Written by Senior Editor Ronnie Flores 

Long Beach, Calif. -- The Brewers Blue team, quite frankly, is expected to do well this week at Blair Field. The Rangers, on the other hand, have been on a roll after a mediocre performance last year. The 20th and final game on Sunday could be a showdown of undefeated clubs, but obviously there is still a lot of baseball to be played before that. Other Thursday highlights include a Washington Nationals outfielder that hit for the cycle in the nightcap.   

Milwaukee Brewers Gray 5, Oakland A's 2

The Milwaukee Brewers Gray club developed a small case of stage fright in their Wednesday evening game and early Thursday morning they attempted to get off the snide against the Oakland A's, a team comprised of players from Florida and the Southeast.  Unfortunately for Milwaukee, the gloves again allowed the opponent a gift run early. It wasn't until the fifth inning that Milwaukee Gray club (Northern and Southern California players) could overcome its early demons at Area Code to pull out the win.             

The Athletics' Ronnie Richardson (Lake Region, Eagle Lake, Fla.) belted a leadoff double off Brewers Gray starting pitcher Robbie Erlin (Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, Calif.) that got out to leftfield in a hurry. A passed ball by catcher Richard Stock (Agoura, Agoura Hills, Calif.) put Richardson at third and he waltzed home after a dropped third strike where Stock's poor throw was not cleanly fielded by the first baseman.

Erlin got out of the stanza without further damage, but in the second inning allowed a one-out single to Eric Brady (Green Hope, Cary, N.C.) that scored Demetrius McKelvie (East Columbus, Hallsboro, N.C.). McKelvie reached on a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. An error by third baseman Stephen Piscotty (Amador Valley, Pleasanton, Calif.) kept the inning alive, but shortstop Kenny Diekroeger (Menlo School, Atherton, Calif.) made a nice play deep in the hole to end an inning where the A's stranded two runners.        

In the bottom of the third inning, the bats of the Brewers Gray finally came alive as A's southpaw Drew Cisco (Wando, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) ran into some trouble. Noah Perio (De La Salle, Concord, Calif.), also a standout on the Spartans Div. I state title winning football team, has done a great job of getting on base in Long Beach. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Darrell Matthews (Clayton Valley, Concord, Calif.) and Piscotty tied the game with a clutch two-out single that scored outfielder Cody Keefer (Davis, Calif.).              

Righty Trevor Hildenberger (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif.) struck out the side in the top of the fourth for the Brewers Gray, which finally got off the snide in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Cisco (Wando, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) walked the bases loaded with zero outs in the fifth and the Brewers Gray didn't let this golden opportunity slip by them as it scored   three runs to ice the game. Perio again was on the base paths and he came around to score his second run on a sac fly by Wes Hatton (Norco, Calif.). There was an errant throw back to the infield on that play and Andrew Aplin (Vanden, Suisun, Calif.) and Keefer were able to advance an extra base. After Cisco beaned Piscotty square in the back, Geno Escalante (Rodriguez, Fairfield, Calif.) came through with a clutch single that scored Aplin and Keefer. Escalante continues to impress behind the plate as well, with a live arm that makes him a threat to pick off runners from any angle.

Richardson, the player who got the A's off on the right foot to start the game, came up with two outs in the top of the seventh inning with runners on second and third. He was already two for three in the game and made solid contact with the ball. The throw from the second baseman barely beat him to the bag, ending the threat and game.  

Milwaukee Brewers Blue 6, New York Yankees 4     

The New York club, now in its second tour of duty handling the elite players from the Northeast Region, came to Long Beach with the Bronx Bombers moniker. The Brewers Blue Murders' Row lineup came up with the clutch hits, however, and the Yankees aided their cause with some fielding miscues. 

The Brewers Blue (an all-Southern California squad) didn't waste any time, scoring in the bottom of the first. Cameron Garfield (Murrieta Valley, Murrieta, Calif.) drove in Jake Marisnick (Poly, Riverside, Calif.) on a broken bat single with two outs. Milwaukee starting pitcher Paul Strong came through with a strong two innings, including a second frame where he struck out the side, but the Yankees got things going in the third. 

Outfielder Mike Trout (Millville, N.J.) knocked in teammate Jimmy Brennan (Suffern, Airmont, N.Y.) on a triple to leftfield with two outs. Trout then scored on a fielding error by Brewers Blue shortstop Christian Lopes (Valencia, Calif.). Lopes couldn't make the play, but he is the only 2011 prospect that made either Milwaukee club and will be one to watch the next two summers.    

