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Miramonte Matadors
750 Moraga Way
Orinda, California
94563
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 History |
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Wednesday, May 24
Mats Lose Heartbreaker In Extra Innings To Northgate
In a game that will no doubt go down as a classic, the Mats were
eliminated from the DFAL playoffs in a see-saw game that ended with the
Northgate Broncos edging Miramonte by a 5-4 score in eight innings.
Northgate send the hard throwing Joukoff to the mound and he showed from
the outset that he was going to be tough as he got through the top of
the Mats' line up 1-2-3 with 2 strikeouts. Talbot took the mound for
the Mats and started out by striking out Schneider. Hayashi grounded
out to Bourgein, but Ditomasso walked, took second on a wild pitch and
scored when Johnson's grounder to a hop and went on into center with
Ditomasso scoring on the error. Joukoff then flew out to Vasilas in
center to end the inning. The Mats came right back in the second as
Chovanes hit a towering fly ball to deep right center that carried over
the fence for a home run to tie the game at 1-1. Lee walked and took
second on a wild pitch, but couldn't advance further as Joukoff picked
up 2 more strikeouts. In the bottom of the second, Falk led off with a
walk and took second when Moore hit a ground ball single. But Gold hit
a grounder back to Talbot who threw to Goldman at third for the force
out. Dixon hit a foul pop to Vidal at first for the second out.
Surdez, who for some reason did not start the game, came on to replace
Schneider and was hit by a pitch to load the bases. But Talbot came
back and struck out Hayashi to end the threat. The Mats were unable to
score in the third. With one out, Goldman beat out a bunt single but
was caught trying to steal second as he appeared to stumble in the soft
dirt as he broke for second. The Mats were not able to produce any
other base runners. In the bottom of the third, Talbot got Ditomasso to
ground out to Goldman and then walked Johnson. But Joukoff hit a soft
liner that Bourgein nabbed and threw to Vidal to double off the runner.
In the top of the 4th, with one out, Chovanes hit a bullet to left for a
double that bounced off the fence. Lee followed with a hard liner to
first, but the first baseman made a nice shoe string catch. Joukoff
picked up another strike out to end the inning. In the bottom of the
4th, the Broncos broke through. Falk singled to lead things off. With
Falk running, Moore grounded to Jackson whose only play was to first.
Gold grounded out to Goldman (there is a pun in there somewhere) for the
second out. Dixon then hit a slow roller to left of the mound. Goldman
made a fine play to pick it up and throw to first but the umpire ruled
the runner safe on a close play. That call proved to be pivotal as
Surdez followed with a double to left just over the glove of the leaping
Lee as both runners scored. Bowen came on to replace Talbot and walked
Hayashi, but came back to strike out Ditomasso. Down 3-1 the Mats
picked up two quick outs in the top of the 5th but then Bourgein hit one
over the third baseman's head for a single. Goldman saw an inside curve
ball and turned his shoulder into it and was awarded first base. But
Joukoff came back to pick up the third out. In the bottom of the 5th,
the Mats showed their defensive prowess. Johnson hit a grounder up the
middle that appeared destined for center field. But Jackson raced far
to his left, scooped the ball and was able to make a perfect throw
against his momentum to the outstretched Vidal to nail the runner.
Joukoff followed with a smash down the third base line, but Goldman made
a nifty back hand pick-up and a strong long throw to nail the runner.
Falk then hit a more routine grounder to Bourgein for a 1-2-3 inning.
The Mats were again unable to score in the 6th, but they showed signs of
getting to Joukoff. Jackson hit a hard liner but right at the second
baseman. Chovanes hit another rope but this time right at the left
fielder. Lee hit a hard grounder to first that went through for a
single, but was unable to advance further. In the bottom of the 6th,
Moore hit a chopper in the 5-6 hole. Jackson quickly got to it and made
a terrific long throw to just get the runner as Vidal stretched for the
ball. Gold hit a routine grounder to Jackson for the second out. Dixon
then hit a soft, excuse me, blooper to short left that fell on the line
for a double. Jackson came on to pitch for Bowen and hit Surdez. But
he then struck out Hayashi to end the inning.
With the Mats trailing 3-1 in the 7th, their backs appeared to be
against the wall. But they were not willing to give up. Mayeri beat
out a single to lead things off. Epperson made his varsity debut
running for Mayeri. Vidal then unloaded on a pitch that cleared the
fence in right center to tie up the came as the whole team poured out of
the dugout to join in the celebration at home plate. Joukoff came back
to retire the next hitter. With one out, Goldman had perhaps the
longest at bat of the season as he fouled off 4 or 5 pitches before
working out a walk. Joukoff was replaced by Born. With 2 outs and
Goldman still on first, Jackson hit a slow grounder to short. In trying
to rush his throw to catch the speedy Jackson, the shortstop bobbled the
ball and Jackson was safe on the infield hit. The shortstop flipped
the ball to Born who turned his back on Goldman. The third baseman had
wandered toward second and was also paying no attention and Goldman
snuck over to third. (I'm not sure how to score this, but this
certainly a "steal.") The ploy paid off. Jackson stole second on the
first pitch to Chovanes who was then walked intentionally. With Lee at
the plate and Goldman dancing off of third, Born threw a pitch in the
dirt and Goldman raced home to give the Mats a 4-3 lead. Lee flew out
to center to end the inning. In the bottom of the 7th, Ditomasso
grounded out to Goldman to start things off. But Jackson walked Johnson
and Joukoff hit a double to right center to tie up the game. Falk was
walked intentionally. Jackson struck out Moore looking and got Born to
fly out to Vasilas to send the game into extra innings. The Mats were
unable to do any damage in the top of the 8th and went down 1-2-3. In
the bottom of the 8th, Dixon showed why baseball can be both an
interesting and at times frustrating game. Following up on his two
previous cheap hits, he again hit a soft pop up that fell in front of
Buscheck in left. Surdez bunted Dixon to second as Jackson threw to
first for the out. Hayashi was walked intentionally to set up a force,
but Ditomasso singled over third to load the bases. Jackson got ahead
with two strikes on Johnson, but Johnson was able to lift a fly ball to
right that Mayeri caught on the run but with no chance to prevent the
runner on third from tagging up and scoring the winning run. Final
score: Broncos 5 Mats 4.
Highlights:
Chovanes: Home run, double, walk, RBI, run
Vidal: Home run, 2 RBIs, run
Goldman: Single, walk, hit by pitch, steal, run, and nice play at third
Jackson: Single, stolen base, 2 fine defensive plays
Bowen: 2 innings, no runs, 1 hit
Mayeri: Single, run
Lee: Single, walk
Bourgein: Single
Wednesday, May 17
Mats Heel Bulldogs 10-6
On a warm, blustery afternoon in Martinez, the Mats exacted revenge for
an earlier defeat, and beat the Alhambra Bulldogs 10-6. The Mats were
led by the power hitting of St. Lezin and a terrific relief pitching
performance by Kjar. The Mats also took advantage of aggressive base
running and some sloppy Bulldog defense. The game was marred by the
juvenile performance of two Bulldog coaches who were tossed from the
game for arguing with umpires over matters unrelated to the game itself.
This was a big win for the Mats who improve their DFAL record to 10-7
and their overall record to 13-10. The Mats have thus assured
themselves of a winning record (both league and overall) for the season
and keep their playoff hopes alive. The Mats currently stand alone in
4th place in the league, but three teams, College Park, Northgate and
Las Lomas are all just one game back.
The game began with Baesa, who had pitched effectively in relief against
Miramonte in the first game this year, on the Mound for Alhambra and
looking tough. The Mats went down quietly in a 1-2-3 top of the first.
Talbot took the mound for the Mats and matched Baesa. He struck out
Ysunza to start the inning, and then got both Jones and Guess to ground
out to Goldman at third. Chovanes started the top of the second off
with a bang (literally), as he roped a double to left center. With one
out, Chovanes stole third and then scored when St. Lezin hit a hard
liner in the alley for an RBI double. St. Lezin then stole third and
scored when Mayeri singled to right center. Mayeri was nailed trying to
take second when the second baseman couldn't handle the right fielder's
throw and Baesa picked up the third out, but not before the Mats had
jumped to a 2-0 lead. The lead was short lived, however, as Talbot ran
into control problems in the bottom of the second. Hashimoto was hit by
a pitch to start things off. Bezayiff reached on an error. Danford
walked to load the bases. The next batter hit a chopper back to the
mound and Talbot's only play was to first as Hashimoto scored. King was
hit by a pitch to re-load the bases. Talbot then settled down and got
the number nine hitter to hit a grounder to Jackson at short. Jackson
tagged the runner heading for third for the putout, but was unable to
complete a double play as Bezayiff scored to tie up the game 2-2.
Ysunza was then caught looking on a beautiful, slow breaking ball for
the final out.
The Mats showed their grit in the top of the third as they again rallied
to take the lead. Bourgein led off with a walk. Goldman moved Bourgein
to second with a bunt that he nearly beat out. Vasilas grounded out to
first moving Bourgein to third. Jackson was walked intentionally in a
move that quickly backfired. Jackson broke for second on the first
pitch to Chovanes. The second baseman was unable to corral the tailing
throw and the ball scooted into center field as Bourgein scored and
Jackson third. Chovanes hit a grounder to second but the throw pulled
the first baseman off the bag as Jackson scored the Mats' fourth run and
Chovanes was safe on the error. Chovanes stole second but was unable to
advance further. In the bottom of the third, Talbot walked Jones who
was promptly picked off as Talbot threw to Vidal who threw to Jackson
who applied the tag. Guess walked and took second on a balk and third
on a wild pitch. But Talbot got Hashimoto to hit a pop up back to the
mound and, after walking Bezayiff, struck out Danford to end the threat.
In the fourth, St. Lezin started things off with a bullet to short, but
right at the shortstop. Mayeri followed with a line single and took
second on a balk. Vidal hit a ball down the right field line that just
managed to stay fair and he took second for an RBI double as Mayeri
scored. Vidal then took third as the pitcher's attempted pickoff throw
to second went awry. With two outs, Goldman hit a hard grounder to
second that the second baseman bobbled just long enough for Goldman to
leg it out as Vidal scored. This play proved pivotal in the game as the
Mats then took full advantage. With Vasilas at the plate, Goldman stole
second and then stole third. Vasilas hit a solid single to right to
score Goldman. Baesa was replaced by Kirk. Jackson greeted him with a
single to right center as Vasilas took third. Jackson stole second.
Chovanes hit a blooper to right field that the outfielder raced for and
then dropped, allowing two runs to score on the error and giving the
Mats a seemingly solid 9-2 lead before Kirk picked up the final out.
But the lead quickly proved to be tenuous as the Bulldogs rallied in the
bottom of the fourth. The first batter hit a solid single up the
middle. King walked. Knobloch hit a ball toward short that looked as
though it would pick up at least one out, but Jackson was breaking
toward second as the ball was hit and it rolled into left field for a
single to load the bases. Ysunza hit a hard smash to the 5-6 hole.
Goldman dove and was able to knock the ball down, but by the time he
scampered to his feet, there was no play and Ysunza had an RBI single to
make the game 9-3 with the bases still loaded an no one out. Kjar came
in to replace Talbot. Jones hit a grounder to Goldman's left. Goldman
tagged out Knobloch heading for third, but had no chance for a double
play as the Bulldog's fourth run crossed the plate. Two wild pitches
allowed Ysunza to score and Jones to move to third. Guess hit a pop up
behind first base, but the strong wind caused the ball to fall just
beyond Bourgein's glove for a bloop double that scored Jones. Chovanes
then came up with the defensive play of the game and fired a strike to
Bourgein at second to nab Guess who had wandered too far off of second
after a pitch. Hashimoto walked and took second when another wind blown
pop up fell just beyond Jackson's reach. But Kjar caught the Bulldog's
pinch hitter looking on a wicked curve ball to end the inning with the
Mats clinging to a 9-6 lead.
The Mats looked as though they might add to the lead as St. Lezin hit
another long double to right center to start things off. But Kirk came
back to strike out the next three hitters. Kjar came on strong in the
bottom of the 5th as he got the lead off batter to ground out to Goldman
and struck out King looking. Knobloch then got caught leaning too far
off of first as Kjar threw over to Vidal who threw to Jackson for the
putout. The Mats looked as though they might open things up in the
sixth as Goldman lead off with a walk after fouling off 3 or 4 two
strike pitches. Goldman promptly stole second (picking up his 20th
steal of the season without being caught) and took third when the throw
eluded the second baseman (do you see a pattern emerging here?).
Vasilas walked and stole second. Jackson hit a fly ball to center field
that looked for sure as though it would score Goldman. But the wind
held the ball up and center fielder Ysunza caught the ball while running
toward home and fired a rocket that nailed Goldman for a double play.
Kirk picked up the final out and the Mats headed into the bottom of the
6th with a 9-6 lead. Kjar continued to dominate, however. He struck
out Ysunza looking and got Jones to strike out on a check swing in the
dirt, with Chovanes throwing to Vidal for the out. Guess hit a smash
down the third base line. Goldman made a fine backhand stab, but his
throw to first sailed high and Guess was safe on the error. Kjar came
back to get Hashimoto to hit a grounder to Goldman for the third out.
The Mats picked up an insurance run in the 7th as Lee hit a liner to
second that was misplayed as Lee reached on the error. St. Lezin
continued his hot hitting and singled. Lee stole third. With one out,
Vidal grounded to second. The second baseman bobbled the ball allowing
Lee to score and St. Lezin to take second as Vidal was out, but picked
up an RBI. Gilbert came on to pinch hit and grounded out to second, but
the Mats led 10-6. Kjar got the lead off batter to hit a grounder on
which Bourgein made a nice play to pick up the first out. The next
batter hit a long fly to center that the wind held up for Vasilas to
catch. Kjar then recorded his 5th strikeout to end the game. Final
score: Mats 10 Bulldogs 6.
Highlights:
Kjar: 4 innings, no runs, 3 hits (2 of which were wind blown pop-ups),
5 strikeouts
St. Lezin: 3 for 4, 2 doubles, run, stolen base
Mayeri: 2 singles, RBI, run
Vasilas: Single, walk, RBI, run, stolen base
Chovanes: Double, run, 2 stolen bases, great pick off throw
Vidal: Double, RBI, run
Jackson: Single, walk, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases
Goldman: Walk, run, 3 stolen bases
Bourgein: Walk, run
Lee: Run, stolen base
Friday, May 12
Mats Rebound To Whip Northgate 6-2
Mats Rebound To Whip Northgate 6-2
If there is one word to describe this year's Miramonte Varsity Baseball
Team, it is "resilient." With no time to catch their breath following
Wednesday's fiasco against Dublin, the Mats faced a do or die game
yesterday against the Northgate Broncos. Attempting to avenge their
2-1 defeat in the rain storm farce earlier in the season at Northgate,
the Mats played under perfect weather conditions at Campolindo. Not
only did the team show great resilience with a wonderful all-around team
effort, but two of the stars of the game showed great personal
resilience as well. Vaccaro, coming off of a disappointing outing
against Acalanes, bounced back and pitched a terrific complete game.
And while some ball players will allow a miscue to adversely affect the
rest of their game, Goldman twice responded to errors with defensive
gems, including a highlight reel game ending play that would have made
Brooks Robinson proud. With their 6-2 victory, the Mats go to 9-7 in
league play and 12-10 overall and keep their playoff hopes alive.
The game began with Vaccaro inducing Surgez to ground out to Jackson at
short. Hayashi hit a fly to fairly deep center, but Vasilas got back
quickly and had no trouble hauling it in for the second out. Ditomasso
then hit a hard one hopper just to the left of second that looked like a
certain base hit, but Jackson turned in a highlight reel play of his own
as he dove to his left, snagged the hop, bounced up and fired a perfect
strike to Vidal to nail the runner. With Schneider on the mound for the
Broncos, the Mats attacked immediately. Goldman worked the count and
then lined a one hopper on a 2 strike pitch through the hole for a
single into left center. He immediately stole second for his 16th
stolen base of the season on 16 attempts. Vasilas picked up a
productive out when he hit an 0-2 pitch on the ground advancing the
runner to 3rd with one out. It turned out not to matter, however, as
Jackson smashed a slicing line drive to deep left center and turned on
his speed to record a stand up RBI triple as Goldman scored. Chovanes
then lined one through the hole into left field for an RBI single as
Jackson scored to put the Mats up 2-0. Chovanes stole second, but was
left stranded as Schneider settled down and picked up a ground out and
then the final out on a hard liner by St. Lezin that unfortunately was
right at the center fielder.
Pitching with a 2-0 lead, Vaccaro got Johnson to ground out to Goldman,
but Joukoff hit a two strike check swing blooper that fell into short
center for a single. Falk followed with a ground ball single. Moore
hit a grounder toward the 5-6 hole, but Jackson scooted over to grab it
and nailed the lead runner at third as Goldman got back in time to cover
on the force out. Vaccaro then struck out Gold to end the inning. The
Mats came right back on the attack in the bottom of the second. Mayeri
led off with a solid single and Vidal followed with a line single as
well. Bourgein was asked to move the runners up and did so with a
perfect sacrifice bunt putting men on 2 and 3rd with one out. Goldman
hit a chopper between the mound and first that was fielded by first
baseman Gold and when the pitcher failed to cover first, Gold's only
play was a belated throw to the plate as Mayeri slid in safely and
Goldman reached on an RBI infield single, with Vidal advancing to third.
Goldman promptly stole second. Vasilas had another productive out as
his grounder to short drove in Vidal with Goldman taking third. Jackson
walked and stole second, but Schneider retired Chovanes to end the
inning, but not before the Mats had a 4-0 lead. In the top of the
third, Vaccaro struck out Dixon looking and got Surgez to ground out to
Jackson for two quick outs. Hayashi singled but Vaccaro came back to
get Ditomasso to ground out to Goldman for the third out. The Mats
padded their lead in the bottom of the third. Lee reached on an error
when his hard grounder to first was misplayed. St Lezin then hit a
towering drive to deep left center that looked like a sure home run when
it left the bat. But Falk made a fine catch up against the fence as
Lee scampered back to first. Lee then stole second and took third on a
balk. Mayeri walked bringing Vidal to the plate. Vidal cracked a
rocket line drive to deep right that short hopped the fence for an RBI
double as Lee scored and Mayeri took third. Bourgein walked to load the
bases. Goldman hit a chopper to first and was retired, but picked up an
RBI as Mayeri scored. Vasilas flew out to center to end the inning, but
the Mats now had a solid 6-0 lead after 3 innings.
Now enjoying a nice lead, Vaccaro responded with his strongest inning of
the game as he got Johnson to ground out to Goldman and Joukoff to hit a
grounder to Vidal who flipped to Vaccaro covering first for the put out.
He then struck out Falk to end the inning. The Mats went down in their
half of the 4th despite a two out single by Lee. In the bottom of the
5th, Vaccaro struck out Moore to start things off, but Gold reached
first on an error when Goldman fielded the grounder but his throw to
first sailed high. Dixon singled to left and Surgez walked to load the
bases. Hayashi followed with a grounder down the third base line.
Goldman moved two steps to his right, grabbed the ball, retreated to
third for the force out and then spun and threw a strike to the
outstretched Vidal to just double up the hitter and end the inning.
The Mats were unable to do any damage in the bottom of the 5th and went
down 1-2-3. In the top of the 6th, Ditomasso led off with a single and
Johnson followed with a walk. But Joukoff hit a slower roller back to
the mound which Vaccaro fielded and threw to Vidal for the first out.
Falk then grounded out to Jackson, with the run scoring and Johnson
taking third. Moore walked but Gold grounded back to Vaccaro for the
final out. In the bottom of the sixth, Goldman led off with a single to
left center, but with the steal sign on, he got caught leaning toward
second and was picked off and the Mats were retired with no further
damage. In the top of the 7th, Dixon lead off with a grounder to
Goldman, but his throw again went high and Dixon beat the throw as Vidal
jumped to grab it. Dixon took second on a wild pitch. Surgez flew out
to Mayeri in right for the first out with Dixon tagging up and taking
third. Hayashi then grounded out Goldman to Vidal as Dixon came in to
score and make it a 6-2 game. Ditomasso then walked setting up the
spectacular finale. On a 2-2 pitch, Johnson hit a scorching one hopper
over the bag at third that seemed certain to go into the corner for
extra bases. But Goldman, who was playing deep, made an incredible
diving, full body extension, backhand grab, sprung to his feet instantly
and, from foul territory, made a perfect throw hitting the outstretched
glove of Vidal a split second before Johnson's foot hit the bag. Final
score Mats 6 Broncos 2.
Highlights:
Vaccaro: 7 inning complete game victory, 1 earned run on 5 hits, 3
strikeouts and 15 outs on grounders!
Goldman: 3 for 4, 2 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, run, 6 assists and 2 putouts
on defense including the game ending gem
Vidal: 2 for 3 including a double, RBI, run and fine defensive game at
first
Jackson: Triple, walk, RBI, run, stolen base, and flawless defense at
short with 5 assists including a great diving play
Mayeri: Single, walk, 2 runs
Chovanes: Single, RBI, stolen base
Lee: Single, run, stolen base
Vasilas: RBI
Bourgein: Walk and sacrifice bunt
Special mention to St. Lezin who smoked the ball all 3 times up but had
nothing to show for it.
Friday, May 12
Mats Overwhelmed By Gaels 12-0
In what was undoubtedly the team's worst all-around performance of the
season, the Mats batters were baffled by a combination of the pitching
of Dublin's ace, Greenberg, and the nebulous strike zone of the home
plate umpire. The Mats managed only 3 hits, two infield singles and a
bloop double, while the pitchers allowed 10 free passes and the defense
committed an uncharacteristic 5 errors. The result was that the Mats
dropped their 3rd straight game by a 12-0 score.
The first 3 innings went well on defense for the Mats, as Bowen, despite
issuing 2 walks and hitting a batter, kept the Gael's hitters at bay
yielding no runs on no hits. The top of the third ended as Greenberg
hit a tough grounder to second on which Bourgein made a fine backhand
pickup, flipped to shortstop Jackson who fired to Vidal at first for a
double play. Unfortunately, the Mats were unable to even hint at a
rally against the tough lefty Greenberg in the first 3 frames. The only
Mats base runner was Vidal, who reached first on a throwing error and
was promptly caught stealing on what appeared to be an aborted hit and
run. Things fell apart in the top of the 4th as the Gaels scored 3
runs. Miller reached on an error. Plimmer walked. Arata bunted to
move the runners up but was safe when no one covered first. Podyma hit
a fly to Vasilas in center that scored Miller, with Plimmer taking
third. Arata stole second. On a suicide squeeze, Silva bunted back
toward the mound and was out at first, but Arata never stopped and
crossed the plate following Plimmer on an unusual 2 RBI sacrifice bunt.
A groundout to Jackson ended the inning, but not before the Gaels had a
3-0 lead.
The Mats attempted to mount a comeback in the bottom of the 4th, as
Goldman led off with an infield hit and stole second. With 2 outs he
took third on a wild pitch, but was left stranded. In the 5th, the
Gaels blew the game open. Following a lead off walk to Ellison, Kjar
came in to pitch. Indalecio reached on an error. Greenberg was out on
an infield fly. Miller was hit by a pitch. Plimmer hit a grounder over
the bag at first that went for a 2 run double. Arata hit a blooper to
right that went for a 2 run triple. Podyma singled in a run and Lloyd
replaced Kjar. Silva walked but was picked off first on a throw from
catcher Chovanes to Vidal. Uriyu flew out to Lee in left to end the
inning, but the Mats were down 8-0. The Mats threatened in the bottom
of the 5th when Vaccaro walked with 2 outs and Vidal hit a fly down the
left field line that fell in for a double. But Greenberg came back to
pick up a ground out to end the inning. In the 6th, the Mats gave up 4
more runs on a hit batsman, 2 singles, and error, a walk and another
single. A Bourgein to Jackson to Vidal double play prevented even more
damage. In the 6th, the Mats went down with a walk to Jackson
accounting for the only base runner. In the 7th, the Gaels were
retired without a run on 2 strikeouts and a fly out. The Mats loaded
the bases with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th when Gilbert walked,
Vidal beat out an infield hit and Bourgein walked. But a fly out to
left ended the game with the Mats losing 12-0.
