Welcome to the Internet Home of the Milford Predators Softball Team!  Originally established in 1984 as ShopRite, the PREDATORS are the longest continuously participating members of the Milford Sunday Night League.

Milford, CT (8/23/2009) This afternoon the Predators traveled to Brewster Field to face The Beachcombers in a 1st round game of the 2009 playoffs.  At first it was unclear who would actually play for the Predators, since the game time and venue were switched just hours before the game - and several players were out of reach.  Fortunately - the Predators eventually ended up with 11 players before they reached the bottom of their batting order.    

Matt Kraynak made his 3rd start of the season at pitching for the Predators in place of Rich Wolf who was expected to arrive a little late.  Kraynak held The Beachcombers scoreless in the top of the 1st.  The Predators scored first in this afternoon's contest with five runs in the top of the 2nd.  After singles by Matt Kollmorgen and Matt Kraynak, David Weiss singled to drive in Kollmorgen.   Mike Ranilla singled to load the bases for Bob Paradis who slugged a sacrifice fly making it a 2-0 Predator lead.  Sterling Rector singled to right center driving in Weiss.  Rich Wolf singled to load the bases for Dain Runestad who singled in another run.  Rick Ruiz hit into a fielders choice driving in the fifth Predator run of the day.  After The Beachcombers were held scoreless in the bottom of the 2nd, the Predators scored two more in the top of the 3rd.  Daryle Graf singled and came into score on a sacrifice by Mike Ranilla.  Matt Kraynak reached on an error and later scored on a single by Bob Paradis to give the Predators a 7-0 lead.

Unfortunately for the Predators, their fortune changed completely in the bottom of the 3rd.  The Beachcombers scored seven times on three walks and five hits to tie the game at seven after three innings.  Rich Wolf came into pitch for Kraynak and got the last batter to fly out to end the inning.  The Predators failed to answer with any runs in the fourth, and The Beachcombers took full advantage.  The Beachombers tacked on six runs by virtue of four Predator errors and a couple of timely hits.  All six runs could have been avoided if the Predators had played a clean defense.  The Beachcombers ended the 4th inning with a 13-7 lead.  The Predators would respond with two runs in the 5th.  After Matt Kollmorgen singled, Matt Kraynak blasted a triple to deep left center.  Kraynak subsequently scored the Predators final run of the game when David Weiss grounded out to shortstop.

For the Predators, this was a tough game to lose - having squandered a seven run lead on errors alone.  The team will need to regroup and dig deep to play solid defense if they want to extend their season.

Milford, CT (8/16/2009) In their second makeup game of the day at Brewster Field, the Predators looked to avenge a shocking mid-season loss to Del Home Improvement.  This time, the Predators played much better ball and took care of business on their way to a 14-6 win.  This win was the Predators third in a row to close out their regular season with a 6 win and 6 loss record.

The Predators drew first blood in the top of the first as Dain Runestad, Rick Ruiz and Kevin McTigue each singled.  Runestad scored on the McTigue single, while Ruiz and McTigue scored on a double to left field by Matt Kraynak to givie the Predators a 3-0 lead.   After Del Home Improvement tacked on a run in the bottom of the 1st, the Predators added to their lead.  After Mike Ranilla, Bob Paradis and Dain Runestad each drew walks; Ranilla scored on a single by Rick Ruiz; and Paradis scored on an RBI walk by Brian Latham.  Kevin McTigue gave the Predators a 6-1 lead when he sacrificed to drive in Runestad.  Del Home Improvement would score twice in the 2nd to make it a 6-3 game - but that would be as close as they would get this afternoon. 

In the top of the 4th the Predators scored six runs to take a commanding 12-3 lead. Bob Paradis singled; Barry Kresen and Dain Runestad each walked to load the bases for Rick Ruiz who drove in two on a single.  Brian Latham followed with an RBI single, and Kevin McTigue drove in two when he tripled. David Weiss broke his long standing hitting drought at Brewster Field as he also tripled to drive in McTigue.  In the top of the the 5th the Predators added another run after Bob Paradis walked and later scored on a RBI single by Rick Ruiz.  Del Home Improvement managed to score two in the 5th to make it a 13-5 game.  In the top of the 6th, David Weiss singled and later scored on a single by Mike Ranilla giving the Predators a 14-5 lead.  The Predators went on to win 14-6 and close out their 2009 regular season at .500 with a 6 and 6 record. 

