[jksander]

September 1, 1871: Next up we face Boonville (38-54) here in Tell City, but we’re on a two-game losing streak, and we’re considering ourselves lucky that we’re ten games ahead in the division ... with Musselman out until midmonth, and Alegre lucky to be able to return by October, we’re going to get to see how our players rally around each other. We have a 64-28 record and still lead the division by ten games over Gatchel with 48 games remaining in the season ... games to be played over the next seven weeks or so, with just three off days during that 51-day stretch. If we can stay healthy I think we can maintain our distance and, once we clinch a playoff spot, we can call up reserves to rest tired players a bit ahead of the postseason. But if we can’t stay healthy, we may well be in for a dogfight as the leaves turn orange just trying to maintain position.

Today we were able to keep it close early, tied 1-1 through the third inning, but Boonville scored runs in the fourth and fifth to build a lead. Alex Centeno hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to tie it up, his 18th homer this year, but we couldn’t get over the hump and this one went into extra innings. With two outs in the top of the 10th, Glen Cadenhead gave up a fastball to the wrong hitter and Boonville retook the lead 4-3 thanks to a screaming double down the right field line ... that was all it took for them to beat us by a run and extend our losing streak to three in a row. Cadenhead took his 13th loss, falling to 28-13 with a 2.30 ERA, allowing 11 hits and four runs (one earned) as we got outhit 11-7. Centeno led the way with two hits, a run and an RBI as he maintained his .322 average.

September 2, 1871: We let out a lot of pent-up aggression today against Booneville, building on a 1-0 lead in the sixth to add on nine runs in the bottoms of the sixth and seventh. They never had a chance after that, as we won easily 10-1. Bjornson improved to 34-10, pitching a three-hitter with just the one unearned run, and we outhit Boonville 13-3. Chinea led the way with three hits, a run and four RBIs, and Centeno hit his 19th homer, finishing with a hit, two walks, a run and two RBIs.

September 3, 1871: We’re on the road in Lynnville (44-50) today for the first of two, and the game was a tightly fought one until the top of the ninth. We went into that inning leading 4-3 and needing some insurance, and we bought a whole slate of it with five runs in the top half of the inning ... they never had a chance after that as we closed the door on them 9-3. Cadenhead got the win, his 29th, allowing five hits and three unearned runs, and we outhit them 10-5, led by Steve Williamson with two hits and two runs scored.

September 4, 1871: This time we dominated from the jump, building a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning ... but Bjornson had a rough frame, giving up four unanswered runs, and with two outs and runners on second and third we had no choice but to bring out Eric Behmer to douse the flames. Unfortunately he walked a runner to load the bases, and a rolling single into center drove in a pair to tie the score. But he got us into extras, at least, so we had a chance. Or really, we didn’t ... you blow a six-run lead on the road in this league and you’re tempting lightning to strike you. Lynnwood won the game on a passed ball, taking this one 7-6 as we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. We outhit them 10-8 but committed five errors including a critical one in the 10th in the outfield, and though Behmer took the loss (0-1, 5.09 ERA), all six runs in the ninth belonged to Bjornson, and they were ALL earned. Danny Graham led the offense with two hits, two runs and two RBIs.

September 5, 1871: Princeton’s in town for a pair, and they bring their 58-38 record with them, as we stumble around at 66-30 having lost four of our last six games, on the verge of losing the top spot in the league’s power rankings as we try to regain our footing. Princeton led 2-0 after six innings, but we gained three runs in the bottom of the sixth to get our first lead of the game. We were knotted 4-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth, but Alex Centeno powered us through with a three-run walkoff homer to win the game, his 21st of the season as he’s been RED HOT lately. Cadenhead improved to 30-13 with a 2.27 ERA, allowing eight hits, three walks and four runs (three earned) as we held on to win, and we outhit them 10-8, led by three hits and an RBI from Graham and a hit, a walk, two runs and three RBIs for Centeno.

