While Long Beach Black Sox player-manager-webmaster extended his vacation in Oregon, following the Grant’s Pass tournament over the Memorial Weekend, his Artesia city league Black Sox topped the Panteras Wednesday night, 6-3, and appear to have gotten off the bubble and into the playoffs, pending final announcements next week. Ken Shaw filled in for the Sox, hitting a solo home run to right field in his first at bat, the lone run for the first 5 innings, until both teams got their offenses going, scoring 8 runs collectively in the final inning, with the Sox hanging on for the win.
Archive for the ‘Leagues’ Category
Around Town, June 8
Wednesday, June 8th, 2005Maddy’s Monday Night Photos from Lancaster, CA
Monday, May 23rd, 2005
Click here to view Maddy’s Monday Night Photos taken at the So Cal ASA Alliance tournament weekend in Lancaster, CA, won by the Long Beach Black Sox. Click here for tournament recap.
Editor’s Choice: Click here to see an amazing gravity defying feat by the Black Sox’s Dan Fleming.
ISC #29 Vancouver Grey Sox Top #10 Saskatoon Black Sox Twice
Sunday, May 22nd, 2005Friday May 20 – Line Scores Vancouver Grey Sox vs. Saskatoon Black Sox (Al’s Fastball)
The Vancouver Grey Sox took two from the Saskatoon Black behind the pitching of Nick Underhill and Rick Smith.
Long Beach Black Sox Capture Title at Lancaster
Sunday, May 22nd, 2005Click Here for our complete recap of the weekend.
Vranich Tosses Two-Hitter in Finale, while Hanker, Lopes and Otte Power Offense
In So Cal ASA Alliance play May 21-22, 2005 at Lancaster, California, the Long Beach Black Sox scored 38 runs in 4 games Sunday including 8 in the title game against Primetime., an 8-0 shutout for winning pitcher Chuck Vranich. Chuck Vranich surrendered just two hits to Primetime. Fred Hanker and John Otte drove in two runs each, while Damian Guerrero, Chris Minogue and Dan Fleming added one RBI each, as the Sox pounded out 10 hits. The momentum swung to Long Beach early, as Joe Nuanez was called out for leaving third on what otherwise would have been a sacrifice fly off the bat of Rick McCarthy, to end a Primetime scoring threat in the first.
Scoring Recap:
Black Sox Third: Benny Guerrero got things started with a single to left; Chuck Chaple walked, followed by a single by Andy Martinez to load the bases. Fred Hanker singled to right field to bring home Guerrero and Chapel, sending Martinez to third. Damian Guerrero followed with a line drive RBI single to left, perhaps the hardest hit ball of the game, scoring Martinez, before a double play ended the inning. Three runs, four hits. (Score: 3-0 Black Sox)
Black Sox Fourth:Dale Lopes opened the inning with a triple to the left centerfield gap, a ball that went to the fence. John Otte hit a towering fly ball that carried over the right fielder’s head, scoring Lopes and Otte. Two runs on two hits; (Score 5-0 Black Sox)
Black Sox Fifth:Chuck Chapel opened the inning with a walk, and scored when a ball hit by Andy Martinez was thrown wide of first, Martinez advancing to second. Chris Minogue singled to left with two outs, scoring Martinez. Two runs on one hit, and one error. (Score 7-0 Black Sox)
Black Sox Sixth:John Otte reached on an infield error at first on the throw. Marcel Bernal singled to center, Otte stopping at second. With one out, Dan Fleming singled to center field, scoring Otte, and ending the game. One run on two hits and one error. Final Score, 8-0 Black Sox.
