The World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 tournament started this weekend, with round-robin group play that has Team USA in action down in Mexico.
Representing Team...
The DSL Pirates teams ended their seasons this week, which brings the rookie-level affiliates to an end.
I've been reviewing the best performing hitting and...
The Curve wasted an outstanding starting appearance by Brad Lincoln this morning, as the bullpen allowed Bowie 7 unanswered runs over the last three innings.
The Curve wasted an outstanding starting appearance by Brad Lincoln this morning, as the bullpen allowed Bowie 7 unanswered runs over the last three innings. �The loss puts the Curve 17 games below .500 (14-31) and 18 games behind the first-place Akron Aeros in the Eastern League Southern Division. �Don't worry -- they aren't in last place. �That honor goes to the Harrisburg Senators, who sit at 11-31, 19.5 games behind Akron. �
The Curve jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning, maybe taking advantage of Bowie players who were not quite awake yet. �SS Brian Friday started the inning by reaching on a fielding error at third base. �3B Pedro Lopez flied out, and 2B Jim Negrych grounded to third base, for what should have been a double play. �The Bowie' second baseman's throw to first went wide, though, and pulled 1B Brandon Snyder off the bag. �In fact, Snyder was barely able to make the catch at all. �Friday was forced out at second, but Negrych was safe at first, and the inning was extended. �The Curve took advantage of the slip, and the next four batters reached base. �RF Jonel Pacheco�singled into center field, moving Negrych to second base. �DH Jason Delaney lifted a fly ball into right field, which bounced in front of Bowie RF Joseph Nowicki and then slipped under his glove and past him. �Negrych scored, Pacheco went to third, and Delaney ended up on second base. �The play was initially ruled an error, but then about an inning later was changed to a double and an RBI for Delaney. �LF Jeff Corsaletti bounced a grounder off the back of �the mound. �The Bowie 2B Miguel Abreu charged in, but was distracted for a split second when his hat was blown off his head. �That split second was enough for Corsaletti to beat out the throw to first base, allowing Pacheco to score, and moving Delaney to third base. �1B Jamie Romak walked, and the fourth ball sailed all the way to the backstop. �Delaney never hesitated when he saw the wild pitch, and he scored easily from third base. �A ground out by C Hector Gimenez ended the inning, with the Curve ahead 3-0.
Curve starter�Brad Lincoln must not be a morning person either, as his first several pitches in the top of the 1st were slow, in the high 70's and 80's. �He gave up a lead off single to former Indianapolis Indian (2004) DH Dave Krynzel and hit Brandon Snyder with a pitch. �A couple of ground outs later, though, and Lincoln was awake and running up to speed, as he struck out Miguel Abreu with pitches in the 94 -- 95 mph range to end the inning. �
Lincoln kept up the heat as he worked around a single in the top of the 2nd, including a worrisome moment when he reached out with his pitching hand at a bouncer back to the mound, knocking it down and then making the throw to first base for the third out. �He did not get hurt, though, and went on to retire the next 9 batters in order. �Lincoln made another gold-glove play in the top of the 3rd, when he reached up (with his glove -- he's learning) to snag a high bounce as he moved toward the back of the mound, and with some fancy footwork, back-pedaled down the back of the mound without falling and was able to make the throw to first base in time for the out. �
In the 6th, Lincoln escaped a jam without allowing a run. �Dave Krynzel led off with a single, and advanced to second base on a walk. �Bowie 3B Mike Costanzo singled into right field, and as the speedy Krynzel raced around third base, LF Jonel Pacheco fired a bullet to the plate. �The throw was on-target, but Krynzel got to the plate before the ball did, so everyone was surprised when Krynzel was called out. �Apparently, Krynzel either slid over C Hector Gimenez's leg or just missed the plate entirely as he slid, and Gimenez's tag made the out. �A ground out ended the inning, and also Lincoln's day. �He finished with 6 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits and a walk, while striking out 5 batters. �Combined with his last outing, the 9-inning shutout, and going back to his previous start on May 15th, that gives Lincoln a streak of 19.1 scoreless innings. �
Jeff Sues relieved Lincoln, who had thrown about 90 pitches, to begin the 7th inning. � The BaySox got to Sues quickly, scoring one run on a double and a single. �Then came trouble in the 8th, as Bowie tied it up and made Lincoln unable to earn a win for his terriffic performance. �Sues began the 8th with a walk, and he was replaced by Jean Machi. �Machi also walked the next batter, then gave up an RBI single, to bring Bowie within one run of the Curve. �Miguel Abreu grounded to 3B Pedro Lopez, who fired the ball home and caught the lead runner in a run-down, tagging him out in the baseline (5-2-5). �Another single scored a tying run, giving Machi a Blown Save. �Machi threw a wild pitch, and then walked another batter to load the bases. �Finally a ground out to shortstop ended the inning, with the score tied. �
The Curve recorded three singles (Pacheco, Delaney, and Corsaletti) in the 1st inning, and Brian Friday added another in the 2nd inning but was forced out at second base. �Delaney, Gimenez, and Negrych scattered a walk apiece over the next 4 innings, and Friday was hit by a pitch in the 7th, but none of them could get any further. �The Curve�went down in order again in the bottom of the 8th. �
Jean Machi came out to begin the top of the 9th, but while he was throwing his warm-up pitches, he suddenly stopped. �He had hurt himself, though did not give any clear indication (at least to the radio broadcasters) as to what exactly had been injured. �Machi walked right off the field and into the clubhouse, and Josh Hill came in from the bullpen, getting as much time as he needed for his warm-up.