September 6, 1871: We traded runs back and forth through the first seven innings, but we broke through with a Centeno two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth ... that’s 22 for him as he continues to dominate the league with his power! That was all we needed to sweep them 5-3, despite being outhit 8-5 and matching them with four errors each. Centeno led with a hit, a run and two RBIs, and Bjornson improved to 35-10 as he stays on pace to be in consideration for the league’s best pitcher award ... he allowed just eight hits, a walk and three runs (two earned) as we improved to 68-30.

September 7, 1871: We’re on the road in Fort Branch (55-43) as we have managed to actually increase our lead in the division by a game (now up 11 games on Gatchel’s 57-41 record). We’re hoping to get Musselman back in a few days as long as he clears medical examiniations, and though we’re weeks away from being able to clinch a division win (with three teams still to play in our division aside from all the others we’ll still have to face) we’ve avoided an injury-related collapse so far. Tonight we put on a dominant performance against the road team, scoring three in the second and three in the fifth, coasting to an 8-0 shutout victory! We outhit them 8-3, and the three-hit shutout was Cadenhead’s fifth, with the fewest hits allowed of any of them! Scott Hopkins led our offense with three hits and an RBI, while Steve Williamson added a hit, three runs and two RBIs.
 
September 8, 1871: Tonight we faced a stiffer challenge from Fort Branch, but we still took the lead from them with a two-run double by Chinea in the top of the seventh. That gave us a 3-2 lead we’d carry the rest of the way as we swept them and won our 70th game out of 100 tries. Bjornson pitched a complete game with three hits and two runs, taking just 76 pitches to do it, and we outhit them 6-3, led again by Hopkins with two hits and a run.

September 9, 1871: Birdseye (51-49) has come to Tell City for a pair, and we’re still awaiting news about Musselman’s return. We had a solid 4-2 lead going into the top of the eighth, but Birdseye hit us hard with three runs in the top of that inning. We came up to hit in the bottom of the ninth still trailing by a run, but though we got runners into scoring position, we weren’t able to finish the job. They beat us 5-4 in a game that had been about as evenly matched as any all year. The difference was our fielding, which was atrocious, with five unforced errors. Cadenhead fell to 31-14 with a 10-inning game where all five of his runs were unearned, and Centeno led with a hit, a run and two batted in, thanks to his 23rd homer of the season.

September 10, 1871: We took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first and traded runs in the fourth before locking in ... they couldn’t get anything else through as we held on defensively to win 2-1. This time we were the team with one error to our opponents’ four, and Bjornson improved to 37-10 with four hits, a strikeout and an earned run through nine innings as his ERA improved to 1.84. We outhit them 8-4, led by Chinea, who hit his 13th homer in the bottom of the first, a solo affair that amounted to half our offense.

Musselman is ready to return from the injured list, just in time to force us to cut 30-year-old infielder Paul Alley to make room for Steve Williamson on the reserve roster. Williamson played in 11 games and hit .250 with two doubles and five RBIs, and while playing catcher and backup first base, he didn’t commit a single error. I feel he’s earned his chance to stick around as a defensive backup option, giving the 30-year-old at least the hope that he can continue to make a living playing this game.

September 11, 1871: Musselman is back just in time to face Leopold (55-47) in a divisional battle, as we make the trip up the road to face the team in a town so small most maps don’t even list it. Leopold wasted no time, scoring a run each in the first and second to take an early lead, They piled on with three more in the third, at which point we finally got on board with a run in the top of the fourth. Glen Cadenhead scored a run in the top of the fifth to cut it to three, thanks to a single by Hopkins coupled with a throwing error, and Alex Centeno got us right back in this one by slamming a two-run homer moments later to make it a one-run game. We loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, and with two outs Steve Hopkins hit a single into right that was deep enough for two runners to score ... Tell City leads, 6-5! A wild pitch led to another run scoring, giving us a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the inning, and we held tough to win 7-5 after all the comeback effort. Cadenhead improved to 32-14, allowing just eight hits with five runs (two earned), and we outhit them 12-8, led by Hopkins with three hits, a run and three RBIs. Centeno added two hits two runs and three RBIs including his 25th home run, and Musselman came back with some energy as well, hitting twice and stealing twice as he scored a run.

