Saturday turned out to be a very nice day, so close to Canada, yet warm and sunny for this part of upstate NY.
Today, UR was the home team, and you had to do a double take at the scoreboard, because the linescore was blank when UR was batting, but underneath the score was posted for the Saints. It just looked a little wierd.
Blair Veenema was on the hill for UR in the first game. The Yellowjackets scored first in the bottom of the first inning. Dan Brien singled and scored on Casey Storme's double. Storme scored on Jay Jay Vanderstyne's single. UR led 2-0 after 1 inning!
St. Lawrence got a run back in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings to make the score 3-2, them after 4 innings. In the 5th, Luke Brocks came in for Blair Veenema with men on 2nd and 3rd and only 1 out. He was able to get out of the inning without a run scoring! The second time in as many days!!
In the bottom of the 5th, Andy Cannon singled, stole 2nd, and scored on Blayne Fuke's RBI single. Tie score at 3-3!
In the bottom of the 6th, Casey Storme hit a hard grounder that the shortstop mishandled and then threw away, allowing him to go to 2nd base. Jay Jay Vanderstyne advanced him to 3rd with a sac bunt, and when Ryan Sullivan pinch hit an RBI single, Casey scored the go ahead run!
UR now led 4-3, going into the 7th. Ned Chanatry came on to replace Luke Brocks and closed out the game with a 1-2-3 inning to give Brocks the win and himself the save, his 3rd of the young season!!
In the nitecap, Paul Toland took the mound to try to give the Yellowjackets a 3-1 record against the Saints over the weekend. UR was probably fortunate to be 2-1 at this point, with 3 very close games that all could have went either way with a break or 2 for either team. St. Lawrence has had a history of playing UR tough over the past few years.
The Saints drew first blood with a homerun with nobody on in the top of the 2nd inning to take a 1-0 lead. In the bottom half, Dan Ludwig walked and took 2nd on a wild pitch. Matt Francis singled to score Ludwig and then stole 2nd base and reached 3rd base on an error by the catcher. Brian Bezek singled to score Francis, Andy Cannon walked, and Blayne Fuke singled to score Bezek. 3-1 UR after 2 innings!
UR added another run in the 3rd on a Dan Ludwig single followed by a Matt Francis triple, now 4-1 UR!
UR added another run in the 4th when Blayne Fuke singled, advanced to 2nd on Dan Brien's groundout, advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch and scored on Casey Storme's RBI single making it 5-1 UR after 4 innings.
In the 6th, UR would get more. Casey Storme doubled off the top of the fence in leftcenter, just missing a homerun by a scant few inches! Ryan Sullivan singled to score Storme and scored when Jay Jay Vanderstyne tripled. Vanderstyne scored when Ludwig grounded out to 2nd base. 3 more runs and UR led 8-1!
Paul Toland came out of the game after 6 innings and allowing 1 run on 5 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit by pitch, and 10 strikeouts!! Another great performance!
Chris Olsen started the 7th inning in his first appearance of 2009 and unfortunately, it did not go very well, his control was off and Ryan Sullivan replaced him and got 3 fly outs to end the inning after the Saints had scored 2 runs to pull within 8-3.
UR got those 2 runs back in the next 1/2 inning when Brian Bezek singled and then stole 2nd base, Bezek advanced to 3rd on Andy Cannon's single and when Cannon stole 2nd, UR had 2 men in scoring position. When Dan Brien singled, Bezek scored and Cannon advanced to 3rd, then Cannon scored when the outfielder made an error. Now 10-3 UR after 7 innings.
Ryan Sullivan retired St. Lawrence 1-2-3 in both the 8th and 9th innings to earn a save and preserve the win for Rochester.
Blayne Fuke, Casey Storme, Dan Ludwig, Matt Francis, and Brian Bezek each had 2 hits apiece to lead the offense! Finally, a game that was not that close and a 3-1 record against a Liberty League team that has always played UR tough!!
Afterward, the parents hosted a cookout for the team that was enjoyed by all and was sponsored in part by the Barnard and Fuke families! Thanks to them and Thanks to all who brought something to share and support the team! Coach expressed his appreciation in an email that I hope you all got to see.
We are planning to have another cookout this weekend at Union, please review the email and respond to the blog, to allow us to plan for this event.
Thanking everyone in advance, it is truly appreciated by the team and coaching staff.
See you at the ballpark!
Ed
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Rochester travels to St. Lawrence
Due to the weather forecast, the weekend series with St. Lawrence was moved from Sat/Sun to Fri/Sat. In the first game on Friday, Steve Guzski took the mound for the Yellowjackets.
The first 2 innings were scoreless, although both teams had 1 hit. In the top of the 3rd, Andy Cannon singled and stole second, Dan Brien walked, and Cannon took third on a passed ball. Jay Jay Vanderstyne hit a sac fly to score Cannon. UR led 1-0 after 3 innings of play.
In the bottom of the 4th, St. Lawrence scored 2 runs on 2 hits and an error to take the lead 2-1 after 4 innings.
The score remained the same and in the bottom of the 6th, Luke Brocks came on in relief of Guzski with men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. He got out of the inning without them scoring!!
In the top of the 7th, Andy Cannon singled, Blayne Fuke singled, both stole a base to move to 2nd and 3rd, and Casey Storme walked to load the bases. Robby Barnard pinch ran for Storme, Ryan Sullivan doubled home Cannon and Fuke, with Barnard going to 3rd. Matt Francis singled to score Barnard. UR now led 4-2. Ned Chanatry came in and got a 1-2-3 inning to finish the game. Ned got the save and Luke Brocks got the win.
Game 2, saw Michael Park take the mound. Rochester got on the board in the 2nd, when Casey Storme reached on an error and scored on Matt Francis' double. UR led 1-0.
St. Lawrence answered with a run in the bottom of the 2nd to tie the game at 1 after 2 innings. In the top of the 3rd, Andy Cannon singled, Blayne Fuke reached on an error, Dan Brien hit a sac fly to advance both runners, Ryan Sullivan hit a sac fly to score Cannon and advance Fuke to 3rd, Casey Storme singled and drove in Fuke for a 3-1 UR lead!
St. Lawrence got 1 run back in the bottom of the 3rd to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the 4th, Mike Wexler came in to pitch for Michael Park and St. Lawrence was able to score 3 runs on 3 hits, an error, and a walk. St. Lawrence had gone ahead by the score of 5-3. He was then able to hold them scoreless the rest of the game.
UR scored a run in the 8th on a Dan Brien double and a Brian Bezek RBI single, now the score was 5-4, but that was where it would end. The first Liberty League loss for UR and the first Liberty League win for St. Lawrence.
Those that were there commented that the team looked flat and lifeless. Hopefully, a better day was in store for the Yellowjackets on Saturday!
The first 2 innings were scoreless, although both teams had 1 hit. In the top of the 3rd, Andy Cannon singled and stole second, Dan Brien walked, and Cannon took third on a passed ball. Jay Jay Vanderstyne hit a sac fly to score Cannon. UR led 1-0 after 3 innings of play.
In the bottom of the 4th, St. Lawrence scored 2 runs on 2 hits and an error to take the lead 2-1 after 4 innings.
The score remained the same and in the bottom of the 6th, Luke Brocks came on in relief of Guzski with men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. He got out of the inning without them scoring!!
In the top of the 7th, Andy Cannon singled, Blayne Fuke singled, both stole a base to move to 2nd and 3rd, and Casey Storme walked to load the bases. Robby Barnard pinch ran for Storme, Ryan Sullivan doubled home Cannon and Fuke, with Barnard going to 3rd. Matt Francis singled to score Barnard. UR now led 4-2. Ned Chanatry came in and got a 1-2-3 inning to finish the game. Ned got the save and Luke Brocks got the win.
Game 2, saw Michael Park take the mound. Rochester got on the board in the 2nd, when Casey Storme reached on an error and scored on Matt Francis' double. UR led 1-0.
St. Lawrence answered with a run in the bottom of the 2nd to tie the game at 1 after 2 innings. In the top of the 3rd, Andy Cannon singled, Blayne Fuke reached on an error, Dan Brien hit a sac fly to advance both runners, Ryan Sullivan hit a sac fly to score Cannon and advance Fuke to 3rd, Casey Storme singled and drove in Fuke for a 3-1 UR lead!
St. Lawrence got 1 run back in the bottom of the 3rd to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the 4th, Mike Wexler came in to pitch for Michael Park and St. Lawrence was able to score 3 runs on 3 hits, an error, and a walk. St. Lawrence had gone ahead by the score of 5-3. He was then able to hold them scoreless the rest of the game.
UR scored a run in the 8th on a Dan Brien double and a Brian Bezek RBI single, now the score was 5-4, but that was where it would end. The first Liberty League loss for UR and the first Liberty League win for St. Lawrence.
