Frankfort Square Hands Warriors Its First Loss

Frankfort Square snapped the Warriors' six game winning streak with a 7-1 victory in Tinley Park on Wednesday night.  This game was in the seventh inning of play after just 1 hour and 15 minutes before it was called due to lightning strikes in the area.  Neither team made an error in the contest.

CLICK HERE for team and individual statistics through Game #7.

The Warriors were retired quickly through the first three innings.  Just one hitter, Tyler Dempsey, reached base when he legged out an infield hit.

In the meantime, Steve Sismelich was impressive as the Warriors' starting pitcher.  Steve held a hard hitting Frankfort Square team scoreless through three innings.  He scattered just three hits and struck out four hitters.

The Warriors would not reach base again until the sixth inning. It was one of those nights when every well hit ball (and there weren't many) was hit at someone.  Connor Bartle's line drive directly at the rightfielder in the fifth inning was one of those hard hit balls.

Frankfort Square scored four runs in the fourth inning on three hits and three walks.  Hitters shortened their swings against the fastball and placed singles between the Warriors' infielders and outfielders.

Matt Olinski reached base to start the Warriors' sixth inning with a walk.  Matt Carroll then beat out an infield hit before Jason Enguita singled to rightfield to score the only Warriors' run of the night.  The Warriors left the bases loaded when the inning ended on a ground out to the third baseman.

Matt Olinski made his pitching debut for the Warriors in the bottom of the fifth inning.  He retired the side in order.  But, with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning, the batter drove a triple to deep leftfield to clear the bases.  Frankfort Square's 7-1 lead ended up being the final score.

Rick Sisco reached base in the top of the seventh inning on a single to centerfield.  This was only the fourth hit for the Warriors in the game.  But, the game was called with Matt Olinski at the plate when lightning strikes came too close to the field.  Given the minimum 20 minute waiting period and the fact that the field did not have lights, the approaching storm ended the game.

The Warriors suffered its first defeat of the season.  However, this was the team's strongest opponent to date.  There's an adjustment period for our hitters as they face stronger pitchers.  The more we can play better opponents like Frankfort Square, the better.  This will be one of the teams that will be participating in the upcoming Memorial Weekend Tournament.

Cody Rutledge

Some good news for the Warriors...

Cody Rutledge is expected to rejoin the team in the next two weeks and may possibly be activated for the two road games (Tinley Park and Midway) on Sunday, May 22nd.  He has been added to the Memorial Weekend Tournament roster.

Another Warrior Goes Down With Injury

Another Warriors' player, Matt LeVigne, suffered an injury in an OYA Pony League game earlier tonight.  Matt injured his knee while attempting to get a jump out of the batter's box after he hammered a ball to deep leftfield--that reportedly would have certainly been another homerun.  The opposing team, Oklahoma, was able to get the ball over to first base to retire Matt as he was unable to get out of the batter's box.  He was later carted off the field and taken to an ER. We will learn more about the extent of Matt's injury over the next few days, but remain optimistic that he will rejoin the team in a week or two.

This injury occured shortly after Patrick O'Connor's broken thumb in an OYA Pony League game last week!  As devastating as this is for the Warriors, these injuries greatly impact the OYA Arizona State team as both injured players play for that team as well.

Given all of the injuries and scheduling conflicts, the Warriors are only able to field 8 players for tomorrow night's game at Frankfort Square.  Unlike the OYA Pony League, nine players are required to play a Chicagoland Metro game.  So, the Warriors will call Daniel Cachey up from the OYA Pony League (Michigan team) to play with the team for this one game.

Verbal Interference?

The base umpire made an interesting ruling in the bottom of the fifth inning during this afternoon's game versus Bridgeport.  Trent Sichelski hit a foul pop fly towards the third base dugout. Bridgeport's third baseman came over to make a play and dropped the ball.  The umpire ruled that the players on the Warriors' bench hindered the fielder's ability to make the play by yelling that he was going to hit the fence.

