Royals Championship Drought Continues
The Royals' late season winning streak came to an end in the championship game, as the Wailers scored early and often to take home the title.
Things started well enough for the Royals. Sean Spires led off the game with a double to right-center, scoring 3 pitches later on a Ryan Elliott single. Chris Powell would reach on a walk, but the Royals would strand the pair.
Powell would take the mound for the Royals, but an error on the leadoff hitter would lead to an unearned run and a 1-1 tie after 1.
Jason Bolding would walk to lead off the second, and one out later, Dominic Archey would single. With 2 outs, Ryan Elliott would reach on a walk to load the bases, and Chris Powell would reach on an error to plate one. Dominic Archey would attempt a straight steal of home, but the catcher would jump in front of the plate and brush against Mike Miller (at the plate), causing a rare balk/catcher's interference call. For those keeping score at home, that invokes Rule 7.07: "If, with a runner on third base and trying to score by means of a squeeze play or a steal, the catcher or any other fielder steps on, or in front of home base without possession of the ball, or touches the batter or his bat, the pitcher shall be charged with a balk, the batter shall be awarded first base on the interference and the ball is dead." Not only that, but the rbi goes to the batter (see the Dodgers/Reds game on 8/1/1971 for that scorekeeping precedence), and the Royals take a 3-1 lead.
But the Wailers would bounce back with 5 in the 2nd (2 earned), and 7 in the 3rd to chase Powell from the game. Dennis King III would enter and get out of the jam, but the Wailers would hold a commanding 13-3 lead after 3.
In the top of the 4th, Ryan Elliott would double and score on Chris Powell's double, but the Wailers would get that run right back in the bottom of the inning, making it 14-4 after 4. The Wailers would plate 2 more in the bottom of the 5th, and put the Royals on the edge of the mercy rule, leading 16-4 after 5.
In the top of the 5th, Dominic Archey would lead off and get hit by a pitch. One out later, Ryan Elliott would reach on a fielder's choice, putting men on 2nd and 3rd. With 2 outs, Mike Miller would line a single to center to plate the pair and keep the Royals alive for the time being. King would work a quiet 6th, and the Wailers would lead 16-6 heading into the bottom of the 7th.
The first 2 batters would reach against King, and the Royals would go to their bullpen again, bringing in lefty Jay Wasserman. But on the first pitch he threw, the Wailers would launch a 3-run, mercy-inducing, walk-off home run. Final score: 19-6.
Congrats to the Wailers on a great season. They earned the victory with a mix of solid pitching and unrelenting offense.
Pitching
Chris Powell - L, 2.1IP, 7ER, 2K, 9H, 2BB
Dennis King III - 3ER, 3K, 6H, 4BB, HBP
Jay Wasserman - 0IP, 1ER, 1H
Batting
Ryan Elliott - 2-3, 2B, 2R, RBI, BB
Mike Miller, 1-3, 3RBI
Chris Powel - 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB
Dominic Archey - 1-2, 2R, HBP
Sean Spires - 1-4, 2B, R, SB
Jason Bolding - 0-2, R, 2BB, SB
Jay Wasserman - 0-4
Chris Blum - 0-4
Chris Middleton - 0-2
Robert Padilla - 0-2
Chris Miller - 0-0
Dennis King III - 0-0
Royals Rally in 9th, Reach Championship Game
With the Royals leading 10-0 halfway through the 3rd inning, it looked like it would be an easy day for the boys in baby blue. But the Regulators would put up 12 unanswered runs, and with 1 out in the top of the 9th and the 8-9 hitters due up for the Royals, would be looking to finish things off. But 9th inning rbis by Robert Padilla, Sean Spires, and Mike Miller would shift the momentum, and the strong right arm of Dennis King III would put the Regulators' championship dreams on ice.
Dan Lebsock would single up the middle in the top of the first, but that would be all of the early offense. Chris Powell would strike out a pair in the bottom of the inning, and the Royals bats would catch fire in the second.
Red-hot Mike Miller would walk to start the inning. Jay Wasserman and Chris Blum would each single to load the bases, and Jason Bolding and Robert Padilla would each single to knock in all 3. Dominic Archey would load the bases on a pitch in the middle of his back, and Sean Spires would ground into a fielder's choice (Bolding out at the plate.) After a pop out, Chris Powell would help his own cause and take the first pitch he saw well over the right field net for a GRAND SLAM! Miller and Wasserman would each single, but be left on base. Powell would work a quiet bottom half of the inning, and after 2, the Royals would lead 7-0.
