A LOOK AT LEGION: 2008

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

All-Star game rescheduled

As many of you know (or should know by now), the Oneida County American Legion All-Star Game had to be postponed due to unplayable field conditions at DeLutis Field this past Sunday.

The game has been rescheduled for Sunday, August 17th at DeLutis Field. The game starts at 7 p.m. with an Awards Ceremony beforehand at 6:45 p.m.

Monday, August 11, 2008

There's only so much you can say or write about a baseball game (or any game) to try and convey the action to those who couldn't be there.

http://www.uticaod.com/sports/x1806338441/Smith-falls-in-final

In today's Observer-Dispatch, I tried my best to give readers an in-depth account of yesterday's American Legion New York State championship game. As I'm sure most all of you know by now, Smith Post fell to Anaconda 9-8 in that game - an 11-inning heartbreaker.

However, I realize there are many more things that I simply could not fit into that article that tell so much more about Smith and its season. So, I thought I'd post the transcripts of my interviews with three Smith players - Jason Nowicki, Kyle Richardson, and Zack Ciccotti - and the two Smith coaches - manager Tony Abone Sr. and coach Tony Abone Jr. - so that you all can hear (from them) about this season, and what it's meant to them. It will also provide you with their thoughts on yesterday's game.

Jason Nowicki (final year with Smith)
AD: Try to sum up for me this season.
JN: It’s was just an amazing season. I’ve been playing base for, I don’t even know how many years, but this has been my favorite season of all; one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Great teammates; we’re like a family in here. You can tell that everyone’s a little upset now. But, it’ll get better every day. For the overall season, I couldn’t ask for anything more in my last year. Just that state title, that would have been the top.

AD: Looking back on this week, you guys lost on the first day, and then you fought back to make all the way to this game. You were right there. What does that say about this team?
JN: The resiliency on this team is just amazing. We knew what happened the first day. We knew had to win a couple games to get to the big one, and see what happens. We showed a lot of heart this week. We really did.

AD: Looking back on your legion career – these past three years – tell me what this team has meant to you, and what playing for Smith has meant to you?
JN: Playing for Smith – around the state of New York – it’s the best legion program there is. The years here just go by so quick. I’ll remember these years for the rest of my life – my three favorite baseball years. To go to the state tournament three times – couldn’t come out on top – but the three years that I had were just phenomenal. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I really couldn’t.

Kyle Richardson (one year of eligibility remaining)
AD: You lost your first game of the tournament, and then you fought all the way back to this point. Tell me what that tells you about your team?
KR: We have a lot of fight. We worked hard. We had a little bit of luck along the way, but you can’t do it without the heart that we had. We bounced back after that first day and did everything we could. We played a good game today. We lost some opportunities, but so did they. That’s the way the game goes and they came out with the win.

AD: Bases loaded in the ninth inning – what didn’t happen there that needed to happen?
KR: It’s just chance. It’s getting hit then instead of another time; me getting a hit on the first pitch instead of getting hit in the back. It’s just the way things happen.

Zack Ciccotti (two years of eligibility remaining)
AD: You guys had a chance with bases loaded in the top of the ninth. What do you think it was? What just didn’t click there?
ZC: We just weren’t capitalizing. We tried to fight. Maybe we were tired; I don’t know. We tried to give it everything we had. That’s the game of baseball. Stuff happens life that – a strikeout and a fly-out. You can’t really do much. We tried everything we could to fight to win this game. We were up 8-4 in the bottom of the eighth. We blew the game.

AD: What are your thoughts when you think about this season?
ZC: I just love the players I played with. We did have a great year. It would have been better if we won a state championship, but the year was phenomenal. This is the best team I’ve ever played on in my life – hands down.

AD: Coming back next year, I know you guys lose some key players. Having said that, what do you think the potential is for the future of this team?
ZC: We’re still going to be good next year. We’ve got young guys still coming up. We’ve still got Joe (Melioris) if he comes back; maybe (Garrett) Baker if he wants to come back. We can battle it out next year; maybe win the counties again. We have a good team coming back, and we have a good coach. I think coach is going to get us in shape and make us a good team.

Smith Manager Tony Abone Sr.
AD: Try to sum up this season for me.
TA Sr.: We just had a great, great year. These kids worked hard all summer long. They practiced every night. They worked hard. Even thought we didn’t win the state championship, we were runner-up, and there are 157 other teams in the state that would like to be right where we are. We’re very proud of the kids. They gave it all they had. We just ran a little short. We had our opportunities. We had a four-run lead. But those things happen in baseball. They were just a little bit hungrier than we were, but you can’t ask for a better bunch of kids than we have here.

AD: What does it say about your programs that our team has made it to the state tournament three years in a row now, and finished runner-up in the last two?
TA Sr.: We have a great program. We just get so much support. We had people coming here from all over, and listening on the radio and reading the paper’s coverage. The kids are just proud to be here. I know they’re disappointed, but what are you going to do? You can’t win them all. And we had, what, 31 wins this year? That’s a lot of wins.

Smith Coach Tony Abone Jr.
AD: You guys had the bases loaded in the ninth, with probably the two guys (Ryan Kramer and Nate Mallinder) you wanted coming up to hit. Go through your thought process with me there, and on through how the game ended?
TA Jr.: We hit the starter (Aaron Sapp) early on. He throws hard, but he was right down the middle of the plate. We had a good plan going to the plate. When he came back in, actually we were kind of excited. We hit him pretty good. We had the same plan – just look fastball. He wasn’t getting anything else over the plate. Ryan Kramer battled him and battled him on the one strikeout. He fouled him off a couple of times and then he got him. And then Nate flew out. That happens. You go back to the Ilion game where Nate hits the inside-the-park homerun. It happens. We had more opportunities. We were up early and then they kind of scratched back in, and then we went up again. When it was 8-4, at that time, we felt pretty good. We were thinking, let’s just get outs, let’s get outs. And then a little dink here, a little dink there, and then the double there. Then the wheels started falling off there. We had no more gas. We played two games in a day and six games in five days. Everybody gave everything they had…Like I told these guys, ‘You guys battled and that’s all we can ask you to do. Today you didn’t come out as the winner, but, you’re winners. To go 31-5 as we did, and win the games that we did, and how we won the game. You can’t ask for any more than that; we go 11 innings in the state championship game.

