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Last updated
04-01-08 09:05 AM
Chesterfield Tigers
Dave Luethy
Chesterfield, Missouri

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Website for Dave Luethy's 2007 12U Chesterfield Tigers boys baseball team.

Monday, May 21
Tigers Split Weekend Pair
The Chesterfield 12U Tigers split a pair of weekend games, coming out on top 14-13 vs. the Blue Devils Saturday, and then dropped a 18-3 crushing on Sunday.

"I was pleased with how the boys fought back on Saturday," said Coach Dave. "We spotted them 7 runs right off the bat due to an error or two, plus a few tough walks, but they hung on, chipped away at the lead, and then pulled it out at the end."

Andrew Keller's rough first inning was followed up by a 12 pitch, 3-K gem in the second. "Three-up three-down, with three strike-outs on 12 pitches - can't get much more efficient than that." Andrew shut out the Devils again in the third, thanks to a stellar unassisted double play at third by Ethan Sherertz. "Great play by Ethan to (a) make the catch, and then (b) have the awareness and hustle to beat the runner back to the bag. Andrew owes him an ice cream."

John Pappas delivered another steady game at first, including a great hustling catch to stifle a late rally. "If John doesn't make that catch, they go on to have a big inning. That catch set us up to for the chance to win."

Reliever Josh Smith once again provided two well pitched innings to keep the Tigers within reach of the opponents. "Josh has great concentration and control, and spots his pitches really well. He's stepped up and become a great closer for us."

Sam Luethy then did some stepping up of his own in the bottom of the sixth, raking the first pitch he saw into the left field gap and driving in a streaking Josh Smith all the way from first. "Sam had a once-in-a-lifetime day - 3 for 3, 3 doubles, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI, including the walk-off game winner. It was great to see Sam get his stroke going. He was seeing the ball very well."

Tim Brownlee also busted out with 2 key singles of his own. "Tim's stroke is coming around too - we'll need more hits like those from him."

The Tigers followed that exciting win with a relatively flat performance the following day. "I was very optimistic coming into that game - we had lost by 1 and tied the Comets in our prior two contests - I was hoping for a better result." But it was not to be.

After a strong 1st inning by hurler Matt Ludwig, the Comets busted out their hitting sticks for a 7 run second, and never looked back. "Matt did what we asked - throw strikes. The Comets found their timing and managed to hit it hard a few times, and right to where we weren't. They would have beaten anyone in our division today, with hitting like that."

John Pappas continued his steady first base play, and added a 1-for-2 day with an RBI and run scored to go with it.

The Tigers have 2 weeks before their next game on Friday June 1. "We have lots of winnable games left - we still have a great chance to finish above 0.500 for the season, which would be a great turnaround story."

Sunday, May 13
Tigers Kiss Their Sisters - 12-12 vs Comets
Playing their best all-around game this season, the Tigers fought back from an early deficit to eke out a 12-12 tie in a time-limited game this past Saturday.

"We had a rough first inning in the field, and had to play catch-up from there," said Coach Dave. "But once we found our groove and maintained our concentration we played very well."

John Pappas gave the Tigers three mistake free innings at first base in his first attempt at that position this season. "Its critical that the infielders have confidence in their first baseman, so that they can get off a good strong throw. John stepped in and filled that role perfectly today."

Sam Bruns rally-snuffing line drive snare in the bottom of the fourth ensured the Tigers had a chance to pull this one out. "Great heads up play by Sam," said Coach Dave.

At the plate, Youssef Younis stood out once again, going 2 for 3 with two runs scored. "Youssef has bumped his average up to 0.500 for the season, which is a credit to how he has matured as a ball player. He is the best example we have on the Tigers of someone playing within their ability, and making the best of what he can do." Youssef also contributed with a great snare at shortstop in the third inning that held the Comet hitter to an infield single, but more importantly prevented 2 runs from scoring.

Sam Hurwitz also continued his clutch hitting with a 2-RBI 2 out single to help the Tigers max-out at seven runs in the fourth. "Once again, Sam stepped up. He's our most consistent and dependable hitter."

