Daron Williams makes an '09 cameo just days before he ships out to Iraq on July 5th.   The Meridians' #2 Starter from 2008 enlisted last fall and will be serving a one-year tour training the Iraqi Police as an MP.  We wish Daron the best on his adventure and we were glad to have the 3 Williams brothers on the field at the same time once this year.

Not getting much work in during basic and his initial service in Hawaii, Daron comes out a bit rusty and one run does come across against us, but no more as he works hard through 6 innings.   Big brother Blain closes the door in the 7th.

We start our scoring in the 2nd despite hard-hit balls in the 1st by Fread and Moore.   Lead-off walks come around to score on knocks by Derek Williams, Chris Wood (1st Meridians' hit), Coutre (2 hits, from Kraus' Wed. night team) and Blain Williams.   The 3rd starts off with some early fireworks as Chuck Moore loses one in the trees well past the centerfield fence.   Blain (2 hits) follows suit in the 4th with a laser in the same direction for his 1st home run of '09.   Younger brother Derek (2 hits, 2 runs) follows with a moon shot of his own to left in the 5th (his 1st '09 bomb).

Every Meridian has a hit or a walk - B. Williams, Fread, Moore, Cutter and Wood with both.

Meridians move to 9-0 in league play with the 9-1 final.

But I guess we all don't wear pants...   We see both the starting pitcher and closer toe the hill sporting shorts in this one, but they also show us the best competition in the NKABL so far with their pitching and hitting.   Tyler earns his toughest Win of the year going all 7 innings and helping himself with a 2-out, 2-run triple in the 3rd.

McClung tries to get the scoring started in the first off of Derek Williams' shot through the middle, but is cut down at the plate.  We do get the tally started in the 2nd though with a 2-out double by Soto, BB by Ryan Williams and 2-run triple by RJ.

The flood gates open in the 3rd then as they come by way of the infield sprinklers which felt great at first, but then hosed down our dugout before they were turned off.   Everyone quickly decides to play through it though and we again find 2-outs to our liking.   Tyler's triple scores Moore (on base 3 times) and D. Williams (ditto) followed by a Soto single, 4 BBs and 2 HBPs to see the Meridians cross the plate 7 more times.

McClung is on base all 4 times, Soto with 3 hits and R. Wiiliams with 2 key, 2-out walks as both he and Soto score twice each.   Smooth 5-4-3 double play from RJ through Ryan and a great effort in center from Wood (Wooster) who almost comes up with a great, diving catch (I thought the ground couldn't cause a fumble...).

Soto, McClung and R. Williams each get a knock off of Derrik Moeves (mavis), released last March from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and career strikeouts leader at NKU (259).   Moeves (fastball in the high 80s that you could hear from the dugout) strikes out 8 in his 3 innings of work, but yes - he was other one wearing shorts...   Final: 9-6 and the Meridians move to 8-0 in the NKABL.

After starting recruiting on Thursday, we finally find 9 at the yard for a double dip Saturday night.   We get 2 outs right away in the 1st, but are then gifted a few baserunners followed by a couple of knocks to hit through the order in the top of 1.   Fugate was very stingy all day and the only worry was how long he was sitting down in between innings as we follow-up a 5-run 1st with a 7-run 2nd.   Very sloppy play on their end turned this one into a laugher very quickly.   4 more in the 3rd, a quiet 4th, but then 8 more in the 5th.   We finish in 5 innings with a score of 24-1.

Fugate dominates again while working his slider on all counts along with old #1 and his curve (unfair).   4 runs each by Lewis, Cutter and Soto - 4 hits by Soto after switching to wood (along with Tedd Schaffer) after their 1st two at-bats, 3 hits by Lewis and multi-hit game for Ryan, Jack, Tedd, Tyler and RJ.

Game 2 was back to good baseball with a much-improved NKy Mavericks squad.   Fugate comes up big with 2 of of his 3, 2-out RBI knocks on the day to get our first runs in the nightcap.   Game 2 slated starter can't make it so the Schaffer cameo continues as he fills in nicely going the full 7 innings for the Win.   Fugate with 2 runs, 2 hits - Ryan, Jack and RJ (3 hits, 2 runs - great pick-up Ryan!) also have multi-hit Game 2's (Final 9-3).

Web gem to Weinewuth (borrowed fron the Hobbs' Yankees) on the bare-hand bunt pick-up and toss with Schaffer nabbing a comebacker and Lewis coming in hard for a few in center.   Soto catches all 12 innings (and then another 7 for the Hobbs game the next morning).

Thanks to all the guys who made it there (especially those that weren't planning on it), the ones that made calls for guys (especially those that couldn't be there and still made calls) and those that passed along numbers for potential subs.