September 12, 1871: We got going quickly in this one, putting up four runs in the first that were scored off an error, a fielder’s choice, a passed ball and an RBI double by Ryan Carl. But Leopold slowly inched their way back in, tying the score in the fifth with a pair of runs, and in the bottom of the sixth they took the lead 5-4 with a well placed single by second baseman Ed Richards. We trailed by two heading into the top of the ninth, but we tied it up with a two-run single by Carl. That helped us push this one into extra innings, where we took the lead in the top of the 10th off a huge three-run homer by Centeno! Joe McDonald took over in the bottom of the inning, getting two quick outs and then handing Leopold two singles, a passed ball putting both runners into scoring position. But a groundout to first ended the game as a 9-6 Tell City victory, as we completed the road sweep. Bjornson improved to 38-10 with 11 hits and six runs (four earned), and we outhit them 13-8, led by Centeno with three hits, two runs and four RBIs. He’s been making a great case since Musselman suffered his mid-August injury that he could be the league’s MVP based solely off his incredible power ... he’s currently hitting .322 with 25 doubles, 26 homers and 91 runs batted in, not bad at all for an 18-year-old!

September 14, 1871: Chrisney (54-50) is in town for a pair of games, and they’re still within six games of a wildcard spot, though they’re stuck in the same division as St. Meinrad so the wildcard is their only real hope of extending their season into late October and early November. They hit us hard in the top of the second with four quick runs, and with us trailing 10-2 heading into the sixth inning we had to go to the bullpen, bringing out McDonald as we fought furiously to come back. We did pick up a pair in the sixth and three more in the eighth, and McDonald got us through the top of the ninth still trailing just by the three remaining runs. But there was no comeback left in us, as Chrisney stumped us in the end 10-7. Cadenhead fell to 32-15 with a 2.23 ERA, allowing 12 hits and 10 runs (four earned) in his five innings, but McDonald impressed with four innings and just three hits, walking one and striking out another as his ERA improved to 1.27 through 21.1 relief innings. They outhit us 15-12, despite Musselman putting up three hits, a walk, a run and three RBIs.

September 15, 1871: Today’s game was the reverse of yesterday’s, as we blew them out of the water with hit after hit, the runs coming in at a ridiculous pace. We led 11-0 after six innings, and would go on to flatten them completely by a 13-0 margin, Bjornson pitching a three-hit complete game shutout (his fourth shutout of the year and third with three hits). We picked up a staggering EIGHTEEN hits, and Centeno had a great game even for him, hitting five times with four runs and two RBIs to lead the way.

September 16, 1871: Melody Hill (49-57) hosted us this afternoon, and after two innings with the score knotted 1-1, they took the lead in the third and didn’t look back. We tried on several occasions to get a run around to start a rally, but they stood their ground and beat us soundly 3-1. Cadenhead only allowed four hits, a walk and three (unearned) runs, but we only had four baserunners the entire game, led by Musselman with two hits and our only run, along with his 103rd steal of the season. Centeno went hitless, snapping his hitting streak at 22 games.
 
September 17, 1871: We struck back against Melody Hill nicely in game two, going up 2-0 in the first and holding it successfully through the remainder of the game. They picked up one lone run in the bottom of the ninth, but it didn’t matter in a 6-1 blowout win, as we outhit them 11-5 getting there -- picking up our 75th win in the process. Aaron Bjornson has won 40 of those through 54 starts, allowing five hits and a run tonight as his ERA stayed at 1.83 through 483 innings. Centeno hit three times with a walk, two runs and two RBIs. Bjornson now has a three-win lead on his nearest competitor, and Cadenhead (with 32 wins) is in fourth place in the ORBL.

September 18, 1871: Newburgh (33-75) has been one of the worst teams in the league this season, though they’re not eliminated from playoff contention entirely yet (that distinction goes to Highland, which at 27-81 has become the first team to be mathematically eliminated from wildcard hopes). And they fought us hard in this one, tying the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth, but we scored four in the bottom of that inning and it sealed the deal, our club beating theirs 6-2. Cadenhead allowed five hits, a walk and two earned runs, and we outhit them 6-5, led by Ryan Carl with two hits, a run and two RBIs.

