The Resurrection Life Warriors took a commanding hold on fourth place last week with a 15-4 thrashing of EPAG. EPAG had been neck and neck with Rez, but with the victory the Warriors swept the season series.
Rez now sits just a half game out of third and two games out of second. With a strong finish, second place is still very much a possibility.
The offense came out firing Thursday with six quick runs in the first inning. Andy Briggs, Jason Merritt and Austin Colby all singled to start the game. That loaded the bases for Eric Johnson who roped a ball to deep left for his first of three sacrifice flies. Lee Valle followed with an RBI single to score Jason and Jamy Antoine lofted a sacrifice fly, one of his two on the day. Jordan Schumack doubled to push Lee to third with two outs and Jeff Johnson deposited a ball over the left-center field fence for a three-run banger, giving the Warriors a 6-0 edge.
EPAG went down without scoring in the bottom half but Rez stranded two runners in the top of the second and the score remained 6-0 in the bottom of the second inning. EPAG again couldn't muster any offense as the league-leading Warrior defense made quick and easy work of the EPAG bats.
The top of third saw Rez Life score one more run, using a leadoff triple from Jamy who scored on Jordan's rbi-groundout.
Trailing 7-0, EPAG got on the board with one run in the bottom of the third using a walk, taking an extra base on a single that Austin bobbled in centerfield, and a groundout.
It proved to be too little as the Warriors slammed the door shut with four more runs in the top of the fourth to build an insurmountable 11-1 edge. After the first two batters went down in order, Eric drew a walk to start the two-out rally. Lee followed with a walk and Jamy brought home Eric with a single. Jordan singled to load the bases for hot-man Jeff, who coaxed his second walk of the game to score Lee. Adam Hey provided the big blow, knocking out a two-run single plating Jamy and Jordan and capping the inning's scoring binge.
EPAG didn't roll over though and came back wtih two runs in the bottom of the fourth. EPAG knocked out three singles and drew two walks during the inning. Rez added one more run in the top of the fifth as Austin doubled with one out and raced home on a deep flyball out from Eric. Eric's clean sacrifice fly made it 12-3 Warriors.
EPAG didn't score in the bottom half and the Warriors had a chance to put the 10-run in effect in the top of the sixth, but failed to do so, stranding a single from Jordan and Jeff's third walk.
EPAG scored one run in the bottom half, knocking out a triple and scoring on a grounder. Up 12-4 heading into the final inning, the Warriors added three runs for good measure. Andy walked to start things and moved to second on Jason's single. Austin's third hit of the game loaded the bases for Eric, who again lifted a sac fly. Lee singled to score Jason and Jamy answered Eric's sac fly with his second to score Austin and end the game's runs, 15-4 Rez Life.
Jeff earns Player of the Game for his extremely efficient performance. He finished 1-1 with one run scored, four rbi, including a three-run homer and drew three walks. It is Jeff's second honor on the season.
Rez Life now has a doubleheader against league-leader Living Word at 5:50 on field #2 and follows that up against St. Andrew Blue on field #3. Living Word and Rez Life have split games so far this season so Thursday's game will be for bragging rights. The Warriors have not yet played St. Andrew Blue but did have their way with them last season, posting two 20-run innings in two contests.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Rez Stops Immanuel Machine
Immanuel had been shredding through the league, winning eight straight games in impressive fashion. Until Resurrection Life showed up that is. Rez used its uncomparable defense to slow the Immanuel bats and take the 10-7 victory.
The offense showed signs that it could be getting back into a groove, smoking several balls throughout the game. Although the team managed just 17 hits, it hit at least another half dozen right on the nose. Jamy Antoine led the offensive charge smacking out three hits including double while scoring one run and driving home two. He also had an assist in right field en route to Player of the Game honors.
It didn't start well for the offense as Andy Briggs, Jason Merritt, and Austin Colby started the game with conecutive flyouts to right-center. Immanuel then came out and scored one in the bottom half to go ahead 1-0 after one inning.
In the top of the second, Rez pushed six runs across to take the lead for good. Eric Johnson walked to start things and moved to third on Jordan Schumack's infield single and throwing error by the pitcher. With runners at second and third, Jamy lined his first single of the game to left to score Eric. Lee Valle followed with a single to score Jordan. A deep Jeff Johnson flyout moved Jamy to third base with one out. Adam Hey then scorched one at the shortstop who made a nice play to get a forceout at second. Jamy scored on the grounder for the third run of the inning. Andy singled and Jason lined a single to load the bases for Austin. Austin came through lining one to left-center scoring two. Eric followed suit, plating Jason with a shot to left. The inning was cut short as the shortstop made a very nice play on Jordan's line drive.
The infield defense made quick work of Immanuel in the bottom of the second and Rez took a 6-1 lead into the third. Jamy doubled to start the inning but the offense couldn't get anything else going. Two more hard-hit balls went for nothing as Immanuel played good defense.
