Chris Lewis: .377/.437/.442/.879 with 5 doubles, 12 RBI and 8 walks
Chris Roberts: .365/.382/.524/.906 with 2 HR, 4 2B, and 12 RBI
Hayden Johnston: /.359/.377/.404/.781 with 2 HR and 14 RBI
Zack Leonard: /.268/.303/.310/.613 with 8 RBI
Burny Mitchem: 25 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 37 K, 7 BB
Full list of All-Stars
The All-Star game will be played Wednesday, July 16th at Western Hills High School in Cincinnati (The Steam's home field) at 7 PM.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Columbus wins 2 in a row heading into 3 day break
Missed the post game for the Lima game; been pretty busy the last 2 days.
On Wednesday in Lima, the All-Americans defeated the Locos by a score of 5-3.
Box score
For 7 innings, the offense for both teams was nonexistent. One explanation for the lack of offense is the starting pitchers. Burny Mitchem, the best pitcher in the league thus far, went 5 innings, giving up one unearned run while striking out 8 and walking 3. Zach Elmer, the Lima starter, pitched 6 effective innings, giving up no runs on 3 hits while striking out 2 and walking none. However, these pitchers were most likely helped by the fact that Lima's field was built facing west. For those of you who have been outside at sunset--you know that the sun sets in the west, meaning that for 6 or 7 innings, hitters were essentially looking into the sun as the pitcher threw it. One Columbus hitter told me that he couldn't see the ball at all during his first at bat. Why the field was built facing west I don't know, but apparently someone forgot about the whole sunset thing.
After the sun went down, the offense started up for both teams. In the 8th, the All-Americans took a 2-1 lead on a poor decision by Lima pitcher Kevin Cahill. With Ryan Dew at 3rd and Cory Rupert at 2nd, Zack Leonard hit a comebacker to Cahill. Dew had drifted off the bag a bit too far, and Cahill tried to throw him out, but instead threw the ball into left field, scoring both Dew and Rupert. In the bottom half, the Locos came right back with 2 runs of their own on an Alex Schmid groundout and a balk with a runner on 3rd.
In the 9th, Zach Dygert led off with a hard lineout to center field. Chris Roberts hit what looked like a routine grounder to first, but it went right through Casey Ingle's legs. Robert Maddox followed with a single to right and Chris Roberts advanced to third on the play. Ryan Dew came through with an RBI single to tie the game. Tyler Rogers drew a walk to load the bases. Zack Leonard hit a ground ball to first, and Casey Ingle once again couldn't make the play. 2 runs scored as the ball went through his legs for the second time in the inning. Tim Mowry came on and got the save for the All-Americans.
Last night, the All-Americans beat the Xenia AIA 13-7. As this was the last game before the All-Star break, the All-Americans used 5 different pitchers in the game. Jeremy Williams, Troy Balduf, Kyle Hallock, Matt Shoemaker, and Mark Miller appeared in the game.
Unlike the night before, the All-Americans had no trouble seeing the ball last night. Columbus scored 13 runs on 12 hits. 3 of the runs were unearned, as Xenia made 4 errors in the first 4 innings. But the All-Americans bats, rather than Xenia's defense (or lack thereof) won this game.
3 different All-Americans knocked in 2 runs in the game. Ryan Dew, who is hopefully heating up for the second half, went 2-5, Kolbrin Vitek went 3-3, and Ben Klafczynski had a pinch-hit 2 RBI single to right.
The All-Americans now have 3 straight off days, then a game on Monday at Delaware (5 PM start), followed by the All-Star break Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
On Wednesday in Lima, the All-Americans defeated the Locos by a score of 5-3.
Box score
For 7 innings, the offense for both teams was nonexistent. One explanation for the lack of offense is the starting pitchers. Burny Mitchem, the best pitcher in the league thus far, went 5 innings, giving up one unearned run while striking out 8 and walking 3. Zach Elmer, the Lima starter, pitched 6 effective innings, giving up no runs on 3 hits while striking out 2 and walking none. However, these pitchers were most likely helped by the fact that Lima's field was built facing west. For those of you who have been outside at sunset--you know that the sun sets in the west, meaning that for 6 or 7 innings, hitters were essentially looking into the sun as the pitcher threw it. One Columbus hitter told me that he couldn't see the ball at all during his first at bat. Why the field was built facing west I don't know, but apparently someone forgot about the whole sunset thing.
