2010 Team Awards

As is the tradition, the Resurrection Life Warriors completed their post-season team voting for the following awards:
MVP
Infield Gold Glove
Outfield Gold Glove
Surprise Player of the Year
Favorite Player of the Year

Each team member gets one vote, Ron Loven gets a vote and as Manager, Austin Colby gets a second vote for a total of 13 possible ballots. Everyone is allowed to vote for as many as three people for each category. 1st place votes are worth five points, 2nd place votes are three points and 3rd place votes are one point. With all the votes counted, the results are in:

Surprise Player of the Year:
Winner: Adam Hey - 34 points & 10 votes (5 firsts, 2 seconds, 3 thirds)
Runner-up: Logan Brincefield - 26 points & 8 votes (3 firsts, 3 seconds, 2 thirds)
3rd place: Lee Valle - 23 points & 7 votes (2 firsts, 4 seconds, 1 third)
Always a fun category to vote on because of the variety of reasoning behind the vote. There are parameters so each person can choose what 'surprise' means to them. In some years, it's because underperformed beyond belief. In others, it's because they outperformed. In this year's case, the overwhelming majority felt like Adam's continued improvement from 2008 to 2009 to 2010 was outstanding and that garnered him enough votes to take the 2010 Surprise Player of the Year honor. Adam smoked the ball early in the year and held on to finish with solid stats across the board. If you compare some numbers from 2008 to now, you'll see why many still give him the Surprise nod: batting average (2008: .273 2010: .534) extra-base-hits (2008: 2 2010: 9) runs produced per game played (2008: 1.14 2010: 3.22). Great year for Adam, and he continues to turn heads.

Favorite Player of the Year:
Winner: Austin Colby - 20 points & 6 votes (1 first, 5 seconds)
Runner-up: Logan Brincefield - 17 points & 5 votes (2 firsts, 2 seconds, 1 third)
3rd place: Jeff Tenney - 15 points & 5 votes (2 firsts, 1 second, 2 thirds)
This was a new award for the season. Every single player received votes with 9 of the 10 eligible players receiving first-place votes and multiple votes. The only player to not receive a first place vote received five total votes between second and third. Great to see such a spread amongst all the teammates. With a humble heart, this sportswriter accepts the award on behalf of Manager Colby. What a surpirse and a blessing. Thank you!

Infield Gold Glove:
Winner: Lee Valle - 49 points & 11 votes (8 firsts, 3 seconds)
Runner-up: Jeff Johnson - 20 points & 6 votes (3 firsts, 1 second, 2 thirds)
3rd place: Austin Colby - 18 points & 8 votes (1 first, 3 seconds, 4 thirds)
No real surprise here. Lee Valle continues his dominance over this award. He won it in 2008 and probably would have won it in 2009 had he been able to play the season. He received 8 first place votes and appeared on 11 of the 13 ballots. Great season from Lee at the hot corner. Well deserved honor. Six players received all the available votes with each one receiving three or more votes.

Outfield Gold Glove:
Winner: Logan Brincefield - 56 points & 12 votes (10 firsts, 2 seconds)
Runner-up: Tim Jandro - 25 points & 11 votes (1 first, 5 seconds, 5 thirds)
3rd place: Austin Colby - 21 points & 7 votes (2 firsts, 3 seconds, 2 thirds)
This one was just about as easy as the infield one as Logan ran away with the votes. He received 10 of 13 first-place votes with Austin and Tim picking up the final three. Logan played a solid left-field in a down outfield year for the Warriors. But, his very good defense was a bright spot out there for the team. Great job Logan.

MVP:
Winner: Austin Colby - 51 points & 11 votes (10 firsts, 1 third)
Runner-up: Jeff Tenney - 32 points & 12 votes (1 first, 8 seconds, 3 thirds)
3rd place: Eric Johnson - 10 points & 4 votes (3 seconds, 1 third)
Austin captures his fourth MVP award in the past five seasons for the Warriors. He had another solid season offensively and played a good pitcher's mound too. Tenney had a slower start than expected but finished with massive stats and had he played in two or three more games, I'm betting he would have won this category hands-down. Steady-as-he-goes Eric Johnson (2005 MVP) snuck in for third place and still says he'll challenge for the award in the upcoming seasons.

All-League honors should be released later this week. Stay tuned.

Warriors Fall in Season Finale

The 2010 regular season came to a screeching halt as the Resurrection Life Warriors lost via 10-run rule against Redeemer last week, 13-3. The defeat gave Rez its worst ever record in the Eden Prairie Round Lake league, dropping the team to 11-6-1 on the season, good for 5th place.

While the team finished in just 5th place, it was only two games out of first as five teams finished within two games of each other. Wooddale Classic took the league title at 13-4-1, while Mercy Rules finished second at 13-5. Redeemer swept its final evening of games to finish in third, 13-5, while EPAG took fourth place, 12-6.

The Warriors were sluggish in the first inning and could never shake out of the rut. The team didn't score in the first or second innings, leaving singles from Eric Johnson, Logan Brincefield, and Aaron Beintema on the bases.

Redeemer took advantage of this and scored twice in the first and five times in the second to take a 7-0 lead. Dan Powers ripped an inside-the-park homerun in the second as a part of the big inning.

In the third inning, substitute Charlie Steingas lined a triple to center and jogged home on Austin Colby's double off the wall. Three flyouts sandwiched around a walk ended the inning with no more runs. Redeemer had another big inning with five runs to take a commanding 12-1 lead after three innings. Andy Briggs lofted a two-run homerun into the trees in left with two outs to spark the big inning.

Rez scored its final runs of league play with two runners coming across the plate in the fourth. With one out, Aaron doubled to left-center and scored on Jeff Johnson's laser-beam double. Bryan Christensen walked and Charlie singled to score Jeff. With two on and Austin and Eric Johnson coming up, things looked good. But, both men grounded out and the rally stalled.

Redeemer didn't score and Rez came up in the fifth with a chance to shrink the 12-3 deficit. The team managed two hits but no runs and Chris Burr quickly ended the game with a lead-off solo homer to center to finish the season, 13-3 Redeemer.

Aaron Beintema captured Player of the Game with two hits, including a double and a run scored.

The EP League will have its All-League teams announced in the coming week or so along with Resurrection Life's annual team awards. Stay tuned.

Big Win Keeps 2nd Place Hopes Alive

The Resurrection Life Warriors took the season series from Wooddale Mercy Rules with a 13-7 victory last night in game #17 on the season. The Warriors led from the get-go and added runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings to keep the pressure on Mercy Rules. The victory gives Rez an 11-5-1 record with one game remaining while Wooddale fell to 11-5 before its nightcap.

Missed opportunities was the name of the game for both teams as both teams had bases loaded twice in the first four innings and never really managed to get the big hit. Rez struck first with three quick runs on three hits to start the game. Austin Colby stroked a lead-off double off the wall in right-center and moved to third on Eric Johnson's single. Jeff Tenney then hit a rod about 16 feet off the ground that carried over the fence for an impressive three-run homer.

Wooddale came right back with two runs using three walks, a single and a sac fly. The Warriors had just nine guys until the sixth batter at which point the team was able to switch back to its normal defense and pitching rotation which helped spark the squad.

Rez went down in order in the second and Wooddale had its only hit erased on an inning-ending double-play. Leading 3-2 going into the third, Rez again went down in order, making eight consecutive outs at this point. Wooddale was unable to take advantage of the slow bats leaving runners on first and third with just one out and not scoring.

Heading into the fourth, Eric broke the consecutive outs streak with an opposite-field double. A walk from Tenney put two on and Lee Valle came through with a single. With the bases full, Aaron Beintema singled to score Eric and after a lineout from Bryan Christensen, substitute Andy Briggs hit a sacrifice fly to score Tenney and give the Warriors a 5-2 edge. A flyout ended the inning with more runners left on base.

Mercy Rules came back to score one in the bottom half, using a single, walk and error. Rules had the bases loaded with no outs but managed only the one run on a sac fly. A couple of nice plays from Eric and Tenney in the infield kept more runs from scoring.

Rez flexed some power bats in the fifth, hitting two homeruns to score three more times. Logan Brincefield singled and came home on Austin's 12th homerun of the season. After back-to-back outs, Tenney wisely used another homerun, this one a deep fly over the protective net in left-center.

Trailing 8-3, Wooddale charged back with two runs with two outs, but a nice stab from Tenney at third base ended the inning with two runners on.

Rez Life held an 8-5 edge going into the final two innings and didn't let up pushing runners home in both frames. In the sixth, a single from Bryan and a double from Logan scored the lone run. Wooddale answered with a run of its own, using an error and two singles to make it 9-6 going into the final frame.

Rez finally got the big hit with runners on in the seventh en route to scoring four insurance runs. Adam Hey singled to start the frame and went to second on an errant throw. After one out, Tenney was intentionally walked and Lee knocked out his third single of the game to load the bases. Aaron stroked his second rbi-single of the night and after the second out, Andy came through in a big way driving a ball to deep right-center, clearing the bases and giving Rez a nice 13-6 lead.

Wooddale couldn't muster a serious threat, plating just one run in the bottom half on four singles.
Jeff Tenney captured his fifth Player of the Game honor on the season with his 11th and 12th homeruns.

Next week marks the final game of the regular season for the Warriors as the team finishes under the lights against Redeemer at 8:50 on field #2.

One Win and One Tie For Rez Life

The Resurrection Life Warriors put their bats to sleep about a month ago and they have only awakened for a few innings since then. Last Thursday night was no exception. The Warriors scored six runs in the first two innings en route to a 7-4 victory over EPAG in game one and then stormed back in the second game with seven runs in the fifth to tie Immanuel 9-9.

In game one, the Warriors had eight hits in the first two innings, including the first four batters of the game, and only four hits the rest of the way. Austin Colby tripled to open the game and Tim Jandro singled to start the scoring. Eric Johnson singled and both runners casually strode home as Jeff Tenney walloped his 10th homerun of the year to give the team a 4-0 lead. Two-out singles from Lee Valle and Aaron Beintema went for naught and the first ended.

EPAG scored one in the bottom half to make it 4-1. In the second inning, Bryan Christensen singled and Austin homered to deep right-center for a quick two runs and a 6-1 lead. However, for the balance of the game, the Warriors went 4-21 at the plate, managing just one run in the fifth on an Eric single, a Tenney double and an Adam Hey sac fly.

EPAG scored two runs in the third which could have been more but the Warrior defense played great and Aaron hosed a guy at third base for the final out. In the seventh, EPAG mounted a quiet threat with a couple singles and a run, but the gloves held and the Warriors came away with the 7-4 win. The first meeting between these two teams was 18-17, a complete opposite performance from this game.

