By: Bruce Hackett

Well folks, this will be my next to last update on the season as I have just one game remaining on the year. Here is a recap of the past week and the 3 games I was able to play in.

(9-26-2009) Devil Rays 5 vs. Binghamton Buc’s 2 (Endwell, NY) – This was also the final game of the STABL Fall Wood Bat season for the Devil Rays. One team dropping out of the league late due to financial issues cut the league short. The Devil Rays ended on a high note behind the pitching of Luke Armstrong and the hitting of Scott Ross. I finished the game just 1-5 with one strikeout at the plate.

(9-23-2009) Erie-Buffalo 0 vs. Welland Chiefs 6 (In Canada) – I zoomed up to Buffalo to catch a ride to Game 5 of the 2009 Peace Bridge Series in Welland, Canada. This as my first ever baseball game played in Canada, though I have played many Fastpitch games in Canada over the years. The “E-B” squad never got on track offensively. I finished the game 1-4 batting, and pitched the final 3 innings on the mound, allowing just 1 hit and 0 walks.

Welland now takes a 3-2 lead in the series. I am hopeful to pitch game 7 in the series next weekend which will be my final game of the 2009 season.

(9-20-2009) Orioles 5 vs. Mets 10 (RMSBL Playoff Game) – This was RMSBL playoff baseball, and like every game between the Mets and Orioles this year it was a battle. Unfortunately my team came out on the short end of a 10-5 victory by the Mets. I was hitting well, going 3-4 in the game, but unfortunately the Mets took control in the 7^th inning and from then on it was all Mets. The Orioles end the season at 12-9 overall, and 0-1 in the RMSBL playoffs.

By: Bruce Hackett

A balky bad back that has sprung up now twice in the last three weeks has again limited my playing time, but I was able to get to the last three regular season games for the Rochester (NY) based RMSBL as my Orioles squad finished the season at 12-8 on the season. Here is a recap:

(9-9-09) Orioles vs. Mets - In the final score being 20-14, lost in the shuffle was the Orioles blowing a 13-2 lead heading into the final inning. I went 2-4 with 1 RBI in the game and blew the save on the mound as the wheels came completely off for the Orioles.

(9-13-09) Orioles vs. A’s – Another close game that eventually gave way to a high score. This one was tied at 4-4 through 6 innings, but the wheels came off for the orioles again and the result was a 13-6 victory for the A’s. I finished the game 0-3, with 1 walk.

(9-14-09) Orioles vs. Royals – The final regular season game was another example of a football type score, 22-14 an Orioles victory. I hurt my back in this game during warm-ups and finished 1-3 at the plate before exiting early.

The Orioles will next enter the playoffs this Sunday vs. the Mets at D’Amico Field in Webster, NY.

Notes – I am giving up my trip to Cooperstown this weekend with the Erie-Buffalo team because of my current back issues to rest up for the playoffs in Rochester. I hate to miss the trip to “The Coop”, but the back to back car rides to Rochester this past week did my back no favors in all honesty. 103 total games played now on the season, and the effects of that amount of travel and games is starting to show up.

Listen Up – If you looked at the above scores, you can very much see a trend that has been going on all season in the RMSBL, which are high scores in the league for the whole season. In the 3 above listed games and average of 29.7 total runs were scored in each game. The results of these league scores are SCREAMING for a move to wood bats. In all honesty I don’t see the league surviving several more seasons if this change doesn’t occur.

By: Bruce Hackett

One week after suffering a bad back injury in the 2009 Elkland B Mens Fastpitch Tournament I headed north to Prospect, NY for what is rumored to be the oldest running mens fastpitch tournament in the United States, the 64^th Annual Prospect Labor Day Tournament. Now this journey is note worthy, because for only the second time in my life I missed my hometown Elkland Labor Day Tournament (the other year being 1998 when I lived in California).

I went to Prospect to play for a few reasons. #1. My team, the NY Bombers was going and I had no team to play with in Elkland, so I headed north. And #2. As you get up in age you realize the question of “How much longer will I be able to this” lingers and I decided take the chance to witness this event. I must say it lived up to the hype. The largest crowd I have ever played in front of in fastpitch was present on Saturday night for the winner’s bracket final against the hometown Prospect Team. Standing room only it seemed and reminded me of growing up in Elkland when the large crowds were always on hand for games.

Here is a recap of the weekend:

 NY Bombers Win 64th Annual Prospect, NY Labor Day Tournament
Prospect, NY – The NY Bombers finished their 2009 season campaign in fine fashion, going 4-0 to win the 64th Annual Prospect, NY Labor Day Tournament. The Bombers were led at the plate by Tournament MVP Tom Avery (6-11 .545, 7 runs scored) and Jeff Carr (6-9, .667, HR, 3 RBI’s) and on the mound by Justin Heyman (2-0, 20 K’s in 13 IP) and Shawn Samson (2-0, 12 K’s in 12 IP).

Game #1
Bombers 8, Scooters 1

Game #2
Bombers 4, Northern Merchants 2

Game #3
Bombers 3, Prospect 2

Game #4 (Championship)
Bombers 10, Prospect 3

Bombers Top Hitters
Jeff Carr (6-9, .667, HR, 3 RBI’s)
Tom Avery (6-11, .545, 7 runs scored) Tournament MVP
Jake Wasielewski (4-10, .400, HR, 4 RBI)
Ryan Heyman (3-9, .333, double, 1 RBI)
Bruce Hackett (4-12, .333, double, 4 RBI)
Dan Edholm (3-10, .300, 2 doubles, 5 RBI)

Bombers Top Pitchers
Justin Heyman 2-0, 20 K’s in 13 IP
Shawn Samson 2-0, 12 K’s in 12 IP

The Bombers finish the season with an overall record of 38-10. Over their final 4 tournaments of the season the Bombers went 20-4, claiming two tournament championships and 2 second place finishes.   

Notes – The championship game on Monday was my 100^th game of the year. I also crossed over the 10,000 mile mark for travelling to and from games this year with the trip to Prospect. I have had the best time playing with the Bombers this season that I wont lie I got a bit choked up on the way home knowing another year of fastpitch is now in the books. I still have a lot of baseball left on the season, but the mistress I call fastpitch is done until next spring. Here are my batting totals for the season in fastpitch:

On a Sad Note – The community of Elkland, PA lost one of it’s own over the weekend. Durwood “Durk” Sherman passed away. Durk helped form the Elkland Softball Association as well as the ESA Stadium complex in Elkland that has kept the annual Elkland Labor Day Tournament going for 50+ years. My Dad and Durk played together for many years on the “Elkland Merchants” team and he was always in the clubhouse at the ball park. Poor health over the past few year kept him from being in the crowd, but he was still up in the clubhouse looking down and the games, players, and fans.

Though I wasn’t in attendance, the recap I heard was Durk’s son Billy gave the announcement of his fathers death on Sunday September 6^th at Field #1 at the complex then headed out to Field #2 for his teams game and promptly hit a pinch hit homerun in the game. I can’t imagine what was going through Billy’s mind as he ran the bases, but I know Durk was out there in spirit trotting the bags with him.

Up Next – I have a few baseball games, starting Wednesday night and ending Sunday with the last of the regular season games in the RMSBL (Rochester, NY). It’s winding down, but still far from over.

By: Bruce Hackett 

It was one hell of a weekend of ball this past weekend, as I took part in the 16^th Annual Elkland “B” Fastpitch Tournament in Elkland, PA. My team, the NY Bombers got off to a slow start to begin the tournament with a loss to Buster’s team, before rattling off 6 wins in a row to make it to the championship game before running out of gas. This was the third tournament of the season the Bombers have lost the first game of a tournament and made it to the championship game. Here is a review 

Game #1 Busters 4 Bombers 3 WP Bob Kulp, LP Ryan Cummings ( I went 1-3 in this game with 1 run scored) 

Game #2 Bombers 7 Keeneyville 0 WP Sean Sampson, LP Marv Flynn (I went 1-4 with an RBI in this game, injuring my back during warm-ups) 

Game #3  Bombers 4 Yuengling 1 WP Ryan Cummings, LP Lucas Hahn (I was 2-3 with a double and 1 run scored in this game) 

Game #4  Bombers 7 Cornerstone 6 WP Sean Sampson, LP Joe Hineline ( I went 2-4 with 2 RBI’s in this game)

 Game #5  Bombers 3 Northern Merchants 2 WP Ryan Cummings, LP George Clouster (I went 1-4 with 1 RBI in this game)

 Game #6  Bombers 4 Hammer 0 WP Justin Heyman, LP Wayne Wells (I was 1-3 with 1 double and 1 run scored in this game)

 Game #7  Bombers 4 PA Power 3 WP Ryan Cummings, LP Bill Hillhouse (I was 1-3 with 1 run scored and 2 strikeouts in this game)

 Game #8Keating’s 10 Bombers 1 WP M. Crawford LP Justin Heyman (I was 0-1 with 1 walk and 1 strikeout in this game)

 Notes – I had some of the worst back pain I have ever encountered in my life beginning with Game #2 of this tournament and carrying throughout the rest of the tournament. I was relegated to Designated Hitter duties and I am hopeful to have the back healed enough to play again this weekend in the Prospect, NY tournament with the Bombers season finale event. The Bombers are now 34-10 on the season, a great season overall. This season wouldn’t be possible without the superb pitching staff. Take a look at how the Bombers pitchers have faired this season: 

1.        Shawn Sampson 13-3

2.        Justin Heyman 11-4

3.        Ryan Cummings 10-2 

The normal pitching staff of Heyman and Sampson (a combined 54-13 over the last two seasons) has been helped by Ryan Cummings this season. With each tournament the Bombers are averaging almost 5 games played per weekend. The addition of Cummings has been huge this year for the squad and he has been very much appreciated for his efforts in coming to help out the team.  

