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Welcome to the Patriot League Tournament edition of the Baseball Blog!
Army and Bucknell will play the first two games of their best-of-three series this afternoon. If the teams split this afternoon, we'll be back tomorrow for the deciding game. Navy is hosting Holy Cross in the other conference tournament series this weekend. The highest remaining seed will host next weekend's championship series.
My name is Brian Gunning, and I'm the associate director of athletic communications here at the Academy. In case you're new (or if you've forgotten since it's been awhile since I've done this), these blogs are meant to be fun and informative. I always tell people that you'll always know the score, but in turn you have to suffer some of my lame attempts at humor and, as our faithful followers can attest, lots of information about the Cubs (3:45 first pitch against the Diamondbacks if you were wondering).
We started this project last winter as an experiment, and we've gotten so much great feedback that it's kept right on rolling through the spring. My favorite part of this is the interaction with you, the reader. If you've got a comment, question or just want to say hello, drop me a note at brian.gunning@usma.edu. I can't promise an answer, but at the very least I'll mention your name in the blog, and really, who doesn't like to see their name in print?
First off, my apologies for my prolonged absence. It's been a hectic couple of weeks around the office. I was planning on writing from the Hudson Valley Baseball Classic last Wednesday, but we had all kinds of technical issues that prevented me from accomplishing that. It might take me an at-bat or two to get my timing back, but hopefully I can get myself straightened out without a trip to the minors.
Lots has happened since my last blog, highlighted by the Black Knights clinching. their third regular season title in the last five years by winning three of four from Lafayette two weekends ago. Cole White went deep twice against NJIT last weekend to tie the Army career record, and then broke the Black Knights' career doubles record. Also, eight players were named to the All-Patriot League Team. Cole White, Clint Moore and starting pitcher Matt Fouch were first-team picks, while Ben Koenigsfeld, catcher Chris Simmons, first baseman Kevin McKague, outfielder Andy Ernesto and third baseman J.P. Polchinski were second-team choices. Also Clint was honored as the Patriot League Rookie of the Year earlier this week.
Army may have a little payback on its mind as the Bison took three of four here at Doubleday in the first league series this season. The Black Knights have since gone 12-4 in league play, earning at least a split in each league weekend.
Field prep is underway so let's take a loot at today's starting lineups ...
BUCKNELL1. Ben Allen, SS
2. Ben Yoder, 2B
3. Jason Buursma, RF
4. John Avanzino, DH
5. Mark Angelo, 1B
6. Dane Grandizio, CF
7. Chris Pieper, LF
8. Ed Rubbo, 3B
9. Shawn Hirsch, C
... and pitching for the Bison is righty Mathew Wilson (4-1, 3.89 ERA)
ARMY
1. Clint Moore, SS
2. Andy Ernesto, CF
3. Cole White, RF
4. Kevin McKague, 1B
5. J.P. Polchinski, 3B
6. Chris Simmons, C
7. Mike Greco, LF
8. Kyle Stramara, LF
9. Tony Capozzi, 2B
... on the bump for the Black Knights is lefty Drew Clothier (5-5, 4,54 ERA).
It's a beautiful day for baseball here at West Point. A little cloudy, but there's still plenty of sunshine and the temperature is in the mid-60s. A little breezy, but for those of you who have been here before, that's nothing new.
There's a few extra pre-game festivities today. The Patriot League is presenting the all-conference players from each team with their certificates. Clint Moore is also getting his Rookie of the Year plaque, while Bucknell's Jason Buursma is receiving his Player of the Year trophy.
We're also going World Series style on the introductioins and announcing the non-starters as well.
We have a leader in the clubhouse for the day's MVP already, and this one is going to be tough to beat. Sharon Moore, the Patriot League Rookie Mother of the Year, delivered a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies to the press tent. The over-under on how long they'll last is about 20 minutes. I think Adam Moore, one of the Army baseball managers, already has his paws in them. There is an incriminating trail of crumbs from the table over to the video camera.