Immanuel stranded two runners in the bottom of the third and the Warriors added one more run to their lead in the fourth. Jason singled and after Austin was robbed of a sure triple, Eric walked to advance Jason. Jordan flew out and Jamy singled to score Jason. Immanuel went scoreless again in the bottom of the fourth.
Rez took the wind out of Immanuel's sails in the top of the fifth, pushing three runs across and taking a commanding 10-1 lead with two innings left. Jeff singled to start the inning, but tweaked his quad in the process. Adam hit another laser beam but right at the shortstop for the first out. Andy lofted a deep fly ball to center for out number two. The Warriors then ran off four straight hits with two outs to score three. Jason singled and Austin lined one to left-center that scooted to the wall, scoring Jeff and Jason. Eric singled to plate Austin and Jordan drove one to deep left for a double but Eric was cut down at home for the final out.
Trailing 10-1, Immanuel scored one run in the bottom of the fifth. Immanuel knocked out three hits and had two runners on as its four hitter drove one to the track in right, but Jamy was there to snag it and end the threat.
Rez didn't score in the top of the sixth and Immanuel added one in the bottom of the sixth, but it would have been more if not for Jamy gunning a runner down at second base for the first out.
Rez looked to add some insurance runs in the top of the seventh but was unable to, stranding a lone single from Austin.
The bottom of the seventh got interesting as Immanuel plated four runs and had the winning run at the plate before a forceout ended the game. The leadoff hitter tripled and scored on a single to make it 10-4. The three hitter lined one down the leftfield line but Jason made a fine catch for the first out. A lot of pressure was then relieved as the big four hitter popped out to Jeff for the second out. The following three hitters hit bleeders into the outfield to score one more and load the bases. A walk forced home another run to make it 10-6. One more single cut the lead to three for the Warriors, but Lee handled a grounder and tossed to Eric at second to end the game, 10-7 Rez.
The big victory pushes Rez back into fourth place at 8-5. Immanuel, who tied its next game, fell into third place at 9-4-1. Life is now in second place with a very solid 11-3 record. Next week, Rez can eliminate EPAG from 2nd place contention as the two teams meet at 5:50 on field #4.
The offense showed signs that it could be getting back into a groove, smoking several balls throughout the game. Although the team managed just 17 hits, it hit at least another half dozen right on the nose. Jamy Antoine led the offensive charge smacking out three hits including double while scoring one run and driving home two. He also had an assist in right field en route to Player of the Game honors.
It didn't start well for the offense as Andy Briggs, Jason Merritt, and Austin Colby started the game with conecutive flyouts to right-center. Immanuel then came out and scored one in the bottom half to go ahead 1-0 after one inning.
In the top of the second, Rez pushed six runs across to take the lead for good. Eric Johnson walked to start things and moved to third on Jordan Schumack's infield single and throwing error by the pitcher. With runners at second and third, Jamy lined his first single of the game to left to score Eric. Lee Valle followed with a single to score Jordan. A deep Jeff Johnson flyout moved Jamy to third base with one out. Adam Hey then scorched one at the shortstop who made a nice play to get a forceout at second. Jamy scored on the grounder for the third run of the inning. Andy singled and Jason lined a single to load the bases for Austin. Austin came through lining one to left-center scoring two. Eric followed suit, plating Jason with a shot to left. The inning was cut short as the shortstop made a very nice play on Jordan's line drive.
The infield defense made quick work of Immanuel in the bottom of the second and Rez took a 6-1 lead into the third. Jamy doubled to start the inning but the offense couldn't get anything else going. Two more hard-hit balls went for nothing as Immanuel played good defense.
Immanuel stranded two runners in the bottom of the third and the Warriors added one more run to their lead in the fourth. Jason singled and after Austin was robbed of a sure triple, Eric walked to advance Jason. Jordan flew out and Jamy singled to score Jason. Immanuel went scoreless again in the bottom of the fourth.
Rez took the wind out of Immanuel's sails in the top of the fifth, pushing three runs across and taking a commanding 10-1 lead with two innings left. Jeff singled to start the inning, but tweaked his quad in the process. Adam hit another laser beam but right at the shortstop for the first out. Andy lofted a deep fly ball to center for out number two. The Warriors then ran off four straight hits with two outs to score three. Jason singled and Austin lined one to left-center that scooted to the wall, scoring Jeff and Jason. Eric singled to plate Austin and Jordan drove one to deep left for a double but Eric was cut down at home for the final out.
Trailing 10-1, Immanuel scored one run in the bottom of the fifth. Immanuel knocked out three hits and had two runners on as its four hitter drove one to the track in right, but Jamy was there to snag it and end the threat.
Rez didn't score in the top of the sixth and Immanuel added one in the bottom of the sixth, but it would have been more if not for Jamy gunning a runner down at second base for the first out.
Rez looked to add some insurance runs in the top of the seventh but was unable to, stranding a lone single from Austin.