Those that were there commented that the team looked flat and lifeless. Hopefully, a better day was in store for the Yellowjackets on Saturday!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Cookout at Union
We are planning another cookout for this weekend, please respond to this post with any details from the email I sent out.
Thanks,
Ed
PS: I have not yet posted from the weekend, but Thanks to the Barnard and Fuke families for sponsoring the cookout last weekend at St. Lawrence!!
See you at the ballpark!
Ed
Thanks,
Ed
PS: I have not yet posted from the weekend, but Thanks to the Barnard and Fuke families for sponsoring the cookout last weekend at St. Lawrence!!
See you at the ballpark!
Ed
Sunday, March 29, 2009
UR travels to SUNY Cortland
On Tuesday, the Yellowjackets travelled to Cortland to face the Red Dragons. UR had not faced Cortland in the past 2 years due to weather cancellations.
Cortland is a national power in D3Baseball and this game would be important.
The day was beautiful as far as the weather was concerned, sunny and warm, at least by Upstate NY standards.
Blair Veenema got the ball for the start and kept the Cortland hitters off balance for his 4 innings, only allowing 3 hits and 1 run.
UR scored a run in the 2nd when Ryan Sullivan singled, advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, and scored on a Matt Francis RBI single.
Cortland got that run back in the bottom of the 4th, on a HBP, single, and an error.
At the end of 4 innings it was 1 - 1.
In the 5th, Paul Toland took over on the mound. Cortland had runners on first and third, and UR was able to turn the 6-4-3 doubleplay, but the run scored to put Cortland ahead 2 - 1 after 5 innings of play.
In the 6th, Jay Jay Vanderstyne beat out a bunt for a hit and Ryan Sullivan singled. Casey Storme was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Matt Francis drove in Vanderstyne with a FC as Storme was forced out at second. Nate Stein then homered to left with 2 men on to drive in 3 and give UR a 5 - 2 lead!
In the 8th, Cortland threatened the lead. With 2 out and the bases loaded, Dan Ludwig made a great diving catch while racing back to the warning track, to rob Cortland of a bases clearing hit, that would have probably tied the score.
Ned Chanatry came in to pitch in the 9th, got out of it quickly with a 1-2-3 inning and earned a save for himself and preserved the win for Paul Toland!
This was a big victory!!
Cortland is a national power in D3Baseball and this game would be important.
The day was beautiful as far as the weather was concerned, sunny and warm, at least by Upstate NY standards.
Blair Veenema got the ball for the start and kept the Cortland hitters off balance for his 4 innings, only allowing 3 hits and 1 run.
UR scored a run in the 2nd when Ryan Sullivan singled, advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, and scored on a Matt Francis RBI single.
Cortland got that run back in the bottom of the 4th, on a HBP, single, and an error.
At the end of 4 innings it was 1 - 1.
In the 5th, Paul Toland took over on the mound. Cortland had runners on first and third, and UR was able to turn the 6-4-3 doubleplay, but the run scored to put Cortland ahead 2 - 1 after 5 innings of play.
In the 6th, Jay Jay Vanderstyne beat out a bunt for a hit and Ryan Sullivan singled. Casey Storme was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Matt Francis drove in Vanderstyne with a FC as Storme was forced out at second. Nate Stein then homered to left with 2 men on to drive in 3 and give UR a 5 - 2 lead!
In the 8th, Cortland threatened the lead. With 2 out and the bases loaded, Dan Ludwig made a great diving catch while racing back to the warning track, to rob Cortland of a bases clearing hit, that would have probably tied the score.
Ned Chanatry came in to pitch in the 9th, got out of it quickly with a 1-2-3 inning and earned a save for himself and preserved the win for Paul Toland!
This was a big victory!!
SUNY Cobleskill comes to town
Suny Cobleskill came into Rochester for a 3 game set with a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. The doubleheader would be 2 - 7 inning games and a 9 inning game on Sunday.
Cobleskill had just converted from a Junior College status to a 4 year status and this is their first year competing at the D3 level.
In the first game, UR won 23-0, as Michael Park pitched 1 hit baseball through 6 innings and Ned Chanatry closed out the game in the 7th.
Matt Francis went 5 for 5, and Jay Jay Vanderstyne, Alex Parker, and Brian Bezek chipped in 2 hits each.
The Yellowjackets erupted for 14 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning and scored in every inning except the first. Dan Brien homered, Jay Jay Vanderstyne tripled, Alex Parker, Matt Francis, Casey Storme, and Alex Caghan all doubled to lead Rochester. 17 hits in all!!
In game # 2, Steve Guzski also pitched a strong 6 innings to get the win, and Ned Chanatry closed it out in the 7th.
The offense produced 12 runs on 16 more hits on the way to a 12-4 victory. Nate Stein went 4 for 4, Steve Just went 3 for 3, and Andy Cannon, Blayne Fuke, and Dan Brien each had 2 hits. Nate Stein had 2 doubles, and Andy Cannon, Dan Brien, and Casey Storme each doubled for the offense. UR scored in every inning except for the 3rd!
On Sunday, more of the same as Rochester played the visitor in an 11-0 win!
Michael Wexler got the win and was helped on the mound by Dan Ludwig, Luke Brocks, and Ned Chanatry who worked together to produce a 4 hit shutout!
The offense was a team effort with Matt Francis and Casey Storme having 2 hits a piece and 8 additional hits scattered among 8 different players in the lineup. Doubles were hit by Jay Jay Vanderstyne, Robby Barnard, Casey Storme, and Dan Ludwig.
It was a great weekend for the team and the fact that they were playing baseball in March in upstate NY was a pleasant surprise. We have been rained out, snowed out, etc in past years. That was one of the reasons that the past 2 years, UR has played Skidmore in Florida as part of the Liberty League schedule.
The team was now 11-2, and would face a big test against Cortland in the coming week!
Cobleskill had just converted from a Junior College status to a 4 year status and this is their first year competing at the D3 level.
In the first game, UR won 23-0, as Michael Park pitched 1 hit baseball through 6 innings and Ned Chanatry closed out the game in the 7th.
Matt Francis went 5 for 5, and Jay Jay Vanderstyne, Alex Parker, and Brian Bezek chipped in 2 hits each.
The Yellowjackets erupted for 14 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning and scored in every inning except the first. Dan Brien homered, Jay Jay Vanderstyne tripled, Alex Parker, Matt Francis, Casey Storme, and Alex Caghan all doubled to lead Rochester. 17 hits in all!!
In game # 2, Steve Guzski also pitched a strong 6 innings to get the win, and Ned Chanatry closed it out in the 7th.
The offense produced 12 runs on 16 more hits on the way to a 12-4 victory. Nate Stein went 4 for 4, Steve Just went 3 for 3, and Andy Cannon, Blayne Fuke, and Dan Brien each had 2 hits. Nate Stein had 2 doubles, and Andy Cannon, Dan Brien, and Casey Storme each doubled for the offense. UR scored in every inning except for the 3rd!
On Sunday, more of the same as Rochester played the visitor in an 11-0 win!
Michael Wexler got the win and was helped on the mound by Dan Ludwig, Luke Brocks, and Ned Chanatry who worked together to produce a 4 hit shutout!
The offense was a team effort with Matt Francis and Casey Storme having 2 hits a piece and 8 additional hits scattered among 8 different players in the lineup. Doubles were hit by Jay Jay Vanderstyne, Robby Barnard, Casey Storme, and Dan Ludwig.
It was a great weekend for the team and the fact that they were playing baseball in March in upstate NY was a pleasant surprise. We have been rained out, snowed out, etc in past years. That was one of the reasons that the past 2 years, UR has played Skidmore in Florida as part of the Liberty League schedule.
The team was now 11-2, and would face a big test against Cortland in the coming week!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Back to the blog UAA Day 5 and more
The last day of the UAA tournament, we still had a shot at a tie for the tournament title and possibly a chance to win it outright!
Brandeis was our opponent on the last day and we would be the home team in the first game of the day. Michael Park took the mound for the Yellowjackets.
No runs in the first, and in the top of the 2nd. In the bottom of the 2nd UR made an attempt to get on the board. Casey Storme was hit by a pitch, Alex Caghan singled, and when Brian Bezek singled to right Casey was thrown out at the plate for the 3rd out on a close play.
Brandeis again failed to score in the 3rd, Michael Park was pitching great! In the bottom of the 3rd, Andy Cannon led off with a double, advanced to 3rd on Blayne Fuke's FC, and Blayne then stole second. Two men on with no outs, Dan Brien singled to score Cannon, but was erased at second on Jay Jay Vanderstynes RBI FC, scoring Fuke. Matt Francis tripled to score Vanderstyne and Casey Storme's single scored Francis. 4-0 UR at the end of 3 innings!
Brandeis answered right back with 3 runs in the top of the 4th.
