2016 PCBL A-Division Fall Championship

 

 

For the second straight fall season, the Royals and Lookouts met in the big game.  The Lookouts won their only regular season meeting this year, but the memory of watching the Royals celebrate the 2015 championship on this very field was still fresh in their minds.  The weather report at Conejo Creek seemed grim, but the rain held off long enough to get the game in.
 

Michael Schofield took the mound for the Royals, striking out a pair in the first.  The Royals' offense struck quickly in the bottom half of the inning.  With Matt Stock on the mound for the Lookouts, Zach Sloane and Danny Platt led off with back-to-back singles, and Trevor Nathanson followed with a double off the wall in left center, plating Sloane.  Chris Dyer grounded out to bring home another, and Dylan Pereira doubled home Nathanson.  Stephan Ohayon reached on an error, and Ryan Schappery singled home Pereira.  With 2 outs, Ryan Elliott singled home a pair, giving the Royals a 6-0 lead after 1.
 

In the top of the 2nd, the Royals logged 2 quick outs before their defense temporarily fell apart.  Evan Haskell singled, and James White walked.  Isaac Axelrod grounded up the middle, reaching on an error to load the bases.  The Lookouts quickly took advantage of the miscue, scoring twice on a passed ball and an errant throw, and after a Justin Carl walk, Sean Jackson singled home Axelrod to cut the Royals lead to 6-3.
 

The Royals answered back in the bottom of the 2nd.  Zach Sloane led off with a walk.  Danny Platt followed with a single, and Trevor Nathanson walked to load the bases.  After 2 outs, the Lookouts were on the verge of escaping the jam when Stephan Ohayon singled home a pair to increase the Royals lead to 8-3.

 

With one out in the top of the 3rd, the Lookouts' David Langstaff singled, and Matt Wapnick walked.  With 2 outs, James White hit a ground ball between the legs of the Royals' shortstop, but left fielder Dylan Pereira threw a strike to catcher Zach Sloane to cut down the runner at home and keep the score 8-3.
 

In the bottom of the 3rd, the Royals' Rick Valdez led off with a walk, but was erased after Ryan Elliott grounded into a fielder's choice.  Mike Miller singled, and both Elliott and Miller swiped bags to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out.  But the Lookouts' Matt Stock settled down and struck out the next 2 hitters to get out of the jam.
 

Both teams went quiet until the bottom of the 5th.  The Lookouts brought in Evan Haskell to pitch, and with 1 out, Rick Valdez singled.  After stealing 2nd, Valdez was balked to 3rd.  With 2 outs, Mike Miller hit a slow roller to short, but a bad throw allowed Valdez to score.  Miller strained his hamstring on the play, but the Royals' extended their lead to 9-3.
 

Ryan Schappery came in to relieve for the Royals and struck out the side in the top of the 6th on 9 pitches.  In the bottom of the inning, Royals' pinch hitter Justin "Juice" Born and lead-off man Zach Sloane started things off with back-to-back walks.  With 1 out, Trevor Nathanson singled to load the bases, and Chris Dyer grounded into a fielder's choice, with Born being forced out at the plate.  Now with 2 outs, Dylan Pereira skied a ball to deep center, but the center fielder dropped it, and all 3 runners scored, giving the Royals a 12-3 lead.
 

Schappery worked a quiet top of the 7th, and the Royals offense stayed hot in the bottom of the inning.  Schappery and Rick Valdez each walked, and Ryan Elliott singled to load the bases.  Michael Schofield got hit by a pitch to plate one and chase Haskell from the game.  James White came in and struck out the side, but not before Zach Sloane hit a sac fly that was dropped to bring home another run and give the Royals a 14-3 lead.

The Royals brought in closer Chris Dyer, who immediately found himself in a little trouble.  Greg Wapnick walked and Mike Wapnick singled to put 2 on with no outs.  But David Langstaff lined a ball to third baseman Ryan Elliott, who quickly turned it into a double play by throwing to 2nd.  Dyer struck out the next hitter to finish the frame.
 

