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.
Friday, July 31, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
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
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
Monday, July 27, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
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
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
Monday, July 13, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
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
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
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