2005 Champions-Underdogs
                                   
Bottom Row-(Left to Right)-Manager Ken Elbaor, Jim Galvan, Rey Mirabel, Mike Martinez & Jim Puplava
Top Row-(Left to Right)-Rick Doubek, John Melko, Leo Olmos, Uriel Olmos, Jim Taylor, John Jacobson & Larry Triplett
Not Pictured: Tony Perez, Darrin Andrews & Darren Kopac

All 2005 Playoff Game Summaries Below-Including The Underdogs Ride To The Title 
                                  
         The Underdogs Win The 2005 Championship

  Stingers 6 Yaquis 2 

 The playoffs got underway on Saturday morning (October 8th) with a game between the Yaquis & the Stingers. The Yaquis got on the board in the top of the first when Rich Budziak singled, Joe Zega followed with a single, & then Jose Haro drove in Budziak with a single. The Stingers came right back in their half of the first when Tom Warren walked & then Ron Hanrahan homered. The Stingers got another run in the 3rd when Dan Connolly homered. It was 3 to 1 Stingers in the top of the fifth when the Yaquis scored as Lee Gomez doubled home Rick Diaz with what turned out to be the last run the Yaquis would score for the season. The Stingers added some insurance runs in the bottom of the 6th when Tom Warren walked again, Dan Connolly then hit his second homer of the day to make it 5 to 2, Ron Hanrahan then singled, Parish Green doubled to move Hanrahan to 3rd, then Kevin Krolak got a hit to drive in Hanrahan for the final run of the game. For the Stingers, Ron Hanrahan got the win as he pitched 4 innings while giving up 1 earned run, Kevin Krolak came on to toss 3 innings and gave up 1 run. For the Yaquis, Bill "Chili" Kocinski took the loss as he pitched 4 innings and gave up 3 runs, while Lee Gomez tossed 2 innings and surrendered 3 earned runs. The Yaquis season came to an end but not before they made a good comeback to their season with 4 wins in their last 5 regular season games after starting out the year a disastrous 0 and 9.

  Dirtbags 15 Mudcats 3
 
The Dirtbags blasted the Mudcats in the second game of the day on Saturday afternoon (October 8th) by a score of 15 to 3. The Mudcats opened the scoring in the top of the first when John Jacobs singled, then stole second and Jacobs then came around to score (on good old fashioned hustle) on an infield hit by Brian Dorian. The Dirtbags came back in their half of the 1st when Todd Yonkers walked, Chris Klein singled, Ron Sellers walked to load the bases, Gary Grunhardt then drove in Yonkers with a single, Jack Zylstra walked to drive in Klein, and after Billy Delis struck out, Kevin Ahern grounded out to second to drive in the third run of the inning, Kevin McLaughlin then doubled in Grunhardt & Zylstra, Kevin Hodgson singled to put runners on first & third, then Russ Holman doubled in McLaughlin, and when Frank Murphy was safe on an error, the Dirtbags had scored 7 runs to lead the game 7 to 1. The Dirtbags scored 3 more runs in the second when Klein & Sellers both singled after 2 were out, then Gary Grunhardt hit a 3 run blast to center field. The Mudcats got 2 runs back in the 4th when Ed Rozek led off with a walk, Tom Peloquin & Bill Warren both singled, Fred Roche then drove in Rozek with a sacrifice fly, then Ron Kirk drove in Peloquin with a base hit. The Dirtbags got those runs back in their half of the 4th when Jimmy "Emmo" Emerson singled and came home on a 2 run homer by Chris Klein. The Dirtbags then put the game away in the 6th when Russ Holman walked, Frank Murphy was safe on an error, Mike Kopec walked to load the bases, Emerson walked to drive in Holman, Klein singled to drive in Murphy, and it was game, set, and match when Ron Sellers singled to drive in Kopec. Ron Sellers got the win as he pitched 3 innings, giving up 1 run, Gary Grunhardt tossed 3 innings, and gave up 2 runs. For the Mudcats, Bill Warren took the loss as he pitched 4 innings and Tom Peloquin came on to throw 2 innings. It was a disappointing end to the season for the Mudcats as they started out well, but a few of their players at the end of the season could only be found on the back of milk cartons.
 
