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CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP for Sept. 13-14, 2009:
"Rangers win first MVABL title"
Rangers - The Dayton Rangers win their first league championship in 13 years. The Rangers won game one 11-5 as Jonathan Silverman picked up the win, striking out nine. Brad Clark and Jacob Robinson drove in 3 runs apiece for the Rangers. The Slammers used outstanding defense to take game two 7-4. Matt Owens homered and tripled and drove in four for the Slammers. The Rangers took game three by the score of 16-3. Brandon Howard homered and drove in three for the Rangers, and Shawn Schmitt picked up the win.
Playoff Recap for Saturday, September 12, 2009:
"Rangers advance, Royals/Slammers need 1 more"
Rangers - The Rangers advanced to the championship series with a 5-2 and 10-8 win over the Thunder in the semifinals. Rangers' rookie Jonathan Silverman outdueled Jeremy Lippincott in game one. Silverman struck out 13 and walked none in the victory. Lippincott was just as effective, scattering just 7 hits, but was ultimately done in by two two-out, two-run singles. Brad Clark picked up the win in game two for the Rangers, while Brandon Howard recorded two scoreless innings of relief for the save.
Playoff Recap for Thursday, September 3, 2009:
"Royals advance to semis with one run victory over Astros"
Royals - The Royals faced off against the Astros in their opening round series finale last night at Brandt Field. Royals Rookie Frank Burgos started on the hill and the Astros countered with their ace Shawn Haffner. The Royals were the visitors in the game and hit a few balls hard in the top of the first but left a runner stranded. In the bottom of the 1st the Astros capitalized on some Royals errors and were able to plate 5 runs before the dust settled. Down 6-0 going into the 2nd the Royals were able to get runners at 2nd and 3rd but Haffner got 2 back-to-back ground balls to end the Boys in Blue threat. The Astros added another run to their lead as Foster was able to belt a single into the outfield plating Evan. In the top of the 3rd the Royals would finally begin to chip away at the 6-0 deficit. Ubinger led off for the Royals and was able to reach on a throwing error and Reynolds belted a single to get runners at the corners. With 1 out rookie Chris Jergens belted a single to the gap that was able to plate Reynolds and Ubinger bringing Burgos to the plate. Burgos belted a ball down the left field line but was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double, but was able to move the runner from 1st to 3rd with Rudegeair due up. Rudegeair knocked another single just over the shortstop in front of PJ Dobbins in center to score the 3rd run for the Royals cutting the Astros lead in half.
Burgos worked quickly through the bottom of the 3rd facing the minimum to bring the Boys in Blue back up to the plate. In the top of the 4th the Royals would finally get to Haffner and would plate 5 runs off 5 hits and 2 walks to take the 8-6 lead. The game would remain a nail-biting 8-6 for the next 3 innings. In the top of the 7th Tim Peffley lead off for the Royals and legged out an infield single. The Astros recorded their first out of the 7th as Jason Holmberg accidentally impeded Astros catcher on a sacrifice bunt down the 3rd base line. With Peffley moved back to first after the interference Peffley moved from 1st to 3rd on his stealing his way into scoring position with 1 out. With 2 strikes and Peffley at 3rd Tim Biedenharn knocked a deep fly to left that was able to score Peffley to increase the Royals lead to 9-6.
However the Astros are fighters and were not about to just give in and answered with a run of their own with an RBI single off Tony's bat before the Royals could close out the 7th. Astros reliever Garrett Copas continued to handle Royals batters as he closed out the top of the 8th, and then helped his own cause in the bottom. In the bottom of the 8th Copas belted a triple off the wall to plate the Astros runner from 2nd to cut the Royals lead to 1. With 1 out and the tying run 90' away rookie Chris Jergens took the hill to close out the game. Jergens was able to get a quick K for the 2nd out of the inning, but Sherrill was able to follow-up with a 2 out walk. With runners on the corners for the Astros Sherrill moved closer stealing 2nd on the first Jergens pitch to Haffner. Now with the tying and winning run within 180' of the plate Jergens bared down and got the K he needed to end the inning.
Entering the 9th inning the Royals held a slim 1 run lead with the heart of their inning due up looking to get an insurance run or two. Copas entered the 9th inning after a scary warm-up hampered by some cramps, but dug deep and hung in there to end the top of the 9th holding the score at 9-8 Royals. As the Astros headed to the plate in the bottom of the 9th down 1 run with hopes to pick up the win as the Royals have not had much luck in close games this season (the Royals have lost 10 games this season by 3 runs or less). Evan led off for the 'Stros and picked up the 4 pitch walk to get the tying run onboard with Foster due up. Foster went right after Jergens swinging away, but on the pitch Evan broke for 2nd however was cut down by a perfect shot from Ubinger behind the dish for the big 1st out of the 9th. With a 2-2 count Jergens was able to sneak another fastball passed Foster for the 2nd out of the inning. Tony came up to the plate for the Astros looking to keep his team alive, but on this night Jergens would win the battle and recorded his 4th K to end the game sealing the Royals 9-8 victory.
Playoff Recap for Monday, August 31, 2009:
"Slammers need 12 to beat Shockers, 11-10"
Slammers - The Slammers and Shockers hooked up again Monday night following their Sunday afternoon nail-biter. For people who thought game one was intense they were in store for another level with this game. The Slammers were up one game to none and were the home team in this affair. Deane Grandfield took the hill for the Slammers and Jeff Cherry was the starter for the Shockers. The game went scoreless in the first with the Shockers scoring two in the second for the early lead. Chad Paden hit a sinking liner to LF and Andrew Verrett made a diving attempt to only have the ball squirt out of his glove. The Shockers upped their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third. Thomas Fluty singled and came around to score on a Jeremiah Rodriguez fielder's choice. The Slammers responded with a run in their third inning. Verrett singled and got to third on a Justin Dunlap single. Rick Anderson singled to RF to cut the deficit to 3-1. After holding the Shockers the Slammers took the lead in the fifth by scoring 4 runs. Mike Ivers took a pitch off the top of the helmet to get first base. Matt Rudy walked and then PJ Dixon got hit also to load the bases. Kevin Ashworth got an infield single then Grandfield helped his own cause with a 2-run single to take the lead and Ashworth scored on a fielder's choice for the 5-3 lead.
The game remained 5-3 until the top of the seventh inning. After the lead off hitter got on base, Ashworth was called in to close out the game. With two outs and two runners on Damon Barr reached first base on a catcher's interference call to load the bases for Thomas Fluty. On a 3-2 pitch he laced a single to LF to tie the score and send the game into extra innings.
Both teams battled in extra innings and getting out of tough situations. The Slammers got the lead runner on in the eighth by Josh Jaynes singling. Chris Lauvary pinch ran for Jaynes and got to second on a wild pitch. The next two Slammers got out and Matt Rudy walked. PJ Dixon flew out to end the threat. The ninth inning saw no threats as the Shockers came up in the tenth. Fluty walked and Casey Middleton doubled for runners on second and third and no outs. Chris Kuhn grounded to Dan Wayman at third for the first out, holding the runners. Ashworth came up big as he stuck out the next two batters looking to keep the score tied. The Slammers had runners on first and second with one out but were unable to plate them for the win so the game moved to the 11th.