Up Next – I have just one more fastpitch event for the season, the Annual Prospect, NY Tournament in Prospect, NY. This event I have never attended before, but with my team slated to attend and no prospects of playing in the Annual Elkland Labor Day Tournament, I am instead trying something new and heading to a new event I have never participated in before. It should be interesting as the rumor is large crowds show up to this field for games. 

By: Bruce Hackett

There hasn’t been a lot of ball the last week or so, just two games for me. But things will start picking up this weekend with my fastpitch team, the NY Bombers, heading to the Elkland “B” Tournament in my hometown of Elkland, PA. The Bombers are currently 29-8 on the season, and are coming off a NSA World Series title, but havent played together in 27 days, so they will have to regain their mid season form quick in this tough 18 team double knock out event.

Here is a recap of my two games of action since the last update:

The STABL (Binghamton, NY) League has entered into its second season of fall wood bat league baseball this past weekend. I was fortunate to be picked up by the Devil Rays for their first game of the short 8 game season. John Morgan pitched a gem for the Devil Rays, pitching 10+ innings, before surrendering the game winning run in the bottom of the 11^th inning. I finished the game 1-2 with 2 walks and a stolen base.

Finally, after rainout after rainout, The Orioles (RMSBL) were finally able to play a game and pick up a win 10-3 over the Astros in the RMSBL. I played first base, went 1-3 with a double and RBI and watched our pitcher Marshall Cook throw a gem on the mound, helping to give the Orioles their 9^th victory of the season. The Orioles are currently 9-6, good for 4^th place in the RMSBL Nine Team league.

Notes: I have now played in more games (88), had more at-bats (268), more hits (107), and hit more doubles (26) than I have had in any other season in my career. I find it hard to believe I have been able to accomplish this amount of playing during what has become the rainiest ball season since 2004. Here is hoping the weather holds off a bit longer so that I am able to get to the magical 100 mark by the end of the season.

Nate Bump, the last player from the Twin Tiers area to appear in a major league game has really put together a remarkable season this season. He went unclaimed after spending last season AA with the Connecticut Defenders. He started out in the Independent League and after a great two months with the Camden Riversharks was claimed by the Detroit Tigers and has been “money” with AAA Toledo. Take a look:

Hopefully Bump might get a September call up next month and be given a chance to return to the majors for the first time in 4 years.

By: Bruce Hackett

It has been a tough past week for my in terms of wins and losses as the teams I have played on have dropped all three games by the scores of 19-?, 5-2, and 3-1. Here is a recap of those games.

This was a rough game for the start for my Orioles team, as we played a hot playing Tigers team who had won 11 in a row. The game was almost out of hand from the start as the Tigers got extra base hits and friendly bounces on ground balls to quickly build a lead. I finished the game just 1-4 at the plate and threw 4.1 innings in relief of Orioles starting pitcher Doug Pfaff.

This was the first game for Erie-Buffalo in 10 days and the bats were sluggish from the start in the first round of playoffs vs. the defending playoff champion Magruder’s team. E-B quickly built a 2-0 lead after the first inning but never scored again as Magruder’s answered for 5 runs of E-B starter Dennis Gawronski. E-B managed only 4 hits in the game. For E-B it is now win or go home time as they trail Magruder’s 1-0 in the 3 game semi-final series. I played left field in this game for Erie-Buffalo and finished the game 1-3 with 2 RBI’s.

This game was “do or die” for Erie-Buffalo. I started the game on the mound for E-B and through the first three innings I was on, retiring all nine batters I faced. We held a 1-0 lead and I thought we really had a chance at pulling this game out. The 4^th inning was my undoing though as I gave up 3 hits, as it went single, double, homerun. After the 4^th inning both teams bats went silent and the result was a 3-1 win for Magruder’s team and for Erie-Buffalo a disappointing end to the MUNY playoff season. I went 1-3 at the plate batting, and on the mound I pitched 4.0 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs while striking out 4 batters. Magruder’s team will move on to play Kuhn Contracting in the MUNY league finals. The “E-B” squad managed just one run scored in their last 13 innings of playoff play.

Erie-Buffalo finishes the regular season at 18-8 overall record, but still has a lot of baseball left to play as they will compete in the Labor Day tournament in Rochester, NY and will follow with a 7-game Peace Bridge Series vs. the Welland Chiefs beginning after Labor Day weekend.

Notes – Not a very good week of playing for sure, as I managed just a .300 (3-10) batting average and was not effective at all on the mound in 2 appearances. I have now played in 86 games this season over a 3.5 month period and travelled over 9,000 miles for those games and I believe the grind of all of this has been taking its toll on me. Hopefully I can regroup as I still have as many as 20 games left on the season.

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - Niagara Athletics and baseball head coach Rob McCoy have announced the hiring of Dan Cevette as assistant baseball coach. Cevette will serve as the pitching coach, recruiting coordinator, travel coordinator and camp co-coordinator.

Cevette, a native of Elkland, Pa., spent the past eight seasons in Minor League Baseball as a pitcher in both the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals organizations. The left-hander was drafted in the third round, (94th overall) of the 2002 First-Year MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians, and he spent time in AAA with the Buffalo Bisons during the 2005 season. Cevette was most recently a member of the 2009 Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the AA affiliate of Kansas City, where he appeared in 14 games, 12 in relief, before suffering an injury.

"I am excited to add Coach Cevette to our staff as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator," McCoy said. "He brings a wealth of pitching knowledge and experience that will undoubtedly improve our pitching staff. That combined with his upbeat personality and charisma, he is assured to help us succeed on every level. I am looking forward to working closely with Dan to build a successful program here at Niagara University.”

Cevette ended his professional baseball career with a 19-19 career record and a 3.88 earned-run average with 337 strikeouts and two career saves. In 2004, the leftie boasted a perfect 5-0 mark in the Cleveland organization, splitting time between Mahoning Valley and Lake County. His ERA that season was 1.92 in 79.2 innings where he struck out 80 batters.

Cevette earned High School All-American honors in 2001 & 2002, while earning the 2002 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year award. He has worked various camps and academies throughout New York, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

By: Bruce Hackett

My actual game schedule will now begin to slow down, but still a lot of games left in the season, and these ones mean something. It is playoff fever as I am knee deep in playoffs with all four of my games this past week being playoffs. Here is a recap:

Thursday August 6^th (Fastpitch) – Cubs 7, MM Lumber 2

The Cubs team continued their winning ways into the 2009 ESA League Playoffs with a 7-2 win over MM Lumber. Dan Cevette added the big hit of the game for the Cubs with his first ever Fastpitch homerun. I finished the game 2-3 with an RBI and a double. The Cubs were to move on to the championship game vs. Steve’s Beverage team, but with no date available to play the game the two teams decided to be co-champions of the ESA League playoffs. The Cubs end the season with a 12-3 overall record. I ended the season with the Cubs batting .355 with 17 RBI’s in 14 games.

Saturday August 8^th (Baseball) – Troy Storm 5, Binghamton Black Sox 2

The game was between the bottom two teams of the STABL playoff bracket battling to see who stays and who goes home. Troy scored all 5 of their runs in the first inning with the big hit coming off the bat of CJ Felter, a 3-run homerun. Rick Marks pitched a complete game for Troy and was in command through out the game. I finished the game 2-3 with 2 runs scored. Troy improved to 9-14 on the season and will next take on the #2 seed, the Broome Dodgers (17-5) in the next round of playoffs.

These two teams have met 12 times over the years with Troy winning only one of those contests during that time. So a betting man would have placed their money on the dodgers to win, but in baseball you never know what will happen and that’s why you play them all, inning by inning to determine a winner. Down 4-2 in the top of the eighth inning the Storm exploded for 8 runs enroot to a 10-5 upset win over the Broome Dodgers. Nate Jones and Kevin Dates combined to pitch a great game for the Storm and the cast of clutch hitting seemed endless for the Storm all in the 8^th inning. I finished the game just 1-5 at the plate, but my one hit was a special one, my 100^th combined hit on the season in my 82^nd game. Troy improves to 2-0 in the playoffs, and 10-14 on the season.

