Head coach John Morgan drove in the winning run as the parents prevailed 6-5 in the season-ending whiffleball game against the players on Sunday.
The players took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Will Teubel's monster blast to right center field. Sarah Brown, the only female in the game, scored in the bottom half of the first to make it 2-1.
Both teams scored in the second inning to make it 3-2 in favor of the players. The players tacked on two runs in the top of the third before starting pitcher Jordy Brown gave way to Max Versteegh.
The parents staged a three-run, two-out rally in the bottom half to tie the game at five. The players went scoreless in the top of the fourth and final inning.
Lonnie Zingula led off the bottom half of the inning with a double to right field. Clean-up hitter Morgan followed with a single to the right side, scoring Zingula for the winning run.
Parents pitcher Rob Hogg went the distance for the win. Versteegh took the loss for the players.
Linescore:
1 2 3 4 Final
Players 2 1 2 0 5
Parents 1 1 3 1 6
A good time was had by all as the following awards were issued:
Most Valuable Player Jordy Brown -- Team leader in batting average (.467), runs scored (40), doubles (9), total bases (54), slugging percentage (.587), hits (43), stolen bases (57 out of 62), on base percentage (.546) and catching opponents stealing (10).
Player of the Year Zach Zingula -- Team leader in RBIs (31), games started as pitcher (10), ERA (1.59), assists (57) and fielding double plays (6). Also had the fewest strikeouts with eight. Starting pitcher in all three Sunday games at the state tournament, earning two victories and one no decision.
State Tournament MVP Mitch Blades -- With nine hits in 16 at-bats in six state tournament games, raised his batting average 42 points to .390. Also scored eight runs and drove in six in Ankeny. Defensively, played stellar second base, making 12 outs and five assists.
Iron Man Award Dalton Weems -- Took one for the team more than anyone else (5) and tied for the team lead in home runs with his two-run, check-swing bomb to left center in game one of the State Tournament. The blast propelled the Warriors to a 7-6 win and inspired the team to a 4-2 performance.
BB King Will Teubel -- Took ball four more than anyone else (19), four of which came at the state tournament, when base runners were key to a 4-2 finish. Tied for the team lead in triples with a blast in Vinton. Also tied for the team lead with three sacrifice bunts.
Gold Glove Ryan Niemeyer -- Owned first base with a team-high 166 putouts in 180 chances. Also led team with a .938 stolen base percentage (15-16).
Most Improved Patrick Karamitros -- Grew into a reliable catcher with a team-leading .971 fielding percentage. His four errors were the fewest among regular players.
Mr. Utility Max Versteegh -- Whether batting, catching, pitching or fielding, he performed at a high level for the Warriors. Only player to start every game, compiling team-highs in at bats (93) and innings pitched (45.1). Allowed just one earned run in 7.2 innings pitched at state tournament. A 15-game hitting streak ended in the Warriors final game against St. Albert.
Rookie of the Year Michael Daughtery -- New to the Warrior program this year, this former Cougar fit right in from the start with his big bat and infectious smile. Made a team-high 113 plate appearances over the course of the season.
Comeback Kid Josiah Javier -- After a two-year layoff, returned to the Warriors just in time for our state tournament run. Scored seven runs in 10 games, including four at the state tournament, while performing flawlessly in left field.
Golden Arm Robert Hogg -- Led team with six wins and 40 Ks, including 13 looking. Also came up big at the plate in the state tournament, collecting six hits — including two doubles — that were key to the Warriors’ 4-2 performance.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Parents prevail on Morgan's walk-off single
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Warriors are seventh best in Iowa
A 10th place finish at the Iowa USSSA State Baseball Tournament earned the Warriors 110 USSSA points and a #7 ranking among the state's 14U AA division.
Six months of work paid of in six memorable games in Ankeny. There wasn't a single player on the roster who didn't raise his level of play and contribute to the cause. I've never been more proud to be a Warrior.
The Council Bluffs Titans, who knocked the Warriors out of the championship bracket, finished second after losing 11-3 to the West Des Moines Tigers, the state's #1 team based on USSSA points.
Just ahead of the Warriors in the rankings are the Altoona Indians, who we pounded 10-0 Sunday, and the Titans, who happened to catch us the only games our bats weren't going. Clearly, this team belongs among the state's best.
Congratulations, Warriors.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Warrior season ends on high note
Don't try telling our Warriors or the St. Albert Falcons that a consolation bracket championship doesn't matter. The teams were the first (Falcons) and second (Warriors) left out of the eight-team championship bracket in the 14U AA Iowa USSSA State Baseball Tournament. Instead of packing it in and going home, the teams put on a performance worthy of the majors.
In the third game of the day Sunday for both teams, the Falcons battled back from a 5-0 deficit to win 10-9. Zach Zingula, making his third start of the day on the mound, left after four innings (hitting the maximum allowed for the day) with a 7-4 lead.
The Warriors, the away team for the first time all weekend, opened with a five-run first inning. The Warriors led 6-1 after two innings but a three-run home run off Zingula (the first of his pitching career) brought the Falcons back in the third.