Jeff Tenney earned Player of the Game honors with two hits, three rbi and a three-run homer. He also handled all three chances at shortstop flawlessly.

Game two was more of the same offensively. The team picked up where it left off scoring just two runs in the first four innings and falling behind 9-2 going into the fifth. The team did have some bad breaks early in the game with two runners thrown out on the bases which cost the team at bats and a few runs guaranteed. Austin doubled to start the game and eventually came around on Aaron's single. In the second inning, Jeff singled and with one out tried to go to third on Adam's double was gunned down on a questionable call. After a Bryan walk, sub Jason Merritt singled to load the bases but Austin grounded out to end the threat.

Immanuel scored three runs in the first two innings using dink-and-dunk singles to take a 3-1 lead going into the fifth.

Rez didn't score in the third, even though the team started the inning with three straight singles. Another tough call on the bases hurt the team's chances. Immanuel didn't score in the third either.

Rez added one run in the fourth as Bryan, Jason and Austin all had singles with two outs. Down 3-2 going into the bottom of the fourth, things still seemed in reach until Immanuel found the groove and scored six times to take a commanding 9-2 lead. Rez came to the plate down seven runs and desperately in need of some consistent offense. Eric doubled to get things started but after an Aaron walk back-to-back flyouts made things look bleak quickly. However, the team's resilience showed as Lee roped an rbi-single and was followed by another rbi-single from Adam. Bryan lined his second single of the game to center to load the bases for Jason who carved one to right to plate another run to make it 9-5 with two outs and the bases still loaded for Austin. Austin was due with a capital D. He delivered but only after a gift from God. He hit his first pitch lazily down the right-field line in foul territory but the right fielder dropped it giving Austin another chance. He seized it by knocking one off the wall, clearing the bases. There was a throw to third on the play to try and nail Austin on the triple, but the ball was over-thrown and went out of play, allowing Austin to jog home to tie the game. All that action, seven runs and five straight hits, with two outs.

Immanuel didn't score in the bottom half so Rez had its first chance to grab the lead in the sixth but went down in order. Immanuel stranded a single in the bottom of the sixth to keep the scored knotted at nine after six innings. The umpire used poor judgment and called time limit after six innings even with a delayed start and time left on the clock. Both teams had one more chance to score with a runner on second and one out to start each inning. Lee drew a walk in Rez's extra frame to put two on with one out, but back-to-back outs ended the inning with hot bats Jason and Austin looming on deck.

Immanuel now needed just one run to win the game in the bottom of the seventh. Rez decided to walk to first batter to create a forceout and the strategy worked as a hot shot to Tim at short was picked clean and tossed to Eric at second for the second out and Eric turned and fired to first to complete the doubleplay and end the game, 9-9.

Not the victory the team needed but much better than the loss that was staring the squad in the face just minutes earlier.

Austin Colby captured Player of the Game laurels with the big hit in the fifth inning. He finished 3-4 with a double and triple and scored twice while driving home four.

This coming week is another big game for Rez as the team faces off against second place Wooddale Mercy Rules. The two games these teams have played so far have been very competitive with Mercy Rules taking the first contest 31-20 and Rez grabbing the second one 24-19. The game is at 5:50 on field #5.

Warriors Lose Chance at League Crown

The Resurrection Life Warriors split a doubleheader this week and lost any chance at a league title for the 2010 season. The 13-3 defeat to Wooddale Classic gave Classic a three-game lead in the loss column. The Warriors did bounce back with a resounding 17-1 victory over St. Andrew Red in game two to salvage a split.

The bats just couldn't get it going in game one as Classic did what it does with two runs here and three runs there, eventually ending the game on a three-run walk-off homerun in the bottom of the fifth via ten-run rule.

Rez scored two in the first as Tim Jandro reached on an error and sub Jason Merritt singled to put two on for Austin Colby who flew out to the wall advancing both runners. Eric Johnson singled to plate Tim and Adam Hey lofted a sacrifice fly to score Jason. Logan Brincefield singled to keep the inning alive but Aaron Beintema grounded into a forceout to end the frame.

Classic tied it up in the bottom of the first with two runs. Classic had just one hit in the inning as three walks and an error allowed the two runs to score.

In the top of the second Rez scored one more as Lee Valle singled with one out, advanced to second on a throwing error and to third on Bryan Christensen's groundout. Tim lifted a sac fly to plate Lee. Classic had its only scoreless inning in the bottom of the second so the Warriors took a 3-2 lead into the third inning.

The third inning started promising as Austin and Eric both reached to start things. With one out, Logan singled and pinch-runner Jason nearly scored on the play but was narrowly gunned down at the plate. A flyout ended the inning. Classic pounced on the momentum and put three runs on the board to take a 5-3 lead after three. Two walks and three singles pushed the runs across.

Things got worse in the fourth as Rez went down in order and Classic had its biggest inning of the night with five runs to push its lead to 10-3 after four frames. Classic's bats finally got going in the fourth, ripping out seven hits and using one error to plate the runs.

The Warriors continued to struggle offensively and went down one, two, three again. The bats made seven consecutive outs to end the game. Wooddale made quick work in the fifth to end the game going single, double, three-run homer to end the game.

Logan Brincefield earns Player of the Game honors with two of the team's six hits. He also chased down both flyballs hit his way in left field.

Game two was a complete turn-around for the Warriors' bats. Of course, playing against St. Andrew Red's defense certainly helped. Manager Colby shuffled the game two lineup quite a bit putting Lee and Adam in the one-two holes. They responded as Lee reached base and scored all four times in the game. Adam roped out two extra-base-hits and drove home five runs. The two of them shared Player of the Game honors for their top-of-the-order efforts.

Rez scored five runs in the first inning to start things. Lee singled and after Adam's groundout, Logan singled to push Lee to third base. Jeff Johnson got in on the action with an rbi single and Aaron followed with a walk to load the bases. Bryan lined out to the pitcher for the second out and Tim laced a two-run single. Eric followed with two-rbi double to clear the bases and Austin flew out to right to end the inning.

Red's offense was pitiful the entire game and the Warriors' defense was solid and Red managed just one run, occurring in the final frame on an error and a couple of singles.

Rez added to its five-run lead in the second with two more runs. With one out, Lee walked and jogged home on Adam's big two-run homer. Jeff and Aaron both reached base later but were stranded. After Red's quick inning, the Warriors had another five-run outburst in the third. After one out, Eric, Austin and Jason all singled to score one. Lee hit a sac fly which was dropped allowing him to score while plating Austin. Adam followed with a sac fly to score Jason. Logan tripled to plate Lee and Jeff followed with a double to the wall to cap the scoring.

In the top of the fourth, Rez Life scored five runs for the third time in the game to push its lead to 17-0. Bryan walked to start the inning and moved to third on Tim's double. Eric flew out and Austin doubled to score Bryan. Jason doubled to score Austin and Tim to make it 15-0. Lee singled and Adam lined another deep blast, this one off the wall, to score Jason and Lee and end the scoring.

The split put Rez's record at 9-5 going into its last doubleheader of the year against EPAG and Immanuel. Rez needs a sweep to keep its hopes of second place alive. The games are at 5:50 and 6:50 on field #2.

Lineup vs. Wooddale Classic & St. Andrew Red, 6:50 & 7:50 field #5

'Let the godly sing with joy to the Lord, for it is fitting to praise him. Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing new songs of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy.
For the word of the Lord holds true, and everything he does is worthy of our trust. He loves whatever is just and good, and his unfailing love fills the earth.
The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He gave the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Let everyone in the world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.
The Lord shatters all the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. But the Lord's plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.
What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen for his own.
The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do. The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don't count on your warhorse to give your victory - for all its strength, it cannot save you.
But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine.
We depend on the Lord alone to save us. Only he can help us, protecting us like a shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we are trusting in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.' Psalm 33

You may be in a time of famine, whether it be in relationships or financially, but our Lord watches over us and protects us if we rely on his unfailing love. Unfailing. Thank you Lord.

Wooddale Classic: 6:50 Field 5
1. Ryan Norman, LC
2. Tim Jandro, RC
3. Austin Colby, SS
4. Eric Johnson, 2B
5. Adam Hey, P
6. Logan Brincefield, LF
7. Aaron Beintema, RF
8. Jeff Johnson, 1B
9. Lee Valle, 3B
10. Bryan Christensen, C

St. Andrew Red: 7:50 Field 5
1. Lee Valle, 3B
2. Adam Hey, P
3. Logan Brincefield, LF
4. Jeff Johnson, 1B
5. Bryan Christensen, C
6. Aaron Beintema, RF
7. Ryan Norman, LC
8. Tim Jandro, RC
9. Eric Johnson, 2B
10. Austin Colby, SS

Warriors Split Double-Dip, Now 8-4

A tough loss ended the Resurrection Life Warriors winning streak at three games in the second half of a doubleheader last night. The Warriors fell 11-10 to the hands of Redeemer Bible after defeating Pax Christi 13-6 in the front-end of the double-dip.

The Warriors' bats took a week off as the team compiled just 33 hits in two games. With a strong wind blowing in the offense could never get a good groove going, having three scoreless innings and four more with just one run.

Against Pax, the Warriors pushed one run across in the top of the first inning. Austin Colby doubled and came home on Eric Johnson's triple. Pax went down quickly in the bottom half without scoring.

Rez Life added one more in the second inning after Logan Brincefield reached on an error to start things. Aaron Beintema singled to score Logan from second. Pax again went down without scoring to make it 2-0 after two innings.

Rez had a bigger inning in the third, plating three runs on three hits and two walks. Tim Jandro walked to start the frame and went to third on Adam Hey's single.

Yes, that Adam Hey. Austin drew a walk to load the bases for hot-man Eric and Eric delivered a sacrifice fly to score Tim and make it 3-0. Adam advanced to third on the play and then scored as Jeff Tenney lifted a sac fly, but what would have been a no-doubt homerun if the wind wasn't howling. With two outs, Logan singled to plate Austin for the inning's third run. Aaron singled for the second time in the game, but was caught on the bases for the third out.

Pax didn't rollover though, scoring three runs to make it 5-3 after three innings. Pax used three hits, a walk and an error to score the runs.

Leading 5-3, Rez pushed two more across in the fourth to go up 7-3. Lee Valle singled with one out and went to second base on a groundout. Tim singled to score Lee and back-to-back singles from Adam and Austin scored Tim.

