Chillicothe 6, Butler 5
Finding a way to win is what it really comes down to when you play baseball and it doesn't matter how you get that win. While the bottom of the ninth inning in this game was less than desired, the Chillicothe Paints did come through and they did leave Pullman Park with a win. Down 6-2 going into the ninth inning, the Butler Blue Sox decided not to go away so easily, and with a few hits here and there, they scratched and clawed their way back into this ballgame, but all they had to work with was the last batter, or the 27th out, and that was more than enough time for the Paints to close the window, so to speak.
I have to comment once again on the setup of Pullman Park just like I did last year, and I have to say that Pullman Park sounds like such an interesting place to play in. I do believe it's a shame that they basically tore up the old version of Pullman Park, the same place where Yankee greats had played for their minor league stints, but overall, I wouldn't bash the new version at all though. I believe it's a great place to see a game. I love the quirky ballpark dimensions of the place because quirky dimensions such as what Butler has gives that ballpark some sort of character, which is something that I believe is being lost in today's new "state of the art" (really?) ballparks of MLB.
Anyway, let's talk about this game. For the Chillicothe offense, second baseman Torsten Boss had a single and a double. Right fielder Jeff Holm had two doubles and an RBI. Catcher Payton Bieker, hailing from the University of Purdue, had a triple. DH Ryan McMillin got an RBI off a groundout. Left fielder Brandon White had a double. Centerfielder Cody Elliott had a single, an RBI triple and a stolen base. Shortstop Grant Goodwin had two singles and an RBI.
Average Runs Per Game: 6.25
Once again, the Paints did a great job of scoring runs. The offense looks to be a cohesive unit as time goes by in this season. We'll have to wait and see what will happen to this offense when critical stretches arise, but so far you have to like what you hear from these road games. It's also comforting to know that the offense will put up enough runs on the board which will set up your pitching and defense to seal the deal. Good job, guys.
For the pitching, Blake Mascarello made the start for the Paints. He would pitch six innings of baseball and he would give up 6 hits, a walk and two runs. He would strike out two batters. Newcomer to the Paints club was F. FJ Lucchetti, and I apologize for not catching his full name even though I was listening closely to the internet radio broadcast, and Lucchetti did a pretty good job overall. He was solid in 2 and 2/3 innings of work, but he did hit major bumps in the road towards the end of his relief outing. He gave up 5 hits and a walk. He gave up 3 runs total off a hit from Ryan Lindquist, who would eventually end it for the Paints. Lucchetti did strike out two batters and he did perform well early on, and this was his first appearance, so it will only take time for Lucchetti to improve and get the wheels going, so to speak.
This was another nice win for the Paints, although it was too close for comfort at the end. The Paints return home for a game against the Slippery Rock Sliders.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Another Nice Game Played
Chillicothe 6, Nashville 2
I want to apologize for another blunder that I have made early on this season. The name of the starting third baseman for the Chillicothe Paints as of now is not Jeff Corfman, but rather Joe Korfman. The funny thing is that he's listed as Jeff Corfman in the scorecard and I went off of the scorecard even though announcer John Wend clearly called out the name Joe Corfman. I was a bit perplexed trying to figure out which name was the real one, or if Joe was actually using Jeff as some sort of alias. Oh well. We all swing and miss at some point!
Speaking of Joe Corfman, the starting third baseman got in a single to lead off the second inning in this ballgame. For the offense overall, the Paints did yet another great job of getting the hits in when they needed to come in, Second baseman Torsten Boss had quite an interesting game as he would have two RBI singles and two stolen bases. Torsten really showed off the great speed that he had in this game and it was a pleasant surprise. Centerfielder Cody Elliott had an infield single. Right fielder Jeff Holm had a double and a stolen base. Designated hitter Anthony Wieber had a single. Shortstop Ryan McMillin continued to impress as he would have another solid game. He had an infield single, an RBI double and then capped it off with another single.
The Chillicothe Paints got to do this against one of the newest teams in the Prospect League, the Nashville Outlaws, and yes, I'm talking about Nashville, Tennessee. The Paints did get some help to drive some runs in because of the fact that the Outlaws were being a little bit sloppy on defense. The Outlaws had eight hits and eight errors in this ballgame, so that probably reveals just what went wrong for Nashville here. They had as many hits as they did in the error department. In spite of that, the Outlaws did lead once in this game, but that was a very early 1-0 lead in the first few innings. The later parts of the game were where the Outlaws started to come undone.
For the pitching, starting pitcher Ryan Robertson had a good outing for the Paints as he would go on to pitch six full innings of baseball, giving up eight hits and two runs, but he didn't walk any batters and when you think about it, giving up just two runs when you give up eight hits isn't bad at all. Robertson would strike out three batters. The Chillicothe bullpen did pick Robertson up very well as reliever Jared Messer pitched 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up three walks and plunking a batter, but he struck out a batter and didn't give up a single hit, and of course not a single run. Keenan White went the rest of the way for the Paints, pitching 1 and 1/3 innings and giving up only a walk. He struck out a batter to cap off the pitching side of things.
Average Runs Per Game: 6.5
I have no idea why I want to keep track of this certain stat, but it seems to me that it's an interesting enough stat to keep an eye on when I consider that the Paints are hitting the ball as well as they have. They have done a really good job and they are looking impressive, but nonetheless, don't look too far ahead. 4 games doesn't make a season. Averaging 6 and 1/2 runs a game is a great start, but just be careful. One Paints fan told me that this could be a reminder of the 2006 go-around for the Paints organization when the team won their first 10 games even though they were going through some issues such as the injury bug. We'll just have to wait and see if this season is like that season.
I want to apologize for another blunder that I have made early on this season. The name of the starting third baseman for the Chillicothe Paints as of now is not Jeff Corfman, but rather Joe Korfman. The funny thing is that he's listed as Jeff Corfman in the scorecard and I went off of the scorecard even though announcer John Wend clearly called out the name Joe Corfman. I was a bit perplexed trying to figure out which name was the real one, or if Joe was actually using Jeff as some sort of alias. Oh well. We all swing and miss at some point!
Speaking of Joe Corfman, the starting third baseman got in a single to lead off the second inning in this ballgame. For the offense overall, the Paints did yet another great job of getting the hits in when they needed to come in, Second baseman Torsten Boss had quite an interesting game as he would have two RBI singles and two stolen bases. Torsten really showed off the great speed that he had in this game and it was a pleasant surprise. Centerfielder Cody Elliott had an infield single. Right fielder Jeff Holm had a double and a stolen base. Designated hitter Anthony Wieber had a single. Shortstop Ryan McMillin continued to impress as he would have another solid game. He had an infield single, an RBI double and then capped it off with another single.
The Chillicothe Paints got to do this against one of the newest teams in the Prospect League, the Nashville Outlaws, and yes, I'm talking about Nashville, Tennessee. The Paints did get some help to drive some runs in because of the fact that the Outlaws were being a little bit sloppy on defense. The Outlaws had eight hits and eight errors in this ballgame, so that probably reveals just what went wrong for Nashville here. They had as many hits as they did in the error department. In spite of that, the Outlaws did lead once in this game, but that was a very early 1-0 lead in the first few innings. The later parts of the game were where the Outlaws started to come undone.
For the pitching, starting pitcher Ryan Robertson had a good outing for the Paints as he would go on to pitch six full innings of baseball, giving up eight hits and two runs, but he didn't walk any batters and when you think about it, giving up just two runs when you give up eight hits isn't bad at all. Robertson would strike out three batters. The Chillicothe bullpen did pick Robertson up very well as reliever Jared Messer pitched 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up three walks and plunking a batter, but he struck out a batter and didn't give up a single hit, and of course not a single run. Keenan White went the rest of the way for the Paints, pitching 1 and 1/3 innings and giving up only a walk. He struck out a batter to cap off the pitching side of things.
Average Runs Per Game: 6.5
I have no idea why I want to keep track of this certain stat, but it seems to me that it's an interesting enough stat to keep an eye on when I consider that the Paints are hitting the ball as well as they have. They have done a really good job and they are looking impressive, but nonetheless, don't look too far ahead. 4 games doesn't make a season. Averaging 6 and 1/2 runs a game is a great start, but just be careful. One Paints fan told me that this could be a reminder of the 2006 go-around for the Paints organization when the team won their first 10 games even though they were going through some issues such as the injury bug. We'll just have to wait and see if this season is like that season.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Paints Rally To Win Third Straight
Chillicothe 7, Richmond 3
The Chillicothe Paints won their third consecutive game to start off the 2010 baseball season the right way so far, and although it is still very early in the season, you do have to be impressed by how well this team has played. It's very surprising but it's pleasantly surprising. Going into the start of this season, I clearly had no idea what to expect from this new batch of players, but I have been very impressed so far. Paints field manager Brian Mannino has these young men playing tough and playing well, and for this game in particular, the Paints had to come back from behind to win.
Through just three games in this year, the Paints have averaged 7 runs per game, and that's an interesting stat to keep track of already. The Paints on offense have done a tremendous job and it seems as though things will keep going as they have been going because in this game, the Paints have been using their muscle to try to drive the ball clear out of the ballpark, and needless to say, the Paints used their muscle at Don McBride Stadium, the home of their natural baseball rivals Richmond. Oh, and before I forget and talk about the stats of the Paints players, I have to say that I usually get thrown off track when it comes to the team name of the Richmond team. I should remember to call them the River Rats and not the Riverrats or any other variant of the name because River Rats just looks better when read. Chalk that one up as a "my bad."
Starting pitcher Andrew Richardson only pitched three innings for this game, and there was a legit reason for that. Andrew was having an off night as he gave up three runs to the hometown River Rats. He would give up five hits and two walks, but he would record a couple of strikeouts. Kyle Schepel and the rest of the Paints' bullpen arms did a really great job giving Richardson some help as Schepel would pitch three innings of relief. Schepel wouldn't give up any runs at all and he would go on to strike out two batters, giving up just one walk and one hit. For the rest of the way, the Paints bullpen basically shut down the River Rats after Richmond got out to an early 3-2 lead, and therefore the bullpen let the offense get back in it....
...and get back in it the offense did.
For the offense, second baseman Torsten Boss had an RBI single. Centerfielder Cody Elliott had a single. First baseman Ian Nielson had three hits, and two of those hits were homerun shots. Nielson went deep twice for two solo homeruns. Right fielder Jeff Holm went deep for a two-run homerun shot back in the first inning. Left fielder Anthony Wieber had a single. Catcher Payton Bieker had an infield single. Designated hitter Brandon White had a hit and run single. Shortstop Grant Goodwin, a player from Division III Wittenburg University, joined the Paints earlier in the day and he did make an impact on his first day as a Paint. He successfully pulled off a suicide squeeze that scored a runner in the sixth inning.
Overall, this was yet another good game played by the Paints, and this is a good wave of momentum to have. It never hurts to generate early momentum in the season, so let's hope that this keeps going for a little bit longer. I am currently enjoying what I'm hearing from the radio broadcasts. It has been a treat to listen to the Paints play hard against their opponents.
The Chillicothe Paints won their third consecutive game to start off the 2010 baseball season the right way so far, and although it is still very early in the season, you do have to be impressed by how well this team has played. It's very surprising but it's pleasantly surprising. Going into the start of this season, I clearly had no idea what to expect from this new batch of players, but I have been very impressed so far. Paints field manager Brian Mannino has these young men playing tough and playing well, and for this game in particular, the Paints had to come back from behind to win.
Through just three games in this year, the Paints have averaged 7 runs per game, and that's an interesting stat to keep track of already. The Paints on offense have done a tremendous job and it seems as though things will keep going as they have been going because in this game, the Paints have been using their muscle to try to drive the ball clear out of the ballpark, and needless to say, the Paints used their muscle at Don McBride Stadium, the home of their natural baseball rivals Richmond. Oh, and before I forget and talk about the stats of the Paints players, I have to say that I usually get thrown off track when it comes to the team name of the Richmond team. I should remember to call them the River Rats and not the Riverrats or any other variant of the name because River Rats just looks better when read. Chalk that one up as a "my bad."