AD: You have Kyle (Richardson), Garrett (Baker), and Joe (Melioris). They’ve been your three big guys all year. None of them were pitching on full rest today. What does it show you about them that they put it all on the line today?
TA Jr.: They’re grinders. They all work real hard. They’ve all been in it ever since Little League on up. They’ve always been the big-game pitchers all the way on up. They showed it this week. When we needed to get outs, they got outs. When we were down and needed an arm to go in, we got an arm to go in. That’s a credit to those kids. They’ve got a lot of pride in themselves. They’ve got a lot of confidence in themselves. All three of them have been in big-game situations in high school and legion ball. They’re going to be successful in whatever they do in life. They stuck this out in a situation where some guys would fold.

On the final outcome of the season...
TA Jr.: No complaints. Yeah, we’re a little disappointed. Like I told them, “It will hurt for a few days, and you’ll think about the ifs and what’s and all that kind of stuff. But, in another week or two, you’ll be real happy that we went this far. It was a great journey.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Check in later for more on Smith Post

I talked to a few Smith Post players after the game - Jason Nowicki, Kyle Richardson and Zack Ciccotti - as well as Smith manager Tony Abone Sr. and coach Tony Abone Jr. following the heartbreaking loss. I'll post more details from our talks in a blog post later.

While all the guys were visibly upset - a few were in tears - they understand the magnitude of what they have accomplished as a team, and said they know they'll look back on the season with very positive memories.

Until tomorrow, good night legion fans and take care.

FINAL: Anaconda 9, Smith 8 (11 inn.)

The American Legion New York State championship game between the Anaconda Indians and Smith Post will start at approximately 3 p.m.

I'm going to grab something to eat and will fill you guys in on the starting lineups and other game notes when I return...

UPDATE (2:58 p.m.): I just got re-settled in up here in the press box. The grounds did a great job of cleaning up the field while I was chowing down on some pizza at Tuscan Pizza in downtown Newburgh.

We're likely about 20-25 minutes from the first pitch of the state championship. Anaconda is taking its infield-outfield warmups as I type. Smith will follow.

UPDATE (3:05 p.m.): I spoke with Smith's Jason Nowicki during the break. Jason was a legion rookie in 2006 when I was in my last year with New Hartford. He was hanging out in the dugout and was sporting a very determined demeanor. The first thing he said to me was, "I'm not finishing second in the state two years in row."

I also found out that Kyle Richardson will be starting on the hill for Smith. Richardson threw six innings in Friday's 9-6 victory over defending state champion Melvin Roads. While he likely won't have his best stuff, Richardson is also very determined to top last year's second-place finish. Richardson can only pitch six innings as per American Legion rules (a pitcher can only throw a maximum of 12 innings in a consecutive three-day stretch).

When I asked Nowicki if Garrett Baker might be able to go if needed, before he could even answer, Baker who was sitting a few people down from Nowicki, said, "No way." Baker was rubbing some pain-relief cream on his arm after picking up the four-out save in today's semifinal game.

Nowicki did say that Smith will likely go with Ryan Kramer as the first reliever, followed by Dustin Colgan.

Starting lineups:
Smith (31-4-1)
1. Kyle Richardson, P
2. Ryan Kramer, SS
3. Nate Mallinder, CF
4. Zack Ciccotti, C
5. Jason Nowicki, LF
6. Joe Melioris, 3B
7. Ryan Marquette, 1B
8. Eli Hendrington, 2B
9. Ryan Cooke, RF
Pitcher: Kyle Richardson, RHP

Anaconda (41-9-1)
1. Aaron Pennings, 3B
2. Billy Nikolski, CF
3. Aaron Sapp, P
4. Bobby McLaughlin, 2B
5. Eddie Shivley, SS
6. Shawn Kennedy, 1B
7. Alex Massaroni, RF
8. Mike Center, LF
9. Mike Fischer, C
Pitcher: Aaron Sapp, RHP

*Anaconda's lineup today looks a bit different today than it did in last night's 4-3 loss to Smith. That's because normal right fielder, and No. 2 hitter, Jordan Pennings is suspended from today's game after being ejected in last night's contest. J. Pennings threw his bat after being called out on strikes to end last night's game. Under American Legion rules, any player who is ejected from a tournament game is automatically ineligible for the rest of the tournament (unless the tournament director decides otherwise).

*As has been the case for the entire tournament, Smith again has the bigger cheering section in this game. In fact, the Smith fans likely outnumber those of Anaconda at least two-to-one (if not three-to-one). And you could tell without even looking in the stands. The Smith fans are loud...really loud!

UPDATE (3:20 p.m.): We'll be underway in just a few minutes as the introductions for each teams have concluded. The American Legion code of sportsmanship will be performed, followed by the National Anthem, and then we'll kick off the state championship game.

*Smith will be the visiting team. And the chants of "Let's go Smith Post" have already started as the Smith fans belted it out on Richardson's walk up to the plate to lead off the game.

Top 1st: Richardson doubled to the gap in right-center to lead off. After failing to get a bunt down in fair territory, Kramer grounded out to Sapp (who checked Richardson back to second) for the first out. Mallinder grounded out 6-3 for the second out (Richardson advanced to third on the play). Ciccotti popped out to the catcher in foul territory for the third out.

Bottom 1st: Pennings got beaned in the shoulder to lead off. Nikolski popped up a bunt right to Richardson for the first out (Pennings just beat Richardson's throw back to first for the double play). A goose just landed in left field and caused a short pause in the game as one of the umpires had to chase it off the field. Sapp grounded into a 6-4 fielder's choice for the second out. McLaughlin was retired on a broken bat fly out to Nowicki in left to end the inning.

Smith 0, Anaconda 0

*If the first inning was any indication of what we can expect in this championship game, we're in for quite the treat. Why? Well, not only did we have a goose roaming around left field, but an aluminum bat broke cleanly in half - those two things don't happen all that often, much less in the same half inning.

Top 2nd: Nowicki singled through the hole on the left side of the infield to lead off. Melioris took the first pitch through the hole on the right side of the infield for another single, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Marquette dropped down a beautiful 1-3 sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third with one out. Hendrington fought off an inside fastball for an RBI single to right, scoring Nowicki from third (runners on the corners, one out). Smith 1, Anaconda 0. Cooke hit an RBI single to right to score Melioris from third. Smith 2, Anaconda 0. Hedrington was cut down by the right fielder, trying to go from first to third, for the second out. Richardson popped out to the shortstop for the third out.

