Forest Glen PeeWee AA Giants

Overdue Season Wrap-Up

2009-09-26T15:35:00.002-04:00

The Giants went undefeated in the provincials until the final game where they faced the Melrose Mudhens who they had defeated earlier in the tournament. Unfortunately, they did not have the same result in the finals as they fell 6-5 to the Mudhens. Pitchers Christian Banken and Jeremy Receno pitched admirably, but some clutch Mudhen hitting allowed them to playe 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th to take a 3 run lead. The Giants fought back with two inning, but could not claw all the way back.

The strikeout was the downfall of the Giants as they went down on strikes 16 times in the final game. Braden Wojcik had the notable offensive performance as he went 2-3 with an rbi. The Giants had defeated the Mudhens in 3 close games earlier in the season but in the biggest game of the year they came up just short.

Despite ending on a disappointing note, the Giants still had an impressive year with two tournament victories, a pennant win, a city championship, and finishing as provincial finalists. The Giants now look to improve next year when they face tougher competition as a minor team in the Bantam division.

The Giants are currently having tryouts for next year's team. The next tryout is Tuesday, September 29 at Fleetwood at 6:30pm. Call Matt Klas at (416) 970-9252 if you have any questions regarding tryouts.

Practice and Provincials

2009-08-31T17:25:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder that the team will practice this Wednesday, September 2 at 5:45pm at Fleetwood.

Also, a provincial schedule has been released. All details can be found at the SOBA website.

Our first game is Friday at 6pm. That means we ask all players to be at the park no later than 5:15. A complete schedule can be found by clicking here.

And finally, directions to the diamond can be found by clicking here.

Giants Win City Championship!!!

2009-08-30T16:57:00.006-04:00

The Giants went undefeated through 4 games in the playoffs beating a tough Majors Red squad on Saturday to win the Mississauga City Championship.

The playoffs started smoothly with 2 stress free victories (15-0 and 13-3)against MSBA Twins Grey and Majors Red respectively. The path got a little rockier in the third game when they faced an emerging Mississauga North Tigers Team.

The Giants jumped out to an early 2-1 lead after the 2nd inning. In the 4th inning they would stretch their lead to 4-1 on a Daniel Nikitovic 2-run shot to center field. The Tigers team would fight back though and scored 3 in the top of the 5th to go up 5-4. The Giants answered in the bottom of the 6th scoring 3 runs with base hits by Dylan Connoly-Downey, Nikitovic, and Braden Wojcik. With only 5 minutes left to finish the last inning, play was suspended and would resume the next day.

Mitch Fiacco was on the mound to close out the 2 run lead the next day but the Giants defense didn't show up, and the scrappy tigers squad managed to plate 3 runs to go ahead 8-7. With only one at bat left, the Giants backs were against the wall. The bottom of the order answered the call with Austin Kean, Aidan Morris, and Troy Jaroslawski all reaching base. Jaroslawski would end up scoring the winning run on a Lucas Suppa sac fly to send the Giants to the championship.

In the championship, things would not get easier as the Giants were matched up against a Majors Red squad that doesn't make mistakes. Christian Banken got the start and showed his best control of the year getting ahead of batters and throwing all of his pitches for strikes. The result was 3 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts and a 1-0 lead after 3. The run scored on a Anastasi Grigoriou single up the middle that scored Sean Cochrane from second.

The Giants would add 2 more runs in the 4th inning when Mitch Fiacco singled, followed later by a Daniel Nikitovic rbi double. Nikitovic would also score on a passed ball, giving the Giants a 3-0 lead after 4.

The Majors would not give up though, as they managed to scrape 2 runs across against Jeremy Receno in his third inning of work. Going into the bottom of the 6th, the Giants led 3-2 and were in dire need of an insurance run.

As has often happened, the bottom of the order answered the call when Aidan Morris lined a single to right field to lead off the inning. He would steal second and then Troy Jaroslawski sacrificed him over to third. Morris would score on a Receno ground out giving the Giants a 4-2 lead.

Fiacco would be given the ball once again with the task of getting the save. The Majors Red team led off with 2 singles putting the tying run on base with nobody out. Fiacco would bear down and strike out the 2 next batters, and with runners on 2nd and 3rd he induced a ground out that sealed the Giants victory.