Starting pitcher Andrew Richardson only pitched three innings for this game, and there was a legit reason for that. Andrew was having an off night as he gave up three runs to the hometown River Rats. He would give up five hits and two walks, but he would record a couple of strikeouts. Kyle Schepel and the rest of the Paints' bullpen arms did a really great job giving Richardson some help as Schepel would pitch three innings of relief. Schepel wouldn't give up any runs at all and he would go on to strike out two batters, giving up just one walk and one hit. For the rest of the way, the Paints bullpen basically shut down the River Rats after Richmond got out to an early 3-2 lead, and therefore the bullpen let the offense get back in it....
...and get back in it the offense did.
For the offense, second baseman Torsten Boss had an RBI single. Centerfielder Cody Elliott had a single. First baseman Ian Nielson had three hits, and two of those hits were homerun shots. Nielson went deep twice for two solo homeruns. Right fielder Jeff Holm went deep for a two-run homerun shot back in the first inning. Left fielder Anthony Wieber had a single. Catcher Payton Bieker had an infield single. Designated hitter Brandon White had a hit and run single. Shortstop Grant Goodwin, a player from Division III Wittenburg University, joined the Paints earlier in the day and he did make an impact on his first day as a Paint. He successfully pulled off a suicide squeeze that scored a runner in the sixth inning.
Overall, this was yet another good game played by the Paints, and this is a good wave of momentum to have. It never hurts to generate early momentum in the season, so let's hope that this keeps going for a little bit longer. I am currently enjoying what I'm hearing from the radio broadcasts. It has been a treat to listen to the Paints play hard against their opponents.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Paints Hang On To Win
Chillicothe 6, Lorain County 3
The Chillicothe Paints returned to the home ballpark of their Ohio rivals the North Coast Knights...scratch that, the team in Lorain have changed their team name to the Lorain County Ironmen, and that team name wasn't just thought up on the fly, but more on that later. The Paints returned to the Pipe Yard and they played a solid baseball game against the Ironmen. The Paints did win, but towards the end it got a bit tight. I guess there's nothing like getting used to your surroundings as a Summer Collegiate baseball player. It's only the second game of the season and the only hiccup worth mentioning was the bullpen.
Eric Heckaman made the start for the Paints, and being only one of three returning Paints from last season, Heckaman has a better grasp of what to do in a Summer Collegiate league. He did a pretty good job in this game as he would go on to pitch six innings of baseball, giving up six hits, a walk and two runs for the night. Eric didn't record a strikeout but he didn't need to while he was in there. Ryan Robertson from Rio Grande University pitched an inning of relief and he did record two strikeouts. Jared Messer from Malone University pitched an inning of baseball and he had the most trouble of all the pitchers for the Paints, but he did enough to keep the Ironmen down. He gave up three hits, a walk and one run, but the Paints had one spare run in their pocket so Messer was okay, striking out a batter in the process. Keenan White pitched the ninth inning and shut down the Ironmen, striking out a batter.
Now for the offense, centerfielder Cody Elliott had a good night, getting two singles while one RBI and one stolen base tagged along with his stats. First baseman Ian Nielson also had a good night, and he only needed one hit to make his statement. He went deep for a 3-run homerun in the third inning that gave the Paints what they needed to win this game. Right fielder Jeff Holm had an RBI single. Third baseman Jeff Corfman had two singles. Catcher Brandon White, another one of the returning three Paints players from last year, had two singles and an RBI. Shortstop Ryan McMillin had a single. A few runs that were scored in this game were unearned, so that will explain why you won't find some RBI's in this review.
One thing I do have to note about the season that's going to unfold would be the odd number of teams once again. As I've mentioned before months ago, the Prospect League now has 15 teams, a number that's up from 11 last year. An odd number of teams means an oddly formed schedule, so there will be times where your team will be away for some time and then all of sudden they'll come back home and play at home for some time, and then there will be times where numerous one-game and two game sets will pop up, making the overall grind of the season pretty interesting, in my oopinion. Odd schedules aren't a bad thing at all, and in fact, I quietly like odd schedules, but it would be helpful to have an even number of teams in the future.
The Chillicothe Paints returned to the home ballpark of their Ohio rivals the North Coast Knights...scratch that, the team in Lorain have changed their team name to the Lorain County Ironmen, and that team name wasn't just thought up on the fly, but more on that later. The Paints returned to the Pipe Yard and they played a solid baseball game against the Ironmen. The Paints did win, but towards the end it got a bit tight. I guess there's nothing like getting used to your surroundings as a Summer Collegiate baseball player. It's only the second game of the season and the only hiccup worth mentioning was the bullpen.
Eric Heckaman made the start for the Paints, and being only one of three returning Paints from last season, Heckaman has a better grasp of what to do in a Summer Collegiate league. He did a pretty good job in this game as he would go on to pitch six innings of baseball, giving up six hits, a walk and two runs for the night. Eric didn't record a strikeout but he didn't need to while he was in there. Ryan Robertson from Rio Grande University pitched an inning of relief and he did record two strikeouts. Jared Messer from Malone University pitched an inning of baseball and he had the most trouble of all the pitchers for the Paints, but he did enough to keep the Ironmen down. He gave up three hits, a walk and one run, but the Paints had one spare run in their pocket so Messer was okay, striking out a batter in the process. Keenan White pitched the ninth inning and shut down the Ironmen, striking out a batter.
Now for the offense, centerfielder Cody Elliott had a good night, getting two singles while one RBI and one stolen base tagged along with his stats. First baseman Ian Nielson also had a good night, and he only needed one hit to make his statement. He went deep for a 3-run homerun in the third inning that gave the Paints what they needed to win this game. Right fielder Jeff Holm had an RBI single. Third baseman Jeff Corfman had two singles. Catcher Brandon White, another one of the returning three Paints players from last year, had two singles and an RBI. Shortstop Ryan McMillin had a single. A few runs that were scored in this game were unearned, so that will explain why you won't find some RBI's in this review.
One thing I do have to note about the season that's going to unfold would be the odd number of teams once again. As I've mentioned before months ago, the Prospect League now has 15 teams, a number that's up from 11 last year. An odd number of teams means an oddly formed schedule, so there will be times where your team will be away for some time and then all of sudden they'll come back home and play at home for some time, and then there will be times where numerous one-game and two game sets will pop up, making the overall grind of the season pretty interesting, in my oopinion. Odd schedules aren't a bad thing at all, and in fact, I quietly like odd schedules, but it would be helpful to have an even number of teams in the future.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Start of a New Season
Chillicothe 8, Richmond 2
Now I may be a bit rusty when it comes to writing articles such as this one because I have been busy with other things during the offseason and there has been some new developments since I last reported news on this blog. I hope that for those who still want some baseball news from this blog will be reading this latest installment. It gives me such good pleasure to write these articles for your enjoyment.
Now without further a do, let's get this article up and running. Welcome to the 2010 baseball season for the Chillicothe Paints of the Prospect League. This will be the second year in the Prospect League for the Paints, and to recap what happened for last year, the Paints made it to the Prospect League Championship Series but only to lose to the eventual PL Champions, and a very classy and respected baseball organization as a whole, the Quincy Gems. However, everything went pretty smooth for baseball in Chillicothe in year one of the Prospect League. That leads one to wonder how well will the Paints do in year two of the Prospect League era.
June 3, 2010 marked the beginning of the second year and it didn't take long at all for the Paints to make some noise and to give their community something to cheer for. Opening Night at the friendly FieldTurf confines of V.A. Memorial Stadium was a blast to put it in a nutshell. Infielder Torsten Boss, a newcomer to Ross County, went deep on the very third pitch of the game (and I somehow kept track of that fact even though I'm not very good at catching those details), and Torsten's solo home run shot pretty much set the tone for the rest of the night, and that tone was definitely a positive tone.
Before I forget, I do have to note that the Chillicothe Paints organization, led by team owner Chris Hanners of course, have given V.A. Memorial Stadium some improvements such as a brand new roof for the stadium. For those of you who have been to the V.A., you probably know why we needed a new roof to be installed. The thing was that the old roof was starting to fall apart for the diehard Paints fans. The old roof has been leaking water for some time now whenever there has been heavy rainfall, and take it from me, who has been sitting near the most direct spot of the leaking, I believe a new roof was definitely needed. The old roof didn't make it feel like Niagra Falls, but sometimes outsiders could have gotten that impression. I love the new roof. It's very sturdy and strong. It's just what the doctor ordered. Oh wait...
As for the game itself, the tone had been set already within the first three pitches, and the hometown team didn't look back after that first solo home run shot. Infielder Ian Nielson had a single for the night. Infielder Jeff Holm had a single and a stolen base. Outfielder Anthony Wieber and an infield RBI single. Catcher Payton Bieker had a great game. He hustled his way to third base for an RBI triple and he would also get an infield single. Returning outfielder Brandon White had an RBI single. The largest amount of what I guess I would like to call "Bat Thunder" would be made from shortstop Ryan McMillan. In the bottom of the sixth inning, McMillin would hit a well hit ball over to the scoreboard in left center field, clearing the official yellow line for a 3-run home run, and it was this home run shot that further separated the Paints from their opponents the Richmond Riverrats and cemented the victory for the Paints.
Of course, while you do need runs from your offense to get you the win, you also need a solid contribution from the guy who's on the bump pitching for you, and for the Chillicothe Paints on Opening Night, they got a solid contribution from the youngster from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Matt Barnes. Barnes, who is also a newcomer to Ross County, pitched a dandy of a game to start his Paints stint. He went six innings deep in his start and he would only give up one run while also giving up just three hits and three walks. Barnes had four impressive looking strikeouts in this first start.
Returning pitcher Blake Mascarello pitched two innings of relief and he would give up just one run off of four hits. He struck out a batter and he did a good job of basically holding down the opposing offense, and that's all you could ask from a relief pitcher in a situation like this. The game is well in hand, so there are no worries. If only I had that one word from the movie The Lion King to help me describe the feel of this game. I believe the character Timone said something that meant "there ain't no worries for the rest of your days."
Kyle Lindquist came in for the ninth inning and shut the Riverrats down, making quick work of the Richmond bats and sending the Paints fans home happy. I have to say that I was more than impressed with the results of this first game, and note that I said "results" and not "result." We got a good win, but I'm looking at what our players did to get us that first win. They played very well in this game and hopefully this game will help set the tone for what is to come for the rest of the Prospect League season.
Now I may be a bit rusty when it comes to writing articles such as this one because I have been busy with other things during the offseason and there has been some new developments since I last reported news on this blog. I hope that for those who still want some baseball news from this blog will be reading this latest installment. It gives me such good pleasure to write these articles for your enjoyment.
Now without further a do, let's get this article up and running. Welcome to the 2010 baseball season for the Chillicothe Paints of the Prospect League. This will be the second year in the Prospect League for the Paints, and to recap what happened for last year, the Paints made it to the Prospect League Championship Series but only to lose to the eventual PL Champions, and a very classy and respected baseball organization as a whole, the Quincy Gems. However, everything went pretty smooth for baseball in Chillicothe in year one of the Prospect League. That leads one to wonder how well will the Paints do in year two of the Prospect League era.
June 3, 2010 marked the beginning of the second year and it didn't take long at all for the Paints to make some noise and to give their community something to cheer for. Opening Night at the friendly FieldTurf confines of V.A. Memorial Stadium was a blast to put it in a nutshell. Infielder Torsten Boss, a newcomer to Ross County, went deep on the very third pitch of the game (and I somehow kept track of that fact even though I'm not very good at catching those details), and Torsten's solo home run shot pretty much set the tone for the rest of the night, and that tone was definitely a positive tone.
