Joshua Mills his life in Baseball

[amead17]

I am going to follow another players career similar to that i have done before but have decided this time to slow it right down and see how each game plays out for him. I have made the league fictional this time with 32 teams along with all the relevant minor leagues and we can see how he grows as a player while the league also grows.

[amead17]

My name is Joshua Mills but most people call me Josh. I am 17 and come from New York. I am hoping to become a star in the newly formed American Baseball League as a first baseman with possibly a third baseman spot if first base doesn't work out. What will follow is my own log of how I play and my respective teams play in the league along with any league tables I think people might like to see.

I missed the inaugural draft for the new league as my parents only agreed for me to try out for the new league if I finished my final year at school first. This means I will be going to the First Year Draft Try outs in late April to see if I can make the First Year Draft in June. Hopefully I will come through them and make it onto the June draft list for the 2017 season.

[amead17]

[amead17]

The try outs were really tough and I had to work my butt off just to try and get noticed. But it has paid off as I have made the First Year Draft list for the ABL. I have been listed as one of the players with most potential to make the grade in the league. Hopefully I can pull a high draft spot on the 1st of June.

[amead17]

[amead17]

It is draft day and to say I am nervous is an understatement. I am hoping to get a good spot in the draft and with the new New York team drafting third I could possibly end up playing for my home town club. Which ever club I end up on I know I will be moving to a new state to start my professional career as all the Rookie and Short A Leagues are based in places other than New York. I could end up in the North West or Dakota Leagues which would be a long move. A least if New York pick me it would only be the Carolina or New England League so not quite such a big move.

The draft started and I was not called for the first pick. As soon as the first pick was announced our home phone was ringing. I answered and the person on the other end introduced himself as Dustin Savage, the GM of the Philadelphia Black Cats. He said that I had impressed their scouts at the draft try outs and that they had decided to make me their first ABL draft selection and the second overall pick in the 2017 draft.

As he said that to me it was announced on the ABL network that the second pick of the draft would be 1B Joshua Mills and that I would be joining the Philadelphia Black Cats.

After that everything went like a whirlwind as my parents and friends and family all started to congratulate me and hug me.it didn't calm down until later that night when I then got a chance to reflect on the fact I was going to be a professional ball player for the Philadelphia Black Cats organisation.

[amead17]

The Philadelphia Black Cats organisation have been very good with me after the draft was announced and made me feel welcome. They have told me to report to their Short A affiliate, the Tuscaloosa Wasps of the Mississippi League by the 10th of June ready for preseason work outs with the season starting on the 20th June.

[amead17]

I have arrived in Tuscaloosa and was immediately shown to the new player hotel that the team has. I have been given a room to share with Left Fielder Cooper Houghton from Pittsburgh who is also a new draftee in for this year. Hopefully we can become friends and progress together. Once we were all settled in they had us out on the practice field straight away to work out the best line-up for the opening game in 10 days time. Hopefully the big club will not change too much before we start playing.

[amead17]

No sooner than I started to get to know Cooper than he was moved on up to the Single A club. I have a new room mate in Pat Palin who has just come the other way from the Erie Phantoms down to us at the Tuscaloosa Wasps. He is a Californian and is very companionable. Hopefully I might have found a friend to help me settle better now.

[amead17]

It has been a tough few days as we have seen players move up and down as the big club move people but the manager has managed to get a team together for the first game today. I am being given my first start in professional baseball with the manager putting me in at Third Base and number 5 in the batting line up. Pat has remained with the team and has been asked to start at Right Field and hit from number 7. Antonio Torres will pitch for us after being sent down by the big club a few days ago.

We are at home to the Metairie Silverbacks at Grand Stadium and I am looking forward to getting out onto the field for some real baseball.

Our Line up

LF Angelo Mendoza
2B Casey McCauley
SS Steve Bielecki
1B Angelo Espinal
3B Joshua Mills
DH Joe Van Alstyne
RF Pat Palin
C Thomas Ayala
CF Jose Becerra

The top of the first starts well for us as Torres gets the first 2 batters but then Matt Totten of the Silverbacks stepped up and on a 3-1 pitch hits the ball 346 feet to record a home run and the first against us. We are 1-0 behind at this point.

Bottom of the first saw Casey McCauley make base after being hit by a pitch but nothing else from us so we remain 1 behind.

Top of the Second and my first part in the game is to make the most stupid of mistakes. Jeremy Miller of the Silverbacks hits a slow roller in my direction. I go for the easy pick up only to boot it and give up the base on an error. My mistake ends up costing us a run as Miller makes it to third from a Cheron single before heading for home on the next fly out from Endress. The Silverbacks get another run as Cheron scores from a Herron RBI Double. We finish the top of the Second 3-0 behind

The Bottom of the second sees me in the lead out role coming out to bat first. I get bat to ball on the 1-0 pitch but send out a blooper to left and it is snagged by their left fielder. After that we go down in order and don't get anything. Pat Palin also flies out as third man up.

Top of the third sees Totten and Cheron cause us more pain as the Silverbacks pick up another run. Totten hits a single then steals second before a single from Cheron sees him home. Endress moves Cheron to third on a single before both he and Cheron score from a Lyons Double. With these 3 runs we have given up we are down 6-0 and finding our first game tough.

The Bottom of the third and we go down 1, 2, 3 again.

Top of the fourth and Torres continues to struggle on the mound for us. He gives Risoli a single before he moves to third on a Totten single. Hoople then scores Risoli with a single. While Totten moves to third. At this point the manager has enough of Torres and pulls him. He sends in Nick Thompson to pitch and he gets the last out to leave us 7-0 behind.

Bottom of the fourth and McCauley gets another base, this time from a walk. Only our second base of the day. Steve Bielecki then scores our first hit with a long hop to the right fielder moving McCauley to second. Angel Espinal then comes in and claims our second hit with an RBI triple that sees both McCauley and Bielecki run for home bringing in our first 2 runs of the year. Next up is myself with Espinal sat at third. I take the count up to 3-2 trying to find a ball to hit but then get struck out looking for the walk. Espinal gets home from a Van Alstyne fly out to right field to give us our third run. Palin comes in last for us but sees his line drive grabbed by their short stop after a leaping catch. We are down 7-3 at this point.

Top of the fifth and Thompson continues to pitch. He retires the side with 3 strike outs to give us a chance.

Bottom of the fifth and Mendoza makes base on an error due to a slippery field as rain starts to come down. But that is it for us as McCauley hits to the fielder and we are retired.

Top of the sixth sees the Silverbacks get Meek and Totten on base with singles. I have a chance to get in the game as Meek tries to steal third but the throw is a little late so we don't get him. Hoople takes a single to score Meek and bring Totten to second. The Silverbacks finish with just the 1 run and lead 8-3.

Bottom of the Sixth sees the Silverbacks change pitchers. We have 1 out before the rain starts to get very heavy and the Umpires call a delay of game. We head into the locker room for a chat to see if we can work things out. It ends up being 65 minutes before we are back on the field. The first 2 batters ground out and I then step up third only to strike out again for the second time in the game. This sees us 8-3 behind still.

Top of the seventh sees another pitching change for us as Ray Petty comes in and gives up just a single to Lyons to keep the score at 8-3 the Silverbacks.

Bottom of the Seventh and Van Alstyne gets a single only to be tagged next batter up as Palin manages a single. We are then retired on 2 fly outs. We are still down 8-3.

Top of the Eighth and I finally get to help my side in the field. Totten picks up his fifth hit of the game before Hoople comes up to bat. He hits a weak ground ball in my direction which I scoop up and send to first to retire the side. Silverbacks lead 8-3.

The Bottom of the eighth sees Mendoza walk. The Silverbacks then bring in a new pitcher who tries to pickoff Mendoza at first but misses with the throw giving Mendoza second. 2 outs follow before Espinal hits a solid single which makes Mendoza move to third before heading for home. He fails to make it and it retires the side We still trail 8-3

Top of the Ninth and Petty manages to give up only a walk while striking out 2 and seeing one fly out. Silverbacks lead 8-3

Bottom of the ninth and I am up first again to try and rally the game for us. I stick up a long looper to left centre that is easily taken, no rally from me. The next 2 up strike out as we fall tamely in the last.

