Butler 7, Chillicothe 3
For this game at Butler Pullman Park, the Chillicothe Paints and the Butler Blue Sox were going at it for quite some time, but when things got going, the Blue Sox kept up with the pace, and the Paints weren't able to respond. When it comes to the field surfaces of Pullman Park, the two separate surfaces did play some sort of factor in this game, though I must admit, it didn't play a huge factor. The main factor was that the pitching didn't come up with the stops for the Paints when they needed to have them. It's hard to really describe it because this game was back and forth until the seventh inning.
Starting pitcher A.J. Achter was battling all throughout his start. He was being such a competitor out there doing whatever he could to keep the Paints in the game, but there came a time where everything was just dropped like a net full of dodge balls in a school gym. Once again, I'm not very good at making analogies, but I guess you could say the weight was beginning to be too much for Achter once he got deeper into his start.
It also didn't help that the umpiring for this game was once again below par. I try not to get picky these days because of the fact that this is just a collegiate baseball league, and the atmosphere is kind of toned down, but I still have to say that the umpires need to stop changing the strike zone for the teams who are playing. It almost seems like they switch from one strike zone to another for different teams. I'm not saying that they intentionally do this, but I don't think they're aware that they're doing this.
As for Achter, he did a good job for the most part until the chaotic seventh inning. He pitched 6 innings deep into his start, and he would give up 5 runs off 6 hits allowed. He would also give up 4 walks. It was just an up and down start for Achter, as in there were times that he was looking really good, but then he would start to struggle at other times. Give the Blue Sox credit here. They did what they had to do to get to Achter, and if I may say so, they picked the greatest time to get to Achter because they were down 3-2 to the Paints after Eian Banks went deep for a solo homerun.
Krist Linster got rocked in his outing, going 2/3 of an inning and giving up three hits and a walk. He would give up two runs. Brad Schnitzer would also get into the game in relief, but he got in at a time when the smoke was clearing. The 5 run rally made by the Blue Sox in the seventh inning was all that mattered when you talk about the final score.
Now with the offense, Kyle Galbraith had three singles and an RBI. Ben Allen scorched a sacrifice fly that would drive in a run. Andrew Marshall would get in two singles. Kyle Gendron had a single. Eian Banks went deep for a solo homerun shot in the top of the seventh inning, and this solo homerun was special in that it cleared the left field fence. The left field foul pole is listed at 347 feet, so it's not short by any means. The very fact that Eian Banks cleared that long distance is an interesting feat for sure. I was amazed to hear the call from Greg Bigam at first. It was really surprising. When was the last year the Paints had to deal with a foul pole that was deeper than 335 feet?
I could tell that strategy was at work for this game. Blue Sox manager Jason Wuerfel did a great job of directing traffic for his own pitching staff. Jason has experience from being a coach with the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League, and I believe that he's going to do great things for the Butler Blue Sox in the future. I can't blame my hometown manager Brian Mannino for questioning the calls made by the umpires. He had every right to question the calls because he had very good views of the strike zone himself. This hasn't been the first time that Mannino has questioned umpire calls. He has done this throughout the year.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Red Hot Pitching at The Jack
Chillicothe 5, Slippery Rock 0
The competitive fire was burning for the Chillicothe Paints in this game, and so much so that the pitching staff especially showed some amazing fire from the mound, as the three pitchers who took that mound all did remarkable jobs in doing what they needed to do to help get the Paints a win here. Rest assured, I try not to exagerate anything because I know that the Slippery Rock Sliders were competing as well. I even tip my cap to those guys as they have really given the Paints tough times during this year, but thankfully for Paints fans, this game wasn't a rough time for the Paints.
Let's start with our starter Clayton Schultz. The youngster who is playing for North Florida University, had a great start. I believe that I can type this down with great assurance that this had to be one of Schulz's best starts so far this year. This win happens to be his fifth win of the year, so he's now 5-1 on the season.
Now if you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Schulz was definitely a catalyst for bringing the proverbial heat. He went 6 innings deep and gave up 5 hits and 4 walks, but the best thing is he didn't surrender a single run. Lest we forget about the strikeouts, Clayton Schulz had 9 of them here. I have to say that ever since I first saw him, I have been very impressed by the way Schulz can manage a game from the mound. He has that certain poise about himself that comes along with being an all-around gamer. When you develop as an athlete, and in this case, a baseball player, it's really good to know having someone like Schulz be impressive thus far this year
Now let's go to Eric Heckaman. Now Heckaman, on the other hand, has been on a roller coaster of sorts when it comes to the quality of his appearances. He has been on and off, to be more specific. Heckaman gave the team two innings of work, and he only gave up one hit. He would strike out a trio of batters, and the best thing is that he did his job. If you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Eric Heckaman did his part as well, being the second catalyst of the group.
