2009 Floods Game Notes
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: FINAL GAME
FLOODS DEFEAT BREWERS TO WIN SACNABA 18AA CHAMPIONSHIP
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
Brewers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
FLOODS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | X | 5 | 10 | 1 |
The Floods beat the Brewers 5 - 2 in the third and deciding game of the SACNABA 18AA Division championship series on September 27th under the lights at Playfields Park in Davis. This was a well played, exciting game that saw the Floods combine strong pitching, solid defense and timely hitting to notch their 21st win of the season, against just 4 losses, and claim the division crown.
Rob Dyer took the mound for the Floods in this deciding game. The Brewers greeted him with 2 base hits in the 1st inning to take a 1 - 0 lead. But the Floods responded immediately in the bottom of the 1st. Ryan Ceriani led off and singled sharply on the first pitch he saw. Two pitches later Joe Caffrey did the same and the Floods were in business with two aboard and nobody out. A fielder's choice and an error brought Ceriani around to score, and then Geordie Osborn drove in Caffrey with a base hit to right and the Floods had the lead 2 - 1 going to the 2nd. It was a lead Dyer and the Floods would not relinquish.
Over the next 6 innings Dyer blanked the Brewers, allowing them only 3 base hits. When the Brewers put men on base, Dyer and the Floods defense bore down. In the 2nd, 2 walks and a wild pitch put men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Dyer struck out the next 2 men to retire the side. In the 3rd with a man on 2nd and 1 out a fly ball was mishandled in the Floods outfield, but right fielder Casey Zoller quickly relayed the ball to 2nd baseman Caffrey who relayed to shortstop Ceriani, who fired to catcher Osborn to nail the baserunner trying to score on the play. Dyer then struck out the next hitter to end that threat as well. In the 7th the Brewers lead off man hit a line drive off the left field fence, but left fielder Roman Gonzales fielded the ball quickly and threw back into the infield to hold the batter to a single. Another hit and a ground out put men on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, but again Dyer dug deep and struck out the next 2 batters to retire the side.
Meanwhile the Floods offense was scuffling, as they managed only 3 baserunners from the 2nd through the 5th innings. But with 1 out in the 6th Dyer walked and Osborn singled to put men on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Then Zoller laced the first pitch he saw to center for a base hit to drive in a run and get the Floods offense back on track leading 3 - 1.
With 1 out in the 7th Gonzales drew a walk, and a double by Ceriani put men on 2nd and 3rd. Caffrey then delivered a sacrifice fly and Dyer had an RBI double to make the score 5 - 1 going to the 8th.
Dyer had already thrown over 100 pitches as he went to the mound in the 8th. Two Brewers base hits and a walk pushed across 1 run and left men at 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. The next batter hit a hard grounder in the hole between short and 3rd. Ceriani ranged far to his right to catch the ball, spun and threw to a stretching Caffrey covering 2nd to retire the sliding baserunner on a force out and preserve the Floods lead at 5 - 2. It was another example of the excellent middle infield defense Ceriani and Caffrey played all season.
With the pitch count at 125 Dyer went to the mound in the 9th needing 3 more outs. A base hit and a fielder's choice put a man on 1st with 1 out. Then Dyer did what he'd done all game and all season. He bore down and struck out the next 2 men to end the game - his 11th and 12th strike outs of the contest - as the Floods met at the mound to celebrate their championship.
The Floods entered the playoffs with 11 available men, and they needed every one of them to contribute. And they did.
Dyer led the way. He pitched 3 complete games in the playoffs, including a no-hitter and the championship game win. In 25 playoff innings he struck out 29 and posted a 2.16 ERA. For the season Dyer had 11 wins for the Floods.
Taylor Speier intimidated the opposition with his bat. Even though he was injured midway through Game 2 of the championship series, he led the Floods in playoff RBIs with 6. He also played excellent defense in center field and pitched 3 scoreless innings in Game 2.
Ceriani made key play after key play at short in the playoffs and throughout the season. He led the Floods in playoff base hits with 6, reached base 9 times in 4 playoff games, and scored 6 runs. And he took the mound in the 7th inning of that critical Game 2 of the championship series, and pitched 3 scoreless innings to nail down that win.
Caffrey was the other half of the Floods excellent middle infield defense at 2nd base. In 4 playoff games he reached base 9 times, stole 3 bases, and was a run scoring machine - as he was all season - scoring 9 times.
Osborn anchored the Floods defense from behind the plate - he was a coach on the field. He also hit Brewers pitching extremely well all season, pounding out 2 home runs and 9 RBIs against them. In the 3 game championship series he reached base 7 times.
Zoller was the answer to the Floods problems in right field in the playoffs, making several nice plays there. He also reached base 9 times in 4 playoff games, and had some key hits, including that RBI single in the 6th inning of the championship game.
Jason Blessinger played well at 3rd base for the Floods. And when he moved to 2nd base late in Game 2 of the championship series he made several nice plays there to help secure that win.
Tim Hodson played well at 1st base throughout the playoffs. And he had 2 huge base hits in Game 2. When the Floods fell behind 9 - 6 in that game he delivered a 2-out RBI to get them right back in the game. Then he doubled with the bases loaded to drive in 2 more and get the Floods within 1 run.
Will Aaronson played good outfield defense in left and center. With the game on the line in Game 2 of the championship series he delivered the go ahead double to drive in 2 as he had 3 RBIs and scored twice in that game.
Slade Fogelman took the mound in the middle of Game 2 at the most difficult point of the Floods season. Over 3 innings he was able to restore order and put the Floods in position to come back and win that game. On the season he had 7 big wins for the Floods.
Gonzales was needed in the outfield in Games 2 and 3 of the championship series and he responded by making several nice plays, including that 6th inning play in Game 3 to hold the batter to a single and save a run. He also found a way to reach base and score an important run in the championship game.
Although they weren't available for the playoffs, Val Ravarra and Adam Moshofsky also made great contributions this season. Ravarra played 7 different positions and hit .380 from the leadoff spot during the first half of the season. Moshofsky played well at 1st base and consistently hit the ball hard, including his 2 home run game early in the year.
Solid pitching, strong defense and timely hitting, with everyone contributing. That's how you win championships - and that's how the Floods won this one.
Go Floods!
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CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GAME 1
FLOODS DROP OPENER TO BREWERS AS OFFENSE SPUTTERS
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
Brewers | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
FLOODS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
The Floods lost to the Brewers 5 - 2 in the opening game of the SACNABA Division 18AA best-of-three championship series at Peterson Field on September 13th. This was a case of good pitching beating good hitting as the Floods managed only 2 base hits in the contest.
Rob Dyer started and went the distance for the Floods, and pitched well enough to win. Dyer scattered 10 hits and struck out 5, and put 8 zeros on the board as the Brewers scored in only one inning. But in that 3rd inning they had 4 of their hits, and combined with 2 Floods errors pushed across 5 runs.
Other than the 3rd inning, the Floods played solid defense in this game. With the bases loaded and 1 out in the 6th, Dyer fielded a comebacker and started a nice 1-2-3 (Dyer to Geordie Osborn to Tim Hodson) double play. And with 2 on and no outs in the 7th, a 1-6-3 (Dyer to Ryan Ceriani to Hodson) double play ended that threat as Dyer retired 8 of the last 9 men he faced.
The Floods took the lead in the 1st inning without getting a base hit as a hit batter, a walk, a Brewers error and 2 wild pitches plated Joe Caffrey and Ceriani to make the score 2 - 0. But singles by Hodson in the 2nd and Ceriani in the 6th, and a walk to Osborn in the 7th, were the only other baserunners the Floods could manage through the 7th inning. The Floods loaded the bases with no outs in both the 8th and 9th innings as a result of walks and Brewers errors, but the big hit again alluded them as they were unable to score in either frame and lost 5 - 2.
The Game 1 loss made Game 2 a win or go home proposition for the Floods.
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: GAME 2
FLOODS COME BACK AFTER SPEIER INJURY TO WIN, EVEN SERIES
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
FLOODS | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 18 | 5 |
The Floods beat the Brewers 13 - 10 on September 13th at Peterson Field to even the SACNABA 18AA Division championship series at one game apiece. The Floods dug deep to win this one after an injury to one of their team leaders.
The Floods jumped out in front quickly as Ryan Ceriani doubled to open the game, went to 3rd on Joe Caffrey's bunt, and scored on a wild pitch. In the 3rd Casey Zoller walked, and with 2 outs scored when the Brewers misplayed Will Aaronson's ground ball. Then Ceriani walked and Caffrey was hit by a pitch to load the bases and bring Taylor Speier to the plate. Despite a stiff wind blowing in from right, Speier blasted a 2-2 pitch over the fence in right center for a grand slam, giving the Floods a 6 - 0 lead.
