In a battle between the first and second-place teams in the majors division, VFW looked to be on the verge of tying the game or taking the lead in a 5th inning rally. 99 needed someone to step up and make a play. That play was made by JonMichael Kennedy, who slowed VFW’s momentum with a sliding catch in shallow center field. With the help of JonMichael’s catch, 99 was able to hang on for a 5-3 win.

The game started as a pitchers’ duel between VFW’s Jeff Canastra and 99’s Spencer Wall, with “zeroes” being put up on the new scoreboard through 2 ½ innings. 99 then mounted its only rally of the game. Brendan Mulson led off with a double to the fence, and Spencer followed likewise, driving in the game’s first run. Carter Bach followed with a single, and after a couple of productive outs (including an RBI fielder’s choice by Matt Clough) moved up or scored baserunners, Peter Lofrumento put the finishing touches on the inning with a hard-hit RBI single to right field.

Spencer and Jason Andersen combined for a gutsy effort on the mound, limiting the damage while giving up more baserunners than they’re accustomed to allow. In spite of some 3-ball counts, for the first time this season in the majors division, the game did not feature a single walk.

Besides JonMichael, Carter was once again a defensive star, throwing out a speedy runner attempting to steal on a perfect throw in the first inning. Also, Nicky Lofrumento made a nice running catch in left field in the third inning.

99’s next game is Tuesday night against JT Garry. Note that Thursday’s scheduled game against Colonie Elks will be postponed to a later date due to several kids being out for school functions.

After a string of successful relief outings, Peter Lofrumento picked up where he left off on the mound in a starting role for 99. Peter set the tone for the game with a strong first inning, navigating through a 2-out single by striking out 3 J&M Schwarz batters. His big moment was in the 2nd inning. With the bases loaded and a run in, the league’s best and most powerful hitter was at the plate. Peter executed his pitches perfectly, finishing up with a 2-strike pitch at the knees on the outside corner to get the strikeout and retire the side. Peter pitched one more scoreless inning, and then his brother Nicky wrapped up the game with 2 scoreless innings in a game shortened to 5 innings by the 10pm curfew rule.

At the plate, 99’s batters put big numbers on the new CDPHP scoreboard early and often. Brendan Mulson, Spencer Wall, Carter Bach, and Jason Andersen began the bottom of the first with consecutive hits. Nate Franchi had the big hit, clearing the bases with a hard-hit double to right center. Andersen had two different RBI hits to the fence in the inning.

Later in the game Matt Clough had two singles that drove in runs. Joey Grignon and JonMichael Kennedy each reached base in all of their plate appearances.

Probably most impressively at the plate, when JMS’s ace David Gray took the mound in the 4th inning, Benito Torres and Clough battled through at-bats that resulted in hard-hit grounders. They didn’t reach base, but they showed that they will not back down against even the best pitchers in the league.

Defensive stars included Carter Bach and Jimmy Davis, who executed a perfect caught stealing and rundown; Benito Torres, who had a nice catch in right field; and Matt Clough who made his debut at shortstop with a solid play and throw on a hard-hit groundball.

Notable for the opponent was catcher Tyler Hufland who put in a gutsy performance behind the plate, getting nicked up all night but showing why he’s one of the toughest players in the league.

Next game is Saturday at 2:45 against 2nd place VFW. If the game is anything like the first matchup between the teams (a 1-run win for 99), you won’t want to miss it.

On a sunny and warm Saturday afternoon, 99’s bats did not warm up until late in the game. This was due to outstanding pitching by Eastern Heating & Cooling’s Ryan McGee and defense featuring up-and-coming shortstop Paulie Montesanti. Fortunately for 99, after a rough first inning, 99’s lefty pitcher Spencer Wall was able to match McGee’s zeroes on the scoreboard in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings. Wall benefited from nice plays by Peter Lofrumento, Nicky Lofrumento, and Nate Franchi behind him.

Entering the top of the 6th inning, 99 trailed EHC 3-1, and its season-starting winning streak was at stake. What followed was a series of clutch at bats and hard hits that led to a 7-run inning and an 8-3 win.

