We start with the Bonnies tomorrow in chilly Port Charlotte. Temps in Florida in the high 50s/low 60s thru Monday. We'll take it but....jeez! We haven't scored more than three runs in a game this year. Gotta get the bats going on this trip.
First couple weeks in March down here are the worst.
Still, "if thees ees torture, chain me to the WALL!"
Hopefully we do get the bats going, as well as a solid defense behind our pitching!
Following the baseball game against St. Bonaventure, the @BonniesBaseball leads our Crusaders, 3-2, in the 6th. The "live stats" link on the d1baseball.com site is the Twitter feed for St. Bonaventure, so I didn't use the Twitter handle to upset the apple cart here. Kyle Wormington had the start, must have gone 5 innings, not real clear from Twitter, but we had a 2-1 lead after 4. Gave up a single, a double, and a single, to give up the lead in the 5th. We got the lead somewhere on 3 singles and a wild pitch, but like I said above, not real clear from Twitter.
Valpo pushes a run across on a saftey squeeze in the 8th to tie the game at 3.
The Bonnies retake the lead. It's now 4-3 in the 8th in Port Charlotte. Wish the Twitter update had a little more detail about how the run was scored.
Valpo scores two more to take a 5-4 lead into the 9th. Like I said, don't know how they scored. @BonniesBaseball isn't updating that very clearly.
A good start to the Florida trip. Valpo comes back in the bottom of the 8th to win the game, 5-4, over St. Bonaventure. Thanks to @BonniesBaseball for the Twitter updates. Ryan Wronkowicz told me in the past, and I'm sure valpotx can vouch for this, but a lot of the Florida Spring Break games are played at side fields on MLB Spring Training sites, most of which have been unused since the former occupants left for new Florida digs, or left Florida for Arizona. These parks aren't equipped with the amenities for audio/video and internet updating from a "press row" setting.
Good to see, and I was disappointed at no live stats as well. The more wins we get in the early part of the season, the better! We usually start off pretty poor, so if we can stay close to .500, we will have a special season in regards to wins
I am here in FL and will have someone give decent updates for the game tomorrow. We will see how it goes from there. May have battery issues but we'll try. Log in here at game time for updates. You're welcome.
Wish I could give you guys live stats, but there is no internet connection out at the fields. To worsen that situation, I'm the official scorer for most, if not all, of the games at Port Charlotte & Winter Haven (which takes up 98% of my time). I wish I could do more for you guys, especially while in Florida.
The boys take on Northeastern University today. Gotta beat those Huskies. Not often do I see Valpo competing against New England teams, so this is one of special interest for me.
The string of games against the Bonnies, NU, G'Town and Villanova is a good barometer of team readiness as compared to other cold weather programs. Doing that in the relative warmth of west FLA allows for loosening arms and speedier bats in a realistically competitive situation. USF will be within our competitive range as well. So far they are 3-6 and just split the first two of three with Toledo. They did hammer Purdue 20-2 back on 2/16 but lost all three vs. Florida State.
BTW, when the team plays at USF, here's where they'll be playing:
USF Baseball Stadium
Opened for the 2011 season, the USF Baseball Stadium lays on the foot print of its predecessor Red McEwen Field, which was home to USF baseball from 1967 to 2010.
It is a part of a shared complex with the equally impressive USF Softball Stadium, which it shares a concourse with.
It was was a piece of the $35 million dollar USF Athletic District facility upgrades, which included construction of new baseball and softball stadiums, a state-of-the-art basketball facility, new football practice fields and a new soccer stadium. The baseball stadium includes step-down team dugouts, bullpens, covered batting cages, multiple party pavilions, a press box and a 1,500 seat spectator grandstand with a shade canopy, an elevated, shaded hospitality deck and service amenities. The overall capacity of the stadium is 3,211 and is being designed to accommodate additional seating that will enable USF to host NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals.
Tentative plans for the Round Table in Port Charlotte: Tuesday, March 5 at 5:00p or so at Harpoon Harry's. This is where the team is staying--it's a condo/shopping/dining area called Fisherman's Wharf. Just park in visitor's parking, walk into the main shopping area in the middle, and walk to the back right on the water. You'll pass several stores on the way in the covered arcade. Here's the address and phone:
1200 W Retta Esplanade Punta Gorda, FL 33950
(941) 637-1177
All are welcome. We are seeing a couple of displaced Valpo fans down here. This will be one of three RT's we will host on this Florida trip.
BTW, my wife has a hotspot so we will have updates here during the game. I'll use a bunch of parents to take turns, so it should be interesting. Ask questions if you'd like. Joe and Lesa Vavra have offered us all free tickets to the Twins game after we play today. Not sure how many are going but it's a nice offer...
