Today in the CBO
News and Notes - Reports from around the Commonwealth
by Nat Wright-Kowalski
15 May 2298 - Series of Radstorms in S. Boston Cancels 1st CBO Game
For the first time in its history, a series of radstorms has caused a game to be canceled.
The Minutemen League matchup of Warwick (14-15) at Goodneighbor (21-8) at Third Rail Stadium at S. Boston HS was postponed to Friday, June 17, when hours of radstorms forced everyone nearby to stay indoors for the entirety of Sunday. The two teams will play a doubleheader, two games in one day, on June 17. Overall, the series will be a four-game series.
Typically, radstorms last one or two hours at most, making it possible to delay a game but unlikely to cancel it.
"We're curious to see what a doubleheader looks like," Hancocks manager Jeremy Whiteplate said. "For now, we will rest an extra day before Diamond City comes to town. I'm sure there will be some hangovers on the squad tomorrow, so I'm glad we have two days off."
15 May 2298 - Ninjas Down Dwellers, 10-7, on 11th Inning Danse Homer
The Egret Ninjas defeated the Vault 81 Dwellers, 10-7, in 11 innings.
Egret won the game in the bottom of the 11th inning. With no outs and Nate Truckman on the mound for Vault 81, left fielder Paladin Danse hit a dramatic 3-run home run, bringing Ninjas fans to their feet.
Doing his part in a losing effort was was left fielder Chris Van Benschoten, who went 3 for 4 with 2 home runs, a double, and a walk. He scored 3 runs and drove in 3. The current losing streak for Vault 81 has reached 4 games.
"We got the victory," said Danse. "That's all that matters at the end of the day."
15 May 2298 - Matsumoto Shines in 9-7 Jamaica Plain Win
The Jamaica Plain Red Rockets grabbed a win, 9-7, over the Quincy Gunners at The Stone House. Jamaica Plain center fielder Hid Matsumoto went 4-4 with a double, 3 singles, and a walk. He scored 4 times. Will Rope picked up the win with 6.1 innings of work. He allowed 2 runs on 8 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 3. On the season, he is now 6-0. The Red Rockets now have a record of 14-16.
Jamaica Plain used the bat of Cody Flatt to get the win. The first baseman hammered a grand slam home run in the top of the first inning to put the Red Rockets ahead, 5-0. It was his lone hit in 5 at-bats, but it did its damage.
"We maximized our offense today," said Jamaica Plain skipper Mark Sellsword. "That makes everyone's life easier."
15 May 2298 - Eviritts, Bloodbugs Get 2-0 Win
Vim! Park of Salem hosted a real pitchers' duel.
County Crossing Bloodbugs starter Gavin Eviritts was in a groove as he led his team to a win over the Salem Witch Hats, 2-0. County Crossing goes to 13-17, Salem to 14-16.
Eviritts, now 1-4, scattered 5 hits over 8 innings for the Bloodbugs.
"Gavin made his pitches," said County Crossing manager Biff Future.
The Bloodbugs took the lead in the 2nd inning thanks to a Josh Noggin solo home run. He led all batters by going 2 for 4 with a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI.
15 May 2298 - Silver Shroud Rally For 6-3 Win, Avoid Sweep
The Fort Hagen Silver Shroud picked up a win at Super Duper Mart Stadium, taking down the Lexington Synths, 6-3.
Starting pitcher Brent Hooker was a big reason why. Hooker went 7 innings to notch the win. He scattered 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. His record improves to 7-1. Curtis Thriceshot earned the save for Fort Hagen, his 9th of the year.
Fort Hagen used the timely hitting of Safety Langer to seize the win. The left fielder stroked a run-scoring single in the top of the eighth inning to put the Silver Shroud on top, 3-2. It was his only hit in 4 at-bats, but it was a game-changer. The Shroud went on to score four in the inning to take a 5-2 lead.
"I had pretty good command out there," said Hooker.
Fort Hagen raised its record to 17-13 with the win, currently two games back of Abernathy and two games ahead of Sunshine Tidings.
15 May 2298 - Four Leafs Get One-Run Win at Nordhagen Beach
Starting pitcher Steve Rocky pitched well enough to help the Finch Farm Four Leafs beat the Nordhagen Beach Party Boys, 6-5. Rocky got the win, improving to 3-4. He allowed 7 hits and walked 1 over 8 innings. Rocky allowed 4 runs. The win has Finch Farm at 12-18.
Finch Farm relied on the hitting of Danny Honeycutt to pick up the win. The left fielder clubbed a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning to put the Four Leafs on top, 6-0. For the game, Honeycutt had 1 home run and 1 single in 4 at-bats.
"If we play like this, we can win a lot of games," Honeycutt told the Finch Farm Observer.
Trailing 6-4 entering the bottom of the 9th, the Party Boys had a chance to rally back from their earlier 6-0 deficit. With two outs and a man on, Mike Swift tripled in Tommy Talkington to cut the game to a one-run distance. However, Taboo Richardson struck out looking to end the rally and the game.
15 May 2298 - Bloodbugs Make Post-Game Deal
Officials for County Crossing confirmed that they have traded 21-year-old SS Sean Koester and a 4th round draft pick to the Concord Radstags. In return, the Bloodbugs will receive 18-year-old minor league LF Justin Loki, 20-year-old minor league 3B Dan Castle, 20-year-old minor league LHP Keegan Richardson and a 2nd round draft pick.
A look at his season totals shows Koester with 4 home runs, .346 BA, .363 OBP, 20 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
OSA experts analyzing the trade said that County Crossing is anchoring itself for an expected high pick in the 2298 Rookie Draft, which could be a
better crop than the 2297 draft. If the draft were held today, the Bloodbugs would have the 6th pick of the 1st round and now the 4th and 6th picks of the 2nd round.
"We're trying to work our way to challenge for championships," Bloodbugs general manager Dan Dall said. "While we love Sean, we know we're not ready to compete for the Sole Survivor Series just yet. Picking up some good developing players in [Keegan] Richardson, Justin Loki, and Dan Castle gives us a chance to have a strong squad in Malden for the near future."
County Crossing's BMU team, the Malden Grognaks, are currently tied for the worst record in all of the BMU at 7-14. Most of that lack of success is because of having poor pitching at that level.
"I know our offense is developing well," Dall said, "but we feel our pitching will get built up through the draft. Besides, even if their struggling this season, we like our starters in County Crossing. [Bad Company] Grognak, [Jeff] Rickashaw, and Gavin Eviritts will find success in time, especially with a lot of run support."
The County Crossing team is tied for 6th in runs scored (155) but 11th in runs allowed (178) in North Charles Association action. The starters have the 11th ranked ERA (6.24), while the bullpen is 9th (4.21).
Looking at the prospects the Bloodbugs received, they will need to learn how to develop a raw group. Currently Loki (.114/1/9) is struggling despite being considered a future slugger in the league. Castle (.267/1/4) may have the best path to the CBO right now. Richardson (1-2, 7.48 ERA), a 3rd round pick in the 2297 Rookie draft, could be a future starter, but he will need to learn better control to improve his BB/9 ratio (5.4) and WHIP (1.98).