(3/14/09)
CALL Cardinal defeated the CC Cubs in a good old fashioned nail biter, 4-3. Hang around Cardinal practices and you'll hear Manager Tyson Spring discuss the importance of good pitching, good defense, and timely hitting. Hunter Woods and Deandrey Carter took care of the pitching: Woods picked up the W (1-0), 4IP, 8k, 1 ER, while Carter picked up his first save, going: 2IP, 3k, 1H. It was a team effort on Defense. Cardinal went errorless, after a 2 error-game on Friday night. Johnny Grey went vertical to make an incredible diving catch at the warning track to rob the Cubs of a potential tying run in the 5th, and came close to robbing the Cubs of a 6th inning HR. Grey tracked the ball perfectly, timed his leap, and actually gloved the HR, only to have the impact with the fence jar it loose. Not to be out done, pitcher Deandrey Carter laid out to rob the Cubs of the potential tying runner in the 5th, immediately following Grey's center field acrobatics. The Cardinal's 3 & 4 Hitters took care of the timely hitting. Down 1-0 in the 4th, Hunter Woods and Miguel Rivera hit back to back triples, each scoring, to put the Cardinal in front. In his first game of 2009, Kyle Chang played the role of "All State Neighbor" in the 6th, dropping in a clutch 2-out, 2-strike RBI Single to push the Cardinal in front 4-2, providing a much needed insurance run . This run proved key, as the Cubs came up with a Solo HR in the 6th, before Carter emphatically slammed the door shut with a strike out. Woods was named Player of the Game, with his pitching and a 3-3 game at the plate, including 2 triples and 2 runs scored.
(3/15/09)
CALL Cardinal took one on the chin Sunday afternoon, taking the loss by way of Mercy Rule, finishing a season opening weekend with a Record of 2-1. Miguel Rivera was tagged with the Loss. Rafael Ferguson pitched well out of the bullpen, entering the first with the bases loaded and no outs, and getting out of it without surrending an earned run.
At the plate, Deandrey Carter had a huge day, going 3-3 with 3 runs scored and 4 Stolen Bases. Carter also made a fantastic play on a ground ball up the middle, sliding across the middle, gloving the ball and shooting to first base. Hunter Woods continued his hot hitting, and Elmer Hernandez had three hits in the loss.
2-1 is not a bad way to start the year.
(3/22/09)
CALL Cardinal improved to 3-1 on Sunday, beating the CCLL Dodgers by a score of 9-5. Deandrey Carter(1-0) led the way, pitching 2 2/3, picking up the victory, while helping his own cause by going 3-4 with two triples, 2 RBI, 3 R, and swiping a couple of bags. It was a good victory for the Cardinal, exhibitting strong defense by going errorless in 8 chances. Miguel Rivera and Austin Quintanilla each added RBI doubles, and Elmer Hernandez pitched 2 1/3 scoreless/ hitless innings to notch the Save (2). Defensively, Miguel Rivera played a strong backstop, allowing 0 Passed balls and throwing out the only runner who attempted stealing a base.
DeAndrey Carter was awarded the game ball by putting on a phenomenal pitching and offensive show.
(3/28/09)
Cardinal kicked of a three game weekend in style by beating the Culver Marina Dodgers by a final score of 10-3. Great pitching, great defense, and timely hitting did the trick. Gabriel Morin (1-0) struck out 8 and didn't allow a hit for 4+ Innings, picking up the W and pitching in to help his own cause with an RBI Single to cap a 3 run Cardinal 6th. Hunter Woods had two hits and a walk, including a two run missile in the 3rd that cleared the centerfield fence by 50 feet. Elmer Hernandez caught a great game in his debut behind the plate, and stayed hot with the bat, going 2-3 with 2 RBI and a Walk. In regards to timely hitting, Cardinal scored 5 of their 10 runs with 2 outs. With the win, Cardinal moved to 4-1. Gabriel Morin and Hunter Woods shared player of the game honors.