Bottom 2nd: Shivley grounded out 6-3 for the first out. Kennedy grounded out to Melioris at third for the second out. Massaroni bombed a two-out triple to the gap in left-center. Massaroni came on an error as Center's groundball squeaked through the legs of Melioris at third. Smith 2, Anaconda 1. Fischer popped out weakly to Kramer to end the inning.

Smith 2, Anaconda 1

Top 3rd: Kramer struck out on a check swing that was appealed to the first baseman (who said he went) for the first out. Mallinder struck out swinging on a nice offspeed pitch from Sapp for the second out. Ciccotti reached on a bloop single to center that was just out of the reach of the diving second baseman. Nowicki lined a single up the middle (it nearly hit Sapp in the back) into center to put runners on first and second with two outs. Melioris grounded out 4-3 for the third out.

Bottom 3rd: Pennings struck out swinging for the first out. Nikolski reached on an infield single as his hard-hit grounder ricocheted off Richardson and toward Kramer, but Kramer's throw to first was just late. Sapp struck out looking for the second out. Nikolski stole second, but McLaughlin struck out swinging on the next pitch to end the inning.

*The Anaconda fans (who seem to have grown a bit since the game's start) have started a chant of their own. They're doing the well-known Florida State Seminoles and Atlanta Braves war chant. As a Miami Hurricane, you can rest assured that I cannot stand that chant! I don't like it when the Seminoles do it, and therefore I'm not really enjoying it right now.

Smith 2, Anaconda 1

Top 4th: Marquette doubled to right-center to lead off. Hedrington laid down a 3-4 sacrifice bunt, moving Marquette to third with one out. Cooke hit an RBI single (his second of the game) to left, scoring Marquette from third. Smith 3, Anaconda 1. Richardson reached on a bad-hop single that shot past the third baseman, putting runners on first and second with one out. Kramer struck out looking on a full-count fastball that caught the inside corner for the second out. Mallinder grounded out 4-3 for the third out.

Bottom 4th: Shivley roped a single to right on the first pitch to lead off. Kennedy flew out to center for the first out. Massaroni struck out looking for the second out. Center dropped a base-hit into left-center to put runners on first and second with two outs. Fischer flew out to Nowicki just in front of the warning track in left to end the inning.

*Dustin Colgan was throwing in the bullpen for Smith during the last half inning. Ryan Kramer went down to the pen upon returning from the field and is now throwing.

Smith 3, Anaconda 1

Top 5th: Ciccotti grounded out to the third baseman for the first out. Nowicki grounded out 6-3 for the second out. Melioris flew out to center for the third out.

Bottom 5th: Pennings lined out to Hedrington for the first out. Nikolski blooped a single to shallow left field. Sapp flew out to Cooke in right for the second out (runner on first, two outs). McLaughlin reached on a fielding error by Melirois (his second of the game) to put runners on first and second with two outs. Shivley hit a check-swing blooper down the first baseline that Marquette made a nice diving catch on to end the inning.

Smith 3, Anaconda 1

*Reminder: While Richardson is pitching very effectively - he's allowed only four hits and one run (it was unearned) through five - he can only pitch one more inning today as per American Legion pitching rules.

Top 6th: Marquette singled to right to lead off. Hedrington popped up a bunt to Sapp for the first out. Cooke chopped a grounder to the second baseman for the second out (Marquette went to second on the play). Anaconda manager Jim DeMidio just went out to the mound to have a conference with his pitcher and infielders. Richardson hit what looked to be an RBI single up the middle, but McLaughlin made a great diving stop and throw to save a run and end the half inning.

Bottom 6th: Kennedy reached on a double to the left-center field gap on what was nearly a stellar diving catch by Nowicki. Massaroni fought off an inside fastball for an RBI single into center, scoring Kennedy from second. Smith 3, Anaconda 2. Center laid a perfect bunt down the third baseline and beat Melioris' throw to first. Massaroni was hustling the entire play and went all the way from first to third (runners on first and third, no outs). Smith manager Tony Abone Jr. just trotted out to have a talk with his pitcher and infielders. The "Let's go K. Rich" chants have started from the Smith Post cheering section. Fischer laid down a 1-3 sacrifice bunt (it might have even been a safety squeeze), putting runners on second and third with one out and the top of the order coming to the plate. Pennings struck out swinging for the second out. Nikolski ripped a liner to left-center that looked like it might be the third out, but Mallinder slipped on the wet outfield surface and the ball went past him and all the way to the wall for a bases-clearing, two-RBI triple. Anaconda 4, Smith 3. Abone Jr. just came out and relieved Richardson in favor of Garrett Baker. Richardson went to center field, Mallinder moved to left and Nowicki shifted to right. Baker will take Cooke's spot in the batting order. Sapp popped out to Baker to end the inning.

Anaconda 4, Smith 3

Top 7th: Kramer walked on seven pitches to lead off. DeMidio just came out and relieved Sapp in favor of tall right-hander Dave Filak. Shivley will take over at third base, taking Pennings out of the game. Sapp will take Shivley's spot at shortstop. Filak will bat in Pennings' place. Mallinder greeted Filak with a hard-hit groundball single up the middle to put runners on first and second with no outs. Ciccotti hit into a grounder to the third baseman who stepped on third for the first out and then threw to first in an attempt to turn the double play, but his throw was low and skidded past the first baseman, allowing Mallinder to go from first to third and Ciccotti to reach second. A wild pitch from Filak allowed Mallinder to score and tie the game (Ciccotti went to third). Smith 4, Anaconda 4. After a conference on the mound with his coach, Filak threw a second straight wild pitch, bringing Ciccotti home from third and giving the lead back to Smith. Smith 5, Anaconda 4. Nowicki drew a one-out walk. Melioris struck out swinging for the second out. Marquette walked (runners on first and second, two outs). DeMidio pulled Filak and brought in Center (he took the loss in last night's game against Smith). Billy Purtell came in to right field and Massaroni slid over to left. Hedrington grounded into a 6-4 groundout for the third out.

Bottom 7th: McLaughlin grounded out 5-3 for the first out. Baker was moving his throwing arm around in rapid circular motion after that out. He looks pretty tired and is likely going on nothing more than adrenaline and emotion right now. Shivley lined out to Melioris at third for the second out. The "Garrett Baker" chants have started up. Kennedy struck out looking at a backdoor curveball from Baker to end the inning.

Smith 5, Anaconda 4

*Melioris, who threw a complete game in last night's win over Anaconda, just went down to the bullpen.