With 1 out in the third, Robert Padilla would walk and Dominic Archey would reach on a bunt single. Sean Spires would line a sharp single to load the bases, and Dan Lebsock would ground into an rbi-fielder's choice. Chris Powell would single a pair home, and move to third on a Mike Miller double to right-center. Both runners would be stranded though, and the Regulators would put up 3 in the bottom of the inning to make it a 10-3 game after 3.
Powell would work a quiet 4th, and the Regulators would bring in a relief pitcher to silence the Royals' bats. In the bottom of the 5th, the Regulators would put up 4, cutting the lead to 10-7.
With the Royals' bats still ice cold on a 95 degree day, the Regulators would continue their offensive onslaught. 5 runs in the 6th, topped off by a mammoth home run to left, would chase Powell from the game and give the Regulators the lead. The Royals would look to flamethrower Dennis King III to keep things close, and "The Human Rain Delay" would not disappoint. King would strike out 2 over the next 2 innings, keeping the score 12-10 heading into the top of the 9th.
In their final at bat, the Royals would need to pull together if they wanted to advance to their first spring championship game. 6-hitter Chris Blum would lead off with a double down the left field line. But a quick pop-out to short would follow, bringing the Royals down to their final 2 outs. Not to worry, as 8-hitter Robert Padilla would line a single to left, bringing the Royals within one. 9-hitter Dominic Archey would single to put the tying run in scoring position, and Sean Spires would single to center, tying the game at 12 and putting men on the corners. A pop out to second would count for the second out, with the batter slamming his bat to the ground in disgust and cracking the handle. Up to the plate would walk Chris Powell - who already had 2 game-ending hits on the season, and 6 rbis on the day. But the second pitch would hit him (go figure), loading the bases for one of the hottest hitters in the league - Mike Miller. Coming into the at bat, Miller had 10 hits in his last 13 at bats. But the broken bat from before was his, adding even more drama to an already important at bat. Wearing Bo Jackson's number 16, Miller would snap the bat across his knee (okay, it was mostly broken already), and grab a new bat from the dugout. On the first pitch he saw, Miller would lace a 2-out, 2-run single over the shortstop's head into left-center, giving the Royals a 14-12 lead.
The bottom of the 9th belonged to Dennis King III, who worked a 1-2-3 inning and carried the Royals into the championship game.
Congrats to the Regulators for a great game, and an outstanding season. After they walked off on the Royals earlier in the year, this series has all the makings of a great rivalry in years to come.
Pitching
Chris Powell - 6.1IP, 8ER, 11H, 2BB, 4K, 2HBP
Dennis King III - W, 2.2IP, 0R, 2H, 2K
Batting
Mike Miller - 3-5, 2B, R, 2RBI, BB
Jay Wasserman - 3-6, R
Chris Powell - 2-5, HR, R, 6RBI, HBP
Robert Padilla - 2-4, 3R, 3RBI, BB
Dominic Archey - 2-4, 3R, HBP
Sean Spires - 2-6, 2R, RBI, SB
Chris Blum - 2-5, 2B, 2R
Jason Bolding - 2-5, RBI
Daniel Lebsock - 1-5, R, RBI, BB
Dennis King III - 0-0
Chris Miller - 0-0
Chris Powell Masterful in Shutout of Pirates, 4-0
Each week, it seems a different Royal steps up and delivers a game-changing performance. Today, veteran Chris Powell pitched the best game of his Royal's career, throwing a complete game, 3-hit shutout (facing only 4 hitters over the minimum) to down the 2-seeded Pirates and move the Royals on to their first spring semi-final game since 2008. The game would have been even more lopsided for the Royals had it not been for solid Pirate pitching that stranded 11 Royals base runners on the day.
For the 15th time in 19 games this season, the Royals started the game by scoring in their first at bat. Sean Spires singled on the first pitch and swiped second. With 2 outs, Mike Miller lined a single to right to cash in the run, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead.
Powell worked a quiet first, courtesy of an outstanding grab in right field by Jay Wasserman. Dan Lebsock and Chris Blum would each single to start the second, but be left on base.
Powell would work around a single in the 2nd, and the Royals would strike again in the top of the 3rd. Spires would single (after a 9 pitch at bat), and one out later, so would Powell. Miller would catch the defense napping with a bunt single to load the bases, and Wasserman would ground into a fielder's choice to plate one. A bad throw on the backside of a double play attempt would plate another.
Powell would work around another single in the bottom of the 3rd, and the Royals would lead 3-0 after 3.
Greg Falk and Sean Spires would each single and be left on base in the 4th, and Powell would continue to keep the Pirates off balance in the bottom of the inning. After a pair of strikeouts, Chris Blum would make a major league quality diving grab in left field to end the inning.