The City Championship gets added to an impressive (and hopefully incomplete) list of accomplishments for the Giants. In addition to the hardware received, the championship also qualifies the Giants for the provincials which will be held labour day weekend in Bolton.

The coaches would like to congratulate the players on a good playoff run and we hope to carry the momentum into the provincials.

Details about the provincials and a mid-week practice will follow shortly.

Game Recap: August 19th

2009-08-20T12:35:00.002-04:00

The Giants suffered their first defeat of the regular season Wednesday night at the hands of MSBA Twins White. The Giants pitching staff and defense allowed a season high 11 runs in the loss. The Giants offense fared no better, managing only 3 hits in 7 innings against the Twins pitching staff. The Giants final record for the regular season is 20-1.

Braden Wojcik started for the Giants and struggled allowing 5 runs over 3 innings pitched. Mitch Fiacco had success in relief, throwing 2 scoreless innings. The Giants then turned to reliable arm Jeremy Receno for the last 2 innigns with the game tied. Receno had some uncharacteristic struggles allowing 6 runs over the last 2 innings, although the defense did not help him in the disastrous top of the 7th.

Offensively, the Giants could not get anything going. Receno at the top of the lineup did a good job setting the table getting on base 3 out of 4 times and scoring 2 of the teams runs. Mitch Fiacco and Braden Wojcik were the only other 2 Giants who managed hits.

The Giants finish first in the division and will play the 8th seed on Saturday morning at 8:30am at Q-Park. It is expected that all players will be there at 7:45am. The coaches hope this is the wake-up call the team needed to play strong through the playoffs. The toughness of the team will be tested moving forward and how they respond will determine how successful this year will be.

August 10th and 11th Game Recaps

2009-08-12T12:20:00.002-04:00

The Giants emerged victorious from the contests on Monday and Tuesday nights by scores of 13-3 and 16-2 respectively. The two wins clinch first place for the team meaning that the first playoff game will be played against the 8th seed on Saturday, August 22nd at 8:30am.

In Game 1 versus the Tigers, Jeremy Receno got the start allowing one run over 2 innings to record the victory. Daniel Nikitovic pitched for just the second time allowing no runs over 2 innings while recording three strikeouts. Mitch Fiacco came in to mop up the victory pitching the last 2 innings and allowing 2 runs.

Offensively, Christian Banken led the charge with 4 hits. Unfortunately, the last single which he dropped with backspin behind the pitcher led to the end of his night. He rolled his ankle once passing first base and could not continue in the game. The Giants offense didn't let up though scoring 5 runs in the 6th inning to secure the victory.

In Game 2, the Giants beat the Mississauga Majors Red. The Majors team was shorthanded with only 9 players including a call-up, and the Giants took advantage.

On the mound, Dylan Connoly-Downey pounded the strike zone pitching 3 innings and allowing one run. Braden Wojcik came in second and also threw strikes, allowing only one run over the last 2 innings. Defensively, Troy Jaroslawski made his season debut behind the plate and did an excellent job. His hard work in practice was evident as he received the ball well and blocked balls allowing nothing to get to the backstop.

Offensively the Giants attack was well balanced with everyone contributing. Lucas Suppa led the way going 3 for 3. Austin Keane also contributed a hard hit line drive single down the third base line for an RBI.

The Giants don't get much of a break as they play a makeup game this Thursday, August 13th at Tom Chater at 6:15pm. MSBA Twins White are currently sitting in 2nd place, so this should be a good test for the Giants.

As a side note, here are some pictures from the tournament that Al and Lily Fiacco shared with me.

Playoff Schedule

2009-08-08T15:28:00.002-04:00

Here is a scanned copy of the playoff schedule for our division. Click on it to enlarge it. We are likely to finish first which means we will play our first game at 8:30am on the 22nd. If we win that, we will play the next day also at 8:30am. All of the playoff games are being played at Q-Park (across the street from Erin Mills Town Center) until the finals which will be played at Tom Chater.

Also, if anybody has pictures of the team after the tournament win could you e-mail them to me. There is a small write-up congratulating the team on the Forest Glen Website and I think it would be good if we had a picture to accompany the write up.

Forest Glen Wins 2nd Tournament Championship!