Sharon was also paying attention to an earlier blog when I talked about using Atomic Fireball candy as a way to get a rally started from the press box (We like to pretend that things we do affect the outcome on the field. I think it comes from a lot of us being frustrated athletes ourselves who wish we were playing). Well, along with the cookies, we now have a huge tub of Fireballs sitting on the table. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on when I go to them.
Enough of my jibber-jabbering. Baseball in a few minutes.
First Inning
Bucknell: Allen takes the first pitch of the game up the middle for a single. After about four throws over to first, Yoder drills a 2-2 pitch into the gap in right-center for run-scoring double. 1-0 Bucknell. Yoder appears to have injured his leg as he pulled up lame between first and second. He appears to be okay and will stay in the game. Buursma down swinging for the first out. Avanzino grounds back to the pitcher. Clothier fielded it and got Yoder hung up between second and third. After the throw, Yoder came up limping again and Polchinski tagged him out. Angelo grounds to short and Moore goes the short way to retire the side. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Army: Moore almost ties it off the bat, flying out to the wall in right. Ernesto pops up to shortstop despite a near collison with the left fielder. White with a sharp single to left. McKague down looking. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Jason Bourque on the music today. Some interesting selections for the Bucknell batters in the first. I belive Avanzino came up to the ducid tones of Hanson's "Mmm Bop." He even had to chuckle at that one.
Second Inning (Bucknell 1-0)
Bucknell: Grandizio leads off with a home run to left. 2-0 Bucknell. Pieper flies to right. Rubbo draws a walk. Good news and bad news. The bad news is Hirsch lines a single to right that moves Rubbo to third. The good news is he stumbled making his turn at first and Moore was able to take White's throw and relay to McKague to get the out. Allen singles to right to chase home the second run of the inning. 3-0 Bison. B.J. LaRosa to bat for Yoder. Simmons picks off Allen to end the inning. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Army: The first Atomic Fireball of the day has been unleashed. Brett Sokirka in at second base for Bucknell. Polchinski skies the first pitch to right. Simmons homers to left. Bucknell 3, Atomic Fireballs 1. Greco strikes out. Stramara down looking. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
No e-mails yet. Another inning or two of this and I'll have to go back to my standing threat of breaking down the '84 Cubs lineup.
We have our first e-mail of the day. Lt. Col. Brian Poe, West Point class of 1990, just checked in from Camp Victory in Baghdad. Thanks for following along today, sir.
Chester Rubbo just dropped me a note. He's trying to take in the full multi-media experience that we offer. Today we have radio in the local area and live video stream, live stats and of course, yours truly on the web site.
Third Inning (Bucknell 3-1)
Bucknell: Sokirka singles past a diving Polchinski. Buursma bunts the runner to second. Avanzino reaches on a fielder's choice. Clothier fielded the ground ball back to the mound and tried to get Sokirka off the bag at second, but hesitated just long enough to let him get back in safely. Chris Simmons is having a great day defensively behind the plate. He's already knocked down three or four pitches in the dirt. Angelo down swinging. Grandizio grounds to third and Polchinski steps on the bag for the out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Army: Capozzi waits back on a breaking ball and shoots it through the right side for a single. Moore rolls into a 4-6-3 double play. Ernesto serves what appeared to be a single into left center, but he hustled all the way and slid headfirst in for a double. White goes up in the count, 3-0, and Bucknell finishes the job with an intentional walk. McKague drives one to the alley, but Grandizio makes a running catch in right center. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
All sorts of chaos between innings. We broke out the t-shirt launcher and my man, Adam (all jacked up on sugar I'm sure since he's got Mrs. Moore's cookies in front of him) was firing them into the crowd. I think he launched the first one out of the stadium, but he made the adjustment and gave away some merchandise.
Jason is absolutely on fire behind me with the music. Grandizio was just greeted with some RuPaul.
Adam just had another cookie. His comment to me was, "If I'm going to get blamed for it, I might as well do it."