Before I forget, I do have to note that the Chillicothe Paints organization, led by team owner Chris Hanners of course, have given V.A. Memorial Stadium some improvements such as a brand new roof for the stadium. For those of you who have been to the V.A., you probably know why we needed a new roof to be installed. The thing was that the old roof was starting to fall apart for the diehard Paints fans. The old roof has been leaking water for some time now whenever there has been heavy rainfall, and take it from me, who has been sitting near the most direct spot of the leaking, I believe a new roof was definitely needed. The old roof didn't make it feel like Niagra Falls, but sometimes outsiders could have gotten that impression. I love the new roof. It's very sturdy and strong. It's just what the doctor ordered. Oh wait...
As for the game itself, the tone had been set already within the first three pitches, and the hometown team didn't look back after that first solo home run shot. Infielder Ian Nielson had a single for the night. Infielder Jeff Holm had a single and a stolen base. Outfielder Anthony Wieber and an infield RBI single. Catcher Payton Bieker had a great game. He hustled his way to third base for an RBI triple and he would also get an infield single. Returning outfielder Brandon White had an RBI single. The largest amount of what I guess I would like to call "Bat Thunder" would be made from shortstop Ryan McMillan. In the bottom of the sixth inning, McMillin would hit a well hit ball over to the scoreboard in left center field, clearing the official yellow line for a 3-run home run, and it was this home run shot that further separated the Paints from their opponents the Richmond Riverrats and cemented the victory for the Paints.
Of course, while you do need runs from your offense to get you the win, you also need a solid contribution from the guy who's on the bump pitching for you, and for the Chillicothe Paints on Opening Night, they got a solid contribution from the youngster from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Matt Barnes. Barnes, who is also a newcomer to Ross County, pitched a dandy of a game to start his Paints stint. He went six innings deep in his start and he would only give up one run while also giving up just three hits and three walks. Barnes had four impressive looking strikeouts in this first start.
Returning pitcher Blake Mascarello pitched two innings of relief and he would give up just one run off of four hits. He struck out a batter and he did a good job of basically holding down the opposing offense, and that's all you could ask from a relief pitcher in a situation like this. The game is well in hand, so there are no worries. If only I had that one word from the movie The Lion King to help me describe the feel of this game. I believe the character Timone said something that meant "there ain't no worries for the rest of your days."
Kyle Lindquist came in for the ninth inning and shut the Riverrats down, making quick work of the Richmond bats and sending the Paints fans home happy. I have to say that I was more than impressed with the results of this first game, and note that I said "results" and not "result." We got a good win, but I'm looking at what our players did to get us that first win. They played very well in this game and hopefully this game will help set the tone for what is to come for the rest of the Prospect League season.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Returning to the field of play
This is Steven Vitte reporting, and I would like to announce that I will be coming back to give you reports from the Prospect League, an up and coming summer collegiate baseball league, for the 2010 baseball season. I admit that it's been some time since I've last reported on anything baseball related, but rest assured, there has been stuff to talk about, and I believe it's time to report again. Now I enjoy doing what I do. I do enjoy writing articles, but I have found a new passion in the field of writing, such as scriptwriting and making stories, so it's been rather interesting to see how I've progressed as a writer in general.
Now as mentioned previously last year, I had often wondered what the Prospect League would do when it came to the first round of expansion for 2010. In 2009, there were 11 teams playing in the league, which was an odd number, and that led to an interesting looking schedule where one team would sit out for a day or a few days while the other 10 teams would play. Having an even number of teams would seem to be essential and prefered, but after this round of expansion in the offseason, it turns out that the league still has an odd number amount of teams, at least for the moment.
The Prospect League has added four more teams to make the league grow from 11 to 15 teams. The West Virginia Miners, the Terre Haute Rex, the Dekalb County Liners, and the just recently added Nashville Outlaws are the four newest teams to the Prospect League. Since it's now a 15 team league, the Prospect League has expanded from two divisions to three divisions of 5 teams each. The Eastern Division will consist of the Chillicothe Paints, the Butler Blue Sox, the NoirthCoast Knights (but they have been labeled as Lorain, so stay tuned...), the Slippery Rock Sliders, and the West Virginia Miners. The Central Division will consist of the Danville Dans, the Dubois County Bombers, the Nashville Outlaws, the Richmond RiverRats and the Terre Haute Rex. The Western Division will consist of the Dekalb County Liners, the Dupage Dragons, the Hannibal Cavemen, the Springfield Sliders, and the defending Prospect League Champions Quincy Gems.
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20100122/SPORTS/1220326/1006/rss02
Here's the Chillicothe Gazette story on the Nashville Outlaws joining the Prospect League, and I have to say that this was an addition that clearly came from left field, but then again, I probably shouldn't say that since the home of the Nashville Outlaws has a huge wall out in left field. The Outlaws will play their home games at Hawkins field, and that's located in the Nashville that you're thinking of. Nashville, Tennessee is in the Prospect League. That's what makes this addition rather interesting because I personally wasn't expecting to hear of this news. I wasn't thinking of Tennessee when I thought of the Prospect League's map, but this just so happens to be a confident summer college wooden bat league that's willing to take on teams from some ways for one season, and then supposedly bridge the gap later on.
Here's what league president, and close friend, Bryan Wickline had to say about the Outlaws:
"Nashville had everything the league was looking for when discussing expansion. Nashville has a rich baseball history, a terrific venue in Hawkins Field and experienced ownership to make the Nashville Outlaws a successful franchise in the Prospect League."
The Outlaws are owned by a group of three executives in Brandon Vonderharr, Jason Bennett and Chris Snyder, and they make up the Nashville Baseball Club LLC.
The addition of the Nashville Outlaws really catches my eye because this could signal some other additions in the future that involve either the state of Tennessee or nearby states, such as Kentucky, more exploring in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I have often wondered if Michigan and Wisconsin will join the Prospect League party eventually, but that remains to be seen because there haven't been any reports of possible teams setting up shop in those places. I remember going down to Tennessee for a bus trip, and believe me, I can't wait to tell you how that trip went. It was great. That was the thing that really stood out to me this past offseason. I went down to Jackson, Tennessee, the home of the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, to see an old friend. Tennessee is a great baseball state, in my opinion, and I have read some stories about the past of baseball in Tennessee, so when I find the time, I'll be sure to tell you a story or two about that.
As for the other three additions to the Prospect League, I believe that these are very sound and logical additions. I have always wanted to see my hometown team, the Chillicothe Paints, take on a team from the state of West Virginia, but we haven't been able to do that at all, but that will change this year as the West Virginia Miners will come to town often. The Dekalb County Liners are an interesting case. I'm interested in knowing how they came up with the name "Liners" for the team, so I'm hoping I'll get to find out sooner rather than later. I have read some stories about Terre Haute, Indiana wanting to be in the Frontier League if that could be done, but apparently with the addition of a Prospect League team, that doesn't seem so likely anymore.
Certainly, the look of the Prospect League has changed quite a bit in just one offseason, and this adds some intrigue as to what will develop from here. Once there's something else to report on the Paints or on the Prospect League, then I will do just that, like always.
Now as mentioned previously last year, I had often wondered what the Prospect League would do when it came to the first round of expansion for 2010. In 2009, there were 11 teams playing in the league, which was an odd number, and that led to an interesting looking schedule where one team would sit out for a day or a few days while the other 10 teams would play. Having an even number of teams would seem to be essential and prefered, but after this round of expansion in the offseason, it turns out that the league still has an odd number amount of teams, at least for the moment.
The Prospect League has added four more teams to make the league grow from 11 to 15 teams. The West Virginia Miners, the Terre Haute Rex, the Dekalb County Liners, and the just recently added Nashville Outlaws are the four newest teams to the Prospect League. Since it's now a 15 team league, the Prospect League has expanded from two divisions to three divisions of 5 teams each. The Eastern Division will consist of the Chillicothe Paints, the Butler Blue Sox, the NoirthCoast Knights (but they have been labeled as Lorain, so stay tuned...), the Slippery Rock Sliders, and the West Virginia Miners. The Central Division will consist of the Danville Dans, the Dubois County Bombers, the Nashville Outlaws, the Richmond RiverRats and the Terre Haute Rex. The Western Division will consist of the Dekalb County Liners, the Dupage Dragons, the Hannibal Cavemen, the Springfield Sliders, and the defending Prospect League Champions Quincy Gems.
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20100122/SPORTS/1220326/1006/rss02
Here's the Chillicothe Gazette story on the Nashville Outlaws joining the Prospect League, and I have to say that this was an addition that clearly came from left field, but then again, I probably shouldn't say that since the home of the Nashville Outlaws has a huge wall out in left field. The Outlaws will play their home games at Hawkins field, and that's located in the Nashville that you're thinking of. Nashville, Tennessee is in the Prospect League. That's what makes this addition rather interesting because I personally wasn't expecting to hear of this news. I wasn't thinking of Tennessee when I thought of the Prospect League's map, but this just so happens to be a confident summer college wooden bat league that's willing to take on teams from some ways for one season, and then supposedly bridge the gap later on.
Here's what league president, and close friend, Bryan Wickline had to say about the Outlaws:
"Nashville had everything the league was looking for when discussing expansion. Nashville has a rich baseball history, a terrific venue in Hawkins Field and experienced ownership to make the Nashville Outlaws a successful franchise in the Prospect League."
The Outlaws are owned by a group of three executives in Brandon Vonderharr, Jason Bennett and Chris Snyder, and they make up the Nashville Baseball Club LLC.
The addition of the Nashville Outlaws really catches my eye because this could signal some other additions in the future that involve either the state of Tennessee or nearby states, such as Kentucky, more exploring in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I have often wondered if Michigan and Wisconsin will join the Prospect League party eventually, but that remains to be seen because there haven't been any reports of possible teams setting up shop in those places. I remember going down to Tennessee for a bus trip, and believe me, I can't wait to tell you how that trip went. It was great. That was the thing that really stood out to me this past offseason. I went down to Jackson, Tennessee, the home of the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx, to see an old friend. Tennessee is a great baseball state, in my opinion, and I have read some stories about the past of baseball in Tennessee, so when I find the time, I'll be sure to tell you a story or two about that.
As for the other three additions to the Prospect League, I believe that these are very sound and logical additions. I have always wanted to see my hometown team, the Chillicothe Paints, take on a team from the state of West Virginia, but we haven't been able to do that at all, but that will change this year as the West Virginia Miners will come to town often. The Dekalb County Liners are an interesting case. I'm interested in knowing how they came up with the name "Liners" for the team, so I'm hoping I'll get to find out sooner rather than later. I have read some stories about Terre Haute, Indiana wanting to be in the Frontier League if that could be done, but apparently with the addition of a Prospect League team, that doesn't seem so likely anymore.
Certainly, the look of the Prospect League has changed quite a bit in just one offseason, and this adds some intrigue as to what will develop from here. Once there's something else to report on the Paints or on the Prospect League, then I will do just that, like always.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Frontier League changes player rules
Starting next season, a team can have three veterans and three two-year players, an addition of one two-year player.
In another, likely very popular, move, a club can have one player older than 27 (up to age 30) if that player has been under contract with the team for at least 100 games in the previous two seasons.
In another, likely very popular, move, a club can have one player older than 27 (up to age 30) if that player has been under contract with the team for at least 100 games in the previous two seasons.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
New Manager
Here is a link to a story about Fran Riordan being hired by the Lake County Fielders in the Northern League.
http://www.northernleague.com/cgi-bin/dist/news.cgi?id=1255382572
Does anyone think that this could mean the move of Kalamazoo to the Prospect League? Thus leading Fran to move on to the Northern League. Just a question?
http://www.northernleague.com/cgi-bin/dist/news.cgi?id=1255382572
Does anyone think that this could mean the move of Kalamazoo to the Prospect League? Thus leading Fran to move on to the Northern League. Just a question?
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A night of milestones
Last night we attended the Washington at Windy City game. Washington's Chris Sidick tied Fran Riordan's career record for games played, which he will break tonight. Later in the game, Windy City's Gil Mejia stole his 100th career base, becoming only the third player in Frontier League history to reach that mark.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
It Was Close...