Finally, here's Stephen Shackleford. Now of course, his first name and my first name are spelled differently, but that's nothing to worry about at all, since we're both pulling for the same team, and he's playing on it. Shackleford pitched the ninth inning and he just flat out blew away the Slippery Rock Sliders almost like a leaf blower does against a pile of leaves on the ground. He struck out the side with three consecutive strikeouts to secure the win for the Paints. Overall, the pitching staff had one of their best games this year, bar none. Again, I can type that statement down with great assurance.
Don't forget about the offense because you need some hitting to help get you to victory as well. Center fielder Kyle Galbraith had an RBI double in the fourth inning. Shortstop Ben Allen had an RBI bunt single in the sixth inning. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a double. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two singles. First baseman Kyle Gendron had a double. Right fielder Eian Banks had an RBI single. Third baseman Kyle Leonard had a single and got an RBI off a sacrfice fly in the second inning. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a bunt single, a stolen base, and got an RBI off a sacrifice fly of his own in the fourth inning.
This game was amazing to listen to. True, it may not have been a no-hitter kind of game, but it doesn't need to be anything like that to be amazing. This was exciting, and I have to give a ton of credit to all facets of the Paints for making this game that good entertainment wise. I liked what I heard and it reminded me of those simpler times that I had when I was at the V.A. in late 2005. Those were great times, and I guess you could say that slowly, but surely, we're getting back to those times. This is beginning to get more special, folks.
The competitive fire was burning for the Chillicothe Paints in this game, and so much so that the pitching staff especially showed some amazing fire from the mound, as the three pitchers who took that mound all did remarkable jobs in doing what they needed to do to help get the Paints a win here. Rest assured, I try not to exagerate anything because I know that the Slippery Rock Sliders were competing as well. I even tip my cap to those guys as they have really given the Paints tough times during this year, but thankfully for Paints fans, this game wasn't a rough time for the Paints.
Let's start with our starter Clayton Schultz. The youngster who is playing for North Florida University, had a great start. I believe that I can type this down with great assurance that this had to be one of Schulz's best starts so far this year. This win happens to be his fifth win of the year, so he's now 5-1 on the season.
Now if you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Schulz was definitely a catalyst for bringing the proverbial heat. He went 6 innings deep and gave up 5 hits and 4 walks, but the best thing is he didn't surrender a single run. Lest we forget about the strikeouts, Clayton Schulz had 9 of them here. I have to say that ever since I first saw him, I have been very impressed by the way Schulz can manage a game from the mound. He has that certain poise about himself that comes along with being an all-around gamer. When you develop as an athlete, and in this case, a baseball player, it's really good to know having someone like Schulz be impressive thus far this year
Now let's go to Eric Heckaman. Now Heckaman, on the other hand, has been on a roller coaster of sorts when it comes to the quality of his appearances. He has been on and off, to be more specific. Heckaman gave the team two innings of work, and he only gave up one hit. He would strike out a trio of batters, and the best thing is that he did his job. If you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Eric Heckaman did his part as well, being the second catalyst of the group.
Finally, here's Stephen Shackleford. Now of course, his first name and my first name are spelled differently, but that's nothing to worry about at all, since we're both pulling for the same team, and he's playing on it. Shackleford pitched the ninth inning and he just flat out blew away the Slippery Rock Sliders almost like a leaf blower does against a pile of leaves on the ground. He struck out the side with three consecutive strikeouts to secure the win for the Paints. Overall, the pitching staff had one of their best games this year, bar none. Again, I can type that statement down with great assurance.
Don't forget about the offense because you need some hitting to help get you to victory as well. Center fielder Kyle Galbraith had an RBI double in the fourth inning. Shortstop Ben Allen had an RBI bunt single in the sixth inning. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a double. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two singles. First baseman Kyle Gendron had a double. Right fielder Eian Banks had an RBI single. Third baseman Kyle Leonard had a single and got an RBI off a sacrfice fly in the second inning. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a bunt single, a stolen base, and got an RBI off a sacrifice fly of his own in the fourth inning.
