The Boys in Blue faced off Saturday in a rematch of the 2007 Championships against the Dayton Astros to once again play for the league's coveted MVABL League Champions Trophy. The Astros finished the season 3 games ahead of the Royals and also were able to take 2 out of 3 from the Boys in Blue during the regular season, but on a beautiful day for baseball, and first time in the playoffs, the Royals had their entire roster in attendance. In Game 1, the Royals sent Jason Holmberg to the hill for the start. The Astros countered with their ace, 5-0 Brian Girard, but as the Royals were blessed with their full squad the Astros missing a few of their strong arms, Royals hit-stealer Mike Leach was not in the in field for the Astros. With Leach out and 7 errors the Royals were able to sneak a few key hits through the infield and plated 11 runs in the first 3 innings. The Astros came out with a bang as leadoff hitter PJ Dobbins belted a solo shot into the woods over the Right-Center field fence. The Astros added their 2nd run in the bottom of the 3rd with a sac fly from the bat of Evan Tennery. The Royals and Astros traded runs in the 5th. With the score sitting at 12-3 in the top of the 6th, the Royals bats were silenced by the sneaky-curve from Astros reliever PJ Dobbings. Things would get a bit shakey for the Boys in Blue as the Astros began to mount a comeback. A few mis-played balls and next thing you knew the Astros had cut the Royals lead in half plating 3 runs as Garrett, Dustin, and Dan all crossed the plate. But the Astros weren't done scoring and plated another in the bottom of the 7th. With the score 12-7 entering the 8th, the Royals were finally able to string together a few hits off Dobbins and Brian Duffy and Tim Peffley scored with the help of a Jesus Velasquez III sac fly and Brett Reasoner single. Down 7 in the bottom of the 8th the Astos bats stayed hot as they got to the Royals starter. After a pair of back-to-back singles off the bats of Tennery and Jason Joyce, Tony Duncan belted a double to the gap to plate them both. With 2 outs in the inning the Royals went to their bullpen for relief bringing another Royals rookie, Brett Reasoner, in to close things out. After a walk, Reasoner got the much needed groundball allowing Duffy and Tim Biedenharn to record the easy force out in the middle of the infield. In the top of the 9th the Royals bats continued to be baffled by Dobbins on the hill and went down in order. Down 14-9 the Astros hoped to do what they had done in their previous 2 series and pull one out in the end, but Reasoner stayed strong and after recording 2 quick outs only allowed a walk and a single before getting Tennery to fly-out to center to close out game 1 with Royals on top 14-9.
With one game down, the Royals looked to clinch their 2nd Championship in team history and be the first to repeat since the Woodpeckers won 4 straight. The Royals made a gametime decision to rearrange the pitching rotation for game 2 and sent rookie Brett Reasoner to the hill to repeat his performance from back on August 3rd. The Astros countered with their 8-2 left hander, Bryan Leach. The Royals got to Leach early in the game as they were able to plate 6 runs over the 2nd through 4th innings with RBI hits from Holmberg, Biedenharn, Shawn Rudegeair, Velasquez III, and Duffy. The Astros finally got to Reasoner in the 7th inning. After recording 2 quick outs, a single, and a pair of walks Mike Flanagan belted a double to the gap that cleared the bases before the Royals could end the inning. And in the top of the 8th the Astros plated another run off another double, but this time off the bat of Tennery to cut the lead to 2. In the bottom of the 8th the Royals were able to get runners on 1st and 2nd after a pair of walks before the Astros went to their bullpen and brought M. Flanagan to the hill. Flanagan got a much needed groundball that was misplayed and the Astros were unable to turn the double play and only recorded an out at first. With runners now at 2nd and 3rd veteran Eric Jameson stepped up to the plate. Facing a 1-1 count, Jameson belted a single just out of reach for the Astros leaping shortstop that was able to score Reasoner and Franklin to give the Boys in Blue a little breating room heading into the 9th. Up 8-4 the Royals sent veteran Scott Falkowski to the hill to put a cap on a great season. Falkowski needed just 5 pitches to record the save and secure the teams 2nd team Championship.