Highlights:
Vidal: Single, Double
Goldman: Single, stolen base
Wednesday, May 10
Mats Fall to Campolindo in 1-0 Pitcher's Duel
In a game filled with "what ifs," the Mats suffered their second
straight loss as the Cougars squeaked out a 1-0 victory on a sultry
afternoon in Moraga before the largest crowd of the season. With
Kratter on the mound for Campo, the Mats went down 1-2-3 in the first.
Talbot retired Kratter on a ground out to Jackson at short to start the
bottom of the first. Talbot's control momentarily deserted him as he
hit Caughell and walked Gala. But with Gala at the plate, Caughell
tried to steal second and Chovanes made a perfect throw to Bourgein to
nail him. Irving then grounded out to Jackson to end the inning. In
the top of the second, the Mats mounted a threat as Lee hit a one out
grounder through the hole between second and first for a single. St.
Lezin followed with a chopper in the same hole. Caughell made a nice
play on the ball but his ensuing throw to first pulled the first baseman
off the bag and St. Lezin was safe on the infield hit. Mayeri then
moved the runners up with a bunt, but the Mats were not able to cash in.
In the bottom of the first, Talbot hit Haywood to start things off, but
when Fair missed a bunt attempt, Haywood, who had strayed far off first
was caught in a run down as Chovanes fired to Vidal who threw to Jackson
who tagged Haywood out as he retreated toward first. Fair then reached
on an error, but Campbell grounded out to Bourgein and Ousman grounded
out to Jackson to end the inning. The Mats were unable to reach
Kratter in the third and went down 1-2-3. The Cougars rallied again in
the third. Perkins led off with a slicing fly ball to left center, but
Vasilas got a great jump on the ball and made an outstanding running
catch to rob Perkins of extra bases. Kratter and Coughell both walked,
but Gala hit a weak pop to Vidal and Irving was retired as Mayeri made a
nice running catch on a foul ball down the right field line and the game
remained 0-0 after 3.
The Mats were unable to do any damage in the top of the 4th with a walk
to Chovanes producing the only base runner. In the bottom of the 4th,
the Cougars managed to produce what would prove to be the only run of
the game. Haywood led off with a ground out to Goldman at first. Fair
then hit a towering fly ball to deep left that fell for a double.
Campbell then reached on an error putting runners on first and third.
Ousman hit a chopper to Jackson who was able to force out Campbell, but
Ousman beat the relay from Bourgein as Fair scored. Perkins then
grounded out to Vidal at first, but the damage had been done as the
Cougars led 1-0. The Mats went down 1-2-3 again in the 5th. Talbot
kept the Mats close as he retired Kratter on a pop up back to the mound
to start the inning. He walked Caughell but got Gala out on a hard
liner to Bourgein and retired Irving on a routine fielder's choice from
Jackson to Bourgein. In the top of the 6th, the Mats launched a rally
that looked like it might produce results. With the Cougar's ace,
Ousman now on the mound, Goldman came back from an 0-2 count, fouled
off 2 pitches and worked a walk. Vasilas hit a chopper to third that
was misplayed and he was safe on the error as Goldman took second.
Jackson tried to bunt for a hit, but Ousman fielded it quickly and
forced out Goldman at third. With 2 outs, Lee walked to load the bases,
but the Mats were unable to capitalize as a strike out ended the inning.
Haywood led off the bottom of the 6th with a single and Talbot was
replaced on the mound by Jackson. Fair struck out, but Campbell singled
and both runners moved up on a wild pitch putting runners on second and
third with just one out. Metzler pinch hit for Ousman and hit a bullet
to third. Fortunately, it was hit right at Goldman who snagged the
liner and easily caught Haywood off third for an unassisted inning
ending double play. Unfortunately, the Mats were unable to reach Ousman
in the 7th and they went down quietly 1-2-3 to end the game. Final
score: Cougars 1 Mats 0
Highlights:
Talbot: 5 innings, 2 hits, 1 unearned run
Lee: Single, walk
St. Lezin: Single
Vasilas: Great catch
Goldman: Walk, unassisted double play
Chovanes: Walk, another would be base stealer thrown out
Tuesday, May 9
Dons Snap Mats Win Streak With 16-7 Win At Cal
Playing at beautiful Evans Diamond in Berkeley on an overcast Friday
afternoon, the Acalanes Dons stopped Miramonte's 7 game win streak.
During the streak, the Mats averaged better than 7 runs per game while
yielding a total of only 15 runs. While the Mats managed to keep up
their offensive average against the Dons' tough pitching, the Dons' bats
came to life allowing them to exceed the previous seven game's total in
a 16-7 slugfest.
The game started out promising for the Mats as Vaccaro, who dominated
the Dons in the team's last meeting, took the mound. He retired LaHonta
on a nice backhand play by Bourgein on a grounder to second and retired
Wallace on a fly ball to Lee in left. Poppert then hit into one of the
more unusual plays one will ever see as his hard grounder bounced off of
Vaccaro's glove and rolled back toward home. Chovanes raced out of the
box, scooped the ball and spun and threw a strike to Vidal at first for
a 1-2-3 putout to end a 1-2-3 inning. The Dons took the field with
their ace, Diemer (pitching on his next year home field to be) on the
mound. The Mats made it clear from the outset that they were not
intimidated by Diemer's reputation. Goldman lined out to LaHonta in
center to start things off. Vasilas hit a chopper and used his speed to
just beat the throw for a single. He then took second when Diemer's
pickoff throw sailed past first. Jackson then walked putting two men
on. Chovanes then unloaded on a pitch and hit an absolute bullet to
deep left center for a 2 RBI double and both Vasilas and Jackson easily
scored. Chovanes took third on a wild pitch but was unable to advance
further. The Dons went quietly in the 2nd as Bohannan flew out to
Vasilas in center, Diemer grounded out to Goldman at third and, after
Stone reached on an error, the final batter was retired on a fly out to
Mayeri in right. The Mats, however, were unable to answer as they went
down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the second.
In the top of the third, disaster struck. Guglielomo walked after he
appeared to go around on a 2-2 pitch that was ruled a ball. He took
second on a wild pitch. Masi hit a bloop double to score Guglielomo.
LaHonta bunted and reached first safely as first base was left
uncovered. Wallace and Poppert then followed with bunt singles of their
own as the tying run crossed the plate. Bohanan then doubled to score
two more. Vaccaro was replaced on the mound by Kjar. Diemer followed
with a double to drive in the Don's 5th run of the inning, but Bohanan
was thrown out at the plate on a nice relay from Mayeri to Bourgein to
Chovanes. Diemer took third on a wild pitch. Stone then hit a fly ball
to right field. Mayeri caught the ball and then launched a perfect
strike to Chovanes at the plate who applied the tag on the sliding
runner for a fine inning ending double play. Despite falling behind,
the Mats showed their grit in the bottom of the 3rd as they launched a
come back. Goldman led off and allowed Diemer's pitch in the dirt to
hit his foot, using a technique that he perfected in OYA soccer. He
then stole second and took third as Vasilas hit a soft liner to right
for another single. Vasilas stole second. With one out, Chovanes hit a
fly ball to center. Goldman tagged and scored as Vasilas took third as
the throw went past the cut off man. Lee followed with a walk but was
forced out at second on a fielder's choice. The Don's padded their
lead in the 4th as the lead off man reached on an outfield error.
Guglielmo followed with an RBI single. Masi flew out to Mayeri.
Wallace walked. Jackson made a great back hand dive on Poppert's hard
grounder, but was unable to make a play as Poppert reached first on an
RBI single. Bowen replaced Kjar on the mound. Bohanan followed with
his second 2 RBI double making the score 9-3. Bowen came back to strike
out Diemer. Stone then hit a hard grounder to Goldman who was playing
very deep at third against the hard hitting, slow running Don's catcher.
Goldman knocked the grounder down and recovered in plenty of time to
nail Stone with the long throw. The Mats were unable to break through
in the bottom of the 4th, with the only base runner coming when Bourgein
was hit in the face with a pitch. Fortunately, the pitch first glanced
off the bottom of his helmet and Bourgein was able to continue in the
game.
The Dons exploded again in the 5th. After a lead off single, Guglielmo
walked and Masi was hit by a pitch. LaHonta, Wallace and Poppert all
singled, before Bohanan, now facing Lloyd and having the game of his
life, lifted a 3 run homer over the left field fence. Lloyd settled
down and got Diemer to fly out to Vasilas, Stone to ground out to
Bourgein and, following a walk, pinch hitter Lee to ground out to
Jackson to end the inning, but not before the Dons had an insurmountable
16-3 lead. In the bottom of the 5th, with one out, Jackson responded to
taunts from some of the Dons' student spectators, by hitting a rope that
was snared on a fine play by the first baseman. But with two outs,
Chovanes walked and Lee singled. St. Lezin struck out on a breaking
ball in the dirt, but as the ball rolled all the way to the backstop
(which at Cal is quite a distance from home plate), St. Lezin reached
safely as the runners moved up. Mayeri then picked up an RBI single as
Chovanes scored and Lee scored subsequently on a wild pitch, but the
Mats were unable to score further. Lloyd held the Dons in check in the
6th as Masi fouled out to Vasilas, who had moved to first base. LaHonta
grounded out to Bourgein and Wallace grounded out to Jackson. The Mats
put together another rally in the 6th as Bourgein beat out an infield
single and Goldman again got hit by a pitch (this one a bit more
uncomfortable than the first). Vasilas hit a hard liner to second, but
right at the fielder. Jackson walked. Gilbert, hitting for Chovanes,
was unable to advance the runners, but Lee walked to drive in Bourgein
and St. Lezin was hit by a pitch to drive in Goldman before the Mats
were retired. In the 7th, Jackson came on to pitch for the Mats and
continued his scoreless relief pitching. He got Poppert to fly out to
Mayeri in right and Bohanan to ground out to Bourgein at short, with
Vasilas making a nice tag on the play at first. The next batter was hit
by a pitch before Matthew, hitting for stone, grounded out to Lee who
came in to play second. In the Mats final frame, Buscheck who had
entered the game, almost beat out a grounder to start things off, but
the Mats wound up going down 1-2-3 as the game ended on a fine running
backhanded catch by the Dons left fielder to take a double away from
Goldman. Final score: Dons 16 Mats 7.
Highlights:
Chovanes: Double, Single, Walk, 3 RBI, run
Vasilas: 2 singles, run, stolen base
Lee: Single, 2 walks, RBI, run
Mayeri: RBI single
Bourgein: Single, walk, run
Jackson: 2 walks, run, scoreless inning in relief
Goldman: 2 HBP, 2 runs, stolen base
St. Lezin: HBP, RBI
Monday, May 8
Mats Nip Minutemen in 1-0 Thriller at St. Mary's
Riding a 6 game winning streak, Miramonte rode Talbot's outstanding
pitching and a huge blast by Jackson to squeak by the Concord Minutemen
in a 1-0 pitcher's duel. The Minutemen got a great pitching performance
from their just eligible ace hurler, but the Mats fine defensive effort
led them to their 7th straight victory despite sending to the plate just
two batters over the minimum.
Talbot started out strong in the first by inducing a ground out to
Bourgein at second and striking out the number 2 hitter before
surrendering a single. But he came right back and struck out the clean
up hitter to end the inning. The Mats went down 1-2-3 in their half of
the first. In the second, Talbot again got the lead off hitter to
ground out to Bourgein and followed with his third strikeout. The next
batter walked but was nailed trying to steal second on a throw from
Chovanes. The Mats were unable to do any damage in the bottom of the
second, again going down 1-2-3. Talbot kept rolling in the third with a
strikeout, another grounder to Bourgein and a fly out for a quick
inning. The Mats finally got a base runner in the third as Mayeri
singled to lead off. But he was doubled off when Vidal's fly ball was
caught and the Mats ending the third in a scoreless tie having sent only
9 batters to the plate.
In the 4th, the first two Minutemen hitters grounded back to Talbot. He
then surrendered a single to the clean up hitter before picking up his
5th strikeout to end the inning. In the bottom of the 4th, the Mats
first two hitters went down. Up stepped Jackson and he unloaded on a
pitch for a monster home run that the right fielder could only turn and
watch. The inning ended with the Mats ahead 1-0. Talbot's success
continued in the 5th. After a lead off fly out, a batter reached on an
error, but was quickly erased as Talbot induced a grounder to Bourgein
who flipped to Jackson who fired to first to Vidal for an inning ending
double play. In the bottom of the 5th, Lee led off with a single but
was erased on a pick off and the next two hitters were retired. The
Minutemen were unable to break through in the 6th as talbot got the lead
off batter to ground out to Bourgein and the second hitter to ground to
Vidal who tossed to Talbot for the put out at first. Talbot then
surrendered a walk, but the ensuing fielder's choice ended any threat.
The Mats tried to pick up an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th
when, with 2 outs, Goldman walked. Goldman broke for second on a steal
attempt and when the pitch eluded the catcher, Goldman used his speed to
make it all the way to third. But a ground out ended the scoring threat
with the Mats heading into the final frame nursing a 1-0 lead.
In the 7th, Talbot showed he still had his best stuff as he started out
by picking up strikeout #6 and getting the next hitter to ground out to
Jackson. The Minutemen gave the Mats a brief scare as the next hitter
reached on an error, but Talbot mowed down the final hitter and
preserved the two hit shutout. Final score: Mats 1 Minutemen 0
Highlights:
Talbot: 2 hit shutout, 7 strikeouts and only 2 walks
Jackson: Game winning home run
Mayeri: Single
Lee: Single
Goldman: Walk, stolen base
Friday, April 28
Mats Overwhelm Red Devils 16-0 at St. Mary's
On a warm, beautiful evening in Moraga, Miramonte extended its winning
streak to 6 games with a dominating performance. The Mats pounded out
21 hits as every starter and two players off the bench had at least one
hit, 9 batters drove in runs and 9 batters scored runs, while pitchers
Vaccaro and Lloyd combined on a one hitter while facing just 3 batters
over the minimum. The result was a 16-0 victory over the Mt. Diablo
Red Devils.
The game started at 5:30, with Vaccaro taking the mound and immediately
showing his assortment of pitches as Boola and Sealock both struck out
looking at curve balls. The inning ended as Trettenero flew out to
Vasilas in center. With one out, Vasilas hit a line drive single and
stole second, and took third on an error as the catcher's throw sailed
into centerfield. With two outs Chovanes, who has been on a tear of
late, hit an RBI single to score Vasilas and give the Mats a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the second, Reece hit a hard grounder up the middle that
hopped and glanced off of Bourgein's glove. It was ruled an
error--remarkably, the first of the season for the sure-handed
Sophomore. Burris hit a grounder to third and Goldman fired to Bourgein
for the force out at second. Shaikh struck out and Haley grounded to
Jackson who flipped to Bourgein for the third out. In the bottom of the
second, the Mats went down 1-2-3, including two strikeouts, and it
looked as though the Red Devils might give the Mats a tough game as they
did in their earlier outing this season.
The Red Devils began the third with what would prove to be their only
hit of the game as Richardson hit a clean single. Nunez then struck out
and Vaccaro got Boola to hit a hard grounder to third. Goldman snagged
the ball, fired a strike to Bourgein who made a quick pivot and fired a
strike to Vidal at first for an inning ending "round the horn" double
play. Perhaps inspired by that play, the Mats got it going in their
half of the third. Bourgein started it off with a solid single.
Goldman bunted and beat it out for a single. Both runners advanced on a
wild pitch and Vasilas then came through with a two RBI single up the
middle that scored both Bourgein and Goldman. Vasilas took second as
Goldman drew a throw to the plate but slid in well ahead of the tag.
Vasilas took third when he tagged up on Jackson's fly out. Chovanes,
continuing his amazing streak then hit a towering drive to deep right
center and, running hard from the get go, turned it into an RBI triple
as Vasilas scored. Lee grounded out to second, but picked up an RBI as
Chovanes scored on the play. The inning ended with the Mats in command
5-0.
Vaccaro made quick work of the Red Devils in the 4th as he got Sealock
to fly out to Vasilas, Trettenero to ground out back to the mound and
Reece to also fly out to Vasilas for a 1-2-3 inning. The Mats added to
their lead in the bottom of the 4th. Buscheck, getting the start in
right field, led off with a walk. Vidal then smoked the ball into right
field for an RBI double, as the speedy Buscheck came all the way around
to score from first. Leschinsky came in to replace Burris on the mound.
With one out, Goldman beat out a bunt single that wasn't touched until
it had reached the dirt between third and short. With two outs, Jackson
picked up an RBI single as Vidal scored to put the Mats ahead 7-0.
Vaccaro responded with his best inning of the season, as he struck out
the side with the latter two hitters going down looking.
The Mats broke the game open in the bottom of the 5th. Lee led off with
a single and St. Lezin followed with a single as well. With one out,
Vidal smoked one over the bag at first as Lee scored and St. Lezin took
second. Bourgein then hit a fly ball to right that the right fielder
dropped, but he recovered in time to nip Vidal at second as Bourgein
reached first on the fielder's choice. Goldman followed with a 2 RBI
double to deep left center that scored St. Lezin and Bourgein.
Trettenero then came on to pitch. Mayeri, replacing Vasilas, picked up
an RBI single as Goldman crossed the plate and the Mats had an
insurmountable 11-0 lead.
Lloyd took over for Vaccaro in the 6th and immediately got Richardson to
ground out to Goldman at third. Nunez then walked but Lloyd came back
and got Boola to again hit a hard grounder to third. Once again,
Goldman fielded it cleanly, threw a strike to Bourgein who made a
perfect relay back to Vidal for another inning ending round the horn
double play. In the bottom of the 6th, Gilbert came on to replace
Chovanes and promptly picked up where Chovanes left off by slamming a
single to center. That brought up Ferber to hit for Lee. Ferber was
retired, but not before Gilbert had gotten into scoring position on a
wild pitch. St. Lezin hit a hard single to pick up an RBI as Gilbert
scored. Buscheck then smoked one over third for a single and Vidal hit
another big double to right, to drive in 2 more runs as St. Lezin and
Buscheck scored. At this point, the Red Devils went to their secret
weapon, Dudley, who throws the ball 10 feet in the air at approximately
4 MPH. But Bourgein waited on the pitch and hit an RBI single that
scored Vidal. Goldman followed with a his 4th hit of the game, a hard
single through the 5-6 hole. Mayeri picked up his second RBI single on
another hard grounder driving in Bourgein before Dudley picked up the
last two outs, but not before the Mats led 16-0.
In the top of the 7th. Lloyd walked Sealock to lead off. Dudley, now
batting, hit a grounder to Vidal who threw to Jackson for the force at
second, but Jackson's return throw went wide and allowed Dudley to take
second as the ball went out of play. Reece was retired on a fly out to
Mayeri in right. Burris walked with Dudley taking third on a wild
pitch. But Lloyd came back and got pinch hitter Elizando to hit a
grounder to first that Vidal picked up and made the unassisted put out
to end the game. Final score: Miramonte 16 Mt. Diablo 0.
Highlights:
Vaccaro: 5 innings, 1 hit, 7 strikeouts, no walks, faced just 16
batters for the win
Vidal: 3 for 4, 2 doubles, 4 RBI, 2 runs
Goldman: 4 for 5, double, 2 RBI, 2 runs, and started 2 round the horn
double plays
Lloyd: 2 innings, no runs, no hits
Chovanes: 2 for 3, triple, 2 RBI, run
Vasilas: 2 for 3, 2 RBI, 2 runs, stolen base
Bourgein: 2 singles, RBI, 3 runs, in the middle of the 2 double plays
Mayeri: 2 for 2, 2 RBI
St. Lezin: 2 singles, RBI, 2 runs
Buscheck: Single, walk, 2 runs
Lee: Single, RBI, run
Jackson: RBI single
Gilbert: Single, run
DFAL STANDINGS as of 5/19
These are the standings according to Contra Costa Times
W L GB
Acalanes 14 4 --
Dublin 13 5 1
Campolindo 11 6 21/2
Las Lomas 10 8 4
Miramonte 10 8 4
Northgate 10 8 4
College Park 9 9 5
Alhambra 8 10 6
Concord 4 14 10
Mt. Diablo 0 17 131/2
Thursday, April 27
MATS ROLL TO 5th STRAIGHT WIN WITH 4-1 ROAD VICTORY OVER LAS LOMAS
Coming off their stunning come from behind win over College Park the day
before, the Mats took on the Las Lomas Knights with a sense of
confidence. On a perfect day for Baseball, the Mats combined a great
pitching performance from Bowen, strong team defense and a terrific all
around game from Chovanes to come away with a 4-1 victory.
Facing Atkins #1, tough lefty, the Mats looked as though they were
heading nowhere in the top of the first as the first two hitters were
retired. But Jackson was hit by the pitch and then used his speed to
turn a pick off into a stolen base. Chovanes immediately responded by
hitting a hard grounder up the middle that easily scored Jackson, and
the Mats pulled out to a 1-0 lead. The Knights started off their half
of the first looking as though they were going to tie things right up.
The speedy Davis walked to start things off. Atkins #2 (the pitcher's
identical twin brother) bunted. Chovanes picked up the ball heading
toward the mound and fired to Bourgein covering at first to nail Atkins
as Davis took second on the sacrifice. Bowen now faced the Knight's
catcher Stanley, one of the league's most feared hitters. Bowen,
however, mixed his pitches well and struck out Stanley swinging as Davis
broke for third. Chovanes fired a strike to Goldman who applied a quick
tag just in time to nail the runner for a strikeout double play that
ended the inning.
The Mats threatened in the second when St. Lezin hit a hard liner up the
middle for a single and then took second on an error as Davis overran
the ball. Mayeri swung at a third strike breaking ball that eluded the
catcher--St. Lezin broke for third and just beat the throw which allowed
Mayeri to reach first safely. Mayeri stole second. Following an out,
Bourgein hit a fly ball to left field. St. Lezin tagged up, but a
strong throw to the plate barely nailed him to end the threat. The
Knights threatened again in the second as Fischback (playing shortstop),
led off with a walk. But Bowen promptly picked him off first. This
proved to be fortuitous, as Klinck followed with a long triple to right.
Bowen responded by getting Stinson to hit a pop up to shallow right
center that looked at first as though it might fall in, but Bourgein
back peddled quickly and grabbed it while holding Klinck on third.
Katsikas then hit a fly to right that Mayeri snared for the final out.
The Mats went quietly in the third. After two outs, Jackson walked, but
was caught stealing to end the inning.
The Knights threatened once more in the bottom of the third as Jorgenson
led off with a single and took second on a balk. Kuhn attempted to bunt
the runner to third, but his bunt rolled only a few feet up the first
base line. Chovanes pounced on the ball quickly as Goldman retreated to
third and applied the tag ahead of the runner. Davis hit a liner to
left that Lee caught, and following a walk to Atkins #2, Stanley flied
out to Vasilas in center and the Knights again went scoreless.
Chovanes led off the 4th with a towering fly ball to deep left field
that looked as though it would clear the fence, but landed just short as
Chovanes made it to second with a double. Chovanes stole third but two
strikeouts in a row followed by Mayeri's grounder to second made it seem
as though the Mats would again leave a runner stranded on third. But
Mayeri hustled down the line and the first baseman was unable to scoop
up the throw in the dirt and Mayeri was safe as Chovanes gave the Mats a
2-0 lead. The Knights again got their lead off man on in the 4th as
Fischback hit a grounder up the middle that just eluded Bowen's glove.