Speier was also getting it done on the mound for the Floods. He breezed through the first 3 innings, striking out 3, aided by a couple of nice defensive plays. In the 1st right fielder Zoller made a nice catch on a sinking liner and through to 1st baseman Tim Hodson to double up a Brewers baserunner. With runners at 1st and 2nd and 1 out in the 3rd, shortstop Ceriani made a diving stop of a grounder up the middle and flipped to Caffrey for the force at 2nd. Speier then retired the next man on a popup to end the threat.
The game changed dramatically in the bottom of the 4th. While delivering the 2nd pitch of the inning Speier fractured the humerus bone in his pitching arm and had to be taken from the field on a stretcher by paramedics. The injury shocked the Floods, who saw one of the leaders of their team go down.
After a 40 minute delay the game resumed with Slade Fogelman taking over for Speier on the mound. But the Floods were still shocked and distracted by their concern for Speier, and before the dust settled the Brewers had sent 14 men to the plate, gotten 9 base hits, the Floods had made 3 errors, and 9 runs had crossed the plate to make the score 9 - 6 after 4.
In the Floods dugout between the 4th and 5th innings, you could feel the Floods determination to take back control of the game. No one wanted to have to tell Speier that they'd lost this one after his injury. And no one would have to.
Geordie Osborn had a nice AB and worked a walk to open the top of the 5th. Rob Dyer, running for Osborn, stole 2nd, and with 2 outs Hodson delivered a sharp single to drive him in and get the Floods right back into this game at 9 - 7.
Fogelman did a nice job restoring order in the 5th and 6th innings, holding the Brewers to one additional run, as the Floods went to the 7th inning trailing 10 - 7.
Osborn again led off the inning and singled this time, as did Zoller following him. Jason Blessinger reached on an error to load the bases with nobody out, and then the Floods had two of the biggest hits of their season. Hodson hit a gapper to the wall in left center for a double to drive in 2 and make the score 10 - 9. Then Aaronson drove a 2-2 pitch over the center fielder's head for another double, driving in 2 more and giving the Floods the lead 11 - 10. Aaronson then advanced to 3rd on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch to make the score 12 - 10.
The Floods needed someone to take the ball for the 7th, 8th and 9th innings, and Ceriani was the man. Ceriani had only pitched 3 innings all season, and hadn't pitched since June, but he was up to the task. And the Floods defense that had struggled in the early innings, suddenly was very tight.
After the Brewers had a leadoff base hit in the 7th, catcher Osborn threw out the baserunner trying to steal as Blessinger, who had moved to 2nd, in one motion caught Osborn's throw and made a nice sweeping tag for the out. Caffrey, now at short, made several nice plays in the final 3 innings, as did Aaronson in left and Dyer in center, as Ceriani held the Brewers scoreless for the final three frames to record the win.
The Floods added their final run in the 8th when Zoller reached on an error, moved to 3rd on a walk and a groundout, and was driven in by Aaronson to make the score 13 - 10. And that's the way it ended.
Every Floods player was more determined than ever to win this game after Speier was injured, and every player contributed to this team win. In addition to Speier's big slam, the bottom half of the batting order really got it done in this one. Osborn led off innings twice after the Brewers had taken the lead, reached base both times, and 2 Floods runs resulted. Zoller found a way to reach base 3 times, and scored each time. Hodson had two huge, clutch base hits to drive in 3. And Aaronson had the go-ahead double, drove in 3 and scored twice.
This was the most emotional and the grittiest win of the Floods season, as they found a way to make it happen and forced a third and deciding game of the championship series.
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DYER NO-HITS TITANS IN PLAYOFF WIN
FLOODS ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | X | 0 | 0 | 3 |
FLOODS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | X | X | 10 | 10 | 0 |
Rob Dyer pitched a no-hitter as the Floods defeated the Titans 10 - 0 in a first round playoff game on August 30th at Lembi Park in Folsom. With the win the Floods advance to the SACNABA 18AA Division championship series.
Dyer dominated the Titans lineup from the first pitch, striking out 12 in the game that ended after 7 innings due to the 10-run rule. He retired the first 14 men he faced before issuing a walk in the 5th. The Titans managed only 3 base runners in the contest. Dyer threw 96 pitches, 63 for strikes.
As would be expected in a no-hitter, the Floods played excellent, errorless defense behind Dyer. In the 1st, shortstop Ryan Ceriani cut off a hard hit grounder up the middle and threw out the Titans base runner by a half step. In the 2nd, 1st baseman Tim Hodson dove to his right to smother a hard hit grounder and tossed to Dyer covering 1st for the out. In the 3rd, 2nd baseman Joe Caffrey ranged far to his left to catch a popup just inside the foul line in shallow right field. And in the 5th, right fielder Casey Zoller made a nice catch on a fly ball that was slicing away from him in the wind. With those 12 Ks, Dyer and catcher Geordie Osborn took care of the rest.
The Floods offense started slowly in this game. Caffrey doubled in the 1st and scored on an error. In the 4th the Floods scored without getting a hit as the Titans pitcher had some control problems. Jason Blessinger drew a bases loaded walk to make the score 2 - 0, but the Floods only had 2 hits after 4 innings.
That all changed starting in the 5th. Ceriani led off with a double and moved to 3rd on Caffrey's infield hit. Taylor Speier then doubled to drive in Ceriani, and Dyer drove in Caffrey to make it 4 - 0 after 5. Will Aaronson singled leading off the 6th and moved to 3rd on a couple of groundouts. Speier was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners, and that's when the Floods did some damage with 2 outs. Dyer singled to drive in a run, and after a wild pitch put two men in scoring position, Osborn singled to drive them both in. Then Caffrey, running for Osborn, stole 2nd and scored on another 2-out RBI hit by Zoller to make the score 8 - 0.
The Floods ended the game in the 7th. With 1 out Aaronson and Ceriani drew walks. Caffrey hit into a fielder's choice but Aaronson scored on the play on a Titans overthrow. Caffrey then stole 2nd, and with 2 outs Speier singled to drive him in and end the game on the 10-run rule.
For the game, Caffrey twice stole 2nd base with 2 outs and was driven in by the next batter, as he scored 5 of the Floods 10 runs. Speier, Dyer, Osborn and Zoller all had clutch 2-out RBI base hits to propel the Floods attack.
The Floods next will play in the SACNABA 18AA Division championship series on September 13th.
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FLOODS PREPARE FOR PLAYOFFS AFTER WIN OVER WOLVERINES
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
FLOODS | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | X | X | 15 | 16 | 4 |
Wolverines | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | X | X | 5 | 9 | 2 |
The Floods beat the Wolverines 15 - 5 on August 23rd at Mather Field Park. The Floods completed the regular season with a record of 18 and 3, giving them the SACNABA 18AA Division regular season title and top seed/home team advantage in the upcoming playoffs.
Slade Fogelman, Casey Zoller and Roman Gonzales divided the pitching duties for the Floods, who won in 7 innings on the 10-run rule. Fogelman went the first 3 innings, allowing only 3 hits and 1 run. Zoller pitched the next 2 innings, scattering 4 hits and also allowing only 1 run. Gonzales pitched the final 2 frames, allowing 2 hits and 3 runs, all unearned as the Floods had a couple of late-game miscues.
The Floods attack got it going early in this game. Ryan Ceriani and Joe Caffrey reached to open the 1st inning, and Taylor Speier, Rob Dyer and Geordie Osborn followed with RBIs. Ceriani and Caffrey singled in the 2nd, and both scored on Speier's double. Osborn, Tim Hodson and Frank Montoya all reached in the 3rd, and Gonzales, Ceriani and Caffrey drove them in to make the score 8 - 1.
Ceriani and Caffrey had base hits leading off the 6th, Speier was hit by a pitch, and Dyer delivered a bases loaded triple to drive in 3 more. Dyer scored on an error and the score was 12 - 2. In the 7th Ceriani and Caffrey reached base leading off an inning for the 3rd time in this contest. Speier, Dyer and Osborn followed with RBI's to close out the Floods scoring.
The top five in the batting order - Ceriani, Caffrey, Speier, Dyer and Osborn - really had it going in this game. Collectively they were 14 for 18 with 4 stolen bases, 13 RBIs and 13 runs scored. Ceriani and Caffrey each reached base in all 5 of their plate appearances and each scored 4 times. Speier was 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored; Dyer was 4 for 5 with 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored; and Osborn reached base 3 times and drove in 2 runs.
Defensively, Osborn again led the Floods from behind the plate. In both the 2nd and 5th frames he picked a runner off of 3rd base to end the inning when the Wolverines were threatening.