The Silverbacks take the game 8-3 and I have to say we made it easy for them. Even though it is my first professional game I am not happy with my performance after going 0-4, striking out twice on the way and also giving up a stupid error in the second.

Hopefully the second game of the 2 game series tomorrow will see us perform better.

[amead17]

I am not sure I should write up today's debacle but here goes.

Transactions saw us lose a couple of pitchers including Ray Petty who pitched yesterday. We did gain a couple of replacements coming down the team lists so hopefully they will help us.

The second game of 2 against the Metairie Silverbacks and I get my second start at Third Base. Lets hope we can play better than yesterday.

Line-up
LF Angelo Mendoza
2B Case McCauley
SS Steve Bielecki
1B Chris LaBuff
3B Joshua Mills
DH Joe Van Alstyne
RF Pat Palin
Catcher Tomas Ayala
CF Jose Becerra

Pitching for us today is Dave Ziobro

We start out well in the top of the first as only Totten manages a base hit off of Ziobro.

The bottom of the first sees Angelo Mendoz start with a double and then move to third on a ground out by Casey McCauley. Then Bielecki and LaBuff strike out to retire the side.

The start of the second is ok with another strike out before it all starts to unravel. Mark Meek singles as does Jim Endress moving Meek to third. Chris Lyons makes base after being hit by a pitch and Endress moves to second. Herron then flies out but it allows Meek to tag up and run for home for the Silverbacks first score. Brian Risoli then doubles to right field that sees Endress and Lyon put 2 more on the board for the Silverbacks. Ziobro gets out from the inning with a final strike out to leave us 3-0 behind.

I lead off the bottom of the second only to fly out to left field and start the second game the way I finished the first. Pat Palin manages a single in the inning but we have very little else.

The top of the third sees Matt Totten start for the Silverbacks and to make all Wasps fans really hate him he hits a solo home run to make it 2 against us in as many games. Ziobro gets through the rest of the inning without any issues. We are down 4-0 at this point. I managed to gather 2 of the outs for Ziobro.

The bottom of the third sees go down 1, 2, 3 with fly outs and ground outs.

The top of the fourth and Ziobro finally collapses. He gives a double to Chris Lyons and then Kyle Hroon steps up to crack a 2 run homer for 361 feet. Oh how I wish it was me doing that. Jeremy Miller puts in a double to see Ziobro pulled. Replacement pitcher Gus Flores gets us out of the inning. We are down 6-0 at this point.

The bottom of the fourth and we continue to go over like dominoes. I am up second and hit another fly out, this time to left field. We remain 6-0 down

The top of the fifth and Gus Flores gives Hoople a base on balls. This is followed by a double from Endress and a single from Lyons that sees Hoople and Endress score. The inning finishes next batter up but we still fall further back at 8-0. I managed to catch a fly out from Cheron.

The bottom of the fifth and we finally get a spark. Tomas Ayala reaches on an error by their centre fielder going to second base. The next up is Jose Becerra who also manages to make base on an error. This error saw Ayala round third and scamper home for our first run. The final 2 outs were regulation ground outs and we are left trailing 8-1.

Top of the sixth Brian Risoli starts with a walk from Gus Flores before Wasp killer Totten steps into the box again. And yes I call him killer for a reason. He proceeds to hit another home run and score 2 more runs for the Silverbacks. Flores gets through the rest of the inning and we trail 10-1.

The bottom of the sixth was a domino effect again as we go down 1, 2, 3 with me being third up. I am struck out swinging at the 0-2 pitch.

The top of the Seventh sees Gus Flores get one more batter as Meek singles before he is pulled and Nick Thompson is sent for. My rooommate Pat Palin then proceeds to drop the next batter and pick up an error as he allows Meek to second and a base hit for Endress. There follows a single by Lyons which scores Meek with Endress scampering home close behind. Lyons then steals second as the next batter strikes out. Thompson gets through the rest of the inning. We are down 12-1 at this point

The Bottom of the seventh sees Joe Van Alstyne get a single only for Palin to compound his error in the previous inning by grounding into a double play that sees both himself and Alstyne retired. Ayala struck out.

Top of the eighth and Thompson proceeds to give Totten a walk, Hoople a single that sees Totten to third before Cheron flies out but gets Totten home after he tags up. Meek then also walks and moves Hoople to second. A double from Endress scores Meek and Hoople and sees the end of Thompson on the mound. The manager sends in Hector Castaneda who promptly gives a base to Lyons by hitting him with a pitch before allowing Herron to triple, scoring both Endress and Lyons. Risoli then grounds out but Herron still gets home. This inning gives the Silverbacks another 6 runs to leave us 18-1 behind.

The bottom of the eighth sees only Casey McCauley make base and again that was due to a fielding error.

Top of the ninth and we finally manage to find some control with only a single for Cheron. I fielded the Single but didn't have time for the throw to first and the tag.

Bottom of the ninth and to finish us off we went 1, 2, 3 again and I hit another fly out as second batter up.

We lose the game 18-1 and as you can guess the locker room is not a happy place to be after the game.

I went 0-4 with 1 strike out.

We face a new team at home tomorrow so hopefully our form and luck will turn.

[amead17]

Day three of my professional baseball career and we play the Lake Charles Express at home. Both teams are 0-2 so we have a chance of some success.

The Manager has made changes to the line-up again and we go as follows.

LF Angelo Mendoza
2B Casey McCauley
SS Steve Bielecki
1B Angel Espinal
3B Joshua Mills
DH Chris LaBuff
RF Pat Palin
Catcher Tomas Ayala
CF Jose Becerra

Starting Pitcher today is Macho Vigil who has just come down from single A level yesterday.

Top of the first sees the Express go down 1, 2, 3 with 2 strike outs for Vigil

Bottom of the first sees us go down the same way with 2 ground outs and a fly out

Top of the second and, after the first out, Gilberds steps up to hit a line drive out to right field and my roomy, Pat Palin, makes a blunder by dropping a regulation catch giving up a single. After his mistake on the Gilberds single Palin blunders again failing to pick up another line drive allowing the Express to get a double from Glacken. Reich comes up and gets a base hit to right field which scores both Gilberds and Glacken making Palin's errors very costly. Express lead 2-0.

The bottom of the second sees us go down swinging 1, 2, 3 including myself who is struck out again chasing a wide one. Express lead 2-0

Top of the third sees the Express start with a double from Brittain. Palin continues his disaster at right field as a grounder heads his way on the next batter. It bounces just before it reaches him and hits him in the chest. This causes a single to turn into a double and sees Brittain come home. That is Palin's 3rd error of the game. Pena gets a single to move Blodgett to third. Vigil gets out of the inning after that. The Express lead 3-0

The bottom of the third sees us get our first hit as Becerra puts a soft one into left field after 2 outs but it goes nowhere as Mendoza is struck out.

Top of the fourth and Vigil gets the Express to hit out on 3 bats to leave the score at 3-0 in favour of the Express.

Bottom of the fourth sees 2 outs and a Bielecki single for me to come to the plate for the second time in the game. I get a piece of the 1-1 pitch and send it out high over centre field only to see it drop into the hands of the Express Centre Fielder as he retires us Wasps again.

Top of the fifth sees Brittain get a hit before Shepherd sends another hard hit ball the way of Palin. Palin makes the diving catch and finally comes up with something to make the out. Vigil strikes out the rest.

Bottom of the fifth and we go 1, 2, 3 again as the score remains 3-0 to the Express

Top of the sixth and I help get the first out with an easy pick up at third before throwing to first to beat the runner. Gilberds hits a single but then gets stranded as a combination of Vigil and replacement pitcher Andreas Seville get the next 2 batters to strike out. Express remain 3 up.

