll be at the batting cages this afternoon from 3:00-4:00 for anyone who can make it.

~Coach Greg

Game Day Notes: Sat., 10/6

Schedule

• 3:00 BP at Batting Cages
• 3:30 Warm-up by Field 10
• 4:00 Game on Field 10

Notes

• We haven't hit for a while, so be sure your player gets there to get some cuts.  I will try to be there by 2:30-2:45.
• If you are unable to get to the cages, be sure to meet the team by 3:30 at Field 10.
• The team we're playing today is very solid, so we're going to need to be ready to play right from the start.

~Coach Greg

No BP Sun., 9/30

I am unavailable for BP this afternoon, so I'll plan to see everyone at practice Wednesday night.

~Coach Greg

9/29 Makeup Games

Todays games for ages 6-14U are being rescheduled for Sunday, October 14th. Start times for the first games will be moved back by 2 hours to 11am. Otherwise, the game line-up from today should reamain the same in these age groups.

~Coach Greg

Games 9/29: Cancelled

All games have been canceled due to rain.

No BP Sun., 9/23

No BP this afternoon. 53 hits in two games yesterday. I think it's OK to let the bats rest. See everyone Wednesday.

~Coach Greg

Results: 2012-09-22 Game 2

We kept it up in the second game, even though it was getting hot and tired.  I know I was.  We had great production again up and down the lineup.

Note: In both games today, I recorded an inning with 6 runs. That can't technically happen because of the five-run rule. These would not count in an official score, but, seeing as there is no official score in the fall, I say the runs count.

	1	2	3	4	5	-	R	H
GUESTS	0	0	1	0	0	-	1	5
KNIGHTS	5	5	0	1	6	-	17	29

NO	NAME	AB	H	R	RBI	AVG
4	Tristan	4	3	3	0	.714
32	Connor	4	4	3	5	.750
99	Adam	4	4	3	2	1.000
15	Lucas	4	3	2	2	.750
1	Elijah	4	4	0	3	.917
6	Carlos	4	1	0	1	.364
00	Michael	3	3	2	1	.667
17	Josiah	3	1	1	0	.444
10	Shay	3	3	1	2	.700
7	CJ	3	2	2	1	.889
5	Graham	2	0	0	0	.500

Results: 2012-09-22 Game 1

We got off to a great start in the first game.  We scored the max number of runs in two innings, and we had runs, hits and RBIs from all parts of the batting order.  When we play well, there is not a "weak" part of the order!

For example, the "top half" of the order (batters 1–6 — we normally have 12 players) hit 0.778, while the "bottom half" hit 0.769.  There's a reason I'm writing "bottom half" in quotes.

	1	2	3	4	5	-	R	H
KNIGHTS	5	3	0	6	4	-	18	24
HOME	1	2	3	1	0	-	7	17

NO	NAME	AB	H	R	RBI	AVG
4	Tristan	4	3	3	4	.700
32	Connor	3	3	3	2	.625
99	Adam	3	3	2	4	1.000
15	Lucas	3	2	2	0	.750
1	Elijah	3	2	2	1	.875
6	Carlos	2	1	0	1	.429
00	Michael	2	1	0	1	.500
17	Josiah	2	2	2	3	.500
10	Shay	3	2	0	1	.571
7	CJ	3	3	2	0	1.000
5	Graham	3	2	1	1	.667

Game Day: Sat., 9/22

Here is our game day schedule for Sat., 9/22:

Schedule

• 9:30 AM - Batting Practice at cages by Field 8
• 10:00 AM - Meet at Field 9 to warm up
• 10:30 AM - Game on Field 9 (visitor)
• 12:00 AM - Game on Field 9 (home)

Notes

• If you cannot attend BP at 9:30, please meet at the field by 10:00.
• We will only have 30–45 minutes between games.  Players can have that time to use the restroom, eat, drink, and rest.  We'll want the players back in the dugout by 11:45.
• There will be an adult in the dugout between games, so players can safely leave their gear.

~Coach Greg

Practice Tonight (Wed., 9/19)

Just a reminder that we have practice tonight at 6:00 on Field 11. See everyone there!

9/15 Rainout Rescheduled to 10/13

Our game that was rained out yesterday (9/15) has been rescheduled to Sat., 10/13 at 7:00PM on Field 10 (immediately following our game at 5:30PM on the same field).  The calendar page has been updated.

BP Cancelled - Sun., 9/16

I am cancelling BP this afternoon because of the rain.  I wanted to make a decision relatively early so that you could plan your Sunday afternoon without wondering about it.

I normally take Elijah to the cages on Tuesday evenings while my 10U son practices.  Anyone who wants to join us is welcome to do so.  I'll let everyone know 1) that I'll for sure be out there, and 2) at what time.

Our next scheduled practice is Wed., 9/19 at 6:00 PM on Field 11.

Thanks!
Coach Greg

Possible Rescheduling of 9/15 Games

RRBL will try to reschedule as many of today's games as possible.  Due to the large number of double headers being played today in some age groups, it may not be possible to get all of them rescheduled but they are going to try.

The rescheduled games would be played primarily over the next two Saturdays.   September 22nd and 29th are the last full game days we have for the fall season.  October 6th and 13th have limited availability due to park closures (until 3pm) on both days.  Game times would be adjusted for everyone over the next two weekends to accommodate all the rescheduled games.