Klinck hit a grounder to Bourgein who flipped to Jackson for the out at
second. Jackson fired to first, but Klinck just barely beat the throw.
Bowen then induced Stinson to hit a grounder to Jackson who flipped the
ball to Bourgein for the out at second and Bourgein's throw to first
just nailed Stinson as Vidal stretched to grab the throw for an inning
ending double play. The Mats went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 5th but
Bowen responded with his first easy inning. Katsikas flew out to
Mayeri, Jorgenson grounded out to Jackson (with Vidal making a nice
scoop on the throw) and Kuhn struck out looking. The Mats were able to
add to their lead in the 6th. With one out, Chovanes again doubled,
this time with a low smash down the third base line. Lee then came
through with a solid RBI single to left center that scored Chovanes.
Lee got as far as second on a balk, but Finch came on in relief of
Atkins #1 and retired the next two hitters.
The Knights finally broke through in the 6th. Davis lead off with a
single and took second as Atkins #2 grounded out to Bourgein who made a
good play moving to his left. Davis took third on a wild pitch and then
scored what would turn out to be the Knights only run on a balk.
Stanley followed with a hard grounder to third, but Goldman snared the
hop and easily threw out Stanley who then proceeded to slam his helmet
as he entered the dugout and was ejected from the game. Bowen ended the
inning as Fischback grounded out to Jackson at short. The Mats picked
up and insurance run in the 7th as Atkins #2 came on to pitch. After
retiring the first two hitters, Goldman worked a walk. After studying
the pitcher's pickoff move as he made several throws over, Goldman got
an enormous jump as he stole second without a throw. Vasilas followed
with an RBI single to right with Goldman scoring as the throw to the
plate was cut off. The Mats were retired without further threat, but
they took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the 7th. Bowen walked Klinck to
start the inning and Coach Dell brought in Jackson to finish things up.
With Bourgein moving to shortstop, Lee came in to play second as
Buscheck went into left field. Stinson gave the Mats' fans a scare as
he hit a line drive that seemed headed for right field, but Lee moved to
his left, reached up and snagged the ball for the first out, and nearly
doubled up Klinck in the process. Katsikas then hit a fly to Vasilas in
center for the second out. The Knights then sent up a left handed pinch
hitter and Jackson simply overpowered him to preserve the win and pick
up his third save of the season. Final score: Mats 4 Knights 1.
Highlights:
Bowen: 6 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, first varsity win
Chovanes: 3 for 3 on 2 doubles and a single, RBI, 2 runs, stolen base
and three nice defensive plays
Jackson: Walk, HBP, run, stolen base, and a 3 up 3 down save
Lee: Single, RBI
Vasilas: Single, RBI
St. Lezin: Single
Goldman: Walk, run, stolen base
Mayeri: Reached base twice, stolen base
Special mention to Bourgein and Vidal for solid defense as the Mats
turned two double plays and committed no errors.
Thursday, April 27
Miramonte 8 College Park 7
It was the worst of times; it was the best of times. With apologies to
Charles Dickens, WOW!! You had to be there for this one!
In what may have been the most schizophrenic performance in recent
memory, the Mats, coming off of their success at Fort Bragg, got off to
a miserable start but overcame a 7 run deficit for a stunning come back
win. In the end, the seniors put on a base running clinic (with clutch
execution from Lee) to eek out 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th and win
it. But the primary hero was "Caveman" Kjar, who celebrated his 15th
birthday with his first varsity win while pitching 4 and 2/3 innings of
shut out ball in relief.
The game started out badly for the Mats. Taking their "home" field for
the first time since the opener, Talbot, who was nearly perfect in Fort
Bragg, was on the mound. Talbot struck out Gardner to start the inning,
but then walked Cox who stole second. Smith hit a long double to score
Cox and Ridings drove in Smith with a single. Talbot settled down and
struck out Passegi and got Wade to ground out to Bourgein at second.
But the Falcons had a 2-0 lead. The Mats threatened in their half of
the first. After two outs, and Harr on the mound. Jackson was hit by a
pitch with two outs and stole second. Chovanes hit a hard liner to deep
center that looked for a moment as though it might go over the fence,
but the ball was chased down for the final out. Talbot continued to
pitch effectively in the second as he got Weldy to ground out to Jackson
at short. Nuyten was hit by a pitch, but promptly thrown out trying to
steal as Chovanes threw a strike to Bourgein who applied the tag.
Lapaparro then struck out to end the inning. In the bottom of the
second, the Mats put the ball in play, but went down 1-2-3.
In the top of third, disaster struck. Gardner walked to lead off. Cox
bunted, but Goldman charged quickly from third and easily threw him out
at first, while Gardner advanced. Gardner took third on a wild pitch.
Smith walked. Ridings picked up an RBI single as Gardner scored.
Passegi hit a chopper and reached on a fielder's choice with everyone
safe. Wade walked to force in a run and Kjar came on to pitch. Nuyten
hit a hard grounder toward the 5-6 hole, but Jackson made a great
backhand play and fired to Bourgein at second for the force (and almost
a double play on the relay to first). But a balk, a walk to Weldy and a
wild pitch allowed two more runs to score before Kjar struck out
Lapaparro to end the inning with the Mats trailing 7-0.
The Mats first two batters went down in the third. Goldman, trying to
make something happen, laid down a perfect bunt a reached first on a
single without a throw. Vasilas reached first on catcher's
interference. Jackson then hit a grounder to the right of the Falcon's
first baseman, Smith, who fielded the ball and flipped to Harr. The
base umpire called Jackson safe as Goldman rounded third and scored.
But the home plate ump overruled the call saying that Harr had indeed
touched first, and the Mats scoring attempt was thwarted. Kjar started
out strong in the 4th, getting Gardner to ground out to Bourgein and Cox
to fly out to Lee in left. But then Smith singled and stole second.
Ridings walked and Passegi reached on an infield hit. But Kjar came
back and struck out Wade to prevent any damage.
The Mats come back started in the 4th. Chovanes led off with a single
and Lee continued his hitting streak with a single as well. St. Lezin
followed with a single to drive in Chovanes and both he and Lee took an
extra base as the left fielder missed the ball as he tried to come up
throwing. Mayeri then hit a long fly to dead center that just missed
going out. He wound up with an RBI double as Lee scored and St. Lezin
took third. Vidal then picked up a productive out with an RBI grounder
that drove in St. Lezin and allowed Mayeri to take third. But Mayeri
was nailed at the plate on a grounder to third by Bourgein. Bourgein
stole second, but was stranded and the Mats still trailed by a 7-3
score.
At this point, Kjar found his groove and dominated. Weldy hit a slow
grounder toward the 5-6 hole, and Goldman ranged far to his left and
threw to Vidal for the first out. Nuyten grounded out to the rock
steady Bourgein at second and then Lapaparro struck out looking on a
vicious curve ball. Inspired by Kjar's pitching, the Mats struck again
in their half of the fifth. Vasilas lined a double to right center and
took third on a wild pitch. Jackson was again hit by a pitch. With
Chovanes at the plate, Jackson broke for second and when the catcher
threw to second, Vasilas scored with Jackson safe at second on the
double steal. Chovanes then hit an RBI single to score Jackson and pull
the Mats to within 2 runs at 7-5. But Lee's hard grounder to first was
turned into a double play on fine defense by Smith, and the Mats were
not able to score further.
With his curve ball baffling the hitters, Kjar struck out Gardner
looking to start the 6th, then got Cox to hit a line drive right Lee in
left and Smith to ground out to Goldman at third. The Mats threatened
to tie the game in the bottom of the 6th as Mayeri lead off with a hard
single. Vidal followed with a towering drive to deep right that looked
as though it would clear the fence and tie the game. But the right
fielder grabbed it at the fence and Mayeri, who by this time was almost
to third, was easily doubled off and the Mats were unable to mount a
further challenge. Kjar started off the 7th by striking out Ridings.
Passegi hit a slow grounder toward the hole, but Jackson got to it
quickly and nailed Passegi at first. Wade singled to break up the
string of 9 consecutive outs, but Kjar got pinch hitter Ligon to fly out
harmlessly to Mayeri in right.
Trailing by 3 runs with 3 outs to go, the Mats sent the top of the order
to the plate. Now, baseball is a game of much more than homeruns and
strikeouts. Often times, it's the subtle things that can make a
difference. And for the Mats, secondary leads, one of the truly subtle
aspects of the game, turned out to be pivotal with the game on the
line. (For those unfamiliar with the term, a secondary lead is the lead
a runner takes after the pitcher pitches the ball.)
Things weren't looking too good as Goldman quickly fell behind
0-2. But he jumped on the next pitch and hit a hard single down the
line past the first baseman. After Vasilas was retired, Jackson came to
the plate. Goldman took a big lead off of first, as Harr threw over
several times and Goldman's father questioned why he was taking a big
lead when the Mats were down two. The answer came as Jackson hit a hard
chopper over Smith's head at first and Goldman's big secondary lead
allowed him to speed around to third. With Chovanes at the plate,
Jackson headed for the open bag at second. The catcher's throw sailed
toward first and eluded the second baseman, with Goldman scoring as the
ball rolled toward the outfield. Chovanes then hit a soft liner to
left. Jackson, uncertain if the ball would be caught, played it
perfectly and positioned himself between second and third. As soon as
he realized that the ball would drop he sped toward third. The left
fielder had no play on the speedy Jackson, but threw anyway. His wild
throw skipped past third and all the way along the backstop as Jackson
scored standing up and Chovanes took second. The Falcons replaced Harr
and sent in Freitas, a southpaw, to face the left handed hitting Lee.
With Chovanes getting a great secondary lead off of second, a pitch in
the dirt rolled just a few feet to the left of the catcher. Without
this lead, he would have been dead if he tried to take third. With the
lead, he easily made safely.
Things were now set up for Lee. Chovanes broke for the plate
with the pitch--Lee squared and made perfect contact--tapping the ball
back to the pitcher who watched helplessly as Chovanes crossed the plate
before he could even glove the ball. Final score, Mats 8 Falcons 7 and
Pepto Bismol 16 ounces.
Highlights:
Kjar: As good a birthday present as one could hope for--4 2/3
innings. No runs, 3 hits, 5 strikeouts and the win
Chovanes: 3 singles, 2 runs, RBI
Jackson: Single, 2 HBPs, 2 runs, 3 stolen bases
Goldman: 2 singles, run
Lee: Single, run, game winning RBI on suicide squeeze
Mayeri: Single, double, RBI
Vasilas: Double, steal of home, run, steal of home
St. Lezin: RBI single
Vidal: RBI
Tuesday, April 25
MATS SECURE FORT BRAGGING RIGHTS
A wonderful three days along the Mendocino Coast was topped off with the
Mats winning the annual Fort Bragg Rotary-Bill Pavioni Invitational
Tournament. The Mats posted solid victories over McKinleyville, St.
Vincent of Petaluma and Piedmont to capture their fourth consecutive
championship in the Tournament. Miramonte combined strong pitching and
defense with both timely power hitting and some creative "small ball" to
take first place. This was a true team effort, with major contributions
from every player in the line-up, led by Vacarro's dominating pitching
in the finals and the explosive line drives of St. Lezin (who was named
tournament MVP) in the first two games. Special thanks to Yoni,
Doreen, Ann all the coaches and the others who helped out on organizing
things and to all the fans who made the trip and support the team. And
extra special thanks to Craig Vidal for putting together the terrific
team Program (with the help of Peter Jackson's photos).
Mats Whip Panthers 8-0 In Friday Opener
The Mats opened the Fort Bragg Tournament with a 9:00 a.m. game under
clear blue skies. McKinleyville won the coin toss and was the
designated home team. It was clear from the outset that this game
would not be a cake walk as the Panthers sent a hard throwing right
hander, Rasines, to the mound and the Mats went down 1-2-3. But
Miramonte's ace, Talbot, also made it clear from the start that he was
going to be a force as he induced Rasines to fly out to Vasilas in
center, got Mason to hit a grounder back to the mound and Jaso to hit a
grounder to Bourgein at second for a 1-2-3 bottom of the first. After
Rasines retired the first batter in the second, the Mats struck. Lee
continued his hot hitting with a solid single and St. Lezin followed
with a hard single of his own. Mayeri walked to load the bases and
Vidal then unloaded on a pitch and hit a towering double to right to
drive in Lee and St. Lezin. But Rasines retired the next two hitters to
avert further damage. Talbot picked up another 1-2-3 inning on grounder
by Moore to Bourgein, a fly ball by Lankila to deep left on which Lee
made a nice running catch, and an unassisted grounder off the bat of
Lonn to Vidal at first. The Mats manufactured a run with their speed in
the third. Vasilas had a lead off hit to right center and, running hard
all the way, stretched it into a double. He took third on a balk and
with one out scored on Chovanes's RBI grounder to third as he broke with
the throw to first and made a nice slide to beat the return throw to the
plate. The Panthers threatened in their half of the third. Talbot got
the lead off man, Cole, to ground out to Jackson at short, but a bad
hop single allowed Hunt to reach first. The number nine hitter, Hanger,
bunted. Third baseman, Goldman, anticipating the play swooped in to the
field the ball to the left of the mound and easily nailed Hanger, and
Vidal's throw back to second almost nailed Hunt as he rounded the bag.
A walk to Rasines put men on first and second, but Mason hit a grounder
to Bourgein who flipped to Jackson for the force out at second.
The Mats threatened to score again in the 4th. St. Lezin walked, but
the Panthers turned two on a hard grounder. Vidal then walked and took
second on Bourgein's single. Goldman singled up the middle to load the
bases, but Vasilas's hard liner went right to the shortstop Mason for
the final out. The Panthers rallied in the bottom of the 4th. Jaso led
off with a grounder to Jackson and Vidal made a nice tag as the throw
pulled him off the bag at first. Moore again grounded out to Bourgein
but Lankila walked, Lonn singled and Cole walked to load the bases. But
Hunt grounded out to the sure handed Bourgein who picked up his 5th
assist and nailed Hunt at first. The Mats broke things open in the top
of the 5th. Jackson led off with a long smash to right for a double and
took third on Chovanes's long fly to center. Lee lined a double down
the left field line to drive in Jackson and St. Lezin followed with a
hard single and then stole second and Lee scored on an error by the left
fielder. Mayeri lined a single to drive in St. Lezin and Vidal singled
before the Panthers escaped further damage as a hard hit ball was turned
into a double play. In the bottom of the 5th, Talbot surrendered a
lead off walk to Hanger, but Rasines made the mistake of hitting the
ball to Bourgein who flipped to Jackson who fired to Vidal for a perfect
4-6-3 double play. Mason then singled and took second on a wild pitch,
but Talbot came back to get Jaso to hit a line drive to Lee in left.
The Mats added to their lead in the 6th as Vasilas hit a one out single
and took third as Jackson hit a fly ball to deep left that the
outfielder muffed for a two base error. Chovanes picked up an RBI as
Vasilas scored on his ground out. Lee kept up his hot hitting with
another double, this time to left center, as Jackson scored. In the
bottom of the 6th, Moore led off with a walk and advanced on a wild
pitch. But Talbot struck out Lankila and pinch hitter Johnson, with
Chovanes holding on to the two strike foul tip. Cole singled, but
Talbot ended the inning with another strikeout as Chovanes threw to
Vidal to nail the batter who had swung at a curve ball in the dirt. The
Mats tried to add to the lead in the 7th as Buscheck pinch hit and hit a
long fly to left that was caught. Vidal then singled and Gilbert, in
his first varsity at bat hit a hard single as well, but another double
play ended the inning.
In the bottom of the 7th, Jackson came on for Talbot. He walked
Hanger, but then found his control and struck out Rasines looking on a
wicked slow curve. Mason hit a blooper to short center that fell for a
single, but a pop up to Bourgein at short by Jaso and a strikeout of
Moore ended the game. Final score: Mats 8 Panthers 0.
Mats Edge Mustangs 9-7
By Saturday morning, the blue sky had long vanished and we were back to
what has, sadly, been baseball weather this season. The Mats took on a
tough St. Vincent team under cloudy skies and a light mist. The
Mustangs had the distinction of having by far the biggest players of any
team the Mats have faced in recent years. The Mustangs had had an easy
draw in the first round and saved their ace pitcher, Grinnell for
Miramonte. The Mats went down in the first without damage. Vasilas his
a one out single but was caught stealing. Bowen, on the mound for the
Mats, started strong as well. He struck out the speedy lefty,
Markovich, but then hit Mellin who took second when Bowen's pick off
attempt sailed and glanced off Vidal's glove. Buy Wyman hit a liner
right to Bourgein at second who threw to Jackson covering second to
easily double off the runner. After Grinnell retired the first two
hitters in the second, St. Lezin proved that the pitcher was hittable
when he launched a massive bomb to left center. The wet grass kept the
ball from rolling far and St. Lezin had to settle for a double and was
left stranded as Grinnell picked up the third out on a grounder to
third.
Bowen pitched a strong second as he induced Grinnell to fly out to
Vasilas in center and struck out Galloway before yielding a single to
Fleischmann. Bowen then struck out Fabbri to end the inning with the
score still nothing nothing. The Mats played "small ball" to get the
scoring going in the top of the third. With one out, Bourgein singled
to left. With Goldman at the plate, Coach Dell called for the bunt
and run. With Bourgein breaking for second, Goldman squared to draw in
the third baseman (who was built like a pro football defense tackle).
Goldman laid down a perfect bunt and beat the throw to first for a
single as Bourgein, who never stopped running, took third base which was
uncovered. Goldman then stole second and when the late throw eluded
the second baseman, Bourgein scored as Goldman quickly popped up from
his slide and alertly took third. With Vasilas at bat, Goldman broke
for the plate with the pitch and got a huge jump. Vasilas laid down a
perfect suicide squeeze bunt, with Goldman crossing the plate right as
the pitcher fielded it. Vasilas was out at first, but picked up the RBI
with a perfectly executed play. Jackson then hit a mammoth shot to
right that would have been out of any field with a fence. He appeared
to have a triple as the first base ump called it fair and the home plate
ump (who initially called it foul), told the Mustangs's manager that it
was the first base ump's call. But after a long discussion, it was
ruled foul and Jackson was retired on a nifty play on a hard grounder
down the line by the surprisingly agile St. Vincent first baseman who
was about the same size as the third baseman. Bowen protected his lead
in the third as he got Davis to fly out to Mayeri in right who made a
good recovery after initially losing sight of the ball in the gray cloud
cover. Pengel then grounded out to Goldman at third and Markovich
grounded out to Bourgein at second (but showed his speed by almost
beating out a routine grounder that Bourgein had fielded quickly).
The Mats struck again in the 4th and nearly blew the game open with a
two out rally. St. Lezin got it going with another hard double. Mayeri
followed with a line drive RBI single. Vidal singled with Mayeri
taking 3rd and Vidal advanced to second on a wild pitch. Bourgein
walked to load the bases and Goldman walked to force in Mayeri. Vasilas
then hit a grounder to second. Goldman, who was not being held on
first, had a huge lead and a good jump and seemed to distract the second
baseman who bobbled the ball just long enough for the speedy Vasilas to
clearly beat the throw. But alas, the base umpire made the classic
mistake of anticipating the call instead of actually watching the play,
and called Vasilas out to the dismay of the Mats fans. The call
immediately proved salient as the Mustangs struck back in their half of
the 4th. Mellin singled and stole second. But Bowen struck out Wyman.
Grinnell then singled with Mellin taking third. Galloway flied out to
Vasilas in center as Mellin tagged up and scored to make it 4-1.
Fleischmann then hit a bloop double to right and Fabbri followed with a
double to left center to score two and pull the Mustangs to within one
run. A walk to Davis prolonged the inning, but Pengel lined to Vasilas
in center to protect the lead. The Mats threatened in the 5th off of a
new pitcher, Davis, but couldn't score. With one out, Chovanes singled
and took third on a single by Lee. But Lee was caught trying to steal
second and Davis picked up the third out.
In the bottom of the 5th, Bowen walked the speedy Markovich to start the
inning. Lloyd then came on in relief. Markovich stole second and took
third on a wild pitch. He then scored to tie the game on Mellin's fly
ball to medium left field despite a good throw from Lee. Lloyd then
made a nice play on a tough bunt to just nail Wyman at first and after
walking Grinnell got Galloway to pop harmlessly to Bourgein. The Mats
were unable to score in the top of the 6th with the only damage a one
out walk to Vidal. St. Vincent threatened to take the lead in the
bottom of the 6th, with their bench highly vocal bench obnoxiously
riding the Mats. After striking out Fleischmann, Baldocchi singled and
took second on an error. Davis then reached on an error with Baldocchi
taking third with only one out. Then came the big defensive play of the
game. Davis broke for second on the pitch. Chovanes made a strong
throw to second and as Baldocchi broke for the plate, Jackson grabbed
the throw and fired a strike to Chovanes to nail the runner trying to
score by about 15 feet. Lloyd then struck out Dessel to end the inning
and quiet the St. Vincent bench.
The St. Vincent bench got even quieter in the top of the 7th. Vasilas
again used his speed to turn a single into a double. Jackson hit a
double to right to bring home Vasilas. With one out, Lee continued his
hot hitting with an RBI single and St. Lezin, now in a groove smashed
his third double of the game driving in Lee. St. Lezin took third on a
wild pitch and scored on Mayeri's RBI single. Vidal walked, but Mayeri
was nailed trying to take third on a wild pitch with Vidal moving to
second. Vacarro then came in to run for Vidal as Bourgein walked.
Goldman then hit a single to left center to score Vacarro and send
Bourgein to third. Goldman then pulled off a play that Craig Vidal
described as "vintage Bronco." He took a walking lead off of first as
no one held him on and broke for second as the pitcher still held the
ball and no one covered second. Gilbert, hitting for Vasilas then hit
a hard liner to short to end the inning. The Mats thus took a 9-4 lead
into the bottom of the 7th.
But the game was not over. Markovich flew out to Vasilas to start the
7th, but Mellin singled as did Wyman. Grinnell struck out, but Galloway
singled to drive in Mellin. Wyman then scored on a wild pitch to make
it 9-6. Fleischmann then walked and Jackson came on in relief of Lloyd.
After picking up two quick strikes on Baldocchi, Jackson nearly sawed
his bat in half, but the ensuing blooper over Jackson's head was well in
front of Bourgein and landed for an RBI single. Jackson came back
however and got pinch hitter Moratto to hit a grounder that Goldman
scooted to his left to field and easily threw out the runner for the
final out. Final score: Mats 9 Mustangs 7.
Mats Shut Down Highlanders 4-0 in Tournament Finale
By 3:00 game time on Saturday, the weather had eased and there was some
sun and blue sky mixed in among the clouds. After traveling some 200
miles, the Mats found themselves playing their neighbor, Piedmont in the
finals. With the Mats as the designated home team, Vacarro took the
mound coming off of a tough outing against Alhambra. But it was clear
from the outset that Vacarro had it all going in Fort Bragg. Remer led
off with a line drive to center that Vasilas corralled and Vacarro then
struck out Anderson (and old "all-star" teammate of many of the Mats
players) and Menke. The Mats again played "small ball" to take an
early lead. Facing Menke, a tough righty with a sharp breaking ball,
Goldman fell behind 0-2 but then worked a walk. Vasilas then walked.