  Stingers 8 Aztecs 5

On Sunday morning (October 9th) the Stingers eliminated the Aztecs by a score of 8 to 5. The Stingers jumped on the Aztecs right away in the top of the 1st as Dan Connolly & Ron Hanrahan both singled and after a passed ball, Gabe Ochoa drove in 2 runs with a base hit, Parish Green then was safe after an error by Aztecs shortstop Dan McGreal which brought in Ochoa with the Stingers third run of the inning. The Aztecs got 1 run back in the first when Tom Kocanda singled and stole second and then scored on a catcher's error. The Aztecs scored 1 more in the second when Paul Jedlicka led off with a hit and then the 6' 7" gentle giant promptly stole second & third before scoring on an infield grounder (which subsequently was muffed by the Stingers second sacker) by Billy Fear. The Stingers made it 4 to 2 in the 3rd when after 2 were out, Dan Connolly & Ron Hanrahan both walked and Tom Warren (who was running for Connolly) scored when Aztecs second basemen Billy Fear threw wildly to first on a grounder by Gabe Ochoa. The Aztecs scored in the 3rd when shortstop Kevin Krolak made an error on Jim Shanahan's grounder and after Shanahan stole second, Tom Kocanda drove in Shanahan with a single. The Stingers then scored 2 more in the 4th to make it 6 to 3 when leadoff hitter Kevin Krolak singled and stole second and scored on a RBI hit by Ed Peloza, after an out, Bill Gibson Jr. singled, then Steve Barba drove in Peloza with a sharp single. In the Aztecs 4th, after 1 out, Joe Malkowski singled and promptly stole second & third before coming home on skipper Bob Sierzega's RBI grounder to second. In this see saw affair, the Stingers made it 8 to 4 in the 5th when after 2 were out Ron Hanrahan got a hit and Gabe Ochoa then smashed a 2 run homer for his 3rd & 4th RBI's of the game. The Aztecs scored their final run of the season when Johnny Curran was safe on an error, and after Curran stole second, he then scored on a single by Dorian Minor. For the Stingers, Ron Hanrahan got the win as he pitched 4 innings, giving up 4 runs but only 2 were earned, and Kevin Krolak threw 3 innings and gave up 1 earned run. For the Aztecs, Paul "Ebb" Jedlicka took the loss as he gave up 6 runs with 4 of them being earned and Dan McGreal came on to toss the last couple of innings. For The Aztecs, it was a good season as they came back from an 0 and 3 start to become a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season.
 
Underdogs 10 Dirtbags 4
 
The Underdogs beat the Dirtbags on Sunday afternoon (October 9th) by a score of 10 to 4. The Underdogs struck first in the bottom of the 2nd when Rey Mirabel led off with a line drive homer over the left field fence . The Dirtbags came back with 2 runs in the top of the third when after 1 out, Jim Emerson was safe on a dropped third strike by catcher Rey Mirabel, Todd Yonkers then singled, Chris Klein then drove in Emerson with a RBI single, sending Yonkers to third, Yonkers then scored on a RBI ground out to second by Ron Sellers. It was 2 to 1 Dirtbags until the Underdogs half of the 4th when Larry Triplett greeted Dirtbags reliever Gary Grunhardt with a leadoff single and after Jimmy Galvan flied to center, manager Ken Elbaor then doubled home Triplett, and after Jim Puplava grounded out to second, Rey Mirabel blasted his second homer of the day, a 2 run shot to deep center field. Mike Martinez then was safe on an error by Dirtbags shortstop Chris Klein, Uriel Olmos singled, and Martinez then scored on a RBI hit by Rick Doubek. In the 6th, the Underdogs blew the game open as Jimmy Galvan hit a hustling triple after 1 out, Ken Elbaor singled to drive in Galvan, Jimmy Puplava singled to drive in Elbaor, and after Puplava was picked off by Grunhardt, Rey Mirabel started the merry go round again by getting a hit, Chris Klein then came in to pitch for the Dirtbags, Klein was greeted by a base hit by Mike Martinez, then Uriel Olmos smacked a 3 run homer to right center to make it 10 to 2 Underdogs. The Dirtbags had one last gasp on their season as Russ Holman walked after 1 out, Kevin McLaughlin then hit his first home run of the season to make the final score 10 to 4. When Mike Kopec grounded out to Underdogs third basemen Rick Doubek it ended a rather disappointing season for the Dirtbags. After a promising 5 and 2 start the Dirtbags slumped badly. A combination of some key fielding miscues and the bottom of the lineup that struggled offensively, it is quite clear what did in "The Over The Hill Gang". For the Underdogs, Leo Olmos got the win as he went 4 innings while giving up 2 unearned runs, Jimmy Puplava tossed 3 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. For the Dirtbags, Gary Grunhardt took the loss in relief in his 2+ innings, starting pitcher Ron Sellers went 3 innings giving up 1 earned run, and Chris Klein gave up 2 earned runs in his inning of work. 