Spencer led off the 6th with his third hit of the day. Carter Bach reached base, and then Jason Andersen lined an outside pitch to the fence in right-center field to drive in 2 runs and tie the game. Nicky Lofrumento scored the lead run with a hard-hit grounder to the right side, Matt Clough singled, and Jimmy Davis broke open the game by hammering a line drive to right field to score both Nicky and Matt. The hits kept coming with Franchi and Brendan Mulson driving in runs with singles.

Game ball goes to Wall for his 5 2/3 innings pitched, no runs given up after the first inning, and 10 strikeouts (not to mention his 3-for-3 day at the plate). Tip of the cap to McGee for holding 99 to 2 runs in 5+ innings.

Also it needs to be mentioned how positive the attitude was in the 99 dugout even thought the team trailed almost the entire game. This team has shown that it does not panic when the game is tight. It keeps throwing strikes and playing good defense to stay close until the good at bats get rewarded with runs.

The team gets a fairly long break before taking the field Friday at 8pm for a game against J&M Schwarz.

99 had contributions up and down the lineup and all over the field, leading to a win over Vellano Brothers Friday night.

The key sequence in the game was in the bottom of the 3rd inning. 99 held on to a 3-1 lead and Vellano put their first two hitters on base. Facing the 2, 3, and 4 hitters in the lineup, Peter Lofrumento made some tough pitches to strike out two hitters and then force a grounder, fielded by second baseman Nate Franchi for the 3rd out.

99’s bats took over from that point. Brendan Mulson led off the 4th with a single and was eventually driven in with Carter Bach’s double. Carter had 5 RBI’s in the game. Joey Grignon had an RBI double later in the inning. The 5th and 6th innings were similar stories, with Benito Torres collecting his 2nd and 3rd hits of the night, along with 3 RBI’s. Jimmy Davis singled and scored twice in the game, and Spencer Wall went 3-for-4 with 5 runs scored. Matt Clough added two hits and Jason Andersen scored 3 runs.

Defensively, 99 again had several stars. Jimmy Davis made a sliding catch in right field with guys on base when the game was tight. JonMichael Kennedy made an outstanding catch on a ball lined to the fence by Vellano’s Nathan Toms. JonMichael received a big ovation from the crowd and high fives from his teammates after the big catch.

Nicky Lofrumento wrapped up the game with a scoreless 6th on the mound.

Next game is Saturday at 12:30 against Eastern Heating & Cooling

Key two out RBI hits by Brendan Mulson, Nicky Lofrumento, and Joey Grignon and a home run by Spencer Wall helped break open a tight game and lead 99 to a 7-2 win over Elks.

In the field, a combination of Jason Andersen on the mound (1 hit, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts in a complete-game effort) and a series of highlight reel plays at shortstop by Mulson helped keep the Elks’ bats in check.

Also on defense, Carter Bach continued his very solid work behind the plate, Nate Franchi made a nice play at second base ranging to his left, and Nicky Lofrumento made a nice catch in deep right field to end the game.

Other highlights at bat include Matt Clough collecting 99’s first hit of the game and Benito Torres advancing the runners to lead to the first two runs of the game. Franchi also reached base all three times and scored twice.

The next game is Friday at 6:15 against Vellano Brothers.

Down 2-1 to a tough Daily Gazette team in the 3rd inning, several 99 batters put together impressive at bats. Jimmy Davis fouled off several 2-strike pitches and drew a bases-loaded walk. Benito Torres followed by lining a 2-run single to right center to give 99 a 4-2 lead, and the team never looked back.

Spencer Wall, Brendan Mulson, and Peter Lofrumento helped hold one of the best hitting teams in the league to 2 hits (and allowed a baserunner in only one inning).

Going along with the pitching was a very good effort by 99’s defense. Nicky Lofrumento and JonMichael Kennedy have been very reliable in center field, and both made nice catches in Saturday’s game. At 3rd base, Matt Clough and Peter Lofrumento made several plays on hard hit balls and threw out Gazette’s speedy baserunners.

Next game is Monday night against a red-hot Elks team.