Sunday August 9^th (Baseball) – Ithaca Pirates 4, Troy Storm 3

This game was everything a playoff game should be, and then the rains came and washed any idea of completing the game out the window. The game was in the bottom of the 6^th inning with Ithaca ahead by one run when the sky opened up with a downpour and Conlon Field quickly filled with puddles. Troy’s Nate Jones was old school, starting the game after pitching 6 innings the previous day. Jones was relieved by Rick Marks, who also was pitching on no rest. I was 2-2 in the game with a walk. The game is trying to be made up during the week to determine the winner of the game, but if it can’t be made up the Pirates will move on to take on the Nirchi’s team (20-1) in the STABL playoff Finals. For now it is wait and see time…

Notes: The Troy Storm have been a very odd team this season. They finished the regular season with an 8-14 record, but of those 22 games, 11 of them were 1-run decisions in which they posted only a 4-7 record. Over 7 seasons the Storm team has posted a 63-71 record in the STABL.

Records: After reaching my career high of 100 hits on Saturday, in Sunday’s game I appeared in my 83^rd game of the season, another personal best for me. I have quite a few games still left in the season, and if I can keep hitting well I should be able to add to both of these totals. It has been one hell of a season for me playing with all these teams so far. Here is a breakdown of my hits and games for the season:

By: Bruce Hackett

 NY BOMBERS WIN 2009 NSA WORLD SERIES TITLE 

The New York Bombers won the 2009 NSA (National Softball Association) Men's Fastpitch World Series held at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, VA this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The Bombers posted a perfect 5-0 record, before getting rained out on Sunday.  This was the Bombers second National Title, winning the event in Cherokee, NC, in 2006.  The tournament consisted of 3 round robin games for seeding purposes, before double elimination play started. 

Game #1 NY Bombers 9, Yuengling, Pottsville PA 0 (Cevette, 3X3, Fenstenmacher 2 HR, 3 RBI', Hackett, 2 RBI Double, Gouger 2 RBI single, Cummings 13 K’s, 1 hit)

Game #2 NY Bombers 14, Big Cove, VA 0 (Stock HR, 4 RBI, Carr HR, 2 RBI, Dry Grand Slam, Gouger 2X2, Heyman 5 K’s, 3 hitter)

Game #3 NY Bombers 7, Jersey Shore, PA 1 (Fenstenmacher 3X3, 2 HR, 5 RBI, Gouger 2 RBI single, Sampson 6 K's, 4 hitter)

Game #4 NY Bombers 9, Memphis Dawgs, TN 0 (Carr, 2X3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, Cevette, HR, 2 RBI, Fenstenmacher, 2X2, HR, Wazilewski HR, 2 RBI, Cummings 7 K's, 1 hitter)

Game #5 NY Bombers 7, South Carolina Tornados 1(Carr, HR, 2 RBI, Fenstenmacher, HR, Cevette, 2X3, Waz, Double, 2 RBI, Heyman, 15 K’s, 2 hitter) 

The following were named to the All World Team:Ryan Cummings, 2 wins, 20 K's, 2 hits given up, Tournament MVP PitcherBart Fenstenmacher 9X13, 5 HR, 9 RBI's - MVPJustin Cevette 9X14, 1 HR, 4 RBI'sJeff Carr 6X15, 4 HR, 8 RBI'sJustin Stock 4X13, 5 RBI's 

Pitching: Ryan Cummings 20K, 1 hit, 2 BB; Justin Heyman, 20K, 3 hit, 1 BB; Shawn Sampson, 6K, 4 hit, 0 BB 

Others:Bruce Hackett 3X10, 3 RBI, Double; John Dry 4X10, 5 RBI, HR; BJ Gouger 4X9, 5 RBI; Jake Waz 3X6, 4 RBI, HR; Dan Edholm 2X8; Roger Karn, 3X7 

Notes: This was my 5^th trip to the NSA World Series and my first ever World Series title. The weather rained us out to make the win seem less lofty, but none the less we outscored our opponents 46-2 in 5 games and were the only team left with neither a win nor a tie which gave us the title. The Moyer Sports Complex might be one of the best places to play fastpitch on the east coast, it is always a pleasure to play there even though the drive is long. 

Monday August 3^rd (Baseball, Game 1) Erie-Buffalo 17, HR Derby 3This game was my 7^th pitching start of the season, and I allowed 3 hits and 2 earned runs in 6 innings. The E-B offense was off to the races with homeruns and extra base hits by several E-B players. I didn’t bat in this game and just focused on pitching as I was able to attain my 5^th victory of the season.

Monday August 3^rd (Baseball, Game 2) Erie Buffalo 14, Amherst Ale House 5Game #2 of the evening saw the Erie-Buffalo team conclude their 2009 regular season with another double digit run outburst. I played first base in the game and finished 2-4 with a double and a pair of runs scored. I have really hit well for E-B so far on the season and I hope the batting continues as we head to the MUNY AA League playoffs next week.

By: Bruce Hackett

So I thought I would give a quick update on games before my weekend trip to the NSA World Series. Still a few games left during the week for me, and here is how they went.

I headed to Buffalo to appear in another game for the Erie-Buffalo club. I didn’t get to pitch though in the game, as I am being rested for the playoffs. Instead I was the designated hitter and went 2-3 in the game with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. Dennis “Waks” Gawronski cruised to his 7^th victory of the season in 11 appearances for the E-B squad. E-B has clinched the top playoff spot in the Western Division of the AA MUNY league. Over E-B has a 17-7 record on the season.

Right back to Fastpitch in the Elkland (ESA) League where the Cubs were able to clinch the 2009 ESA League Title with a 10-2 win over Miller’s. The Cubs, 11-3 in league play, have just one more game remaining in the regular season. Sherri Thompson held down the Miller’s squad bats on the mound for the Cubs after shaky first inning, while Justin Cevette had two triples in the game. I played first base and finished 0-3, with 1 RBI and 1 walk.

Next Up: I travel to Salem, Virginia with the NY Bombers to play in the 2009 NSA World Series, a 20 team fastpitch softball event. Probably another really cool thing to this trip is this will be the third state I have played in just this week (NY, PA, and VA). This will be my 5^th trip to the NSA’s and first trip since 2007. I have played 23 games in the NSA’s over that time and have faired OK at the plate (22-70, .314) at this event, so I hope to have some success again in the Deep South.

After That: I will return from Virginia just in time for the last two regular season games for the Erie-Buffalo team in the AA MUNY League on Monday. Following Monday I start the ESA League Playoffs later in the week.

By: Bruce Hackett

It has been a wild week of ball, from thinking of sitting out to rest the sore hamstring, to playing with all three of my nephews in two games; to barely qualifying for a league’s playoffs…this week had it all. Here is the recap.

Sherri Thompson was at the top of her game in this one, tossing a shutout as the short staffed Cubs team added two more players, Dan Cevette and Taylor Hackett to the mix as I was able to play alongside all three of my nephews in the game. I went 1-3 at the plate with a 3 RBI double in the game. The Cubs improve to 8-3 on the season.

This game was a hard fought game throughout. After just one inning of play the Cubs were down 4-0. A battle from that point ensued with Taylor Hackett and Dan Cevette combining for 6 hits, and Ben Geist with 2 huge homeruns and the Cubs fought back to the game at 6-6. Grant Sherman relieved Sherri Thompson on the mound for the Cubs, and kept the Kenneyville bats silenced. The Cubs then exploded for runs in the 6^th inning with the two big blast being a grand slam homerun by Rob Kujewski and a walk off homerun by Taylor Hackett which made the score a 8-run mercy rule victory for the Cubs. I finished the game 2-3 with 1 RBI.

More importantly following the victory was that the win left the Cubs just one victory left in order to clinch the regular season ESA League title. The Cubs have just two games left vs. Millers and Steve’s Beverage. A win vs. either team and the Cubs receive an automatic bye in the first round of ESA League playoffs.

I journeyed to the STABL league for a double header with the Troy Storm on Saturday. The Storm are near the bottom of the standing, just trying to stay alive for the playoffs. This game would not go well, as a late rally by the Black Sox gave the Storm their 13^th loss of the season. I went 0-3 in the game while playing first base.

The Storm battled back in this one and scored a much needed win with a walk off single by Ronnie Higgs in the bottom of the 7^th inning to give the team a 4-3 win. Nate Jones threw a great game for the Storm team. The Storm is now 7-13 on the season with just two games remaining in the regular season. I again went 0-3 in the game while playing first base.

This game like so many others didn’t go well for the Storm as they dropped their 8^th 1 run loss of the season to the A’s by the score of 6-5. John Morgan started the game and was relieved by Kevin Dates with dates giving the team some much needed bullpen work. Dates was followed by Brandyn Austin who after a shaky start on the mound this season has done very well the last couple of weeks in relief appearances. I got back to basics hitting finally, and finished 2-2, with an RBI and a walk.

It was do or die for the Storm if they hoped to make the playoffs, and the team came right back after a tough loss and again battled from a deficit to score a 4-3 victory. Brandyn Austin’s 2-run single in the 6^th inning gave the Troy team a 4-3 lead and Nate Jones, pitching his second game in as many days came out to retire the A’s 1,2,3 to preserve the victory. I went 2-3 in the game with a homerun and 2 RBI’s. Troy finishes the regular season at 8-14 and it appears qualifies for playoffs as the 8^th seed out of the 8 team STABL playoff format.

