Klimonology

Despite Stumble, Devils Win Out

In a familiar scene this summer, the Sun Devils were standing on the champion’s podium at the end of another tournament. This past weekend, the Devils took their fifth trophy home in six tries as they captured the USSSA Season Opener at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, CA. It was the third time that they had to play through the loser’s or second seed bracket, but this was their first tournament as a 9U team. Under 9U rules players can lead off and steal bases and home plate is open. This means that a player can come home on a passed ball or steal where in 8U a player could only come home on a batted ball or a bases-loaded walk or hit-by-pitch. Additionally, pitchers can be called for balks. The end result is that the games look and feel much more like “real” baseball and the players face greater challenges than before.

In their first game, the Devils faced a familiar foe in the Pico Grave Diggers. Aidan Klimon took the mound for the Devils and held the Diggers to one run on two hits over three innings before giving way to Will Rudy and Jake Nadley who allowed no runs on one hit. The solid pitching was punctuated by the Devils' first pickoff of the 9U season when Klimon whirled around and threw to second baseman Rudy to catch the runner at second off the base. Offensively, the boys got 12 runs on 12 hits with a total team effort where four different players hit doubles and eight different players contributed at least one RBI. Of note was Grant Lockwood and Nathan te Pas executing a the team's first hit and run that ended up with tePas on third base. Te Pas got such a good jump and Lockwood had such good placement of the hit that te Pas made third base easily. The end result was a 12-1 victory for their first win as a 9U team.

In their second game on Saturday, the Devils ran up against a tough left-handed pitcher in Team Rawlings’ Kyle Keer. The boys could not get the bats going against Keer and struggled to get three runs on five hits. Unfortunately, while Hunter Cope and Anthony Nemeth combined for a no-hitter across four innings, both struggled with their control and Team Rawlings took advantage of walks and an error to score four runs. In the second inning after Nemeth had come on in relief and Cope went to third base, all three outs came from catcher Klimon to third baseman Cope. The first was a pickoff of a runner already at third; the next two came as Team Rawlings ran itself out of the inning by trying to steal third. The fifth inning brought some excitement as centerfielder Jakob Ho led off with a double and scored on Nadley’s groundout to close the gap to 4-3. Cope then hit a single and stole second, but Rawlings was able to get the next two outs to end the threat and hand the Devils a defeat.

The loss to Rawlings pushed the Devils into the second seed and they had to play an extra game to get a shot at the championship. Their first game Sunday came against the FV Renegades. After a touch of defensive shakiness in the first inning, pitchers Grant Lockwood and Cope limited the Renegades to two runs on a total of three hits. Connor O’Brien (2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs) and Trevor Klein (1-for-3 with four RBIs) led the offensive attack as the Devils scored 11 runs on nine hits to power an 11-2 victory.

This led to a semi-final match-up against the Northridge Sharks. The Sharks had gone undefeated in pool play were the higher seed. The Devils jumped on the Sharks for four runs in the first inning and another six runs in the second on their way to a 10-3 victory that put them into the championship game against Team Rawlings. Offensively, the Devils were led by Cope (2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs) and Klimon (1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs). On the mound, Jake Lappin allowed no runs on one hit before giving way to Cope and Ho in relief. Defensively, Ho and O'Brien combined for a fly out, pick-off double play in the first inning.

The Devils eagerly awaited the opportunity to play Team Rawlings again and having it be for the hardware only made it that much sweeter. From the first inning it was clear that this rematch was going to be quite a different affair from the first time these two teams met. The Devils scored three runs and only allowed a single base runner before closing out the first inning, they scored a fourth run and allowed a run in the second inning to take a 4-1 lead into the third. And in the third, they unleashed a classic "Devil" inning scoring eight runs on seven hits to take a commanding 12-4 lead into the fourth. They scored another run in the fourth and gave up two, but then scored three more runs and closed out the game by shutting out Rawlings in the fifth. The Devils scored 16 runs on 14 hits for their highest run total of the tournament. The outburst was a team effort, with eight different players knocking in runs. Highlights included Cope going 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs, Lappin going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, O'Brien going 1-for-2 with two walks and an RBI triple and Klein going 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. On the mound, Klein pitched three innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and Rudy closed out the game with two innings of one-hit ball allowing one earned run. Klein also got the Devils' second pickoff of the 9U season in the third inning catching the runner too far off first base.