My quick takes on yesterday--Mahar was excellent. Came in the game in the sixth w/ bases loaded, no out, and got out of it with no damage. Great slider yesterday fooled the home plate ump a couple of times. Best he's been at Valpo.
Worm was average. Velo in the mid 80's, and they had a few multiple hit innings against him. We didn't help him defensively by booting a couple of balls. Martin came alive at the plate with three hits and four times on base. Mahoney had a huge hit in the eighth. Vavra beat out a two out bunt to tie the game. We are showing a spark of offense. Need Manning and Loeffler to come alive. More later...
Quote from: jetz on March 03, 2013, 08:15:23 AM
Tentative plans for the Round Table in Port Charlotte: Tuesday, March 5 at 5:00p or so at Harpoon Harry's. This is where the team is staying--it's a condo/shopping/dining area called Fisherman's Wharf. Just park in visitor's parking, walk into the main shopping area in the middle, and walk to the back right on the water. You'll pass several stores on the way in the covered arcade. Here's the address and phone:
1200 W Retta Esplanade Punta Gorda, FL 33950
(941) 637-1177
All are welcome. We are seeing a couple of displaced Valpo fans down here. This will be one of three RT's we will host on this Florida trip.
BTW, my wife has a hotspot so we will have updates here during the game. I'll use a bunch of parents to take turns, so it should be interesting. Ask questions if you'd like. Joe and Lesa Vavra have offered us all free tickets to the Twins game after we play today. Not sure how many are going but it's a nice offer...
My quick takes on yesterday--Mahar was excellent. Came in the game in the sixth w/ bases loaded, no out, and got out of it with no damage. Great slider yesterday fooled the home plate ump a couple of times. Best he's been at Valpo.
Worm was average. Velo in the mid 80's, and they had a few multiple hit innings against him. We didn't help him defensively by booting a couple of balls. Martin came alive at the plate with three hits and four times on base. Mahoney had a huge hit in the eighth. Vavra beat out a two out bunt to tie the game. We are showing a spark of offense. Need Manning and Loeffler to come alive. More later...
Thanks for the updates Jetz! For those of us following the team closely from the Midwest, it is much appreciated! By the way, how did Karch look yesterday?
Valpo is Visitors today. In top of 1st inning, Vavra stranded after getting a single with 1 out.
Webb strikes out first two batters and gets a lazy fly to RF to end inning.
Mahoney leads off 2nd with line double down RF line. Steals 3B w no throw. Manning called out on strikes.
Cribbs lines single between short and third to give Valpo the lead. Hara called out on wide curve ball.
Leadoff man in 2nd for Northeastern pops to CF. Next batter is frozen on inside fast ball on full count for 2nd out. Next batter grounds to Mahoney at short. 3 up; 3 down. After 2, Valpo 1, NE 0.
Bain leads off 3rd with well hit fly to CF for 1st out. Vavra hit by pitch. Mormon lines to RF with hit and run on. Vavra cannot get back to first in time so inning ends on the DP.
Lead off man for NE grounds out to Mahoney @ SS. Webb strikes out next batter swinging at a nasty change. Next batter lines to Mormon in right to end inning. After 3, Valpo 1, NE 0.
Elliott Martin leads off 4th. Martin batting clean up today. He one hops one to 3B for 1st out. Bynum is DHing today and batting 5th. Bynum tops a slow roller that 3B cannot handle for an error.
Mahoney lays down a sacrifice and they just get him at first. Manning up with a runner in scoring position. Manning hits a screamer but a terrific play by NE SS as he jumps high to get it and end inning. Webb to face the top of the order in bottom of 4.
Leadoff man is hit with 2nd pitch but umpire rules it a strike. Mild argument goes nowhere and Martin catches soft liner to 3B for 1st out.
Next batter hits 2 hopper to Vavra @ 2B for 2nd out. 3rd hitter grounds a full count fast ball to Mahoney @ SS to end the inning. Still 1-0 Valpo after 4.
Cribbs leads off 5th with a deep fly that LF makes an over the shoulder catch in LC. Hara tries to bunt on first pitch but 3B was charging and gets him by a step. Bain hits a 2 hopper over the mound that 2B fields but throws high.
Sorry folks. Had some technical difficulties. I will try to catch you up without missing anything. By the way, this is Rick Mahoney using Jerry Walsh's computer to provide the updates.
Cribbs leads off 5th with a deep fly that LF makes an over the shoulder catch in LC. Hara tries to bunt on first pitch but 3B was charging and gets him by a step. Bain hits a 2 hopper over the mound that 2B fields but throws high.
Sorry folks having technical difficulties. We are through 5 1/2 and score still Valpo 1, NE 0.
Vavra ended 5th with well hit ball to CF. Webb got lead off man in bottom of 5 to fly that wind took to deep RF but Manning made catch just in front of fence. Next batter walked for NE first base runner but he was erased on a sweet 3-6-1 DP to end inning.
