BlazersBB: Welcome
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BLAZERS BASEBALL 2008
Roster:
#1 Auggie Lange
#2 Daniel Bryant
#3 Kyle Sadosky
#4 Alex Craig
#5 Jackson Flynn
#15 Spencer Bowman
#18 Blake Hoffman
#21 Will Benkelman
#27 Henry "Hank" Mitchell
#29 Calvin Koch
#31 Andrew Miller
#33 Brett Carey
#43 Payton Lathrop
Head Coach: Trevor Flynn
Assistant Coaches: Andy Craig, Brad Hoffman, Jim Miller, Mark Mitchell & Len Sadosky
Pictures:
Game Notes:
Late Great Rally Falls Short As Blazers Lose Season Finale:
Tues 6/24; Cyclones 10, Blazers 9 (2-16 overall; 2-7 division)
Game Summary:
Trailing 9-1 after four innings and 10-3 with two outs in their final at bats in the sixth, the boys in blue made a late rally that unfortunately, just fell short.
Pitching:
Jackson Flynn, 2 2/3 innings, six strikeouts, five runs.
Alex Craig, 3 1/3 innings, seven strikeouts, five runs.
Defense:
Will Benkelman made the defensive play of the game with an unassisted double play by catching a fly ball near second and then tagging out the advancing runner. During the play, he also narrowly avoided colliding with two teammates, Auggie Lange and Blake Hoffman, as they each had a great chance to make the same play. Henry Mitchell and Blake each snagged line drives at first and third respectively for our other great defensive plays.
Offense:
Henry led the way offensively by going 2-3. His one out of the game came after fouling off seven straight pitches. Other hitting stars were Daniel Bryant, who had a deep double in the sixth to drive in two runs and Brett Carey with a sharp single in the sixth as well.
Coach Craig's Comments:
Even though our record doesn't show it with wins, I truly believe we have improved during the course of this season.
Bulldogs Take Season Series Two Games To One:
Wed 6/11; Baldwin Bulldogs 15, Blazers 10 (2-15 overall; 2-6 division)
Game Summary:
After a wobbly first inning of pitching, hitting and defense, the boys in blue settled down and made it interesting with a big inning of their own and giving themselves a chance at the lead in their final at bats.
Pitching:
Pitchers Alex Craig and Jackson Flynn kept the came close with stellar pitching throughout.
Defense:
There were three standout plays defensively tonight. 1. Hank Mitchell snagged a line drive while manning first base. 2. Auggie Lange made a nice backhanded play at shortstop. 3. Andrew Miller made a great catch of a foul ball while catching.
Offense:
Even though we didn't score in two innings, all 12 Blazers managed to reach base safely tonight.
Highlights are as follows:
1. Calvin Koch scorched a double just insided the first base foul line into the right field corner.
2. Alex was 3 for 3 with all three hits being perfectly placed between the first and second basemen.
3. Andrew reached base safely all three times with two singles and a walk.
4. Will "The Ball Magnet" Benkelman was hit again for his fourth time this season. He also had a single.
5. Auggie used his speed to his advantage as he beat out a ground ball to the first baseman for an infield single.
6. Kyle Sadosky hit a seeing eye fly ball for an infield single.
Coach Craig's Comments:
Tonight showed that baseball truly is a wonderful yet frustrating game. With the bases loaded and two outs, Brett Carey hit the hardest ball of the night. Only it wasn't meant to be as the Bulldogs left fielder, running on a full sprint, made a game saving catch. Brett and the rest of the Blazers played a great game. That's baseball. If the ball was hit a couple of inches further, the bases might have been cleared and the momentum would have been with us and who knows what would have happened.
Monarchs Take Second Game Against Blazers:
Tues 6/10; Monarchs 23, Blazers 3 (2-14 overall; 2-5 division)
Game Summary:
Following a close 2-2 score after an inning of play, the Monarchs plated 7 runs in each of the next three innings as the boys in blue could not keep up.
Pitching:
Pitchers Daniel Bryant, Calvin Koch, Andrew Miller and Jackson Flynn all gave it their best but unfortunately it wasn't enough.
Defense & Offense:
Auggie Lange was the star of the game both defensively & offensively. Auggie used his amazing speed to beat out a hard grounder to the Monarchs first baseman and followed that up by snagging a deep groundball while playing shortstop later in the game.