Goldman then stole third. With one out, Chovanes was at the plate with
a count of 3-2. Coach Dell sent Vasilas on the pitch instructed Goldman
to break for the plate if the throw went through. Dell was prescient as
he told Goldman to watch for the throw even if it was ball four. Sure
enough, the pitch was out of the strike zone, but the catcher came up
throwing anyway. Goldman broke for the plate and easily stole home
ahead of the throw from the shortstop. The play proved big as the next
two batters were retired on infield pop ups, but the Mats had scored
what would prove to be the winning run. Piedmont launched a threat in
the top of the second as Rehr-davi reached on a bad hop grounder.
Relinger then singled and it looked as though the Mats' lead might be
short lived. But Vacarro got Butler to hit a grounder at Jackson who
flipped to Bourgein who made a fine turn a threw back to Vidal in time
to double up the batter. A fly out by Saenz to Mayeri in right ended
the threat.
The Mats were unable to score in the second despite a one out single by
Vidal who took second on a wild pitch. In the top of the third, Chu
lead off with a single, but Vacarro struck out McClain looking, got
Remer to ground back to the mound and struck out Anderson looking. The
Mats rallied in the third but were unable to score. With one out,
Jackson walked. With Chovanes at bat, Jackson broke for second and
Chovanes executed a perfect hit and run as he hit a grounder through the
vacated second base spot as the fielder broke to cover second. Lee was
then hit by a pitch to load the bases, but a strikeout and ground out
ended the threat.
Piedmont started off the top of the 4th with a threat as Menke hit a
ground rule double that bounced over the short fence in right. But
Vacarro got Rehr-davi to fly out to Lee in left for out number one.
That brought Relinger, who had singled previously to the plate with a
runner in scoring position. He hit a high fly foul ball well down the
third base line. The ball appeared to be uncatchable, but Goldman raced
for it and made the defensive play of the Tournament (if not the season)
with a running back to the plate catch. (Take that Willie Mays!)
Butler then walked but Vacarro came back to strike out Saenz and end the
inning.
The Mats started the bottom of the 4th quietly as the first two batters
were retired. But Goldman worked a two out walk and stole second. He
then took third when a pitch to Vasilas rolled behind the catcher.
Vasilas then walked. The Mats almost scored when Goldman drew a wild
throw to third from the catcher, but the Piedmont third baseman made an
outstanding backhand grab to save a run. Jackson was then hit by a
pitch to load the bases. Chovanes worked the count to 3-0 and appeared
to walk to force in a run as the next pitch was at his ankles. But the
umpire, whose strike zone was erratic, called it a strike. This turned
out to be fortuitous as Chovanes promptly smashed a single to right
center that scored both Goldman and Vasilas with Jackson taking third.
With Lee at the plate, Estrada came in to pitch and promptly balked home
Jackson, with Chovanes taking second. Lee walked, but St. Lezin's hard
grounder to third was snared for a force out. Vacarro held the lead in
the 5th as he struck out Chu looking. Estrada, now batting, hit a pop
up to left center which fell for an error as Lee and Vasilas collided.
Fortunately, no one was hurt and despite a walk to Remer, Vacarro
ensured that no damage was done on the bases either as Anderson and
Menke flew out to Vasilas.
The Mats rallied again with two outs in the bottom of the 5th as
Bourgein walked and Goldman hit a hard single to right. Bourgein took
third on the hit and when the throw went through to third, Goldman took
second. But the threat ended with Vasilas hitting a fly ball to deep
left. Vacarro, rather than tiring, seemed to be gaining strength in the
6th. He got Rehr-devi to ground out to Goldman, Relinger to fly to
Vasilas and Butler to ground to Goldman for a 1-2-3 inning. The Mats
went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 6th but at that point, it didn't
matter. Vacarro, clearly smelling victory really bore down in the 7th.
He struck out Saenz, Chu and Estrada to end the game, with Chovanes
throwing the latter two out to Vidal at first as the batters swung and
curve balls in the dirt. Final score Mats 4 Highlander's 0.
Tournament Highlights:
(Note, given the contributions throughout the line-up, the highlights
are listed with pitchers first and then hitters following the batting
order regardless of relative merit.)
Talbot: 6 shutout innings, Win, 4 singles allowed, 2 strikeouts
Bowen: 4 plus strong innings, 4 strikeouts
Lloyd: 2 2/3 strong innings, Win, 3 strikeouts
Vacarro: Complete game 3 hit shutout, 9 strikeouts and only 2 walks.
Goldman: 4 hits, 3 walks, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, 5 stolen bases and advanced 3
additional bases on aggressive base running and defensive play of the
tournament
Vasilas: 2 singles, 2 doubles, 2 runs, RBI on perfect suicide squeeze
bunt, 2 walks and fine defense in center, winner of home run derby
Jackson: 2 doubles, one monster "foul" ball, 4 runs, RBI, walk, hit by
pitch, two double plays on defense, great throw to the plate to nab
runner, 1 and 1/3 innings pitched with no runs allowed, 2 strike outs
and a save
Chovanes: 3 singles, 4 RBIs, walk, and his usual fine handling of the
pitchers
Lee: 2 doubles, 3 singles, 3 RBIs, 2 runs, walk, hit by pitch and fine
catch in deep left
St. Lezin: MVP, 3 explosive doubles, 2 singles, 4 runs, RBI and walk
Meyeri: Walk, 3 singles, 3 RBIs and a run
Vidal: Long double, 4 singles, 3 walks, 2 RBI and nice defense at first
Bourgein: 2 singles, 3 walks and flawless defense including 2 double
plays
Gilbert: Single
Wednesday, April 12
Alhambra vs. Miramonte at St. Mary's
Well, at least the weather was nice! Despite finally getting some
hitting going, the Mats suffered their second straight DFAL defeat,
dropping to a tough Alhambra squad 8-3.
With Vacarro on the mound for the Mats coming off of his stunning
performance against Acalanes, the Bulldogs struck in the first. With
Vidal still out of action, the Mats went to a different defense with
Vasilas moving from center field to first base and Buscheck getting his
first start of the season in center. Ysundza led off with a fly out to
Lee in left and Jones followed with a fly out to Buscheck. But King
singled and Hashimoto hit a soft liner in the hole between first and
second. Bourgein was able to pick it up on the edge of the outfield
grass, but the ball was hit too slow for him to have a play. Guess then
hit a long double to left scoring Ysundza. The Mats were almost able to
get out of the inning without further damage when Goldman backhanded a
chopper hit by Danford over third and made a long throw to first that
appeared to arrive just ahead of the runner. But the throw tailed back
toward home and Vasilas was unable to corral it as he tried to keep
contact with the bag, and both runners wound up scoring. Lippow then
hit a grounder to third and Goldman tagged out Danford who was running
toward third. The Mats came back with a run in the bottom of the first
as Vasilas singled with one out, stole second, took third on a passed
ball and scored when Chovanes lined an RBI single. Chovanes stole
second and took third when the errant throw from the catcher sailed into
center, but he was left stranded.
Bazayiff led off the top of the second with a single to left. Vacarro
then struck out Schultz looking. Yzunza grounded out to Goldman and it
looked as though the Mats might get out of the inning. But Jones and
King both walked and Hashimoto singled to left scoring Bazayiff and
Jones. The Mats were able to pick up the third out as Chovanes took
Lee's throw to the plate and fired a strike to Goldman who applied a
quick tag to nail King. With the Mats quickly down 5-1, the team
showed its grit with an immediate come back. Mayeri led off with a
single and Lee, coming off of his big home run against Northgate,
followed with a single of his own. Buscheck then attempted to moved the
runners over, and laid down a perfect bunt down the first base line and
he beat it out for a single. Bourgein followed with a line single that
scored Mayeri and Lee. Goldman then faked a bunt, pulled the bat back
and slashed the ball on the ground, moving the runners up as he was
nabbed at first. But the Mats were unable to do further damage despite
an intentional walk to Jackson that loaded the bases. Alhambra went
down 1-2-3 in the third as Vacarro induced a comebacker to the mound
from Guess, struck out Danford looking and got Lippon to ground out to
Goldman. The Mats were unable to score in their half of the third
despite another single from Lee who took second on an error by the
second baseman on a steal attempt.
Alhambra added to its lead in the 4th. After Bazayiff grounded out to
Goldman and Schultz again struck out looking, Ysunza walked and stole
second. He then scored on Jones's RBI single. Jones stole second but
was stranded as Bowen replaced Vacarro on the mound and King grounded
out to Bourgein. Bourgein led off the 4th with a double, but was caught
trying to steal third. With two outs, Vasilas singled, but was unable
to advance. Hashimoto led off the 5th with a pop out to Jackson at
short. Guess then singled and took third as Jackson attempted to nail
him rounding first and his throw sailed. Danford picked up an RBI
single. Bowen then struck out Lippow looking and got Bazayiff to fly
out to Mayeri in right to end the inning. The Mats produced a two out
rally in their half of the 5th as Mayeri singled and Lee continued his
hot hitting with another single. But a ground out ended the rally.
In the 6th Kjar came in to pitch and hit the first two batters, Schultz
and Ysunza with slow curve balls. The next batter, Jones bunted between
the mound and third. According to their defensive strategy, Goldman
retreated to third and Kjar made a beautiful pickup and underhand toss
in one motion to just force out Schultz at third. King hit a grounder
to second and Bourgein flipped to Jackson for the force. King stole
second, but the inning ended as Hashimoto grounded to Vasilas. The Mats
threatened in the 6th, but their rally was squelched by a blown call
from the umpire. Bourgein led off with another hit. Goldman then hit a
line drive that the short stop jumped for and the ball hit off the top
of his glove and rolled to left field. Bourgein held up to see if the
ball was caught, but slid in to second clearly ahead of the tag.
Unfortunately, there was only one umpire at the game and his view from
behind home plate was less than perfect and he called Bourgein out.
Goldman stole second. With two outs Jackson reached first on a throwing
error by the shortstop and stole second. But both runners were stranded
as Chovanes hit a hard grounder, but right at the pitcher Kirk.
Alhambra managed one more run in the 7th as Guess led off with a single.
Danford hit a hard liner to Jackson at short and he easily doubled up
the runner with a strong throw to Vasilas at first. Lippon then walked
and stole second. Bezayiff singled. Schultz singled to score Lippon.
Ysunza ended the rally with a foul out to Goldman. In the 7th, Kirk,
who had by now thrown over 100 pitches (after pitching two innings in a
rain out the previous day), was relieved by Baesa who retired the Mats
1-2-3. Final score: Bulldogs 8 Mats 3.
Highlights:
Bourgein: 3 for 3, 2 RBI
Lee: 3 for 4 and a run
Mayeri: 2 for 4 and a run
Vasilas: 2 for 4, run, stolen base
Chovanes: RBI single
Buscheck: Single
Tuesday, April 11
Miramonte vs. Northgate at Walnut Creek
(actually Walnut
Lake is more like it)
Playing with field conditions more suitable for water polo than
baseball, the Mats lost a 2-1 squeaker to the Northgate Broncos. The
game began with a light drizzle, but by the second inning, there was a
persistent pelting rain that made the fans in the stands long to be
doing something less unpleasant, like say taxes.
The Mats threatened in the top of the first, when Jackson beat out a two
out chopper and stole second and third but was stranded. As it turned
out, all of the damage in the game came with the first two Bronco
batters. Talbot was on the mound and walked the first batter as he
appeared to have some trouble adjusting to the wet conditions. He then
found his control and induced a comebacker, but his throw to second to
try to nail the lead runner sailed putting runners on 2nd and 3rd. The
next batter hit a slow roller to Goldman at third whose only play was at
first. The clean-up hitter hit a grounder to Jackson at short who tried
to nail the runner heading home, but the throw was late as the batter
reached first on a the fielder's choice. The next batter singled, but
a force out at second on a grounder from Talbot to Jackson followed by a
fly out to Mayeri in right ended the inning. St. Lezin led off the
second with a walk but was erased on a double play and the Mats went
down with no father threat. Talbot settled down nicely in the second.
The lead off hitter hit a grounder over the bag at 3rd and Goldman made
a nice play to nail the runner at first with his throw to Vacarro who
was filling in for Vidal who was out of town. The next batter also
grounded out Goldman to Vacarro and the third hitter grounded out to
Bourgein at second. The third started off great for the Mats as Lee
hit a towering fly ball down the left field line that kept carrying
despite the heavy air and managed to just stay fair for an over the
fence home run. With two outs, Vasilas singled, stole second and went
to third on a wild pitch. Jackson walked and stole second, but a ground
out ended the threat. In the bottom of the 3rd, the leadoff batter
walked but was nailed trying to steal on a fine throw from catcher
Chovanes to Jackson. The next batter struck out looking. The next
batter walked and took 2nd and 3rd on wild pitches. The next batter was
hit by a pitch. The final batter hit a soft sinking liner toward the
hole between 3rd and short, but Goldman got a quick jump on the ball and
made a fine catch just before the ball hit the ground.
In the top of the 4th, with one out Mayeri reached first on an error by
the second baseman, but was left stranded. Northgate started out its
half of the 4th with a pop out to Bourgein. The next batter singled and
took second on a wild pitch. He then tried to take third on another
wild pitch, but the ball came hard off the backstop and Chovanes scooped
up the rebound and made a perfect throw to Goldman who applied a quick
tag that just nailed the runner. The next batter walked, but a pop out
to Goldman ended the inning. The Mats had an opportunity to tie up the
game or take the lead in the 5th, but their rally fizzled. Bourgein led
off with a walk and stole second and then third as Goldman faked a bunt.
Goldman was then hit by a pitch and stole second. Following a strike
out, Jackson was walked intentionally. But the Northgate hurler bore
down and picked up two more strikeouts to end the threat and, as it
turned out, the game. Northgate began the 5th facing Lloyd who had come
on to pitch. The lead off batter walked as the mound became
increasingly slippery. The next batter struck out followed by another
walk before the umpires decided that enough was enough and called the
game. Final score: Northgate 2 Miramonte 1.
Highlights:
Lee: Home run, RBI, run
Jackson: Single, 2 walks, 3 stolen bases
Vasilas: Single, stolen base
Monday, April 3
Miramonte Stuns Acalanes in 4-1 Road Victory
A few hours before the start of Saturday's make up of Friday's rain out
make up of Tuesday's rain out, a bright round yellow object appeared in
the sky. Some of you older readers may recall that this object is known
as the sun (pronounced like "son," as in "your son the Miramonte Varsity
Baseball Player"). Indeed, the sun was shining for the Mats in
Lafayette, and their stunning performance was no April Fool's joke.
Coming off of a, to say the least, forgettable performance against Campo
on Thursday, the Mats backed up starting pitcher Vacarro's outstanding
performance with nearly flawless defense, timely hitting, skillful base
running, and a final inning relief performance by Kjar that was
reminiscent of Dennis Eckersly, to score an upset of the previously
undefeated Dons. Acalanes came into the game with an 8-0 record and
ranked second in the East Bay. To compound matters, the Dons had played
Mount Diablo earlier in the week and were thus able to save both their
ace hurler, Diemer and their number 2 starter, Beecroft, for the Mats.
Diemer, who is heading for Cal on a baseball scholarship next fall, is
considered one of the top pitchers in the Bay Area, with a fast ball
reputed to be up in the 90's and an assortment of breaking pitches as
well. Miramonte meanwhile had to rely on its Freshman pitchers as both
Talbot and Bowen had thrown a lot of pitches two days earlier. Note,
despite that fact that we had something like 41 straight days of rain in
March, thereby breaking the previous record held by Noah, the Mats have
managed to play all of their scheduled games.
The game started out ominously for the Mats as Goldman, who had been hot
at the plate of late, struck out on a wicked slider. But Vasilas worked
the count and then took a fastball on the outside corner to right for a
hard line drive single. Vasilas immediately stole second and took third
on Jackson's ground out to second. Chovanes fought off a pitch in on
his hands and hit a chopper to third. The third baseman's throw to
first sailed high and pulled the first baseman off the bag just long
enough for Chovanes to reach safely, with Vasilas scoring to put the
Mats up 1-0. A strike out prevented any further damage. Vacarro
immediately took command in the bottom of the first. The lead off
batter flew out to Mayeri in right and the next batter hit a fly out to
Vasilas in center. Bourgein then made a fine play on a slow grounder
to second as he charged, bare handed the ball and threw to first in one
motion to nail the runner. The Mats struck again in the second. With
one out, Vidal hit a massive double to right that landed at the base of
the fence. Vidal took third on a wild pitch and then tagged up and
scored without a throw as Lee came through with a clutch sacrifice fly
to deep center. Diemer's third strike out ended the inning. The Dons
broke through in their half of the second. After a lead off ground out
to Goldman at third, Diemer hit a soft line drive to right center that
was out of the reach of Vasilas who had shaded him to pull. Vacarro
came back to retire the next hitter on a fly to Lee in left, but then
allowed a long double to left that scored Diemer just ahead of the relay
throw from Jackson. Apparently shaken by the hit, Vacarro momentarily
lost his control and walked the next two hitters to load the bases, but
then came back to retire lead off hitter LaHonta on a grounder to
Bourgein.
The Mats responded in the third. Goldman hit a liner up the middle, but
Diemer deflected it with his glove right to the second baseman who threw
to first to nail Goldman. Vasilas struck out on a nasty slider, but the
pitch eluded the catcher and bounced up the first base line, and the
speedy Vasilas reached first well ahead of the off line throw. Jackson
beat out an infield single on a chopper to short. With two speedsters
on the bases, the Mats went to their running game and attempted a double
steal. Not only did Vasilas easily beat the throw to third, the ball
skipped past the third baseman and into left field as Vasilas scored and
Jackson took third on the late throw to the plate. Diemer then came
back to record consecutive strikeouts to prevent further scoring. With
the Mats now ahead 3-1, Vacarro went to work. Keeping his pitches down
in the strike zone, he induced three straight grounders to third, with
Goldman showing off his range, and with a nice stretch from Vidal at
first on the third grounder, the Dons went down 1-2-3. The Mats were
unable to produce in the 4th despite a two out single and stolen base by
Lee, as Diemer recorded two more strikeouts. Diemer led off the bottom
of the 4th and hit a one hop smash to Goldman who was playing deep at
third. Goldman snagged the hop cleanly and with his momentum taking him
toward left field, fired to first for his fourth consecutive assist.
Vacarro ended the string by picking up his first strike out. The next
batter then hit a foul pop down the first base line and Chovanes sprung
out from behind the plate to make a fine grab.
The Mats added to their lead in the 5th, again using their base running
skills to their advantage. Goldman led off with a chopper to short that
hit the lip of the grass as the fielder charged it, causing the ball to
bounce off his shoulder as Goldman reached on the infield single.
Goldman then stole second. Vasilas was unable to bunt the runner over,
but with two strikes took an inside pitch to the right side and his
grounder to second allowed Goldman to reach third with just one out.
Jackson then hit an RBI single to center. Goldman held up to make sure
that it dropped and then scored easily as the center fielder made an
unwise throw all the way to the plate that allowed Jackson to reach
second. Jackson took third on a wild pitch but was nailed at the plate
when Chovanes hit a hard grounder to the shortstop with the infield
playing in. Chovanes stole second, but Diemer picked up his 8th
strikeout to end the inning, but not before the Mats had a 4-1 lead.
Vacarro continued his mastery of the Dons in the bottom of the 5th,
spreading the ground balls among his infielders. A grounder to Bourgein
at second started things off followed by a grounder to Jackson at short.
A bloop "excuse me" single by LaHonta gave the Dons some hope, but
another grounder to Goldman at third ended the inning. The Mats were
unable to produce in the 6th. Diemer picked up his 9th and 10th
strikeout with the only runner reaching on his own throwing error that
allowed Vidal to reach first on a slow grounder (with the first baseman
wanting no part of the oncoming runner). Vidal got as far as second on
another wild pitch, but no damage was done.
Vaccaro continued his strong pitching in the 6th, picking up his 10th
and 11th groundball outs to start the inning as Bourgein and Jackson
each handled grounders flawlessly. Diemer then hit a towering pop up to
left field. Lee slipped on the wet grass coming in on the ball and
then recovered, but the ball bounced off the heel of his glove and
Diemer made it to second just ahead of the throw. Vacarro came right
back and struck out the next hitter on a beautiful slow back door curve
ball.
With Beecroft taking over on the mound, the Mats threatened when Vasilas
picked up a one out single. He was forced at second on a Jackson
grounder to short. Jackson stole second, but was nailed as he left
early trying to swipe third as well.
Vaccaro appeared to still be going strong in the bottom of the 7th, as
he got ahead 0-2 on the batter. But then his control slipped and he
wound up giving up a 3-2 pitch walk. Taking no chances, the Mats
immediately went to freshman Kjar (pronounced "Care" except by his
teammates who call him "K-Jar"). After a wild pitch moved the runner to
second, Kjar settled down and induced a routine grounder right to Vidal
at first. Then he showed why he's known as "K" Jar, as he broke off
sharp curve after sharp curve to strike out the last two Don's looking,
including leadoff hitter LaHonta. (In case I've confused anyone here,
"K" is the symbol for strikeout used in keeping score.) With the 4-1
victory, the Mats move to 4-2 in league play and are right back in the
middle of what should prove to be a tight race.
Highlights:
Vacarro: Winning pitcher, 6 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 11 ground ball
outs
Kjar: First varsity save, 1 inning, no base runners, two strike outs
Vidal: Double, run, 12 put outs at first
Vasilas: 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases
Jackson: 2 hits, RBI, 2 stolen bases
Lee: Single, sac fly, RBI
Goldman: Single, run, stolen base and 6 assists at third
Special mention, since this was a game won with defense: Bourgein,
still playing with a badly injured finger and thus not batting, playing
great defense at second base and Chovanes with another stellar game
behind the plate.
Friday, March 31
Campolindo vs. Miramonte at St. Mary's
In a game that was about as dreary for the Mats as the weather, the
Campolindo Cougars, behind a dominating pitching performance from
Ousman, defeated Miramonte by a final score of 7-2. In a game called on
account of darkness after 6 innings, Ousman used a his sharp breaking
pitch to strike out 11 Miramonte hitters while yielding only four hits
and allowing only a single walk. By contrast, the Mats' pitchers
allowed 12 batters to reach first without the benefit of hitting the
ball, issuing 9 walks and 3 hit batsmen. Four Mat errors compounded the
problems as the Cougars scored 7 runs on just 3 hits and the Mats fell
to 3 and 2 in DFAL play.
The Cougars struck quickly at the outset. With Talbot on the mound,
Kratter singled to right field and took second on a sacrifice bunt.
Gala was hit by a pitch followed by a double steal. Kratter scored on a
wild pitch with Gala moving to third. Irving walked and stole second.
Talbot got Haywood to hit an easy pop up to Mayeri in right field, but
it was deep enough for Gala to tag up and score. Ousman then hit a
grounder to Goldman at third who tagged out Irving who had committed
toward third to end threat. The bottom of the first started off
promisingly for the Mats as Goldman hit a hard single up the middle.
But a sacrifice bunt attempt failed as Ousman nailed Goldman at second.
Jackson walked to keep the rally going, but consecutive strike outs
ended the inning. The Cougars threatened again in the second as two
walks put runners on first and second with the dangerous Kratter at bat.
He hit a hard grounder that Jackson fielded cleanly at short. Jackson
threw to Bourgein for the force at second. Bourgein's relay to Vidal at
first was late, but the umpire ruled that the runner had interfered with
Bourgein, resulting in an inning ending double play. The Mats
threatened again in the bottom of the second as Vidal's one out grounder
to short resulted in a throwing error that allowed him to take second.
But back to back strike outs again ended the threat. The Cougars
started off the third with a walk and a hit batsman and looked as though
they might break the game open. But a pop fly to Goldman at third and a
grounder to Jackson at short left men on second and third with two outs.