By: Bruce Hackett

Here is a brief update of my games from the last few days.

Thursday July 16^th (Rochester, NY) – I journeyed to Rochester to play with the Rochester Orioles in an MSBL showdown vs. the RMSBL Mets. The game turned out to be a good one, a 10-9 victory for the Mets as they rallied from 2 runs down in the bottom of the 7^th inning to take home the victory. I went 2-3 in the game with a pair of RBI’s and a walk. The bad news was that I pulled a hamstring muscle after a single in the 3^rd inning. I stayed in the game but hobbled for the rest of the game.

I have hit very well for the Orioles this year in a part time role. Here is how I have faired at the plate this year in 5 games with the Birds:

Saturday July 18^th (New Milford, PA) – Probably shouldn’t have been out on the field with a bummed hamstring, but I gave it a try as I travelled to New Milford to play first base with the Troy Storm in a doubleheader vs. the STABL Sidewinders. Troy player/manager John Morgan threw 12 innings, allowing just 5 runs, but the Troy offense was dismal scoring 1 run on only 5 hits in 14 innings of play, dropping games 3-0 and 2-1. I wasn’t much help to Troy with the injury, going 1-6 at the plate in 2 games.

I have been up and down with Troy this season. Here is a look at my batting stats as the old guy on the Troy team this season:

The Injury: A hamstring is a funny thing to injure, and playing with the injury can be Russian roulette because one false move and you can have a complete tear, effectively ruining your season. So I think the best course of action is to take a week or so off and see how it feels. I have been very fortunate this year to avoid the injury bug, but sooner or later playing as much as I do I knew something in the injury area would pop up. I have already played 21 games this month in just 20 days. So the rest is much needed and hopefully will have me as good as new for my trip to the NSA World Series for the beginning of August.

Here is a look at my batting stats for the year combined with fastpitch and baseball through Saturday’s games.

Here is a look at each of the 5 teams I am playing on currently and how they are doing in their seasons through last weekend:

By: Bruce Hackett

This will be a huge update, as I played 9 games over the last 4 days. Here is a recap of those 4 days of playing ball. First off: the 7 game recap of the Mickey Brennan Memorial Tournament in Lackawanna, NY.

(Saturday July 11^th) Game #1 - Bombers 3, Oswego 4
Pitching - Shawn Sampson 2 K’s, 4hits
Hitting - Justin Stock 2-4, Bruce Hackett 2-4 2 RBI’s, John Dry 1-3 RBI, Jeff Carr 1-3, and Justin Cevette 1-3

(Saturday, July 11^th) Game #2 - Bombers 4, Reese’s  1
Pitching - Ryan Cummings 15 K’s, 2 hits
Hitting - Justin Stock 4-4 RBI, Justin Cevette triple, RBI, John Dry 1-3, RBI, Dan Edholm 1-3, Jeff Carr 1-3

(Sunday, July 12^th) Game #3 - Bombers 9, LA Lounge 1
Pitching - Justin Heyman 10 K’s, 3 hits, 5 innings
Hitting - Stock 2-4, Cevette 2-3 home run 3 RBI’s, J. Heyman triple RBI, Dry 1-2, Carr 1-2

(Sunday, July 12^th) Game #4 - Bombers 3, Dunkirk 0
Pitching - Sampson 7 K’s, 5 hits
Hitting - Hackett 2-3 home run 3 RBI’s, Jake Waz 1-2

(Sunday, July 12^th) Game #5 - Bombers 7, Niagara Snappers 0
Pitching - Ryan Cummings 8k's, 2 hits, 5 innings
Hitting - Edholm 3-3 RBI w/ 2 doubles, Jake Waz 2-3, Tom Avery 2-3, Roger Karn 1-3, RBI. Carr and Dry added an RBI also.

(Sunday, July 12^th) Game #6 - Bombers 7, Big John's 4
Pitching - Heyman 2 innings, Cummings 5 innings 9 K’s, 4 hits
Hitting - Avery 3-3 RBI, Cevette 2-3, Stock 2-3, Edholm home run 2rbi's, Hackett 2-4, RBI,  Dry and Carr added RBI a piece.

(Sunday, July 12^th) Game #7 - Bombers 6, Ashland 7
Pitching - Sampson 1 inning, Heyman 6.......7k's, 8 hits
Hitting - Edholm 2-3 triple RBI, Dry 1-3 RBI, Waz 1-3 RBI, Karn, Triple.

Bombers finish 2nd place in the Mickey Brennan Memorial-Lackawanna, NY Tournament!
The Bombers came back from a rough start losing the first game of the tournament and fought back to come in second place. The team finished with a 5-2 record and ended up playing 5 straight on Sunday. The Bombers showed up and started to warm-up at 830am on Sunday and never left the field till 730pm. This is a testament to the 'love of the game' and how guys play the game for nothing more than satisfaction of just trying to win and have fun. Why do guys play this game and beat there bodies for a weekend, get up on Monday morning, go to work and try to explain to the others why they would do this? I've been asking the same question to myself for over 20 years and unless you play the game, you will never know the high you get from the thrill of competition and being a part of a team.

My Tournament Recap – I hit well, (10-23), .434 with three extra base hits and 7 RBI’s. This was my third weekend of tournaments, and the more you see the good pitching the more success you have. I love playing with this team, they mesh well and we seem to overcome odds every single weekend. Here are my batting totals with the Bombers so far on the season:

Bomber Team RecapPitching – An outstanding performance by all the pitchers. Sampson, Heyman, and Cummings are what make the Bombers what they are. Pitching in the fastpitch game is the key and that is how teams win, the Bombers have good pitching and that is a fact. It was shown this weekend when one pitcher needed help that the others came to their rescue and picked them up. It was great to be a part of it.

Sampson (1-1) - 9 K’s and gave up 13 hits
Cummings (3-0) - 32 K’s and gave up 5 hits
Heyman (1-1) - 17 K’s and gave up 10 hits
58 total strikeouts and gave up 28 hits in 7 games (45 innings)

Hitting - Bats came out flat in the first game of the tournament, but heated up fast. Justin Stock, again, had a super weekend and is a great lead off hitter and provided the Bombers with a spark that they really need. Bruce Hackett and Dan Edholm had outstanding weekends, along with Dry and Cevette doing a nice job at the plate. Avery, Jake Waz, and Karn provide key hits on the Sunday stretch. Edholm finally broke a much awaited home run slump and hit his first one in a few years and made it bitter sweet hitting it in his home league park. It will be a long time before we hear the end of this, but I guess we will have to tip our cap to the youngster. Once again a total team effort from the entire Bomber team. The Bombers are currently 24-8 on the season and will next be in action at the 2009 NSA World Series in August in Salem, VA.

Justin Stock 11-24 .458
Dan Edholm 8-20 .400, 5 RBI’s
Bruce Hackett 10-23 .434 7 RBI’s
John Dry 7-20 .350 5 RBI’s
Justin Cevette 8-23 .347 9 RBI’s
Tom Avery 6-24 .250 4 RBI’s
Jeff Carr 5-22 .227 4 RBI’s  

Monday July 13^th – Erie-Buffalo 1, Akron Merchants 0I journeyed back to the Buffalo area to play baseball with the Erie-Buffalo Team for MUNY AA league game on Monday night. The game was a quick one, a 1-0 shutout as I pitched and gave up just 4 singles, 0 walks and runs in 7 innings. This was my 8^th career shutout in almost 150 career starts since I was 16. The shutout doesn’t happen often, so I enjoyed it. The good news is my fastball seems to be headed back. I was throwing more in command and am peaking at the right time as we head toward the playoffs. Here is a look at my pitching stats this season with the Erie-Buffalo team: 

I didn’t bat in the lineup for the Erie-Buffalo team on Monday night. We had a lot of guys and after playing so much on the weekend it was nice to just focus on pitching for the evening. The Erie-Buffalo team is now 14-7 on the year overall, and 11-5 in the AA MUNY league, good for first place in the Eastern Division.

Tuesday July 14^th – ESA Cubs 12, Beartrack Tavern 1

After only a one game stop in my native sport of baseball it was back to fastpitch, this time in the ESA League (Elkland, PA) with the Cubs team vs. the Beartrack Tavern. The Cubs stayed close in the game before exploding for 9 runs in the 4^th inning enroute to their 7^th win of the season. I went 2-4 in the game with triple and an RBI. The Cubs are now 7-3 on the season, and have 4-5 regular season games left before entering playoffs. The last two weeks have been a blessing for me in the ESA League as I have gotten to suit up with my youngest nephew Taylor for a few games. Taylor’s baseball schedule has wound down and he is available and has provided a spark for us at the bottom of the lineup that we have really needed.

By: Bruce Hackett

A lot of ball took place from Thursday the 2^nd through Sunday the 5^th. In all I played 8 games over the 4 days, all fastpitch softball ones. Here is a recap:

Thursday July 2^nd (Game 1) – I went to Elkland to get in doubleheader make up games with the ESA Cubs team against Morgan and Margraff. The Cubs had Canadians Darren Strang and Ryan Cummings on hand to pitch and both pitchers were in mid season form. Strang threw the first game and he and MM Lumber pitcher Billy Sherman hooked up in a pitchers duel. The score remained tied at 0-0 before the game was decided in the bottom of the 8^th inning with a walk off double by me plating Justin Cevette for a 2-1 victory. I finished the game 1-3, with an RBI double and a strikeout.