Haines stuck out but then Hayes lined a tough liner to right that got by the RF as Hayes went to to second. Ashworth struck out Hause but then Barr singled to plate Hayes for the one run lead. Fluty was HBP and after Middleton reached on an error Kuhn doubled to score two more runs for the 8-5 lead. Feeling down but not out the Slammers fought back in their frame of the 11th. Rudy left off with a single but was forced out a second by a Dixon grounder. Ashworth walked so with runners on first and second Grandfield hit a fly ball to center field that was misplayed for an error so the bases were loaded. Verrett plated one with a fielder's choice as Dunlap came to the plate. He was able to knock in Ashworth and Grandfield to tie the score and keep the game going. With a new fire the Slammers came out for the top of the 12th. After a lead off strikeout Hayes and Hause singled to bring up Barr. He singled up the middle to put the Shockers up by one run. Fluty then singled to knock in Hause for the two run advantage. The next two guys got out and the Shockers lead 10-8 after 11 and 1/2 innings.
After the Slammers first two hitters in the 12th were retired Ivers came up with the game on the line. He stepped up and singled and made it to second on a wild pitch. Rudy came through with a single to cut the score to 10-9. Dixon singled to put runners at first and second. Ashworth came up and on a one and one count was the fourth Slammer to be HBP forcing Shockers Cherry to be pulled from the game. He pitched a heck of a game and had to throw around 180 pitches. Middleton came in to face Grandfield with the bases loaded and two outs. Grandfield made contact towards first. Barr went to his right to field the ball and flip it to Middleton but Grandfield beat the throw and in the confusion at first base Dixon came around to score the winning run 4 hours and 15 minutes after the first pitch. It was one of the most memorable games, let alone playoff games, in MVABL history. Both teams played their hearts out and played clean, hard baseball.
Playoff Recap for Sunday, August 30, 2009:
"Slammers squeak past Shockers, 11-10"
Slammers - Rain washed out the Saturday doubleheader planned to start the first round games between the third seeded Warren County Shockers and the sixth seeded South Dayton Slammers. As the higher seed the Shockers were the home team. The Slammers did not score in the top of the first but the Shockers did plate one run against Slammers starter Justin Dunlap as Shockers starting pitcher Damon Barr knocked in Doc Hayes with a single. They increased their lead to 2-0 in the second as Jeremiah Rodriguez doubled in Casey Middleton. The Slammers countered in the third with 3 runs to take the lead they would never relinquish. Mike Ivers led off by doubling to RF and PJ Dixon singled to make it runners on the corners. Ivers scored on a throwing error by the catcher and Dixon was plated by a Matt Rudy single. Rudy stole second and Dunlap brought him around with a single for the 3-2 lead. The Slammers added 4 runs in the fourth for the 7-2 lead. Josh Jaynes reached on an error and Ivers walked with one out. Dixon plated Jaynes with a single and then Deane Grandfield knocked in 2 runs with a single after Dixon stole second. Andrew Verrett finished the scoring with the second of this three singles on the day. The Shockers tallied one of ther own as Hayes doubled in Randy Haines to cut the deficit to 7-3. The Slammers responded with 4 runs in the top of the fifth. Jaynes was HBP followed by walks to Dan Wayman and Ivers. Dixon knocked in one with his 3rd single of the day. Grandfield singled to score one and Verrett plated two with another single for the 11-3 lead. The Shockers wouldn't go away as Chad Paden hit a bases clearing triple and came around to score on a Rodriguez single to cut the lead to 11-7 in the bottom of the fifth. The Shockers scored one in the sixth, so heading into the bottom of the seventh, they trailed 11-8. After Rodriguez singled and made it around to third on a wild pitch and a stolen base, Haines walked for runners at the corners. Ivers was brought in to relieve Dunlap to close it out. He got Hayes to ground out to third for the first out but Rodriguez did score and Haines moved to second. Ivers got Taylor Hause to fly out to center for the second out of the inning. Barr singled to plate Haines to put the score at 11-10. Thomas Fluty singled to center to make it first and third with two outs. Ivers finally got Chris Kuhn to ground to Wayman at third, who bobbled the ball but made a nice recovery and fired the ball to first to end the game in favor of the Slammers 11-10 and a one game to none lead in the best of three series.
Playoff Recap for Saturday, August 29, 2009:
"Rangers Advance to Semis, Sweep Dragons"
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Recaps for Sunday, August 23, 2009:
"Rangers Clinch 1st with 14-11 win over Royals"
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"Astros knock off Royals 10-2"
Astros - The Astros finished 2009 strong as they defeated the Kettering Royals in the final regular season game by a score of 10-2. Shawn Haffner took the hill once again for the Astros and once again delivered a brilliant performance. Giving up only 2 runs, 5 hits, and delivering his third straight complete game. The 'Stros bats were also alive and well as the Astros threw 10 runs and 17 hits up on the board. Players of the Game: Shawn Haffner 9inn, 2ER, 5 hits, 5K's, Complete Game; Scott Wells 3-4, 2RBI.
"Thunder stun Shockers in DH sweep"
Thunder - Miami Valley Thunder sweep the Shockers in the final 2 games of the regular season! The Thunder end the regular season on a strong note, winning their last 4 games. Sunday was a great day for the Thunder as they had great pitching, defense, and hitting. The defense only had 1 error in 2 games this weekend! First game, Coach Jeremy Lippincott took the hill and pitched a complete game. With the help of the Thunder's defense, Lippincott pitched 7 innings, giving up just 5 hits, 2BB, 1HBP, 3K, 2R. The Thunder win game one 11-2, giving Lippincott his second win of the season. Offensive highlights for game 1...........Lance Berner led off the game with a solo blast and went 3-5, 1HR, 1RBI, 4R, 1SB...........Drew York 2-3, 1HR, 1-3B, 2R, 5RBI. Second game, Jared Williams gets his second start of the year and pitched a shutout thru 5, leading 13-0. In the 6th, Williams struggled a bit and couldn't record an out, and had to bring in relief. Drew Bost came in and got 1 out while walking 2 and had to be replaced by David Moss who finshed the last 1-2/3 innings. Winning the second game 13-8, Jared Williams gets his first win of the season! Offensive Highlights for game 2........John Ramsey 3-5, 2R, 1-2B, 1RBI...........Evan Koogler 4-5, 1-3B, 1HR, 3RBI, 2R (Homerun was an inside the park variety and Evan just missed hitting for the cycle).
Recaps for Sunday, August 16, 2009:
"Rangers Sweep Shockers"
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"Thunder Sweep Dragons"
Thunder - Thunder take 2 against the Dragons 14-5 and 13-5. It was a hot day and working with just enough players, the Miami Valley Thunder had to suck it up and play thru the heat and they gave it all they had. The first game John Ramsey started on the hill and pitched 2 strong innings before leaving early with an injury. Moss came in to pich the third and gave up 2 runs, then York stepped up and finished the final 4 innings giving up just 2 runs to get his second win of the season.