Another walk loaded the bases, but a soft pop up to Jackson ended the
inning with the Mats still trailing by only 2. The bottom of the third
started out with some promise as Goldman was hit on the foot on a curve
ball in the dirt and headed to first. Unfortunately, neither umpire saw
it (for those who keep track of these things, it was the first base
ump's fault) and the Mats were ultimately retired 1-2-3, with two more
strikeouts.
Things unraveled for the Mats in the top of the 4th. Perkins led off
with a walk and Talbot was replaced by Bowen. A throwing error on a
sacrifice bunt by Wrath allowed Perkins to score and the batter to go
all the way to third. Kratter followed with a smash to the mound that
Bowen niftily fielded to nail Kratter and hold the runner on third.
Caughell walked and stole second and Wrath scored as the throw skipped
into the outfield. Gala followed with a walk, but Bowen settled down to
strike out Irving followed by a soft liner to Jackson at short. The
Mats went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 4th with two more strikeouts.
Bowen was strong again in the 5th. Ousman popped weakly to Vidal at
first, Campbell struck out with Chovanes holding on to the foul tip and
Fair grounding out to Goldman at third. The Mats then made a game of it
in their half of the 5th. With one out, Lee turned on a curve ball and
hit a rope down the right field line that just stayed fair for a double.
Another Ousman strikeout made it look as though the Mats would again be
thwarted, but Goldman came through with an RBI single up the middle as
Lee scored and alertly took second when the throw from the center
fielder eluded the cut off man. Goldman moved to third when Ousman's
pick off attempt glanced off the second baseman's glove. Those extra
bases proved to be fortuitous as Vasilas hit a hard grounder up the
middle that hit the mound and bounced in the air. Vasilas beat
Kratter's throw to first (which was wide anyway) for an RBI single as
Goldman scored making the score 4-2. Jackson followed with a smash
which unfortunately took one hop right to the second baseman who threw
out Jackson to end the inning. The Cougars immediately struck back in
the 6th. Wong hit a pinch hit single to right center to start things
off. Kratter reached first on an error on a sacrifice bunt. Caughell
bunted in front of the plate and Chovanes made a good play to nail him
at first as the runners moved up. Gala hit a chopper in the hole
between third and short that Goldman grabbed and threw home, but
Chovanes was unable to hold on as he attempted the tag as the run
scored. Irving then hit a hard grounder to Goldman who snared it and
threw to Chovanes who tagged out the runner trying to score. The
Cougars then picked up two more runs on a hit batsman, a walk, a wild
pitch and an infield single by Campbell before Bowen ended the inning
with a strikeout. With the sky growing dark, the Mats went down 1-2-3
in the 6th with Ousman picking up his 11th strikeout. Final score:
Cougars 7, Mats 2.
"Highlights"
Goldman: 2 for 3, RBI, Run
Lee: Double, Run
Vasilas: Single, RBI
Friday, March 24
Miramonte vs. Concord
In a game moved to Concord because of wet field conditions at "home,"
the Mats rode a great pitching performance by Talbot to a 6-1 victory
over the Concord Minutemen. Timely hitting and some effective "small
ball" allowed Miramonte to produce its 6 runs on only 6 hits.
The Mats broke through in the top of the first inning, as Goldman lead
off with a walk and immediately stole second. Vasilas had an effective
at bat, hitting a two strike pitch on the ground to second to advance
Goldman to third. Goldman then scored easily on a long sacrifice fly by
Jackson before the Mats were retired. Talbot made it clear right from
the get go that this was his day, picking up two strikeouts and a
grounder to Jackson at short in a 1-2-3 inning. The Mats added to their
lead in the second. With one out, Mayeri hit a hard line drive single
followed by a walk to Lee. Vidal then unloaded, and despite a strong
wind blowing in from right, hit a double over the right fielder's head
to drive in Mayeri. Bourgein walked to load the bases. Goldman then
delivered a clutch single to drive in Lee. A force play at the plate
kept the Mats in check for the moment, but Jackson then walked to force
in Bourgein before the side was retired. The Minutemen scored their
loan run in the bottom of the second--ironically getting the inning
started when their lead off man struck out on a wicked curveball in the
dirt that went to the backstop. Chovanes made a quick throw to first
that Vidal appeared to scoop up in time to nail the runner, but the
umpire called the runner safe. The next batter singled and the runner
on second took third on a wild pitch. The next batter hit a chopper to
third that Goldman short hopped and trapped the runner off
third--Goldman threw to Chovanes who threw back to Goldman to nail the
runner. The second out was recorded on a force out from Jackson to
Bourgein at second, leaving runners on 1st and 3rd with two outs. The
runner on first broke for second on the next pitch and intentionally got
caught in a run down as the runner on 3rd broke for the plate.
Bourgein's throw to Vidal nipped the runner heading back to first, but
the home plate umpire ruled that the runner on third had crossed the
plate before the tag at first was made, making the score 4-1 after 2
innings. The third started out promising for the Mats as St. Lezin
walked to lead off, but Mayeri followed with a hard grounder to short
that was turned into a double play. In the bottom of the 3rd, Talbot
got the lead off batter to hit a routine fly to Vasilas in center and
followed with this 4th strikeout. He then surrendered a single followed
by a stolen base, but the rally was aborted when Goldman made a fine
sliding catch just in front of the fence on a foul pop up.
The Mats were quiet in the top of the 4th. Bourgein walked with one out
and stole second but was left stranded. The Minutemen started out the
bottom of the 4th with a base hit. The next batter hit a grounder to
Goldman who threw to Vidal at first for the out with the runner on first
moving to second. The runner then advanced to third on a ground out to
Bourgein. He tried to score on a wild pitch, but Chovanes quickly
retrieved the ball and made a diving tag to just nail the runner at the
plate and pick up the 3rd out. The Mats rallied again in the 5th as
Chovanes hit a one out single followed by a St. Lezin single. Mayeri
then ripped a double down the left field line scoring both runners--but
Mayeri was nailed at third as he tried to advance on the throw to the
plate. Talbot, now enjoying a 6-1 lead, really hit his stride picking
up two more strikeouts and a grounder to Jackson for a 1-2-3 inurning.
The Mats went quietly in the top of the 6th. Talbot retired the first
two batters in the bottom of the 6th on an unassisted grounder to Vidal
at first and a strike out. The next batter hit a grounder to third.
Goldman's throw sailed high, but Vidal snared it and tagged the runner
who never reached first base. The umpire inexplicably called him safe
as he was heading back to the dugout. The next batter walked, but
Talbot then induced a routine fly to Vasilas to end the threat. The
Mats again went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 7th. Bowen came on to
relieve Talbot in the bottom of the 7th and started out strong with a
strike out as Chovanes threw to Vidal to record the out. After walking
the next batter, Bowen came back and got the batter to hit a grounder at
Bourgein who flipped to Jackson for the force at second. Bowen then
struck out the final batter to seal the 6-1 victory.
Highlights:
Talbot: 6 innings, winning pitcher, 7 strikeouts, 3 hits, 1 walk, 3
hits, 1 unearned run
Mayeri: 2 for 3, double, 2 RBI, run
Goldman: Single, RBI, walk, run scored, stolen base and tough catch
Vidal: Double, RBI
St. Lezin: Single, walk, run
Jackson: Walk, 2 RBI
Chovanes: Single, run and another fine job behind the plate
Bourgein: 2 walks, stolen base, run
Lee: Walk and run
Bowen: 1 inning, no hits, 2 strikeouts
Thursday, March 23
Miramonte Defeats Mt. Diablo
We have been advised by the Miramonte Principal that we are not supposed
to post the full names of students on the web. As a result, I will use
only last names in game summaries.
Following a tough loss to College Park, the Mats came back with a strong
performance Wednesday afternoon to defeat the vastly improved Mt. Diablo
Red Devils 11-5 in Concord. The Mats took advantage of some crucial
defenses lapses and control problems by the Red Devils to coast to
victory.
The game started off well for Miramonte when Goldman led off the game
with a walk and promptly stole second. Vasilas, displaying sound
fundamentals, hit the ball to the right side and the second baseman
bobbled the ball as Vasilas reached first on the error. Vasilas then
took off for second and slid in safely, and as the ball skirted past the
second baseman, Goldman scored and Vasilas took 3rd. Vasilas then
scored on Jackson's sacrifice fly to left field. Chovanes then singled
and took second and third on balls that eluded the catcher and scored on
St. Lezin's ground out to shortstop, giving the Mats a 3-0 lead going in
to the bottom of 1st. The Red Devils showed right at the outset that
they were not just going to roll over. Freshman Vaccaro got his first
varsity start on the mound for the Mats after a strong relief
performance in the previous game. After striking out the lead off
hitter looking, Vaccaro surrendered back to back singles and a long fly
ball triple. However, Coach Dell'Aquila alertly noticed that the lead
runner had missed the bag rounding third. Vaccaro flipped the ball to
third baseman Goldman for the appeal and the home plate umpire called
the lead runner out. Vaccaro picked up another strike out to get out of
the inning with only the one run surrendered. The Mats struck again
(although "struck may be the wrong word") in the top of the second.
With 2 outs, Bourgein walked and stole second. Goldman then walked as
did Vasilas to load the bases. Jackson and Chovanes then each walked
to force in a run, picking up RBIs in the process before the third out
was recorded on a very close play at first on a grounder to short by St.
Lezin. In the bottom of the second, the Red Devils again threatened.
The lead off man singled, stole second and took third on a wild pitch.
A walk put runners on first and third with on one out. But the runner
on first was nailed trying to steal second on a fine throw from catcher
Chovanes to second baseman Bourgein and Vaccaro picked up another strike
out and a fly ball to Vasilas in center to end the inning without
surrendering a run.
The Mats started off the top of the 3rd with promise as Mayeri hit a
line drive single to center and Lee walked. Vidal then hit a rope which
unfortunately was right at the second baseman who easily doubled Mayeri
off second. An ensuing strikeout ended the Mats' threat. The Red
Devils struck again in their half of the 3rd. Following a lead off
ground out to Jackson at short, there was a single and a hit batsman.
Vaccaro came back with a strike out, but the next batter hit a long fly
ball double to left that scored two runs before another ground out to
Jackson ended the inning with the Mats clinging to a 5-3 lead. The Mats
then erupted for 6 runs in the 4th. With one out, Vasilas again reached
on an error when the third baseman misplayed his slow grounder. He
promptly stole second and Jackson walked. The Mats then attempted a
double steal and when the throw got past the third baseman, Vasilas
scored. Jackson stole third and scored on Chovanes's hard double to
left. The Red Devils then went to their secret weapon bringing in a
pitcher who the Mats had struggled with last year. Throwing a pitch
that approximates a slow pitch soft ball toss in terms of speed and arc
(reminiscent of the "eephus" pitch made famous by Rip Sewell in the
1930s and the "folly floater" that Steve Hamilton employed in the late
1960s), hitters timing can be badly affected. However, Coach Del had an
answer. St. Lezin laid down a bunt and beat it out when the pitcher
bobbled it, with Chovanes reaching 3rd.. Mayeri followed with a suicide
squeeze bunt that scored Chovanes with Mayeri picking up the RBI and
reaching first safely on the fielder's choice as the pitcher attempted
to nail Chovanes at the plate. Lee then jumped all over a blooper pitch
and doubled to score St. Lezin. Vidal followed with a towering fly ball
double that scored both Mayeri and Lee before a reliever throwing a more
normal variety of pitches came to the rescue and retired the last two
hitters, but not before the Mats opened up an 11-3 lead. Vaccaro closed
the door in the bottom of the 4th, inducing a foul pop out to Vidal at
first, a ground out to Bourgein at second and a strike out looking. The
Mats had a chance to pad their lead in the 5th when Vasilas beat out an
infield hit and took second on a one out single from Chovanes--but
Vasilas strayed too far off second and was caught trying to scramble
back. A subsequent strike out ended the inning. The Red Devils struck
in the bottom of the 5th with a lead off double followed by an error
that allowed the runner to score. A walk put runners on first and third
with no one out. The next batter hit a grounder to Jackson who flipped
to Bourgein for the force at second. Bourgein fired to first trying for
the double play, but the throw glanced off the glove of Talbot who had
come in to play first. Talbot fired home to try to nail the runner from
third trying to score, but his throw skipped by Chovanes. However,
Chovanes picked up the loose ball at the back stop a fired a strike to
Bourgein to nail the runner heading for second. In other word, the Mats
had a routine 6-4-3-2-4 double play. A grounder to Goldman at third
ended the inning with the Mats holding on to an 11-5 lead.
The Mats went to their bench in the 6th sending up Bower, Buscheck and
Talbot each of whom made solid contact, but were unable to reach base.
In the bottom of the 6th, Freshman Lloyd made his varsity debut taking
over for Vaccaro. Lloyd got off to an outstanding start striking out
the lead off man looking and inducing the second hitter to hit an easy
pop to Jackson. After surrendering a walk, a grounder to Jackson at
short ended the inning. In the top of the 7th, Goldman hit a line
drive single to center with one out, stole second and took third after
tagging up on a fly to right by Vasilas. But the rally ended when
Jackson hit a line drive that the centerfielder snared. Lloyd was
dominant in the bottom of the 7th picking up two strikeouts and then a
grounder to Bourgein to end the game. Final: Miramonte 11-Mt. Diablo
5.
Highlights:
Chovanes: 3 for 3 including a double, walk, 2 RBI, 2 runs and nailed
two runners on defense
Lloyd: 2 innings, no hits, no runs, 3 strikeouts in varsity debut
Vaccaro: 5 solid innings, 5 strikeouts, first varsity win
Vidal: Double, 2 RBIs
Lee: Double, RBI, run
Vasilas: Single, walk, on base 4 times, 3 stolen bases, 2 runs
Goldman: Single, two walks, 2 stolen bases, 2 runs
Mayeri: Single and RBI on squeeze, run
Jackson: Walk, 2 RBI, run, 2 stolen bases
St. Lezin: RBI and run
Bourgein: Walk, run, stolen base
Monday, March 20
Miramonte vs. College Park
Coming off of a great DFAL opening win against Dublin, the Mats failed
to maintain their intensity and lost a 4-1 decision to a much improved
College Park team. College Park picked up some clutch hits and played
flawless defense, while the Mats stranded base runners and made key
defensive mistakes to allow the game to slip away.
The Mats were unable to score in the top of the first, wasting a two out
Brett Jackson blast to right center that went for a triple. Bowen
retired College Park in the bottom of the first on pop outs to right
fielder Mayeri, left fielder Lee and shortstop Jackson,
yielding only a single. The Mats went down 1-2-3 in the second.
College Park immediately responded in their half of the inning with a
lead off double. The next batter hit a comebacker to Bowen who had the
base runner trapped between 2nd and 3rd--but his ensuing throw to third
slipped from his hand allowing runners on 2nd and 3rd. College Park
followed with a walk and an RBI single, and it looked as though the game
might get out of hand. But Bowen settled down and got the next hitter
to hit a grounder right to Jackson at shortstop. Jackson fired to
catcher Chovanes for the force at the plate and Chovanes almost
doubled up the hitter on a close play at first. An infield fly to
second baseman Bourgein followed by a ground out to third baseman
Jeremy Goldman averted further damage. The Mats responded in the third
with a long lead off double by Lee followed by Bourgein's RBI single to
tie up the game at 1-1. But a double play and a ground out ended any
further threat. College Park then struck further. The lead off man
singled and then went all the way to third on an errant pick off attempt
and scored on an RBI single. A sacrifice bunt and a strike out put the
Mats in position to get out of the inning with just one run allowed, but
an error allowed another run to score giving College Park a 3-1 lead.
The Mats got out of the inning when Goldman fielded a slow grounder down
the third base line and trapped the runner from second who had committed
towards third. The Mats went quietly again in the 4th with a 2 out St. Lezin's single accounting for the only base runner. Bowen
retired the side 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 4th on a grounder to first
baseman Talbot who flipped to Bowen covering at first followed
by a ground out to Bourgein and a fly out to center fielder
Vasilas. The Mats had a great opportunity in the 5th but were unable to
cash in. Mayeri led off with a single. With one out, Bourgein (playing
with an injured right index finger) attempted a sacrifice bunt and the
pitcher's throw to second sailed high allowing Mayeri to reach second
and Bourgein to reach first. Goldman then beat out a bunt single down
the third base line to load the bases with one out. But a strike out
followed by a ground out ended the threat. College Park added to its
lead with another run in the bottom of the 5th when it started the
inning off with a single and a walk. The Mats picked up the first out
on a pop foul that was caught by first baseball Vidal. But a
timely single to left made the score 4-1. On the play, Goldman cut off
the throw that was heading toward the plate and nailed the runner who
had rounded second with a quick throw to Bourgein who applied the tag.
Bowen was then replaced by Freshman pitcher, Vaccaro, making his
varsity debut. On the first pitch, the runner on first tried to steal
second and was out on the throw from Chovanes to Bourgein as the runner
over slid second. The Mats still had a chance to come back in the top
of the 6th as Chovanes led off with a long double to left followed by a
walk to St. Lezin. College Park then pulled their starter and brought
in a left hander to face Vidal. Vidal worked the count to 3-2 and then
hit grounder to the right side advancing the runners. But a foul pop to
the catcher and a strikeout ended the threat. Vaccaro retired the side
1-2-3 on a fly to Vasilas and a grounder and pop out to Bourgein. The
Mats went down 1-2-3 in the 7th with the game ending on a fine catch on
a pop to short right to take away a hit away from Vasilas. Final score
College Park 4 Miramonte 1.
Highlights:
Vaccaro: 1 1/3 innings, no base runners
Bourgein: Single, RBI, sacrifice (safe on error), 4 putouts and 2
assists while playing hurt
Jackson: Triple
Lee and Chovanes: Doubles
St. Lezin: Single and walk
Mayeri and Goldman: Singles
Wednesday, March 15
Miramonte Edges Dublin 5-3 in DFAL Opener
After three tough non-conference losses, the Mats got off to a great
start in league play with a 5 to 3 win over the home Dublin Gaels.
Mike Talbot pitched 6 1/3 strong innings and Brett Jackson put on a
great display of his all around talent to lead the Mats to victory over
the Gaels who were picked to finish second in the league. Jackson, best
known for his power hitting, instead relied on his speed, glove and arm
in his outstanding performance. Talbot and Jackson were backed by the
rest of the Miramonte squad as the team played errorless defense
combined with timely hitting.
Facing the Gael's ace southpaw, Ellison, one of the league's
standout pitchers, the Mats went down 1-2-3 in the top of the first.
The Gaels lead off hitter,Arata, was handcuffed on a 2 strike
pitch, but hit a dribbler toward second and beat it out. Ellison then
hit a line drive right at shortstop Jackson who snared it and easily
doubled the runner off first. The Gael's star hitter, Greenberg
hit a soft liner to left center that sliced away from center fielder
Vasilas and fell for a double. The next batter was hit by a slow
two strike curve ball, but promptly picked off of first on a fine throw
from catcher Chovanes as first baseman Vidal applied the tag.
The second inning starting out promising for the Mats as Chovanes
doubled to lead off. But he was then nailed in a run down when Ellison
made a fine play on a hard grounder up the middle by DH St. Lezin
and the inning ended with no further threat. The Gaels responded with a
rally of their own in the bottom of the second as they loaded the bases
on a walk and two infield hits that died on the slow grass. But the
Mats defense tightened. With the infield drawn in, the batter hit a
grounder right to Jackson who fired to Chovanes for the force at the
plate. The runner on third was then nailed on a close play at the plate
as he tried to score on a wild pitch, with Chovanes flipping the ball to
Talbot. Another ground out to Jackson ended the threat. The Mats were
unable to score in the third, with a two out single by Bourgein the
only damage. The Gaels threatened again in the bottom of the third as
there were two hit batsman. But a fly out to Vasilas and two grounders
to Jackson retired the side.
The Mats finally broke through in the top of the 4th. Vasilas led off
with a double and stole third. Jackson then found the hole between
third and short and his ground ball single drove in Vasilas with the
first run of the game. Jackson promptly stole second and went to third
on a Chovanes grounder to short. The shortstop's throw pulled the first
baseman off the bag and it appeared that Chovanes had easily crossed
first before being tagged. But the base umpire who was in good position
to make the call apparently didn't see it and asked the home plate
umpire who called Chovanes out even though he had a terrible angle to
make the call. With the infield drawn in, St. Lezin hit a chopper that
eluded the shortstop and his single drove in Jackson. St. Lezin stole
second and went to third on Mayeri's solid single to center. Vidal
then singled to drive in St. Lezin. Talbot then settled into a groove
and protected his 3-0 lead by inducing two grounders to Bourgein at
second and a grounder to Jeremy Goldman at third. The Mats struck again
in the top of the 5th. With one out, Vasilas singled to right center
but was nailed on a fine throw as he tried to stretch it to a double.
Jackson then hit a slow grounder to second and used his blazing speed to
beat the throw which eluded the first baseman as Jackson went to second.
He then stole third and scored on a wild pitch stretching the Mat's lead
to 4-0. Talbot continued his superb pitching in the bottom of the 5th
inducing two grounders to Jackson at short and then a come backer to the
mound (making 7 consecutive ground ball outs). The Mats went down 1-2-3
in the 6th and Dublin then finally broke through in the bottom of the
inning. After a strikeout and a ground out to Goldman at third, Talbot
hit another batter on a slow curve ball (with the batter making no
attempt to get out of the way--which should have been ruled a strike
rather than a hit batsman). Plimmer then hit a slicing liner to
right that Lee dove for, but the ball just ticked off his glove
allowing the runner to score as the batter took second. A fly out to
Vasilas in center ended the threat. The Mats conjured up another run in
the top of the 7th as Vidal lead off with a walk. The speedy Buscheck came in to run for Vidal, a strategic move that paid
dividends. Buscheck advanced to second on a pitch that eluded the
catcher and with one out and Goldman at the plate, took third on another
wild pitch. Coach Dell then called for the suicide squeeze. With
Buscheck tearing for home, Goldman laid down a perfect bunt half way
between the plate and the mound, Buscheck scoring before the pitcher
even touched the ball, although the pitcher made a good throw to nail
Goldman at first. Vasilas then continued his hot hitting with a single
and took second on a wild pitch. Jackson hit another slow grounder that
he easily beat out and as the throw was made to first, Vasilas, who was
running all the way, rounded third and streaked for home, beating the
throw and clearly swiping the plate as he slid past (and as clearly
evidenced on John Bourgein's videotape). Unfortunately, the only one
who didn't see Vasilas touch the plate was the home plate umpire who
called him out as he was tagged after heading back to the dugout.
Nevertheless the Mats took a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the 7th.
The Gaels immediately put the tension back in the game with a lead off
single. Talbot came back with a strike out but then hit another batter. Kjar then came in but surrendered a walk to Ellison and after
fooling Greenberg on his first two pitches, got his curve ball up and
Greenberg hit it for a double, with two runs scoring. The Mats now had
a precarious 5-3 lead with runners on 2nd and 3rd and only one out.
Jackson was then called to take over on the mound. His first two
pitches sailed way high, creating even more tension. But then he found
his groove and throwing nothing but gas blew away the final two hitters.