In the bottom of the 5th, Nate Stein homered to left to give UR a 5-3 lead after 5 innings of play.
UR added another run in the bottom of the 6th, when Andy Cannon singled, advanced to second on a Blayne Fuke groundout, and scored on Dan Brien's RBI single. 6-3 UR leads going into the 7th inning.
Mike Wexler replaced Michael Park on the mound and Brandeis scored 2 runs on 3 hits and a hit by pitch to close the gap to 6-5 UR! UR answers right back in the bottom of the 7th with 2 runs of their own, when Alex Caghan singles, scores on Andy Cannon's double, and Cannon scores on Blayne Fuke's single to make it 8-5 UR leads after 7 innings.
Brandeis scores 2 more runs on 3 hits - one was a lead off homer with no men on, and was helped by an error, before Paul Toland came in to get a strikeout to end the inning and leave 2 men on base. It was now 8-7, as UR came to bat in the bottom of the 8th.
UR added a run when Nate Stein singled, advanced to third when Casey Storme hit a shot that the SS could not handle cleanly, and scored on Alex Caghan's sac fly to left.
Now the score was 9-7 heading into the 9th!
Brandeis was determined to ruin our day, and we almost helped them do it! They scored a run to close within one on a double and 2 errors in the infield. There were men on 1st and 3rd with one out. The tying run just 90 feet away, and there are a lot of ways to score from 3rd base!
The next batter hit a hard line drive that Dan Brien snagged at fdirst base and he stepped on the bag ahead of the scrambling runner to complete the doubleplay and end the game in very dramatic fashion.
A game of inches, positioning, luck - perhaps all of the above, but we all exhaled with a sigh of relief and excitement as the win guaranteed at least a share of the UAA tournament title. Something that had not been done before.
Several players, coaches, and parents returned to the stadium later that evening to watch the Wash U vs. Case Western Reserve game. This last game of the tournament would decide if UR would share the title with Case if they won, or hold it outright if Wash U beat Case. When Wash U beat Case 5-3, UR stood alone as UAA Champs!!
Jay Jay Vanderstyne was named Tournament MVP and Dan Brien, Matt Francis, Blayne Fuke, and Blair Veenema were also named to the All Tournament Team.
Congratulations to all the boys for winning the 2009 UAA Tournament!!
The team returned to Rochester with an 8-2 record, 4-0 in the Liberty League, and UAA Tournament Champions - not a bad week at all!!
Brandeis was our opponent on the last day and we would be the home team in the first game of the day. Michael Park took the mound for the Yellowjackets.
No runs in the first, and in the top of the 2nd. In the bottom of the 2nd UR made an attempt to get on the board. Casey Storme was hit by a pitch, Alex Caghan singled, and when Brian Bezek singled to right Casey was thrown out at the plate for the 3rd out on a close play.
Brandeis again failed to score in the 3rd, Michael Park was pitching great! In the bottom of the 3rd, Andy Cannon led off with a double, advanced to 3rd on Blayne Fuke's FC, and Blayne then stole second. Two men on with no outs, Dan Brien singled to score Cannon, but was erased at second on Jay Jay Vanderstynes RBI FC, scoring Fuke. Matt Francis tripled to score Vanderstyne and Casey Storme's single scored Francis. 4-0 UR at the end of 3 innings!
Brandeis answered right back with 3 runs in the top of the 4th.
In the bottom of the 5th, Nate Stein homered to left to give UR a 5-3 lead after 5 innings of play.
UR added another run in the bottom of the 6th, when Andy Cannon singled, advanced to second on a Blayne Fuke groundout, and scored on Dan Brien's RBI single. 6-3 UR leads going into the 7th inning.
Mike Wexler replaced Michael Park on the mound and Brandeis scored 2 runs on 3 hits and a hit by pitch to close the gap to 6-5 UR! UR answers right back in the bottom of the 7th with 2 runs of their own, when Alex Caghan singles, scores on Andy Cannon's double, and Cannon scores on Blayne Fuke's single to make it 8-5 UR leads after 7 innings.
Brandeis scores 2 more runs on 3 hits - one was a lead off homer with no men on, and was helped by an error, before Paul Toland came in to get a strikeout to end the inning and leave 2 men on base. It was now 8-7, as UR came to bat in the bottom of the 8th.
UR added a run when Nate Stein singled, advanced to third when Casey Storme hit a shot that the SS could not handle cleanly, and scored on Alex Caghan's sac fly to left.
Now the score was 9-7 heading into the 9th!
Brandeis was determined to ruin our day, and we almost helped them do it! They scored a run to close within one on a double and 2 errors in the infield. There were men on 1st and 3rd with one out. The tying run just 90 feet away, and there are a lot of ways to score from 3rd base!
The next batter hit a hard line drive that Dan Brien snagged at fdirst base and he stepped on the bag ahead of the scrambling runner to complete the doubleplay and end the game in very dramatic fashion.
A game of inches, positioning, luck - perhaps all of the above, but we all exhaled with a sigh of relief and excitement as the win guaranteed at least a share of the UAA tournament title. Something that had not been done before.
Several players, coaches, and parents returned to the stadium later that evening to watch the Wash U vs. Case Western Reserve game. This last game of the tournament would decide if UR would share the title with Case if they won, or hold it outright if Wash U beat Case. When Wash U beat Case 5-3, UR stood alone as UAA Champs!!
Jay Jay Vanderstyne was named Tournament MVP and Dan Brien, Matt Francis, Blayne Fuke, and Blair Veenema were also named to the All Tournament Team.
Congratulations to all the boys for winning the 2009 UAA Tournament!!
The team returned to Rochester with an 8-2 record, 4-0 in the Liberty League, and UAA Tournament Champions - not a bad week at all!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
UAA Tournament Day 4 - Washington University
Another perfect day in Florida...
We were all hoping that the boys would rebound against Wash U. as they had struggled in the tournament, losing their first 3 games, but had played well in the morning by beating Brandeis.
Steve Guzski got the start and Wash U scored a run in the top of the 1st inning on 2 hits and an error.
UR answered in the bottom of the 1st - Andy Cannon walked and then stole both 2nd and 3rd, Dan Brien walked and Jay Jay Vanderstyne was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ryan Sullivan singled to score Cannon and reload the bases. Dan Brien scored on a wild pitch and everyone moved up one base. Matt Francis doubled home the 2 runners to end the scoring.
UR - 4 Wash U. - 1 after 1 inning of play.
In the UR 2nd inning, Alex Caghan walked and went to 2nd on a wild pitch. He scored when Blayne Fuke singled him home for a 5-1 UR lead.
In the 3rd, the Yellowjackets added to their lead. Ryan Sullivan singled and advanced to both 2nd and 3rd on wild pitches. Steve Just walked and another wild pitch scored Sullivan and moved Just to 2nd base. Brian Bezek walked, ans Alex Caghan singled to load the bases. Andy Cannon reached on a fielder's choice, which allowed Just to score. Caghan stole 3rd base and when Cannon stole 2nd he scored on the throw. Now, UR was up 8-1.
Wash U started chipping away at the UR lead by scoring a run in the 4th and 5th innings to close to within 8-3.
In the 6th, Mike Wexler replaced Goose on the mound. Wash U scored 1 run in the 6th to make the score 8-4. In the bottom of the 6th, Blayne Fuke singled and advanced to 2nd on an error, Dan Brien doubled to score Fuke. Jay Jay Vanderstyne traded places with Brien with an RBI double of his own and advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch. Steve Just walked and Matt Francis singled home Vanderstyne. UR now led by a score of 11-4.
No runs scored for either team in the 7th inning.
In the 8th, Ned Chanatry came on in relief of Wexler. With 2 out and 2 men on, Wash U rallied.
They scored 6 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks, a balk, and an error. Suddenly, the score was 11-10!
UR did not score in the 8th, so on to the 9th!
Wash U tied the game on a homerun and then added 2 more runs and when UR went scoreless in the bottom of the 9th, the game was over!
Wash U had come from behind to shock the Yellowjackets who now had a 3-2 record in the tournament!
Tomorrow would decide the tournament - UR and Brandeis in the first game of the day, a win would clinch at worst a tie for 1st place as both UR and Case were 3-2. Case would play Wash U in the final game of the day. UR needed to win tomorrow!
We were all hoping that the boys would rebound against Wash U. as they had struggled in the tournament, losing their first 3 games, but had played well in the morning by beating Brandeis.
Steve Guzski got the start and Wash U scored a run in the top of the 1st inning on 2 hits and an error.
UR answered in the bottom of the 1st - Andy Cannon walked and then stole both 2nd and 3rd, Dan Brien walked and Jay Jay Vanderstyne was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ryan Sullivan singled to score Cannon and reload the bases. Dan Brien scored on a wild pitch and everyone moved up one base. Matt Francis doubled home the 2 runners to end the scoring.