Game 1 Of The Finals

  Stingers 14 Underdogs 9

On Saturday (October 15th) in game 1 of the finals the Stingers came out and shocked and stunned the favored Underdogs and especially starter Leo Olmos with 6 runs in the 1st and 5 more in the 2nd. Olmos was knocked out by the potent Stingers offense after only 1 2/3 innings of work. This day would turn out to be a wild and memorable and wind blowing out kind of day for the cozy field in Hegewisch. The onslaught started with the first batter in the game as Tommy Warren hit a line drive over the left field fence for an early Stingers lead. One out later, Ron Hanrahan got one up in the air and suddenly it was 2 to 0. After Gabe Ochoa went down swinging for the second out, Dan Connolly walked, Ed Peloza singled, Bill Gibson Jr. then singled home Connolly with the 3rd run of the inning and when Underdogs catcher Rey Mirabel threw wildly to first on a dropped third strike from Bill Gibson Sr., the Stingers had their 4th run, Steve Barba then walked, Eldon Rosine followed with a hit for the 5th run, then Levi Triplett drove in the 6th run with a hit before Kevin McWoodson ended the inning by grounding out to the mound. The Stingers had batted around. In the bottom of the first, the Underdogs got right back in the game as Jimmy Galvan singled and stole second before the skipper, Kenny Elbaor, smashed a 2 run homer, still with nobody out, Jimmy Puplava singled sharply and he promptly stole second, Rey Mirabel smashed an RBI double and just like that the Underdogs had cut the lead in half at 6 to 3. Stingers starter Ron Hanrahan then got Mike Martinez and Uriel Olmos to fly out before Rick Doubek solved Hanrahan for an RBI double to make it 6 to 4. In the top of the 2nd, Olmos had 2 outs before the roof caved in. Ron Hanrahan hit his 2nd home run in as many innings, Gabe Ochoa singled, Connolly walked again, Peloza added an RBI single, and when Bill Gibson Jr. belted a monster 3 run homer, Leo Olmos disastrous day on the hill was mercifully over. The veteran southpaw, Jim Puplava took the mound for the Dogs. The game slowed down a bit until the top of the 4th when the Stingers got to Puplava. After a nifty 6-4-3 double play turned by the Underdogs, Gabe Ochoa belted a solo homer, Dan Connolly walked for the 3rd straight time, then Eddie Peloza joined the home run parade with a 2 run shot. The score now going into the bottom of the 4th, Stingers 14 Underdogs 4. The Underdogs got 2 back in the 4th when Larry Triplett singled home Rick Doubek and Jimmy Taylor. The Underdogs had one more rally in them. In the 5th, Puplava, Martinez, and Uriel Olmos all walked against Stingers reliever, Kevin Krolak. 2 runs came in when after a fielders choice on Rick Doubek, the return throw to first was wild and 2 runs came in. The Underdogs last run of game 1 was driven in on a double by John Jacobson. Final: Stingers 14 Underdogs 9. Ron Hanrahan got the win and got help in relief by Kevin Krolak. Leo Olmos took the loss and Jim Puplava did well in relief of Olmos. 

