The Votes Are In...

The Warriors closed up their season a few weeks ago at the year-end tourament and the team has voted on year-end awards. All 11 players had a vote, with Manager Colby receiving another vote and Team Chairman Ron Loven receiving the final vote. No player was allowed to vote for himself, so that left 12 available votes for each player, and 11 for Austin.

Without further ado...

Surprise Player of the Year:
A great category because you get votes for a variety of reasons. If a guy like Jason hit .400 on the year with no homers and 4 strikeouts, he might get a few votes. Or, if Jason hit .700 with 6 homers and 50 rbi, he'd probably get a few votes. Because of the strong year by the team, everyone who received votes this year was because of their successful campaign. Eight of the eleven players received votes with six people getting multiple votes. Three different people got first place votes and two of those had at least four first-place votes.

Adam Hey - Hard to argue with that logic. Adam received eight first-place votes, two second-place votes and 46 points. He hit .452 on the year a staggering 84% improvement over last year's .246 average. He also walloped a three-run homer, his first career homerun, scored 27 times and drove home 21. He learned a little patience too, drawing five walks. He also fielded all six outfield chances without an error. Great year from Adam.

Jamy Antoine runner-up, 38 points

Outfield Gold Glove:
This had been hotly contested the past couple of years with several players deserving. This year, all four regular outfielders received multiple votes with three of them receiving multiple first-place votes. The top two vote-getters each had ten or more total votes and four or more first-place votes.

Jason Merritt - Jason had another fine campaign in the outfield as he garnered seven first-place votes and 46 points. He only had 36 chances this season, but he made good on 34 of them. He played such a solid game all year, that I wondered if voters would forget about him just because he flew under the radar. This team gold glove will fit nicely on his mantle next to his league gold gloves from the past two seasons.

Jamy Antoine runner-up, 36 points

Infield Gold Glove:
Another great vote. Last year, Lee Valle ran away with the award, but this year it was tight. Two players were named on every available ballot, Austin Colby and Jeff Tenney. Each had at least four first-place votes. This vote came down to the final voter as the two players were separated by just three points. Five total players received multiple votes and all five had at least four votes.

Austin Colby - Austin had seven first-place votes and 45 overall points. He played a lot more shortstop this year than last year which probably helped his cause. He played his purest infield in years, making just two errors for the entire season. He also managed to lead the team with 35 assists and also had 25 putouts. Just a solid all-around defensive season for Austin.

Jeff Tenney runner-up, 42 points

MVP:
This award was nearly unanimous, as just three players received first-place votes, two receiving multiple votes. In a sort of oddity this year, one player received six third-place votes, but zero first or second-place votes.

Austin Colby - Austin had his best offensive year since 2003 and the team responded giving him 10 of the possible 11 first-place votes and 53 overall points. He led the team in nearly everything and hit a very legit .761 on the season with 70 rbi. This is Austin's fifth MVP since 2003.

Jeff Tenney runner-up 40 points

A great season for the team with some great individual performances. Great job everyone and I look forward to next year!!!

Warriors Struggle in Year-End Tournament

The Resurrection Life Warriors ran off 17 straight wins to start the 2009 campaign before dropping six of their final seven games to finish at 18-6 overall. The Bloomington Assembly of God tournament was a tough one for Rez, as the team stumbled to a 4th place finish in the A bracket, going just 1-5 on the day.

Things started badly in the morning when the Warriors played the first game with just nine players, as two regulars were unable to attend and the one sub showed up late. Rez played hard but its three-man outfield was exposed on the 300-foot fences as several flyballs ended up dropping in the grass. Real Life defeated Rez Life 22-12 in the game. Austin Colby provided much of the offensive punch, going 4-5 with two runs scored, six rbi and a three-run homer while earning Player of the Game honors. Eric Johnson, Jason Merritt and Jonathan Engbrecht all added three hits in the game. Jamy Antoine mashed a two-run homer in the sixth.

The game was never close as Real Life put up six runs in the first while the warriors were scoreless. Real Life added five in the second while Rez again went scoreless. Trailing 11-0, Rez had three runs in the third, using rbi-hits from Jason and Austin. The defense picked up the slack too, holding Real Life scoreless in both the third and fourth innings.

Rez chipped away a little more with two runs in the fourth on a two-out single from Austin, plating Jonathan and Jason. In the top of the fifth, Rez added one more using singles from Eric and Andy before a sacrifice fly from Jeff scored Eric. The run made it 11-6 but Real Life erupted for nine runs after two were out in the bottom to seal the game. Rez didn't give up, putting five runners home in the top of hte sixth. Jonathan doubled and moved to third on Jason's single. Austin mashed a three-run homer to make it 20-9. After an out, Eric singled and came home on Jamy's long homerun to deep center.

Real Life added two more in the bottom half and Rez didn't score in the seventh.

With a full ten players in the second game, Rez played much better defense but couldn't get the bats going consistently. The Warriors fell 15-12 against Life AG. In the top of the first, Rez scored seven runs using six hits and a walk. Austin, sub Ryan Norman, Eric, Jamy, Chris Burr, and Jeff Johnson all had hits. The team hit for the cycle as Jeff homered, Chris tripled, Jamy doubled and the rest of the hits were singles.

However, the big lead was short-lived as Life came back with five first inning runs and six second inning runs, while holding Rez scoreless to make it 11-7 Life.

Rez again went scoreless in the third, stranding singles from Chris and Jeff. Life put five more runs on the board to go up 15-7 after three innings. Rez did manage one run in the fourth as Adam Hey singled and later scored on an error. The team left runners on first and third with one out in that inning.

In the top of the fifth, Rez started with two singles, but the next three players flew out to end the inning. Trailing 15-8 going into the final inning, Rez made a game of it, pushing four runs across. With one out, Austin lasered his second homer of the day to right-center. Ryan singled and so did Eric. Jamy then launched his second homerun of the day, this one a three-run shot to center. That was all the fireworks the bats had though, as the game ended 15-12.

Jamy earned Player of the Game with two hits, two runs, four rbi, a double and a homerun. Austin and Chris each had three hits in the game.

Game three was more of the same, as Rez fell to 0-3 on the day as Waukesha won 20-13. The bats were solid, but not spectacular. Austin captured his second POG on the day with a 3-4 game with three runs, five rbi, a double, triple and homerun. Jonathan had his second three-hit game on the day too.

Waukesha scored three runs in the top of the first but Rez stormed back with four in the bottom half. Jason walked and scored on Austin's triple. Ryan singled home Austin and jogged home on Eric's two-run homer through the wind to left. Jamy singled to keept it going but the next three guys got out to end the inning.

Waukesha exploded for 11 runs in the second and took a 14-4 lead. However, Rez didn't roll over and came back with six of its own runs in the bottom half. Jonathan and Adam started things with singles. Jason drove home Jonathan with a single and Austin plated Adam and put runners at second and third with a double. Still no outs, Ryan knocked out a two-rbi single and moved to third on Eric's single. Eric advanced to second on the first baseman's error and again the Warriors had second and third with no outs. Jamy lofted a sac fly for the first out, making the score 14-9. Chris doubled home Eric to make it 14-10, but the next two batters flew out ending the threat.

Waukesha kept its foot on the gas, scoring four more to increase its lead back to eight, 18-10. Rez scored three runs in its half inning. Jonathan and Jason singled with one out and Austin crushed his third homer in three games to right field to make it 18-13.

Rez was unable to score anymore runs though and Waukesha tacked on a couple insurance runs to make the final score 20-13.

The 0-3 pool play showing put Rez in the six seed in the A bracket. The tournament was single elimination for the first round and then you played out your place if you made it to the second round. Rez had to face Life AG again in the first round but this time the Warriors came out victorious, 14-11. Austin again earned POG going a perfect 4-4 with a run scored and four rbi. He had two triples in the game and played a great shortstop with three assists and five putouts.

Rez started the game well again with nine first-inning runs. Austin, Jamy, Ryan, Chris, Eric, Jonathan, Jeff, Adam, Jason and Austin again ripped out the hits. Austin capped the scoring with a two-run two-out triple. Life scored three in the bottom half and held Rez scoreless in the second. Life put two more on the board to make it 9-5 after two innings.

Rez added to its lead with two runs in the third inning, using another two-run triple from Austin. Life was scoreless in the bottom half and Rez scored one run in the fourth on three singles from Ryan, Chris and Andy Briggs. Again, Life couldn't muster any offense and Rez pulled out to a 14-5 lead with two runs in the fifth. The team had four singles and one walk in the inning. Adam, Austin, Jamy and Chris had the singles and Ryan had the walk.

Life put another goose egg on the board and Rez entered the final inning with a nine-run lead. Unfortunately, the Warriors left two runners on base without scoring in the top half. That almost came back to bite them as Life put together a great inning, scoring six runs but a flyout to Chris in left-center ended the game with two runners on.

Adam had three hits in the game and Jonathan had three rbi and two hits.

Now in the semi-finals, Rez was back down to nine players as Ryan had to leave to make a prior engagement. Down a man in the field hurt the team again, but it was a close game until the last inning and Rez fell 18-12.

Real Life was Rez's opponent for the second time and Real came out wtih three in the first. Rez came right back and tied it after one as Jason led off with a single and moved to third on Austin's double. Jamy hit a sac fly and Eric hit an rbi-groundout. With no on, Chris singled and scored on Andy's double.

Real Life had a big second inning, plating five runs and taking advantage of two Rez Life errors. Rez pushed two across on a double from Austin and a single from Jamy. The Rez defense held strong in the top of the third and the offense responded wtih four runs to take the 9-8 lead. Andy singled and moved to second on Jeff's single. After a flyout moved the runners ahead, Andy scampered home on Adam's groundout. Jason kept the inning alive with an rbi-single to make it 8-7 and Austin hit the shot of the tournament, his fourth homerun on the day, a two-run bomb that cleared the 300-foot easily and landed well into the fescue on the hill.

Real Life didnt' score again and Rez added to its lead in the fourth, scoring two more runs. Chris reached on a one-out error and scored on Andy's rbi-triple. Jeff singled to score Andy and Jonathan singled to put two on with one out. That was all the offense the team could manage, as back-to-back hard-hit flyouts ended the inning.

Real Life woke up in the fifth and stormed back to take a 14-11 lead scoring six times on five hits and two errors. Rez responded with just one run on Jamy's high, solo homerun to left field. The sixth inning started with Rez down two. Real Life kept its offense going with four more runs and Rez left two on base in the sixth to end the game 18-12 Real Life.

Andy earned Player of the Game with a perfect 4-4 day including a double, triple and two runs and two rbi. Austin stayed hot with three more hits, two doubles and a homerun.

More bad news for the Warriors occurred going into the 3rd place game. Another team member had to leave for the day, leaving Rez with just eight, very tired players going into game six of the day. Thankfully, most of the 20+ fans left for that game as the Warriors had nothing for Riverdale and fell 29-9. The team managed just 11 hits, three from Austin and Andy, two from POG Adam, and one each from Jason, Eric and Chris.