The bottom of the seventh got interesting as Immanuel plated four runs and had the winning run at the plate before a forceout ended the game. The leadoff hitter tripled and scored on a single to make it 10-4. The three hitter lined one down the leftfield line but Jason made a fine catch for the first out. A lot of pressure was then relieved as the big four hitter popped out to Jeff for the second out. The following three hitters hit bleeders into the outfield to score one more and load the bases. A walk forced home another run to make it 10-6. One more single cut the lead to three for the Warriors, but Lee handled a grounder and tossed to Eric at second to end the game, 10-7 Rez.
The big victory pushes Rez back into fourth place at 8-5. Immanuel, who tied its next game, fell into third place at 9-4-1. Life is now in second place with a very solid 11-3 record. Next week, Rez can eliminate EPAG from 2nd place contention as the two teams meet at 5:50 on field #4.
Warriors Split to Start Second Half
Rez Life split a doubleheader coming out of the All-Star break, beating Wooddale 13-5 but falling to 2nd place Life 6-2. The defense again was excellent, proving its honor of being named the top defense in the league at the midway point.
In game one, the Warriors relied heavily on their 5-man infield's brilliance. The left side of Andy Briggs and Lee Valle combined for seven assists without an error. Lee Valle earned his first player of the game, contributing four assists and a putout at thirdbase in the finest doubleheader I have seen from the hot corner. Lee also drew three walks in four plate appearances.
While the offense scored 13 runs, it never got going and only managed 13 hits. Both pitchers struggled finding the zone as there were 17 combined walks in the game. Five people had two hits, led by Austin Colby who went 2-2 with two runs scored, five RBI, a double and a three-run homerun. Jeff Johnson also had a perfect game at the plate, going 2-2 with two runs, two rbi and a homerun.
In the top of the first, the squad jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Andy Briggs and Jason Merritt started the game with back-to-back singles. Austin then plate Andy with a double off the wall. After the first out, Jordan Schumack singled to score Jason and Austin. Jamy Antoine singled and the bases were loaded on Lee's walk. Jeff lofted a sacrifice fly to score Jordan and closed the inning's scoring.
Wooddale scraped together one run in the bottom half using two walks and a single. Leading 4-1, Rez Life added two more runs in the second. Adam Hey doubled to start things and trotted home on Jason's one-out double. Jason smartly advanced to third on the throw home and jogged home on Austin's sac fly. Eric Johnson singled but was left standing on first as the inning ended.
In the bottom of the second, Wooddale came charging back into the game with three runs to make it 6-4. Five walks and a single led to the big inning. The Warriors were shutout in the top of the third leaving Lee and Jeff on base. Wooddale also went down scoreless making it 6-4 in the top of the fourth.
Rez added one in the fourth as Andy, Austin, and Eric walked to load the bases and Jordan walked to score Andy. A sharply-hit grounder turned into a double play to end the potential big inning.
Wooddale went down one, two, three in the bottom half as Lee had two assists and a putout at third.
Leading just 7-4, Rez looked to expand that lead in the fifth frame. Lee walked to start things and moved to second on Jeff's walk. After back-to-back outs, the two-out offense kicked it into gear. Andy doubled scoring both runners and Jason walked to put two on for Austin. Austin lined a three-run homer to dead center to make it 12-4 and give Rez a nice cushion.
Wooddale didn't score in the fifth and the sixth inning started as the final inning due to time constraints. With two outs and no one on, Jeff launched his second homer of the season to left to give Rez its 13th run.
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In the last half of the sixth, Wooddale put together one run on three hits and a walk to make it 13-5. Eric, Andy, and Jason all added two hits in the game. Jordan had three rbi.
The nightcap was not nearly as fruitful for the Warrior bats, as the team scored just two runs on seven hits in seven innings. Life wasn't much better knocking out just 11 hits in its seven innings, but translating that into six runs and a victory.
Life went down one, two, three to start the game and Rez grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom half. Andy singled and moved to third on Jason's double. With runners at second and third for Austin and Eric, the night took an ominous turn for the worse as Austin hit his first infield popout of the season and Eric managed just a groundout to score Andy.
Life stranded a leadoff double in the second and Rez came to bat with a 1-0 lead in the bottom half. However, Rez went down in order for the first of fiv times in the game. The seven hits that the Warriors had were all from the top four hitters in the lineup. During the game Rez made eight consecutive outs at one point and seven at another.
Both teams were scoreless again in the third inning but Life took the lead for good in the top of the fourth. Life started the four-run inning single, double, dinger. The offense added another run later on with three more singles.
Rez still couldn't muster any offense going scoreless in the fourth and fifth and Life padded its lead with two more runs in the top of the sixth. Trailing 6-1, the Warriors did plate one run in the bottom of the sixth. Andy lined his third single of the game to center, moved to second on Austins' second hit and scored on Eric's rbi single.
That was it for the offense as the bats went down in order in the seventh. Andy earned POG with his 3-3 performance including scoring both runs.