Trailing 2-1 going into the bottom of the fourth, the Brewers Blue took control as Marisnick scored when a throw to second base on a steal attempt by Garfield was bobbled. After designated hitter/pitcher Matt Hobgood (Norco, Calif.) struck out, Milwaukee took the lead when Garfield scored on a Nolan Arenado (El Toro, Lake Forest, Calif.) triple.

The inning continued with a bloop single by Lopes that drove in Arenado. The fourth run of the stanza was similar to the first as Lopes scored all the way from second on an errant throw by Yankees' catcher Nelfi Zapata (Boston English, Dorchester, Mass.) that ended up in centerfield.             

Hobgood, the CalHiSports.com State Junior of the Year and the L.A. Times Player of the Year last season, got himself into a two-out bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth inning. He allowed another base on balls to Patrick Stover (Rocklin, Calif.) that scored Anthony Italiano (St. Anthony's, West Sayville, N.Y.).

The Brewers Blue made up for Hobgood's struggles by scoring an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Matthew Moynihan (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, Calif.) scored on a sacrifice to make the score 6-3 after taking two bases and ending up on third on a fielding error at first base. The Yankees made four errors in the contest.

For Milwaukee, Marisnick went two for three with a stolen base and two runs scored. Garfield ended up two for two with a RBI, a stolen base and a run scored. 

In the top of the sixth, the Yankees scored their final run when Marcus Stroman (Patchogue, Medford, N.Y.) scored from second after a hit ball took a bad hop on Brewers Blue second baseman Brian Berry (Smithtown East, Nesconset, N.Y.). The Yankees had hoped to load the bases to give Trout one last chance to make something happen, but the inning ended with the all-around standout on deck and two runners stranded.      

Trout ended up striking out in the seventh, but he did finish with a single, triple, RBI, steal and run scored. Trout also recorded the second highest SPARQ Rating (83.07) on Tuesday morning behind Kenny Diekroeger (Menlo School, Menlo, Calif.) of the Brewers Gray (85.96). He also ran the second fastest sixty time (6.52) behind Kyrell Hudson (Evergreen, Vancouver, Wash.) of the Washington Nationals (6.33). 

Texas Rangers 4, Cincinnati Reds 0

It wasn't a matter if it was going to happen, but when it would happen.

It took place when the second batter of the eighth game, Rangers outfielder Randal Grichuk (Lamar Consolidated, Rosenburg, Texas), took Reds starting pitcher Jake Barrett (Desert Ridge, Mesa, Ariz.) yard. The first home run of the 2008 Area Code Games was a 400-foot shot to leftfield that quickly made the score 2-0, as leadoff batter Everett Williams (McCallum, Austin, Texas) got on board with a line single.   

"Oh yeah, it's just a matter of seeing the ball great, Grichuk remarked. "Luckily, I got a hold of one.

The game remained calm until the top of the third when the Rangers' Dane Phillips (Central, Nacogdoches, Texas) reached second base on an error as Reds leftfielder Devon Kell (Hilo, Hawaii) dropped a sky-high popup. Jake Miller (Stratford, Texas) followed up with a single to put runners on first and third with one out. The Rangers, however, were only able to muster up one run out of the situation when Phillips scored on a sacrifice fly by Williams.

That missed opportunity didn't mater as Cincinnati could only muster two hits through six and two-thirds innings until Lance Harper (Desert Mountain, Scottsdale, Ariz.) stroked an opposite field single to rightfield. Any thoughts the Reds had of making a comeback ended with the next batter as Rangers' rightfielder Cohl Walla (Lake Travis, Austin, Texas) made a spectacular catch on a low liner to end the game.         

Starting pitcher Hoby Milner (Paschal, Fort Worth, Texas), Walla and southpaw Colton Cain (Waxahachie, Texas) got the job done on the hill for the victors. Milner was credited for the win, Walla came in and did an admirable job and Cain frustrated the Reds' batters over the last three innings.   
      
The Rangers added an insurance run in the top of the sixth as Chad Kettler (Coppell, Texas) scored on a RBI single by Michael Hilliard (Cy-Woods, Cypress, Texas) with two outs.

Williams had a nice day at the office, as he finished one for two with a sacrifice RBI and a run on the circuit clout of Grichuk.     