Official Baseball Rules (OBR) define OFFENSIVE INTERFERENCE as any act that "obstructs, impedes, hinders or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play." There is nothing in the Official Baseball Rules (200) that says that the act must be physical.

However, the application of the interference rule for "verbal" interference is not consistently applied.  In reality, it is rarely called.

For those who are interested in baseball rules, CLICK HERE to view an interesting article regarding this topic.

Patrick O'Connor Suffers Injury

Pat O'Connor broke his thumb while sliding into a base in an OYA Pony League game. This is most unfortunate as Pat was off to a great start with the Warriors.  He has achieved a spot on the team's leaderboard for both batting average and on-base percentage.  And, his three triples are just two short of an all-time Warriors' season record of five.

It's possible that Pat could be out for up to six weeks.  Hopefully, he'll be able to return to the team much sooner than that.  During his recovery, Pat is encouraged to continue to participate in team events.  In the meantime, the Warriors will consider adding a player to its roster during this upcoming week.  This new player would be an alternate and would only be activated as needed to replace injured or otherwise deactivated players.

Warriors Top Bridgeport 12-2

The Warriors extended its winning streak to six after beating Bridgeport by a score of 12-2 in seven innings at Centennial #5 on Mother's Day.  Outstanding pitching and defensive play led the way in this one.

CLICK HERE to view the team and individual statistics through Game #6.

The Warriors jumped out to a three run lead in the first inning when Matt LeVigne doubled to deep leftfield with the bases loaded to extend his team leading RBI total to 17 for the season.

Zac Zavod pitched the first three innings for the Warriors.  Zac, and the infield play behind him, was flawless through three innings.  The Warriors turned a 6-4-3 double play to end Bridgeport's hopes in the third inning.

The game was tight (4-2) until Bridgeport changed pitchers in the fourth inning of play.  The Warriors scored four runs on three hits in the fourth inning.  Connor Bartle drove in two runs in the fourth and another two runs in the fifth inning with consecutive base hits.  Connor placed himself on the leaderboard in both batting average and on-base percentage.

Jason Enguita struck out the first two hitters in Bridgeport's fourth inning.  Bridgeport scored a run in the inning on a double down the rightfield line.  The inning then ended when Trent Sichelski made a big league play to field a slowly hit ball to his shortstop position.

Jason singled to center for the second consecutive time to drive Rick Sisco home in the fifth inning.  Rick continues to swing a hot bat--reaching base three times in this game.

Jim Robley was impressive in his two innings of work.  Jim struck out two and held Bridgeport scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings of play.  Connor Bartle pitched the seventh, and final, inning of the game.  He allowed two hits, but both runners were retired attempting to steal.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Warriors' Mothers!

Warriors Set Offensive Records

The Warriors set several offensive records in a one-sided contest against the Fire in Homer on Sunday afternoon.  The Warriors had 27 hits in four innings--including several infield hits.  The Fire finally scored runs in the fourth, and final, inning of play.

CLICK HERE for team and individual statistics through Game #5.

The game opened with Steve Sismelich drawing a walk.  He later scored on Jason Enguita's single.  Soon after, Matt LeVigne homered with the bases loaded (a grand slam) to give the Warriors a quick 5-0 lead.  This was Matt's second homerun in two games.  He now leads the squad with 14 RBI for the season.  The Warriors went on to score 12 runs before making the first out of the game!

Connor Bartle retired the Fire in order in the bottom of the frame.  The Warriors have won three games this season with Connor as its starting pitcher.

The Warriors scored another 16 runs in the second inning on 12 hits.  The inning was extended as a result of three Homer errors.  Also, the Warriors had several infield hits in the inning.

The scoring settled down after that with the Warriors posting a run in the third and four more runs in the fourth inning.  Trent Sichelski pitched the final three innings for the Warriors.  He did not allow a run until the fourth inning when the Fire had four hits, including a triple to deep centerfield.