Coach Craig's Comments:
I really thought we could make a game of it after a 2-2 first and then finding out that the Monarchs had a big win the previous night. I'm still not sure if they came out flat or that we just woke them up...or both.
The Hammers Said "You Can't Touch This":
Wed 6/4; The Hammers 26, Blazers 3 (2-13 overall; 2-5 division)
Game Summary:
If you take away the 21 runs that The Hammers scored in the middle three innings, we would have had a nail biter of a 5-3 game.
Pitching:
Pitchers Alex Craig, Andrew Miller, Henry Mitchell and Jackson Flynn tried hard but could not stop the Hammers relentless hitting attack.
Defense:
The defense was strong in the first and last innings. The defensive player of the game was Will Benkelman who caught a fly ball and fielded two ground balls.
Offense:
There's not much to say when 11 out of 15 outs are strikeouts. Kyle Sadosky was able to break up the shutout after walking, stealing two bases and then racing home after a hard Auggie Lange single. Will "The Ball Magnet" Benkelman was also hit once again. This time he took a hard pitch off an ankle.
Coach Craig's Comments:
It's 11:48 and the Royals just lost 6-4 in 15 innings to the White Sox on a Paul Konerko home run. The Penguins also lost the Stanley Cup four games to two against the Red Wings earlier tonight. I'm a huge sports fan if you haven't noticed. Good night.
Moral Victory Second Time Around Versus U9 Rebels:
Mon 6/2; U9 Rebels 14, Blazers 6 (2-12 overall; 2-5 division)
Game Summary:
After getting beat soundly by the U9 Rebels in their early season matchup, the boys in blue weren't intimidated the second time around. They settled down after a couple of shaky innings both offensively and defensively to keep things interesting until the end.
Pitching:
The pitching trio of Jackson Flynn, Daniel Bryant & Henry Mitchell held the powerful Rebels to 12 fewer runs than they allowed in their previous meeting. Daniel was the star pitcher of the game in relief by holding the Rebels to only one run in two innings of work by pitching strikes and letting his defense do the work.
Defense:
Shortstop Alex Craig and second baseman Will Benkelman led the defense with three nice plays a piece. Alex by catching two fly balls and snagging one grounder while Will fielded two tough ground balls and caught one fly ball. While pitching, Jackson & Daniel, each helped themselves by fielding comebackers up the middle. Catcher Andrew Miller chipped in by tagging out a runner after chasing down an errant pitch.
Offense:
As usual, the offense was well balanced as all 10 Blazers reached base safely. Andrew and Will led the way by reaching base in all three of their at bats as they both had two singles and a walk.
Coach Craig's Comments:
Before the game I was really nervous about having another blowout like our first matchup was against the Rebels. I'm glad the boys put those doubts to rest by playing great baseball.
Comeback Comes Up Short:
Tues 5/27; Rough Riders 15, Blazers 9 (2-11 overall; 2-5 division)
Game Summary:
The boys in blue never gave up as they rallied for seven runs in the next to the last inning. They then had a chance to win it in their last at bats only to be shut down by the Rough Riders tough closer.
Pitching:
Alex Craig struck out four while pitching four innings. Andrew Miller pitched the last inning and gave the Blazers offense a chance to win in their final at bats.
Defense:
Daniel Bryant was the defensive star of the game with three unassisted plays at first on two fly balls and one hot grounder. SS Calvin Koch started the game by catching a fly ball. 3b Andrew had a nice stop of a grounder and then beat the lead runner to third. Alex had a great stop of a grounder while pitching. Will Benkelman made a great sliding stop at deep second to save a possible extra base hit. Catcher Brett Carey tagged out runner after chasing down an errant throw.
Offense:
Eight out of nine batters reached base safely with seven of nine scoring runs. The trio of Brett, Payton Lathrop & Spencer Bowman led the way by all reaching base safely in each of their three at bats.
Coach Craig's Comments:
Even though we were shorthanded, as we only had 9 out of our 13 roster players, we were still able to have a chance to win at the end. That's all a coach could ask for. We have nothing to feel sorry for after a loss like this.
Mustangs Come Out On Top:
Tues 5/20; Mustangs 15, Blazers 7 (2-10 overall; 2-5 division)
Game Summary:
After winning the night before, the Blazers fell behind early and were never able to come back and catch the top level Mustangs.
