The Stars jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings, but the Thunder crawled back into the game thanks to costly errors and a perfectly timed hit, as the team picked up their 12th win.
Down 4-3 in the 8th, with the bases loaded, Kelsey Launi singled up the middle to plate the tying and go-ahead run, and an error by the CF on the same play allowed the runner from first base to score. The T-Men finished their comeback by adding three more runs in the 9th, which seemed to push the game out of reach.
Joe Ferro improved to 6-0 on the season and owns a microscopic 1.01 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Ferro struck out six and allowed six hits over eight innings while allowing an earned run. Anthony Auletta and Kelsey Launi also saw time on the mound.
It was a total team effort thanks to singles by Kelsey Launi, Wisley Correa, Guy Bitchatcho, Shawn Dougherty, and Anthony Auletta, a double by newcomer AJ Orrico, sac bunts by Keaton Ijams, Wisley Correa, and David Galvin, and sac flys by Keaton Ijams and Darren Hansen.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Kelsey Launi - Drove in the tying and winning run in the 8th inning. **Honorable mention to Joe Ferro, who threw seven shutout innings, which gave the Thunder a chance to climb back into things.
The rematch of the Heat's 1-0 win over the Thunder earlier in the season didn't live up to the hype, as the T-Men run-ruled the Heat in the 7th inning Sunday afternoon at the Santaluces Sports Complex.
The Thunder offense tallied fourteen runs via twelve hits, while Thunder pitchers limited the Heat to five hits and four unearned runs. Ricky Marinez singled, doubled, walked, and drove in two runs while scoring three runs. Michael "MJ" Jordan singled twice and scored once, and Kelsey Launi was the third Thunder player with two hits, as he singled twice, drove in three runs, scored four times, and stole five bases. Mike DeLeeuw had an RBI single and was intentionally walked twice, Shawn Dougherty singled a run home, Darren Hansen, David Hansen, and Roy Glaum each singled, and Joe Ferro singled home the game-ending run in the bottom of the 7th.
Lefty Anthony Auletta returned to the team and struck out three of the four batters faced in his only inning of work as he looked to knock off rust. Joe Ferro picked up his fifth win of the season by tossing the last six innings, as he scattered five hits.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Kelsey Launi - Went 2-3 with two singles, walked once, reached on an error, scored four times, drove in three runs, and stole five bases.
The Thunder jumped out to a 6-2 lead after four innings, cruised to an 11-3 win, and picked up their 10th win of the season.
T-Men starter Evan Leiva left the game after only 2/3 of an inning with an apparent shoulder injury, which pushed Joe Ferro into action much earlier than anticipated. Ferro answered the call by striking out 10 over the last 8 1/3 innings to pick up his fourth win.
On offense, Joe Ferro and Greg Nicholson had three hits each, Mike DeLeeuw and Roy Glaum had two hits, and Kelsey Launi and Wisley Correa each singled. DeLeeuw hit a solo home run and walked three times, Launi also walked three times, and Ferro and Glaum each doubled.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Joe Ferro - Winning pitcher, and also went 3-4 with a double and 4 RBIs.
A slow-moving 2-1 game quickly became trouble for the Thunder, as the Blue Jays threw up six runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding 8-1 lead.
Starter Johnny Meers kept the game close for the first four innings but probably pitched one too many innings, as he allowed a single to Armend Pushka, a walk to Mikey Camacho, and then hit Jorge Hernando to load the bases with no outs in the 5th. Joe Ferro relieved Meers but was unable to limit the damage. Max Bleznak and Jonathan Thomas singled in the inning, Samual Maas reached via a costly error, and Carmine Ventoliere ripped a double down the right-field line.
Down 8-1 and with only three hits through five innings, the Thunder got to work as they scored four runs in the 7th and another four runs in the 9th to tie the game at 9 apiece. Over the last four innings of the game, the T-Men registered ten hits, none bigger than Franklin Garcia's two-run single with two outs and two strikes in the 9th, to push the game into an extra frame.