The 1-1 night puts Rez's record at 7-5 and in fifth place in the league. Next week the Warriors wll face Immanuel who has won eight games in a row and sits in second place with a record of 9-3.
In game one, the Warriors relied heavily on their 5-man infield's brilliance. The left side of Andy Briggs and Lee Valle combined for seven assists without an error. Lee Valle earned his first player of the game, contributing four assists and a putout at thirdbase in the finest doubleheader I have seen from the hot corner. Lee also drew three walks in four plate appearances.
While the offense scored 13 runs, it never got going and only managed 13 hits. Both pitchers struggled finding the zone as there were 17 combined walks in the game. Five people had two hits, led by Austin Colby who went 2-2 with two runs scored, five RBI, a double and a three-run homerun. Jeff Johnson also had a perfect game at the plate, going 2-2 with two runs, two rbi and a homerun.
In the top of the first, the squad jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Andy Briggs and Jason Merritt started the game with back-to-back singles. Austin then plate Andy with a double off the wall. After the first out, Jordan Schumack singled to score Jason and Austin. Jamy Antoine singled and the bases were loaded on Lee's walk. Jeff lofted a sacrifice fly to score Jordan and closed the inning's scoring.
Wooddale scraped together one run in the bottom half using two walks and a single. Leading 4-1, Rez Life added two more runs in the second. Adam Hey doubled to start things and trotted home on Jason's one-out double. Jason smartly advanced to third on the throw home and jogged home on Austin's sac fly. Eric Johnson singled but was left standing on first as the inning ended.
In the bottom of the second, Wooddale came charging back into the game with three runs to make it 6-4. Five walks and a single led to the big inning. The Warriors were shutout in the top of the third leaving Lee and Jeff on base. Wooddale also went down scoreless making it 6-4 in the top of the fourth.
Rez added one in the fourth as Andy, Austin, and Eric walked to load the bases and Jordan walked to score Andy. A sharply-hit grounder turned into a double play to end the potential big inning.
Wooddale went down one, two, three in the bottom half as Lee had two assists and a putout at third.
Leading just 7-4, Rez looked to expand that lead in the fifth frame. Lee walked to start things and moved to second on Jeff's walk. After back-to-back outs, the two-out offense kicked it into gear. Andy doubled scoring both runners and Jason walked to put two on for Austin. Austin lined a three-run homer to dead center to make it 12-4 and give Rez a nice cushion.
Wooddale didn't score in the fifth and the sixth inning started as the final inning due to time constraints. With two outs and no one on, Jeff launched his second homer of the season to left to give Rez its 13th run.
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In the last half of the sixth, Wooddale put together one run on three hits and a walk to make it 13-5. Eric, Andy, and Jason all added two hits in the game. Jordan had three rbi.
The nightcap was not nearly as fruitful for the Warrior bats, as the team scored just two runs on seven hits in seven innings. Life wasn't much better knocking out just 11 hits in its seven innings, but translating that into six runs and a victory.
Life went down one, two, three to start the game and Rez grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom half. Andy singled and moved to third on Jason's double. With runners at second and third for Austin and Eric, the night took an ominous turn for the worse as Austin hit his first infield popout of the season and Eric managed just a groundout to score Andy.
Life stranded a leadoff double in the second and Rez came to bat with a 1-0 lead in the bottom half. However, Rez went down in order for the first of fiv times in the game. The seven hits that the Warriors had were all from the top four hitters in the lineup. During the game Rez made eight consecutive outs at one point and seven at another.
Both teams were scoreless again in the third inning but Life took the lead for good in the top of the fourth. Life started the four-run inning single, double, dinger. The offense added another run later on with three more singles.
Rez still couldn't muster any offense going scoreless in the fourth and fifth and Life padded its lead with two more runs in the top of the sixth. Trailing 6-1, the Warriors did plate one run in the bottom of the sixth. Andy lined his third single of the game to center, moved to second on Austins' second hit and scored on Eric's rbi single.
That was it for the offense as the bats went down in order in the seventh. Andy earned POG with his 3-3 performance including scoring both runs.
The 1-1 night puts Rez's record at 7-5 and in fifth place in the league. Next week the Warriors wll face Immanuel who has won eight games in a row and sits in second place with a record of 9-3.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Mid-Season Report
The Resurrection Life Warriors take a 6-4 record into the All-Star Break, good for a fourth place standing in the leauge. The team has had its share of ups and downs, trading emotional victories and heart-breaking defeats.
Some early-season highlights were the 25-10 throttling of Wooddale and the 24-run outburst versus EPAG. The 7-6 upset of Living Word was the crowning highlight, ending a personal 4-game losing streak against the league-leaders.
The team has hit an offensive rut as of late, coming into the break scoring just 24 runs in its last three games. However, the defense has been picking up the slack, leading the team to a 2-1 record over those three games. A recent switch to a five-man infield has added a spark to the team.