2009-08-03T13:38:00.005-04:00

The Major Peewee Forest Glen Giants were victorious this past weekend in the 16 team Mississauga Majors tournament to win their second tournament of the season. The tournament win was capped with a thrilling 11-4 victory over a very talented Martingrove squad. Facing possibly the most difficult competition they had faced this year, the Giants delivered the best team effort of the season and were able to capture the championship.

The Giants did not play their 3rd round robin game until Sunday at 2:30pm, so they were faced with the challenge of playing 3 back to back games in order to win the championship. The Giants bats did get a bit of a rest in the semi-final game however, where they were held to only 4 hits by the Majors Red team. The Giants pitching and defense played strongly enough to win, and they were able to pull out the 6-0 victory to move on to the finals.

In the finals they met a Martingrove team that was undefeated. The leadoff hitter immediately lined a single to centerfield which was followed with another base hit. After an over throw, the Giants found themselves in a hole with runners on 2nd and 3rd and nobody out. Giants starter Christian Banken was able to calm down on the mound and get his off speed pitches working, allowing the Giants to escape the inning with minimal damage. A highlight play by second baseman Jeremy Receno helped them escape trouble, when he went back on a bloop hit and made an over the shoulder catch.

Down 1-0, the Giants were able to immediately answer back. The top of the order set the table with hits from both Jeremy and Dylan Connoly-Downey, and a Mitch Fiacco single allowed the Giants to take a 2-1 lead. The Giants scored 3 more in the inning, one of which was on a well executed squeeze with Sean Cochrane laying down a bunt and Banken sliding in under the tag at home.

Banken would settle in on the mound and only allow one run in the next two innings and the Giants lead 7-2 after 3. Receno would come in in relief, and pitched 3 innings only allowing 2 runs. Receno was faced with the heart of the Martingrove order in 2 of the 3 innings he pitched, but by keeping the ball down in the zone and mixing speeds he was able to tame the Express bats that had been hot all tournament.

Going into the bottom of the 6th inning, the Giants held a 7-4 lead and were in dire need of some insurance runs. The Express had put in their closer who was throwing hard and had been very effective up to that point. Banken and Daniel Nikitovic both had good at bats and recorded singles to start the inning. After the next two outs were recorded, the bottom of the order answered the call. Anastasi Grigoriou drew an important walk, and Austin Kean followed it up with a clutch 2-rbi single. With Austin stealing on the pitch, Aidan Morris hit a single to right field that advanced Kean to third base, and on an over throw he was able to score.

Now leading 11-4, the Giants turned to Braden Wojcik to close the door and seal the tournament victory. After inducing fly-outs to centerfield for the first 2 outs of the inning, Wojcik allowed a single. He then picked the Martingrove player off first base to end the game.

The most enjoyable part of this tournament win is the fact that a true team effort was delivered from the Giants squad. I can honestly say that if the coaches were forced to pick an MVP for the tournament, there would be endless debate and a consensus would not be reached. Every player 1-12 on the Giants squad had significant contributions that helped lead to victory.

The coaching staff is optimistic that the play displayed in this tournament will carry over into the remainder of the regular season and through the playoffs. The talented teams we have now faced from Martingrove and Melrose will likely be in the provincials gunning for us, and the players must bring focus and intensity to every game and practice the rest of the way to prepare for these challenges.

This is a very enjoyable tournament win, but this is merely another step in what we hope will be a successful season. Our goal all along has been a city and provincial championship and these tournaments have helped show the team what it takes to win.

Below is a copy of the scoresheet from the final game.

Game Recap: July 28th

2009-07-29T10:45:00.002-04:00

A short staffed Giant squad managed to grind out the victory on Tuesday night beating the second place Majors White. After 5 tightly contested innings, the Giants scored 7 in the bottom of the 6th to put the Majors team away.

On the mound Mitch Fiacco, Dylan Connoly-Downey, and Jeremy Receno combined for 6 innings of 4 run baseball. Dylan was able to record the victory with Jeremy picking up the save. Defensively, the infield did a great job going back on shallow pop fly's recording several difficult outs.

On the offensive side, the Giants played some small ball. With successful bunts laid down by Aidan Morris, Troy Jaroslawski, and Jeremy Receno, the Giants were able to wake the bats up and score 12 in innings 4 through 6. With the bats plateauing as of late, successful execution of small ball tactics may prove invaluable to the Giants as they compete in the Majors tournament this weekend.