This game was amazing to listen to. True, it may not have been a no-hitter kind of game, but it doesn't need to be anything like that to be amazing. This was exciting, and I have to give a ton of credit to all facets of the Paints for making this game that good entertainment wise. I liked what I heard and it reminded me of those simpler times that I had when I was at the V.A. in late 2005. Those were great times, and I guess you could say that slowly, but surely, we're getting back to those times. This is beginning to get more special, folks.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Paints Lose A Tough One
Hannibal Cavemen 2, Chillicothe Paints 1 (10 innings)
The Hannibal Cavemen went to Chillicothe, Ohio to take in their very first game at V.A. Memorial Stadium, and while there may have been bumps in the road for them in this ballgame, the Cavemen stuck in there and got the victory in the only extra inning of the game. For both teams, it was close. There weren't many runs scored and the competitive juices were definitely flowing for the Cavemen and for the Paints.
The key word for this game has to be "competitive." Both teams showed the resiliency needed to keep battling away. This was a game that had to be enjoyed by the hometown fans in spite of the less than great result to it. The crowd for this game was just wonderful. I could hear it all around the place that the crowd was into this game, and for good reason. The simple fact that the promotion for this game was Dime-A-Dog Night really brought out the masses. Once again, a new record was set at V.A. Memorial Stadium for the most hot dogs sold in a game. There were over 4,700 hot dogs sold. That just goes to show you that when you have a successful promotional pitch, you would know that you will keep that promotion.
Myself and other family members were on hand to watch this game, and we had so much fun, like always. Rex Ingham tookthe mound for the start. Rex went 8 innings deep in his start, giving up 7 hits and no walks at all, while recording four strikeouts. He only gave up one run in this game, and it was only a solo homerun shot early on. He looked to have great command of his pitches. He did establish some kind of a presence beacuse he did fool a few Cavemen batters during some of their at-bats.
Chadd Steinborn pitched in relief of Ingham and he did a marvelous job in the ninth inning. He struck out a pair of batters and gave up no runs at all. There was a point that seven consecutive pitches thrown by Steinborn in his outing were indeed strikes. In comparison, Mark Williams struggled in his outing in the tenth and final inning of the game. He gave up three hits and the eventual winning run to Hannibal. Of course, this was something that the people of Chillicothe may not have liked to see, but the situation was getting tough, especially for a game in the Prospect League, as we're all aware by now.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith, making his first appearance back at third base since a while ago, did a good job in this game. He had an RBI double, a single, and a stolen base. Shortstop Ben Allen had two singles, with one of them being of the infield variety, and a stolen base. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single and a stolen base. To be pretty honest, the lineup was like a roller coaster here. There were some really bright moments for the offense, and then there were at least fairly dull moments for the offense. As hit and miss as they were, the offense did try to get things going in this game, it's just that some of the execution wasn't there.
Now I would like to inform the readers that the Prospect League All-Star Game is just around the horizon, with the horizon being a whole week full. I have been wondering recently about which Paints players should be on the Eastern Division all-star team. I think it's a tough one to call because not many players have pulled away from the pack. I seem to take note of Ben Allen, Clayton Schulz, and Andrew Marshall a great deal during my reports, so I have to believe that those three players will be in the conversation. I hope for the best for our team, because all I want is representation. That's really the only thing I'm looking for. More details about the all-star break are sure to be on the way.
The Hannibal Cavemen went to Chillicothe, Ohio to take in their very first game at V.A. Memorial Stadium, and while there may have been bumps in the road for them in this ballgame, the Cavemen stuck in there and got the victory in the only extra inning of the game. For both teams, it was close. There weren't many runs scored and the competitive juices were definitely flowing for the Cavemen and for the Paints.
The key word for this game has to be "competitive." Both teams showed the resiliency needed to keep battling away. This was a game that had to be enjoyed by the hometown fans in spite of the less than great result to it. The crowd for this game was just wonderful. I could hear it all around the place that the crowd was into this game, and for good reason. The simple fact that the promotion for this game was Dime-A-Dog Night really brought out the masses. Once again, a new record was set at V.A. Memorial Stadium for the most hot dogs sold in a game. There were over 4,700 hot dogs sold. That just goes to show you that when you have a successful promotional pitch, you would know that you will keep that promotion.
Myself and other family members were on hand to watch this game, and we had so much fun, like always. Rex Ingham tookthe mound for the start. Rex went 8 innings deep in his start, giving up 7 hits and no walks at all, while recording four strikeouts. He only gave up one run in this game, and it was only a solo homerun shot early on. He looked to have great command of his pitches. He did establish some kind of a presence beacuse he did fool a few Cavemen batters during some of their at-bats.