In the bottom of the 8th, Dyer led off with a double.  With one out, Stephan Ohayon walked, and Ryan Schappery was intentionally walked to load the bases.  But James White induced a ground ball for the 2nd out, and David Rocha made an amazing diving catch in right to keep the score 14-3 heading into the 9th inning.
 

The bottom of the 9th was all Dyer, as he worked around a hit batsman to close things out and give the Royals their 2nd championship in as many years.  The Lookouts put up another strong season, and deserve praise for that.  But this game (and season) belonged to the Royals - your 2016 Fall AA Champions!

 

 

               Lookouts    0   3   0   0   0   0   0   0    0       3       8     4   

Royals Roast Ironbirds, Headed Back to the Ship

 

For the second straight season, the Royals and Ironbirds met in the playoffs.  But unlike last season's walk-off thriller, the Royals would have an easier time this game.

 

Mike Miller took the mound for the Royals, and after 3 hits and an error, the Ironbirds took an early 2 run lead.  Miller, without his best stuff, worked through the second without any more damage, allowing his offense a chance to catch fire.

 

In the bottom of the 2nd, Dylan Pereira and Jason Bolding led off with back-to-back walks.  Rick Valdez singled home one, and another run scored on a wild pitch.  Phillip Gerber walked, and Zach Sloane doubled home 1.  Trevor Nathanson walked to load the bases, and Chris Dyer walked to bring home a third run.  Dylan Pereira tripled home 3, and Jason Bolding hit a sac fly to plate him, capping the scoring and giving the Royals a comfortable 9-2 lead.

 

The Ironbirds plated one more in the 3rd, and Michael Schofield came in for the Royals in the 4th and worked a quiet inning.  In the bottom of the 4th, Danny Platt led off with a walk.  Trevor Nathanson walked, and after a few stolen bases and a passed ball, Platt scored.  Chris Dyer walked, and Dylan Pereira hit his second triple of the game to cash in 2 more runs.  Jason Bolding singled home Pereira, and Rick Valdez walked.  Ryan Elliott singled home Bolding, and Valdez scored on some head's up baserunning.  Phillip Gerber walked, and Mike Miller grounded into a double play, scoring Elliott.  After 4 complete innings, the Royals led 16-3.

 

Schofield continued mowing down hitters in the top of the 5th, and the Royals offense was still hot.  Zach Sloane led off the bottom of the 5th with a single.  Trevor Nathanson reached on a hit by pitch, and Chris Dyer doubled home Sloane.  Dylan Pereira hit a sac fly to bring home his BFF Nathanson, and Jason Bolding singled home Dyer, giving the Royals a 19-3 lead.

 

With time running out, Zach Sloane came in to work the final frame.  He'd allow 4 runs (but only 2 earned) on 4 hits and a sac fly, but the Royals would finish the day with a 19-7 victory.

 

Congrats to the Ironbirds on another strong season.  And finally, the entire Royal nation would like to wish Ironbird (and long-time PCBL veteran) Blair Feivou good luck in his baseball retirement.  I personally have enjoyed competing against Blair for 14 years, and it won't be the same without him (although it might be safer, as he holds the record for most times hitting ME.) 

 

 

Pitching

Mike Miller - 3IP, 2ER, 4H, BB, 2HBP

Michael Schofield - W, 3IP, 0H, 3K

Zach Sloane - IP, 2ER, 4H, K

 

Batting

Trevor Nathanson - 3-4, 2B, 3R, 3RBI, HBP

Chris Dyer - 2-3, 2-2B, 4R, 2RBI, 2BB, SB

Danny Platt - 2-3, 2B, 3R, RBI, 2BB, SB

Zach Sloane - 2-5, 2B, 3R, SB
Jason Bolding - 2-4, 2B, R, 2RBI, SB, SACF

Phillip Gerber - 1-2, R, BB

Ryan Elliott - 1-5, RBI

Mike Miller - 0-2, RBI, BB, SACF

Michael Schofield - 0-3, BB, CS

Jake Romo - 0-1

Justin "Juice" Born - 0-4

Daniel Kahn - DL

 

Royals Win - On The Juice!