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FLOODS BEAT A's TO CLINCH REGULAR SEASON CROWN
R H E
Floods 203 100 3(10)X 19 17 2
A's 001 000 0 0 X 1 6 3
The Floods beat the A's 19 - 1 on August 16th at Lembi Park in Folsom. The win clinched the SACNABA 18AA Division regular season championship for the 17 and 3 Floods.
Slade Fogelman pitched 7 strong innings for the Floods to record his 6th win of the season. He gave up only 6 hits and 1 run while striking out 5. After walking the first 2 men he faced Fogelman retired 8 of the next 9 to set the tone for the game. Taylor Speier relieved Fogelman and retired the side quickly in the 8th inning to end the game on the 10-run rule.
Despite a couple of bobbles, the Floods defense played well in this game. Will Aaronson in left and Speier in center made some nice plays, as did infielders Joe Caffrey at 2nd, Tim Hodson at 3rd, Rob Dyer at short, and Dave Caffrey at 1st. Casey Zoller was solid behind the plate.
The Floods attack got going early as leadoff man Aaronson doubled to open the game and scored on Hodson's RBI. Speier later scored on an error to make it 2 - 0 after 1 inning. In the 3rd Caffrey singled and Speier and Frank Montoya had RBI doubles. It was 5 - 0 after an A's error led to another run. A triple by Aaronson and a J. Caffrey sacrifice fly made it 6 - 1 in the 4th inning. Aaronson had another leadoff base hit in the 7th, and Caffrey, Speier and Hodson delivered RBIs to make it 9 - 1 going to the 8th inning.
The 8th turned out to be a huge inning for the Floods as they sent 16 men to the plate, banged out 8 hits, and scored 10 times. The 8th inning rally was ignited by back to back singles by Fogelman and D. Caffrey. It was Dave's second appearance in as many years and he did not disappoint, extending his hitting streak to 372 days. J. Caffrey, Speier and Zoller each had 2 RBIs in the inning, and Aaronson and Montoya each scored 2 runs.
The offensive barrage in this game was led by the top of the Floods order. Aaronson was 4 for 6 with a double and a triple, knocked in a run and scored 5 times; Caffrey was 3 for 3, stole 2 bases, scored 3 times and drove in 4; and Speier was 4 for 6 with 2 steals, scored 4 runs and had 5 RBIs, Everyone in the batting order contributed as Zoller was 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs, Hodson drove in 2, Dyer and Montoya both stole a base, drove in a run and scored twice, and Fogelman started that big 8th inning with a base hit and scored a run.
The Floods will play their final regular season game on August 23rd against the Wolverines.
FLOODS GIVE ONE UP LATE - LOSE TO TIGERS
R H E
Tigers 000 100 426 13 18 2
Floods 130 120 010 8 9 1
The Floods lost to the Tigers 13 - 8 on August 9th at Inderkum High School. This game saw the Floods dominate for 6 innings, only to see their bats go cold as the Tigers rallied late in the game, resulting in the loss.
Geordie Osborn made his first start of the season for the Floods and pitched extremely well over the first 6 innings. He retired 9 of the first 10 men he faced, didn't allow a base hit until the 4th, and through 6 scattered 4 hits and struck out 4 while allowing only 1 run.
While Osborn was handcuffing the Tigers, the Floods were building a lead. Ryan Ceriani walked leading off the 1st, and scored on a double by Taylor Speier. In the 2nd Casey Zoller doubled and scored on Jason Blessiner's single. After Blessinger stole 2nd, Joe Caffrey delivered a 2 out base hit to drive him in. Caffrey then stole 2nd and later scored on an error to make it 4 - 0 after 2 innings. In the 4th Rob Dyer singled, stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a ground out and scored on Tim Hodson's sacrifice fly. In the 5th Will Aaronson was hit by a pitch, Ceriani singled, and Caffrey and Speier delivered RBI grounders to make the score 7 - 1 going to the 7th.
With the pitch count nearing 100 on a very hot day, Osborn tired in the 7th. The Tigers struck for 6 base hits and 4 runs in the inning to make the score 7 - 5. There could have been more damage but with 2 outs and men on 1st and 2nd, Osborn picked the baserunner off of 2nd, with shortstop Ceriani making a fine play, to end the inning.
After the Floods went 3 up - 3 down in the bottom of the 7th, Slade Fogelman relieved Osborn in the 8th. When a walk, an error and a base hit brought in a Tigers run and left the tying run in scoring position with nobody out, Dyer relieved Fogelman. Dyer retired the next 3 men, but a sacrifice fly tied the game 7 - 7 with the Floods coming up in the bottom of the 8th.
The Floods scored the go ahead run in the 8th without getting a base hit, as 4 Floods batters were hit by a pitch. When Osborn was hit to force in a run, the Floods had the lead 8 - 7 going to the 9th. But the Tigers hot hitting continued as they had 7 hits in the 9th to push across 6 runs and take the lead 13 - 8, which ended up as the final score. The Floods had 2 outfield assists in the inning. Center fielder Speier cut off a base hit in the gap and threw to shortstop Ceriani who fired to 3rd baseman Blessinger to nail a runner trying to move from 1st to 3rd on the play. Aaronson charged a base hit to left and threw to Blessinger who relayed to catcher Zoller who put the tag on the runner trying to score on that play.
The Floods bats started hot then went completely cold in this game. When Ceriani singled with 1 out in the 5th, it was the 9th Floods hit of the game. But it was the last. This game also saw the Floods continue their recent trend of leaving a high number of men on base. They stranded 14 in this game, including leaving the bases loaded 3 times. In the last 6 games the Floods have had 50 offensive innings and scored 66 runs. But they've also left 72 men on base in those 50 innings, including leaving the bases full 10 times.
The Floods remain in the driver's seat in the 18AA division as the regular season end approaches. The Floods will look to clinch the regular season title and top seed and home team advantage in the playoffs when they play the A's on August 16th.
FLOODS TIGHTEN GRIP ON DIVISION AND PLAYOFFS WITH SPLIT
The Floods split their two games on August 2nd at Florin High School, losing to the Cubs 8 - 5, and beating the Brewers 14 - 5. The win moved the 16 and 2 Floods to within 1 win of clinching the 18AA Division crown, and the top seed and home team advantage in the playoffs.
Floods vs. Cubs
Cubs 000 025 001 8 12 0
Floods 200 210 000 5 9 3
The Floods broke on top in this game, as lead off man Joe Caffrey doubled in the bottom of the 1st and Jason Blessinger singled to drive him in. With 2 outs in the inning Tim Hodson drove in Blessinger with a base hit to make the score 2 - 0. The Floods made it 4 - 0 in the 4th when Rob Dyer singled and Casey Zoller delivered a 2-run home run to left center. With his blast Zoller became the 10th Floods player to homer this season.
Caffrey was hit by a pitch leading off the 5th, went to 3rd on Blessinger's double, and scored the Floods 5th run on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Speier. But that was all the offense the Floods could muster, as they managed only 3 singles the rest of the way.
Slade Fogelman got the start for the Floods and cruised through the first 4 innings, as he allowed only 2 base hits and was backed up by some good Floods defense. The Floods turned a nice 5-4-3 double play (Dyer to Blessinger to Zoller) in the 1st, and Fogelman started a 1-6-3 double play (Fogelman to Caffrey to Zoller) to end the 2nd.
But the Cubs struck for 2 runs on 3 hits in the 5th, and with the Floods leading 5 - 2 the Cubs put together a big inning in the 6th to push across 5 runs and take the lead 7 - 5. The Cubs had 5 singles in the inning, with a key Floods error contributing to the problems. Fogelman settled down and retired the last 3 men he faced in the inning, but the damage was done.
Dyer relieved Fogelman in the 7th and gave up 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 4, but the Floods were unable to come back and let this one get away as they took the 8 - 5 loss.
For the game Zoller was 2 for 4, including that 2-run home run, Blessinger was 3 for 5, and Caffrey scored twice. Geordie Osborn continued his strong play behind the plate, picking a baserunner off of 2nd base to end the 7th inning.
Floods vs. Brewers
R H E
Floods 013 140 302 14 18 6
Brewers 200 200 001 5 8 1
After losing a game they knew they could have won, the Floods came out determined against the Brewers. Taylor Speier started for the Floods and pitched 7 strong innings, allowing only 2 earned runs on 7 hits while striking out 7. When those 2 earned runs scored in the 4th inning, it ended Speier's season long streak of 25 nnings without allowing an earned run. Following this win, his ERA stood at a microscopic 0.64.
The Floods displayed their offensive firepower in this game. Tim Hodson walked leading off the 2nd, went to 3rd on Casey Zoller's double, and was driven in by Will Aaronson. Jason Blessinger and Speier reached to start the 3rd, and Rob Dyer, Geordie Osborn and Hodson delivered RBI base hits. In the 4th Joe Caffrey singled, with some nice baserunning advanced to 3rd on Blessinger's single, and scored on Speier's sacrifice fly.
