Milford Predators Softball: 2012 Season

Milford, CT (8/26/2012) At Washington Field the Predators 2012 season came to an end in an 8-3 loss to the HGH Abusers.  Today's game was winnable for the Predators had they scored a reasonable number of runs, but like most games in their 2012 season, the offense did not deliver.

The first three innings were relatively quiet for both teams.  HGH Abusers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a walk, a single and a sacrifice fly.  In the top of the 2nd, Mike Ranilla led off the inning with a single and later scored on an RBI single by Matt Kraynak to tie the game at 1-1.  The next scoring of the game took place in the top of the 4th. With one out, Mike Ranilla reached on an error.  David Weiss and Todd Slade followed with singles to load the bases.  Matt Kraynak then drew a bases loaded walk to drive in Ranilla and give the Predators a 2-1 lead.  Dain Runestad who had been steadily improving at the plate over the last several games singled to drive in Weiss, extending the Predators lead to 3-1.   Unfortunately as had been the case throughout the regular season, the Predators would leave multiple runners on base as the next two batters popped out to end the inning. The Predators lead once again would be short-lived.  In the bottom of the 4th the HGH Abusers responded by sending 8 batters to the plate, scoring 5 times on a slew of doubles and triples to take a 6-3 lead after 4 innings.  HGH went on to add 2 runs in the 5th while the Predators only sent the minimum 9 batters to the plate in the final 3 innings culminating in another disappointing and frustrating loss that was all about a lack of offense.

Milford, CT (8/19/2012) The Predators completed their 2012 regular season with a 20-8 loss to the Bulldogs at Grove Circle Field.  Despite the best offensive effort by the Predators in almost 2 months, it was not nearly enough to stay competetive.

Predator GM Matt Kraynak cited that three players backed out during the day Sunday dropping the lineup to 9, however one player not expected to be in today's lineup came through in the afternoon to give the Predators 10.  "From that point, I needed to name a pitcher (not me) and re-work our faltering offense.  First I texted Bob Paradis letting him know that he was going to pitch.  Then I sorted our players purely by their 2012 On Base Percentage in descending order, and booked it.  We experienced some success with this in the past, and we were long overdue for a change".

With their revamped lineup - the Predators set to work in the top of the 1st.  After Daryle Graf tripled, Matt Kraynak drove a ball to deep right center sending Graf home to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.   In the bottom of the first the Bulldogs scored 5 times to take a 5-1 lead.  In the 2nd inning the Predators showed some of the offensive spark that had been missing all season.  After David Weiss singled and Dain Runestad doubled, Bob Paradis disposed of a ball over the left centerfield fence for a 3-run home run to make it a 5-4 game.   The Bulldogs immediately responded in the bottom of the 2nd scoring 10 times to take a gaudy 15-4 lead.   After each team failed to score in the 3rd, the Bulldogs piled onto their lead with another 5 runs in the bottom of the 4th to take a 20-4 lead.  With their backs against the wall in the 5th, the Predators rallied, but fell well short of what they needed.  After Tim Myers led off with a double and Mike Ranilla singled, Matt Kraynak hit a deep fly to the left centerfield fence for a sacrifice fly that scored Myers.  Todd Slade followed with an RBI single, and David Weiss also singled.  Rick Ruiz singled down the left field line to score Slade, and Dain Runestad doubled to right to drive in Weiss.  Unfortunately for the Predators, the rally ended in a 20-8 loss to end the 2012 regular season. 

GAME NOTES:  It was a momentous home run for Bob Paradis this afternoon.  Not only did he break the all-team tie in home runs which was zero, but he also scored his first run of the 2012 season in the final regular season game by driving himself in. Matt Kraynak picked up his 1st multi-RBI game of the season with his 2 sacrifice flies.  Today's loss gave the Predator franchise their most regular season losses since their inagural season of 1984 when they lost all 10 of their games.  OFFENSIVE FUTILITY: The Predators scored more than 4 runs in an inning only once this season when they scored 5 runs in the 5th inning of their 2012 season opener on May 6th.  The Predators broke double digits only 2 times in the 12 regular season games played.  The Predators gave up double digit scores in 9 of those 12 games, including 4 times giving up 19 or more runs.  In their final 2 regular season games of 2012, the Predators have been outscored 45-11.  Barry Kresen made it without injury through the regular season, however his lifetime batting average took a hit of epic proportions with his 2012 performance.