 

Poor defense (7 errors) and even worse pitching control (11 walks) led the Royals to nearly lose a critical playoff seeding game.  But the bottom of the lineup came through, and the man they call Juice led them to a thrilling walk-off win.

 

Jake Romo started on the hill for the Royals and worked around a pair of walks for a quiet first.  In the bottom of the inning, Zach Sloane led off with a walk.  Stephan Ohayon walked, and Trevor Nathanson singled home Sloane.  Dylan Pereira doubled home another, and Ryan Schappery grounded into an rbi-force out to take a 3-0 lead.

 

Mike Miller took over on the mound and gave 1 back in the top of the 2nd.  But the Royals' bats weren't done yet.  Miller led off the second with a walk, and Michael Schofield followed with the same.  With 2 outs, Zach Sloane singled home 1.  Danny Platt walked, and a pair of balks plated Schofield and Sloane, giving the Royals a 6-1 lead.

 

After a scoreless top of the inning, Ryan Schappery led off with a single.  He moved to second when Ryan Elliott reached on an error, and Michael Schofield loaded the bags with a dropped fly ball/error.  Jake Romo walked to bring home Schappery, and the Royals led 7-1.

 

The wheels fell off the defense in the 4th.  After a walk, a bad fielder's choice and an error led to 2 runs.  After a ground ball out (what likely should have been the 3rd out of the inning), Miller walked 3 straight batters and was chased from the game.  Zach Sloane came in and stopped the bleeding, but the Expos had trimmed the Royals lead to 7-4.

 

Sloane cruised through the next 2 innings, as did the Expos' pitcher.  In the bottom of the 6th, Michael Schofield walked with 1 out.  Jake Romo singled, and Justin "Juice" Born laid down a perfect bunt to load the bases.  Zach Sloane walked to bring home Schofield, and the Royals led 8-4.

 

But the Expos came back in the top of the 7th.  3 runs scored on a single, a double and 2 walks.  Sloane struck out 2 in the frame, but the Royals lead was down to 8-7.

 

In the top of the 8th (the final inning, due to time), Ryan Elliott took the hill.  2 hits and a walk (along with a lone strikeout) tied the game and put runners on the corners.  The Royals brought in their closer-of-the-day, Michael Schofield, to keep things close.  With 2 strikes, the Expos lead-off hitter laced a one hopper off the field umpire for a dead-ball single, scoring the go-ahead run.  Schofield limited the damage to that, but heading into the bottom of the 8th, the Expos led 9-8, with the Royals 7 thru 9 hitters due up.

 

But we've seen this show before.  The Royals love their drama, and today was no exception.  Ryan Elliott led off the inning with a walk.  After stealing second, and Mike Miller ready to sacrifice him to 3rd, Miller was hit by a pitch.  Elliott stole 3rd on the following pitch, and designated runner Ryan Schappery swiped second (his first stolen base as a Royal - possibly EVER!)  With a new pitcher on the mound for the Expos, Michael Schofield walked for the 3rd time on the day to load the bases.  Jake Romo came up, and took a pitch square between the numbers to tie the game.  With the bases loaded and the winning run 90-feet away, Justin "Juice" Born walked on 4 straight pitches to bring home the victory.

 

It's really amazing what the Expos have managed to do in just 9 games - going from an easy win to a nearly devastating loss.  Good luck the rest of the season, and we'll be looking forward to more great games next season!

 

Pitching

Jake Romo - IP, 0R, 2BB

Mike Miller - 2.1IP, 3ER, 2H, 3K, 5BB

Zach Sloane - 3.2IP, 3ER, 2H, 4K, 3BB

Ryan Elliott - .1IP, 2ER, 2H, K, BB

Michael Schofield - BS, W, .2IP, H, K

 

Batting

Royals Outlast IronBirds 12-6

The Royals' deep bullpen and strong bats extended their league-leading win streak to 3 games as they outlasted the IronBirds 12-6.