Game 2 

Underdogs 24 Stingers 10

The Underdogs who dropped game 1 of the doubleheader to the Stingers, came out fired up and smoked the Stingers by a score of 24 to 10. The Underdogs scored 8 in the 1st and followed that up with 7 more in the 2nd and never looked back in this one. In the 1st, the Underdogs got RBI's from Rey Mirabel & Mike Martinez & Uriel Olmos hit a 3 run homer & John Jacobson followed that up with a 2 run homer. The Stingers would not go quietly into the night as Ron Hanrahan hit a 2 run homer and Ed Peloza also hit a 2 run bomb in the 1st. In the top of the 2nd, the Underdogs got a solo homer from Jimmy Galvan, an RBI hit from Mike Martinez, & 2 RBI hits each from Jimmy Taylor & John Melko & a hit from Larry Triplett. In the bottom of the 2nd for the Stingers, Eldon Rosine & Kevin McWoodson reached base & were driven home by a 3 run homer off the bat of Tom Warren. In the 3rd for the Underdogs, Rey Mirabel drove home Ken Elbaor with a sacrifice fly. In the 4th, the Underdogs put the game away against Stingers reliever Dan Connolly who was his own worst enemy. He walked 3 & committed 2 balks and gave up RBI hits to Jim Galvan & Leo Olmos & gave up 5 runs. In the 5th, Uriel Olmos hit his second 3 run homer of the game to close out the scoring for the Underdogs. In their half of the 5th, the Stingers got an RBI single from Ron Hanrahan & a 2 run homer by Gabe Ochoa & that was all for the Stingers. Kevin Krolak started and took the loss for the Stingers as he was sent to the showers early on in this one. Steve Barba & Dan Connolly came on and tossed in relief with not much success for the Stingers. Jim Puplava got the win as he started for the Underdogs, and he was followed in relief by Jim Galvan & Mike Martinez. 

   The Underdogs Win The Championship in Game 3
 
Underdogs 10 Stingers 2
 
The Underdogs won the championship on a crisp but beautiful Sunday morning (October 16th) in game 3 behind the solid pitching of Mike Martinez & John Jacobson. This game was played in stark contrast to yesterdays games as there was hardly any wind to speak of as opposed to Saturday when the wind was blowing out a gale. The Underdogs, after losing the first game of the series, came back to win games 2 & 3 to take the title. This game was a good one until the bottom of the 4th when the Underdogs scored 5 runs to blow the game open. The Underdogs scored first on an unearned run when leadoff hitter Jimmy Galvan was safe on an error, he then stole second, then when the throw was muffed by Stingers second baseman Bill Gibson Jr., Galvan then took third. Galvan then scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Jim Puplava. The Underdogs led 1 to 0 until the 4th inning, when they finally got to Stingers starting pitcher, Ron Hanrahan, who had pitched well until that point. The Underdogs last hitter Leo Olmos led off with a single and then stole second, Jimmy Galvan drove in Olmos with a double, and after manager Kenny Elbaor was hit by a pitch, Jim Puplava drove in Galvan with a single, then clean up hitter Rey Mirabel walked to load the bases, Mike Martinez followed with a sacrifice fly to score Elbaor, Uriel Olmos hit into a fielders choice for the second out of the inning, Rick Doubek walked to reload the bases, then John Jacobson drove in 2 runs with a sharp single and the Underdogs had scored 5 runs to open up a 6 to 0 lead after 4 innings. The Stingers mounted one last attack for the season. In the top of the 6th, Eddie Peloza led off with a single and was followed up by a solid hit from Antonio Underwood, and after a great battle at the plate with Underdogs reliever John Jacobson, in which he fouled off 8 straight pitches, Stingers manager Bill Gibson Jr. drove in the final 2 runs of the year with a line shot to left to score Peloza & Underwood. The Underdogs then really put the game on ice in the 6th as Jimmy Galvan hit his 2nd triple of the postseason to lead off, Elbaor followed with an RBI single, then Jim Puplava followed with what turned out to be the last homer of the Hegewisch season, a 2 run shot. Uriel Olmos got a hit and stole second, and scored when Rick Doubek was safe on an error. The game and the 2005 season ended when Jacobson got Stingers veteran Kevin Krolak to foul out to Underdogs veteran 3B Rick Doubek and the Underdogs then celebrated their title. For The Underdogs, Mike Martinez got the win as he pitched 4 shutout innings, and John Jacobson followed up Martinez great effort with 3 innings while giving up 2 runs. Ron Hanrahan, although he pitched well, took the loss for the Stingers as he pitched 4 innings, and Kevin Krolak followed with 2 innings pitched. Congratulations go out to manager Ken Elbaor and his Underdogs as he took a bunch of new players to the league and got them to play as a team as he led the club to the title. Congratulations also go out to the Stingers and skipper Bill Gibson Jr. as they did themselves proud in giving the Underdogs all they could handle in the finals and also on a fine season. And of course, a special thank you goes out to the man that makes it all happen, and makes everything special, thanks Eldon Rosine. 