On the day the Royals got solid pitching and defense they needed to keep the Astros in check. And at the plate every Royal reached base at least once. All in total it was a recipe for success. The Boys in Blue lost 1/2 of their 14 player roster from their 2007 championship team to retirement, but were able to regroup & rebuild in the offseason with the help of their friends to not lose a step in 2008. Over the course of the season the team stayed focus and determined to make it back to the championship, and after falling to 5th place reeled off 6 straight wins to close out the regular season in 2nd place. Then with a 6-1 record in the playoffs the team reached its goal of a MVABL Championship against a very tough Astros squad.
Congratulations to all the MVABL teams on another summer of fun and competitive baseball.
It took 3 games in the semi-finals, but the Boys in Blue pulled together to win game 3 11-6 and advance to the MVABL Championships. The game will be a rematch of the 2007 Championship as the Dayton Astros also advanced after sweeping the Springfield Indians on Saturday. The Championship is a best of 3 series, playing 2 9-inning games on Saturday @ 1 & 4 PM and an as-needed game Sunday. At press time the location is TBD, but stay tuned as the site will be updated as soon as Royals Management gets the details.
The Boys in Blue met their nemesis' from Kettering, the Outlaws. The Outlaws have had the Royals number in the past, however these games would not be one of those times. Game 1 saw the Boys in Blue jump out to an early 3-0 lead through 4, but in the top of the 5th the Outlaws would get on the board in a big way. After a leadoff walk and an E6 the Outlaws had 1st & 3rd with their power hitter, Josh Jaynes, coming to the plate. Holmberg, who started on the hill for the Royals, had tamed Jaynes' bat, but this time he would get the best of Holmberg and deposit the ball over the left field fence to tie the game at 3. But the Royals would bounce back in the bottom of the 5th and pickup a pair of runs to regain the lead for their starter with RBI's off the bats of Velasquez III and Holmberg. And in the bottom of the 6th the Royals would cash in again off an Outlaw miscue to plate 1 more insurance run. In the top of the 7th, Holmberg faced 4 batters to close out game 1. Jason Holmberg finished the complete game recording 4 K's and only allowing 2 ER's.
Game 2 the Royals were the visitors and their sleepy bats awoke early. The Boys in Blue were able to plate 9 runs over the first 2 innings to secure a comfy lead for their starter, Scott Falkowski. The Outlaws were not going down without a fight and also plated 4 runs capitalizing on some Royals errors. Falko would hold the Outlaws in check over the next 3 innings. He finished with 5 IP, 1 K, 1 BB, and only 1 ER once the dust settled. The Royals continued to beat on the Outlaws pitching scoring a pair of runs in the 4th and 6th. Rookie Brendan Regan wrapped up the game 2 victory closing down the Outlaw offense in the bottom of the 7th.
The Boys in Blue advance to the Semi-Finals for the 3rd straight year where they will face off against the Dayton Rangers at 1 PM and 4 PM this Saturday (if the rain holds off). The Royals faced off against the Rangers in the 2007 semi-finals as well enroute to their first league championship. The Boys in Blue will send Rookie Jason Holmberg to the hill for game 1, and veteran Kevin Reynolds will take the hill in the night cap. Be sure to come out and support both teams in this very important series.
The Royals picked up their 5th win in a row Tuesday night as they topped the Dayton Panthers 7-2. Along with the victory, the Boys in Blue secured the Number 2 seed for the 2008 Playoffs. With the middle portion of the MVABL playoff positions still up for grabs the Boys in Blue will have to wait for the final weekend of games to see who they will meet in the first round of the playoffs. The Playoffs will begin on Saturday September 6th where they will play Double-Header (both 7 innings), with an as-needed game 3 on Sunday. The Boys in Blue wrap-up their 2008 Regular season this Saturday as they meet up with the Springfield Indians at 1 PM at Rotary Park. Be sure to come out and cheer on your Royals as they close out the regular season.