Second game, Jared Ramsey took the mound and struggled with his control, but was able to hold the Dragons to just 5 runs in 5 innings. Jared Williams got the nod to finish it off and threw 2 scoreless frames. Lance Berner and David Moss had back-to-back Jacks in bottom of 6th. Offensive Notes: Berner: 6-8, 4RBI, 4R, 2B, HR.....York 4-7, 5RBI, 3R, 3BB, 2-2B......Lippincott 4-7, 1RBI, 2R, 2BB, 3B......Moss 3-10, 7RBI, SAC, 2R, 2B, HR.
"Astros Beat Indians, 13-3"
Astros - The Dayton Astos got back to form as they downed the Springfield Indians by the score of 13-3. The Astros were the aggressors as they took an early lead in the first. The 'Stros never lost the lead as Shawn Haffner had his strongest outing of the season. It would be Haffner's second complete game in two starts. The 'Stros also had one of their best offensive outings of the season. Player of the Game: Shawn Haffner 9inn 8 hits 2ER 2BB 10K's.
Recaps for Tuesday, July 28, 2009:
"Royals come back in defeat of Shockers, 6-5"
Royals - After a brief day's rest, the Royals were back in action Tuesday night at Rotary Park against the 3rd place Shockers. The Shockers sent Jeff Cherry to the hill who has had the Royals number their last 2 meetings. For the Royals, rookie left-hander Tyler Allen made his first start of the season. Allen had a rough start finding the zone in the first inning and with the help of the sun the Shockers were able to jump out to a quick 4-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, the Royals were able to plate one as Biedenharn was able to score on a passed ball after reaching on a single and then moved over to third on a Jergens' single. From there Allen worked inning after inning holding the Shockers at bay keeping the Royals in the game. Over Allen's final 5 1/3 innings of work he recorded 1 K, 8 Fly-outs, 6 ground-ball outs, and only gave up 4 hits. Down 4-1, the Royals were able to cut the lead in half as Biedenharn was again able to score on a passed ball after landing on third off his first triple of the year. In the 5th Reynolds got the Royals within 1 of the Shockers with a sacrifice fly that was able to plate Jameson from third. With a score sitting at 4-3 in favor of the Shockers in the top of the 6th, they were able to pick up an insurance run as the Shockers' Josh Allen was able to score on a fielder’s choice. However in the bottom of the 6th down 2 runs, the Royals battled back off Shockers' reliever Damon Barr. Rookie Chris Jergens led off the inning with a sharp single down the first base line, and after a quick K, veteran Jesus Velasquez III stepped up to the plate. Down 0-2 in the count, and his Mom and Daughter Savannah looking on, Jesus hit a clutch 2-run HR over the left field fence for his first of the year to tie the game at 5. In the 7th, Allen was replaced by Eric Jameson, coming on for his 2nd relief appearance, as the Shockers were able to get runners on 1st and 3rd with only 1 out. A quick pickoff play recorded the 2nd out of the inning, but Kuhn was able to move up to 2nd. With a Shocker runner still in scoring position Jameson was able to get the much needed flyout to end the threat. In the bottom of the 7th Barr worked quickly sitting the Royals down in order with the help of a 4-6-3 double play ball sending the game into extras tied 5-5. In the 8th Jameson mirrored Barr's performance and was able to pickup 3 quick outs bringing the Boys in Blue to the plate with the heart of their order due up. Biedenharn led off the inning for the Royals and was able to draw a key walk getting the winning run on base. However Biedenharn was unable to score as he was gunned down at the play by an excellent relay from the fence off a Jergens blast that fell a few feet short. With 1 out the Shockers were able to pick up the 2nd out of the inning with a short fly at the plate. With 2 outs, and 1st base open, the Shockers elected to intentionally walk Velasquez to setup the force anywhere. Following the Velasquez walk, Royals skipper Mark Franklin, was also able to draw a 2-out walk loading the bases. The Shockers still had a force at any base with 2 outs as Jason Holmberg stepped up to the plate. Not leaving anything to chance Holmberg jumped on the first pitch he saw and was able to hammer it between the Shortstop and Third baseman for the game winning walkoff single. Jameson recorded the victory as the Royals won 6-5, but Allen's 6 1/3 innings was key to keeping the Royals in it until the end.
Recaps for Sunday, July 26, 2009:
"Rangers Sweep Slammers"
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"Royals Sweep Indians"
Royals - After a winless June (0-4), the Boys in Blue have bounced back in the month of July going 5-3 picking up wins in their last 3 games. The month of July has ended with a bang for the Royals as they picked up the doubleheader sweep of the Indians this past Sunday with 12-7 & 10-8 victories. In game 1, Tim Biedenharn had the game of his career going 4-4 with 4 runs scored, 3 RBI's, a double, and back-to-back home runs in his final 2 at-bats. Falling only a triple shy of the cycle! In the game Jergens & Burgos also hit long balls. Royals Rookie Frank Burgos started on the hill and pitched a great game in front of his family. He threw a complete game striking out 5 in the game 1 12-7 victory.
During the brief intermission the Boys in Blue were re-energized with the help of a great picnic lunch supplied by the Reynolds family. In the nightcap Royals veteran Brendan Regan started on the hill. Mirroring Burgos' start, Regan also pitched a complete game for a Royals victory. A few Indian long balls in the 7th and final inning made it interesting, but Regan was able to retire the final batter for the 10-8 win. At the plate, the Royals picked up key hits (and walks) off the Indians starter when needed. Highlights at the plate for the Boys in Blue included, veteran Brian Duffy who hit a triple off the wall clearing the bases, capping off a 5-run second, Biedenharn stayed hot in game 2 going 0-0, with 1 run scored, 3 walks, and 3 RBIs, Kevin Reynolds plated 2 RBIs on 2 hits, Rudegeair was 2-2 with 3 runs, and Velasquez rebounded to go 2-3 scoring 2 runs in the 10-8 victory in the nightcap.
Recaps for Sunday, July 19, 2009:
"Rangers Sweep Dragons"
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"Thunder Nip Astros 13-12"
Thunder - Thunder makes a comeback bid twice to beat the Dayton Astros 13-12 in a great effort all around. Jared Williams got the start on the mound for the Thunder which was his first pitching performance since his high school days. He stepped up big for the team as he pitched 4-2/3 innings giving up just 3 earned runs and also helping his own cause at the plate with 2 hits including a double and his 3rd homerun of the season. David Moss, wearing his new jerseyf or the first time with a memorium of his dog "Jeter" on his sleeve, was brought in the bottom of the 5th with two outs and the bases juiced and struck out the next batter to end the inning. Moss pitched well in 4-1/3 innings, with a hiccup in the 7th giving up 6 runs, (4 earned) to tie the score at 12, shutting the Astros out the rest of the game to pick up his second "W" of the season. Drew York hit the game winning run with his 6th long ball of the season in the top of the 8th.