Chadd Steinborn pitched in relief of Ingham and he did a marvelous job in the ninth inning. He struck out a pair of batters and gave up no runs at all. There was a point that seven consecutive pitches thrown by Steinborn in his outing were indeed strikes. In comparison, Mark Williams struggled in his outing in the tenth and final inning of the game. He gave up three hits and the eventual winning run to Hannibal. Of course, this was something that the people of Chillicothe may not have liked to see, but the situation was getting tough, especially for a game in the Prospect League, as we're all aware by now.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith, making his first appearance back at third base since a while ago, did a good job in this game. He had an RBI double, a single, and a stolen base. Shortstop Ben Allen had two singles, with one of them being of the infield variety, and a stolen base. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a single and a stolen base. To be pretty honest, the lineup was like a roller coaster here. There were some really bright moments for the offense, and then there were at least fairly dull moments for the offense. As hit and miss as they were, the offense did try to get things going in this game, it's just that some of the execution wasn't there.
Now I would like to inform the readers that the Prospect League All-Star Game is just around the horizon, with the horizon being a whole week full. I have been wondering recently about which Paints players should be on the Eastern Division all-star team. I think it's a tough one to call because not many players have pulled away from the pack. I seem to take note of Ben Allen, Clayton Schulz, and Andrew Marshall a great deal during my reports, so I have to believe that those three players will be in the conversation. I hope for the best for our team, because all I want is representation. That's really the only thing I'm looking for. More details about the all-star break are sure to be on the way.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Paints Cruise By Rats
Chillicothe 5, Richmond 2
First off, let's get to saying that this weekend featured patriotism to the greatest extent. This happened to be the 4th of July weekend, and for all of us Americans, the meaning for this weekend was simple. The 4th of July marked the birth date of the country that we currently live in today. The songs that were sung before the game and during the seventh inning put it to perspective. The National Anthem and God Bless America hit it home for us. We should be thankful for what we have and the opportunities we have to just live our lives. That's one important thing that unfortunately some people forget along the way. You have to tip your cap to the soldiers who are currently fighting overseas.
Now let's get down to business. Let's talk about the game that was played. This game was just great, and it was fitting for what the Paints could do. The Paints were once again back to their fundamental executing ways, being the Southern Ohio Stampede that they have been for most of this year. I saw a lot of good plays made by the defense. I saw a lot of good timely hitting by the offense. I saw good bunting when it was absolutely needed. I saw clutch pitching from the mound. I saw a packed crowd at V.A. Memorial Stadium cheering on their hometown team. This was a good day for baseball, simply put.
Tony Bertucci took the mound for the Paints. In his start, Bertucci went 6 and 1/3 innings deep, and gave up only two runs. He gave up four hits and a walk in this game, but he came back to shut down Richmond's batters, striking out five. This was a great day for Bertucci. He was rolling for a little bit at one point. It was great to see him do what he does best. He looked pretty comfortable out on the mound, too. He was challenging the opposing batters and he was holding his own. Tony didn't have many problems aside from a few.
I have to say that even though he's playing for the other team, I really like Richmond catcher Tyler Bullock. He has been impressive at the plate, much to the joy of Richmond fans of course, but even I can say that he's going to be something special if he becomes a mainstay for the River Rats for the next few years. Of course, college elligibility is almost always 4 years long, but still, Bullock has become fun to watch as an opposing player.
In fact, I have even given him a nickname to boot, and I hope if he's reading this he likes the nickname. I call him the "Big Pickup Truck". I don't know why Bullock reminds me of a truck, but I feel that's a good nickname, and this is all in good fun anyway.
Let's get back to the Paints, and to their offense. Kyle Galbraith had a single. Ben Allen had a single. Andy Brouse had a bunt single. Eian Bamks had an infield single and a bunt single. Kyle Gendron had a single and a two-RBI double. Kyle Leonard had a single off a hit and run attempt. DH Brandon White had an RBI single. Time Krofcheck had a single. Overall, this was a great day for the offense. Things were just clicking, Execution was definitely the key here. I loved the bunt attempts because they were very appropiate for the situations at hand. I always like it when small ball is played, but I think when you guys read my other articles, you would know that already.
We are approaching the halfway point of the very first Prospect League season, and it seems to me like the Chillicothe Paints are in a pretty good spot right now considering all of the bumps in the road that the team may have run into. The Paints are currently leading the Eastern Division by a couple of games, and the fight for second place in that division seems to be gathering more debate than the race for first, but that's not out of the question for any teams in the Eastern Division. In the Western Division, the Quincy Gems have unsurprsingly been on a roll this year, continuing from their great success in the previous college wood bat league, the CICL. They have a more comfortable lead out in the wild, wild Western Division.