On the mound, Andrew Keller's numbers were not indicative of how well he pitched. "The infield let him down in the first inning - Andrew had to work his way through about 4 extra would-be outs that inning. But - he maintained his composure, went about his business, and pitched well. He only gave up 2 more runs over the following two innings, and that was huge for us."

The Tigers resume play this weekend, prior to the Memorial Day break. "We'll finally get a chance to look at a different team this weekend. I'm sure that if we play as well this weekend as we did today, we'll have another good chance for a win."

Monday, April 30
Fielding Woes Sink Tigers
The Chesterfield Tigers dropped a pair of games this weekend that, other days, they would have had very real chances of winning. "The scores don't tell the true story for either of these games," according to Coach Dave. "A few plays here and there, a ball a few inches left or right, and we were right there."

Friday night the Tigers dropped a 17-1 mercy-shortened game to the Silver-Division 1st place team. They returned Sunday afternoon, and fought the division rival Bulldogs hard until the last inning, eventually falling 19-7.

Coach Dave was most pleased with the Tiger's aggressive batting performance for the weekend. "We had 44 plate appearances, combined, for these two games, and only drew 9 walks. That is a great sign - the boys are up there taking their cuts. Those nine walks go with only 8 total strikeouts, which means we're putting the ball in play nearly two-thirds of the time. That is a huge improvement over past years."

Hitting stars for the weekend including Youssef Younis' 2-for--3 on Sunday, with an RBI and a run scored. "Youssef bears down, and slaps the ball in play, Ichiro style. That's a perfect strategy for him and his ability." Sam Hurwitz hot streak continued with a 2 for 3 on Sunday, including a double, an RBI and a run scored. "Sam has great focus at the plate - the other players should learn from what Sam does." Sam Luethy also broke out of his season-starting slump with an RBI double of his own.

Tim Petersen's long run-scoring triple led a strong comeback on Sunday, that kept the game competitive until late.

Friday's hitting stats are not impressive, however what's not shown is how the Tiger's hitters stepped up and were aggressive against two hard-throwing pitchers. "In our next-to-last at-bat on Friday we went three-up-three-down, however all three outs were consecutive long fly balls to outfielders. On other days those would have been extra-base hits, but we just happened to hit them right to their fielders. That won't always happen."

The pitching staff also saw some key performances. "Andrew, Matt, Ethan and Josh. That's a solid staff for a relatively small team," said Coach Dave. "The stats so far are not great, however all we ask is that they avoid lots of walks, try their best to throw strikes, and let our fielders make the plays, and they are doing just that." Luethy was especially pleased with the emergence of Josh Smith. "He's come in on two occasions for us, gone a solid inning each time, and put out the fire for us. He's definitely earned more time on the mound."

Fielding is where there is the most room for improvement. "We are making the routine easy plays pretty well. What we need is a little extra aggressiveness and hustle on those not-so-easy plays. There are too many missed pop-ups that were very catch-able, late throws, and bumbled grounders that cost us runs. Giving teams as good as those we are playing 5 or 6 outs an inning is not going to allow us very many victories."

A stand-out in the field in Friday night's contest was right-fielder Daniel Curtis, who snared a sinking line drive for the first out, and threw to Ethan Sherertz at first, doubling off a straying runner. "Great heads-up baseball by Daniel," said Coach Dave. "Dan's make a concerted effort to be a factor this year, and it shows. His hard offseason work is paying off." With aggressive base-running Daniel also managed to score the Tiger's lone run for the night, averting a shut-out.

The upcoming schedule does not get an easier, as the Tigers are scheduled for three games in a 24 hour span this Friday and Saturday. "The weather forecast is iffy, but I would like to see us get these in while we have good hitting and pitching momentum going. If we can make a few more plays in the field, we'll end up on the right side of the score pretty soon."

Sunday, April 22
Tigers Open Season, Fall Short Twice
The 12U edition of the 2007 Chesterfield Tigers opened league play this weekend after the pre-season tourney of last weekend was washed out.