This victory gave the Sun Devils their fifth tournament victory in six tries and an overall record of 27-4. They have outscored their opponents 342-61. The Sun Devils are Hunter Cope, Jakob Ho, Connor Kentros, Trevor Klein, Aidan Klimon, Jake Lappin, Jackson LoBianco, Grant Lockwood, Matthew McClure, Jake Nadley, Anthony Nemeth, Connor O'Brien, Will Rudy, and Nathan te Pas.

OC Sun Devils take tourney crown

The Sun Devils made it into the Irvine World News today, you can read about it here.

Sun Devils Sizzle in San Diego

 This past weekend the O.C. Sun Devils continued their dominance in the 8U division with a 4-0 championship performance in the Triple Crown San Diego Sizzle tournament. The Devils outscored their opponents 57-5 to win their fourth tournament in five tries. Playing with a summer vacation depleted squad, the boys controlled each game they played in while having some fun on their first road trip as a team.

The San Diego Sizzle tournament was the last opportunity to qualify for the Triple Crown Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada. On Saturday, the boys opened up against the Ventura County Batbusters. Pitchers Aidan Klimon and Jackson LoBianco combined to baffle the Batbusters with a 1-hit shutout while Klimon helped his cause with a bases-clearing double and four RBIs and third baseman Anthony Nemeth twice just missed getting the ball out of the park, knocking in three runs in the 20-0 victory. In their second game, the Devils’ pitchers and defense again dominated the opposition as Grant Lockwood and Nemeth held the Prime Time Stingers to a single unearned run on five hits. The boys’ brilliant defensive play in the 13-1 victory was highlighted by Nemeth combining with second baseman Will Rudy and first baseman Jake Lappin on a 5-4-3 double play to end the first inning and catcher Klimon gunning down two runners in the second inning.

The boys took on the Chula Vista Greensox in their first game on Sunday. The fans from Chula Vista were a bit contentious, but quieted down as the Devils took control of the game and didn’t look back. The well-rested Devils continued their hit parade with 12 runs on 13 hits. Centerfielder Jake Nadley had four RBIs on two hits while Lappin contributed another two RBIs on two doubles. Pitchers Trevor Klein and Rudy combined to allow only two earned runs on five hits in the 12-4 victory.

Lappin took the mound for the championship game against SWAT Baseball Club. After going 2-0 in pool play SWAT had to come from behind to beat the Prime Time Stingers 9-8 to reach the championship game. SWAT got one unearned run across in the top of the first inning but that was the last time that they would hold a lead in the game as the Devils batted around once and scored nine runs on four walks and five hits in the first inning. The Devils gave up another unearned run before completing the 12-2 mercy in the fourth inning. Of particular note were shortstop Connor O’Brien’s bases-clearing triple in the first and a beautiful sacrifice bunt in the third inning and Klein and Klimon both going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Outfielder Matthew McClure also showed patience and a great eye when he came back from an 0-2 count to work a bases-loaded walk in the first inning.

O.C. Sun Devils Take Tournament, Run Record To 19-3!

The O.C. Sun Devils won their third tournament this past week as they took the crown in the Pico Boys Baseball Last Chance Tournament by beating the La Verne Extreme 14-3. The boys opened up play on Saturday with a 13-3 victory over Smith Park, followed by a 13-5 dismantling of host Pico Boys Blue. Hunter Cope hit for the “cycle” on Saturday with a home run against Smith Park and a single, a double and a triple against Pico Boys Blue. 