Primetime could not get untracked offensively, mustering only two hits in the game, a single by Jimmy Buentello in the first and a single by Brian Webb in the third. Meanwhile, the Sox defense was stellar, with Otte running down a long fly off the bat of Johnny Nuanez, five putouts by shortstop Andy Martinez, including a web-gem back hand play in the third, and a gem by third baseman Dan Fleming on a hard hit ball by Jimmy Buentello in the 6th. The breaks and bounces seemed to go Long Beach’s way. Even a line drive hit by Joe Nuanez in the sixth that richocheted off of Chuck Vranich took a Long Beach bounce to second baseman Chuck Chaple for a 1-4-3 putout. Vranich was not hurt on the play. Aside from a one-out walk to Joe Nuanez in the first and single by Buentello that put Nuanez on third, Primetime did not have another runner reach second base. (more…)
Lots of New Game Info on ISC II at “The Deuce”
Friday, May 20th, 2005Upset City: Lots of ISC II game info at the new ISC II blog, “The Deuce” including reports on games with the #28 ISC-II team, the Niagara Snappers taking three out of four from the ISC #7 Hallman Twins, and the #4 ranked ISC II team, the Norwich Razorbacks sweeping them as well. The Deuce
Around Town, May 18
Thursday, May 19th, 2005There’s been plenty of talk about Team Rainey’s new pitching staff for 2005 of Bricklin Anderson, Sonny Perkins and Tony Hunhoff. Little known to many people, though, one of their position players, Jesse Duncan is a fine pitcher in his own right. In seasons past, Duncan pitched for Team Rainey at the Portland Rose Cup tournament, picking up wins against open level competition. Earlier this year, he pitched the Panteras to an Alliance weekend tournament title, including a championship game win over the current league leaders, Primetime Fastpitch. Last night in the Artesia city league, the Black Sox were his latest victim. Duncan fanned 16 in 6 innings, including 11 in a row at one stretch. Andy Martinez had a single and Robert Renteria two hits for the only Black Sox offense in the game, won by Duncan’s Raider team, 3-1. As dominant as Duncan was, the game was actually on the line in the last inning, when a dropped third strike and Renteria double put the tying runs at second and third with two outs. But Duncan then registered his 16th strikeout of the night to put down the rally.
Meanwhile, off in the distance, on the other field at Artesia Park, was another Team Rainey position player working in the pitcher’s circle, the team’s namesake, Rod Rainey, pitching his second game in as many weeks. Hey, how ’bout leaving something for us guys that can’t hit 🙂
So Cal ASA Alliance @ Lancaster (May 20-21, 2005)
Monday, May 16th, 2005The So Cal ASA Alliance heads into its fourth weekend tournament for the 2005 series. The first three tournament weekends were won by three different teams. Fred Hanker’s Long Beach Black Sox won the first tournament at Palm Springs, with a win over the Amigos. In Santa Fe Springs, it was the Panteras topping Primetime for the title. Primetime then beat all comers in Palm Springs II, including a championship game win over the Amigos. Members of last year’s champion, the Edge have played key roles in the improvement of a number of teams, including the current league leader, Primetime (formerly San Diego Fastpitch). Last year’s runnerup, the Rounders, won more tournaments (4) than any team last year, but have yet to reach the finals in any of the first three weekends, currently residing in third place, behind Primetime and second place Amigos. RAW, Rude-Pac and Palm Springs are in a virtual tie for fourth place.
Heading into the Lancaster, the standings for the top five spots:
Primetime…….48
Amigos………….43
Rounders………36
RAW……………..29.5
Rude-Pac………29
Palm Springs…29
Full standings.
Click here for Saturday’s Round Robin matchups for this weekend, posted at the Official SoCal ASA site.
Map & Driving Directions to “Big 8” complex at Lancaster, CA. (At Google Maps, click “Satellite” to see satellite photo of Big 8 and surrounding area)
California A/B league at Sacramento
Monday, May 16th, 2005Rumor has it, the California A/B teams played this past weekend in Sacramento. To those who have written asking for scores and other information, we share your interest, but so far, results are conspicuous by their absence. If you any info, email us and we’ll post ’em up.
Gopher State ISC Travel League
Friday, May 13th, 2005The Gopher State ISC Travel League gets underway, with six ISC/ISC II ranked teams, including ISC #6 IS Knights and the #12 Kegel Knights.
Click here for GSTL website at www.minnesotafastpitch.com
Update: Here are the results from the weeekend:
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Weekend Recap from Brett Bresnahan of Minnesota Fastpitch (posted at Al’s Fastball)
Around Town, May 11
Wednesday, May 11th, 2005Team Rainey rallied from 3 down to tie the Long Beach Black Sox in the final inning in the Artesia City League Wednesday night. Dee Nieblas had a key two out, two run single, after Dwayne Fowler received an intentional pass to load the bases. Team Rainey stranded the go ahead run at third, ending the inning with the score tied. The Black Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the final inning, but did not score. It was starter Rod Rainey pitching himself out of trouble. (Yes, you read that right, pitcher Rod Rainey! Not bad for a guy rehabbing from shoulder surgery). Rainey’s centerfielder Roy Guinaldo ran down a towering drive off the bat of Fred Hanker for the final out.