Bottom of the sixth sees Becerra make base on balls to start us off. Mendoza picks up a single to move the bases. This doesn't go anywhere though as McCauley gets an infield fly and Bielecki grounds into a double play taking both himself and Mendoza out.

Top of the Seventh and Potts takes a single before Shepherd hits a slow infield roller my way. I make the pick up but cannot make a play at first or second so hang onto the ball to keep it down to a single. Next batter up flies out and we get out of the inning still only 3 behind.

Bottom of the seventh and we are retired again in 3. I am up second but strike out for the second time in the game. When am I ever going to get that first hit.

Top of the eighth and we get the Express 1, 2, 3 and keep in the game going into the bottom of the eighth

Bottom of the eighth and Palin makes up for some of the errors he has made with a single to right field before the next 3 batters either strike out or are out trying for first.

Top of the Ninth and Seville keeps the game alive with 3 strike outs. It now up to our bats to get to work to try and save the game.

Bottom of the ninth and we start with 2 strike outs. Things are not looking good as Espinal steps into the box. He then manages to get a piece of one and rips it 364 feet into left field for a solo home run. We are on the board. Only problem is I am up next and have to keep things going.

I have somehow done it. I hit a slow roller down the right field line and Pena at first base has to move to grab it. I manage to make base just before he gets the ball to their pitcher who was at first. I keep the inning alive. I then get to move up to second base on a wild pitch that has everyone missing at home plate. I get no further as LaBuff is out swininging and we go down 3-1 to the Express.

The loss is not what we wanted and we are very depressed in the locker room. Palin is very down after his 3 errors and I am going to have to try and cheer him up tonight before we start again tomorrow against the Express.

My own game was slightly better in that I managed my first hit in professional ball and didn't make any mistakes but I do need to clean up on the strike outs as I have another 2 on my way to a 1-4 game.

[amead17]

23rd June 2017

Game 2 of the 3 game series against the Lake Charles Express and hopefully we are ready to play today.

The manager has decided the line-up will be as follows today.

LF Angelo Mendoza
2B Casey McCauley
SS Steve Bielecki
1B Chris LaBuff
3B Joshua Mills
DH T.J. Kiristis
RF Pat Palin
Catcher Tomas Ayala
CF Chris LaVacca

Matt Hood is on the mound for us today.

Top of the first sees Hood give a walk to Crager, their first batter up. Crager is out next play after a slow roller into centre left sees Roethler single. Blodgett get another single on the next at bat but we get Roethler at second base. We get the last on a fly out to retire the side.

Bottom of the first and Mendoza starts with a walk. McCauley then steps into the box and takes the 1-2 pitch and strikes it beautifully over centre field for a 420 foot home run to score 2. Thats all we get as Bielecki strikes out before both LaBuff and myself manage to fly out. We lead 2-0, our first lead this year.

Top of the second starts with another walk, this time for Shepherd. Cheek follows this up with a base hit. Brittain then hits a single to right field that sees Shepherd run for home and beat the throw to score our opponents first run. The Express then load the bases as Yurcho picks up a single. Hood serves up another single to Shang and this sees both Cheek and Brittain home for 2 more against us still with no outs. We Crager but then Roethler hits an infield single as hood can't make the play at first. We give up another run on the next hit as Blodgett gets a single while Roethler is tagged out at second. Hood then gets Pena swinging for a strike out to end the inning leaving us behind the Express 4-2.

Bottom of the Second sees T.J. Kiristis start by Grounding out before Palin strikes out and Ayala ground's it to short right and getting tagged at first.

The top of the third sees Hood back on form as he only gives up 1 single to Shepherd before he gets 2 strike outs. Shepherd is then caught stealing second to end the inning. We still trail 4-2.

Bottom of the third and LaVacca strikes out before an infield single by Mendoza sees the inning get under way. We don't get anything after that as Mcauley flies out and a hit by Bielecki is fielded and sent to second base to tag Mendoza.

Top of the fourth and Yurcho starts with a solid base hit. Hood gets Shang and Crager with strikeouts but Roethler then hits a solid base hit that sees Yurcho to third. Hood gets pulled at this point by our manager and he sends in Nick Thompson again. Blodgett is the first to face him and while he gets bat on ball it goes to a fielder who decides to take Roethler at second base to end the inning. We still trail 4-2.

Bottom of the fourth and LaBuff flies out down the left before I then come up to bat. My poor form in the box continues as I am struck out again. Kiristis hits straight to first next up to retire the side.

Top of the fifth and Pena hits a hopper to centre where Bielecki fields and send it to first for the out. The same combination of Bielecki and LaBuff accounts for Shepherd. I then get my first play in the field as Cheek hits a hard one in my direction, I field it cleanly and send it over to first for the out. We still trail 4-2.

Bottom of the fifth sees Palin lead off and he gets a single. Ayala follows Palin up and hits a strong double to the left wall for Palin to move to third and in scoring range. LaVacca comes up next to hit a strong one out to centre where it is grabbed. Palin manages to tag up and then head for home where a wild throw by the Express sees him in. Ayala goes to third. Ayala crosses the plate next batter up as a gentle roller to centre is botched by Cheek to allow the single from Mendoza. We have tied the game at 4. Mendoza steals second on a ball with McCauley at the plate. McCauley flies out to bring up Bielecki who flies out and we end the inning tied at 4-4.

Top of the sixth and Brittain takes a walk, Yurcho flies out, and Shang strikes out but Brittain steals second on the throw. We get Crager on the next hit and the game stays tied at 4.

Bottom of the sixth and we have LaBuff up first and he picks up a base hit. I am up next and it would be a good time for me to find something but I fly out again into centre. Kiristis does the same as does Palin to see us retired and the score remain 4-4.

Top of the seventh and our manager sends Cesar Orocho in as the new pitcher. He gets a strikeout first up before the Express get a walk from Blodgett and a single from Glacken. Andreas Sevilla is sent in after that to pitch for us. He gets Shepherd on the fly but Blodgett gets to third by beating the throw. Sevilla gets Cheek to strikeout and we survive the seventh.

Bottom of the seventh and Ayala starts with a single to right field. This causes the Express to change pitching. A bunt by LaVacca sees him to first and Ayala to second. The Express change pitching again and this time Mendoza bunts. He isn't as lucky as he is tagged at first but Ayala moves within range at third with LaVacca at second. McCauley manages to hit a grounder but it goes straight to the fielder who gets it to first. Bielecki comes in next and he hits a nice one to right centre that finds the gap and gives him a single. Ayala comes home as LaVacca moves to third. LaBuff hits to first and that retires the side. We now lead 5-4

Top of the eighth and we are looking to close the game down. We don't start well as Brittain hits a single. Swindell comes in to pitch for us now. Yurcho picks up a single and moves Brittain to second. We get 2 on the next play as Shang hits it to Swindell who throws to second which then goes to first and the double play. Brittain moves to third as the tying run. Crager steps up and hits a single to left which sees Brittain home and ties the game again. The inning ends on a ground out with it tied at 5-5.

Bottom of the eighth and I am up first and my bad form continues as I fly out for the third time in the game. Kiritis picks up a single. Espinal pinch hits for Palin and manages a single to move Kiritis to second. Kiritis steals third on an Ayala strike. Ayala then hits into centre field only to see the fielder pick up a lovely double play to get both him and Espinal and retire us leaving the game tied at 5.

Top of the ninth and Latrell Angton comes into pitch. Blodgett flies out first up before Potts gets an infield hit. Shepherd also gets an infield hit. Cheek hits a strong single into centre field which moves everybody. Potts then heads for home and a bad throw by LaVacca gives him an easy in to give the lead to the Express. We go further behind as Brittain flies out but Shepherd manages to get in from third. Lake Charles take a 7-5 llead into the bottom of the ninth and we are staring defeat in the face again.

Bottom of the ninth and the first 2 batters fly out before McCauley gets a walk. Crubaugh comes in as a substitute but he hits it to the fielder and we are retired for a 7-5 loss and our fourth loss in a row.