Astros - The ‘Stros hit for 5 runs in the first inning taking an early 5-1 lead. With the score holding at 6-3, the waters seemed to have calmed after a shaky start from Brian Girard. Just when everything was going as planned, the Thunder rumbled through the Astros for the lead with 9 runs in 3 innings. With their backs on the ropes, the Astros clawed back and fought to tie up the game in the 7th inning. Drew York gave the Thunder back the lead with a heroic homerun over the right field fence in 8th, but the die hard Astros wouldn’t lay down. Ernie Barker and Scotty Wells reached safely in the bottom half of the 8th inning with only one out. Just as it was going to get interesting, the umpiring crew decided to take matters in their own hands taking the game away from both teams once again. The Thunder would shut down the Astros in 9th going onto win by the score of 13-12. Both teams fought hard and played a great ball game.
Recaps for Tuesday, July 14, 2009:
"Astros Defeat Dragons 15-4"
Astros - It started off as a close game with both teams sitting each other down quickly through the first two innings. The Astros were first on the board with 2 steaks delivered by Scott Wells. The Dragons then answered with a 2 run homer by TJ Lee. In the fourth the Astros plated three more runs while the Dragons answered back with one more run. The rest was history as Shawn Haffner locked it up and the “Mighty Astro Bats” came to life striking for 10 more runs to win it. The Astros picked up their 11th win of the season with this victory. Player of the game: Shawn Haffner - Complete Game, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9K's. Also at the plate: 2-3, 3R’s, 1SB, 1 RBI.
Recaps for Sunday, July 12, 2009:
"Astros Defeat Rangers in Series Finale, 14-10"
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Astros - The Dayton Astros had a little extra fight in them today as they survived a shootout with the Rangers. Even though they gave up 10 runs and committed 8 errors the ‘Stros managed to fight until the end picking up their tenth victory of the season. Players of the game: Matt Addis: pitching 4 innings 0 ER 5K’s/ 1-1, 2 Sacrifice bunts 1HBP, and 1BB; Phil Crisp: 2-2, 1B, 2B, Sacrifice Fly, 2 Walks, 5 RBI’s.
Recap for Thursday, July 9, 2009:
"Slammers Edge Astros 10-8"
Astros - The Astros didn't quite have enough to finish off the Slammers on a Thursday night make up game. The Slammers got it out early and "slammed" their first 7 runs within the first two innings of the game. The 'Stros made it a 1 run ball game in the 6th, but even with the momentum shift they came up 2 runs short to lose their sixth game of the season.
Recap for Tuesday, July 7, 2009:
"Shockers Beat Sox 9-8"
Shockers - The Shockers made their way out of the losing column in a big way Tuesday night. The Sox and the Shockers squared off in a Tuesday night battle for the last time this season. The Shockers recorded their first win in franchise history 9 – 8 against The Sox. It was a battle back and forth until the final inning. The Shockers took an early lead in the first inning thanks to a 3-run blast by Josh Allen, his first of the season. The Sox were scoreless going into the bottom of the second when they scored three runs off starting pitcher Kevin Roth. They would add 2 more in the bottom of the third to make it a 5 – 3 game rolling into the top of the fourth. The Shockers answered back with 4 in the top of fourth. The Sox then answered back with 1 in the bottom of 4 and added 2 more in the bottom of the fifth. The sixth inning remained scoreless as they headed into the top of seventh with the Shockers trailing by 1. Leadoff hitter Doc Hayes drew a walk as did Taylor Hause. A wild pitch moved both runners over bringing Thomas Fluty to the plate with the tying and leading run sitting on base. With a full count against him, Thomas Fluty a blooper over the head of the third baseman allowing both runs to score and The Shockers to go up by 1. The Sox went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh to end the game. The Shockers were led at the plate by Rodriguez who went 2 – 3 with 2 RBI’S, Doc Hayes 3 – 3 (2RBI’S), Josh Allen (1 – 4 1HR 3RBI’s) and Thomas Fluty (2 – 4 2RBI’s).
Recaps for Sunday, July 5, 2009:
"Royals Slam Indians 9-8"
Royals - PotG - Chris Jergens ( 3-4 / 2B,HR,5RBI // 2 IP, W, 3 K ). The Kettering Royals faced off against the Springfield Indians for their first matchup of the season. Veteran Kevin Reynolds started on the hill for the Boys in Blue and the Indians countered with their ace Matt Spradlin. The Royals were able to score first on a base ball that allowed Reynolds to scamper home from 3rd, but shaky defense would allow the Indians to plate 4 runs over the first 5 innings. Up 4-3 after 5, the Indians added another pair of runs to increase their lead to 6-3 when Indians coach Phil Beach plated Milliron from second in the 6th and Parsley scored Beach in the top of the 7th. Down 6-3 in the 7th, Royals Rookie Chris Jergens propelled the Boys in Blue into the lead with a grand slam to center clearing the bases! Fresh off his homerun trot Jergens took the hill looking to close out the 8th and 9th securing the win for Reynolds. However the Indians were down, but weren't going to roll over. The Indians belted 3 singles in the 8th to plate a pair of runs to take the 8-7 lead. In the 9th inning Jergens was able to silence the Indians offense keeping the team within one run in their final at bat, a position that has eluded the Boys in Blue this season losing 3 games by 1 run. Royals Retiree, Ben Ailes, led off the inning we a sharp line drive to left that was hauled in, one out bringing another Royals Retiree to the plate, Nathan Schwab. Schwab was able to belt out a single and advance to second with a stolen base. Royals newcomer, Tyler Allen followed up with a single of his own moving Schwab to 3rd. With runners on the corners, Allen took second. This gave the Royals the tying run and game winner all within 180 feet of the plate. With a 1-2 count Reynolds knocked a SAC that was able to plate Schwab for the tie and move the game winner to 3rd with 2 outs. This brought veteran middle infielder Tim Biedenharn to the plate with the game winner 90 feet away facing the league's top K pitcher. However on this day the Royals came out on top as Biedenharn took the pitch to center for the walk off single plating Allen giving the Royals a much needed victory over the Indians 9-8.
"Slammers Beat Thunder, 19-8"
Slammers - The South Dayton Slammers came into Sunday's game looking to snap a 5-game losing streak. The host team at Lebanon was the Thunder, the first team the Slammers' franchise defeated. The Slammers jumped out in the top of the first by scoring 5 runs highlighted by Matt Owens' 3-run home run. The Thunder responded with two runs of their own off starter Chase Collins to make it 5-2 after the first inning. The Slammers notched one more run in the second for a 6-2 lead and added one more in the fourth for the 7-2 lead. The Slammers put the game out of reach in the next two innings by scoring 4 in the fifth and 4 more in the sixth while the Thunder managed 4 runs over the 4th-6th innings for a 15-6 Slammers lead. The Slammers plated 4 more runs over the next 3 innings for the 19-8 victory. The Slammers pounded out 22 hits with Andrew Verrett leading the way with 4 hits including a two-run HR. Owens had 3 hits as did Dan Wayman and Justin Dunlap including his 4th HR of the season. Collins went 4 innings giving up 2 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 K's and 9 BB's. Mike Ivers relived Collins and pitched 3 innings striking out 7 and Dave Shaw went the last 2 innings allowing one run. Special thanks to Slammer Mike Golding as he played the entire game for the Thunder, allowing them to play with a full squad.