Quincy 4, Chillicothe 2 (Quincy leads PLCS 1-0)
Say what you will about the ninth inning doing the team in, and by all intents and purposes, the error to start the top of the ninth might have done it, but overall, this was a competitive game played by both the Quincy Gems and the Chillicothe Paints. This was definitely how I expected the game to be. I pretty much knew going into this game that Quincy weren't no pushovers to begin with. After all, the Gems are the best team in the Prospect League win-loss record wise, so it's no surprise to see the consistency coming from this team. Even during their brief practice right before this game started, I could tell that they were very much in sync with what they were doing. Simply put, they were focused.
Going into the Prospect League Championship Series, the Paints had to make decisions as to who to give the ball to for this Game 1 start. They chose A.J. Achter to carry the load for this first game. Achter, to his credit, did everything he could to make this start count. I do openly admit that Achter was a bit shaky in the first three innings of this ballgame, as I noticed that he was dancing around the strike zone, but not technically hitting his spots. However, from what I saw from that point on, Achter was pitching brilliantly down the stretch of his start. As he got deeper into his start, the more he just found his rythym, and at the time, this was a huge thing for the Paints.
Achter would pitch an amazing 8 innings deep in his start, and he would give up two earned runs in all on 6 hits allowed and one walk to boot, but he would come back and record 5 strikeouts. Towards the end of his start, Achter was really feeling it. He knew exactly where the strike zone was, and he wasn't holding anything back, mowing down Quincy's offense with surprising ease.
You know, it's amazing just how much I can get my hopes up whenever I go see a playoff game involving the Paints. You always hope that one year will be the year for the Paints, that they'll finally raise a championship flag over V.A. Memorial Stadium, and granted that can still happen if they manage to win both of these road games on Quincy's turf, but as I watch on to see Paints playoff games progress, there's always one thing that will set us back and flatten our tires, so to speak.
Blake Mascarello took the mound for the ninth inning, and at first, he wasn't all that bad. Seriously, he was doing a fine job until that error third baseman Zach Leonard made to open the door for the Gems in the top of the ninth. It was from here that Mascarello started to come undone. He would give up a walk and two hits, and he would give up two more runs to the Gems. The tie was eventually broken by the precision and the execution by the Gems.
For the offense, Ben Allen had an RBI single. Kyle Gendron had a single. Right fielder Eian Banks had such a great game here, and if you just look at the stats, then you'll be convinced that he did a great job. Eian went deep to left center field, blasting a solo homerun shot that hit the V.A.'s scoreboard in the second inning, and then would add onto his great night by getting two doubles. You could say that Banks provided most of the heavy lifting for the offense. Catcher Andrew Mashall had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had two singles. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a triple.
I know what the end result of this game is. The Quincy Gems defeated the Chillicothe Paints in Game 1, and they take a commanding 1-0 lead in this best-of-three series, putting the pressure onto the Paints, who now have to win the Prospect League championship by going on the road and beating the Gems at QU Stadium. I know this will be hard to do. It's definitely alot to ask for, but throughout this year, this team has been through alot, and this organization has been through so much more these past few years. I believe it wouldn't surprise me if we make this interesting later this week. There's still a chance, folks, and there's every reason to still believe that we can do it. Stay tuned on the radio.
Say what you will about the ninth inning doing the team in, and by all intents and purposes, the error to start the top of the ninth might have done it, but overall, this was a competitive game played by both the Quincy Gems and the Chillicothe Paints. This was definitely how I expected the game to be. I pretty much knew going into this game that Quincy weren't no pushovers to begin with. After all, the Gems are the best team in the Prospect League win-loss record wise, so it's no surprise to see the consistency coming from this team. Even during their brief practice right before this game started, I could tell that they were very much in sync with what they were doing. Simply put, they were focused.
Going into the Prospect League Championship Series, the Paints had to make decisions as to who to give the ball to for this Game 1 start. They chose A.J. Achter to carry the load for this first game. Achter, to his credit, did everything he could to make this start count. I do openly admit that Achter was a bit shaky in the first three innings of this ballgame, as I noticed that he was dancing around the strike zone, but not technically hitting his spots. However, from what I saw from that point on, Achter was pitching brilliantly down the stretch of his start. As he got deeper into his start, the more he just found his rythym, and at the time, this was a huge thing for the Paints.
Achter would pitch an amazing 8 innings deep in his start, and he would give up two earned runs in all on 6 hits allowed and one walk to boot, but he would come back and record 5 strikeouts. Towards the end of his start, Achter was really feeling it. He knew exactly where the strike zone was, and he wasn't holding anything back, mowing down Quincy's offense with surprising ease.
You know, it's amazing just how much I can get my hopes up whenever I go see a playoff game involving the Paints. You always hope that one year will be the year for the Paints, that they'll finally raise a championship flag over V.A. Memorial Stadium, and granted that can still happen if they manage to win both of these road games on Quincy's turf, but as I watch on to see Paints playoff games progress, there's always one thing that will set us back and flatten our tires, so to speak.
Blake Mascarello took the mound for the ninth inning, and at first, he wasn't all that bad. Seriously, he was doing a fine job until that error third baseman Zach Leonard made to open the door for the Gems in the top of the ninth. It was from here that Mascarello started to come undone. He would give up a walk and two hits, and he would give up two more runs to the Gems. The tie was eventually broken by the precision and the execution by the Gems.
For the offense, Ben Allen had an RBI single. Kyle Gendron had a single. Right fielder Eian Banks had such a great game here, and if you just look at the stats, then you'll be convinced that he did a great job. Eian went deep to left center field, blasting a solo homerun shot that hit the V.A.'s scoreboard in the second inning, and then would add onto his great night by getting two doubles. You could say that Banks provided most of the heavy lifting for the offense. Catcher Andrew Mashall had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had two singles. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a triple.
I know what the end result of this game is. The Quincy Gems defeated the Chillicothe Paints in Game 1, and they take a commanding 1-0 lead in this best-of-three series, putting the pressure onto the Paints, who now have to win the Prospect League championship by going on the road and beating the Gems at QU Stadium. I know this will be hard to do. It's definitely alot to ask for, but throughout this year, this team has been through alot, and this organization has been through so much more these past few years. I believe it wouldn't surprise me if we make this interesting later this week. There's still a chance, folks, and there's every reason to still believe that we can do it. Stay tuned on the radio.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Don't Worry Be Happy
Rihchmond 7, Chillicothe 2
I figured that the title was appropiate for this article, because all is well with the Chillicothe Paints, as far as I'm concerned. This last regular season game against the Richmond River Rats would have been a great game to win because after all, Chillicothe and Richmond are still pretty much rivals when it comes to baseball, but there's nothing to worry about when you look at this score. You can consider this as a game that the Paints just took it easy. If anything, the team is just getting tuned up for a series that's extra important coming up next week.
While this game didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, since the Paints will be the Prospect League Championship Series starting Monday night, it's okay to note that the Paints weren't nearly as focused on this game as they were in other games. Rex Ingham made the start for the Paints in this game, and I should note that he was experimenting with his pitching approach here. He would give up 6 runs on 7 hits allowed. Rex was a bit wild here, throwing a few wild pitches and beaning a couple batters along the way, but still, take note that this was just a "Take It Easy" game for him and the other players. Ingham struck out two batters.
Mark Williams would put in two innings of work coming from the bullpen. He gave up three hits and a run while walking a batter and striking out a batter. Crist Linster would only give up a walk in his one inning of work. The funny thing about Linster is that, well, he's been experimenting with his approach on the mound, but out of concern that the other team might read this report, I'll just leave it as simple as that. Linster's been experimenting, but I won't say exactly what he's doing.
For the offense, the lineup didn't feature Ben Allen, Andy Brouse, and Andrew Marshall. All three of these guys had an off night, as in they rested. Second baseman Tim krofcheck, batting leadoff, had a single. DH Eian Banks went deep for a two-run homerun in the fourth inning. Right fielder Zach Frentsos had two singles. Left fielder Brandon White had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single.
I believe it's understandable why the Paints would play how they played this game. Some players need rest, and they need to get ready for a much more important game coming up against the Quincy Gems on Monday night. The team is getting geared up for the Prospect League Championship Series, and I really don't believe that this is the beginning of bad habits being formed. I just think the Paints were taking the high road for this game and were just playing it safe.
Folks, don't worry. Be happy. The Paints organization will have another shot to raise up a championship flag over V.A. Memorial Stadium, and you can follow the last steps of their quest on Monday night for Game 1 of the PLCS against the Quincy Gems, and from there on, we'll find out what happens.
See you at the ballpark.
I figured that the title was appropiate for this article, because all is well with the Chillicothe Paints, as far as I'm concerned. This last regular season game against the Richmond River Rats would have been a great game to win because after all, Chillicothe and Richmond are still pretty much rivals when it comes to baseball, but there's nothing to worry about when you look at this score. You can consider this as a game that the Paints just took it easy. If anything, the team is just getting tuned up for a series that's extra important coming up next week.
While this game didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, since the Paints will be the Prospect League Championship Series starting Monday night, it's okay to note that the Paints weren't nearly as focused on this game as they were in other games. Rex Ingham made the start for the Paints in this game, and I should note that he was experimenting with his pitching approach here. He would give up 6 runs on 7 hits allowed. Rex was a bit wild here, throwing a few wild pitches and beaning a couple batters along the way, but still, take note that this was just a "Take It Easy" game for him and the other players. Ingham struck out two batters.
Mark Williams would put in two innings of work coming from the bullpen. He gave up three hits and a run while walking a batter and striking out a batter. Crist Linster would only give up a walk in his one inning of work. The funny thing about Linster is that, well, he's been experimenting with his approach on the mound, but out of concern that the other team might read this report, I'll just leave it as simple as that. Linster's been experimenting, but I won't say exactly what he's doing.
For the offense, the lineup didn't feature Ben Allen, Andy Brouse, and Andrew Marshall. All three of these guys had an off night, as in they rested. Second baseman Tim krofcheck, batting leadoff, had a single. DH Eian Banks went deep for a two-run homerun in the fourth inning. Right fielder Zach Frentsos had two singles. Left fielder Brandon White had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single.
I believe it's understandable why the Paints would play how they played this game. Some players need rest, and they need to get ready for a much more important game coming up against the Quincy Gems on Monday night. The team is getting geared up for the Prospect League Championship Series, and I really don't believe that this is the beginning of bad habits being formed. I just think the Paints were taking the high road for this game and were just playing it safe.
Folks, don't worry. Be happy. The Paints organization will have another shot to raise up a championship flag over V.A. Memorial Stadium, and you can follow the last steps of their quest on Monday night for Game 1 of the PLCS against the Quincy Gems, and from there on, we'll find out what happens.
See you at the ballpark.
Friday, August 7, 2009
A Memorable Night
North Coast 2, Chillicothe 1
For the record, it's unfortunate that the Chillicothe Paints lost to the North Coast Knights by a score of 2-1 on the last regular season home game, but in spite of that, this night was simply a memorable one. The events that played out during teh course of the game were just grand and smooth, nothing bittersweet whatsoever. V.A. Memorial Stadium was packed with fans who were happy and content with the fact that their hometown team officially qualified for the Prospect League Championship Series, beginning next week on Monday. The atmosphere was electric and fun. Even though there was a loss on the scoreboard, the night itself was a big win.
I'm not in the mood to act jumpy at all because I feel happy with the way our team is progressing night in and night out. There are no worries coming from this amateur article writer. If I could ever figure out what word defined the meaning "no worries" from the Disney movie "The Lion King", then I would have it out for you, the reader, but I forgot about that word. Sorry.
Anyway, aside from the extra fluff that I occasionally add into my reports, let's get to the game. Blake Mascarello took the mound for the start. He would pitch 6 innings deep in this game, giving up 5 hits and a walk, resulting in an earned run. He would come back to strike out four batters. I believe Blake did a good job and he gave it a solid effort. There's not more that you can ask from a starting pitcher when he's pitching very late into the regular season aside from just tuning up his arsenal for the postseason.