With the score 5 - 4 the Floods started to break things open in the 5th. With 1 out Hodson singled, Zoller doubled again, and Aaronson delivered a single to drive in Hodson, with Zoller also scoring on a Brewers error. Then Frank Montoya was hit by a pitch and Blessinger and Speier came through with 2 out RBI base hits to make the score 9 - 4.
Then the Floods went to the long ball to give the Brewers a couple of 2 out nightmares. With 2 out and nobody on in the 7th, Speier walked, Dyer singled, and Osborn hit a long 3-run home run to left center field to make it 12 - 4. It was Osborn's 2nd 3-run shot against the Brewers this season. And with 2 outs and nobody on in the 9th, Speier walked (his 3rd free pass of the game) and Dyer followed with a 2-run home run to make it 14 - 4 and close out the scoring for the Floods.
As he had in the first game of the day, Dyer took the mound in the late innings to close out the game. He pitched the final 2 innings, allowing 1 run on 1 hit and striking out 3 to preserve the 14 - 5 win.
The Floods struggled in the field in this game, making 6 errors, all in the outfield. But in the 6th inning they put together 3 plays that showed off their defensive skills - and a bit of baseball luck. The Brewers lead off man hit a sharp grounder that kicked off of 1st baseman Dyer's glove and was alertly fielded on the carom by 2nd baseman Blessinger, who threw to Speier covering 1st to nip the baserunner and record the 3-4-1 putout. Then with a man on 1st the Brewers batter doubled to the right center field gap. Right fielder Slade Fogelman fielded the ball at the fence and fired to the cutoff man. The ball glanced off Blessinger's glove to shortstop Caffrey, who from short right field threw a strike to catcher Zoller to nail the baserunner trying to score from 1st on the play. It was a 9-4-6-2 putout. But it wasn't over yet. The next batter singled to right where Fogelman fielded the ball, threw to cutoff man Dyer, who relayed to Zoller to nail that baserunner at the plate as well on the 9-3-2 play. It was a game's worth of defensive action all in about 3 minutes in 1 inning.
The Floods pounded out 18 hits in this game, as many players contributed, led by the heart of their batting order. Dyer was 4 for 6, homered, drove in 3 and scored 3; Osborn was 3 for 6, homered and drove in 4; and Speier was 2 for 2 and drove in 2. Each of the 3 times the Brewers walked Speier, a Floods run resulted. Hodson was 3 for 5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored, Blessinger had 2 hits and an RBI and scored twice, Zoller doubled twice, Aaronson drove in 2, and Caffrey scored twice.
The Floods next game will be August 9th against the Tigers.
FLOODS BEAT TITANS FOR 15TH WIN OF SEASON
R H E
Titans 000 110 010 3 14 2
Floods 102 004 30X 10 14 1
The Floods notched their 15th win of the season on July 26th, beating the Titans 10 - 3 at Playfields Park in Davis.
The Floods picked up a run in the 1st inning when Ryan Ceriani led off with a double and later scored on an error. In the 3rd Taylor Speier doubled and Rob Dyer singled with 1 out to drive him in. Joe Caffrey, running for Dyer, stole 2nd, went to 3rd on an overthrow and scored on a wild pitch to make the score 3 - 0. But the Floods could manage only 1 more base hit through the 5th as the game tightened up.
Dyer started for the Floods and went 5 innings, scattering 7 hits and allowing single runs in the 4th and 5th innings to move his season record to 9 and 0. Speier relieved Dyer in the 6th and allowed the Titans only 1 base hit over the next 2 innings as the Floods offense came to life.
With the score 3 - 2 and the Floods offense scuffling, everything changed in the bottom of the 6th. Casey Zoller led off with a walk and Will Aaronson followed with a 2-run blast over the right center field fence to make the score 5 - 2. Aaronson's home run woke up the Floods bats. Ceriani and Caffrey followed with singles, and Dyer delivered a 2-out, 2-run double to make it 7 - 2 after 6. In the 7th Aaronson singled and Ceriani followed suit with a 2-run home run to left center, then Caffrey doubled and Dyer drove him in with another 2-out RBI to extend the lead to 10 - 2.
The Floods had 4 base hits through the first 5 innings of this game, but starting with Aaronson's home run they pounded out 10 hits in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings - Aaronson had 3, and Ceriani, Caffrey and Dyer each had 2 hits in those 3 frames. The Floods could have done even more damage as they stranded 8 baserunners in those last 3 innings, and left 14 on base for the game.
Geordie Osborn pitched the last 2 innings for the Floods, holding the Titans to 1 run to preserve the win.
For the game Dyer was 4 for 5 with 4 RBIs. Aaronson and Ceriani both were 3 for 5, including those big 2-run home runs, and Caffrey was 2 for 5 and scored 3 times.
The Floods excelled in the field in this game. They picked 4 Titans baserunners off of 1st base: Dyer did it twice, in the 1st and 4th innings; after the leadoff man reached in the 7th Speier picked him off; and catcher Osborn threw down to 1st baseman Tim Hodson to pick a man off to end the 7th inning when the Titans were threatening. With 1 out in the 8th and a run already in, left fielder Aaronson fielded a base hit and threw to cutoff man Dyer, who relayed to catcher Zoller to nail the baserunner trying to score from 2nd on the play. And Ceriani at short and Caffrey at 2nd both made several nice plays, and with the bases loaded in the 9th turned a fine 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
The Floods will play 2 games on August 2nd, against the Cubs and the Brewers.
FLOODS CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH WITH SWEEP OF SAVAGES
The Floods battled the heat and the Savages, and swept a double header on July 19th at Monterey Trail High School, taking the opener 14 - 11 and the nightcap 15 - 3. The wins took the Floods record to 14 and 1 and clinched their spot in the 18AA playoffs beginning August 30th.
Game 1
R H E
Floods 002 533 100 14 14 4
Savages 000 600 050 11 13 4
The Floods attack got rolling in the 3rd inning of this game, and by the end of the 7th 14 runs were on the board. Joe Caffrey doubled leading off the 3rd, and was driven in by Rob Dyer. Geordie Osborn then doubled to drive in Dyer and make the score 2 - 0. The 4th started with a Roman Gonzales base hit and a walk to Ryan Ceriani, and RBIs were delivered by Caffrey, Taylor Speier and Tim Hodson. When Dyer scored on a wild pitch the Floods lead was 7 - 0.
The Savages struck back in the bottom of the 4th to make it 7 - 6, but the Floods wasted no time building back their lead in the 5th. Frank Montoya and Gonzales led off with singles, and Ceriani drove them both in with a triple. Caffrey delivered a sacrifice fly to make the score 10 - 6. Casey Zoller and Montoya reached base leading off the 6th, followed by an RBI double by Gonzales and RBI base hits by Ceriani and Speier. The Floods rounded out their scoring in the 7th when Gonzales drove in Montoya.
On this very hot day the Floods found themselves short on arms and needing their pitchers to go as far as possible. Slade Fogelman got the start for the Floods and was up to the challenge. Through the first 7 innings Fogelman scattered 8 hits and allowed only 2 earned runs in the 4th, when 3 Floods errors opened the door for a 6 run inning. With the heat going past 100 degrees and the pitch count nearing 130, Fogelman tired in the 8th and gave up 5 base hits. But Speier came in with 2 outs, closed out that inning, and made quick work of the Savages in the 9th to preserve the win.
The Floods had some defensive lapses in this one - making 4 errors - but as has been the case all season, they were solid up the middle with Osborn at catcher, Ceriani at short, Caffrey at 2nd, and Speier in center.
Game 2
R H E
Savages 000 002 1XX 3 6 2
Floods 206 034 XXX 15 16 3
Taylor Speier got the last 4 outs in Game 1, and after a 45 minute intermission he marched right back out there to pitch the wood bat Game 2. Over 6 strong innings, Speier allowed only 4 hits and 2 unearned runs while striking out 8. He retired 11 straight batters between the 1st and 4th innings, while the Floods built a big lead. On the season, Speier has now pitched 19 and 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run. Geordie Osborn relieved Speier in the 7th and retired the side to end the game on the 10 run rule.
The high powered Floods attack carried over from Game 1. Ryan Ceriani and Joe Caffrey singled to open the 1st inning, and were driven in by Speier and Osborn. The Floods scored 6 more times in the 3rd as RBIs were delivered by Frank Montoya, Roman Gonzales, Ceriani and Speier. It was 11 - 0 after Osborn, Tim Hodson and Casey Zoller had RBI base hits in the 5th. RBIs by Caffrey, Osborn, Zoller and Montoya tacked on 4 additional runs in the 6th.