On Sunday the Devils had to win their first game of the day to earn a berth in the championship game, but the La Verne Extreme had other ideas as they beat the Devils 3-2 behind an excellent pitching performance by the Extreme’s Sean Powell. This sent the Devils on a 10-hour odyssey where they had to play two more games just to get a shot at La Verne in the championship. From noon on Sunday until 10ish that evening, the boys played four baseball games (including a triple-header), outscoring their opponents 42 to 8. The Devils are nothing if not resilient; loaded with pitchers the Devils thrive where other teams run out of pitching depth. The Devils got a short break before kicking off what would become a triple-header by defeating the SGV Titans 12-0. Second basemen Will Rudy turned a beautiful double play in the first inning. This victory led to a rematch with Pico Boys Blue. The results of the rematch were much the same as Jakob Ho went 4-for-4 with a double and Connor O’Brien hit a 2-run walk off homerun to complete the mercy. 

This win put the Devils into the championship game against La Verne. La Verne took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning as the heat and length of the day caught up to the Devils and they made some errors in the field. The Devils scored a run of their own in the top of the second inning to close the gap, but things began to look dicey before Trevor Klein came to the mound for a key 3 2/3 innings of work wherein he allowed only one earned run as the Devils exploded for 11 runs behind his stout pitching effort. Keying the offensive explosion was Anthony Nemeth going 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs. 

Highlights of the weekend include Nemeth going 10-for-15 with 10 RBIs at the plate and pitching 4 innings while allowing no earned runs; Jakob Ho pitching 4 2/3 innings while allowing no earned runs and going 10-for-18 at the plate; Jake Lappin hitting 8-for-11 with 6 RBIs and Hunter Cope going 10-for-17 with 10 RBIs; Klein pitching 7 2/3 innings over the course of the tournament, including the 3 2/3 in the championship game that shut down La Verne; catcher Aidan Klimon manning the dish for 22 of 28 innings, including 14 innings on Sunday while throwing out 3 potential base stealers; and while there are no special statistics to highlight Rudy’s defensive efforts, he made play after play at second base all weekend long. Outfielders Nathan te Pas and Jackson LoBianco also contributed with key at bats and plays in the field.

Irvine players shine for O.C. Sun Devils

The Thursday, August 5th edition of the Irvine World News carried an article about the Devils' run through the USSSA Western World Series. You can read about it here.

Sun Devils Take Fourth Place in USSSA Western World Series

The O.C. Sun Devils took fourth place in the USSSA Western World Series this past week. In a tournament that featured six of the top 50 teams in the country in the field of nineteen teams participating, the Sun Devils went 6-2 across the tournament and exploded into the national rankings at 13^th place post tournament. The Devils only losses were to the top-ranked team in California (fourth-ranked in the nation), the SGV Hustle.

The Sun Devils opened up the tournament by going 3-0 in pool play and taking the fourth seed. They defeated the Tustin Mets 10-0, the Ladera Grays 7-1 and the Baldwin Park RoadRunners 9-0. Highlights from pool play include Hunter Cope hitting 2 home runs; Grant Lockwood and Will Rudy turning a nifty 6-4-3 double-play; Jakob Ho going 5 for 8 with 4 doubles; Jake Lappin having a .727 OBP with 2 singles, 4 walks and 2 HBP; Aidan Klimon catching napping runners by gunning them down at first base; Jake Nadley and Clay Liolios combining to no-hit the Mets; Trevor Klein and Anthony Nemeth combining to hold the Grays to one run on two hits; and Cope, Rudy and Lappin combining for a 3-hit shutout of the RoadRunners.

Bracket play began Friday with a morning tilt against the SGV Hustle. Unfortunately for the Devils, their bats fell silent for the first time and they could only manage two runs on five hits as they lost 4-2. Of note was Connor Kentros going 3-for-3 accounting for 3 of the team’s five hits. Powered by a two-hit shutout pitched by Nadley, the boys bounced back to blank the Tustin Mets 9-0 for the second time in the tournament.