Milford, CT (8/16/2009) This afternoon the Predators were scheduled to play two make up games at West Shore Field.  A few hours before the games were to be played - the venue was switched to Brewster Field.  Despite the switch as well as the hot and humid conditions, the Predators would find a way to win today.  It was a long time coming, but the Predators finally avenged an early season loss to Downtown Danny O's after a devastating 14-3 loss back in May.

The Predators came into the game with several players nursing multiple injuries.  At one point, there were five different Predators requiring a courtesy runner if one was available.  Fortunately, Kevin McTigue and Brian Latham were available to play - providing a shot in the arm for the Predators. 

Downtown Danny O's scored one in the first and two in the second to carry a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third.  The Predators offense responded with 4 runs on a mix of hits and fielding errors to take a 4-3 lead after 3 innings.  After Barry Kresen reached on on error and scored on a single by Brian Latham.  Dain Runestad and Rick Ruiz would each reach on errors by the Danny O's 3rd baseman and score.  Kevin McTigue drove in the fourth Predator run of the inning on a single.  The Predators extended their lead to 6-3 by scoring twice in the 4th.  After Mike Ranilla, Bob Paradis and Barry Kresen each singled, Ranilla scored on a sacrifice by Brian Latham and Paradis scored on a single by Dain Runestad.   Although Danny O's responded with a run in the top of the 5th - it seemed as if they were just going through the motions.  The Predators went on to win their 2nd straight game 6-4.

Milford, CT (7/12/2009) Arriving fresh from their 15-14 8th inning win over The Beachcombers at Platt Tech Field, the Predators hoped to take their 2nd game of their split doubleheader as they arrived at West Shore Field for a 6pm match.  The Predators were facing Discount Fence - a team they have played well against in the past.  Immediately noticible was that Discount Fence wore new bright orange uniforms, and that the team had a lot of new faces which turned out to be upgraded with some very good hitters.  The Predators were up against one of the better teams in the Sunday Night League.

The Predators found themselves in a huge hole early this afternoon.  After failing to score in the top of the 1st, Discount Fence hammered the Predators for 7 hits resulting in 8 runs in the bottom of the first.  The Predators responded nicely with 6 runs of their own in the top of the 2nd to make it a competitive game once again.  Matt Kraynak opened the 2nd with a shot at the 3rd baseman that was scored E5 to get on base.  Fred Bialka and Rick Ruiz followed with singles.  Kraynak came into score on a fielders choice play.  With two outs Matt Kollmorgen tripled to drive in 2. Sterling Rector singled hard to right driving in Kollmorgen.  After Barry Kresen singled to center, Rector and Kresen scored on a single by David Weiss.   In the bottom of the 2nd, Discount Fence added a run giving them a 9-6 lead after 2 innings.   

Unfortunately for the Predators, that would be the end of their scoring this afternoon.  Discount Fence went on to score 6 in the 4th and 1 in the 5th to take the game 16-6.  For the Predators, it was a tough loss they will need to forget. 

Milford, CT (7/12/2009)  The Predators played The Beachcombers for the first time ever at Platt Tech field this afternoon.  It was unclear how well the Predators would match up against this first time foe, but after a back and forth battle for 8 innings - it was clear the teams were playing at about the same level - whcih made it an enjoyable game.

The Predators started off with 3 in the top of the first inning.  After Dain Runestad singled and David Weiss reached on an error, Matt Kraynak doubled down the left field line to drive in 2 runs.  Kraynak subsequently scored on an RBI single by Rick Ruiz.  After the Beachcombers scored one in the first - the Predators tacked on 3 more runs in the top of the 2nd.  After Bob Paradis and Matt Kollmorgen singled, Paradis scored on a single by Dain Runestad and Kollmorgen scored on a single by David Weiss.  Rich Wolf added a single to drive home Runestad giving the Predators a 6-1 lead.   After holding The Beachcombers scoreless in the 2nd - the Predators added 2 more runs in the 3rd inning.  Matt Kraynak and Rick Ruiz each singled, then came into score on a double by Mike Ranilla.  With an 8-1 lead - the Predators were looking good - however The Beachombers began to put up a fight.  In the bottom of the 3rd, The Beachcombers put up a quick 6 runs to make it a competitive 8-7 game.  The Preadators responded in the top of the 4th with three runs. After Barry Kresen and Dain Runestad singled, Kresen scored on a single by Rich Wolf .  Runestad and Wolf came into score on fielding errors by The Beachcombers - giving the Predators an 11-7 lead.  The Predators extended their lead to 14-7 in the top of the 5th as Ruiz, Paradis and Kollmorgen came into score on a mix of hits and fielding errors.   

