|
|
|
 Viper News: Jr. Olympics Highlights - 2004 |
|
Tuesday, June 29
Jr. Olympics Highlights - 2004
Click the headline.......
Under the afternoon sun, in Peoria Arizona, the San Jose Vipers began their Jr. Olympics journey. They ran the 60, fielded their positions, and shagged balls in the homerun derby preliminaries. At 6pm they met at the stadium for hot dogs, and opening ceremonies. The evening began with the Homerun Derby Finals. The Vipers cheered on their friend and former teammate, Mike Bugary, (Aldrete Baseball Academy) as he won the homerun contest. Then it was time for the tournament "draw". After some amusing moments with the Stadium scoreboard, the draw began. The Vipers were placed in pool 17 along with the Boys of Baseball, the AZEB Desert Heat, and the San Diego Hawks.
Saturday morning began with team photos at the Stadium, then it was finally time to play baseball. Game 1 was on Mariners field 3 against the Boys of Baseball. Pitching for the Vipers were Erik Goeddel and Ken Gentert. Catching for the Vipers were Tommy Medica, and David Nash. The Vipers jumped on the scoreboard in the 1st. A lead off walk was followed by an RBI triple by Jimmy Parque. Tommy Medica brought in the Vipers 2nd run with an RBI single. He was followed by Kyle Mosbrucker who crushed a two run homerun over the leftfield fence. In the 3rd the Vipers got on the board again with a Tommy Medica base hit, a walk, and a triple by Jon Karcich. After 3 innings of play it was 7-3 Vipers. The Vipers scored 4 more runs in the 5th. After 2 walks were issued, Thomas DeAngelis ripped a double to score 2. The score after 5 complete was 11-6 Vipers. In the 6th, Vipers catcher David Nash, threw out a runner attempting to steal 2nd base. The Vipers offense rallied once again and scored 4 runs in the bottom of the inning. Sal Riveria blooped a hit just past the shortstop. With heads up baserunning, Sal hustled his way to 2nd base. That was followed by a walk and a hit by pitch. TJ DeAngelis then cracked another 2 RBI double. Tim Busbin and David Nash followed with RBI hits and the game was over. Final score, 15 - 7 Vipers.
Sunday morning brought a Fathers Day double header. The first game of which turned out to be an 11 inning marathon. The Vipers battled for close to 4 ½ hours before getting the win. Pitching for the Vipers were Alex Kalogrides, Dan Dyer, Tim Busbin, and Nate Garcia. The Vipers were the visitors and scored 2 runs in the top of the 2nd. Tim Busbin had a base hit and TJ DeAngelis hit an RBI double to score him. Sal Riveria brought in the Vipers 2nd run with an RBI base hit. The score after 2 innings was 3-2 in favor of the AZEB Desert Heat. Both the Vipers and the Heat had a baserunner or two in the innings that followed but the score remained 3-2 through 6. Neither team could manage to manufacture a run. The Vipers finally broke the scoring drought in the top of the 7th. Alex Dreyfuss cracked a double and was sacrificed to 3rd on a bunt by Sal Riveria. Erik Goeddel then brought in the game tying run with an RBI base hit. Dan Dyer pitched the bottom of the 7th and held the Heat scoreless, sending the game into extra innings. The Vipers mounted an exciting 2 out rally in the top of the 8th. Nate Garcia started it with a base hit. After a balk and a walk, TJ DeAngelis and David Nash came through with base hits to put the Vipers up 5-3. The Heat managed extend the game by scoring 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the 8th, that tied the game at 5-5. In the 11th, the Vipers mounted yet another 2 out rally. Dan Dyer had a base hit, then proceeded to steal 2nd base. Jon Karcich then ripped a 2 out RBI double to put the Vipers ahead 6-5. Nate Garcia finished it off with an RBI base hit. The Heat rallied to score 1 run in the bottom of the 11th before Nate Garcia came into strike out the games final batter. Final score, Vipers 7 - Heat 6 in 11 innings.