Robert Hogg relieved Zingula in the fifth inning, allowing a two-run home run that made it a 7-6 game after five innings. Had time limits been in effect, the Warriors return home champions.
After Jordy Brown collected his fourth hit in as many appearances, driving in JoJo Javier, the bottom half of the Falcons lineup scratched across four runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning to take a 10-8 lead.
Hogg scored -- after walking, stealing second and a wild pitch -- on Zingula's sacrifice fly in the seventh.
In addition to Brown, who scored two runs and had one RBI, Mitch Blades stood out, going 2-4 with a run and an RBI. Zingula and Javier each scored and had two RBIs.
The Warriors finish the year at 21-17 and proof that they're one of the 10 best teams in their class. Overall statistics and whatnot will be posted soon. Don't go away.
No mercy for Indians
The Warriors continued their stellar play on day three of the Iowa USSSA State Baseball Tournament, shutting out the Altoona Indians 10-0 in four innings. Zach Zingula picked up his second victory in as many starts on the day after giving up just one hit in two innings of work. Mitch Blades was 2-2 at the plate with two runs and two RBIs. Robert Hogg was also 2-2 and scored three runs.
The Warriors advance to play the St. Albert Falcons in the title game of the consolation bracket at 4 p.m.
Warriors pound Clippers
The Warriors arrived at the Prairie Ridge Sports Complex Sunday morning with cruel intentions and made quick work of the Clear Creek-Amana Clippers. The Warriors had nine hits to go with six Clipper errors to invoke the mercy rule in the 16-4 victory. The game was called after the Clippers went three-and-out in the top half of the fourth inning.
Next up for the Warriors is a noon game against either South Des Moines Fusion or the Indians.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Small consolation, big incentive
If the Warriors are anything like me, and at least one of them is, they'll take the field with loads of incentive and aggression at 8 a.m. Sunday when they face the Clear Creek-Amana Clippers in the consolation bracket of the Iowa USSSA State Baseball Tournament.
With a 2-1 record, the Warriors earned the 10th seed out of 26 participating teams. After going 1-2, the Clippers are the 15 seed.
A fully-expected victory over the Clippers would pit the Warriors in a noon game against the winner of South Des Moines Fusion and the Indians, who are from who-know's where. A victory there would lead to a 4 p.m. consolation bracket championship game.
Who said there are no moral victories in state tournaments? The Warriors could pick up three tomorrow.
State title hopes fade
As in life, all baseball errors are not created equal.
So it was in the first inning of the Warriors' Iowa USSSA State Baseball Tournament game against the Council Bluffs Titans on Saturday. After the Titans' leadoff batter singled and stole second base, the number two batter hit a bloop pop fly to shortstop Zach Zingula. Perhaps distracted by the base runner passing in front of him to third base -- and a near certain double play -- the ball bounced off Zingula's chest. Two pitches later, Titans pitcher Nathan Kramer homered to left field and the Warriors were down 3-0.
The Titans added two runs in the third and the Warriors responded with single runs in the first, fifth and sixth innings before falling 5-3.
The three Warrior runs were the first scored against the Titans in three tournament games. The Warriors also held them to half of their average score. The Titans opened with a 12-0 victory over the Iowa Mud Dawgs and beat the Urbandale JHawks 8-0.
But there are no moral victories in the state tournament.
The Warrior offense was more the story than its defense. Six Warrior batters combined for 10 strikeouts and the team managed just five hits, two of them by catcher Jordy Brown, who scored two runs and threw out three Titans attempting to steal second base. Max Versteegh scored the third Warrior run on a sacrifice bunt by Josiah Javier.
The Warriors await the conclusion of pool play to determine their fate, which most likely involves a spot in the consolation bracket. Our state title hopes rest on the remote chance we will earn the one wildcard spot in the championship bracket.
Versteegh slam opens floodgates
The Warriors got off to a slow start Saturday, falling behind 4-0 to the Iowa Mud Dawgs in game two of the Iowa USSSA State Baseball Tournament. But a third-inning grand slam to left field by Max Versteegh put the Warriors on top. They scored eight runs in the inning and four more in the fourth for the 12-4 victory.
Versteegh continued his hot tournament play, going 2-3 with two runs and four batted in. Mitch Blades and Dalton Weems were also 2-3 with two RBIs apiece. The Warriors combined for 10 hits and committed just two errors.
Jordy Brown went the distance on the hill, striking out eight Mud Dawgs in five innings of work.
Elsewhere in Pool E, the Council Bluffs Titans beat the Urbandale JHawks 8-0 setting up a winner-take-all game for the pool between the Titans and Warriors. The winner is assured of a berth in the championship bracket and a shot at the state title. The loser will most likely play in the consolation bracket.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Warriors win ugly as Weems goes yard
Dalton Weems' second-inning bomb over the fence in left center was easily the highlight of mistake-filled Warrior victory in the opening game of the 2008 Iowa USSSA State Tournament. The Warriors prevailed 7-6 over the pesky Urbandale JHawks.
Opening-game anxiety is all that can explain six Warrior infield errors. But the Warrior defense didn't allow the one big inning that has plagued us in the past.