Fourth Inning (Bucknell 3-1)
Bucknell: Pieper down swinging. First-base umpire Joseph Labella rings him up on appeal. Rubbo grounds out to short. Hirsch down on strikes and we have our first 1-2-3 inning of the day.
Army: Polchinski serves a single into right. Simmons pops up to first. Greco down looking. Stramara hits a bouncer to second that forces Polchinski. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Former colleague Christian Anderson, who is now the sports information director at Norwich University up in Vermont, just checked in. As usual, he's not working. While his wife is on the job today, he's at home setting up a new grill and patio set. Typical. Christian was a student assistant in the SID office at Syracuse when I worked there and used to work for Bob here at the Academy. You'd think a little work ethic would have rubbed off at some point.
I'm just busting Christian's shoes. He's very good at his job and has a bright career ahead of him as long as he doesn't get stepped on by a moose up there in the mountains.
Fifth Inning (Bucknell 3-1)
Bucknell: Allen leads off with a single. Yoder bunts back to the mound, Clothier took a look at second, but threw to first instead. Capozzi, who was covering the bag, thought he was going to throw to second and the ball hit him and bounced away to put runners on the corners with no one out. Buursma hits into a 4-3 double play, but a run scores. 4-1 Bison. Busy inning for Capozzi. He fields the tough hop grounder off the bat of Avanzino and throws to first for the out. 1 run, 1 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Army: Capozzi hit by a pitch. Moore pops to left. Ernesto flies to center. White triples to center to drive in a run and cut the Bucknell lead to 4-2. McKague doubles home White to make it 4-3. Polchinski hit by the pitch. Simmons grounds out to the pitcher. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Now I think the blog is getting blogged. Brian Foley, the editor of the College Baseball Blog, just wrote in to say he was following along.
Quick score update - Holy Cross leads Navy, 2-0, and is threatening to add on.
Chalk another one up to the Fireball. As Cole was walking to the plate, I changed pieces of candy because the first one was running out of steam. Two pitches later, he's on third and McKague drives him home. I swear it was all me. It had nothing to do with the fact that Cole is a four-time All-Patriot League player and Kevin led the team in runs batted in as a freshman.
Another point for Jason on the music. After J.P. was hit by the pitch, he cued up One Republic's "Too Late to Apologize." Well played.
Sixth Inning (Bucknell 4-3)
Bucknell: Angelo hit by a pitch. Grandizio flies out. Pieper rolls into a 6-4-3 twin killing. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Army: Koenigsfeld pinch hits for Greco and grounds out to short. Stramara skies one to center. Capozzi triples to left center. Moore grounds to short. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Ben Gibbs, the Black Knights' Ben Gibbs' father, just checked in from Hickory, N.C. He proved very prophetic as he was begging for a rally just as White and McKague were batting.
I just saw something very disturbing. I think Bob is hiding cookies. I had to run back by his seat to grab something and saw another tupperware container of cookies. I hope he's just saving those for game two, and not trying to be greedy.
The e-mails are starting to pick up. Kelly Simmons, Chris' father, is with us down in Texas. In addition to rooting on the Black Knights, he's pulling for the Spurs in their quest to repeat as NBA champs.
Anne Phillips, Cole White's mom, just inquired about how much candy I have left. Believe me, I should be good. You know the containers they have in the store that you usually grab two or three pieces of candy out of? I have a whole one of those.
If I go through this whole tub today, I won't be in tomorrow after undergoing a dual esophagus/teeth replacement surgery.
Seventh Inning (Bucknell 4-3)
Bucknell: Rubbo grounds out to Clothier. One pitch after fouling a ball of his foot, Hirsch shoots a double down the right-field line. Allen grounds to short and Moore throws to third to get Hirsch who was attempting to move up on the play. Sokirka flies to right. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Army: Ernesto with a lead-off double. A new Fireball in. Should have stuck with the old one. White down swinging. Maybe this one is okay after all. McKague drills a double to left center for his second RBI of the day. We're all tied up at 4-4. Changes for the Bison. Buursma comes in from right field to pitch, and Andrew Brouse enters the game in right field and will bat in the fourth spot for DH John Avanzino. Polchinski down looking. Simmons grounds to short. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Seventh-inning stretch time. Man, it's been about three weeks since I've been out here and we still haven't replaced this awful version of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game."