Adam played catcher at the end of the long day and had extremely great chatter to go along with his two hits and four rbi en route to POG.

On the day, the Warriors hit below .500 as a team. Of the nine regulars who attended, seven hit below their season average with just Adam and Austin hitting above. Austin was the only Warrior to earn All-Tournament this year, hitting .800 with ten runs, 21 rbi, four doubles, three triples, and four homeruns. By default, his performance earned him Tournament MVP for the Warriors.

It was another fun, tiring day at the Bloomington tournament and I'm sure the Warriors will be back next year, looking to make a better impression.

Final League Thoughts

The Resurrection Life Warriors have finished a dominating season in the Eden Prairie Round Lake leauge. The teamed stormed out of the gates and continued that momentum en route to a 17-1 final league record, easily claiming the league crown.

The team's dominance was noted by other league members, and thusly the Warriors landed eight members to the All-League teams. Rez landed five players on the 11-player first team with three more being named to the 11-player second team. The other three players all just missed being named to the second team, as all three were honorable mention winners at the season-end meetings.

Wooddale saw its all-league members increase from zero one year ago to four this year while Immanuel managed four members also. EPAG had one player each on the first and second teams while each St. Andrew team had one player represented. Pax Christi had two players honored, and likely would have had more if not for such a poor showing in the standings.


Below are the All-League players from Resurrection Life:


1st Team Shortstop: Austin Colby - Austin matched and surpassed his 2008 numbers in league-play pacing the circuit with a .746 average, .743 on base, and 1.582 slugging pecentage. He scored 40 runs and drove home 49 while cranking out 12 doubles, seven triples and ten homeruns. Austin cranked it up when it mattered most too, hitting .833 with runners in scoring position and .750 from the 5th inning and on. Austin handled 27 assists and 15 putouts with just two errors at short.


1st Team Third Base: Jeff Tenney - Tenney had a great first year in the league, running away with a unanimous third-base vote. He led the league with 15 homeruns and 44 runs scored, and tied for the league-lead with 49 rbi. He mashed his way to a 2.000+ OPS, good for second in the league. He had 28 assists with 19 putouts and just four errors at third base and displayed the best arm in the league. He hit seven three-run homers and hit a dinger in less than every five at bats.


1st Team Outfield: Jason Merritt - Jason captures his second consecutive 1st Team honor, (this one unanimous) by increasing his numbers from the plate. Jason hit .653, good for third in the league, while smacking out eight doubles, two triples and four homeruns. He scored 33 times and drove home 29, most of those from the lead-off spot. Jason hit .781 with runners in scoring position and snagged 25 outfield putouts to go along with his one assist and one double-play.


1st Team Outfield: Jamy Antoine - Jamy earned a 1st Team spot in the outfield this year because of his great play both at the plate and in the grass. He led the Warriors with 29 putouts in the outfield and added an assist and a double-play. Offensively, he hit a solid .547 but his extra-base-hit prowess was eye-opening. He walloped seven doubles, seven triples (tied for best in the league) and five homeruns. He scored 32 times and drove home 22.


1st Team Utility: Eric Johnson - Eric finds himself back on the 1st Team in 2009. Although he slowed down in the later games, he still hit an impressive .586 in the league with ten doubles and seven homeruns. He scored 35 runs and had 33 rbi. Eric's solid defense at second solidified him as one of the best all-around league players.


2nd Team Outfield: Chris Burr - Burr took a year off after his 2007 Team MVP season and earned himself an All-League honor right out of the gate. He hit over .600 at .607 and swatted nine extra-base-hits. He played another solid season in the outfield while scoring 26 and driving home 24.


2nd Team First Base: Jeff Johnson - Jeff was never able to find the batting average stroke, but he ceratinly found his power stroke in 2009. Jeff just missed a 1st Team nod because of his 16 league homeruns, only eight counted. Still, his eight homeruns and 35 rbi were more than enough to get him a 2nd Team showing. Jeff also had a 1.000+ slugging and he made just one error at first base all season.


2nd Team Infield: Andy Briggs - Another excellent campaign from Andy. This was a flip-flop year for Andy as he heated up as the year went along versus slowing down in 2008. Andy's defense was under-rated all year and he turned in another fine season at second, short and third. he also hit three homeruns and hit .569. His other-worldly .691 on base percentage was second in the league among qualifying players. Great year for Andy.


Honorable Mention: Chris Wold - Wold would certainly have been a 1st Team selection if he had qualified. He played in just half of the games and players need 2.5 plate appearances per team game played to qualify. Wold hit .686 with a .703 on base percentage in his time. He was clearly the most dominant pitcher and defensive-pitcher in the league as well.


Honorable Mention: Jonathan Engbrecht - With slightly more consistent glove-play, Jon would have landed on that second team. He hit just under .500 at .491 but offered some pop this season with two doubles, one triple and five homeruns. He scored 22 and drove home 21 while playing lots in right field and catcher and filling in at the corners too.


Honorable Mention: Adam Hey - Adam increased his batting average over 150 points from last year to this year and even smacked out a three-run homer. His chatter and enthusiasm behind the plate was legendary. Also, he became 100% reliable in the outfield by year-end and next year he should make a run at another All-League honor.

League Gold-Gloves:
Infield:
Austin Colby, SS
Jeff Tenney, 3B
Andy Briggs, Utility

Outfield:
Jason Merritt, OF
Jamy Antoine, OF

League Awards:
Newcomer of the Year:
Jeff Tenney won this unanimously. He led the league or tied for the lead in several offensive categories, including homers, runs, and rbi. Great first season for the Big Cat.

Most Valuable Player:
Unlike last year, Austin Colby won this one walking away. Without Living Word in the mix, Austin led the Warriors to a dominating season. He didn't win it unanimously, as two other teammates received votes as well as the shortstop for Wooddale.

Above and beyond league champions and All-League awards, the league handed out the following team honors this year:

Most impressive team: Resurrection Life - the Warriors ran off 23 straight league victories dating back to 2008 before falling in the finale on a walk-off hit. Rez dominated the league like no other team in the past.

Comeback team: Wooddale - Team Wooddale ran away with this award. Not only did the team increase its win total by nine games, but it also gave Rez some tough games along the way.

Most exciting game: Immanuel vs. Resurrection Life - the season-ending game was an instant classic with Immanuel knocking off then unbeaten Rez Life with ten runs in the bottom of the last inning. A great comeback and a great game.


Coolest uniforms: Resurrection Life - Rez spent the coin and looked impressive this year. Backing it up with excellent play helps too.

2009 turned out to be a great season for the Resurrection Life Warriors. 2010 should be a good test for the league champs, as every team will have Rez Life in its sights the whole year.

Congratulations again to the 2009 Eden Prairie Round Lake League Champions!!!!

Assembly of God tournament Preview

With the regular season under its belt, Resurrection Life travels to Burnsville Saturday to partake in the annual Bloomington Assembly of God Church tournament. The games are being held at Lac Lavon Park this season which is a beautiful softball complex.

Resurrection Life enters the tournament a little short-handed but not short-willed. Coming off a dominant regular season has not left this team complacent. In fact, the season-ending loss the Warriors suffered has left a bad taste in the team's mouth and it will look to refresh its pallet with the taste of victory again soon.

The team opens with Real Life at 8 AM on Field F tomorrow. After that game, the Warriors will complete its round-robin pool with games at 10 AM and 1 PM against Life AG and Waukesha.

Once those three games have been played, three separate single-elimination tournaments will start. The 'Top' bracket will feature four top-flight softball teams and the top four teams that come out of the 12 teams in the 'Middle' pools. Resurrection Life will be one of the 12 teams in the 'Middle' pools. There will be eight teams in the 'Lower' pools that will have their own tournament in the afternoon as well.

The 'Middle' pool will give its four best teams to the 'Top' pool and the remaining eight will have a single-elimination tournament to end the afternoon. Games could start as late as 5 PM or 5:30 PM depending on how well the team is playing.

Rez enters the tournament with a simple objective: To dominate its three round-robin games and show the 'Top' teams that Rez can roll with the big boys.

Come to Lac Lavon to see how it all plays out.

League Champs Fall in Finale

The quest for perfection fell just short Thursday night, as Resurrection Life lost a nail-biter 16-15 to Immanuel. The game ended on a walk-off double with the bases loaded from Immanuel in the bottom of the sixth. Rez had controlled the game from the onset, but the perfect storm hit in the sixth and the rest is history.

Immanuel came in charged up and ready to knock off the previously unbeaten Warriors. However, Rez was prepared and came out firing on all cylinders, dominating the first through fourth innings while building a nice nine-run lead. However, the team got a little lazy in the fifth and flat-out laid an egg in the sixth and it came back to bite them. Hats off to Immanuel for not rolling over late in the game and coming through with some big hits in the sixth.

Rez opened the game with a solid three-run first, with Austin Colby starting things with a one-out taser-beamed solo homer. With two outs, Jamy Antoine singled and Jeff Tenney walked. Andy Briggs then singled to score Jamy and Jeff Johnson singled to score Tenney, to make it 3-0.

Immanuel scored one on two hits in the bottom half. Rez just missed a big inning in the second, scoring four runs, but leaving two runners on with one out and the bases loaded with two outs. After a lead-off groundout, Jason Merritt singled and went to second on Austin's single. Eric Johnson then roped an opposite field double to plate both runners. Jamy followed with a double down the left-field line and went to third on the left-fielder's error. Tenney singled to score Jamy and Andy singled to push Tenney to second. A flyout to left-center was out number two and Jon Engbrecht followed with a single to load the bases. Adam Hey just missed a grand slam, hitting a long, deep flyball to the left-fielder who caught it just a few feet in front of the fence.

Immanuel, sensing it dodged a bullet, came back firing in the bottom half and matched the four runs that Rez tallied. Immanuel knocked out four hits and drew three walks and advanced runners on a sacrifice fly to score its runs.

Rez came back in the top of the third and pushed its lead to 10-5 with three runs. With one out, Austin singled but was forced out on Eric's grounder. With two outs, Jamy singled to put two on for Tenney who smacked a three-run homer to left-center. Andy and Jeff had back-t0-back singles with no one on, but a grounder ended the threat.

Immanuel didn't answer, leaving two singles stranded on the bases in the bottom of the third. Rez kept the bats going in the fourth as Adam started things with a single and after one out trotted home on Austin's second homerun of the game, this one a liner down the left-field line. Eric doubled and went to third on Jamy's booted grounder to second. Tenney then answered Austin's call with his second homer of the game, another three-run blast. After an Andy single, Jeff extended his league-record for homeruns for an out with number eight.

Immanuel scored one run in the fourth afte a one-out triple. Rez could have ended the game in the fifth with some offense, but fell short, scoring just one run. Jason tripled with two outs and Austin singled to score him. The team offense sort of fell asleep around this time, going just 4-11 over the last 2 1/3 innings.

However, the defense held solid in the bottom of the fifth as Jason made two nice catches in left before Andy fielded and fired to first for the third out.