After a quick break for lunch and some air-conditioning, the Vipers found themselves back on the field for the 6pm game. Their opponents were the San Diego Hawks, and this game was the conclusion of 1st round action. Pitching for the Vipers were Kyle Mosbrucker and Jimmy Parque. Catching for the Vipers was Alex Dreyfuss. It was a low scoring contest in the early innings, web gems on both sides were the order of the day. The Vipers put a run on the board in the 2nd on a walk, a double by Jon Karcich, and an RBI sac fly. In the 4th, Jon Karcich made a great diving play on a popup to third base and in the 5th TJ DeAngelis made a terrific diving catch in centerfield. Mosbrucker ended the 5th with 2 K's. As the 6th inning began, the sun set and the lights came on. That seemed to spark the Vipers offense. With the score 2-1 Hawks, the Vipers scored three runs to take the lead. A double by Sal Riveria, base hits by Dan Dyer and TJ DeAngelis and a huge triple from Nate Garcia brought the score to 4-2 Vipers. Jimmy Parque then struck out the last 2 Hawks to give the Vipers the win and a 3-0 record in the first round of play.
Second round action began with a Sunday night re-seeding of all 72 teams. By virtue of their 3-0 pool play record, runs allowed and runs scored, the Vipers were now seeded as team #11. As of Sunday night there were fourteen, 3-0 teams in the tournament. Monday mornings, 8am opponent was one of them. The #10 seeded Orange County Dawgs. Pitching for the Vipers were Nate Garcia, Tim Busbin and Jon Karcich. Catching for the Vipers was Tommy Medica. Thomas DeAngelis started the Vipers day off right when he brought in the first Vipers run in the 2nd inning. It was one of TJ's numerous RBI doubles in the tournament. The Vipers held off a Dawgs rally in the bottom of the 2nd with stellar defense and a big K by Garcia. In the 3rd, Vipers catcher Tommy Medica, threw out a runner attempting to steal 2nd base. That was followed by a diving catch by Jimmy Parque in centerfield. Garcia then got another K to end the 3rd inning and keep the score at 1-0 Vipers. David Abraham started the Vipers 5th with a walk. Sal Riveria then bunted for a base hit. With runners on, Tommy Medica and Kyle Mosbrucker had RBI hits, while Jon Karcich brought in a run with a sac-fly. Danny Dyer finished the Vipers rally with a beautiful RBI squeeze bunt. At the end of 4 ½ innings of play the score was 5-0 Vipers. The OC Dawgs mounted a comeback in the bottom of the 5th. On an attempted steal, Vipers catcher Tommy Medica threw down to 2nd base, Vipers 2nd baseman Dan Dyer cut off the throw and threw the ball to home. The runner at third was caught off guard, ran out of the baseline and was called out. Simultaneously, the runner coming from 2nd was caught in a run down between 2nd and 3rd. He was tagged out to end the inning, but not before the Dawgs had scored 2 runs. It was a controversial moment, and after all of the excitement, the Vipers rallied to score 3 runs in the top of the 6th. TJ DeAngelis had a bloop single fall in. Jimmy Parque drew a walk and David Abraham bunted for a base hit. Tommy Medica followed with a 2 RBI base hit, and Kyle Mosbrucker finished off the scoring with an RBI hit. Final score, Vipers 8 - OC Dawgs 3. The win left the Vipers with a 4-0 record and one of only six undefeated teams left in the tournament.
