Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Rockets Wrap Up Excellent Summer Season



The Rockets finished the 2012 summer season doing what they had done all along -- playing good baseball. The game could have gone either way through the final pitch. We had the tying runs in scoring position and the winning run at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Doesn't get much closer than that. What a battle!

Three tournament championships, an astounding 20-3-2 record, first place in SYBL Region 3...  Any way you judge it, this was an exceptional season. Every player hit. Every player made plays in the field. Our pitchers all got tough outs when we needed it most. Every player got better. Nobody wanted it to end.

But, actually, this is not the end. It is only the beginning. This group of boys has tremendously bright future. It will be fun to see where they end up a few years down the road.

In the meantime, we will celebrate this wonderful season of baseball on Friday at the Gages. See you there!


Friday, July 27, 2012

Rockets Win Region 3, Clinch First Round Playoff Bye

All the regular season games have been played and reported, and it is now official: the Needham Rockets have finished the regular season first place in SYBL Region 3 and have earned a first-round bye in the SYBL playoff tournament.

The Rockets' first playoff game will be Sunday, July 29 in the quarterfinals at Wall Field in Norwood (map below). 12:30 first pitch. The Rockets will face either Braintree American or Kingston.

If the Rockets win, they will advance to the semifinal round and play on Tuesday at Wall Field. 5:30 first pitch.

With a win on Tuesday, the Rockets can earn a trip to the finals on Thursday, August 2 at Kelley Field (map below). 7:45 under the lights.

All SYBL playoff games will be played at Wall Field and Kelley Field at Coakley Middle School in Norwood. Map:


View Larger Map

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Rockets Fall to Wellesley in Walk-Off

Coming into the last week of the regular season, the Rockets had locked up either first or second place in SYBL Region 3 and a spot in the playoffs. Wellesley had clinched third place and a trip to the playoffs as well.

Both teams were in. Tonight's game was not going to be about the playoff picture. It was going to be about two very good teams battling it out for six innings. It was going to be about good baseball.

Top of the first... With two outs, Will Dorion sent an 0-1 fastball on a rope to center field for a single. Steven Donovan ripped one to left to put two on. But Wellesley was able to nail it shut after that.

Needham starter Jack Morgan made quick work of the bottom half. He got one to fly out to center fielder Matthew Dougherty, and two more to ground to Sean Greene at second. All these guys do is make plays. Three up, three down. No score after one.

Joe Dateo, showing good patience with two outs in the top of the second, worked a free pass. Tom Berkley shot a hard ground ball past the second baseman, and the Rockets had two on with two outs. Dateo advanced to third. On the first pitch to Jeffrey Hohler, Berkley took second on a half steal and no throw. Two in scoring position with two outs for Hohler. The next pitch was right in his wheelhouse, and Hohler drove it deep--very deep--all the way back to the greenery in center field. Had this ball not bounced into the vegetation for a ground-rule double, Hohler would easily have three and possibly four. The umpire held him up at second. Dateo scored. Berkley scored, and the Rockets were on the board first with a 2-run lead. Eric Gage then ripped one up the line past the third baseman, and Hohler came around to score. A 3-run second had the Rockets out in front early.


A lead-off single and two ground ball outs put up a run for Wellesley in the bottom of the second. But Morgan was sharp, throwing strikes, and in command of the game. He slammed the door shut to limit the damage at 1 run, and lead his Rockets into the third inning with a 3-1 advantage.


Morgan would contribute to the cause offensively as well with a long double to left to get things going in the top of the third. Will Dorion moved him over with a sac fly to center, and then he scored on an errant throw to third. 4-1, Rockets.


In the bottom of the third, Morgan remained in his groove and retired the side in order. He was brilliant tonight, yielding only 1 run on 1 hit over 3 innings of work.


Top four, and the Rockets were looking to gain a little breathing room. Aidan McGaugh shot a hard ground ball into right field. Tom Berkley stepped in with McGaugh on first and two out. He worked the count full and put fat metal all over the payoff pitch, launching it on a line back to the fence in right center for a triple. McGaugh scored, and the Rockets were up 5-1.


But Wellesley would fight back and put two on with nobody out in the bottom of the fourth. A long gap shot to left center threatened to clear the bases, but William Popper got a good jump, lined it up and made the catch for out number one. The next batter shot one hard towards the hole at short. Steven Donovan ranged, picked, and fired to Jack Morgan at third to get the lead runner. Two away. A pair of singles brought in 2 runs for Wellesley, but Aidan McGaugh would end the rally with a leaping grab of a hard line drive towards center field.