The umpire ruled the sixth inning as the final inning due to time so the bats knew this was it. Tenney launched out off the baseball scoreboard for out number one and an Andy grounder was out number two. Jeff reached on a single but a popout ended the inning.

At this time, things still seemed in control with Rez holding a nine-run lead going into the last half of the last inning of the last game of the season. But, that is why we play the games.

For whatever reason, the team tightened up a little in the sixth. Adam walked the lead-off hitter and consecutive singles plated one run. Three straight walks scored two more and loaded the bases. An error on a tough grounder pushed two more runs across. Another walk re-loaded the bases.

At this time, with the lead down to four, at 15-11, and still no outs, Manager Austin took over the mound duties and shifted Jamy to center, Jon to right and Adam to catcher, hoping a different look would get Immanuel in a funk.

With the tying run batting, the Immanuel hitter lined a single to right that scooted past Jon and rolled all the way to the track, allowing all three runners to score and advancing the hitter to third. Now, the tying run was standing on third with still no outs. A pop-up to Andy at short provided the first out and the next batter followed suit and Andy snatched it out of the sky for out number two.

Immanuel then pinch-hit its best hitter whom Austin intentionally walked. This took the two-run homer out of play and also gave the infield a short-throw to second on any grounder. The next batter drew a walk on three close pitches to load the bases. On the first pitch of the next at bat, Immanuel exploited the three-man outfield with a liner to what would have been left-center and two runners scored to end the game.

Austin completed his utter destruction of Immanuel en route to earning Player of the Game honors. He was a perfect 12-12 on the season against Immanuel with five homeruns and 12 rbi. Last night, he went 5-5 with three runs, four rbi and two homers.

It was a tough loss for the Warriors, who saw their 23-game league winning streak snapped. However, Manager Colby didn't think all was bad,
"I was upset and frustrated for about 30 seconds," stated Coach Austin. "But then I realized that we just finished one of the greatest regular seasons in team history and had a great time doing it. Hats off to the Warriors for a dominant campaign and a season well-played. Plus, a loss now is better than a loss on Saturday."

The Warriors will have something to shoot for next season; that elusive perfect season. Until next year, enjoy the 17-1 record and league championship. We'll see you at Round Lake again next April.

Look for the regular season awards and All-League teams to be announced in the next few days.

July 30 versus Immanuel

What the final regular season game lacks in suspense considering the league standings, it makes up for in spades with its grudge-matchness....new word. While the Resurrection Life Warriors have clinched the league title by a comfortable margin, that doesn't mean that they don't want a perfect season. And Immanuel would like nothing better than to be the team that doesn't allow that to happen. Much like the past couple of weeks, I'm sure the Warriors will be attacked on the field and will have to play a solid B+/A- game to come away with a victory. Anything average or subpar could cost the team its perfect 18-0 season. The lineup below will do its best to make sure that doesn't happen.

1. Jason M, LF
2. Austin C, LC
3. Eric J, 2B
4. Jamy A, RC
5. Jeff T, 3B
6. Chris W, P
7. Andy B, SS
8. Jeff J, 1B
9. Jon E, RF
10. Adam H, C

Huge 6th Propels Rez to 23rd Straight W

The Warriors from Resurrection Life needed a big finish to keep their winning streak alive in league play, and the bats came through, scoring eight runs in the final two frames to come from behind against second-place Wooddale last week.

Wooddale played a solid game defensively and just fell short after taking a one-run lead into the fifth inning. Rez mustered just ten hits and four runs in the first four innings against the tough Wooddale defense before breaking out with two hits and two runs in the fifth and six straight hits and runs to start the final inning.

Jeff Tenney earns Player of the Game laurels with two-run homers in the decisive fifth and sixth innings. Tenny finished with two hits, two runs and four rbi.

Jason Merritt stayed hot with four more hits in four at bats. He now has 12 hits in his last 13 at bats and has seen his average go from .611 to .672 over that span. Adam Hey kept his hopes ofa .500 season alive with a 3-3 day at the plate, including a double. Austin Colby, Eric Johnson and Chris Burr all added two hits. Jamy Antoine, Andy Briggs, Jeff Johnson, and Jonathan Engbrecht had one hit apiece.

The Warriors looked to start things off well with singles from Jason and Austin to start the game. However, three straight flyouts ended the first inning with no runs crossing the plate.

Adam struggled to find his command in the first inning, walking four straight hitters, before settling down and only allowing one more run on a fielder's choice groundout.

Down 2-0 after one, Rez tied things up in the second frame. Jonathan ripped a two-run homer to plate Andy who had reached on a fielder's choice after Burr's lead-off single. Rez managed a double and single to put runners at second and third with two outs for Austin, but Austin weakly popped out to right to end the threat.

Adam found the groove in the second and Wooddale left two runners on without scoring. Rez took the lead with two more runs in the top of the third, taking advantage of a Wooddale error. With two outs and Eric having reached first on an error, Burr kep the inning alive with a single and Andy delivered the big blow, roping a double off the center-field wall scoring both runners.

Wooddale cut the lead to one using two hits in the bottom of the third. Up 4-3 going into the fourth, Rez failed to score, stranding Adam and Jason on the bases. Wooddale jumped at the chance and scored two of its own to grab a 5-4 lead after four innings. Wooddale singled twice and walked twice to push the runners across.

Trailing going into the fifth inning, Rez needed some runs to calm the nerves. Eric singled and with one swing Tenney put some wind back in the Warrior sails. He mashed a two-run job to deep left-center, giving Rez a 6-5 edge. Unfortunately, that was all the team could do, but the Warriors had the lead again going into the bottom of the fifth.

Rez went to its closer, Austin, on the mound and he delivered. With his much quicker pace and style, the Wooddale hitters were off balance a little went down without scoring, plus Rez got through Wooddale's top four hitters so they would not be coming back up in the sixth.

Heading into the final inning because of time constraints, Rez knew it needed some more breathing room. The bats heard the cry for help and complied vigilantly. Adam singled up the middle to start things and moved to third on Jason's double off the wall. Austin roped one to right to score both and moved to second on Jamy's single. Eric doubled to plate Austin and an error on the left-fielder allowed Jamy to score too. Tenney capped the rapid-style rally with another two-run blast, this one making it 12-5 with still no outs in the sixth. That was all Rez did in the sixth, but it was plenty as the Warrior defense made sure Wooddale couldn't do anything in the bottom half.

Wooddale doubled to start the sixth and Austin intentially walked the following hitter to set up a force out at any base. It was un-needed though as Jamy Antoine made a great diving catch on a sinking liner for the first out and then hopped up to make a throw to second base, where Andy made a great diving catch to double-up the runner for out number two. Just like that, and Wooddale's hopes were crushed. For good measure, Jamy followed that play up with another diving catch to end the game, this one going back and to his right in deep center-field. Great inning from Jamy.

The victory makes Rez just one game short of perfection, at 17-0. The final game will be against Immanuel at 8:50 on field #5 on Thursday. Immanuel has had one close game with Rez this year and comes into the game in third place. This game will also be the final tuneup for the Warriors before their all-day tournament on Saturday, August 1st at Lac Lavon fields in Burnsville.

July 23 versus Wooddale

The Resurrection Life Warriors face second-place Wooddale tonight at 5:50 on field #4. Wooddale has surprised many this year with its consistent play and #2 spot in the standings. Undoubtedly, Wooddale will want to claim the title of Warrior-slayer just like last week's opponents. Rez will need to bring its A-game and play a solid defensive game and let the bats take care of themselves.

1. Jason M, LF
2. Austin C, SS
3. Jamy A, RC
4. Eric J, RF
5. Jeff T, 3B
6. Chris B, LC
7. Andy B, 2B
8. Jeff J, 1B
9. Jon E, C
10.Adam H, P

Tough Sweep for Warriors...16-0

The Resurrection Life Warriors continued their march to a perfect regular season by taking a double-header sweep last week. The Warriors held on in a slugfest against Pax Chrisit, 21-19, before ten-run ruling St. Andrew Blue, 18-8 in game two.

Game one was a barn-burner that came down to the final inning. Rez controlled the game early but as tempers and intensity heated up, the score tightened as Pax made a furious rally in the bottom of the fourth before eventually falling.

Jason Merritt had an outstanding game out of the two-hole, going 5-5 with four runs, seven rbi a double and a homerun en route to his first Player of the Game this year. Chris Burr added four hits while Jamy Antoine, Austin Colby, and Jeff Tenney all had three. Eric Johnson and Adam Hey had two each and Jeff Johnson, Jonathan Engbrecht, and Andy Briggs had one.

Things looked solid for the Warriors right off the bat as the team stormed out to a 10-run first inning. Jamy doubled and scored on Jason's single. Austin singled to move Jason along and after the first out, Tenney blasted a three-run shot to make it 4-0. Burr singled and moved to second on Jeff's walk. After the second out, Andy roped an rbi-single and Adam followed suit. Jamy doubled to score Andy and Jason added two more with a double. Austin knocked out the third straight double to score Jason and cap the inning's scoring.

Pax put two runs up in the bottom of the first on back-t0-back solo homers. Rez got those two back on Jeff's two-run moon-shot to left-center, making it 12-2 going into the bottom of the second.

Pax had another solid inning, putting four runs across home to make it 12-6 after two. Pax continued to show it has a solid lineup, by five hits and taking advantage of one Rez error.

In the top of the third, the Warriors extended their lead back to ten. Jason launched a two-run homer after Jamy reached base on an error to start the inning. With one out, Eric singled and jogged home on Tenney's second homerun of the game, this one a two-run blast.

The Rez defense held solid in the bottom half, stranding two Pax runners. Up 16-6 heading into the fourth, Rez looked to put things away. After a lead-off out, Jamy tripled and came home on Jason's fourth hit of the game. Austin followed with a triple to score Jason and Eric and Tenney hit back-t0-back doubles to add two more runs. Burr singled to make it first and third with one out, but a lineout and a popout ended the inning with no more runs scoring.

Pax turned it on and Warrior defense felt the pressure for the first time all season in the bottom of the fourth. As the chatter had increased throughout the game, with the Pax bench allegeding extra homerun usage and slowing down the game by interrupting the umpire during the innings, the sense of urgency to hurry up and play had settled in. Rez didn't handle it well as Pax got hot in the bottom of the fourth and played a very timid defense as Pax piled on 13 runs to make it 20-19 going into the fifth and final frame.

The first two Pax hitters singled and one scored with the other one ending at third after the first of three outfield errors in the inning. After a lineout, three straight singles and another error pushed two more runs across with a guy on first. A flyout provided the second out, but Pax then rattled off five straight singles to make it 20-13 before a grand slam closed the gap to 20-17. The third error of the game allowed the next runner to reach and a double plated him to make it 20-18. A walk and a single pushed the final run across before a grounder ended the inning.

Shell-shocked and in need of some insurance runs, Rez strode to the plate in the fifth. Andy drew a walk and moved to second on Adam's single. Jamy popped up for the first out but Jason came through with an rbi-single to add that insurance run. However, base-running blunder at second caused the second out. Austin just missed his second consecutive triple but a nice running catch by the right-fielder ended the inning for Rez.