First off, let's get to saying that this weekend featured patriotism to the greatest extent. This happened to be the 4th of July weekend, and for all of us Americans, the meaning for this weekend was simple. The 4th of July marked the birth date of the country that we currently live in today. The songs that were sung before the game and during the seventh inning put it to perspective. The National Anthem and God Bless America hit it home for us. We should be thankful for what we have and the opportunities we have to just live our lives. That's one important thing that unfortunately some people forget along the way. You have to tip your cap to the soldiers who are currently fighting overseas.
Now let's get down to business. Let's talk about the game that was played. This game was just great, and it was fitting for what the Paints could do. The Paints were once again back to their fundamental executing ways, being the Southern Ohio Stampede that they have been for most of this year. I saw a lot of good plays made by the defense. I saw a lot of good timely hitting by the offense. I saw good bunting when it was absolutely needed. I saw clutch pitching from the mound. I saw a packed crowd at V.A. Memorial Stadium cheering on their hometown team. This was a good day for baseball, simply put.
Tony Bertucci took the mound for the Paints. In his start, Bertucci went 6 and 1/3 innings deep, and gave up only two runs. He gave up four hits and a walk in this game, but he came back to shut down Richmond's batters, striking out five. This was a great day for Bertucci. He was rolling for a little bit at one point. It was great to see him do what he does best. He looked pretty comfortable out on the mound, too. He was challenging the opposing batters and he was holding his own. Tony didn't have many problems aside from a few.
I have to say that even though he's playing for the other team, I really like Richmond catcher Tyler Bullock. He has been impressive at the plate, much to the joy of Richmond fans of course, but even I can say that he's going to be something special if he becomes a mainstay for the River Rats for the next few years. Of course, college elligibility is almost always 4 years long, but still, Bullock has become fun to watch as an opposing player.
In fact, I have even given him a nickname to boot, and I hope if he's reading this he likes the nickname. I call him the "Big Pickup Truck". I don't know why Bullock reminds me of a truck, but I feel that's a good nickname, and this is all in good fun anyway.
Let's get back to the Paints, and to their offense. Kyle Galbraith had a single. Ben Allen had a single. Andy Brouse had a bunt single. Eian Bamks had an infield single and a bunt single. Kyle Gendron had a single and a two-RBI double. Kyle Leonard had a single off a hit and run attempt. DH Brandon White had an RBI single. Time Krofcheck had a single. Overall, this was a great day for the offense. Things were just clicking, Execution was definitely the key here. I loved the bunt attempts because they were very appropiate for the situations at hand. I always like it when small ball is played, but I think when you guys read my other articles, you would know that already.
We are approaching the halfway point of the very first Prospect League season, and it seems to me like the Chillicothe Paints are in a pretty good spot right now considering all of the bumps in the road that the team may have run into. The Paints are currently leading the Eastern Division by a couple of games, and the fight for second place in that division seems to be gathering more debate than the race for first, but that's not out of the question for any teams in the Eastern Division. In the Western Division, the Quincy Gems have unsurprsingly been on a roll this year, continuing from their great success in the previous college wood bat league, the CICL. They have a more comfortable lead out in the wild, wild Western Division.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The Long Ball Isn't Enough
Richmond 7, Chillicothe 4
Here's how you can make a summary of this game between the Chillicothe Paints and the Richmond River Rats; the Paints were the team who made the big noise at the start, but the River Rats were the team who made the big noise at the end. Rest assured, the start of this game was very promising for the hometown crowd at the V.A. as the Paints made like gangbusters early, but the gangbusters were gone as it got closer to the end. The middle innings were where the River Rats started to take over momentum-wise.
Blake Mascarello made the start for the Paints. He would go 5 innings deep in his start, giving up a pair of runs off of 6 hits allowed. He would give up three walks and would strike out a pair of batters. Mascarello did a good job for the most part. There were some pitches that were off but they weren't too hazardous for Blake. He began to lose steam when he got closer to the end of his start.
Eric Heckaman was brought in to face the team that has previously given him the most trouble this year. Heckaman did not fare well again when he pitched to Richmond batters. You could say that he was just out there for too long. When you know that your relief pitcher is not up to his tip-top shape in performance, then you have to know what's going on score-wise, and you also have to know if the other team "gets it" against that relief pitcher. It looked as if all of teh above happened, and Heckaman didn't get the support he needed. He pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up 4 runs in total while also giving up two hits and four walks.
Brad Schnitzer and Krist Linster would also see some action in this ballgame, but I believe the main thing that I have to note would be this.
The umpiring.
The strike zone calls, to be more exact.
I have no idea what was going on there, but throughout this game, you could tell that something just wasn't right with the strikes and balls being called for the Paints. Maybe in some cases, the River Rats were getting hurt on these same calls as well, but still, the Paints were really getting shafted on a few calls that could've gotten either way, and also on some pitches that looked good enough to be called strikes. The strike zone was a bit too outside for my liking, and that of course is just my personal opinion, folks. Needless to say, I just wasn't happy with the umpires in this game.
