Saturday, June 30, 2007

BABE RUTH 14'S AND 15'S WIN AT RHOADS

The Astoria 14-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars picked up their second straight lopsided victory, while the 15-year-olds improved to 2-1 in pool play at the Don Rhoads Memorial Tournament.

The 14-year-olds defeated Centralia 15-4, their second straight 5-inning mercy rule victory. Skylar Olson allowed three runs over three innings pitched to earn the win. John Fick pitched his second scoreless relief inning of the tournament and Tyler Norfleet closed out the game, allowing a single run in the fifth.

Astoria plays two pool games today, and pending the outcome, potentially another single elimination game tonight. Up first is Kelso, also 2-0 in pool play, at 9:30 a.m. this morning at Mark Morris H.S. Later on, Astoria heads to Roy Morse Park for its final pool play game against Hazel Dell. A win over Kelso would put Astoria in a position to win its pool, giving them a bye until Sunday, otherwise, bracket play begins at 6:00 p.m tonight at Roy Morse with the top three teams from each 5-team pool advancing.

The Astoria 15-year-olds recorded their second consecutive shutout win, blanking Olympia-Tumwater. Winning pitcher Cody Strickland tossed the first four innings and Zach Dursse preserved the shutout over the final three. Astoria faces Port Angeles today at noon at Mark Morris and will likely play an elimination game tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Kelso.

Friday, June 29, 2007

RAIN DOESN'T HALT THE RHOADS SHOW

With threatening skies throughout the day, the first day of the 33rd Don Rhoads Memorial Babe Ruth All-Star tournament went ahead with scheduled games, suffering minor delays here and there.

Less than ideal field conditions faced the Astoria squads as all three teams were playing simultaneously in 3:30 p.m. openers at three different sites.

The heralded 15-year-olds may have been most adversely affected by the wet weather as they slipped and slid through a devastating third inning in a 10-4 loss to Hazel Dell, committing four errors and giving up eight runs in the frame.

Marcus Brown started on the mound and was hung with the loss, but Astoria's usually reliable defense was primarily to blame, as they squandered an early lead and could not recover. Trevor Couch hit a two-run single and Taylor Landwehr pitched well in a scoreless relief stint.

Landwehr's outing may have foreshadowed Astoria's resurgence later in the evening. Moving across Kelso's Tam-O-Shanter Park to shiny Stan Rister Stadium, the Lower Columbia locals rebounded and how, blanking a usually strong Longview squad 3-0.

Max Johnson was literally unhittable on the mound over a six-inning starting appearance and Ian Dueber allowed a single hit in a scoreless seventh inning to notch the save.

Johnson added two hits at the plate and Ian Erickson went 3-for-3 for Astoria in the win. Tonight, Astoria takes on Olympia-Tumwater at 6:00 p.m. at Mark Morris High School in Longview.

The Astoria 14-year-olds had the most impressive showing of the day, dominating Oly-Tumwater in a 12-2 victory that was shortened to five innings not by pre-ordained time constraints or rain, but by the 10-run mercy rule.

Dylan Glover led the 14's with a 3-for-4 day at the plate and got Astoria started on the right foot by leading off the game with a triple, scoring on the play when the relay throw got away from Oly-Tumwater's shortstop. Glover batted again later in the inning, knocking in Chance Banta with a single. Banta plated two on an RBI single in the first as Astoria erupted for five runs in the opening inning and cruised from there.

Glover also pitched the first three innings, allowing one hit and one unearned run to notch the victory. Alex Eterno and John Fick each pitched a single inning with Eterno allowing an unearned run. The three pitchers limited Olympia-Tumwater to a single bunt hits

Jesse Boord reached base on a double and two bases on balls, scoring two runs for the Astoria 14's, who face Centralia tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Roy Morse Park.

The Astoria 13-year-olds lost a pair of games on the day, but they were the most dramatic games by far. Astoria was hampered by slow offensive starts in each contest and way too much charity on the mound and in the field.

Four errors and eight bases on balls proved costly as Astoria spotted Kelso a 4-0 lead in game one, eventually falling 7-5. Astoria closed to 4-3 with a 3-run third inning, but Kelso scored one more run in the fourth and two more in the fifth inning to hold off a comeback. Time ran out due to all of the pitches thrown and the game was halted after five innings.

Conor Harber allowed four runs, two earned on two hits over three innings to take the loss. Dalton Kelly was touched for three hits and three runs over the final two frames. Dylan Garcia went 1-3 with a double and an RBI and Brett Perez and Dylan Krizan each drove in a run.

Game two against East County had a similar start, but a more exciting finish. An errant throw to first base allowed two runs to score. In the second inning, East County loaded the bases on a single and two bases on balls, scoring two more runs on a fielder's choice and passed ball to take a 4-0 lead.

Astoria countered with a two-out rally in the third inning to close within 4-3. Ryan Johnson walked, stole second and scored on a Harber RBI double. Kelly plated Harber with a triple and scored on a passed ball. East County answered in the bottom of the inning, when the leadoff batter reached on another error, later scoring on a 2-run single to make the score 6-3.

Astoria escaped a jam in the fourth inning, when Ryan Tapio loaded the bases with a hit batter and two walks, but coaxed a fly out to center field to leave the runners stranded. Harber plated Tapio with an RBI single in the fifth to pull Astoria within two runs, then, with time running out on the game, Astoria staged a threat in the sixth inning, loading the bases on singles by Krizan and Evan Cain and a walk to Dillon Smith. With the tying runs in scoring position and the potential winning run on first, Brett Perez hit a hard shot up the middle that was bobbled by East County's second baseman, who recovered to pitch the ball to the shortstop for a game-ending force out on a bang-bang play.

"They just barely got Smith going in," said 13-year-old head coach Pat Harber. "The call could have gone either way."

Kelso outhit Astoria 5-4 in the first game and East County and Astoria each had eight hits in the second game.

"We need to cut down on the walks and tighten up the defense some," said Harber. "That will make a world of difference. Overall, it was not bad for our first outing."