"Supposedly the Rangers haven't been winning recently at Area Code, Grichuk added. "A player told me that and the coaches told us, too. We won the practice game (against the Milwaukee Brewers Blue Monday at USC) so it feels good to be undefeated so far. 

Washington Nationals 10, Chicago White Sox 2

The final game Thursday at Blair Field was a nine-inning affair and the designated home team from Washington, D.C., jumped out on top and eventually romped. The victors scored in every inning but the second and third and the best individual performance in recent memory at Area Code was turned in by the Nationals' Joshua Sale (Bishop Blanchete, Seattle, Wash.), a 6-foot, 195-pound 2010 outfielder.

Chicago starting pitcher Jarad Grundy (Johnsburg, Ill.) gave up two hard hits in the first inning, one a double to James Robbins (Shorecrest, Shoreline, Wash.) and the other a triple to catcher Chase Anselment (Meadowdale, Edmonds, Wash.) and the Nationals were able to manufacture three runs. Those shots were sandwiched in between three infield hits.

Max Walla (Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque, N.M.) got the first one and advanced to third on Robbins' double. He then scored on a wild pitch by Grundy and Robbins scored on Anselment's triple. The infield single by Sale scored Anselment. Brady Steiger (South Kitsap, Port Orchard, Wash.) also got on board without the ball leaving the infield, but no further damage was done.              

The White Sox answered with a run in the top of the second inning when Nationals shortstop Bobby Joe Tannehill (Kentlake, Auburn, Wash.) muffed a grounder that allowed Josh Sheffert (Lincoln Southeast, Lincoln, Neb.) to score. Sheffert advanced to third base on a passed ball. The Sox seemed to be in business as Sheffert scored with one out, but the Nationals turned a double play to end the threat.  

Nationals starting pitcher Tim Peterson (Emerald Ridge, Puyallup, Wash.) had some zip on his fastball and pitched a complete four innings, the longest outing at Area Code thus far. When Peterson exited the ballgame, he had allowed three hits and two runs. The second run for the ChiSox came with two out in the fourth when Peterson's wild pitch allowed Justin O'Connor (Cowan, Muncie, Ind.) to score and make it a one-run (3-2) ballgame.

The Nationals stretched their lead back to a couple of runs in the bottom of the fourth when Sale opened the inning with a triple. He then scored on a single by Steiger that took a bad hop right in front of the second baseman.

The game remained a 4-2 affair until the bottom of the fifth when White Sox southpaw pitcher Matthew Little (Bryan, Texas) ran into some trouble. Walla was at the plate with two runners on and zero outs. The base runners advanced to second and third on Little's wild pitch and Ryan Barnes (West Linn, Ore.) came across home plate on yet another errant toss by Little. When Walla legged out his second infield single of the game, the Nationals had their second run of the inning as Michael Englund (Eastside Catholic, Bellevue, Wash.) crossed home plate.                 

In the bottom of the sixth, Sale made things happen once again. He roped a double to leftcenter, stole third base and manufactured another run for the Nationals on Little's wild pitch. In his last at-bat with two outs and no one out in the bottom of the eighth, Sale's first rip at the ball that he fouled back tipped off the ESPN RISE staff that Sale knew exactly what he needed to complete baseball's most exciting one-day hitting performance.    

Two pitches later, Sale delivered. He deposited the ball beyond the rightcenter field wall, 395 feet from home plate. His three-run homer created a buzz in the stands and press box and when Area Code Director Andrew Drennen announced that Sale had hit for the cycle, the game's final score was inconsequential.                

"I was aware of what I needed, but home runs happen on their own, Sale remarked. "I went up there looking for a fastball and I got one up and in. Some of the guys didn't even know that I had a single. In an arena like this, it felt good.  

For the game, Sale went four for four with three runs and four RBI. Walla also had a whale of a game, going two for three with a steal, run and RBI.

"There was no mention of it, said Washington Nationals coach Aaron Horrocks when asked if anyone mentioned Sale only needed a round-tripper on his final at-bat to his for the cycle. "We didn't want to voodoo it. It's sort of like a pitcher with a no-no, you leave him alone.  

Tim Keller (North Eugene, Ore.) entered the contest in relief of Peterson and threw a scoreless fifth and sixth innings. The next pitcher for the victors, crafty southpaw Brian Wolfe (Snohomish, Wash.), also threw two solid frames and Matthew Boyd (Eastside Catholic, Mercer Island, Wash.) came in and sealed the deal in the top of the ninth.  

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