Cubs vs. West Phillies: Phillies too Strong for Cubs Comeback

During the spring little league season we are posting articles written by young Newton sports writers. This story was written by Jaden Farquhar, grade 5 at Peirce school.

         The West Phillies traveled to Cabot to play the Cubs on June 12, 2013.  The starting pitcher for the West Phillies was PJ Membrino.  The Cubs having clinched a spot in the playoff, pitched a different pitcher every Inning.  The West Phillies began this amazing game with a walk by Carson Takaoka in the 1st Inning.  He advanced to second base after a passed ball.  Shortly after, PJ Membrino hit a single driving in a run.  In the bottom of the 1st Inning, the Cubs’ Andrew Hass led off the Inning with a single.  Following an out, Mathew Gluck also singled, but both runners were left stranded on base. 

The 2nd Inning started off for the West Phillies with a single by Eric Fogelberg for the West Phillies.  The Cubs’ pitcher thereafter lost the strike zone and walked two batters and hit another batter making the score 2-0 West Phillies.  In the bottom of the 2nd Inning, the Cubs hit a few singles but nobody scored. 

         The top of the 3rd Inning began with a walk by PJ Membrino.  Dylan Szafram reached base with a walk, and Eric Fogelberg also walked, loading the bases.  The pressure was on as Nick Caruso went up to bat.  The pitcher threw a speeding ball and- Wack!  The ball soared through the air, flying over the left center field fence for a Grand Slam!  The score was now 6-0 Phillies, and it looked like trouble for the Cubs…

The Aftermath

         The Cubs kicked off the bottom of the 3rd Inning with a single by John Shore.  He then scored when Reese Farquhar hit a 2 run home run over the left field fence.  Cole Cleary then doubled, but was left stranded in scoring position. 

In the top of the 4th Inning, the West Phillies Eric Fogelberg singled, but the Inning ended before he could score.  In the bottom of the 4th Inning, the Cubs hit a few singles, which was highlighted by an RBI single by Mathew Gluck. 

The top of the 5th Inning was uneventful for the West Phillies.  In the bottom of the 5th Inning the Cubs continued their comeback attempt.  Cole Cleary led off the Inning with a single.  He later scored on a double by Lukas Hanenberger making the score 6-4.

In the top of the 6th Innings, the Cubs turned to Mathew Gluck as their pitcher and he struck out all three batters.  The Cubs were poised for a comeback.  But, the West Phillies had other plans.  Following two quick outs, the Cubs John Shore reached base on an error.  The Cubs big slugger, Mathew (AKA “Miguel Cabrera”) Gluck stepped up to the plate representing the tying run.  Matthew had already hit two home runs this season.  The Cubs bench roared with excitement.  The crowd watched intensely during this nail biting game.  But, the West Phillies pitcher, Sebastian Pike, was up for the task and got Mathew Gluck to ground out to the shortstop ending the game. 

Home run review

         The 3rd Inning was thrilling for both teams in this game.  For the Phillies, Nick Caruso hit a grand slam.  This is how he felt about it: “It was my first home run and I wasn’t really focusing on hitting one, and I just focused on the ball.  So it felt good, and it really boosted my confidence.”  For the Cubs, Reese Farquhar hit a 2 run homer.  Here’s how he felt about it: “I was happy that I finally came through to give my team confidence.” All in all, this was a great game, so join me next time on the Newton Patch Blog.