Jim Robley made the defensive play of the game when he dove to his left to field a low line drive.  After making the catch, he tagged the runner advancing from second base for the unassisted double play.

Although we certainly can't fault our players, games like this aren't very productive for either team.  Mercifully, the two hour limit was imposed on this game before it proceeded any further.

18 is the Magic Number

The Warriors scored 18 runs for the third time in four games to beat the Homer Fire by a score of 18 to 6 in five innings of play at Homer on Saturday night.  Even after two weeks of rain, the Warriors' bats remained hot as the Warriors pounded out another 17 hits in this one.

CLICK HERE to view team and individual statistics through Game #4.

After several game cancellations due to the rainiest April in 50 years, the Warriors finally played again in Homer on Saturday night.

The Warriors jumped out to an early lead when Matt Carroll walked and later scored in the first inning.  But, Homer tied the game in the bottom of the frame when the lead-off hitter drew a walk and scored on a ground out to the first baseman.

Connor Bartle lined a single into centerfield to start the second inning and scored on Pat O'Connor's triple to deep rightfield.  Pat tripled again in the third inning.  Pat's three triples for the young season already threaten the all-time Warriors record for triples in a season held by Matthias Dietz (5 in 2008) and C.J. Brucki (5 in 2010)!  In the ultimate sign of respect, Pat was intentionally walked in the fourth inning.  Zac Zavod also tripled in the third inning of this game.

The Fire scored five times in the bottom of the second inning to take a one run lead--on just one hit.  Four walks (including three hitters at the bottom of the order) combined with an infield error led to the big inning.

The Warriors' bats came alive in the third inning with four hits, including a double by Tyler Dempsey.  Tyler also came in to pitch in relief with the bases loaded and one out--and held Homer to just one run in nearly three innings of work.  Connor Bartle also singled in the third inning for one of his three consecutive hits in the game.

The Warriors scored four more times in the fourth inning after Rick Sisco started the inning with a double to leftfield.  Steve Sismelich also singled before Jason Enguita lined a base hit into rightfield to score two runs.

The Warriors did some major damage in the fifth, and final, inning of play by hammering out six consecutive hits.  The final hit in the series was a home run to deep leftfield by Matt LeVigne.

Steve Sismelich held the Fire scoreless in the bottom of the fifth inning before the game was called due to the 12 run mercy rule.

Pony League's Opening Day

Oklahoma topped Notre Dame by a score of 9-1 in the opening OYA Pony League game on Monday, April 25th. 

The Warriors were well represented in this game.  Zac Zavod threw three innings as Oklahoma's starting pitcher.  Steve Sismelich tossed the final two innings for Oklahoma and Trent Sichelski pitched two innings for Notre Dame.  Rick Sisco went 3-3 at the plate for Oklahoma.  Notre Dame is anxiously awaiting the return of Cody Rutledge once the Sandburg baseball season ends.

Warriors Win Big Over Blue Demons

The Warriors dominated play in an 18-1 win over the Blue Demons on Sunday night under the lights.

CLICK HERE to view the Team & Individual Statistics through Game #3.

The Warriors could do no wrong in this one.  Offensively, the team pounded out 20 hits to score 18 runs in five innings of play.  Defensively, the Warriors did not commit a single error.  The pitching staff allowed just one hit for the evening.

The Warriors started the game with three consecutive hits.  Steve Sismelich scored the first run on Jason Enguita's infield hit down the third base line.  The Warriors would never trail in this one.

Steve Sismelich had four hits in four plate appearances as the Warriors' lead off hitter.  Trent Sichelski also reached base in every plate appearance.  Trent now leads the squad in both on-base percentage and batting average.  Steve is a close second in these two important hitting categories.

Other notable offensive achievements included Matt Carroll's second bunt single of the season, Jim Robley's consecutive doubles, Pat O'Connor's triple to deep left field and Zac Zavod's consecutive hits.