After the sun went down, the offense started up for both teams. In the 8th, the All-Americans took a 2-1 lead on a poor decision by Lima pitcher Kevin Cahill. With Ryan Dew at 3rd and Cory Rupert at 2nd, Zack Leonard hit a comebacker to Cahill. Dew had drifted off the bag a bit too far, and Cahill tried to throw him out, but instead threw the ball into left field, scoring both Dew and Rupert. In the bottom half, the Locos came right back with 2 runs of their own on an Alex Schmid groundout and a balk with a runner on 3rd.
In the 9th, Zach Dygert led off with a hard lineout to center field. Chris Roberts hit what looked like a routine grounder to first, but it went right through Casey Ingle's legs. Robert Maddox followed with a single to right and Chris Roberts advanced to third on the play. Ryan Dew came through with an RBI single to tie the game. Tyler Rogers drew a walk to load the bases. Zack Leonard hit a ground ball to first, and Casey Ingle once again couldn't make the play. 2 runs scored as the ball went through his legs for the second time in the inning. Tim Mowry came on and got the save for the All-Americans.
Last night, the All-Americans beat the Xenia AIA 13-7. As this was the last game before the All-Star break, the All-Americans used 5 different pitchers in the game. Jeremy Williams, Troy Balduf, Kyle Hallock, Matt Shoemaker, and Mark Miller appeared in the game.
Unlike the night before, the All-Americans had no trouble seeing the ball last night. Columbus scored 13 runs on 12 hits. 3 of the runs were unearned, as Xenia made 4 errors in the first 4 innings. But the All-Americans bats, rather than Xenia's defense (or lack thereof) won this game.
3 different All-Americans knocked in 2 runs in the game. Ryan Dew, who is hopefully heating up for the second half, went 2-5, Kolbrin Vitek went 3-3, and Ben Klafczynski had a pinch-hit 2 RBI single to right.
The All-Americans now have 3 straight off days, then a game on Monday at Delaware (5 PM start), followed by the All-Star break Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
All Americans 7 Mariners 8
The All-Americans (10-10) fell to the Grand Lake Mariners last night by a score of 8 to 7.
Box score
The Mariners jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the 2nd inning, and once again couldn't muster much against Dave Paddock, who threw a complete game shutout the last time Columbus played Grand Lake. This time, Paddock went 6 innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 2 and walking none. The All-Americans did figure out the three relievers that followed Paddock; they scored 3 runs off Matt Jordan, who only managed to get 1 out in the 7th; Nick Jensen gave up 2 runs in 1.2 innings of work, and Heath Riley escaped from a jam in the 9th to get a save.
The All-Americans took their time getting the bats going, and it turned out to be too little too late. By the time they started to score runs, Grand Lake was ahead 8-1; 3 All-American errors led to 4 unearned runs for the Mariners. In the 7th, a few singles and a few walks led to 3 runs for the All-Americans. In the 8th, Zach Dygert led off with a single and Cory Rupert followed with a double down the left field line. Dygert would score on a wild pitch. Zack Leonard knocked in Rupert with a sac fly. In the 9th, Hayden Johnston led off with a hard ground ball at shortstop Tim Fogerty, who bobbled the ball but was able to throw out Johnston at first. Chris Lewis singled and Robert Maddox, pinch-hitting for Kolbrin Vitek, hit a double off the right-center field wall and advanced to third on a throwing error, putting the tying run at 3rd with only one out. Unfortunately, Ben Klafczynski struck out; Zach Dygert was hit by a pitch, putting the winning run on first. But Cory Rupert made the final out on a fly ball to left center. It was a valiant effort by the All-Americans, but they came up one run short. Columbus racked up 11 hits in the game, along with 4 walks, 3 of them given out by Matt Jordan. Good job by the All-Americans to make the Grand Lake relievers work hard instead of first-pitch hacking.