"Rangers Split DH with Sox"
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"Astros Slay Dragons 18-5"
Astros - It was a hot day on the field as the Astro bats were on fire against the Miami Valley Dragons in a run-rule. Brian Girard took the hill for the Dayton 'Stros, pitching a complete game and picking up his third victory of the season. Players of the Game: Garrett Copas 4-for-4, 4 RBI's and a Stolen Base; Brian Girard, Complete Game, 1 ER, 5K's.
Recap for Thursday, July 3, 2009:
"Astros Beat Shockers 7-3"
Astros - The Astros picked up a much needed win against the Shockers Thursday night. The Shockers were aggressive and came out firing to score first. The Astros answered back with a run the following inning. The 'Stros then took the lead with a moon shot to centerfield from Gregg Foster. In the bottom of the 4th the shockers tagged back regaining the lead off of 3 hits and a walk, but the Astros would once again answer with five more runs never looking back as Matt Addis would close the door. Players of the Game: Gregg Foster, Matt Addis.
Recaps for Sunday, June 28, 2009:
"Rangers Need 10 innings to Beat Royals, 17-15"
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"Dragons Knock off Shockers 7-5"
Dragons - Miami Valley got win number 2 on Sunday against the Warren County Shockers 7-5 with late inning heroics by Ryan Smith. The game started off with the Dragons going up one in the bottom of the first on a fielders choice by Scott Jones to score Seth Bischoff who led off the inning with a base hit. However, the Shockers fought back chipping away over the next 5 innings making it 5-1 until the bottom half of the inning. Chris Flaherty led off the inning getting hit by the pitch, then with Jon Rose up, hitting a foul tip that flew back and caught the umpire on the right elbow causing a delay for about 15 min. The infield umpire then took his place and got behind the plate for Rose to be hit by the pitch, forcing Shockers pitcher Jeff Cherry over the HBP limit. Jones then reached on an error at first to put bases loaded. The next 2 batters, Aaron Brown and TJ Lee, were then both hit by the pitch scoring the first 2 hit batters keeping the bases loaded. Nollen then walked scoring Jones and the next 2 batters retired. With the Dragons running out of time and down by one going into the bottom of the 8th. Jones led off striking out only to have both Brown and Lee to get base hits followed by Nollen who reached on an error making the bases loaded for Ryan Smith who blasted a shot into left center scoring all 3 Dragons runners. The Dragons then proceeded to cruise through the top half of the 9th with TJ Lee striking out the last batter to get the win.
Recaps for Sunday, June 21, 2009:
"Rangers Sweep Thunder, 20-6, 9-8"
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"Astros Win Nail-Biter over Royals, 6-5"
Astros - It came down to the very last play to decide the victor in this nail-biting adventure. The Astros were down 4-0 until the 4th inning when they started to chip away at the Royals' solid pitching. Then with some thump, the Astros took the lead in the 8th with a 2-run homer by catcher Scotty Wells. In 9th the Royals made a run for the money after scoring to bring it within 1 run. They had the Astros on the ropes with 2 men in scoring position, when the Royals' Jason Holmberg hit a monster shot to centerfield that was seemingly going out of the park when Astro Matt Addis made a heroic catch running into the wall and hanging on for the final out of the game. Players of the game: Shawn Haffner 8 inn, 13 K's, 5 Hit, 0 ER, Matt Addis with the game winning catch also going 2-4 1B, 3B, Phil Crisp 3-4 1 1B, 2 2B's, Kyle Whitt 3-4 3 1B's, Evan Tennary 3-4 2 1B's and 1 HR, Scotty Wells with a go ahead 2 run HR.
Recaps for Sunday, June 14, 2009:
"Rangers Defeat Astros 10-3"
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Recaps for Sunday, June 7, 2009:
"Shockers Even Series with 'Stros, Win 10-7"
Shockers - The Shockers made their way into what was the second meeting in one week against the Astros on Sunday. Looking to avenge the 5–2 loss they took a week earlier, the Shockers depended on veteran right hander Damon Barr to take the mound. Barr collected his second victory of the year throwing seven innings giving up only three runs while striking out four. At the dish, the Shockers rekindled the bats that were lost the week before. Spreading out 18 hits, the Shockers concluded Sunday evening with its first franchise victory against the Astros 10–7. At the plate, the Shockers were led by CF Taylor Hause (3-4 2b 1RBI), C Thomas Fluty (3-4 2HR 3RBI’s) and 1B Chris Kuhn (2-4 2B 2RBI’s). Other notable hitters on the day were Josh Allen (2-4 1RBI), Doc Hayes (2-4 1RBI) and Casey Middleton (2-4 2B 1RBI). The Shockers will take the field at Rotary Park this Sunday against the Sox.
"Slammers Sweep DH from Dragons"
Slammers - The Slammers and Dragons looked to finish their rain delayed game from Opening Day this past Sunday June 7th.
The game resumed in the top of the 6th for the visiting Slammers who were ahead 11-9 at the time. The Slammers failed to score in that inning but plated 2 in the seventh on a 2 run double by Andrew Verrette to increase the lead to 13-9. Neither team scored again until the Slammers plated two more in the top of the ninth as catcher Rick Anderson was HBP with the bases loaded and Josh Jaynes followed that up with a sacrifice fly. The Dragons did manage to score two runs in their half of the ninth but it wasn't enough as the Slammers won 15-11. Kevin Ashworth ended up with the complete game victory.
Game 2 saw the Slammers being the home team and sent Deane Grandfield to the hill. The Dragons went down in order in the first and the Slammers came up and scored 3 times to take the early lead. Ashworth had a one out single and eventually scored on a single by Verrette. A Dragons error plated another run and Anderson hit a sacrifice fly to round out the first inning scoring. The game remained that way until the Dragons scored in their half of the fourth to cut the lead to 3-1. Justin Dunlap led off the 4th and came around to score on a single by Jaynes. Grandfield helped his own cause with a bases loaded sacrifice fly to push the Slammers lead to 5-1. Ashworth hit his second HR of the season for a 6-1 lead in the fifth. Grandfield was cruising along thru five innings but ran into a little trouble in the sixth. After three straight Dragons reached base Mike Ivers was brought into the game and only allowed one run to score for a 6-2 lead. The Slammers got that run back as Dunlap hit his 3rd homer of the year leading off the sixth inning. The Slammers pushed across another run that inning and scored 3 more times for a 11-2 lead heading into the top of the ninth. Ivers allowed 5 of the first 6 Dragons to reach base so Ashworth was called in to record the final two outs which he did for the 11-5 Slammers victory. Grandfield went 5 full innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 3 K's and 2 BB's. Ivers pitched 3 1/3, 4 hits, 3 earned runs with 3 K's and 2 BB's and Ashworth pitched the final 2/3 of a inning.