The Astoria 13-year-olds are off today before closing out pool play Saturday at noon. All of the 13-year-old games are being played at Castle Rock High School. All eight teams advance to bracket play, which begins at 3:00 p.m. Saturday.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

LOCAL B.R. ALL-STARS DEBUT TODAY

Cowlitz County's biggest Babe Ruth bash gets underway today and all three Astoria All-Star teams will be on the field as weather allows.

The Don Rhoads Memorial Tournament is in its 33rd year and 28 total teams (8 in the 13-year-old age group and ten 14- and 15-yr-old teams) will play at various sites around the Longview-Kelso area through Sunday in one of Washington's better warm-up tournaments.

The Astoria 13-year-olds are in a pool wil East (Clark) County, Lacey and Kelso and will play their games at Castle Rock High School, with games against Kelso today at 3:30 p.m. followed by a matchup against East County at six.

The 14-year-old tournament will be at Roy Morse Park (Longview Babe Ruth) and Mark Morris High School. Astoria opens against Olympia/Tumwater today. Other teams in the pool include Hazel Dell (Vancouver), Kelso and Centralia.

The 15-year-old squad will play in the Pacific N.W. Regional Tournament for the fourth consecutive year after qualifying as Cal Ripken 12's and Babe Ruth 13's and 14's. No qualifying necessary this season as Astoria will host the tournament beginning July 31. The team, led by Knappa's Cody Strickland, Long Beach standout Trevor Couch and the Astoria trio of Max Johnson, Marcus Brown and Dane Lund, will open play at the Kelso High School field this afternoon against the always tough Hazel Dell squad. Then its over to beautiful neighboring Stan Rister Stadium to face Longview. You couldn't ask for a much tougher start to the All-Star season than this doubleheader. Port Angeles and Olympia/Tumwater are the other teams in Astoria's 5-team pool.

All three Astoria teams will be playing at 3:30 p.m. in their first games today, although weather is going to be a factor today and tomorrow with rain in the forecast. Bracket play begins at 3:00 p.m. Saturday in Castle Rock for the 13-year-old tournament with all eight teams advancing to a single elimination round. The top three teams from each of the 14- and 15-year old pools advance to bracket play at 6:00 p.m. The tournament concludes on Sunday.

Here are the 2007 Astoria Babe Ruth All-Star rosters:

13-YEAR-OLDS
Head Coach: Pat Harber
Asst Coach: Dave Tapio
PLAYERS
Conor Harber-Merchants
Brett Perez-Merchants
Dylan Krizan-Merchants
Dillon Smith-Builders Supply
Ryan Johnson-Builders Supply
Evan Cain-J.J. Neikes
Lucas Foster-J.J. Neikes
Todd Cooper-J.J. Neikes
Drew Cooper-J.J. Neikes
Ryan Tapio-Long Beach
Dylan Garcia-Long Beach
Dalton Kelly-Knappa

14-YR-OLDS
Head Coach: Rob Eterno
Asst. Coaches: John Fick, Art Olson
PLAYERS
Tyler Norfleet-Warrenton
Brandon Connor-Merchants
Trygve Olsen-Merchants
Evan Knight-Merchants
Matt Noklevui-Longshore
Dylan Clodgo-Longshore
Chance Banta-Builders Supply
Dylan Glover-Builders Supply
Alex Eterno-Builders Supply
Jesse Boord-Builders Supply
Jacob Davis-J.J. Neikes
John Fick-J.J. Neikes
Skylar Olson-Long Beach

15-YR-OLDS
Head Coach: Dennis Leach
Asst. Coaches: Brian Aydt, Kent Israel, Jr.
PLAYERS:
Taylor Landwehr-Builders Supply
Max Johnson-Builders Supply
Dylan Israel-Longshore
Ian Erickson-Longshore
Zach Dursse-Longshore
Kiefer LuCore-Longshore
Brandon Aydt-J.J. Neikes
Marc Gallegos-J.J. Neikes
Ian Dueber-J.J. Neikes
Dane Lund-Merchants
Marcus Brown-Merchants
Trevor Couch-Long Beach
Brady Leach-Knappa
Cody Strickland-Knappa
Doug Montgomery-Knappa

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

HIT OR BE HIT! WILDCATS FLY PAST VANCOUVER

Somebody contact the Elias Sports Bureau. It's not often that you see this particular statistical anomaly.


It's not often that a team that gets hit by more pitches than it produces hits comes out ahead on the scoreboard. Then again, it's not often that a team collects nine, count 'em, hit by pitches in a single 9-innning baseball game!

The Seaside Wildcats defeated the Vancouver Flyers 8-3 at Broadway Field Wednesday night and they have the bruises to prove it.


No, this isn't a matchup of rookie league 8-year old teams flinging from the mound for the first time, nor is it 13-year-old Babe Ruth baseball where the youngsters are adjusting to the pro dimensions for the first time. These are real college players seriously losing the radar.


Vancouver starter Brandon Nelson plunked seven Wildcats hitters over a 5-inning stint, nailing at least one Wildcat player in every inning, including three body shots in the fourth inning. The Wildcats capitalized on the free bases in four of the first five innings, racking up six runs.


Mason Reilly scored three times without recording a base hit, reaching on two hit by pitches and one walk, each time as a leadoff batter. Nine Wildcats went to the plate in the fourth, when they plated three runs on a 2-run double by centerfielder Stuart MacInnes and a bases loaded walk to rightfielder Kerry Hillis.


MacInnes went 2-for-4 on the night. Hillis and shortstop Seth Edwards each drove in two runs and third baseman Craig Ross went 2-for-5.


While Nelson and reliever Jason Kelly (two hit batters and three walks) each struggled with their control, Neah-Kah-Nie grad and Concordia pitcher Kyle Corwin was sharp for the 'Cats. The big righthander, pitching with just a couple days rest, made it through five innings on 64 pitches, allowing two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and just one walk. And no hit batters. No, this is definitely not the Major Leagues.