Mike Miller would blast a long single over the center fielder's head in the top of the 5th, but come up limping with a hamstring cramp. While he would be okay, his runner would end up being stranded (along with Wasserman, who would single later in the inning.)
Powell would work around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning, and the Royals would finally be kept to a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 6th. But 2 more strikeouts for Powell in the bottom of the inning, and the Royals would be poised to add on more.
Greg Falk would lead off the 7th with a single, and quickly steal second. 2 outs later, Powell would help his own cause and single the other way to plate an important insurance run. Mike Miller would pop out to center to end the inning, and also end an incredible streak of 8 straight at bats with a hit. An 8-pitch inning would follow for Powell, and after 7, the Royals would hold a 4-0 lead.
Wasserman would lead off the 8th with a single, and move to third on a Chris Blum double. Both runners would be stranded, but the momentum continued to be on the Royals' side. In the bottom of the inning, the Pirates would get their leadoff man on with a single, and move to second on a wild pitch. But after a fly ball to left, catcher Dan Lebsock would make a tremendous grab on a foul pop-up against the backstop for the second out, and Sean Spires would make a leaping grab on a line drive to second to end the Pirates' last rally.
Both teams would go quietly in the 9th, and the Royals would move on to the next round of the playoffs.
Congrats to the Pirates on a great season - they handed the Royals one of their worst losses of the season two months ago, and are one of the most professional teams in the league.
Congrats also go out to Chris Powell, who threw his first shutout as a Royal in the biggest pitching game of his Royal career, and in front of several members of his family (including his mom) in town from Oregon! Way to go, Mr. Go!
Pitching
Chris Powell - W, CG, SHO, 9IP, 0R, 3H, BB, 7K
Batting
Sean Spires - 3-5, 2R, SB
Mike Miller - 3-4, RBI
Chris Powell - 2-4, R, RBI
Jay Wasserman - 2-4, RBI
Greg Falk - 2-4, R
Chris Blum - 2-4, 2B
Daniel Lebsock - 2-4
Jason Bolding - 0-4
Chris Middleton - 0-4
Ryan Elliott - 0-5
Dennis King III - 0-0
Defense
0 Royals errors!
Royals Clinch 7-Seed with 17-8 Win Over Bums
The Royals controlled their own destiny heading into Sunday, and had a great day at the plate while clinching their first spring playoff berth in 2 years. Every Royal in the starting lineup had a hit and scored a run, and all but one had an rbi in the victory.
Dominic Archey would walk and swipe second to lead off the game. He'd move to third on a fly out to right, and score on a Mike Miller single to give the Royals an early 1-0 lead.
Dennis King III would take the hill for the second straight week and work a quiet first two innings before the Bums would get on the board. A 4-run 3rd by the home team would wake up the Royals offense and open the floodgates though.
Leading off the 3rd, Mike Miller would blast a triple to right center, and score a few pitches later on a Jay Wasserman ground out. Dan Lebsock, Chris Blum, Robert Padilla and Chris Middleton would each single, and Chris Powell would take an rbi-hit by pitch (more on this later.) Dominic Archey and Sean Spires would each single home a run, and the Royals would have a 6-4 lead.
The Bums would put up a run in the bottom of the 4th, but the Royals would answer again. Mike Miller, Jay Wasserman and Dan Lebsock would start the inning off with back-to-back-to-back singles (one run scoring), and Chris Blum would double home a pair. One out later, Chris Middleton and Chris Powell would each single, and Dominic Archey would hit an inside-the-park 3-run home run to left center, narrowly beating the throw in a close play at the plate (one of the few close plays that have gone the Royals' way this season.) Sean Spires would walk and steal his 17th bag of the season. Ryan Elliott would single him home, and Mike Miller would single for his 4th hit of the day before the inning would end. All said, the Royals would lead 14-5 after 5 in the books.
King would work a quiet 5th and 6th, and the Royals would bring in Jay Wasserman to close the door. He would allow 3 runs (2 earned) over the final 3 frames for the save.
Meanwhile, in the top of the 8th, Ryan Elliott would reach on a fielder's choice and move to second on an error. Pinch runner Sean Spires would move to 3rd on a wild pitch, and Mike Miller would cash him in with a sac fly. In the top of the 9th, Chris Blum would mash his second double of the day, scoring 4 pitches later on a Robert Padilla single. Chris Middleton and Chris Powell would each single to load the bases, and Dennis King III would sac bunt for another run, giving the Royals a 17-8 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th.
Leading off the bottom of the 9th, the Bums 9-hitter would rip a two hopper down the third base line. Ryan Elliott would make a great diving stop, hop up and throw a one-hopper to first base for the best defensive play of the day. A 2-out double was all the offense the Bums had left in them, and the Royals would end their regular season with a 3-game winning streak.
Congrats to the Bums, who played the Royals hard both games this season, while also playing short-staffed both games.
And finally, congrats go out to a few Royals who set some strange team records today. Chris Powell moved past ex-Royal catcher Ben Fiandaca for the all-time lead in hit by pitches, getting hit for the 21st time in just 50 games. And Mike Miller's 8th inning sac fly made him the all-time sacrifice leader with 13, breaking a tie with another ex-Royal catcher - his brother Jeff.
Pitching
Dennis King III - W, 6IP, 5ER, 9H, 6K, 4BB, HBP
Jay Wasserman - S, 3IP, 2ER, 6H, K
Batting
Mike Miller - 4-4, 3B, 2R, 2RBI, SACF
Chris Blum - 4-5, 2-2B, 3R, 2RBI
Chris Middleton - 3-5, 2R
Dominic Archey - 2-5, HR, 2R, 4RBI, BB, SB
Sean Spires - 2-4, R, RBI, SB
Dan Lebsock - 2-5, 2R, RBI
Robert Padilla - 2-5, 2R, 2RBI
Chris Powell - 2-4, R, 2RBI, HBP
Ryan Elliott - 1-5, R, RBI
Jay Wasserman - 1-5, R, RBI
Dennis King III - 0-0, RBI, HBP, SACB
Royals Eliminate Warriors 11-9, Magic Number Now One
Dennis King III knew the team needed a strong outing, and he responded with his best stuff of the season, holding the Warriors to 4 earned runs over 6.2 innings. But when the Warrior offense finally caught it's breath and made things interesting, one swing of the bat from the most unlikely source powered the Royals to the brink of a playoff berth.
King worked a perfect top of the first, and the Royals would open things up in the usual fashion in the bottom of the inning. Greg Falk would lead off with a walk and swipe second, and Sean Spires would triple him home. Brett Kahanowitch would triple home Spires, and Mike Miller would walk and swipe second. After a Jay Wasserman walk would load the bases, back-to-back rbi-groundouts by Dan Lebsock and Dominic Archey would give the Royals a 4-0 lead.
After a quiet 2nd from both teams, the Warriors would plate a pair of unearned runs in the 3rd on 2 walks, a hit and an error. The Royals would get 2 hits in their half of the inning, but would have both men picked off.
In the bottom of the 4th, the Royals would strike again. Lebsock would single and move to second after Archey walked. Ryan Elliott and Jason Bolding would both follow with rbi singles and the Royals would take a 6-2 lead.
In the bottom of the 5th, the boys in baby blue would tack on a few more runs. Chris Middleton would lead off with a double. Greg Falk would single him to third, and swipe second. Sean Spires would lace a single to plate 1, and Brett Kahanowitch would walk to load the bases. With 1-out, Jay Wasserman would lift a ball over the drawn-in infield, but incredibly, the home plate umpire would call it an infield fly (the ball landed without anyone catching it, and the runner on third would tag and score without a throw - shortest sac fly ever!) In the melee chasing the ball, a bad throw would allow Spires to score as well, and the Royals had a seemingly safe 9-2 lead.
But the Warriors would come back with 2 in the 6th and 4 in the 7th to chase King from the game. Greg Falk would come in and stop the bleeding (actually, Dominic Archey's diving catch in center would stop the bleeding), but the score would be 9-8 heading into the 8th inning.
Falk would work an 11-pitch top of the 8th, and the Royals would look to add some insurance runs to their 1-run lead. After a leadoff strikeout, the Royals' top hitter Brett Kahanowitch would step to the plate and walk on 4 pitches. Mike Miller would follow and get the biggest hit of his career. On an 0-2 count, he would launch a 320-foot home run into the netting in left field to give the Royals a 3-run cushion heading into the 9th.
Falk would walk the first batter in the bottom of the 9th, and an error would bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out. The next hitter would lift a fly ball to center, but the muddy conditions would leave center fielder Dominic Archey sliding in the outfield after the catch. He'd shovel the ball to Jay Wasserman, who would hit cut-off man Sean Spires in shallow right. Spires would throw a strike to third baseman Ryan Elliott to nail the second runner trying to advance and register one of the strangest double plays ever (one run would score.) Falk would get the final batter to pop out, and the Royals would escape with a too-close-for-comfort victory.
Congrats to the Warriors - in 2 games this season, both scores were within 1 run in the 7th inning or later. It's turning into one of the best rivalries in the league.
And finally, congrats go out to Mike Miller. In 14 years in the league (on top of many years of little league and pony ball), this was his first career home run! In PCBL stats alone, it took over 1500 plate apperances to reach this milestone - let's hope it doesn't take another 1500 for the next one!
Pitching
Dennis King III - W, 6.2IP, 4ER, 7H, 3K, 6BB, HBP
Greg Falk - S, 2.1IP, 0ER, 0H, BB
Batting
Sean Spires - 3-4, 3B, 2R, 2RBI, SB
Brett Kahanowitch - 3-3, 2B, 3B, 2R, RBI, BB
Ryan Elliott - 2-3, RBI
Mike Miller - 1-3, HR, 2R, 2RBI, BB, SB
Greg Falk - 1-3, 2SB
Daniel Lebsock - 1-4, R, RBI, SB
Jason Bolding - 1-3, RBI
Chris Middleton - 1-3, 2B, R
Robert Padilla - 1-2, BB
Jay Wasserman - 0-2, RBI BB, SACF
Dominic Archey - 0-2, R, RBI, BB
Royals Roll Over Grenade Launchers, 14-2
With 3 games to go and after a morning loss by the Dodos, the Royals controlled their own destiny for a playoff berth. But with a few key contributors out, they were looking for someone to step up and lead the way. While the offense did it's job (every Royal scored at least one run), veteran Mike Miller put the team on his shoulders and threw 6 innings of 2-run ball to secure the victory, leaving the Royals with a magic number of 2.
The last time these two squads met, it took a walk-off hit by Chris Powell to lead the Royals to victory. Without him, the offense would need a team effort. Sean Spires would lead off the 1st with a single. All-star Dan "Ted Moseby" Lebsock would single, and Brett Kahanowitch would bring home Spires with a double, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead.
All-star Mike Miller would take the mound and work a quiet first, bringing the Royals back to the plate. All-star Dominic Archey would get hit by a pitch and move to second on a Jay Wasserman single. Archey and Wasserman would execute a double steal, and Chris "Crispy Bacon" Blum would walk to load the bases. Jason Bolding would hit a sac fly to left to plate one, and after Sean Spires walked, Dan Lebsock would crush a 3-run double to give the Royals a 5-0 lead.
Miller would get into a little trouble in the second after a hit batsman and a squib single, but Ryan Elliott would bail him out with a leaping grab at third, turning a 5-3 double play with runners on the corners. That would inspire the Royals offense.
Wasserman would lead off with a double, and after an Archey walk, Elliott and Blum would each single home one. Bolding would double home another, and after a Sean Spires walk to load the bases, Lebsock would hit a sac fly to plate the 4th run of the inning. Kahanowitch would triple home a pair, and Miller would single home another, giving the Royals a 12-0 lead after 2.5 innings.
Miller would strike out a pair in the 3rd, and work another quiet inning in the 4th, giving the Royals time to regroup. Leading off the 5th, Spires would single, and Lebsock would reach on a fielder's choice. Miller would walk, and 2 runs would score on a series of wild pitches.
Miller would strike out another pair in the 5th, and after a quiet top of the 6th by the Royals, the Grenade Launchers would finally put up some offense. With 2-outs and a man on first, a double to right center and a single would plate one and put runners on the corners. An errant throw would plate another before the inning would end, and the boys in baby blue would lead 14-2 after 6.
The Royals would elect to keep playing through the mercy and would continue the scoring. Dennis King III would walk and score after back-to-back hits by Spires and Lebsock. After a Kahanowitch walk, Miller would hit a sac fly to deep center to plate another, and the Royals would have a 16-2 lead.
Jay Wasserman would take over on the mound for the Royals, capping Miller's day at 84 pitches. After a hit batsman on his first pitch (he didn't even get to hit the bullpen), he would induce a double play ground ball on his 3rd pitch. The runner would slide hard into 2nd, spiking the shortstop several feet behind the bag. A little pushing would ensue along with a half-punch thrown by the baserunner, and the field umpire would warn the runner. As play was starting to resume, another GL player would come out of the dugout, yelling and threatening players on the field. The game was called by the plate umpire at the request of the Royals, as there's no need to be fighting during Sunday baseball, especially in a game that was so lopsided. The GL would post the score as a 1-0 win for their team, but that decision would be ignored by the league, and the score was rolled back to the last completed inning. Keep it classy, Grenade Launchers!
A special congrats goes out to Mike Miller, who knocked in his 200th career rbi in the 6th inning - a tribute to his longevity in the league. This was also his 10th career victory on the mound, showing that he's definitely better with the bat than on the bump!
Pitching
Mike Miller, 6IP, 0ER, 4K, 6H, BB, HBP
Jay Wasserman - .2IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, HBP
Batting
Sean Spires - 3-3, 4R, 2BB
Dan Lebsock - 3-4, 2B, R, 5RBI, SACF
Brett Kahanowitch - 2-4, 2B, 3B, R, 3RBI, BB
Jay Wasserman - 2-4, 2B, R, HBP, SB(!!!)
Ryan Elliott - 2-4, 2R, RBI
Mike Miller - 1-3, R, 2RBI, BB, SACF
Chris Blum - 1-3, 2R, RBI, BB
Jason Bolding - 1-2, 2B, R, 2RBI, BB, SACF
Dominic Archey - 0-2, 2R, BB, HBP, SB
Dennis King III - 0-1, R, BB
The Royals are excited to announce their 2014 All Star selections: Chris Powell (as a batter, leads team with 22 hits, 18 runs, 9
hit by pitches and 2 walk-off hits, second with .478 avg and 9 walks; as a pitcher, leads the team with 10 appearances, 4 wins and 31 strikeouts), Daniel Lebsock (leads team with 22 hits, 5th with .407 avg, leads universe with 14 runners caught stealing from behind the plate), Mike Miller (leads team with 7 extra base hits, 2nd with 16 rbis, 3rd with 21 hits and 14 runs, 6th with .382 avg) and alternate Dominic Archey (leads team with 1 home run and 11 walks, 2nd with 16 runs, 3rd with .444 avg, 4th with 11 rbis, 5th with 16 hits.)
***
The Royals showed their skills in the 2014 All Star Game, leading their team to a 17-13 victory. Daniel Lebsock went 2 for 4 with 1 run and 1 rbi, swiping home while the defense was asleep to tie up the game in the middle innings. Mike Miller went 2 for 4 with a double, 2 runs scored and 2 rbis, making a web-gem catch over his shoulder running into right field to end the game. But Dominic Archey had the biggest day of all, going 3 for 4 with 2 runs, 2 rbis, a walk, 2 singles and a MAMMOTH 380-foot home run off the scoreboard in right-center. Even former Royals Michael Nayhouse and Daniel Sloan got into the act, combining to go 5 for 8 with a home run. Great job guys!
Royals and Team Easton Ignore Defense, Score Often
The Royals knew that Team Easton would be a tough game, but I don't think anyone expected what happened. The two teams combined for 33 runs on 30 hits and 5 errors. The teams would tie up the score 3 times before Team Easton would escape by throwing out the tying run at home on a controversial call in the last inning to end the game.
Sean Spires would lead off the game with a walk and a steal of second (go figure.) Brett Kahanowitch would get hit by a pitch, and Mike Miller would loop a single into right to load the bases. Jay "Mr. RBI" Wasserman would come through with a sac fly to center to give the Royals an early 1-0 lead.
Mathew Gonzalez would take the hill for the Royals, but barely make it out of the 1st. He would give up 8 runs, with the last 3 coming on a towering home run. In the second, another run would score and chase Gonzalez from the game, and Wasserman would take over and end the rally, but Team Easton would lead 9-1.
The Royals have a potent offense as well, and it showed in the top of the 3rd. Jason Bolding would lead off with a line drive single. Spires would follow with a single, but after 2 quick outs, it looked like the rally was over. Mike Miller would line a ball into shallow left, just in front of a diving fielder to plate 1. Wasserman would double home another, and Dan Lebsock would single home a pair. Dominic Archey would double, and Chris Blum would single home another pair. Taylor Kahanowitch would double for his first hit as a Royal, and after Chris Powell would get hit by a pitch to load the bases, Jason Bolding would double home a pair for his second hit of the inning, tying the game at 9 each.
Wasserman would work a quiet bottom of the 3rd, and the Royals would continue in the 4th. Ryan Elliott would lead off with a walk, and designated runner Greg Falk would swipe second. After a Brett Kahanowitch walk, Mike Miller would ground the ball to second, but a bad throw would plate one. Wasserman would hit his second sac fly of the day to plate another, and the Royals would lead 11-9.
Move to the bottom of the 5th, and a 2-run home run off Wasserman would tie things back up again. Mike Miller would walk and move to second on a fielder's choice. Dan Lebsock would double him home, giving the Royals a 12-11 lead.
Team Easton would get to Wasserman and plate 2 more, and the Royals would bring in flame thrower Taylor Kahanowitch. He would be a bit wild (4 walks and 2 wild pitches) and Easton would retake the lead 14-12.
In the top of the 7th, the Royals would respond yet again. Chris Blum would walk and Taylor Kahanowitch would double. Chris Powell would ground out to first to plate 1, and with 2 outs, Sean Spires would double home another to tie things up at 14-all.