The Beachcombers tenaciously climbed back into the game by scoring  2 in the 5th and 4 in the 6th to cut the Predator lead to 14-13.  In the bottom of the 7th - The Beachcombers tied the game 14-14 and had the winning run in scoring position when their number 3 batter flew out to left sending the game to extra innings.  In the top of the 8th, Matt Kollmorgen clubbed a home run to right that turned out to be the game winner.  Predators 15, The Beachcombers 14.

Milford, CT (6/28/2009)  After a 3-week layoff, the Predators finally resumed their season at West Shore Field, taking out Eye On Creation 13-11.  Overcoming a rather rocky start, the Predators offense showed signs of improvement, propelling the team to their 2nd straight victory.

In the top of the first, Eye On Creation took advantage of a throwing error and four bases on balls issued by pitcher Matt Kraynak who was making his first start of the 2009 season.  Before the top half of the inning was over - Eye on Creation was up by 4 runs.  The Predators reacted by scoring 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the first.  Rich Wolf doubled to drive in Matt Kollmorgen and Daryle Graf singled to drive in Wolf.  David Weiss cut a bloop single to drive in Graf.  After Matt Kraynak drew a walk, Weiss came into score on a fielding error by Eye On Creation.  Adjusting the Predator defense in the top of the 2nd, Field Manager Matt Kraynak made several key changes by assuming the Extra Hitter role and switching Rich Wolf in to pitch; Matt Kollmorgen to shortstop; Daryle Graf to left and Sterling Rector to right center.  Although this change would pay off later on, Eye On Creation managed to take a 9-4 lead in the 2nd inning on a string of hits including a long home run. 

In the bottom of the 2nd, the Predators offense once again responded well with a 2-out rally.  Barry Kresen doubled to left; Dain Runestad and Matt Kollmorgen drew a base on balls to load the bases for Rich Wolf who singled to drive in two runs.  Daryle Graf followed with a double to drive in Wolf closing the Predators to within one run.  The Predators tied the game 9-9 in the bottom of the 3rd after Matt Kraynak singled and subsequently scored on an RBI single by Rick Ruiz.

In the 4th inning the Predators took the lead after Dain Runestad singled and was driven in on a triple by Daryle Graf.  Graf scored on a single by David Weiss giving the Predators an 11-9 lead after 4 innings.  The Predators capped off their scoring in the bottom of the 5th after Rick Ruiz singled and scored on a home run blast to right field by Sterling Rector.  The Predators went on to win the game by a score of 13-11.

GAME NOTES:  The Predators offense looked much better today with 9 of 11 batters collecting hits.  Daryle Graf fell just short of hitting for the cycle collecting a single, double and triple.  Redeeming his poor start at pitching, Matt Kraynak was the only Predator to reach base safely 4 times today. The Predators stranded 11 runners on the bases.  Sterling Rector collected his first home run as a Predator, however also picked up his first strikeout.  Not to be outdone, reigning "Strikeout King" Barry Kresen picked up his first strikeout of the season.  Kresen also managed to avoid injury for the 4th straight game.

Milford, CT (6/7/2009)  At gnat-infested West Shore field, the Predators picked up their 1st win of the 2009 season by taking out Self Destruction by a score of 5-4.  The Predators, still struggling on offense, stranded 11 baserunners in the first 6 innings.  Needless to say - it was ugly.  "A win is a win" said Predator GM/Field Manager/Player Matt Kraynak... "We needed this one - ugly or otherwise.  I know we are capable of putting up a boat load of runs...it just did not happen today".