The Giants now sit at 15-0 for the regular season. Their focus for the immediate future however is the Majors tournament, where they hope to have success against some tough competition. The Giants struggled going 1-2 in the last tournament, so this is a welcome opportunity for the squad to seek some redemption. They face off against the West Hill Hawks at 8:30am on Saturday.

Some videos for the kids

2009-07-23T11:23:00.002-04:00

At practice a week or two back some of the coaches were telling the kids about a bat trick this guy does. Some of them wanted to see it so here is the video below.

Also, this batting stance guy is really fun to watch. Here is a clip of him impressing Manny Ramirez and some of the Dodgers.

And here is him doing the Toronto Blue Jays.

And here is the Red Sox for Austin.

And the Yankees for Lucas.

Majors Tournament Information Received

2009-07-22T11:18:00.003-04:00

I have received information regarding the Majors Tournament. Below is our division as well as the schedule.

Here are directions to Lakeview.

Here are directions to Waterworks.

Game Recaps: July 20th and 21st

2009-07-22T10:47:00.004-04:00

The Giants followed up a disappointing tournament result with wins on consecutive days to start the week. They first beat MSBA Twins Blue by a score of 9-3, and then followed that up by beating MSBA Twins Grey 8-0.

The first game saw the Giants get to the left handed hurler that had troubled them all season. They managed to score 5 runs off of the southpaw in 3 innings to jump out to a commanding lead. The bats were held in check the rest of the way however, with the Giants only managing 4 runs over the remaining 4 frames.

The Giants pitchers combined for a great showing on the mound. Jeremy Receno faced just 10 batters in 3 innings with an impressive display of efficiency on the mound. Dylan Connoly-Downey struggled with control in the bottom of the 7th to give the Twins some life, but the Giants managed to escape with the victory.

The second contest of the week saw the Giants beat the Twins Grey. On the mound, pitchers Mitch Fiacco, Dylan Connoly-Downey, and Anastasi Grigoriou did a good job of pounding the strike zone and getting easy outs for the defense.

On the offensive side, the Giants jumped out to a 4 run lead in the first inning. The team then seemed to sit back on the lead and the bats were held in check over the next 5 turns. In the 6th inning, Daniel Nikitovic crushed a ball over the fence that was just foul by a few feet. Later retired in the inning, it was refreshing to see Daniel upset with his strikeout rather than focussing on his long blast. This type of unassuming behaviour was great for the coaches to see. The Giants held on to their lead and recorded an 8-0 victory.

The Giants face Mississauga Majors Red at Fleetwood park in a makeup game this Friday at 6:15pm. The Majors Red are the only team the Giants are yet to face in the loop and they should present a good test.

Makeup game dates confirmed

2009-07-20T13:24:00.002-04:00

Both makeup games have been confirmed.

The Giants will play Mississauga Majors Red this Friday, July 24 at 6:15pm at Fleetwood.

The Giants will also play Mississauga Southwest Twins White Thursday, August 13th at 6:15pm at Tom Chater West.

One other reminder is that picture day is this Satuday, July 25 at 9:30am behind Burnhamthorpe Community Center. We will go straight from picture day to our practice in our regular slot.

Goderich Tournament Recap

2009-07-20T13:08:00.002-04:00

The Forest Glen Giants made the two and a half hour trek out to Goderich this weekend. Facing some strong competition, the Giants lost their first two games which were their first two losses of the season. They rebounded to win their last game but were unable to advance with a 1-2 record.

The Friday night affair saw the Giants match up against the Stratford Indians (Major). It was an excellent game as the teams managed to complete all 7 innings despite the 1.5 hour time limit. The Giants showed nerves early allowing 2 unearned runs. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th, Sean Cochrane led off with a single and pinch runner Troy Jaroslawski reached 2nd base. The Giants were unable to get the tying run across however and they lost by the final of 2-1.

Still very much alive in the tournament, the Giants looked to improve on their showing against a 1-0 Listowel team. The Giants did not answer the call however, with a number of Giants showing up to the diamond late. Also, the team appeared to give up after the first inning when the Giants were down 3-0. The final score was 10-2, and the Giants hopes of advancing were crushed.

Looking to improve on their previous games, the Giants brought some more energy to the last game. They got on the board early and pitcher Mitch Fiacco pounded the strike zone getting easy outs for his defense. The Giants ended up beating Lucan 8-5 in that final contest, and finished the tournament with a record of 1-2.

