Warriors Lose Another Close One

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The Warriors fell to the Jackie Robinson All Stars in extra innings tonight at Centennial #4.

The first four batters of the game reached base for Jackie Robinson on two hits and two Warriors' errors. Jason Waner retired the final three batters of the inning as Jackie Robinson stranded two runners. But, the Warriors trailed by two as the game entered the bottom of the first inning.

C.J. Brucki walked to start the inning and later scored on an infield ground out off the bat of Paco Lauciello.

Jason Waner retired the next six Jackie Robinson hitters in order during the second and third innings. The Warriors scored a run in the bottom of the second inning after Tim Prendergast reached base on an infield hit and later scored on a double to rightfield by Ryan Knightly.

The Warriors took the lead in the bottom of the third inning when Jim Robley reached base on an infield error and later scored. The Warriors extended its lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Lance Cardinal singled to leftfield to score Jack Lebert. Lance was promptly retired on an attempted steal of second base to end the inning.

Tim Prendergast held Jackie Robinson scoreless in the fourth inning. But, Jackie Robinson scored twice in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game.

Ryan Novak entered the game in relief for the Warriors and held Jackie Robinson scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings. But, the Warriors failed to score. The Warriors left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jack Lebert walked to start the bottom of the seventh inning, but was thrown out attempting to steal before Tim Prendergast lined a base hit into centerfield. Tim would be the last baserunner of the evening for the Warriors.

Two Jackie Robinson batters drew walks in the top of the eighth inning. Both of these runners would eventually score before the inning came to a close. The Warriors went down quickly in the bottom of the eighth inning.

After losing a close game to the Illinois Celtics on Tuesday and getting slaughtered by the Oak Forest Blue Demons on Wednesday, the loss to Jackie Robinson makes three straight for the Warriors. A lack of timely hitting, an unusual number of infield errors and some passive outfield defense has contributed to some difficult losses over the past week. The Warriors look to end this three game skid a week from Sunday in Oak Forest.

JACKIE ROBINSON ALL STARS: 6 runs, 6 hits, 2 errors, 6 left on base
WARRIORS: 4 runs, 6 hits, 3 errors, 6 left on base

Blue Demons Defeat Warriors

The Oak Forest Blue Demons defeated the Warriors by a score of 15-0 in five innings of play at Humphrey #3 on Wednesday night.

The Warriors faced the perfect storm in this game. First, the regularly scheduled opponent from the Chicagoland Metro League (the New Lenox Rebels) cancelled. In an attempt to schedule a replacement team, we sent an open invitation to a number of full-time travel teams. The Blue Demons were the first to respond. Only later did we learn that the Blue Demons are an elite travel team.

It's challenging enough for our Warriors to face an elite travel team at this stage of our development. But, increasing the playing dimensions presented an additional challenge that led to a season record number of throwing errors by our infielders. Finally, the bitter cold weather made the whole experience a miserable one.

I give all of our four pitchers credit for battling out there in the wind and cold. And, our hitters did a good job of putting the ball in play. Only two Warriors hitters struck out all night. But, the Blue Demons made nearly all the plays defensively.

Due to the combination of all these factors, this event is being classified as a scrimmage and none of the individual player statistics will count in the season totals.

For those that are interested, here are the box score totals for the event:

WARRIORS: 0 runs, 1 hit, 4 errors, 4 left on base
BLUE DEMONS: 15 runs, 9 hits, 1 error, 9 left on base

Celtics Edge Warriors 4-3

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The Illinois Celtics defeated the Warriors by a score of 4-3 in seven innings at Centennial #4 on Tuesday night.

The Celtics struck first with three runs in the top of the first inning. The damage could have been much worse as the Celtics had three hits, two walks and reached base on an error in the inning. But, Ryan Novak struck out the final hitter of the inning as the Celtics left the bases loaded to keep the Warriors in the game.

The Warriors scored a run in the bottom of the frame when Tim Prendergast drew a walk with the bases loaded. But, the Warriors did not take advantage of two hits and two walks--leaving the bases loaded to end the inning with just one run scored.

The Warriors' starting pitcher, Ryan Novak, settled in and did not allow an earned run over the next four innings of work. The Celtics pushed a run across in the top of the fourth inning when the Warriors committed an infield error.

The Warriors chipped away by scoring a run in the bottom of the third inning when Paco Lauciello doubled to deep centerfield to score Jason Waner. The Warriors scored again in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jack Lebert hammered a double to deep centerfield and later scored on Ryan Knightly's infield single. The score was 4-3 in favor of the Celtics after four innings of play.