UR - 4 Wash U. - 1 after 1 inning of play.
In the UR 2nd inning, Alex Caghan walked and went to 2nd on a wild pitch. He scored when Blayne Fuke singled him home for a 5-1 UR lead.
In the 3rd, the Yellowjackets added to their lead. Ryan Sullivan singled and advanced to both 2nd and 3rd on wild pitches. Steve Just walked and another wild pitch scored Sullivan and moved Just to 2nd base. Brian Bezek walked, ans Alex Caghan singled to load the bases. Andy Cannon reached on a fielder's choice, which allowed Just to score. Caghan stole 3rd base and when Cannon stole 2nd he scored on the throw. Now, UR was up 8-1.
Wash U started chipping away at the UR lead by scoring a run in the 4th and 5th innings to close to within 8-3.
In the 6th, Mike Wexler replaced Goose on the mound. Wash U scored 1 run in the 6th to make the score 8-4. In the bottom of the 6th, Blayne Fuke singled and advanced to 2nd on an error, Dan Brien doubled to score Fuke. Jay Jay Vanderstyne traded places with Brien with an RBI double of his own and advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch. Steve Just walked and Matt Francis singled home Vanderstyne. UR now led by a score of 11-4.
No runs scored for either team in the 7th inning.
In the 8th, Ned Chanatry came on in relief of Wexler. With 2 out and 2 men on, Wash U rallied.
They scored 6 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks, a balk, and an error. Suddenly, the score was 11-10!
UR did not score in the 8th, so on to the 9th!
Wash U tied the game on a homerun and then added 2 more runs and when UR went scoreless in the bottom of the 9th, the game was over!
Wash U had come from behind to shock the Yellowjackets who now had a 3-2 record in the tournament!
Tomorrow would decide the tournament - UR and Brandeis in the first game of the day, a win would clinch at worst a tie for 1st place as both UR and Case were 3-2. Case would play Wash U in the final game of the day. UR needed to win tomorrow!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
UAA Tournament Day 3 - Emory
For the last 3 games of the UAA tournament, Rochester would be the home team.
The game against Emory started poorly by Rochester's standards as Emory scored 3 runs on 5 hits in the top of the 1st inning. Rochester's starter Mike Park was pulled after the first inning and we found out later that he was sick, but tried to go to help the team!
In the bottom of the first, Dan Brien homered to get one of the runs back!
Paul Toland replaced Park on the mound to start the 2nd inning. Emory added a run in the top of the 2nd on 2 hits and an error to stretch the lead to 4-1.
Scoring resumed in the 5th, when Emory added 2 runs on 2 hits and an error to take a 6-1 lead. UR answered with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the 5th inning. Nate Stein started things off with a walk, Dan Ludwig doubled him home and advanced to 3rd on a groundout by Andy Cannon and scored on a groundout by Blayne Fuke. Emory led 6-3 after 5 innings.
No runs scored in the 6th inning, and in the 7th Steve Guzski came in to replace Paul Toland who did a great job on short notice! A walk, stolen base, hit by pitch and sac bunt left men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Luke Brocks replaced Guzski, and got an RBI groundout and a pop foul to end the inning. Emory now led 7-3.
Emory added a run in the 8th inning to take an 8-3 lead which also turned out to be the final score.
So after 3 days, UR had a 3-1 record in the UAA tournament with 2 games left to play!
See you at the ballpark,
Ed
The game against Emory started poorly by Rochester's standards as Emory scored 3 runs on 5 hits in the top of the 1st inning. Rochester's starter Mike Park was pulled after the first inning and we found out later that he was sick, but tried to go to help the team!
In the bottom of the first, Dan Brien homered to get one of the runs back!
Paul Toland replaced Park on the mound to start the 2nd inning. Emory added a run in the top of the 2nd on 2 hits and an error to stretch the lead to 4-1.
Scoring resumed in the 5th, when Emory added 2 runs on 2 hits and an error to take a 6-1 lead. UR answered with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the 5th inning. Nate Stein started things off with a walk, Dan Ludwig doubled him home and advanced to 3rd on a groundout by Andy Cannon and scored on a groundout by Blayne Fuke. Emory led 6-3 after 5 innings.
No runs scored in the 6th inning, and in the 7th Steve Guzski came in to replace Paul Toland who did a great job on short notice! A walk, stolen base, hit by pitch and sac bunt left men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Luke Brocks replaced Guzski, and got an RBI groundout and a pop foul to end the inning. Emory now led 7-3.
Emory added a run in the 8th inning to take an 8-3 lead which also turned out to be the final score.
So after 3 days, UR had a 3-1 record in the UAA tournament with 2 games left to play!
See you at the ballpark,
Ed
UAA Tournament Day 2 - Brandeis
Another beautiful Florida day and another UR baseball game!
Blair Veenema started for the Yellowjackets and pitched a great ball game! He went 6 innings of shutout baseball allowing only 4 hits and striking out 7 batters!!
The teams traded zeros for the first two innings and in the top of the 3rd, UR started a two out rally when Andy Cannon and Blayne Fuke both singled and Dan Brien was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jay Jay Vanderstyne then cleared the bases with a Grand Slam to left. Just like that 4-0 UR!
UR added to the lead in the top of the 4th, Alex Parker reached on an error, Matt Francis singled, Alex Caghan was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Blayne Fuke singled home both Parker and Francis for a 6-0 UR lead!
In the top of the seventh, UR staged another 2 out rally. Jay Jay Vanderstyne doubled and scored when Ryan Sullivan singled, now the score was 7-0 UR!
Alex Caghan replaced Blair Veenema on the mound after Blair gave the team a great start with 6 very strong innings of shutout baseball! Alex did not allow a run in the 7th, but Brandeis put together 2 walks and an RBI single to score a run, and the runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd on an error. Ryan Sullivan came in to pitch and got an RBI groundball for an out, and another to end the inning.
That was it, as Brandeis did not score in the 9th and UR had a 7-2 victory to run their record to 7-0 on the season! A great pitching performance and a solid offensive performance and a 3-0 record at the UAA's!!
Everyone was excited with how well the team had done thus far, 4-0 in League and 3-0 in UAA's was a tremendous start to the season!
See you at the ballpark,
Ed
Blair Veenema started for the Yellowjackets and pitched a great ball game! He went 6 innings of shutout baseball allowing only 4 hits and striking out 7 batters!!
The teams traded zeros for the first two innings and in the top of the 3rd, UR started a two out rally when Andy Cannon and Blayne Fuke both singled and Dan Brien was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jay Jay Vanderstyne then cleared the bases with a Grand Slam to left. Just like that 4-0 UR!
UR added to the lead in the top of the 4th, Alex Parker reached on an error, Matt Francis singled, Alex Caghan was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Blayne Fuke singled home both Parker and Francis for a 6-0 UR lead!
In the top of the seventh, UR staged another 2 out rally. Jay Jay Vanderstyne doubled and scored when Ryan Sullivan singled, now the score was 7-0 UR!
Alex Caghan replaced Blair Veenema on the mound after Blair gave the team a great start with 6 very strong innings of shutout baseball! Alex did not allow a run in the 7th, but Brandeis put together 2 walks and an RBI single to score a run, and the runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd on an error. Ryan Sullivan came in to pitch and got an RBI groundball for an out, and another to end the inning.
That was it, as Brandeis did not score in the 9th and UR had a 7-2 victory to run their record to 7-0 on the season! A great pitching performance and a solid offensive performance and a 3-0 record at the UAA's!!
Everyone was excited with how well the team had done thus far, 4-0 in League and 3-0 in UAA's was a tremendous start to the season!
See you at the ballpark,
Ed
The Annual Parents Dinner
On Tuesday night, many of us got together for the Annual Parents Dinner at the Macaroni Grill in Altamonte Springs. A very nice evening was had by all!! It was a great chance to get to know some of the new parents and to catch up with the veteran parents after a long winter.
Special Thanks to Rich Cannon for organizing this event over the last 2 years - it has truly become a part of the Rochester Baseball Family's tradition during the spring trip!!
I promise that pictures will be forthcoming, both on the blog and through email!
See you at the ballpark,
Ed
Special Thanks to Rich Cannon for organizing this event over the last 2 years - it has truly become a part of the Rochester Baseball Family's tradition during the spring trip!!
I promise that pictures will be forthcoming, both on the blog and through email!
See you at the ballpark,
Ed
UAA Tournament Day 1 - UR Doubleheader Day
Monday was an off day in terms of games, but the boys did practice and left for Altamonte Springs and the UAA Tournament. Each team in the tournament would play a DH sometime during the 5 days. UR drew day 1 as its DH day. 6 games in 4 days would be tough, but it should tell us all a little more about the kind of team we had early in the 2009 season. This whole week was a tough way to start a season with 10 games in 8 days and no cupcakes among them, and the first time outside in decent weather.