Up just 21-19, the Warrior defense needed to step up in a big way to shut the door. And it did. The first Pax hitter rolled a single through the infield before a hot-shot to Andy at short was handled smoothly and flipped to Eric at second for one and fired to Jeff at first for a beautiful double-play and a pressure-releaser. With two outs and no one on, all the pressure was on Pax. The final batter hit a harmless pop-up to Tenney to end the game. Toughest win of the season for the Warriors.

Game two was a much easier game score-wise but the Warriors had to listen to another earful from the opposing team.

The two-hole proved to be the place to be last week as Andy Briggs captured Player of the Game honors hitting there with four hits, two runs and five rbi, including a two-run homer. Andy also continued his solid play at short with an assist and four putouts.

Tenney finished his awesome double-header wtih three more hits and another homer. Jason had three hits to give him eight on the day. Jamy, Austin, Eric, Jeff and Adam had two hits each with Eric and Jeff hitting the final two Rez homers. Burr and Jonathan had one hit each.

Rez fired up three runs in the top of the first as Jamy singled and scored on Andy's homerun. Austin and Burr singled wand then after two outs, Jason delivered an rbi-single.

St. Andrew Blue took the lead briefly in the bottom half, scoring four runs as an error and two singles loaded the bases with no outs, before a grandslam cleared them in a hurry. Blue missed a chance at more, stranding two runners.

Rez reclaimed the lead with two runs in the second. Jeff and Adam reached to start the inning and after an out, Andy hit a single that was thrown around the diamond for a while allowing two runs to score.

Blue went down without scoring in the second, going down in order. Rez opened it up in the top of the third wtih nine runs and two homeruns. Tenney doubled off the wall to start things and Eric beat out an infield single to put two on. Jason added a single to load the bases for Jonathan who lined out to left, but plated Tenney. Jeff then hit a bomb of a three-run homer to left to make it 9-4 Warriors. Adam singled to get things going again and Jamy, Andy and Austin all singled to score two more runs. After the second out, Tenney capped the inning's scoring with a majestic three-run blast to make it 14-4 Rez.

Blue spent some time disputing the nine runs in the bottom half before finally taking its turn batting. Blue didn't manage any runs, leaving a couple runners on base.

Rez padded the lead with tow more runs in the fourth, using four singles by Jason, Jonathan, Adam and Andy. Blue made a valiant run at a rally in the bottom part of the inning, scoring four runs on three hits adn two walks, but a nice play on a liner by Tenney and a nice field and toss from Austin to Andy up the middle ended the inning.

For good measure, Rez used its fourth homerun in the final inning, a two-run blast by Eric to plate Tenney who had singled. Blue had two baserunners but didn't score in the bottom half and Rez came away the 18-8 victors.

Now 16-0, Rez plays the second place Wooddale team this week at 5:50 on field 4. Wooddale, like last week's teams, will be looking to knock off the unbeaten Warriors who now have won 22 straight league games.

The team has something else to shoot for, along with the perfect season, a .600 team average. Right now, the team is hitting .592. At its current pace, the team will need to average 25 hits in the following two games to hit .600 as a squad. For reference, last week the team banged out 25 hits in game one and 22 in game two. I think it can and will be done.

July 16 versus Pax Christi and St. Andrew Blue

With the league title in hand, the Warriors will now focus on completing an undefeated season. Rez plays its third consecutive twinbill tonight versus Pax Christi and St. Andrew Blue. The first pitch is slated for 7:50 on field #5. The weather may be a factor as 20+ mph winds are expected. With wind like that, anything can happen. The Warriors defense will have to be sharp.

Vs Pax Christi Game 1

1. Jamy A, RC
2. Jason M, LF
3. Austin C, P
4. Eric J, 2B
5. Jeff T, 3B
6. Chris B, LC
7. Jeff J, 1B
8. Jon E, RF
9. Andy B, SS
10.Adam H, C

Vs St. Andrew Blue Game 2

1. Jamy A, RC
2. Andy B, SS
3. Austin C, P
4. Chris B, LC
5. Jeff T, 3B
6. Eric J, 2B
7. Jason M, LF
8. Jon E, RF
9. Jeff J, 1B
10.Adam H, C

Double-header Sweep Gives Rez League Title

The Resurrection Life Warriors have officially clinched the 2009 League Title after a sweep of last week's games. The team now sits atop the standings at 14-0 and holds every possible tie-breaker going into the last four weeks. Rez beat St. Andrew Red 22-6 in the first game of the twinbill and followed that with a workmanlike 17-9 victory over EPAG.

Game one saw the Warriors bat second, the first time for that on the season. St. Andrew Red used the top of the first inning to take a 5-0 lead, using five walks and three singles to plate the runs. However, the lead was short-lived as the Warriors stormed back with 14 runs in the bottom of the first. Austin Colby singled with one out and moved to third on Eric Johnson's double. Chris Burr had a two-rbi single to get the team on the board. Jeff Tenney singled to put two on for Jamy Antoine who singled to load the bases for Jeff Johnson. Jeff flew out deep for a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3 Red with two outs. Jonathan Engbrecht stroked a two-run single to tie the game and Andy Briggs ripped a single to keep things going. Adam Hey came up and rolled a single threw the infield to give Rez the lead for good. With two on, Jason Merritt got into the action with an rbi-single. Austin followed with a liner to left-center that got to the wall for a two-run triple and a 9-5 Warrior advantage. Austin scampered home on the play as a bad throw rolled out of play. Eric started things going again with a single and scored on Chris' double. Tenney cleaned up the bases with a two-run bomb to center. Jamy followed with an inside-the-park homer to right-center. Jeff doubled but was stranded as a pop-out ended the frame.

Red didn't score in the second inning and Rez added five more runs. Andy tripled and scored on Adam's single. Substitute Adam Colby batted for the first time and singled up the middle. Jason then singled to load them up for Austin who delivered a two-rbi single. Eric Johnson then hit a soft pop-up to shortstop, but Jason was hustling from third and turned it into a sacrifice fly. Austin went to second on the play. Still hustling one batter later, Burr lofted a deep flyout to left-center that sent Austin all the way to home from second, making it a sacrifice fly. A lineout ended the inning.

Red put one run on a homer in the top of the third to make it 19-6. Rez used its last at bats to score three more runs. Jamy homered to center to start the inning and complete his great game one. Jeff singled and came home on Jonathan's homerun to left. After an out, Adam Hey and Adam Colby singled but Jason and Austin both flew out to end the game for Rez's bats.

The defense used a nice 6-4-3 double play in the top of the fourth to end the game, 22-6 Rez. Jamy Antoine earned his first Player of the Game of the year with a 3-3 day including two solo homers.

Game two was a balanced offensive attack as all eleven hitter had at least one hit. Jason, Austin, Burr, Andy, and Jamy all had three hits. All three of Jamy's went for extra bases, a double, triple and homer, capturing him POG honors for the second straight game. Tenney, Jeff, and Jonathan all had two hits in the game.

Batting first, Rez put up a nine-spot to start the game. Jason and Austin singled and after an out Burr singled to score Jason. Tenney then hit a mammoth three-run homer to make it 4-0. Jamy doubled and scored on Jeff's single. Jonathan stayed hit and blasted his second homer of the night, a two-run shot. Andy followed with the third homer of the inning, a deep fly to left field making it 8-0. After the second out, Adam Colby, Jason, and Austin all singled to push the final run across the bag for the inning.

EPAG came right back with five runs in the bottom half on six hits. The damage could have been worse, but Jason made a nice running catch on a liner and doubled a guy off of second to end the inning.

Rez managed just two runs in the second inning, both coming on Jamy's two-run homer, which plated Tenney who reached on a fielder's choice after Burr's single.

EPAG answered with three runs in the bottom half as the walks came back to haunt Adam Hey. Five walks and a single allowed EPAG to creep back into the game, 11-8 Rez after two innings.

The Warrior bats came shooting out in the top of the third to rebuild that cushion. Jason and Austin singled with one out and after the second out, Burr ripped a single to plate Jason. Tenney then stroked a two-rbi double to make it 14-8 with two outs. Jamy stayed extremely hot and launched a run-scoring triple to right to score Tenney. Jeff singled to score Jamy and cap the inning's scoring, 16-8 Rez.

Rez went to its closer in the third inning and Austin didn't disappoint. He was a strike-throwing machine and mowed threw EPAG's hitters, holding them scoreless. In the top of the fourth, a lead-off error from EPAG allowed a run to score and extend the Warrior lead to nine runs, 17-8.

Again, Austin kept EPAG off the bases with a strikeout and a grounder back to mound in the bottom half. The fifth inning was scoreless for both teams, Rez hit two homeruns for outs and wasted a one-out double from Eric. EPAG left two runners on base also, missing out on the opportunity to close the gap.

Rez left runners on second and third in the sixth, and looked to its defense to hold the fort in the sixth and seventh. EPAG had back-to-back singles to start the sixth, but a fielder's choice back to the mound netted Rez its first out. After a run-scoring single, Austin chalked up his second strikeout of the game for out number two and Tenney snagged a pop-up to end the sixth. Because of time, the flip-flop rule was enforced and EPAG batted again. A lead-off homer was all it could muster though, as a nice diving catch from Burr in left-center led to the game-ending double-play.

The 17-9 victory puts Rez at 14-0 on the season and secures this year's title. Next week, the Warriors have a double-dip versus Pax Christi and St. Andrew Blue on field #5 starting at 7:50.

July 9 vs St. Andrew Red and EPAG

We enter the final third of the regular season with a doubleheader versus last-place St. Andrew Red and hot-as-ever EPAG. EPAG was this writer's pick to finish second in the standings, after showing some impressive bats going into the All-Star break. EPAG has moved up to third and will definitely be challenging for runners-up shortly. See the lineup below as the Warriors look to extend their regular-season winning streak to 20 with a sweep.



Vs St. Andrew Red Game 1

1. Jason M, LF
2. Austin C, LC
3. Eric J, 2B
4. Chris B, RC
5. Jeff T, 3B
6. Jamy A, RF
7. Jeff J, 1B
8. Jonathan E, C
9. Andy B, SS
10.Adam H, P


Vs EPAG

1. Jason M, LF
2. Austin C, LC
3. Eric J, 2B
4. Chris B, RC
5. Jeff T, 3B
6. Jamy A, RF
7. Jeff J, 1B
8. Jonathan E, C
9. Andy B, SS
10.Adam H, P

Baby Kate Welcomed in Style

Kate Selah Marie Colby joined the Resurrection Life ranks this past Friday, kindly holding off making her grand entrance until after the Warriors had completed a sweep Thursday evening. Kate was very pleased to hear from her proud father that Rez Life had done her proud, by knocking off the second and third place teams Thursday in a couple of tough contests. Kate said she is happy for her daddy's team but she just wants to sleep for a while longer. Fair enough.


The Warriors weren't sleepy at all Thursday night, playing some tightly contested game en route to 12-8 and 19-10 victories over Immanuel and Wooddale respectively. The Warriors had to come from behind for just the second time all year in the first game then fought off a furious Wooddale rally before finishing strong in game two.