(3/29/09)
With a pre-game injury to starting catcher Miguel Rivera, The Cardinal kicked off the first half of a Sunday double header in sluggish fashion dropping the game to the Ladera Braves, 8-3. Despite a strong pitching performance by Hunter Woods (1-1), Cardinal defense allow 5 unearned runs, and the offense couldn't pick up the timely hits. In the loss Deandrey Carter led the offensive efforts going 2-3 with a Run Scored, and Gabriel Morin pitched in a triple and a single. Rafa Ferguson was twice robbed of extra base hits by stellar defensive plays by Ladera's Centerfielder and Rightfielder, respectively. In the fifth, Hunter Woods made a fantastic catch, sliding against the fence in foul ground. Morin played strong defense in his debut behind the dish. Player of the game was Deandrey Carter.
(3/29/09)
The nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader was a CALL Cardinal romp. This one consisted of Strong Defense, Strong pitching, and the Hunter Woods show at the plate. Deandrey Carter (2-0) picked up the win, Gabriel Morin made two incredible defensive plays, and Woods was a double short of the cycle, finishing 4-4 with a BB, 1B, 3B, HR, 5RS, and 5RBI. Rafa Ferguson had his first 3 hit game of the year from the left side, and closed out the win facing 3 batters in the bottom of the 6th. Deandrey Carter also had a big day at the plate, scoring 3 runs on 3 hits. With the win the Cardinal improved to 5-2, and prepare for a Friday Rivalry game vs the CALL Bears, who ended Sunday's game with a Walk off HR by Jason Starcher.
(4/01/09)
Cardinal Injury Report
Looks like CALL Cardinal dodged an injury bullet. Miguel Rivera, Cardinal's #1 Catcher, had X-Rays taken on his injured thumb, and it has been determined that there is no broken bones nor injured ligaments. Barring set backs, Rivera should be cleared to resume throwing/ fielding by Thursday, 4-2-09, and should be available for pinch hit duties in Friday's game vs. CALL Bears. Typical of Miguel Rivera's consistent committment to a Team First Approach, he attended Tuesday's training session, and participated in drills with one hand.
(4/03/09)
Call Cardinal went under the lights to match up with League Rival the CALL Bears on Friday night, and won the game with Pitching, Defense, and an offensive barrage that resulted in 12 Runs. Hunter Woods hit his 3rd home run of the year, and picked up his second straight 5 RBI game. Miguel Rivera came off the Disabled List with a two hit night, including a double smashed to the wall in Right Center, and a Home Run that left a dent in the fence above the Left Field Home Run Line. Rafa Ferguson (2-0) Pitched 3 great innings, earning the win, and Gabriel Morin chipped in a scoreless 4th. Deandrey Carter closed it out, picking up his second save of the year. Miguel Rivera was awarded the game ball for his offensive show.
(4/04/09) Game 1
CALL Cardinal Pitched their way to a 6-2 Record. Elmer Hernandez (1-0) Pitched 5 Shutout innings, and Hunter Woods and Deandrey Carter closed it out in the 6th. The Cardinal offense was consistent and industrious, manufacturing all 7 runs with great baserunning and smart at-bats, slowly wearing down the Giants pitching. Defensively, the Cardinal played errorless, and catcher Gabriel Morin set the tone early by nailing the Giant's first baserunner leaning too far off the bag. Elmer was baffling on the mound, changing speeds and showing different looks to the batters, leaving them scoreless.
Hernandez took home the game ball for his excellent effort on the hill.
(4/04/09) Game 2
True to form, pitching and defense locked this one down. Deandrey Carter (2-0-3) posted the Cardinal's first complete game of the year, holding the CMLL Pirates to two unearned runs in 6 innings. Carter was efficient and precise for 6 innings, thrice retiring the side by throwing less than ten pitches. Hunter Woods carried the load offensively, smacking two bombs to DEEP Left Center (4,5) Despite Woods' day at the plate, Carter was given the game ball for throwing a phenomenal complete game, at a time when Cardinal needed an innings eater. Cardinal improved to an impressive 8-2 with the W, and look to tomorrow's game vs. the Nationals as an opportunity to finish the weekend 4-0, and provide redemption for the 3-15-09 mashing recieved.