Let's get to the offense, and let's just say that they did provide early fireworks in the form of two big homeruns to center field and to left center field. Credit the fireworks display to two players, catcher Andrew Marshall and Andy Brouse. Marshall went deep for a two-run homerun. Brouse went deep for a solo homerun, and both of those came in the first inning. The last run the Paints would score for this game would come off a bases loaded walk in the third inning. Eian Banks had an infield single and Brandon White had a single coming off the bench as a pinch hitter. Steven Mirizzi had a pair of stolen bases. Tim Krofcheck had one stolen base.
This game was just tough to watch towards the end. It got dicey, and the dice just didn't roll the right way for the Paints. Oh well, we have to look towards the next game, and besides, this day was filled with patriotism since it was Independence Day. I wish all of you people a Happy 4th of July no matter where you are. Stay safe and have fun the best way you know how, and just maybe, you went to a baseball game!
Here's how you can make a summary of this game between the Chillicothe Paints and the Richmond River Rats; the Paints were the team who made the big noise at the start, but the River Rats were the team who made the big noise at the end. Rest assured, the start of this game was very promising for the hometown crowd at the V.A. as the Paints made like gangbusters early, but the gangbusters were gone as it got closer to the end. The middle innings were where the River Rats started to take over momentum-wise.
Blake Mascarello made the start for the Paints. He would go 5 innings deep in his start, giving up a pair of runs off of 6 hits allowed. He would give up three walks and would strike out a pair of batters. Mascarello did a good job for the most part. There were some pitches that were off but they weren't too hazardous for Blake. He began to lose steam when he got closer to the end of his start.
Eric Heckaman was brought in to face the team that has previously given him the most trouble this year. Heckaman did not fare well again when he pitched to Richmond batters. You could say that he was just out there for too long. When you know that your relief pitcher is not up to his tip-top shape in performance, then you have to know what's going on score-wise, and you also have to know if the other team "gets it" against that relief pitcher. It looked as if all of teh above happened, and Heckaman didn't get the support he needed. He pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up 4 runs in total while also giving up two hits and four walks.
Brad Schnitzer and Krist Linster would also see some action in this ballgame, but I believe the main thing that I have to note would be this.
The umpiring.
The strike zone calls, to be more exact.
I have no idea what was going on there, but throughout this game, you could tell that something just wasn't right with the strikes and balls being called for the Paints. Maybe in some cases, the River Rats were getting hurt on these same calls as well, but still, the Paints were really getting shafted on a few calls that could've gotten either way, and also on some pitches that looked good enough to be called strikes. The strike zone was a bit too outside for my liking, and that of course is just my personal opinion, folks. Needless to say, I just wasn't happy with the umpires in this game.
Let's get to the offense, and let's just say that they did provide early fireworks in the form of two big homeruns to center field and to left center field. Credit the fireworks display to two players, catcher Andrew Marshall and Andy Brouse. Marshall went deep for a two-run homerun. Brouse went deep for a solo homerun, and both of those came in the first inning. The last run the Paints would score for this game would come off a bases loaded walk in the third inning. Eian Banks had an infield single and Brandon White had a single coming off the bench as a pinch hitter. Steven Mirizzi had a pair of stolen bases. Tim Krofcheck had one stolen base.
This game was just tough to watch towards the end. It got dicey, and the dice just didn't roll the right way for the Paints. Oh well, we have to look towards the next game, and besides, this day was filled with patriotism since it was Independence Day. I wish all of you people a Happy 4th of July no matter where you are. Stay safe and have fun the best way you know how, and just maybe, you went to a baseball game!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Paints Win In Richmond
Chillicothe 6, Richmond 2
The Chillicothe Paints made this road trip count. This road trip did the team a bit of good as they managed to win 3 out of 4 on this road trip. This year, the road has proven to be quite kind to the Paints as they have had hardly any problems in handling their opponents whenever they score a certain amount of runs. They faced a familiar foe, back in the friendly confines of Don McBride Stadium in Richmond, Indiana, the River Rats opposed them once again.
Tony Davey gave up 7 hits and would give up 2 runs in 7 innings of work. Did he have a hard time during his start? Of course, there were some moments where you could pause for concern, but overall, Davey did just fine. He did a good job of getting the River Rats out right when he needed to. Along with giving up just a walk on the side, Davey wasn't too shabby on the mound at all. He had good help in the form of the Paints' defense and even Davey himself made a couple of plays on defense.