 

As usual, the Royal offense got going fast.  In the first, Danny Platt doubled, moved to third on a Stephan Ohayon single, and eventually scored on a Rick Valdez rbi-walk.

 

The Ironbirds got the run back in the bottom of the inning off Royals' starter Michael Schofield.

 

In the top of the second, Ryan Elliott reached on an error, and Mike Miller singled him to 3rd.  Elliott scored on a wild pitch, and with 2 outs, Zach Sloane singled home Miller to make it 3-1.

 

In the top of the third, Chris Dyer led off with a double down the left field line.  Dylan Pereira singled him home and swiped second, scoring on a Ryan Elliott two-out single, pushing the score to 5-1.

 

The Birds got 1 back in the bottom of the third, then tied the game in the bottom of the 5th.  The Royals responded right away.

 

Leading off the top of the 6th, Mike Miller walked and scored 2 pitches later on a Michael Schofield double.  Zach Sloane doubled home Schofield, and after Danny Platt singled and Stephan Ohayon walked to load the bases, Chris Dyer hit a sac fly to plate Sloane.

 

With the Royals now leading 8-5, manager Mike Miller channelled his inner "Dave Roberts" and brought his closer in for a 12-out save.  Chris Dyer was easily up to the task, striking out 9 over the final 4 frames while allowing just 1 unearned run.

 

Meanwhile, the Royal offense was far from finished.  In the top of the 8th, Zach Sloane led off with a "double" (air quotes implied.)  Danny Platt then reached on an "infield single" (again with the air quotes.)  Stephan Ohayon loaded the bases with a ground ball error, and Chris Dyer singled home Sloane.  With 2 outs, Jason Bolding came through with another rbi-single, and the Royals led 10-5.

 

In the top of the 9th, Mike Miller led off with a walk, and designated runner Ryan Elliott stole second.  Michael Schofield singled him home, scoring a few plays later on a Stephan Ohayon single.  That capped off the scoring, and the Royals went home with a 12-6 victory.

 

Good luck to the Ironbirds, as they hold a 1.5 game lead for the final playoff spot with 3 games to play in the season!

 

And congrats go out to the entire Royal nation, as this win clinched a postseason berth for the team!  Way to go guys!

 

 

Pitching

Michael Schofield - W, 5IP, 5ER, 5H, 3K, 2BB, HBP

Chris Dyer - S, 4IP, 0ER, 6H, 9K

 

Batting

Royals Tame Lions 19-7

Fresh off a tough walk-off victory, the Royals faced a Lions team that played them tough in their last meeting.  This one wasn't meant to be for the Lions, as the Royals' offense came through with 19 runs on 19 hits (including 8 doubles) and their pitching kept the Lions from attaining any momentum in a 19-7 victory.

 

The Royals started off strong in the first, where Justin "Juice" Born, batting leadoff for the first time all season, reached on an error.  Danny Platt singled him to third, and Zach Sloane hit a sac fly to bring him home.  If not for a great play at the plate by the Lions, there would have been more damage, with Trevor Nathanson reaching on an error and Dylan Pereira doubling later in the inning.  But the Royals would have to be content with an early 1-0 lead.

 

Veteran Mike Miller took the hill for the Royals.  He worked around a single in the first, bringing the Royals back up to lead off the second.  Ryan Elliott doubled, and Miller followed with an rbi-double of his own.  Michael Schofield walked and fill-in Colton Patey got hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Justin "Juice" Born brought home 1 with a single, and Danny Platt brought home 2 more with a double.  Zach Sloane hit a sac fly to plate another, and Trevor Nathanson double home yet another.  Dylan Pereira singled home one more, and with 2 outs, Ryan Elliott hit his second double of the inning, plating the 8th run of the frame and giving the Royals a 9-0 lead.