The Floods defense allowed those 2 unearned runs, but they were solid again up the middle, highlighted by Zoller's play behind the plate as the temperature hit 106 by the end of the game.
In addition to the gutty pitching performances by Fogelman and Speier, this day was about the Floods offensive attack. In 15 offensive innings they had 30 base hits and scored 29 runs. The production actually could have been even more impressive, as they left 23 men on base in those 15 innings.
On the day, Ceriani had 7 hits, 4 RBIs, and scored 4 times. Osborn had 6 hits and 4 RBIs. Speier had 6 RBIs, and Caffrey drove in 3 and scored 7 times. Gonzales had 4 hits, 3 RBIs and scored 3 times; Montoya scored 4 times and drove in 2; Zoller scored 2 and drove in 2; and Rob Dyer scored 5 times.
The Floods will take on the Titans on July 26th.
WIN STREAK ENDS AT 12 AS FLOODS SPLIT DOUBLE HEADER WITH BREWERS
The Floods split a double header with the Brewers on July 12th at Mather Field Park in two competitive, well played games. The Floods won the opener 12 - 2 but dropped the nightcap 5 - 1 to end their season opening win streak at 12. With the split the Floods remained in first place with a 12 and 1 record.
Game 1
R H E
Brewers 100 100 00X 2 6 0
Floods 400 100 16X 12 13 3
Rob Dyer got the start for the Floods in Game 1, pitched well and got stronger as the game progressed to record the complete game victory. In 8 innings Dyer allowed 2 runs - 1 earned - on only 6 hits while striking out 10. After the Brewers scored an unearned run in the 1st, Dyer struck out 4 in a row in the 2nd and 3rd. When a Brewers batter reached on an error in the 3rd, Dyer promptly picked him off. With the Floods offense building its lead late in the game, Dyer retired the last 9 men he faced.
Down 1 - 0 after allowing that unearned run, the Floods wasted no time taking the lead in the bottom of the 1st. The top three in the order - Val Ravarra, Ryan Ceriani and Joe Caffrey - all reached base. Dyer then delivered a sacrifice fly, and Geordie Osborn followed with a 3 run bomb to center to put the Floods on top 4 - 1. In the 4th Casey Zoller singled and Jason Blessinger delivered a 2-out double to drive him in. In the 7th Blessinger drew a walk and scored on another clutch 2-out double by Will Aaronson.
The score was 6 - 2 and the game still felt tight when the Floods came to bat in the bottom of the 8th. Ceriani and Caffrey started it off with base hits, and Osborn and Zoller followed with RBI singles. Tim Hodson delivered an RBI base hit, Zoller scored on a wild pitch, and Adam Moshofsky singled to drive in Hodson. With 2 outs Ravarra singled to drive in Moshofsky, making the score 12 - 2 and ending the game on the 10 run rule.
Osborn led the way offensively in this one, going 2 for 4 with that big 1st inning home run and 4 RBIs. Zoller, Hodson and Blessinger each had 2 hits and drove in a run, and Ravarra, Ceriani, Caffrey and Zoller each scored twice.
Even though they made 3 errors - 2 in the 1st innnig - the Floods played solid defense in this game. Highlights included shortstop Ceriani fielding a grounder up the middle, stepping on 2nd and throwing to Moshofsky at 1st to complete an important double play in the 1st inning after the Brewers had already scored a run. In the 4th with 1 out, a run in and the score 4 - 2, catcher Osborn - from his knees - threw out the Brewers runner trying to steal 2nd to end the threat.
Game 2
R H E
Floods 000 010 000 1 5 1
Brewers 001 004 00X 5 10 1
The Floods offense was shut down for the first time this season in the wood bat Game 2 loss. In the previous 12 games, the Floods had scored less than 10 runs only once, and that was in an 8 - 1 win in the second game of the year. The Floods managed only 5 base hits in this one, and scored their only run in the 5th when Geordie Osborn doubled and Jason Blessinger delivered a 2 out base hit to drive in the run.
Slade Fogelman got the start for the Floods and held the Brewers to only 1 unearned run on 5 hits through the first 5 innings. But with the score tied 1 - 1 the Brewers started the bottom of the 6th with 4 straight hits, including a home run, to take the lead 5 - 1. Taylor Speier relieved Fogelman at that point and shut down the Brewers the rest of the way, retiring 9 of the 10 men he faced, but the damage was done.
The Floods offense couldn't come back this time. After they tied the score in the 5th, the Floods managed only 2 baserunners the rest of the way - on a walk in the 7th and a single in the 8th. On the game the Floods struck out 13 times, by far a season high.
Defensively the Floods were solid again. The infield combination of Ryan Ceriani at short, Joe Caffrey at 2nd and Adam Moshofsky at 1st turned inning ending double plays in both the 1st and 2nd innings. Catcher Casey Zoller threw out a baserunner trying to steal in the 2nd. And 3rd baseman Osborn made a nice play in the 7th cutting off a grounder in the hole and throwing to 1st to nip the speedy baserunner by a half step.
The Floods will start a new winning streak when they play a double header against the Savages on July 19th.
FLOODS BEAT WOLVERINES 15 - 5
R H E
Wolverines 000 005 0XX 5 6 4
Floods 915 000 XXX 15 9 1
The Floods beat the Wolverines 15 - 5 on June 28th at Peterson Field. The win put the Floods record at 11 wins and no losses heading into the 4th of July holiday bye week.
The Floods wasted no time settling the issue in this one as they sent 14 men to the plate and scored 9 times in the first inning. The first 6 men in the order all reached base and scored. All told 9 different players scored in the inning as the Floods pounded out 5 hits - including 2 home runs and 2 doubles - were issued 3 walks and had 1 hit batter. Taylor Speier began the onslaught with a bases loaded double to drive in 3. Three pitches later Rob Dyer blasted a 2-run home run to right center to make it 5 - 0. After Casey Zoller walked Tim Hodson hit another 2-run bomb to left center and it was 7 - 0. Adam Moshofsky reached base and Frank Montoya followed with a single, and then Ryan Ceriani drove them both in with a double to make it 9 - 0.
Leading 10 - 0 in the 3rd, Val Ravarra had an RBI, Ceriani drove in another run, a run scored on a wild pitch, and then Dyer singled to drive in Ceriani and Joe Caffrey and make the score 15 - 0 and close out the Floods scoring.
Dyer pitched 5 shutout innings for the Floods to record his 7th win of the season, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 4. Dyer helped himself by picking a Wolverines runner off of 2nd to end the 1st inning. The only other time the Wolverines threatened against him - putting 2 men on with 1 out - the Floods turned a nice 4-6-3 (Caffrey to Ceriani to Zoller) double play to end the inning. Ceriani relieved Dyer in the 6th and made things a little interesting, allowing 4 hits and 5 runs in that inning. But with runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs in the 7th, catcher Geordie Osborn fired to 3rd baseman Jason Blessinger to pick the Wolverines runner off of 3rd base and end the game on the 10 run rule.
On the day Dyer was 3 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBIs; Hodson was 2 for 4 with a homer, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored; Speier and Ceriani both doubled, drove in 3 and scored twice; and Caffrey, Moshofsky and Montoya all scored twice.
The Floods will play a double header against the Brewers on July 12th.
FLOODS MOVE TO 10 AND 0 WITH WIN OVER TIGERS
R H E
Floods 072 021 110 14 13 0
Tigers 004 001 000 5 4 3
The Floods beat the Tigers 14 - 5 on June 21st in a Father's Day wood bat game under the lights at Lembi Park. The win moved the 1st place Floods record to 10 wins and no losses.
Slade Fogelman pitched the first 6 innings for the Floods and notched his 4th win of the season. Fogelman retired the first 6 batters he faced, and held the Tigers to 4 hits while striking out 4. He ran into some control problems in the 3rd inning when the Tigers pieced together 3 walks, a hit batter and 2 hits to push across 4 runs. But Fogelman settled down and held the Tigers to only 1 run on 2 hits over the next 3 innings.
Taylor Speier relieved Fogelman in the 7th and it was lights out for the Tigers. Speier retired all 9 men he faced, striking out 7, as two weak ground outs were the only balls the Tigers could put in play off of him. Speier has now pitched 9 innings for the Floods in his 4 relief appearances. In those 9 innings he has allowed no runs, only 2 hits, and struck out 17.
The Floods jumped out in front early, putting a 7 spot on the board in the top of the 2nd as they sent 12 men to the plate, had 4 hits, 3 walks and 2 hit batters in the inning. The big blows were 2 run singles by Val Ravarra and Speier. It was the 11th time this season that the Floods have scored 4 or more runs in an inning.