Soon-to-be-father-for-the-third-time Austin Colby earned Player of the Game honors in game one, going 3-3 with a run scored and three rbi out of the nine-hole. He hit the game-tying three-run homer in the third inning and handled 10 chances at shortstop without an error.


Chris Wold added three hits in that first game and hit his first homerun of the year. Jeff Tenney, Eric Johnson and Chris Burr all had two hits while Jeff Johnson and Jason Merritt added one each.


Wold doubled to start the game for Rez, but three walks packaged around a walk left two runners on with no runs in. Immanuel wasted no time and jumped out with three runs to take a 3-0 first inning edge. With two outs and no one on, Immanuel used a single and two walks to load the bases before a double cleared them all.

Rez managed just one run in the top of the second using three singles from Burr, Austin and Wold. Immanuel again scored three runs to take a commanding 6-1 lead after two innings. Five singles and a Rez Life error allowed the runs to score. It could have been more, but a Tenney to Eric to Jeff double-play ended the threat.


Down 6-1, the Warriors picked it up. Jeff Johnson led the inning off with a walk and moved to second on Jason's single. Tenney hit into a forceout to make it first and third with one out and Eric doubled to score Jeff. With runners at second and third, Burr singled to plate Tenney but Adam grounded out for the second out, making it 6-3 with two outs and two on for Austin. After a five-minute delay to fix the upended second base, Austin calmly walked down the third-base line to Eric and told him he would be hitting a three-run homer to tie the game out of protest for the time delay at second base. Austin obliged with said homer to dead center to tie the game and swing the momentum. Wold followed on the very next pitch with his first homerun of the year, also to center, to make it 7-6 Warriors.


Immanuel started to feel the pressure and went down without scoring for three straight innings. In the bottom of the third, Rez used a 6-4-3 double-play for the first two outs before a grounder ended the inning.


Looking to keep the pressure on, Rez added two runs on a Jeff Tenney homer in the fourth. In the bottom half, Immanuel loaded the bases but Austin made three straight putouts on tow liners and a popout to keep them off the board.


Leading 9-6 going into the fifth, Rez got nothing going. Immanuel stranded two more runners after a nice 4-1 putout ended the fifth frame.


In the sixth, Rez was able to add three runs to its lead. Jeff walked for the second time of the gmae and after a lineout, Tenney tripled to plate Jeff and make it 10-6. Eric followed with a deep fly ball that the left-fielder tried to snag at the fence, but was unable to and Eric had himself a two-run homer.


Immanuel went down in order in the sixth and then the flip-flop rule allowed Immanuel to bat again for its seventh inning at bats. Immanuel got a little rally going, pushing two harmless runs across the plate before Rez ended the game on a grounder to Austin.


Rez managed just 14 hits in the game, but had three doubles, one triple and used four homeruns.


Game two was a more well-played contest as the top two defensive teams in the league squared off. Eric Johnson kept his hot bat going from the first game as he won Player of the Game with four hits in five tries, including a double and a homerun. Jeff Johnson had another great game going 2-3 with two homeruns and a walk.


Austin, Burr, Jason and Wold all had three hits while Jamy and Tenney added two and Adam had one. The team hit three doubles, two triples and used four homeruns in this game.


The Warriors came storming out of the gates, scoring eight times in the opening half inning. Austin launched a triple off the right-field wall to start the game and game home on Burr's rbi single. Eric hit his second homerun in as many swings to plate Burr and make it 3-0 after four batters. Tenney and Jason hit back-to-back doubles before Jeff and Jamy hit back-to-back dingers to make it 7-0 Rez. After the second out, Austin tripled to right-center for the second time in the inning and scampered home as the throw to third went out of play.


Wooddale didn't just lay down though, using four hits and an error to score three times in the bottom half. Rez kept right at it in the top of the second, plating four more runners to take a nice 12-3 lead. Burr and Eric started the inning with singles and after a forceout, Jason brought home Eric with an rbi-single. Jeff Johnson then cleared the bases with a three-run bomb to very deep left-center. Wold singled and Austin walked with two outs but Adam lined out to deep left to end the frame.

Wooddale chipped away a little bit more with two runs on three hits and an error. Rez hit the ball hard in the top of the third, but had nothing to show for it as Eric's double was stranded on the bases. In the bottom half, Wooddale made its charge. The inning started with a flyout, but after an error, Wooddale ripped off six singles plating five runs before a strange 5-6-4 forceout ended the inning.

Now up just 12-10 Rez needed a boost but failed in the fourth. Jeff Johnson walked to start things and Wold singled to make it first and third with one out. Austin lifted a sac fly to right-center to score Jeff but that was all the team managed in the inning.

Wooddale, trailing by just three, looked to take the lead for the first time in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Wooddale ripped back-to-back singles to make it first and second with one out and the tying run up. However, Eric made a great play to snag a liner up the middle and step on second to end the threat.

Rez then made sure Eric's gem didn't go to waste, putting up a six-spot in the fifth to create some space. Burr, Eric and Tenney all singled to start the inning and load the bases. Jason hit a two-rbi single to get things going and after an out, Jamy added an rbi single also. Wold and Austin followed with run-scoring singled and Adam kept the inning alive with an infield single. That was all the squad managed as a flyout to right ended the inning with runners on first and third. The damage was done though, as the Warriors now held a 19-10 advantage.

Wooddale was noticeably shaken and went down in order in the bottom half and the game was called due to time. Rez is now 12-0 on the season and has a four-game lead with six games to play. With wins next week, or a Wooddale loss, Rez becomes league champions.

The league is taking a week off so Austin can enjoy time at home with his new baby girl and league play resumes July 9th. Rez has another double header that night starting at 5:50 on field #4. The team plays St. Andrew Red and EPAG.

June 25 vs Immanuel and Wooddale

This evening marks the potential league-title clinching double-header for the Resurrection Life Warriors. If the Warriors sweep, they should cruise to a league title, barring any major catastrophies. In light of the monumental use of government spending and power that we've seen in the past six months, I thought I'd do my own version of a 'shovel-ready government job that won't produce any lasting revenues or actual jobs for anyone once they are done.' These lineups were NOT put together based on performance, because that would just be unfair. These were compiled so that each player gets the same amount of at bats and opportunities, regardless of how that player has handled any previous opportunities. Thankfully, we've been so solid top-to-bottom, we shouldn't be hurt at all by this. Man, can you imagine if a pro baseball team did that? Last place every year. Or a business? Bankrupt. Or a goverment system? Nothing would ever get done! Oh wait....Without further ado, here are my Barack Obama-approved 'spread-the-wealth' lineups.

vs Immanuel Game 1
1. Chris W, P
2. Jamy A, RF
3. Jeff J, 1B
4. Jason M, CF
5. Jeff T, 3B
6. Eric J, 2B
7. Chris B, LF
8. Adam H, C
9. Austin C, SS

vs Wooddale Game 2
1. Austin C, SS
2. Adam H, C
3. Chris B, LF
4. Eric J, 2B
5. Jeff T, 3B
6. Jason M, CF
7. Jeff J, 1B
8. Jamy A, RF
9. Chris W, P

Solid Victory Over Hot EPAG

The Warriors from Resurrection Life played a solid game last week en route to a ten-rule victory over Eden Prairie Assembly of God. EPAG hadn't lost in six total games and was coming in as a very hot team. However, the Warriors proved to be just too tough and cruised to a 15-5 win.

The team had just 19 hits, but in just five innings. Jeff Johnson earned his second Player of the Game honor with a 2-3 game with a walk. Jeff stayed consistent, hitting three homeruns on the game, two three-run homers and one for an out. Jeff drove home six runners and scored three times.

Chris Wold, Jason Merritt and Jonathan Engbrecht all had three hits. Jeff Tenney, Adam Hey and Austin Colby added two each while Eric Johnson and Chris Burr managed just one apiece.

The team used all four homeruns and hit two for outs, to increase its season total to 30 that count and 12 that don't.

The squad started things great, putting up its 11th seven-run inning of the year in the top of the first. Wold singled and trotted home on Jason's line-drive homer off the light pole in left-center. After an out, Burr walked and moved to second on Tenney's line-drive single. Jeff Johnson then exploded through a ball for his first three-run shot of the night. Jonathan followed with another no-doubter, this time a solo job to put Rez up 6-0. Adam singled and after an Austin pop-out, Wold singled to move Adam up one base. Jason finished a great personal first inning with an rbi-double and a lineout ended the frame.

EPAG had its first two runners reach, but nothing came of it as Burr made a nice running catch in right to end the inning. Rez stayed on the offensive with three more runs in the second. Burr and Tenney singled back-to-back and jogged home on Jeff's second three-run homer, another bomb to deep left-center. The team managed nothing else, leaving a two-out single from Austin on base.

EPAG came back in its half, plating four runs on four singles and a walk. Now up 10-4, Rez went down in order in the third inning leaving the door open for EPAG. However, EPAG also went scoreless wasting back-to-back singles. Wold made a fine play to end the inning, kicking a grounder to Eric at second and then hustling back to cover second base for the force-out. An assist and a putout on the play.

Rez fell victim to the homerun rule in the fourth, using its first two outs on homeruns, both line shots. Jonathan singled with two outs but a grounder ended the inning. EPAG had two hits in the bottom of the fourth, but a nice 6-4-3 double-play from Tenney to Eric to Jeff Johnson at first wiped away any threat.

After sitting through two and half straight scoreless innings, the fans were finally woken up with a five-run frame from Rez in the fifth. Austin hit a hustle double to left to start the inning and came home on Wold's tasered double to right-center. Jason doubled but Wold eased in to third with no real hurry to score. With runners on second and third, Eric hit an rbi-single to score Wold and Burr followed with an rbi-grounder. WIth one out, Tenney hit into a forceout to bring up Jeff. Jeff walked to put two on for Jonathan who singled to score Tenney and make it 14-4. Adam followed with another rbi single and Austin lined out to end the frame, 15-4 Warriors.

EPAG needed two to keep things going, but only pushed one across leaving runners on and ending the game 15-5 Rez.

The victory makes Rez a cool 10-0 heading into three straight double-headers. The twinbill this week is against Immanuel and Wooddale on field three starting at 5:50. Wooddale is in second place at 9-2 and a Rez victory will pretty much ensure the league title.

June 18 vs EPAG

The Resurrection Life Warriors face Eden Prairie Assembly of God tonight at 5:50 on field #2. This just in: the wind is blowing out to left. Watch out. I don't even think the unbelievable level of humidity will keep the balls in the park tonight. EPAG is hot right now and Rez had better bring its A-game. Hopefully there will be no let-down after the all-star break. See the nine-man lineup below:

1. Chris W, P
2. Jason M, LF
3. Eric J, 2B
4. Chris B, RF
5. Jeff T, SS
6. Jeff J, 1B
7. Jonathan E, 3B
8. Adam H, C
9. Austin C, CF

Mid-Season Report

The 2009 Resurrection Life Warriors roll into the All-Star break with a perfect 9-0 record, and a two-game lead in the league standings. The squad has its most successful first-half of any season in club history and is on pace to set several team records for the Eden Prairie League.

