East Carolina Amateur Baseball League

Game Summaries

35 and Older Division

Postponed Game from Week 1

Brooks, Ventura homer to lead Padres to 22-8 route over Braves in season finale

Kelby Brooks hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs, and Alex Ventura hit a two-run homer as the Padres beat the Braves, 22-8, to finish the fall season.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: The Padres took advantage of Braves defensive woes and combined that with timely hitting to jump out to an early lead and never look back.

Winning pitcher: Dom Byrnes

Losing pitcher: Doug Amerson

Game MVPs: Kelby Brooks went 4-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs. Alex Ventura went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs. Daniel Nunez went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs.Gleason held the Padres to four earned runs over five innings. Shawn Ryan went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Teddy Cardenas went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Noble Effort: Shawn Ryan and Andre Perez each went 2-for-4 for the Braves.

Miscellaneous Notes: The game was originally scheduled for Week 1 of the season, but it was postponed due to weather. The Padres finish the fall season with the best record at 7-2.

Records: Braves 3-6, Padres 7-2

Week 13 | 10.19.2022

Gleason, Ryan, Cardenas lead Braves to 14-12 win over Padres

Michael Gleason held the Padres to four earned runs, and Shawn Ryan and Teddy Cardenas each drove in three runs to lead the Braves to a 14-12 win over the Padres Wednesday at Kafer Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: The Braves scored eight runs in the fourth inning on six hits, three walks, a hit by pitch and an error to take a commanding lead that they would never relinquish.

Winning pitcher: Michael Gleason

Losing pitcher: Daniel Nunez

Game MVPs: Michael Gleason held the Padres to four earned runs over five innings. Shawn Ryan went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Teddy Cardenas went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Noble Effort: Dom Byrnes went 4-for-5 with four runs scored, and Justin Honda went 4-for-4 with three RBIs.

Miscellaneous Notes: The Padres' comeback attempt in the bottom of the sixth inning fell short. They scored seven runs, fueled by a three-run homer by Kelby Brooks, to pull within two, but the Braves held on for the win.

Records: Braves 2-4, Nationals 5-0

Next game: Padres @ Nationals, Wednesday, Oct. 26; Nationals @ Braves, Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Week 12 | 10.12.2022

Melendez, Byers lead Nationals past Braves

Jamie Byers held the Braves to three earned runs over 6 2/3 innings, and Jayson Melendez hit a three-run homer to lead the Nationals to an 8-7 win over the Braves Wednesday at Kafer Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: With the Braves leading 6-1 and seemingly running away with the win, Melendez hit a three-run homer over the left field fence to make the score 6-4 and putting the Nationals on the path of a come-from-behind win.

Winning pitcher: Jamie Byers

Losing pitcher: Rick Castro

Game MVPs: Jayson Melendez wemt 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run scored. Jamie Byers went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. He also fell 1/3 of an inning short of a complete game on the mound, holding the Braves to seven runs -- only three earned -- while striking out five..

Noble Effort: Doug Amerson went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Miscellaneous Notes: Paul McDonald relieved Byers with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh inning. He threw one pitch to get a soft line drive for the final out of the game.

Records: Braves 2-4, Nationals 5-0

Next game: Braves @ Padres, Wednesday, Oct. 19; Padres @ Nationals, Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Week 11 | 10.5.2022

12-run third inning leads Nationals over Padres, 21-2

J.P. Whitford held the Padres to two runs and went 1-for-4 and scored three runs to lead the Nationals to a 21-2 win over the Padres Wednesday at Kafer Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: The Nationals scored 12 runs in the third inning on eight hits to take a commanding lead, one they would never relinquish.

Winning pitcher: J.P Whitford

Losing pitcher: Daniel Nunez

Game MVPs: J.P. Whitford gave up one earned run over five innings and struck out four. Whitford also went 1-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI.

Noble Effort: Gary Fannin and Justin Honda went 2-for-3. David Hackney, Kelby Brooks and Gene Shackley each went 1-for-2.

Miscellaneous Notes: Whitford held the Padres to two runs and gave them their first loss of the season. Whitford is now on the Injured List after finally having knee surgery. Also of note, the Padres scored one of their runs after batting out of order, but it wasn't noticed until well after the fact.

Records: Braves 2-3, Padres 5-0

Next game: Nationals @ Padres, Wednesday, Oct. 5; Braves @ Nationals, Wednesday, Oct. 12.

Week 10 | 09.28.2022

5-fun fifth inning gives Padres come-from-behind, 16-15, win over Braves

Justin Honda drove in four runs, and Kelby Brooks and Dom Byrnes each scored three runs as the Padres came from behind to beat the Braves 16-15 Wednesday night at Kafer Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: David Hackney and Justin Honda each doubled in a five-run sixth inning as the Padres came from behind to nip the Braves.

Winning pitcher: Dom Byrnes

Losing pitcher: Mike Gleason

Game MVPs: Justin Honda went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and one run scored. Honda also pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning to nail down the win.