Tuesday morning at 11, the 6 remaining undefeated teams squared off. At the end of the day there would only be 3 - the Vipers would be one of them! Intensity was ever-present on Tuesday as the Vipers took on regional rival, NorCal 16. Pitching an outstanding game for the Vipers were Ken Gentert, Jimmy Parque, and Erik Goeddel. Catching for the Vipers were David Nash and Tommy Medica. After a lead off double to start the game, the Vipers defense took over. Two terrific plays at 3rd base, were followed by a run saving play at homeplate and the 1st inning was complete; 0-0. The second inning looked much the same, 1-2- 3 on both sidelines. In the Vipers half of the 3rd, Sal Riveria ripped a triple to centerfield, but the Vipers could not score him. The game remained scoreless through 4 ½. Tensions mounted but the Vipers finally broke through in the bottom of the 4th. Base hits by Nate Garcia and David Nash, were followed by an RBI base hit from Tim Busbin. Tim's hit put the Vipers ahead 1-0. Ken Gentert continued to pitch, holding the NorCal team scoreless and getting a big K to end the top of the 5th. The Vipers rallied and scored 4 runs in the bottom half of the inning. Jon Karcich started the inning with a base hit. Erik Goeddel followed with a bunt for a basehit. A balk was then issued to the NorCal pitcher, advancing both base runners. Nate Garcia, brought in a run with a sac-fly. Dan Dyer followed with a base hit. David Nash then stepped in and cracked an RBI double. With 2 outs Tim Busbin came to the plate and brought in 2 with a huge 2 out RBI double. NorCal had a runner on in the top of the 6th but Gentert closed the door with a K to end the inning. After a 1-2-3 Vipers bottom of the 6th, NorCal mounted a rally. They managed to score 3 runs on 3 Vipers miscues. The Vipers pitching held tight, and they went on to win the game 5-3.
It was a huge team victory that sent the Vipers into the round of 32 with a perfect 5-0 record. One of only 3 undefeated teams left in the tournament; #1 Chino Titans, #2 Arizona Pilots, and #3 San Jose Vipers.
Wednesday was a day off for all 72 teams. The round of 32 match ups were set, and most of the players spent the day relaxing by the pool, at the mall or in the comfort of an air-conditioned movie theater. After a brief Wednesday night team meeting and batting practice the Vipers were ready for Thursday's action.
The site was Royals field #3 and the Vipers opponents were the #30 seeded Tucson Wildcats. The winner would move on, the loser would be eliminated. The two teams battled every inning and the Wildcats gave the Vipers a great game! Pitching the complete game shutout for the Vipers was Alex Kalogrides. The Vipers scored the only run of the game in the bottom half of the 1st inning. Jimmy Parque led off with a base hit then David Abraham sacrificed him to 2nd base. A walk was issued to Tommy Medica and the runners advanced on a hit by Kyle Mosbrucker. With the bases loaded, Nate Garcia stepped in and hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Parque. That would prove to be the winning run. In the 2nd inning, Kalogrides struck out 2. In the 3rd Jimmy Parque made a diving catch in centerfield while Kyle Mosbrucker made a terrific catch on the warning track in leftfield. Tommy Medica was on base with a hit in the Vipers half of the 3rd, but did not score. In the Wildcats 4th, Vipers shortstop Sal Riveria made a nice catch on a line drive and was able to double the runner off of 1st base to end the inning. The Vipers made some noise in the bottom of the 6th. Tommy Medica hustled to 1st base and was called safe on his slide. Kyle Mosbrucker followed with a bunt for a base hit. Both runners were able to advance on a pass-ball. The Vipers then attempted to steal a run, but the Wildcats would have nothing to do with it. The score remained 1-0 Vipers through 6. Kalogrides finished the Wildcats off in the 7th. Two strikeouts and a ground out completed the shutout. The Vipers held on and remained undefeated at 6-0.
After a quick celebration, the Vipers headed next door to Royals diamond #4. Their next opponent would be the winner of the NorCal Black and ABD Bulldogs game. ABD pitcher, and Jr. National Team pitcher, Chris Parmalee, threw a no hitter to set up the afternoon matchup between ABD and the Vipers.