                                  

        American League 17 National League 11


The American League All-Stars beat the National League All-Stars last Saturday (Sept. 24) at the U.S. Steel Field in Gary, In. by a score of 17 to 11. The Nationals actually led this game as they scored 5 runs in the second inning that was highlighted by a booming double by Eddie Peloza. The Americans fought back with 3 in the 3rd and then 6 more in the 4th before the Nationals came back with 4 runs in their half of the fourth to knot the game up at 9. The bottom of the 4th was highlighted by the monster 2 run homer to left by All-Star MVP Joe Zega that temporarily tied the game at 9 apiece. The Americans then blew the game open with 4 in the 5th, 1 in the 6th, and 3 more in the 7th. The Nationals could only manage single runs in the 6th and 7th innings for the final outcome. The American League was led offensively by Chris Klein, Tom Kocanda, Ron Sellers, Mike Martinez, Gary Grunhardt, and John Jacobson who all had 2 hits each. Also for the Americans, Jimmy Galvan reached base 3 times, while Todd Yonkers, Jack Zylstra, and Joe Gagen all reached base twice. John Jacobson got the win in relief as he pitched a scoreless 5th inning. Ron Sellers, Rey Mirabel, Paul Jedlicka, Gary Grunhardt, Dan McGreal, Mike Martinez, and Jacobson all tossed an inning each for the American League. While Tom Peloquin, Ron Hanrahan, Jose Haro, and Jimmy Warren all pitched for the National League, with Hanrahan suffering the loss. The National League was led offensively by MVP Joe Zega who had an RBI single in the second inning and that booming 2 run homer in the 4th. Also for the Nationals, Brian Dorian, Dan Connolly, Ed Rozek, Tom Peloquin, Ed Peloza, and Rich Budziak all reached base twice safely. All in all it was a good game and a good time for all that were there. Thanks to the Railcats and all that were involved for this wonderful event.
 
If you would like to check out some of the summaries of this years past games all you have to do is click on the schedules icon over to the left and click on that and then go to a score of any game and click on the score and then a box score of the game will come up, then scroll down beneath the box score and you can read that games summary. If a score is not there presently keep coming back to the site because it will be there shortly.

If you would like to check out some of last years summaries, teams , or standings all you have to do is click on any of those 3 things ( summaries, teams, standings ) and when the next screen comes up, then look over to the right upper corner where it says select season, click on that drop down box and then click on summer 2004 where you can find information on what happened last year. Not all games have summaries to them but alot of them do. To View the league or team schedule click below League schedule Yaquis schedule Mgr. Henry Gonzales Mudcats schedule Mgr. Bill Warren Aztecs schedule Mgr. Bob Sierzega Stingers schedule Mgr. Bill Gibson Jr. Underdogs schedule Mgr. Ken Elbaor Dirtbags schedule Mgr. Kevin Hodgson Someone You Should Know So that was the file. Stay tuned because we will feature a player a week until the start of the next Hegewisch Baseball season. Click on the Links Icon to your left and you will see all the 28, 30, 35, 38, & 48 & over leagues in the Chicagoland area. The official league rules are now available in word format at the bottom of the page or click on handouts on the left. Eldon Rosine's E-Mail Address has changed to: ERosine@Comcast.Net The Field Looks Lonely In The Off Season I'll Be Home For Christmas Tuesday, June 28 Team Rosters - Click Here The New 30's Hegewisch Baseball View Our Guestbook | Sign Our Guestbook 254 visitors have signed our guestbook.