The Slammers pounded out 13 hits to cruise to their 3rd straight victory.
"Rangers and Indians Split DH"
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Recaps for Sunday, May 31, 2009:
"Royals Pay Back Thunder, Win 21-9"
Royals - Looking to start a win streak the Royals faced off against the Miami Valley Thunder, who got the best of the Royals in their final at-bats in their last meeting. Reasoner was on the mound for the Boys in Blue for his 1st start of the year. Reasoner was looking to avenge the Thunders first victory against the Royals as he was the hard luck loser in the outing. Off the mound Brett helped quiet the Thunder offense throwing the 7 inning complete game recording 9 K's as the Royals cruised to an easy victory. At the plate the Boys in Blue plated 21 runs on 16 hits, 6 for extra bases. Mirroring his performance on the hill Reasoner led the offense going 5-6 with 4 runs and a SB. Other notable performances at the plate, Shawn Rudegeair was 3-3 (4 runs / 2 2Bs / 4 RBIs / SB), Tim Biedenharn and Jesus Velasquez III each had 2 hits a piece knocking in 6 RBIs.
"Dragons and Indians Split, 17-14, 8-7"
Dragons - On a beautiful day at Northwestern high school that put the Dragons against the Springfield Indians in a double header, the Dragons can finally say they played for a win. In what seemed like batting practice for both teams, Miami Valley just barely outhit the Indians to get their first franchise win. The Dragons jumped up to a 10-2 lead after the second which included a double by Scott Jones and a couple of batters later a home run by pitcher Chris Tabler. The Indians kept chipping away to finally regain the lead and make it a 12-10 ballgame when Jones brought in relief pitcher Chris Flaherty. The Dragons did not quit scoring 5 in the 5th to make it 15-12 Dragons. The Indians put 1 more run up in the 6th but that's all they could make up. The Dragons added 2 more in the bottom of the 6th and thats all they need. They recorded the final out on a pop fly to second baseman Chris Tabler who had to dive back just to make the grab.
Game 2--After settling down after the win, coach Scott Jones decided to shake things up a bit and reward the bench players giving everyone a start on the day. This game looked to be the opposite of game one. Both Dustin Cope and Matt Spradlin looked to try and outdo the other on the mound. Both pitchers pitched 3 scoreless innings until the Dragons scored 1 in the top of the 4th, but then the Indians put 1 right back up in the bottom half. The 5th inning the Dragons took off scoring 4 on big hits from newcomer Ryan Nollen hitting a triple to score Tabler and Smith. The Indians added 2 quick runs in the bottom to make it a 5-3 game. In the 6th both teams went down quickly for the Dragons to add to their lead and make it 7-3. The Dragons looked as if they had caught on to winning, or so they thought. Cope started what looked to be a complete game, but gave up a walk and then a base hit to put runners on 1st and second. A routine ground ball to second baseman Andrew Davis, looked to have an easy double play, who bobbled the ball to load the bases. A walk then led to manager Scott Jones bringing in Brian Bay to hopefully get 3 quick outs. Then Indians Brad Shaffer drove a ball to left center that went in and out of CF Brian Spears' glove who made a great play on the ball. Then a few more walks and before they knew it the Indians stole their second win from them walking in the final run of the game.
"Rangers Lose First Game to Sox, 11-5"
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"Astros Defeat Shockers 5-2"
Astros - It looked to be a tough start for Matt Addis as the Shockers shut down the first inning for the Astros then scored off of a triple in the first, but as Addis heated up on the hill it was smooth sailing for the 'Stros. The Astros played small ball to score 4 runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings, while shutting down the Shockers' offense with only one run scoring off of a solo homerun by Doc Hayes in the 8th. With his best performance yet, Matt Addis goes 7 innings, 0 earned runs, and 13 K’s. Offensive player of the game: Gregg Foster 2 for 3 with a HR.
"Slammers Defeat Thunder 19-6"
Slammers - The South Dayton Slammers were hoping today would be the day for them to get their first franchise win.
The game got off to a good start for the visiting Thunder as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first inning. Things looked even better for the Thunder as they increase their lead to 5-1 after batting in the top of the second. But things turned around for the Slammers as Dave Shaw led off the bottom of the second and was hit by the pitch. Dan Wayman followed that with a single and Chase Collins knocked in Shaw and moved Wayman to 3B with a double. After the next two batters were retired Kevin Ashworth walked with his first of three for the game. Matt Owens stepped to the plate and cleared the bases with a double to tie the score at 5-5. Andrew Verrette knocked home Owens with a double and came home to score on Justin Dunlap's double to put the Slammers up 7-5. Shaw came to bat again in the inning and hit the fourth straight double of the inning to plate Dunlap for a 8-5 lead. Slammers starter Dunlap settle down on the hill after the first two innings and would hold the Thunder to one more run by retiring 15 of the next 23 batters.
His final line was 7 IP 8 H 6 Runs all earned 10 K's 7 BB's.
The Slammers put the game out of reach in the bottom of the third as they scored 10 runs on 6 hits with the big hit coming from Owens with a bases clearing triple. He would finish the day 4-5 with a single, 2 doubles, 1 triple and 8 RBI's. Dunlap helped his own cause with his second HR of the young season. The Slammers also played great defense by only committing one error and Wayman turning a nice double play by stepping on 3B for the force and firing to 1B for the other out.
Recaps for Sunday, May 24, 2009:
"Rangers Shut Out Dragons 12-0"
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Recaps for Sunday, May 17, 2009:
"Rangers Knock Off Royals 7-3"
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Recaps for Sunday, May 3, 2009:
"Thunder resonates with 10-9 win over Royals"
Thunder - Thunder bats were on fire as they get 17 hits on the day facing the defending champs, the Kettering Royals. Starting in the bottom of the 1st inning, the Thunder score 3 to take an early lead. Jared Williams hits a 2-run homer and Jeremy Lippincott hits an RBI sac-fly. Then in the bottom of 3, the Thunder makes it 4-0 on and RBI base knock by Lippincott. Bottom of 4th, the Thunder continue to put the hits together, including an RBI single by Matt Shepherd and a 3-run jack by Williams, which was his second homerun of the day, making the score 8-0. John Ramsey started on the hill for the Thunder pitching 4 strong shutout innings, striking out 6 batters. Ramsey though walked 5 batters, including 2 in the 5th inning, giving up 4 runs and not recording on out. Josh Fickert relieved Ramsey, but was somewhat ineffective in his one inning giving up a tree-splitting bomb to Royals batter, Chris Jergens. The Royals cut the deficit to 3 runs at the end of the 5th. Top of 6th, the Thunder looks to Drew York to finish the game on the mound. York had a shaky sixth inning, giving up 3 runs, including a sac-fly to Frank Burgos and a 2-run double to Brian Duffy, to tie the game up at 8-8. Drew York then settled in, and fired fastballs past Royals batters for a total of 9 K's in 4 innings pitched. Bottom of 7th, the Thunder regained the lead 9-8, on an RBI triple by York. Though, top of 9th, the Royals tie the game yet again, making it 9-9, thanks to an error off the leg of Coach Lippincott from a rocket shot to the second baseman off the bat of Royals batter Tim Peffley. Bottom of 9th, the signs of a possible extra-innings affair was at hand. With two outs, Shepherd gets a base hit with a bullet shot off the pitcher's foot, then moving to second base on a single by Williams, which was his 4th hit of the day! Then Shepherd steals 3rd base as the Royals catcher throws the ball into left field and Shep coasts home with the game-winner.