Thursday July 2^nd (Game 2) – We scored early and often in this one, scoring 12 runs to 0, while Ryan Cummings well, striking out 10 batters in 5 innings. At the plate I went 2-3 with an RBI. The Cubs are now 6-2 on the season and in sole possession of first place in the ESA league at this time.

Next to the Journey to Croghan, NY for their Annual 4^th of July Fastpitch Tournament…

 Bombers finish in 2nd place in Croghan, but leave on sour note!
The NY Bombers finished second in the Croghan open fastpitch tournament this weekend. The team finished with a 5-1 record and didn't end up playing the final championship game against Prospect, due to unforeseen instances.

Game #1 - Bombers 1, Hoyts 4
Shawn Sampson suffered the loss in this game, with 6k's and giving up 5 hits.
Bruce Hackett 2-3, Tom Avery, 1-3, Jeff Carr, 1-3, John Dry 1 RBI

Game #2 - Bombers 9, Oswego River Rapids 1
Justin Heyman got the win, 10k's, 3 hits
Justin Stock 2-2 , BJ Gouger 2-3, Dan Edholm 2-3
Jeff Carr added a home run and John Dry added a double

Game #3 - Bombers 5, Croghan Scooters 1
Shawn Sampson got the win, 13k's, 2 hits
Jeff Carr 3-3 with a home run
John Dry 1-3, with 2 RBI’s
Tom Avery 1-3, Jake Waz 1-3

Game #4 - Bombers 5, Hoyts 1
Justin Heyman got the win, 6k's and 1 hit
Justin Stock 2-4, 2 RBI’s
Bruce Hackett 2-3, double 2 RBI’s
John Dry added a double with 1 RBI

Game #5 - Bombers 7, Steelworkers 1
Shawn Sampson got the win with 4k's, 5 hits
Justin Stock 2-3, 2 RBI’s
Bruce Hackett 3-3, 3 RBI’s
Jeff Carr 2-3

Game #6 - Bombers 8, Prospect 1
Shawn Sampson got the win, 2k's, 2 hits
Justin Stock had a triple and 2 RBI’s
Jeff Carr had a solo home run
Dutch Kinner had a double and 2 RBI’s
Roger Karn had a double also
Jake Waz was 2-3

On a serious note, the Bombers BJ Gouger suffered a broken eye socket from a pitch that struck him in the face. The entire team’s hearts sank as he lay in the batters box in pain and seemed to have dampened there spirits on continuing to the championship game. Its times like this that shows you how a team and friends stick together and care about one another. This is a sport, but it is much more than that with the Bombers team.........get well BJ, we are all thinking about you.

Overall I went 7-18 (.388) on the weekend with 5 doubles and 5 RBI’s. I also had my troubles at the plate too, striking out 6 times. But that’s fastpitch, one minute on top of the world and the next minute in the gutter. It’s what makes it a great game in my opinion. This weekend was my 70^th career tournament in fastpitch softball. My goal has always been to play in over 100. But at 70 I think of the memories, the trips, the people, the places I have been and it makes me want to play another 70, that’s for sure. Next stop for the Bombers (19-6) is the Lackawanna, NY Tournament, the Mickey Brennan Memorial. 

Notes: I have now played in over 50 games combined this year and have driven over 5,000 miles doing it. So there are still another two months to go, and many tournament titles and league titles yet to be decided.

By: Bruce Hackett 

It is hard to believe that I was able to do it, but in just a three day span over Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I was able to play 8 games in just 72 hours. I split down the middle, 4 games of fastpitch softball, and 4 games of baseball in the 8 games, batted 22 times, played 3 different positions, tallied 51 innings in the field, and played in 4 different towns. Here is my 8 game recap: 

Saturday (Game 1 with NY Bombers) – Bombers 3, Pa Power 2

I got off to a very good start to the 2009 Cortlandville Tournament, going 2-3 with a long triple to right center field as we pulled out a close game with the PA Power. Shawn Samson was dealing on the mound for the Bombers and we got off on the right foot. 

Saturday (Game 2 with NY Bombers) - Bombers 6, Northern Merchants 1

Justin Heyman was in fine form on the mound for the Bombers and BJ Gouger and John Dry led the offense. I finished the game 1-1, with a walk and 2 runs scored. 

Saturday (Game 3 with NY Bombers) - Bombers 8, Ricola 0

This was the 4^th time this season the Bombers have played Ricola and the 4^th time a Bomber victory has occurred. Ryan Cummings was in control on the mound for the Bombers, with 9 strikeouts. John Dry and BJ Gouger again were the highlights of the Bomber offense. I had my only hitless game of this 8 game span, going 0-3 with a walk. 

Saturday (Game 4 with the Troy Storm) – Broome Dodgers 4, Troy Storm 3

I arrived late to the game after playing in Cortland earlier in the day. By the time I got to the game Troy was down 3-0 to the Dodgers. My first time up was a memorable one, a very long solo homerun and the team battled back to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the 7^th inning, only to give the game away with balk call to send home the winning run. I finished the game 2-2 with the homerun and an infield single. 

Sunday (Game 5 with the NY Bombers) - Bombers 0, Rochester Express 8

In a phrase, the Bombers didn’t “show up to play” in this game, and managed just 3 hits and had several infield errors, scoring an early exit from the Cortlandville Tournament after being the #1 seed. I went 1-3 in the game, and finished the tournament with a .400 (4-10) batting average. The NY Bombers record on the season is now 14-5. 

Sunday (Game 6 with the Troy Storm) – Troy Storm 7, STABL Devil Rays 6

A quick ride down the highway to Kirkwood, NY after our defeat in the Cortlandville Tournament, and I was back to playing baseball with the Troy Storm. The Storm battled for a come from behind victory in the bottom of the 9^th inning. I went 1-4 in the game with a 2-run double. Troy’s record stands at 6-7 on the season. 

Monday (Game 7 with Erie-Buffalo) – Erie-Buffalo 3, Dwyer’s Pub Mudcats 1

I journeyed north to Tonawanda, NY to pitch for the Erie-Buffalo team in the AA MUNY league for baseball. I pitched well despite constant shoulder pain and low velocity. I pitched 7 innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run while striking out 2 batters. At the plate I went 2-2 with 1 run scored. 

Monday (Game 8 with Erie-Buffalo) – Erie-Buffalo 12, Dwyer’s Pub Mudcats 4

This was the last game for me, the second of a doubleheader with the “EB” squad. After falling behind 4-1, the EB bats came alive and we scored an easy 12-4 win before the rain came to washout the last inning. I went 2-4 in the game with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI’s. Erie Buffalo improves to 10-6 on the season. 

Batting Totals (8 Games) – Games-8, At-Bats-22, Runs-6, Hits-11, Doubles-1, Triples-1, Homeruns-1, RBI’s-5, Strikeouts-1, Walks-2, AVG.-.500 

Up Next: I am supposed to have two games in the ESA Fastpitch League this week, but it looks like rain. This upcoming weekend, again I hit the road for a fastpitch tournament as the NY Bombers head north to Croghan, NY for an open level tournament.

By – Bruce Hackett

It has already been a busy week, so I thought I would write up a recap of my three games this week.

Monday, June 22 – I journeyed to Buffalo based MUNY league on Monday night to play for the Erie-Buffalo team as they were set to take on the undefeated Nickel Creek Chiefs. I started on the mound and through the first 5 innings we were set in a 0-0 pitchers duel. The wheels came off in the 6^th inning as I gave up 4 runs on 3 walks and 2 hits in the inning. We came back with 2 runs in the bottom of the 7^th inning, but it wasn’t enough as we lost 4-2. I pitched 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 walks, and had 1 strikeout in the game. At the plate I went 2-3 with 1 run scored. The Chiefs are now 8-0 and lead the Eastern Division of the AA MUNY league. Erie – Buffalo drops to 7-6 on the season.

Tuesday, June 23^rd – Was back to fastpitch softball on Tuesday, heading to Elkland, PA to play for Hackett’s Cubs against the Steve’s Beverage team in the ESA League. We ended up taking the loss against the Steve’s team 5-4. I played right field and with no arm left from pitching the night before Steve’s base runners were able to take a few extra bases on two plays in right field and ended up scoring two runs in the top of the 7^th inning. We battled back with one run in the bottom of the inning but it wasn’t enough. At the plate I went 2-4 with 2 RBI’s.

Wednesday, June 24^th – Switching back to baseball I was headed north on interstate 390 to Rochester to play with the Rochester Orioles in the RMSBL against the Astro’s. The game was out of hand since the first inning and the final score was a 27-5 tally win for the Orioles. I felt bad the Astro’s, they clearly didn’t have a good game overall and it can be tough for a player to sit back and take that kind of loss. At the plate I went 2-3 with 4 runs scored and 1 RBI.