Pax kept it a game with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and Rez started to feel the pressure leading just 7-6 going into the fifth inning. In the fifth, Rez had its best inning of the night. Tenney, Logan and Aaron all singled to start the inning. Jeff Johnson hit an infield fly which was dropped and allowed one run to score. Lee came through with the big hit to plate two more runs. With one on, Bryan Christensen forced out Lee and went to second on Tim's walk. Adam roped a double deep into the gap to score Bryan and Tim and give Rez a more comfortable 12-6 lead.

Pax's offense went to sleep for the balance of the game going down scoreless in both the fifth and sixth frames. Rez added a fun run in the sixth using four singles and leaving the bases loaded.

Eric Johnson earns Player of the Game for the first time in 2010 with two hits, one run, two rbi and a triple. He also played a solid two-bagger with two assists and four putouts.

Game two was a continuation of the slow bats for Rez Life as the team managed just 14 hits total against Redeemer. Rez went down one, two, three in the first inning for the first time in 2010. Redeemer took advantage of that with three runs in the bottom half to stake itself to an early lead. Brent reached base on an error and went to second on Jason Merritt's walk. After consecutive flyouts, Chris Burr and Bob Hutchinson singled to plate two runs. Back-to-back walks from Kevin Campbell and Dan Powers scored the third run. A forceout from Dan B. ended the inning.

Trailing 3-0, Rez got on the board with two runs in the top of the second on Tenney's first of two homeruns. Eric singled to start the inning and then Tenney mashed a homerun to dead center, cutting through the wind.

A double from Logan and an infield single from Aaron put runners on first and second with no outs. Jeff lined out to left-center for the first out and consecutive grounders ended the inning with no more runs for the Warriors.

Redeemer won the inning again with three more runs in the bottom half. Brent walked to open the frame and after an out, Andy Briggs reached on an error to put runners on the corners for Jamy. Jamy delivered a two-run double to right-center. Chris hit a flyout and Bob came through again with two outs with an rbi-single.

Down 6-2, Rez tied it up with four runs in the top of the third inning. Tim singled and after an out, Austin singled to right. Eric singled to load the bases for Tenney who ripped a two-rbi single to make it 6-2. After the second out, Aaron walked to load the bases and Jeff walked to plate Eric. Lee singled to score one more but a strikeout ended the inning and left the bases loaded.

Redeemer quickly reclaimed the lead with one more run in its half taking advantage of a leadoff error and then popping out two hits. Down 7-6, Rez took the lead for the first time with three runs in the fourth. With two outs and no one on, Austin and Eric hit back-to-back singles and Tenney again erupted with a bomb, this one of the three-run variety. Tenney's homer gave Rez a 9-7 edge.

Redeemer went down without scoring in the bottom half and Rez had a chance to expand its lead in the fifth. Rez also went down in order, hitting three harmless flyouts. However, the Rez defense held court and kept Redeemer off the board again, leaving two singles on base.

Leading 9-7 heading into the sixth, Rez again went down in order. The Warriors got out in seven straight plate appearances which ties a team record. Redeemer took advantage this time, scoring two runs to tie the game going into the seventh and final inning. Jamy singled to start things and an error put two on with no outs. A single from Bob scored Jamy and another error loaded the bases, still with no outs. A groundout to Lee at third scored another run but cut down a lead runner. A grounder right back to Austin at the mound was nearly a doubleplay but the runner beat the throw at first. With two on, a lineout to Jeff at first ended the threat.

The umpire informed both teams that the seventh inning would be the last inning due to time limit regardless if the game ended in a tie or not. Things started well for the Warriors as Austin tasered one in the gap for a casual double and pinch-runner Adam advanced to third on Eric's fourth single. Tenney just missed his third homerun of the game, hitting a deep flyout to score Adam and give Rez the lead. However, back-to-back outs ended the inning and scoring chances for Rez.

Redeemer came to the plate needing one run to tie and two to win. Jason struck out to start the inning and after an Andy groundout to Lee, things looked good for Rez. With two outs and none on, Jamy roped a double and came home on Chris' single. However, Chris advanced to second on an errant throw putting the winning run in scoring position. Bob ripped out a no-doubt single to left-center which allowed the winning run to score from second. Game over.

The three, four, five hitters provided virtually all of the offense as Austin and Eric set the table and Tenney cleared it. Tenney captures Player of the Game for the second time with three hits, two homeruns and a season-high eight rbi.

Rez drops to 8-4 on the season which makes a league title very difficult. Rez needs to win next week versus first-place Wooddale Classic or any dreams of back-to-back titles will be gone. Rez has another doubleheader, with games starting at 6:50 on field #5. After the Warriors take on 10-2 Classic, they face St. Andrew Red at 7:50.

Warriors Open Second Half with Dominating Win

The Resurrection Life Warriors opened the second half of the season in fine fashion cruising to a 22-9 thumping over St. Andrew Blue. The team erupted for a season-high 13 runs in the second inning en route to the 10-run rule victory.

Bryan Christensen started the second half in style with a perfect game, going 2-2 at the plate with two walks and four runs scored. He drove home one run in the game and earned his first career Player of the Game honor. Well deserved Bryan.

'I've been practicing a lot,' stated a beaming Bryan in a post-game interview. 'Practice works. I gotta say, it was good out there.'

Bryan led a balanced offensive attack as nine players reached base two or more times and seven players reached three or more times. Tim Jandro and Eric Johnson each had four hits while Adam Hey, Austin Colby, and Jeff Tenney added three apiece.

The team scored twice in the first using a single from Tim and a one-out triple from Austin. Eric singled home Austin and after a Tenney walk and a Logan Brincefield single, the team stranded the bases loaded with just one out.

Blue came out charging with a lead-off single and a mis-played double to start the game. However, Austin recovered from his mis-read and fired the ball from the fence to Tenney who hosed the runner at home for the first out. Consecutive outs ended the inning with no runs scored.

In the second inning, Rez had its best one-inning output of the season with 13 runs. Lee Valle and Bryan walked to start the inning and Tim scored Lee with his second single of the game. Adam roped a single to score Bryan and Austin walked to load the bases for Eric. Eric lined a single to score two runs to make it 6-0, still with no outs. Tenney walked to again fill the bases before Logan doubled to push home Austin and Eric. Jeff Johnson singled to score Tenney and Aaron Beintema followed with a knock to plate Logan and give Rez a 10-0 lead and nobody out. Lee and Bryan again walked, both tying team records for most walks in an inning, with Bryan's walk scoring Jeff. After 12 straight batters reached with no outs, Rez finally hit into a forceout, scoring Aaron. Adam flew out for the second out and Austin then sliced one right down the right-field line for an inside-the-park three-run homerun to end the scoring at 13, making it 15-0.

Blue used three singles and a sac fly to score two runs in the bottom half. Rez was up 15-2 going into the third inning.

The Warriors added three more runs to make it 18-2. With one out, Aaron singled and with two outs Bryan singled to put runners at the corners. Tim singled to plate Aaron and make it first and second with two outs. Adam lined a single to scored Bryan and Austin laced one off the wall to score Tim. Eric's first out in two weeks ended the threat, leaving two on.

Blue again tried to chip away with two runs. The team utilized back-to-back Rez Life errors to start inning and added a single and another Rez Life error to plate the runners.

Leading 18-4, Rez was shutout in the fourth inning. Tenney singled but a couple of lineouts and a hard-hit grounder made for a quick inning.

Blue also went down without scoring, hitting three straight flyouts including an amazing diving catch from Logan along the left-field line to end the inning.

In the fifth and final inning, Rez added four runs for a little insurance to cap its scoring at 22 for the game. Lee walked for the third time in the game and Bryan pushed his second hit through the infield to start things well. Tim singled to load the bases and Adam singled to score Lee and keep them loaded for Austin. Austin took a chance but hit a liner to left-center for a sacrifice fly and the first out. With two on, Eric hit his fourth single of the game to score Tim. Tenney followed with his third hit to plate Adam and end the scoring.

Blue made a mediocre charge in the last half of the fifth inning, using some lazy defense by the Warriors to post five runs. Blue had four hits, used two errors and drew two walks in the inning.

Rez is now 7-3 on the year while Blue falls to 4-8. Next week starts three straight weeks of double-headers for the Warriors. The team plays at 5:50 and 6:50 on field #3 against Pax Christi and Redeemer.

Lineup vs St. Andrew Blue, Field #2 7:50

Things look beautiful outside for this evening's contest. The Warriors from Resurrection Life take on St. Andrew Blue, who has been playing well of late, winning four of its last five games. Rez sits at 6-3 (4th) and St. Andrew Blue carries a 4-7 (6th) record into the game.

1. Tim Jandro, P
2. Adam Hey, RF
3. Austin Colby, LC
4. Eric Johnson, 2B
5. Jeff Tenney, SS
6. Logan Brincefield, LF
7. Jeff Johnson, 1B
8. Aaron Beintema, RC
9. Lee Valle, 3B
10. Bryan Christensen, C

Mid-Season Report: 2010

At the halfway point of the 2010 softball season, the Resurrection Life Warriors are hanging in there in fourth place at 6-3. However, a big win over league-leader Wooddale Mercy Rules to close out the first half leaves the team's fate in its own hands. Rez has one game remaining versus Mercy Rules, two versus 5th place Redeemer Bible, one versus second place Wooddale Classic, and one with third place EPAG. If Rez can go 4-1 in those games, a league title will be within its grasp.

Team offense has been the name of the game through nine games. The Warriors are leading the leauge with 175 runs scored, averaging 19.4 per game. While the 2009 squad was a more dynamic team, the 2010 squad has played more innings per game and thusly is averaging more runs scored.

The team average of .584 is challenging to become the Rez Life all-time team record. The on base percentage of .642 is easily the all-time high right now and looks like it will stay that way. The team has mashed 27 homeruns, good for 3.0 per game. Also, the team has hit the double and triple trail consistently with averages of 2.6 and 1.1 respectively.

The defense has not been what it was in past years so far. The biggest drop off has been the outfield as The Warriors lost all three regular starting outfielders from 2009 and the fourth outfielder, Austin Colby, has seen limited innings off the pitcher's mound.

While the overall team defense numbers have been shored up in recent weeks to the tune of a .881 team fielding percentage and an average of 3.11 errors per game, some early season struggles really put the team in a hole. Rez has had games of eight and six errors this season. Not good. On the flip side, the teams has a total of 14 errors in the other seven games which is very solid.

The 2009 team had a fielding percentage of .946 on the season and turned 21 doubleplays. This year's squad has turned just four and already has more total errors in nine games than 2009's team had for the season. If the gloves continue to improve, the Warriors defense should be solid. There may be some lineup changes in the outfield to help with this but we'll see which way the manager moves.

While struggling to field a consistent lineup and kicking a few extra balls around, the team has still managed a 6-3 record and is within striking distance. All things considered, it has been a very successful first half.