Noble Effort: Andre Perez went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a run scored. John Peterson went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Miscellaneous Notes: The Braves left 12 runners on base, and they squandered an 11-5 lead after three innings. Chris Drake and Kelby Brooks each went 3-for-4 for the Padres. Both teams struggled on the mound.

Records: Braves 2-3, Padres 5-0

Next game: Nationals @ Padres, Wednesday, Oct. 5; Braves @ Nationals, Wednesday, Oct. 12.

Week 9 | 09.21.2022

11-run sixth inning puts game on ice as
Braves top Nationals, 16-7

Andy Schneider and Rob Fravor each drove in three runs and the Braves capitalized on errors to score seven unearned runs as they topped the Nationals, 16-7, Wednesday at Kafer Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: The Braves scored 11 runs in the sixth inning on three hits, seven walks and two errors to put the game away.

Winning pitcher: Teddy Cardenas

Losing pitcher: J.P. Whitford

Game MVPs: Andy Schneider went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a runs scored. Both hits were rockets to left field -- one was a line drive nearly to the fence. Wayne Brown went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI.

Noble Effort: J.P. Whitford went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, and Jamie Byers and Paul McDonald each had two hits.

Miscellaneous Notes: Doug Amerson doubled to center field. No one in the league thought the old man could make it to second on any hit within the playing field, but he made it without stopping for oxygen.

Records: Braves 2-2, Nationals 1-5

Next game: Padres @ Braves, Wednesday, Sept. 28; Nationals @ Padres, Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Week 8 | 09.14.2022

Padres take advantage of errors, thump Nationals 20-2

Justin Honda hit a three-run home run to jump out to a first inning lead -- one they would never relinquish -- as the Padres thumped the Nationals, 20-2, Wednesday night at Kafer Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: Only four of the Padres' 20 runs were earned due to errors by the Nationals. David Schifano and Dom Byrnes held the Nationals to six hits and two runs.

Winning pitcher: David Schifano

Losing pitcher: Randy Mason

Game MVPs: Justin Honda went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored, and Alex Venture went 3-for-4 with Five RBIs and two runs scored. Chris Drake went 2-for5 with a double off the outfield fence, but unfortunately his personal scorekeeper failed to capture the moment on video because she was talking to someone else.

Noble Effort: Jamie Byers went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Nationals.

Miscellaneous Notes: The first two batters of the game reached base on errors, which set the tone for the rest of the game. All totaled, the Nationals allowed eight Padres to reach on errors, leading to 16 unearned runs.

Records: Padres 4-0, Nationals 1-4

Next game: Nationals @ Braves, Wednesday, Sept. 21; Padres @ Braves, Wednesday, Sept. 28.

Week 7 | 09.7.2022

Postponed

Week 6 | 08.31.2022

Braves get first fall win with 20-13 victory over Nationals

The Braves took advantage of 23 walks and added 15 hits behind four strong innings of pitching by Teddy Cardenas to improve to 1-2 on the season.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: Teddy Cardenas threw three shutout innings to start the game, which allowed the Braves to jump out to a 10-0 lead. Shawn Ryan and Lee Wilson combined for five hits, five runs scored and three doubles.

Winning pitcher: Teddy Cardenas

Losing pitcher: Randy Mason

Game MVPs: Jamie Byers went 3-for-4 with three runs scored for the Nationals. Shawn Ryan went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored for the Braves.

Big Hit: Dom Byrnes hit a fourth-inning grand slam for the Nationals to cut the Braves lead in half. Byrnes, a Padres player, was playing with the Nationals on a one-game contract.

Noble Effort: Randy Mason added four singles.

Miscellaneous Notes: Both teams tallied 15 hits in six innings, but 23 walks for the Nationals and only four by the Braves was the difference in the game.

Records: Nationals 1-3, Braves 1-2

Next game: Braves @ Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 7; Braves @ Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 7. Padres @ Nationals, Wednesday, Sept. 14.

Week 5 | 08.24.2022

Honda throws four-plus innings of shutout relief as Padres move to 3-0 with win over Nationals

Justin Honda put out a Nationals third-inning rally and held them scoreless through the rest of the game as the Padres won, 9-4, and move to 3-0 on the season.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: With two runs already across the plate and the bases loaded and one out in the third, Justin Honda entered the game and got out of the inning by eliciting a double play. Honda then pitched four more innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.

Winning pitcher: Justin Honda

Losing pitcher: J.P. Whitford

Game MVPs: Justin Honda and Dom Byrnes. Honda locked down the win on the mound with 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Byrnes drove in runs on three of his four at-bats.

Noble effort: J.P. Whitford went 1-for-2 with two RBIs, and Jamie Byers went 1-for-3 with an RBI.ayne Brown went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Braves. John Peterson and Teddy Cardenas each went 2-for-3.

Miscellaneous Notes: Both teams has opportunities to score, each leaving 12 runners on base.

Records: Padres 3-0, Nationals 1-2

Next game: Braves @ Nationals, Wednesday, Aug. 31; Braves @ Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 7.