Final score: Miramonte 5-Dublin-3
Highlights:
Jackson: 3 hits, RBI, 2 runs scored, 2 stolen bases, 5 assists and 2
putouts at short and the save in relief
Talbot: 6 1/3 innings of 5 hit ball and the win
Vasilas: 3 hits, stolen base and a run
St. Lezin: RBI single, stolen base and run
Chovanes: Double and another fine game behind the plate
Goldman: RBI on suicide squeeze
Vidal: RBI single and walk
Mayeri: Single
Bourgein: Single
Buscheck: Using his speed to manufacture a run
Contra Costa Times DFAL Predictions
Click on the title above to go directly to the article from the Contra Costa Times dated March 11, 2006
Mats Lose 4-3 Squeaker To Albany
March 2, 2006:
Based on the rain the night before and the forecast for thunderstorms,
it didn't seem likely that there would be any baseball played this day
and in fact the Campo field was not playable. However, the sun came out
and Albany's field dried out enough to make it playable if somewhat
soggy. Despite playing on the road, the Mats were the designated home
team. Talbot took the mound and it was clear from the outset
that he had his "A" game going. Albany went down 1-2-3 with a strike
out in the mix. But it was also clear that Albany pitcher, Bennett, had plenty of stuff to throw at the Mat's hitters. After
picking up two quick outs, Jackson singled and then advanced to
second on a wild pitch, but was unable to score. In the top of the
second, Talbot was reached for two unearned runs despite picking up two
strikeouts, as he gave up two hits (one a grounder down the third base
line that looked clearly to be foul) and the Mats committed two errors
behind him. Further disaster was averted however as the Mats nailed a
runner trying to score from second on a two out single as center
fielder, Vasilas, hit cutoff man, Vidal, who threw a perfect
relay to catcher, Chovanes, who applied the tag just in time. The
Mats came right back in the bottom of the second as right fielder,
Taylor Lee, hit a line single. Designated hitter, Redig, then
smoked a slicing line drive to right that looked like it might go for
extra bases, but the ball hung up and the Albany right fielder made a
fine running catch almost doubling Lee off of first. Lee then took
second on a wild pitch. After picking up the second out, Bennett walked
Vidal and Vasilas then reached first when the Albany first baseman
pulled his foot off the bag on a close play on a grounder to third, with
Lee scoring on the error. But Miramonte's rally ended as Goldman's grounder that appeared headed for the hole died on the wet
grass, and the Albany second baseman ranged to his left to make the play
and record the third out. Talbot got Albany to go down one two three in
the top of the third aided by a nice play from third baseman Goldman on
slow grounder. In the bottom of the third, Jackson walked with one out
and stole second. Chovanes hit a grounder to short that popped off the
shortstop's glove and into left field. Jackson raced around the bases
and averted a tag at home on a nice slide, with Chovanes taking second
on the play. The Mats were unable to do any further damage and the
third inning ended tied two all. Both starting pitchers really settled
down in the 4th inning as both teams went down 1-2-3. In the top of the
5th, Albany managed a one out double against Talbot, but Talbot came
back to record his 5th strikeout of the game followed by a routine fly
out to Vasilas. Bennett struck out the side in the bottom of the 5th,
and it seemed as though the teams were locked in a pitcher's dual. But
Albany was able to eek out 2 runs in the top of the 6th, aided by
seemingly blown calls by the home plate umpire. After striking out the
lead off man, Talbot gave up a double followed by a single with the
runner scoring, and the batter taking second as the relay throw to the
plate sailed high. The Mats appealed when it appeared that the runner
had missed third base, but alas the umpire also apparently missed third
base and didn't see it. Talbot was then replaced by Kjar. The
runner on second advanced to third on a curve ball in the dirt and then
scored on a fly out to short center field, with the Mats just missing
the runner at the plate. Again the Mats appealed as the runner on third
had failed to re-touch third base after the catch. Once again the
umpire did not see it our way and after a strikeout on a wicked curve
ball, the Mats entered the bottom of the 6th down 4-2. Bennett was
still going strong in the 6th as the Mats again went down 1-2-3, as
Bennett picked up two more strikeouts and retired his 11th batter in a
row. Kjar responded in kind in the top of the 7th, keeping the Mats
close as he picked up another strikeout and got Albany to go down 1-2-3.
The Mats were finally able to make a dent in Bennett's pitching in the
bottom of the 7th as St. Lezin entered the game as a pinch hitter
and promptly lined a hard single. Buscheck came in to run for St.
Lezin. With one out Vasilas hit a grounder to the right side and raced
to first, but was just nailed on a fine play with Bennett covering
first, as Buscheck advanced to second. With the third baseman for some
unexplained reason playing deep on the grass, Goldman then dropped down
a bunt that he beat out and as the late throw skipped by the first
baseman, Buscheck scored with Goldman taking second. But Bennett, who
held the Mats to just 4 hits and 8 total base runners, ended the game by
picking up his 10th strike out. While it was a tough loss for the Mats,
the team played much sharper than in the opener and showed signs of
great things to come this year.
Highlights:
Talbot: 5 1/3 innings, 6 hits, 6 strikeouts, 1 earned run
Kjar: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts
Jackson: Hit, walk, stolen base, run scored
St. Lezin: 1 for 1
Mats Lose Opener to St. Mary's
February 23, 2006:
On a beautiful, sunny Thursday afternoon, the Mats opened their season
at Campalindo, the Mats adopted "home" field, taking on an always tough
squad from St. Mary's High in Berkeley. Bowen opened on the mound
for the Mats and immediately faced a tough situation. With one run
already in and the bases loaded with no one out, it looked as though St.
Mary's was ready to explode. But Bowen came back strong and mowed down
St. Mary's without allowing any more runs to score. The Mats responded
immediately in the bottom of the first. Goldman led off with a
base hit right down the third base line, with the ball hitting the bag
and popping into the air to prevent extra bases. On a hit and run,
Goldman advanced to second on a grounder up the middle as Bourgein was nailed by a step at first. Jackson then hit a hard
grounder that the second baseman couldn't handle. Goldman came around
to score as the ball ended up in short right field. Jackson advanced to
second on a steal. Chovanes followed with a hard grounder through
the hole between short and third and Jackson used his speed to score on
a close play at the plate, with Chovanes taking second on the throw.
St. Mary's was then able to get the next two hitters, but Miramonte had
a 2-1 lead. St. Mary's scored another single run in the second to tie
the game and Miramonte was unable to score in its half. Things then
imploded in the top of the third as St. Mary's came up with 6 big runs.
Bowen, who was hurt by some defensive lapses, was replaced by Michael
Talbot. The Mats were unable to answer in the bottom of the third and
Talbot held St. Mary's scoreless in the 4th. The Mats again went
scoreless in the bottom of the 4th. St. Mary's scored 4 more in the
top of the 5th, with errors again hurting the Mats. Freshman Kjar took over on the mound and used his dazzling curve ball to keep
hitters off stride. In the bottom of the 5th, the Mats rallied. Vasilas singled up the middle to lead off the inning and Goldman
followed with his own single up the middle. Bourgein walked to load the
bases followed by a wild pitch or two and two more walks to Jackson and
Chovanes, with Vasilas and Goldman scoring. The Mats had bases loaded,
two runs in, no one out and looked as though they might get right back
into the game. But St. Mary's brought in a hard throwing reliever who
was able to retire the next three hitters without allowing any
additional runs. Kjar shut down St. Mary's in the top of the 6th but
the Mats were unable to score any more runs in their half of the inning
and the game was then called due to darkness. Final score: St. Mary's
12 Miramonte 4.
Hitting Highlights
Chovanes: 2 hits a walk and RBI
Goldman: 2 hits, 2 runs scored
Vasilas: 1 hit and a run scored
It is only Preseason...
March 9, 2006 Hogan v. Miramonte
With game conditions more suited for the Iditarod than for baseball, the
Mats suffered another heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Hogan High
School of Vallejo. Playing another "home" game on the road due to field
conditions, the Mats sent Bowen to the mound. Bowen started out
strong giving up only a walk while striking out two in the top of the
first. Miramonte responded by taking a one nothing lead in the bottom
of the first. Bourgein walked and stole second. Jackson
singled to right center, moving Bourgein to third--and Jackson then
stole second. Chovanes drove in Bourgein with a grounder to short,
but the inning ended with Jackson stranded on third. Both teams went
down 1-2-3 in the second. In the top of third, Bowen faced a challenge.
After striking out the lead off man, he gave up a single and then a
dropped throw put men on 2nd and 3rd with one out. The next batter hit
a line drive to shallow center that Vasilas snared--with the
runners unable to advance. After a walk loaded the bases, Bowen induced
the next batter to hit a squibbler in between home and the mound which
Chovanes scooped up in time to nail the batter at first. In the bottom
of the third, the Mats added to their lead when Bourgein walked with two
outs and stole second again. Jackson followed with a long double to
left center, but was stranded on second. Bowen started the 4th by
picking up his 4th strikeout, but a walk followed by a single put him in
a jam with one out. But on a ball in the dirt, the runner on second
advanced a bit too far and Chovanes threw a bullet to Jackson to nail
the runner as he dove back in to second. Bowen then recorded another
strikeout to end the inning. In the bottom of the 4th, with a chance
to pad their lead, the Mats squandered an opportunity. St. Lezin
hit a hard line single to right and Redig followed with a walk.
Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Lee almost broke the game
open with a long drive down the left field line that the wind blew foul.
Lee then grounded to second with the runners holding. Redig was picked
off of second on a questionable call and St. Lezin was nailed at the
plate trying to score as Vidal walked and the pitch eluded the
catcher and rolled up the first base line. Bowen continued his strong
performance in the 5th. The first batter hit a wind blown foul ball
down the right field line and right fielder Lee made an outstanding
diving catch. Vasilas then made a good play on a line drive to center
and Bowen picked up strike out number 6 to record the third out. The
Mats started out the 5th inning with promise also as Vasilas singled to
center, stole second and then took third on Goldman's grounder.
But Vasilas was stranded on third as there was a strikeout, a walk to
Jackson and a fly ball to center to end the inning. The 6th then proved
to me the Mats undoing. Bowen, after 5 innings of 2 hit ball, may have
been tiring and allowed the first two runners to reach on walks. He was
then replaced by Kjar, who had pitched so effectively in
Miramonte's first two games. But Kjar had trouble getting the umpire to
call strikes on his breaking pitches and walked his first batter to load
the bases and then surrendered a 3 run double and a single. Talbot
came in and put an end to the rally on three straight outs, but not
before the 4th run had crossed the plate on a fielder's choice. The
Mats were unable to muster a rally in the bottom of the 6th, with a 2
out walk to Redig producing the only base runner. Talbot dominated the
top of the 7th with an easy come backer to the mound followed by two
strike outs. The Mats showed that do not go away quietly in the bottom
of the 7th. With one out Vasilas hit another single up the middle and
took second on an errant pick off attempt. Then, despite the Hogan
third baseman playing in on the grass, Goldman laid down a near perfect
bunt single that seemed to defy the laws of physics as it stayed fair.
Following a strike out, Goldman took second on a wild pitch. Hogan then
walked Jackson intentionally to load the bases. But a game ending
strike out left the Matadors on the short side of a 4-2 final.
Highlights:
Jackson: Single, Double, 2 walks, RBI
Vasilas: 2 for 3
Bowen: 5 innings--2 hits, 2 runs, 6 strikeouts
Talbot: 2 innings--no base runners, 3 strikeouts.
MATS Win NCS 2nd Year in a Row
Saturday, June 4 at Monte Vista High School. Michael Canter was on the mound for Miramonte against Las Lomas Knights who started Steve Fischback. Everyone could feel the nerves on edge. I knew it was going to be tough, especially when Vince's great good luck ran out when Miramonte lost the toss for home team. Doug Buser was up first for the Mats and he walked and then stole 2nd. The umpire was all over the place, calling numerous strikes on clear balls leaving the boys not knowing what to swing at. Danny Berring hit one up the middle scoring Buser. Brett Jackson hit a line drive to left center for a single, but he was stranded. Canter seemed to be effected by the frustration of our batters (the umpires strange strikes did not seem to be as prevalent for the Knights) and struggled in the 1st inning giving up 2 runs. In the 2nd inning Garrett Nimedez had a nice line drive to right center and Buser had one just like it. But both were left on. The Mats gave up another run in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Score after 2 was 1-3, Las Lomas. In the 3rd inning Berring hit a drooper that dropped in to left field behind the 3rd baseman. Reed Kelley came into pinch run and got to 2nd on a passed ball. Jackson hit a single and when the Knights tried to throw him out, they threw the ball away and Kelley rounded 3rd and was able to score. Adam Robbins hit a grounder that bounced over the 3rd baseman's head to score Jackson and tie it up. Chris Shrieve hit a single but no more runs came in. Las Lomas scored another run in the 3rd on the 1st hit of the game. The Mats were down by 1 at the end of the 3rd inning. In the 4th inning Nimedez got on by an error and Kyle Johnson was hit by a pitch. Both advanced to 2nd and 3rd but could get no further. Canter had settled down and it was 3 up 3 down for Las Lomas in the 4th. Jackson came up at the beginning of the 4th and decided to tie the game himself. He hit an opposite home run over the left field fence. Las Lomas did not score so it was 4-4 at the end of 5. Now Miramonte had many games where they struggled in the early innings or had lapses for bad innings so I knew that they could turn it on at any time and they did. Nimedez got on with an error to start the 6th inning. Buser hit one that the 3rd baseman could not quite handle. Nimedez and Buser both stole to get to 2nd and 3rd. New pitcher for Las Lomas, Diallo Fon. Las Lomas decided they did not want 1st base open so they walked Nick Trenchard. Johnson came up and oh, it was tense. Bases loaded with no outs, tie game in the championships, just what little boys in little league dream of. And Johnson delivered! He hit a hard single up the middle to score Nimedez and Buser for the go ahead runs. The stands went wild and Miramonte never looked back. Jackson walked, apparently Las Lomas was afraid of him. The Mats had Las Lomas flustered. Robbins hit one and the 3rd baseman bobbled it, so Robbins got on and Trenchard scored. Ted Chovanes got on with a fielder's choice. Shrieve was hit by a pitch scoring Jackson. And then Nimedez finished it up with a double to right center to score Robbins and Chovanes. Oh Yea!!! It was now 10-4 and Las Lomas was looking quite deflated. But we knew it was not over until the last out. Diallo Fon came up in the 6th and hit a blast over the left field fence, but there was noone on base so little harm was done. Patrick Scardino came in to finish out the game after Canter got 2 outs. After 6 innings it was 10-5. Chase Buestad opened the 7th inning by getting hit by a pitch. Daniel Luther hit a hard line drive to right center for a single. Berring got on with an error. Jackson walked again. But no runs scored. The Mats were 3 outs away from the win. The 1st 2 batters flew out to Johnson and Nimedez so we were down to 1 out. The fans were on their feet, but had to wait 2 more batters. Diallo Fon came up with 2 men on and 2 outs. He was one of the best in the league with a scholarship to play baseball at Vanderbilt. If anyone could hit one over and get Las Lomas back in the game, it was him. But Scardino kept his cool. With every pitch, the fans held their breath. Scardino threw down the middle and struck him out!!!! Miramonte went wild and dogpiled all over Scardino, they were NCS CHAMPS for the 2ND year in a row, a 3rd time in 4 years. The papers never gave the Miramonte much respect, only touting Acalanes at the first half of the season and Campolindo the last half. HAH!!! Miramonte showed them and came through in the end!!!!
Hats off to Canter for coming back and working through the struggle and shutting Las Lomas down for the win.
Jackson had the game of his life - 3 for 3, HR, RBI, 2 BB, 2 runs
Clutch hitting by Johnson scoring the winning runs and starting the run of scoring
Scardino 1 1/3IP, save, struck out Fon
Buser 2 for 4, BB, 2 runs
Johnson 1 for 3, HBP, 2RBIs
Berring 2 for 5, RBI, 2 runs
Nimedez 2 for 4, 2 RBIs, 2B, run
Playoff stats:
Everyone contributed
Buser 3 for 11, BB, 3B, 2 runs, game winning hit to score only run in Encinal game
Trenchard big hit to get on in the Alameda game and score the winning run
Johnson 4 for 9, BB, HBP, 2 RBIs, 3 hits in Alameda game and knocked in go ahead run in the Championships
Berring 3 for 10, BB, 2 RBIs, 2 runs, walked for winning run in Alameda game
Jackson 3 for 6, 5BB, HR, RBI, Big homerun in the Championships to tie the game
Robbins 1 of only 5 hits in Alameda game and knocked in a run in the Championships
Chovanes Scored winning run against Encinal
Shrieve 1 for 7, Great defense
Nimedez 3 for 8, HBP, 2B, 2RBI's, run, knocked in final 2 runs for extra cushion
Luther 1 for 1
Mats Get By Encinal in NCS Semi-final
WOW! One close nail biter wasn't enough.
Greg Redig was on the mound against Encinal on Wednesday for the semi-final game of the NCS Playoffs. The pitcher for Encinal was one of the best the Mats have seen, throwing curve ball after curve ball. In the 1st inning the Mats got Encinal out after 4 batters with no score. The Mats fared no better. In the 2nd inning Encinal gat a hit but the runner was left stranded. The Mats went 3 up 3 down again. In the 3rd inning Encinal got 2 on base with a HBP and walk, but were unable to capitalize. Ted Chovanes opened the 3rd inning with a walk and then he stole 2nd. Doug Buser came up and stroked a triple to left center field to score Ted. Big hit!!!! At the end of 3 it was 1-0 Mats. Encinal got a single in the 4th inning but he was left on base. Kyle Johnson walked in the 4th and Danny Berring hit a single through the infield, but they were unable to score. 3 up and 3 down for Encinal in the 5th inning. Garrett Nimedez hit a line drive single in the 5th to left field but was left stranded. At the end of 5 it was still 1-0. In the 6th inning the first batter walked for Encinal, but Berring threw him out stealing. 2 more easy outs followed. The Mats went 3 up and 3 down in the 6th. That curve ball pitcher was really confounding our batters. It was pretty tense in the top of the 7th. Encinals batters came up swinging. But Redig was fooling Encinal even worse. He struck out 2 in a row looking. The Mats finished the game with an easy ground out to win it 1-0. Whew!!!! These playoffs provide some of the best pitching around so we see low scoring pitching duels. Redig was superb. And Buser's big triple to score Ted was the game winning play.
Redig 7IP, 7K, 2 hits, win
Buser 1 for 3, 3B, RBI, game winner
Nimedez 1 for 2
Berring 1 for 2
Mats beat Alameda Hornets 1-0 in the NCS Quarterfinals
After a dreary morning, the sun finally broke through and it turned into a nice day at St. Mary's baseball field. Michael Canter started on the mound for the Mats against the Alameda Hornets on Saturday, May 28.
This game quickly turned into a classic pitcher's duel. As such there was not a lot of batting action in the first several innings. Kyle Johnson was the Mat's first base runner in the first inning when he got aboard on a single but was stranded. Adam Robbins singled in the second but was likewise stranded. Kyle singled again in the third but nothing came of that either. Meanwhile Michael was mowing down the Hornets allowing just a couple of hits and no runners past second base.
This duel went on all the way to the sixth inning when a well placed bunt got a Hornet on base with two down. This runner then stole second. The fourth Alameda batter hit a relatively routine single into mid center field. Doug Buser easily fielded the ball, but the Alameda base runner who was on second is now screaming around third base heading for home. Doug has the ball and goes to home plate with all his might. Doug's throw had to be absolutely, positively dead center perfect. And it was just that--a perfectly thrown ball now on its way to home plate. So now one guy, Danny Berring, the Mat's outstanding catcher, laden with catching gear, relying on a glove not meant for this type of fielding and facing a runner heading towards him at breakneck speed is standing between the runner and home plate, and as it turns out, between victory and defeat. The inevitable collision of baseball wills now takes place at home plate. Doug's throw is perfect, Danny's catch is perfect and Danny's tag is PERFECT, and the ump gives us the right call - out at home plate. Beautiful baseball, as good as it gets.
But with that third out, the score was still 0-0 as the Mats came to bat in the bottom of the sixth. The Mats threatened again in the bottom of the sixth. Nick Trenchard got hit by a pitch and pinch runner Reed Kelley made it all the way to third but once again, the Mats came up empty handed. In the bottom of the seventh, the Mats got a runner (Ted Chovanes-on with a walk) as far as second base, but no runs. On to extra innings.
Michael continued his outstanding pitching in the top of the eighth facing only three batters, striking out two, bringing the Mats to bat. At this time, Alameda made a pitching change. With a new pitcher on the mound and one out, Nick Trenchard got on with a single up the middle. Kyle Johnson followed with a line drive to right field, advancing Nick. Now Alameda opted for the second time of the game to intentionally walk the Mat's super slugger, Brett Jackson, loading the bases. Danny Berring is next at bat. Danny is not a small guy but managed to make himself small enough to have the Hornet pitcher throw four straight balls and that was that, game over Mats win 1-0
Stars-Michael Canter 8 innings 4 hits no runs, no walks, 8 strikeouts, Doug Buser/Danny Berring - magnificent game saving play at home plate. Kyle Johnson 3-4
Mats Blank Dublin in Final Regular Season Game
Greg Redig was on the mound for the Mats against Dublin at St. Mary's on May 19. There was no score for the Gaels in the 1st inning. For the Mats, Kyle Johnson opened with a hard single up the middle to the outfield. Johnson stole 2nd on a passed ball. Brett Jackson hit one to left for a single. Johnson scored on an error after Jackson's hit. Danny Berring hit one through the infield to center field. Jackson then scored on an error. After 1 inning it was Mats 2-0. 3 up and 3 down for Dublin in the 2nd. In the bottom half of the 2nd inning Chris Shrieve hit one up the middle through the infield to get on, but was left stranded. 3 more outs for Dublin in the 3rd inning. Johnson led off with a grounder to deep shortstop which he beat out. He stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on a ground out by Jackson. Berring hit a big sac fly to score Johnson. Adam Robbins and Ted Chovanes both walked. Robbins stole 2nd and then went to 3rd on a passed ball as did Chovanes to 2nd. Shrieve hit a single to score Robbins. Garrett Nimedez hit a double to score Chovanes and Shrieve scored on an error. Doug Buser hit a line drive down the right field line to score Nimedez. Nick Trenchard walked. Johnson came up and hit a bomb for a triple to the right center fence to score Buser and Trenchard. Wow, 7 runs. After 3, Mats 9-0. Not much happened in the 4th inning or the top of the 5th for Dublin. In the 5th inning for the Mats Nimedez hit a big triple, also to the right center fence. He was left stranded. In the top of the 6th, Patrick Scardino came in to pitch for the Mats. He held Dublin scoreless. Johnson led off the 6th with another deep infield hit to the shortstop. At the end of 6 the score was still 9-0. Dublin was unable to score in the 7th inning so the final score was 9-0. Great way to finish the regular season. The Mats finished in 2nd place in DFAL.
Highlights:
Redig 5IP, 6Ks, win
Johnson 4 for 4, 3B, 2RBI, 2 runs
Shrieve 2 for 3, RBI, run
Nimedez 2 for 3, 3B, 2B, RBI, run
Berring 1 for 2, sac fly, RBI
Mats 2 Las Lomas 4
The Mats dropped a tough one against Las Lomas at St. Mary's baseball diamond. Michael Canter started on the mound and went the distance for the Mats. The first two innings were very quiet for both teams, the pitchers for both teams facing only six batters each.
In the top of the third, Garrett Nimedez got the Mats first hit followed soon after by a Jeremy Goldman single. Both runners advanced on a passed ball and the Mats were threatening but were unable to bring in either runner. In the bottom of the third, Las Lomas got a couple of hits, one a double, which produced two runs and they were ahead at the end of the third Las Lomas 2 Mats 0. In the fourth, Danny Berring got aboard with a single as did Ted Chovanes but once again, the inning ended without any runs and two stranded runners. In the bottom of the fourth, Las Lomas scored another run on a couple of hits and the score was 0-3.