The bats are hitting just .519 right now and averaging 13.3 runs per game. The on base percentage of .589 is very solid and with a couple hot games could very well finish over .600. The team slugging percentage is just under .800 at .796. The team is ripping 6 extra base hits per game and drawing three walks.
Austin Colby has provided much of the offense so far, starting the year 26-29 with 8 doubles, 6 triples, and 4 homeruns before a recent 4-8 slowdown. At the break, the team's lone starting All-Star is hitting .811 with an .829 on base percentage and a slugging percentage of 1.676. Austin is making a run at the league's batting title as well as runs produced per game, doubles, triples, and extra base hits. He has provided 30% of the team's extra base hits while scoring 25 times and driving home 27.
Andy Briggs is the only other All-Star representative, making the squad as an reserve infielder. Andy has been a nice addition to the team playing excellent defense at both second base and shortstop. His offense has really come around and he finds himself hitting over .600 at the break, at .609. His on base percentage of .654 is in the top 15 in the league and he has three doubles on his resume.
Jason Merritt narrowly missed out on his first All-Star appearance, losing to the second baseman from Immanuel in a close internet vote to pick the final roster spot. Jason has played extremely well in the outfield, especially since the first couple games. He went through a real dip in his hitting for a stretch, but has turned it around and goes into the break six for his last seven. His OPS is over 1.400 and he has scored and driven home 12 runs.
Jason hit his first career homerun early in the season and had this to say about it, "I didn't even try to," stated Jason. "It just hopped off my bat. I really need to give Austin and Eric (Johnson) thanks because without those guys teaching me how to hit homers during homerun derby, I don't know that I would have hit that one."
Well said, Jason.
Lee Valle has been steady as she goes so far, holding down third base with the best glove he's flashed in the last three years. He's done a great job in the five-man infield, snaring liners and scooping grounders. He also has his average up to .533 with a .618 on base percentage. I imagine Lee will continue to increase those numbers as the season winds down.
Eric Johnson has been the second-best run producer out of that four-hole, but hasn't lived up to pre-season expectations. Some people are worried that after inking that big two-year deal, a la Andruw Jones, he has gotten a little lazy with his game. I can personally vouch that he is consistently hitting between games and showing a lot of pop. It just hasn't translated recently in games. Eric is second on the team and 9th in the league with three homeruns. He has brought home 18 runners on just 15 hits in the first half. In patented Eric fashion, he has yet to draw a walk and has lofted four sacrifice flies. The big bright spot for Eric this year has been his year-to-date gold-glove caliber defense. He hasn't displayed such good hands since the late 90s when he was catching passes across the middle. Although large for a middle infielder/second baseman he has shown good range when needed and had a hand in a league-high six double plays.
Dr. Jamy Antoine has been ho-hum so far. He had to battle out of an early-season slump and did so well. He has launched one homer and played probably the best all-around outfield for the Warriors. He has flexed his strong arm when needed and made very difficult plays on the run. Jamy has driven in 13 runs on his 14 hits.
Jeff Johnson has struggled through the first half so far. The one constant plus he's shown is the pop in his bat. Over 60% of his hits have gone for extra bases and he's averaging 1.44 rbi per hit. He is second on the team with five doubles and has also hit one homer. At first, he has been flawless, helping the infield to the league's highest fielding percentage in the first half.
Jon Engbrecht has dazzled the team with stories of target practice for the government and has also played five different positions. He hasn't let his power stroke fully emerge yet, but has ripped four doubles, including one off the top of the chainlink which somehow bounced back in versus going over. Jon has been clutch when most needed, going 7-9 in 5th inning or later situations.
Jordan is playing his first season as a college graduate and it suits him quite nicely. He has pitched consistently since he's been back and has shown that speed he's known for on the basepaths. His average is deceiving, only .542, but his on base percentage tells a much clearer picture of how he's been hitting the ball, .679 - good for second on the team and in the top 10 in the league. Jordan leads the team with four walks and has also mashed three doubles and one triple.
Big John Wooten is another new face on the squad and he's been a joy to have around. John has gotten his feet wet in church softball and has flashed signs of decent bat. He has manned the catcher's position for much of the innings and his chatter is improving. John has three games where he's reached base multiple times and has had a couple key run-scoring base hits. John's number will steadily climb as he gets more and more comfortable.
Adam Hey smiles a lot. We like that about him. We also like that his defense has improved each game and after filling in diligently on the mound, he has now down nice work on the right-side of the infield. He should see much of his action at two-bag going forward with some stops in right and behind the plate. I suspect that Adam's batting average will creep above .400 before the end of the season as well.
Ben Terfehr is the final first-half member of the team. Unfortunately, due to a very lucrative offer from a well-known Japanese team Ben will no longer be a full-time Warrior in the second half. That is too bad because in his limited time he showed great promise at the plate. He was hitting .643 in 14 at bats including nine runs, nine rbi, two doubles and homerun. We will miss having him around but look forward to any visits he makes.