The Warriors dodged a bullet in the home half of the third when starting pitcher Max Versteegh got hit on a pickoff attempt at second base. With only nine players in uniform, the Warriors could ill afford an injury. Versteegh gutted out a bloody nose and a sore face and earned the victory in 4 2/3 innings. He helped his own cause in the fourth, swapping ice packs for batting gloves and delivering the game-winning hit, driving in Michael Daughtery and Robert Hogg. Zach Zingula pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for the save.
Elsewhere in Pool E, the Council Bluffs Titans beat the Iowa Mud Dawgs 12-0. The Warriors are going to feast on Mud Dawg for breakfast at 8 a.m. Saturday. Due to some rainouts, the Warriors game with the Titans has been moved up from noon to 11:20 a.m. Both games are on field #9.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
State Tournament brackets revealed
The Warriors earned the fifth seed in the 14U AA State Championship Tournament and will open the tourney at 2 p.m. Friday against the 17th-seeded JHawks from Urbandale. The JHawks have no tournament experience, but will be playing close to home.
At 8 a.m. Saturday, the Warriors are scheduled to face the 22nd-seeded Iowa Mud Dawgs from Des Moines. Without much success, the Mud Dawgs appear to be tournament tested.
At noon Saturday, the Warriors are scheduled to face the 10th-seeded Titans from Council Bluffs. We can't take anyone for granted, but this should be our toughest game.
These pool-play games will determine our seed for Sunday's championship rounds.
Carry-in food and beverages is not allowed and there will be an admission charge, although it's only 25 cents and seems to be for a worthy cause.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Fired up! Ready to go!
After extending their losing streak to a season-high four games in Sunday's opener with the Iowa City Firehawks, the Warriors closed the regular season with a 14-4 victory heading into next weekend's state tournament.
The Warriors pounded out 15 hits in game two, and were led by Mitch Blades, who was 4-4 at the plate and drove in three runs while scoring two. Robert Hogg (2-2 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored), Dalton Weems (3-4 with 3 RBI and 1 run scored) and Zach Zingula (1-2 with 1 RBI and 3 runs scored) also shined for the Warriors. Zingula scored after reaching on a walk, a single down the left field line and getting hit by a pitch thrown by a son of Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz. How cool is that?!
Michael Daughtery got the win after pitching a hitless first inning (having also allowed no hits in the final two innings of game one). Will Teubel and Max Versteegh closed out the victory.
The Warriors led 9-0 before the Firehawks scratched across a run in the bottom of the second inning. One run each in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings kept the mercy rule at bay. But the Warriors tacked on four runs in the sixth inning and the Firehawks had no answer.
In game one, the Firehawks shattered Warrior head coach John Morgan's rear window in the first and scored seven runs (only two earned) in the top of the second inning for the 7-4 victory.
Zingula started on the mound (and was the pitcher of record when the aforementioned window shattering occurred), but was pulled after one inning because of arm soreness. Patrick Karamitros took the loss, allowing four runs (two earned) while getting just one out before giving way to Blades. Ryan Niemeyer also pitched a shutout inning before Daughtery closed out the game.
The Warriors head to the state tournament with a 17-15 record and a #5 state ranking. Most importantly, they end the regular season with a decisive demonstration of Warrior baseball.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Rusty Warriors lose two
The Warriors looked very much like a team that hasn't played together in weeks Saturday -- and little like the fifth ranked 14U AA team in Iowa -- getting swept by the Corridor Mudcats.
In both games, a single inning was the difference.
In game one, the Warriors allowed seven runs in the second inning to fall behind 9-0 before rallying to take a 10-9 lead after three. But the Mudcats scored two runs in the top of the fourth for the win. Six Warrior errors were key to the loss.
In game two, an eight run third inning spelled defeat for the Warriors, who committed four errors. Jordy Brown took the loss despite allowing just one earned run in four innings.
After striking out without so much as swinging the bat in his first appearance, Zach Zingula caught fire and went 3-4 at the plate with two runs scored and four RBIs in game one. Mitch Blades batted in three runs in game two.
With the sweep, the Warriors fall to 16-14 on the year with the Firehawks coming to town for a Sunday doubleheader.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Warriors split with Clippers
Playing for the first time in June and with a makeshift lineup prompted by the absence of their top three hitters, the Warriors split with the Clear Creak Amana Clippers Wednesday night at McKinley Field.
A 2-1 victory in game one gave the Warriors a season-high five-game winning streak dating back nearly a month to the Holiday Park Labor Day Tournament. Mitch Blades got the win in four innings of relief of Robert Hogg.
The Warriors could only muster three hits in a 3-1 loss in game two. Will Teubel took the loss.
I won't pretend to give a full report as if I were there, because you know I wasn't. I was at Washington where Zach Zingula and Jordy Brown helped the Warrior sophomores sweep Davenport North 16-3 and 14-4. Thanks to Cheryl Niemeyer and Bill Teubel for pinch-hitting with concessions and score keeping respectively.
The Warriors host a pair of doubleheaders this weekend -- against the Corridor Mudcats beginning at noon Saturday and against the Firehawks beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday. All games are at McKinley.