Top 8th: Baker struck out looking at a filthy curveball from Center for the first out. Richardson walked on five pitches. Kramer grounded into a 6-4 fielder's choice and then advanced to second as the second baseman made an ill-advised errant throw to first that got away from the first baseman. Kramer went to third on passed ball. Mallinder walked to put runners on first and third with two outs. Ciccotti poked an RBI single past the diving third baseman and into left field (runners on first and second, two outs). Smith 6, Anaconda 4. Nowicki smoked the first pitch from Center for down the left field line for a two-RBI double that one-hopped the fence. Smith 8, Anaconda 4. Anaconda left fielder Alex Massaroni is down on the warning track in left field. A rabid Smith Post celebration was cut silent as Massaroni fell to the ground and did not get up after throwing Nowicki's hit back to the infield. Massaroni finally sat up after nearly five minutes with the Anaconda coaches and medical personnel. Massaroni was greeted by all of the Anaconda fielders upon sitting up. The Smith fans showed great sportsmanship, greeting Massaroni with cheers of "Let's go Alex" once he rose to his feet nearly 10 minutes after going down. It appears that Massaroni will stay in the game, moving back to right field (where he started the game). Sapp will replace Center on the mound (he was the original starter for Anaconda). Center went back to left field, Purtell moved to second base, and McLaughlin moved to shortstop. Melioris grounded out 4-3 for the third out of a very long inning.

Bottom 8th: Massaroni (who was down for nearly 10 minutes in the last half inning) ripped a line-drive double down the left field line to lead off. Center reached on a freak single on an inside fastball - the ball tipped off the handle of his bat and into fair territory, and Baker's throw to first, which likely would have been late anyway, hit Center in the back (runners on first and second, no outs). Fischer hit an RBI single to left, scoring Massaroni from second (runners on first and second, no outs). Smith 8, Anaconda 5. Purtell laid down a 1-3 sacrifice bunt, moving the runners to second and third with one out. Nikolski lined out to Hedrington for the second out. Sapp smoked a two-RBI double down the left field line (two-hopped the fence) to put Anaconda within one. Smith 8, Anaconda 7. McLaughlin blooped an RBI single to right to score Sapp from second and tie the game. Anaconda 8, Smith 8. Shivley grounded out 5-3 (Marquette made a nice pick on a low throw to first) to end the inning.

Anaconda 8, Smith 8

Top 9th: Marquette blopped a single to shallow left to lead off. Abone Jr. conferenced with his father, Smith manager Tony Abone Sr. and then decided to bring in Dustin Colgan to pitch run for Marquette. That could very well mean Baker will be moving to first base and Melioris is coming in to pitch in the bottom of the ninth (just a guess though, nothing definite). After two foul bunt attempts (just barely foul), Hedrington grounded out weakly 6-3 for the first out, but Colgan advanced to second. Baker ripped a single through the hole on the left, but it was hit to hard to score Colgan from second (runners on first and third, one out). Richardson got beaned in the back to load the bases for Kramer with one out. Kramer struck out swinging for the second out. Mallinder flew out to center for the third out, stranding the bases loaded.

*Just as I guessed, Melioris has come in to pitch and Baker moved to first base. Colgan will take over in right field and Nowicki is going to third base.

Bottom 9th: Kennedy flew out to left for the first out. Massaroni struck out swinging for the second out. Center hit a line-drive to right that tipped off Colgan glove and all the way to the wall for a two-base error. Fischer blooped a hit to center that was caught over-the-shoulder by Kramer to end the inning and send the state championship game into extra innings.

Anaconda 8, Smith 8

Top 10th: Ciccotti flew out to left for the first out. Nowicki hit a weak groundout to the pitcher off the end of his bat on the first pitch for the second out. Melioris ripped a grounder right back at the pitcher on the first pitch, but Sapp snagged it and threw him out at first for the third out.

*Sapp needed just five pitches to retire the side in the top of the 10th.

Bottom 10th: Purtell flew out to Mallinder in left for the first out. Nikolski grounded out to Baker at first on the first pitch from Melioris for the second out. Sapp flew out to Colgan in right to end the inning.

Anaconda 8, Smith 8

*Melioris threw just nine pitches in the bottom of the 10th.

*The 7-8-9 hitters (Colgan, Hedrington, Baker) are due-up for Smith in the top of the 11th.

Top 11th: Colgan struck out swinging for the first out. Hedrington grounded out to first on the first pitch from Sapp for the second out. Baker flew out to center for the third out.

*Anaconda has its 4-5-6 batters (McLaughlin, Shivley, Kennedy) due-up in the bottom of the 11th.

*This is the last inning Melioris can throw today after throwing nine innings last night (the American Legion pitching rule only allows a pitcher to throw only 12 innings in a three-day span).

Bottom 11th: McLaughlin poked a leadoff double that hit the line in right field. Melioris intentionally walked Shivley to set up the double play (runners on first and second with no outs). Kennedy dropped a 1-3 sacrifice bunt, moving the runners to second and third with one out. The state championship winning run is just 90 feet away for Anaconda. Melioris intentionally walked Massaroni to load the bases with one out. Center hit a sacrifice fly to Mallinder and the left fielder's throw home was just a split second late, allowing McLaughlin to score the game-winning run.

FINAL: Anaconda 9, Smith 8 (11 innings)

*Anaconda is the 2008 American Legion New York State champions

*Check back later tonight as I'll post a new blog with the aftermath of today's state championship. I'll talk to several Smith players and share their thoughts with you guys. I'll always include my own thoughts on Smith's season.

FINAL: Smith 6, Newburgh 4

Good morning legion fans (I don't know if I've said that once this year). I'm just getting settled in here at Newburgh's Delano-Hitch Stadium for today's American Legion New York State championship tournament semifinal game between Smith Post and Newburgh. The winner of this game will take on Anaconda in the championship game slated for 2 p.m.

Smith advanced to today's semis with a dramatic, come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Anaconda last night. Newburgh, the host team, qualified by topping Jurek 7-6 in yesterday's other game.

Newburgh entered this week's state tournament with the worst record of the eight participants at 19-13, and did not even qualify for its district tournament (it recieved an automatic berth because it's hosting). I think it's safe to say that Newburgh, regardless of this today's outcome, is a pretty good Cinderella story of for year's tournament.