Tony Davey would put in one inning of work coming from the bullpen in this game, and he would only give up a hit. He struck out a batter to get out of the seventh inning, and he didn't give up any runs. Davey, in my opinion, looked pretty solid out there even though he may have shaky at some parts. Davey made fairly quick work of the Knights when he was on the mound. This was a good job done by him overall.
Chadd Steinborn pitched the last two innings of the ballgame, and he would give up two hits and eventually the winning run to the Knights, but I have to point out that those things are just going to happen. Tip your cap to the North Coast Knights, because they brung it to the Paints in this game even though there was nothing to play for from their perspective aside from team pride, which always matters. Steniborn would strike out three batters in his relief appearance.
For the offense, shortstop Ben Allen had a single and a stolen base. First baseman Kyle Gendron had a bunt single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a bunt single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had an RBI single in the third inning. Right fielder Brandon White had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single. I do have to point out some blunders the Paints made, such as a bases loaded double play that Andy Brouse grounded into in the seventh inning that prevented a run from scoring, and one baserunning blunder by Brandon White in the fourth as he was trying to get back to first base.
However, let's note the absolutely solid defensive effort put out by second baseman Tim Krofcheck. All game long, Tim was simply all over the place. He was diving, hustling to the groundballs hit to him, picking up balls on tough bounces, the whole deal. He turned two incredible double plays that simply dazzled me, and I'm sure many other Paints fans were dazzled as well.
On a soft note, I want to say that a close friend of mine, named Rick, and myself went out to throw out the ceremonial first pitches of the game, and it was amazing to be out there once more. Last year, I was feeling the sting of the fact that the Frontier League Paints were leaving Chillicothe for good, and my first pitch at the end of 2008 sailed past its target and hit the net. This year, at the end of 2009, I was much more poised to properly throw out the first pitch, and from the mound, I threw a decent curveball at Rex Ingham, as it took one bounce to get to him. Rick was thrilled that he got to throw out the first pitch because through 17 years, he had never done it before, so this was a special first for my good buddy.
For the record, it's unfortunate that the Chillicothe Paints lost to the North Coast Knights by a score of 2-1 on the last regular season home game, but in spite of that, this night was simply a memorable one. The events that played out during teh course of the game were just grand and smooth, nothing bittersweet whatsoever. V.A. Memorial Stadium was packed with fans who were happy and content with the fact that their hometown team officially qualified for the Prospect League Championship Series, beginning next week on Monday. The atmosphere was electric and fun. Even though there was a loss on the scoreboard, the night itself was a big win.
I'm not in the mood to act jumpy at all because I feel happy with the way our team is progressing night in and night out. There are no worries coming from this amateur article writer. If I could ever figure out what word defined the meaning "no worries" from the Disney movie "The Lion King", then I would have it out for you, the reader, but I forgot about that word. Sorry.
Anyway, aside from the extra fluff that I occasionally add into my reports, let's get to the game. Blake Mascarello took the mound for the start. He would pitch 6 innings deep in this game, giving up 5 hits and a walk, resulting in an earned run. He would come back to strike out four batters. I believe Blake did a good job and he gave it a solid effort. There's not more that you can ask from a starting pitcher when he's pitching very late into the regular season aside from just tuning up his arsenal for the postseason.
Tony Davey would put in one inning of work coming from the bullpen in this game, and he would only give up a hit. He struck out a batter to get out of the seventh inning, and he didn't give up any runs. Davey, in my opinion, looked pretty solid out there even though he may have shaky at some parts. Davey made fairly quick work of the Knights when he was on the mound. This was a good job done by him overall.
Chadd Steinborn pitched the last two innings of the ballgame, and he would give up two hits and eventually the winning run to the Knights, but I have to point out that those things are just going to happen. Tip your cap to the North Coast Knights, because they brung it to the Paints in this game even though there was nothing to play for from their perspective aside from team pride, which always matters. Steniborn would strike out three batters in his relief appearance.
For the offense, shortstop Ben Allen had a single and a stolen base. First baseman Kyle Gendron had a bunt single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a bunt single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had an RBI single in the third inning. Right fielder Brandon White had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single. I do have to point out some blunders the Paints made, such as a bases loaded double play that Andy Brouse grounded into in the seventh inning that prevented a run from scoring, and one baserunning blunder by Brandon White in the fourth as he was trying to get back to first base.
However, let's note the absolutely solid defensive effort put out by second baseman Tim Krofcheck. All game long, Tim was simply all over the place. He was diving, hustling to the groundballs hit to him, picking up balls on tough bounces, the whole deal. He turned two incredible double plays that simply dazzled me, and I'm sure many other Paints fans were dazzled as well.
On a soft note, I want to say that a close friend of mine, named Rick, and myself went out to throw out the ceremonial first pitches of the game, and it was amazing to be out there once more. Last year, I was feeling the sting of the fact that the Frontier League Paints were leaving Chillicothe for good, and my first pitch at the end of 2008 sailed past its target and hit the net. This year, at the end of 2009, I was much more poised to properly throw out the first pitch, and from the mound, I threw a decent curveball at Rex Ingham, as it took one bounce to get to him. Rick was thrilled that he got to throw out the first pitch because through 17 years, he had never done it before, so this was a special first for my good buddy.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Smooth Sailing at Pullman
Chillicothe 11, Butler 1
We're still at the home stretch of the regular season. We're still at the nitty gritty of it all, and these games at the end of the season are still important, and this game was no different. The Butler Blue Sox didn't appear to show up for this game as they didn't put in any dents against the Paints. This game was so very well played by the Paints, and the timing for a performance like this was great. This was what the team needed going into the last two games of the regular season.
Tony Bertucci had not made a start in about 12 days, so he had something to prove here when it came to shaking off the rust. Bertucci had a very good start here, giving up no runs at all in 6 innings pitched. He would give up 6 hits and a pair of walks, but he would come back and strike out two guys along the way. Bertucci pitched really well considering the situation with Butler's pitching mound acting up lately. What I mean by that is Pullman Park's pitching mound hasn't had strong rubber for the pitchers to throw off of. A block of wood was put in to soften the blow, so to speak. This isn't a huge issue, at least not for Bertucci, who managed the game quite well.
Crist Linster pitched one inning of relief. He wouldn't give up any hits, but he would plunk two batters and an error by the infield would cause him to give up a run. That run was the only run the Blue Sox would score in this game. Linster recorded a K for good measure. Brad Schnitzer would once again seal the deal for the Paints from the mound, as he pitched two innings of relief, and he gave up just two hits while recording a strikeout.
For the offense, shortstop Ben Allen had two singles. Third baseman Kyle Gendron had two singles and an RBI. Zach Leonard got an RBI off a bases loaded walk. Zach Frentsos had a pinch hit RBI single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single and an RBI. Brandon White got an RBI off a bases loaded walk. Right fielder Eian Banks had an infield single. First baseman Cory maguire had a single and 3 RBI's. He broke the game early on in the first inning to give the Paints a 2-0 lead at the time.
Catcher Kris McDonough had a 3-RBI double in the fourth inning. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had two singles. Overall, this offensive display was very, very impressive, and the team just didn't stop when they were ahead. Thye casually tacked on some runs just to further their lead. I liked what I saw, and this is definitely a good sign considering the Paints are coming back home to V.A. Memorial Stadium to face the North Coast Knights in what's guaranteed to be a must win game for the Knights. A win by the Paints at home tomorrow will clinch the Eastern Division for the "Southern Ohio Stampede", and it will assure them to face the Western Division winner, most likely the Quincy Gems.
We're still at the home stretch of the regular season. We're still at the nitty gritty of it all, and these games at the end of the season are still important, and this game was no different. The Butler Blue Sox didn't appear to show up for this game as they didn't put in any dents against the Paints. This game was so very well played by the Paints, and the timing for a performance like this was great. This was what the team needed going into the last two games of the regular season.
Tony Bertucci had not made a start in about 12 days, so he had something to prove here when it came to shaking off the rust. Bertucci had a very good start here, giving up no runs at all in 6 innings pitched. He would give up 6 hits and a pair of walks, but he would come back and strike out two guys along the way. Bertucci pitched really well considering the situation with Butler's pitching mound acting up lately. What I mean by that is Pullman Park's pitching mound hasn't had strong rubber for the pitchers to throw off of. A block of wood was put in to soften the blow, so to speak. This isn't a huge issue, at least not for Bertucci, who managed the game quite well.
Crist Linster pitched one inning of relief. He wouldn't give up any hits, but he would plunk two batters and an error by the infield would cause him to give up a run. That run was the only run the Blue Sox would score in this game. Linster recorded a K for good measure. Brad Schnitzer would once again seal the deal for the Paints from the mound, as he pitched two innings of relief, and he gave up just two hits while recording a strikeout.
For the offense, shortstop Ben Allen had two singles. Third baseman Kyle Gendron had two singles and an RBI. Zach Leonard got an RBI off a bases loaded walk. Zach Frentsos had a pinch hit RBI single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single and an RBI. Brandon White got an RBI off a bases loaded walk. Right fielder Eian Banks had an infield single. First baseman Cory maguire had a single and 3 RBI's. He broke the game early on in the first inning to give the Paints a 2-0 lead at the time.
Catcher Kris McDonough had a 3-RBI double in the fourth inning. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had two singles. Overall, this offensive display was very, very impressive, and the team just didn't stop when they were ahead. Thye casually tacked on some runs just to further their lead. I liked what I saw, and this is definitely a good sign considering the Paints are coming back home to V.A. Memorial Stadium to face the North Coast Knights in what's guaranteed to be a must win game for the Knights. A win by the Paints at home tomorrow will clinch the Eastern Division for the "Southern Ohio Stampede", and it will assure them to face the Western Division winner, most likely the Quincy Gems.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Long Road To A Win
Chillicothe 7, Butler 3 (12 innings)
Wow. This game was pretty long and just listening to every minute of a game that lasted about four hours would be nerve pinching by all means, but in the end, the Chillicothe Paints still managed to find a way to win a ballgame. I guess that's what happens when you just don't have it easy in the later innings of the game. That's been common for the Paints, to be honest. Many of the games that I've either listened to or watched have involved the Paints being in pressure situations, being in a tight game with teams who have given it their all against them.
This game was fought hard by both teams. The Paints were taking care of business early on, but the Butler Blue Sox were taking care of business later on. This game seemed to have a split personality almost, and I'm not kidding when I assume that. The pace of this game was kind of slow during the regularly scheduled innings, but in the later innings, and then in the long extra innings, the pace of the game picked up a bit, and the intensity kept rising with each passing inning from there on.
Clayton Schulz, way back when, made the start for this game. He would contribute to the team's efforts the best way he could by putting in six innings of work. He would give up 4 walks and 3 hits while recording 7 impressive strikeouts. Schulz was a bit shaky early on, even though he didn't give up a run. He wouldn't give up a run for his start, once again adding to the great season that he's had with the Paints this year, and at the time, things looked good for him to get his seventh win of the year.
The bullpen, on the other hand, had other ideas...
This was the nerve pinching part in this game. It was simply devastating to listen to what happened during the eighth and ninth innings because the Paints were up 3-0 over the Blue Sox at the time, and gradually, the Blue Sox came back and tied the game at 3-3 a piece. Mark Willliams pitched 1 and 1/3 innings, giving up two walks and a hit, while giving up two runs. Krist Linster pitched 1/3 of an inning, giving up a hit. Stephen Shackleford gave up a walk, a hit, and a run, pitching 1 and 1/3 innings. Chadd Steinborn pitched an inning, giving up 3 walks. Brad Schnitzer broke the mold of flawed relief performances and sealed the deal, amazingly, for the Paints. He gave up a hit while striking out a batter.
Surprisingly enough, the offense didn't feature one pinch hitter the entire game, so the starters toughed it out the whole way. Shortstop Ben Allen had two singles and an RBI. DH Kyle Gendron had a single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had two singles and two stolen bases. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two singles and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had two singles and an RBI. First baseman Cory Maguire had an RBI single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single.