Part of the early-season struggles can be attributed to the big roster shake-up as the team has six new members this season. While they have all been a blessing to have around, Manager Colby still hasn't quite put the puzzle together to give everyone the best chance to win.

Bryan Christensen is one of those new members. He joined the team with limited softball experience and it showed during the first nine games. From game one through the all-star break, Bryan has shown great improvement and probably had his best hitting game of the year in the final game before the break, taking some real good swings. He is very patient at the plate which has led to five walks. He has used those and his four singles to score three times and drive home two. His catching abilities have gotten better too, with six putouts on the year with no errors.

John Beintema joined this year also to add some veteran leadership. While he has been a blast to play with, he has decided to handle more of the front-office duties and thusly will most likley not be playing games during the second half. While here though, he had an impact showing good hands on defense and knocking out eight hits for a .444 average. He scored six times and brought home five in five games played.

As a part of those GM-style duties, John recruited another new player to the team in 2010, his son Aaron Beintema. Aaron has had some softball success in the past but hasn't been as active in recent seasons. However, he has ridden a couple hot streaks to shake that rust off and enters the all-star break with a .600 average and two doubles and two triples. He has scored 14 times while bringing home 13 and has roamed the outfield for much of his innings. I see a more consistent second half with improved range and glove-work in the outfield. It wouldn't surprise me if Aaron finishes at or above .600 for the year with 5-6 doubles and at least one homerun.

Tim Jandro has been a nice addition this year. He has added a little spark to the lineup with some huge games. He hit for the cycle in his first game and has coasted to a .700 average with three doubles, two triples, four homeruns, 18 runs and rbi. His slugging percentage of 1.333 and OPS of 2.061 put him in the league top 10. He has been clutch in late innings also, hitting .833 from the 5th inning and on. Tim captured the utility spot on the all-star team in his first year. Well done.

Logan Brincefield is new player number five for the Warriors and has been very good to date. He is hitting .600 and has played very fine defense both at second base and in left field. He is now known for his knuckle-ball line-drives to left field. He has scored 16 times and plated 11 in seven games. If he can continue to be a solid table-setter, he has a legitimate shot at an all-league selection at year-end.

Ryan Norman rounds out the new players for 2010. Ryan has only gotten out twice this year. Unfortunately, he has only had 17 at bats. His schedule has kept him from many games, but he should be a more stable presence in the second half. Had he qualified, he would have easily been leading the league with his .824 average and .882 on base percentage. He has scored nine and driven home seven in four games. Defensively, he is sure-handed at shortstop or anywhere in the outfield.

Lee Valle rejoined the team after a one-year layoff amid allegations of glove-doctoring following his outstanding 2008 fielding season. The one-year away from the hot corner only seemed to slow him down for one game and since then he has been nearly perfect, with an .875 fielding percentage and just two errors at third base. Lee's crafty offensive ways have returned also with another .500 average with a .560 on base percentage. If Lee can hover around .500 and continue his flashly hot-corner work, he will find himself with more hardware on his mantle after the season.

Jeff Johnson hasn't quite had the first half that was anticipated. With the lineup changes, Jeff should have been freed up to hit more homeruns that counted. Jeff hit ten homeruns in 2009 and another eight for outs, but has just managed three so far this year. He is coming off of shoulder surgery in the off-season and his strength and consistency should continue to improve as the season progresses. Jeff is hitting .500 with 13 runs and 16 rbi in his eight games.

Eric Johnson started slowly but is heating up as the weather does. He is up to .536 at the break with two doubles and two homeruns. Something new this year for Eric has been his team-leading six walks so far which has led to a .622 on base percentage. Eric has bounced around defensively between second and right field and done a solid job. He should continue his up-slope and flirt with .600 and add ten extra base-hits.

Jeff Tenney missed a few games at the beginning of the year but has been back for the final six games and he brought his bat. He has mashed out seven homeruns - good for second in the league - and has driven home 25 runs in just 23 at bats. His average has started to tick up and now sits at .565 wtih a slugging percentage of 1.522. Tenney captures his second straight all-star appearance for the Warriors. His glove has been used almost exclulsively at shortstop and he is settling in and starting to show off his canon on a regular basis.

Adam Hey has continued his amazing improvements in 2010 en route to his first-ever all-star appearance. He won the internet voting for the final spot this year, easily out-distancing the other contenders. Adam started hot and has maintained it. He is hitting .628, good for a top-10 placing. He also has ripped three doubles, one triple and one homerun. He has scored 21 times, second on the team, and driven home 19, good for third on the team. He has upped his play when it matters most hitting .667 with runners in scoring position and .667 with eight rbi from the 5th inning and on. It has been fun to watch as Adam has continued one of the most impressive turn-arounds in league history.

Manager Austin Colby has enjoyed a fruitful first half. Entering the season with a balky knee preventing him from playing any real defense has forced Austin to focus more at the plate and it has showed. He is hitting a league-best .821 with an .837 on base percentage and a 1.974 slugging percentage. He is 32-39 with eight doubles, five triples and nine homeruns, all league-highs. He has scored 29 times and driven home 32, also good for the league lead. The torrid first half gave Austin his fifth straight all-star starting gig, his first at pitcher though.

League Outlook:
Wooddale Mercy Rules started extremely hot and is in the driver's seat heading into the second half. However, Wooddale Classic's two losses were very early and are currently riding a six-game winning streak and doing so with authority. I can see EPAG start to fall off just a little, still making noise but not enough to challenge for the league title. You can never count out the defending champions and this Resurrection Life team is going to make a run at the title. Newcomer Redeemer has a lot of experience and maybe the most balanced lineup in the league and has a chance to play spoiler in the second half.

The bottom four teams, St. Andrew Blue, St. Andrew Red, Immanuel, and Pax Christi, will stay in the bottom four but could surpirse a team or two in the top tier.

I am going to go with the team that has been there and that is the Resurrection Life Warriors.

Projected Final Standings:
1. Rez Life: 15-3
2. Classic: 14-4
3. Mercy Rules: 13-5
4. Redeemer: 11-7
5. EPAG: 11-7
6. Andrew Blue: 6-12
7. Immanuel: 5-13
8. Andrew Red: 4-14
9. Pax Christi: 2-16

Team Outlook:
The team offense will continue to roll, leading the league in most categories and the improved defense will allow the Warriors to sweep the second half of the season. The squad will make a run at team records in batting average, on base percentage, extra base-hits and runs scored.

- Bryan will flirt with a .400 on base percentage
- Tenney will average more than one homerun per game played
- Both Austin and Tenney will hit 15+ homers
- Eric will finally hit .600 again
- Jeff will hit over .500 and hit five homeruns in the second half
- Adam will prove it isn't a fluke en route to a 1st team all-league selection
- Aaron will NOT drop another ball and WILL hit a homerun
- The infield will turn six second-half double-plays
- The team will explode for a 32+ run game
- Tim will quietly amass one of the finest statistical seasons ever
- Lee will win a gold glove
- nine different players will hit homeruns
- Ryan will play eight games in the second half and hit .800
- Logan will hit an outfielder in the knee with one of his knuckle-balls

First-Half Honors:
Leauge:
All-Star starter: Austin Colby
All-Star starter: Jeff Tenney
All-Star starter: Tim Jandro
All-Star reserve: Adam Hey

Team:
MVP: Austin Colby & Tim Jandro. It may seem like a slam dunk for Austin this season but Tim's presence has been a huge lift taking pressure off of the rest of the lineup which has had a great trickle-down effect. Don't count out Tenney in this category. He could very well end up with 20+ homers and 70 rbi which would almost assuredely net him MVP.

Infield Gold Glove: Lee Valle, 3B. Lee struggled in his first game but has been nearly flawless since then. He is just about as smooth as smooth gets at third base and with he and Tenney on the left side, things look good over there. Tenney's numbers look down, but he really has only had one bad game defensively and a couple meaningless errors. He will always contend for this award.

Outfield Gold Glove: Logan Brincefield. Logan has been dynamite so far when he's been in the outfield. He should see more time out there in the second half and if he continues his current play, he'll be competitive in the gold glove argument. Watch out for Ryan if he qualifies with enough innings.

Projected Second-half Lineup:
1. Ryan Norman, LF
2. Tim Jandro, P
3. Austin Colby, LC
4. Eric Johnson, 2B
5. Jeff Tenney, SS
6. Adam Hey, C
7. Logan Brincefield, RC
8. Aaron Beintema, RF
9. Jeff Johnson, 1B
10. Lee Valle, 3B
11. Bryan Christensen, DH

Warriors Charge Back for Big Win

The Resurrection Life Warriors had been questioned this season as to just how tough a team they were in 2010. Well last night, the team answered the call charging back from an early seven-run deficit and a last inning two-run deficit to claim a much needed 24-19 victory over league leaders Wooddale Mercy Rules. The victory evens the season series between the two teams at one each and knocks Mercy Rules down to 8-2 and pushes Rez Life up to 6-3 on the season. The team had to battle the weather early, as ominous rain clouds surrounded the area, but the team played its entire game without a raindrop falling and even had sunshine for the last four innings.

The bats were solid but not spectacular for the Warriors until the nine-run seventh inning. Jeff Tenney led the charge as one of four players with four hits en route to earning his second Player of the Game this season. He scored four times and drove home eight, using two homeruns. And he used them at crucial times. He mashed a three-run homer in the fifth to give Rez a temporary lead and he hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh to put Rez on top for good.

The first inning started with substitute Jason Merritt reaching on a throwing error and after a lineout Jason moved to second as Austin Colby reached on a sharp grounder to third. Eric Johnson walked to load the bases and Tenney hit a shallow pop to center that was dropped which allowed the first run to score. Tim Jandro followed with another popout, this one was caught for the second out. With the bases still loaded, Jeff Johnson drew a walk to push home Austin and make it 2-0 Rez.

Wooddale came out swinging, starting the game with a single and a double. The defense was solid for the rest of the inning though, holding Mercy Rules to just those two runs for the inning.

Tied 2-2, Rez went down in order in the second leaving the door open for Mercy Rules. Wooddale responded with seven big runs to open up a 9-2 lead after two innings. Wooddale used six hits and two walks to plate the seven runners.

Rez needed to answer and did so with four runs in the third to keep it close. Adam Hey singled and after Austin flew out, Eric singled to push Adam to third. Tenney roped a single to score Adam and after the second out, Jeff singled to load the bases for Aaron Beintema. Aaron hit a chopper to second that was booted, allowing Eric to score to make it 9-4. Lee Valle stepped up with the bases loaded and came through with a seeing-eye single to plate two more runs for the Warriors.