Week 4 | 08.17.2022

The Padres and Braves played a back-and-forth game Wednesday, with the Padres scratching out the win.

Eight-run sixth inning sinks Braves as Padres come from behind

Kelby Brooks went 4-for-5 and scored three runs, and Justin Honda went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored as the Padres came from behind to beat the Braves, 16-11, Wednesday night at Kafer Park.


HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: Justin Honda and Dom Byrnes each had RBI-singles in an eight-run sixth inning to key the Padres win. The Padres entered the inning down 10-8, and used a mixture of hits, walks and errors to score eight.

Winning pitcher: Justin Honda

Losing pitcher: Michael Gleason

Game MVPs: Justin Honda, Kelby Brooks and David Hackney will split the honors. Kelby went 4-5, Honda went 3-for-4 and was the winning pitcher, and Hackney went 3-for-5.

Big Hit: Dom Byrnes hit s solo home run in the third inning -- the second home run ever in the 35+ Division.

Noble effort: Wayne Brown went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Braves. John Peterson and Teddy Cardenas each went 2-for-3.

Miscellaneous Notes: The Braves left 11 runners on base and the Padres stranded nine.

Records: Padres 2-0, Braves 0-2

Next game: Nationals @ Padres, Wednesday, Aug. 24; Braves @ Nationals, Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Week 3 | 08.10.2022

Tommy Sesta went 2-for-4 with three runs scored to help the Nationals comeback win.

Nationals come back from early deficit to top Braves, 12-5


Tommy Sesta scored three runs and Brent Howard drove in three runs to lead the Nationals to a 12-5 come-from-behind win over the Braves Wednesday at Kafer Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: Tommy Sesta's RBI-single in the fifth inning tied the score, and Howard drove in two runs in a six-run seventh inning to put the game out of reach.

Winning pitcher: Paul McDonald

Losing pitcher: Shawn Ryan

Game MVP: Tommy Sesta and Brent Howard share the honor. Sesta went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Howard went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.

Noble effort: Andre Perez went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored, Shawn Ryan went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Doug Amerson went 2-for-2 with an RBI.

Miscellaneous Notes: The Braves and the Nationals were about equal, but the Braves left 10 runners on base compared to five for the Nationals.

Records: Nationals 1-1, Braves 0-1

Next game: Padres @ Braves, Wednesday, Aug. 17; Nationals @ Padres, Wednesday, Aug. 24

Week 2 | 08.03.2022

Chris Drake went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs to lead the Padres offense.

Padres win inaugural game, top Nationals 13-10 to kick off fall schedule

Chris Drake drove in three runs and score two to help the Padres hold on to a 9-0 early lead and beat the Nationals, 13-10, Wednesday night at Kafer Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

Key to the win: The Padres jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the top of the third inning. As the Nationals mounted a comeback with five runs in the bottom of the third, Justin Honda relieved David Schifano to hold the Nationals off.

First game: The Padres were added to the 35+ Division for the fall season.

Winning pitcher: Dave Schifano

Losing pitcher: Paul McDonald

Home runs: Randy Mason (first-ever in the 35+ Division)

Game MVP: Chris Drake and Justin Honda. Drake drove the offense by going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Honda was 0-1, but he walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Honda wins a share of the MVP for his work on the mound. After getting his team out of the third-inning jam, he worked a 1-2-3 fourth inning, striking out all three batters. He struggled a bit in the fifth inning before being relieved.

Noble effort: Tomas Hernandez went 3-for-4, Jonathan Davis went 2-for-4 and Randy Mason went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer to left field.

Records: Padres 1-0, Nationals 0-1

Next game: Nationals @ Braves, Wednesday, Aug. 10; Padres @ Braves, Wednesday, Aug. 17

Week 1 | 07.27.2022 (Postponed - Weather)

Nationals come from behind, beat Braves in ground-breaking ECABL game

The National overcame a first-inning, five-run deficit to beat the Braves 13-10 in the inaugural ECABL 35 and Older Division game.

After the Braves scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning, the National chipped away at the lead for a couple of innings before taking the lead in the fourth inning.

The East Carolina Amateur Baseball League was founded in 2016, and has been the home of adult amateur baseball in eastern North Carolina for players 18 and older since its creation. This year, the ECABL added a second division for players 35 and older. Games for the eight-game season are played Wednesdays at 7 p.m. The league hopes to expand the length of the season as the number of players grows.

The 35 and Older Division consists of players ranging in age from 35 to 70 with the majority of players between 40 and 50.

35 and Older First Facts

First Game Date: Wednesday, April 13, 2022

First Pitch Time: 7 p.m.

First Pitch Thrown By: Michael Gleason

First Batter: Jamie Byers

First Win: Nationals

Winning Team Starter: Dave Schifano

First Loss: Braves

Losing Team Starter: Michael Gleason

First Hit: Andre Perez

First RBI: Andre Perez

First run: Mark McKillop

Oldest player: Doug Amerson (65)

Youngest Player: Rob Fravor (36)