My game was awful again going 0-4 with a strike out and very little fielding my way.

Both myself and the team need to turn this poor form round otherwise we could be in for a long year.

[amead17]

24th June 2017

I play my fifth professional game today and I am hoping that I can start to get something going after 4 terrible outings with the bat. We are facing the Lake Charles Express again.

The Manager has gone with the following line-up

LF Angelo Mendoza
2B Casey McCauley
SS Steve Bielecki
DH Chris LaBuff
3B Joshua Mills
RF Pat Palin
Catcher Tomas Ayala
1B Scott Watson
CF Jose Becerra

We have Tyler Crostic pitching for us today.

Top if the first and we get the Express to hit out 1, 2, 3

Bottom of the first and we also go down hitting out 1, 2, 3

Top of the second sees the same routine as all 3 batters are out hitting. I help get the third out as a grounder is hit my direction and I fire it to first for the out.

Bottom of the second and LaBuff hits out the same as everybody else. I am up next. I take my stance on the 3-1 pitch as I have done all year. The pitch is fired in and I swing and catch it perfectly on the bat. It sails over left field to go for my first professional home run and is measured at 382 feet. I score our first run on a solo. Palin and Ayala follow me up but neither gets anything going. We lead 1-0 at this point.

Top of the third and we get the first batter up but then Reich hits a single down the right line. Cook gets a walk moving Reich to second. We get the next 2 batters as they hit out to bring the inning to a close and maintain our lead.

Bottom of the third and Watson and Becerra both hit out before Mendoza steps in to bat. He clips a strong one out to left field that rolls to the wall giving him a double. McCauley follows him up and hits a grounder out to left centre. It is fired back to first to get him but goes high and he manages to scoot round first and move to second for a double. This double allows Mendoza to come home and add to our lead. Bielecki hits out next to end the inning with our lead at 2-0.

Top of the fourth sees Blodgett walk. Next up is Roethler who hits to first. Watson at first fires to second to get Blodgett before it comes back to Watson at first for the double play getting Roethler. Watson also gets the third out as Pena hits to him as well.

Bottom of the fourth an LaBuff starts us off badly with a strikeout. I come in second looking to add to my home run. What do you know I do exactly the same as the previous time I was up, hitting a line drive over left field for a 349 foot solo home run to bring up our 3rd run of the game. Palin strikes out and Ayala hits out to finish the inning with our lead up to 3-0

Top of the fifth and Crostic gets the first on an infield fly, Palin takes the second on a fly out and then Crostic Strikes out Reich to end the inning.

Bottom of the fifth and we start with a ground out by Watson and Becarra flies out to centre. Mendoza then picks up a walk before McCauley strikes out on a close call. We continue to lead 3-0

Top of the sixth and Cook is taken on a ground out. Brittain then manages to get a single out to left field. Gilberds is next up and hits a strong grounder my direction I field it at third and then quickly send it to second to get Brittain. The ball then goes quickly to Watson at first who gets Gilberds to complete the double play and retire the side.

Bottom of the sixth and Bielecki will count himself unlucky to be caught out in centre after a despairing dive by Brittain. LaBuff then manages to ground out and bring me up as the third batter of the inning. After 2 solo home runs my luck runs out. I hit the ball up the middle only to hit the pitcher and see the ball roll to Gilberds who fires it to first to get me. We still lead 3-0

Top of the seventh and Crostic strikes out Blodgett first up. The manager then makes a pitching change and brings in Hector Castaneda who strikes out Roethler before giving up a double to Pena who injures himself on the slide into second. We get Crager on the next play with a strong throw from Bielecki to first.

Bottom of the seventh and Palin grounds out, Ayala Strikes out as does Watson. We continue to lead 3-0

Top of the Eighth and Shang picks up a single to start the inning. Reich Strikes out as does Cook. Castaneda also gets Brittain with a strike out to end the inning.

Bottom of the Eighth and Becarra grounds out to start us off. The same combination of Shang and Bullington then get Mendoza to ground out. McCauley manages a single to centre field but Bielecki strikes out to end the inning. We still lead 3-0

into the top of the ninth and the manager sends Latrell Angton into pitch. He gets Gilberds and Blodgett with strike outs. Roethler then gets one through to Right Field for a single. We finish the game next batter up as Bielecki fields a grounder and fires to first for the out.

We take our first win of the year 3-0 and the feeling is so much better than the previous days.

I have a good day going 2-3 with 2 solo home runs. Crostic takes player of the game. Hopefully the good form in the field can be taken into tomorrow as we travel to the Biloxi Jackals for the first game of a 2 game road trip.

[amead17]

Today sees us on the road in Biloxi to face the Jackals at the Crux Stadium. I am hoping to bring yesterday's form into today's game as the team tries to build on the win.

The manager has decided on the following line-up for our first road game.

LF Angelo Mendoza
2B Casey McCauley
SS Steve Bielecki
1B Chris LaBuff
3B Joshua Mills
DH Joe Van Alstyne
RF Pat Palin
CF Jose Becerra
Catcher Josh Pittman

Pitching for us is Antonio Torres who struggled in his 3.1 innings in the first game of the year.

Top of the First and Angleo Mendoza is up first for us and he puts out a grounder to centre that is fired to first for the out. McCauley flies out but Bielecki gets a base hit into short left. Chris LaBuff gives a solid whack to the ball next up and puts a sinlge over to the left field wall. This sees Bielecki up to third. I am up next. I hit a solid ball out to left field that falls in for a base hit and sees Bielecki home for the teams first run. Van Alstyne follows me up and hits a hopper out to centre but the fielder doesn't have a play so the single sees us load the bases. Palin comes up next and hits a grounder into the infield. The fielder gets it but doesn't get it to first in time. This scores LaBuff and sees me move to 3rd and Van Alstyne to second to have the bases remain loaded. I then come in on the next batter for a run as the Jackals give up a base to Becerra on a walk and the bases remain loaded. Van Alstyne to third and Palin to second. The Jackals give up another run as Pittman gets a walk to score Van Alstyne. Palin moves to third and Becerra to second. Mendoza comes up for his second bat of the inning and hits the ball into Centre field where it lands for a single. Palin and Becerra round the bases and head home to add 2 more runs to the total. McCauley is up next but hits it to Centre field and the fielder takes the second base before Mendoza gets there to finally bring the inning to a close. We lead 6-0 after the top of the first.

Bottom of the first and we don't start well in the field. Eteldrum of the Jackals hits into Centre and the throw to first is wide to allow him to take a single. Palin gets the next on a fly out. We then get Eteldrum as he tries to steal second. I get in on the action as Warsaw hits towards me and I field and throw to first for the out to end the inning.

Top of the Second and Bielecki strikes out as does LaBuff. This brings me up third hoping to add to my RBI single of the first but I go down swinging for a strike out. We still lead 6-0

Bottom of the Second and I field the first hit of the inning and send it to first for the out. Granahan picks up a single. Schulze also gets a single to see Granahan to first after Palin decides not to chance the throw. Palin then gets Hinds, who is up next, on the fly. Our pitcher Torres then loads the bases as he walks Ladewig but gets away with it as he strikes out the next batter to retire the side.

Top of the third and Van Alstyne gets tagged at first after grounding to centre field. Palin gets a walk. Becerra hits a strong single into right field that sees Palin try for third. He beats the throw and sits at third. We get no further as Pittman hits into a double play that sees both himself and Becerra out. We continue to lead 6-0

Bottom of the third and I get throw to first to get Eteldrum. I do the same to get Saintlouis who is next up. We retire the side on a fly out to Bielecki at short stop.

Top of the fourth, Mendoza starts off with a solid hit single to centre field only for him to be caught trying to steal second on a McCauley strike. McCauley gets a single but Bielecki strikes out after the Jackals pull their starter. LaBuff gets a walk and McCauley moves to second as I come up for my third at bat of the game. I hit a solid one over centre but the fielder has the measuree of it and reels it in to retire us. We continue to lead 6-0.