Connor Bartle tossed two impressive innings as the Warriors' starting pitcher.  Connor picked up his second win of the young season.  Jim Robley and Zac Zavod made their first appearances in the regular season.  Both pitched well--and were the recipient of double plays executed by the defense behind them.  In the fourth inning, Tyler Dempsey caught a fly ball in rightfield and then threw the runner out attempting to score on the play.

If past seasons are any indicator, the Warriors should not become overconfident after these early season victories.  The statistics are inflated now and tend to come back down to Earth as the season progresses.

The Pat Pieper Story

Baseball is rich with history and traditions.  One of the amazing stories is that of Frank "Pat" Pieper.  Pat was the public address announcer for the Chicago Cubs for an incredible 59 consecutive years.  He started announcing the lineups during the year that Wrigley Field opened and continued through 1974.

He made the following announcement before each game in that span of 59 years (only missing 16 games and not missing any games since 1924):

"Attention!  Attention, please!  Have your pencils and scorecards ready, and I will give you the correct lineups for today's game."

You can see Pat Pieper with a megaphone in the background of this image.  He announced the lineups before the historic game when Babe Ruth pointed to the bleachers before hitting a homerun in a World Series game agains the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

War of the Warriors

This afternoon's scrimmage against the 15U Warriors was cancelled due to the rain.  However, the event has tentatively been rescheduled for Saturday, June 25th as a game with a starting time of 9:30 am at Schussler South.

Similar to last season, the game between these two teams will be called the "War of the Warriors" and will develop into a larger event in which the two teams gather for a cookout lunch after the game.  It was a fun event last year and we expect everyone to enjoy the day again this season.

As the date draws nearer, we'll be looking for some volunteers from both teams to coordinate the cookout activity for early that afternoon.

Cody Rutledge Homers for Sandburg!

Cody Rutledge, one of our 14U Warriors' players, appears to be doing quite well on the Sandburg High School baseball team.  He recently hit a ball out of the park for a homerun in a clutch plate appearance for the Eagles.  CLICK HERE to view the Eagles' Update on the high school's website.

The Warriors look forward to Cody's return to the team in late May.

Warriors Improve to 2-0

The Warriors beat Oak Lawn by a score of 10-4 in seven innings on a cold and windy Thursday night at Centennial #4.

CLICK HERE to view the team and individual statistics through Game #2.

Oak Lawn scored first with a run in the top of the first inning after the lead off hitter doubled to leftfield and later scored on a base hit to centerfield.  The Warriors came back with two runs in the bottom of the frame.  Steve Sismelich started the inning with an infield hit which was followed by a bunt single down the third base line by Matt Carroll.  Two walks and a hit batsman resulted in two runs for the Warriors.

Tyler Dempsey faced just three hitters to retire Oak Lawn in the second inning.  When an Oak Lawn batter reached first on a throwing error by the Warriors' third baseman, Rick Sisco hustled in from rightfield to back up the throw and fired the ball into Steve Sismelich at second base to retire the advancing runner.  This was Rick's second impact play in two nights as a result of extra hustle.

The Warriors failed to score in the second, but scored twice in the third inning on three hits.  Matt LeVigne doubled in the inning.  Matt drove in four runs in this ballgame!  The Warriors wasted an opportunity on a failed steal attempt at home to end the inning after loading the bases.

Oak Lawn scored three runs in the third inning after its lead off hitter reached base on a dropped third strike.  The game was tied moving into the fourth inning of play.

Matt Carroll was unhittable during his three innings of work.  In a legendary performance, the lefty tossed less than 35 pitches to retire nine consecutive hitters.  He struck out four and did not allow a ball to leave the infield.

In the meantime, the Warriors scored three runs in the fourth inning and another three runs in the fifth inning.  Extra base hits by Pat O'Connor, Steve Sismelich and Tyler Dempsey helped put the game away.

Other notable achievements included Jim Robley's perfect night at the plate.  Jim reached base in all four plate appearances.  He had three hits, including a double down the leftfield line, and two runs batted in.

Jason Enguita pitched the seventh inning of the contest and held Oak Lawn scoreless to end the game.