Needham escaped the fourth with a slim 5-3 lead. Wellesley added one more in the fifth, and we had a 1-run ballgame going into the final frame.


Good Wellesley pitching retired the Rockets in order in the top half. Good Rockets pitching on the part of Matthew Dougherty recorded two quick outs in the bottom half...


5-4, Rockets, with 2 outs in the bottom of the sixth. One out away from victory. Runner on first. A fly ball finds the gap in left center. It's good for a double, and the run scores to tie the game at 5. Another gap shot rolls onto the playground for a ground-rule double walk-off. 6-5, Wellesley is the final.


While we always want to beat Wellesley, there wasn't much riding on this particular game for us. We played good baseball. We got better. We are a little hungrier now heading into the playoffs.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Tomorrow vs Wellesley

We will be at Brown Park tomorrow to take on Wellesley. Map below. 6:00 first pitch. I'll arrive around 5:00. If you arrive by 5:30 that should allow enough time to warm up.


View Larger Map

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Rockets Take Home Third Tournament Title


Having brought home the hardware in Easton three weeks ago and in Attleboro last week, the Rockets arrived in Plainville for the King Philip Classic looking to complete the trifecta. With a record of 16-1-2 coming into the tournament, the Rockets had good reason to feel confident.

But six other teams in the bracket still stood staunchly in their way, including hometown favorite Plainville American, who, with a much shorter commute, could afford to hit the snooze bar a few more times than the Rockets on their way to an 8:00 AM Saturday morning sunrise special.

Rockets' starter Aidan McGaugh was wide awake, though, and his fastball was lively as ever. He retired Plainville in order in the top of the first and never looked back, going the distance for the Rockets in a complete game win. He gave up only 1 run, unearned, and scattered four hits over six innings. The Rockets helped him out in the top of the second, when a sharp ground ball got by McGaugh. Shortstop Steven Donovan got to it, fired to Drew Siegenthaler at second for one and on to Will Dorion at first for the double play. Offensively, the Rockets got good production from Will Dorion, who was 2-for-2 with a triple, Tom Berkley, who was 2-for-3 with a double, and Jack Morgan, 2-for-2 with a walk.

MVP honors went to McGaugh for his dominant effort on the mound. 10-1 was the final.

Later Saturday, in Game 2 of the seeding round, the Rockets drew Norton National. Back-to-back doubles off the bat of Will Dorion and Steven Donovan put the Rockets on the board 1-0  in the first. In the second, Jack Morgan tripled, and Aidan McGaugh was two feet short of going yard when he crushed a 1-0 fastball and bounced it off the center field fence. After a slim 3-0 Rockets lead through two, a huge 11-run third would blow the game wide open and ultimately prove to be too much for Norton to overcome. Eric Gage got things going in the third with a line drive to right for a single. He stole second, and then third, crossed the plate on a passed ball, and set off an avalanche of Needham runs. Sean Green singled into left field, Jack Morgan singled on a shot to right, Matthew Dougherty singled on a line drive to center, and Timmy Hasenfus, who joined the Rockets to provide some additional offensive firepower and some help behind the plate for the tournament, sent a bomb to deep center field to score Morgan on a sac fly. The show would go on. William Popper roped one to center for a single, Tom Berkley singled on a shot up the middle, Eric Gage, batting for the second time in the inning, singled to left, and Sean Greene doubled on a shot all the way back to the fence in left center.


Just as impressive as the offensive production was the Rockets' effort on the mound. William Popper and Eric Gage combined for the first Rockets' no-hitter of the season. Popper went the first two innings, striking out 5 of 7 batters faced. Gage pitched two innings in relief, retiring 6 of 8 batters faced, and closing out the Rockets' 14-0 victory.

Gage earned the MVP for his fine work on the mound, his 2-for-2 effort at the plate, and his domination, once again, of the base paths with 2 stolen bases in 2 attempts.

The Rockets would finish Saturday's seeding round in first place and earn a quarterfinal bye. This would translate to a later semifinal game on Sunday and much needed sleep for the Rockets.

As fate would have it, the Rockets drew Norton National once again in the semifinals. And another lights-out pitching performance would propel Needham past Norton, this time by Sean Greene, who turned in an amazing 1-hit, 35-pitch complete-game shutout. Greene was absolutely brilliant, striking out 4 and retiring 12 of 12 batters faced--the one batter reaching base became a double-play victim.

The Rockets' offense was led by Steven Donovan, who was 2-for-3 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI, Timmy Hasenfus, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI, Drew Siegenthaler, who was 2-for-2 with 2 RBI, and Will Dorion, who in the fourth inning cranked a 2-1 fastball deep to right field, way back... Way back... Gone! Never any doubt. The 2-run blast was the first of his career, but only the first of many, many more that we will see from him.

