The Rez Life Warriors continued to improve at the plate and pounded out 24 hits in 6 innings en route to a thrilling come-from-behind 19-16 victory over St. Andrew Red this past Thursday. The team battled a strong wind blowing in from right and low 50's temperature but managed to swing hot bats to keep the players warm.
The team saw balanced hitting up and down the lineup as each player contributed at least one hit and eight players had multiple hits. The 2-4 hitters provided much of the spark ripping 10 hits in 12 at bats with 2 doubles and 4 homeruns. Brendan Finn had his second consecutive perfect game at the plate going 4-4 with four runs, three RBI, a double and a dinger. Austin Colby shook off the early season rust and blistered the ball three times going 3-4 with three runs, two RBI and two homers. But, Chris Burr earns Player of the Game honors with his always rock-solid left-center and a two-out three-run bases-loaded double in the last inning to secure the victory. He finished the game 3-4 with three runs, five RBI, a double and a homerun.
The offense came out firing and kept its fortitude after falling behind when St. Andrew went on a 11-1 run. After leading after the first two innings, the Warriors trailed until two outs in the last inning.
In the top of the first, AJ Larson started the game with a liner to right. After an out, Finn doubled to score AJ. After the second out, Lee Valle continued his torrid start with an opposite field stroke plating Finn. Eric Johnson then hit his first of four shots to the left-side of the infield. This one was a smoker that the third-baseman snared nicely but bounced to first allowing Eric and Lee to advance to second and third respectively. Nick Larson then kept the runs coming with a smooth liner to left-center scoring both runners and making it 4-0. Nick was trapped in a run-down on the play but a defensive error allowed him to make it to second unscathed. Dr. Jamy took advantage of the miscue by shooting a run-scoring single up the middle to end the scoring at 5.
In the bottom half of the inning, St. Andrew Red chipped away with one unearned run. A slippery infield caused a bad throw that allowed a runner to reach second base with one out and he later scored on a sacrifice fly to right-center. A strikeout ended the threat, leaving two runners on base.
In the second, Rez Life wasted a one-out single from Jeff Johnson and went down scoreless. St. Andrew again added another run, this time using a couple early walks coupled with a one-out single. Another strikeout and a fine snag by AJ at second ended the inning, 5-2 Rez.
Going into the third, the Warriors got the bats going again as Austin launched a homer to left-center on the first pitch of the inning. Finn followed with a laser-beam single and trotted home as Chris destroyed one to left for a two-run homer. Three fine defensive plays kept the team off base the rest of the inning as Lee and Eric were robbed.
Unfortunately, the hits that didn't fall for Rez in the third, fell for St. Andrew as they exploded for six runs to tie the game at 8. No defensive errors were involved as the St. Andrew bats just knocked five hits and coaxed three walks in the inning.
Tied at 8, the Warriors missed a good opportunity in the top of the fourth, leaving two runners on with the hot-hitting 2, 3, 4 hitters coming up. After another lineout to start the inning from Jamy, Jordan Schumack singled and moved to second on Jon Engbrecht's blooper to center. A fielder's choice to short forced the second out and Jared Valle came up with a huge two-out RBI-single down the line to score Jordan. AJ hit a tough chopper to short which he would have beaten out easily, but the defender made a smart play and got the forceout at second to end the inning.
In the bottom half, St. Andrew knocked out four straight hits after a lead-off groundout. After the hitting spree, the team drew a walk and ripped another run-scoring single to make it 12-9 St. Andrew. The following batter lifted a sacrifice fly to left-center to make it 13-9 after four innings.
Time was beginning to become an issue and the Warriors began to feel a sense of urgency heading into the fifth. Austin again started the inning with a solo homer, wasting a very useful tool for later in the game. Finn followed suit and drilled one out to very deep left-center to make it 13-11 after two swings. Chris singled and moved to second on Lee's second hit of the game. Still no one out, Eric lined a single scoring Chris to make it 13-12 but Lee was caught in a run-down and ultimately tagged out for the first out. A flyout to left-center was the second out and after a single from Jamy, a grounder to third ended the inning and cut short a potentially big rally.
St. Andrew wasted no time getting some more room between the two teams on the scoreboard. The first batter doubled and the second batter blasted a two-run homer to make it 15-12. An excellent stab by Lee at third, a nice play on a grounder by Austin and an excellent catch on a deep fly ball from Chris kept St. Andrew from adding any more runs.
