[jksander]

June 1, 1871: Elberfeld is our next opponent, and in front of 1,000 or so of their most ardent fans we took the lead in the top of the third with a single by Alex Centeno that was coupled with an E9 throwing error. We added three more in the top of the fifth, but Cadenhead did not fare well in the bottom of that inning, giving up seven runs in quick succession while getting just one out! He got us out of the inning, but in the bottom of the sixth we went to our bullpen for the first time all year, bringing out 21-year-old right-handed reliever Eric Behmer! In the top of the seventh we scored two runs off a single by Ryan Carl, getting back within a run, but they scored five runs across the seventh and eighth innings and we lost this one 12-7 in the end. Cadenhead fell to 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA, allowing eight hits and seven runs (six earned), and Behmer pitched three innings but allowed eight hits, a walk and five more runs (four earned) though he came in trailing by three and never once saw a lead. They outhit us 16-8, completely outclassing us in this one, though Carl did have two hits and two RBIs as our offensive leader.

June 2, 1871: This one was a bumpy ride ... we took a one run lead in the top of the first off an RBI single by Danny Graham, but Elberfeld took the lead with two RBI singles and a groundout in the bottom of the third. Randy Musselman hit into a fielder’s choice in the top of the fourth and after he stole second, an E2 fielding error allowed Ismael Chinea to score the tying run. But they added three runs on in the bottom of the fifth and it looked like that was going to be all it took. Musselman got us a run back with an RBI double in the sixth, but we went into the top of the ninth trailing still by two runs. That’s when we erupted! With two outs and the game looking like it was over, Danny Graham hit a two-run triple to tie the game and David Chesnut singled in the go-ahead with help from an E9 error! We got the outs we needed in the bottom of the inning to hold them off, beating Elberfeld 7-6 to split the series. Aaron Bjornson improved to 3-2 with a 1.97 ERA while pitching a complete game six-hitter, walking three, striking out one and allowing six runs, three of them earned. We outhit them 10-6, led by left fielder Danny Graham, who went 4-5 with a run and three batted in.
 
June 3, 1871: We’re back at home facing the 5-5 Mechanicsville Baseball Club, and this one quickly became a high scoring game ... we scored first, Musselman coming in to take the lead off a passed ball, but Mechanicsville hit two RBI singles, an RBI double and scored a fourth run off an E4 error to go up 4-1 midway through the second. We fought back valliantly, tying the score in the bottom of the eighth at 7-7 with another passed ball letting Danny Graham come home safely, and we shut them down in the top of the inning to give ourselves a chance to steal it in the bottom of the frame, but instead we left two runners stranded and this one went to extra innings. We brought out 19-year-old reliever Joe McDonald in the top of the 10th, and though they got the lead off a wild pitch in the top of the inning, we capitalized off two Mechanicsville errors in the bottom of the inning, and Ismael Chinea walked it off with a single as we stole this one 9-8 after ten innings! That gave McDonald the win out of the bullpen, having allowed no hits, no walks, no strikeouts and the one (unearned) run. Cadenhead was unlucky all night, allowing seven runs of which only one was earned, but he got us through nine innings, and we outslugged them 18-9 ... too bad this was a game of errors, with us committing nine to their eight. Our leadoff man, Bobby Musselman, was phenomenal as always, hitting 4-5 with a walk, three runs and an RBI, while Danny Graham hit two times for two runs.

June 4, 1871: Hard to top a win like yesterday’s, but we had the rematch against Mechanicsville today, and this time it was far less climactic. We scored in the first, third and fifth and then, with a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, we picked up three more ... and Musselman was involved in seemingly every huge play we made all game. We held firm from there and were able to win easily 6-1. Musselman was 3-4 with four runs scored, stealing a pair of bases as well -- he now has stolen ten bases this season, and we out hit Mechanicsville 10-5. Bjornson is on a roll, pitching another complete game, this time a five-hitter with two walks, a strikeout and one unearned run. He is now 4-2 with a 1.65 ERA through six starts.

June 6, 1871: The 7-5 St. Meinrad Baseball Club hosted us today for the first of two, as we bring our team into their house with a 9-3 record, currently good for second place in our county’s Division. And this one was a snooze from an offensive standpoint -- St. Meinrad took the lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI triple and an RBI single, and we never managed to even counter it. They outhit us 5-3 en route to the 2-0 shutout win, as Glen Cadenhead lost his second game of the season. He’s now 5-2 with a 1.83 ERA, tonight allowing five hits and two earned runs with just one strikeout as they squashed us defensively. We committed three errors, while they played clean defensive baseball, and only four players got on base for us the entire game. Not a recipe for success, but we can get ‘em back tomorrow.

