WE DID IT THE COMEBACK KIDS!
Baseball is unquestionably a team sport. And
the game played on Saturday morning between the Rohrers and the Sylrays was one
of the finest games played by two exceptional base ball clubs. It was a contest
of nerves, of bluff, bravado and brawn. A game played with the skill of the
players and the brains of the manager and coaches. The Sylray pitcher, Aaron
Bolinsky , threw pitches that made our boys guess at each pitch. Now, cranks, let`s
give credit where credit is due. Our boys had only a fraction of a second to
decide whether to swing or give it a pass. Bolinsky tried to fool our batters
for a full 7 innings.
In Base Ball all a team has to do to win is
drive in a few runs and then field well enough to keep the other team from
scoring as many. When you look at a good ball club like Rohrers ,you are
looking at the way the club plays as a whole. No one individual will determine
its offensive power or its defensive strength. Manager Grace knows his club and
knows that it takes nine players to do the fielding and nine hitters to make up
the batting order that will score runs.
As this reporter watched the game unfold, I
was getting more and more nervous. I will give Manager Grace credit for his
unfailing faith that he has in his club. Not one time did I witness him lose his
control over the players. He stood firm and twice brought our boys out of a
slowly sinking slump to the cheers of “1, 2, 3 Rohrers”
Let`s take a look at the gang as they played on
Saturday.
Pitching is probably the most important
single item in the defensive play of base ball. On Saturday, our two Bievers,
Jake and Dylan, worked the mound. The brothers both pitched a great game. They
both seem to have that sense that makes a good pitcher, They know they are
backed up by good fielders and don’t always try to make the batter miss but try
to get them to hit to our fielders for quick outs. And when not pitching, they
usually move in and around first base or the infield.
And what can you say about our catcher, M.J.
Oswald? Here is a kid that puts on a bunch of equipment that virtually makes it
hard to move and almost impossible for him to see. He then lets a pitcher throw
a hard ball at him while an opposing player stands in front of him swinging a
bat inches from his head! But he makes the play. M.J. has saved many a stolen
base at home.
Our third baseman, Nate Dixon, plays over on
the “Hot Corner” where a lot of right handed batters send hard smashes down the
third base line. He is expected to hit for power and field the ball well, which
he has done on several occasions. He must be prepared to defend against the
bunt and have a strong arm for throwing to first.
The shortstop, today, was Drew Grace. Short
stop is one of the hardest positions to play. And when Drew isn’t pitching ,you
will find him covering more of the diamond than any other position. One needs
great reflexes and fantastic base ball smarts to play short. He must also cover
second on many plays. Drew is one of our power hitters who can always be
counted on in a clutch.
Second sacker was played by
Blake Lipko and Dylan Grace. Both ball players have the speed and moves to
cover second. They must move left or right very quickly for any of those daisy
cutters hit between first and second. They also be able to relay any hits from
the outfield. Both Blake and Dylan are strong hitters and can be counted on
with the stick.
First base holds the spot
where Drew Grace , Jake and Dylan Biever will be seen . Today the Bievers alternated
back and forth . First base is a good
place for a relieving pitcher to play and seeing that they are not required to
cover a lot of the diamond can observe the game and be ready to get on the
mound.
Our outfielders , Chase Weiser, Dylan Grace,
Easton Weiser, T.J Schappell and Seth Grube alternate around the green, from
right to center and over to left field. These kids have to cover a lot of
ground and be on their toes for fly balls coming over the infielders or long
hits out toward the fence. At center ,they have the most territory to cover and
like a shortstop, they are required to be first rate fielders. A good outfielder
needs to have a good arm and the look of our boys is solid. Most of the calls
coming from the dugout are to the fielders, “Move in. Move out a little more to
your right “etc.
On the offense our boys can
hold their own with any team in the league. When you think of it, a batter
standing in the box and the ball half way to the plate, he has to
decide in .12 seconds as to whether to
swing the bat. .20 seconds later, he has to think if he wants to abort the swing
and in .40 seconds the ball is at the plate. So my fellow cranks, think of that
fact when you see our boys at the bat. Base ball is the hardest of all sports
in the art of hitting .In 1/3 of a second, the batter must decide whether to
take a pitch, attempt to bunt, punch a single, drive a double , smack a homer
or dodge a pitch headed for his head.
Let`s get to the game: How I
saw it:
1st Inning: Our
battery was Jake Biever and M.J. Oswald. Jake gave up a double but fanned the
other batters.
Our boys at bat…M.J. popped
out to first. Drew Grace grounded out to first. Jake grounded out to short. Was
a ho hum type of inning with both clubs looking each other over.
2nd Inning: Big
Jake fans three batters.1.2.3 Jake`s arm looks mighty strong and he certainly
puzzled these three batters.