The team has posted several offensive outbursts this year including three games with 24+ runs, already a team record. The team has also had ten innings of seven runs or more with five of at least ten runs. The Warriors set a team and league record with a 19-run inning earlier in the season.

The offense has been so well spread out, the team hasn't suffered any major slumps. The team is averaging just under 19 runs a game at 18.8 and has just one game where the team scored less than 15 runs, a 9-5 victory.

Currently, there are six hitters with an average over .600 and two more that are over .570. There are seven players with on base percentages over .600 and three more at .529 or better. The team's batting average and on base percentages of .587 and .616 would be team records if maintained in the second half.

However, the real burst this year has been the return of the slugger. Starting in 2006 through last year, the team saw a steady decline in power numbers. See the chart below for more statistical info:
slugging%/homers per game/# of guys with 5+ homers
2006: .951/2.3/5
2007: .796/1.9/3
2008: .767/1.0/1

2009 has been a different story. The team is slugging at a 1.009 clip with 2.9 homeruns per game. Everyone on the team, with the exception of Chris Wold, has a homerun in regulation. Wold has two homeruns for outs, so even he's gotten into the action. Three players have four homeruns or more and there is a realistic shot that three guys will finish with ten homeruns or more with another three players with at least five. Jeff Johnson has been a tough-luck homerun hitter with just two on the season, but he has hit an amazing five for outs. That would give him seven on the year which would tie him for the league-lead with teammate Austin Colby. As a team, Rez has ten homeruns for outs, which would put the team's homerun total at 36 in nine games. In 2008, the team hit a total of 25 in 25 games.

What's changed? A lot of things have been working well. With such a consistent lineup, Manager Colby has been able to move the batting order around significantly, putting more people in the position to hit for homeruns with men on base. Everyone has at least eight at bats with runners in scoring position and the team has responded, hitting .652 in those situations.

Austin Colby is again leading the offensive charge statistically, but he isn't doing it from the top of the order. Because of everyone's performance, he has been able to bat 6th or lower four different times, giving the bottom of the order a nice boost. He is currently pacing the team and league in average, .774, on base percentage, .778, slugging percentage, 1.839, OPS, 2.616, runs scored, 23, rbi, 29, and homeruns, 7. He is tied for third in the league and shares the team lead with six doubles. The great first half has led to another starting All-Star spot at shortstop, his fourth consecutive.

Newcomer Jeff Tenney has been steady as you go in the middle of the lineup so far. While his numbers don't jump out at you, they are outstandingly solid. Not only is he playing an excellent third base and shortstop, but he is also hitting in the 4-6 holes with excellent power and production. he is hitting .611 overall with six doubles and five homeruns, tied for third in the league. He has scored 20 times and brought home 19. His OPS of 1.872 is good for third in the league so far and he is the starting third baseman on the All-Star team.

The third starting infielder on the All-Star team is second baseman Eric Johnson. Eric has had the comeback year that this sports writer has been predicting for three full seasons. Eric started off on a tear and has only recently settled into a groove. I can see his average of .647, 5th in the league, and OPS of 1.766, also 5th in the league, holding strong for the balance of the season. Eric has mashed four homeruns and driven home 20 runs, good for third in the league.

Chris Wold has brought a great dynamic to the team from the pitching bump. He is easily the league's best pitcher and his starting nod on the mound for the All-Star game is confirmation of that. At that plate, he has been excellent as well. He is hitting .652, 4th in the league, with three doubles and one triple. He plays great defense from the pitcher's spot and has saved many a single up the middle. Look for Chris to flex a little more of his power muscles in the second half.

The team has placed two outfielders on the starting All-Star squad this year. After taking a year off, 2007 team MVP Chris Burr has come back with more of his solid if not excellent play. He earns his third All-Star nod with a .613 average and 1.712 OPS. He has four doubles, two triples and two homeruns so far while scoring 14 and driving home 15. He has also played left-center and center flawlessly, making no errors in 14 chances.

Jamy Antoine is the second starting outfielder for the Warriors. Jamy seems to be putting together the consistently dominant season the team has been waiting for. He is hitting .581 with a .645 on base percentage, top 10 in the league, and a 1.097 slugging percentage, also league top-10. He is leading the team and league with five triples and has added three doubles and one homerun giving him an OPS of 1.742, fourth on the team and 6th in the league. He is leading the outfield with 16 chances so far, all putouts.

The team managed one more All-Star in 2009, placing seven total on the squad, and expression of the league dominance it displayed in the first half. Jason Merritt narrowly beat the third baseman from St. Andrew Red in the internet voting for the final spot. Last season, Jason lost out on the final spot in the internet voting, but his all-around play and hot finish to the first half pushed him over the Red third baseman this season. Jason is hitting an even .600 with three doubles, one triple and two homeruns. He has scored 15 runs and driven home 13. He hasn't seen much action defensively so far, but he has been perfect when tested.

Jonathan Engbrecht has been solid in the first half, hitting a career-best .571 so far. He has scored every single time he's been on base so far too, 16 times. He has 10 rbi to go with his one double, one triple and one homerun. Jon can erupt at anytime for more power numbers, so we could see a definite spike in those numbers before season's end. Jon has played both the infield and outfield this season, as has been the norm in year's past.

A 2008 All-Star, Andy Briggs struggled early to get his bat going but as of late, he has cruised to a .500 average with a very good .645 on base percentage. He has hit one homerun so far, but that has been his only extra base hit. Look for Andy to poke a few more gaps in the second half. Quietly, he is having another excellent season in the infield. This year, he has played third, short and second with equal success. He should settle in at short and second for the second half and make a run at some league golf-glove honors.

Jeff Johnson has hit the ball a lot harder than the stats would indicate. His batting average of .429 and slugging percentage of .786 hardly do justice to the damage he's put on some balls. He has hit a league-record five homeruns for outs in nine games. If those had counted, his average would be .607 and his slugging percentage would be 1.500 which would be second in the league. Not bad. If he can pick and choose when to swat those bombs, his second half numbers could really be eye-opening.

2009's biggest surprise has come from Adam Hey. He has improved every area of his game which is shown in his .448 average and .529 on base percentage. He also mashed his first career homerun into a biting wind earlier this season. Adam has become a decent catcher and a reliable outfielder also. He has scored 13 times and driven in 10. In 21 games last year, he scored just 14 times and drove home 10. Great first half for Adam.

League Outlook:
It would take something drastic for the Warriors not to win the league title by at least four games. An undefeated season should be the goal now, and with some hot teams around the league the Warriors will have to bring it each week.

I see Rez holding serve the rest of the year and capping the league's first ever perfect season at 18-0. I see EPAG picking up its pace and finishing in second with an 11-6-1 mark and Wooddale completing an amazing turn-around with an 11-7 mark. Immanuel will come in fourth at 9-8-1 with Pax still comfortably behind at 6-11-1.

The two St. Andrew teams will battle to stay out of the basement but Blue will come out on top with a record of 4-14. Red will own the cellar at 2-15-1.

Team Outlook:
Rez won't stop hitting all year. If the wind is ever blowing out, look for a ten-homer game. The team will finish with team-records in average, runs scored, homeruns, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It should be fun to watch.
- Tenney will hit ten homeruns in the last nine games.
- Eric will maintain his dominance and capture 1st Team All-League
- Jeff Johnson will hit five real homeruns....and three more for outs.
- Seven players will hit .600 or better
- Three players will hit ten homers or more
- The team will have a 20-run inning
- Adam will hit .500
- Andy will get a triple
- Jason will win the bet...
- Wold will hit a homerun....at some point
- Jamy will NOT hit 10 triples...but he'll sure try
- Burr will get at least six each of doubles, triples and homeruns
- Jonathan will have a multi-homer game
- Austin will flirt with .800 but ultimately fall short

First-Half Awards:
League:
All-Star: Austin Colby
All-Star: Jeff Tenney
All-Star: Eric Johnson
All-Star: Chris Wold
All-Star: Chris Burr
All-Star: Jamy Antoine
All-Star: Jason Merritt

Team:
MVP: Eric Johnson. I believe that while the lineup has been awesome across the board and Austin is having a ridiculously funny statistical season, Eric has been the anchor. We knew the return of Burr and addition of Tenney would add some serious firepower; it was expected and it has happened. We knew that Wold would be a .650+ hitter near the top of the order. The big question mark was whether or not Eric would be the dominant church-league hitter circa 2003-first-half of 2006 or would he be the one from the second half of 2006 through 2008? He has answered that call with an elite first-half which has given him the edge at MVP so far.

Infield Gold Glove: Chris Wold/Jeff Johnson. Pitcher and first base are not the positions you think of when you consider gold-glove caliber defenders. However, you cannot ignore the numbers. Wold is amazing on the mound. He makes it easier for his middle infielders which in turn makes it easier for the corners. Jeff just makes his plays and goes about it in a business-like way. Will he ever win stlye points? No, but he catches the ball and fields the ball. Well deserved honor for both.

Outfield Gold Glove: Jamy Antoine. For the second straight year, Jamy wins the mid-season gold glove honor in the outfield. This will be a dogfight come year-end. The three main outfielders and Austin all get it done extremely well out there. No one truly stands out, but Jamy has made every play this year, including a couple of tough plays. His arm has been solid and his glove has been perfect so far. Should be a great battle for outfield supremacy in the second half.

Projected Lineup:
1. Chris Wold, P
2. Austin Colby, SS
3. Chris Burr, LC
4. Eric Johnson, C
5. Jeff Tenney, 3B
6. Jason Merritt, LF
7. Jamy Antoine, RC
8. Jonathan Engbrecht, DH
9. Andy Briggs, 2B
10.Jeff Johnson, 1B
11.Adam Hey, RF

24-6 Throttling Lifts Rez to 9-0

The Resurrection Life Warriors completed the first half of the season with a perfect 9-0 record after destroying St. Andrew Red 24-6 in four innings last week. The team's bats re-emerged as a force to be reckoned with walloping 27 hits including one double, five triples and five homeruns, with one extra for an out.

Jeff Tenney earned his second Player of the Game on the season with a monster day at the plate. He finished 4-4 with four runs scored and seven rbi. He ripped a two-run homer in the first, a three-run bomb in the second and finished his day with a two-run triple in the third.

Jamy Antoine and Jason Merritt had four hits in the game also. Austin Colby, Chris Burr, and Eric Johnson ripped out three hits each while Andy Briggs and Jonathan Engbrecht had two each. Jeff Johnson and Adam Hey each added one to round out the hitting.

The Warriors came from behind for the first time all season, after trailing for about 3 minutes. St. Andrew Red scored five runs in the bottom of the first after Rez only had four in the top half. The Warriors responded well with 15 runs in the second. Rez added five more in the third before going down in order in the fourth to end the game.