The Warriors threatened in the bottom of the fifth inning when Robbie Maxfield started the inning with a single to leftfield. Jason Waner walked. Then, with one out and a full count with runners on first and second base, the Warriors called a hit and run play. As Robbie Maxfield approached third base on the steal, the Warriors' clean-up hitter drove a ball into centerfield which was caught--and the toss into second base easily doubled Robbie to end the inning.

Tim Prendergast was impressive again in relief. He held the Celtics scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings--and allowed just one hit in his two innings of work.

The Warriors once again threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning. With runners on second and third base and just one out, the Celtics' closer struck out the next two hitters to preserve the one run victory.

CELTICS: 4 runs, 6 hits, 1 error, 8 left on base

WARRIORS: 3 runs, 8 hits, 2 errors, 11 left on base

A Few Photos From Grant Park

Last Sunday, I captured the following photos during my drive to Grant Park. Click on any picture to view a larger version of the image:

And, here are a few from past trips to the area:

Warriors Split Doubleheader at Grant Park

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The Warriors split a doubleheader at Grant Park on Sunday afternoon.

In the opening game, the Warriors jumped out in front of Grant Park in the first inning. After Robbie Maxfield walked to lead off the game, Jason Waner lined a triple into leftfield to put the Warriors on the board. Sam Marc, Lance Cardinal and Tim Prendergast each singled in the inning. But, with two runs in and the bases loaded with just one out, the inning promptly ended on a double play ground ball back to the pitcher.

The Warriors would continue to leave runners stranded throughout this game--mostly as a result of some bad baserunning decisions and a lack of timely hitting. Grant Park scored 6 runs on only 4 hits, while the Warriors scored only 4 runs on 11 hits! The Warriors left 11 runners stranded compared to 6 runners left stranded for Grant Park.

The Warriors bounced back to win the second game of the doubleheader behind some strong pitching performances and more timely hitting. Ryan Novak continued to baffle opposing hitters--holding Grant Park to one run in his three innings of work. One of our newly implemented defensive plays led to a timely pickoff play which resulted in a well executed rundown in the second inning.

Tim Prendergast was impressive in both games of the doubleheader. Tim pitched 2 2/3rd innings in Game #1 without allowing a run--and then returned to throw three innings in Game #2 with just one run allowed. He struck out 10 hitters on Sunday including striking out the side in the sixth inning of Game #1.

Jason Waner returned to pitch the seventh inning of Game #2. He held Grant Park scoreless to record the team's first save of the season.

Offensively, C.J. Brucki and Lance Cardinal had breakout games. C.J. had four hits and a walk--including two extra base hits (a double and triple). C.J. elevated his batting average and on-base percentage to team leading totals of .700 and .769, respectively. Lance Cardinal had five solid hits on the day--including two doubles. And, Paco Lauciello had three hits on the day--including a triple to the opposite field. Paco drove in three runs on the day to bring his total for the season to 10 (a team leading total). Sam Marc also had three hits on the day--going to the opposite field twice for base hits on pitches on the outside corner of the plate.

I hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as I did. I was able to get to Grant Park earlier in the morning to look around and do some photography. I always enjoy spending time in the smaller towns in rural Illinois. Once I have some time to process my images, I'll probably share a few of them on this blog.

Warriors Impressive During Scrimmage

C.J. Brucki with 3 hits and 4 RBI in scrimmage

The Warriors played a nearly flawless game in this afternoon's scrimmage against the other 14U Warriors team.

The Warriors used four pitchers during the five innings of play. All of the pitchers threw scoreless innings. Lance Cardinal retired the side in order on just 11 pitches in the first inning. He completed a second scoreless inning before Tim Prendergast threw only 6 pitches to retire the side in order in the third inning. Ryan Tannebaum completed the fourth inning without yielding a run. And, Jack Lebert pitched the fifth, and final, inning of the game without allowing a run.

The Warriors offense exploded for 15 runs in the first four innings. C.J. Brucki had three hits and four RBI from the lead off spot. Ryan Novak had three hits from the #2 spot--and was retired only once on a line drive back to the pitcher. Sam Marc also had two hits in the contest.

Since this was a scrimmage and not an official game, none of the statistics count in the season totals.

Warriors Shutout Midlothian 14-0

Robbie Maxfield makes play of the game for final out

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #2

The Warriors won its second consecutive slaughter--beating Midlothian by a score of 14-0 in five innings.

The Warriors scored early and often in this one. The score was 10-0 in favor of the Warriors in the top of the first inning with just one out. Midlothian's pitchers settled in after that, allowing just four more runs in the next 4 2/3rds innings of play.