Mark Williams was the only other pitcher to see action for the Paints in this game, but no other pitcher would be needed because Williams got the job done in his two innings of relief work. He gave up a pair of hits and a walk. Make no mistake about it, the Paints were on their A-game here, and their A-game has been the most present whenever they have faced Richmond, whether back at home at V.A. Memorial Stadium or at Don McBride Stadium. I guess that's what happens when the ball just bounces in your favor against certain opponents.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith had two singles. Ben Allen had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two doubles and two RBI's. Cory Maguire had a single, a double, and three RBI's. Eian Banks had a single. DH Zach Frentsos had a bunt single. Kyle Gendron had a single. Steven Mirizzi had a double. Both the third and fourth innings were very much explosive in this game, and how fitting I mention that because Independence Day is just around the corner as I type this report down. The Paints were clicking on all cylinders on offense. This reminded me of the opening week or so for the Paints ballclub.
It goes without saying that the Paints have handled themselves well on this recent trip into parts of the Western Division. Rest assured, there were going to be challenges along the way as the Paints faced these clubs, but overall, they will be coming to Chillicothe looking just fine and dandy. I wish I had more to say on this trip. There's just not much material to write about these days. I could talk about the other night against the Hannibal Cavemen that there weren't any phone lines at the Cavemen's ballpark (how ironic), and that I couldn't listen to the game between the Paints and the Cavemen at all. No worries, though. I guess that's just life in a new college wooden bat league for you...when you try to connect the dots about how your new league is going to operate, and then you find out that you have plenty of bugs to sort out. Yeah, you kind of get that feeling in year one.
The Paints return home for the Fourth of July, so get ready for a big celebration!
Also, get ready for a special report I have planned for a certain former Paints player. Stay tuned.
The Chillicothe Paints made this road trip count. This road trip did the team a bit of good as they managed to win 3 out of 4 on this road trip. This year, the road has proven to be quite kind to the Paints as they have had hardly any problems in handling their opponents whenever they score a certain amount of runs. They faced a familiar foe, back in the friendly confines of Don McBride Stadium in Richmond, Indiana, the River Rats opposed them once again.
Tony Davey gave up 7 hits and would give up 2 runs in 7 innings of work. Did he have a hard time during his start? Of course, there were some moments where you could pause for concern, but overall, Davey did just fine. He did a good job of getting the River Rats out right when he needed to. Along with giving up just a walk on the side, Davey wasn't too shabby on the mound at all. He had good help in the form of the Paints' defense and even Davey himself made a couple of plays on defense.
Mark Williams was the only other pitcher to see action for the Paints in this game, but no other pitcher would be needed because Williams got the job done in his two innings of relief work. He gave up a pair of hits and a walk. Make no mistake about it, the Paints were on their A-game here, and their A-game has been the most present whenever they have faced Richmond, whether back at home at V.A. Memorial Stadium or at Don McBride Stadium. I guess that's what happens when the ball just bounces in your favor against certain opponents.
For the offense, Kyle Galbraith had two singles. Ben Allen had two singles, a double, and an RBI. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two doubles and two RBI's. Cory Maguire had a single, a double, and three RBI's. Eian Banks had a single. DH Zach Frentsos had a bunt single. Kyle Gendron had a single. Steven Mirizzi had a double. Both the third and fourth innings were very much explosive in this game, and how fitting I mention that because Independence Day is just around the corner as I type this report down. The Paints were clicking on all cylinders on offense. This reminded me of the opening week or so for the Paints ballclub.
It goes without saying that the Paints have handled themselves well on this recent trip into parts of the Western Division. Rest assured, there were going to be challenges along the way as the Paints faced these clubs, but overall, they will be coming to Chillicothe looking just fine and dandy. I wish I had more to say on this trip. There's just not much material to write about these days. I could talk about the other night against the Hannibal Cavemen that there weren't any phone lines at the Cavemen's ballpark (how ironic), and that I couldn't listen to the game between the Paints and the Cavemen at all. No worries, though. I guess that's just life in a new college wooden bat league for you...when you try to connect the dots about how your new league is going to operate, and then you find out that you have plenty of bugs to sort out. Yeah, you kind of get that feeling in year one.
The Paints return home for the Fourth of July, so get ready for a big celebration!
Also, get ready for a special report I have planned for a certain former Paints player. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Shriver Dominates Paints
Springfield 3, Chillicothe 1
At certain times, you just can't explain why a certain opposing player has your number. Whenever you face that opposing player, things just happen. Things have happened for the Paints whenever they have faced Springfield Sliders starting pitcher Phil Shriver, but these things are not good things for the Paints. For over 14 consecutive innings played against Shriver, the Chillicothe Paints haven't scored a single run against him. That's exactly what you call domination. You have to tip your cap to Phil Shriver for his masterful work against Chillicothe's offense. This is simply a wonderful job done by him, and there's no doubt that Springfield fans should be happy of his work.