Milford, CT (8/12/2012) The Predators 2012 season took another hit this afternoon at Brewster Field in a 25-3 loss to the Beachcombers.  The Predators day was once again lowlighted by poor offensive results at the plate.

The Predators found themselves down early in the game, and taking on water in each successive inning.  The Beachcombers took a 6-0 lead in the first, and expanded their lead to 10-0 before the Predators picked up their only 3 runs of the game.  Daryle Graf and Mike Ranilla each singled and scored.  Rick Ruiz reached base on an error and scored to make it 10-3 at the end of 2 innings.  Matt Kraynak picked up an RBI single in the inning.

The game would be all Beachcombers from that point on.   The Beachcombers picked up 6 in the 3rd and 9 in the 4th take an overwhelming 25-3 lead and subsequent win.

GAME NOTES: The Predators 10 man lineup had a total of 20 plate appearances today.  The Predators 1, 2 and 3 hitters combined for only 1 hit in 6 plate appearances, while the entire Predator team produced only 5 hits and 1 walk all afternoon.   Predator Pitcher Matt Kraynak yielded 5 walks this afternoon, an improvement over the 9 he gave up in the previous match against the Beachcombers.  The Predators once again did not strikeout, and Barry Kresen played the entire game without injury.

Milford, CT (8/5/2012) Playing at Brewster Field on the east side of Milford for the first time in years, the Predators allowed Budget Fence to overcome a 7th inning deficit to steal today's game by a score of 6-5.  It was the 2nd time this season that Budget Fence beat the Predators in the bottom of the 7th.

Unlike their previous meeting on June 24th which was a 19-18 slugfest, today's game would be a low scoring affair.  The Predators took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after David Weiss walked and was later driven home on an RBI single by Daryle Graf.  The 1-0 lead would amazingly last all the way until the bottom of the 4th when Budget fence tied the game at 1-1 after one of their players reached base on a Predator error and came into score on a single.  After a scoreless 5th for the Predators, Budget Fence took a 4-1 lead powered by a 3-run home run blast to left field.  Again, one of those runs is attributed to a Predator infield error.  The Predators struck back in the top of the 6th scoring 4 times to take a 5-4 lead.  After Daryle Graf tripled and Kevin McTigue walked, Matt Fleming doubled deep to right center driving in 2.  Fleming later scored when Bob Paradis grounded to shortstop.  After Mike Ranilla and Matt Kraynak singled, Dain Runestad singled to right to drive in Ranilla.  

After holding Budget Fence scoreless in the 6th, the Predators were unable to generate insurance runs in the top of the 7th, setting up Budget Fence for another come from behind win.  The leadoff batter for Budget Fence reached on a Predator infield error, and was followed by another Budget Fence single.  After the next 2 batters each flew out to left center, it appeared the Predators may just get away with the win, however that was not to be.  The next batter singled to left to tie the game at 5-5.  The final batter hit a twisting fly ball to right field that was just too far away from Mike Ranilla to catch - dropping in and allowing Budget Fence to take the game 6-5.

GAME NOTES:  The Predators lost twice this season to Budget Fence, each time blowing a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 7th.  In those combined games, Budget Fence scored 4 runs leveraging just 2 hits and 5 Predator fielding errors.  The Predators 1, 2, 3 and 4 hitters in the lineup only generated 2 hits in 16 plate appearances, while the Predators 8, 9 and 10 batters generated 6 hits in their 9 plate appearances.  Mike Ranilla went 3 for 3 as he continues to make good contact.  Daryle Graf and Matt Fleming provided a triple and double respectively in the same inning on a Predator team that has struggled to produce extra base hits all season.  The Predators managed to get though todays game with no strikeouts.  Barry Kresen played right field and went uninjured.  

Milford, CT (7/22/2012)  The Predators offensive drought of 2012 continued on this afternoon in a 13-2 loss to Sons of Pitches at Washington Field.  The Predator offense was once again bone dry, letting yet another "not so strong" opponent get away with a win.