The Royals picked up a pair of wins this weekend as they squared off against the Dayton Rangers who were in ahead of them in the playoff standings by the same 2 games. Saturdays matchup was a fierce one as the Rangers sent their 9-1 ace, Jacob Robinson, to the hill as the Boys in Blue countered with their Wittenburg alum, Jason Holmberg. Holmberg has been happered by a sore elbow and shoulder, but always manages to muster the strength to come through when needed the most. Holmberg picked up the victory with a complete game as the Boys in Blue bested the Rangers by 2, winning 8-6 in game one.
On Sunday the Boys in Blue headed to the ballpark for game 2 against the Dayton Rangers who now held a slim half game lead. The Royals sent veteran Kyle Ubinger to the mound for a very rare start for the teams closer as the Rangers sent their catcher Shane Fallen to the hill. As in game one, the Royals were patient at the plate and as the innings progress the continued to tack on run after run as they built a safe lead. After 5 innings of work Ubi turned the ball over to Falkowski to close it out. After a shakey couple of innings Falko went 1-2-3 in the last inning of work as the game was shortly halted due to time constraints with the Royals up. Game 2 scores and stats to be added shortly.
Up next for the Boys in Blue, they have 2 more tough games to wrap up the 2008 Regular Season against the Dayton Panthers and the Springfield Indians. Both games are very important to the squad as the look to hold onto their number 2 seed heading into the playoffs. Be sure to come out Tuesday at 7 & again on Saturday at 1 to cheer on your Boys in Blue.
Sunday marked the return of a pair of Royals to the ball field. After a two and a half hiatus flamethrower Kyle Ubinger made his return to the squad. Kyle was solid at the plate after starting the day off with a K he buckled down to record a pair of walks, a few foul tips, and finished up with a triple. Ubi also recorded 2 shutout innings to work the kinks out before he takes the mound next Sunday for his first start of the 2008 season. However, he showed what a valuable asset he is to the squad playing 3 different positions around the infield on the day, and he even received a welcome back gift from Royals Rookie outfielder Brendan Regan as his throw from the outfield took a "Rotary Hop" and let it's mark on the side of Ubi's noggin!!
On the day the Boys in Blue also welcomed back OF/P Kevin Reynolds and his family to the ballpark after their tragic loss. Reynolds took the mound for the start in game 2, but after a rocky first inning allowing 4 runs, he settled down and only gave up 2 more runs in his final 5 innings of work. Reynolds threw 6 solid innings to record the win in his first game back.
Game stats and recap will follow.
With the 2008 Season under way, the water bottles are once again up for grabs. For those who may be reading wonder what this is all about, well let me explain... A fun Royals ritual began a few seasons ago as the Royals Skipper just couldn't carry anymore equipment to the field, and on those blazing hot days some cool thrist-quenching water sure was nice. So in an effort to keep things fair and drum up some late inning comradery the water bottles were now up for grabs. Now that you know where it began, you might be asking what does one have to do to earn the GLORIOUS priviledge to provide his teammates with this thrist-quenching beverage? Well the easiest way to receive this duty is to record the last out of the game. Those outside the organization might be saying that sounds pretty straight-forward, but there are lots of fine print to this game... I won't explain them all, but trust me when the bottles are on the line, everyone makes sure all their bases are covered so that they can avoid being the lucky winner!!
Two more Royals added their names to the Water Bottles list this past week. Brian Duffy picked up duties after being shot down at the plate attempting to score on a Sac Fly at the end of the game against the Outlaws. And the newest addition to the list was Scott Falkowski who earned the duties after his laser shot was snagged by the leaping Aviators second baseman.
Duffy - 1 Falkowski - 1 Biedenharn - 1 Franklin - 2 Rudegeair - 1 Holmberg - 1