Sean Greene earned MVP for his outstanding effort on the hill for the Rockets.

The Rockets would take a break from baseball for a few hours at their favorite local joint, Dave and Buster's, and return to Plainville carrying an enormous blue and yellow gorilla. You know your team is loose, relaxed, and ready to play some good baseball when you have a large stuffed banana and an even larger stuffed gorilla in your dugout.

So, with mascots in place, the Rockets took the field to see if they could pull off a third tournament title. They would face a tough North Attleboro team that finished the seeding round in third place and battled through the quarterfinals and semis to earn a shot at the title.

William Popper was set to start for the Rockets. Fresh off his no-hitter the day before, Popper was ready to pick up right where he left off. In the top of the first, he got one to ground to short and then fanned two to retire the side in order.

The Rockets notched four in the bottom of the first. Will Dorion singled, Steven Donovan tripled on a rip up the right field line, Matthew Dougherty singled to right, and Will Popper singled to center. 4-0, Rockets, after one.

Popper kept North Attleboro off the board again in the second, and Needham was ready to add to the lead in their half.

Tom Berkley stepped in to lead it off for the Rockets and sent the first pitch he saw into left field for a single. He came around to score on an Eric Gage shot up the middle for a single. Sean Greene singled to center, Will Dorion singled to left, and the hit parade was on. Jack Morgan ripped one up the middle for a single, Aidan McGaugh sent one into left field for a single, and the Rockets would tack on four more. 8-0, Needham after two.

Popper worked out of a jam to escape the third with no damage and log a fifth straight scoreless inning pitched.

Bottom three... Tom Berkley lined one to left for a single and Eric Gage tripled on a missile to deep left field. Berkley scored. Gage would score on a passed ball to make it 10-0, Rockets.

North Attleboro, however, would come roaring back. In the top of the fourth, they strung together four big hits and put up four runs of their own. 10-4, after three and a half.

A big fourth for North did not slow Rockets down at all. With two outs, Steven Donovan sparked a rally cranking a shot on a line to right for a single. Jack Morgan singled to right, Aidan McGaugh walked, Matthew Dougherty singled on a rip to left, William Popper sent one into center field for a single, and the Rockets chalked three more, 13-4.

Rockets closer Will Dorion shut the lights out in the top of the fifth and paved the way for the Rockets to put an end to the game in the bottom half. Pounding the zone, he got one to ground to short, another to ground to second, and out number three to ground to third.

In the bottom of what would be the final inning, the Rockets earned the game-winner on the base paths. Sean Greene worked the count full and then took ball four to put himself on with one out.  He advanced to second on a walk issued to Drew Siegenthaler. Greene stole third when Eric Gage attempted a steal of the plate, and then he came around to score on a passed ball to put the Rockets up by 10 runs and close the curtains on a dramatic finale.

The Needham Rockets have a great deal to be proud of with their third tournament championship. An outstanding effort from each and all 11 players. Everybody contributed at key moments during the run. Just good baseball, and it's fun to watch.

No rest for the Rockets, though, as they return to SYBL action on Tuesday vs Wellesley for their final regular season game. The playoffs will begin next weekend.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Preliminary Playoff Schedule Is In!

While we will not know specific times and field until the standings are final, we do know when the games will be:

Saturday, July 28 First Round (unless we earn a bye by finishing the regular season in first place)

Sunday, July 29 Quarterfinals

Tuesday, July 31 Semifinals

Thursday, August 2 Finals



Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Plainville Tournament Info

Very excited about the KP Classic Tournament in Plainville this weekend! We have 11 players for it and are in the process of recruiting one more.

The format for this tournament is different than what we've seen so far. Saturday's games determine the seeding. Every team advances from Saturday's seeding round. Sunday we play a single elimination tournament based on Saturday's seeding. We will play at least one game Sunday, and up to three if we continue to advance.

Saturday's games:

    8:00 vs Plainville at the Field of Dreams Complex (map below)

    11:30 vs Norton at Eisele Field (map below)

Sunday's games:

    Quarterfinals: either 8:00 or 10:00 depending on Saturday's results
    (It is also possible that we earn a bye in this round if we earn the top seed)

    Semifinals: either 12:00 or 2:00 depending on quarterfinal results

    Finals: 6:00 at Watters Field

The cost per player will be $27. Coach Berkley will collect. Coach Berkley is also happy to drive to and from. Plenty of room at this point.

Field of Dreams Complex:

View Larger Map


Eisele Field:

View Larger Map