This was just a huge win for the Chillicothe Paints. This was what they team needed, for sure. With this win, the Paints now stand tall at 30-21, 3 games ahead of the North Coast Knights for first place in the Eastern Division, and this win officially eliminates the Butler Blue Sox from appearing the Prospect League Championship Series. The four hour wait for this win was definitely worth it.
Wow. This game was pretty long and just listening to every minute of a game that lasted about four hours would be nerve pinching by all means, but in the end, the Chillicothe Paints still managed to find a way to win a ballgame. I guess that's what happens when you just don't have it easy in the later innings of the game. That's been common for the Paints, to be honest. Many of the games that I've either listened to or watched have involved the Paints being in pressure situations, being in a tight game with teams who have given it their all against them.
This game was fought hard by both teams. The Paints were taking care of business early on, but the Butler Blue Sox were taking care of business later on. This game seemed to have a split personality almost, and I'm not kidding when I assume that. The pace of this game was kind of slow during the regularly scheduled innings, but in the later innings, and then in the long extra innings, the pace of the game picked up a bit, and the intensity kept rising with each passing inning from there on.
Clayton Schulz, way back when, made the start for this game. He would contribute to the team's efforts the best way he could by putting in six innings of work. He would give up 4 walks and 3 hits while recording 7 impressive strikeouts. Schulz was a bit shaky early on, even though he didn't give up a run. He wouldn't give up a run for his start, once again adding to the great season that he's had with the Paints this year, and at the time, things looked good for him to get his seventh win of the year.
The bullpen, on the other hand, had other ideas...
This was the nerve pinching part in this game. It was simply devastating to listen to what happened during the eighth and ninth innings because the Paints were up 3-0 over the Blue Sox at the time, and gradually, the Blue Sox came back and tied the game at 3-3 a piece. Mark Willliams pitched 1 and 1/3 innings, giving up two walks and a hit, while giving up two runs. Krist Linster pitched 1/3 of an inning, giving up a hit. Stephen Shackleford gave up a walk, a hit, and a run, pitching 1 and 1/3 innings. Chadd Steinborn pitched an inning, giving up 3 walks. Brad Schnitzer broke the mold of flawed relief performances and sealed the deal, amazingly, for the Paints. He gave up a hit while striking out a batter.
Surprisingly enough, the offense didn't feature one pinch hitter the entire game, so the starters toughed it out the whole way. Shortstop Ben Allen had two singles and an RBI. DH Kyle Gendron had a single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had two singles and two stolen bases. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two singles and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had two singles and an RBI. First baseman Cory Maguire had an RBI single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single.
This was just a huge win for the Chillicothe Paints. This was what they team needed, for sure. With this win, the Paints now stand tall at 30-21, 3 games ahead of the North Coast Knights for first place in the Eastern Division, and this win officially eliminates the Butler Blue Sox from appearing the Prospect League Championship Series. The four hour wait for this win was definitely worth it.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Overcoming Slippery Rock
Chillicothe 4, Slippery Rock 3
Going into this game, you pretty much had the feeling that the Slippery Rock Sliders weren't going away quietly at all no matter what the result was of this contest, and let's be honest, on our turf, at V.A. Memorial Stadium, throughout the course of 2009, the Slippery Rock Sliders have been the team that's had our number when it comes to playing them on our own field. Simply put, that trend had to be bucked for just one night, and especially at this time, since we're wrapping up the season and we're getting into a big melee with the North Coast Knights for first place in the Eastern Division, so we couldn't deal with any more headaches from the Sliders.
Let's get to the pitching performance. The ball was given to Tony Davey for this game, and he hung in there against a team that looked sharp hitting the ball against him all night. Davey would pitch 8 innings of "bend but don't break baseball", and ultimately, he kept the Paints hanging around. He did give up a bittersweet looking homerun early on to let the Sliders take a 1-0 lead with a shot that went over the Budweiser sign of the scoreboard, and he would give up three runs on five hits overall, but he would record an impressive six strikeouts to combat the hard charging Slippery Rock offense, and most of all, he kept the Paints in it. He did just enough to keep the engine going, as some people would say. (I think)
Stephen Shackleford was the only other pitcher who took the mound for the Paints, but he pitched the last inning of the ballgame, and boy, that last inning was definitely, and I'm not kidding when I say this, a heart-racing inning, but for good reasons really. Stephen only gave up a hit. That was it. He emphatically shut the door on the Sliders for good here.
Now let's get to the offense, and before I begin, let me just say that these guys battled so much throughout this game. It can really get hard and confusing as to why you face a certain team so much, and yet you can't seem to break through that certain team and score some runs. The Paints have had that problem for some reason against Slippery Rock at home with the lumber, and for most of this game, it felt like more of the same, but late in the game, the Paints did break through the Sliders' pitching puzzle with the lumber.
Shortstop Ben Allen had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Third baseman Zach Loenard had two singles and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had a single, a double, and a stolen base. Catcher Andrew Marshall had an infield single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a bunt single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a stolen base. While the hits weren't many for the Paints, the hits that they did get in came at the most opportune times. The hits came when they were so desperately needed.
Remember when I said earlier this year, and I've probably said this for a few times by now, but let me say it again. It doesn't matter how many hits the team gets. What truly matters is that whatever hits the team does get, those hits have to count. Those hits have to mean something, as in they have to lead to runs, they have to lead to getting runners over to other bases, and they have to be placed in great spots in the outfield where the outfielders can't reach it.
Things are just getting more interesting now. The Paints have two games to play over the next two days, while the North Coast Knights have to double that and play four games in the next two days, meaning the Knights have to play two doubleheaders right after this night. Then after all that, the Paints will have their final regular season home game against the North Coast Knights on Friday night, at 7:05 PM...probably the biggest game the Paints organization may have in awhile.
Going into this game, you pretty much had the feeling that the Slippery Rock Sliders weren't going away quietly at all no matter what the result was of this contest, and let's be honest, on our turf, at V.A. Memorial Stadium, throughout the course of 2009, the Slippery Rock Sliders have been the team that's had our number when it comes to playing them on our own field. Simply put, that trend had to be bucked for just one night, and especially at this time, since we're wrapping up the season and we're getting into a big melee with the North Coast Knights for first place in the Eastern Division, so we couldn't deal with any more headaches from the Sliders.
Let's get to the pitching performance. The ball was given to Tony Davey for this game, and he hung in there against a team that looked sharp hitting the ball against him all night. Davey would pitch 8 innings of "bend but don't break baseball", and ultimately, he kept the Paints hanging around. He did give up a bittersweet looking homerun early on to let the Sliders take a 1-0 lead with a shot that went over the Budweiser sign of the scoreboard, and he would give up three runs on five hits overall, but he would record an impressive six strikeouts to combat the hard charging Slippery Rock offense, and most of all, he kept the Paints in it. He did just enough to keep the engine going, as some people would say. (I think)
Stephen Shackleford was the only other pitcher who took the mound for the Paints, but he pitched the last inning of the ballgame, and boy, that last inning was definitely, and I'm not kidding when I say this, a heart-racing inning, but for good reasons really. Stephen only gave up a hit. That was it. He emphatically shut the door on the Sliders for good here.
Now let's get to the offense, and before I begin, let me just say that these guys battled so much throughout this game. It can really get hard and confusing as to why you face a certain team so much, and yet you can't seem to break through that certain team and score some runs. The Paints have had that problem for some reason against Slippery Rock at home with the lumber, and for most of this game, it felt like more of the same, but late in the game, the Paints did break through the Sliders' pitching puzzle with the lumber.
Shortstop Ben Allen had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Third baseman Zach Loenard had two singles and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had a single, a double, and a stolen base. Catcher Andrew Marshall had an infield single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a bunt single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a stolen base. While the hits weren't many for the Paints, the hits that they did get in came at the most opportune times. The hits came when they were so desperately needed.
Remember when I said earlier this year, and I've probably said this for a few times by now, but let me say it again. It doesn't matter how many hits the team gets. What truly matters is that whatever hits the team does get, those hits have to count. Those hits have to mean something, as in they have to lead to runs, they have to lead to getting runners over to other bases, and they have to be placed in great spots in the outfield where the outfielders can't reach it.
Things are just getting more interesting now. The Paints have two games to play over the next two days, while the North Coast Knights have to double that and play four games in the next two days, meaning the Knights have to play two doubleheaders right after this night. Then after all that, the Paints will have their final regular season home game against the North Coast Knights on Friday night, at 7:05 PM...probably the biggest game the Paints organization may have in awhile.
Monday, August 3, 2009
For First Place
Chillicothe 4, North Coast 0
To tell you just how important this game turned out to be after the events of yesterday, I will say that this game was clearly important for both teams involved. The Chillicothe Paints and the North Coast Knights both entered this game, on the Knights' turf at the Pipe Yard, in a virtual tie for first place in the East Division. Technically, the Knights held the advantage over the Paints when it came to percentage points, but nonetheless, this game still had first place up for grabs.
This was a game that the Paints needed to have. I take that back.
This was a game that the Paints absolutely needed to have. Thankfully for the loyal fans of Ross County, the Paints found a way to win this ballgame. Paints manager Brian Mannino put it the best after last night's game against Butler when he said that they just need to win ballgames. That's all that matters here, folks. The Paints need to win ballgames from here on out, and it doesn't matter how pretty, or how ugly, those wins turn out to be. A win is a win, simply put.
So how did the pitching do here?
The pitching was fantastic. Credit that mostly to the excellent performance of starting pitcher A.J. Achter. Achter stepped up big time in this game, and he would go on to pitch very deep into this game. He pitched seven innings deep, and in that time, he had one of the best rebounding kind of performances that I have personally heard over the radio.
He did get into some trouble, mind you, but in the end, he had his way with the Knights as his defense helped him out for the most part. Achter gave up five hits, two walks, and plunked two batters, but he didn't give up a single run. He struck out four batters to counter the mishaps. He pitched a solid shutout against the hard charging North Coast Knights. How about that?
Blake Mascarello pitched one inning of relief. He plunked a batter and gave up a walk and a hit, but he struck out two batters. This was a solid relief outing for Mascarello. He did what he had to do. Simply put. Krist Linster was the interesting choice for the ninth inning. He went out there for the final inning and sealed the deal. The pitching was just solid in this game for the Paints. This was clearly a game for the pitching to step up, and they did.
For the offense, Ben Allen had three hits. He had two singles, a double, and two RBI's. Kyle Gendron had a single. Eian Banks had an RBI single. Cory Maguire had an infield single and a normal single. Zach Leonard had a double. Tim Krofcheck had an RBI single. The batters were just great when it came to scoring runs, and I really loved how they just made like gangbusters on some plays. This was a great up tempo game for the offense to deploy.
Although, I do have to say that there was a very bittersweet moment in the fifth inning for the offense. The Paints had runners on first and third with no outs, and they just got three straight outs without even trying to attempt a double steal. This really bugged me a great deal because the opportunity was there for the Paints to possibly get a run out of that double steal attempt, since Ben Allen had decent speed on third base, even though Kyle Gendron doesn't have great speed. That's just me, but hey, a win is a win, and it doesn't matter how you get to that win.
The Paints return home for a game against the Slippery Rock Sliders, a team notoriously known for making things hard for the Paints on their home turf. At the V.A., game time will be normal, at 7:05 PM.
To tell you just how important this game turned out to be after the events of yesterday, I will say that this game was clearly important for both teams involved. The Chillicothe Paints and the North Coast Knights both entered this game, on the Knights' turf at the Pipe Yard, in a virtual tie for first place in the East Division. Technically, the Knights held the advantage over the Paints when it came to percentage points, but nonetheless, this game still had first place up for grabs.
This was a game that the Paints needed to have. I take that back.