The team opened up the UAA Tournament against Emory. Dan Ludwig started on the mound for UR and we were the away team for the 1st 3 games of the tournament.
Rochester continued to set the tone by scoring in the top of the first. Blayne Fuke doubled down the leftfield line and scored when Jay Jay Vanderstyne also doubled to left. UR up 1-0 in the 1st inning.
In the 2nd inning UR scored again when Matt Francis was hit by a pitch and stole 2nd base. Steve Just doubled to score Francis and Alex Caghan doubled to score Just, 2 more runs and UR led 3-0. Emory answered with a run on a hit, an error, and 2 walks. 3-1 UR after 2 innings of play.
In the 3rd, UR got some more - Dan Brien doubled, Ryan Sullivan singled, Matt Francis singled to score Brien, and Steve Just singled to score Sullivan, putting UR ahead by a score of 5-1.
Emory added single runs in the 3rd and 4th innings to close to within 5-3 and chase Ludwig, who gave way to Luke Brocks in the 4th with 2 men on and Luke was able to get a groundball and a doubleplay to get out of the inning! Love the defense!
UR added 2 runs in the top of the 6th as Steve Just was hit by a pitch, Alex Caghan singled, Andy Cannon doubled to score Just, and Blayne Fuke hit a sac fly to score Caghan.
Luke Brocks continued to pitch well in his 3 innings of work and held Emory scoreless in the 5th and 6th!
UR added 2 more in the 7th inning when Jay Jay Vanderstyne doubled, Ryan Sullivan singled, Matt Francis singled to score Vanderstyne, and Steve Just hit a sac fly to score Sullivan. UR now led 9-3, but Emory would score 3 runs on 3 hits and 1 error and chase Brocks, who was replaced by Ned Chanatry, with a 9-6 lead going into the 8th inning.
UR added a run in the 8th on a Jay Jay Vanderstyne double, Brian Bezek pinch ran for Vanderstyne and advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch. He came in to score when Ryan Sullivan singled him home. UR up 10-6, but Emory would add a run in the bottom of the 8th on 1 hit and 1 error to close to 10-7 at the end of 8 innings of play.
Ryan Sullivan closed out the game in the 9th inning by giving up 2 hits, but no runs as UR won its 1st UAA Tournament game by a score of 10 - 7. Luke Brocks got his first win of the season in relief of Dan Ludwig, and Ryan Sullivan got his first save this season.
Jay Jay Vanderstyne had 4 hits and Ryan Sullivan and Alex Caghan had 3 hits a piece, while Andy Cannon, Matt Francis, and Steve Just had 2 each to pace the offense that had 18 hits total.
The second game of the day against Case Western Reserve was a little easier as UR scored later in the game to break it open and come away with a 16-2 victory in a game shortened to 7 innings by the mercy rule.
The team started fast with a run in the 1st on a single by Blayne Fuke, who advanced to 2nd on a groundout, and scored when Jay Jay Vanderstyne singled.
In the 2nd, they added another run when Steve Just doubled, Casey Storme walked, Nate Stein laid down a sac bunt to advance both runners, and when Dan Ludwig grounded out, Just scored to make it UR 2-0.
In the top of the 4th, Steve Just singled, Casey Storme was hit by a pitch, Nate Stein reached when his bunt was mishandled allowing Just to score and Storme to get to 3rd as he cruised into 2nd. Storme scored on a wild pitch and Stein moved to 3rd base. Ludwig grounded out and Stein scored to make it 5-0 after 4 innings.
Case got on the board in the bottom of the 5th by scoring 1 run on 2 hits and was aided by an error.
UR answered with 2 in the 6th as Casey Storme was again hit by a pitch, Nate Stein reached on a Fielder's Choice forcing Storme at 2nd base, Andy Cannon reached on an error and Blayne Fuke singled home Stein, Dan Brien reached on an error as Cannon scored. 2 more runs to make the score 7-1 UR after 6 innings.
Mike Wexler was pitching a gem and was lifted after the 6th inning, when it was fairly apparent that UR was in good shape after adding 9 runs in the top of the 7th inning.
The inning started with a walk to Matt Francis, who then stole 2nd! Steve Just doubled to score Francis, Casey Storme singled, Nate Stein singled to score Just, Dan Ludwig singled to load the bases, Andy Cannon singled to score Storme, Blayne Fuke singled to score Stein, Dan Brien walked to force in Ludwig, Jay Jay Vanderstyne singled to score Cannon, Matt Francis singled to score Fuke, Steve Just hit a sac fly to score Brien, Casey Storme also had a sac fly to score Vanderstyne, and Robby Barnard singled as a pinch hitter for Nate Stein, but was forced out at 2nd base to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 7th, Alex Caghan came in to pitch and Case was able to squeek out a run on 2 hits and we won again when Alex closed the door!!
Blayne Fuke and Steve Just each had 3 hits to pace a 14 hit attack. Mike Wexler pitched a great game and Alex Caghan closed it out! Another great day for UR Baseball in Florida, with 2 more wins to bring us to a total of 6 wins and 0 losses for the week.
See you at the ballpark!!
Ed
The team opened up the UAA Tournament against Emory. Dan Ludwig started on the mound for UR and we were the away team for the 1st 3 games of the tournament.
Rochester continued to set the tone by scoring in the top of the first. Blayne Fuke doubled down the leftfield line and scored when Jay Jay Vanderstyne also doubled to left. UR up 1-0 in the 1st inning.
In the 2nd inning UR scored again when Matt Francis was hit by a pitch and stole 2nd base. Steve Just doubled to score Francis and Alex Caghan doubled to score Just, 2 more runs and UR led 3-0. Emory answered with a run on a hit, an error, and 2 walks. 3-1 UR after 2 innings of play.
In the 3rd, UR got some more - Dan Brien doubled, Ryan Sullivan singled, Matt Francis singled to score Brien, and Steve Just singled to score Sullivan, putting UR ahead by a score of 5-1.
Emory added single runs in the 3rd and 4th innings to close to within 5-3 and chase Ludwig, who gave way to Luke Brocks in the 4th with 2 men on and Luke was able to get a groundball and a doubleplay to get out of the inning! Love the defense!
UR added 2 runs in the top of the 6th as Steve Just was hit by a pitch, Alex Caghan singled, Andy Cannon doubled to score Just, and Blayne Fuke hit a sac fly to score Caghan.
Luke Brocks continued to pitch well in his 3 innings of work and held Emory scoreless in the 5th and 6th!
UR added 2 more in the 7th inning when Jay Jay Vanderstyne doubled, Ryan Sullivan singled, Matt Francis singled to score Vanderstyne, and Steve Just hit a sac fly to score Sullivan. UR now led 9-3, but Emory would score 3 runs on 3 hits and 1 error and chase Brocks, who was replaced by Ned Chanatry, with a 9-6 lead going into the 8th inning.
UR added a run in the 8th on a Jay Jay Vanderstyne double, Brian Bezek pinch ran for Vanderstyne and advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch. He came in to score when Ryan Sullivan singled him home. UR up 10-6, but Emory would add a run in the bottom of the 8th on 1 hit and 1 error to close to 10-7 at the end of 8 innings of play.
Ryan Sullivan closed out the game in the 9th inning by giving up 2 hits, but no runs as UR won its 1st UAA Tournament game by a score of 10 - 7. Luke Brocks got his first win of the season in relief of Dan Ludwig, and Ryan Sullivan got his first save this season.
Jay Jay Vanderstyne had 4 hits and Ryan Sullivan and Alex Caghan had 3 hits a piece, while Andy Cannon, Matt Francis, and Steve Just had 2 each to pace the offense that had 18 hits total.
The second game of the day against Case Western Reserve was a little easier as UR scored later in the game to break it open and come away with a 16-2 victory in a game shortened to 7 innings by the mercy rule.
The team started fast with a run in the 1st on a single by Blayne Fuke, who advanced to 2nd on a groundout, and scored when Jay Jay Vanderstyne singled.
In the 2nd, they added another run when Steve Just doubled, Casey Storme walked, Nate Stein laid down a sac bunt to advance both runners, and when Dan Ludwig grounded out, Just scored to make it UR 2-0.
In the top of the 4th, Steve Just singled, Casey Storme was hit by a pitch, Nate Stein reached when his bunt was mishandled allowing Just to score and Storme to get to 3rd as he cruised into 2nd. Storme scored on a wild pitch and Stein moved to 3rd base. Ludwig grounded out and Stein scored to make it 5-0 after 4 innings.
Case got on the board in the bottom of the 5th by scoring 1 run on 2 hits and was aided by an error.
UR answered with 2 in the 6th as Casey Storme was again hit by a pitch, Nate Stein reached on a Fielder's Choice forcing Storme at 2nd base, Andy Cannon reached on an error and Blayne Fuke singled home Stein, Dan Brien reached on an error as Cannon scored. 2 more runs to make the score 7-1 UR after 6 innings.