Jason hit a hot-shot that scooted off the shortstop and into left-field for a hustle-double to start the game. Austin followed that with his first of two homeruns, this one to right-center. After the first out, Eric launched one to the right-center gap, further proof that we are indeed in the End Times. Eric legged out his annual triple, and thankfully jogged home on Tenney's first homer, a laser-beam to right-center. Two more singles, from Jamy and Jeff Johnson, were stranded and the Warriors led 4-0 after three outs.

Red started its half inning walk, single, single to load the bases with no outs. After a pop-out, a walk, a single and two more walks plated four runs before a fielder's choice pushed the fifth and final run of the inning across the plate. New pitcher, Adam, struggled a bit to find his command but settled down nicely after that first frame.

Fueled by its first deficit of the season, Rez erupted for 15 convincing runs in the top of the second. With one out, Jason singled and moved to second on Austin's walk. Burr lined a triple to right field to plate both runners. Up 6-5, Eric lined a would-be double down the left-field line, but he was still a bit gassed from his triple so he settled for an rbi-single. Tenney hit a hard grounder for a single and Andy followed with a single to load them up for Jeff Johnson. Unfortunately, Jeff took a close pitch and went down on strikes for the second out. Jonathan then delivered a two-rbi single to make it 10-5 Rez. Adam followed with another run-scoring single and Jason did the same. Austin then pulled a liner over the left-field wall for a three-run shot. Burr singled to start things again and Eric singled to put two on for Tenney. Not to be outdone by the much smaller Austin, Tenney destroyed a ball to center for his second homerun of the game which gave Rez an 18-5 advantage. Jamy hit his first of two triples and trotted home on Andy's liner up the middle to cap the inning's scoring. Jeff Johnson ended the inning wtih a bomb to deep center, but unfortunately, it counted as an out as the team was out of homeruns.

Red, jaws agape, went down quickly and quietly in its half of the inning, still processing the offensive onslaught from the Warriors.

Rez crossed the 20-run plateau in the third inning for the first time in four games. Jonathan singled but was erased on Adam's forceout. Jason ripped his fourth hit of the game to put two on for Austin. Out of homeruns, Austin hit lefty and hit a hard shot off the first baseman to score Adam. Burr singled to score Jason and put runners on the corners with one out. Eric smoked a liner, but right at the third baseman for the second out. Tenney came through with two outs and cemented his status as POG with a two-run triple to right. Jamy followed with another triple to right to end the scoring on the night.

Red managed to push one more run across the plate using two hits. The 8, 9, 10 hitters came up for Rez in the top of the fourth, but each one went down leaving each Rez Life hitter with four plate appearances for the game. Red couldn't take advantage of two walks in the bottom half and the game ended on a nice unassisted double-play ball to Austin at short.

Now at the halfway point, Rez sits atop the standings with a commanding two-game lead over Wooddale at 9-0. Look for the mid-season write-up later this week to summarize the first half's happenings. Next week, Rez plays EPAG at 5:50 on field #2. EPAG is hot, winning four in a row including knocking off second-place Wooddale last week.

June 11 vs St. Andrew Red

Resurrection Life prepares to face St. Andrew Red this evening at 6:50 on field #4. The first game between these two opponents left a bitter taste for both squads. Rez dominated, winning 24-0, but the game lasted just two and a half innings, hardly fun for either team. This evening's game will hopefully last a little longer, but the Warrior bats will not waste anytime, and will take advantage of that first inning again. See tonight's lineup below:

1. Jason, LF
2. Austin, P
3. Chris B, LC
4. Eric, 2B
5. Jeff T, SS
6. Jamy, RC
7. Andy, 3B
8. Jeff J, 1B
9. Jon E, C
10.Adam, RF

Rez Dominates, 17-0

The Warriors from Resurrection Life put on a commanding performance last night, defeating over-matched St. Andrew Blue 17-0 in just five innings. The team banged out 21 hits, including eight for extra bases, and reached base 23 times.

Austin Colby, Eric Johnson and Chris Burr all had three hits on the night while Chris Wold, Andy Briggs, Jonathan Engbrecht, Jason Merritt and Jeff Johnson had two apeice. Jeff Tenney and Adam Hey each added one hit.

Jeff Johnson earned his first Player of the Game of the season with his perfect 2-2 performance, including a double, homerun and walk. He drove home two runs while scoring three.

The Warriors were shut out in the first and fourth innings, scoring all 17 runs between the second, third and fifth frames. To start the game, Austin and Wold recorded hard-hit outs. Andy and Eric had back-to-back singles but were stranded after a deep flyout.

Blue did nothing at the plate all game. The team coaxed just one walk, in the third, and just one hit, in the fourth. The hit was erased by a double-play so Wold faced just 16 batters in five innings.

The second inning proved to be the biggest of the night for Rez, as the team scored seven runs on eight hits with four doubles. Burr started with a single and scored on Adam's double to left. Jonathan singled to plate Adam and after a lineout, Jeff Johnson walked to put two on for Austin. Austin roped a double to deep left to score Jonathan to make it 3-0. Wold followed with a double of his own scoring both Austin and Jeff. Andy singled to put runners on the corners for Eric who knocked out an rbi-single. Tenney hit into a forceout for the second out and Burr followed with his second hit of the inning, a double to score Andy.

After Blue went down in order in the bottom half, Rez came back with six more runs in the third to make it 13-0 after three full frames. Jonathan and Jason hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. Jeff stroked a double to open the scoring and Austin followed with a two-rbi single. Wold singled to score Austin, who had advanced to second on the throw home on the previous play. After a lineout, Eric mashed a two-run homer for the team's first homer in 10 innings. The next two batters got out to end the half inning.

Rez only sent three batters to the plate in the fourth so both teams were scoreless. In the fifth, Rez added four more runs to win the game via 10-run mercy rule after five innings.

Jeff Johnson started the inning with a no-doubter solo shot to deep left. After an Austin single and Andy reaching base via error, Tenney destroyed one to center for a three-run bomb to finish the Warriors scoring in fine fashion.

The Warrior defense was slick all game and the final frame was no different, keeping Blue off the bases. Rez is now 8-0, just one game away from the halfway point. Next week, the team faces St. Andrew Red, who Rez dismantled 24-0 in just two and half innings in the first meeting. The game is on field #4 at 6:50.

June 4 vs St. Andrew Blue

Rez Life looks to continue its season-opening winning streak to eight games versus St. Andrew Blue on Thursday. The game is at 5:50 on field #1. Rez handled Blue 16-7 in the teams' first contest and Rez is the heavy favorite for the rematch. The Warriors have run their league-only winning streak to 13 games, which is a team-record. To mix it up a little, Manager Colby is using an on-base-percentage-based lineup for this game. See below for details:

1. Austin C, LC - .750
2. Chris W, P - .714
3. Andy B, 3B - .652
4. Eric J, 2B - .621
5. Jeff T, SS - .621
6. Chris B, RC - .615
7. Adam H, RF - .615
8. Jonathan E, C - .545
9. Jason M, LF - .500
10.Jeff J, 1B - .444
TEAM - .605 - not bad :)

Solid Victory Ups Rez to 7-0

It wasn't flashy but it was convincing, Resurrection Life started its second trip through the league schedule with a 15-6 victory over Pax Christi. The team played six innings before time halted the contest and reached base 24 times, drawing seven walks while banging out 17 hits.

All nine players in attendance had hits with Jason Merritt leading the way with three. Austin Colby, Jamy Antoine, Chris Burr, Eric Johnson, Jeff Tenney, and Player of the Game Andy Briggs all had two hits while Jeff Johnson and Adam Hey each added one.

Andy earned his first POG of the year with a perfect 2-2 game, scored twice, drove home four and drew two walks. Solid game for Andy. Jeff Johnson only had one hit, but he drew one walk, scored three times and drove home four also in a very solid game.

As is the norm, the Warriors batted first but quickly had two outs with no one on. A classic quote was heard from the bench after lead-off hitter Austin rolled one to first for an easy out to start the game,
"Somebody broke our Austin!" Good stuff. Austin suffered through his first 0-3 stretch in 78 games before breaking out with doubles in his final two at bats.

Burr singled with two outs to start the engine and moved to second on Eric's single. Tenney plated Burr with a single and Jason had the first of his three infield singles to load the bases. Andy patiently drew a walk to score Eric and Jeff Johnson came through with the big blow, a bases-clearing double to deep right-center to make it 5-0. Adam stayed hot, blooping a single over third base to score Jeff and give the Warriors a 6-0 lead, all with two outs.

Pax had two hits in the bottom half but left runners at second and third with just one out. Rez added a pair of runs in the top of the second using three hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly. Burr and Eric singled to start the inning. With one out, Jason reached on an infield single to load them up for Andy who drew another walk to score Burr. Jeff Johnson floated a sac fly to score Eric for the second run. Adam walked to load the bases for Austin who popped out to end the threat.

Pax responded with four big runs in the bottom half, making it 8-4 going into the third inning. Pax had four singles, drew one walk and took advantage of an error for its big inning. Rez went down quickly in the third, stranding a lead-off single from Jamy.

Pax added another one in the bottom portion of the inning to make it a tight 8-5 game going into the fourth. Andy singled with one out in the fourth but was forced out at second on a grounder. With two outs, Adam drew his second walk and Austin broke out of his slump with a liner to center for a run-scoring double.

Pax went down in order in the bottom half and Rez opened the lead for good in the fifth with six runs on five hits and two walks. Burr walked to start the frame and after one out, Tenney and Jason singled to load the bags. Andy roped a two-run single and Jeff Johnson walked to load the bases for Adam. Adam just missed a big fly, flying out to the wall in left for the second out, plating Jason in the process. Austin found his stroke again and roped one to deep right-center for an easy two-run double. Jamy followed with a double of his own to cap the night's scoring for Rez.

Down 15-5, Pax needed one run to keep the game going. Pax got that run using two singles and one error. The Warriors got one more at bat but didn't do anything as three balls in the air ended the hitting for Rez on the night.

Pax lined out twice and grounded out in the bottom of the sixth to end the game due to time.

The victory puts Rez at 7-0 and still leading the league. Wooddale kept pace, winning its game to stay just one game behind at 6-1. This coming week, the Warriors play St. Andrew Blue on field 1 at 5:50.

May 28 vs Pax Christi

The Resurrection Life Warriors start their second go-around in league play this week. Rez hosts Pax Christi at 6:50 on field 2 after delivering an 18-2 drubbing in the teams' first contest. The team will be playing with just nine, but that shouldn't be a problem. See the lineup below:

1. Austin C, P
2. Jamy A, RF
3. Chris B, CF
4. Eric J, 2B
5. Jeff T, 3B
6. Jason M, LF
7. Andy B, SS
8. Jeff J, 1B
9. Adam H, C

Defense Leads Team to 6-0

It was bound to happen and Thursday night it did; the offense was mearly average for the Resurrection Life Warriors and the defense carried the team to a 9-5 victory over Wooddale.

The bats didn't like the early gametime and sluggishly pushed out 13 basehits with four doubles and two homeruns. The team did draw six walks and had a total of 19 baserunners in seven innings.