The updated schedules will be posted to website over the next few of days.  It will take some time to move all of the games.

Games Cancelled: Sat 9/15

Due to the wet field conditions, all games have been cancelled for Saturday 9/15.  Games will most likely not to be rescheduled because of the short fall season.  More information will be posted later to confirm.

Results: 2012-09-08, Game 2

We picked up right where left off in the first game. Good hitting and fielding all around. All 12 players should be proud about what they did today.  Lots to work on, but lots of things to be excited about.

There were lots of good offensive and defensive plays, but we definitely have to highlight two of the best catches you're going to see by a catcher in an 8U game.  Good job, Adam!

	1	2	3	4	5	-	R	H
KNIGHTS	2	1	5	1	5	-	14	21
HOME	4	0	5	4	0	-	13	23

NO	NAME	AB	H	R	RBI	AVG
4	Tristan	3	2	2	0	.600
32	Connor	3	2	2	2	.400
99	Adam	3	3	3	2	1.000
15	Lucas	3	3	3	0	.800
1	Elijah	3	3	2	6	1.000
6	Carlos	3	2	0	1	.400
00	Michael	2	1	0	1	.500
17	Josiah	2	0	0	0	.250
10	Shay	2	2	2	0	.500
7	CJ	2	2	0	1	1.000
5	Graham	2	2	0	1	.667
88	Bradyn	2	0	0	0	.000

Results: 2012-09-08, Game

A rough start at the plate, but the kids kept playing and eventually got going in the last inning. We saw a lot of good things to build on.

	1	2	3	4	5	-	R	H
GUEST	5	0	5	3	1	-	14	22
KNIGHTS	0	0	0	4	X	-	4	9

NO	NAME	AB	H	R	RBI	AVG
4	Tristan	2	1	1	0	.500
32	Connor	2	0	0	0	.000
99	Adam	2	2	1	1	1.000
15	Lucas	2	1	1	0	.500
1	Elijah	2	2	1	2	1.000
6	Carlos	2	0	0	0	.000
00	Michael	2	1	0	1	.500
17	Josiah	2	1	0	0	.500
10	Shay	2	0	0	0	.000
7	CJ	1	1	0	0	1.000
5	Graham	1	0	0	0	.000
88	Bradyn	1	0	0	0	.000

Game Day 2012-09-08

It's game day already!  Here is a reminder about our schedule for the day:

Schedule

8:00 AM	Batting cages by Field 8 (f you can make it)
8:30 AM	Meet at Field 8 to warm up
9:00 AM	Game on Field 8 (Home) Snacks: Adame
Break: Be sure to get plenty of water and rest in the shade
11:30 AM	Meet at Field 11 to warm up
12:00 AM	Game on Field 11 (Visitor) Snacks: Crosley

Reminder: Optional Practices Tomorrow (Sun., 9/2)

Just a reminder that we will have an optional fielding practice tomorrow (Sun., 9/2) at 2:00 at the multipurpose field, followed by batting practice in the batting cages at 3:00.

These are optional practices, so it's OK if you are unable to attend. It's also OK to come to one and not the other.

Let me know if you have questions. Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!

Pants Change

Coach Dwayne is ordering white pants with blue pinstripes (instead of grey as previously mentioned).

• If you are ordering with the team, you don't need to change anything — the cost is unaffected.
• If you are buying your own, solid white will be the best match.

The belts and socks are still royal blue.

Contact Coach Dwayne if you have questions about specifics.

Uniforms and Additional Costs

I picked up uniforms at the Managers Meeting last night.  They are very nice.  The jerseys are the same lightweight material as the spring jerseys.  Ours are royal blue with "Round Rock Baseball League" in white script.  The caps are white with a royal blue bill and a royal blue "RR" logo embroidered on the front.  I think they look very sharp.

Names/Numbers

Coach Dwayne has the uniforms, and is getting names and numbers put on them.  The names and numbers are those you finalized with him at practice last night, and the jersey sizes are whatever you put on your registration form.  We have found that putting names/numbers on the caps is not only a nice touch, but also helps eliminates a lot of confusion.  The cost for names/numbers is $10.50.  Please get this amount to Coach Dwayne as soon as you are able.

Pants, Socks, and Belts

In addition, we will wear grey pants, royal blue socks and royal blue belts.  You are welcome to purchase your own at Academy/Dick's/etc., but Coach Dwayne is offering to place a team order for a total of about $20 per player.  Please let Coach Dwayne know by 2:00 PM Friday afternoon if you would like to be included in this order.  You will need to let him know what size to order.  All the boys on our team will be small or medium.  You can use the following chart to help you decide if you aren't sure:

	YS	YM	YL
Waist	18–20	20–22	22–24
Inseam	17	18.5	21

I wouldn't worry too much about getting them big enough to grow into.  In my experience, you'll need new ones in the spring anyway.

The Schedule has Been Released

The game and practice schedules have been released.  You can view the schedule on the RRBL site here, or you can use the Calendar page on this site.  The Calendar page on this site will be kept up-to-date, and will include any additional practices and activities.

Some notes from the RRBL:

• Games begins September, 8th.
• All games on Saturday
• Games scheduled for October 6th and 13th will not start until after 3pm due to park closure 
• No games on October 20th.
• End of Season Tournament will be held October 27th (weather permitting)