Bottom of the fourth and Torres gets Saenz to strike out. He also gets Granahan to strike out. We then get Shulze as Bielecki takes a grounder and fires it to first to end the inning.

Top of the fifth sees Van Alstyne fly out to right centre. Palin flies out to his right field counterpart. Becerra grounds out in the infield and leaves our lead at 6-0.

Bottom of the fifth sees McCauley field the opener and get it to first for the out. Ladewig then hits a solid base hit out to left centre. He then moves to second as Johansen gets a single. Palin gets Eteldrum on the fly before Saintlouis grounds out to second to end the inning.

Top of the sixth and Pittman picks up a solid single to right field to start the inning. He then takes second after a wild pitch at Mendoza. Mendoza then strikes out. McCauley flies out before Bielecki grounds out to leave our lead at 6-0.

Bottom of the sixth and the manager decides Torres has done enough. He puts Gus Flores into pitch. And he gets the first batter with a strike out. He also gets the second to strike out. I get the third on the fly after it is popped up in my direction.

Top of the seventh sees LaBuff ground out to bring me up with an empty diamond. I hit a grounder to third who fires to first to get me. Van Alstyne gets a walk and then moves to second on a Palin single to left field. Becerra steps into the box and hits a strong line drive to left field, just staying fair. It lands at the wall to see Van Alstyne score and Palin move to third. Becerra makes second, beating the throw to get a double. Pittman grounds out next up to sees our score only have 1 run added. We now lead 7-0.

Bottom of the seventh sees Flores continue and he strikes out Shulze. He then gets Hinds to strike out. Ladewig then gets a single as Bielecki's throw to first is off the mark. Ladewig then goes to second as the pick off attempt goes wrong with LaBuff missing the ball. Flores finishes the inning by getting Johansen on a strike out.

Top of the eighth and Mendoza starts with another single to left field. Mendoza then steals second on a ball to McCauley. McCauley grounds out. Mendoza moves to third as Bielecki picks up a single to left field. LaBuff then gets a sacrifce RBI as he hits to the short stop who fires to first and the out. Mendoza scores and Bielecki moves to second. I come up next to bat again. I go nowhere as I strike out. We finish the inning leading 8-0

Bottom of the eighth and Flores continues to get the strike outs with the first batter up. Saintlouis then picks up a double that bounces off the left wall. Warsaw then hits a strong double into centre field that sees Saintlouis home for the Jackals first run. Flores then gives up the first home run of the game as Saenz hits for 361 feet to bring home himself and Warsaw. Flores is pulled and Nick Thompson comes into pitch. He gets Granahan with a strike out. Palin then takes a fly out to retire the side. The score is now 8-3 in our favour

Top of the Ninth and Van Alstyne flies out up first. Palin does the same up next. Becerra then adds to our lead as he hits a solo home run that goes 353 feet. Catcher Pittman then hits a double. Mendoza then grounds out to leave our lead at 9-3 going into the bottom of the ninth.

Bottom of the ninth sees Thompson gives up a walk first up. Ladewig then flies out to left field. Hinds moves to second on a wild pitch. I then make a mistake in the field as I botch one to allow Johansen on base and Hinds to third. Thompson gets Eteldrum to strike out. Saintlouis then hits a solid single to left that scores Hinds. I then manage to finish the game as I take a solid hit fly ball at third to get Warsaw.

We take the game 9-4 to pick up our second win. My own game could have been better after going 1-5 with an RBI and a run scored and an error put down to me. Jose Becerra picked up the Player of the Game.

We stay in Biloxi for the second game of the 2 game road trip tomorrow.

[amead17]

We play our second game in Biloxi against the Jackals. I start again today hoping to play better than yesterday. I have been moved up to 4th in the line-up for today.

The manager has decided on the following line-up

LF Angelo Mendoza
2B Casey McCauley
1B Angel Espinal
3B Joshua Mills
SS Steve Bielecki
DH Chris LaBuff
RF Pat Palin
Catcher Tomas Ayala
CF Jose Becerra

We have Dave Ziobro pitching for us today. Hopefully he does better than his last outing in the 18-1 thrashing we had when he played.

Top of the first sees Angelo Mendoza start off with a strike out. McCauley grounds out and Espinal gets a walk to see me up for my first bat of the game. I get a base hit over to left field that sees Espinal move up to second. I get no further as Bielecki flies out to right field to retire the side.

Bottom of the first and Ziobro gets the first batter to strike out. Saintlouis tries a bunt up next but Ayala gets it to first base for the out. Warsaw then gets a base hit out to centre field. Selewski then grounds out to second base to finish the inning. Game tied at 0-0

Top of the second and LaBuff strikes out first up. Palin comes up next and hits an easy grounder to third to tagged out at first on the throw. Ayala then Strikes out.

Bottom of the second and Granahan starts of with a base hit to short left field. Ziobro then throws a pitchout for Ayala to fire back to second and get Granahan on the attempted steal. Ziobro gets Uitermarkt to strike out. He also gets Schulze to strike out to leave the game 0-0.

Top of the third and Becerra continues to see our first batter up strike out. Mendoza gets a walk. McCauley gets a grounder to the short stop who gets Mendoza at second before McCauley beats the throw at first. Espinal hits a grounder up the middle that is fielded and he is out at first to end the inning.

Bottom of the third and Ziobro gets strikeout number 4 up first. Saenz gets a hit to short right field. Eteldrum hits a single to the middle and makes first but Sanez is out at second as the fielder picks him for the out. McCauley is injured on the play and is led from the field holding his head. He will be replaced by Furtado. We get Saintlouis at first on the next play to end the inning.

Top of the fourth and I am up to lead off but I fly out to left field. Bielecki strikes out as does LaBuff to end the inning for us.

Bottom of the fourth and Warsaw starts the inning well giving the jackals a base hit to left field. We get Selewski on the fly but walk Granahan moving Warsaw to second. Ziobro strikes out Uitermarkt. Schulze walks to move Warsaw to third and Granahan to second and load the bases. We get away with it as Ziobro ends the inning by striking out Ladewig. Score remains 0-0

Top of the fifth and Palin grounds out to start the inning. Ayala also grounds out. Becerra is out on a grounder to end our attempt.

Bottom of the fifth and Ziobro walks Saenz first up. He also walks Eteldrum and moves Saenz to second. Saintlouis then gets a base hit to left field to load the bases again for the Jackals. Ziobro regains control to get Warsaw to strike out. The manager then makes a pitching change, bringing in Andres Sevilla to replace Ziobro. Perhaps not a good change as he gives a double to Selewski on his first batter to see Saenz, Eteldrum and Saintlouis score 3 runs. I then get Granahan on the fly just off third base. Sevilla gives Uitermarkt a single out to left centre and Selewski scampers home to add run number 4. Next batter up is Schulz and hits well to centre to get a hit. Selewski tries for home but the combination of Becerra, Bielecki and Ayala get him at home plate to end the inning. We trail 4-0

Top of the sixth and we need to get something going. Nothing up first as Mendoza strikes out. Furtado grounds out on a 2 hopper and Espinal strikes out as we continue to struggle against Risper.

Bottom of the sixth and Sevilla gets Ladewig to ground out. Saenz then strikes out as does Eteldrum as Sevilla gets his range sorted. We continue to trail 4-0.

Top of the seventh and I am up as the first batter again. I manage to get a solid hit out to left field that sees me get us going with a base hit. Bielecki disappoints by flying out. LaBuff does the same to leave Palin as fourth up to try and get me round the bases. Palin strikes out to leave me stranded.

Bottom of the seventh and we get Stainlouis on a ground out. Palin gets Warsaw on the fly. Selewski gets a single to left field. Granahan then grounds out to keep the score 4-0 to the Jackals.

Top of the eighth and Ayala strikes out swinging. Becerra also strikes out to give us only 4 outs left to get into the game. Mendoza grounds out to leave us in a precarious position in the game.