The Floods kept the offensive pressure going as Ravarra and Speier had RBIs again in the 3rd inning, and Ravarra doubled in the 5th to drive in another run. In the 6th Geordie Osborn delivered a 2-out RBI base hit. Speier singled in the 7th to drive in another run, and Osborn had another RBI in the 8th to make it 14 - 5 and round out the scoring. Ravarra (4 for 6, 4 RBIs, 2 runs scored), Speier (3 for 4, 4 RBIs), and Osborn (2 for 3, 3 RBIs) led the way in this one, with support from Ryan Ceriani (2 for 5), Tim Hodson (3 runs scored), and Joe Caffrey (2 runs scored).
The Floods again played errorless baseball. Highlights included an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play in the 4th that featured a nice stab of a tough grounder by 3rd baseman Rob Dyer on the front end, and a sweet pick of a low throw by 1st baseman Osborn on the back end. Left fielder Will Aaronson made a couple of nice plays, including a sliding catch of a sinking liner to end the 5th. Jason Blessinger was solid behind the plate and threw out an attempted base stealer to end the 6th inning when the Tigers already had a run in and were threatening to score more. The Floods have made a total of just 5 errors in the last 5 games.
The Floods will play the Wolverines on June 28th.
FLOODS WIN! FLOODS WIN!
R H E
Floods 200 500 400 11 20 1
Cubs 000 010 200 3 7 1
The Floods beat the Cubs 11 - 3 on June 14th at Monterey Trail High School to move their league-leading record to 9 wins and no losses.
The Floods continued their season long offensive surge in this game, pounding out 20 hits, including 7 for extra bases. The Floods put together 7 hits in the 4th inning and 5 hits in the 7th, including 4 straight doubles. The Floods had at least one base hit in every inning except the 5th.
Ryan Ceriani got things started with a single in the top of the 1st. Ceriani came around to score on a Cubs error, and later in the inning Rob Dyer tripled to drive in Taylor Speier to make it 2 - 0. It was the Floods first triple of the season. In the 4th Dyer, Tim Hodson and Adam Moshofsky all singled to load the bases. Casey Zoller followed with a sharp single to drive in 2, and then Val Ravarra and Ceriani had RBI base hits. Joe Caffrey then singled to drive in Ravarra, who scored with a nice head first slide to slap home plate and just beat the tag by the catcher. That made the score 7 - 0.
Leading 7 - 1, the Floods put the game away with 4 straight doubles to start the 7th inning. Ceriani led off with a double and scored on a double by Caffrey. Speier doubled to drive in Caffrey, and then Dyer doubled to drive in Speier. With 2 outs Moshofsky singled to drive in Dyer and make the score 11 - 1.
Dyer started for the Floods and scattered 7 hits while striking out 8 and allowing 3 runs over 7 innings, shutting down the Cubs offense for the second time this season. In 16 innings pitched against the Cubs, Dyer has struck out 20 and allowed only 11 hits and 3 earned runs. Speier relieved Dyer in the 8th and yielded no hits or runs the rest of the way, striking out 5.
On defense the Floods again were led by Geordie Osborn behind the plate - he gunned down another attempted base stealer - and the solid play of Ceriani at short. In the outfield Frank Montoya made a couple of nice plays in right, including a nifty catch of a slicing liner in the 5th when the Cubs were threatening.
Six Floods players had multi-hit games, led by Ceriani who was 4 for 5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Caffrey and Dyer each had 3 hits and 2 RBIs, and Moshofsky had 3 hits and drove in 1. Speier had 2 hits, drove in 1 and scored 3 times, and Zoller had 2 hits and 2 RBIs.
The Floods attack has been unstoppable so far this season. In just the last 4 games they have scored 57 runs on 68 hits in 32 innings. The pitching hasn't been too shabby either, allowing only 12 earned runs in that same 4 game stretch.
The Floods next game will be against the Tigers on June 21st.
FLOODS SWEEP TWIN BILL TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED
The Floods swept the A's in a double header on June 7th at San Juan High School, winning the first game 16 - 6 and the second game 11 - 2. The wins moved the Floods to 8 and 0 on the season, all alone in first place in the 18AA Division.
Game 1
R H E
A's 000 2 0 3 1XX 6 5 3
Floods 000 2(11)0 3XX 16 17 0
Game 1 was highlighted by the continuation of the recent power surge by the Floods. In a 3 game stretch the Floods pounded 15 home runs, including 4 in this game. Seven different Floods homered in the 3 game stretch, led by Taylor Speier who hit 5, and Rob Dyer who had 3.
Slade Fogelman got the start for the Floods in Game 1, and pitched 6 plus innings and allowed only 5 hits to notch the win. Fogelman was supported by a Floods defense that played errorless ball for the second time this season. The infield of Adam Moshofsky at 1st, Joe Caffrey at 2nd, Ryan Ceriani at short and Dyer at 3rd was particularly strong, recording 16 of the 18 putouts in Fogelman's 6 innings. Fogelman struggled with his control at times, issuing 7 walks, and the A's managed to push across 6 runs. Ceriani relieved Fogelman in the 7th with the bases loaded and nobody out and quickly retired the side, allowing only one inherited baserunner to score on a fielder's choice. Catcher Geordie Osborn picked off the A's baserunner who strayed too far off of 3rd base to end the inning.
The Floods actually trailed 2 - 0 in this game going to the bottom of the 4th. But singles by Dyer and Tim Hodson were followed by RBIs by Osborn and Moshofsky that tied the score. That set the stage for the Floods eruption in the 5th - their biggest offensive inning of the season.
The Floods sent 15 men to the plate in the bottom of the 5th, pounded out 10 hits, and scored 11 times. With 1 out Dyer hit a long 3-run home run into a tree beyond the fence in left center field, and a couple batters later Osborn hit a 2-run shot into the same tree. Then Roman Gonzales doubled and RBI base hits were delivered by Val Ravarra, Ceriani, Speier and Dyer, and Hodson had a 2-RBI single to close out the scoring in the inning. In all, 7 different Floods had base hits in the inning, including 2 each by Speier, Dyer and Osborn, and 8 different Floods scored runs, including 2 each by Ceriani, Speier and Dyer.
In the bottom of the 7th Caffrey sent another 2-run home run into that popular tree in left center, and then Speier sent a bomb all the way over the trees beyond the fence in right center to make the score 16 - 6 and end the game on the 10-run rule. It was the second straight game in which Caffrey and Speier hit back-to-back homers.
As they've done all season, the entire lineup contributed to the offensive production. Dyer had 3 hits and 4 RBIs, Osborn had 3 hits and 3 RBIs, Speier had 3 hits and 2 RBIs, Caffrey and Hodson each had 2 RBIs, Ceriani scored 3 runs, Ravarra and Gonzales each had 2 hits, and Moshofsky drove in a run.
Game 2
R H E
Floods 101 221 13X 11 14 3
A's 000 020 0XX 2 8 3
Rob Dyer started and won the wood bat 2nd game of the double header for the Floods, scattering 7 hits and allowing 2 runs over 5 innings, while striking out 5. Taylor Speier relieved Dyer in the 6th, giving up a base hit to the first man he faced, but then retired the next 6 men in order - 3 by strikeout - to hold the A's scoreless the rest of the way.
The Floods played small ball in this one - 13 of their 14 base hits were singles. In the 1st Joe Caffrey walked, moved to 3rd on a double by Speier - the only extra base hit of the game - and scored on a sacrifice fly by Dyer. In the 3rd Caffrey scored on an error by the A's defense. In the 4th Frank Montoya and Casey Zoller singled, and Val Ravarra and Dyer delivered RBIs. In the 5th Geordie Osborn walked and Adam Moshofsky singled, and Ravarra and Caffrey had RBIs. In the 6th Dyer singled, stole second, and was driven in by Osborn. In the 7th Zoller walked and later in the inning Ravarra singled for his third RBI of the game. And in the 8th Dyer, Roman Gonzales and Moshofsky singled, and were driven in by Montoya, Zoller and Caffrey. Add it all up and the Floods had put 11 on the board to secure the win.
On defense Ravarra had his work cut out for him behind the plate, withstanding a teeth-rattling collision at home to record the final out of the 5th inning, when the A's already had 2 runs in and 2 men on, and the A's baserunner tried to score from 2nd on a base hit.
Overall in the double header, the Floods had 31 hits and scored 27 runs in 15 innings. Dyer led the way with 6 hits, including a homer, 6 RBIs and 5 runs scored. Ravarra had 5 hits and 4 RBIs on the day. Osborn had 4 hits, including a home run, and 4 RBIs. Speier had a homer among his 4 hits, drove in 2 and scored 3 times. And Caffrey homered, scored 4 times and drove in 4.