After a single to lead off the game, Carl Malinosky later came into score giving the Predators a 1-0 lead.  Sons of Pitches answered with 2 runs taking a 2-1 lead after 1.  Sons of Pitches extended their lead scoring 4 times in the 3rd to take a 6-1 lead.  The Predators answered with 1 run in the top of the 4th.  Mike Ranilla singled and was driven in on a triple by Bob Paradis to make it a 6-2 game.  Unfortunately for the Predators, they allowed Sons of Pitches to score 7 runs in the bottom of the 4th, and failed to score in the 5th to drop the game by a score of 13-2.

GAME NOTES: The Predators registered an additional 4 strikeouts in this game, extending their all-time strikeout record as a team with 3 regular season games yet to play.   Today's Predator outfield had a combined life experience (age) of 201 years.  (Slade, Ranilla, Kresen and Bialka).  Despite his triple with only 1 out, Bob Paradis was once again stranded on base.  Bob has yet to score a run through 9 game in 2012.  Barry Kresen survived the game without injury.

Milford, CT (7/15/2012) Under the backdrop of an approaching thunderstorm at West Shore Field, a battered and bruised Predators squad took another yet another hit in their epically disappointing 2012 season - losing 29-6 to Ball So Hard.  Even the impending rainstorm chose not to save the Predators today.

The Predators found themselves in a deep dark hole very early on - down 14-0 before finally scoring their first runs in the bottom of the 2nd.  After Matt Fleming and Fred Bialka singled, Rick Ruiz singled to drive in Fleming and Bialka came into score when Dain Runestad reached base on an error by the 2nd baseman.  Ball So Hard stormed right back adding 7 runs in the top of the 3rd to take a 21-2 lead.  The Predators would score their final runs of the game in the bottom of the 3rd.  In the 3rd Todd Slade, Tim Myers, Carl Malinosky and Matt Fleming each singled and later scored to make it a 21-6 game.  Carl Malinosky, Matt Fleming and Bob Paradis were each credited with RBI singles in the inning.  Ball So Hard shoveled more dirt on the Predators grave scoring 8 runs in the 5th on their way to a 29-6 win.

GAME NOTES: The Predators went down 1-2-3 in 3 of 5 innings at the plate this afternoon.  The only walk for the Predators this afternoon was drawn by Matt Kraynak - giving him 5 for the season and trailing David Weiss by 2 for the team lead.  Shockingly, both Tim Myers and "King Carl" Malinosky each registered strikeouts this afternoon while the rest of the team successfully put the ball in play.  Matt Fleming scored 2 of the Predators 6 runs this afternoon.  Barry Kresen avoided injury by not being present at the field this afternoon, something many other players wished they had done.  David Weiss and Matt Fleming each played hurt.   Weiss is doubtful for next Sunday's game while Fleming is probable.  Matt Kraynak took a bad infield hop off the kneecap ending up with a bruise but not impacting his ability to keep playing.  With no extra-base hit again this afternoon, the Predators are experiencing a historic low for team slugging percentage and overall offensive production.

Milford, CT (7/8/2012) The Predators snapped their longest losing streak in 5 years with an 8-7 win over East Coast United at Platt Tech Field.  Early on it appeared as if the Predators would run away with the game, however ECU managed to hang on making it a close game in the end.

East Coast United took a 1-0 lead in the top of the firston a couple of infield hits and one solid single to centerfield.  Matt Fleming made an outstanding catch in right center for the Predators during the inning.  In the bottom of the first, the Predators got off to a great start.  After David Weiss walked and Todd Slade singled, Tim Myers drove in Weiss on a single.  After Daryle Graf drew a walk to load the bases, Carl Malinosky singled to drive in 2, giving the Predators a 3-1 lead.  Unfortunately for the Predators they would strand 2 runners on base as the next three batters flew out to end the inning.   The next scoring in the game came in the bottom of the 2nd when the Predators picked up 4 runs.  After Matt Kraynak reached by fielders choice and Dain Runestad singled, Kraynak scored from 2nd on a single by Mike Ranilla. Runestad scored on a single by David Weiss and Ranilla scored when Todd Slade hit into a fielders choice.  Slade came into score on a single by Tim Myers to give the Predators a 7-1 lead after 2 innings.