Columbus currently stands in 3rd place, 5.5 games back of the Cincinnati Steam, winners of 8 straight. They won yet another 1-run game last night, defeating Xenia 5-4.
The All-Americans take on Lake Erie (8-8) tonight at 7 PM at Bill Davis Stadium. Pretty sure Brenden Stines will be pitching for the All-Americans.
The All-Star game is this weekend in Cincinnati; I'll write about the players the All-Americans will be sending to the game and will also put together some stats (the ones on the league site are pretty hard to read).
Box score
The Mariners jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the 2nd inning, and once again couldn't muster much against Dave Paddock, who threw a complete game shutout the last time Columbus played Grand Lake. This time, Paddock went 6 innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 2 and walking none. The All-Americans did figure out the three relievers that followed Paddock; they scored 3 runs off Matt Jordan, who only managed to get 1 out in the 7th; Nick Jensen gave up 2 runs in 1.2 innings of work, and Heath Riley escaped from a jam in the 9th to get a save.
The All-Americans took their time getting the bats going, and it turned out to be too little too late. By the time they started to score runs, Grand Lake was ahead 8-1; 3 All-American errors led to 4 unearned runs for the Mariners. In the 7th, a few singles and a few walks led to 3 runs for the All-Americans. In the 8th, Zach Dygert led off with a single and Cory Rupert followed with a double down the left field line. Dygert would score on a wild pitch. Zack Leonard knocked in Rupert with a sac fly. In the 9th, Hayden Johnston led off with a hard ground ball at shortstop Tim Fogerty, who bobbled the ball but was able to throw out Johnston at first. Chris Lewis singled and Robert Maddox, pinch-hitting for Kolbrin Vitek, hit a double off the right-center field wall and advanced to third on a throwing error, putting the tying run at 3rd with only one out. Unfortunately, Ben Klafczynski struck out; Zach Dygert was hit by a pitch, putting the winning run on first. But Cory Rupert made the final out on a fly ball to left center. It was a valiant effort by the All-Americans, but they came up one run short. Columbus racked up 11 hits in the game, along with 4 walks, 3 of them given out by Matt Jordan. Good job by the All-Americans to make the Grand Lake relievers work hard instead of first-pitch hacking.
Columbus currently stands in 3rd place, 5.5 games back of the Cincinnati Steam, winners of 8 straight. They won yet another 1-run game last night, defeating Xenia 5-4.
The All-Americans take on Lake Erie (8-8) tonight at 7 PM at Bill Davis Stadium. Pretty sure Brenden Stines will be pitching for the All-Americans.
The All-Star game is this weekend in Cincinnati; I'll write about the players the All-Americans will be sending to the game and will also put together some stats (the ones on the league site are pretty hard to read).
Monday, July 7, 2008
All Americans 12 Copperheads 0
The All Americans (10-9) beat the Southern Ohio Copperheads (6-8) last night in Athens.
WP - Kolbrin Vitek (2-1) 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 2 BB
LP - Chris Beesley (0-1) 2.1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 1 K, 2 BB
The long ball was the story for the All-Americans last night. Hayden Johnston hit a grand slam, and Robert Maddox, Chris Roberts, and Ryan Dew also went deep. Every Columbus starter got a hit in the game, and the team racked up 15 total. The All-Americans took advantage of a pitching staff that has struggled so far this year. The Copperheads have a team ERA of 4.04, second to last in the league. Kolbrin Vitek, Kevin Mementowski, and Darrin Mumaw combined for the 5 hit shutout, striking out 8 in the process. With the shutout, the team ERA drops to 2.36, the lowest in the league.
Tonight, the All-Americans take on the Grand Lake Mariners (6-10) at Bill Davis Stadium at 7 PM.
WP - Kolbrin Vitek (2-1) 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 2 BB
LP - Chris Beesley (0-1) 2.1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 1 K, 2 BB
The long ball was the story for the All-Americans last night. Hayden Johnston hit a grand slam, and Robert Maddox, Chris Roberts, and Ryan Dew also went deep. Every Columbus starter got a hit in the game, and the team racked up 15 total. The All-Americans took advantage of a pitching staff that has struggled so far this year. The Copperheads have a team ERA of 4.04, second to last in the league. Kolbrin Vitek, Kevin Mementowski, and Darrin Mumaw combined for the 5 hit shutout, striking out 8 in the process. With the shutout, the team ERA drops to 2.36, the lowest in the league.