Recap – One pitching loss, but was able to go 6-10 at the plate and all with severe jet lag from all the driving, but still who could pass up the chance to play these two great games.

 Up Next – I will play this weekend with both the NY Bombers in the Cortlandville Men’s Fastpitch Tournament, and will also play baseball with the Troy Storm in the STABL league. Following the weekend, on Monday I will head to Buffalo to play in a doubleheader with the Erie-Buffalo team, then on Tuesday will play in the ESA fastpitch league in Elkland with the Cubs. Grand total that is 9 games in only 4 days for me, so my next recap will be a big one for sure.

By: Bruce Hackett

“Bad Luck” on the weather front for me as I have now had 5 straight games rained out, including 3 baseball games over the weekend. This does however put me in a pinch with makeups. Starting tonight, over the next 9 days I have 14 games scheduled between baseball and fastpitch.

I spent some of the weekend updating the Baseball and Fastpitch bio pages here on the website. They are not finished, but I am plugging away at them. I also now have 22 photos from this season posted on the albums page. I am hoping to have more posted over the next week or so once I get some more games in.

Taylor Update: Congrats to my nephew Taylor on making it through the 3^rd round of the Pennsylvania American Legion All-Star Tryouts. Taylor, 16, made it through the Region 5 tryout at Connell Park as a shortstop, and will next tryout on July 1^st in Salsbury. If he is able to make it through the next round of playoffs, he will play in the Pennsylvania East/West State All Star Game. Taylor was able to run a 6.94 in the 60 yard dash, and threw 81 MPH from shortstop to first base. This is quite a feat for Taylor because of his age and he is just 4 months removed from breaking his wrist in a basketball game.

Dan Cevette Update: Dan is on the disabled list right now, and I am not at liberty to say what the injury is, but can tell you that he might not be playing baseball for quite some time. My thoughts are with him and I hope he can hang in there right now.

Facebook: With the new "choose your name feature" on Facebook, I can direct you to my page. The address is: www.facebook.com/HackettBall

By: Bruce Hackett 

Here is a recap of the last 4 days on the field in Cobourg, Ontario, Baseball in Buffalo MUNY, then finally fastpitch in Elkland, PA: 

Bombers finish 3rd in trip to Canada!
The Bombers came away with a third place finish in the 15th Annual Jim Branford Classic (18 teams) in Graphton Ontario Canada. It was a great weekend for playing fastball and although things didn't go the way the Bombers wanted, it was still a good showing for the only U.S. based team in the tourney.

June 13th
Game 1 - Bombers 8 Team Quebec Jrs 2
Shawn Sampson - 10 strike outs, 4 hits
Jeff Carr - 4-4 with a home run / Justin Cevette - home run

Game 2 - Bombers 3 Maccabi Canada 0
Ryan Cummings - 14 strikeouts, 4 hits - shutout
Justin Cevette - home run 2 RBI’s /John Dry - Hit and 1 RBI / BJ Gouger - double

for Maccabi Canada - Tom Berube 10 K’s, 3 hits

Game 3 - Bombers 7 Pickering 0
Justin Heyman - 7 strikeouts, 3 hits
Bruce Hackett 3 hits, Double, 3 RBI’s / Jeff Carr 3 hits

June 14th
Game 4 - Waterdown Hammer 2 Bombers 2
Justin Heyman 9 K’s, 7 hits
John Dry, Jeff Carr, Dan Edholm - 1 hit each

for Waterdown Hurst threw a 3 hit shutout

Game 5 - Ottawa Team Easton 3 Bombers - 2
Ryan Cummings 12 strikeouts, 4 hits
for Team Easton Cory Costello 5 innings 7k's, 1 hit relieved by Brad Porter 2 innings 3 K’s, 1 hit

Jeff Carr - 1 hit RBI / BJ Gouger - double

For the weekend; Shawn Sampson, Justin Heyman and Ryan Cummings had great outings and gave up a total of 5 runs in 5 games. The Bombers had Sunday all set with Heyman throwing the first game, Cummings the semis and then Sampson in the finals. We were two out from that scenario coming to pass. But, that is how the game goes sometimes.

Jeff Carr had another stellar weekend and seemed to be the most consistent hitter on the weekend for the team. The Bomber team, as a whole, played well and others contributed when the time was right to lift the team for our wins. The problem on Sunday was that the Waterdown and Team Easton pitching gave the Bombers team fits and seemed like they could never get on a roll to help out pitcher's excellent outings. The team wins together and the team loses together, pitching picks up the hitting and vice versa, but the Bombers are a team and that is our concept.

In the semi final game, it was a classic matchup between two Isc II powerhouse pitchers. Cummings vs Costello, and up until the bottom of the seventh inning, Cummings had only allowed 1 hit and until that point was throwing an absolute gem. Then, as easy as the Bombers thought they would steal a win, the Team Easton came out and doubled, then reached on an infield error, and with one out they took the game with a 3 run walk off home run. Now I know how it would feel to wake up on Christmas morning and look under the tree and there are no presents. It was a very disappointing way to lose the semis and have to drive back to the US thinking about it. That is why you play the game, because you just never know what is going to happen. But, the Bombers will live to fight another day. 

My Weekend Recap: I had an OK weekend on the overall, 5-16 (.312) with 4 RBI’s. I was even fortunate enough to hit a single off of Corey Costello of Team Easton, one of the best ISC II level pitchers in the game. It was a great weekend of camaraderie, fastpitch, and Cobourg night life. The Bombers are a great “team” to play on with no individuals on the squad and the type of team that makes you want to play another ten years if the body will only let you. 

Monday, June 15^th – I journeyed back north to Buffalo on Monday to play in a double header with the Erie-Buffalo team for the AA MUNY baseball league. 

Game #1 – I made the start on the mound, and though I pitched well we just didn’t hit the ball and suffered a 4-0 loss to Wheatfield (3-5). I pitched 7.0 innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 walk, and 3 earned runs while striking out 2. Our team managed only 2 hits in the game though and you can win if you can’t score. On a plus note I set a record for myself as I handled 10 assists in the game from the mound. At the plate in the game I went 0-1, with a pair of walks. 

Game #2 – The Erie-Buffalo bats came out smoking in the game, and the team rolled to an 8-1 win in the twilight game of the Wheatfield Doubleheader. I went 1-4 in the game at the plate and filled in right field. Erie-Buffalo is 6-4 overall on the season, and 5-3 in the AA Muny League on the season. 

Tuesday, June 16^th – I went back to fastpitch softball for a night as our ESA League team, The Cubs, played in the Elkland Softball League against the Beartrack Tavern. We ended up taking the extra inning loss in the game. We had our chances to win, but wheels came off defensively, and our Pitcher Sherri Thompson started to get tired after throwing 7 fine innings in the top of the 8^th inning. We did however battle back with 4 runs in the bottom of the 8^th, but came away with a 15-10 loss. In the game I went 1-4, with a walk, 2 runs scored and a solo homerun. The Cubs record now stands at 4-1 on the season, still good for first place in the league. 

My Stats Recap: Batting – Games-8, At-Bats-25, Runs-4, Hits-7, Doubles-1, Homeruns-1, RBI’s-5, Strikeouts-4, Walks-4, and AVG.-.280 

Pitching – Games-1, Starts-1, Innings-7.0, Hits-7, Walks-1, Strikeouts-2, Runs-4, Earned Runs-3, Loss-1, Complete Games-1, ERA-3.85 

Next Up – This weekend I will again be playing in Binghamton in the STABL with the Troy Storm and will also play with the Rochester RMSBL Orioles in the Rochester based league. Then on Monday I will head back to Buffalo to again pitch for the Erie-Buffalo team.

By: Bruce Hackett

It has been a hell of a start to the month of June for me as I was able to get in 5 games over the past 6 days. All of these games but one was baseball, though fastpitch softball in Canada is on the schedule for this coming weekend. Here is a recap:

Tuesday June 2^nd (Fastpitch) – I played with the Cubs in the ESA Fastpitch League, as the Cubs were able to pull out a 12-0 victory over Miller’s. I havent hit worth a damn for the Cubs so far this year, but we are 4-0, with Sherri Thompson leading the way on the mound with a 3-0 record, and Grant Sherman hitting bombs, so far 3 in 4 games. I went 0-2 in the game with a walk, but did reach base all three times and scored 2 runs.

Thursday June 4^th (Baseball) – I journeyed to Rochester to play with the Rochester Orioles as they took on the Puerto Rican based MSBL Rangers. The Rangers normally have a large audience in attendance at their games, but this was a smaller roster than normal for the Rangers. These guys love to play ball, though to be honest all the chattering I still after three years have no idea what they are saying on the field, but they are always rooting each other on. The game itself went the way of the Orioles. We were able to score a 10-2 victory and give ourselves a 3-2 record on the season. On the mound I was called into relief and pitched two shutout innings to earn the save (the score was 6-2 with two men on base and the tying run on deck in the 6^th inning), my first in 3 years. At the plate I was 2-3, with 2 doubles, 3 RBI’s and one walk.