Royals - In their 1st matchup of the season against the new MV Thunder the Royals sent veteran Jason Holmberg to the hill. However it was not to be Holmberg's night as the Thunder were right on at the plate recording 8 runs over the first 4 innings capped by a pair of Homeruns by Williams recording 5 RBIs himself to help the Thunder jump out to the early lead before 2nd year veteran Brett Reasoner took the hill to stop the hurt. The Royals bats, which had been quiet, finally found some life. The Boys in Blue were able to knot the game at 8 as they posted 5 runs in the 5th and 3 in the 6th. With the Royals mounting a comeback the Thunder brought in multi-talented/multi-positional Drew York who began to sit Royals down 1 after the other in the final 3 innings of the game. In the 7th York helped his own cause belting a triple to the deepest part of the field plating a run for the Thunder to give them the 9-8 advantage. In the top of the 9th down by 1, the Royals were able to again tie the game as Duffy, who reached base for his team leading 10th BB, was able to score off a sharply hit single off the bat of Tim Peffley. With the game tied 9 all in the bottom of the 9th the Royals took the field. Reasoner recorded 2 quick K's before the Thunder batters recorded back-to-back singles. With a 1-1 count and runners at 1st and 2nd the Thunder looked to move up a base and went for the steal, but Ubinger's pickoff throw went just wide and by the time OF Kevin Reynolds was able to field the throw the Thunder's runner scooted across the plate for the game winner. For the Boys in Blue, Brett Reasoner did his best going 2-3 (2B / RBI / 2 runs / 3 SB ) at the plate and throwing 5 1/3 innings (7 K's) in relief to end up with the hard loss.
"Shockers win third straight, beat Indians 17-5"
Shockers - Veteran right hander Jeff Cherry continues to impress as the Shockers defeated the Indians 17 - 5 at Athletes in Action. Cherry threw all eight innings pushing his total innings for the year to an astounding 23. The strikeouts continue to climb along with the innings, Cherry is sitting at 23 strikeouts with a record of 2 - 0. While Cherry continues the hot streak on the mound, the Shockers lit up Indians pitching for 19 hits. Leading the way was Randy Haines going 3 - 5 racking up 4 RBI's. Other notable hitters on the day were Doc Hayes going 3 - 5 including a long ball that was hit in the 2nd inning. Taylor Hause 2 - 3, Damon Barr 2 - 5, Ryan Diehl brought in 3 RBI's while going 2 - 4 and Thomas Fluty went 3 - 5 with 3 RBI's while adding to his home run total with a shot in the bottom of the 8th. Rookie shortstop Jeremiah Rodriguez stole 2 bases bringing his season total to 6.
"Rangers Double-Up Slammers, 16-8"
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"Astros beat Dragons 15-3"
Astros - The Astros came ready to play against the Dragons at AIA Stadium today with Brian Girard taking the hill for his first start of the season. Girard only allowed 1 unearned run and only 1 hit through 6 innings of work striking out 6 batters. Combining steady bats and flawless defensive the 'Stros got the job done. Outfielder PJ Dobbins went 2-for-3 with a double, triple, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, and 2 stolen bases.
Dragons - Miami Valley looked to get their first win today against the hard hitting Dayton Astros. Things weren't looking so bad after the first 2 innings with Brian Bay on the mound. Striking out 2 in the first the Astros plated 1 run on one error, then blanked them in the second. After that, this story is a big mess for the Dragons when the Astros scored 6 in the third and 5 in the fourth due to the combination of hits, walks, and errors. The Dragons had 4 errors in just those 2 innings, 7 total in the game. "Your not going to win one game when you have that many errors. There's no excuse for that many and I'm not going to try and make one up," Manager Scott Jones said. Dragons could only manage 2 hits on the offensive side of the ball coming off the bat of Aaron Brown and rookie Chris Flaherty. "Those two guys are the two best players we have right now. Brown looked great at third today; he got everything close to him and dove on a few that were foul but still got them. He impressed me over there today. And for Flaherty, I feel comfortable wherever he plays, he's a ball player," Jones also said today after the game. Towards the end of the game, the Dragons started to get some base runners, but it was already too late, and the Dragons were run-ruled 15-3. One run away from keeping the game going when Andrew Davis grounded out to third and then Brian Bay was thrown out at home on the play for a 5-3-2 game-ending double play.
Recaps for Thursday, April 30, 2009:
"Shockers Stun Royals, 2-1"
Royals - On Thursday night the Royals met the Shockers, who are under new management and sporting a new look, in a pitching duel. On the hill for the Shockers was MVABL vet Jeff Cherry and the Boys in Blue countered with Royals Rookie Frank Burgos making his first career start. The game moved along quickly as on the night both teams only recorded 6 hits and the pitchers tallied 14 strikeouts over the short 7 innings. The Royals scored first in the second of an errant pickoff throw, but the lead was short-lived. Burgos pitched well for the Boys in Blue, but in the 4th a bases loaded BB allowed the Shockers to plate their first run in the game to knot the game at 1. It would remain that way until the bottom of the 7th as the Shockers were once again able to load the bases and capitalize on a well placed HBP-bat-deflection that actually trickled past the pitcher allowing the runner from 3rd to scamper home for the game winning run. At the plate for the Boys in Blue Mark Franklin and Shawn Rudegeiar recorded a hit a piece, and off the mound both Burgos (4 2/3 IP / 4 K / 3 Hits) and Ubinger (2 1/3 IP / 3 K / 1 Hit) pitched well.
Recaps for Sunday, April 26, 2009:
"Indians shut out Thunder, 7-0"
Thunder - The Thunder got a wake up call against the Springfield Indians on Sunday with a 7-0 shutout loss. Indians pitcher Matt Spradlin mowed down 19 Thunder batters and had his breaking ball work for him all day. Thunder only could muster 3 hits including a single by Matt Shepherd, and a double by Drew York and John Ramsey. Jeremy Lippincott started on the hill and pitched rather well for the Thunder, giving up just 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 k's and no walks in 5 innings. Hammock pitched the final 4 frames starting off slow but finishing strong. The Thunder defense looked pretty solid.