For Clayton Schulz, the starting pitcher for the Paints in this ballgame, it wasn't so much about the hits that he gave up although they all do count just the same, it really had more to do with Schulz giving up two walks to certain batters that lead to a good amount of damage made by the Sliders. In 6 innings pitched, Schulz would give up 3 earned runs and would allow 5 hits. He struck out a couple batters, but compared to the lights out performance by Phil Shriver, Schulz was understandably outdone. Schulz wasn't bad at all in his start, he just wasn't as affective, and it could be noticed.
Brad Schnitzer would pitch in relief of Schulz and would pitch an inning, striking out two batters and giving up no hits at all. This was a solid outing for Schnitzer. Krist Linster would pitch an inning of relief himself, and would give up three hits and a walk, but he didn't give up any runs.
For the offense, they were simply getting dominated by Shriver. It was just a long game for them, but you could understand why. Shriver is executing his gameplan against the Paints, and he's doing it with ease. Shriver would strike out 5 consecutive Paints batters between the first and second innings. Kyle Galbraith batted leadoff and would get in two singles. Galbraith was probably one of few batters who actually saw Shriver's pitches well. Shortstop Ben Allen had a single. Catcher Andrew Marshall also had a good game against Shriver, as he had a pair of singles. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single. Eian Banks had an infield single.
I know that some of these baseball pills are hard to swallow, and I don't consider myself a doctor when it comes to the game of baseball, but I know that when we were beat, we were beat. It just happened, but it's nothing to get upset about. Everything will settle themselves out soon. Teams will just have these kind of games. Speaking of someone who had a knack for dominating the Paints almost regularly, in the Frontier League, Aaron Ledbetter made it a huge habit of dominating the Paints almost every time he took the mound to face them. I remember thinking to myself sometimes that I should expect it whenever I saw that Ledbetter was scheduled to face us.
However, you know what they say, in baseball, things just happen.
At certain times, you just can't explain why a certain opposing player has your number. Whenever you face that opposing player, things just happen. Things have happened for the Paints whenever they have faced Springfield Sliders starting pitcher Phil Shriver, but these things are not good things for the Paints. For over 14 consecutive innings played against Shriver, the Chillicothe Paints haven't scored a single run against him. That's exactly what you call domination. You have to tip your cap to Phil Shriver for his masterful work against Chillicothe's offense. This is simply a wonderful job done by him, and there's no doubt that Springfield fans should be happy of his work.
For Clayton Schulz, the starting pitcher for the Paints in this ballgame, it wasn't so much about the hits that he gave up although they all do count just the same, it really had more to do with Schulz giving up two walks to certain batters that lead to a good amount of damage made by the Sliders. In 6 innings pitched, Schulz would give up 3 earned runs and would allow 5 hits. He struck out a couple batters, but compared to the lights out performance by Phil Shriver, Schulz was understandably outdone. Schulz wasn't bad at all in his start, he just wasn't as affective, and it could be noticed.
Brad Schnitzer would pitch in relief of Schulz and would pitch an inning, striking out two batters and giving up no hits at all. This was a solid outing for Schnitzer. Krist Linster would pitch an inning of relief himself, and would give up three hits and a walk, but he didn't give up any runs.
For the offense, they were simply getting dominated by Shriver. It was just a long game for them, but you could understand why. Shriver is executing his gameplan against the Paints, and he's doing it with ease. Shriver would strike out 5 consecutive Paints batters between the first and second innings. Kyle Galbraith batted leadoff and would get in two singles. Galbraith was probably one of few batters who actually saw Shriver's pitches well. Shortstop Ben Allen had a single. Catcher Andrew Marshall also had a good game against Shriver, as he had a pair of singles. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a single. Eian Banks had an infield single.
I know that some of these baseball pills are hard to swallow, and I don't consider myself a doctor when it comes to the game of baseball, but I know that when we were beat, we were beat. It just happened, but it's nothing to get upset about. Everything will settle themselves out soon. Teams will just have these kind of games. Speaking of someone who had a knack for dominating the Paints almost regularly, in the Frontier League, Aaron Ledbetter made it a huge habit of dominating the Paints almost every time he took the mound to face them. I remember thinking to myself sometimes that I should expect it whenever I saw that Ledbetter was scheduled to face us.
However, you know what they say, in baseball, things just happen.
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