Pitching:
Jackson Flynn started and pitched 3 1/3 innings of great baseball. He also showed great resilience in overcoming an inning where we needed six chances to make three outs. Hank Mitchell pitched a scoreless 2/3 of an inning in relief. There were nine strikeouts total. Jackson made 8 and Hank had the other.
Defense:
Catcher Brett Carey tracked down an errant pitch in time to tag out a Mustang trying to steal home. Hank made a great unassisted play of a grounder while manning 1b. He also made a great fielding play of a grounder while pitching and threw out the runner to Jackson at 1b. Auggie Lange added a great play of a groundball at 2b and threw the runner out to 1b Hank.
Offense:
9 out of 11 batters reached base safely and 6 out of 11 scored runs. Auggie led the way reaching base safely in 3 at bats and scoring twice. Jackson, Will Benkelman & Calvin Koch all scorched singles to left field.
Coach Craig's Comments:
Tonight was another game where we had a great chance to win the game but once again we just were one big inning of hitting from getting it.
A First For The Blazers:
Catcher Andrew Miller lost a contact and was unable to continue catching. At least six of us looked for it around home plate but we all came up empty.
BLAZERS WIN AGAIN:
Mon 5/19; Blazers 14, Bulldogs 13 (2-9 overall; 2-5 division)
Game Summary:
After being ahead the entire game, the boys in blue decided to make it exciting at the end by allowing the Bulldogs to tie it up in the top of the 5th. The strategy worked as the Blazers were able to push across the winning run in the bottom of the frame as the two hour game limit expired.
Pitching:
Alex Craig pitched the maximum limit of four innings while giving up six runs, striking out four and walking only three. He also helped himself with his defense by fielding three groundballs and throwing out the runners to first baseman Hank Mitchell.
Defense:
Besides Alex, as noted above, Daniel Bryant caught a fly ball in center and then made a perfect throw to 3rd baseman Andrew Miller and doubled up the runner trying to score for the double play. Auggie Lange fielded a hot grounder while playing 2nd and then threw to Hank at 1b for the out. Will Benkelman, Blake Hoffman & Auggie each caught flyballs as well as they manned 2nd, 3rd & SS respectively.
Offense:
The game winning hit was made by Will after Daniel singled and stole two bases. But once again it was a solid team effort all around as 11 out of 12 batters reached base safely and 9 out of 12 scored runs.
Coach Craig's Comments:
I don't think this is the reason that we won, but I promised the other coaches that I wouldn't be as vocal during the game. I may now have to act like that every game since we won. The only down side of the evening was that I got to see the Royals finish getting no-hit by the Red Sox when I returned home from our victory.
Cyclones Even Season Series At One Game A Piece:
Thu 5/15; Cyclones 20, Blazers 10 (1-9 overall; 1-5 division)
Game Summary:
After being shut out in the top of the first inning. The Blazers then gave up the maximum seven in the bottom half of the frame. They then found that they had dug themselves into too big of hole and could not come back before the two hour deadline had passed.
Pitching:
Jackson Flynn settled down after a shaky first for a scoreless second. Alex Craig & Auggie Lange were relievers. Auggie set a new team record of four strikeouts in one of his innings pitched.
Defense:
The play of the game had to be the nontraditional 8-6-5 double play. With the bases loaded and one out, the Cyclones batter hit a fly ball to centerfielder Payton Lathrop who caught it and then threw it to relay man Alex at shortstop who in turn threw it to third basemen Calvin Koch to force out the runner who had run home before tagging up.
Offense:
It was a solid team effort as 12 out of 13 batters reached base safely.
Coach Craig's Comments:
As usual, the boys didn't seem to get down on themselves after falling behind early.
Blazers Lose With Class:
Mon 5/12; Jets 28, Blazers 1 (1-8 overall; 1-4 division)
Game Summary:
A tough night for the boys in blue as they faced their second toughest challenge of the season to date.
Defense:
Payton Lathrop made a great play of a hard hit ball while playing second.
Offense:
Auggie Lange scored after walking, stealing two bases and then scored on a groundout by Calvin Koch. Brett Carey, Daniel Bryant & Spencer Bowman all got hit by pitches but it wasn't enough to generate any additional offense. Even though we had runners in every inning we were only able to push across that lone run in the fourth inning.
Coach Craig's Comments:
Tonight was a good night to "Lose with class" as our team was taught. We will "Win with class" in the future.