Tonight, the All-Americans take on the Grand Lake Mariners (6-10) at Bill Davis Stadium at 7 PM.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
All-Americans swept by Cincinnati
The All-Americans (9-10) were swept by the Cincinnati Steam (15-4) yesterday in Chillicothe.
Game 1:
WP - Joey O' Gara (2-0) 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K
LP - Matt Shoemaker (2-1) 5 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB
S - Adam Eaton (1)
Matt Shoemaker was hurt by a few Columbus errors early in the game. In the 1st, Tyler Rogers mishandled a ground ball, which was followed by a double, a walk, and a bases clearing double. Chris Roberts had some trouble with fly balls in left, with one glancing off his glove at the wall, which led to Cincinnati runs. However, Shoemaker didn't have his best stuff today. Many of the Steam's hits were line drives; a few of their outs were also well-hit. The All-Americans tried to stage a comeback, scoring 3 runs off Cincinnati reliever Bryan Earley in the 6th, but were shut down in the 7th by Adam Eaton.
Game 2:
WP - Eric Braeckel (1-1) 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 K
LP - Tim Mowry (0-1) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K
Tony Bertucci started for Columbus and pitched effectively for 5 and 2/3 innings, but just couldn't get the third out in the 6th, giving up a game-tying double to Brandon Besl. He was relieved by Tim Mowry, who struck out Steve Brown to end the inning. In the 7th, the All-Americans were the beneficiaries of some bad luck. Jake Brown snuck a ground ball between Matthew Johnson and Cory Rupert up the middle for a single; a foot or two to the left or right and either one of them would have had it. The runner advanced to second on a groundout, and with 2 outs, Brad Gschwind hit a popup that landed just out of reach of right fielder Hayden Johnston and first baseman Kolbrin Vitek. Again, a foot or two either deeper or shallower and the ball would've been caught for an out. The All-Americans aren't getting the breaks, but the team needs to start making its own luck. Jeremy Wentworth lead off the bottom of the 1st with a walk for Columbus, but it was the team's only walk the entire game. The All-Americans need to start seeing more pitches; in this league, if you make a pitcher throw enough pitches in an at-bat, he's liable to make a mistake. Improved plate discipline is what's needed for a more succesful offense.
The All-Americans take on the Southern Ohio Copperheads (6-7) tonight at 5 PM in Athens. Kyle Hallock will be the starting pitcher. He's 0-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 IP. He's given up 11 hits, 6 walks, and struck out 10 in those 11 innings.
Game 1:
WP - Joey O' Gara (2-0) 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K
LP - Matt Shoemaker (2-1) 5 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB
S - Adam Eaton (1)
Matt Shoemaker was hurt by a few Columbus errors early in the game. In the 1st, Tyler Rogers mishandled a ground ball, which was followed by a double, a walk, and a bases clearing double. Chris Roberts had some trouble with fly balls in left, with one glancing off his glove at the wall, which led to Cincinnati runs. However, Shoemaker didn't have his best stuff today. Many of the Steam's hits were line drives; a few of their outs were also well-hit. The All-Americans tried to stage a comeback, scoring 3 runs off Cincinnati reliever Bryan Earley in the 6th, but were shut down in the 7th by Adam Eaton.
Game 2:
WP - Eric Braeckel (1-1) 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 K
LP - Tim Mowry (0-1) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K
Tony Bertucci started for Columbus and pitched effectively for 5 and 2/3 innings, but just couldn't get the third out in the 6th, giving up a game-tying double to Brandon Besl. He was relieved by Tim Mowry, who struck out Steve Brown to end the inning. In the 7th, the All-Americans were the beneficiaries of some bad luck. Jake Brown snuck a ground ball between Matthew Johnson and Cory Rupert up the middle for a single; a foot or two to the left or right and either one of them would have had it. The runner advanced to second on a groundout, and with 2 outs, Brad Gschwind hit a popup that landed just out of reach of right fielder Hayden Johnston and first baseman Kolbrin Vitek. Again, a foot or two either deeper or shallower and the ball would've been caught for an out. The All-Americans aren't getting the breaks, but the team needs to start making its own luck. Jeremy Wentworth lead off the bottom of the 1st with a walk for Columbus, but it was the team's only walk the entire game. The All-Americans need to start seeing more pitches; in this league, if you make a pitcher throw enough pitches in an at-bat, he's liable to make a mistake. Improved plate discipline is what's needed for a more succesful offense.