It wasn't enough warm-up. �Dave Krynzel dropped his third hit of the game into center field, just in front of CF James Boone. �A bunt back to the mound forced Krynzel out at second base, but left a runner on first. �A single by Brandon Snyder, followed by a double by Mike Costanzo scored the go-ahead run. �Then a 3-run home run by RF Joseph Nowicki put the game out of reach, and gave Hill the loss. �Three Curve batters were quietly retired in the bottom of the 9th, and the game was over. �
The Power got into trouble early, and then couldn't catch up in another morning game. �Starter Gabriel Alvarado�pitched 3 wild innings, and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 3 hits, 4 walks, a wild pitch, and 3 hit batters. �The Lakewood run in the 1st inning was unearned. �The second batter of the inning reached on a throwing error by 3B Jeremy Farrell, and stole second base. �With two outs (both strikeouts), Lakewood DH Steve Susdorf was hit in the head by a pitch, and had to leave the game. �Alvarado loaded the bases with a walk, and an RBI single brought in a run. �Alvarado struck out the next batter to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded.
A hit batter and three walks forced in a run in the bottom of the 2nd inning. �The 3rd inning started with the third hit batter, and two singles loaded the bases. �A wild pitch scored one run, and a sacrifice fly plated another, giving Lakewood a 4-0 lead. �
The Power came back in the top of the 4th to score 3 runs as 8 batters came to the plate. �SS Chase D'Arnaud got things started with a walk and a stolen base. �He went to third on 1B Calvin Anderson's fly out, and scored on Jeremy Farrell's ground out. �With two outs, CF Marcus Davis walked and also stole second base. �DH Bobby Spain singled, and RF Austin McClune doubled to bring in Davis and Spain, and the Power were only one run behind. �
Wilson Ortiz replaced Alvarado in the 4th inning. �Ortiz pitched 3 scoreless innings in the middle of the game, allowing only a triple in the 4th inning. �Owen Brolsma took the mound in the 7th, for a 1-2-3 inning. �In the 8th, he got the first two outs, then gave up a run on a double and an RBI single. �
After their 3-run 4th inning, the Power were held to only a single by Chase D'Arnaud over the next three innings. �They had a small rally in the 8th. �Calvin Anderson singled, but when Jeremy Farrell followed with another single, his batted ball hit Anderson, and Anderson was out. �Marcus Davis walked, but neither of the two base runners could come around to score. �The Power loaded the bases on three consecutive singles in the 9th -- C Josue Peley, 2B Greg Picart, and�LF Quincy Latimore, but a pop out and a ground out ended that last chance. �
The Red Sox out-hit the Hillcats 9-6, but the 'Cats still doubled up the Sox on runs this evening in Lynchburg. �RF Miles Durham and LF Jared Keel had 2 hits each, including a double for Durham and a home run for Keel. �2B Jose De Los Santos singled and DH Pedro Alvarez doubled for the other two runs. �
The Hillcats got onto the scoreboard first, in the bottom of the 2nd inning, when Miles Durham singled and stole second base. �He scored on Jared Keel's RBI single. �Durham led off the 4th inning with a double into left field, and moments later, Keel smashed a home run over the left field wall, his 4th of the year, to give the Hillcats a 3-0 lead. �
With two outs in the 5th inning, Pedro Alvarez got another rally started when he doubled into left field. �A throwing error on a ball off the bat of 1B Matt Hague gave Alvarez the opportunity to come around from second base to score the Hillcats' fourth run. �
The Hillcats had a total of 5 stolen bases in the game. �De Los Santos stole both second and third bases after his single in the 1st inning, and he stole second again in the 7th inning after a walk. �He now leads the team with 22 stolen bases (the next highest: �Alex Presley and Jordy Mercer, with "only" 5 stolen bases), and is second in the Carolina League (Wilmington's Derrick Robinson has 23). �Alvarez walked and stole his first base of the season (and first professional stolen base) in the 3rd inning. �Durham's steal came in the 2nd inning. � �
Paul Mildren earned his second win of the season with 6 solid innings of work. �He gave up 5 hits and no walks, and struck out 3 batters. �The only Red Sox batter to reach base in the first three innings came in the 2nd inning, when the lead-off batter reached base on CF Alex Presley's fielding error. �No matter -- Mildren got the next batter to ground into a double play. �He gave up two singles after two outs in the 4th, but a fly out ended that inning without a run scoring. �Another single in the 5th was erased by another double play. �The run Mildren allowed happened in the 6th inning with two outs. �A single, a wild pitch, and another single brought in the run. �
Mike Colla pitched a scoreless 7th inning for the Hillcats. �Michael Dubee earned his 4th save, though he allowed a run in the 8th inning. �It was another run scored after two outs, with a single, a passed ball by C Kris Watts, and an RBI double. �
