Warriors Top SSE in Pitchers' Duel

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #20.

The Warriors topped the Southside Express 4-2 in a pitchers' duel at Schussler South on Wednesday night. The game moved along quickly and was completed in less than 90 minutes.
Tim Prendergast was the Warriors' starting pitcher in this one. Tim pitched five scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out seven hitters. His earned run average (ERA) has fallen to an impressive 2.43 for the season. Even more impressive, his walks & hits per innings pitched (WHIP) dropped to 1.20--the best in Warriors' history.

The game remained scoreless until the Warriors' pushed a run across in the bottom of the third inning. Ryan Tannebaum reached base on a bunt and later scored when C.J. Brucki lined a single into centerfield.

The Warriors threatened to extend the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ryan Novak and Sam Marc reached base on singles. With runners on first and third base and one out, Tyler Knight smashed a line drive down the leftfield line--but the leftfielder for Southside Express, Matt Dahlgren, made a nice running catch and fired the ball into second base to complete the inning ending double play! The Warriors held its one run lead as the game moved into the sixth inning of play.

The Warriors brought Ryan Novak into the game to relieve Tim Prendergast. Tim's pitch count was approaching 90 after five innings--and another inning would have placed him above an appropriate level for safety in this game. Ryan quickly retired the Southside Express in the sixth inning.

Fortunately, the Warriors added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The big hit was Tim Prendergast's towering double to deep leftfield to score two runs after two were out.

Ryan Novak quickly retired the first two Southside Express hitters in the seventh inning. But, three hits and two walks later--and the Southside Express had the bases loaded and the tying run at second base!

The Warriors went to its save leader, Jason Waner, to close the game. Jason caught Danny Bedell looking at a third strike to record his second save of the season.

SOUTHSIDE EXPRESS: 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 errors, 8 left on base
WARRIORS: 4 runs, 6 hits, 0 errors, 4 left on base

The Bigger Picture...

One of the things that makes this Warriors team so much fun to coach is its team chemistry--from all the players to the coaches and the parents. Once again, this group of players rose to the occasion--and prevailed over a bigger and stronger team.

We've seen this time and time again. The beauty of baseball is that often times smart play is rewarded over strength. This can be very frustrating for our opponents--as we've seen twice in the past week or so. I never tire of watching this play out!

After last night's game, the Oak Lawn Westside coaches stepped in to stop some of their players as they were yelling about how they should never have lost to a team like our's--as they were towering over our players during the post game handshakes. Just a week earlier, the Cicero Knights were stunned by our Warriors--not understanding how a much smaller team handed them its first loss in over two years of Metro play--and by a very large margin.

Most importantly, we should all be proud of our team's sportsmanship. As opponents become frustrated during and after some games, our team has never allowed the actions of our opponents to affect how we behave on or off the field. All of our players have maintained a very high level of sportsmanship.

In an earlier post, I expressed disappointment at the number of absences for one of our Oak Lawn tournament games. Believe it or not, we have many readers of this team blog--and I started getting some "Comments" (blog replies) from other coaches who monitor this site. Some took delight in the "issues" that our team experienced that day--indicating that we are now experiencing the same insurmountable problems that come with the territory when dealing with players of this age group. They sense a crack in our armor.

People from outside this team have no idea how strong the group is. We experienced one day in which a "perfect storm" of scheduling conflicts caused our team's active roster to drop to nine players. I was made aware of most of these scheduling conflicts weeks or months before the game! Even for that one game, we would have been 11 strong if the rain hadn't delayed the game by over two hours.

Our team has had over 70 practices, 20 scrimmages and 55 games over the past two seasons. For nearly every one of these events, every single player has participated. Even on the most miserable winter nights, every player made it to Junior Diggins to work on his game. I am very appreciative of the commitment level of our players and families.

I must admit I was disappointed with the decisions of a few last Saturday. But, I've expressed my feelings in private conversations--and it's time to move on. If our team's issues are placed in proper persective, there's never been a team, and probably never will be a team again, that's as strong as this one. Let's create a few more lasting memories before we conclude the "Season of 2010".

Oh So Close...

The Warriors needed two things to happen tonight to advance out of pool play in the Oak Lawn Westside tournament.

First, the Warriors needed to beat the undefeated Oak Lawn Westside Warriors. Second, the Warriors needed to allow less than six runs in the game.

Despite winning the game, the Warriors allowed the sixth run on a two out triple in the bottom of the fifth inning. That sixth run gave our team a total of 28 runs allowed--which was tied with another of the tournament teams for the least number of runs allowed throughout the tournament. So, the next tie breaker scenario came into play.

The next tie breaker went to run differential. In that statistic, our team fell 8 runs short of another tournament team.

If the Warriors had given up just one less run over the past three games--the team would be playing on Tuesday and still alive for the tournament championship!

Warriors Stun Host Oak Lawn Westside!

CLICK HERE for updated team and individual statistics through Game #19

For the second consecutive season, the Warriors stunned the host Oak Lawn Westside team in tournament play. The Oak Lawn team ended up winning its tournament in 2009 and was undefeated in this year's tournament until tonight. This Westside team performed well in several tournaments last season--including a very competitive one at the Wisconsin Dells.

The Warriors knocked Westside's starting pitcher out of the game after scoring four runs with just one out in the first inning! Robbie Maxfield led off the game with a swinging bunt single followed by an error by Westside's shortstop. Paco Lauciello hammered a double to deep centerfield to score Robbie. Lance Cardinal and C.J. Brucki were both hit by pitch before Jason Waner lined a two run single into leftfield. The score was 4-0 after one inning of play.

Tyler Knight retired Westside quickly in the first inning--striking out two hitters. But, Westside scored four times in the second inning to tie the game at four runs a piece.

The Warriors did not get another baserunner until the fourth inning when Tim Prendergast smashed a ball right back at the pitcher which deflected off his leg between short and third for a single. Tim was left stranded. Westside scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-4 lead into the fifth inning.

Westside scored again in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two out triple to take a 6-4 lead in the game. Unfortunately, that sixth run was the one that eliminated the Warriors from this tournament as the runs allowed tie breaker was set at 28 for the series--which is exactly how many runs the team allowed in its three games of play.

The Warriors stormed back in the top of the sixth inning with three runs to take a 7-6 lead. The big play was Jack Lebert's delayed steal of home. Westside detected the steal play and initiated a rundown on Jack...but then tossed the ball away which allowed both the tying and lead runs to score!

Jason Waner retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Warriors scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning when Ryan Novak walked and later scored.

Westside's lead off hitter reached base as the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning on an infield error. After Jason struck out the next hitter for the first out, the next batter hit a ground ball to Sam Marc who turned the double play to end the ballgame.

WARRIORS: 8 runs, 8 hits, 1 error, 6 left on base
WESTSIDE: 6 runs, 5 hits, 1 error, 3 left on base

Undermanned Warriors Lose Two

CLICK HERE for updated team and players statistics through Game #18

For the first time in four years of Warriors' baseball, the team narrowly avoided a forfeit. The Warriors lost both games of the tournament doubleheader--in large part due to absent players. In fact, the top four offensive players (according to our statistical leaderboard) missed one or both games of the doubleheader.

I'm proud of the nine players who battled in that second game--nearly upsetting a 3-0 Elmhurst team despite being short-handed.

The Southside Hitmen had too much fire power for the Warriors in the first game. The Hitmen scored 11 runs on 11 hits, while the Warriors were held to just two hits in the game (by Robbie Maxfield and Jack Lebert). Robbie was particularly impressive as a lead off hitter--reaching base twice and putting the ball in play each time against a tough pitcher who struck out 12 hitters in this outing.

Ryan Novak battled as the Warriors' starting pitcher for six innings against the hard hitting Hitmen in very hot, humid conditions. When the Hitmen broke the game open with four unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning after a two out infield error, I went out to the mound to make a pitching change. Ryan convinced me to let him finish the inning--and got the hitter to tap a grounder back to the mound to end the inning. It's players like Ryan (and we have several), and the toughness he demonstrates under the most difficult conditions, that motivate me to continue coaching youth baseball.

It's also players like Ryan Knightly who give me confidence that what I'm doing still makes some sense. Despite being unable to play baseball due to a broken bone, he continues to call whenever he is unable to attend a team event! He felt bad that he was out of town and unable to be at the games to support the team today.

Once the first game ended, the Warriors were faced with an exodus as players scattered to participate in other events. However, C.J. Brucki rejoined the team and the Warriors called up its new alternate, Roberto Gonzalez, to bring the roster to nine--the minimum number to play the game.

As it turned out, the Warriors were fully capable of beating the Elmhurst Wildcats--even with the reduced roster. Some timely hits early by the Wildcats, a lack of timely hitting by the Warriors and some questionnable calls by the umpires led to a late inning rally by the Wildcats. With just a little deeper roster, this game was very winnable.

Tim Prendergast threw four good innings for the Warriors. He allowed five runs--four of which scored after two out singles by the Wildcats. Allowing five runs was reasonable given the small strikezone--and it was good enough to have the Warriors in a tie game going into the fifth inning of play.

The Warriors continued to threaten in this one--but rarely produced a timely hit. Twice the team failed to score despite getting a runner to third base with less than two outs. The Warriors managed just six hits in this game--and just eight hits throughout the entire doubleheader.

Another promising sign was Tyler Knight's performance. Tyler reached base three times in the second game--including a double to deep rightfield. He also pitched a scoreless seventh inning--and had some real pop on his fastball. The Warriors will be taking a closer look at Tyler's pitching during tomorrow morning's game.

Commitment to Tournaments

Over the past few days, it seems that nearly everyday I'm opening an email with news about another scheduling conflict in which one of our players will be unable to participate in a tournament game. Although most of these scheduling conflicts are unavoidable, a few are disappointing particularly given that our tournament schedule was posted last February.

Due to our team's strong track record of participation, we went into this season with a smaller roster--with the intention of giving players more playing time (as discussed in detail during the preseason parent meeting).

Currently, the team could be missing at least five players for one of the tournament games in Oak Lawn. I've been informed of more conflicts if the game had been scheduled for later in the afternoon. For the following tournament (Lombard)--there is another game in which we will be missing at least four players. It's discouraging to prepare all season for tournament play--and then not enter the competition with the full force of our roster. As we learned in Palos, it takes just one loss to face elimination from a tournament.

I realize that some of these scheduling conflicts are unavoidable. However, I wanted to bring the situation to everyone's attention so that we are not put in a position where the Warriors must forfeit a game.

Warriors Win Big Over Knights

CLICK HERE for team and individual statistics through Game #16.

The Warriors handed the Cicero Knights its first loss in Chicagoland Metro play in over two years with an 18-4 victory in seven innings at Centennial #4 on Father's Day. The Knights were undefeated in Metro League play in 2009. Prior to this game, the Knights had not yet lost in 2010 and are the Memorial Weekend tournament champions.

Ryan Novak was the Warriors' starting pitcher. He pitched three impressive innings--holding the hard hitting Knights to just one run. Ryan pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the third inning after the Knights loaded the bases with no outs. Cicero scored just one run before Novak struck out the final three hitters of the inning!

The Warriors came out hitting in this one. C.J. Brucki led off the game with a triple to deep centerfield. He leads the team with 4 triples on the season. Paco Lauciello drove C.J. home with a base hit to centerfield. Lance Cardinal brought Paco home with a line single to leftfield. Ryan Novak singled sharply to leftfield to score Lance. Ryan Novak had three hits in this game to improve his batting average to .500 and his on-base percentage to .617--he now ranks third on the squad in both of these categories.

The Warriors extended its lead to 7-0 in the second inning. Jim Robley lined a two-strike curve ball into centerfield for a base hit and later scored when C.J. Brucki grounded to second base. Jason Waner placed a perfectly executed bunt down the third base line for a hit and scored on Paco Lauciello's double to deep rightfield. Paco had three runs batted in during the game and now leads the team with 26 RBI for the season. Jason scored three times in the game and leads the Warriors with 25 runs scored for the year.

The Warriors scored a run in the third inning and another run in the fourth inning--both times as a result of infield errors by the Knights. The Warriors scored four runs in the fifth inning after Jack Lebert doubled to leftfield to score Tim Prendergast and Ryan Novak. The Warriors led 13-1 after five inning of play.

Tim Prendergast was nearly unhittable in his three innings of work in middle relief. Tim did not allow a run while striking out 7 hitters and walking none. He leads the staff with an impressive 1.85 earned run average. And, his WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is an incredible 0.97--the lowest in Warriors' history. Currently, Grant Lewis holds the all-time Warriors record in this category with a 1.41 WHIP during the 2008 season.

The Warriors scored five more runs in the sixth inning. Tim Prendergast hit a towering double to the leftfield fence to score two runs in the inning.

The Knights scored three runs in the seventh inning to make the final score 18-4 in favor of the Warriors.

CICERO KNIGHTS: 4 runs, 6 hits, 7 errors, 9 left on base

WARRIORS: 18 runs, 14 hits, 0 errors, 6 left on base

Roberto Gonzalez Joins Team as Alternate

The Warriors have added Roberto Gonzalez to the team's roster as an alternate. He is expected to be activated for at least one game in the Oakj Lawn tournament. Roberto plays a variety of positions--and is strong at the corners (first and third base) as well as in the outfield. He will also help the team offensively.

Paco Lauciello: 2010 Home Run Champ

Paco Lauciello was named the OYA Pony League's 2010 Home Run Champion after winning the Home Run Derby earlier this evening at Centennial Field #6. This is quite an accomplishment given that there is only one winner annually in a league with over 120 players.

The Final Four included Paco Lauciello, Tim Prendergast, Tyler Dempsey and Mike Pitsoulakis. Each of the four remaining contestants hit ten pitches to determine which two players would advance to the championship round. A home run (hit over the fence) counted as 4 points and any ball reaching the fence counted as 2 points. Paco led the Final Four with 26 points in that round: 6 of his 10 hits were home runs and 1 other hit was driven to the fence!

Paco battled Mike Pitsoulakis in the championship round. Mike recorded 18 points in his ten swings. Paco needed just 8 swings to accumulate 22 points to win the championship. During these 8 swings, only 1 hit fell short of the fence.

Congratulations to all of the participants. This was the first Home Run Derby in OYA's history--and the event clearly has great potential for future years.

The Final Four ("Murderers Row")

Warriors Photos Now Available

The photos from our Warriors' photo session are now available for viewing and/or printing. CLICK HERE to view all of the photos. If you would like to order any prints, please read the following:

To order a print(s), click on the photograph of your choice to make your selection. Then, click on the "BUY" button located on the upper right portion of the screen. You will then be prompted to select a product. When selecting your print's aspect ratio (e.g., 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, etc.), please look for the ones included in the "Best Fit" category. By choosing the sizes within the Best Fit category, you can be assured that your print will best match what you see on the screen and that you won't have large segments of the print cutoff due to improper cropping. After you've made all of your print selections, you may proceed through the checkout process in a manner similar to any other internet store.

Please do not hesitate to call me with any questions that you have. I will be happy to walk you through the ordering process. I will also review each order prior to submitting it to my third party fulfillment company (MPix).

The pricing of these photos has been set as at a very reasonable level (for Warriors' families only): 4x6 (99 cents), 5x7 ($3), 8x10 ($4.25), 11x14 ($12), etc. Please keep in mind that photos look better when printed at the larger sizes.

MPix charges a flat rate for shipping & handling. If you order small prints, I believe the charge is $3.50 for up to 50 prints. If you order larger prints, the charge is $6.75---and that remains the same for up to 50 prints.

Some other merchandise is also available through the site such as cards, magazine covers, magnets, buttons, etc. Those items are fulfilled by another company.

Again, please do not hestitate to call me at 708-349-1467 (home) or 708-846-1466 (cell) with any questions or comments.

Schedule: Individual Photo Sessions

I will be shooting individual player photos (optional) on Tuesday, June 15th. Like last season, the photos will be taken from my garage. Here are the assigned time slots:

• Tim Prendergast (2:40 - 3:00 pm)
• Jack Lebert (3:00 - 3:20 pm)
• Ryan Novak (3:20 - 3:40 pm)
• Sam Marc (3:40 - 4:00 pm)
• Lance Cardinal (4:00 – 4:20 pm)
• Jim Robley (4:40 – 5:00 pm)
• Robbie Maxfield (5:00 – 5:20 pm)
• Paco Lauciello (5:20 - 5:40 pm)
• Ryan Tannebaum (5:40 - 6:00 pm)

More specific information has been distributed via email.

And the Rain Continues...

After the entire slate of Pony games was cancelled yesterday due to the rain, the Warriors experienced the same fate in Dunham Park on Sunday.

The Dunham game was delayed as work continued to get the field in playable condition. Just as the lines were being striped and the bases dropped into place, the rain fell again before a single pitch was thrown.

This was frustrating for all the Warriors as this was the farthest site that the team was scheduled to play at all season. And, it was more frustrating for the people who were working on the fields since late morning.

I'm working with the Dunham coach to see if we can reschedule the game. This time, the Dunham Travelers will most likely play the Warriors in Orland Park--on July 6th, July 8th or July 11th.

Nine Survive First Round of HR Derby

Unfortunately, yesterday’s Home Run Derby was postponed after the first round due to the rain. However, the following nine players made the first cut by accumulating at least ten points in the round:

1. Julian Gutierrez- Braves (20)
2. C.J. Brucki- Phillies (18)
3. Tyler Dempsey- Astros (16)
4. Paco Lauciello- Mariners (16)
5. Tim Prendergast- Diamondbacks (14)
6. A.J. Giron- Astros (12)
7. Matt Donnelly- Reds (10)
8. Matt Murphy- Phillies (10)
9. Mike Pitsoulakis- Twins (10)

All points will be reset for the next round—and reset again in the rounds subsequent to that.

The exciting conclusion to the Home Run Derby will take place on Thursday, June 17th @ 6:00 pm on Centennial #6.

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C.J. Brucki of the Phillies is the 2010 Pony Baserunning Champion after recording the fastest time of the sixteen contestants in a race around the bases. The runner-ups were Mike Pitsoulakis of the Twins and Jim Robley of the Royals (who were within 1/100th of a second of each other). Most players ran an inside-the-park homerun in just over 15 seconds.

Warriors Sweep Another Doubleheader

CLICK HERE to view team and player statistics through Game #15.

For the second straight weekend, the Warriors swept a doubleheader. This sweep improved the team's overall record to 9 wins against 6 losses.

The first game was one of the more unusual games in Warriors' history. Frankfort grabbed the early lead after scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning on two doubles to centerfield. Lance Cardinal struck out the final two hitters of the inning to hold the Eagles to just one run.

The Warriors tied the game in the second inning when Lance Cardinal doubled to deep centerfield and later scored on Ryan Novak's base hit to centerfield. Before this game was over, Lance hit a triple to rightfield and another double to rightfield before the Eagles intentionally walked him in the eighth inning! Lance is the only Warrior to be issued an intentional walk during the 2010 season.

The Warriors took the lead when Jim Robley grounded to the second baseman to score Jack Lebert in the top of the third inning. But, Frankfort immediately tied the game in the bottom of the frame after scoring two runs as a result of an infield error by the Warriors.

The Warriors scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Frankfort's defense broke down with four errors in the inning--and Lance Cardinal capitalized on the situation with a triple to deep rightfield.

Tim Prendergast held the Eagles scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings, but Frankfort tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on another infield error by the Warriors.

In an unusual turn of events, the Warriors failed to score after lining into a double play in the sixth inning, a triple play in the seventh inning and another double play in the top of the eighth inning!

In a pressure situation, Ryan Novak did not allow Frankfort to score in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. The Warriors pushed across the lead run in the top of the ninth inning when Ryan Knightly doubled and scored on Jim Robley's line drive single to centerfield.

The Eagles had one last chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two runners on base and two outs, a ball was hit high into the wind to Paco Lauciello in rightfield--and Paco made the running catch to end the ballgame.

WARRIORS: 6 runs, 14 hits, 3 errors, 8 left on base

FRANKFORT: 5 runs, 5 hits, 7 errors, 7 left on base

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The second game of the doubleheader was far less thrilling. The Warriors jumped out to an early lead after scoring three runs in the first inning. Jason Waner and Jack Lebert singled to start the game before Paco Lauciello hammered both runners home with a triple to deep rightfield.

Frankfort scored a run in the bottom of the first and two runs in the bottom of the second to tie the game. The Eagles recorded five hits in the first two innings of play.

But, the Warriors regained the lead after scoring four runs in the third inning. Paco Lauciello drove a double to rightfield to score Jack Lebert. Lance Cardinal singled Paco home. And, Tim Prendergast hit a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield to score Lance. The Warriors would never again trail in this one.

The Warriors extended its lead by scoring two runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth inning. Jack Lebert singled home a run and Sam Marc hit a ground ball to the second baseman to bring another run home. Sam had three RBI in this game and now ranks second on the team with 18 RBI for the season. In the meantime, Ryan Tannebaum threw three strong innings--holding the Eagles to just one run in this span. Jim Robley ended Frankfort's hopes by retiring the Eagles in the seventh inning.

WARRIORS: 14 runs, 17 hits, 0 errors, 7 left on base

FRANKFORT: 5 runs, 12 hits, 2 errors, 7 left on base

Warriors to Appear in All-Star Events

For the first time, OYA will host two special events prior to the OYA Picnic All-Star games. Although full-time Warriors players are not eligible to participate in the games, the players are eligible to compete in these special events--the "Baserunning Challenge" and the "Home Run Derby".

The Baserunning Challenge and Home Run Derby will take place on Saturday, June 5th at Centennial #6 at 3:30 pm. Players should arrive at the field no later than 3:15 pm for check-in. Players should wear their PONY team uniform (e.g., Royals, Twins, etc.) rather than their Warriors uniform as they will be representing their teams in these competitions.

Several Warriors were nominated to represent their teams to compete for the honor of being named the fastest baserunner and home run champion of the entire Pony League:

Baserunning Challenge:
C.J. Brucki (Phillies), Robbie Maxfield (Diamondbacks), Jim Robley (Royals) and Ryan Tannebaum (Cardinals)

Home Run Derby:
C.J. Brucki (Phillies), Ryan Knightly (Twins), Paco Lauciello (Mariners), Jack Lebert (Reds), Sam Marc (Royals), Lance Cardinal (Royals) and Tim Prendergast (Diamondbacks)

Best of luck to all of the Warriors and we look forward to seeing you at Centennial Park on Saturday.