League Outlook:
Things are shaping up for a runaway league title from Living Word. While the team has been challenged in recent weeks and fell to our mighty Warriors, too many unlikely scenarios would have to play out for Living Word not to regain its standing as league champ.
I believe that Resurrection Life will put it together for a long enough stretch to capture second place. The team has games against Life, Immanuel and EPAG that our must-wins because the Warriors still have Living Word one more time.
I anticipate that Immanuel will slow down and Life will pick it up enough to come away with third place leaving EPAG and Immanuel fighting for fourth. Pax should come in at sixth with St. Andrew Blue in seventh, and Wooddale pushing past St. Andrew Red for eighth.
Team Outlook:
The Warriors will hit over .575 as a team the rest of the way and average 2.25 homeruns per game, doubling their first-half output. The final record will be 13-5 or 12-6, good enough for 2nd place. There isn't a team that Rez Life can't beat on any given night so this second half could be special.
First Half Awards:
All-Star: Austin Colby
All-Star: Andy Briggs
MVP: Austin Colby
Infield Gold Glove: Eric Johnson
Outfield Gold Glove: Jamy Antoine
Projected Second Half Lineup:
1. Andy Briggs, SS
2. Jason Merritt, LF
3. Austin Colby, CF
4. Eric Johnson, MI
5. Jordan Schumack, P
6. Jamy Antoine, RF
7. Lee Valle, 3B
8. Jon Engbrecht, 2B
9. John Wooten, DH
10. Jeff Johnson, 1B
11. Adam Hey, C
Some early-season highlights were the 25-10 throttling of Wooddale and the 24-run outburst versus EPAG. The 7-6 upset of Living Word was the crowning highlight, ending a personal 4-game losing streak against the league-leaders.
The team has hit an offensive rut as of late, coming into the break scoring just 24 runs in its last three games. However, the defense has been picking up the slack, leading the team to a 2-1 record over those three games. A recent switch to a five-man infield has added a spark to the team.
The bats are hitting just .519 right now and averaging 13.3 runs per game. The on base percentage of .589 is very solid and with a couple hot games could very well finish over .600. The team slugging percentage is just under .800 at .796. The team is ripping 6 extra base hits per game and drawing three walks.
Austin Colby has provided much of the offense so far, starting the year 26-29 with 8 doubles, 6 triples, and 4 homeruns before a recent 4-8 slowdown. At the break, the team's lone starting All-Star is hitting .811 with an .829 on base percentage and a slugging percentage of 1.676. Austin is making a run at the league's batting title as well as runs produced per game, doubles, triples, and extra base hits. He has provided 30% of the team's extra base hits while scoring 25 times and driving home 27.
Andy Briggs is the only other All-Star representative, making the squad as an reserve infielder. Andy has been a nice addition to the team playing excellent defense at both second base and shortstop. His offense has really come around and he finds himself hitting over .600 at the break, at .609. His on base percentage of .654 is in the top 15 in the league and he has three doubles on his resume.
Jason Merritt narrowly missed out on his first All-Star appearance, losing to the second baseman from Immanuel in a close internet vote to pick the final roster spot. Jason has played extremely well in the outfield, especially since the first couple games. He went through a real dip in his hitting for a stretch, but has turned it around and goes into the break six for his last seven. His OPS is over 1.400 and he has scored and driven home 12 runs.
Jason hit his first career homerun early in the season and had this to say about it, "I didn't even try to," stated Jason. "It just hopped off my bat. I really need to give Austin and Eric (Johnson) thanks because without those guys teaching me how to hit homers during homerun derby, I don't know that I would have hit that one."
Well said, Jason.
Lee Valle has been steady as she goes so far, holding down third base with the best glove he's flashed in the last three years. He's done a great job in the five-man infield, snaring liners and scooping grounders. He also has his average up to .533 with a .618 on base percentage. I imagine Lee will continue to increase those numbers as the season winds down.
Eric Johnson has been the second-best run producer out of that four-hole, but hasn't lived up to pre-season expectations. Some people are worried that after inking that big two-year deal, a la Andruw Jones, he has gotten a little lazy with his game. I can personally vouch that he is consistently hitting between games and showing a lot of pop. It just hasn't translated recently in games. Eric is second on the team and 9th in the league with three homeruns. He has brought home 18 runners on just 15 hits in the first half. In patented Eric fashion, he has yet to draw a walk and has lofted four sacrifice flies. The big bright spot for Eric this year has been his year-to-date gold-glove caliber defense. He hasn't displayed such good hands since the late 90s when he was catching passes across the middle. Although large for a middle infielder/second baseman he has shown good range when needed and had a hand in a league-high six double plays.
Dr. Jamy Antoine has been ho-hum so far. He had to battle out of an early-season slump and did so well. He has launched one homer and played probably the best all-around outfield for the Warriors. He has flexed his strong arm when needed and made very difficult plays on the run. Jamy has driven in 13 runs on his 14 hits.