Mike Wexler was pitching a gem and was lifted after the 6th inning, when it was fairly apparent that UR was in good shape after adding 9 runs in the top of the 7th inning.
The inning started with a walk to Matt Francis, who then stole 2nd! Steve Just doubled to score Francis, Casey Storme singled, Nate Stein singled to score Just, Dan Ludwig singled to load the bases, Andy Cannon singled to score Storme, Blayne Fuke singled to score Stein, Dan Brien walked to force in Ludwig, Jay Jay Vanderstyne singled to score Cannon, Matt Francis singled to score Fuke, Steve Just hit a sac fly to score Brien, Casey Storme also had a sac fly to score Vanderstyne, and Robby Barnard singled as a pinch hitter for Nate Stein, but was forced out at 2nd base to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 7th, Alex Caghan came in to pitch and Case was able to squeek out a run on 2 hits and we won again when Alex closed the door!!
Blayne Fuke and Steve Just each had 3 hits to pace a 14 hit attack. Mike Wexler pitched a great game and Alex Caghan closed it out! Another great day for UR Baseball in Florida, with 2 more wins to bring us to a total of 6 wins and 0 losses for the week.
See you at the ballpark!!
Ed
Friday, March 20, 2009
Skidmore Day 2
Sunday was another perfect Florida day! Lots of sun and baseball!
More Rochester supporters continued to arrive and we were all in good spirits with 2 Liberty League victories in the book!
Steve Guzski started on the mound for Rochester in the first game. On Sunday, we were the away team and batted first. The boys started right away as Andy Cannon singled, Blayne Fuke singled, Jay Jay Vanderstyne was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Cannon scored when Ryan Sullivan was hit by a pitch. Matt Francis followed with a sac fly to score Fuke.
Skidmore had 2 singles in the bottom of the 1st, but Goose struck out a batter to end the threat with runners on 1st and 3rd. 2-0 UR after 1 inning of play!
In the top of the 2nd, Nate Stein walked, Dan Ludwig singled and Andy Cannon reached on an error to load the bases. Blayne Fuke single to score Stein and leave the bases loaded. Ludwig scored on a passed ball and everyone else moved up one base. Andy Cannon scored on a wild pitch and Blayne moved to 3rd. Dan Brien was hit by a pitch and Jay Jay Vanderstyne reached on an error that allowed Fuke to score but Brien was thrown out on the play. Ryan Sullivan walked as did Matt Francis to reload the bases, but the threat to blow the game open was thwarted when Alex Parker hit into an inning ending double play. UR added 4 runs on 2 hits and 2 errors to take a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the 4th inning.
Skidmore scored 3 runs on 3 hits and 1 error, but left the bases loaded to prevent further damage in the bottom of the 4th, and in the bottom of the 5th added another run to close within 6-4 as Goose made way for Alex Caghan, who got a groundout, gave up a single and then got a groundball for a doubleplay to end the inning. A pitcher's best friend!!
In the top of the 7th, UR added 2 insurance runs on a single by Alex Parker, Robby Barnard was sent to pinch run and promptly scored on Nate Stein's triple. When Andy Cannon reached on an error, Nate scored the final run of the game,
Ryan Sullivan came in in the bottom of the 7th and got a groundout, a strikeout looking and a fly out to end the game. UR won by an 8-4 score to go up 3 games to none and a sweep was now possible. Goose got the win, Caghan did a nice job in relief and Sully closed it out and shut the door on Skidmore. This was an important win in terms of league standings, because it guaranteed that the team would have a winning record against Skidmore!
Blayne Fuke led the way with 3 hits and Nate Stein had 2 in an 8 hit attack.
In game 2 - the boys once again got a run in the first inning, when Blayne Fuke singled and advanced to second on an error. Dan Brien then doubled and moved Blayne to 3rd, and he scored when Jay Jay Vanderstyne lifted a sac fly to centerfield.
Skidmore got to the UR starter Paul Toland in the bottom of the 2nd inning for a run to tie the score at 1-1, but Toland struck out the next batter to end the threat.
The 3rd inning was scoreless and UR added 2 in the top of the 4th when Steve Just singled, Matt Francis was hit by a pitch, and Dan Ludwig reached on an error to load the bases. Andy Cannon then singled to score both Just and Francis before being thrown out at second base to end the inning.
In the 5th inning Blayne Fuke manufactured a run with a single, he advanced to 2nd on a groundout, advanced to 3rd on a fly out and scored on a wild pitch to give Rochester a 4-1 lead after 5 innings.
While the offense was adding to its total, Paul Toland was spinning a masterful performance of his own in perhaps his strongest outing at Rochester. He pitched 7 innings, allowing 1 earned run and spread out 7 Skidmore hits.
In the top of the 8th, UR added 2 more runs on a Steve Just walk and a Matt Francis 2 run homerun over the leftfield wall into the dogpark!! UR now led 6-1 and Mike Wexler came in to pitch the 8th inning. He gave up a 2 out double and then got the next batter to fly out to right to end the inning with the score still 6-1 with only the 9th inning left to play.
UR could not manage to score in the top of the 9th, so up came Skidmore in the bottom of the 9th facing the very possibility of being swept again by Rochester in St. Petersburg for the 2nd year in a row! They did not go quietly. Ned Chanatry was brought in to pitch the 9th and was able to get the first batter to groundout for the first out. An error, hit batsman, and a walk loaded the bases with 1 out. A sac fly got a run home, but we were happy to trade a run for an out as there were two outs now!! only 1 more out to complete the sweep! The next batter singled to score another run and then a groundout to Brian Bezek at 2nd base ended the game and gave Rochester the sweep!!! A 4-0 Liberty League record to start the season with was certainly the best possible scenario any of us could think of!
Paul Toland picked up his 1st win of the season and Andy Cannon and Blayne Fuke had 2 hits each to lead the offense.
We had come to St. Petersburg with high expectations and were about to leave with them fulfilled. We had met and welcomed into our UR Baseball Family some new members and their families, what a great weekend!!
Several questions that had caused some fans concern during the offseason, had been answered in fine fashion by the Yellowjackets in their first outings of the season.
Who were the freshman and how would they fit into the group? Fine young men who played the game hard with a poise beyond their years!! Great job guys!
Who would be the closer? Sully!
How would the bullpen be this year? Just fine, Thank You very much!
Could UR start 2009 as they had in 2008 with a sweep of Skidmore? YES!!
Although, it was still very early in the season, we were all ecstatic with the first weekend of UR Baseball in 2009.
On to the UAA tournament!
See you at the ballpark!
Ed
More Rochester supporters continued to arrive and we were all in good spirits with 2 Liberty League victories in the book!
Steve Guzski started on the mound for Rochester in the first game. On Sunday, we were the away team and batted first. The boys started right away as Andy Cannon singled, Blayne Fuke singled, Jay Jay Vanderstyne was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Cannon scored when Ryan Sullivan was hit by a pitch. Matt Francis followed with a sac fly to score Fuke.
Skidmore had 2 singles in the bottom of the 1st, but Goose struck out a batter to end the threat with runners on 1st and 3rd. 2-0 UR after 1 inning of play!
In the top of the 2nd, Nate Stein walked, Dan Ludwig singled and Andy Cannon reached on an error to load the bases. Blayne Fuke single to score Stein and leave the bases loaded. Ludwig scored on a passed ball and everyone else moved up one base. Andy Cannon scored on a wild pitch and Blayne moved to 3rd. Dan Brien was hit by a pitch and Jay Jay Vanderstyne reached on an error that allowed Fuke to score but Brien was thrown out on the play. Ryan Sullivan walked as did Matt Francis to reload the bases, but the threat to blow the game open was thwarted when Alex Parker hit into an inning ending double play. UR added 4 runs on 2 hits and 2 errors to take a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the 4th inning.
Skidmore scored 3 runs on 3 hits and 1 error, but left the bases loaded to prevent further damage in the bottom of the 4th, and in the bottom of the 5th added another run to close within 6-4 as Goose made way for Alex Caghan, who got a groundout, gave up a single and then got a groundball for a doubleplay to end the inning. A pitcher's best friend!!
In the top of the 7th, UR added 2 insurance runs on a single by Alex Parker, Robby Barnard was sent to pinch run and promptly scored on Nate Stein's triple. When Andy Cannon reached on an error, Nate scored the final run of the game,
Ryan Sullivan came in in the bottom of the 7th and got a groundout, a strikeout looking and a fly out to end the game. UR won by an 8-4 score to go up 3 games to none and a sweep was now possible. Goose got the win, Caghan did a nice job in relief and Sully closed it out and shut the door on Skidmore. This was an important win in terms of league standings, because it guaranteed that the team would have a winning record against Skidmore!
Blayne Fuke led the way with 3 hits and Nate Stein had 2 in an 8 hit attack.