Bottom of the eighth and Uitermarkt gets a single first up. We get Schulze on a bunt but Uitermarkt moves to second. Bielecki gets Ladewig on a squeeze out play. Saenz then hits a solid base hit to left field giving Uitermarkt a chance for home. The throw is made and we get him at the plate to leave the game 4-0 in favour of the jackals.

Top of the ninth and our last chance in the game. Furtado starts with a strike out. Espinal then flies out to leave me as the last man up to try and get something going to save the game. I hit it hard down the left field line but Selewski dives for the catch and the game is over.

We lose 4-0 and were never really in the game as the side struggled against the Biloxi pitching.

I had a solid game being the only Wasp to get any hits as I go 2-4 from the game.

We are now 2-5 for the year and need to try and pick up as we head back home for a 3 game series against the Gulfport Riptides.

[amead17]

We started the day with the news that Casey McCauley has been diagnosed with concussion after his injury yesterday. The management have decided to rest him and have placed him on the 7 day DL list. I am not sure how much we will miss him as he has only been hitting .120 this year so far.

We are at home again for the first game in a 3 game series against the Gulfport Riptides. Both sides sit at 2-5 so hopefully we can find some form against them.

The manager has put up the following line-up for today with me continuing to hit 4th.

LF Angelo Mendoza
2B Matt Crubaugh
1B Angel Espinal
3B Joshua Mills
DH Joe Van Alstyne
SS Chris LaBuff
RF Pat Palin
Catcher Tomas Ayala
CF Jose Becerra

Pitching for us today is Macho Vigil. Hopefully we will get the same sort of outing as we got last time from him but turn it into a win instead of a loss.

Top of the first and we get Melsom on the fly before McGee puts in a double to deep left centre. Vigil gives Groth a walk. Tiger then picks up a base hit to short centre to load the bases. We have not started well. Vigil takes the pressure and strikes out Buckle before Hudgens hits to first for the ground out and a lucky escape for us.

Bottom of the first and Mendoza grounds out to short right. Crubaugh is then spectacularly taken on the fly by a diving catch. Espinal then picks up a base hit to short centre and this sees me coming up to the plate for the first time today. I hit a line shot out to centre that evades the fielders to give me a base hit and see Espinal move to second. Van Alstyne is up next and he hits one just wide of second base to get a single. I move to second while Espinal takes third then scampers for home with no throw. We get our first run of the day. LaBuff gets a walk that sees me move into scoring range on third and Van Alstyne up to second. Palin is up next with the bases loaded. Palin hits a superb shot out to left field that find the gap. I race for home and am followed in by Van Alstyne who also makes it. LaBuff goes to second with Palin at first. Ayala flies out on the next try and our first inning ends with 3 runs scored for the lead at 3-0.

Top of the second Vigil gets Ruiz to strike out swinging. Lopez hits a double out to centre field. Becerra then struggles on the next play as Hutzel hits a double to right centre that scores Lopez. Vigil then gives up a single to Melsom that sees Hutzel score and score the Riptides second run. Vigil calms down next batter up and gets McGee to strike out. The next batter up sees Hutzel try to steal second by Ayala sees it from home plate and gets the throw in to see him tagged out. We lead 3-2 at this point.

Bottom of the second an Becerra grounds out to first. Mendoza grounds out again. Crubaugh then flies out and we remain 3-2 up.

Top of the third and Vigil gets Groth to strike out. Palin gets Tiger on the fly before I fail to get buckle on an infield grounder. I get the throw to first but he beats it in. Hudgens hits a ground out next to end the inning.

Bottom of the third and Espinal starts us off well with an infield single. I am up second hoping to add to my 1 hit so far but I put up a slow looper to centre right that sees me out on the fly. Van Alstyne follows me with another fly out. LaBuff then hits a hot line drive to third base who fields the ball and makes the throw to second to get Espinal and end our inning.

Top of the fourth and Ruiz grounds out to start the inning off. We get Lopez on a ground out as well. The same happens to Hutzel as we retire the Riptides to keep the lead.

Bottom of the fourth and Palin starts us off with a slow ground ball that sees him out at first. Ayala also grounds out. Becerra then strikes out to leave the game 3-2 in out favour.

Top of the fifth and we get Melsom on a ground out. McGee flies out before Vigil gives Groth a walk. This sees the manager make a pitching change and bring Nick Thompson in to pitch. We get Groth at second on the next batter to end the inning.

Bottom of the fifth and Mendoza goes for a bunt. It heads towards first base but he beats the fielder and gets a single. Crubaugh comes up next and faces a wild pitch that sees Mendoza move to second. Crubaugh then strikes out. Espinal puts up a fly ball into foul territory but sees it caught and is given out. I then come up trying to keep the inning alive with 2 outs. I don't do well as I hit a grounder to third that sees me out when the ball is fired to first. It ends the inning with our lead still 3-2.

Top of the sixth and Thompson gets Buckle to strike out. Hudgens then gets a base hit out to centre field. We get Hudgens next up as a ball from Thompson is quickly sent over to second by Ayala to catch him trying to steal. Ruiz then hits a slow bouncer back to Thompson who sends it to first for the out and to end the inning.

Bottom of the sixth and Van Alstyne hits a solid single out to right centre to start us going. LaBuff undoes all that good work by grounding into a double play that sees both himself and Van Alstyne out. Palin comes up next and hits a solid drive out to right centre and it falls in for a double as he beats the throw to second with the slide. Ayala strikes out to strand Palin and we remain 3-2 up.

Top of the seventh and Thompson gets Lopez to strike out. Thompson is then pulled and the manager sends in Cesar Arocho to pitch. He gets Hutzel to strike out but gives Melsom an infield single. We have another pitching change as Nick Hill comes in. Sutherland hits out to left centre for Mendoza to come up with the grab and retire the side.

Bottom of the seventh and Becerra flies out first up. Mendoza then strikes out before Crubaugh flies out to centre to leave the score 3-2 in our favour.

Top of the eighth and Groth gets a base hit first up. Nick Hill is pulled by the manager and Chris Swindell is sent in to pitch for us. He gets Tiger to strike out first up. Buckle then comes up and grounds a slow one to Swindell who fires to second to get the runner before we get Buckle at first to end the inning.

Bottom of the eighth and Espinal starts us off in fine style hitting one over the left fence for a solo that goes 361 feet. I am up next and have to try and follow that. I fail dismally by striking out swinging. Van Alstyne also goes down swinging. LaBuff hits straight back at the pitcher to see the inning end with just the solo from Espinal to make it 4-2 for our lead.

Top of the ninth and the manager sends in closer Latrell Angton to finish the job. He gets Hidgens to strike out. He also gets Ruiz the same way. He finishes it off by getting Lopez on a strike out as well to see us take the game 4-2.

We move up to 3 and 5 for the year. My performance in the game was okay but could have been better as I went 1-4 with a run scored.

We face the same side tomorrow hoping to add to the win tally.

[amead17]

Today sees us play our second game against the Gulfport Riptides. Hopefully we can turn yesterdays win into a 2 game win streak today.

The manager has decided on the following line-up for today's game

LF Angelo Mendoza
DH T.J. Kiritsis
1B Angel Espinal
3B Joshua Mills
SS Steve Bielecki
2B Chris LaBuff
RF Pat Palin
Catcher Josh Pittman
CF Jose Becerra

Matt Hood will take the mound for us today. He did not have a good outing last time up so we are hoping for better today.

Top of the first sees Melsom ground out before we give up a triple down the right line to Hudgens. Hood gets Groth swinging for a strike out. Sutherland picks up a single into left field to put us behind by one as Hudgens scores. We get the next out as Sutherland tries to steal second on a strike. Pittman with the good throw to stop the attempt. We trail 1-0.

Bottom of the first and Mendoza strikes out first up for us. Kiritsis puts up a looper to fly out but Espinal manages to get one into short centre for a base hit. This brings me up to the plate for the first time today. I pop up an infield fly to see us retired. We continue to trail 1-0

Top of the second and Hood gets Buckle to strike out. He also gets Ruiz swinging for a strike out. Strassner grounds out to keep the score at 1-0

Bottom of the second and Bielecki hits a grounder to first for the out. LaBuff then strikes out before Palin is got on a ground out to keep our inning short and not very sweet. We trail 1-0

Top of the third and we get Hutzel on a ground out. Green is also got via the same route after a close call. Hood then gets Melsom to strike out.