Upbeat Blazers Show Great Sportsmanship in Defeat:
Fri 5/9; U9 Rebels 26, Blazers 1 (1-7 overall; 1-4 division)
Game Summary:
After getting down early the boys never got down on themselves, however the Rebels pitchers never let them attempt any sort of come back either.
Pitching:
Calvin Koch made his pitching debut.
Defense:
The centerfield tagteam of Daniel Bryant & Payton Lathrop each made two great catches of deep fly balls. Payton and Kyle Sadosky each made great plays of groundballs during their first stints playing second. Shortstop Alex Craig made two superb plays of hard groundballs.
Offense:
Alex scored the only run after walking, stealing two bases and then scoring on a sacrifice by Andrew Miller. Calvin & Andrew had singles in the 4th and 5th repsectively for our only hits of the game.
Coach Craig's Comments:
As I watched the game I could not tell that we were losing by listening to our players. They were very upbeat in the dugout, even louder than the opposing team, in my opinion anyway. I'm really proud of the boys for this.
Third Time's Not A Charm:
Thu 5/8; Scorpions 28, Blazers 16 (1-6 overall; 1-4 division)
Game Summary:
For the first time against the Scorpions we were the home team but it wasn't enough as our pitching and defense did not come through. The hitting was another story by having a 13 hit attack and all 12 players reaching base safely.
Pitching & Defense:
Pitcher Alex Craig picked off a runner to Hank Mitchell at 1st base. Auggie Lange had a great catch of a fly ball while playing shortstop.
Offense:
Alex was 3-3 with two singles and a double while scoring three times. Auggie reached base and scored three times on two singles and a walk. Jackson Flynn scored three runs after getting hit by a pitch and stroking two singles. Andrew Miller beat out an infield single and also hustled home on a wild pitch. Kyle Sadosky walked twice and had a ball hit him in the head after hitting his arm or vice versa. Calvin Koch hit two sharp singles. Blake Hoffman, Brett Carey & Spencer Bowman all hit sharp singles and scored runs as well. Daniel Bryant, Payton Lathrop & Hank each got free passes to first base.
Coach Craig's Comments:
Tonight was, by far, our best hitting night of the year. If we can just put all three phases of the game together (pitching, defense & hitting) we'll win games.
Score Does Not Reflect Play:
Mon 5/5; Monarchs 13, Blazers 1 (1-5 overall; 1-3 division)
Game Summary:
In a game where the pitching and defense shined, the bats did not.
Pitching:
Jackson Flynn pitched the first three innings striking out three and helping himself with three putouts to Hank Mitchell at first and snagging a line drive. Alex Craig pitched the final frame striking out one and catching a high fly ball for the final out.
Defense:
Other plays than what was noted above by Alex & Jackson... Alex started the game off with a snag of a line drive while playing short. Hank had an unassisted play of a grounder at first. Daniel Bryant had two great plays in holding the Monarchs to long singles in the outfield. And finally, Payton Lathrop had a great stop at second with a strong throw to Hank to get the out at first.
Offense:
While the pitching and defense had great nights, unfortunately the hitting didn't. The only run of the night for the Blazers was scored on a bases loaded walk by Kyle Sadosky in the top of the fifth.
Coach Craig's Comments:
If the boys can play the rest of the games like they did tonight, we should be able to win some when we play teams in our division again.
Rough Riders Victorious In Win:
Wed 4/30; Rough Riders 19, Blazers 10 (1-4 overall; 1-3 division):
Game Summary:
The Rough Riders bats found a lot of holes in the Blazers defense and scored 6, 6 & 7 runs in their 3 innings of hitting.
Pitching:
Jackson Flynn pitched the first two innings and struck out four and Alex Craig pitched one inning and struck out one.
Defense:
Calvin Koch made a great one handed catch in left.
Offense:
Calvin also had a perfect hitting night going 3 for 3 with two singles and a double. Andrew Miller also scorched a single to left.
Coach Craig's Comments:
This was a game that we could have won if only we were able to avoid scoreless innings with our bats.
The Bats Came Alive But It Wasn't Enough:
Mon 4/28; Scorpions 22, Blazers 12 (1-3 overall; 1-3 division):
Game Summary:
The bats came alive but it wasn't enough as the Scorpions scored the maximum 7 runs in consecutive innings to put the game out of reach for the boys in blue.
Pitching:
The pitching staff was well used as Auggie Lange, Andrew Miller, Hank Mitchell, Daniel Bryant & Calvin Koch each took turns on the bump.