Despite the disappointing result, there were positives for the team to take away from the tournament. There were some good bonding experiences for the team when sitting around a camp fire each night and enjoying a pick-up football game on Saturday night. Also, the team learned a valuable lesson in that they can not perform well without proper preparation. Hopefully the team will learn from the experience in this tournament and it will better prepare them for a strong showing in future tournaments, playoffs, and hopefully provincials.

Goderich Directions and other info

2009-07-15T10:05:00.003-04:00

The directions to Goderich are as follows:

Start address: Fleetwood Park Canada
End address: 186 McDonald St Goderich, ON, Canada

Start at: Fleetwood Park Canada

1. Head northeast on Burnhamthorpe Rd E toward Mill Rd - 0.6 km 2. Make a U-turn at Mill Rd - 2.3 km 3. Turn right at Dixie Rd - 4.1 km 4. Take the ON-401 ramp to London - 1.8 km 5. Merge onto King's Hwy 401/MacDonald-Cartier Fwy - 65.7 km 6. Take exit 278 for ON-8 toward Kitchener/Waterloo - 0.9 km 7. Merge onto King's Hwy 8/King St Bypass - 7.3 km 8. Take the Hwy 7/ON-7 exit - 0.7 km 9. Merge onto King's Hwy 8 - 44.9 km 10. Turn right at Huron St/King's Hwy 8 Continue to follow King's Hwy 8 -
72.4 km
11. Turn left at Victoria St S - 0.2 km
12. Turn right at Britannia Rd E - 0.5 km
13. Turn left at McDonald St - 0.2 km

Arrive at: 186 McDonald St Goderich, ON, Canada

McDonald street is where the fastball and hardball diamonds are located. GDCI is just about 2 blocks away so we can direct you to that diamond when we are in Goderich.

Click here to see the Google map if you prefer to see a map.

We ask that all players be there 1-1.5 hours early. Registration for the tournament has to happen an hour in advance which is why we require everyone there so early.

Also, most of you already know this, but picture day for the team will be Saturday, August 25th at 9:30am. The pictures will be taken behind Burnhamthorpe community center at the parks there. We then will go directly to practice at Fleetwood.

Game Recap: July 14th

2009-07-15T09:41:00.003-04:00

The Giants battled their organizational rivals on Tuesday night and came out victorious by a score of 17-8. This moves the Giants record to 11-0 on the season.

The game had a slow pace with lots of walks being handed out by both teams. Jeremy Receno battled through 2 innings to pick up the victory. Daniel Nikitovic and Anastasi Grigoriou both made their debuts on the mound with positive results. This should just be the start of development for both pitchers as the season moves on.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Giants had a balanced attack putting up 17 runs over 4 innings. Christian Banken highlighted the attack with doubles in his first 2 at bats to left field and center field respectively. Mitch Fiacco also contributed by scoring three runs in the game.

The Giants now move on to what should be their toughest test of the season. The Goderich tournament is sure to present some tough competition and hopefully the momentum from this regular season will carry on through the tournament.

Game Recap: July 13th

2009-07-14T12:24:00.004-04:00

Despite some distractions, the Giants were able to maintain focus and record their 10th victory of the season by a score of 15-4. The same could not be said for the coaching staff, who's rough day was highlighted by a third base coach leaving the field with only 2 outs in the inning.

The Giants pitching staff struggled with their control in the game, but were able to work out of tough situations. Christian Banken pitched 3 innings to record the win, and Dylan Connoly-Downey stepped in for 2 innings to preserve the victory. Austin Kean had a running over the shoulder catch in the bottom of the 5th inning that was the defensive highlight for the Giants.

On the offensive side, the Giants showed patience at the plate and took advantage of a Majors pitching staff that struggled with their control. In the lead-off spot, Jeremy Receno did his job and got on base all three plate appearance, scoring each time he reached base. Sean Cochrane also reached base safely in each plate appearance, and had a clutch 2-rbi single with 2 outs in the 4th inning.

The Giants look to improve on their 10-0 record tonight versus the Forest Glen minor team. The Forest Glen Grey have been playing some better baseball recently, beating Majors Red last week. A good showing tonight will give the Giants Black some much needed momentum going into the Goderich tournament this weekend.