"Astros knock off Royals 9-6"
Royals - In game 2 of the Royals Opening Day weekend they faced off against the Dayton Astros. The Royals went 1-2 against the Astros in the 2008 Regular season and they hoped to get off on the right foot in 2009. However it would not be the Boys in Blue day. Missing numerous Royals out of the lineup the team did what they could against the new look 'Stros. Jason Holmberg started for the Royals and did what he could to contain the Astros offense, but the Royals offense, missing some key bats, was unable to help out their starter after their late night outing with the Dragons. The game looked to be a pitching duel as Holmberg and the Astros starter closed out their side of the 1st in only 10 pitches per side. In the top of the 2nd Holmberg continued work efficiently as he retired the side in order again. In the bottom of the 2nd the Royals would strike first, plating the first run of the game off an RBI single from Royals sub Aaron Brown to plate Holmberg. In the 3rd the Astros would take a 2-1 lead after back-to-back errors. In the bottom of the frame the Royals would stick with the Astros tying the game off a Jergens sac fly scoring Brian Duffy. Royals errors got the best of them in the 4th after the Astros reached base off a pair of singles. The Royals costly mistakes allowed the 'Stros to plate 3 more. Down 5-2, the Royals offense fell short in the attempt to match the Astros and stranded runners at 2nd and 3rd. In the top of the 5th the Astros added 2 more as 'Stros vet Evan Tennery belted a 2 RBI single to right. Down 7-2 after 5.5 the Jesus Velasquez took the first pitch he saw down the right field line plating Duffy again. As the day wore on Holmberg worked to keep the Astros offense quiet keeping the Boys in Blue in striking distance. Finally in the bottom of the 7th the Royals would get as close to the Astros as the would get. Taking advantage of the Astros middle reliever the Royals were able to plate 3 with the help of a pair of Royals rookies, Frank Burgos belted a 2 run HR over the left center fence and Chris Tipton recorded his 3rd single of the day scoring Jergens. With the score holding at 7-6 entering the 8th Holmberg continued his work on the hill. He faced 4 batters recording 3 K's to end the top of the 8th keeping the Royals in striking distance however the Boys in Blue were a bit too anxious and went down in order to end the 8th. In the top of the 9th Holmberg took the hill to finish what he'd started. The Royals were able to record 2 quick outs but a walk and hbp put runners on base before the Astros starter Addis belted an RBI double increasing the 'Stros lead to 2. With 2 outs the Astros loaded the bases after another free pass, and would plate another with an RBI single. Holmberg would stop the bleeding and end the threat recording his 8th strikeout on the day. Down 3 the Royals offense took the plate for their last chance, but were unable to as a tough strikeout and soft fly ended the day for the Boys in Blue with a final tally of 6-9 Astros. For the Royals Jason Holmberg was the hard luck loser, but he performed as expected for the Boys in Blue. He kept his squad in it the entire day recording the complete game, throwing 154 pitches, notching 8 strikeouts, but miscues in the field and sporadic hitting allowed the Astros to take the game. At the plate a pair of Royals Rookies did their best to help the Squad, Frank Burgos (HR / 2 RBI / Run / HBP) and Chris Tipton (RBI) both went 3-4 to lead the Royals.
Recaps for Saturday, April 25, 2009:
"Rangers Run Rule Astros 21-2"
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"Shockers squeak past Slammers 13-12"
Slammers - The Slammers fall short in a devastating loss to the Shockers. Even with putting up 17 hits and 12 runs on the board the Slammers could not pull off the victory against the Shockers. With some key players (Anderson, Jaynes, and All Star Ashworth) missing the game due to injury or prior engagements the Slammers still should have pulled off the victory only giving up 9 earned runs. The Slammers are hitting over .400 as a team but if they don't pull together defensively it's going to be a long season. Through 2 games the Slammers have had 7 errors and many critical mental mistakes which have really hurt them. So let's hope the Slammers can bounce back and have a good week playing this Thursday against the Astros and Sunday against the Rangers.
"Royals win Marathon in Season Opener"
Royals - With a weekend full of of beautiful sunshine the Royals were able to finally take the field. As a result of last weekend's rainout, the Boys in Blue opened up the season against the MV Dragons. The reworked team looked good at the start of the game. The Dragons jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the Boys and Blue and would hold that lead through the first 4 innings. After 4 the Dragons held a slim 6-5 lead and that would be the last for the Dragons. In the 5th inning the Royals were able to score 5 runs and didn't look back. Over the remaining 4 innings the Royals continued to put runs on the board highlighted by a Chris Jergens shot over the scoreboard and an inside the park HR by 2nd year vet Tim Peffley. On the mound Kevin Reynolds (5 IP / 4K) picked up the victory, but his outing was cut short as he was forced to leave early with a wrist injury. Taking the mound in relief was fireballer Kyle Ubinger. This was Ubi's first appearance on the mound since he last threw for the Royals, and he didn't take long to get back up to form. After plunking the first batter he faced, he calmed down and got back to business. OVer the his 4 innings of work he faced 14 batters recording 7 strikeouts in relief for Reynolds. When the dust finally settled and the balls cooled off the Royals won 22-8 over the Dragons. It was a great outing for the Boys in Blue to get back on the field and kick off the season. Offensive highlights, Royals rookie Chris Jergens went 3-4 (HR / 2 Runs / 3 RBI) in his debut, Royals Skipper Mark Franklin wen 2-3 (2 RBIs / 3 BB / SB), and Kyle Ubinger 2-2 (2B / 2 Runs / BB / 2 RBI).
Recaps for Sunday, April 19, 2009:
"Thunder Grab 1st Win"
Thunder - The Miami Valley Thunder took an early lead in the top of the first inning scoring 2 runs. Matt Shepherd gets the first ever walk and run scored in Thunder history, while David Moss scoring him on the first ever triple and RBI in Thunder history. In the bottom of the 1st, John Ramsey took the mound for the Thunder and gave up 2 runs to the Shockers to tie it up 2-2. Rodriguez doubles and scores on Doc Hayes' home run. In the bottom of the 2nd, Ramsey records the first ever strikeout in Thunder history, though the Shockers plate another run on Rodriguez's RBI single to take the lead 3-2. In the top of the 3rd, the Thunder score 4 and take back the lead 6-3 on hits by August, Williams, an RBI double by Moss, and a 3-run jack by Drew York, which is the first ever HR in Thunder history. Thunder's starting pitcher, Ramsey settles down from there thru 6. In the top of the 6th, Thunder plate another run with a solo shot by York, his second of the day, to add to the lead 7-3. In the bottom of 7, the Thunder's coach doesn't pull the trigger quick enough as Ramsey gets shelled for 5 runs including a 2-run homer by Thomas Fluty and a 3-run round tripper by Taylor Hause as the Shockers take the lead back 8-7. In the top of 8, Shockers didn't want any part of York and intentionally walked him even though there was a man on and nobody out. Thunder teammates pull together and put up 2 more runs on Koogler's RBI fielder's choice and an RBI base knock by Hammock, who also got a stolen base which is the first ever in Thunder history. Thunder takes the lead 9-8. In the bottom of 8, Shockers tie it up 9-all with an un-earned run. In the top of 9, Thunder continues to roll and adds 2 more runs to take the lead for good, thanks to an RBI double by York plating Williams and an error plating Shepherd. Thunder reliever Moss shuts down the Shockers in the 9th and records the Thunder's first ever win in team history.
"Rangers Double-Up Indians"
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