In their next game the Floods will face the 2nd place Cubs on June 14th.
SMASH OF THE TITANS:
SPEIER HOMERS THREE TIMES TO LEAD FLOODS
Floods 302 013 19X 19 17 2
Titans 020 000 01X 3 6 3
The Floods crushed the Titans 19 - 3 on May 31st at Antelope High School in a display of strong pitching and overpowering offense, led by the 3 home run, 5 RBI performance of Taylor Speier.
The Floods wasted no time getting on the board in this one. Ryan Ceriani singled in the top of the 1st and Joe Caffrey followed with a 2-run shot over the fence in left center field on a 1-2 pitch. Speier then blasted a monster shot that cleared the fence in dead center field by at least 50 feet, and the Floods led 3 - 0 before anybody's seat was warm. The barrage continued in the 3rd when Caffrey walked and Speier hit another long home run, also on a 1-2 pitch.
The hits kept coming for the Floods. Val Ravarra singled in the 5th and came around to score on Caffrey's double. In the 6th Jason Blessinger walked and Tim Hodson followed with another 2-run shot to left center on a full count offering. Ravarra singled later in the inning to drive in Frank Montoya. Speier then led off the 7th and blasted a 1-2 pitch for his 3rd home run of the game, making the score 10 - 2. It was the 5th Floods home run of the game, and they all came when the Floods hitters had 2 strikes on them.
With the Floods offense in overdrive, Rob Dyer shut down the Titans attack. In 7 strong innings he allowed only 5 hits and 2 unearned runs while striking out 8. In the 5th when a walk and a single put Titans at 1st and 2nd with 1 out, Dyer proceeded to retire the side without throwing another pitch. First he picked the Titans runner off of 2nd base, and then did the same to the runner on 1st. Slade Fogelman relieved Dyer in the 8th and quickly closed out the game.
The Floods turned the game into a complete blowout in the 8th when they sent 15 men to the plate and scored 9 times. The big blows in the inning were a 2-run single by Dyer and a 2-run double by Hodson. Speier, Geordie Osborn, Ravarra, Caffrey and Roman Gonzales also had RBIs in the inning.
The offensive production was pretty impressive in this one: Speier - 3 for 5, 3 home runs, 5 RBIs, 4 runs scored; Caffrey - 2 for 3 with a home run and double, 4 RBIs and 3 runs scored; Hodson 2 for 4 with a home run and double, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored; Ravarra 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored; Dyer - 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs; Ceriani - 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored; Blessinger - 2 runs scored; Gonzales - an RBI and a run scored; Osborn - an RBI; Montoya - 2 runs scored.
Osborn again was very solid behind the plate, and threw out the only Titans baserunner who attempted to steal a base. The Floods also turned a couple of inning-ending double plays, including a Blessinger to Caffrey to Hodson 5-4-3 double play to end the game.
The undefeated Floods will play a double header against the As on June 7th.
_____________________________________________________
FLOODS PLAY LONG BALL TO BEAT SAVAGES
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
Savages | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 10 | 9 | 2 |
FLOODS | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | X | 20 | 21 | 2 |
The Floods beat the Savages 20 - 10 on May 17th under the lights at Mahaney Field in Roseville. This game saw the Floods post an early lead, then fall behind, then come roaring back to put it away as they pounded out 21 hits, including 6 home runs that accounted for 15 of their 20 runs.
The Floods attack got going early as Taylor Speier had an RBI single and Rob Dyer blasted a 3-run home run in the 1st inning. With 2 out and nobody on in the 2nd, singles by Val Ravarra, Ryan Ceriani and Joe Caffrey and a walk to Speier put another run on the board and brought Dyer to the plate with the bases loaded. He promptly drove a 1-1 pitch over the right center field fence for a grand slam, giving him 2 home runs and 7 RBIs in the first 2 innings.
But the Savages bats were hot too. Dyer started on the mound for the Floods and struck out the side in the 1st on 12 pitches. But in the 2nd the Savages put together 5 base hits to push across 3 runs, and a key Floods error led to 3 unearned runs in the 3rd. When the Savages pieced together 2 hit batters, another Floods error, and 2 hits to score 4 more times in the top of the 5th, the Floods found themselves behind 10 - 9. It was the first time the Floods had trailed in a game since the 4th inning of the first game of the season.
It was a situation the Floods quickly did something about as they played a little get 'em on - get 'em over - get 'em in ball in the bottom of the 5th to tie the score. Tim Hodson led off with a double, moved to 3rd on a ground out by Geordie Osborn, and scored on another ground out by Roman Gonzales.
With the score knotted at 10 - 10, the Floods sent Slade Fogelman to the mound in the 6th to restore order. Fogelman did that and then some, allowing the Savages no hits and no runs the rest of the way. Fogelman retired the first 7 men he faced, walking only 2 while striking out 4 as he shut down the Savages attack in the final 3 innings.
With Fogelman in command the Floods offense exploded in the bottom of the 6th with three 2-run home runs over the 20 foot fence in left center field. Caffrey was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and trotted home in front of Speier's blast, which gave the Floods the lead 12 - 10. Dyer walked and came around to score on Jason Blessinger's 2-run home run. Osborn singled, followed by another 2-run shot by Adam Moshofsky to put the Floods ahead 16 - 10.
The Floods added to their lead in the 7th when Speier doubled and was driven in by Dyer - his 8th RBI of the game. In the 8th Osborn led off with a single and Moshofsky followed with a laser home run to right center, his second 2-run shot of the game. Caffrey singled to drive in Gonzales later in the inning to cap the Floods scoring.
There were a lot of impressive offensive performances in this one as every Floods hitter contributed to the onslaught. Dyer was 3 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. Moshofsky homered twice to drive in 4. Speier was 3 for 4 with a homer and 3 RBIs and scored 4 times. Blessinger was 2 for 3 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Ravarra and Hodson were both 3 for 5, Caffrey was 2 for 4 and scored 4 times, Osborn was 2 for 5, Ceriani scored twice and drove in a run, and Gonzales scored once and had an RBI.
On defense the Floods were anchored by the stout play of Osborn behind the plate. He caught the entire game on a night that saw the game time temperature at 100 degrees.
The next game for the undefeated Floods will be against the Titans on May 31st.
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FLOODS BEAT WOLVERINES TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
FLOODS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 13 | 3 |
Wolverines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 |
The Floods beat the Wolverines 15 - 2 on April 26th at Natomas High School to extend their season record to 4 wins and no losses.
Slade Fogelman got his first start of the season for the Floods, and pitched 6 strong innings to notch the win. Fogelman scattered 6 hits while striking out 5 and walking only 2. When the Wolverines pushed across their 2 runs in the 6th, it ended a streak by the Floods pitchers and defense of 21 straight innings without allowing an earned run. Roman Gonzales relieved Fogelman in the 7th and pitched effectively until straining his shoulder in the 8th. Taylor Speier took over with runners at 1st and 2nd and nobody out, and promptly induced a 4-6-3 double play ball to end the threat. Speier disposed of the Wolverines quickly in the 9th with no apparent labor whatsoever.
The Floods defense struggled at times but came up big when it counted. The infield combination of Ryan Ceriani at short, Joe Caffrey at 2nd and Adam Moshofsky at 1st turned 2 important double plays and recorded 12 putouts. The Floods defense also had 2 big outfield assists. In the 5th inning left fielder Will Aaronson cut off a ball in the gap and relayed to Ceriani, who threw to Rob Dyer at 3rd for the putout of the baserunner trying to move from 1st to 3rd on the play. And in the 7th right fielder Val Ravarra caught a medium deep fly ball and threw all the way to Dyer at 3rd to nail the runner trying to tag and advance from 2nd.
Meanwhile, the Floods again displayed a balanced attack, pounding out 13 base hits and taking advantage of some miscues by the Wolverines defense to score in 7 of the 9 innings. On the day Ceriani had 3 hits and scored 3 runs, Caffrey had 3 hits and scored twice, and Speier had 2 RBIs for the 4th consecutive game. Moshofsky also had 2 RBIs, Tim Hodson reached base 4 times, scored twice and drove in a run, and Geordie Osborn had 2 hits and an RBI. Frank Montoya scored twice, Jason Blessinger drove in a run and also scored twice, including a steal of home, and Aaronson drove in a run. Overall, 8 different Floods players had base hits, 9 scored runs, and 7 different players had RBIs.
The Floods will play a double header against the undefeated Brewers on May 3rd in a battle for first place.
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FLOODS MAUL TIGERS
R H E
Floods 017 102 0XX 11 9 0
Tigers 000 000 0XX 0 3 3
The Floods beat the Tigers 11 - 0 on April 19th at Peterson Field in a game that saw them put together strong pitching, good defense, and an effective offensive attack.