In game 2 - the boys once again got a run in the first inning, when Blayne Fuke singled and advanced to second on an error. Dan Brien then doubled and moved Blayne to 3rd, and he scored when Jay Jay Vanderstyne lifted a sac fly to centerfield.
Skidmore got to the UR starter Paul Toland in the bottom of the 2nd inning for a run to tie the score at 1-1, but Toland struck out the next batter to end the threat.
The 3rd inning was scoreless and UR added 2 in the top of the 4th when Steve Just singled, Matt Francis was hit by a pitch, and Dan Ludwig reached on an error to load the bases. Andy Cannon then singled to score both Just and Francis before being thrown out at second base to end the inning.
In the 5th inning Blayne Fuke manufactured a run with a single, he advanced to 2nd on a groundout, advanced to 3rd on a fly out and scored on a wild pitch to give Rochester a 4-1 lead after 5 innings.
While the offense was adding to its total, Paul Toland was spinning a masterful performance of his own in perhaps his strongest outing at Rochester. He pitched 7 innings, allowing 1 earned run and spread out 7 Skidmore hits.
In the top of the 8th, UR added 2 more runs on a Steve Just walk and a Matt Francis 2 run homerun over the leftfield wall into the dogpark!! UR now led 6-1 and Mike Wexler came in to pitch the 8th inning. He gave up a 2 out double and then got the next batter to fly out to right to end the inning with the score still 6-1 with only the 9th inning left to play.
UR could not manage to score in the top of the 9th, so up came Skidmore in the bottom of the 9th facing the very possibility of being swept again by Rochester in St. Petersburg for the 2nd year in a row! They did not go quietly. Ned Chanatry was brought in to pitch the 9th and was able to get the first batter to groundout for the first out. An error, hit batsman, and a walk loaded the bases with 1 out. A sac fly got a run home, but we were happy to trade a run for an out as there were two outs now!! only 1 more out to complete the sweep! The next batter singled to score another run and then a groundout to Brian Bezek at 2nd base ended the game and gave Rochester the sweep!!! A 4-0 Liberty League record to start the season with was certainly the best possible scenario any of us could think of!
Paul Toland picked up his 1st win of the season and Andy Cannon and Blayne Fuke had 2 hits each to lead the offense.
We had come to St. Petersburg with high expectations and were about to leave with them fulfilled. We had met and welcomed into our UR Baseball Family some new members and their families, what a great weekend!!
Several questions that had caused some fans concern during the offseason, had been answered in fine fashion by the Yellowjackets in their first outings of the season.
Who were the freshman and how would they fit into the group? Fine young men who played the game hard with a poise beyond their years!! Great job guys!
Who would be the closer? Sully!
How would the bullpen be this year? Just fine, Thank You very much!
Could UR start 2009 as they had in 2008 with a sweep of Skidmore? YES!!
Although, it was still very early in the season, we were all ecstatic with the first weekend of UR Baseball in 2009.
On to the UAA tournament!
See you at the ballpark!
Ed
Monday, March 16, 2009
Backtracking
UAA Champs - awesome, but I need to go back and recapture some of the great moments of the last week - there were many!
Saturday March 7 - Game 1 against Skidmore
The day was starting out perfectly - sunny and hot - just what we needed to remind us why we have escaped to Florida in March these past few years, weather and oh, yeah a little UR baseball!! The boys came out in game 1 ready to play!
In the first inning, Andy Cannon singled to start things off and Blayne Fuke followed that up with a double. Dan Brien singled home Cannon and Jay Jay Vanderstyne singled home Fuke for a 2-0 lead.
In the 2nd inning Matt Francis reached on an error and promptly stole second base and eventually scored, making the most of the Skidmore miscue.
Blair Veenema pitched a strong 1st 3 innings, with the only Skidmore runner reaching first on a base on balls.
In the top of the 4th Skidmore put across 2 runs on 3 hits and an error and at the end of 4 innings the score was 3-2 UR!
In the top of the 5th inning, Skidmore scored twice more on 2 hits and Veenema made way for Luke Brocks to close out the inning.
Skidmore scored an additional run in the top of the 6th inning to take a 5-3 lead.
In the bottom of the 6th, Jay Jay Vanderstyne walked and Ryan Sullivan doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Matt Francis then homered over the right fielders head and ran around the bases before Skidmore could track him down. The score was now 6-5 UR!
In the top of the 7th inning, Ned Chanatry replaced Brocks on the mound. Skidmore was determined to battle back, which they did by loading the bases. Ryan Sullivan came from behind the plate to pitch and Casey Storme replaced him behind the plate. Skidmore scored 1 run on a passed ball and then singled home 2 more runs before they were retired. They had battled back to take a 8-6 lead going into the last at bat for the Yellowjackets.
Just as the game had started, Andy Cannon and Blayne Fuke both reached base, this time with 2 singles. Dan Brien tripled to tie the game and was standing 90 feet from victory with 1 out. Robby Barnard was sent to pinch run for Brien. Ryan Sullivan was the batter with 2 outs and he came through with a single to score Barnard with the game winning run!! Sullivan got the win in relief and had the game winning RBI!
This seemed to take the wind out of Skidmore, the previous year they had been swept by Rochester in St. Petersburg with 3 games being 1 run margins of victory and both games on day 2 being won by UR in their last at bat!
Game 2 - Skidmore scored 2 runs in the top of the first on a walk and a homerun. The lead was short-lived as UR answered with 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the 1st!
Andy Cannon led off with a single and then stole 2nd base. Blayne Fuke singled him home, Dan Brien was hit by a pitch and Jay Jay Vanderstyne reached on an error to load the bases. Blayne scored on a passed ball and everyone moved up one base. Matt Francis chased them home with a 2 RBI single and at the end of 1 inning UR led 4-2!
UR added a run in the 3rd inning when Jay Jay Vanderstyne was hit by a pitch, stole 2nd base and scored on Alex Parker's RBI single for a 5-2 UR lead.
Skidmore added a run in the top of the 4th to get as close as 5-3, but that would be as close as they would get as the Rochester offense put on a display for the rest of the game.
In the 5th, Blayne Fuke started the inning by striking out, but reached first by hustling down the line when the catcher could not handle the pitch and it went to the backstop. Dan Brien was hit by a pitch ( a developing trend??? ), Jay Jay Vanderstyne had an RBI single, Alex Parker had an RBI single, Casey Storme and Matt Francis both walked, with Matt getting an RBI for his effort. Dan Ludwig had an RBI single, Casey Storme scored from 3rd on a balk, Brian Bezek walked, Andy Cannon had a 2 RBI single, Blayne Fuke had a sac fly to score Bezek and Vanderstyne tripled to score Cannon and close out the scoring with 9 runs, 5 hits, 1 error and 1 man left on base. UR now led the contest with a 14-3 score after 5 innings, but they were not done yet!
In the 6th, Matt Francis walked, Dan Ludwig singled, Brian Bezek singled home Francis (RBI), Andy Cannon had a 2 RBI triple and Robby Barnard had an RBI groundout to add 4 more runs to the UR total. They now led by a score of 18-3!
Rochester added 1 run in the 7th when Dan Piehler led off by being hit with a pitch, and eventually came around to score on Dan Ludwig's RBI groundout. UR led 19-3!
Robby Barnard led off the 8th with a single, Steve Just walked, Alex Caghan had an RBI single, Dan Piehler was hit by a pitch, Matt Francis had a 2 RBI double, Dan Ludwig had a 2 RBI single, Brian Bezek reached on an error, Andy Cannon walked, Robby Barnard had a sac fly RBI, Steve Just had an RBI single, Alex Caghan walked, and Dan Piehler closed out the scoring with a 2 RBI double! 9 runs, 6 hits, 1 error, and 2 men left on base. UR led 28-3!
While the story of this game was the offense, I can not overlook the fine job the pitchers did in this game. Michael Park started and pitched a strong 6 innings in getting his first win of the season. Mike Wexler followed that with a strong performance of his own by only allowing 1 hit in the 2 innings he pitched. Ned Chanatry came in to close out the game and also only allowed 1 hit in his 1 inning of work.
Rochester had now won 6 games in a row over Skidmore in St. Petersburg over the last 2 years.
Would they be able to pull off another sweep?
I'll update day 2 of the Skidmore series later this week - tomorrow it's off to McGhan's Nearly Famous Irish Pub for some St. Patrick's Day Festivities!! I hope you all enjoy the day and beer, Irish whiskey, and corned beef and cabbage! Wear green and enjoy!!!
Until next time,
See you at the ballpark,
Ed
Saturday March 7 - Game 1 against Skidmore
The day was starting out perfectly - sunny and hot - just what we needed to remind us why we have escaped to Florida in March these past few years, weather and oh, yeah a little UR baseball!! The boys came out in game 1 ready to play!