Going into what would be the last inning trailing by three, the Warriors knew they had their backs against the wall. They had some luck initially as Jon reached on a bad throw from the shortstop. But, bad luck came back on the next play as Jeff blooped a floater to center which fell, but was kicked on accident by the centerfielder right to the second baseman who touched second for the forceout. A popout to short was the second out and left the Warriors with a runner on first, two outs and trailing by three. Then, the bats started rolling. AJ singled and was followed by a single from Austin to load the bases for Finn. Finn ripped a single that scored Jeff and kept the bases loaded for Chris. Chris then delivered the big blow, lofting a wind-blown double to right which cleared the bases and gave Rez a 16-15 edge. Lee drew a walk to put two on for Eric and Eric continued to scorch the ball, lining a double down the line scoring Chris and putting runners at second and third. Nick hit a chopper to short but hustled down the line legging out the single and forcing a bad throw which allowed Eric to score after Lee had already come in, making it 19-15. A nice play by the shortstop saved another run, but the Warriors now were pumped up and ready to play defense in what would be the last half inning because of the time limit.
St. Andrew's first batter hit a grounder to Austin who fired to first to get the first out, and you could hear a collective sigh of relief come over the team in the field. The next batter cut the lead to three, 19-16, with a solo homer but Jordan stabbed a grounder up the middle and fired to first for the second out on the next pitch. Austin then ended the game on a nifty little catch up the middle on a slicing pop-up from a lefty, cradling it for the third out over his shoulder.
It was a very nice win and puts Rez at 4-1 in the league, and increased the team's average runs per game to 13 on the season. Of course, that breaks down to 16.25 runs per victory and 0 runs per loss.
With last year's champions Living Word beating Life, the Warriors are now tied for first with Life and have moved within five runs of the league-high.
Next week the team plays at 6:50 again, this time on Field #3 versus St. Andrew Blue. Blue finished just a half game behind the Warriors in last year's standings and beat Rez Life 12-11 in one game. It should be another good contest.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Finn Shines in Dominating 13-2 Victory
Brendan Finn led the Rez Life Warriors to an easy 13-2 victory over Pax Christi last week and helped push the team's record to 3-1 on the season. The 3-1 record is good for 2nd place thus far, trailing only Life Church who sits atop the standings at 4-0. Check out the league standings at this link here: http://www.edenprairie.org/vCurrent/live/article.asp?r=2170 Click on the PDF of Softball Standings in the bottom left column.
Finn blasted two three-run homers and finished the game 3-3 with his other hit being a long single off the wall in left. The team continued its upsurge offensively with 15 hits, five going for extra bases. Lee Valle and Jamy Antoine stayed hot, both hitting triples and going a combined 3-3 with a walk.
The game was never close as Pax scored its only two runs in the top of the first but the Warriors pounced on top with five in the bottom half and never looked back. AJ Larson started the game with a single and moved to third after Jeff Johnson reached base on a throwing error. Finn then sent his first pitch high and deep to left, pushing through the wind for a three-run homer and giving Rez Life the lead for good. After the first out, Austin Colby found his stroke and laced a liner to center and hustled all the way to second for a double. A popout to the pitcher provided the second out but Eric Johnson ripped a single to left to plate Colby. Lee stepped up and drilled a triple to right-center scoring Eric and ending the inning, 5-2 Rez Life.
Pax threatened with two runners on in the top of the second but a nice running catch from Chris Burr ended the inning. Rez added one more run in the third after Jamy laced his third consecutive triple to right field and came home on a Jordan Schumack sacrifice fly.
Again, Pax did nothing in the third but Rez was unable to take advantage, stranding two runners after back-to-back great catches by the left fielder robbed Chris and Austin of extra bases. Jon Engbrecht and Finn each had singles in the inning.
A slick double play and another nice play by Lee made quick work of Pax in the top of the fourth and the Warriors looked to expand on their 6-2 lead in the bottom half. The bats answered scoring seven runs and putting the game away.
Eric started with his second single of the game and moved to second on Lee's single. A forceout and a walk loaded the bases with one out and an error by the shortstop allowed a run to score on a Matt Shuster grounder. Jordan then lifted his second sacrifice fly scoring Nick Larson and AJ singled to score Jamy. Jeff ripped a single up the middle plating Shuster and Finn calmly launched another three-run homer making the score 13-2. Chris and Austin had back-to-back singles to keep things going and after Matt Hanson reached on an error, Eric just got under one, ending the inning with a flyout.
Pax went down quickly after some nice infield defense from the Warriors and the game was ended via 10-run mercy rule after five innings.
The team is now batting .488 as a team while slugging .715, both numbers are down quite a bit from last year. AJ is leading the team at an .800 clip followed by Lee, Matt Shuster and Finn at .750 each.
The new lineup worked out pretty well so we will try it one more time and hopefully we can get through three and half times instead of two and half times. We'll use the same method, rotating the lowest four batting averages between the 2 and 6 holes.
This week's game starts at 6:50 on field #5, which is just north of the high school. St. Andrew Red is the opponent and the Warriors had some tough games against them last year.
Finn blasted two three-run homers and finished the game 3-3 with his other hit being a long single off the wall in left. The team continued its upsurge offensively with 15 hits, five going for extra bases. Lee Valle and Jamy Antoine stayed hot, both hitting triples and going a combined 3-3 with a walk.
The game was never close as Pax scored its only two runs in the top of the first but the Warriors pounced on top with five in the bottom half and never looked back. AJ Larson started the game with a single and moved to third after Jeff Johnson reached base on a throwing error. Finn then sent his first pitch high and deep to left, pushing through the wind for a three-run homer and giving Rez Life the lead for good. After the first out, Austin Colby found his stroke and laced a liner to center and hustled all the way to second for a double. A popout to the pitcher provided the second out but Eric Johnson ripped a single to left to plate Colby. Lee stepped up and drilled a triple to right-center scoring Eric and ending the inning, 5-2 Rez Life.
Pax threatened with two runners on in the top of the second but a nice running catch from Chris Burr ended the inning. Rez added one more run in the third after Jamy laced his third consecutive triple to right field and came home on a Jordan Schumack sacrifice fly.
Again, Pax did nothing in the third but Rez was unable to take advantage, stranding two runners after back-to-back great catches by the left fielder robbed Chris and Austin of extra bases. Jon Engbrecht and Finn each had singles in the inning.
A slick double play and another nice play by Lee made quick work of Pax in the top of the fourth and the Warriors looked to expand on their 6-2 lead in the bottom half. The bats answered scoring seven runs and putting the game away.
Eric started with his second single of the game and moved to second on Lee's single. A forceout and a walk loaded the bases with one out and an error by the shortstop allowed a run to score on a Matt Shuster grounder. Jordan then lifted his second sacrifice fly scoring Nick Larson and AJ singled to score Jamy. Jeff ripped a single up the middle plating Shuster and Finn calmly launched another three-run homer making the score 13-2. Chris and Austin had back-to-back singles to keep things going and after Matt Hanson reached on an error, Eric just got under one, ending the inning with a flyout.
Pax went down quickly after some nice infield defense from the Warriors and the game was ended via 10-run mercy rule after five innings.
The team is now batting .488 as a team while slugging .715, both numbers are down quite a bit from last year. AJ is leading the team at an .800 clip followed by Lee, Matt Shuster and Finn at .750 each.
The new lineup worked out pretty well so we will try it one more time and hopefully we can get through three and half times instead of two and half times. We'll use the same method, rotating the lowest four batting averages between the 2 and 6 holes.
This week's game starts at 6:50 on field #5, which is just north of the high school. St. Andrew Red is the opponent and the Warriors had some tough games against them last year.
Monday, May 14, 2007
NEW LINEUP DECISIONS
After going through two games with a lot of players in attendance, we will start implementing a different method with the lineup. Instead of everyone batting every time through, which hasn't helped us offensively and can make the game feel like it's dragging on, we will instead have 9 or 10 set spots in the order and have the remaining two or three spots rotated between various players.
For example, if we have 14 guys this week, we'll have 11 or 12 spots in the batting order and that means that 4 or 6 players will be rotating a batting position. This way everyone still gets to bat and we can try and get into more of a rythym as a team offensively.
Everyone will get at least one at bat and most likely two at a minimum. That isn't much different then what we've been doing as we've had 11 different players get only two at bats in at least one of the first three games.
The people who will be rotating the 2 or 3 spots in the order will be democratically chosen, by simply using performance numbers. If someone is trending upwards versus downwards, that will be taken into account as well as overall hitting numbers. Depending on which defensive position a person plays, that will affect whether or not he will be in a rotating spot too.
Last year we never had 12 guys and many times had to play with 9 or get subs to complete our team so I don't know how often we'll have to use this method. But, if we do have 12 or more, we will most likely be using this in some form or another.
This won't have a huge effect on how many at bats everyone gets but it should help the team flow quite a bit better. We'll try it out on Thursday and see how it works and go from there.
We'll see everyone on Thursday!!
For example, if we have 14 guys this week, we'll have 11 or 12 spots in the batting order and that means that 4 or 6 players will be rotating a batting position. This way everyone still gets to bat and we can try and get into more of a rythym as a team offensively.
Everyone will get at least one at bat and most likely two at a minimum. That isn't much different then what we've been doing as we've had 11 different players get only two at bats in at least one of the first three games.
The people who will be rotating the 2 or 3 spots in the order will be democratically chosen, by simply using performance numbers. If someone is trending upwards versus downwards, that will be taken into account as well as overall hitting numbers. Depending on which defensive position a person plays, that will affect whether or not he will be in a rotating spot too.
Last year we never had 12 guys and many times had to play with 9 or get subs to complete our team so I don't know how often we'll have to use this method. But, if we do have 12 or more, we will most likely be using this in some form or another.
This won't have a huge effect on how many at bats everyone gets but it should help the team flow quite a bit better. We'll try it out on Thursday and see how it works and go from there.
We'll see everyone on Thursday!!
Bats Awake After 24 Outs Without a Run
After a week of rest, The Warriors finally woke their bats up in the third inning of the contest versus Wooddale on May 10. A week after being shut-out, Rez Life still hadn't pushed a run across until a sacrifice fly in the top of the third inning got the team on the board. In the final three innings, the Warriors added eight more runs en route to a 9-1 victory over Wooddale.
Dr. Jamy Antoine capture his first Player of the Game honors with an outstanding two triple and five RBI performance.
The defense was excellent for all seven innings making just one error in 27 chances. It was perhaps the best the defense has played in the past two years.
The offense was slow to start, leaving five runners on in the first two innings. Wooddale's bats proved to be even more futile as the team went down easily in the first two innings.
In the top of the third, Jordan Schumack lined a triple with one out to get things going. AJ Larson then floated a fly ball out to left-center to plate Jordan with two outs. Elated by finally scoring, the defense made quick work of Wooddale and brought up the offense for the fourth inning.
Brendan Finn singled to start things and after a forceout and a flyout, Lee Valle singled to put runners at first and second. Dr. Jamy then stepped up and drilled a deep ball to center, scoring both runners and giving him his first triple of the game.
Leading 3-0, the defense held off a threat from Wooddale and kept the three-run advantage.
In the top of the fifth, the offense added two more runs to push its lead to 5-0. Matt Shuster started the fifth with his fifth consecutive hit to open the season. He was forced out at second on the next pitch but Jon Engbrecht singled to add another runner. After the second forceout of the inning, Jordan kept things going by reaching on an error to load the bases. AJ poked a single to the oufield scoring a run and Austin Colby plated another run with his hot shot to third base.
Jordan threw another scoreless inning in the bottom half and the offense came up looking to put the game away in the top of the sixth. Chris Burr and Nick Larson led off with back-to-back singles and Lee hit a tough grounder up the middle that was bobbled and then tossed to second to try and get Nick. Initially the umpire ruled him out, but reversed the call and awarded Nick the base. With the bases loaded, the good Doctor stepped up and lined his second triple of the night to right-center, clearing the bases. A wild throw by the shortstop on Jeff Johnson's RBI grounder scored Jamy. Because of miscommunication with the umpire, the inning ended after just two outs, but no major damage was done to the outcome.
After the five-run scoring barrage, the Rez Life defense quickly went through Wooddale's sixth inning and because of time constraints, Wooddale just stayed batting for its half of the seventh. The team managed to scrape together one run on three hits in the seventh, but that was the end of it as Rez Life took the game by a commanding 9-1 margin.
The victory makes the team 2-1 on the year as they face Pax Christi at 5:50 on field 3 this Thursday. Look for the bats to continue their upward trend.
Dr. Jamy Antoine capture his first Player of the Game honors with an outstanding two triple and five RBI performance.