Corwin was extremely efficient through four innings, throwing just 36 pitches, 27 for strikes, before running into trouble in a 2-run Vancouver fifth. Corwin was helped by outstanding play up the middle on defense as the combo of shortstop Seth Edwards and second baseman Shawn Winston turned two double plays and recorded six more forceouts at second and third.


The Wildcats will be on the road for awhile, starting on Friday at Medford as they take on Knappa native Derek Jacobson and the Southern Oregon Riverdogs in a four game series. Seaside returns home to Broadway Field aftera 9-game road trip on July 11 when they take on the Pacific Javelinas.

VANCOUVER 0-0-0-0-2-0-0-1-0 3-8-1
SEASIDE 1-1-0-3-1-0-0-2-x 8-8-4
W-Corwin (5ip, 7h, 2r, 2er, 3k, bb)
L-Nelson (5ip, 5h, 6r, 6er, 2k, 2bb, 7hp)
E-Ritchie, Corwin, Edwards 2, DeMott. LOB-Vancouver 8, Seaside 12. 2B-Terry, Akridge, MacInnes. SB-Fleck, Jones, Edwards. S-Schlesinger. SF-Fleck, Edwards. DP-Vancouver 1, Seaside 2.

WARRIORS SWEEP CLATSKANIE

The Warrenton Warriors took advantage of a rusty Clatskanie Tigers squad to sweep a pair of non-league games in Oregon Junior action Tuesday.



A 13-run third inning that saw 16 men come to the plate helped Warrenton to a 15-4 win in game one. Game two went an extra frame as Warrenton tied the score with two runs in the seventh and scored three more in the top of the eighth to pull out a 10-7 victory over the Tigers.



Clatskanie, playing only its third game of the summer and missing three starters, is playing a non-league probationary schedule this season to qualify for full inclusion in the North Coast League next season according to Warrenton head coach and league commissioner Lennie Wolfe.



"This was only their second or third game of the summer and it looked like it," said Wolfe. "We went out and did what we should have done and it was good."



Down 3-0 entering the third inning of game one, Warrenton's first two batters struck out before Michael Moore drew a walk. Brandon Slaughter followed with the first of his two home runs on the day to begin a 13-run scoring barrage that put the game well out of reach.



KC Taylor was charged with seven of the runs and Conrad Ritchie came on in relief and could not stop the bleeding.



"Their pitchers were not sharp," said Wolfe.


Michael and Kevin Moore, Buddy Davis and Billy Kerr all had two hits in the game.



After a double and a home run in game one, Kevin Moore added two more hits in the second game, including an RBI double in the eighth inning to bring home the go-ahead run.



Cody Patterson led off the eighth with his second hit of the game, then stole second. With two outs, Davis walked and Moore followed with a double to right centerfield. Billy Sturgell followed with a two-run double down the leftfield line to add insurance and Billy Kerr pitched a scoreless eighth inning to nail down the win.



Moore also contributed to a 2-run seventh inning, leading off with a walk, later scoring on the second of two Tigers' fielding errors in the inning.



With the game tied at seven, KC Taylor led off the bottom of the seventh inning with his fourth hit of the game. Slaughter, playing in at third base, fielded a bunt from the next batter and threw out Taylor at second before a 6-4-3 double play ended the threat.



Kerr, a freshman, allowed four hits and one earned run over a three inning stint on the mound.



"Billy was by far our most effective kid," said Wolfe, referring to a contingent of pitchers used to preserve innings for a league doubleheader on Thursday, which was later cancelled by Ilwaco as it turns out. "I wasn't unhappy with any of the pitchers really. They all threw strikes and its tough to get any continuity going when you only throw a couple of innings."



Slaughter led off game two with his second home run of the day. Michael Moore cracked a two-run double in the second inning to put the Warriors up 3-0 before Clatskanie responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning.



Taylor doubled in the third and scored on a Cody Pesio groundout to put the Tigers in front, but not for long, as Beau Torres RBI double in the fifth inning put Warrenton back on top 5-4. The Tigers came right back with a two-run Pesio double in the bottom of the inning, adding another run in the sixth to go up 7-5. Luke Meyer's double put runners on second and third in the sixth inning, before the Tigers plated a run on a groundout. Warrenton caught a break when Meyer rounded the bag at third a little to far and Kevin Moore threw across the diamond to pick him off for the final out of the inning.



With Thursday's game against Ilwaco postponed, the Warriors are due to host Seaside on Tuesday for a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader.

Game One

WARRENTON 0-0-13-0-2 15-10-2
CLATSKANIE 3-0-0-1-0 4-6-1
W-Davis
L-Taylor
2B-Hackwith, K. Moore, Pesio. HR-Slaughter, K. Moore

Game Two
WARRENTON 1-2-0-0-2-0-2-3 10-10-0
CLATSKANIE
0-3-1-0-2-1-0-0 7-13-4
W-
Kerr
L-Pesio
2B-M. Moore, K. Moore, Sturgell, Torres, Pesio, Meyer, Taylor. HR-Slaughter

Monday, June 25, 2007

CAL RIPKEN 12'S FACE TOUGH COMPETITION

The Lower Columbia Cal Ripken 12-year-old All-Stars got an extra week of practice before their first summer tournament this past weekend at Western Longview's John Null Park.

While the local 12's accounted well for themselves, they won just one of four games against some of the top teams on two sides of the border.

Pool play began on Thursday with an 11-5 loss to Kelso. Lower Columbia defeated Black Hills on Friday 3-2 before concluding pool play with a close loss to Kennewick Americans, 6-4.

Seeded third out of the four-team pool, LC took on the other team from Kennewick, the Nationals, who finished second in pool play, losing 8-0 Saturday night.

As an indicator of how tough the tournament field was, Black Hills, which finished last in Lower Columbia's pool, nearly knocked off top-seeded North Oregon power West Linn, falling 9-7 in Saturday's bracket opener. The Kennewick Nationals finished second to West Linn in pool play after having played in tournaments the past two weekends, finishing first in each!