The Predators took the lead in the bottom of the first on a solo home run by Matt Kollmorgen.  After Rich Wolf drew a base on balls, Daryle Graf pounded a triple to center - driving in Wolf.  Graf later scored to give the Predators a 3-0 lead.  After Self Destruction scored 2 in the top of the third to cut the Predator lead to 3-2, the Predators picked up another run in the bottom of the 3rd on a triple by "King Carl" Mainosky to score Daryle Graf.  The Predators added a much needed insurance run (that turned out to be the game winner) in the top of the 4th.  Matt Kraynak drew a base on balls and advanced to third base on a single by Rick Ruiz.  Kraynak came in to score on a sacrifice fly struck to right field by Sterling Rector giving the Predators a 5-2 lead.  The Predators yielded 2 final runs to Self Destruction in the top of the 5th, and went on to take a very scrappy 5-4 victory.

GAME NOTES:  For the first time in recent memory (stretching back multiple seasons), Barry Kresen is not leading OR tied for the lead in the strikeout statistics category.  With his strikeout in the 3rd inning, Matt Kollmorgen has assumed the team lead in strikeouts with 1.  Could we have a new Strikeout King emerging?  For his physical safety, Barry Kresen was pulled out in the 6th inning and replaced by Fred Bialka, who was MIA for most of the game today.  Daryle Graf had a solid day today scoring twice with 2 singles, a triple and an RBI.  Carl Malinosky also drew a walk, tripled and had an RBI.  Rick Ruiz had several unassisted putouts at third base, and Barry Kresen kept the ball from rolling into the mud puddle for the first 6 innings of the game.

Milford, CT (5/31/2009) The Predators faced off against Downtown Danny O's at the legendary Grove Circle Field this afternoon.  Before the game was even played, the Predators found themselves in a bind with one of the locals.  Upon arriving for the game, a Predator player went to pick up a ball that had rolled into a neighbor's yard.  Unfortunately, the neighbor took great offense to this, and threatened to have the Predator player banned from the league.  Predator Management spoke with the neighbor - allowing him to vent his anger before he finally went home.  During the conversation - it was learned that a new rule was put into place that essentially bans players from trespassing on any neighborhood lawns for any reason.  This rule was later confirmed by League Director Al DelloRusso on Monday evening.   For now on, we know NOT to go in anyone's yard for any reason - period.

This afternoon's game did not go so well for the Predators, who found themselves scoreless for the first 3 innings, while yielding 12 runs to Downtown Danny O's on a host of errors, multiple poor calls by the 2nd base umpire, and some decent hitting by Danny O's.  The Predators finally got on the board in the top of the 4th after back-to-back singles by Dain Runestad and Carl Malinosky, and a 3-run Home Run - a bomb by Rich Wolf over the fence in deep left center.  As was the case in their previous game, the Predators were much too light on hitting, scattering only 5 singles to go with Wolf's home run.  The team has some serious work ahead to get the offense going to start putting up enough runs to win.

GAME NOTES:  Once again, Barry Kresen survived today's game without suffering an injury OR a strikeout.  Rich Wolf provided all three Predator RBI's today. No one knows what became of the ball that was to be retrieved from the neighbor's yard before the verbal assault started.  Despite the loss, the team's post game ritual of beer and pizza went on as scheduled. 

Milford, CT (5/17/2009) The Milford Predators opened their 26th season in the Milford Sunday Night League with a loss to the King's Court Dirtbags 12-2 with a small crowd watching at Platt Field. 

Along with their veteran core team, the Predators started three new players acquired during the Spring, including Rich Wolf (#71) at Shortstop; Matt Kollmorgen (#5) in Left Field; and Sterling Rector (#24) in Right Center.  Wolf went 2 for 2 along with a Sac Fly RBI in the first inning.  Kollmorgen displayed excellent speed in left including a fine diving catch in the 4th.  Rector showed excellent speed and range in right center during the 3rd inning, catching a ball behind Barry Kresen in Right Field, followed by catching a sinking line drive toward dead center moments later.

Unfortunately for the Predators, there were very few hits to be had.  Outside of a triple by Kevin McTigue in the 1st, the Predators scattered only 7 singles for the rest of the game.  The Predators did have their opportunities - being down only 6-2 in the 4th inning, however the floodgates opened for the Dirtbags in the 5th that put the game essentially out of reach.

GAME NOTES:  Barry Kresen survived today's game without suffering an injury OR a strikeout.  Kevin McTigue and Rich Wolf provided half of the Predators 8 hits today.  The Predators final seven batters went an abysmal 3 for 14 this afternoon.