This was a game that the Paints absolutely needed to have. Thankfully for the loyal fans of Ross County, the Paints found a way to win this ballgame. Paints manager Brian Mannino put it the best after last night's game against Butler when he said that they just need to win ballgames. That's all that matters here, folks. The Paints need to win ballgames from here on out, and it doesn't matter how pretty, or how ugly, those wins turn out to be. A win is a win, simply put.
So how did the pitching do here?
The pitching was fantastic. Credit that mostly to the excellent performance of starting pitcher A.J. Achter. Achter stepped up big time in this game, and he would go on to pitch very deep into this game. He pitched seven innings deep, and in that time, he had one of the best rebounding kind of performances that I have personally heard over the radio.
He did get into some trouble, mind you, but in the end, he had his way with the Knights as his defense helped him out for the most part. Achter gave up five hits, two walks, and plunked two batters, but he didn't give up a single run. He struck out four batters to counter the mishaps. He pitched a solid shutout against the hard charging North Coast Knights. How about that?
Blake Mascarello pitched one inning of relief. He plunked a batter and gave up a walk and a hit, but he struck out two batters. This was a solid relief outing for Mascarello. He did what he had to do. Simply put. Krist Linster was the interesting choice for the ninth inning. He went out there for the final inning and sealed the deal. The pitching was just solid in this game for the Paints. This was clearly a game for the pitching to step up, and they did.
For the offense, Ben Allen had three hits. He had two singles, a double, and two RBI's. Kyle Gendron had a single. Eian Banks had an RBI single. Cory Maguire had an infield single and a normal single. Zach Leonard had a double. Tim Krofcheck had an RBI single. The batters were just great when it came to scoring runs, and I really loved how they just made like gangbusters on some plays. This was a great up tempo game for the offense to deploy.
Although, I do have to say that there was a very bittersweet moment in the fifth inning for the offense. The Paints had runners on first and third with no outs, and they just got three straight outs without even trying to attempt a double steal. This really bugged me a great deal because the opportunity was there for the Paints to possibly get a run out of that double steal attempt, since Ben Allen had decent speed on third base, even though Kyle Gendron doesn't have great speed. That's just me, but hey, a win is a win, and it doesn't matter how you get to that win.
The Paints return home for a game against the Slippery Rock Sliders, a team notoriously known for making things hard for the Paints on their home turf. At the V.A., game time will be normal, at 7:05 PM.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
It Just Got Away
Butler 6, Chillicothe 2
This game was very competitive. Both teams showed what they could do, and they tried to execute some interesting plays, but only one team had to prevail here, and unfortuantely for the big Paints fans out there, the Butler BlueSox were that team. This was just a game that got away from the home team late. You'd have to say that this game was evenly played by both teams, and neither team wanted to go away quietly, but Butler got in the extra explosives in the final two innings, giving them the victory.
Even though the Chillicothe Paints lost this game, there's no doubt in my mind that you have to tip your cap to the likes of Rex Ingham, who started this game for the Paints. Rex was very, very impressive in this start considering everything that was going on in this game. Rex was like a bulldog here, because he hung in there to face batters and he actually got them out when time was running thin for him in this game. As far as resiliency goes, Ingham was solid, in my opinion.
Rex Ingham would go 7 and 2/3 innings deep in his start, giving up 8 hits and a total of three runs, which of course isn't good, but still, look at the glass half-full for this one, and he would strike out three batters. The good thing about his start was that he didn't give up any walks to the BlueSox, and he wasn't really wild at all. I was pretty amazed that he stayed in this game for this long because usually our starting pitchers would just get out of there after 6 innings or so, but 7 and 1/3 and trying for 8 innings is something to really take note.
Mark Williams pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up just a hit while striking out a batter. Chadd Steinborn was called in to be the stopper for the ninth inning, but as this story goes, he didn't quite hold the BlueSox in check. He gave up three runs off of four hits allowed. This wasn't the best relief appearance made by Steinborn, and all of the momentum that the Paints had mustered to get to the ninth inning supposedly faded away once the BlueSox broke the game wide open. That's just how it goes in baseball, folks. You'll have good days, and then you'll have not so good days.
For the offense, Ben Allen had a single, a stolen base, and got an RBI off a sacrifice fly. Kyle Gendron, playing at first base in this game, had a single. Zach Leonard had a single. Steven Mirizzi had a single. Kris McDonough had a double. Tim Krofcheck had a single and an RBI. What can we take from this offensive performance? Well, I'm not quite sure what happened at certain points because some of the swings felt pretty sudden, and those swings ended up being high fly balls caught for outs. It's interesting in a way because sometimes you just get fooled by certain pitches. It happens to all baseball players, I'm sure.
If you're wondering about what the standings look like in the Prospect League's Eastern Division, then I should let you in on this little tidbit. The North Coast Knights came into this night 1 and 1/2 games behind the Paints for first place, and they played a doubleheader against the Slippery Rock Sliders, and combine this Paints loss to the Knights' doubleheader sweep, then you'll probably have an idea of exactly how tight this race is right now.
This game was very competitive. Both teams showed what they could do, and they tried to execute some interesting plays, but only one team had to prevail here, and unfortuantely for the big Paints fans out there, the Butler BlueSox were that team. This was just a game that got away from the home team late. You'd have to say that this game was evenly played by both teams, and neither team wanted to go away quietly, but Butler got in the extra explosives in the final two innings, giving them the victory.
Even though the Chillicothe Paints lost this game, there's no doubt in my mind that you have to tip your cap to the likes of Rex Ingham, who started this game for the Paints. Rex was very, very impressive in this start considering everything that was going on in this game. Rex was like a bulldog here, because he hung in there to face batters and he actually got them out when time was running thin for him in this game. As far as resiliency goes, Ingham was solid, in my opinion.
Rex Ingham would go 7 and 2/3 innings deep in his start, giving up 8 hits and a total of three runs, which of course isn't good, but still, look at the glass half-full for this one, and he would strike out three batters. The good thing about his start was that he didn't give up any walks to the BlueSox, and he wasn't really wild at all. I was pretty amazed that he stayed in this game for this long because usually our starting pitchers would just get out of there after 6 innings or so, but 7 and 1/3 and trying for 8 innings is something to really take note.
Mark Williams pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up just a hit while striking out a batter. Chadd Steinborn was called in to be the stopper for the ninth inning, but as this story goes, he didn't quite hold the BlueSox in check. He gave up three runs off of four hits allowed. This wasn't the best relief appearance made by Steinborn, and all of the momentum that the Paints had mustered to get to the ninth inning supposedly faded away once the BlueSox broke the game wide open. That's just how it goes in baseball, folks. You'll have good days, and then you'll have not so good days.
For the offense, Ben Allen had a single, a stolen base, and got an RBI off a sacrifice fly. Kyle Gendron, playing at first base in this game, had a single. Zach Leonard had a single. Steven Mirizzi had a single. Kris McDonough had a double. Tim Krofcheck had a single and an RBI. What can we take from this offensive performance? Well, I'm not quite sure what happened at certain points because some of the swings felt pretty sudden, and those swings ended up being high fly balls caught for outs. It's interesting in a way because sometimes you just get fooled by certain pitches. It happens to all baseball players, I'm sure.
If you're wondering about what the standings look like in the Prospect League's Eastern Division, then I should let you in on this little tidbit. The North Coast Knights came into this night 1 and 1/2 games behind the Paints for first place, and they played a doubleheader against the Slippery Rock Sliders, and combine this Paints loss to the Knights' doubleheader sweep, then you'll probably have an idea of exactly how tight this race is right now.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Hanging On In Style
Chillicothe 3, Butler 2
This game featured many interesting moments, and forgive me for saying this, but I can't recall some of those interesting moments, but what I can recall would be moments like Paints first baseman Cory Maguire snatching a short fly ball in mid air to save it from going to the outfield. I can also recall the times where the Paints at least tried to turn two (a double play) in probably the hardest ways imaginable. Plus, I do recall the moment towards the end of the game where the Butler BlueSox started to lose it emotionally and two of their guys got tossed from the ballgame by the home plate umpire, with one of them being a good friend of mine, BlueSox manager Jason Wuerfel.
The Paints made things quick and easy early on in the game when it came to the offense. The pitching started off a bit slow but it picked up at the right time. The Paints got in three runs early, and thankfully for the home team, three would be all the runs that they really needed.
Blake Mascarello made the start for the Paints. He took the mound on the friendly confines of V.. Memorial Stadium and would pitch six innings deep, giving up no runs at all off of two hits and a walk allowed. That was basically it by a pitcher who had previously seen alot of action coming from the bullpen this year. Mascarello struck out four batters, and I have to say that he looked pretty solid in each of those four strikeouts. He had a good day and he kept his team in the game, holding onto that 3-0 lead throughout his start.
Mark Williams pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up two hits, a walk, and a run. He struck out a batter. Tony Davey came into the ballgame and pitched an inning of relief, giving up only a hit. Stephen Shackleford would pitch the rest of the game, going 1 and 1/3 innings, and would get the job done for the Paints, getting the save and sealing the victory for the home team. He gave up a hit, a walk, and a run while striking out a batter.
For the offense, they may have cooled down compared to the other night, but they still did a good job of getting those timely hits in. There's nothing that they did really wrong here. They got in those hits, and they made those hits count. They did what they could in playing situational baseball, and I think they made the most of it even with three runs.
DH Kyle Gendron, batting second in the lineup, had an infield single. First baseman Cory Maguire had a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single and a double. Right fielder Eian Banks got an RBI off a sacrifice fly. Catcher Andrew Marshall had a single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had two singles. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single and a stolen base.
This was another good game played by the Paints. They seemed to have a better jump to their steps as they were fiedling each ball and they clearly made better use of the situations that they were given. This team is getting back to the early days of the year when they were just hitting left and right. I mean, if you look at what's been happening lately at the V.A., then you would know that they're feeling it when they play now.
The BlueSox gave the Paints their best shot, and kudos to Butler for giving us good games throughout the year. They have been keeping us in check along with Slippery Rock and NorthCoast when it comes to extra important games on the schedule. The Paints are inching their way closer to end of the year, and the chances of seeing one more home game at the V.A. is looking better by the day. Stay tuned, folks. This is going to get interesting soon.
By the way, I won the Best Seat In The House promotion tonight, so that meant that I got to have some Papa Johns pizza as a reward. Obviously, I enjoyed the pizza, and I had three good slices, and I gave the other fives away to other Paints fans who were delighted to have some pizza. Hey, I just couldn't finish it, so I think it was a nice thing to do to be a team player for the loyal fans of the Paints and give out some free pizza.
This game featured many interesting moments, and forgive me for saying this, but I can't recall some of those interesting moments, but what I can recall would be moments like Paints first baseman Cory Maguire snatching a short fly ball in mid air to save it from going to the outfield. I can also recall the times where the Paints at least tried to turn two (a double play) in probably the hardest ways imaginable. Plus, I do recall the moment towards the end of the game where the Butler BlueSox started to lose it emotionally and two of their guys got tossed from the ballgame by the home plate umpire, with one of them being a good friend of mine, BlueSox manager Jason Wuerfel.
The Paints made things quick and easy early on in the game when it came to the offense. The pitching started off a bit slow but it picked up at the right time. The Paints got in three runs early, and thankfully for the home team, three would be all the runs that they really needed.
Blake Mascarello made the start for the Paints. He took the mound on the friendly confines of V.. Memorial Stadium and would pitch six innings deep, giving up no runs at all off of two hits and a walk allowed. That was basically it by a pitcher who had previously seen alot of action coming from the bullpen this year. Mascarello struck out four batters, and I have to say that he looked pretty solid in each of those four strikeouts. He had a good day and he kept his team in the game, holding onto that 3-0 lead throughout his start.
Mark Williams pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up two hits, a walk, and a run. He struck out a batter. Tony Davey came into the ballgame and pitched an inning of relief, giving up only a hit. Stephen Shackleford would pitch the rest of the game, going 1 and 1/3 innings, and would get the job done for the Paints, getting the save and sealing the victory for the home team. He gave up a hit, a walk, and a run while striking out a batter.