September 19, 1871: Newburgh again tried to be competitive, this time tying us 2-2 in the fourth, but we outscored them 6-0 from there -- this one went into the books as another 8-2 blowout win. We outhit them 10-7, led by Masiello who had three hits and four RBIs, and Bjornson pitched a complete game with seven hits and two runs (one earned) as he continued his league domination.

September 20, 1871: Gatchel played host to us today, and the 63-47 club, sitting in third while just a game behind Troy, needs these wins as the outside team looking in on the wildcard leaders. We took the lead 3-0 in the top of the first but they picked up two in the bottom of the fourth and tied it in the sixth off a line drive single from outfielder Chris Porter. This one stayed that way into extra innings tied at 3-3, Musselman scored off a sac-fly in the top of the 10th to put us into the lead, but they walked it off in the bottom of the inning when Porter hit a single that, thanks to an error in center field, led to two scored runs. We lost 5-4, and they got to tighten up the wildcard race. Cadenhead took the loss, allowing 11 hits, a walk and five runs (one earned) while striking out a pair, and we only had eight baserunners all game, led by Musselman with two hits, a walk, four steals and two runs scored.

September 21, 1871: Masiello needed a day off badly, so we moved extra reliever Eric Behmer to the reserves to make room for Steve Williamson to take the start behind home plate. The game was close early on, with our team ahead 3-1 after seven innings. But in the top of the eighth we broke it wide open with six uncontested runs, and we’d go on to win easily 10-1. Bjornson improved to 42-10 with a 1.80 ERA, allowing just four hits and a run with two strikeouts, and we outhit them 14-4 behind a two hit, two run three RBI game for Steve Hopkins.

September 22, 1871: Rockport (61-51) came into town this afternoon for the first of two games, and the game quickly became a slugfest for both teams. We took an early 6-2 lead after three, but Rockport got three back, one each in the fourth, fifth and sixth, to get within a run. But we answered with four runs across the fifth and sixth, and they never got any closer than four again as we beat them 10-6. We outhit them 12-9, led by Williamson our catcher with three hits, two runs and two RBIs ... he’s hitting .289 through his first 48 at-bats as a backup, earning his late-season contract payment.

September 23, 1871: We had a 4-1 lead going into the top of the seventh in this one, but Rockport got a run back in the top of the inning, and with two in scoring position and two outs we decided to bring out McDonald to replace Bjornson. Rockport tied it up with a single by their pitcher, Rich Simpson, so McDonald got tagged with a blown save opportunity, but we picked up three runs in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a three-run double by Chinea, and he closed things out well in the ninth to get us a 7-4 win. That was his third blown save, but he improved to 4-6 with a 1.14 ERA, pitching 2.1 innings with just two hits, and we outhit Rockport 12-8, led by Chinea with three hits and five RBIs.

September 24, 1871: We travelled to Tennyson (51-63) this afternoon and Tennyson scored first, picking up a run in the bottom of the second. But we answered with six runs in a row across the third and fourth, and scored another three in the sixth to turn this into a rout. They closed the gap in the later innings but never got closer than three runs as we stumped them 9-6. Cadenhead allowed 15 hits, a walk and six runs (one earned) with two strikeouts, but he got his 35th win ... and we pulled it out despite being outhit 15-10. Musselman led the way with a hit, a walk, a steal and three runs scored.

September 25, 1871: This game was INSANE ... they’d built a 3-0 lead on us through six innings, but we came out in the top of the seventh and batted around a time and a half, putting up ELEVEN RUNS to completely demoralize them! Tennyson had no answer at all after that, and we won easily 11-3, improving to 82-34 on the season. We outhit them 11-7, Carl leading the way with three hits, two runs and two RBIs, and Bjornson was unflappable with just seven hits and three runs (two earned) in yet another complete game for the 17-year-old.