Starting lineups:
Smith (30-4-1)
1. Kyle Richardson, CF
2. Ryan Kramer, SS
3. Nate Mallinder, P
4. Zack Ciccotti, C
5. Jason Nowicki, LF
6. Joe Melioris, 3B
7. Ryan Marquette, 1B
8. Eli Hendrington, 2B
9. Ryan Cooke, RF
Pitcher: Nate Mallinder, RHP

Newburgh (22-14)
1. John Pliego, SS
2. Bobby Bittles, 3B
3. John Degtoodt, 1B
4. Jack Crawford, DH
5. Tommy Hand, CF
6. Sean Leahy, LF
7. Vinny Mascoto, RF
8. Matt Kaldon, C
9. Joe Clarke, 2B
Pitcher: Steve Pickney, LHP

*Smith will be the visiting team for the first time all tournament. We have a six-umpire crew on hand for today's semifinal and championship games.

Top 1st: Richardson ripped a double over the head of the left fielder to lead off the game. Kramer singled to right, but was caught trying to advance to second on the throw to the cutoff (9-3-4-3) for the first out (Richardson went to third on the play). Mallinder hit an RBI single to left to score Richardson from third. Smith 1, Newburgh 0. Ciccotti reached on a throwing error by the pitcher on a dribbler down the third baseline (runners on first and second, one out). Nowicki flew out to left on the the first pitch he saw for the second out. Melioris grounded out 5-3 for the third out.

Bottom 1st: Pliego walked on four pitches to lead off. Pliego advanced to second on Mallinder's seventh straight ball on a passed ball that scooted away from Ciccotti. Bittles grounded out 6-3 for the first out (Pliego went to third). Degroodt hit an RBI single to right to tie the game. Newburgh 1, Smith 1. Crawford singled up the middle to put runners on first and second with one out. Hand hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice for the second out on a nice play up the middle by Kramer to snag the hard-hit grounder and flip the ball to Hendrington (who nearly turned the double play). Leahy grounded out to Mallinder to end the inning, stranding runners on first and third.

Newburgh 1, Smith 1

*Things are getting a bit heated in the stands between the Smith and Newburgh fans. The PA announcer just made an announcement asking the fans to "keep their cheering to their own team." He said he would "not hesitate to clear the stands" if negativity toward the opposing team persists.

Top 2nd: Marquette grounded out 4-3 for the first out. Hendrington reached on a bloop single to left that dropped safely between a diving second baseman and right fielder. Cooke singled to right on the first pitch and Hendrington went from first to third (runners on first and third, one out). Richardson hit a sac fly to the right fielder, allowing Hendrington to score from third, just avoiding the tag on a very close play at the plate. Smith 2, Newburgh 1. Kramer lined a two-out single to left (runners on first and second, two outs). Mallinder popped out to right for the third out.

*Here's Hendrington scoring the go-ahead run on Richardson's sac fly:

Bottom 2nd: Moscato walked to lead off. Kaldon popped up a bunt attempt to Ciccotti for the first out. Smith coach Tony Abone Jr. just ran out to the mound for a short conference with his pitcher and infielders. Clarke walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Pliego popped out (on the first pitch) to Ciccotti in foul territory for the second out. Bittle popped out to Cooke in right to end the inning.

Smith 2, Newburgh 1

Top 3rd: Ciccotti singled past the diving third baseman to lead off. Nowicki lined a single to left-center (runners on the corners, no outs). Melioris picked up an RBI on a 6-4 fielder's choice for the first out, bringing Ciccotti home from third. Smith 3, Newburgh 1. Marquette struck out looking for the second out. Hendrington popped up a bunt to the catcher on the first pitch for the third out.

Bottom 3rd: Degroodt led off with a single up the middle. Crawford walked to put runners on first and second with no outs. Hand laid down a bunt that was turned into a 1-6 fielder's choice for the first out (runners on first and third, one out). Leahy ripped an RBI double down the left field line, scoring Degroodt from second. Smith 3, Newburgh 2. Hand tried scoring from first on the play, but was cut down 7-6-2 on a play at the plate (Leahy advanced to third on the throw home). Moscato was beaned to put runners on the corners with two outs. Kaldon grounded out 4-3 to end the inning.

Smith 3, Newburgh 2

Top 4th: Cooke flew out to left for the first out. Richardson flew out to left for the second out. Kramer hit a two-out single to center. Mallinder ripped the first pitch down the left field line, past the diving third baseman, for an RBI double (Kramer raced all the way home from first). Smith 4, Newburgh 2. Ciccotti grounded out 6-3 for the third out.

*Smith has double-barrel action going in the bullpen with Mike Stevens and Dustin Colgan warming up.

Bottom 4th: Clarke reached on an error by Kramer as the shortstop bobbled the grounder and then couldn't make the throw in time to get Clarke. Pliego grounded out 4-3 for the first out on a chopper up the middle (runner on second, one out). Bittle grounded out weakly 4-3 for the second out (Clarke went to third). Degroodt (who has two singles in two at-bats) was intentionally walked (runners on first and third, two outs). Crawford flew out to right on the first pitch he saw to end the inning.

Smith 4, Newburgh 2

Top 5th: Nowicki grounded out 6-3 for the first out. Melioris singled a groundball to left. Marquette blooped a single to right field to put runners on first and second with one out. Hendrington lined a single to left to load the bases with one out. Right-hander Todd DeGroot has replaced Pickney on the mound for Newburgh. DeGroot needed only one pitch to get out of the jam as Cooke grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the half inning.

Bottom 5th: Hand flew out to Richardson for the first out. Leahy ripped a line-drive double down the left field line. Moscato gounded back to Mallinder, who checked the runner back to second, for the second out. Kaldon reached on a throwing error by Hendrington that pulled Marquette off the bag. Leahy raced all the way home from second on the play and scored as Marquette throw sailed wide of Ciccotti for another error (Kaldon reached second on Marquette's throwing error). Smith 4, Newburgh 3. Clarke reached first and Kaldon scored from second on another error by Hendrington (a grounder scooted under his glove and into center). Newburgh 4, Smith 4. Pliego reached first and Clarke went to second on a third error by Hendrington as he bobbled a grounder and couldn't make the throw to first in time. Bittles lined it straight back at Mallinder who made a great catch to end the inning.

Newburgh 4, Smith 4

*All nine starters have at least one hit for Smith through five innings. Smith has a total of 13 hits compared to just five for Newburgh.

*Newburgh has stranded 10 runners on base (two each inning) through the first five innings.