Jeff Johnson has struggled through the first half so far. The one constant plus he's shown is the pop in his bat. Over 60% of his hits have gone for extra bases and he's averaging 1.44 rbi per hit. He is second on the team with five doubles and has also hit one homer. At first, he has been flawless, helping the infield to the league's highest fielding percentage in the first half.
Jon Engbrecht has dazzled the team with stories of target practice for the government and has also played five different positions. He hasn't let his power stroke fully emerge yet, but has ripped four doubles, including one off the top of the chainlink which somehow bounced back in versus going over. Jon has been clutch when most needed, going 7-9 in 5th inning or later situations.
Jordan is playing his first season as a college graduate and it suits him quite nicely. He has pitched consistently since he's been back and has shown that speed he's known for on the basepaths. His average is deceiving, only .542, but his on base percentage tells a much clearer picture of how he's been hitting the ball, .679 - good for second on the team and in the top 10 in the league. Jordan leads the team with four walks and has also mashed three doubles and one triple.
Big John Wooten is another new face on the squad and he's been a joy to have around. John has gotten his feet wet in church softball and has flashed signs of decent bat. He has manned the catcher's position for much of the innings and his chatter is improving. John has three games where he's reached base multiple times and has had a couple key run-scoring base hits. John's number will steadily climb as he gets more and more comfortable.
Adam Hey smiles a lot. We like that about him. We also like that his defense has improved each game and after filling in diligently on the mound, he has now down nice work on the right-side of the infield. He should see much of his action at two-bag going forward with some stops in right and behind the plate. I suspect that Adam's batting average will creep above .400 before the end of the season as well.
Ben Terfehr is the final first-half member of the team. Unfortunately, due to a very lucrative offer from a well-known Japanese team Ben will no longer be a full-time Warrior in the second half. That is too bad because in his limited time he showed great promise at the plate. He was hitting .643 in 14 at bats including nine runs, nine rbi, two doubles and homerun. We will miss having him around but look forward to any visits he makes.
League Outlook:
Things are shaping up for a runaway league title from Living Word. While the team has been challenged in recent weeks and fell to our mighty Warriors, too many unlikely scenarios would have to play out for Living Word not to regain its standing as league champ.
I believe that Resurrection Life will put it together for a long enough stretch to capture second place. The team has games against Life, Immanuel and EPAG that our must-wins because the Warriors still have Living Word one more time.
I anticipate that Immanuel will slow down and Life will pick it up enough to come away with third place leaving EPAG and Immanuel fighting for fourth. Pax should come in at sixth with St. Andrew Blue in seventh, and Wooddale pushing past St. Andrew Red for eighth.
Team Outlook:
The Warriors will hit over .575 as a team the rest of the way and average 2.25 homeruns per game, doubling their first-half output. The final record will be 13-5 or 12-6, good enough for 2nd place. There isn't a team that Rez Life can't beat on any given night so this second half could be special.
First Half Awards:
All-Star: Austin Colby
All-Star: Andy Briggs
MVP: Austin Colby
Infield Gold Glove: Eric Johnson
Outfield Gold Glove: Jamy Antoine
Projected Second Half Lineup:
1. Andy Briggs, SS
2. Jason Merritt, LF
3. Austin Colby, CF
4. Eric Johnson, MI
5. Jordan Schumack, P
6. Jamy Antoine, RF
7. Lee Valle, 3B
8. Jon Engbrecht, 2B
9. John Wooten, DH
10. Jeff Johnson, 1B
11. Adam Hey, C
Bats Put to Sleep as are Warriors' Title Hopes
The Resurrection Life Warriors suffered a heart-breaking 9-6 defeat against Immanuel in a loss that most likely shatters the team's hopes at a league title in 2008. The offense just wasn't there and the defense had its first misstep in weeks at a crucial time.
With second place in the standings on the line, Rez hoped to stop Immanuel's 6-game winning streak and put itself in a position to force Living Word's hand for the league championship. However, the Warrior offense didn't comply managing only 11 hits on the night in dropping to 6-4 on the year.
Batting first, the team went quickly and without much fanfare, stranding and Austin Colby single. Immanuel also went scorelesss leaving a leadoff walk on base as the 5-man infield forced two grounders during the inning.
In the second, Lee Valle started things with the first of his three singles on the night, but was quickly erased on a double play. A lineout ended the inning. The defense continued its stellar play holding Immanuel without a run again to make it 0-0 going into the third inning.
Rez finally got on the board in the third when Adam Hey reached on an error with one out and went to second on substitute Jeff Tenney's single. Andy Briggs singled to load the bases and Jordan followed to drive home the first run. Austin and Eric failed for the second consecutive week to drop the hammer from the third and fourth spots though as an Austin lineout scored just one more run and Eric flew out to end the frame.
Immanuel, fired up from holding the Warriors to just two runs, came out swining and scored three runs on five hits to take a 3-2 lead after three. Immanuel was able to drop three bloopers between second base and right field in the inning before Adam made a sliding grab in foul territory to end the threat.