Bottom of the third and we start badly with Pittman striking out. Becerra grounds out to first before Mendoza pops up a blooper into right foul territory for the riptides to retire us. We continue to trail 1-0.

Top of the fourth and Hood keeps up the good form by striking out Hudgens. Groth gets a base hit in shallow right field. Palin gets Sutherland on the fly with a great catch on the run. Hood then gets Buckle with a strike out.

Bottom of the fourth and Kiritsis flies out to start us off. Espinal gets struck out to see me come up with 2 out and nobody on trying to get something going for us. I don't help as I ground out to their short stop. We continue to lose 1-0.

Top if the fifth and Palin gets Ruiz on the fly. Hood hits Strassner with a pitch to move him to first. He then strikes out Hutzel. We then make a big mistake as Strassner tries to steal second. Pittman throws wide and Strassner gets second and then also third as we cannot keep the ball. I manage to save the inning up next as Green hits a grounder my way which I get to first in time to retire him and the side.

Bottom of the fifth and Bielecki sees a great hit snagged on the run by their centre fielder for the out. LaBuff strikes out as we continue to struggle in the box. Palin grounds out to third to see us still trail 1-0.

Top of the sixth and Hood gets strike out number 8 with Melsom swinging. He gets Hudgens for number 9. Palin hauls a great catch in for the third out off of Groth but gets hurt in the process. I am worried but he seems to shake it off and remains on the field.

Bottom of the sixth and Pittman grounds out to short. We finally get something as Becerra picks up a base hit to right field. Mendoza flies out to shallow left. Kiritsis flies out to left field as well and the hit from Becerra comes to nothing. We still trail 1-0 in a tight game.

Top of the seventh and the manager decides Hood has done enough. He sends Cesar Arocho in to pitch. We get Sutherland first up with a ground out. The manager switches pitchers again sending in Andres Sevilla who strikes out Buckle. We get Ruiz on a grounder in centre field.

Bottom of the seventh and Espinal starts us off with a base hit. I am up next looking for my first hit of the day. I fail, putting up a little looper over the left foul line that is taking for the out. Bielecki then grounds into a double play to see both himself and Espinal out to leave the game 1-0 for the Riptides.

Top of the eighth and Sevilla gets Strassner swinging. Hutzel then gets a base after being hit by the pitch. Green flies out. We give a base hit up to McGee who is pinch hitting. We finally start to unravel as pinch hitter Tiger comes in a smacks one out of the park to send it 414 feet and bring home 3 runs. Sevilla gets pulled and Nick Hill comes in to pitch. Groth gets a base hit on an error by Hill. We get Sutherland on a ground out up next but the damage has been done and we are 4-0 down.

Bottom of the eighth and LaBuff grounds out to third. Palin manages to get an infield base hit to start something for us only to see Pittman ground into a double play that retires the side. We are trailing 4-0 and going nowhere with the game slipping away from us.

Top of the ninth and we get Buckle on a ground out for the first out. Mendoza makes a great catch near the left side seating to get Ruiz on the fly. Mendoza also gets Strassner on a putout to leave the game 4-0 in the Riptides favour.

Bottom of the ninth and we have only 3 outs to try and find the 4 runs needed to keep the game alive. We don't start well as Becerra strikes out. Mendoza also strikes out as we look to be going down tamely. Kiritsis grounds out and that is it.

We lose 4-0 in a game we just didn't get going in. My own performance was woeful with the bat going 0-3.

We move to 3-6 and need to play much better than this with only 4 hits from the whole team all game.

Tomorrow sees us facing Gulfport again for the final game of the series and we had better turn up or our fans could get very nasty.

[amead17]

Today has seen us lose relief pitcher Nick Hill back up to AAA Tulsa but Danny Hatton has come the other way to give us the depth needed.

We face the Gulfport Riptides for the 3rd game of 3 today with the series tide at 1 game each. Hopefully we will find our hitting form today after yesterdays poor showing both from myself and the rest of the team.

The manager has decided on the following line-up for today's game

LF Angelo Mendoza
2B Matt Crubaugh
3B Joshua Mills
SS Steve Bielecki
1B Chris LaBuff
DH Joe Van Alstyne
Catcher Tomas Ayala
RF R.J. Furtado
CF Jose Becerra

I have been moved up to third in the line-up but my room mate Pat Palin misses out today.

Tyler Crostic gets his second outing on the mound. He was awarded the win the previous time out and hopefully we can make it 2-0 for him today.

Top of the first and Bielecki grabs a spectacular catch to get the first out of the game. McGee gets a base hit into short right centre. Crostic gets Groth to strike out but gives a walk to Sutherland. Tiger then hits a solid ground ball straight to Bielecki who gets it to first to retire the side.

Bottom of the first and I am guaranteed to be batting as I start 3rd in the line-up today. Mendoza grounds out first up after trying to bunt. Crubaugh strikes out with the count full. I come up with the bases empty and lay into one. It sails towards the left field fence but their Left Fielder makes an amazing catch and stops my hopes for a run. The game is tied at 0-0

Top of the second and Hudgens flies out to right field for the first out. Ruiz picks up a base hit to short left. Lopez then gets a hit into centre. Ruiz moves to third. We then let Strassner pick up a single that sees Ruiz home. We get Melsom on the fly. McGee then hits a single that sees Lopez get home. I then make a mistake that sees the bases loaded as I throw the ball high going for second base. An error tagged onto me. Crostic gets us out of the inning by striking out Sutherland but we trail 2-0 and are already struggling.

Bottom of the second and Bielecki flies out as does LaBuff. Van Alstyne then grounds out to see us down in order for the second time to continue to trail 2-0.

Top of the third and we start badly as Tiger picks up a double. Furtado gets Hudgens on the fly but Tiger still gets to third. I make amends for my error in the last by getting Ruiz on a ground out. We then get Lopez on a ground out to remain 2 behind.

Bottom of the third but we start badly again as Ayala Strikes out. Furtado grounds out and Becerra strikes out to see 3 innings and 3 up 3 down in each to see us really struggle with the bat and trail 2-0.

Top of the fourth Crostic gets Strassner to strike out. He also gets Melsom the same way. Somehow we managed to get McGee after Ayala drops the third strike. He picked the ball up and managed to get it to first for the out.

Bottom of the fourth and we finally get someone thing going as Mendoza gets a walk. Crubaugh then hits a single to see Mendoza advance to second. I now have to prove my self as I come up with 2 on base. I hit out towards centre and see the ball bounce in for a base hit to load the bases. Bielecki comes up next and hits a good one into the left corner that just stays fair. This sees Mendoza and Crubaugh home. I think about it but decide not to risk it and stay at third. Bielecki's double ties the game. LaBuff puts up one to centre field and sees the catch made. I tag up and give it a go for home but just miss out on the slide and am given out. Bielecki sits at third as Van Alstyne comes up but he cannot bring him home as he strikes out. The game is now tied at 2-2.

Top of the fifth and Groth gets a base hit to right field. Sutherland then strikes out. Tiger comes in again and hits a solid grounder my way. I field it and fire to second for the out before it then goes to first to complete the double play and retire the Riptides from this inning.

Bottom of the fifth and we start with another strike out for Ayala. Furtado picks up an infield hit as their second baseman doesn't try the throw. Furtado then takes a long lead from first as Becerra faces. The strike is made and the catcher of the Riptides tries to get Furtado. Furtado makes it back to the bag as the throw misses first base. Furtado moves to second. Becerra then grounds out. Mendoza hits a solid ball out to right centre that sees him come up with a base hit. Furtado scrambles to third and then races for home with no throw made. Crubaugh is up next and he strands Mendoza by hitting a fly ball to left. We now lead 3-2 in the game.