Top 6th: Richardson walked to lead off. Richardson stole second on a 2-2 ball to Kramer. Kramer walked on the next pitch to put runners on first and second with no outs. Mallinder grounded out to the first baseman for the first out, moving the runners to second and third. Ciccotti hit the first pitch he saw for an RBI single, scoring Richardson from third (runners on first and third, one out). Smith 5, Newburgh 4. Crawford, a lefty who was the DH, has come on to relieve DeGroot on the mound. Nowicki greeted Crawford by lining an RBI single to left-center to score Kramer from third (runners on first and second, one out). Smith 6, Newburgh 4. Melioris struck out looking for the second out. Marquette grounded out 1-3 for the third out.

.
Bottom 6th: Degroodt singled to right-center to lead off. Crawford flew out deep to center (on the first pitch) for the first out. Hand flew out to center (on the first pitch) for the second out. Leahy ripped a double down the left field line to put runners on second and third with two outs. Moscato grounded out to Kramer on the first pitch he saw to end the inning.

Smith 6, Newburgh 4

*Newburgh stranded two runners on base for the sixth straight inning. Seven of the 12 runners stranded have been in scoring position.

Top 7th: Hendrington grounded out 4-3 for the first out. Cooke grounded out to Crawford for the second out. Richardson struck out swinging for the third out.

*The top of the seventh marked the first half inning in which a runner has not reached base. It was also the first inning that Smith has not recorded a hit.

Bottom 7th: Kaldon flew out to left for the first out. Clarke got hit in the back to put a runner on first with one out. Pliego grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Smith 6, Newburgh 4

Top 8th: Kramer grounded out 3-1 for the first out. Mallinder struck out looking for the second out. Ciccotti struck out swinging for the third out.

Bottom 8th: Bittles popped out to Marquette on a great play in foul territory for the first out. Degroodt grounded out 1-3 for the second out. Crawford hit a two-out double to right. Hand singled to right (runners on first and third, two outs), bringing Leahy, who is 3-for-4 with three doubles, to the plate. Smith just brought in Garrett Baker to relieve Mallinder. Mallinder moved to left field and Nowicki slid over to right (Cooke is now out of the game). Leahy popped out in foul territory to Melioris on a 3-1 pitch to end the inning and the threat.

Smith 6, Newburgh 4

Top 9th: Nowicki singled up the middle to lead off. Melioris struck out swinging for the first out. It just started raining. It's not quite pouring out, but it's coming down pretty steadily. Marquette struck out looking for the second out. Hendrington grounded out weakly to the first baseman for the third out.

*This is it. Newburgh needs to score two runs to extend the game and three to win. It will have its 7-8-9 hitters coming to the plate. Smith is three outs away from advancing to the state championship (for the second straight year) against Anaconda.

*The Smith fans have really gotten loud over the past inning. They're chanting "Let's go Smith Post" and "Garrett Baker."

Bottom 9th: Moscato grounded out 6-3 on the first pitch for the first out. Kaldon popped out to Marquette in foul territory for the second out. Clarke struck out looking to end the game.

FINAL: Smith 6, Newburgh 4

*Smith advances to face Anaconda in the state championship game that will likely not get underway until at least 3 p.m. Steady rain has turned into a downpour and it's going to take quite some time to get the field ready for play, and for each team's players to warm up. I'll start a new blog for the championship game.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

FINAL: Smith 4, Anaconda 3

Hey legion fans. I just arrived at Newburgh's Delano-Hitch Stadium for the nightcap between Smith Post and Anaconda in the American Legion New York State championship tournament.

Here's a quick recap of yesterday's action: Anaconda remained undefeated in the tournament with a 7-5 victory over Jurek Friday night in a game that did no start until after 10 p.m. due to rain delays ealier in the day. Before that, Smith advanced with a 9-6 win over Melvin Roads (eliminating the defending state champion) in the day's second game.

Tonight's implications: With a win today, Smith will advance to Sunday's semifinals against Newburgh (it beat Jurek 7-6 in today's 4 p.m. game) at 11 a.m. tomorrow. If Smith loses, it will be eliminated from the tournament and Newburgh will take on Anaconda in the championship round on Sunday, needing to win twice to capture the state title. The games will be played at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (if necessary). Anaconda will play in the championship round regardless of the outcome of the game against Smith tonight. If it loses tonight, it will meet the winner of Sunday's 11 a.m. semifinal in a winner-take-all championship game at 2 p.m.

This is totally unrelated, but I thought it might enteratin you guys before the game starts: While I'm down here for the tournament, I'm staying with my brother, Matt, in Nanuet (just north of the New York/New Jersey border). Since I had so much free time before today's game, I went down to his worksite in Haworth, N.J. today. He's working as an engineer on a water treatment plant this summer. Here I am on site with my brother, "supervising," if you will:

Now that you've had the pleasure of seeing me in my reflective vest, hardhat and protective glasses, let's get on with tonight's game...

Starting lineups:
Smith (29-4-1)
1. Kyle Richardson, CF
2. Ryan Kramer, SS
3. Nate Mallinder, LF
4. Zack Ciccotti, C
5. Jason Nowicki 3B
6. Ryan Marquette, 1B
7. Rocco DeBlasiis, DH
8. Eli Hendrington, 2B
9. Ryan Cooke, RF
Pitcher: Joe Melioris, RHP

Anaconda (41-8-1)
1. Aaron Pennings, DH
2. Jordan Pennings, RF
3. Billy Nikolski, CF
4. Bobby McLaughlin, 2B
5. Eddie Shivley, 3B
6. Aaron Sapp, SS
7. Mike Center, LF
8. Shawn Kennedy, 1B
9. Mike Fischer, C
Pitcher: Alex Massaroni, RHP

*It looks like we won't be getting underway until at least 7:20 p.m. as neither team has taken its infield-outfield warmups yet. I'll keep you guys updated if I hear anything new on a starting time.

*While we're waiting, here's a link to the Anaconda Indians' team website for those of you who would like to know a bit more about Smith's opponent tonight: http://www.eteamz.com/IndianBaseball/index.cfm

*Keep this in mind during tonight's game: As I said earlier, Anaconda has already qualified for tomorrow's championship round regardless of the outcome of this game. This likely has affected the Anaconda coaching staff's decision on a starting pitcher and possible relievers as they will most definitely be looking to save their best arms for tomorrow.

UPDATE (7:13 p.m.): Smith just finished its infield-outfield warmups. Anaconda will now have eight minutes to complete its warmups. The pregame coach-umpire meeting, and the National Anthem and American Legion code of conduct reading will take another few minutes, so we're looking at a 7:25 to 7:30 p.m. start time.