Martin singled and stole 2nd in top of 6th but Valpo couldn't get him around. NE lead off man get 1st hit with a solid single to LF Advances to 2B on Wild Pitch and to 3rd on deep fly to CF. Two outs.
Next batter hits one over Manning's head in RF for RBI triple. Next batter lines a 1 hopper up middle but Vavra dives and throws 1 hopper from his knees that Bain digs out of the dirt at 1B to end the inning. After 6, we are tied at 1.
Manning leads off 7th with soft single over 2B head. Cribbs bunts back to the pitcher for a force at second.
Hara lines a 1 hopper to SS who fields cleanly and turns DP to end inning.
Lead off man for NE flies lazily to Mormon on LF line. Next batter pops to SS but Mormon calls off Mahoney to make the catch. Next batter lines an 0-2 fastball into LF for a solid single.
Line single up the middle put runners on 1st and 2nd for NE C who delivers with a solid RBI single to RC.
NE sends up LH PH who pops to short RF where Vavra makes catch running away from infield. After 7, NE 2; Valpo 1
NE Starting pitcher, senior lefty Kevin Ferguson is still throwing here in 8th. Bain leads off for Valpo and lines a single between SS & 3B for a single. Vavra up.
Vavra sacrifices up 1B line. Mormon up with Bain on 2B; 1 out. NE is changing pitchers, bringing in Freshman RHP Ryan Fitzgerald.
Sorry, Michael Fitzgerald is now pitching to Mormon who hits a soft pop over pitcher's head and fielded cleanly by 2B for 2nd out
Martin flies to deep CF on first pitch to end the inning. Zack Walsh is in to pitch the 8th for Valpo.
Lead off man lines to CF Hara for 1st out. Umpire squeezed Walsh on 2-2 pitch which leads to a walk. Runner steals 2B.
Umpire calls a balk moving runner to third. Grounder to SS Mahoney not hit hard enough to come home, gets him at first but run scores. Next batter rolls one to Vavra @ 2B to end inning. NE up 3-1 going to top of 9. Looks like Loeffler will PH to lead off inning against the RHP.
After fighting off several 2 strike pitches, Loeffler flies to CF. Mahoney also fouls off a couple 2 strike pitches before rolling one to 2B for second out. Chris Manning is Valpo's last chance.
Manning tops one back to the pitcher for final out. Final Line score: NE 3 runs, 5 hits and 2 Errors. Valpo, 1 run 6 hits 0 errors.
Thanks for the updates! Really wish we could have had a few of those one-hoppers get redirected away from the glove hand.
Jetz, you might want to start a new string for each game. The P X P was great to follow.
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 03, 2013, 12:41:41 PM
Jetz, you might want to start a new string for each game. The P X P was great to follow.
I second the motion!!!!!
jetz mentioned that there might be "guest commentators" giving us updates, so they might just continue it here, if they don't regularly come to the board to know how to start a new game thread.
Frustrating loss for the local nine today. It was a shame to see another great Webb start go for naught. He's gotta be the best pitcher in the country with a 1-2 record.
Valpo will see another lefty tomorrow against Georgetown. It'll be the sixth in ten games I believe. Don't be surprised to see a new bat in the lineup tomorrow.
On the bright side, Vavra looks like Vavra again, as does Bain. EMart is coming around. No errors today. And outside of the 7-2 loss at Long Beach, the team has been in every ball game.
I'll try and dig through the stats to find out the team avg w/RISP. It can't be pleasant. Cribbs has been a life saver with guys on.
I see good things for our baseball program this year as well (mentioned same for softball). Our pitching seems to have been replaced (Webb seems impressive), and our hitting WILL come around. We have started off with some pretty poor non-conference records in our history, but I think we will be better setup this year going into conference play in being closer to .500 when it is all said and done.
Isn't being left-handed great? :) Anytime I am warming up in my adult baseball league now, you just hear the team whine about a lefty coming in lol.
We'll see how it goes as far as updates today. Very nice of Rick Mahoney to handle that yesterday. If he's amenable, we'll do it again, probably on a new thread. Check back here at game time.
Dang it, another close loss for the guys, blowing a 1 run lead in the 8th to lose 3-2. This will hopefully be good experience as the season progresses, as USF is no slouch! It's good to see that we can play with everyone so far, we just need to pull out some of these close ones.
Webb seems to be pitching a gem against USF, up 5-1 in the bottom of the 7th. This kid seems legit, and would be a quality win! :)
Steady rain today here in Winter Haven. The teams are in the dugout and I'm in the Starbucks next door. I am planning on doing blog updates here for the next few days in WH. I'm thinking this game today will be cancelled. It's too bad since we were playing in the Chain O' Lakes main stadium today. It's the Indians old spring training field and pretty nice. I'll keep you updated with changes here.