The defense was excellent for all seven innings making just one error in 27 chances. It was perhaps the best the defense has played in the past two years.
The offense was slow to start, leaving five runners on in the first two innings. Wooddale's bats proved to be even more futile as the team went down easily in the first two innings.
In the top of the third, Jordan Schumack lined a triple with one out to get things going. AJ Larson then floated a fly ball out to left-center to plate Jordan with two outs. Elated by finally scoring, the defense made quick work of Wooddale and brought up the offense for the fourth inning.
Brendan Finn singled to start things and after a forceout and a flyout, Lee Valle singled to put runners at first and second. Dr. Jamy then stepped up and drilled a deep ball to center, scoring both runners and giving him his first triple of the game.
Leading 3-0, the defense held off a threat from Wooddale and kept the three-run advantage.
In the top of the fifth, the offense added two more runs to push its lead to 5-0. Matt Shuster started the fifth with his fifth consecutive hit to open the season. He was forced out at second on the next pitch but Jon Engbrecht singled to add another runner. After the second forceout of the inning, Jordan kept things going by reaching on an error to load the bases. AJ poked a single to the oufield scoring a run and Austin Colby plated another run with his hot shot to third base.
Jordan threw another scoreless inning in the bottom half and the offense came up looking to put the game away in the top of the sixth. Chris Burr and Nick Larson led off with back-to-back singles and Lee hit a tough grounder up the middle that was bobbled and then tossed to second to try and get Nick. Initially the umpire ruled him out, but reversed the call and awarded Nick the base. With the bases loaded, the good Doctor stepped up and lined his second triple of the night to right-center, clearing the bases. A wild throw by the shortstop on Jeff Johnson's RBI grounder scored Jamy. Because of miscommunication with the umpire, the inning ended after just two outs, but no major damage was done to the outcome.
After the five-run scoring barrage, the Rez Life defense quickly went through Wooddale's sixth inning and because of time constraints, Wooddale just stayed batting for its half of the seventh. The team managed to scrape together one run on three hits in the seventh, but that was the end of it as Rez Life took the game by a commanding 9-1 margin.
The victory makes the team 2-1 on the year as they face Pax Christi at 5:50 on field 3 this Thursday. Look for the bats to continue their upward trend.
Tough Loss Brings Warriors to .500
The friendly rivalry versus Life Church may have reached a new level as the Rez Life Warriors were shut out on May 3, 12-0. Life took advantage of a couple defensive miscues and played excellent defense en route to the 10-run rule drubbing.
The Warriors have never been beaten so badly and have never been shut out before. This was a tough one to handle all around.
The team mustered just five hits and one walk before the game was called via mercy rule after five innings.
Jason Merritt earned Player of the Game honors with a 2-2 performance while AJ Larson, Brendan Finn and Nick Larson knocked the other three singles. Only two runners reached second base, but both were stranded.
Life opened the scoring with two in the top of the first, using two hits and an error to plate two un-earned runs. Rez Life wasted a lead-off single from AJ in its half of the inning as the next three batters went down in order.
The defense held in the top of the second stranding two runners on base and keeping the score 2-0. However, the Warriors went down without scoring, a pop-up double play ending the inning.
Life used the miscue to its advantage, scoring five in the top of the third with four hits, two walks an error. Trailing 7-0, the Warriors got two men on with two outs, using a single from Jason and a walk from AJ. Austin Colby ended the threat flying out weakly to right-center.
Life smelled blood in the top of the fourth and quickly added five more runs making it 12-0. Life banged out three more hits and used three walks and two Rez Life errors to complete the big inning.
The Warriors knew they had to put some runs on the board soon or it would be over and Finn started the inning with a single. Chris Burr seemed to follow with a single but Life's shortstop made a great play, forcing Finn out at second. Nick then singled to make it first and second with one out. Unfortunately, the following two batters went down in order and the team let a good chance slip away.
Life went down in order in the top of the fifth and Rez Life needed three runs to keep the game alive in the bottom half. After the first two players went down, Jason knocked out his second single of the game, but AJ's sharp grounder up the middle was speared by the pitcher to end the game.
At least the team has a rematch to look forward to. In the meantime, the Warriors will get their bats back in order and try to get back on the winning track.
The Warriors have never been beaten so badly and have never been shut out before. This was a tough one to handle all around.
The team mustered just five hits and one walk before the game was called via mercy rule after five innings.