The infield defense kept Wooddale off the scoreboard in the bottom half as Tenney had a nice unassisted double play from shortstop to end the inning. Rez had a chance to take the lead in the fourth, trailing just 9-6.

With the top of the order up, things started slowly in the fourth with consecutive outs to start the frame. Austin doubled to center to get the ball rolling and Eric lined a single to push Austin to third with two outs. Tenney roped a single to score Austin and Tim followed with an rbi single to plate Eric. Still with two outs, Jeff singled to score Tenney and Aaron came through with the fifth straight two-out single to score Tim and give Rez the lead, 10-9.

Wooddale stumbled again in its half, leaving a runner on base without scoring so Rez Life held a 10-9 lead after four innings. Rez Life expanded its lead to six runs with a five-spot in the top of the fifth on five hits, a walk and a Wooddale error. With one out, Jason singled and moved to second on Adam's second hit of the game. Austin hit a high flyball to right-center that was dropped allowing Jason to score and putting runners on first and second for the suddenly hot Eric Johnson. Eric ripped another hit but Adam was cut down trying to score on the play for the second out. Tenney calmly blasted his first homerun to deep left-center to plate three runs and make it 14-9 with two outs. The Warriors weren't done as Tim took the first pitch he saw and lined it over center to make it 15-9 through four and half innings.

Wooddale ended its scoring drought with four runs in the bottom of the fifth, tightening the score to 15-13 after five. Wooddale peppered six singles and used one Rez Life error to push the runs across. A grounder to Lee at third ended the inning, leaving the bases loaded.

Rez looked to open up its two-run lead in the sixth but went down in order for the second time on the night and held on to its two-run edge going into the bottom half.

Wooddale roped a solo homer to start the inning to make it 15-14 but an infield popout provided the first out for Rez. A single and two straight walks loaded the bases and as pitcher Jason struggled to find his command momentarily, a run was walked in. After a flyout to left, two more runners scored on a single but on that play Jason took the throw from the outfield and quickly fired to Lee at third who cut-down the runner trying to advance to end the threat and the inning. However, the damage had been done and Rez now trailed 17-15 headed in to the final inning.

Adam started a great seventh inning with a clean base hit and Austin shook off his off-night with a game-tying two run blast to center. Eric coaxed his second walk of the game and Tenney did his job with a two-run bomb to give Rez its game-winning lead. The offense kept right on going as Tim doubled and went to third on a single from Jeff. Aaron walked to load the bases for Lee who again came through with a two-rbi hit to make it 21-17 Rez, still with no outs. After the first out advanced the runners to second and third, Jason lined out to first for the second out. Adam stepped up in a big way with his second seventh inning hit, this one a deep double in the gap plating two runs. Austin sliced one to right for his fourth hit to score Adam and stake Rez to its seven-run lead, 24-17.

Wooddale knew it had to put up a big number and had three homeruns to use. But, the big hit never came as Wooddale had runners on the whole inning, but just pushed them around with singles as Rez cut down one batter at a time with a lineout to Aaron in left with two on ending the game.

The Warriors needed that bounce-back win and now trail the leaders by just one game in the loss column, holding the tie-breaker over Wooddale Classic (7-2) and having one game remaining against Wooddale Mercy Rules to determine the tie-breaker there.

Next week, the Warriors play at 7:50 on field #2 against the hot-hitting St. Andrew Blue squad. The following three weeks after that are all doubleheaders for the Warriors so now is a good time for the Warriors' bats to get hot.

Look for the Mid-Season Report and All-Star game announcements next week as the Warriors have now hit the halfway point.

Week 8 vs Mercy Rules

Tonight's game is huge for the Warriors. League-leader Wooddale Mercy Rules strolls into the dugout opposite the Warriors tonight. Hopefully we'll have a slugfest.

1. Ryan, LF
2. Adam, RF
3. Austin, LC
4. Eric, C
5. Tenney, SS
6. Tim, P
7. Logan, 2B
8. Jeff, 1B
9. Aaron, RC
10. Lee, 3B
11. Bryan, DH

Warriors Fall to Redeemer

The Resurrection Life Warriors took a beating at the hands of some former teammates last week in a 19-9 defeat against Redeember Bible Church. The Warriors never got their bats going and Redeember rode some cheap hits early to some hot bats late for the victory.

The Warriors had a bad start as Austin Colby flew out to the wall to start the game, just his second out this season in the first inning. After a groundout from Aaron Beintema, Ryan Norman roped a single to try and ignite a two-out rally. Adam Hey followed with a single and Jeff Tenney walked to load the bases but a sharp lineout from Lee Valle ended the threat.

Redeemer pounced in its half of the inning, scoring four times to take a 4-0 lead after one inning. After a popout to start the frame, Jason Merritt singled and moved to third on Andy Briggs' bloop double. A booted grounder allowed one run to score and put runners on the corners. Chris Burr hit a liner to right-center to score another run. A foulout from Jamy Antoine was the second out and a walk followed to loaded the bases. Gregg Williams came through with a seeing-eye single to score two to finish the scoring.

Rez came back strong in the second inning with five runs to take the lead, 5-4. Jeff Johnson lasered a line-drive homerun to start the inning and Eric Johnson followed with a single. John Beintema blooped a single to put runners at first and second with no outs. A strikeout was the first out and a pop-out was the second out. Austin stepped up and roped one off the center-field wall for a run-scoring double to make it 4-2. Aaron delivered the big hit, lining a single to score Austin and John and tying the game. Ryan singled again and Adam doubled to score Aaron and put runners at second and third. However, Tenney lined a shot that was caught by Burr in left-center to end the inning.

Redeemer was unable to answer, going down one, two, three in the bottom of the second to keep the game at 5-4 Rez Life after two innings.

Rez had a chance to open up a lead in the third, but the team was unable to muster much offense, scoring just two runs on a Jeff single and Eric two-run blast to left.

Redeemer had a big bottom half to open up an 11-7 lead after three innings. A leadoff error got things going for Redeemer who then had three lazy singles sandwiched with a force-out to score two runs and put two on for Jamy. Jamy delivered the first big hit of the night, launching a three-run bomb to right-center to make it 9-7 Redeemer. Two walks and two singles plated two more runs in the inning.

The Rez bats again faltered scoring just two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to two, 11-9. Substitute Mike Maguire blooped a single to start the inning and was followed by Austin's second off-the-wall double of the game. Aaron lofted a sac fly to plate Mike and Ryan singled to score Austin. Back-to-back popouts ended the inning for the Warriors.

Redeemer's bats finally heated up in the bottom of the fourth, ripping out eight hits including a big three-run homer from Gregg to cap the innings' scoring, 19-9 Redeemer.

The Warriors were a little shell-shocked and the bats looked it in the top of the fifth, going down without a hit to end the game via ten-rule mercy rule, 19-9.

Eric Johnson captures Player of the Game with two hits, two runs and two rbi including a two-run homer.

The Rez Life Warriors play league-leader Wooddale Mercy Rules (8-1) this week on field 4 at 7:50. Big game for the Warriors. A loss would pretty much eliminate them from league title consideration, as they would be 5-4, three games back in the loss column and four games back because of tie-breaker rules.

Warriors Split Twinbill

The Resurrection Life Warriors split a double header last night, dropping the first game to EPAG, 18-17, before bouncing back against Immanuel, 23-6, in the finale. The split puts Rez Life at 5-2 on the season.

EPAG proved that its early season record was no fluke as the entire lineup could bang the softball. Three different players hit homeruns and the team swatted 27 hits including six for extra bases. Rez Life just couldn't keep pace, trailing from the get-go and never able to get over the hump. Rez swung the bats okay with 20 hits with one triple and four homeruns.

The game ended in dramatic fashion as the Warriors had runners on first and third with one out and the meat of the order coming up trailing by two. However, the 3, 4, 5 hitters managed to produce just one run and the game ended 18-17 EPAG.

Rez started with a quick two in the first inning as Tim Jandro walked and came home on Austin Colby's sixth homerun of the season. After a single from Ryan Norman, back-to-back pop-outs ended the inning.

EPAG took the lead in the bottom of the first and didn't look back. EPAG scored five times on seven hits and hit one homerun.

In the top of the second, Rez added one more on walks from Jeff Johnson and Bryan Christensen and an rbi double from Logan Brincefield. EPAG stranded one runner in the bottom half to keep it at 5-3 after two innings.

Rez scored another one in top of the third as Austin singled and moved to third on Ryan's single. Ryan got caught between first and second on the throw back to the infield so Austin kept on running and scored as Ryan was tagged out on the bases. Another single from Jeff Tenney was stranded in the inning.

EPAG opened it up in the bottom of the third with five runs to make it 10-4. EPAG had six hits and smashed two homeruns in the inning to extend its lead.

Rez stormed back in the top of the fourth with six runs to tie the game. Jeff reached on an error to start the inning and moved to second on Aaron Beintema's single. After an out, Logan lined another double to bring home Jeff. With two on, Tim lofted a three-run homer to right-center to make it 10-8. After the second out, Ryan singled and jogged home on Tenney's two-run bomb center. Back-to-back singles from Eric Johnson and Adam Hey were stranded on the bases to end the inning.

EPAG didn't waste any time coming right back to snuff the rally scoring seven times in the bottom half to reclaim its lead, 17-10 through four innings. EPAG hit its final homerun in the inning and took advantage of Rez Life's only error of the game to plate three unearned runs.

However, the Warriors' bats weren't done and came out on fire again with another six-spot to make it 17-16 after four and half frames. Aaron tripled to start the inning and after walks from Bryan and Tim with one out loaded the bases for Austin, Austin deposited a grand slam over the right-field fence to cut the deficit to three, 17-14. Ryan singled and Tenney walked to keep things going and after a lineout for the second out, Adam singled to plate Ryan and Jeff singled to plate Tenney. With runners on the corners, Aaron lined out sharply to end the threat.

With the time limit looming, Rez needed to get out of the bottom half quickly. A lead-off triple didn't help, but after an infield single, good defense kept the inning short. A sacrifice flyout to Adam in right was the first out and after another single, a grounder to Tim forced out runner number two. a single loaded the bases but a liner snagged by Tenney at third ended the frame.

The Warriors needed two runs to keep playing and three to take the lead. With one out, Logan reached on an error and Tim singled to bring up Austin, Ryan and Tenney. Austin lined a single to plate Logan but Ryan and Tenney both missed and popped out back-to-back to end the game.

It was a barn-burner but Rez just missed. Austin earned his second Player of the Game of the season with four hits, three runs, seven rbi and two homeruns.