Phil asks for a "real" baseball and then proceeds to put it out (opposite field no less) in his last game with the Meridians.   As Phil heads southeast to Virginia for a greener employment opportunity, the Meridians extend their winning streak in the NKABL (5-0).

Conor Thomas stifles the opposition with slow curve balls and then proceeds to throw them even slower getting the Win in the rain-shortened 5 inning contest (9-2).   We score 7 in the first and cruise from there until Meinken Field washes into our dugout and finds Phil's returned jersey in its muddy current for a moment.

Pratt scores 2 runs including the one all by himself, Fugate makes his hitting debut with 2 hits & 2 runs while Fread keeps his hot bat cooking with a multi-hit day as well.

Meridians see a pitching change before our 1st hitter in the top of the first, but get the scoring started right away despite the distraction.   Only 2 runs in the 1st and 2 in the 2nd keep it closer than we wanted, but the game was never in question with Fugate throwing 4 strong innings, 2 by Thomas and the capper by Reese.   Ryan Williams (3), Blain Williams (3, with a triple & 2 doubles), Soto, Derek Williams & Derek Reese with multi-hit days while Fread tries to put a hole through their left fielder with two shots right at him.   2 runs scored each by Ryan and each of the Dereks.  

Fugate takes a comebacker off the shin, but makes the play and finishes the inning.   Ryan takes a bad hop with his bare hand for a play and D. Williams barehands a foul off the backstop over his head without moving an inch.   Pratt cuts down another runner at the plate with a relay by Reese and Blain goes "Statue of Liberty" for a long shot into center.

Meridians' debuts of Tyler Fugate and Conor Thomas lead a squad of 14 to victory.   Fugate dominates 4 scoreless inninngs followed by 2 by Thomas before we get a bit sloppy in the 7th allowing all of their runs (Final:  7-4).   Fread & McClung with 2 hits and 2 runs each, Parkhurst with 2 hits.

Update:   With the win, the Meridians take sole possession of 1st place in the NKABL (3-0).

Meridians call in most of the rest of the roster for the Memorial weekend game and see hot bats right away. I turned in a score of 13-9, but it might have been 16 actually.   Great start to the season and on the hill for Blain Williams who gets the Win with Derek Reese making his Meridians debut getting the 3 inning Save.   Both help their own causes with multi-hit days along with Moore (3 with 2 HR & HBP), Parkhurst (4, taking bases at will and forcing two plays at the plate), Soto, D. Wiiliams and Clim.

Offensive highlights were Moore's two moon shots and Pratt's bomb.   Both hit their first Meridians' home runs after each having a season each of wood bat play with us under them.   Pratt didn't even "get" his, but still got it out easily and Moore's 2nd shot had both 1st class and coach passengers on it.

We get sloppy in the middle and at the end of the game giving up some runs, but a web gem in the shortstop hole by Ryan Wiiliams with a diving snare and throw.   Pratt plays 3 positions, but finds himself in right field in time for a perfect throw to cut down a runner at home.

Meridians scramble to start the season a little earlier than expected in new league.   We go in with no healthy pitchers, but a willing thrower in Pratt with a winter season of rest.   Phil tosses his arm off in an excellent effort as the Meridians are gifted 5 runs in the 1st and add 9 more wrapping it up in 6 innings (going with their book's final of 14-4).   McClung, Pratt and Clim score twice each with lasers off the metal bats of McClung and Yokley in particular (they both also picked off a runner each on the basepaths).   Fread and Clim each walk twice and McClung knuckles his way through the final inning.

The Meridians welcome its newest team member, Ava Grace McClung, who was 2 months old on our 2009 Opening Day!

Ralph Lewis represented the Meridians by himself this year along with some of the Murfreesboro Mudcats and some new characters to get to the Championship game only to see it washed out after 1 inning.

Members of Meridians with Mid-South Blues are 2008 Bama Bash Champions!

3 members of the Meridians (Mike Soto, Jack Parkhurst & Ralph Lewis) come back as champions as the Mid-South Blues win the (Birmingham) Bama Bash 35+ conference for the second straight year!   Lewis led the Meridians' contingent with a .529 average and Soto came in at an even .400 (both in the top 4 for the team).  Parkhurst makes his '08 debut on the mound.   5 games in the last 24 hours of the weekend (5/2 - 5/4).   Soto (as a 33 year-old age exception) scores the championship run in walk-off fashion from the bat of Brian Lee (also hit an even .400).   Lee, along with other current/former Murfreesboro Mudcats Soto, Lewis, Delbert Cagle, Edwin Magras and a local Birmingham contingent help form the Blues tournament team out of Memphis, TN.   Soto (2nd in back), Lee (last in front) and Cagle (4th in back) also 2007 Roy Hobbs World Series champions in picture on Meridians News page.