Goderich Tournament Schedule Released

2009-07-12T19:51:00.003-04:00

The tournament schedule has been released for the Goderich tournament next weekend. Our division includes Listowel, Lucan, and Stratford Major.

First Game: Friday, July 17th @ 8:30pm- Hardball

Second Game: Saturday, July 18th @ 11:30am- GDCI

Third Game: Saturday, July 18th @ 5:30pm- Fastball

The top team from the three divisions moves on as well as a wild card team. If we make it to Sunday the games are as follows.

Semi-Finals: Sunday, July 19th @ 10am

Finals: Sunday, July 19th @ 1pm

I am going to dig up some diamond information and directions in the next day or two and then I will post the information on the blog.

Game Recap: July 6th

2009-07-07T10:36:00.006-04:00

The Giants played a tightly contested game Monday night against the Mississauga North Tigers. Showing much improvement, the Tigers held the Giants to only 4 runs over the first 4 innings. The score stood at 4-2. The Giants then rallied in the 5th for 6 runs and ended up winning by a final of 11-3. This pushes the Giants record to 9-0 on the season.

The Giants offense was sparked by back to back home runs by Lucas Suppa and Mitch Fiacco. Both home runs were career firsts for the players, with Suppa sending a two strike pitch over the left field wall for a 2-run shot, and Fiacco immediately following it up with a blast over the wall in right field.

On the defensive side, the pitchers effectively used their defense which stood up to the task. Great catches were made in the outfield by Aiden Morris and Anastasi Grigoriou which helped the pitchers get out of some difficult situations. The Giants pitching and defense continue to be strengths this season.

The Giants will look to improve their record to 10-0 next week. With competing teams showing much improvement, the Giants will have to stay focused and continue to develop to maintain their dominant ways.

Some Pictures from the Tournament

2009-07-03T16:23:00.010-04:00

The Forest Glen Giants had both games rained out this week which explains the lack of activity on this blog.

There is some good news however. I have received a bunch of pictures that were taken during the finals of the Forest Glen tournament. Posting them all on the blog isn't very efficient (they don't make it very user friendly for pictures) so I am including the highlights here. I will make a complete album on facebook (since it's much more album friendly). I know some of the kids have added all of the coaches on facebook and are friends with each other, so they can get them off my profile and then distribute them amongst themselves.

Enjoy.

The next two pictures are the attempted steal of home in the bottom of the last inning. (I still think he was safe)

The last out of the game.

Mississauga Majors Tournament Confirmed

2009-06-26T13:47:00.003-04:00

Today I received good news. Our spot in the Mississauga Majors tournament has been confirmed. The dates of the tournament are July 31 to August 2 and the games will be played at the Lakefront Promenade complex (Lakeview diamonds and Crookes Park).

This is a 16 team tournament so we are likely to see some great competition. Since there are 16 teams and we are local we can expect to be scheduled for a game on Friday evening. I will receive a schedule approximately 10 days before the tournament and I will post it then.

Game Recap: June 24th

2009-06-25T09:03:00.003-04:00

The Forest Glen Giants were victorious on Wednesday night by a score of 25-4. The win moved their record to 8-0 on the season.

On offense it was a team effort, as every player got a hit and scored a run. The offense was highlighted by 2 rbi triples by Lucas Suppa and Mitch Fiacco.

Braden Wojcik started on the mound and struggled with his control. As a result the Giants also showed some shaky defense at times. Wojcik fought through the tough situations though and managed to pick up the win.

The Giants play 2 games next week which should be a good test. First, on Tuesday they face off at home against the undefeated Majors Red in what should be their biggest test of the regular season thus far. Then on Thursday they face MSBA Twins White who have a 5-3 record on the season.

It should be a challenging week for the team and we are eager to see how the boys respond.

Intercounty Game and Practice Reminder

2009-06-18T14:41:00.004-04:00

This Friday will be Forest Glen night at the Mississauga Twins (Intercounty) home game. Forest Glen players will get the chance to run the bases with the Twins, shag fly balls during batting practice, and stuff like that. There will also be free admittance for Forest Glen players, coaches, volunteers and supporters. Intercounty is good baseball and the kids would have fun going out and watching that level of baseball so we encourage everyone to attend.

Information about the team can be found at their website and directions to the ballpark can be found here.

Finally, just a reminder that practice will be back to our regular Saturday morning time slot at 9:45am.