 

Miller worked in and out of trouble in the second, with runners reaching on an error, a fielder's choice, and a single, but the score remained 9-0 heading into the 3rd.

 

Michael Schofield and Colton Patey each walked to lead off the 3rd, and Justin "Juice" Born grounded into a fielder's choice/error to load the bases.  Danny Platt hit a sac fly to bring home 1, and after a Zach Sloane walk, Trevor Nathanson walked to bring home another.  With 2 outs, Jason Bolding walked (his first of the season) to bring home the 3rd and final run of the inning, giving the Royals a 12-0 lead.

 

Miller ran into trouble in the 3rd.  After 2 quick outs, the Lions loaded the bases on 2 walks and a single.  But Miller induced a pop-up to short to end the inning and keep the Lions off the board.

 

Zach Sloane took over pitching the 4th, and allowed 2 unearned runs before striking out the final batter.  The Royals got those runs right back in the 5th.  Justin "Juice" Born led off with a walk, and moved to 3rd on Danny Platt's second double of the day.  Trevor Nathanson loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, and with 2 outs, Jason Bolding hit a 2-run single to make it 14-2.

 

Michael Schofield relieved Sloane, and gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the 5th, making it 14-4.

 

Neither side scored in the 6th, and Ryan Elliott relieved in the 7th and worked a quiet frame.

 

Leading off the 8th, Mike Miller doubled to the wall in left center.  Michael Schofield walked, and Justin "Juice" Borne singled to load the bases.  Danny Platt singled home 1, and with 2 outs, Dylan Pereira singled home another.  Jason Bolding followed with his second 2-run single of the game, giving the Royals a 19-4 lead.

 

To reward him for his efforts (and his walk), Bolding came in and threw a quiet 8th inning, handing the ball off to Trevor Nathanson to close out the 9th.  The Lions were able to put up 3 runs on 4 hits in the 9th, but it was too late for a comeback, and the Royals took home a 19-7 victory.

 

Good luck to the Lions, as they find themselves just 1.5 games out of a playoff spot with 4 games to go!

 

 

Pitching

 

Mike Miller - 3IP, 0R, 2H, K, 3BB

Zach Sloane - W, IP, 0ER, H, K, BB

Michael Schofield - 2IP, 2ER, 4H, 2K, 2BB

Ryan Elliott - IP, 0R, BB, HBP

Jason Bolding - IP, 0R, K, BB, HBP

Trevor Nathanson - IP, 3ER, 4H

 

 

Batting

Royals Split DH vs. Berserkers

The Royals and Berserkers have played some tight games in the last few years, and this season's doubleheader was no exception.  Both games went down to the wire, with each squad coming away with a victory.

 

The Royals sent Rick Valdez to start game 1, and he pitched well.  6 earned runs over 7 innings kept the boys in royal blue in the game, but their bats just never fully woke up.  Dylan Pereira, Zach Sloane and Mike Miller each had 2 hits, but they combined for only 2 runs and 3 rbis.  The rest of the team didn't fare much better, going a combined 5 for 25 and scoring just 3 runs.  In the end, the Royals fell 7-5.

 

Game 2 was another battle, as the aces from both teams matched up.  Chris Dyer threw 5 for the Royals, allows his first career run in the bottom of the 5th, giving the Berserkers a 1-0 lead.  Jake Romo relieved and allowed 5 earned over the next 2 frames, keeping the game close until the Royal bats could pick things up.  Jumping to the bottom of the 6th, Trevor Nathanson, Chris Dyer and Ryan Schappery led off with back-to-back-to-back walks, loading the bases.  Ryan Elliott hit a grounder to short that turned into a 2-run error, and Mike Miller singled off the pitcher's glove to plate another.  In the bottom of the 8th and trailing 7-3, Chris Dyer and Ryan Schappery led off with back-to-back singles, and Ryan Elliott singled home one.  Jason Bolding hit a sac fly to plate another, and Ryan Elliott took home on a passed ball to cut the lead to 7-6.  Schappery came in for the last 2 innings on the mound, keeping the score 7-6 into the bottom of the 9th - just in time for some Royal magic.  Danny Platt walked and swiped second to lead things off, scoring 1 pitch later on a Dylan Pereira single and tying the game.  Pinch hitter Jake Romo singled to right to put the winning run on 2nd, and Trevor Nathanson took a pitch in the back to load the bases.  Chris Dyer wasted no time lacing a single to right-center to walk off with the 8-7 victory.