June 7, 1871: In this one we got off to a quick start Musselman scoring off a single by Tony Alegre and Steve Hopkins scoring a few minutes later off the combination of a wild pitch and an E6 groundball error. But St. Meinrad got back into it efficiently, tying the game 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth off a pased ball. So we needed a rally, and this time we got a sustained one ... a single by Hopkins got us the lead back in the top of the sixth, and an error allowed Hopkins to score himself to add on a run. We got a run each in the seventh and eighth to add on, and were able to get out of town with a 7-3 victory, splitting the series against a tough opponent. It wasn’t pretty ... we had 10 errors to their eight, but we also outhit them 12-5, and Bjornson improved to 5-2 with a five-hitter, walking two and allowing just one earned run in all the craziness. He now has a 1.55 ERA and an 0.90 WHIP through his first 63.2 IP, and he’s looking like his vast arsenal of pitches are starting to come under his firm control. Randy Musselman led the offense with three hits and two runs scored, keeping his average as a solid .390 in the leadoff spot.

June 8, 1871: Francisco (7-7) are in town for a pair, and we’re ready to build off yesterday’s win and start to find momentum. But Francisco scored three in the top of the first and we spent the rest of the game trying to claw it all back. Ismael Chinea hit an RBI single in the bottom of the second, and Alex Centeno hit one in the bottom of the seventh. An inning later we tied the score at 3-3 when Alex Fernandez hit an RBI single that was coupled with an E8 error, and we shut them down in the top of the ninth, needing just a walkoff anything to get us the victory ... but we weren’t able to find a well-timed hit, and went into extras once again. Joe McDonald came out of the bullpen to start the top of the 10th, and we had a chance in the bottom of the inning when Tony Alegre reached on an E6 error with one out, stealing second AND third ... but Ryan Carl grounded out and Fernandez hit a pop-fly to left to keep this one going. Francisco finally broke through in the top of the 13th when, with men on second and third and two outs, their left fielder Brian McCarthy reached first on an E6 error, driving in both runs as he took second. Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the inning, we got a run back on two outs when Tony Alegre scored off a wild pitch, moments after stealing third, but we couldn’t get Ismael Chinea around to score, dropping this one 5-4 in a 13th inning heartbreaker. Glen Cadenhead gave us nine innings with six hits, two walks, a strikeout and three runs -- ALL unearned -- and Joe McDonald lasted four innings in relief with four hits, a walk and a strikeout, both of HIS runs being unearned as well. We had five errors to their four and outhit them 12-10, led by Centeno with three hits and an RBI, while Alegre had a hit, three steals and two runs scored.

June 9, 1871: In game two against Francisco we wasted no time in scoring, taking the lead in the bottom of the second when Danny Graham drove in a run off an error, with Ryan Carl hitting a two-run double a few minutes later. We had four runs heading into the top of the fifth when they got a pair back to make the game interesting. But Carl got us an insurance run with an RBI single in the sixth and we held on to win 5-2. Aaron Bjornson got his sixth win, improving to 6-2 with a complete game five-hitter with two runs (one earned) a walk and a strikeout, improving his ERA to 1.49. We outhit them 10-5 and stayed relatively calm in the error department with three, with Alex Centeno and Chris Johnson each hitting twice with a run scored. But those two have combined for 29 errors at first and shortstop, a common issue in this league where if you can get the ball into play, just about anything can happen.

June 10, 1871: We’re on the road this weekend in Jasper to face their club and its 7-9 record. Jasper is an outlier in the league, choosing to go with two starters and one ace bullpen “closer,” and they’ve yet to use their reliever in any games. They kept the game pretty close against us, despite a three-run third inning that really got us going early. Up 4-3 in the top of the ninth, we couldn’t buy any insurance, but Cadenhead was locked in and got three quick outs in the bottom frame to get us the one-run win. We outhit them 8-7, and Cadenhead improved to 5-2 while walking three and allowing three runs (one earned). Steve Hopkins led the way with a hit and two RBIs, while Danny Graham added two hits but was unable to score.
 
June 11, 1871: Tonight’s game was something of a reverse of yesterday’s, as we traded runs early and often, but after tying the score 3-3 in the top of the sixth thanks to a sac-fly by Bubba Masiello, we gave up two in the bottom of the inning to seal it. An RBI single in the seventh by Centeno kept us in the game, but we weren’t able to score in the top of the ninth and lost this one 5-4, splitting the series. Bjornson allowed ten hits and three walks, giving up five runs, four of which were earned ... dropping his record to 6-3 with a 1.79 ERA. They outhit us 10-9 and the two errors we did commit were costly ones. Chinea hit three times to nowhere while Graham added two hits a run and an RBI to his resume.