After East Coast United scored 1 in the 2nd to make it 7-2, the next score came by the Predators in the bottom of the 4th.  After singles by Matt Kraynak and Dain Runestad, Kraynak scored from 2nd on a single to left by David Weiss giving the Predators an 8-2 lead.  That score would hold until the top of the 6th when East Coast United rallied for 5 runs on 5 hits, a walk and a Predator error making it an 8-7 game.  The Predators went down 1-2-3 in the 6th which served to amp up the tension that only a 1 run game can bring in the 7th inning.  Fortunately for the Predators, East Coast United also went down 1-2-3 in the 7th to give the Predators an 8-7 victory.  

GAME NOTES:  Tim Myers scored again today, giving him 9 runs scored on just 13 plate appearances this season.  In the first inning today, the leadoff pairing of Weiss-Slade scored back-to-back in the same inning for the 6th time this year.  The first three and final 3 batters in today's Predators lineup accounted for all 8 runs scored with Kraynak and Slade each scoring twice.  Barry Kresen avoided injury in today's game by being on the other side of the world in Hong Kong to promote the Predator brand.  Pictures of the Predator shirt in Hong Kong should be posted to the Predator World page in the coming days. 

Milford, CT (June 24, 2012)  At Washington Field, the Predators snapped out of an offensive drought by scoring 18 runs on a boatload of hits over 7 innings against Budget Fence.  Unfortunately the Predators let their defense fall apart with many costly errors handing Budget Fence most of their runs leading to a tragic 19-18 loss.

The Predators drew first blood in the top of the 1st scoring 4 times.  After David Weiss, Tim Myers and Daryle Graf each walked to load the bases, Fred Bialka singled to drive in two, Matt Fleming singled to drive in 1 as did Rick Ruiz.   Budget Fence tied the game in the bottom of the 1st with 4 runs of their own.  In the top of the 2nd the Predators took a 7-4 lead on a 3-run triple by Daryle Graf.  The Predators extended their lead 10-4 in the top of the 3rd on a sacrifice fly by Bob Paradis and a 2-run single by Mike Ranilla.  In the bottom of the 3rd Budget Fence crawled back into the game scoring 5 times on a mix of hits and Predator fielding errors to make it a 10-9 Predator lead after 3.  The Predators bounced back with 4 in the top of the 4th on RBI singles by Rick Ruiz, Matt Kraynak and a 2-run single by Daryle Graf giving the Predators a 14-9 lead.  Budget Fence answered with 3 more runs on a long home run and some Predator errors making it a 14-12 game.  In the 5th the Predators squandered an opportunity by stringing 3 singles but only scoring 1 run making it a 15-12 game.  Budget Fence took advantage of a walk and a few hits of their own in the bottom of the 5th - scoring 4 times to take a 16-15 lead.  After holding the Predators scoreless in the top of the 6th - Budget Fence tacked on another run taking a 17-15 lead.   

With their backs against the wall, the Predators rallied in the top of the 7th with some clutch hitting.  With 1 out, David Weiss walked. Todd Slade and Tim Myers each followed with singles to load the bases.  Daryle Graf pounded a sacrifice fly scoring Weiss to make it a 17-16 game.  Fred Bialka singled to drive in Slade to tie the game at 17-17.  Matt Fleming followed with another single to give the Predators an 18-17 lead.  The inspiring rally by the Predators did not hold up.  In the bottom of the 7th, Budget Fence took advantage of back to back to back Predator errors - E6, E9, E8 as they stole the game from the Predators by a score of 19-18.

GAME NOTES: Tim Myers scored a personal best 5 runs in todays game.  With only 10 plate appearances this season, Myers has scored an outstanding 8 times.  Barry Kresen once again avoided any visible or serious injuries today.  With the loss, the Predators are now in their longest losing streak since the 2007 season.

Milford, CT (6/17/2012) The Predators offensive woes continued to haunt them this afternoon as they dropped a 12-2 game against HGH Abusers.  In a game where the Predators drew more walks than hits, there was simply no path to victory today.

After HGH took a 2-0 lead, the Predators scored their only two runs in the top of the second inning.  After Kevin McTigue singled, Rick Ruiz and Matt Kraynak each drew walks to load the bases.  Bob Paradis followed with a long single to deep left center - driving in McTigue and Ruiz to make it a 2-2 game.  HGH went on to score 4 in the 2nd, 1 in the 3rd and 5 in the 4th on their way to the 12-2 win by the mercy rule.

