By Staff
NILES – The 2007 Greater Niles Little League Junior Division season came to an end at Thomas Stadium with The Rangers taking first place in the standings.
The Rangers clinched first place by defeating The Cubs in their last regular season game by a score of 10-7.
The Cubs took an early lead in the first inning by scoring one run on one hit by Cody Taggart.
The Rangers then took the lead by scoring two runs in the second inning with a single by Mike Schoenlebor followed by a sacrifice bunt by Riley Robson. Nathan Oates doubled to help the Rangers take the lead.
The Cubs tied the game up in the third inning with a repeat single by Cody Taggart.
However, the Rangers took control of the inning by scoring six runs. Jeremy Zimmerman doubled with singles by Dustan Wright and Nick Bella.
It was an exciting fifth inning when the Cubs scored five runs on five singles. Robert Hutton, John Carrey, Jason Andrews, Zack Holt, and Rashad Harris helped bring the Cubs within one run of the Rangers lead.
Brian Exner of the Rangers stepped up the momentum with a single followed by a walk for Austin Searles. Dustin Bell got his teammates in to score by forcing a couple of errors charged to the Cubs.
The Cubs loss took the team into their regular season game with the Yankees for a shot at second place in the standings.
Rangers – 10 Runs on 10 Hits
Cubs – 7 Runs on 8 Hits
WP: Alex Grishaber, Austin Searles
LP: Cody Taggart, John Carrey
Records
Rangers: 13-3 (1st Place)
Cubs: 10-5
Yankees…24
Cubs…5
The Yankees defeated the Cubs in their final game of the season by a score of 24-5.
The victory gave the Yankees second place overall, with the Cubs placing a close third.
The Yankees scored 18 runs in the first two innings.
The Cubs came alive in the third inning, in which they scored their only five runs of the game.
The Yankees continued to celebrate by scoring six more runs in the final two innings of the game.
Yankees – 24 Runs on 14 Hits
Cubs – 5 Runs on 6 Hits
WP: Dustan Craig, Nick Phillips, and Justin Hughes
LP: Cody Taggart, Jason Andrews, Conrad Smallman, and Tyler Hartman
Records:
Yankees: 11-4
Cubs: 10-6
Astros finish fourth
The Astros finished their regular season with a win by forfeit, giving them a final standings record of 5-10 (4th place).
The Senior Division continues to play the regular season with a double-header tonight between the Royals and the A's. The final four games will be played on Sunday.