The All-Americans take on the Southern Ohio Copperheads (6-7) tonight at 5 PM in Athens. Kyle Hallock will be the starting pitcher. He's 0-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 IP. He's given up 11 hits, 6 walks, and struck out 10 in those 11 innings.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
All Americans 8 Xenia 0
The All-Americans (9-7) defeated the Xenia AIA (7-9) last night in Xenia.
Box score
WP - Burny Mitchem (2-1) 8 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 9 K, 1 BB
LP - Andy Wells (2-1) 4 IP, 4 H, 6 R (5 ER), 4 BB, 3 K
Burny Mitchem was dominant again, going 7 and 2/3 without giving up a hit and striking out 9. The All-Americans also racked up 9 hits and drew 6 walks. Cory Rupert reached base 5 times, going 3/3 with 2 walks. Zach Dygert drew 3 walks on the night. Though the Xenia pitching staff may not be as talented as some of the other teams' pitching staffs, it's good to see the All-Americans displaying better plate discipline. The team OBP now stands at .323.
Burny Mitchem still hasn't allowed an earned run in 20 IP. He's given up 6 hits and walked 4 in that time, while striking out 29 (13.1 K/9). Batters are hitting .090 against him.
Chris Lewis earned co-player of the week honors for last week. On the season, he's hitting .429/.492/.518 (1.010 OPS).
Tony Bertucci was pitcher of the week last week for his 8+ innings no-hit performance. Bertucci has allowed only 1 run in 13 innings (0.69 ERA) on 6 hits and 2 walks.
The All-Americans play tomorrow at Delaware (7-6). Tony Bertucci will take the hill for the 5 PM start at Ohio Wesleyan.
Box score
WP - Burny Mitchem (2-1) 8 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 9 K, 1 BB
LP - Andy Wells (2-1) 4 IP, 4 H, 6 R (5 ER), 4 BB, 3 K
Burny Mitchem was dominant again, going 7 and 2/3 without giving up a hit and striking out 9. The All-Americans also racked up 9 hits and drew 6 walks. Cory Rupert reached base 5 times, going 3/3 with 2 walks. Zach Dygert drew 3 walks on the night. Though the Xenia pitching staff may not be as talented as some of the other teams' pitching staffs, it's good to see the All-Americans displaying better plate discipline. The team OBP now stands at .323.
Burny Mitchem still hasn't allowed an earned run in 20 IP. He's given up 6 hits and walked 4 in that time, while striking out 29 (13.1 K/9). Batters are hitting .090 against him.
Chris Lewis earned co-player of the week honors for last week. On the season, he's hitting .429/.492/.518 (1.010 OPS).
Tony Bertucci was pitcher of the week last week for his 8+ innings no-hit performance. Bertucci has allowed only 1 run in 13 innings (0.69 ERA) on 6 hits and 2 walks.
The All-Americans play tomorrow at Delaware (7-6). Tony Bertucci will take the hill for the 5 PM start at Ohio Wesleyan.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Missed 5 games
Was at my cousin's wedding, so I couldn't update this. The All-Americans went 3-2 in my absence, beating Lake Erie and Southern Ohio, losing to Lima, and splitting a double header with Anderson.
They are 2.5 games back of Cincinnati.
Tonight, the All-Americans (8-7) take on Xenia (7-8) in Xenia. Burny Mitchem (1-1), the league leader in ERA, batting average against, and strikeouts, takes the hill for the All-Americans.
They are 2.5 games back of Cincinnati.
Tonight, the All-Americans (8-7) take on Xenia (7-8) in Xenia. Burny Mitchem (1-1), the league leader in ERA, batting average against, and strikeouts, takes the hill for the All-Americans.
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