Game two saw the Rez Life bats come to life and stay alive the entire game. The team whacked out 27 hits including four doubles and four homeruns in just four innings. Aaron Beintema led the charge from the two-hole in the lineup with a perfect 4-4 game with four runs, an rbi and two doubles en route to Player of the Game honors.

In the top of the first, Adam singled and Aaron doubled to put runners at second and third. Ryan lined a single to score Adam for the game's first run. Jeff ripped a single to score Aaron and after an out, Tim hit a three-run homer to make it 5-0. Eric launched a double off the left-field wall but was thrown out at home after Austin's single to right-center. A hard-hit flyball ended the inning.

Immanuel scored three runs in the bottom half to keep it close initially, using four hits, a walk and a sac fly. However, that lead would expand quickly.

In the second frame, Adam and Aaron again set the table for the middle of the order with singles. Ryan delivered an rbi single and Jeff hit into a forceout that scored Aaron to make it 7-3. With two outs, Tenney crushed a homerun to center to cap the inning's scoring.

After a quick one, two, three bottom half, the Warriors came out smoking in the third with ten runs to put the game away. Austin, Logan and Bryan singled to load the bases for the top of the order and Adam plated one run on a forceout and Aaron plated another on a single. Ryan reached on an error which allowed another run to score to make it 12-3 Rez Life. Jeff singled to load them up for Tenney who hit one into the night nearly landing on the road for a monstrous grand slam. Now 16-3, the Warriors weren't done yet. Tim and Eric singled and Austin took a shot to left-center over the fence for a three-run homerun and a 19-3 Rez Life lead. Logan singled after him, but the next two guys got out to end the inning.

Immanuel saved a little grace by scoring three runs in the bottom half on five hits and the lone Rez Life error. Heading into the final frame, Rez was up 19-6 and added a few more to end the game via 15-run mercy rule.

Aaron doubled for his fourth hit of the game and scored on Ryan's third hit. After a lineout, Tenney reached on an error after nearly decapitating Ryan on first base with a line-drive foul ball. Tim doubled to score Ryan and Eric lofted a sac fly to score Tenney. Austin switched to lefty and lined a single up the middle and Logan roped a single to plate Tim and end the scoring at 23.

Immanuel had two hits in the bottom half, but three fly outs ended the game, 23-6 Warriors.

The Warriors will still be in third place with losses to the two teams in front of them. That means that although they trail by just one game in the loss column, they actually trail by two because they would lose the tie-breaker. Next week will a bitter-sweet game as the Warriors play Redeemer Bible at 8:50 on field 4, facing some good friends and former teammates for the first time.

Games 6 & 7 versus EPAG & Immanuel, Field 3, 7:50

Beautiful weather for tonight. Not too warm, low 70's with a slight breeze.

Be blessed.

Game 1, EPAG
1. Logan, 2B
2. Tim, 3B
3. Austin, P
4. Ryan, LC
5. Tenney, SS
6. Eric, RF
7. Adam, RC
8. Jeff, 1B
9. Aaron, LF
10. Bryan, C

Game 2, Immanuel
1. Adam, RF
2. Aaron, LC
3. Ryan, SS
4. Jeff, 1B
5. Tenney, 3B
6. Tim, RC
7. Eric, 2B
8. Austin, P
9. Logan, LF
10. Bryan, C

Week 6 Preview

There are six games scheduled for tomorrow night's Men's Church league. Games start at 5:50 and are played every time slot through 8:50.

League-leader Wooddale Mercy Rules (6-1, 19.6) faces a tough challenge from Redeemer Bible (3-2, 18.4) in the highlighted 6:50 game on field 3. Redeemer has had some early roster issues as far as getting their top guys to all the games and sometimes having an overloaded roster of 12 or 13 guys. This week will be one of the tight weeks but I still feel Redeemer will be a handful for Mercy Rules. I see a see-saw battle with Redeemer pulling the upset, 20-16.

2nd place EPAG (5-1, 18.7) faces off against our 3rd place Resurrection Life Warriors (4-1, 20.4) at 7:50 on field 3. EPAG's unbeaten season ended last week against St. Andrew Blue and the Warriors will be the favorite going into the contest. The winner will be in sole possession of second place, with a chance at first if Redeemer beats Mercy Rules. Rez Life has had just one fixed lineup in five games. The other four lineups weren't established until minutes before game-time. Manager Colby is confident that those issues are resolved and his squad is 10-strong this week with no subs. If that holds, the Warriors should handle EPAG's new lineup and pull out the 22-13 victory.

The only 8:50 contest pits Resurrection Life versus Immanuel. Immanuel opened the season with a victory but has dropped its last five games to find itself in 8th place (1-5, 11.2). Immanuel was the only team to knock off the Warriors in 2009 and Rez is out to prove that was a fluke. I see the Warriors starting a little jumpy but locking it down soon enough to roll to a 23-8 five-inning victory.

Don't miss the beautiful 75 degree sunny weather at Round Lake tomorrow! Come cheer on the Warriors to victory!

Back-to-Back Wins for Warriors

The Resurrection Life Warriors continued their fine play with a 19-6 win over St. Andrew Red last night. The Warriors used a balanced offensive attack and their best defensive performance of the season to secure the victory.

Logan Brincefield had a solid all-around game en route to earning his first Player of the Game honors. He went 4-5 at the plate with three runs scored, two rbi and a triple. Defensively, he played a great second base handling one assist and five putouts with no errors.

Unfortunately, the team didn't get started well with only seven players at the field ten minutes before gametime. However, a player and a substitute arrived shortly and old friend and former teammate Jason Merritt was attending the game also, so he stepped in to fill the 10th spot as the game started.

Logan started the game with a line-drive out but Adam Hey singled and scored on Austin's triple off the center-field wall. Substitute Jeremy Abfalter walked and Jason roped an rbi single to score Austin to make it 2-0. Aaron Beintema started his excellent game with an rbi single to push Jeremy home. After Jeff Johnson hit into a force out, Lee Valle stayed hot with an rbi single to cap the inning's scoring at four.

St. Andrew Red swung a good bat in the first inning. Red has been swinging solid bats lately, scoring 16 and 22 in its past two games. Red started this game with four runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game. The team opened the game with four straight singles and then used Rez Life's only error to score the final two runs.

Rez came right back and scored three runs in the top of the second to retake the lead, 7-4. After the first out, Bryan Christensen strolled up to the field just in time to draw a walk. Logan stroked his first single to put two on for Adam who hit into a forceout for the second out. With runners on first and second, Austin launched one to the right-center field gap and began the race to chase down Adam. Austin was nearly successful, touching home plate just a step behind Adam for the three-run homer. Rez loaded the bases with a single from Jeremy and back-to-back walks from Jason and Aaron but Jeff hit a laser beam right at the left-center fielder for the third out.

Red didn't score in the bottom half of the second, after an unconventional doubleplay ended the frame. With one out and runners on first and second, Adam made a nice running catch in right-center for out number two and then fired a throw to first to try and double-up the runner. The throw was a little offline but Jeff ran it down and flipped to Austin covering first for the third out.

The Warriors bats didn't do much in the third, with just a single from John Beintema. Red also went down scoreless in the third stranding just one single also.

Rez Life came out swinging in the fourth putting a five spot on the scoreboard to take a commanding 12-4 lead. Logan singled and after an out came home on Austin's double to center. Jeremy had an infield single to put Austin at third base. Jason hit a pop-up to shallow center that the shortstop muffed, but Austin had tagged to score so Jason got credit for the sacrifice fly. Aaron followed with another sac fly, this one to left, to score Jeremy and make it 10-4. Jeff doubled to plate Jason and Lee singled to score Jeff.

Red got one back in the bottom of the fourth using three singles and a walk. A sharp grounder up the middle was snagged by Logan with the bases loaded to end the threat.

Rez didn't score in the fifth, leaving Logan's single on base. Red went down in order in the fifth also, after three fine defensive plays from the Warriors.

The Rez Life bats came back to life in sixth and final inning, scoring seven runs to end the game via mercy rule. Jeremy, Jason and Aaron all singled to start the inning and push the first run across. Jeff followed with his second consecutive double to plate two more runs. After an out, Tim Jandro singled to plate Jeff and Bryan rolled an infield single to put two on for Logan. Logan hit his third straight shot to left field, this one bouncing all the way to the fence for a two-run triple. Adam hit an rbi grounder for the 19th run and second out. Austin lined a single to complete his second cycle of the season and Jeremy singled also. A groundout ended the inning.

St. Andrew Red managed one run in the bottom of the sixth to make the final score 19-6. The victory pushes Rez Life's record to 4-1. Next week will be the Warriors' first doubleheader of the season with games at 7:50 and 8:50 on field #3.

Week 5 Lineup Versus St. Andrew Red, 7:50, Field 5

Psalm 27:1

'The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?' (NIV)

'The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? (NASB)

'Light, space, zest— that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing.' (The Message)

'The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?' (NLT)

1. Logan, 2B
2. Adam, LF
3. Austin, P
4. Ryan, LC
5. Tim, SS
6. Aaron, RC
7. Lee, 3B
8. John, RF
9. Jeff, 1B
10. Bryan, C

Warriors Back On Winning Track

The Resurrection Life Warriors got back on the right track with a convincing 21-5 victory over Pax Christi last week. The team rebounded nicely from its first loss and pounded out 21 hits and drew five walks in the game. Jeff Tenney led the offensive charge with two homeruns, a two-run shot in the first and a grand slam in the second to earn Player of the Game honors.

The Warriors got off to a fast start with three runs in the first inning. With one out, Adam Hey lined a single to left. Eric Johnson reached on an error to put two on and Logan Brincefield hit into a forceout to plate Adam for the first run. Jeff then launched his first homerun of the game to make it 3-0 Rez. Lee Valle and Aaron Beintema both singled but a flyout ended the inning.

Pax didn't score in its half, stranding a lead-off error. Rez came right back and added six more runs to its lead to take a 9-0 lead after one and a half.

Austin Colby doubled to start the second and moved to third on Bryan Christensen's single. Tim Jandro followed with an rbi force-out. Adam then singled to put two runners on and after the second out, Logan walked to load the bases for Jeff. Jeff deposited a ball over the left-center field fence for the grand slam and an 8-0 Warriors lead. Next, Lee reached on an error and moved to second on Aaron's single. John Beintema came through with an rbi single to plate Lee and cap the inning's scoring.

Pax scored two runs on three hits and an error in the second inning to make it 9-2 Rez after two full innings. The Rez Life bats kept adding to the lead with three more runs in the top of the third. With one out, Tim tripled and scored on Adam's base knock. After the second out, Logan reached on an error to keep the inning alive. Jeff was intentionally walked to load the bases for Lee who came through with a line drive on the left-field line to plate two runs.