*Tonight's crowd is pretty sparse. There can't be much more than 100 fans in attendance. However, like last night, the majority of the fans that are here, are Smith fans.

UPDATE (7:30 p.m.): The pregame ceremonies (player introductions, code of conduct, and National Anthem) have just finished up. Smith is running on to the field and will be the home team in tonight's game (Smith is now four-for-four in winning the pregame coin tosses in the tournament).

Top 1st: A. Pennings struck out swinging to lead off the game for the first out. J. Pennings hit a line-drive single to left on the first pitch he saw from Melioris. Nikolski walked to put runners on first and second with one out. McLaughlin ripped a liner down the left field line that got caught under the fence for an RBI groundrule double (runners on second and third, one out). Anaconda 1, Smith 0. Shivley grounded out to Marquette at first for the second out, but picked up an RBI as Nikolski scored from third on the play (McLaughlin went to third). Anaconda 2, Smith 0. Sapp hit an RBI single up the middle to score McLaughlin. Anaconda 3, Smith 0. Center reached on an infield single to put runners on first and second with two outs. Kennedy flew out to right for the third out.

*Early observation: I know it's still EXTREMELY early, but Anaconda just showed that it can swing the bats. It will be interesting to see if Anaconda continues to hit the ball as well as it did in the last half inning, and, if it does, it will be very interesting to see how long Melioris can last.

Bottom 1st: Richardson reached on a throwing error by the shortstop as his throw pulled the first baseman off the bag on what would have been a great play (the SS ranged to his left and then made a strong throw, but it was just wide). Kramer laid down a 1-3 sacrifice bunt (he nearly beat it out) for the first out, moving Richardson to second. Mallinder grounded out 4-3 for the second out (Richardson went to third on the play). Ciccotti popped out to end the inning on a great catch over the fence in foul territory by the first baseman.

Anaconda 3, Smith 0

Top 2nd: Fischer popped out to Ciccotti in foul territory for the first out. A. Pennings singled to right after fouling off several pitches in a long at-bat. J. Pennings grounded into a 5-4-3 double play for the second and third outs.

*Smith has double-barrel action going in the bullpen with Ryan Kramer and Nate Mallinder warming up.

Bottom 2nd: Nowicki grounded out to the third baseman for the first out. Marquette struck out looking for the second out. DeBlasiis was beaned to put a runner on first with two outs. Hendrington grounded out 5-3 to end the inning.

Anaconda 3, Smith 0

Top 3rd: Nikolski grounded out 4-3 for the first out. McLaughlin ripped a single up the middle. Shivley walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Sapp grounded out 4-3 for the second out (the runners advanced to second and third). Center grounded out to Hendrington (his third assist of the inning) for the third out, stranding two runners in scoring position.

Bottom 3rd: Cooke flew out for the first out on a well-hit ball to left field. Richardson struck out swinging for the second out. Kramer popped out weakly to the first baseman to end the inning.

Anaconda 3, Smith 0

Top 4th: Kennedy smoked the inning's first pitch for a one-hop double off the left field wall. Fischer struck out swinging for the first out. A. Pennings grounded out to Hendrington for the second out (Kennedy went to third on the play). J. Pennings struck out swinging for the third out, stranding Kennedy at third.

Bottom 4th: Mallinder singled to right to lead off. Mallinder stole second. Ciccotti flew out to center for the first out. Mallinder was thrown out attempting to steal third for the second out. Nowicki flew out to left to end the inning.

Anaconda 3, Smith 0

Top 5th: Nikolski flew out to Cooke in right for the first out. McLaughlin flew out to Mallinder in left for the second out. Shivley grounded out to Hendrington for the third out.

*Melioris seems to be getting stronger as the game goes on. After a shaky first, he's been cruising (minus a few hard hit balls) over the last four innings.

Bottom 5th: Marquette walked to lead off. DeBlasiis drew a second straight walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Anaconda made a pitching change, bringing in Center (who was in left field) in place of Massaroni. A. Pennings moved from DH to left field. After failing to get a bunt down (two foul balls), Hendrington struck out looking for the first out on a nasty curveball from Center. Cooke hit a grounder to the second baseman who tagged DeBlasiis for the first out, then threw to first to get Cooke to complete the double play and end the inning.

Anaconda 3, Smith 0

*Here's Massaroni's final line (now that we know neither of the runs scored that he would have been responsible for): 4+ IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 HBP.

Top 6th: Sapp grounded out to Marquette for the first out as the first baseman made a nice play to dive and touch the bag just before Sapp could reach it. Center drew a one-out walk. Kennedy grounded out 2-3 on a chopper in front of home plate for the second out (Center moved to second on the play). Fischer struck out looking for the third out.

Bottom 6th: Richardson walked to lead off. Kramer reached on an error on a bunt attempt as the first baseman dropped a good throw from Center (runners on first and second, no outs). Mallinder ripped an RBI single down the left field line, just out of the reach of the diving third baseman, to score Richardson from second (runners on first and second, no outs). Anaconda 3, Smith 1. Ciccotti grounded out 5-3 for the first out, but the runners moved up to second and third on the play. Nowicki hit what looked to be a routine groundout to the third baseman, but his throw was low and skipped past the first baseman for an error, allowing Kramer to score from third, Mallinder to move up to third, and Nowicki to go all the way to second. Anaconda 3, Smith 2. Marquette got beaned in the hand to load the bases with one out. Mallinder scored on a wild pitch from Center (Nowicki went to third and Marquette advanced to second). Smith 3, Anaconda 3. DeBlasiis walked to reload the bases with one out. Hendrington grounded into a 6-4 fielder's choice for the second out, and beat out the second baseman's throw to first to complete the double play, allowing Nowicki to score from third to put Smith in front (runners on the corners, two outs). Smith 4, Anaconda 3. Cooke flew out to the warning track in left to end the inning.

Smith 4, Anaconda 3

Top 7th: A. Pennings grounded out 3-1 for the first out. J. Pennings grounded out to Kramer at short for the second out. Nikolski struck out looking for the third out.

*The Smith fans just went nuts after the strike out by Melioris to end the top of the seventh. It's clear that the momentum has shifted in Smith's favor big time.

Bottom 7th: Richardson reached on an infield single as he beat out a high chopper to the shortstop to lead off. Kramer laid down a 2-3 sacrifice bunt for the first out, moving Richardson to second. Mallinder lined out to the right fielder for the second out (Richardson tagged and moved up to third). Ciccotti grounded out sharply 4-3 to end the inning.