(4/05/09)
The Cardinal dropped to 8-3 with a loss to the Nationals, 9-5. Despite good offensive performances by Hunter Woods, who homered (6) and doubled, Gabriel Morin, and Deandrey Carter, the Cardinal showed signs of fatigue, and gift wrapped this one for The CMLL Nationals. The Nationals scored all 9 runs with the benefit of 1 hit. A BB seemed to be a free pass to score for Culver City, as the catching group could not keep a ball in front of them all day.
Defensively, The Cardinal played great at every position except catcher, including errorless days by Carter, Rafa Ferguson, Austin Quintaniilla and Johnny Grey. Grey again played a great centerfield, making ESPN Web Gems in the first with a fully extended diving catch in Left center on a ball that should have dropped for extra bases. Offensively, the bottom half of the Cardinal line-up was lethargic, and didn't produce a baserunner. Cardinal finished a tough weekend at 3-1, and overall played excellent baseball all weekend.
(Easter Weekend)
CALL Cardinal took the Easter Weekend off and will resume play on 4/17)
(4/17/09)
CALL Cardinal picked up action on Friday night against the Ladera Yankees, and managed to hold on for the W in a close 7-5 Game, improving to 9-3 on the year. Deandrey Carter (3-0) started and pitched two innings surrendering only an unearned run, picking up the win but the big story was the return of Miguel Rivera to the mound. Playing short due to several traveling players, Miguel pitched 2.2 dominant innings stiking out 3. At the plate, Elmer Hernandez reached base in all four appearances and scored three runs, Carter had a pair of singles and was plated twice, and of course, Hunter Woods was not to be outdone. Woods went 3-4 with a 3 run HR, 2B, 1B, and 4 RBI, and picked up the save in a tough ninth by getting Ladera's number two hitter to pop up to shallow right, where 2B Rafa Ferguson made the catch and fired home to nail a tagging-up Yankee, leaving Robert Landry lurking in the on deck circle, who would have been the go ahead run. The Win was dedicated to Gabriel Morin, who was out of town due to the passing of his Grandfather.
(4/18/09)
CALL Cardinal played what was quite possibly their worst game of the year on Saturday, vs the Ladera White Sox, getting mercied by a score of 12-2. The pitching was inconsistent, and the defense didn't help, allowing 8 of the twelve runs on errors. In ugly fashion, the Cardinal dropped to 9-4. There were no highlights to speak of.
(4/19/09)
CALL Cardinal returned to their winning ways on Sunday and moved to double digit wins (10-4) by beating the CCLL Dodgers by a score of 9-4. Deandrey Carter improved to 4-0 by limitting the Dodgers to 2 Hits over 4 innings. Gabriel Morin returned to action fresh off of a 24 hour commute from Texas and pitched two straight scoreless innings to notch his first save. Despite a rocky start, Morin regained control and didn't allow a run. Offensively, the Cardinal came out in monstrous fasion, picking up 7 runs in the first that included a 3 run MONSTER shot by Hunter Woods and RBIs by Elmer Hernandez and Johnny Grey. Woods also pitched in an RBI Single in the 6th.
(4/25/09)
CALL narrowly missed an opportunity to gain redemption against the White Sox of Ladera. Defense came out flat early, allowing 4 unearned runs in the first and 2 in the second. Despite granting the White Sox a 6-run head start, Cardinal fought back, led by Miguel Rivera, who picked up the Player of the Game vote by going 4-4 with two HRs and two singles. Cardinal had the go ahead run at 2B in the 6th, when Deandrey Carter was called out on pitch the crossed the plate at the top of his eyes. Hunter Woods pitched tough despite the lack of defensive support and DeAndrey Carter pitched a perfect 5 inning in relief. The loss dropped the Cardinal to 10-5.