Pax made it a closer game with three runs of its own in the bottom of the third inning but never seriously threatened. Pax knocked out four hits including a two-run triple in the inning.

In the fourth inning, Rez pushed nine runs across to end the game via 15-run mercy rule. John singled to start the frame and sprinted home on Austin's fourth triple of the season. After the first out, Tim lifted a sac fly to score Austin, but reached base as the right-fielder dropped the ball. Adam roped his fourth hit of the game to plate Tim to make it 15-5 Rez. After the second out, Logan doubled to put runners at second and third. Jeff walked intentionally again to load the bases and Lee came through again with another two-rbi single. Aaron knocked out his third hit to score Jeff and John ripped his third hit to score Lee. Austin walked to re-load the bases and for Bryan who walked to score another run. Tim singled to bring home John and end the scoring, 21-5.

Pax had one man reach in the fourth, but didn't score to end the game after four innings.

Next week, Rez plays St. Andrew Red at 7:50 on field 5. Rez held its third place spot in the standings with its 3-1 record. EPAG knocked off Wooddale Mercy Rules 16-5 to take sole control of first place, pushing Mercy Rules into second.

Week 4 Lineup vs Pax Christi, Field 3, 5:50 - UPDATE

"Spending time with the Lord is not the most important thing in your relationship with Jesus. It is your relationship with Jesus."

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you will recover your life. I will show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you will learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30 (Message).

1. Tim, SS
2. Adam, LF
3. Eric, RC
4. Logan, 2B
5. Jeff, 1B
6. Lee, 3B
7. Aaron, LC
8. John, RF
9. Austin, P
10. Bryan, C

Mercy Rules Shows No Mercy, Drubs Warriors 31-20

The quest for an undefeated season has ended quickly for the Resurrection Life Warriors after last night's 31-20 shellacking at the hands of Wooddale Mercy Rules. A couple of glaring things shined through on an otherwise rainy, soggy night: The Resurrection Life Warriors need to play much better defense to be considered a legitimate contender and Wooddale Mercy Rules is here to stay.

Rules asserted itself as the team to beat in sweeping a double-header over Rez Life and Wooddale Classic. Rules took advantage of every one of the Warriors' 10 errors. That is not a misprint. The Warriors committed 10 errors which led to 23 unearned runs for Rules. Rules, assuredly, would have scored more than eight runs had the Warriors played perfect defense, but the lack of quality defense was a disaster from the first inning on.

Expecting to play its first game of the year with excess players, the Warriors actually played 3 1/2 innings with just nine players instead of the 11 planned for. Minus one outfielder, the team stumbled a bit out of the gates. Wooddale sandwiched a single between two outs to start the game. With two outs, one on and no runs in, the flood gates opened in the top of the first. Wooddale then strung together seven hits to go along with three walks and four errors to plate 12 runs with two outs in the inning.

Rez was more than a little shell-shocked coming to bat in the bottom half of the frame. However, the lineup re-grouped and nearly had a huge inning, scoring four runs and leaving two on with the top of the order coming up. Austin Colby tripled off the right-field wall to start the inning and jogged home on Tim Jandro's line-drive single up the middle. After the first of Eric Johnson's three walks, Jeff Tenney flew out deep to right-center for the first out, pushing Tim to third. Adam Hey continued his torrid start to the season with an rbi-single to make 12-2. Logan Brincefield plated Eric with a single and Jeff Johnson followed with another rbi-single to cut the deficit to eight runs, 12-4 with one out and two on. However, that was all the team could muster as both Lee Valle and John Beintema flew out to end the inning.

The Rez defense continued its Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act with some Dr. Jekyll activity in the top of the second. After singles from Rules put runners at first and second with zero outs, the defense flashed some serious leather. Tim made a nice running catch in center for the first out and after another single loaded the bases, Austin and John ended the inning with a nifty 1-2-3 double-play, pitcher to home to first.

Revved up by the defensive display, the bats came out roaring with nine runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead 13-12 after two innings. Austin singled and moved to second on Tim's second single of the game. Eric walked again to load the bases for Tenney who cleared the bases with an absolute taser to the wall in center, plating all three runs to make it 12-7 with a guy on second. Adam kept the party going with his first homerun of the year, a two-run shot through the wind to left-center. Trailing by just three, Logan started the train with a walk and after an out moved to second on Lee's single. With two on, John placed a single on the grass to score Logan and put two on for Austin. Austin gave the Warriors its only lead of the game with a line-drive homerun to right-field to make it 13-12 Rez. Still just one out, Tim singled and after the second out he moved to second on Tenney's single. A fly-out ended the inning for the Warriors and Rules came to the plate trailing.

That did not last long as Mr. Hyde came out to play again in the top of the third inning. Four more errors in the second led to eight unearned runs and eleven runs total for Wooddale. Rules did knock out seven hits and took two walks to re-take the lead for good, 23-13.

Trailing by 10, Rez needed another solid inning. But, it wasn't to be as a roped line-out started the inning and after two singles a hard-hit double-play grounder ended the inning, 23-13 Wooddale.

Welcome back Dr. Jekyll in the top of the fourth. The Warriors' defense stranded a lead-off single with three straight pop-outs to keep Rules from putting the game away in the fourth. Rez had another chance to get back into it in the bottom of the fourth but the team wasted another good opportunity for runs.

Late-comer Bryan Christensen knocked out his first career Rez Life hit to start the inning (Congratulations Bryan!!). However, after Austin roped one off the wall in left, Bryan was thrown out at third base for the first out. A single from Tim plated Austin, but Tim was caught in a run-down and thrown out on the bases for the second out - neither of which came on defense put-outs. Eric coaxed his third walk of the game but a fielder's choice grounder ended the fourth frame with Rez still well behind, 23-14.

Two more errors and two hits allowed Wooddale to plate three runs in the top of the fifth, putting Resurrection Life in a must-score situation to keep the game alive.

Down 26-14, Rez needed three runs to keep playing. Adam singled and Logan walked to start the inning. After an out, Lee walked to load the bases for John who dropped another big hit into the outfield grass, scoring two runs and putting runners on the corners with one out. After another ground-out, Austin came up needing a hit to keep the game going another inning. He delivered a mammoth homerun off of a Durango in the parking lot to plate three runs and make it 26-19.

Wooddale wasn't amused and calmly scored five more runs in the sixth inning to provide a 12-run cushion going into the bottom of the final frame. Rez was unable to get anything going, leaving the bases loaded and plating just one run.

The final score was 31-20 and the loss marks Rez Life's second league loss in its last four games after running off 23 straight wins. Next week Rez plays Pax Christi at 5:50 on field #3. Austin Colby captures his first Player of the Game award with his 5-5 day, hitting for the cycle while scoring five runs and driving home six, on two three-run homeruns.

Lineup for Wooddale Mercy Rules; May 13, 5:50, Field 2

With nearly a full squad the Warriors won't have to worry about running around at the last minute for a 9th man tomorrow. That peace of mind alone should help Manager Colby and VP of Decision Making Eric Johnson during the game.

1. Austin, pitcher
2. Tim, shortstop
3. Ryan, left-center
4. Eric, right field
5. Adam, right-center
6. Logan, left field
7. Jeff, first base
8. Lee, third base
9. John, second base
10. Bryan, catcher

There is a chance that Jeff Tenney will also make it and if so, here is what the lineup will look like:

1. Austin, pitcher
2. Tim, second base
3. Ryan, left-center
4. Eric, right field
5. Jeff T, shortstop
6. Adam, right-center
7. Logan, left field
8. Jeff J, first base
9. Lee, third base
10. John, catcher
11. Bryan, designated hitter

Sounds like runs!

Top Two Scoring Teams Face-Off to Open Great Night

The Eden Prairie Round Lake Church league is two weeks old in 2010 and has already seen its share of exciting games. Week one saw two one-run contests, a six-run game and two teams score 22 or better. Week two wasn't as competitive, with four of the five league games being decided by 15+ runs, but it had more fireworks with the winners averaging 25 runs per game.

Week three's match ups could prove to be even more captivating as the top two scoring teams, Wooddale Mercy Rules and Resurrection Life Warriors, square off in the opener (5:50) on field #2 as the start of a great night of games on paper.

Wooddale, 2009's Team of the Year as voted on by managers, is coming off of a nine game turnaround from 2008 to 2009 and has opened 2010 with two convincing wins, 23-5 over St. Andrew Red and 26-8 over Immanuel. Rez Life rolled through its 2009 opponents and averaged 17.8 runs per game in doing so, while playing into the 6th inning or later just a couple of times. This season, Rez has re-tooled and come out 2-0 with a hard-fought 16-15 victory over Wooddale Classic and then held on for a 26-22 win over St. Andrew Blue last week in a game in which it lead by 15 runs after two different innings.

It will be a good test for both teams and a league barometer of sorts to see who stands tallest at this point. I think the Warriors will maintain its league authority in controlling fashion, putting runs on the board every inning before winning 23-13 after five.

Following the Warriors vs. Rules game, Classic takes on its brothers from Wooddale at 6:50 on field #2. I would guess that Classic will have the edge as the big brother, but Rules will have nothing to lose in that game. Classic is another team averaging 20 runs a game and has a great league history with five league titles in the 2000's before moving up to a more challenging league. I think the Classic men will handle the Rules boys as the mystique hasn't worn off yet, Classic 22 Rules 16.

To close off a great three-hour stretch, Redeemer Bible faces off with Classic. Redeemer should be loaded with much of its solid squad so Classic better be ready to go or newcomer Redeemer will turn some heads. How this game starts will be huge. Classic has the ability to knock you down in the first inning and just apply pressure each inning after that. Redeemer has more explosion, but can force things if it falls behind too much too soon. I'm going out on a limb and picking an upset here with Redeemer bringing home the victory 19-16.

The weather forecast has taken a turn towards the positive with little to no rain tomorrow evening. While the 52 degree temperature may seem cool, watching these three games should warm you up in a hurry. Don't miss this week's action.

Final Two Roster Spots!!!

As noted briefly in a game write-up last week, the Resurrection Life Warriors have officially closed the books on roster compilation for 2010.

Logan Brincefield has signed up as #11. Logan didn't negotiate long and after his one-game tryout he agreed to a two-year deal for an undisclosed amount. There was some talk from the Players' Union that this deal would be under investigation because of some medical language but it cleared the process and was okayed.

Tim Jandro, who captured Player of the Game honors last week, also agreed to a one-year deal to be Warrior #12. Smartly, Tim held out until after his one-game effort and then pushed the envelope for a long-term big-dollar deal. However, Austin Colby and Team Owner Ron Loven weren't born yesterday and basically gave Tim a chance to earn a long-term career with the Warriors with a lucrative, incentive-based one-year contract. Tim folded like a lawn chair and accepted the deal.