Kennewick jumped ahead with two runs in the first inning on five hits and never looked back. Josh Biel through the first three innings for Lower Columbia and did not allow a hit in the second and third innings. Biel likely should have been out of the first inning unharmed, but Lower Columbia was unable to make the necessary defensive plays to prevent a hard ground ball from getting through the right side of the infield and a catchable pop fly to right field dropped in fair. Kennewick also benefitted from an infield hit and a bunt single in the inning and could have scored more runs if not for a runner thrown out at the plate.

Kennewick plated two more runs on four hits off Nick Fraitus in the fourth inning before opening up the game with a four-spot off lefthanded pitcher Andrew Bergeson in the fifth. Kyle Kelly relieved Bergeson and retired five of the six batters he faced to close out the game.

Astoria did not trouble four different Kennewick pitchers, recording just three hits and the Tri-Cities 12-year olds did not commit an error while making several impressive plays in the infield.

Ross Kukula and Cody Fox each went 1-for-2 with a stolen base and Bergeson lined a sharp single to right field in the fourth inning, but was retired on a ricochet force play at second when Kelly's sharp liner caromed off the glove of diving shortstop Alex Nunez right to second baseman Ty Earley.

Conner O'Neil struck out the side in the sixth inning to get credit for the victory.

The Lower Columbia 12-year-olds are now 2-3 overall and head to Hoquiam's Jump Field this weekend for their next tournament action.

12A ALL-STARS

Manager: Melton LuCore-Lewis & Clark Majors
Coach: Faaleo Poyer-P&L Johnson-Astoria
Coach: Jon Kukula-Mariners-Long Beach

Jeremy Poyer-P&L Johnson
Ross Kukula-Mariners
Austin Wirkkala-Mariners
Brendan Greenfield-Mariners
Kyle Kelly-Knappa Blue
Jeff Benthin-Knappa Blue
Josh Biel-Wilson Construction (Warrenton)
Nick Freitas-Wilson Construction
Cody Fox-Lewis & Clark Majors
Andrew Bergeson-Lewis & Clark Majors
Kyle LuCore-Lewis & Clark Majors
Nathan Spurbeck-Elkhorn Oysters (Naselle)
Dustin Eaton-Elkhorn Oysters

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

June 30-July 1 Hoquiam-Jump Field
July 13-15 North Oregon State Tournament at La Creole Complex in Dallas
July 25-29 Pacific N.W. Regional Tournament in Puyallup (if they win state)

Thursday, June 14, 2007

CAL RIPKEN ALL-STARS DEBUT THIS WEEKEND

Three of the four Lower Columbia Cal Ripken League All-Star teams will make their tournament season debuts this weekend.

Cal Ripken is the Little League division of Babe Ruth baseball and includes ages 8-12. Lower Columbia--which includes the communities of Astoria, Lewis & Clark, Warrenton, Knappa, Long Beach Peninsula and Naselle-- traditionally fields a 10-and-under All-Star team and two 11-12-year-old teams selected based on players' regular season performance and tryouts. The managers of the league champion teams are usually the coaches of the All-Star teams, who compete in "warm-up" exhibition tournaments on summer weekends prior to state, regional and World Series tournaments.

For the second consecutive season, Lower Columbia has fielded an 11-year-old team, which has already been invited to compete at the Pacific Northwest Regional Tournament in Eugene, beginning July 24. The two 12-year-old All-Star teams are separated into "A" and "B" teams. There is a separate state tournament for 12B teams, which will be hosted in conjunction with an 11-year-old state tournament by Naselle for the second consecutive year. All teams are automatically invited to the North Oregon State Tournaments. Teams must win state tournaments in order to advance to regionals and the World Series. The 12B state champion will also qualify to compete in the 12A state tournament at the La Creole Complex in Dallas on July 13-15.

Other North Oregon Cal Ripken leagues include Seaside, Dallas, Central (Monmouth-Independence), Newberg, West Linn, Sandy and David Douglas. Various other communities in the region are aligned with different organizations, such as Little League or the fast-growing Junior Baseball of Oregon (JBO) and play in different tournaments. Champions of North Oregon tournaments will go on to play in the Pacific Northwest Regional tournaments. The Pacific Northwest Region includes North and South Oregon, North and South Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba.

Here are the rosters and this weekend's tournament schedules for the Lower Columbia 10, 11 & 12B teams. The 12A team will not compete at this weekend's tournament at Lynden and will debut at Western Longview's high-profile 12-year-old tournament next weekend at John Null Park.

10 & UNDER ALL-STAR TEAM

Manager: Nate Person – Clatsop Distributing
Coach: David Wallace - Knappa Gold

Bronson Holthusen – Astoria Ford (Lewis & Clark)
Ryker Helmerson – Astoria Ford (Lewis & Clark)
Kai Brown – Astoria Ford (Lewis & Clark)
Josh Seguirant – Wilcox & Flegel (Lewis & Clark)
Carter Wallace – Knappa Gold
Fritz Fremstad – Knappa Gold
Nick Owens – Jensen Communications (Warrenton)
Jason Keating – Knights of Columbus (Astoria)
Courage Beatty – Knights of Columbus (Astoria)
Ole Englund – Big River (Astoria)
Chase Rusinovich – Knappa Blue
Nick Ketcham – Knappa Black
Brock Johnson – Wilson Construction (Warrenton)
Cole Bergeson – Sorenson (Naselle)
Skyler York – Sorenson (Naselle)

Western Longview Tournament at John Null Park, June 13-17:
FRIDAY, June 15 vs. Western B, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 16 vs. Woodland, 11:15 a.m.; vs. Kelso A, 1:30 p.m.; Bracket Play 3:45 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 17: Quarterfinals, 10:00 a.m.; Semifinals, 12:30 p.m.; Finals, 3:00 p.m.