Easton would plate 3 more in the bottom of the 7th on 2 errors, a walk and a double. Chris Powell would come in to limit the damage, but with time about to run out, the Royals would trail 17-14.
Brett Kahanowitch and Mike Miller would lead off the 8th with back-to-back singles, and one out later, Dan Lebsock would single to load the bases. Dominic Archey would walk, bringing home one. Chris Blum would follow with a ground ball to short. A bad throw to first allowed one run to score, with Lebsock rounding third and trying to tie the game. A high throw to the plate with a swipe tag by the catcher, matched with a great hook slide by Lebsock would follow. Unfortunately, the umpire felt the catcher made the play (both the catcher and Lebsock did everything right), and Team Easton would escape with a 17-16 victory.
Congrats to Team Easton - it's unfortunate that the game couldn't have ended cleanly, as this was the 3rd time this season the frustrated Royals have lost on a controversial umpire call in the last inning. At the end of the day, Team Easton definitely proved why they're the top team in the division this season. If the season ended today, the first round of the playoffs would be a rematch between these two squads - and likely a game for the ages!
Finally, congrats go out to Chris Powell. After getting hit by two pitches this week, Chris tied former Royal great Ben Fiandaca for most hit by pitches in a career with 20. The fun part is that while it took Fiandaca 140 games to get there, Powell reached the feat in just 49 games! Go put some ice on those!
Pitching
Mathew Gonzalez - IP, 8ER, 7H, 2BB, HBP
Jay Wasserman - 4IP, 4ER, 6H, 3K
Taylor Kahanowitch - IP, ER, 0H, K, 5BB
Chris Powell - IP, 0ER, H
Batting
Mike Miller - 3-4, 2R, RBI, BB
Dan Lebsock - 3-5, 2B, R, 3RBI
Sean Spires - 2-3, 2B, 2R, RBI, 2BB, SB
Taylor Kahanowitch - 2-3, 2 2B, 2R, HBP
Dominic Archey - 2-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB
Jason Bolding - 2-4, 2B, R
Brett Kahanowitch - 1-3, 2R, BB, HBP
Jay Wasserman - 1-3, 2B, R, 3RBI, 2SACF
Chris Blum - 1-4, 2R, 3RBI, BB
Chris Powell - 0-2, RBI, 2HBP
Ryan Elliott - 0-4, R, BB
Greg Falk - 0-0, R, SB
Royals Lose Close One to Wailers, 7-4
The Royals fell behind early, but fought back to tie things up before the Wailers would score late to grab a tough win against the struggling Royals.
Mathew Gonzalez would make his second start of the season, but he would battle his control all game. 4 walks and a single would plate 1 run, with a double play limiting the damage.
The Royals would answer right back in their half of the first. Greg Falk would lead off and single, eventually running for Ryan Elliott after he grounded into a fielder's choice. Falk would swipe second and score on a Chris Powell single to tie the game at 1.
Both teams would threaten but not score in the second, but the Wailers would keep the pressure on in the 3rd. 2 hits and 3 walks would plate a pair of runs, with another double play limiting the damage.
Dennis King III would take over in the 4th, but arm soreness would limit him to 1 inning. The Wailers would score one off him, and take a 4-1 lead into the top of the 5th.
Mike Miller would enter the game and shut down the Wailers offense in the 5th, turning the momentum the way of the Royals. The bottom of the 5th would start with a Falk single, an Elliott walk and a Powell single, loading the bases for their leading RBI men - Miller and Wasserman. Each of them would ground out but get the job done knocking in a run each. Daniel Lebsock would single home another, and the score would be all tied up after 5.
The Wailers would respond in the top of the 6th. 2 singles, a walk and another single would load the bases and give the Wailers the lead. But Miller would settle down, striking out the side, but not before a wild pitch would find its way THROUGH the Cleveland High School backstop to plate another run. After 6, the Wailers would lead 6-4.
Jay Wasserman would take the hill for the Royals in the 7th and allow an unearned run - only the second error on defense by either team all day. Chris Powell would hold the Wailers scoreless over the final 2 frames, but the Royal bats would run out of steam, and the Wailers would hold on for a 7-4 win.
Great game by the Wailers - there's a reason why they're one of the top teams in the league. Good luck the rest of the way!
And congratulations to Dan Lebsock, as he continues to dominate opposing runners from behind the plate. In the second inning, he threw out his 14th runner of the season - with former Royal all-star catcher Jeff Miller in the stands to watch. While we haven't kept this stat over the years, this has to be a single-season record (though Jeff may debate that claim)! Either way, way to go Dan! And congratulations to Mike Miller - when he struck out the side in the 6th inning, that was the first time he's accomplished that feat in over 263 innings pitched in the PCBL! Who says pitchers get worse with age...