Jason Merritt earned Player of the Game honors with a 2-2 performance while AJ Larson, Brendan Finn and Nick Larson knocked the other three singles. Only two runners reached second base, but both were stranded.
Life opened the scoring with two in the top of the first, using two hits and an error to plate two un-earned runs. Rez Life wasted a lead-off single from AJ in its half of the inning as the next three batters went down in order.
The defense held in the top of the second stranding two runners on base and keeping the score 2-0. However, the Warriors went down without scoring, a pop-up double play ending the inning.
Life used the miscue to its advantage, scoring five in the top of the third with four hits, two walks an error. Trailing 7-0, the Warriors got two men on with two outs, using a single from Jason and a walk from AJ. Austin Colby ended the threat flying out weakly to right-center.
Life smelled blood in the top of the fourth and quickly added five more runs making it 12-0. Life banged out three more hits and used three walks and two Rez Life errors to complete the big inning.
The Warriors knew they had to put some runs on the board soon or it would be over and Finn started the inning with a single. Chris Burr seemed to follow with a single but Life's shortstop made a great play, forcing Finn out at second. Nick then singled to make it first and second with one out. Unfortunately, the following two batters went down in order and the team let a good chance slip away.
Life went down in order in the top of the fifth and Rez Life needed three runs to keep the game alive in the bottom half. After the first two players went down, Jason knocked out his second single of the game, but AJ's sharp grounder up the middle was speared by the pitcher to end the game.
At least the team has a rematch to look forward to. In the meantime, the Warriors will get their bats back in order and try to get back on the winning track.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
1 Down, 17 To Go
The season opened well for the Rez Life Warriors last Thursday night. The team started its season with a 24-5 shellacking of Immanuel Lutheran. Last year the two teams split contests so it was expected to be a bit more competitive than it was.
Rez Life newcomers had a very good start to the year with Brendan Finn going 4-4 with 4 runs and 3 rbi and Jamy Antoine and Jared Valle adding 3 hits between them.
However, it was a long-time team member that captured the first Player of the Game honor with a 3-3 performance including 2 runs, 3 rbi and 2 hits with runners in scoring position. Matt Shuster earns his first honor of the year by delivering a two-out two-run single that gave Rez Life the lead for good in the top of the second inning.
The team opened the season wtih a single from AJ Larson. After a force-out, Finn doubled home Austin Colby to start the scoring. Chris Burr then singled to score Finn and stake the Warriors to an early 2-0 edge.
In the bottom half of the first, Immanuel answered with two runs of its own, taking advantage of a Warrior miscue. But, Shuster's big two-out hit pushed Rez back on top in the second inning, scoring Antoine and Jon Engbrecht, reaching on a walk and single respectively.
The defense held fast in the bottom of the second, using a double-play to keep Immanuel scoreless, and the Warriors looked to increase their lead in the top of the third. Four singles and a double helped plate five runs, giving the team a 9-2 advantage going into the bottom of the third. AJ started things with a double and came home on Finn's rbi single. Burr singled to put runners at first and second and after the second out, Nick Larson walked to load the bases for Lee Valle. Lee had a tough first at bat and was looking to redeem himself with the bases loaded. He came through lacing a single off the first baseman and legging out the infield hit scoring one run. Jeff Johnson then hit a towering pop-up behind second base that the fielder couldn't handle, allowing two more runs to score. Antoine singled to plate Lee and cap the inning's scoring.
Immanuel smoked the ball pretty well in the third inning, scoring three runs on four hits. That made the score 9-5 going into the fourth. Here is where the Warriors turned it up a notch.
Shuster singled and moved to second on Jared's first career hit. AJ singled to load the bases for last year's MVP, Colby who nearly hit into a double-play, smoking a grounder at the third baseman who stepped on third for one out but was unable to turn two. Finn doubled to score the runner from second and then Burr lined a two-rbi single plating Finn and Colby. A fielder's choice made the second out but Nick wasn't through yet. He ripped a deep drive to dead center that landed on the warning track. He was able to come all the way around to score on the play, for the season's first homerun.
The six-spot gave the team a comfortable 15-5 lead after three and a half innings. Immanuel was a bit shocked and didn't manage much in the bottom of the fourth, going down without scoring.