Defense:
The defense was superb. Will Benkelman snagged a long fly ball in left. Auggie made a couple of great fielding plays on ground balls. One when he was playing shortstop and the other when he was stationed at second base. Jackson Flynn also tagged out a runner after fielding a ball during his debut at shortstop.
Offense:
Jackson led the way with a deep line drive to right for a triple in the first. He also had a single in the third. Not to be outdone by teammate Will's previous efforts, Daniel was hit by a pitch twice in the same game. Speed was also shown tonight as Auggie stretched a single to right into a double and Andrew legged out an infield single.
Coach Craig's Comments:
Even though the outcome wasn't a win for the boys, they all seemed to have fun. We can all learn something from the attitudes of these kids.
It Was A Close Game Except For The Final Score:
Sun 4/27; Scorpions 12, Blazers 4 (1-2 overall; 1-2 division):
Game Summary:
The game was a nail biter at 5-4 until the Scorpions scored the maximum of seven runs as time ran out on the Blazers as they lost 12-4.
Pitching:
Jackson Flynn & Alex Craig combined to hold the opposition its lowest run total so far this year. Alex even held the Scorpions scoreless in the the third after Jackson pitched two strong innings of his own.
Defense:
Hank Mitchell showed some strong glove skills with two unassisted putouts at first. Calvin Koch showed some leather with a spectacular stop at third and great instincts with his tag of the advancing runner. Andrew Miller also did great in his first turn at catcher this season.
Offense:
The Blazers bats were relatively quiet as they were held to their lowest run total so far this season. Brett Carey did have a strong single to right and once again Auggie Lange used his speed for another single. Daniel Bryant also showed his speed on a steal of home.
Coach Craig's Comments:
I'm glad that the boys were swinging the bat when they could, instead of looking for a walk or watching third strikes.
Blazers Lose Close One For First Loss:
Wed 4/16; Bulldogs 18, Blazers 17 (1-1 overall; 1-1 division):
Game Summary:
The top of what turned out to be the final inning found the Blazers down by seven. Most of the players then put on their rally caps and as usual, the rally caps worked. The Blazers scored seven and would have probably scored more if there wasn't a seven run per inning rule in place. In the bottom of the inning with the score tied the Bulldogs put together a rally of their own and scored the winning run to end the game.
Pitching:
Hank Mitchell, Alex Craig, Daniel Bryant & Auggie Lange combined on a great pitching effort. Alex even struck out the side during his one inning of work.
Defense:
Auggie Lange & Calvin Koch caught consecutive fly balls in the bottom of the third. Brett Carey shined behind the plate in his first game as a Blazer catcher after missing the season opener.
Offense:
Once again Will "The Ball Magnet" Benkelman took one for the team as he was hit by a pitch in the top of the second, this time in the back. Hank Mitchell also ran out of his shoes on a strong slide into home for a run. Payton Lathrop & Spencer Bowman both worked pitchers for walks with the bases loaded and two outs to tie the score.
Coach Craig's Comments:
At least to me it was a disappointing loss in my head coaching turn for the traveling Coach Flynn but a team had to lose and we lost a close one just like we won a close one in our first game. I was also real proud of the boys as they came back to tie the game when they could of just given up and let the Bulldogs win an easy one and not make it a nail biter like they did.
Blazers Win Opener:
Mon 4/14; Blazers 16, Cyclones 15 (1-0 overall; 1-0 division):
Game Summary:
As the last inning started the Blazers found themselves down by five but rallied to score seven runs in the frame as they chased a Cyclones pitcher to an early shower. In the bottom of the inning with the game on the line the Blazers defense came through with two strikeouts by Auggie Lange and he then coaxed a high fly ball to end the game to shortstop Alex Craig.
Pitching:
Jackson Flynn, Andrew Miller & Auggie Lange combined for a one hitter.
Defense:
The defense was strong when needed. Daniel Bryant, new to the DCABA style of play, and Alex had superb fielding plays. Calvin Koch, Blake Hoffman & Hank Mitchell did great in their first turns as catchers as well.
Offense:
The first hit of the season belonged to Kyle Sadosky after he hit a rope down the third base line. Other hitting stars included Auggie & Jackson. Will Benkelman even took one for the team as he was hit by a pitch in the top of the third.
Coach Craig's Comments:
All in all it was a good team effort by the Blazers as they started their inaugural season.
Build It by Field Of Dreams