Milford, CT (3/26/2009)  The Predators have announced their first two practices for the 2009 season.  The first practice will take place Sunday March 29th - 4:30pm at Foote Field.  The second practice is scheduled for Sunday April 5th - 4:30pm at Platt Tech.  These practices are also referenced on the Calendar menu option of the team web site.

Milford, CT (3/16/2009) This evening Milford Predators announced the completion of their 2009 Roster Expansion initiative, and declared their team is now set for the 2009 season.  The final three roster additions came over from LCP Construction, the 2007 Sunday Night League Champions.  Predator GM Matt Kraynak stated that Rich Wolf, Sterling Rector and Matt Kollmorgen will add a youthful dimension to the Predator veteran core.  Wolf, who returns to the Predators after a brief stint for the team in 2006, is expected to pitch and backup in the infield.  Kollmorgen is expected to move between the infield and outfield, while Rector will likely add  speed to the aging Predator outfield. 

In February, the Predators announced the addition of Ken Cronk as an outfielder for the Predators.  With MVP slugger Daryle Graf expected to be in full health by opening day, the Predators look to be at full strength to start the 2009 season.  The Predators are expecting their first full squad practice to take place the final weekend of March, with an eye on Opening Day to take place Sunday May 3rd.

Check out Predator Nation for our latest PREDATOR shirt photos across the United States!

Milford, CT (2/15/2009)  The Milford Predators continued their storied tradition this evening by holding their Winter Meeting at Bella Napoli Restaurant in Milford.  Over the usual nutritional supplements of beer and pizza, the team reflected on their 2008 season.

Overwhelmingly, the team concluded that a lack of power hitting led to poor run production in 2008.  Despite carrying the same core lineup from year to year, the traditional power hitters of the Predators fell far short of expectations in 2008.  Matt Kraynak had slugged 6 home runs in 2007, but produced only 1 in 2008.  Similarly, Kraynak dropped from 34 RBIs in 14 games during 2007, to just 23 RBIs in 16 games during 2008.  As a team, the Predators only hit a combined 4 home runs in 2008, as compared to 18 in 2007.  The most compelling statistic indicates that the Predators averaged only 9.88 runs per game in 2008, versus 14.19 runs per game in 2007.  With all of this bad news on offense, the Predators will need to put new emphasis on power as they prepare for the 2009 season.

Also during the meeting, Predator GM Matt Kraynak announced that Ken Cronk will joing the Predators in 2009.  Cronk currently plays for Warnaco during the weeknights in Milford, and is expected to play outfield with the Predators on Sundays.   The Predators continue to look for another stong bat to add to their lineup, which they hope to settle by early Spring.

(Milford, CT 2/1/2009)  While the rest of the world was watching the early pre-game shows for Superbowl XLIII, the Milford Predators kicked off their 2009 season as Pitchers and Catchers reported to Platt Tech Field.  Demonstrating their old school style of softball, the Predators took to the snow covered field to start focusing on their 26^th season in the Milford Sunday Night League.

Predator GM, Field Manager and Player Matt Kraynak took the mound as veterans Fred Bialka and Mike “Juice” Krajewski each worked out at catcher and at hitting.  Bialka looked very comfortable at the plate as he ripped a solid line drive to center on his first swing of the season.  Krajewski also got in many swings during today’s workout.  Overall, the Predators felt good about today’s practice – and look forward to the challenges of playing much younger teams in 2009.  When asked about the outlook for the Predators in 2009, Matt Kraynak stated: “We are a veteran team that has demonstrated time and time again that we can pull off a win any time, anywhere.  In 2009 – we are older, wiser, and bigger than ever before.  We will maintain our focus and drive, and expect to surprise a lot of teams that take us for granted.”

Milford, CT (8/13/2008) Today the Predators made a move to secure the services of Fred Bialka beyond the 2008 season by completing a Prenuptial Agreement with the veteran utility player.  The agreement is binding with or without Bialka's consent - therefore it did not require Fred's signature.  The agreement was in fact signed by the veteran core of the Predators and placed into effect as of September 13, 2008.  The document may be viewed by clicking on the image attached.   

The Predators wish Mr Bialka well in his upcoming marriage - and reminds Fred he is due to return back for when Pitchers and Catchers Report in February.