September 27, 1871: Huntingburg (52-64) is well out of the race for any postseason spots, but we haven’t clinched our playoff spot yet either, so we are working to maintain an even keel and focus on getting the job done, with our magic number sitting at 10 to become the first team to clinch. We were leading 15-3 in the top of the fifth inning when Glen Cadenhead had to be pulled due to an injury after a bad slide, Joel McDonald taking over for him while team doctors worriedly rushed Cadenhead into the clubhouse. McDonald did his job, and we went on to completely annihilate Huntingburgh by a 17-3 margin, but there was a pall over things as we wait to find out if we’ve lost one of our pitchers long term. We outhit Huntingburgh 16-8 and they committed SEVENTEEN errors ... that’s right, you heard me. Chris Johnson led with two hits, four runs and two RBIs (his four runs setting a team record for runs scored by a player in a game) and McDonald picked up the win, throwing five innings with four hits, a walk and two strikeouts as he improved to 5-6 with a 0.94 ERA through 28.2 innings.

Glen Cadenhead’s injury could have been much worse than it was ... it turns out his knee is inflamed, and he’ll be day to day for a couple weeks. We’re going to move him to the bullpen and start McDonald during that time, using Cadenhead only as a reliever with limited hitting / running during the next two weeks.
 
September 28, 1871: We took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, and though Huntingburgh kept this one close enough that we wouldn’t overlook them, we led confidently through the eighth inning, Bjornson pitching in the top of the ninth with a three-run lead. He shut them down efficiently and we held tough to win 6-3, continuing our march toward clinching the division win. They outhit us 12-11, but Bjornson picked up his 44th win anyway, allowing 12 hits with three runs (one earned) and a walk, while Hopkins led our offense with two hits, one run and three RBIs.

September 29, 1871: Tony Alegre’s back off the injured list, so we’ve moved Steve Williamson back to the reserves, and in order to keep him there we had to release 44-year-old pitcher Jim Novak, who has chosen to retire from baseball. We traveled to Grandview (58-60) today, Joe McDonald making his first start of the season after 16 bullpen appearances, and we got out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third thanks to a passed ball, an RBI triple for Musselman, and to an error that allowed Chinea to reach first safely. McDonald acquitted himself well through seven innings, but he got rung up for four runs in the eighth, and with one out and a man on second Cadenhead came out of the pen to protect what was left of our lead. They got a run off a wild pitch to cut the lead to 7-5, and with two outs another run scored off a single and an E9 error, making this one a tense affair. But a pop-out to short ended the inning with the lead still intact, and we added a run on in the top of the ninth with two outs thanks to an E6 error that let Centeno on base. Cadenhead got two outs in the bottom of the ninth then let runners take the corners ... but Fernando Rocha, their third baseman, hit into a fielder’s choice with Johnston making the unassisted out at second, getting us the 8-6 win. That gave Cadenhead his first save, a 1.2 inning effort with two hits and an unearned run, while McDonald improved to 6-6 with a 1.75 ERA after allowing six hits and five runs (four earned) with three walks and two strikeouts through 7.1 innings in his first start. They outhit us 8-6, but the difference maker was our two triples and the grand slam home run that Alegre hit in the sixth inning to break the game open. Welcome back, Alegre! It seems appropriate that he hit our first “grand slam” against Grandview, don’t you think?

September 30, 1871: We finished the month with our final game against Grandview, and we took the lead in the third, adding five runs on in the fourth and fifth to lead 6-1 heading into the top of the sixth. From there the game turned into another rout as we destroyed them in the end 13-2! Bjornson picked up his 45th win of the year and got his ERA down to 1.75 thanks to just seven hits, two runs (one earned) and a walk, striking out five batters along the way! Strikeouts haven’t been a huge part of this league, but today’s game did get him to 54 K’s on the season, a very solid mark. We outhit them 16-7, led by Centeno who had three hits, a walk, a run and two RBIs.

With three weeks left in the season, we’re now just a few wins away from clinching the division and, with it, a guaranteed spot in this year’s playoffs. We and St. Meinrad (78-42) are by far the top two teams in the league, with no other divisions or wildcard spots likely to be decided until the very end of the regular season.