Saturday June 6^th (Baseball) Game One – Finally I was able to get into some action with the Troy Storm after last weekend schedule change. The Storm travelled to Owego, NY to take on the Owego Tribe. The Tribe ended this past weekend with a overall league record of 1-7, but I have to say this team has a lot of talent and some good pitching, they won’t stay in the STABL cellar for long. Troy won this game 4-1 behind the pitching of Rick Marks. I was able to leg out a 2-run triple in the first inning and finished the game 1-3.

Saturday June 6^th (Baseball) Game Two - If you liked a back and forth game, then this was for you. It was Troy Storm’s second game of the day vs. the Owego Tribe and it was a battle. To the end, Troy was down 8-6 heading into the bottom of the 7^th inning. After having the first two batters reach base, Scott Ross drilled a 2-run single into centerfield to tie the game 8-8. I was up next and hit what I though was a line drive to the centerfielder. The ball however landed just in front of the fielder and rolled to the wall while Ross came chugging in from first base to score the game winner, a 9-8 win for the Storm.

Sunday June 7^th (Baseball) – Back in action with the Storm (5-3) for the second day, we didn’t far as well. We dropped a 6-5 loss to the A’s (4-4), though we did battle back from a 6-2 deficit in the 9^th inning. I was 1-2 in the game with an RBI and a walk. John Morgan suffered the loss on the mound for the Storm after picking up a relief win the previous day. The Storm were hurt by the absence of pitcher Nate Jones for the weekend.

Monday June 8^th (Baseball) – I was supposed to head to Buffalo for game with the Erie-Buffalo team, but bad weather rained out my chances and I will have to wait until next week for a chance to pitch again.

(Combined Batting) – Games-5, At-Bats-14, Runs-5, Hits-6, Doubles-4, Triples-1, RBI’s-8, Strikeouts-3, Walks-3, AVG.-.428

(Pitching) – Games-1, Innings-2.0, Hits-2, Walks-0, Strikeouts-1, Runs-0, Saves-1

Next Up: I journey north of the border for my 5^th career Canadian Fastpitch tournament this coming weekend as the NY Bombers travel to play in the Jim Bradford Classic (Grafton, Ontario).

By: Bruce Hackett

So not a lot of ball for me this past week, as I was hit by rainouts, 4 of them in all. I manage however to play with the Erie-Buffalo team yesterday and pick up my 2^nd win of the season. Here is a recap:

5-31-09- Our Buffalo based EB team played in Akron, NY to take on the Akron Merchants. It was a battle of lefties as I took the hill for the EB team, and the Akron team countered with a southpaw of their own. The game was a quick one as we came out with a 5-1 win on a very cold and windy day. I pitched 7 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, 1 earned run, and had 4 strikeouts. It was my second win of the season, a very good start to the year and it is a pleasure to pitch with the stingy EB (5-1) defense always on hand to help you out. If I can get back my fastball to its former form I should be able to have one of those seasons to remember this year on the mound.

Notes through the first month:

Miles Travelled – 1,942

Towns Played in – 6

Baseball Games – 7

Softball Games – 12

Batting – Games-19, At-Bats-67, Runs-15, Hits-25, Doubles-8, Homeruns-1, RBI’s-16, Stolen Bases-1, Strikeouts-4, Walks-3, AVG.-373

Pitching- Games-3, Starts-2, Innings-16.0, Hits-11, Strikeouts-11, Walks-4, Runs-3, Earned Runs-2, Record-2-0, Complete Games-2, ERA-1.12

This was probably the most I have ever played in one month, when you think 67 at-bats is usually a full high school season of ball games, to do that in 31 days time is something. My pitching hasn’t really come around yet. I am not throwing as hard as the past, but with the EB team playing such good defense, strikeouts aren’t as necessary as they used to be in previous years. The Good news is my elbow is feeling good, and once my shoulder and arm get “in season” shape I should be able to continue to throw well.  

 Looking Ahead: This week I journey to Elkland and Rochester during the week for games, and then will spend the weekend playing with the Troy Storm team in the STABL league, followed next Monday pitching for the Erie-Buffalo team. All in all it will be 6 games for me over the next 7 days.

By: Bruce Hackett

It was a great weekend of ball for me. I was finally able to play in the 3^rd Annual Molly Sherman Memorial Tournament this past weekend in my hometown of Elkland, PA. The first two season injuries and being ranked as an open player cost me the chance to play in this event. Well it was worth the wait to play in it. Our squad took first place after dropping our first game of the tournament. Here were our scores:  

Game #1

Busters 8 NY Bombers 7

WP-Bill Kaslavick LP-Chuck Smith Save- Jeff Tombs 

Game #2

Bombers 7 Ormrod 3

WP- Sean Sampson LP- Carl Crankford 

Game #3

Bombers 6 Ricola 4

WP- Sean Sampson LP- Paul Furlong

Jeff Carr went 3 for 4 with a walk off 3 run home run to win it in the bottom of the 8th 

Game #4

Bombers 12 Knoxville/Ontario 5

WP-Sean Sampson LP-Craig Hollingsworth

 Game #5 Championship Game

Bombers 11 Ricola 2

WP- Sean Sampson LP- Paul Furlong

Bruce Hackett went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s 

Our team played well together, and I have to say havent enjoyed the (Fastpitch) game this much in quite a number of years. A relaxed squad that really gels well, we even had Minnesota Twins scout Jay Weitzel on hand giving us batting advice. Here is a look at my batting stats for the weekend: 

Games-5, At-Bats-20, Runs-4, Hits-8, Doubles-4, RBI’s-7, Strikeouts-1, AVG.-.400 

On a Sad Note - As much as the weekend was ending on a high note with a tournament championship game win, I was sad to hear of the passing of a former fastpitch player from my area that I grew up watching. Richard “Dickie” Metz passed away at the beginning of the month, but I only heard about it over the weekend. Dick or “Metzie” as he was sometimes called and my brother played together from the early 1980’s through the early 1990’s on various teams, but no team as often as the Hackett & Sons team in the mid 1980’s through the early 1990’s.

Dick was a real character of the game and in his prime was a première centerfielder and lead off batter. I remember well Dick going after 1,000 career hits in the game which he kept track of on the kitchen wall at his home. I got the idea of keeping track of my batting stats from him and to this day I still keep tabs of what I do in every single game I play in. As time goes on players from the past begin to drift away, it is sad to think Dick being taken at such a young age (54). I knew him as a player and friend to my family and I wish his family well in dealing with the loss of such a nice fella. 

Up Next – If the rain can go away, I will get in a league game in Elkland on Wednesday followed by the STABL season debut with the Troy Storm on Saturday, then head to Buffalo on Sunday.

Dan Cevette (Elkland, PA) – Cevette is off the disabled list and is pitching in relief for the AA Northwest Arkansas. Cevette has a 3.60 ERA in 5 games so far. If the shoulder can hold up he may very well have the first healthy/good season in a number of years.

Brian Stavisky (Port Allegany, PA) – Stavisky is of to a decent start for the AA Reading team this season. Not the normal .300+ average, but he is at .265 with 11 RBI’s in 31 games as a first baseman this season.

Nate Bump (Towanda, PA) – The former major leaguer has resurfaced in the INDY Atlantic league with the Camden Riversharks and is off to a great start. The 33 year old right hander has a 2.12 ERA and a 4-1 record in 5 starts this season. With a start like this it is very possible for Bump to attract interest from a major league affiliate.

Josh Kinney (Port Allegany, PA) – Kinney has been optioned back to AAA Memphis after going on the disabled list after just 3 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals. Since his demotion though he has appeared in 11 games and has posted a nifty 3.00 ERA in 15 innings with 1 save. My guess is he will be back with the Cardinals before the all star break.

Ryan Keefer (Catawissa, PA) – Keefer is still with AA Bowie, and after a rough start has lowered his ERA to 7.00 and has made 2 starts to go along with 10 relief appearances. Keefer has bounced between starting and relief almost his entire career with Baltimore.

I thought I would answer the question to this poll that I posted a few weeks ago. First I asked if there were any players that anyone know that were left off the list I provided or left off the website. I got two responses: Kirt Manwaring and Harry Hillson. So after reading here is my feedback:

Kirt Manwaring – If you go to the Player Files Page of this website you will see Kirt Manwaring as the very first player of over 100+ that I have posted on here. Click Here to view Hackett Baseball’s Manwaring page. Kirt was one of the very first players I added to the site when I decided to have a Player Files section.

Harry Hillson – Hillson has spent many years at Mansfield University as the head coach of MU. In his MU bio it does list that he spent one season playing in the minors for the NY Yankees, but looking on the Baseball Reference and Baseball Cube pages, I found no listing for him. It doesn’t mean he didn’t play, just means they don’t have a record of it. So after thinking about it, because Hillson has in depth pages, both in his MU bio and his Career Wins Countdown page on the MU website I decided not to add another on my website at this time.

By: Bruce Hackett

It has now been 4 days straight of playing for me, which started over the weekend, then spilled into the beginning of the week, so I thought I would recap some of the highlights.