Upcoming Tournaments
June 22-24 Dallas, OR-La Creole Complex
June 28-July 1 Central – Longview, WA Archie Anderson Park
July 6-8 West Linn, OR STATE TOURNAMENT-Oppenlander Fields
July 18-22 Lewistown, MT REGIONALS (If win State)

11 & UNDER ALL-STARS

Manager: Joel Strange – Wahkiakum West (Naselle)
Coach: Darrell Holthusen – Astoria Ford (Lewis & Clark)

Nick Strange – Elkhorn Oysters (Naselle)
Sam Scrabeck – Elkhorn Oysters (Naselle)
Taylor Holthusen – Lewis & Clark Majors
Bradley Culver – Lewis & Clark Majors
Matt Bergeson – Lewis & Clark Majors
Frankie Leonardi – Clatsop Distributing
Kody Thomas – Wilson Construction (Warrenton)
Danny Adams – Wilson Construction (Warrenton)
William James – Wilson Construction (Warrenton)
Austin Woodby – Mariners (Long Beach)
Hunter Stockfleth – Mariners (Long Beach)
David Blalock – Mariners (Long Beach)
Brandon Winters – P&L Johnson (Astoria)
Tyson Bernard – Knappa Blue

Summer Kickoff Tournament at Bender Fields in Lynden, WA, June 16-17
SATURDAY, June 16 vs. White Rock, 10:00 a.m.; vs. Ferndale Gold, 12:15 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 17 vs. Bellingham Reign, 12:15 p.m.; vs. Everett Bobcats, 2:30 p.m.

Upcoming Tournaments
June 23-24 Hoquiam, WA-Jump Field
June 29-July 1 Western – Longview, WA John Null Park
July 6-8 Naselle, WA 11/12B All-star Tourney
July 24- 29 Eugene, OR Regionals Already invited to attend

12B LOWER COLUMBIA ALLSTARS

Manager: John Samp
Coach: John Whisler-P & L Johnson
Coach: Jacob Bentley – Wilson Construction(Warrenton)

Carson Whisler – P&L Johnson (Astoria)
Will Samp – P&L Johnson (Astoria)
Cody Bruton – P&L Johnson (Astoria)
Keelin Cuifici – Lewis & Clark Majors
Jimmy Bentley – Wilson Construction (Warrenton)
Cody Atkins – Wilson Construction (Warrenton)
David Kelley – Wilson Construction (Warrenton)
Chandler Chapman – Elkhorn Oysters (Naselle)
Bernardo Martinez – Elkhorn Oysters (Naselle)
Chad Andring – Elkhorn Oysters (Naselle)
Tony Rudolfi – Lewis & Clark Majors

Edd Long Memorial Tournament at Archie Anderson Park in Longview, June 15-17
SATURDAY, June 16 vs. Central Longview, noon; vs. West Linn B, 4:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 17: Quarterfinals 10 a.m./noon; Semifinals, 2:00 p.m.; Championship, 4 p.m.

Upcoming Tournaments
June 22-24 Dallas, OR-La Creole Complex
June 30-July1 Hoquiam, WA-Jump Field
July 6-8 Naselle, WA 11/12B All-star Tournament
Winner goes to 12A STATE

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

FISHERMEN OFF TO 5-0 SUMMER START

David Gasser may not be handling the day-to-day coaching duties of this year's summer baseball team, but Gasser's aggressive approach to baserunning is being maintained very nicely, thank you.


The Astoria Ford Fishermen raced past Seaside 5-2 in the league half of Tuesday's OJB doubleheader after winning the non-league opener 16-4 in five innings.

With the game tied at two entering the home half of the fifth inning, the Fishermen utilized their speed to put pressure on a shaky Seaside defense.

Astoria had scored single runs in the second and fourth innings, both unearned as a result of misplayed balls in the Gulls' inexperienced outfield.

With one out in the fifth inning, Tom Jaworski singled and Jordan Poyer followed with a textbook bunt down the third base line. With no hope of catching the speedy Poyer, Gulls' third baseman Austin Schneider vainly threw to first base anyway. Jaworski never hesitated continuing past second base on the way to third. Gulls' first baseman Erik Knutsen threw back across the diamond but the ball sailed over Schneider's head, allowing Jaworski to score and Poyer to advance to second. One out later, Marcus Brown delivered an insurance run with an RBI single to score Poyer.

Seagulls' pitcher Ian Dueber, a sophomore-to-be who will be part of Astoria's 15-year-old Babe Ruth team at regionals, got little help from his defense in a strong effort on the mound. Dueber allowed just four hits in the complete game loss, with Poyer's bunt and an RBI infield single by Max Johnson in the second inning half of the Fishermen offensive output.

"Our kids were coming back to the dugout scratching their heads," said Astoria coach Ryker Thornton. "He did what he had to do: changed speeds, located and kept us off-balance all night. So, tip your cap to him."

The Seagulls took advantage of a passed ball to plate a run in the fourth inning, with Knutsen scoring on Jason Spear's 2-out base hit. Dylan Peters walked to lead off the fifth inning, stole second base and scored on a 2-out double by Ryan Sparks.

The Gulls collected just five hits off Astoria pitchers Jordan Poyer (5 innings) and Hans Lund (2 inning). Poyer struggled with his command, walking six batters while striking out eight to earn the win. Lund tossed two innings of hitless relief to earn the save.

"Half our team had spring drills for football," said Thornton. "so they missed the first game and they made it here for the second game and, you know, that's tough to do. That's tough to come here and change your focus from football to baseball and expect go to the hill and do the most important job. He battled threw it and did everything we asked him to do."

Trevor Puckett walked to lead off the sixth inning and stole home to account for the final Fishermen run.

"We kind of pride ourselves on [stealing home] and we do quite often," said Thornton. "The kids are looking at me going, 'Coach, are you going to do it?' We got to do it and Puckett executed it perfectly, so that was nice."

In game one of the doubleheader, Astoria fell behind 2-0 in the first inning on a 2-run single by Peters, but countered with nine runs in the bottom of the inning as 14 men came to the plate against Seaside starting pitcher Jason Spear.

Mason Brause went 2-for-3 in the game with four runs batted in and two runs scored. Max Johnson, Jared Rummell and Brad Sarpola each went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and a double in the rout.

Daniel Mathre survived another shaky start to get the win with three innings of work. Max Johnson finished with two innings of scoreless relief, striking out three and walking two.