Top of the sixth and Crostic gets the ground out of Hudgens. Our manager then pulls Crostic and sends in Hector Castaneda to pitch. He gets Ruiz to fly out as his first out. He then strikes out Lopez to keep the lead for us.

Bottom of the sixth and I am leading off facing a new pitcher for the Riptides. I get a solid swing and hit the ball out to centre where it falls in for a base hit. I then advance to second on a weak grounder from Bielecki that sees him out at first. They give LaBuff a walk. Van Alstyne then strikes out. Ayala then comes up and gets bat on ball for the first time in the game. He hits a solid one out to centre and it lands for a base hit. I move to third and then run for home. I beat the throw on the slide to score my teams 4th run and my first of the game. Furtado strikes out to bring the inning to a close with the lead now 4-2 in our favour.

Top of the seventh and Castaneda gets Strassner to strike out first of all. Melsom gets a walk. Becerra gets McGee on the fly for the second out while Mendoza gets Groth as the third out, also on the fly.

Bottom of the seventh and Becerra starts with a fly out to centre. Mendoza grounds out to the pitcher. Crubaugh then strikes out to leave the score 4-2 for us.

Top of the eighth and Sutherland is up first. He hits a liner to centre where Becerra takes it but hurts himself on the play. The trainer says it is nothing and he can continue. LaBuff takes Tiger on the fly. He also gets Hudgens with the tag out to leave the score 4-2 Wasps.

Bottom of the eighth and I start us off again. I hit a solid one out to centre that the fielder just misses and it rolls to the wall. I get round first and make second for a double. I move to third on a solid base hit by Bielecki. LaBuff flies out and Van Alstyne strikes out before Ayala hits a fly out to centre field that leaves me stranded at third and sees the score remain 4-2 for us.

Top of the ninth and the manager calls for closer Latrell Angton. He gets Ruiz first up with a strike out. Ruiz queried it with the umpire but it was given. Lopez picks up a single to left field. Buckle comes in as a pinch hitter only to fly out to short left centre. Melsom then hits a liner to centre but Crubaugh gets to it and completes the out to see the game end.

We take the win 4-2 and I have a very solid game going 3-4 with a run. Tyler Crostic got the win and player of the game honours for his 5.1 innings.

We are now 4-6 for the year. We remain at home for the next series against our first division rivals of the year, the Hattiesburg Ospreys. That will be a tough series as they are 7-3 and lead our division.

[amead17]

We start a 3 game series at home to the Hattiesburg Ospreys today and it is going to be tough as they lead the division on 7-3 while we sit bottom on 4-6.

The manager has decided that the following line up will be the one to attempt to get the win.

LF Angelo Mendoza
SS Steve Bielecki
3B Joshua Mills
1B Angelo Espinal
DH Chris LaBuff
RF Pat Palin
Catcher Tomas Ayala
2B Matt Crubaugh
CF Chris LaVacca

Pitching for us today is Antonio Torres. Torres has gone 1-1 for the year with a win against the Biloxi Jackals.

Top of the first and we get Colombo and a ground out at first. Barker picks up a single to centre field. Torres gets his first strike out taking White with a fast ball. Torres then gets Carder the same way to retire the Ospreys from the first.

Bottom of the first and Mendoza gets a ground out as our first at bat. Bielecki then strikes out to see me come up to bat with an empty diamond. I hit a hopper over to third and find myself tagged out at first for the side to be retired. The game is scoreless.

Top of the second and Maytubby gets the Ospreys on base with a single. Watts goes down swinging for another strike out. Torres gets strikeout number 4 with Monaco swinging wildly. Briggs ends the inning with a fly out to short stop.

Bottom of the second and we start with a fly out by Espinal. Our first base hit of the game comes from LaBuff who hits a strong one to right field that lands by the wall for a double. Palin has his first bat of the day but goes down swinging. LaBuff then gets stranded as Ayala grounds out to centre field. The score remains 0-0.

Top of the third and we get lucky first up as a strong hit from LeCain just falls in left field for Mendoza to make the catch as the wind holds the ball up. Colombo grounds out to first. We then get Barker on a ground out to get the side retired.

Bottom of the third and Crubaugh starts off with a ground out. Lavacca nearly gets one away next but it is caught at the left wall. Mendoza then grounds out to second base. The score is still 0-0

Top of the fourth and Torres gets White with a strike out before the top batter on the Ospreys gets the scoring going with a solo home run that goes 342 feet. He has a hit in all 11 games so far this year. Maytubby flies out and Watts is struck out to end the inning. We trail 1-0 after that home run.

Bottom of the fourth and Bielecki fails with a ground out to left. I come up next looking to get us started. I fail as a line drive is snared at second on the fly. Espinal then strikes out to leave the score 1-0 in the ospreys favour.

Top of the fifth and Monaco is caught on a pop up behind home plate by Ayala. Briggs is struck out swinging by Torres. LeCain goes the same way.

Bottom of the fifth and LaBuff strikes out. Palin also strikes out. Ayala gets the inning going with a single to right centre but Crubaugh grounds out to end the inning. We still trail 1-0

Top of the sixth and Colombo flies out to centre field. Espinal gets Barker at first base. Torres then gives White a walk bringing up Carder again. The manager decides to make a pitching change at this point calling for Andres Sevilla. Sevilla keeps the game alive by striking out Carder.

Bottom of the sixth an LaVacca strikes out as our first at bat. Mendoza grounds out to right field before Bielecki gets a base hit to right. This brings me up to try and keep our inning going in our search for the first run. I fail again popping a ball out to left centre to be taken on the fly. We still trail 1-0

Top of the seventh and Sevilla gives Maytubby a walk. LaVacca then gets Watts with an outstanding diving catch. Mascoll comes in as a pinch hitter and gets a base hit as Espinal has to scrabble for the ball. The pinch hitting Pickens is then walked to load the bases. Sevilla gives up a third walk to see Maytubby home and Thorstad move to first on his first bat of the day. Colombo Strikes out. We then get Barker on a ground out to end the inning 2-0 down.

Bottom of the seventh. Espinal starts us off with a base hit out to left centre. LaBuff grounds out to third but it sees Espinal to second. Palin grounds out to short to leave the inning with only 1 out left. Ayala then flies out to short centre to see the game remain 2-0 for the ospreys.

Top of the eighth and the manager changes pitcher with Chris Swindell moving onto the mound. He gives white a walk first up but gets Carder with a strike out. He also gets Maytubby with a strike out. Cesar Arocho comes in to pitch after this. He gives a base hit up to Watts first up. The manager immediately pulls him and sends in Hector Castaneda for the next batter. Castaneda gives up a base hit to Mascoll to see White sprint for home and another run. He then proceeds to give a triple up to Dray after the throw from Palin to myself doesn't get to me in time. Watts and Mascoll score runs for the Ospreys as the game starts to get away from us. Thorstad gets an RBI single up next as Dray scores. Colombo then flies out to end the inning but it is all but over with the Ospreys leading 6-0.

Bottom of the eighth and we need something big. Crubaugh doesn't help as he strikes out. LaVacca grounds out to right field then Mendoza strikes out. We still trail 6-0.

Top of the ninth and we continue to fall apart as Barker hits a solo home run 351 feet to start the ninth. White then hits a double out to centre. Carder also gets a double to bring White home. Maytubby strikes out. LaVacca gets Watts on the fly and then Mascoll strikes out to end the inning. We now trail 8-0 with only 3 outs left.

Bottom of the ninth and we all need to start hitting to save the game. Bielecki gets a double to start the inning. I am up next and need to get a hit to justify my game as I have done nothing so far. It doesn't happen as I fly out to the infield again. Bielecki moves to third as Espinal grounds out to 3B. LaBuff gets a walk. We finally get on the board as Palin gets a single to centre field that brings Bielecki home. Ayala strikes out to end the game.

We have lost 8-1 and we were never in the game. I had a disaster of a game with 0-4.

We face the Ospreys again tomorrow and it does not bode well.