"Despite not being able to get the kinks out last weekend, like we had planned, the boys played great this weekend," said Coach Dave. "The number of errors in the field were minimal. The boys are growing up, catching on, and comprehending the game very well."

Saturday's contest vs. the Oconnell Comets came down to the bottom of the last inning before it was decided. Matt Ludwig had gone a very strong 4 innings, and was lifted for Andrew Keller to finish things off. Andrew looked sharp, but the Comets managed to steal a couple of runs to ice the Tigers off, 14-13. Sam Hurwitz strong hitting from last season has carried over, as Sam went 2-for-3 with a double and 3 RBI. "Sam just puts the ball in play. His double was key - it put us in position to take the lead."

The Tigers were back on the diamond less than 24 hours later. Keller got the start and went three strong innings, yielding only 5 runs on 1 hit to the Bulldogs. "Andrew did great - they were waiting for him to throw strikes, and Andrew accomodated them." First basemen Matt Ludwig had 8 defensive assists in the game, an indication of how well the Tigers defense was performing. Andrew helped his own cause, stroking an RBI double in the second to start the Tigers back from a 5-1 deficit. The Tigers eventually tied the game at 5, and had a 9-7 lead going into the top of the last inning. However they could not hold on and lost 14-9. "I was glad to see Ethan Sheretz make solid contact. He as a powerful swing - the rest of the boys will learn from his effort and hustle." Also getting off the schneid was Tim Petersen, with an opposite-field single in the bottom of the 5th.

All told, the weekend was a positive one for the Tigers, despite the two losses. Coach Dave was pleased. "Ethan Sherertz and Sam Hurwitz each had great weekends at the plate. And Andrew came back and pitched three great innings on Sunday to put us in position to win. Ethan's first two innings at pitcher were superb, he just ran out of gas in the third. If our defense continues to shine in the field like it did this weekend, we'll be just fine for the rest of the season."

The next regular season game is set for 12 noon on Sunday April 29th. However, expectations are high that the preseason tourney games will be rescheduled for each of the next two weekends, so the Tigers depth is sure to be tested, as they will have 2 or 3 games per weekend, most likely.

Stay tuned for futher schedule updates.

Monday, April 9
Tigers to Kick Off 2007 Campaign
The 2007 version of the Chesterfield Tigers are older, stronger, and faster than ever before, and hungry for the new season to get underway.

"The boys are growing-up," said Coach Dave. "I think everyone will be surprised at the higher level of play this year, in all aspects."

Two new additions to this year's team will certainly help. Tim Petersen joins the team after several years of Parish-league ball. "Tim has a solid fundamentally sound swing, and will also help us out at first base and in the outfield this year," said Coach Dave.

Also joining the team is Ethan Sherertz. "Ethan has a very strong arm, and should help us at any of the infield spots. He should be able to give us a few innings at pitcher, too."

Returning to the mound this year for the Tigers will be Matt Ludwig, Andrew Keller, and John Pappas. "Josh Smith will get a few innings of work. We'll need him to help out some during the season." Sam Hurwitz will resume his duties as the everyday catcher. "Sam's developed into a great backstop, and his hitting has come on strong as well."

Sam Luethy and Sam Bruns will platoon at various infield spots, along with whoever is not pitching that day. Luethy and Bruns may also spot Hurwitz occasionally at catcher. "We don't have a team rule that you need to be a 'Sam' to be a catcher, despite what some might think. It just has worked out that way."

Youssef Younis, Brad Akin, Tim Brownlee, and Daniel Curtis will rotate in the outfield, and each will also contribute some at various infield spots. "I'm expecting good things from each of these outfielders this year - we need them to be ready every day in order to keep us in the game."

The team opens with a quick start, playing three games over a 18 hour period on April 13-14. "That first weekend tournament will certainly test our pitching depth. But I like it, because it will give us a chance to see what we can do, and give the coaches a chance to evaluate the boys at several different positions."

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"This is like deja vu all over again." - Yoggi Berra