Saturday (5-16-2009) Baseball – Played a double header with the Troy Storm in an exhibition series against the Corning Legion team in Corning, NY. The team from Corning was mostly college age players getting a few games in before scattering to the wind for the summer. Our Troy team had a mix of both younger guys and seasoned veterans. In game #1 we suffered a 7-0 loss. I couldn’t buy a hit on Saturday finishing a combined 0-5 with 1 walk in the 2 games. I was able to relieve on the mound in Game #1 and scored 2 hitless/scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts.

In Game #2 we were able to survive a 4-0 deficit to come from behind with a 12-4 victory in 5 innings.  The game was shortened due to a time limit.

 Results – Batting – 0-5, 1 walk, 1 run   Pitching – 2 innings, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 runs, 4 strikeouts 

Sunday (5-17-2009) Baseball – Back out on the road on Sunday, heading to Rochester to play with the Rochester RMSBL Orioles as we took on the RMSBL Tigers in our second game of the season.

I played some first base and some centerfield in the game and got my hitting shoes back on going 2-3, with 1 RBI and 1 walk. Unfortunately we had trouble holding the lead and eventually suffered a 13-6 loss.

 Results – Batting 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 Walk 

Monday (5-18-2009) Baseball – Once again back out on the highway heading north as I journeyed to Tonawanda, NY to play with the Erie-Buffalo team in the AA Buffalo based MUNY League. I made my 2009 debut on the mound for EB and pulled out a complete game 4-2 victory over the Kuhn Contracting team. I allowed 6 hits, 3 walks, and 1 earned run over 7 innings while striking out 3 batters. I did not hit in the game due to the large number of guys we had in attendance but that was OK, the team came through with the lead early and great defense behind snuffed out some rallies by the Kuhn team.

 Results – Pitching – Start, 7 innings, 6 hits, 3 walks, 2 runs, 1 earned, 3 strikeouts, Win 

Tuesday (5-19-2009) Fastpitch Softball – Back in my hometown of Elkland, PA to play with the Cubs in the ESA League. We were able to pull out a 4-3 win over Beartrack Tavern behind the strong pitching of Sherri Thompson (2-0) and hitting of Grant Sherman (2 run HR). I went 0-3 and looked poorly doing so. I think I was suffering from some jet lag from playing in Buffalo the previous night, but that’s what you get when you play for 5 teams per season. The Cubs are now 3-0 on the season and might be the early season favorites to capture the ESA League title.

 Results – Batting – 0-3 

4 Day Recap – Batting – 2-11, .181 batting average.

                          Pitching – Games-2, Innings-9.0, Hits-6, Strikeouts-7, Record 1-0, ERA-1.00

Only two games of ball for me in the past week, and it was well worth the time off. So here is the update:

Monday (5-11-09) – Journeyed to Buffalo to play with Erie Buffalo in the AA Muny League game vs. Home Run Derby. I played right field in the game and went 1-3 with a run scored. I warmed up to throw with the score at 4-1, but an EB outburst of runs cut short the chances of an appearance on the mound as we won 12-1 via the ten run mercy rule. EB improves to 2-0 in the MUNY AA League and 3-0 overall.

Tuesday (5-12-09) – From Damn near Canada one night, to PA the next I saddled up the Charger and headed down for my second game of the season in the ESA Fastpitch Softball League. My team, The Cubs, had our other pitcher back in the person of Sherri Thompson. Sherri is the only girl I have ever played along side and I have to say it is an honor. She had a rough season in college softball, but we gave her all the runs a pitcher could ask for in a 12-1 win over the Kenneyville Fastpitch team in mercy rule shortened game. I went 1-4 with 2 RBI’s in the game, while playing first base. The Cubs are off to a 2-0 start on the season in the ESA League and baseball players Greg Cary and Scott Ross on loan from the Troy Storm have been welcomed additions.

Recap – (2 Games) – Games-2, At-Bats-7, Runs-1, Hits-2, RBI’s-2, Strikeouts-1, AVG.-.285

Notes- So through the first 8 games of the season I have started out with an 8 game hitting streak which is quite a way to start out the season. Though I have thrown a pitch in a game yet, all that will change very soon as I will be able to recount my innings on the hill.

By: Bruce Hackett

It was one hell of a start to the 2009 season for me, with 6 games scheduled on my opening weekend of ball. I got off to probably the best start I have ever had, with 5 multi hit games. Here is a recap:

Saturday – The 2009 season started with me suiting up on a full time basis with the NY Bombers for the 2009 8^th Annual May Elkland Round Robin Tournament in Elkland, PA. The Bombers pulled a first place finish in the 5 team event, winning their first 3 games before losing 8-6 to the ESA Belly’s. The Bombers rode the hot pitching of Justin Heyman, and the bats of Justin Cevette and Tommy Avery. I got my wish, batting up in the lineup in the number 2 hole, and responded with a .437 (7-16) batting average, including 1 double, 1 HR, and 6 runs scored. The last few seasons with teams I have batted lower and lower in the lineup and after hitting a lot in the off season felt compelled to offer to bat second this season. I even got to play against my team of last season Ricola. The Ricola squad is still going, though they had a rough first weekend going 1-2-1 in 4 games.

Sunday (Afternoon) – Another new one for me, for the first time since 2002, I suited up in another uniform for the season opener of the 2009 Rochester MSBL League. In the off season I made the decision to leave my old team the Royals and head to the Orioles. Wearing #38, I suited up for the Orioles and had a great debut, going 3-3, with 2 doubles and an RBI as the Orioles started the season with a 10-1 win over the RMSBL Astros. I had the chance to reconnect with an old teammate on the Orioles, Dave Helkenn. Dave and I have now played on 6 different teams together over the last 10 years or so starting with the old Bath Bombers, and later continuing on teams from Olean and Big Flats, to later on Rochester. It’s always good to see Dave and know he will be jawing from behind the plate with his catchers gear on.

Sunday (Evening) – After driving to Rochester for my game with the Orioles, I hoped on Highway 90 and headed west for the season opener in the Buffalo MUNY League with the Erie-Buffalo team. EB would play their first game against Amherst Ale-House at the beautiful Amherst Audubon Field. EB would get out to an early 3-0 lead before AAH would rally to cut the lead 3-2. There remained a lot of fight in the EB troops and we would later rally with 5 runs in the late innings to pull out an 8-2 victory. During the game I went 2-4, with a double, 1 RBI, and a stolen base. I originally had been slated to pitch in relief, but my help wasn’t needed on the mound as Dennis Gawronski and Alexi Figueroa combined for the victory in fine fashion.

Recap: Games-6, At-Bats-23, Runs-8, Hits-12, Doubles-4, Homeruns-1, RBI’s-4, Strikeouts-1, Walks-1, Stolen Bases-1, AVG.-.521

It was a lot of games and a lot of traveling for me this weekend, but I felt blessed to be back out on the field for another season. On Saturday on my way to the ball park I visited the grave of my former coach and friend Gordie Knickerbocker. I visit Gordie every year before I start playing and I know he still looks down on me and my ball games from time to time. And on Sunday in the first inning at Amherst Audubon Field I laced a double in my first at-bat of the year for the Erie-Buffalo team. As I slide into second base and popped up to dust myself off I looked out and saw the sun setting on the Buffalo sky line. I gotta tell you it was one of the most beautiful sights these eyes of mine have ever seen. It made me truly happy that I have been given the chance to still play ball as I trek into my mid 30’s.

I thought this was very interesting. Baseball-Reference.com has started putting in lifetime minor league stats of all players they can find. The Baseball Cube has also been a great reference to find local players. I was able to find some locals that previously have eluded me with their lifetime statistics. My Most notable find was my old Babe Ruth baseball coach Gordie Knickerbocker, who in 1942 spent time with two teams. So listed below are 25 players that have played professionally with links to the Twin Tiers. I hope to put pages up for each of them on this website when I get time.

I also have provided a space below where you can write in any names of players that may have been missed who played professionally that are missing from my archives.

Leo Milinski (Elkland, PA)

Gordie Knickerbocker (Elkland, PA)

Joe Carbone (Elkland, PA)

Michael Egleston (Elkland, PA)

Matt Machmer (Canton, PA)

Donald Lando (Corning, NY)

Ryan Fuller (Beaver Dams, PA)

Michael Fortuna (Hornell, NY)

Tom Havens (Corning, NY)

Rich Terwilliger (Corning, NY)

Derek Hmiel (Corning, NY)

Mark Williams (Minors) (Elmira, NY)

Mark Williams (Majors) (Elmira, NY)

Pete Henyan (Corning, NY)

Glen Spencer (Corning, NY) (Minors)

Glen Spencer (Corning, NY) (Majors)

Brian Strong (Elmira, NY)

Pete Graham (Horseheads, NY)

Adam Barr (Williamsport, PA)

Mike Bennett (Elmira, NY)

Scott Jeffery (Mansfield University)

Ryan Wyland (Mansfield University)

Shawn May (Mansfield University)

Brad Crills (Mansfield University)

Tim Persing (Mansfield University)

Ryan Giblin (Mansfield University)

Greg Robertson (Mansfield University)