June 12, 1871: We’re off to a 12-6 start as Haubstaudt (pronounced HOB-stot) comes into town with eight wins and ten losses. The game was tied briefly at 1-1 after three innings, but we got two runs off passed balls during the same plate appearance in the bottom of the fourth ... Fernandez scored off the first, and after advancing from second, Chinea scored from third before Centeno eventually flew out to end the inning with us up 3-1 ... which ended up being the final score after we held them scoreless the rest of the way. Cadenhead had a complete game as usual, with six hits, three walks, a strikeout and the one earned run, and we outhit them 12-6 ... we had four errors, but Chris Johnson had three hits and an RBI, and Chinea added two hits and a run.

June 13, 1871: We’re back into a three-way tie for first in our division, and we’re among the six teams with 13-6 records atop the league standings. We took the lead this afternoon in the bottom of the first when Musselman and Centino pulled off a double steal, Musselman scoring off an E2 throwing error ... that was fun! Chris Johnson brought him home with a single, but we could have really run it up but instead left the bases loaded and took just a 2-0 lead into the second inning. They got on the board in the top of the fourth with an RBI single by their second baseman Jorge Fernandez, and a sac-fly moments later tied us up. We played around loaded bases and two errors in the top of the sixth to keep it that way, and we retook the lead off a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth on two outs, going up 3-2. We added on a run in the seventh, but they loaded the bases in the top of the eighth on one out, and Bjornson got wild, hitting their center fielder with a pitch to drive in a run. He got out of the jam, still leading by a run, and we were able to get through a tense top of the ninth with two runners in scoring position ... he held his own and we escaped with a 4-3 win without things getting out of hand. Bjornson only allowed five hits and three runs (two earned) but he walked seven batters against one strikeout, so he rode a fine line. We outhit them 13-5, which was our saving grace ... Graham had threee hits and a steal but couldn’t score, but Musselman was great in the leadoff spot, getting two hits, two stolen bases and scoring a run. He now has stolen 16 bases this season, which gives him a two-steal lead over his nearest competitor, Joe Kontor of Fort Branch. He’s been ideal in the leadoff spot so far, hitting .341/.356/.398 with five doubles and five runs batted in ... but he’s SCORED 24 runs, thanks mostly to his speed on the basepaths.

June 14, 1871: We’re almost to the month’s midpoint, and we’ll finish a four-game homestand by facing Derby Baseball Club (7-13) who are currently in fifth place in our very competitive division. Derby struck quickly with a run off a wild pitch in the top of the first, and they scored another in the top of the second off a passed ball! When it happened again in the third inning (again on two outs, again with a passed ball) to put them up 3-0, it started to get in our heads ... we still hadn’t had a hit! We got on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Steve Hopkins, but they scored two off a triple by their center fielder Emanuel Sierra to add on in the fourth, and this was not looking like our best afternoon. They gave us an opening in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of errors and a wild pitch, however, and Masiello got a two-run double to get us right back in contention. We loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth on two outs but couldn’t deliver any runs, and they got a run back in the sixth to extend their lead to 6-3. In the bottom of the sixth we scored off a wild pitch to cut it back to two, and Steve Hopkins batted in another with a single to make it a one-run game, but they got one back to send us into the stretch trailing 7-5. We kept them from scoring any more runs, but came up to hit in the bottom of the ninth needing something good to happen for our frustrated bats. But Derby was locked in, and they had no trouble stopping us as they won 7-5, a tough loss against a divisional foe. Cadenhead fell to 6-3 with a 1.61 ERA, allowing 10 hits and seven runs (three earned) with one strikeout, and though we outhit them 11-10 and they committed seven errors to our four, our bats just fell short in this one ... Steve Hopkins led the way with three hits and two RBIs, while Bubba Masiello added a hit, a walk, a run and two RBIs.

June 15, 1871: We scored three runs in the bottom of the first and held a 4-1 lead in the top of the eighth, when Derby roared back -- they loaded the bases without an out, and Bobby Flores walked in a run to cut our lead to two in a dangerous spot. With one out, Bjornson gave up a fastball to Pat Pierce, their second baseman, who doubled in three runs to give them the lead. In a rare move, we pulled him for reliever Joe McDonald, who got us out of the inning without further damage. With two outs and runners on the corners, we tied the game up 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth when Alex Centeno reached first on an E1, scoring Alex Fernandez ... and we retook the lead when David Chesnut beat out an infield single on a fielder’s choice ... instead of going for the out at home, they threw late to first and Musselman scored from third! With our one run lead, McDonald came back out to finish the final frame, and he shut them down efficiently as we won 6-5. That gave him the win, improving his record to 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA, getting through 1.2 innings without a baserunner, protecting Bjornson who only lasted 7.1 innings with seven hits, two walks and five runs (three earned). We outhit them 11-7 and kept our errors to a minimum, which allowed us to hold them off and come back from the brink of defeat. David Chesnut led the way with three hits, a run and two RBIs, and we’ll reach the month’s midpoint with a 15-7 record and within a game of the division-leading Gatchel Baseball Club (16-6).