For the second straight game Rob Dyer shut down the opposition lineup. Pitching a complete game 7 inning shutout, Dyer allowed the Tigers only 3 singles while striking out 9 and walking only 1. Dyer faced 24 batters in 7 innings - only 3 over the minimum. Between the 2nd and 6th innings Dyer retired 14 consecutive hitters, and no Tigers player advanced beyond 1st base in the contest. Dyer has now pitched 22 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.
The Floods backed up Dyer by playing errorless defense for the first time this season, anchored by the solid infield play of Ryan Ceriani at short and Adam Moshofsky at 1st base. Center fielder Taylor Speier also had an important outfield assist in the 1st inning as he gunned down a Tigers player trying to stretch one of their 3 hits into a double.
Also for the second straight game, the Floods displayed a balanced and varied offense. Speier got things going leading off the 2nd with an opposite field home run on a 3-2 pitch. The Floods blew the game open in the 3rd when they sent 12 men to the plate and scored 7 times to take an 8 - 0 lead. Moshofsky and Roman Gonzales started the inning with sharp singles to left, and when the dust settled RBIs had been delivered by 7 different Floods in the inning - Joe Caffrey, Speier, Tim Hodson, Geordie Osborn, Frank Montoya, Will Aaronson, and Moshofsky, who was 2 for 2 in the inning. The Floods scored again in the 4th on a Tigers error, and capped their scoring in the 6th when Dyer drove in Ceriani and Caffrey with a 2 out base hit.
On the day, 8 different Floods players had base hits, 8 had RBIs, and 7 different players scored. The top of the order - Gonzales, Ceriani, Caffrey and Speier - accounted for 8 of the 11 runs scored by the Floods.
The undefeated Floods will play the Wolverines on April 26th.
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DYER SHUTS DOWN CUBS IN FLOODS WIN
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
Cubs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
FLOODS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | X | 8 | 12 | 2 |
The Floods beat the Cubs 8 - 1 on April 5th under the lights at Playfields Park. The win moved the Floods to 2 and 0 on the young season.
Rob Dyer notched the complete game win for the Floods, dominating the Cubs lineup. In 9 innings Dyer allowed the Cubs only 4 singles and 1 unearned run while striking out 12 and walking only 3. Through the first 6 innings Dyer faced only 3 over the minimum number of Cubs hitters, and no Cubs player advanced beyond 1st base. Dyer was aided by inning-ending double plays turned by the Floods infield in both the 1st and 2nd innings, and by a good job by Geordie Osborn behind the plate. A Floods error in the 8th resulted in the Cubs lone run, but by then the Floods had built up a solid lead.
The Floods got on the board in the 2nd when Taylor Speier walked, advanced to 3rd on a double by Dyer, and scored on a base hit by Ryan Ceriani. In the 4th Speier singled and stole 2nd, and scored on Dyer's base hit. Later in the inning Dyer scored to make it 3 - 0 as Roman Gonzales drew a bases loaded walk. It went to 5 - 0 in the 5th when Val Ravarra singled, moved to 3rd on Joe Caffrey's double, and both scored on Speier's base hit.
The Floods increased their lead to 7 - 0 in the 6th when Tim Hodson was hit by a pitch and Will Aaronson singled, and both runs scored on a sacrifice fly by Ravarra and a base hit by Jason Blessinger. The Floods pushed across their final run in the 7th when Speier walked and scored on a double by Dyer, his 3rd hit and 2nd RBI of the game.
Speier also had a big game offensively, going 2 for 2 with 2 walks, 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Both Dyer and Speier reached base in all 4 of their plate appearances. In all, the Floods got good offensive contributions up and down the lineup as 9 Floods players had at least 1 base hit, 6 players scored runs, and 6 players drove in runs.
The Floods next game will be on April 19th against the Tigers.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
FLOODS | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | X | 12 | 12 | 3 |
Titans | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | X | 10 | 6 | 3 |
The Floods opened the 2009 season with a 12 - 10 victory over the Titans on March 29th at Antelope High School. The Floods showed a lot of grit as they overcame difficult playing conditions and an early Titans lead to notch the win.
Rob Dyer started for the Floods and was quickly greeted by trouble. With the wind gusting to 40 miles per hour, the Titans turned a walk, 2 hit batters, a key Floods error and only 1 hit into a 5 run 1st inning. But Dyer got things under control, striking out the last 2 batters he faced in the 1st, and then holding the Titans offense to only 3 hits and 1 unearned run over the next 6 innings. In 7 innings of work Dyer allowed only 4 hits while striking out 12.
With Dyer slamming the door on the Titans offense, the Floods started chipping away at that early lead. Tim Hodson led off the 3rd with a double off the right field fence, and came around to score on a base hit by Will Aaronson. Casey Zoller had a key 2 out RBI later in the inning as the Floods cut the lead to 5 - 3. In the 4th Roman Gonzales delivered another 2 out RBI with a base hit to left to make it 5 - 4.
The Floods took the lead in the 5th. With 1 out Jason Blessinger homered to right field. Joe Caffrey and Taylor Speier singled, and Caffrey came around to score on a Titans error. Then with 2 outs the Floods got another clutch RBI as Dyer doubled to bring in Speier and give the Floods the lead 7 - 6. The Floods made it 10 - 6 in the 7th as Blessinger, Caffrey and Zoller all walked and scored on a 2 RBI single by Speier and a Titans error. The Floods closed out their scoring in the 8th on a sacrifice fly by Caffrey and another 2 out RBI single by Zoller, his second of the game.
Leading 12 - 6, the Floods sent Slade Fogelman to the mound to close out the game and things immediately got interesting. After striking out the first man he faced, Fogelman walked 2 and hit 2 Titan batters. All 4 of them scored on a couple of base hits to make it 12 - 10. But with the tying runs on base and 2 outs, Fogelman dug deep and struck out the final Titans hitter to secure the win. Overall, Dyer and Fogelman struck out 15 in the 8 inning game.
On the day Zoller and Speier each had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Aaronson also had 2 hits, and Blessinger, Caffrey, Speier, Hodson and Gonzales all scored twice. Val Ravarra also doubled and scored a run for the Floods. Defensively, the Floods got good outfield play in the very windy conditions from Speier in center and Gonzales in right, and Zoller was solid behind the plate.
The Floods next game will be April 5th against the Cubs.
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2008 - 18 AA - Rangers Game Notes
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FLOODS BEAT WOLVERINES TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs | Hits | Errors |
FLOODS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 13 | 3 |
Wolverines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 |
The Floods beat the Wolverines 15 - 2 on April 26th at Natomas High School to extend their season record to 4 wins and no losses.
Slade Fogelman got his first start of the season for the Floods, and pitched 6 strong innings to notch the win. Fogelman scattered 6 hits while striking out 5 and walking only 2. When the Wolverines pushed across their 2 runs in the 6th, it ended a streak by the Floods pitchers and defense of 21 straight innings without allowing an earned run. Roman Gonzales relieved Fogelman in the 7th and pitched effectively until straining his shoulder in the 8th. Taylor Speier took over with runners at 1st and 2nd and nobody out, and promptly induced a 4-6-3 double play ball to end the threat. Speier disposed of the Wolverines quickly in the 9th with no apparent labor whatsoever.
The Floods defense struggled at times but came up big when it counted. The infield combination of Ryan Ceriani at short, Joe Caffrey at 2nd and Adam Moshofsky at 1st turned 2 important double plays and recorded 12 putouts. The Floods defense also had 2 big outfield assists. In the 5th inning left fielder Will Aaronson cut off a ball in the gap and relayed to Ceriani, who threw to Rob Dyer at 3rd for the putout of the baserunner trying to move from 1st to 3rd on the play. And in the 7th right fielder Val Ravarra caught a medium deep fly ball and threw all the way to Dyer at 3rd to nail the runner trying to tag and advance from 2nd.
Meanwhile, the Floods again displayed a balanced attack, pounding out 13 base hits and taking advantage of some miscues by the Wolverines defense to score in 7 of the 9 innings. On the day Ceriani had 3 hits and scored 3 runs, Caffrey had 3 hits and scored twice, and Speier had 2 RBIs for the 4th consecutive game. Moshofsky also had 2 RBIs, Tim Hodson reached base 4 times, scored twice and drove in a run, and Geordie Osborn had 2 hits and an RBI. Frank Montoya scored twice, Jason Blessinger drove in a run and also scored twice, including a steal of home, and Aaronson drove in a run. Overall, 8 different Floods players had base hits, 9 scored runs, and 7 different players had RBIs.
The Floods will play a double header against the undefeated Brewers on May 3rd in a battle for first place.