Milford, CT (6/10/2012)  The Predators suffered a disappointing loss this afternoon against a strong-hitting Bulldogs team by a score of 12-2.  Most disappointing for the Predators was a lack of clutch hitting which was evident by the 11 runners they stranded on base in just 5 innings of play.

The Predators lone highlight today was the top of the first inning when they opened with a quick score.  After David Weiss, Todd Slade and "King Carl" Malinosky opened the game with back-to-back-to-back walks, Daryle Graf drove in Weiss on a fly ball to deep left.  Slade would later be driven in on a sacrifice fly to left by Rick Ruiz, giving the Predators a 2-0 lead.  The Bulldogs answered immediately with 4 runs in the bottom of the first to take a 4-2 lead.  The Bulldogs proceeded to score 1 in the 2nd, 5 in the 3rd, 1 in the 4th and 1 in the 5th all while holding the Predators scoreless, and running away with a 12-2 win.

GAME NOTES: The leadoff combination of Weiss-Slade have now scored back-to-back in the same inning 5 times in the last 3 games.  David Weiss is also off to a hot start in 2012, having scored 8 runs in just 16 plate appearances.  Overall the Predators are off to a poor start on offense in 2012 with most players batting well under their normal batting average thus far.  The Predators are also clearly suffering from a power shortage in 2012 - evident again this afternoon as all of their hits were singles.   On the positive side, Barry Kresen played a full game in right field, suffering no injuries, or that is, he did not report any injuries this week.

Milford, CT (6/3/2012) The Predators lost a close but poorly executed game against Sons of Pitches by a score of 10-8.  A series of untimely errors, a lack of clutch hitting and "soft balls" were among the agitating factors leading to the Predators demise this afternoon.

The Predators lost the coin toss, and followed by going down 1-2-3 in the 1st.  Sons of Pitches picked up a couple of runs on a solo home run over the short left field porch and and a few scattered hits to make it 2-0 after one inning.  The Predators responded with 3 in the 2nd.  After Kevin McTigue, Carl Malinosky and Fred Bialka drew walks, Rick Ruiz drew an RBI walk to bring in McTigue.  Malinosky and Bialka scored on Fielders Choice plays by Dain Runestad and Mike Ranilla to give the Predators a 3-2 lead.  After SOP reclaimed a 4-3 lead after 2 innings, the Predators once again stuck back with 3 more runs.  After Barry Kresen & David Weiss walked, Todd Slade singled to load the bases.  Those 3 would come in on a sacrifice fly by Daryle Graf, a Fielders Choice by Kevin McTigue and a single by Carl Malinosky.  

The Predators extended their lead to 7-4 in the top of the 4th after a double by Rick Ruiz who was later driven in on a Fielders Choice play by Mike Ranilla.  SOP picked up 2 in their half of the 4th and their half of the 5th to take an 8-7 lead.  The 2 runs in the 5th were due to 3 costly Predator errors against the first 4 batters of the inning.  Carl Malinosky scored for the Predators on a sacrifice by Mike Ranilla in the top of the 6th to make it an 8-8 game.  Sons Of Pitches stuck the winning blow with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 6th to take a 10-8 lead.  The Predators fell flat in the 7th to record their 2nd loss of the season. 

GAME NOTES:  The balls in play for both teams today could be best described as "mush".  It was evident as the game went on that some very well-stuck balls were going nowhere - for both teams.  Predator GM Matt Kraynak received some advice on upgrading equiptment and will be ready for the Predators next game accordingly.  Despite a tough game, David Weiss scored his 7th run of the season based on 12 plate appearances.  For the 2nd consecutive game, Barry Kresen did not injure himself (or at least did not report an injury to team physicians.)  Fred Bialka continued to produce, raising his team leading on base percentage to .727 while maintaining a .700 batting average.  The game - originally scheduled for West Shore Field, was switched on Sunday morning - signifying the true start of festivities in the Milford Sunday Night League.  

Prior to the game, Matt Kraynak attended the wake of Tony DePalmer, a longtime friend and Milford Sunday Night Umpire.  On Tony's coffin was his ASA Uniform; his infield dust-covered ASA Cap and ASA Rulebook.  Several umpires and players were there to pay respects to Tony - and the funeral home was overflowing with family and friends.  The Predators always had well called games when Tony was presiding, and with Tony there were no significant disputes.  He will be missed.