Playing in its 6th game in 6 days, 99 had a couple of great at bats to start off the bottom of the 1st inning. Brendan lined a triple to right center, and the Spencer Wall fouled off multiple tough pitches before finding one he liked and hitting a home run to right field.

From there, the pitching of Matt Clough and Peter Lofrumento held JT Garry to two runs, and big 2-RBI hits by Clough and Nate Franchi (who went 3-for-3) led 99 to a 12-2 win.

Defensive star in this game was Joey Grignon who positioned himself perfectly to make a nice running catch on a line drive to shallow left.

After going 6-0 between Wednesday and Monday, 99 gets several well-deserved days off before hitting the field again Saturday night for a game against Daily Gazette.

99 resumed its rain-halted game against EHC on Sunday morning. It was a different experience for the kids, with today’s “game” beginning with a 5-4 99 lead and EHC runners on base in the middle of the 4th inning. EHC scraped across a couple of runs, and 99 pitcher Brendan Mulson was able to hold it at a 1-run deficit heading into the bottom of the 6th inning. With two outs, 99’s rally started. Benito Torres became 99’s first baserunner off of pitcher Jason Hendrick in 3 innings with a hard-earned walk. Nate Franchi, who has struggled at the plate during the weekend then faced a 2-strike count. Franchi then hit a fly ball to deep left field that just flew over the outstretched arm of the EHC left fielder for a game-tying double. Spencer Wall followed with a high pop-up - an adventure on a very windy morning - and the ball fell to score Franchi and give 99 the win.

At noon, 99 played its 5th game since Wednesday with a matchup against Vellano Brothers. The bats were the highlights, with Brendan Mulson getting 4 hits and Carter Bach continuing his scorching-hot stretch with 3 hits and 5 RBI’s. JonMichael Kennedy showed off his bat and speed with a triple to the fence. Also, Joey Grignon stayed hot with a 2 RBI single. Jason Andersen and Spencer Wall handled the pitching and did their job, throwing strikes when handed a big early lead. The game featured perhaps the longest home run in the league this season, a monstrous grand slam off the bat of Vellano’s Michael Kane, well over the new scoreboard. The final score was 16-8, and 99 remains unbeaten.

Tomorrow 99 ends its busy stretch (6 games in 6 days) with a matchup against JT Garry.

Carter Bach celebrated his 11th birthday in style Saturday afternoon, pitching outstanding baseball for 5 1/3 innings and going 3-for-3 at the plate, including two doubles to the fence. Matt Clough and Joey Grignon hit key RBI singles to give 99 a first-inning lead, and the result was a 13-4 win over J&M Schwarz. JonMichael Kennedy had the defensive highlight with a diving catch in center field to slow down a 6th inning JMS rally.

On a very chilly Friday night, Matt Clough, Peter Lofrumento, and Nicky Lofrumento held JT Garry to 2 runs, and Spencer Wall’s home run and Joey Grignon’s 2 hits led a 17-hit attack in a big win. Benito Torres had the play of the game with a running catch on a hard-hit ball down the left field line.

99 continues its 6-game-in-6-day run with the completion of a rain-suspended game against EHC Sunday at 10:30, followed by a make-up game against Vellano Brothers at noon.

99 has had many tight games against VFW in recent years, and the first matchup this season was no different. 99 pulled out a 5-4 win in a game where it faced a 2-run deficit heading into the 5th inning. In that inning Benito Torres had his second hit, this one driving in the game-tying run. In the top of the 6th ining, Nate Franchi scored on a 6th inning bases-loaded walk drawn by Carter Bach to give 99 a 5-4 lead that would end up being the final score.

Spencer Wall threw four innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win. He was aided by an outstanding play by Franchi on a very-hard hit ball that he fielded cleanly and led to an out.

Matthew Canastra had 2 hits for VFW and threw out a runner at the plate from center field.

Tonight’s game was the first of 6 in 6 days for 99. Upcoming games are Friday at 6:15, Saturday at 2:45, Sunday at 10:30, Sunday at 12:00, and Monday at 6:15. The kids may be sore Tuesday morning.