In the fifth both the Mats and Las Lomas went down 1-2-3. Both pitchers striking out two. In the sixth the Kyle Johnson led off with a single and Danny Berring got aboard with a walk (Reed Kelley came in to pinch run). Then Adam Robbins brought the Mats to life with a huge double down the left field line driving in Kyle and leaving Reed on third. Ted Chovanes long fly ball to deep center allowed Reed Kelley to score from third but that was the end of the Mats scoring for that inning. Mats 2 Las Lomas 3. In the bottom of the sixth, the Mats only faced four batters, unfortunately one of the four hit a homer. Las Lomas 4 Mats 2
In the top of the seventh, the Mats got a couple of guys on-- Garret with a walk, Jeremy with a single and Kyle with fielders choice but could not bring anyone home so the game ended 4-2
Stars Adam Robbins 2/3 huge double
Mats Pound Alhambra
Greg Redig was on the mound for the Mats on May 12 against Alhambra at St. Mary's field. In the top of the 1st inning the Mats held Alhambra scoreless. In the 1st inning for the Mats Jeremy Goldman walked , but was stranded. Redig struck out the side in the top of the 2nd. Danny Berring walked in the 2nd. Adam Robbins advanced Berring with a great sacrifice bunt. Chase Buestad hit a hard grounder up the middle to score Berring. At the end of 2 it was Mats 1-0. Alhambra went 3 up and 3 down in the top of the 3rd inning. Doug Buser opened the 3rd inning with a line drive to left field. Buser stole 2nd. Goldman laid down a terrific bunt for a base hit to advance Buser to 3rd. Goldman stole 2nd. Kyle Johnson stroked one to left field for a single. Brett Jackson hit a bomb over the center fielder's head for a triple to score Goldman and Johnson. Berring hit one through the infield to right center to score Jackson. Robbins hit one up the middle for a hit. After 3 the Mats led 4-0. Again 3 up and 3 down for Alhambra. Goldman and Johnson both walked to start the 4th inning for the Mats. Jackson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Goldman scored on a balk and Johnson stole home on a wild pitch. Berring walked and at the end of 4 it was Mats 6-0. 2 more strikeouts for Redig in the 5th. Chris Shrieve walked to start off the Mats in the 5th inning. Garrett Nimedez hit a big triple to score Shrieve. Goldman hit a line drive up the middle to get on, but that was it for the Mats. 8-0 after 5. Patrick Scardino came in to pitch for the Mats in the top of the 6th inning. Alhambra scored 1 in the inning. In the 6th inning Ted Chovanes, Reed Kelley and Buestad and Nimedez all walked. Chovanes scored on Ninmedez' walk. Buser hit one through the infield to score Kelley. Goldman walked to score Buestad. Johnson hit a big sac fly to score Nimedez. Jackson knocked in Buser. Chovanes hit one through the infield. Kelley hit a hard one past the shortstop. After the end of 6, the Mats were ahead 15-1 which was the final score.
Highlights:
Redig 5IP, 9Ks, win
Goldman 2 for 2, 3BB, 2 runs
Jackson 2 for 4, 3B, RBI, run
Berring 1 for 1, 2BB, RBI, run
Chovanes 1 for 1, RBI, run
Kelley, 1 for 1, run
Mats Could Not Get it Going Against Northgate
Michael Canter pitched for the Mats on Tuesday, May 10 against Northgate. In the 1st inning Northgate was not able to get anything going. In the 1st inning for the Mats, Chris Shrieve walked. Kyle Johnson smacked one up the middle and hit the pitcher so hard the ball bounced away 20 feet for a single. Unfortunately, the Mats were unable to score. Northgate did not score in the 2nd. Garrett Nimedez hit a big triple to right center. Daniel Luther walked but the Mats were unable to convert. Northgate was scoreless in the 3rd. Adam Robbins hit a line drive to left field to get on in the 3rd. Doug Buser walked. But no runs. We were hitting the ball, but it was going right to the fielders. Nick Trenchard and Johnson had big hits out to right center but Northgate's center fielder was quick and the balls hung just enough for the center fielder to get to them. In the 4th inning Northgate was able to score 1 run. Brett Jackson opened the 4th inning with a single through the infield. He was left on base. Northgate scored another run in the 5th inning to make it 2-0. Miramonte went 3 up and 3 down. In the 6th inning Northgate also went 3 up and 3 down. For the Mats Brett Jackson hit a single through the infield between the 1st and 2nd baseman. Nimedez got on with an error and Jackson scored. Mats 1-2 at the end of 6. That is how it ended.
Highlights:
Jackson 2 for 3, run
Johnson 1 for 3
Robbins 1 for 3
Nimedez 1 for 3, 3B
Mats Lose a Hard One to Campo
Greg Redig was on the mound against Campolindo on Thursday, May 5. Campo's 2nd batter got a hit but the Miramonte infield turned a double play to get the side out. Doug Buser opened with a single up the middle, but was left stranded. Both teams were scoreless with little activity for the 2nd and 3rd innings. In the top of the 4th inning Campo was able to score 2 runs. Kyle Johnson got a single to get on in the 4th inning. He stole 2nd. Brett Jackson walked. Adam Robbins hit one that bounced really high up the middle. By the time the fielder caught it, he had little time to throw. The fielder gunned the ball to 1st but Robbins beat it out advancing Johnson to 3rd. The 1st baseman bobbled the ball so Johnson, who had rounded 3rd, went for home and scored. At the end of 4 innings it was 1-2, Campo. there was not much activity in the 5th inning. Garrett Nimedez hit a grounder through the infield to get on, but Mats could not score. In the 6th inning the first batter got on with an error and eventually scored giving Campo 3 runs. Trenchard got on in the 6th followed by Johnson who hit a line drive to left field. But the Mats could not capitalize. Campo broke out in the top of the 7th and put the game away with 4 more runs. In the bottom of the 7th Chris Shrieve walked, Nimedez singled with a loop to right field and Buser walked but they were left stranded. Campo 7-4. A hard one.
Highlights:
Johnson 2 for 4, run
Nimedez 2 for 3
Mats Knock Off Acalanes 4-1
In a big game, the Mats came through and beat Acalanes 4-1. The game was played at the UC Berkeley baseball field. Michael Canter was the Mats starting pitcher.
Not much happened in the first couple of innings. By the top third inning, Acalanes had retired eight Mat batters in a row and had scored a run in the bottom of the second to make it Acalanes 1 Mats 0. With two outs in the third, Garrett Nimedez drew a walk and the Mats had their first runner of the game on first base. Nimble #4 easily stole second base. Doug Buser, the Mats leadoff batter, slammed a single into left center to drive in Garrett. Doug stole second and Nick got to first on a walk and Doug stole third. On first base, Trenchard's threatened steal drew a wild throw from the pitcher and Doug Buser raced home for another Mat's run. Kyle Johnson singled but was stranded as the inning ended with the Mats up 2-1.
In the top of the fourth, Brett Jackson, in a bid to claim the top slugger spot for the Mats, blasted another of his line drive triples along the right field foul line. Shortly after that, Ted Chovanes, the Mats junior designated hitter, smashed a single to drive in Brett and the two juniors made the score 3-1. In the top of the fifth inning, Doug Buser, having a big day with the bat and his feet, lead off with a single.and scored on a series of Acalanes errors. The Mats lead 4-1. In the fifth and six innings Michael retired six in a row and the game moved into the seventh inning where neither team did much and the Mats wrapped it up 4-1.
Stars- Doug Buser 2/4, RBI, 2 runs, great base running, Brett Jackson-triple, Michael Canter - Winner (7-0) allowed only one run.
Mats Get By Concord
Greg Redig was on the mound Thursday, April 28 against Concord at the Miramonte swamp. The first batter for Concord got on with an error and scored on a double by the next batter. But Redig closed out the inning with 3 strikeouts. It was a bit frustrating for the Mats. After going up against a softball type pitcher at Mt D, the guys were hoping for solid pitching, but the pitcher threw mostly slow dropping pitches. The kids timing seemed to be off. Nick Trenchard plopped a single to right center field, but the Mats were not able to score. In the 2nd inning Concord went 3 up, 3 down. Adam Robbins hit a grounder through the infield but was left stranded. Concord scored 2 in the 3rd inning to bring the score to 3-0 Concord. Garrett Nimedez hit a slow grounder in the infield to get on. Doug Buser walked and stole 2nd and then advanced to 3rd and home on errors. At the end of 3, Mats 1-3. Concord did not score in the 4th inning. Kyle Johnson led off the 4th inning by getting on. He stole 2nd and 3rd. Ted Chovanes walked. Brett Jackson hit a big sac fly to score Johnson. At the end of 4 Mats 2-3. Concord went 3 up, 3 down with 2 strikeouts in the 5th. Chris Shrieve led off the 5th inning with a blooper over the 3rd baseman's head. Reed Kelley came in to pinch run. Nimedez walked. Doug Buser hit a line drive to left field to score Kelley and tie the score. At the end of 5 it was 3-3. Redig struck out the side in the 6th inning. Robbins and Daniel Luther both walked in the 6th inning. Shrieve hit a grounder up the middle to score Robbins and Luther. Buser walked but that was it for the Mats. Redig finished off Concord in the top of the 7th with 2 more strikeouts. Mats win it 5-3.
Highlights:
Redig 7 IP, 12 Ks, win
Buser 1 for 2, 2BB, RBI, run
Robbins 1 for 2, BB, run
Shrieve 2 for 3, 2RBIs, run
Mats beat the Devils (Mt. Diablo) handily at Mt Diablo High
The Mats faced an interesting lobbing pitcher on the mound for Mt. D. Long arching balls that often found the strike zone seemed to be working well for the Devil's pitcher until Kyle Johnson came to the plate with two outs in the top of the first and blasted a double. Danny Berring knocked Kyle in with a single producing the Mats first run. In the bottom of the first, the Devil's leadoff batter singled but the next batter hit into a nifty double play by the Mat's infield.
In the second, Doug Buser and Chase Buestad singled but were stranded as the Mats couldn't quite come to grips with the unique style of the Mt. Diablo pitcher. In the bottom of the second, Michael struck out the side. In the third, Danny Berring blasted a double but nothing came of it as the Mats continued to be a little perplexed by the Mt. D pitcher. At the bottom of the third it was still 1-0
In the fourth the consternation with the pitcher disappeared as the Mats erupted for four runs. Adam Robbins lead off the charge with a single. Chase Buestad got another single and Chris Shrieve also got a single. With the bases now loaded Garrett Nimedez who seems to specialize in these types of situations knocked in Adam. Doug Buser knocked in Chase Jeremy Goldman knocked in Chris. Doug Buser scored on a wild pitch and the Mats were ahead 5-0 as the inning ended. The fifth was quiet for the Mat's batters but Michael struck out two of the three batters he faced. The top of the sixth was also quiet. Pat Scardino replaced Michael in the bottom of the six and struck out two out of four batters.
With two quick outs, the seventh started out as if it was going to be a quick inning for the Mats but this proved not to be the case. With two outs, Danny Berring walked bringing up Brett Jackson. The Mats power batters, Brett included, had been swinging all day long for the fence without much luck. This time Brett bashed a huge triple down the left field line and scored Danny. A series of errors and walks by the Mt. D defense got Brett and Reed Kelley across home plate. Nick Trenchard added to the score by driving in Chase Buestad. Mats were up 9-0
In the bottom of the seventh Pat struck out 2 of the four batters he faced allowing only one run and the Mats notched up another win 9-1
Stars-Michael Canter gets the win (6-0), 8k's in 5 innings, no runs, two hits. Brett Jackson, triple, Danny Berring, Kyle Johnson; Doubles, Chase Buestad 2/4, Pat Scardino struck out 4 of 8 batters.
Mats Beat College Park
Greg Redig started the game for the Mats on the mound against College Park. College Park started out with a hit but was then shut down 1-2-3 with 2 strikeouts. Doug Buser led off for the Mats with a walk and proceeded to steal his way around the bases and home. Nick Trenchard and Kyle Johnson both walked but the Mats did not score. In the 2nd inning College Park went scoreless with 4 batters. Adam Robbins opened the 2nd inning with a walk and stole 2nd. Daniel Luther hit a hard one through the infield to score Robbins. Chris Shrieve hit one through the infield to get on. Garrett Nimidez walked to load the bases. Buser walked to score Luther. Trenchard hit a slow line drive to left to score Shrieve and Nimedez. Danny Berring walked. Brett Jackson got on with an error and Buser scored. Robbins hit a grounder through the infield to score Trenchard and Berring. What an inning Mats 8-0 after 2. In the 3rd inning both teams went 3 up and 3 down. College Park picked up a run in the 4th inning. Johnson led off for the Mats with a single up the middle to the outfield. Johnson stole 2nd. Berring walked and then Johnson stole home on a wild pitch. Jackson and Robbins followed with walks. Luther grounded out, but Berring scored on the play. Shrieve hit a fielder's choice to score Jackson, although College Park did not get the out. Nimedez grounded out to score Robbins and that was the inning. Mats 12-1. John McIntyre came in for the Mats and did not allow a run with the help of a great jumping catch by Nimedez. In the 5th inning Jeremy Goldman walked. Ted Chovanes smacked one out to left field to score Goldman for a double. After 5 Mats 13-1. College Park was quiet in the 6th. The Mats had a walk from Buser and a hit from Goldman in the 6th, but no runs. Shrieve pitched the final inning. Final score was 13-1. Only 7 hits but numerous walks.
Highlights:
Chovanes 1 for 1, RBI, 2B
Goldman 1 for 1, BB, run
Robbins 1 for 1, 2BB, 2RBIs
Trenchard 1 for 2, BB, 2 RBIs
Johnson 1 for 2, BB
Mats beat Dublin 6-5 in a great game.
Michael Canter started on the mound for the Mats. The first inning passed uneventfully for both teams. In the top of the second, Brett Jackson started things off with a single and Adam Robbins followed with another single. Chris Shrieve, who has just been a blazing hot batter for the Mats over the last several weeks, produced another clutch single scoring Brett and that was followed by another single by forever hard hitting Garrett Nimedez who drove in Adam. At the end of the second. the Mats were ahead 2-0. The Mats were quiet in the top of the third but pulled off a terrific double play in the bottom of the third to retire Dublin.
In the top of the fourth, Brett Jackson got on with a walk followed by a huge double by Adam Robbins. Garrett Nimedez always great in the clutch smashed another single scoring Brett. Adam zipped home on an ensuing fielding error. Mats were up 4-zip. Unfortunately, Dublin was not done and in the bottom of the fourth produced a game tying four runs.
In the fifth, the threatening Mats were held scoreless by a Dublin double play. In the bottom of the fifth Dublin scored another run to take the lead and must have been feeling pretty good at this point. With one out, Michael was replaced by Patrick Scardino the Mats star relief pitcher. What Dublin did not realize was that Patrick Scardino was standing between them and victory and Patrick was not about to budge. Patrick retired the next two batters and the Mats were out of the inning.
In the top of the sixth the Mats were still behind by two runs. Ted Chovanes lead off with a single followed by yet another hit by Chris Shrieve. Doug Buser walked as did Nick Trenchard (Ted was thrown out attempting to steal). Now comes the Mats big guy, Kyle Johnson. Today (Tuesday) was Kyle's eighteenth birthday and he was looking for just the right way to celebrate. Hey, how about winning a baseball game?? Wouldn't that be great fun?? Oh Yeah!!! Kyle smashes the game winning double into left center field scoring Ted and Reed (running for Chris) and the Mats iced it 6-5
In the bottom of the sixth and seventh Scardino cut them down six straight like so much straw in the field and the Mats chalked up another win.6-5.
Stars: Pat Scardino retires eight in a row in relief and gets the come from behind win (1-0). Kyle Johnson 2/3, super clutch double to score the winning runs (Happy birthday Kyle!). Adam Robbins 2 rbi. Chris Shrieve still blazing hot hitting, rbi. Garrett rbi
Mats Take Care of Las Lomas
Greg Redig was on the mound for the Mats. It did not start so well. The leadoff batter got on with an error. Then he proceeded to get around the bases and score on 2 more errors. Ouch. But Miramonte came back in the bottom of the 1st inning. Doug Buser got on with an error. He stole 2nd and then got to 3rd on a passed ball. Danny Berring and Brett Jackson walked to load the bases. Adam Robbins hit a ball that the 2nd baseman fumbled to score Buser and Berring. At the end of 1 it was 2-1. Las Lomas scored 1 in the top of the 2nd. In the 2nd for the Mats, Ted Chovanes walked. Chris Shrieve hit a ball through the infield to get on. Garrett Nimedez got on with a fielder's choice. Buser walked. Nick Trenchard got on with an error, but we were not able to score. It was 3 up 3 down until the bottom of the 4th inning. Chovanes walked and Shrieve hit another shot through the infield. Nimedez hit a big double to the left field fence to score Chovanes and Shrieve. Trenchard ground out but scored Nimedez. Kyle Johnson hit a slow grounder and beat it out. Johnson then went to steal and the catcher launched one over shortstop's head. Johnson quickly capitalized and was able to make it all the way home. Berring walked, but nothing more happened in the inning. Mats ahead 6-2. In the 5th Las Lomas was able to get 2 runs back. For the Mats, Robbins hit a grounder in the infield and beat it out at 1st, but that was it for the 5th inning. After 5 innings it was 6-4 Mats. Las Lomas was held scoreless in the 6th. Garrett Nimedez opened the bottom of the 6th with a slow grounder for a hit, the 3rd one like that for the Mats today. We got some speed. Buser got on with an error. Trenchard hit a line drive into center field to score Nimedez. Buser stole home on a throw trying to get Trenchard at 2nd. Johnson hit a high bouncer over the shortstop's head for a hit. Johnson stole 2nd. Berring hit a plop over 2nd base to score Trenchard. Robbins walked. Chase Buestad hit a smack up the middle which bounced off the pitcher to score Johnson. Nimedez walked with the bases loaded to score Berring. Buser hit a shot to left field to score Robbins. What an inning. Mats now ahead 12-4. And that is how it ended. Yea!!!!!!!!
Highlights:
Redig CG, 7Ks, win
Nimedez 2 for 3, BB, 3 RBIs, 2 runs
Johnson 2 for 4, 2 runs
Berring 1 for 2, 2BB, RBI, 2 runs
Shrieve 2 for 4, run
Buestad 1 for 1, RBI
Mats Thrash Alhambra 9-5
The first two innings were relatively uneventful. Nick Trenchard got a single in the first and Ted Chovanes got a single in the second but both the Mats and Alhambra were scoreless at the top of the third. In the top of the third, Garrett Nimedez and Doug Buser both got singles. Garrett was thrown out trying to steal third but Doug scored when Nick got a solid single. The Mats were up 1-0.
The fourth was quiet for both teams but in the top of the fifth Doug Buser got a great double to score Nick Trenchard who had walked.and the Mats were up 2-0.
In the top of the sixth, Danny Berring got right on with a single bringing up Brett Jackson. Brett, clearly unhappy about the slow pace of the game decided that the time had come to liven things up and blasted the game's longest hit into left field. When the dust settled, Danny was home and Brett was standing on third and appeared to be singing "the music's over, turn out the lights". Adam Robbins joined the chorus and hammered a double bringing in Brett. Also singing the tune was Ted Chovanes who walked, Chris Shrieve singled, Garrett Nimedez singled driving in Adam, Doug Buser singled driving in Ted. Nick Trenchard walked bringing in Chris, Danny walked bringing in Garrett and finally Brett singled and driving in Doug Buser. At the end of the top half of the sixth, the Mats were up 9-0 and, indeed, the music was over for Alhambra. In the bottom of the sixth Alhambra came up with a run making it 9-1
In the top of the seventh, Daniel Luther got a single but was stranded. In the bottom of the seventh, the Mats brought in Chris Shrieve to pitch replacing Michael. Alhambra definitely got a little feisty in that inning scoring four runs before Patrick Scardino came in and hammered the final nail in the coffin and the Mats chalked up another "W"
Stars -- Jackson 2/4, triple, 2 rbi; Chovanes 2/3, Nimedez 2/3 rbi; Buser 2/2, rbi, great base running; Robbins 1/3 double, rbi. Michael Canter Win (5-0) 6 innings no earned runs.
Miramonte Dominates in Fort Bragg
Miramonte opened the tournament against Ygnacio Valley on Friday with Michael Canter on the mound. There were a few jitters there when he hit the first batter, but that was it. Canter struck out 2 by the end of the inning. Garrett Nimedez led off for the Mats with a bomb over the left fielder's head for a double. Nimedez got to 3rd on a passed ball. Nick Trenchard had nice single to score Nimedez. Brett Jackson hit a line drive to right field to score Trenchard and proceeded to steal 2nd and 3rd. Adam Robbins walked, but both Jackson and Robbins were left on at the end of the inning. Mats 2-0. Ygnacio Valley led off with a grounder that appeared out of reach of Jackson. But he not only snagged it deep in the infield, he flung the ball to 1st where Chris Shrieve had a great pick up to get the out. 2 strikeouts followed to retire the side. In the bottom of the 3rd, Nimedez came up again and hit a hard grounder that the 3rd baseman just barely touched with the tip of his glove for a single. He then stole 2nd. Trenchard hit a grounder between shortstop and 3rd to score Nimedez. Kyle Johnson knocked a shot over the center fielders head for a double to score Trenchard from 1st base. Berring walked, but 2 were left on. Mats 4-0 at the end of the 2nd. 3 up 3 down for Canter in the 3rd inning. Chase Buestad hit a grounder past the shortstop to get on in the 3rd, scoring Robbins. Chris Shrieve got on in a fielder's choice. Daniel Luther got on with an error and stole 2nd on a passed ball. Nimedez walked to load the bases. Johnson came up and hit a line drive to center to score Shrieve and Luther. At the end of 3 it was 7-0. Canter threw for one batter in the 4th inning and John McIntyre came in for the relief. There were a couple of hits but he retired the side on a couple of ground outs. In the bottom of the 4th Robbins got his third walk of the day. He got to 2nd on a passed ball and stole 3rd. Then he stole home on a bad throw in the field. Buestad walked and proceeded around the bases on passed balls to score. Mats 9-0 at the end of four. In the top of the 5th inning Johnny Mac struck out 2 to keep Ygnacio scoreless. Nimedez hit a single through the left side of the infield to get on and then stole 2nd and 3rd on passed balls. Jeremy Goldman walked. Karl Buschek was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ted Chovanes came up and hit a hard grounder up the middle to score both Nimedez and Goldman. But we only needed one to finish the game. It ended at 10-0. Great beginning with Canter getting the win.
Highlights:
Canter 3 1/3 IP, 5K, no hits, win
McIntyre 1 2/3 IP, 2K
Nimedez 3 for 3, BB, 2B, 3 runs
Trenchard 2 for 3, 2 RBIs, 2 runs
Johnson 2 for 3, 3 RBIs, 2B
Jackson 1 for 3, RBI
Robbins 3 BB, 2 runs
Buestad 1 for 2, BB, RBI, run
Chovanes 1 for 1, 2 RBIs
In the Mats 2nd game Patrick Scardino was the man against St. Vincent dePaul. The guys got a wake up call when the first batter belted one deep into right field. But Scardino quickly put a stop to any more with 3 strikeouts. For the Mats, Nick Trenchard was the first to get on base with a big double over the center fielder's head. Kyle Johnson followed with a hard grounder between the shortstop and the 3rd baseman. Danny Berring came up and dropped one into short right field to score Trenchard and Johnson. Jackson was hit by a pitch to get on but that was it for the inning. Mats 2-0 at the end of the 1st inning. Scardino had deja vu in the 2nd inning allowing a hit and then getting 3 strikeouts. Chris Shrieve led off the 2nd inning with a single in the infield. He got to 2nd on an overthrow. Reed Kelly advanced Shrieve on a bunt. Nimedez hit a big sac fly to right to score Shrieve. At the end of 2 it was Mats 3-0. Scardino retired the side with 2 strikeouts in the top of the 3rd. Berring got on in the 3rd with a line drive up the middle. Jackson walked, but the 2 were left on at the end of the inning. Still 3-0 Mats. In the 4th inning both teams went scoreless. 3 up and 3 down with a strikeout for the top of the 5th inning. The Mats led off the 5th with a walk by Trenchard. Johnson hit a bomb over the center fielder's head to score Trenchard from 1st base. Berring whacked a line drive to left center for a single. Jeremy Goldman went to run for Berring. Adam Robbins smacked a line drive to right to score Goldman. It was 5-0 at the end of 5. Scardino faced 4 batters in the 6th and struck one out and still no runs. Shrieve led off the 6th inning with a hard line drive over the shortstop's head. Karl Buscheck came in to run for Shrieve. He stole 2nd and got to 3rd on a passed ball. Nimedez smashed one deep into center field to score Buschek for a triple. Johnson walked and then stole 2nd and got a standing ovation from the dugout for his tumble into the base. 2 were left on at the end of the inning with the score now 7-0. Tom Bowen relieved Scardino in the top of the 7th inning and did a great job striking out 2 to end the game. YEA!! Mats 7-0 On to the Championship!!