By 2pm Thursday afternoon, the Vipers were relaxed and sitting under a tree at the Padres complex. Fueled by their morning victory, and some lunch, they awaited game 7. Relaxed and ready to play, the Vipers appeared to be genuinely enjoying themselves! Game time arrived and the Vipers had one of their best games of the tournament. Pitching the complete game (5 innings) for the Vipers was Erik Goeddel. Catching for the Vipers was Tommy Medica. In the top of the first Goeddel struck out 2 ABD Bulldogs. In the bottom of the 1st, the Vipers bats were hot. David Abraham started it off with a walk. He was followed by Tommy Medica who smashed a 2 run homerun over the fence in leftfield. Kyle Mosbrucker added a double, followed by Jon Karcich with an RBI basehit. Dan Dyer, better know as "triple D", then cracked an RBI triple and give the Vipers their 4th run. The score after one was Vipers 4 - ABD 0. In the second inning, Goeddel struck out one and catcher Tommy Medica threw out a runner attempting to steal second base. The Vipers once again rallied in the bottom half of the inning. TJ DeAngelis started it off with a bunt. Tim Busbin followed with a base hit. Tommy Medica and Kyle Mosbrucker each brought in a run with base hits. The score after 2 complete was Vipers 6 - ABD 0. The 3rd brought more Vipers runs. Jon Karcich started it with a bloop hit just over the shortstops head. After a sacrifice bunt and a hit by pitch, Jimmy Parque brought in a run with a fly ball to centerfield. David Abraham then brought in a run with a base hit up the middle. It was now 8 - 1 Vipers. The Bulldogs made some noise in their half of the 4th. After a couple of hits the Vipers defense turned a double play and Goeddel came up with a big K to end the inning. The Vipers bats were silent in the 5th as ABD made it an 8 - 2 ball game. The Vipers however, shut the door in the bottom of the 5th. Dan Dyer started it off with a base hit. Tim Busbin followed by cracking a 2 run homerun to centerfield. Jimmy Parque was the next Vipers base runner after he hit a double. Tommy Medica was intentionally walked and Kyle Mosbrucker added an RBI base hit. Sal Riveria was then hit by a pitch and Jon Karcich stepped up and hit in the final Vipers run. That made it 12 - 2 Vipers, in the bottom of the 5th. The Vipers were now 7-0 and moved on to the quarter-finals Friday morning. It was a great afternoon of baseball, if you were a Vipers fan!
However...
Friday morning, 8am, Mariners field 6, the Vipers journey came to an end. The #3 seeded Vipers took on the #6 seeded Encinitas Reds. If you recall, the Reds were the team that knocked the Vipers out of the 2002 Super Series, in a 4-3 game. This quarterfinal game turned out to be another one run game; 3-2. An 11 inning marathon in which the Reds pitcher went the distance; 11 innings and 160+ pitches. For the Vipers, Jimmy Parque started the game with a base hit, but did not score. The Reds got a solo homerun in the 2nd that made it a 1-0 game. In the bottom of the 2nd, the Vipers tied the game at 1-1, on a ground rule double by Jon Karcich and an RBI base hit by Erik Goeddel. In the top of the 4th, Encinitas scored a "disputed" run, on an overthrow to 1st base, and a sacrifice fly. The score remained 2-1 Reds through the bottom of the 7th. The Vipers then decided to take off their vests in an attempt to change the momentum of the game. It seemed to work. Jon Karcich had a base hit. After a sacrifice moved him to 2nd, Erik Goeddel ripped a base hit up the middle and the run scored. The Vipers celebrated and the game went into extra innings tied at 2-2. The score remained 2-2 through the 8th, and the 9th. Through the 10th and into the top of the 11th. Encinitas broke the tie on a walk, a sacrifice and a line drive hit. The Reds went ahead 3-2. The Vipers unbeaten streak ended, in an 11 inning marathon game.
The Vipers finish the tournament with a 7 - 1 record and 5th place overall. That 5th place finish is the best in Northern California!
Congratulations Vipers!
The Chino Titans went on to win the Gold Medal with a perfect 10 - 0 record. They are only the 3rd team, since the Jr. Olympics began, to finish with a perfect record. The Placentia Mustangs Elite finished with the Silver. While the Arizona Boys of Baseball defeated the Encinitas Reds to take home the Bronze Medal.
|
|