That puts the full roster in line for the 2010 regular season. The team is solid top to bottom.

Rez Wins Soaking Slugfest: 26-22

The Resurrection Life Warriors have opened the season with a couple of exciting victories after defeating a much improved St. Andrew Blue team 26-22 in the rain Thursday night.

Both teams swung the bats very well combining for 56 hits and 48 runs. A nine-man defense limited the Warriors in the field and five errors didn't help either. The Blue defense was solid though not spectacular.

Down a man, the Warriors won the toss but chose to hit first to delay playing short-handed defense as long as possible. The strategy paid off as the team rallied with two outs to push 10 runs on the board. Leadoff hitter Austin Colby started the game in embarrassing fashion hitting a lazy pop-out to third base...in foul territory. Adam Hey picked him up with a crisp single but Eric Johnson followed with a weak fly-out to left for the second out. With two outs, one on and none in the Warrior bats finally picked it up. Logan Brincefield roped a single to push Adam to second and Jeff Johnson followed with an impressive three-run homer to dead center, his first of the season. With the bases clear, Aaron Beintema started up again with a single and moved to second on Bryan Christensen's walk. Tim Jandro - making his Rez Life debut - followed with a deep bomb to center to clear the bases and give the Warriors a 6-0 lead.

Substitute Marty Wold lined a single to left and scampered home on Austin's triple to right-center. Adam laced his second single of the inning plating Austin to make it 8-0. Eric, like Austin, avoided two outs in one inning with a single and moved to second on the throw to third base. Logan capped a nice first inning with his second knock, bringing home Austin and Eric and staking Rez to a 10-0 lead after one at bat.

St. Andrew Blue responded in its half of the first with five runs. Blue displayed a very impressive offense, 100% improved from 2009. Blue swatted five hits and used two errors to plate the five runs.

Leading 10-5, Rez kept its foot on the gas and plated four more in the top of the second. Another two out rally made things happen for the Warriors in the second. With two outs and no one on base, Tim tripled to the gap in right-center. Marty followed with his second hit of the game to score Tim. Austin followed with an rbi double and scored on Adam's rbi triple. Eric doubled to end the rally with Rez up 14-5.

Blue's bats faltered in the bottom half of the second. The team rolled in into three outs sandwiched around one single.

Rez put one more run on the board in the top of the third inning to increase the lead to ten runs. Jeff launched his second homer of the game to start the inning. Aaron and Tim both singled but a pop-out and line-drive double-play ended the inning.

The Warrior defense again held steady in the third inning keeping Blue off the scoreboard. Blue hit two more grounders for outs and a fly-ball to center field.

In the top of the fourth inning Rez kept up the pressure with five more runs. Austin singled and Adam doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Eric roped one to bring home Austin. Logan followed with a single to plate Adam and make it 17-5. Jeff flew out for the first out and Aaron lofted a deep drive to the fence in right-center for a triple that plated Eric and Logan. Bryan hit a sharp grounder that scored Aaron increase the Warrior lead to 15 runs, 20-5 after three and half innings.

Blue got back on the board in the bottom of the fourth with two runs, starting the inning with a triple and a homerun to cut the lead to 13, 20-7. However, the team stranded two other runners on and Rez came to the plate with another chance to push the lead into mercy-rule territory.

In the top of the fifth, Rez scored two more runs to again go up by 15 runs, 22-7. Austin lined his second triple of the game to open the inning and scored on Adam's rbi groundout. Eric singled and moved to second on Logan's fourth single. Jeff drew a walk to load the bases for Aaron who into a force-out to plate Eric. Another sharp grounder ended the inning.

Blue now needed to score six runs to keep the game going. The bats answered that call and scored seven runs to make it 22-14. Blue had six hits and reached on one error to plate the seven runs. A two run-homer capped the scoring with just one out. Back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning.

After a short conference, the umpire allowed the game to keep going so the Warriors were able to bat one more time. The team took advantage scoring four more insurance runs for a game total of 26. Tim doubled to lead off the final inning, completing the cycle for him. after one out, Austin scored lined one to left for a double, but Tim had to hold up to make sure the ball dropped so he stopped at third. Adam quickly cleared the bases with a two-run single. Eric completed his impressive day swatting a two-run no-doubter to center to end the scoring. Two more singles were stranded but Rez felt comfortable with the twelve-run lead.

Blue, however, quickly erased that comfort in the bottom half of the inning. Blue didn't hit the ball as hard in the sixth inning, but the field was sufficiently sloppy and the defense couldn't catch a break. The first four batters reached base with three runs scoring before the first out of the inning. Three more singles and three more runs scored before a fine play in left by Adam secured the second out. After a single and a double plated two more runs to make it 26-22, Austin struck out the final batter to finally end the marathon slugfest.

Tim Jandro captured Player of the Game honors in his Warrior debut. Tim had a perfect 5-5 night with a cycle: one double, one triple and a three-run homer to go with a pair of singles.

As a team the Warriors had a great early-season showing. The bats swatted 33 hits including five doubles, five triples, and four homeruns.

The team faces another solid opponent next week in Wooddale Mercy Rules at 5:50 on field #2.

Warriors Welcome Wooddale Classic to League

The 2010 season is underway and it got started in fine fashion last night. The two top pre-season teams faced off under the lights on field #5 with both teams ready to play. Defending champion, Resurrection Life, defeated former champion, Wooddale Classic, 16-15 scoring three runs in the top of the 7th to win it.

Both teams showed some early season rust, Rez moreso than Wooddale, but all told it was a well-played game. The Warriors banged out 22 hits and drew three walks. Wooddale ripped 21 hits and drew two walks. Rez did commit three errors, but they were early and the defense played perfectly the last three innings. Wooddale committed just one error which did not lead to any extra runs for Rez.

Rez started the season in style as leadoff hitter Austin Colby launched the first pitch of the season well over the left-field fence into the netting on the baseball field. While it wasn't an effective use of the team's limited homeruns, it was a nice little 'Oh, welcome to OUR league' statement to Wooddale.

Substitute Jeremy Abfalter followed with a single and went to third on newcomer Ryan Norman's single. With runners on the corners, Eric Johnson lofted the first of what will be eight or nine sacrifice flies, plating Jeremy. Adam Hey followed with a liner up the middle to move Ryan to second and Jeff Johnson hit into a forceout for the second out. Up 2-0 with two outs and runners on the corners, Aaron Beintema delivered a single to score Ryan and keep the inning alive for Lee Valle. Lee responded by roping his first pitch in two years to the center-field wall scoring Jeff and ending the inning's scoring at 4-0 Rez.

Wooddale brushed off the little hit barrage put on by the Warriors and calmly ripped five hits and used two Rez errors to score five runs in the bottom half to take a 5-4 early lead. The Warriors didn't waste much time correcting that as Logan Brincefield started the second with a single and jogged home as Austin hit his second pitch of the season just a little bit higher on that baseball field net in left field. Jeremy followed with a single but the next three batters went down in order leaving it 6-5 Rez through one and a half.

Wooddale scored two in the bottom half with three hits including a double. Good outfield defense kept any additional runners from reaching.

Tied at 6, the Warriors took their only goose egg of the game in the third inning. The team went down one, two, three making it six straight outs going back to the second inning. Ouch.

Wooddale took advantage and pounced ahead with four runs in the bottom of the third. Four hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly gave Classic the edge.

Now down four and having set down six straight batters, the Warriors needed a jump start in the fourth. The team answered the call, banging out five hits and utilizing a sacrifice fly and a walk to plate five runners and reclaim the lead, 11-10. John Beintema started the frame with a smooth single to left. After a tough lineout, Austin took his free pass with class to put two on for Jeremy. Jeremy answered and loaded the bases with a single. Ryan followed with an rbi single to score John. Eric eased his second sac fly to the outfield, plating Logan who was running for Austin. Down 10-8 with two outs and two on, Adam came through in a big way launching what looked like a homerun off the wall in left-center to score Jeremy and Ryan and tying the score. Jeff roped a single to center to push Adam home and give the Warriors the lead.

Wooddale looked like it wasn't phased by the outburst and started the bottom half single, double to put runners at second and third with no outs. But, the defense stepped up and set down the next three batters to allow just the one run to score to tie the game.

With three innings to go and a tie game, Rez added a run in the fifth to take a one-run lead. Lee singled to start things and after back-to-back outs, Austin took his second unintentional, intentional walk to put two on for Jeremy. Jeremy blooped one on the right-field line to score Lee, but was thrown out at second to end the inning, 12-11 Rez.

Wooddale showed its first real chink in the offensive armor putting the first two batters on first and second and then going down in order without scoring. Austin snared a line drive hit right back at his shoulder to end the fifth inning, 12-11 Warriors.

Rez tried to add some more runs in the sixth, but couldn't really muster any offense, using two singles and an error to push just one run across the plate.

Wooddale now had a chance to take back the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Classic did just that, scoring four times to really put the pressure on Rez going into the seventh. Classic had four hits in the inning and one walk. Two very nice plays in the field by Austin on the mound and Ryan at shortstop prevented even more runs from scoring.

Trailing by two in the last frame, Rez needed baserunners. John grounded out to start things but Logan came through with a base-hit to left setting the table for Austin. Austin, having not swung since the second inning, seemed a bit over anxious and lunged at the first pitch thrown only to hit a high flyball to center for the second out. For a moment it seemed like the Warriors were done, but Jeremy came through in a big way stroking one through the wind over the center-field fence to tie the game at 15 with two outs. Motivated by the blast, the Warriors kept it going as Ryan singled and moved to second on Eric's walk. Adam proved his worth yet again with another clutch two-out hit, lining a single to center to score Ryan and give Rez the late lead. A flyout ended the inning.

Wooddale trailed by one and strode to the plate in the bottom of the seventh determined to get the leadoff man on first. However, a tricky pop-up in shallow right was held up by the strong wind allowing Eric time to hustle out and snag it for the first out. That was huge. The second batter hit a grounder to Ryan who fielded cleanly and fired to Jeff at first for the second out. The next batter roped one that Ryan nearly speared out of mid-air but was just out of his reach. With one on and two outs, the final batter hit a spinning pop-up on the third base line that Austin tracked down and buried to end the game.

A great, exciting 16-15 victory to open the season for the Resurrection Life Warriors. Adam Hey earns Player of the Game honors for his 4-5 performance including a double and three huge two-out rbi, including the game-winner.

The team's next contest is at 6:50 on field #3 versus St. Andrew Blue on May 6.