Highlights:
Scardino 6 IP, 11K, win
Bowen 1 IP, 2K
Nimedez 1 for 3, sac fly, 2 RBIs, 3B, run
Trenchard 1 for 3, BB, 2B, 2 runs
Johnson 2 for 3, BB, 2RBIs, 2B, run
Berring 3 for 4, 2 RBIs, run
Robbins 1 for 3, RBI
Shrieve 2 for 3, 2 runs
Championship Game
Greg Redig was our ace for the big game against the host Fort Bragg. The Mats were up first but were retired in 3 batters. Redig struck out 3 of the first 4 batters in the bottom of the 1st. Score was 0-0. At the top of the 2nd, Danny Berring led off with a high fly that dropped into right center. Adam Robbins hit a hard one down the 3rd base line for a single. Ted Chovanes loaded the bases with a pop-up behind 3rd base. But the Mats could not capitalize on the base runners. In the bottom of the 2nd Fort Bragg led off with a bomb out to right field, but Kyle Johnson was there with a great running catch over his shoulder. Then Chris Shrieve had a line drive snag at 1st. 2 super defensive plays. After 2, still 0-0. In the 3rd, Nick Trenchard hit a grounder to 2nd that he beat out. Johnson smacked one up the 3rd base line but the 3rd baseman was able to snag it and fling one to 2nd to get Trenchard out. Mats left one on at the end of the inning. 3 up, 3 down with one strikeout in the bottom of the 3rd. Brett Jackson started the Mats off in the 4th with a grounder past the 2nd baseman. Ted Chovanes got on with a grounder to score Jackson. Shrieve then hit a hard fly to right center. Daniel Luther sent one down the 3rd baseline for a double to score Chovanes. Garrett Nimedez got on with an error through the infield knocking in Shrieve. Luther stole home when Nimedez got stuck in a pickle. Fort Bragg went for homeplate and did not get Luther and Nimedez was left on base. Trenchard hit a nice one to left center for a single. Johnson hit a bomb to right center but the centerfielder was playing back and got a hold of it. Nimedez and Trenchard advanced to 3rd and 2nd. The Mats left 2 on, but not before they scored 4 runs. Redig retired the side in four batters with one strikeout to end the 4th. At the end of 4 it was Mats 4-0. Jackson opened the 5th inning with a walk and played heads up ball when he took a big lead and the pitcher threw the ball to 1st for the pick-off. Jackson did not hesitate and took off for 2nd. He caught the shortstop by surprise and was at 2nd before anyone could cover the base. Chovanes came up with a line drive to left center to score Jackson. One more run in the inning to help the Mats. In the bottom of the 4th there were only 4 batters and Redig allowed his 1st hit, but with no damage. Mats 5-0. In the 6th, Nimedez and Trenchard led off with 2 big flies to the outfield but the balls were hanging in the air and the outfielders were playing way back so they were both caught. The Mats had a number of big fly balls that went deep but were caught by the outfielders playing so far back. Johnson was finally able to get one by the outfielders when he hit one almost to the fence for a double. Unfortunately, he was left on. In the bottom of the 6th, Robbins made a spectacular catch in right center field. He ran all the way to the fence and snagged the ball in the tip of his glove as he was reaching over the fence breaking the top of the fence in the process and almost going over himself. The dugout went wild and mobbed Robbins. The Fort Bragg batter just tipped his hat to Redig and Robbins and reluctantly smiled. After 6 it was 5-0. In the top of the 7th, Jackson was hit by a pitch to get on. Robbins hit a slow grounder to the shortstop and beat it out. Luther walked to load the bases. Nimedez hit a hard grounder at the 1st baseman who did not seem to know how to field it so he missed it altogether scoring Jackson and Robbins. The Mats were now ahead 7-0 going into the bottom of the 7th. An error let on a runner for Fort Bragg. The next 2 batters were thrown out but not before advancing the runner to 3rd. Redig gave up a hit which scored the runner, unearned. To be safe John McIntyre came in to finish out the side. YEA MATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Winners of the Fort Bragg tournament.
Highlights:
Redig 6 2/3 IP, 9K
Nimedez 1 for 5, 2 RBIs
Trenchard 2 for 5
Johnson 1 for 3, sac fly, 2B
Berring 1 for 4,
Jackson 1 for 2, BB, run
Robbins 2 for 4, run
Chovanes 3 for 4, 2 RBIs, run
Luther 1 for 3, BB, RBI, run
Shrieve 1 for 3, run
All tournament: Most Valuable Pitcher: Golden Glove: Most Valuable Player:
Garret Nimedez Greg Redig Adam Robbins Kyle Johnson
Mike Canter
Patrick Scardino
Mats Win Big at Northgate
Patrick Scardino was on the mound for the Mats at Northgate last Thursday. The Mats started out with a walk from Doug Buser and Nick Trenchard. Buser stole 2nd and 3rd on passed balls and then stole home for the first score. Trenchard stole 2nd. Kyle Johnson hit a bomb out to center to advance Trenchard to 3rd. Danny Berring hit the exact same bomb to score Trenchard on the sac fly. Brett Jackson hit a single to get on but was stranded. Northgate started out by getting a man on with an error. He advanced to 2nd on a ground out and then scored on a single. At the end of 1 it was Mats 2-1. Reed Kelley led off the 2nd inning with a walk. He stole 2nd and got to 3rd on a passed ball. Chris Shrieve walked and got to 2nd on a passed ball.Garrett Nimedez walked, also. Buser hit a sac fly deep to center field to score Kelley. Shrieve stole home on a wild pitch. Trenchard hit a hard grounder between SS and 3rd to score Nimedez. Johnson hit a big double to right center to score Trenchard. Jackson beat out a grounder to first scoring Johnson. Adam Robbins hit a line drive through the infield to score Jackson. Big inning with 5 runs. Northgate was up and down in 4 batters. After 2 it was 7-1. In the 3rd Shrieve hit a line drive to right center. Nimedez got on in a fielder's choice. Buser also got on in a fielders choice. Trenchard knocked in Buser when he got on in an error. Then the Knights came up. The Mats had trouble getting the outs. John McIntyre came in to finish out the inning. After 3 the game was tied at 8. Ouch. Neither team scored in the 4th inning, but Robbins had a nice triple. In the 5th Shrieve had another line drive to the outfield, but the Mats could not capitalize. Northgate started the 5th with a man getting on in an error. The 3rd batter got a hit to score a runner and the Knights went ahead 9-8 after 5. The stands were beginning to worry. In the 6th, Berring got on with a high bouncer to short. Jeremy Goldman came in to pinch run for Berring.He stole 2nd. Jackson hit his 2nd homer of the week to score Goldman and himself, of course. The Mats were ahead, but they were nowhere near done. Robbins walked. Kelley got on in an error. Shrieve came up and knocked in Robbins with a line drive to right. Nimedez hit a big double to bring in Kelley and Shrieve. Buser hit a grounder up the middle to score Nimedez. Trenchard walked. Johnson hit a line drive to center to score Buser. Berring smacked a double to score Trenchard and Johnson. Jackson and Robbins walked. Shrieve hit anther single to score Berring and Jackson. Nimedez hit his second double of the inning to score Shrieve. WOW what an inning. The Mats woke up. Northgate could not get anything going in the 6th and called the game. The Mats won 22-10. McIntyre got the win. Strange game.
Highlights:
McIntyre 3 1/3 IP, 3K, win
Shrieve 4 for 4, BB, 3 RBIs, 3 runs
Jackson 3 for 4, BB, 3 RBIs, HR, 3 runs
Robbins 2 for 3, 2BB, RBI, 3B, 2 runs
Johnson 2 for 5, 2RBIs, 2B, 2 runs
Nimedez 2 for 4, BB, 4 RBIs, 2 2B, 2 runs
Mats Drop a Tough One at Campolindo 5-4
It was a great game, well played by both sides. Michael started on the mound for Miramonte. The first inning didn't produce any hits by either team but Miramonte got off a great double play in the bottom of the inning. Things were also pretty quiet at the top of the second, quiet that is until Brett Jackson decided things were a little too quiet. In an awesome display of Junior Power, Brett smashed a huge home run over the right field fence with nobody on putting the Mats in an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, Campo came up with a run of their own to tie the score.The third inning was a quiet one for both teams
In the fourth, Brett Jackson got aboard. Then Adam Robbins ripped a huge double driving in Brett. Hot hitting Chris Shrieve pounded a double to drive in Adam. At the end of the inning the Mats were up 3-1. The bottom of the fourth was a tough one for the Mats. Campo homered with nobody on and a couple of batters latter Campo had a couple more runs. Greg Redig took over for Michael but at the end of the inning it Mats 3 Campo 4.
In the fifth Doug Buser blasted a double but the Mats left him stranded. In the top of the sixth Adam Robbins got aboard with a single and stole his way to third. Danny Berring's sharp single drove Adam in and the game was tied at 4. But Campo was not done and managed to score a run in the bottom of the sixth making the score 5-4. The seventh inning was a bust for the Mats and the game ended with a Campo victory
Stars - Brett Jackson-huge homer, Chris Shrieve and Adam Robbins - 2 for 3 key doubles with RBIs attached.
Mats Do it to the Dons
Greg Redig was on the mound for the Mats. Everyone was pretty excited. The Matadors were the home team at the Acalanes field. The first batter for Acalanes walked. The next batter went right back to Redig who started a double play to get 2 outs. 3rd batter flew out. Doug Buser led off for the Mats with a single to left center field. The Mats were unable to produce anything else in the inning. Redig struck out 2 in the 2nd and held the Dons to no score. The Mats went 3 up and 3 down. Score after 2 innings was 0-0. In the 3rd inning the Mats had a little trouble. There was a walk, a K, a walk, another K and a batter hit by pitch to load the bases. The next batter hit a grounder that the Mats had to reach for and an errant throw to 1st resulted in 2 runs scoring. With a man on 1st and 3rd, the runner at 1st started for 2nd. The Mats went for the runner on 1st and during the ensuing pickle the runner from 3rd scored. Agh!! But the Mats were ready! Daniel Luther led off the bottom of the 3rd with a single up the middle. Chris Shrieve got on on an error. Mr. Garrett Nimedez came up and blasted one over the center fielder's head for a double scoring Luther and Shrieve. Nick Trenchard knocked in Nimedez with a ground out at 1st. So at the end of the 3rd it was 3-3. Whew!!!! The 4th and 5th innings were quiet for both teams as was the top of the 6th for Acalanes. Kyle Johnson got a line drive up the middle to center, almost taking the pitcher's head off, to get on in the 6th. At the end of 6 it was still 3-3. Redig was doing a superb job and kept Acalanes scoreless in the 7th. Then the Mats came up in the 7th. Danny Berring led off with a line drive up the middle to center field. Reed Kelley came in to pinch run for Berring. Brett Jackson hit a squib between the shortstop and 3rd base to get on. The Dons pitcher had had enough. (The same one by the way the Mats beat at NCS last year.) The Mats had gotten 3 hits in a row. The new pitcher balked and our runners advanced a base. Adam Robbins was intentionally walked to load the bases. What was an exciting game ended in a whimper when Shrieve was walked to bring in Jackson. What a way to win. But it does not matter how, as long as the Mats beat the Dons. YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Highlights:
Redig 7IP, CG, 6K, hit, win
Nimedez 1 for 2, 2RBIs, 2B, run
Buser 1 for 3
Johnson 1 for 3
Berring 1 for 3
Jackson 1 for 3, run
Luther 1 for 3, run
Mats Beat a Tough Concord Team 7-2, Lead DFAL
Michael Canter (3-0) went the distance on the mound as Miramonte prevailed over the surprisingly tough Concord team 7-2.
Doug Buser started things off by drawing a walk as the first batter. Doug stole second and then while attempting to steal third ended up crossing home plate on a throwing error. The Mats were up 1-0. Concord responded with an unearned run in the bottom of the first which tied the game 1-1. In the third the Mats, Kyle Johnson and Danny Berring got singles but were left stranded. In fhe fourth, Garret Nimedez got a single and then Doug Buser knocked him in. The Mats were up 2-1.
In the fifth, Kyle got on with a single and Danny Berring followed with a fielder's choice but again the Mats were unable to bring in any runs. In the bottom of the fifth, Concord scored to tie the game at 2-2. In the sixth, Reed Kelley started the inning off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on Chase Buestad's long flyball sacrifice. Once again, however, the Mats were unable to bring in the run and the inning ended with Reed stranded on third. The Mats were leaving a lot of guys on the bases but that was about to change.
In the seventh, Kyle singled and stole second. Danny then blasted a double to score Kyle to put the Mats in the lead. With two outs, Reed and Chase walked and the bases were loaded.
Heros are the guys who get the hits when the pressure is on. With two outs and the bases loaded, the pressure was on when the Mat's lanky left hander Chris Shrieve came to the plate, checked out a couple of pitches and then blasted a bazooka shot line drive double to center field. All three base runners scored and Concord knew they had had it. Just to be absolutely sure they got the message, Garret Nimedez smashed a triple scoring Chris. Concord went down easy in the bottom of the seventh and the Mats had won the game 7-2
Stars: Chris Shrieve - clutch double 3 rbi. Garrent Nimedez triple 2/3, Kyle Johnson 3/4, Danny Berring 2/3 rbi
Miramonte Pounds Mt. Diablo
Greg Redig started the game for Miramonte and did a great job. He went 3 up and 3 down in the 1st inning. Miramonte came up and Doug Buser hit a line drive but the shortstop snagged it. He did not have to move. Kyle Johnson walked, stole 2nd and then 3rd. Danny Berring hit a hard grounder to 3rd and beat it out scoring Johnson. He proceeded to steal 2nd and 3rd. Brett Jackson got on on an error and scored Berring. Jackson stole 2nd. Adam Robbins hit a grounder and got on with an error to score Jackson. At the end of the 1st it was 3-0 Mats. Redig took care of the next 3 batters including 2 K's. In the top of the 2nd, Garrett Nimedez hit one between the SS and 3rd base for a nice single. Nick Trenchard got a single scoring Nimedez and then stole 2nd. Johnson hit a fly that dropped in behind the 3rd baseman that was just out of reach of the left fielder for a double to score Trenchard. Johnson stole 3rd and then home on a passed ball. Berring walked, stole 2nd and then 3rd. Jackson hit a single and stole 2nd base. Robbins hit a nice double out to left center field to score both Berring and Jackson. Reed Kelley walked and Chris Shrieve was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Nimedez smashed his 2nd hit of the inning, a double to the outfield knocking in 3 runs. At the end of 2, Mats 11-0. Redig took care of the next 3 batters again. Trenchard hit a bomb to the fence to lead off the inning with a double. Johnson smacked a single up the middle. Berring had a sac fly to score Trenchard. End of the 4th. Mats 12-0. Patrick Scardino came in at the top of the 4th inning and dispensed with 3 batters quickly. Johnson led off the 5th inning with a nice line drive to left center field. Chase Buestad got on with a fielder's choice, but was left on at the end of the inning. Chris Shrieve came in to pitch in the 5th inning and got 3 strikeouts plus he allowed the 1st hit. In the 6th inning the side was surprised with a Mt Diablo pitcher that lobbed the ball over the plate. Really, some of the pitches were 10 feet in the air. So the guys were just swinging away. Shrieve got a nice line drive to left center field, Jeremy Goldman walked and Doug Buser hit a nice double to the outfield. John McIntyre closed out the game for the Mats with 2 K's. Final score was Mats 14-0.
Highlights:
Greg Redig 4IP, 6K, no hits, win
Johnson 3 for 3, BB, RBI, 2B, 2 runs
Trenchard 2 for 3, 2 RBIs, 2B, 2 runs
Nimedez 2 for 3, 3 RBIs, 2B, run
Robbins 1 for 3, 2 RBIs, 2B, run
Mats Crush College Park
Michael Canter was on the mound at College Park. Doug Buser led off with a line drive double to left center. Nick Trenchard knocked Buser in with a grounder down the 3rd baseline. Trenchard advanced to 3rd on an errant throw. Kyle Johnson sent one way out to right field to bring in Trenchard on a sacrifice fly. Brett Jackson got on with a walk, but he was left on base. It was 2-0 at the end of the 1st inning. College Park could not get anything going in the 1st. In the 2nd inning Daniel Luther led off with a walk and stole 2nd. Chris Shrieve hit one high to the outfield to advance Luther to 3rd. Buser walked, but was stranded at the end of the inning. Again Canter shut down College Park in the bottom of the 2nd including 2 strikeouts. In the 3rd inning Trenchard opened with a grounder to the 3rd baseman that he beat out. Johnson hit a double almost to the fence in left center to score Trenchard. Danny Berring got on on a fielder's choice right to the pitcher. Jackson walked and was left on at the end of the inning. 3 up and 3 down for College Park in the 3rd. Miramonte batted around in the 4th. Shrieve opened the inning with a line drive between 1st and 2nd to right field. He stole 2nd on the next pitch. Jeremy Goldman hit an identical hit to right field to knock in Shrieve. Buser came up and hit a grounder past the 2nd baseman. Buser stole 2nd. Trenchard got on after being hit by a pitch. Johnson came up with bases loaded and no outs. He hit a line drive just over the 3rd baseman's head to score Goldman and Buser. Berring got on base with an error and Trenchard scored. Jackson got on with a fielder's choice and scored Johnson. The Mats scored 5 runs in the inning. Another quick inning by Canter and the score was 8-0 at the end of the 4th. In the 5th inning Buser got on with a walk. Trenchard hit a line drive up the middle. Both runners advanced on a passed ball. Johnson knocked Buser and Trenchard in with a double to deep left center. Canter's no hitter was spoiled with the lone hit of the day in the bottom of the 5th, but a great double play got the runner at 2nd. The Mats had a quiet 6th inning. Patrick Scardino came in to pitch for the Mats in the bottom of the 6th. He did not allow any hits or runs. In the top of the 7th inning Garrett Nimedez walked. He advanced to 2nd on a passed ball. Buser walked next. Trenchard hit a ball over the shortstop to left field to score Nimedez. Buser and Trenchard advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a passed ball. Johnson knocked in Buser and Trenchard on a hard grounder up the middle. Berring got on with a single to the infield. Reed Kelley hit a hard, low line drive up the middle to score Johnson almost taking off the pitcher's head. Chase Buestad walked. Ted Chovanes then hit a hard grounder up the middle to score Berring. Another big inning for the Mats. 5 runs. Scardino finished off College Park with 3 up and 3 down. College Park threw 6 pitchers. Miramonte 15-0 Great game!!!!
Highlights:
Canter 5 IP, 6K, hit, with the win
Scardino 2 IP, 2K
Johnson 4 for 4, 8 RBIs, 2 2B,sac fly, 2 runs
Trenchard 4 for 4, 2 RBIs, 5 runs
Buser 2 for 2, 2B, RBI, 3 walks, 4 runs
Kelley 1 for 2, RBI
Chovanes 1 for 2, RBI
Goldman 1 for 2, RBI
2002 MATS WIN IT ALL!!!
Miramonte played like the champions they were destined to become Saturday (June 1) winning the North Coast Section (NCS) 2A championship, 2-1 over Northgate High School.
Haley Winter pitched a masterful 1-hit complete game to nail down the victory for Miramonte. Winter was in control for the entire game. He struck out 7 and Northgate never hit a ball into the outfield.
Northgate's only hit came in the third on a very marginal call. After a walk to Northgate, the Broncoes hit an infield chopper that was fielded and thrown to first. The Miramonte fans all saw the play as an out but the umpire called the runner safe. Another infield chopper followed. It was misplayed, giving Northgate its only run.
The Matadors came back in the bottom of the fourth, bunching together 3 of the 5 hits they had on the day. Winter beat out a chopper to third for the first Miramonte hit, then stole second. Catcher Jonathan Woodcox ripped a single into right center to score Winter and tie the game. Then first baseman Brent Evans pounded a double down the right field line that brought in Woodcox with the eventual game-winning run.
That was all the Mats needed as Winter remained in control for the rest of the game. Twice he stopped the Broncos' biggest hitter while runners were on base, including a 1-6-3 double play to snuff out a Northgate rally in the sixth.
The victory was the second NCS title for the basbeall Mats in 4 years. In that game, the last time an NCS final was played in the Coliseum, the senior centerfielder on the 2002 campion Mats, John Moran, was a freshman. He stole home in the 1999 game with the game-winning run for the Mats' last championship.
For Miramonte, Saturday's 2-1 victory was the fifth 1-run victory in a row, a string that included their last two DFAL games, and their 3 NCS games.
The Mats concluded their successful season with an outstanding 23-4 record and Top 10 rankings in both Nor Cal and the state.
2002 Mats Win, Go On To NCS Championship Game
Oh yes!!!!!
The Miramonte Matadors pulled out another come-from-behind victory Wednesday to win the NCS semifinal game, defeating Encinal 6-5.
The victory advances Miramonte to the NCS championship game for the second time in 4 years. That game will be played Saturday, June 1, at 9 am at the Oakland Coliseum.
For Miramonte it was their fourth straight 1-run victory. The Mats overcame a 5-3 deficit to tie the gamer in the sixth, then won it in the seventh.
In the sixth T.J. Drotleff rapped the key hit, a 2-run double over third base and into the corner to score David Watters and Alan Donner and tie the game at 5-5.
Then in the seventh Watters pounded a double deep to left center. He advanced to third on a passed ball, then scored on a hard chopper to short by Donner with 2 out. The Encinal shortstop hurried his throw and the first baseman couldn't handle it, letting Donner reach base as the winning run scored.
Miramonte opened scoring in the third. Derek Murray was hit by a pitch. Johnny Moran bunted and reached base. Then Alex Feinberg drove Murray home with a single to center.
Encinal tied it up in their half of the third.
Miramonte came back in the fourth. Brent Evans drove a pitch over the 380-foot mark in left-center for a solo home run on the College of Alameda diamond. Watters followed with a single, stole second, got to third on a wild pitch and scoreed on Murray's double.
But Encinal came back with 4 runs in the fifth to take the lead and set up Miramonte's come-back victory.
Greg Chapman pitched superbly for Miramonte throuigh the first 4 innings.
Donner came in with 2 out in the fifth to snuff an Encinal rally, then shut down the Alameda team in the sixth and seventh as his team rallied to gain the win.
2002 Mats Grads after Miramonte:
These Miramonte baseball graduates are still playing:
Greg Chapman - University of California, Davis
TJ Drotleff - College of Marin
Justin Fong - College of Marin
Nate Miller - Princeton University
Brett Nicol - Amherst College
Charlie Robertson - Diablo Valley College
Jon Woodcox - University of Washington
Haley Winter - University of California, Riverside
http://athletics.ucr.edu/baseball/bbstats/TEAMCUME.HTM
Best of luck to them all!
2002 awards in retrospect:
Mi | |