Saturday morning saw the boys open up against the Pico Gravediggers. Unfortunately, the Devils’ normally stout defense faltered in the early morning heat and despite pounding out 10 runs on 12 hits and staking themselves to a 10-3 lead, they needed a one-out save by Liolios to preserve a 10-7 victory after the Gravediggers scored four runs and loaded the bases in the top of the sixth.

Saturday afternoon, the Devils faced the Chino Hills Rays in a tightly contested 2-1 defensive victory. The game was dominated by a heroic pitching performance by Lappin; a 6-inning, 4-hit, 1-run shutdown of the powerful Chino Hills Rays. Additionally, Lappin went 2-for-2 with a walk to account for both runs, while Nemeth pinch-hit a key sacrifice fly in the 2^nd inning for the Devils’ first RBI and Jake Nadley drove in the second run on an error by the Rays’ 3^rd baseman. Rudy led a stellar defensive effort with a key U4-3 double-play to shut down the Rays scoring chances in the first inning.

Saturday night the Devils once again had to play the SGV Hustle. The Devils sent their tall, right-handed fireballer Cope to the mound. The Devils held the Hustle in the first inning, stranding Hustle runners at first and third before they took the lead as Kentros scored when Lappin reached due to an error by the Hustle second baseman. In the second inning, the Hustle again stranded runners at second and third but sent the Devils down one, two, three to keep the score 1-0. The third inning saw the Devils tighten the screws on the defense as they only allowed one base runner before getting the third out, but the Hustle returned the favor and the score remained 1-0. The Hustle finally broke through in the top of the fourth as a leadoff double and single followed by two errors allowed them to take a 3-1 lead. The Devils got stifled in the bottom of the fourth and memories of their previous tussle started to loom large, but Cope held the Hustle in the top of the fifth to keep the Devils’ hopes alive. The Hustle got the first out of the fifth inning on a routine grounder to the pitcher, but then Rudy came up huge with a line drive down the right field line to start a rally for the Devils. This was followed by a double by Ho, which was followed by a 2-RBI double by Kentros to tie the game, Cope then helped his own cause by singling in another run to give the Devils a 4-3 lead going into the sixth inning. Unfortunately, two games in the summer heat caught up to the Devils in the top of the sixth: Cope walked the first batter and then got the first out on a two-strike foul bunt, but the Hustle exploded at the plate hitting back-to-back doubles to score two runs. The Devils issued an intentional walk to the next batter to create a force at second, but the Hustle followed that up with an RBI single and a bunt to get another run home and load the bases. The Hustle worked a 7-pitch walk before Cope came back to strike out the next batter for the second out. Finally, Cope combined with Klimon for a force out at home to end the inning. The Devils were devastated and now trailed 7-4. Unfortunately, this was not the Devils’ night as they went down in quick succession and were sent home as the fourth place finisher in the tournament. Of note for the Devils were Cope’s monumental 6-inning pitching performance that featured 10 strikeouts and 9 runners stranded; two key outs on high foul pop-ups caught by Klimon; and Kentros’  continued hot streak at the plate going 2-for-3 with a single, double, two runs scored and 2 RBIs.

As a team, the Sun Devils are batting .402, have a WHIP of 0.97 and an ERA of 0.96. They have run their record to 14-2 and have outscored their opponents 165-22. The Sun Devils are Hunter Cope (Newport Beach), Jakob Ho (Irvine), Connor Kentros (Lake Forest), Trevor Klein (Irvine), Aidan Klimon (Irvine), Jake Lappin (Anaheim), Clay Liolios (Newport Beach), Jackson LoBianco (Irvine), Grant Lockwood (Irvine), Matthew McClure (Mission Viejo), Jake Nadley (Los Angeles), Anthony Nemeth (Orange), Connor O'Brien (Irvine), Will Rudy (Irvine), and Nathan te Pas (Irvine).