Pitching
Mathew Gonzalez - 3IP, 3ER, 4H, K, 9BB
Dennis King III - IP, ER, H, K, BB
Mike Miller - L, 2IP, 2ER, 4H, 4K, 2BB
Jay Wasserman - IP, 0ER, H
Chris Powell - 2IP, 2H, K
Batting
Greg Falk - 2-4, R, BB, SB
Chris Powell - 2-4, R, RBI
Daniel Lebsock - 2-4, RBI
Ryan Elliott - 1-4, 2R, BB
Mike Miller - 1-3, RBI, BB
Jay Wasserman - 1-4, RBI
Jason Bolding - 1-4
Chris Blum - 0-3, BB
Robert Padilla - 0-4
Dennis King III - 0-1
Mathew Gonzalez - 0-0
Chris Miller - 0-0
Royals Give Away Game to Regulators, 11-10
The Royals took a 10-7 lead into the bottom of the 9th, but solid Regulator hitting paired with a poor rule interpretation by the umpiring crew led to a bad ending for the boys in baby blue.
The Royals would get out to an early lead as usual. With 2 outs in the first, Brett Kahanowitch would single and swipe second, taking 3rd on a bad throw. Mike Miller would line a full-count fastball into left center for an rbi single and a 1-0 lead.
Chris Powell would take the hill for the Royals, but 2 errors in the first would cost an unearned run and tie up the score.
In the second, Dominic Archey would single and score from first on a Jason Bolding double to retake the lead. But the Regulators would answer right back to tie things up at 2.
The Royals would load the bases with no outs in the third with their 3-4-5 hitters coming up, but come away empty-handed.
With 2 outs in the fourth, Dominic Archey would single again, and score a few pitches later on another Jason Bolding double. But the Regulators would plate 3 in the bottom half of the inning to take their first lead of the day, 5-3.
The Royals would score again in the 5th, on back-to-back-to-back singles by Sean Spires, Chris Powell and Brett Kahanowitch, cutting the lead to 5-4.
In the 6th, the Royals bats would go off. With 1 out, Dan Lebsock would single and take second on an error. Dominic Archey would single him home, and after Jason Bolding reached on an error, Robert Padilla would double home one. Chris Middleton would reach on an rbi-fielder's choice, and Sean Spires would single home one. Chris Powell and Brett Kahanowitch would each single home another, and the Royals would take a 10-5 lead.
The Regulators would plate 2 in the bottom of the 6th (damage limited thanks to a great relay throw by Sean Spires to nail another runner at the plate), and work a quiet top of the 7th to come back on offense. But Chris Powell would quiet their bats in his last inning of work, striking out the side, giving himself 10 strikeouts on the day.
Jay Wasserman would work a 1-2-3 8th, and heading into the bottom of the 9th, the Royals would lead 10-7.
Wasserman would get a quick pop up for the first out of the inning, but a double and back-to-back singles would plate 1. The next hitter would single, and there would be a play at the plate. The throw from right fielder Chris Blum would beat the runner, who would crash directly into catcher Dan Lebsock standing in front of the plate with the ball. The umpire called the runner safe, and would elect not to eject him and call him out for colliding with the catcher since he didn't "lower his shoulder or act with malice" (so much for this being a safety-first league.) With the tying run on third and the winning run on second, the Royals turned to newly-returned closer Brett Kahanowitch. But his control is still returning as well, and 3 walks later, the Regulators would walk off with a controversial win.
It's too bad that a collision at home plate and an umpire unwilling to protect the safety of the players in the game overshadowed a great game between two really good ball clubs. Congrats to the Regulators for playing a full 9 and earning the victory - bad call or not, the Royals let this one slip through their fingers.
Pitching
Chris Powell - 7IP, 4ER, 9H, 10K, 3BB, 2HBP
Jay Wasserman - 1.1IP, 4ER, 4H, K
Brett Kahanowitch - BS, 0IP, 0ER, 3BB
Batting
Chris Powell - 4-5, 2B, RBI
Dominic Archey - 3-4, 3R, RBI
Brett Kahanowitch - 3-5, R, 2RBI, SB
Sean Spires - 3-5, 2R, RBI
Jason Bolding - 2-4, 2-2B, R, 2RBI
Robert Padilla - 1-4, 2B, R, RBI
Chris MIddleton - 1-3, R, RBI
Mike Miller - 1-4, RBI
Daniel Lebsock - 1-4, R
Jay Wasserman - 1-4
Chris Blum - 1-4
Dennis King III - 0-1