Down 3-2, Rez stranded a Lee single and a Jeff walk in the next two innings as the defense, led by the 5-man infield, kept Immanuel at bay making it 3-2 going into the sixth.
With Austin and Eric leading off the top of the sixth and trailing by just one, the bats were bound to heat up. That was not the case as the 3-4 hitters went down in order for the 5th time in three games and Lee's third single was for naught.
With the offense sputtering, the defense needed to hold ground and for the first time since the 5-man infield shift, it did not. In the bottom of the sixth, Immanuel bled five hits and used two Rez errors along with one walk to score six runs and take a daunting 9-2 edge heading into the top of the seventh. The defense which was excellent all game just couldn't come up with a big play as several near great plays were just missed and a couple routine plays were mishandled as well.
Facing defeat, the bats came to life in the seventh. Jon Engbrecht, looking to make amends for a defensive miscue, ripped a double to deep left-center to start the inning. After two pop-outs, Jeff laced a single to score Jon and make it 9-3 with two outs. Andy coaxed a walk to put two on for Jordan who nailed a triple to deep left scoring both runners and making it 9-5. Austin and Eric finally came through, drawing a walk and lining a single respectively to make it 9-6 which brought up the perfect 3-3 Lee, representing the tying run. Lee didn't have the magic in this at bat, grounding out to end the game, 9-6 Immanuel.
Jordan captured Player of the Game honors with his 2-4 game including the triple. He drove home three of the team's six runs and made two fine defensive plays on the mound.
Immanuel now sits in second by itself at 8-3, riding a seven-game winning streak. Rez is still in fourth at 6-4. The Warriors have two big games this week, playing cellar-dwellar Wooddale at 5:50 and last year's league champ, Life, at 6:50. Both games are on field 4 and I have heard rumors of fireworks, so be sure to be there.
With second place in the standings on the line, Rez hoped to stop Immanuel's 6-game winning streak and put itself in a position to force Living Word's hand for the league championship. However, the Warrior offense didn't comply managing only 11 hits on the night in dropping to 6-4 on the year.
Batting first, the team went quickly and without much fanfare, stranding and Austin Colby single. Immanuel also went scorelesss leaving a leadoff walk on base as the 5-man infield forced two grounders during the inning.
In the second, Lee Valle started things with the first of his three singles on the night, but was quickly erased on a double play. A lineout ended the inning. The defense continued its stellar play holding Immanuel without a run again to make it 0-0 going into the third inning.
Rez finally got on the board in the third when Adam Hey reached on an error with one out and went to second on substitute Jeff Tenney's single. Andy Briggs singled to load the bases and Jordan followed to drive home the first run. Austin and Eric failed for the second consecutive week to drop the hammer from the third and fourth spots though as an Austin lineout scored just one more run and Eric flew out to end the frame.
Immanuel, fired up from holding the Warriors to just two runs, came out swining and scored three runs on five hits to take a 3-2 lead after three. Immanuel was able to drop three bloopers between second base and right field in the inning before Adam made a sliding grab in foul territory to end the threat.
Down 3-2, Rez stranded a Lee single and a Jeff walk in the next two innings as the defense, led by the 5-man infield, kept Immanuel at bay making it 3-2 going into the sixth.
With Austin and Eric leading off the top of the sixth and trailing by just one, the bats were bound to heat up. That was not the case as the 3-4 hitters went down in order for the 5th time in three games and Lee's third single was for naught.
With the offense sputtering, the defense needed to hold ground and for the first time since the 5-man infield shift, it did not. In the bottom of the sixth, Immanuel bled five hits and used two Rez errors along with one walk to score six runs and take a daunting 9-2 edge heading into the top of the seventh. The defense which was excellent all game just couldn't come up with a big play as several near great plays were just missed and a couple routine plays were mishandled as well.
Facing defeat, the bats came to life in the seventh. Jon Engbrecht, looking to make amends for a defensive miscue, ripped a double to deep left-center to start the inning. After two pop-outs, Jeff laced a single to score Jon and make it 9-3 with two outs. Andy coaxed a walk to put two on for Jordan who nailed a triple to deep left scoring both runners and making it 9-5. Austin and Eric finally came through, drawing a walk and lining a single respectively to make it 9-6 which brought up the perfect 3-3 Lee, representing the tying run. Lee didn't have the magic in this at bat, grounding out to end the game, 9-6 Immanuel.
Jordan captured Player of the Game honors with his 2-4 game including the triple. He drove home three of the team's six runs and made two fine defensive plays on the mound.
Immanuel now sits in second by itself at 8-3, riding a seven-game winning streak. Rez is still in fourth at 6-4. The Warriors have two big games this week, playing cellar-dwellar Wooddale at 5:50 and last year's league champ, Life, at 6:50. Both games are on field 4 and I have heard rumors of fireworks, so be sure to be there.
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