The Fishermen are off for a week before hosting Tillamook on Tuesday.

Game One
SEASIDE 2-0-2-0-0 4-4-4
ASTORIA 9-0-7-0-x 16-9-2
W-Mathre (3ip, 3h, 4er, 2k, 4bb)
L-Spear (2.2ip, 9h, 16r, 8er, k, 5bb, 3hp)
2B-Peters, Johnson, Rummell, B. Sarpola.

Game Two
SEASIDE 0-0-0-1-1-0-0 2-4-3
ASTORIA 0-1-0-1-2-1 5-4-2
W-Poyer (5ip, 5h, 2r, er, 8k, 6bb)
L-Dueber (6ip, 4h, 5r, er, 6k, 5bb)
2B-Sparks.

WARRENTON SPLIT UGLY AFFAIR WITH MOOKS

The Warrenton Warriors kept their summer league record unblemished with an 11-8 victory over Tillamook, but it was no beauty pageant at the ballpark.

Kevin Moore doubled and scored on a pair of wild pitches in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a 7-all tie and Michael Moore ground through a rocky complete game as the Warriors held on for a mistake-plagued win.

The non-league second game provided no respite from miscues and the Cheesemakers emerged with a 14-13 win.

"We didn't execute well in either game," said Warriors head coach Lennie Wolfe. "We made baserunning mistakes, there were missed signs, we bunted poorly. Frankly, I was very disappointed today. We made the same mistakes a number of times. It was disheartening."

"We're pleased that we won, but it was not aesthetically pleasing."

The Cheesemakers ambushed Warrenton early with five hits off Moore in a 5-run fifth inning.

"They scored on five hits and an error in the first," said Wolfe. "Some of the hits could have been outs if we had been more aware of things."

"We did not defend well in the first inning. The three positions we are graduating are not yet resolved."

The good news is that Tillamook did not execute any better. The Warriors took advantage of a handful of walks, a couple hit batters and an error in the bottom half of the inning to counter with four runs. Buddy Davis's ground rule double knocked in a run on the only Warrior hit of the inning.

The Warriors grabbed a 7-6 lead in the second inning on one hit and two more Tillamook errors. Unfortunately, a baserunning mistake ended the Warrior threat.

With two outs in the fourth, Kevin Moore doubled, scoring on two wild pitches to give the Warriors the lead for good at 8-7

"Neither team played well," said Wolfe. "Both teams made mental mistakes. Both teams made physical mistakes. They were running aggressively on us and we got lucky on a couple of pop-ups that turned into double plays. We were fortunate."

The Warriors recorded three double plays in the game, including a hustle play by first baseman Kevin Moore who made a diving catch of a flare hit to shallow right field with a runner on first, beating the Tillamook runner in a race back to the bag.

Coach Wolfe praised the defensive play of third baseman Brandon Slaughter.

Davis went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI's to lead the Warriors at the plate in game one.

While J.T. Strang was charged with the loss in game one, he was a force at the plate for the Cheesemakers in both game, finished the day with seven hits. After homering in game one, Strang had three doubles and a home run in the second game, leading to an intentional walk in his final at bat in the seventh inning, with the Warriors leading Tillamook 13-12. The Cheesemakers went on to score two runs in the inning to come away with the win.

Michael Moore went 2-for-3 at plate in game two for Warrenton.

The Warriors next game with Rainier has been pushed back to Friday and will begin at 4:45 p.m. at Huddleston Field.

Game One.
TILLAMOOK 5-1-1-0-0-1-0 8-12-5
WARRENTON 4-3-0-1-2-1-x 11-8-3
W-M. Moore (7ip, 12h, 8r, 5er, 8k, 2bb)
L-Strang
2B-Rodriguez, Davis 2, M. Moore. HR-Strang

Game Two
TILLAMOOK 1-0-5-4-2-0-2 14-15-5
WARRENTON 2-1-2-3-4-1-0 13-10-2

Monday, June 11, 2007

WARRIORS IMPACT ALL-STATE SERIES

Despite a wet weekend, the 3A/2A/1A All-Star Baseball Series played three games in two days at Roy Helser Field on the campus of Linfield College in McMinnville, with the West team taking two out of three games.

Warrenton head coach Lennie Wolfe coached the West team and was supported by two of his 4-year senior stalwarts.

Dan Wolfe went 3-for-8 at the plate in the series with a double, three runs scored and five runs batted in. Wolfe hit a 2-run double and scored on a wild pitch in game one of the series, won by the East 5-3. The West won the next two games 8-3 on Saturday and 20-8 on Sunday.

Eric Gantenbein also was 3-for-8 hitting over the weekend with a pair of RBI's and three runs scored. Gantenbein also threw out an opposing basestealer while paired in a battery with Wolfe on Sunday. Wolfe threw three innings in two mound appearances, allowing one earned run with three strikeouts and two bases on balls.

The Warriors Oregon Junior baseball team returns to action at home on Tuesday with a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader against Tillamook.

ASTORIA DOMINATES FISHERMEN BATTLE

The Astoria Ford Fishermen Oregon Junior baseball team improved to 3-0 with a doubleheader sweep over visiting Ilwaco on Friday, winning a pair of 5-inning games 13-3 and 15-0 at Aiken Field.

Ilwaco got all of its runs in the first inning of game one on an RBI double by Jordan Desimone and run-scoring groundouts by Ryan Garcia and Justin Short.

Astoria starting pitcher Daniel Mathre recorded three straight groundouts to end the inning after the first three runners of the game reached base. The righthanded junior pitched shutout ball the rest of the way for the victory.

Astoria put two runners on base in the first inning, but did not score. Ilwaco's lead would not last long, however.

Oscar Carriere led off the second inning with a walk, later scoring on a Tom Jaworski base hit. Astoria would send 12 men to the plate, scoring seven runs in the inning, which featured back-to-back doubles by Jordan Poyer and Mason Brause.

Brause added a 2-run single in a 3-run Astoria fourth inning, then capped a 3-for-4 game with an RBI double in the fifth. Jaworski also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of runs scored and Marcus Brown was 2-for-2 with three runs.