In the first inning, Andy Cannon singled to start things off and Blayne Fuke followed that up with a double. Dan Brien singled home Cannon and Jay Jay Vanderstyne singled home Fuke for a 2-0 lead.
In the 2nd inning Matt Francis reached on an error and promptly stole second base and eventually scored, making the most of the Skidmore miscue.
Blair Veenema pitched a strong 1st 3 innings, with the only Skidmore runner reaching first on a base on balls.
In the top of the 4th Skidmore put across 2 runs on 3 hits and an error and at the end of 4 innings the score was 3-2 UR!
In the top of the 5th inning, Skidmore scored twice more on 2 hits and Veenema made way for Luke Brocks to close out the inning.
Skidmore scored an additional run in the top of the 6th inning to take a 5-3 lead.
In the bottom of the 6th, Jay Jay Vanderstyne walked and Ryan Sullivan doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Matt Francis then homered over the right fielders head and ran around the bases before Skidmore could track him down. The score was now 6-5 UR!
In the top of the 7th inning, Ned Chanatry replaced Brocks on the mound. Skidmore was determined to battle back, which they did by loading the bases. Ryan Sullivan came from behind the plate to pitch and Casey Storme replaced him behind the plate. Skidmore scored 1 run on a passed ball and then singled home 2 more runs before they were retired. They had battled back to take a 8-6 lead going into the last at bat for the Yellowjackets.
Just as the game had started, Andy Cannon and Blayne Fuke both reached base, this time with 2 singles. Dan Brien tripled to tie the game and was standing 90 feet from victory with 1 out. Robby Barnard was sent to pinch run for Brien. Ryan Sullivan was the batter with 2 outs and he came through with a single to score Barnard with the game winning run!! Sullivan got the win in relief and had the game winning RBI!
This seemed to take the wind out of Skidmore, the previous year they had been swept by Rochester in St. Petersburg with 3 games being 1 run margins of victory and both games on day 2 being won by UR in their last at bat!
Game 2 - Skidmore scored 2 runs in the top of the first on a walk and a homerun. The lead was short-lived as UR answered with 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the 1st!
Andy Cannon led off with a single and then stole 2nd base. Blayne Fuke singled him home, Dan Brien was hit by a pitch and Jay Jay Vanderstyne reached on an error to load the bases. Blayne scored on a passed ball and everyone moved up one base. Matt Francis chased them home with a 2 RBI single and at the end of 1 inning UR led 4-2!
UR added a run in the 3rd inning when Jay Jay Vanderstyne was hit by a pitch, stole 2nd base and scored on Alex Parker's RBI single for a 5-2 UR lead.
Skidmore added a run in the top of the 4th to get as close as 5-3, but that would be as close as they would get as the Rochester offense put on a display for the rest of the game.
In the 5th, Blayne Fuke started the inning by striking out, but reached first by hustling down the line when the catcher could not handle the pitch and it went to the backstop. Dan Brien was hit by a pitch ( a developing trend??? ), Jay Jay Vanderstyne had an RBI single, Alex Parker had an RBI single, Casey Storme and Matt Francis both walked, with Matt getting an RBI for his effort. Dan Ludwig had an RBI single, Casey Storme scored from 3rd on a balk, Brian Bezek walked, Andy Cannon had a 2 RBI single, Blayne Fuke had a sac fly to score Bezek and Vanderstyne tripled to score Cannon and close out the scoring with 9 runs, 5 hits, 1 error and 1 man left on base. UR now led the contest with a 14-3 score after 5 innings, but they were not done yet!
In the 6th, Matt Francis walked, Dan Ludwig singled, Brian Bezek singled home Francis (RBI), Andy Cannon had a 2 RBI triple and Robby Barnard had an RBI groundout to add 4 more runs to the UR total. They now led by a score of 18-3!
Rochester added 1 run in the 7th when Dan Piehler led off by being hit with a pitch, and eventually came around to score on Dan Ludwig's RBI groundout. UR led 19-3!
Robby Barnard led off the 8th with a single, Steve Just walked, Alex Caghan had an RBI single, Dan Piehler was hit by a pitch, Matt Francis had a 2 RBI double, Dan Ludwig had a 2 RBI single, Brian Bezek reached on an error, Andy Cannon walked, Robby Barnard had a sac fly RBI, Steve Just had an RBI single, Alex Caghan walked, and Dan Piehler closed out the scoring with a 2 RBI double! 9 runs, 6 hits, 1 error, and 2 men left on base. UR led 28-3!
While the story of this game was the offense, I can not overlook the fine job the pitchers did in this game. Michael Park started and pitched a strong 6 innings in getting his first win of the season. Mike Wexler followed that with a strong performance of his own by only allowing 1 hit in the 2 innings he pitched. Ned Chanatry came in to close out the game and also only allowed 1 hit in his 1 inning of work.
Rochester had now won 6 games in a row over Skidmore in St. Petersburg over the last 2 years.
Would they be able to pull off another sweep?
I'll update day 2 of the Skidmore series later this week - tomorrow it's off to McGhan's Nearly Famous Irish Pub for some St. Patrick's Day Festivities!! I hope you all enjoy the day and beer, Irish whiskey, and corned beef and cabbage! Wear green and enjoy!!!
Until next time,
See you at the ballpark,
Ed
Sunday, March 15, 2009
UAA Champs!!!
The University of Rochester Baseball Team was crowned UAA Tournament Champions on Saturday night with a 4-2 record at the UAA Tournament held in Sanford, Florida this past week!
They did need a little help from Washington University, who knocked off Case Western Reserve in the last game of the tournament 5-3 on Saturday night, to secure the title outright!
The win against Brandeis in the first game of the day on Saturday assured Rochester of being at the worst co-champs with Case, the loss by Case in the last game of the tournament left Rochester alone at the top of the standings with a 4-2 record. Case, Emory and Wash U all ended up at 3-3 and Brandeis was 2-4.
This is the first and only time a Rochester team has been crowned Champions of the UAA tournament!
They did need a little help from Washington University, who knocked off Case Western Reserve in the last game of the tournament 5-3 on Saturday night, to secure the title outright!
The win against Brandeis in the first game of the day on Saturday assured Rochester of being at the worst co-champs with Case, the loss by Case in the last game of the tournament left Rochester alone at the top of the standings with a 4-2 record. Case, Emory and Wash U all ended up at 3-3 and Brandeis was 2-4.
This is the first and only time a Rochester team has been crowned Champions of the UAA tournament!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Great start at UAA's
Chalk up 2 more wins for Rochester, we beat Emory and Case Western Reserve today in the opening day of the UAA tournament. We are now 6-0 on the season!!
I'll post more details as soon as I get a chance - but for now the boys all have been playing very well!!
Time to go get ready for the annual parents dinner - see you all soon!
See you at the ballpark!
Go Yellowjackets!
Ed
P.S. UR is doing a great job of posting updates each day on the progress of our team. They already have an article online for today's wins at the UR Baseball website (link is also posted in the column on the right, scroll down a bit). Patti Sullivan
I'll post more details as soon as I get a chance - but for now the boys all have been playing very well!!
Time to go get ready for the annual parents dinner - see you all soon!
See you at the ballpark!
Go Yellowjackets!
Ed
P.S. UR is doing a great job of posting updates each day on the progress of our team. They already have an article online for today's wins at the UR Baseball website (link is also posted in the column on the right, scroll down a bit). Patti Sullivan
Monday, March 9, 2009
WE WON - 1st four games
Hi everyone!
I'm sure you'll be hearing more details from Ed but our boys won the first four games against Skidmore which is a big win since Skidmore is in our league. You can read a summary on the UR Baseball website then click on "Full Story" under the picture. The weather is awesome here and the players are flying high. Wish them all continued success.
Patti Sullivan
I'm sure you'll be hearing more details from Ed but our boys won the first four games against Skidmore which is a big win since Skidmore is in our league. You can read a summary on the UR Baseball website then click on "Full Story" under the picture. The weather is awesome here and the players are flying high. Wish them all continued success.
Patti Sullivan
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Nina's Birthday
Nina celebrated her birthday on Monday night with her family, parents, and twin Aunts. A good time was had by all. Her birthday is Thursday, but due to UR Baseball practice, Monday was the only night we all could get together. Wish her a very Happy Birthday when you see her in Florida this week!!As is our custom, we will be providing sandwiches between games of the doubleheaders this week. The 2 Skidmore DH's (Sat and Sun) and the Tuesday DH at the UAA's.
I am also planning on having another Saturday cookout during the trip to St. Lawrence, Union, or Vassar, or maybe all 3!! More to come on that after we return from a great week in Florida!
I'll keep this short, as I have to go and pack for the trip tonight, or at least get started!
Only 3 more days until Opening Day!!
Safe travels to all and I'll see you all soon in Florida!!!
See you at the ballpark!
Ed
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