Notable hits in the game included three extra base hits: Anthony Lauciello (double), Jack Lebert (double) and Tim Prendergast (triple). Four players had multiple hits in the game: Anthony Lauciello (3 hits), Sam Marc (2 hits), Tim Prendergast (2 hits) and C.J. Brucki (2 hits).

Ryan Novak was the starting pitcher for the Warriors. Ryan pitched two scoreless innings and recorded the win. We struck out three hitters in this outing. Ryan Tannebaum also threw two scoreless innings. And, Jack Lebert retired Midlothian in order in the fifth inning with the assistance of a spectacular play by Robbie Maxfield at second base to end the game.

WARRIORS: 14 runs, 13 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on base
MIDLOTHIAN: 0 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors, 3 left on base

Seven Pitchers Throw in Scrimmage

Lance Cardinal gets game winning hit

The Warriors scrimmaged for seven innings against the other 14U Warriors team. The scrimmage was very competitive. The game ended when Lance Cardinal singled to leftfield with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to score Jason Waner and Paco Lauciello with the winning run.

The Warriors used seven pitchers, one per inning, in this scrimmage. Lance Cardinal pitched the first inning and loaded the bases before striking out the side to complete his one inning of work. Ryan Tannebaum pitched the second inning and yielded a lead off walk before getting the next three hitters in order. Jack Lebert allowed four runs in the third inning, but continued to throw strikes throughout the inning. Tim Prendergast allowed three runs in the fourth inning despite striking out three hitters. Jim Robley retired the side in order in the fifth inning with some help from the outfielders on two fly balls. Sam Marc allowed one run in the sixth inning and Paco Lauciello pitched the seventh inning for the Warriors.

On offense, Jason Waner scored three runs. Paco Lauciello had two RBI. Lance Cardinal had two hits and four RBI as the clean up hitter. Sam Marc drove in two runs. C.J. Brucki had two hits and a run scored. Tim Prendergast doubled. And, Robbie Maxfield had two base hits.

Scrimmages are not official games and therefore do not count in the team or individual statistic computations for the season.

Warriors Slaughter Patriots 27-2

CLICK HERE for team and player statistics through Game #1.

The Warriors opened its season with a 27-2 win over the Chicago Ridge Patriots on Sunday morning. This was the most runs scored in a single game in the history of the Warriors program.

Jason Waner was the starting pitcher for the Warriors. Jason held the Patriots scoreless through the first two innings. He allowed just one baserunner despite throwing from a longer distance (a Major League mound) for the first time in his career.

The Warriors scored three runs in the top of the first inning when Paco Lauciello singled sharply to rightfield to score Robbie Maxfield and Jason Waner. Jack Lebert then hit a long single to leftfield to score Paco. The Warriors would never trail in this one.

The game remained at 3-0 in favor of the Warriors until the third inning. The Warriors broke the game wide open with 14 runs in the top of the third inning. In a game reminiscent of last season's game at Jackie Robinson, the Warriors scored 14 runs in the inning despite recording just three hits (with just one ball hit out of the infield). A series of walks, hit batsmen and infield errors put the game out of reach for the Patriots.

Tim Prendergast was impressive in his two innings of work. Tim threw two shutout innings without allowing a hit. He walked two batters and struck out three.

The Warriors failed to score in the top of the fourth, but tagged on another ten runs in the top of the fifth inning. This time, the ten runs were scored after three hits--including a hard hit single up the middle by Sam Marc to score two runs. Ryan Novak also lined a single into leftfield to score another run. And, C.J. Brucki hammered a base hit into centerfield to score yet another run.

C.J. Brucki retired the Patriots in the fifth inning after allowing two runs. The game ended as a result of the slaughter rule after five complete innings of play.

WARRIORS: 27 runs, 9 hits, 0 errors, 7 left on base
PATRIOTS: 2 runs, 2 hits, 3 errors, 5 left on base

Attendance: 39 people and one small dog

Warriors Add New Plays on Defense

The Warriors covered a variety of defensive positioning strategies during this evening's practice. Those defensive plays cover bunt situations, various relays, cuts, double cuts and first & third strategies. I won't review our plays on this website as opposing teams have been known to learn our signals/signs in past seasons by stumbling across this information while doing a Google search!

The Warriors implemented the defensive strategies that are used by many high school, college and professional teams. I had to consult my notes to remember all the player responsibilities as it's been many seasons since I coached a team that was capable of executing these plays. We've usually designed alternative plays that made it easier for players to remember their responsibilities and easier for players lacking strong arms.

I've been coaching since I was in my early 20's--and it seems that every five seasons or so a special team comes around. One of those special teams was the 1990 Royals of the Santa Clara Pony League (the last team that successfully executed all of these plays). But, no team has been more enjoyable to coach than our current Warriors team.