Willie Einerson and Hans Lund combined on a 1-hit shutout in game two, with Trevor Couch's leadoff double in the first inning the only Ilwaco hit of the game.

Max Johnson went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, two RBI's and two runs scored. Dane Lund doubled twice in three at bats and Jared Rummell had a double and two runs scored as the Astoria recorded ten hits for the second consecutive game, teeing off on Ilwaco pitchers Jordan Desimone and Skyler Olson.

Astoria returns to action against Seaside at home Tuesday night.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

WARRENTON GAME

The Warrenton Warriors moved to 2-0 in league play this summer, scoring in every inning except the fourth in a 14-5 win at Seaside.



"We did a good job of putting the ball in play," said Warriors head coach Lennie Wolfe, who will coach in the 3A All-Star game at Linfield's Roy Helser Field this Saturday and Sunday. "The second game we didn't have as many hits, but we put it in play. We only struck out once in the first game."



Held to just four hits in game two by Seaside's Dylan Peters, the Warriors led in the seventh before the Gulls scored three runs in their final at bat to pull out a 6-5 non-league victory.



Michael Moore led off game one with a base hit, later scoring on a Buddy Davis single. After a Kevin Moore single put runners on first and third, the Warriors executed a double steal with Davis pilfering home plate to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead. All three players finished the game with two hits and Brandon Slaughter drove in a pair of runs for Warrenton.



Sophomore-to-be Cameron Hackwith picked up the win on the mound, with Davis pitching the final three innings. Davis stayed warm between games and tossed the first three innings of game two before giving way to Billy Sturgell.



Sturgell, making only his second high school appearance on the mound after pitching in a junior varsity game this spring, had his share of drama, striking out the side to get out of a first and second jam in the fifth inning and ending the sixth inning with a strikeout with runners on base. The senior-to-be righthander walked the bases loaded in the seventh and nearly got out of another tight spot with two punch-outs before a seeing-eye single brought home the winning runs for the Gulls.



"It was essentially his first real significant outing on the hill," said Wolfe. "He came in in relief and he did a nice job. He got himself out of some jams and finally got into a mess that he couldn't quite get out of. The Peters kid did a good job on the hill for them in that second game. He survived some errors and toughed it out and picked up the 'W' for them."



Sturgell had half of Warrenton's four hits in the second game. The Warriors next see action on Tuesday, June 12 when they play host to the Tillamook Cheesemakers. Tillamook split its opening doubleheader against Seaside on Tuesday, losing the first league game. No Seaside details were reported. The Cheesemakers had a bye Thursday.



WARRENTON 2-1-2-0-3-1-5 14-11-1
SEASIDE 0-1-0-0-1-3-0 5-4-5
W-Hackwith (4ip, 3h, 2er, 2k, 2bb)
L-Carow
2B-Kerr, Schneider. 3B-K. Moore.

KNAPPA DRAFT

The Knappa Loggers are 0-2 so far this summer, losing a pair of close games in markedly different ways.



Following Tuesday's 3-0 pitcher's duel against Astoria, the Loggers and Rainier Columbians hit (and threw) the ball all over the field on Thursday. The Columbians scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to come from behind in a 10-9 win over Knappa.



Knappa's 17-hit attack went to waste due to some shoddy defense as the Loggers continue to shake off the rust from their playoff layoff. Five first inning errors set the table for Rainier as the Columbians responded to Knappa's 3-run first inning with five to take the lead.



"It wasn't fielding errors, but it was poor decisions," said Knappa head coach Jeff Miller. "The ball was kind of thrown all over the park."



Down 7-2 early, the Loggers pounded away in the middle innings, scoring six unanswered runs to take a 9-7 advantage.



"It was nice after playing Astoria the other day," said Miller. "We certainly had some rust on our bats. We kind of shook that off a little bit. The defense let us down a little bit. Too many mistakes in the end to win."



Cody Strickland, came on in relief of starting pitcher Karac Anderson in the second inning and held Rainier at bay until the seventh. The sophomore-to-be had a huge day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double and a home run.



"He was a tough out the last couple of weeks of the spring season," said Miller. "He finished with a high average and really started to hit with some power at the end of the season. At Rainier, its a big park and the wind was blowing in. He just crushed the ball out."



Rainier loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh inning on a pair of infield singles and a misplayed ball in center field. After scoring on a wild pitch, the Columbians lost their lead runner to a rundown between third and home, but back-to-back singles tied the game before Knappa's seventh error of the game brought home the game-winning run.



"We didn't pick up a baseball from the end of the season to the Astoria game," Miller said. "We used this week to kind of get back in the flow a little bit. It does have an effect."



Strickland wasn't the only productive hitter for the Loggers. After a rare 0-fer against Astoria, Gary Aho hit his first home run of the summer, finishing 2-for-4. Karac Anderson went 3-for-5 with a double, Nate West had three hits and Joe Strickland and Maury Dugan each went 2-for-4 with a double.



Knappa is off on Tuesday and travels to Tillamook on Thursday next week.


KNAPPA 3-0-1-4-1-0-0 9-17-7
RAINIER 5-2-0-0-0-0-3 10-13-2

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

FISHERMEN EDGE LOGGERS IN OJB OPENER

The Astoria Fishermen jumped right into summer ball, exactly one week after ending their spring scholastic season with a 4-3 loss at La Grande in the 4A state semifinals.



Featuring an entirely new outfield and two members of the vaunted Babe Ruth 15-year-old All-Star team making their varsity debuts, Astoria edged Knappa 3-0 at Teevin Field.



In a high profile pitching matchup, Astoria's Jordan Poyer, a 1st-team All-State outfielder, outdueled 2A Player Of the Year Gary Aho.



Aho, admittedly rustier after a long layoff, fanned seven Fishermen batters in a 4 1/3 inning stint, but some first inning wildness proved costly.



"We showed a little bit of rust," said Knappa head coach Jeff Miller. "Unfortunately we didn't shake it off the bats today."