 

Congrats to the Berserkers on a great day of baseball - the games couldn't have been any closer than they were.  See you in the postseason!

 

 

 

Pitching - Game 1

Rick Valdez - L, 7IP, 6ER, 9H, 5K, 2BB, 2HBP

Ryan Schappery - IP, 0R, K

 

Pitching - Game 2

Chris Dyer - 5IP, ER, 4H, 6K, BB

Jake Romo - 2IP, 5ER, 5H, 2BB

Ryan Schappery - W, 2IP, 0R, 2K

 

 

Batting - combined

Royals' Defense Stays Home in 21-8 Loss

The Royals, normally built on solid defense and pitching, lacked a little of everything on Sunday as they fell to the Lookouts 21-8.  7 errors, 10 walks and 2 hit batsmen led to the Royals demise, while their offense did what it could to stay in the game.

 

Jake Romo started for the Royals, but lasted on 2/3 of an inning.  8 runs scored (although only 2 were earned) on 3 hits, 1 walks and 2 errors.  Mike Miller was called on early to stop the bleeding, and after surrendering a walk and hit of his own, got the boys in blue back into the dugout.

 

In the bottom of the first, Danny Platt led off with a single.  After Zach Sloane walked, Stephan Ohayon singled to load the bases.  Rick Valdez hit a sac fly to center, but Sloane was thrown out at home trying to score a second run on the play.  Dylan Pereira reached on an error to bring home another, and after 1, the Royals trailed 8-2.

 

Miller worked a 6-pitch second frame, but the Lookouts capitalized on more shaky defense in the 3rd, scoring a run on a walk and 3 errors.  The Royals responded in the bottom of the inning.  Steve Apperson led off with what we can only assume was the first infield single of his life.  Jake Romo, running for Apperson, took 2 bases on an errant pick off throw and scored on a Danny Platt ground out.   Zach Sloane and Stephan Ohayon each walked and moved into scoring position on a passed ball, and Rick Valdez grounded out to plate another.  After 3 innings, the Royals trailed 9-4.

 

With 1 out in the 4th, the Lookouts looked like they were in business with a pair of singles.  But after a strikeout, Miller seemed to crush the rally by inducing a ground ball to third.  Unfortunately, it was booted, and 2 hits later, Miller was chased from the game.  Michael Schofield was met with a 2-run double, and after 3 1/2, the Royals now trailed 14-4.

 

But you can never count the Royals out (something the Lookouts remember all too well from last fall's championship game.)  In the bottom of the 4th, Ryan Elliott led off with a double, and after moving to 3rd on a Jason Bolding single, scored when Mike Miller grounded into a double play.

 

After a quiet top of the 5th, Phillip Gerber led off the bottom of the inning with a single.  Danny Platt doubled him to 3rd, and Zach Sloane singled home a run.  Stephan Ohayon singled home another, and Dylan Pereira plated another with an rbi-ground out.  After 5 in the books, the Royals had cut the deficit to 14-8.

 

But the Lookouts scored a run in the 6th, and 6 in the 7th (only 3 of the final 7 runs were earned) to run away with the victory.  The Royals are looking forward to exacting a little revenge in late October when these teams meet again.

 

 

 

Pitching

Jake Romo - L, .2IP, 2ER, 4H, K, 2BB

Mike Miller - 3IP, 0ER, 5H, K, 2BB, HBP

Michael Schofield - 3IP, 3ER, 4H, 5K, 4BB

Phillip Gerber - .1IP, 0ER, 0H, K, 2BB, HBP

 

Batting