The fighting Arden Hills Phillies used a late five-run rally to defeat a fine Braves team 8-6 Tuesday evening at Sunnyside School in New Brighton. Things looked bleak for our heroes as the Braves pitcher recorded two quick outs in the fifth inning, with the Phillies down 6-3. But eight consecutive batters reached base for the Phils to turn the situation around completely. My son was the eighth of this group, and the bases-loaded walk he coaxed led to the final run of the inning.
The game featured a number of outstanding defensive plays, including two sensational plays by the catcher for the Braves in the first inning. In the first play, the young catcher held on as the ball and a large Phillie baserunner arrived just about simultaneously at home plate. The Braves catcher tagged our runner out, despite an impressive collision and giving up about 25 pounds. The Braves catcher then dusted himself off and made an outstanding play on a pop up from the next batter, catching the ball just outside the dugout. This is a play that may be routine for major leaguers, but one you almost never see at this level. In addition, my son was robbed of a base hit when the Braves shortstop made a diving stop in the hole, then got up and fired a strike to the first baseman, beating my son by a half-step.
Despite all that, the Phillies prevailed and their record now stands at 4-3-2. They take the field tomorrow against a league-leading Royals team that sports a 9-0 record. Game time is 6 p.m. at Island Lake School in Shoreview. It should be a dandy.
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