Hope to see you all at the game!

Game Recap: June 16th

2009-06-17T10:39:00.003-04:00

The Giants faced their biggest scare of the year on Tuesday night, and found themselves trailing 3-0 after 3 innings. They fought back scoring 10 runs over the final three innings to secure their 7th victory of the season.

The Giants came out somewhat flat and were held off the score sheet by twins pitcher Kevin Candie. Once the game was tied in the bottom of the 4th inning, it was clear it would be a game decided by the bullpens. The Giants scored one in the 5th to take the lead, but the twins rallied back to tie. In the bottom of the 6th the Giants put the game out of reach, batting around in the inning.

On the mound, strong relief outings were turned in by Dylan Connoly-Downey and Christian Banken with Christian recording the W.

On the offensive side, the Giant bats were relatively quiet with only a few hard hit balls. One positive was a return to form by Mitch Fiacco in the 6th inning when he smoked an rbi double over the center fielder's head.

Lastly, new acquisition Troy Jaroslawski made his debut with the team and fit right in. He reached base in all three of his at-bats and played well at second base and in the outfield.

The Giants will look to improve on their 7-0 record next Wednesday when they take on association rivals Forest Glen Grey.

Forest Glen Wins Tournament Championship!!

2009-06-08T09:20:00.004-04:00

This past weekend the Major Peewee Forest Glen Giants battled through a thrilling extra inning game to win their first tournament championship. The Melrose Mudhens proved worthy opponents playing two excellent games against the Giants. The championship game went back and forth and was a thrill for everyone involved.

The Giants came out of the gate showing some nerves in the first few innings. The result was a 2-0 deficit. The Giants fought back over the next 2 innings however manufacturing 2 runs with Anastasi Grigoriou and Lucas Suppa coming across to score. The closely contested game was tied 2-2 after 5 innings when the Giants looked to break it open.

Aidan Morris led off the 6th with a single followed later by a Dylan Connoly-Downey base knock. Mitch Fiacco then came up with a clutch two out single to score the second run and give the Giants the lead.

In the bottom of the inning the Mudhens fought back with 3 runs of their own to put the pressure back on the Giants. The Giants responded by turning a Daniel Nikitovic walk into the tying run, and came within inches of scoring the go ahead run on a Braden Wojcik steal of home. The Giants were not fazed by the call not going their way however, as Mitch Fiacco pitched a shutout inning in the bottom of the 7th to send the game to extra innings.

The teams would shut each other out in the 8th as well, and then the Giants would make their move in the top of the 9th. Dylan, Lucas, and Mitch all reached base, loading the bases for Christian Banken. Christian answered the call with a sac fly to center to give the Giants the lead. Daniel then broke the game open ripping a two-rbi double down the right field line.

The Mudhens did their best to make it interesting in the 9th loading the bases with one out. With the tying run at the plate Mitch induced a pop out and a tap back to solidify the victory.

An overall excellent defensive game by both teams was highlighted by a rolling catch in right field by Austin Kean to end the 4th inning.

Christian Banken, Jeremy Receno, and Mitch Fiacco pitched 3 effective innings respectively. The Mudhens were a talented offensive team and holding them to 5 runs over 9 innings was an impressive performance.

The tournament overall was well run and a great success, and the thrilling final was a fitting end. The coaches are pleased with how the players responded to the challenge, and hope that this is just the start of a great season.

I have scanned in the scoresheet and it can be found below. Click on the scoresheet to enlarge it.

Game Recap: June 2nd

2009-06-02T22:03:00.004-04:00

Often after a well played game, the next day players struggle to bring the same intensity. This was the case on Tuesday night at Fleetwood but thanks to solid pitching and defense the Giants were able to squeak out their 5th victory of the year.

Jeremy Receno delivered a strong start against his former team going 3 innings and only allowing one run. Greatly contributing to his success was a solid defensive effort by the Giants squad. The greatest positives of the game came at the defensive end where the Giants made all plays necessary in the field.

The Giants bats were relatively silent against a tough Majors White pitching squad scoring a season low 7 runs. A lack of aggressiveness and focus at the plate and picking up signs also resulted in a season high 20 postgame push-ups. The Giants showed a lot of grit however to battle for the win when they were not at their best.