Poyer and reliever Hans Lund combined for 14 strikeouts in the win. Poyer recorded his first eight and ten of his first eleven outs with strikeouts. Knappa was able to put runners on base in each of the first three innings, advancing to second and third in the first frame, but Poyer got out of jams with K's.



"He's gotten better," said Ryker Thornton, who will manage the Astoria Ford OJB team most of the summer. "Since his last Scappoose outing [a one-hit shutout] at the end of the year he's gotten better. His curve ball has got more movement and he's living down with the fastball. He's just gotten better every time out. To replace a guy like [4A State Player of the Year Matt] Brause, that's the kind of guy he has to be."



Astoria's high octane offense lost five all-Cowapa League starters and this summer's team, held to six hits in their first game, will have to find new ways to score runs with more than half of the teams 34 home runs lost to graduation.



"It was nice to see our hitters get humbled early on in the summer," said Astoria coach Ryker Thornton, who piloted the Fishermen along with Glen Fromwiller and Ralph Steinback.



The Fishermen accepted some charity in the first inning. Lund got aboard with a one-out base hit. After Aho retired Poyer on a fly ball to left, the Knappa lefthander lost his way, walking Mason Brause and hitting Sam Johnson with a pitch to load the bases. Lund scampered home on a passed ball for the first run of the game. Aho reloaded the bases with a walk issued to sophomore-to-be Marcus Brown before striking out Jared Rummell to end the threat.



The score remained 1-0 until the seventh inning, as both pitchers flirted with runners on base, but used strikeouts and in Knappa's case, a pair of double plays in the fifth and sixth innings to keep it close.



"Not a bad performace against a good team," said Miller. "Hopefully we build on it and continue to shake the rust off and have a good summer."



Poyer fanned Knappa's Joe Strickland, a 2nd-team All-State catcher, with runners on second and third and two outs in the fifth inning, ending his mound stint with a career-high 12 strikeouts. Lund allowed a 2-out ground rule double to Nate West in the sixth inning, but retired five of the six batters he faced for the save.



Astoria finally got a little breathing room, taking advantage of some shoddy Logger defense to plate two more runs off reliever Karac Anderson in the seventh inning.



Lund started the rally with a well-placed bloop double down the right field line that eluded the glove of the onrushing Nate West. Poyer followed with a grounder to the hole at shortstop. Cody Strickland knocked the ball down on the dive, but threw wildly to third trying to nab Lund. Lund raced home and Poyer went all the way to third base when the throw to the plate bounced awry. Rummell completed the scoring with a two-out RBI single, scoring the pinch-running Marc Gallegos, the only incoming freshman on Astoria-s summer roster.



Lund, now batting second in the Fishermen order, went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored for the Fishermen. Poyer, batting third, added two hits in four at bats. Senior-to-be Sam Johnson, starting at catcher, reached base three times on a base on balls and a pair of hit-by-pitches.



Knappa heads to Rainier on Thursday for a 5:00 p.m. doubleheader.



ASTORIA 1-0-0-0-0-0-2 3-6-1

KNAPPA 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 0-3-4

W-Poyer (5ip, 2h, 12k, 4bb)

L-Aho (4.1ip, 3h, r, 0er, 7k, 5bb, 2hp)

S-Lund (2ip, h, 2k, 0bb)

E-S. Johnson, Aho, Oja, C. Strickland, Dugan. LOB-Astoria 11, Knappa 8. 2B-Lund, West. SB-Poyer. DP-Knappa 2. PB-J. Strickland.

WARRENTON SWEEPS SUMMER OPENER

The Warrenton Warriors OJB summer team made its debut, featuring four incoming freshmen. Ilwaco's squad of youngsters was no match, as the Warriors swept the Fishermen 10-0 in five innings in game one of the doubleheader and took game two by a 12-1 count.



"Ilwaco has a very young team and they will continue to improve," said Warrenton head coach Lennie Wolfe. "In fact, as young as our team is, I think they may be a little bit younger."



The Warriors don't lose too many seniors, but the three graduated starters were All-State 1st-teamers Eric Gantenbein and Dan Wolfe, a pair of four year starters and 2nd-team All-State Bubba Massey. All three are likely to play for the Renegades this summer.



As in past seasons, game one of the doubleheader counted in the league standings and game two was a non-league game. Ilwaco is a participating member of the North Coast Division this season, playing in the same league with Warrenton, Astoria, Knappa, Seaside, Rainier and Tillamook. Vernonia and Neah-Kah-Nie are no longer participating members due to struggles with numbers in the past.



Senior-to-be Michael Moore, a lefthanded pitcher, tossed a 5-inning, complete game 3-hit shutout in game one for Warrenton, striking out nine Fishermen batters, while Buddy Davis and Kevin Moore contributed two hits each.



Incoming freshman Reese Johnson picked up the win in the second game, allowing six hits and two runs over six innings pitched. Fellow frosh Thomas McFadden doubled and Billy Kerr, another freshman, had two hits in the game. Davis had three hits, including a pair of doubles and pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Michael Moore added three hits.



"I was very pleased with our pitchers," said Warriors' head coach Lennie Wolfe. "We had two games with no walks and they did a really nice job of locating. We did a more than adequate job defensively, especially for this early. We did have some mishaps offensively in terms of failure to execute. We couldn't remember some signs. That will have to get better. It was the older guys too, not just the younger guys."



"I was very happy with the younger guys. Overall it was a nice first outing."



The Warriors next game is Thursday at Seaside, a doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m. Ilwaco heads to Astoria on Friday for a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader under the lights.



ILWACO 0-0-0-0-0 0-3-4

WARRENTON 0-1-5-3-1 10-8-1

W-M. Moore (5ip, 3h, 9k, 0bb)

L-Garcia

2B-Wheatley.



ILWACO 1-0-0-0-0-1-0 2-6-4

WARRENTON 0-1-4-0-1-6-x 12-14-1

W-Johnson (6ip, 6h, 2er, 2k, 0bb)

L-Short

2B-Couch, Davis 2, McFadden.

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