In the 10th, Matt Ziemak moved ghost runner Greg Nicholson to third base via a sac bunt. With one out, the Blue Jays walked Christian Duarte to set up a double-play; however, Duarte stole second base, and the catcher's throw went into center field, allowing Nicholson to score the go-ahead run. The error was costly, as Blue Jays reliever Mike Alonso got the next two batters out.
In the bottom of the inning, Emmanual Estrade moved ghost runner Carmine Ventoliere to third base via a sac fly. Then, on the first pitch he saw, manager Mike Bernier singled home the tying run. Joe Ferro struck out two of the next three batters faced, and the game ended in a 10-10 tie.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Franklin Garcia - game-tying single with two strikes and two outs in the top of the 9th inning.
Uncharacteristically, the Marlins and Thunder pitching staff walked a total of 13 batters, which led to a high-scoring affair Sunday morning at the Park Vista HS field in Lake Worth.
After two innings, the Thunder held a 7-2 lead, which was cut to 7-6 after a grand slam by Pat Medina in the top of the 3rd inning. The Marlins would take an 8-7 lead in the 4th, but the Thunder answered with four in the 5th and two in the 6th and held on for a 13-8 win as time expired in the 8th inning.
Knocking off rust, Johnny Meers tossed his first game of the season for the Thunder. Meers struck out six, walked six, gave up four hits, and was charged with all eight Marlins runs, six of which were earned. Joe Ferro threw the last five innings to earn his 3rd win of the season, as he allowed three hits, no runs, and struck out three.
Michael "MJ" Jordan singled twice, Roy Glaum drove in a run with a double, Kelsey Launi (2 RBI) and Greg Nicholson (3 RBI) each tripled, and Joe Ferro, Mike DeLeeuw, Franklin Garcia (2 RBI), and Keaton Ijams chipped in with singles.
THUNDER STARS OF THE GAME: Kelsey Launi - triple, two runs, 2 RBI, 2 BB, and Greg Nicholson - bases-clearing triple, run, 3 RBI.
Kelsey Launi, Joe Ferro, Wisley Correa, Mike DeLeeuw, Frankin Garcia, Greg Nicholson, and Jack Palma had multi-hit games, as the Thunder offense managed 18 hits against the Panthers Sunday morning at the Park Vista HS field in Lake Worth.
Of the 18 hits, five went for extra bases, which included doubles by Wisley Correa, Jack Palma, and Mike DeLeeuw, a triple by Jack Palma, and an inside-the-park homerun by Franklin Garcia.
Mike Ippolito, Jack Palma, Keaton Ijams, and Greg Nicholson combined efforts to 3-hit the Panthers, as the pitching staff struck out five batters and walked two. Ippolito earned the win in his first mound action of the year.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Wisley Correa - led the team with three hits, two singles, a double, 2 RBIs.
In the afternoon game of their two-team doubleheader, the Thunder walked off with the win in the bottom of the 7th inning as time expired.
The Blue Jays and Thunder combined for 25 runs, 24 hits, and 10 errors in a back-and-forth affair that luckily ended with a Thunder win. Eddie Milian stroked two doubles and a single and drove in two runs, while Joe Ferro (single, double) and Kelsey Launi (two singles) each had two hits and 2 RBIs. Christian Duarte, David Salcedo, Lisander Acevedo, and Franklin Garcia doubled, and Greg Nicholson, Keaton Ijams, and David Galvin singled.
Pitching was handled by Jack Palma, Darren Hansen, and Joe Ferro, who picked up the win after being the pitcher of record after the Thunder took the lead in the bottom of the 7th as time expired.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Joe Ferro - single, double, 3 runs, 2 RBI, SB, pitching win.
In the morning game of their two-team doubleheader, the Thunder run-ruled the Beach Bums after five innings.
Thunder hitters combined for seven hits through five innings as Michael "MJ" Jordan and Franklin Garcia (double, RBI) had two hits while Joe Ferro (double, 4 RBI), Christian Duarte, and Kelsey Launi (RBI) had a hit each. The offense also took advantage of seven walks and eight Bum errors.