Bob Kewley, a former West Point baseball player and 1961 graduate, just checked in from Alton, N.M. Bob was down in Texas for the early-season trip to watch his first Army games in person in 25 years. He also asked about today's doubleheader format. We have two 9-inning games today. During the regular season, Patriot League twin bills are 7-inning, 9-inning, but everything is nine frames in the postseason.
Another update from Annapolis - Holy Cross leads 6-0 in the top of the seventh.
Eighth Inning (Tied 4-4)
Bucknell: Cue up Web Gems for Andy Ernesto. Buursma flied deep to center and it looked like the Bison were going to take a 5-4 lead, but it stayed in the yard and Ernesto tracked it down before colliding with the wall. Brouse grounds to second. Angelo better be swinging on this 3-2 pitch. He took strike two, but thought it was outside and flipped his bat to the dugout as he started to first. Angelo swings and misses for strike three and the final out of the inning.
Army: Koenigsfeld hits a tapper back to the mound. Stramara pops a bunt up to the catcher. Capozzi grounds out. 1-2-3 go the Black Knights.
Ben Mayhew, a former Black Knight and 2007 Academy graduate, just checked in. I agree, this Army team has shown the ability to come back all season.
Ninth Inning (Tied 4-4)
Bucknell: Grandizio bounces the first pitch to third base. Pieper bounces to first and McKague feeds Clothier for the putout. Rubbo gets knicked by the pitch and takes first. Coach Joe Sottolano makes a change. Koenigsfeld will come into pitch for Clothier. After a rough start, Clother came back to keep the Black Knights in the game and only gave up one run since the third inning. He's still responsible for Rubbo on first. Koenigfeld throws one pitch and gets Hirsch to ground to short. Moore flips to Capozzi at second to end the inning. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
One run wins it.
Army: Moore pops up to short. Ernesto beats out an infield hit to third to put the winning run on base. White hits a tapper out in front of the mound, but it advances the Ernesto into scoring position for McKague. McKague grounds to second and it's time for free baseball.
A member of the Bucknell coaching staff out to the mound for a chat. I thought they might walk the big man intentionally to set up the force out, but they're going to pitch to him.
Tenth Inning (Tied 4-4)
Bucknell: Allen goes the other way and homers to left. 5-4 Bison. Sokirka down swinging. Buursma grounds to second. Brouse singles up the middle. Angelo goes the other way for a single. Fritz Hamburg out to the mound for a meeting. Grandizio singles up the middle, but Moore knocks it down to keep a run from scoring. Bases loaded with two outs. Polchinski makes a nice play to knock it down at third and steps on the bag to end the inning. 1 run, 4 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Polchinski, Simmons and Koenigsfeld due up in the 10th.
Army: Polchinski grounds out to second. Simmons does the same. 1-2 to Koenigsfeld and the Black Knights are down to their last strike. After fouling a few, Koenigsfeld down on strikes, and Bucknell takes game one.
In case anyone was wondering, Army is 2-1 in extra innings this season, including a 9-8 win against the Bison. Bucknell is 2-1-2 in extras.
Army is hoping for deja vu all over again. In the 9-8 extra-inning win, the Bison scored twice in the top of the 13th before the Black Knights plated three in the bottom of the inning.
Nick Hill just checked in via a text message to Eric Carbone. Nick, a 2007 grad, was the Mariners' seventh round pick last year and is out in California pitching in advanced A ball. The message I got was, "Tell Mayhew to call me." Glad to be of help, Nick.
Buursma gets the win, and Koenigsfeld takes the loss.
Game two will start in about 30 minutes. Army needs a win to extend the series tomorrow.
I'm going to start a new story for game two, so you can quit refreshing this page. I'll have the new one up in a few minutes - hope you can hang with me.
Courtesy: Army Athletic Communications