In the top of the fifth, the Warriors just had fun and batted around while scoring nine times. Antoine singled and moved to second on Jon's walk. Shuster had his third single and after an out, AJ shot his fourth hit to right for an rbi single. Colby then delivered a laser beam to right which bounced high and allowed him to trot all the way home, while plating AJ and Shuster before him. Finn started things again with a single and Burr followed suit with his fourth hit. Eric Johnson got in on the fun with a single scoring Finn. After the second out, Lee drilled a ball to right for a triple plating two. Jeff singled to score Lee and end the scoring at 24.
Immanuel went down quietly in the bottom half, stranding two runners and ending the game after five innings.
The team banged out 25 hits and drew 4 walks in the opener, even with two of last year's top hitters going a combined 2-8. Finn, Burr, and AJ all had four hits while Shuster had a perfect 3-3 day as well.
The Warriors now take on long-time rival Life Church this Thursday at 8:50 on field #3. These two teams have played against each other several times the past 5 years and Thursday's game should be a fun one.
Rez Life newcomers had a very good start to the year with Brendan Finn going 4-4 with 4 runs and 3 rbi and Jamy Antoine and Jared Valle adding 3 hits between them.
However, it was a long-time team member that captured the first Player of the Game honor with a 3-3 performance including 2 runs, 3 rbi and 2 hits with runners in scoring position. Matt Shuster earns his first honor of the year by delivering a two-out two-run single that gave Rez Life the lead for good in the top of the second inning.
The team opened the season wtih a single from AJ Larson. After a force-out, Finn doubled home Austin Colby to start the scoring. Chris Burr then singled to score Finn and stake the Warriors to an early 2-0 edge.
In the bottom half of the first, Immanuel answered with two runs of its own, taking advantage of a Warrior miscue. But, Shuster's big two-out hit pushed Rez back on top in the second inning, scoring Antoine and Jon Engbrecht, reaching on a walk and single respectively.
The defense held fast in the bottom of the second, using a double-play to keep Immanuel scoreless, and the Warriors looked to increase their lead in the top of the third. Four singles and a double helped plate five runs, giving the team a 9-2 advantage going into the bottom of the third. AJ started things with a double and came home on Finn's rbi single. Burr singled to put runners at first and second and after the second out, Nick Larson walked to load the bases for Lee Valle. Lee had a tough first at bat and was looking to redeem himself with the bases loaded. He came through lacing a single off the first baseman and legging out the infield hit scoring one run. Jeff Johnson then hit a towering pop-up behind second base that the fielder couldn't handle, allowing two more runs to score. Antoine singled to plate Lee and cap the inning's scoring.
Immanuel smoked the ball pretty well in the third inning, scoring three runs on four hits. That made the score 9-5 going into the fourth. Here is where the Warriors turned it up a notch.
Shuster singled and moved to second on Jared's first career hit. AJ singled to load the bases for last year's MVP, Colby who nearly hit into a double-play, smoking a grounder at the third baseman who stepped on third for one out but was unable to turn two. Finn doubled to score the runner from second and then Burr lined a two-rbi single plating Finn and Colby. A fielder's choice made the second out but Nick wasn't through yet. He ripped a deep drive to dead center that landed on the warning track. He was able to come all the way around to score on the play, for the season's first homerun.
The six-spot gave the team a comfortable 15-5 lead after three and a half innings. Immanuel was a bit shocked and didn't manage much in the bottom of the fourth, going down without scoring.
In the top of the fifth, the Warriors just had fun and batted around while scoring nine times. Antoine singled and moved to second on Jon's walk. Shuster had his third single and after an out, AJ shot his fourth hit to right for an rbi single. Colby then delivered a laser beam to right which bounced high and allowed him to trot all the way home, while plating AJ and Shuster before him. Finn started things again with a single and Burr followed suit with his fourth hit. Eric Johnson got in on the fun with a single scoring Finn. After the second out, Lee drilled a ball to right for a triple plating two. Jeff singled to score Lee and end the scoring at 24.
Immanuel went down quietly in the bottom half, stranding two runners and ending the game after five innings.
The team banged out 25 hits and drew 4 walks in the opener, even with two of last year's top hitters going a combined 2-8. Finn, Burr, and AJ all had four hits while Shuster had a perfect 3-3 day as well.
The Warriors now take on long-time rival Life Church this Thursday at 8:50 on field #3. These two teams have played against each other several times the past 5 years and Thursday's game should be a fun one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
