We weren't sure what to expect since the Rays played on Mon/Wed during the season, and the Padres were a Tue/Thu team so there were no common opponents. However, once the game got under way, it was apparent the Padres were the better team, easily dispatching them 14-3.
Baseball game #2 was scheduled for 12:00 so we figured Lucas could play for 50-55 minutes before running across the street and getting suited up for his 1:15 hockey game. However, one of the umpires was late and the game didn't get started until after 12:30 so Lucas got one at-bat before we had to leave. As you can imagine, he was quite disappointed. I gave my contact info to one of the other dads so he could update me with the score. I wasn't optimistic about their chances since the team we were playing, the Phillies, were the #1 team in the league and had a 6 game win streak coming into that game.
So off we went to hockey where Lucas's team won their semifinal game 5-3. The score was actually closer than it probably should have been, given that his team had all but one player and their opponent had no subs. Still, a win is a win.
The hockey games are much shorter so the final started at 2:15, before the 2nd baseball game was over. Teal, Lucas's team, ended up beating Silver, the #2 team in the league by a score of 7-2 or 7-3. So Teal was the 2016 Novice Intermediate champions. They all got some nice little trophies for that victory, which you can see at the end of this blog entry.
During the hockey championship game, I got a text from the other dad that Lucas's team upset the Phillies 7-6 and were now in the baseball championship game as well! What a day!
We went home briefly and then returned to the field for 5 PM to play his last game of the day (and of the spring season). The Padres played hard, but in the end, they fell to the Astros 9-3. The third game was especially tough since pitchers can only have 75 pitches per day, and the Padres used up their best pitchers in the first two games so by the time the 3rd game rolled around, let's just say there were a lot of walks.
Whatever the case, the kids had fun, and they far exceeded our expectations by making it to the finals. The Phillies were a 4-month team (vs 2-month, which is what the Padres were), which means they had some of the best kids on their team so beating them was a pretty big upset. Marilu had the presence of mind to take a team picture after the morning game so here are the Padres in all their glory. Our little wonderboy is the only one in the Joe Cool glasses.
I uploaded that photo onto the computer after the game, and unfortunately I forgot to put the memory card back in the camera for the hockey games so the only hockey-related picture I have is one of Lucas with his trophy at the end of the day (in the wrong uniform). That said, one of the other hockey dads did take some team photos after the final so I'm hoping to get those from him in the next couple of days.
Finally, here's a good picture (in my opinion) from the day's first baseball game of Lucas and me at first base. I was the first base coach for the team this season, and he had just hit a single.
So, in one day, Lucas became a 4-on-4 hockey champion and the runner-up baseball champion. Not bad. Not bad at all!
2 comments:
I'd say the trade to Teal was a good one. How did Lucas's old team make out. I hope they at least one a few more after the trades. That could have been a pretty demoralizing 4 on 4 experience instead of the way it ended up for Lucas. Sounds like it was a fun day for the Deals!
His previous team, Gold, got knocked out in the semifinals. However, in the tournament a couple of weeks ago (that Teal lost in the finals via shootout), Gold won their pool and got to pose with the trophy. So all in all, both teams ended up having high points to their seasons.
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