For the offense, they may have cooled down compared to the other night, but they still did a good job of getting those timely hits in. There's nothing that they did really wrong here. They got in those hits, and they made those hits count. They did what they could in playing situational baseball, and I think they made the most of it even with three runs.
DH Kyle Gendron, batting second in the lineup, had an infield single. First baseman Cory Maguire had a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single and a double. Right fielder Eian Banks got an RBI off a sacrifice fly. Catcher Andrew Marshall had a single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had two singles. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single and a stolen base.
This was another good game played by the Paints. They seemed to have a better jump to their steps as they were fiedling each ball and they clearly made better use of the situations that they were given. This team is getting back to the early days of the year when they were just hitting left and right. I mean, if you look at what's been happening lately at the V.A., then you would know that they're feeling it when they play now.
The BlueSox gave the Paints their best shot, and kudos to Butler for giving us good games throughout the year. They have been keeping us in check along with Slippery Rock and NorthCoast when it comes to extra important games on the schedule. The Paints are inching their way closer to end of the year, and the chances of seeing one more home game at the V.A. is looking better by the day. Stay tuned, folks. This is going to get interesting soon.
By the way, I won the Best Seat In The House promotion tonight, so that meant that I got to have some Papa Johns pizza as a reward. Obviously, I enjoyed the pizza, and I had three good slices, and I gave the other fives away to other Paints fans who were delighted to have some pizza. Hey, I just couldn't finish it, so I think it was a nice thing to do to be a team player for the loyal fans of the Paints and give out some free pizza.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Hottest Game On Turf
Chillicothe 11, Butler 3
This was a great game.
That's how I would sum up this ballgame. Everything that the Chillicothe Paints had to do to win this game went right into place. I simply loved how this game played out. You could take in a game like this because the Paints were clicking on all cylinders. Things just worked. When you're getting into a home stretch kind of schedule for the end of a season, things just happen to pick up a bit. The Eastern Division standings are fairly tight, and knowing that they were up against a hard charging Butler BlueSox team, the Paints handled this beautifully.
Let's start with the pitching and get that out of the way. For the Paints, Eric Heckaman made the start, and I have to say this right now. This had to be one of the best, if not, then probably the best, start I've seen from him this year. Heckaman was firing lasers from the mound against Butler here, and he just continued to take the batters down once he got into a groove. It was fun seeing him get to work.
Heckaman would pitch five innings deep in his start, and he would have trouble when it came to the walks. He gave up one run off five walks and a hit, but thankfully, that was all the damage that he gave up, and considering what the offense would do to help him, it was more than enough for Heckaman to have a good night. He would end up striking out five batters, so there's nothing really wrong at all to point out. He was just great. He was just solid. Good job, Eric.
Brad Schnitzer would be the only relief pitcher who would see action for the Paints in this game, so he would pitch the other four innings fo the game, and he had a good time overall. Schnitzer would give up two hits and two runs, but he would strike out two batters, and he did his job. He got the batters out and never let the BlueSox get back into this game.
Now let's get to the really interesting part of this game...the offense.
In the second inning, shortstop Ben Allen went all the way around the bases for an inside the park homerun, getting a ball hit out to the big gap made by Butler's defense out in right center field. I admit it, I was yelling out loud while Ben was rounding third base and heading for home. I just can't help it because those types of plays are just too exciting not to raise your voice about.
DH Kyle Gendron would have a single and a double. First baseman Cory Maguire would have a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a great night with the bat. He had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had an immense night with the bat. He had an RBI single and then he came back in teh fourth inning and he just ripped a pitch for a three-run homerun shot past left field.
Catcher Andrew Marshall, coming back from nagging leg injuries, had two singles and an RBI. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a good night. He had two singles and an RBI. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had an RBI single. This night just took me back to the nights where this was kind of common for Paints baseball. This was a nice trip down memory lane, and I'm aware that I talk about the Frontier League Paints, but hey, this night was just one of those nights. I was thrilled about this game, and with each passing day, there will be a better chance of the Paints actually being there at the end.
This was a great game.
That's how I would sum up this ballgame. Everything that the Chillicothe Paints had to do to win this game went right into place. I simply loved how this game played out. You could take in a game like this because the Paints were clicking on all cylinders. Things just worked. When you're getting into a home stretch kind of schedule for the end of a season, things just happen to pick up a bit. The Eastern Division standings are fairly tight, and knowing that they were up against a hard charging Butler BlueSox team, the Paints handled this beautifully.
Let's start with the pitching and get that out of the way. For the Paints, Eric Heckaman made the start, and I have to say this right now. This had to be one of the best, if not, then probably the best, start I've seen from him this year. Heckaman was firing lasers from the mound against Butler here, and he just continued to take the batters down once he got into a groove. It was fun seeing him get to work.
Heckaman would pitch five innings deep in his start, and he would have trouble when it came to the walks. He gave up one run off five walks and a hit, but thankfully, that was all the damage that he gave up, and considering what the offense would do to help him, it was more than enough for Heckaman to have a good night. He would end up striking out five batters, so there's nothing really wrong at all to point out. He was just great. He was just solid. Good job, Eric.
Brad Schnitzer would be the only relief pitcher who would see action for the Paints in this game, so he would pitch the other four innings fo the game, and he had a good time overall. Schnitzer would give up two hits and two runs, but he would strike out two batters, and he did his job. He got the batters out and never let the BlueSox get back into this game.
Now let's get to the really interesting part of this game...the offense.
In the second inning, shortstop Ben Allen went all the way around the bases for an inside the park homerun, getting a ball hit out to the big gap made by Butler's defense out in right center field. I admit it, I was yelling out loud while Ben was rounding third base and heading for home. I just can't help it because those types of plays are just too exciting not to raise your voice about.
DH Kyle Gendron would have a single and a double. First baseman Cory Maguire would have a single. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a great night with the bat. He had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had an immense night with the bat. He had an RBI single and then he came back in teh fourth inning and he just ripped a pitch for a three-run homerun shot past left field.
Catcher Andrew Marshall, coming back from nagging leg injuries, had two singles and an RBI. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a single. Center fielder Steven Mirizzi had a good night. He had two singles and an RBI. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had an RBI single. This night just took me back to the nights where this was kind of common for Paints baseball. This was a nice trip down memory lane, and I'm aware that I talk about the Frontier League Paints, but hey, this night was just one of those nights. I was thrilled about this game, and with each passing day, there will be a better chance of the Paints actually being there at the end.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Great Hitting at McBride
Chillicothe 9, Richmond 2
The Chillicothe Paints did a much better job of executing their gameplan in Richmond than they did the other night at Lorain. The team was much more aware of what was going on, and while they did still have a bump or two in the road when it comes to defensive plays, and that's to be expected, they did what they had to do to win. Listening to this game through the internet, I felt like I was reminded of the time that the season just started that the Paints were playing like this, and oddly enough, they got off to a great start against these same River Rats.
One thing I want to note before I get into the game would be that the names of these teams can be confusing, to say the least, so you have to bare with me when I mention some team names. I can often assume some things when it comes to those technicalities. I have been so used to calling the Richmond team as the River Rats, with it being two words, because I felt like that made more sense to me. I don't mean any harm by that, it's just that I become amazed at how the teams are actally named. I guess when you play in a league that features two Sliders teams, a team with a similar color scheme, and teams with combined names, then you'd understand why I'd get just a bit confused.
Anyway, as for the game, Clayton Schulz made the start for the Paints, and when he took the mound at McBride Stadium, the mound wasn't very friendly at first because there was trouble when it came to the softness of the mound. It was too soft, meaning that the mound was wet. The Paints have had a history of getting into trouble with the mound at Richmond for whatever reason, but it just happens.
Schulz would pitch six innings deep in his start, giving up four hits and four walks, and overall, he would only give up one run. He struck out three batters, and I have to say that Schulz has continued to be impressive for me because while he hasn't been overly dominant in his starts, and mind you, he's a year younger than me in age, Clayton has been doing such a splendid job whenever he has been given the ball. He's a gamer, and he might be a guy who could be there for the long haul for any affiliated minor league team in the future if he continues to do well over time.
For the offense, the batters did a great job of getting the timely hits in. Like I said before, the Paints were getting in hits, but they weren't getting in the timely hits. They weren't rising to the occasion when it came to situational baseball. In this game, though, the Paints did a great job of getting the runs in, and at the right times.
Kyle Gendron played at shortstop in this game, and he had two singles and an RBI. Left fielder Andy Brouse had two singles and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had a bunt single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a big 2-RBI double in the third inning. Catcher Kris McDonough, from Ohio University, went deep for a homerun that gave him three RBI's. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a double and an infield single.
This was a much needed win for the Paints because this will help them out in the standings, and don't look now, ladies and gentleman, but the Prospect League is already at their home stretch of the regular season. Looking at the standings, I can pretty much guarantee you, barring a big collapse by them, that the Quincy Gems will indeed represent the Western Division in the Prospect League Championship Series. As for the East, the Paints are still hanging onto the lead, and this upcoming series against the Butler Blue Sox will prove to be the biggest series of the first Prospect League year.
Game time for the Paints and Blue Sox game at V.A. Memorial Stadium will be at 7:05 PM. Be there of be something like a square.
The Chillicothe Paints did a much better job of executing their gameplan in Richmond than they did the other night at Lorain. The team was much more aware of what was going on, and while they did still have a bump or two in the road when it comes to defensive plays, and that's to be expected, they did what they had to do to win. Listening to this game through the internet, I felt like I was reminded of the time that the season just started that the Paints were playing like this, and oddly enough, they got off to a great start against these same River Rats.
One thing I want to note before I get into the game would be that the names of these teams can be confusing, to say the least, so you have to bare with me when I mention some team names. I can often assume some things when it comes to those technicalities. I have been so used to calling the Richmond team as the River Rats, with it being two words, because I felt like that made more sense to me. I don't mean any harm by that, it's just that I become amazed at how the teams are actally named. I guess when you play in a league that features two Sliders teams, a team with a similar color scheme, and teams with combined names, then you'd understand why I'd get just a bit confused.
Anyway, as for the game, Clayton Schulz made the start for the Paints, and when he took the mound at McBride Stadium, the mound wasn't very friendly at first because there was trouble when it came to the softness of the mound. It was too soft, meaning that the mound was wet. The Paints have had a history of getting into trouble with the mound at Richmond for whatever reason, but it just happens.
Schulz would pitch six innings deep in his start, giving up four hits and four walks, and overall, he would only give up one run. He struck out three batters, and I have to say that Schulz has continued to be impressive for me because while he hasn't been overly dominant in his starts, and mind you, he's a year younger than me in age, Clayton has been doing such a splendid job whenever he has been given the ball. He's a gamer, and he might be a guy who could be there for the long haul for any affiliated minor league team in the future if he continues to do well over time.
For the offense, the batters did a great job of getting the timely hits in. Like I said before, the Paints were getting in hits, but they weren't getting in the timely hits. They weren't rising to the occasion when it came to situational baseball. In this game, though, the Paints did a great job of getting the runs in, and at the right times.
Kyle Gendron played at shortstop in this game, and he had two singles and an RBI. Left fielder Andy Brouse had two singles and an RBI. Right fielder Eian Banks had a bunt single. Third baseman Zach Leonard had a big 2-RBI double in the third inning. Catcher Kris McDonough, from Ohio University, went deep for a homerun that gave him three RBI's. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a double and an infield single.
This was a much needed win for the Paints because this will help them out in the standings, and don't look now, ladies and gentleman, but the Prospect League is already at their home stretch of the regular season. Looking at the standings, I can pretty much guarantee you, barring a big collapse by them, that the Quincy Gems will indeed represent the Western Division in the Prospect League Championship Series. As for the East, the Paints are still hanging onto the lead, and this upcoming series against the Butler Blue Sox will prove to be the biggest series of the first Prospect League year.
Game time for the Paints and Blue Sox game at V.A. Memorial Stadium will be at 7:05 PM. Be there of be something like a square.
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