Milford, CT (5/20/2012)  The Beachcombers took advantage of 9 bases on balls in the first 3 innings to run up 13 runs in the first 3 innings and hang on for a 13-7 win over the Predators today.  The Predators - forced to reach deep into their pitching depth chart this afternoon due to several absences - ended up on the short side of the pitching matchup today.  For the Predators it was a rather disappointing loss after the solid start they had on Opening Day.

In the first inning, the Predators took a quick 2-0 lead.  After David Weiss and Todd Slade reached base, Fred Bialka and Rick Ruiz follow up with RBI singles.  In the bottom of the 1st, The Beachcombers answered back with 3 runs after they drew 4 walks from Matt Kraynak and had a couple of hits to make it a 3-2 game after one inning.  After the Predators went scoreless in the 2nd, the Beachcombers came back with 6 runs on 2 walks and 4 hits to take a 9-2 lead after 2 innings.  After the Predators were held scoreless in the 3rd, the Beachcombers added another 4 runs in the 3rd on 3 walks and 2 hits to take a commanding 13-2 lead.

In the 4th inning, Predator pitcher Matt Kraynak finally settled down and went on to not issue another walk or another run to the Beachcombers for the remainder of the game.   The Predators finally scored again in the top of the 6th when David Weiss and Todd Slade were once again driven in on a single by Fred Bialka and a Fielders Choice play by Matt Kraynak to make it a 13-4 game.  The Predators added 3 runs in the 6th after Dain Runestad and David Weiss were driven in on a 2-RBI double by Daryle Graf.  Todd Slade singled and was driven in on a single by Fred Bialka to cap the Predators scoring.

GAME NOTES:  The pairing of Davis Weiss and Todd Slade scored 6 of the 7 Predator runs today, each scoring in the 1st, 5th and 6th innings.  Weiss and Slade were joined by Fred Bialka as all 3 players went 3 for 4 today.  Sadly the "Strikeout King" race escalated this afternoon as Barry Kresen, Dain Runestad recorded a strikeout each, while Mike Ranilla doubled his pleasure both swinging and looking.  Fred Bialka maintained a hot bat going 3 for 4 and driving in 3 runs keeping him in the team lead for RBI's as well as batting average (.750). 

Milford, CT (5/6/2012) The Predators opened up their 29th season in the Milford Sunday Night League with a 13-8 victory over East Coast United.  The win marked the 7th time in 8 years dating back to 2005 that the Predators won their opening game of the season.  

This afternoon the veteran Predator squad faced off against a youthful East Coast United team at Foote Field. The Predators drew first blood - taking a 1-0 lead after Tim Myers drew a walk and came into score on a double by "King Carl" Malinosky.  Predator GM Matt Kraynak called upon King Carl to pitch this afternoon - and was not disappointed.  The King retired 13 of the first 14 batters for East Coast United - enabling the the Predators to build a solid lead.  In the top of the 3rd, after back to back singles by Tim Myers and David Weiss, left fielder Daryle Graf doubled to drive in Myers and Rick Ruiz drove in Weiss on a sacrifice fly - giving the Predators a 3-0 lead.  The Predators added 5 more runs in the 4th to take a commanding 8-0 lead.  In that inning David Weiss, Carl Malinosky, Fred Bialka, Mike Ranilla and Dain Runestad  each scored amidst a flurry of hits, walks and a couple of errors by East Coast United.  

East Coast United finally got on the board in the bottom of the 5th scoring 5 times by stringing together several well-placed hits and taking advantage of a Predator error.  The Predators promptly responded in the top of the 6th with 4 runs to take a 12-5 lead.  After David Weiss walked and Carl Malinosky singled, Weiss scored on a single by Rick Ruiz and Malinosky scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Kraynak.  Fred Bialka drove in both Daryle Graf and Rick Ruiz on a sharp single to right - his 3rd hit of the game.   ECU tacked on 3 in the bottom of the 6th to make it a 12-8 Predator lead, but the Predators added an insurance run in the 7th on a single by Daryle Graf and went on to win 13-8.