Warriors Win Opener 18-6

In one of the longest games in Chicagoland League history, the Warriors opened its season with an 18-6 win over Oak Lawn at Pacetti field on Wednesday night.

CLICK HERE to view the team and individual statistics through Game #1.

The Warriors struck first with a run in the top of the 1st inning when Trent Sichelski singled to center and later scored on a base hit to leftfield by Tyler Dempsey.  With the bases loaded, the Oak Lawn rightfielder made a nice catch on a line drive off the bat of Connor Bartle.  The Warriors left three stranded in the inning.

Connor Bartle was sharp as the Warriors' starting pitcher.  He allowed just one baserunner in his first two innings of work.

The Warriors' bats came alive in the second inning.  After Matt LeVigne hammered a triple to deep leftfield, the Warriors rallied with five more hits in the inning to take a commanding 8-0 lead in the game.

Oak Lawn closed the gap by scoring five runs in the third inning on five hits.  Steve Sismelich was effective in relief to close out the third inning, but ran into some trouble in the fourth inning.  Tyler Dempsey entered the game with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and promptly got the first hitter he faced to line into a double play.  Tyler retired the side in order in the fifth inning to record his first save.

Offensive highlights included Tyler Dempsey reaching base five times; Rick Sisco scoring four runs; Matt LeVigne reaching base four times, including a triple; and Trent Sichelski reaching base safely during his first four plate appearances in the lead off spot.  Connor Bartle hit into some tough luck with two line drives caught by the rightfielder before he tripled and singled during his last two plate appearances.

WARRIORS: 18 runs, 17 hits, 0 errors, 12 left on base
OAK LAWN: 6 runs, 8 hits, 3 errors, 5 left on base

Catcher's Interference

During tonight's scrimmage, one of our hitters reached base on catcher's interference.  Interference was called because the catcher's glove hit the bat during the swing.  As a result, the hitter was awarded first base.

If the batter would have reached base on a hit and all other runners had safely advanced, the play would have stood and the interference would have been ignored.  But, since the ball was caught on a fly, the interference applied and was a benefit to the offense.

For scoring purposes, the catcher is charged with an error.  The interference is ignored entirely for purposes of the hitting statistics.  In other words, the batter is not charged with a plate appearance and is not credited with reaching base.

We tend to see catcher's interference four or five times during a season.  Sometimes, we see it twice in the same inning!

Pick Off Moves

During today's practice, we talked about some pick off moves that our pitchers can practice.  Following are a couple of videos on the topic that are well worth watching:

Move to 1B...


Move to 2B...

Warrior Improve in Second Outing

After making more than its share of mistakes in the first scrimmage, the Warriors showed significant improvement in its second scrimmage on Thursday night. For starters, players arrived on time and proceeded through a 30 minute pregame warm-up.

Our positioning on defense, particularly in the outfield, was much better which allowed our fielders to make plays on some deep fly balls. Our bats were alive with several hard hit line drives. In our fifth bunt attempt of the season, we finally were able to lay one down in fair territory. We used six pitchers in the scrimmage and all looked promising, although a couple had trouble finding the strike zone.

A freezing rain began to fall during the late innings. Players battled through the conditions without complaint or excuses. Before too much longer, the game was called due to the weather and time.

Overall, Thursday night was a step in the right direction for the Warriors.

Warriors Announce 2011 Schedule

The Warriors have announced its 2011 schedule. So far, the team's schedule includes 35 events: 6 scrimmage, 14 Chicagoland games and at least 15 tournament games. Each of the five tournaments guarantee at least 3 pool play games. Hopefully, the number of tournament games will increase as the team may play up to 6 games in a given tournament if it advances through pool play.

We are still working with a few teams to schedule some additional games--particularly during the week of June 27th to prepare us for the Lombard tournament.

When you factor in the 22 regular season OYA Pony games plus playoffs, players will be given an opportunity to play a lot of baseball in the next 3 months!