Up next was Nate Dixon. He
pops a high one to third for an out. Dylan Biever pops out second for the 2nd
out. Seth is called out on pitches. This inning was fast up and down the line.
3rd Inning: Jake
walks the first batter, strikes out the
second, walks the third, strikes out the fourth, 2 outs. Walks the fifth
batter. Oh boy, bases are loaded with two outs. Sixth batter for Sylray bangs a
daisy cutter to center field and brings in two runs. Score: 2-0. Then Jake gets
out the inning with a strike out.
On the offense our boys come
out . Up first is Seth Grube who strikes out. Blake Lipko is also fanned and T.J. Schappell goes down swinging for 3
up 3 down to end the inning.
4th Inning: a good
quick one for Rohrers as Jake fans the first batter. A hard hit grounder to
third is picked by Nate Dixon who throws the runner out at first.
And Jake fans the third
batter. Rohrers comes to the bat. M.J. gets walked. Drew bangs out a single but
M.J. on the run is caught at second for the out. Jake gets walked and Drew
steals third on a Sylray error. Nate Dixon bangs one to the first baseman and
is called out but Drew flies home and scores.
score :2-1. The game becomes a nail bitter now knowing the strength and
experience of the Sylray Club.
5th Inning: Sylray
at the bat. First batter goes down swinging for an out. Second batter falls to
the arm of Big Jake. Third batter hits a grounder out to the infield and races
around the bases on an overthrow to first. Up next Sylray`s power hitter # 14.
On the second throw he slams a fly ball out over the center field fence for a
two run homer making the score 4-1 Sylray. Manager Grace changes pitchers and
puts in Dylan Biever who ably gets us
out of the inning with a strike out.
Before our boys take to the box, Manager Grace
calls them over, stares them down and says, “Come on guys. I see all of your
heads down. We are only three runs down, We gotta do it. You gotta do it one batter
at a time…We gotta stay in the game.” Then our boys took the bat. Chase Weiser
enters the batter`s box. Pop , he gets a
single and with his quick speed crosses first base. Seth Grube chops one to
first base and is called out. Dylan Grace who is up next is slammed hard on the right rib area with a
wild pitch. Grimacing in pain and rubbing his chest area, he takes his base to
the applause of the crowd. Up next , one of our rookies, Easton Weiser drives
one between first and second for a single. And Chase gets tagged at third. I
will tell you, cranks, don’t under estimate this kid, Easton , because he is smaller than some of
his teammates. He stands up strong to the hardest pitchers and fields well.
With bases loaded, M.J. grounds out to first.
6th Inning: Dylan
on the mound strikes out the first batter, walks the second batter and drops
the next two. Up for Rohrers is the power hitter Drew Grace. Drew takes four
balls and heads to first. Jake up next. Jake gets called on strikes. Nate Dixon
hits a fast single between first and second for a single. Two men on. Dylan
Biever grounds out to first with a man on third and second, two outs. Nate gets
safe on third and Drew scores. Seth Grube gets a single and drives in Nate .
score: 4-3. Blake Lipko bangs one out and another run scores making the score
4-4. Easton Weiser up next strikes out. Oh my, what an inning! The Come Back
kids, encouraged by Manager Grace`s
exhortations, come fighting back to make the game a tie…..wow!
7th inning: Dylan
on the mound. Sylray up at bat. The first batter hits one to second base and Blake gets it for an out. Next batter is walked. Big timer
Aaron Bolinsky up next . Dylan walks him. And the runner is tagged at second
trying to steal. A Sylray player tries to steal home, but not against our
catcher you won’t ,and he is tagged out at the plate.
A Controversial Call ? ......You Make The Call!
Rohrers up. Could this be the inning? My heart is pounding. What an inspiring come back! M. J. up first strikes out. Sylray pulls their pitcher on the count and puts in a new pitcher. Drew Grace up next. Drew takes his base on balls. Jake up next walks to first. Nate pops out to the first base man and Drew tags up and races home but is called out trying to steal home. To this reporter’s eye , Drew looked like he was safe. But , that is Base Ball.
8th Inning: Dylan still on the mound taking the team down the stretch. First batter pops out to Drew at short. Second batter hits one down to third and on an over through to first. Dylan strikes out the third batter getting us out of the inning with his strong arm. Rohrers up. Dylan Biever is up and gets a single. Chase Weiser at the bat and strikes out . Seth Grube hits one and Dylan ,after advancing to third base, races home for the steal ending the best come back of the season. Way to go Rohrers, the COME BACK KIDS!!
OUR BOYS ON ACTION
YEA!!!
WE DID IT!!!!
THE COMEBACK KIDS !!!!!
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