The Giants will look to regain their intensity and focus on Friday night when they square off against the Carlisle White Sox. The coaches think the kids have a great chance in this upcoming tournament and we are looking forward to getting on the field. See you there!

Game Recap: June 1st

2009-06-01T23:57:00.003-04:00

The Giants recorded their 4th victory of the year on Monday night in convincing fashion.

It was a closely contested game through the first 3 innings in what looked to be a pitchers duel. The Giants then batted around in the 4th inning to put the game out of reach.

On the mound Christian Banken and Dylan Connoly-Downey combined for 5 innings of shutout baseball striking out 11 and only allowing one base hit.

At the plate it was a team effort. Every player scored at least one run. Also contributing to the victory was the best effort running the bases the coaches have seen this year. We look for this to continue to improve as the season moves forward.

The Giants square off against the Majors White tomorrow at 6:15 looking to get their 5th win of the season. A win on Tuesday would give them some much needed momentum going in to the Forest Glen Tournament this weekend.

FGBA Tournament Schedule Released

2009-05-29T16:56:00.004-04:00

The schedule for the upcoming Forest Glen tournament has been released!!!

All of the round robin games we play will be at Garnetwood South. We play at 6:15 on Friday, and on Saturday at 8:30am and 1:30pm. We ask that all players are there 45 mins before these games as well to allow for adequate preparation.

We have been put in a division with teams we have never seen before. It should be a good experience for the boys and the coaches are optimistic about our chances.

Goderich Rooming Information

2009-05-28T22:47:00.005-04:00

As most of you know we have entered into a tournament in Goderich July 17-19. This will require families staying overnight. It was the hope of the coaching staff that the team would all stay together at one location, since our experience in the past has been that a lot of team bonding can happen in the hours not spent on the baseball diamond. There has been difficulty however with the whole team agreeing on one place, so as of right now the team will be staying in two locations. These locations are:

The Bluffs Motel
&
The Cedar Lodge Motel

My understanding is as of right now 5 players have committed to the Bluffs motel and 2 have committed to the Cedar Lodge motel. If you have not made arrangements to stay over we would appreciate it if you could choose one of these 2 locations.

We are hoping to have everyone spend time at one location when the team is not playing (possibly the beach at the bluffs motel). By doing this it may salvage some of the benefit of playing a tournament out of town.

Finally, if you have issues being there we can make arrangements for children to share rooms and be supervised. Just let us know and appropriate arrangements can be made.

Game Recap: May 26th

2009-05-26T23:13:00.011-04:00

The Forest Glen Black Giants recorded their 3rd victory of the season on a cold and rainy Tuesday night.

Some highlights of the victory included starting pitcher Jeremy Receno striking out 4 batters in 2 innings of work on his way to recording the victory.

On the offensive side it was a strong team effort with every player reaching base safely. The Giants strong offensive output was highlighted by a Daniel Nikitovic bases loaded triple in the bottom of the 4th inning.

The Giants will look to improve on their 3-0 record on Monday June 1st against last years rivals, the MSBA Twins Blue.

Note:
Practice will again be held this Saturday at 9:45am at Fleetwood. Please e-mail me or give my cell phone a call if you can not attend.

Introduction

2009-05-21T12:44:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone,

Forest Glen has been kind enough to give us this blog space which I think can be used as a good means to communicate. My intention is to have recaps on here after each game as well as notifications of interest to the team. I will also try and get Brad, Martin, and Stan on here contributing as well.

An easy way to access this blog on a regular basis is to subscribe to an RSS feed. Then when there is a new post that information comes to you. You can check out the video below for a really simple explanation on how to set that up.

To subscribe to this feed click on the Subscribe icon in the top right corner.

Also, if you would like e-mail notifications whenever the blog is updated let me know and I can set that up.

Finally, just a reminder that the practice this Saturday is at 9:45am at Fleetwood. We will be practicing at Fleetwood from now on unless we notify you otherwise.

Matt

Welcome!

2009-05-19T14:27:00.000-04:00

Forest Glen would like to welcome you to another season of baseball and thank you for joining us in over 40 seasons of baseball in Mississauga. This website will be maintained by your coach and will be an ideal location for Forest Glen players, coaches, parents and fans to come together, communicate and learn new information about your team and Forest Glen as a whole.

Please continue to check this site for updates on practices, games, team events and more. Good luck with in the 2009 season. PLAY BALL!