1990 Santa Clara Royals (click to enlarge)

Switch Pitcher

CLICK HERE to view an interesting video that shows pitcher, Pat Venditte, thowing both right and left-handed in a Spring Training game between the Yankees and the Braves. Venditte is the only professional pitcher capable of throwing with either hand.

Warriors Announce Preliminary 2010 Schedule

The Warriors have announced its preliminary schedule for the 2010 season. CLICK HERE to view the current schedule. We will most likely be adding some games as the season goes along.

Sam Marc Wins Final Indoor Fielding Contest

Sam Marc edged out Robbie Maxfield in this morning's ground ball fielding contest. This was the last fielding contest which will be played on indoor turf.

Grant Lewis Pitches in Sandburg Opener

Click on photo to enlarge (photo by Glenn Nagel)

I had the pleasure of watching Grant Lewis pitch for the Carl Sandburg Eagles in its opening day game at Marist High School. Grant was impressive in his High School debut--throwing just 56 pitches to complete four scoreless innings!

Grant played two (2007 and 2008) seasons with the Warriors. He led the 2008 team in batting average, on-base % and runs batted in. Grant also led the pitching staff that season in earned run average as well as WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched). More importantly, he was one of our team leaders and was always a positive influence for the team. Grant continues to make significant progress as a baseball player. The Warriors are proud of Grant Lewis and wish him the best of luck in his High School career and beyond.

Other notable players on the Sandburg roster include two other former Warriors--Matt Hellmich and Brendan Conlon. Additionally, Omar Aqel, an OYA Pony League player last season, is on the Sandburg roster. Jimmy Smith, another OYA Pony League player from last season, appeared in the game for Marist High School. And, Jimmy is scheduled to pitch for Marist this afternoon.

Pick Off Move to 3B

Although we rarely attempt to pick a runner off third base, I think this pickoff move would be an effective one for our pitchers.

Jason Waner Wins Fielding Contest

Jason Waner edged out Ryan Knightley in this morning's ground ball fielding contest. This is Jason's second time winning the fielding contest during the Megaplex workouts.

Paco Lauciello Wins Ground Ball Challenge

Paco Lauciello was this morning's champion of the ground ball fielding competition. This was a notable achievement for two reasons. First, he competed against both of the 14U Warriors teams in the contest. Second, it's not easy for a catcher to win this challenge.

The Wilbur Wood Story: "Old School"

In my view, telling a player that he is "old school" is a high compliment. To me, it means that the player is strong enough to overcome adversity. Nearly every player on the Warriors is "old school." For example, Paco Lauciello exhibits an "old school" attitude when he resists resting an inning after catching six innings on a 90 degree plus day. Ryan Novak demonstrates his "old school" attitude by coming back to pitch the second game of a doubleheader after getting knocked out of the first game on a line drive back through the box. There are many examples of this mental toughness from our players.

When I was a kid, Wilbur Wood was a professional player who regularly exhibited this attitude. While pitching for the Chicago White Sox in 1973, Wood pitched five innings for the win over the Cleveland Indians in a suspended game. He then started the regularly scheduled game that same night and went on to win another game after pitching a four-hit shutout!

Two months later, Wood became the last pitcher in the history of baseball to pitch BOTH games of a doubleheader! He had a ridiculous 44 decision in 1973 (posting a record of 24 wins and 20 losses). He did this at the age of 42 (although the fact that he was a knuckle ball pitcher helped his endurance a great deal).

When Wood was 45 years old, his knee cap was shattered into a billion pieces after a line drive was hit directly back at him. Nearly everyone assumed that his career was over. Yet, he recovered enough to play two more seasons--although he lost his effectiveness on the mound after that injury. Wilbur Wood was definitely "old school".

We don't expect our Warriors to play while injured. But, we also do not expect them to give up easily--or to use excuses such as a hot day as a reason for not hustling. One of the lessons to be learned as a player on the Warriors is how to overcome adversity.

Jack Lebert Wins Ground Ball Challenge

Jack Lebert is now the reigning champion of the team's ground ball competition. Jack edged out Sam Marc in the finals of Saturday morning's competition at the Megaplex.

Warriors Enter a Fourth Tournament

The Warriors will be returning to the Oak Lawn Westside tournament this summer. The Westside tournament runs from June 24th through June 30th. The Warriors are now registered for four tournaments in 2010: Metro Memorial Weekend, Oak Lawn Westside, Lombard and Palos. The dates for all of these tournaments is documented in the "Schedule" link on the right side of the team's website.

Depending upon our budget situation moving forward, the team may register in a fifth tournament during the second week of July (potentially Frankfort, New Lenox or Worth).