(4/25/09)
Coming off of a loss in the first half of a double header, CALL won a thriller by scoring 2 runs in the bottom half of the 6th, capped by a game-ending two run single by late arrival Johnny Grey. Elmer Hernandez pitched a great game, allowing two unearned runs, and Deandrey Carter picked up the W in relief. In the 6th, Austin Quintanilla led off with a single, followed by an Eric Anaya double in the gap that moved Quintanilla to 3rd. Rafael Ferguson worked a walk to load the bases for Johnny Grey, who ripped the first pitch he saw into the gap for the game winner. The win moved The Cardinal to 11-5. Of note, The win following a loss has become a trend. The Cardinal has never lost two straight, and continues to win weekend series.
(4/26/09)
To quote Hall of Fame Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Neihaus, "My oh My!" . The Cardinal won it's second game in two days by way of a Bottom of the 6th Rally. Miguel Rivera, Rafa Ferguson, Gabriel Morin and Deandrey Carter turned in decent pitching performances, but allowed eight runs. The Cardinal offense was sluggish, scoring only 5 Runs through 5 innings, until the Bottom of the 6th, when Kyle Chang led off with his second hit of the day, a single up the middle, Rafa Ferguson worked out of an 0-2 hole to walk, and Austin Quintanilla loaded the bases with an infield single. Down 8-4, the stage was set for offensive leader Hunter Woods with the bases loaded. Woods delivered a rocket shot to the Left Center Gap for a 2-run double. Eric Anaya followed with a productive out, moving the runners over and leaving guys on 2nd and third with one out. With first base open, the Dodgers wanted nothing to do with Rivera, who was 3-3, and had already homered, mashed a long single off the centerfield wall, and singled hard up the middle. With the bases loaded and down by one run, Deandrey Carter ripped a 2-2 pitch past the pitcher that scored Quintanilla and Woods to end the game. Defensively, The Cardinal played near perfect, with just one error and a fantastic double play turned by Morin. Gabriel leaned into foul territory to make a shoe string catch on a line drive up the third base line, and quickly shot to Eric Anaya at second base to nail a Dodger who was caught leaning, and end a 5th inning Rally. Deandrey Carter picked up the win in relief, improving to an impressive 5-0. Miguel Rivera capped off his monster weekend by bringing home the game ball. Next one the agenda, The Cardinal gear up for another Friday night matchup with the Cal Bears.
(4/27/09- Injury Report)
Bad news to report from Cardinal Camp, Gabriel Morin suffered a broken clavicle playing flag football, and will miss the remainder of the season.
(5/02/09)
Cardinal continued to improve, moving to 13-5 with a game dominated by pitching and defense. Elmer Hernandez pitched 3 overpowering innings to pick up the win. The bullpen followed suit- Eric Anaya pitched two scoreless frames and Raul Garcia shut down the CMLL Yankees on 6 pitches to record the save. Offensively, Hunter Woods hit his 9th HR, Miguel Rivera turned in another 3 hit game, and Kyle Chang had a 1st inning 3 Run Triple. For his dominant work in relief, Raul Garcia took home the game ball and MVP honors. The Cardinal moves on to play a Sunday game vs CNLL Nationals, who have given their share of headaches to Cardinal defense, scoring a total of 24 runs in two games.
(5/03/09)
In pregame preparations, Hunter Woods had a talk with Manager Tyson Spring. The conversation went like this: "Coach, I feel like I'm going to throw a shut out today". Action followed, and by the time he'd reached his pitch count in the 5th, Hunter Woods had allowed only 2 hits, a BB, and struck out 11 Nationals. Woods did his share at the plate as well, taking part in Back-to-Back bombs with Miguel Rivera in the 1st with two outs, and on the basepaths used speed and smarts to steal a much needed insurance run in the bottom half of the 5th. Cardinal played near flawless defense, and Deandrey Carter picked up the save. Rivera continued to kill opposing pitchers, going 3-3 with a HR, an RBI Double, and a screamer up the middle for a single. With the 5-3 Win, The Cardinal improved to 14-5.
(5/04/09-Injury Report)
Word from Rebecca Morin is that Gabriel Morin is experiencing consistent pain in his fractured clavicle, but is doing what he can to keep in good spirits. With a Dr.'s prognosis of a 3-6 week recovery, Morin is not likely to see Cardinal action this year, though Cardinal fingers remain crossed.