Lefty Luke O'Hara picked up the win by tossing four innings of two-hit baseball, with Evan Leiva tossing a clean and hitless fifth inning.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Joe Ferro - double, 4 RBI's.
The Thunder offense exploded for sixteen hits, beating the D'Backs 11-6 Sunday morning at the Santaluces Sports Complex.
The T-Men exploded for six runs in the top of the first inning, as starter Liam Fox lasted only 1/3 of an inning. Unphased, the D'Backs fought back, scoring runs in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd innings, and tied the game at six apiece. The comeback included a solo home run by Spencer Adderly in the bottom of the 1st. However, that would be the end of the D'Back scoring, and the Thunder pulled away by scoring in the 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th innings.
Nine Thunder hitters registered hits, with Wisley Correa (3-4, 2 RBI) and Franklin Garcia (3-4, two doubles, RBI) leading the way with three hits each. Guy Bitchatcho, Darren Hansen (RBI), and Mike Ippolito (2 RBI) picked up two hits, while Payton Boines, Joe Ferro, Mike DeLeeuw, and Kelsey Launi (RBI) each singled.
Heisson Alonzo picked up his first win of the season by tossing the first six innings. Alonzo struck out four, walked two, and scattered eight hits while giving up six runs, four earned. After recovering from a motor vehicle accident, Evan Leiva returned to the team and looked sharp in his two shutout innings, facing seven batters while allowing a hit. Joe Ferro tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning to finish the game.
THUNDER STARS OF THE GAME: Wisley Correa - (3-4, 2 RBI) & Franklin Garcia - (3-4, two doubles, RBI)
The Thunder improved to 4-2 after beating the Caribe Stars Sunday afternoon, and climbed back into 2nd place.
With the game tied in the bottom of the 7th, Mike DeLeeuw led off the inning with a triple to center field but came up lame after grabbing his hamstring. David Galvin replaced DeLeeuw as a courtesy runner and scored the go-ahead run on a single by Franklin Garcia. Joe Ferro reached base when he was hit by a pitch, then Garcia and Ferro advanced on a wild pitch. Stars starter O. Pedrasa almost got out of trouble with a ground ball back to himself and a fly ball to shallow right field, but veteran Greg Nicholson singled through the right side of the infield which scored Garcia, and Ferro took home after the right fielder mishandled the ball. The Thunder would add a run in the 8th via a sacrifice fly by Michael "MJ" Jordan, which scored David Hansen who had reached on an error earlier in the inning.
The Thunder managed nine hits on the day. Mike DeLeeuw went 3-3 with two singles and a triple, Ricky Marinez went 2-3 with two singles and a walk, and MJ, Wisley Correa, Franklin Garcia, and Nicholson each singled.
Sammy Camacho threw seven innings to earn his first win of the season. Camacho scattered ten hits, walked nobody, and allowed three runs, two of which were earned. Joe Ferro picked up the save by tossing the last two innings, striking out two while allowing no hits or walks.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Mike Deleeuw - 3-3, two singles, triple, run, SB.
Sam Richardson and Jordan Diaz combined to 2-hit the Thunder as the Heat blanked the T-Men 1-0 Sunday morning at the Santaluces Sports Complex.
The Heat pushed across the only run they needed in the 5th inning, thanks to singles by Rafael Cantillo and Danny Valencia, a sac bunt by Stephen Skeen, and a sac fly by Ornan Toledo that scored Cantillo.
Guy Bitchatcho and Kelsey Launi each singled for the Thunder, which, despite only having two hits, did have their chances. However, the offense left seven men on base, five of which were in scoring position.
The Thunder look to rebound next Sunday against the Caribe Stars in an afternoon game at Santaluces.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Luke O'Hara - pitched six innings of one-run baseball, keeping any hope of a comeback alive.
In the second game of their two-team doubleheader, the Thunder run-ruled the Sugar Kings in the 7th inning to improve to 3-1.