Defensively, the team had 11 infield assists to go with the full 21 putouts with just one meaningless error. Excellent showing from the infield with a couple fine catches in the outfield.

Jeff Tenney captured Player of the Game honors with a 3-3 day at the plate with one of the team's doubles and homeruns. He knocked in three runs and played an excellent third base, shortstop and one inning at first. He finished with four infield assists, three putouts and an unassisted doubleplay.

It looked like business as usual as the first four batters of the game scored for Rez. Chris Wold walked on three pitches and Adam Hey followed with the same. Chris Burr walked to load them up for Eric Johnson who blooped one up the middle for an rbi-single. Jason Merritt had the first hard-hit ball of the game, lining out to the shortstop for the first out. Tenney stepped up and drove one deep, plating two runs on the double to make it 3-0. With runners on second and third, Austin Colby looped a sacrifice fly to right field to make it 4-0 and cap the innings scoring.

Wooddale came out and put two runs across in the bottom half to make it 4-2 after one inning. The team had three singles and used aggressive base-running to advance around the diamond.

The Warriors looked good at the start of the second as Andy Briggs cut one through the tough wind for a solo homer to open things. However, the next three batters went down in order and Wooddale came to bat. Wooddale went down quickly too and Rez stepped up to bat once again.

Adam and Burr had back-to-back singles to start the inning but a popout and hard-hit doubleplay ended the inning without any runs. The defense continued its good play, holding Wooddale scoreless in the bottom of the third keeping the score 5-2 after three. Tenney ended the inning with his nice doubleplay from shortstop.

Good defense leads to good offense as Tenney roped a solo shot to center to start inning for Rez. Jeff Johnson drew a one-out walk but that was it for the team and Wooddale came up in the bottom half down just four runs.

Wooddale singled to open the inning and used two more hits to plate one run. Two lineouts ended the inning, 6-3 Rez.

Wold doubled with one out in the fifth but was cut down on the bases on Adam's hard grounder. Burr lined one down the left-field line but Adam was cut down at third to end the inning.

Wooddale went scoreless in the bottom half to keep the score 6-3 going into the sixth inning. Rez again didn't score, lining out twice and leaving Tenney's single and Austin's walk on base.

This time, Wooddale answered the call, blasting a two-out two-run homer to make it 6-5 going into the seventh and final inning.

For the first time all season, the Warriors faced a serious challenge late in the game. The offense stepped up as Andy walked, Jonathan Engbrecht singled and Jamy Antoine delivered the big blow, knocking a double to right off the wall, scoring Andy with no outs. Wold singled to plate Jonathan and Adam hit a hard grounder to score Jamy to make it 9-5 with one out and one on. Burr singled to put runners at first and second for Eric, but Eric lined out to left and Jason grounded out to end the inning.

Tenney made a nice play on a tough grounder to start the seventh and Austin finished things off with two slick plays at shortstop to end the game. Wold picked up his fifth win of the year as the Warriors held off the upstart Wooddale team, 9-5.

The victory gives Rez a clean sweep of the league the first time through. At 6-0, the team is comfortably in first place with the first rematch of the season next week at 6:50 on field 2 versus Pax Christi.

May 21 vs Wooddale

The Resurrection Life Warriors look to expand its league lead by taking on 2nd place and fellow undefeated team, Wooddale at 5:50 on field #2. Wooddale was horrible last season but the team is very young and has obviously improved. With the early gametime, a couple of players may be running late so the expected lineup looks like this:

1. Chris Wold, P
2. Adam Hey, C
3. Chris Burr, RC
4. Eric Johnson, 2B
5. Jason Merritt, LF
6. Jeff Tenney, 3B
7. Austin Colby, SS
8. Jeff Johnson, 1B
9. Andy Briggs, 3B
10.Jonathan Engbrecht, RF
11.Jamy Antoine, DH

Rez Takes Twinbill, 17-11 & 29-12

The bats were loud and mighty Thursday night for the Resurrection Life Warriors. Those bats enjoyed a non-wind-impeded game smashing out 52 hits and scoring 46 runs in a doubleheader sweep. The team swatted 22 extra base hits NOT including the eight homeruns that were hit for outs.
Game one saw a good start and a warming-up finish for game two's display as the team handled Eden Prairie Assembly of God 17-11. Game two pitted the top two teams in the league but Immanuel proved to not be in the same class as the Warriors rolled 29-12.

Five players banged out three hits in game one, led by Chris Burr who captured his first Player of the Game honor of the season with a 3-4 outing with two runs scored, three rbi, two doubles and a triple. Jeff Tenney, Jason Merritt, Austin Colby and Adam Hey all had three hits also. Jamy Antoine and Chris Wold added two hits and Andy Briggs, Eric Johnson and Jeff Johnson all added one each to round out the base knocks for the game.

Both Wold and Jeff Johnson were tough-luck hitters in the game smashing two homeruns for outs. Jamy and Austin also hit homeruns that counted as outs. The team was able to escape without any damage but losing two innings to homerun outs could potentially cost them in the future.

Andy led off the game with a flyball to left-center that was dropped. A Jonathan Engbrecht flyout moved Andy to third and he came home on Burr's rbi-triple. Eric lofted a sacrifice fly to score Burr to make it 2-0 with two outs and no one on base. Jamy blasted an opposite field solo shot and Tenney followed with a double. Jason lined a shot that bounced off the shortstop's chest to move Tenney to third. Wold came through with a two-out rbi-single making it 4-0. Still with two outs, Jeff Johnson drove a shot to the wall scoring both runners. Austin followed with his first of five homeruns on the night, ending the inning's scoring 8-0 Rez.

EPAG didn't score in its half of the first but Rez went down in order in the top of the second leaving the door open in the bottom half. EPAG was able to push one across on two hits and a sac fly.

Up 8-1, the Warriors got that run back in the third. With one out, Tenney doubled and scored on Wold's rbi-single. EPAG continued to fight, clawing its way to two runs in the bottom of the third on four hits.

Now 9-3, Rez opened it up for good with five runs in the fourth. Austin led off with a solo homer to right for the team's third homer of the game. Adam drew a walk and after back-to-back outs, Burr doubled to put two on with two outs for Eric. Eric stroked a three-run yack to make it 13-3. Jamy came right back with a triple and jogged home on Tenney's third hit of the game. Jason roped a double but the inning ended as Wold crushed a would-be three-run homer for an out.

EPAG responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 14-5 going into the fifth. The Warriors put three more runs up in the fifth to end their scoring for the game. Jeff Johnson lasered a liner to dead center that cleared the fence for the first out of the inning and Austin roped a shot to right that scooted under the fielder's glove and to the wall, allowing Austin to scamper home on the error. Adam singled to start the rally again and Andy found his stroke for a single to set the table. After the second out, Burr doubled to score both runners and end the inning.

EPAG didn't go down lightly, pushing across four runs in the bottom half to keep the game going another inning. The Warriors couldn't take advantage though, hitting two more homeruns for outs, one each by Jamy and Wold. Again, EPAG inched closer with one run in the sixth.

Leading 17-10 going into the last frame, Rez looked to add some run support. However, Jeff Johnson and Austin went back-to-back homerun outs to stifle any potential rally. Adam's two-out single was left on the bases.

The defense held in the bottom of the inning as EPAG managed just one run, giving us the final score of 17-11.

Disappointed by the six homerun mistakes, the Warriors looked to fix that in game two. Austin did not get them off to a good start, lining the first pitch of the game over the fence in right for a solo homer. Jason singled and Burr followed with a two-run homer to make it 3-0. Three batters in, and the Warriors were down to two homers. But, the rest of the lineup stepped up and pushed across five more runs before another homer came into play.

Wold tripled and scored on Eric's single. Tenney singled and Jamy reached on an error. Jonathan lifted a sac fly to score Eric and after the second out, Andy looped one up the middle to plate Tenney and moved to second on the right-center fielder's bobble. Up 6-0, Adam stayed hot and lined a single to plate both Jeff Johnson and Andy. Austin kept it in the park and doubled to right-center but wasn't there long as Jason used the third homer of the inning, a towering three-run blast to left-center. Burr nearly killed the pitcher with a lineout to end the frame, 11-0 Rez.

Immanuel didn't know what hit them and it showed in its half of the first as the team went down one, two, three. Smelling blood, Rez went for the jugular in the second with consecutive singles to start the frame from Wold and Eric. But, a deep Tenney flyout and a line-drive double-play off of Jamy's bat ended that threat quickly.

Immanuel regained its composure and showed why it was undefeated coming into the game and put up a five-spot in the bottom of the second. Six hits and a lead-off walk contributed to the big inning and a nice catch from Jamy ended the inning before more runs could score.

Sensing a little chink in its armor, Rez had to answer with some runs of its own. After the first out, Jeff Johson singled, Andy singled and Adam singled to load the bases for Austin. Austin kindly cleaned the bases with a big-fly to dead center, his first grand slam of the season and the team's final homerun for the game.

Now down 15-5, Immanuel was unfazed having weathered the first inning storm already. The team put another five-spot up making it 15-10 after three innings. The team banged out six singles and used a sac fly to move runners across.

The Warriors wanted to end the game convincingly and squashed any hope of victory for Immanuel in the top of the fourth with nine more runs on eight hits and two walks. Wold, Eric and Tenney reached base single, walk, single to load them up for Jamy. Jamy laced a two-rbi single to start the scoring and Jonathan lined his first hit of the night to center for a double scoring Tenney. Jeff Johnson crushed another ball, but unfortunately it was an out. Andy went right back up the middle for a two-rbi single and Adam singled again to put two on for Austin. Austin drew a walk to load them up for Jason who hit a sharp grounder that the third baseman knocked down but couldn't make a play. Burr brought home two more with a single and Wold hit a sac fly to plate Jason and the final run of the inning.

Immanuel didn't score in the bottom half and the fifth and final inning rolled around for the Warriors. For good measure, Rez added five more runs to put a team-record 29 runs on the scoreboard for the game. Tenney and Jamy hit back-to-back singles and both came home on Jonathan's triple. Jeff Johnson kept his stroke in the park and singled home Jonathan. Andy hit a homerun for the first out and Adam flew out deep for the second out. Austin finished his perfect game at the plate with a double which would have clearly been a triple but pinch-runner Eric held up at third for some reason. Hmm. Jason took advantage of the extra runner and roped a two-rbi single to left to end the scoring.

Immanuel hit a deep blast into the trees for its final two runs of the game and Rez walked away with the 29-12 dismantling. Austin Colby earns his first Player of the Game with four hits, two doubles, two homers, five runs and five rbi. Jason added four hits while Wold, Tenney, Andy and Adam all had three. Burr, Eric, Jamy, Jonathan, and Jeff all had two hits giving each player a multi-hit game, another first in Rez life history. Well done.

The two dominating victories keeps Rez sitting atop the standings at 5-0 and averaging over 20 runs per game. Next week, the Warriors face Wooddale, last year's doormat but this year's surprising undefeated 4-0 team. The game is at 5:50 on field #4.