Down 3-0 through four innings, the Thunder exploded for nine runs in the 5th inning, two runs in the 6th inning, and six runs in the 7th inning to pull away from the Sugar Kings. The offense continued their hot hitting with sixteen hits, with four players again having multi-hit games: Ricky Marinez, Michael "MJ" Jordan, and Wisley Correa each singled twice and drove in two; Nick Diaz singled three times and knocked in three; and Greg Nicholson knocked in three runs with two singles. Mike DeLeeuw, Kody Gardere, Kelsey Launi (2 RBI), Keaton Ijams, and Franklin Garcia (RBI) each singled.
Dave Jiminian made his season debut and tossed a complete game to pick up the win. Jiminian faced 32 batters over seven innings, walked one, struck out six, and allowed eleven hits and four earned runs.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Nick Diaz - three singles, three runs, three RBI. (Five RBI's on the day)
In the first game of their two-team doubleheader, the Thunder run-ruled the Angels in the 8th inning to win their second game.
The offense managed thirteen hits, including a towering 3-run home run by Franklin "Chicks Dig the Longball" Garcia in the bottom of the 8th that ended the game. Four players had multi-hit games: Ricky Marinez doubled, tripled, and knocked in a run; Joe Ferro doubled twice and knocked in a run; Mike DeLeeuw singled, doubled, and knocked in a run; and Keaton Ijams clobbered two doubles. Wisley Correa doubled and had a sacrifice fly, knocking in two; Matt Ziemak and Guy Bitchatcho singled, Kody Gardere singled, and Nick Diaz drove in two via a ground out and sacrifice fly.
Kody Gardere started the game and tossed two scoreless innings while striking out three. Darren Hansen pitched the third but labored with an elbow issue, which led to Michael Jordan throwing the last five innings to earn the win. MJ walked one, struck out five, scattered five hits, and allowed an unearned run.
THUNDER STARS OF THE GAME: Michael "MJ" Jordan - Unexpectedly had to throw five innings in relief, allowing only one unearned run. And Ricky Marinez - double, triple, two runs scored, RBI, and stolen base from the leadoff spot.
The Thunder broke through late to win their first game of the spring 2024 campaign.
LHP Luke O'Hara returned to the Thunder after a lengthy absence that included elbow surgery. He tossed the first six innings and kept the game tied. O'Hara faced twenty-two batters, struck out eight, allowed two hits, walked one, and allowed three unearned runs. Joe Ferro threw the last three innings and picked up the win after the Thunder broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the 8th. Ferro struck out five of twelve batters faced, gave up two hits, walked one, and did not allow a run.
Mike DeLeeuw singled, doubled, and drove in a run, and Greg Nicholson added two hits of his own, both singles, as they led the Thunder attack. Joe Ferro clobbered a triple, and Wisley Correa and Michael Jordan (RBI) singled. Keaton Ijams helped the cause with a sacrifice bunt, and Guy Bitchatcho picked up an RBI with a groundout.
Errors have plagued the Thunder so far this season, as the team has committed eight in two games, which has accounted for all runs scored against the team.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Luke O'Hara - 6 IP, 8 K, 2 H, 0 ER
A hungry Hurricanes team nipped the Thunder in the season-opener at West Boynton on Sunday afternoon.
The Thunder offense managed only five hits. Mike DeLeeuw singled twice and drove in two runs, Roy Glaum ripped a double, and Guy Bitchatcho (RBI) and Kody Gardere each singled.
The Hurricanes' offense didn't fare much better, as Joe Ferro and Darren Hansen limited the Canes to four hits. However, errors in the third and eighth innings allowed the Canes to score three unearned runs in each inning.
Both teams were a bit frustrated with the strike zone Sunday. The small zone often moved, leading to 11 walks and an ejected batter.
The league has off Easter weekend and will resume action on April 7.
THUNDER STAR OF THE GAME: Mike DeLeeuw - two singles, two RBIs
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