Smith 4, Anaconda 3

Top 8th: McLaughlin grounded out 6-3 for the first out. Shivley struck out looking at a beautiful curveball from Melioris for the second out. Sapp reached on an infield single that was stopped on a dive by Kramer, but hit soft enough for Sapp to reach base safely. Center ripped a groundball single up the middle to put runners on first and second with two outs. Smith coach Tony Abone Jr. just trotted out to the mound to have a talk with his pitcher and infielders. Melioris struck Kennedy out looking at a nasty curveball for the third out, stranding two runners on base.

*Mallinder is warming up in the bullpen for Smith. However, Melioris is still going strong as he's allowed just five hits and no runs over the last seven innings after giving up three runs on four hits in the first.

Bottom 8th: Nowicki struck out swinging for the first out. Marquette struck out swinging for the second out. DeBlasiis ripped a two-out groundball single to left. Dustin Colgan came in to pinch run for DeBlasiis. Colgan stole second to put a runner in scoring position. Hedrington struck out swinging to end the inning.

Smith 4, Anaconda 3

*Anaconda will have its 9-1-2 hitters due up, needing to score at least one run to extend the game.

Top 9th: Fischer flew out to left for the first out. A Pennings struck out looking for the second out. J. Pennings struck out looking to end the game.

FINAL: Smith 4, Anaconda 3

*Smith stays alive and advances to tomorrow's 11 a.m. semifinal game against Newburgh. The winner of that game will play Anaconda at 2 p.m. in a winner-take-all state championship game.

Smith to play at 7 p.m. tonight

NEWBURGH — Smith Post will play Anaconda at 7 p.m. tonight in the American Legion New York State championship tournament at Delano-Hitch Stadium.

Anaconda remained undefeated in the tournament with a 7-5 victory over Jurek Friday night in a game that did no start until after 10 p.m. due to rain delays ealier in the day.

Smith advanced with a 9-6 win over Melvin Roads in Friday's second game. With a win today, Smith will advance to Sunday's semifinals against the winner of today's 4 p.m. game between Jurek and Newburgh at 11 a.m. Sunday.

If Smith loses, it will be eliminated from the tournament and the winner of the Jurek vs. Newburgh game will take on Anaconda in the championship round on Sunday, needing to win twice to capture the state title. The games will be played at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (if necessary).

Anaconda will play in the championship round regardless of the outcome of its game with Smith tonight. If it loses today, it will meet the winner of Sunday's 11 a.m. semifinal in a winner-take-all championship game at 2 p.m.

*I'm still down in Newburgh and will be covering tonight's game. As always, I'll provide live play-by-play action on the blog and welcome you guys to follow along.

*For now, I'm going to to grab some food and check out my brother's work site in northern New Jersey (about an hour from Newburgh) to kill some time. He is working as an engineer on a water treatment plant this summer. Needless to say, this is going to be something new for a journalist such as myself. Have a good day. I'll check in with you guys later on...

Friday, August 8, 2008

FINAL: Smith 9, Melvin Roads 6

Hey legion fans. I just arrived at Newburgh's Delano-Hitch Stadium about 30 minutes ago for today's losers bracket matchup between Smith Post and defending state champion Melvin Roads. The game was scheduled to start at 3 p.m., but it looks like we're not going to get underway for at least another two hours as rain and lightning has delayed today's first game (Rockland vs. Newburgh) over an hour.

The field is in terrible shape from a steady dose of rain over the last three days. There are puddles throughout the infield and the batters box is a disaster. There are 13 people working on the infield right now, raking and spreading quick dry in an attempt to get today's games in. The PA announcer just made an plea for more help over the loud speaker, asking "any Newburgh Nuclear fathers that are available" to help clean up the field.

The drive down here was something else. There was steady rain throughout, but a few patches of terrential downpours that were not fun to drive through. I was going 30 mph on the thruway at some points because of the terrible conditions.

I'll keep you guys up-to-date on the status of the Smith game. But, like I said before, it looks like it will be at least another two hours before it gets started.

UPDATE (3:40 p.m.): The improvised grounds crew has done a great job of getting the field cleaned up. They just finished lining the first and third base lines, and the batters box. It looks like the Rockland-Newburgh game will resume within the next 20 minutes. The game was delayed over an hour ago with the two teams tied at nine in the seventh inning. The Smith game will follow shortly after the conclusion of that game.

The Smith players have been waiting patiently in the stands during the delay. The team is hanging out in the grandstand, just relaxing and joking around to pass the time. Several players have made trips to the concession stands and bathroom to break the monotiny.

UPDATE (3:50 p.m.): I just spoke with Smith assistant coach Brad Waters. He told me his team has been at the field since 1 p.m. today and, while the guys are getting a little tired of sitting around, they're dealing okay with the long delay. He said it's becoming a bit of a trend for them as their first-round game Wednesday was delayed for nearly three hours. They arrived at Delano-Hitch Stadium at 8 a.m. that day, only to wait until 1 p.m. to get their game started.

Waters said he thinks today's game against Melvin Roads will be the biggest test for Smith. He said if they can get past Melvin Roads, they "should be in good shape." He also said his team is extra motivated for today since Melvin Roads is the team Smith lost to in last year's state championship game. Kyle Richardson will be the starting pitcher for Smith. Waters said Garrett Baker will likely be used in relief after throwing just 65 pitches in yesterday's win.

The PA announcer just announced that the Rockland-Newburgh game will resume at 4:15 p.m. Again, that game is tied at nine in the seventh. The Smith game will follow once that game concludes.

UPDATE (5 p.m.): The Rockland-Newburgh game is now in the bottom of the eighth inning with Newburgh leading 12-10. Newburgh is the home team.

The Smith-Melvin Roads game will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of this game.

UPDATE (5:23 p.m.): This Rockland-Newburgh game seems like it might never end. It looked like Newburgh was well on their way to sending Rockland home with a 14-10 lead going into the top of the ninth inning. But, Rockland wasn't going to go down without a fight. Now, nearly five and half hours after the game's first pitch was thrown, Rockland scored two runs to cut the lead in half and now has runners on second and third with two outs.

UPDATE (5:26 p.m.): Well, we're going to be waiting a bit longer for the Smith game. Rockland just tied the game with a 2-RBI single past Newburgh's diving shortstop. It now has the go-ahead run on first. Newburgh is the home team.

UPDATE (5:37 p.m.): The Rockland-Newburgh game is heading into extra innings tied at 14.

UPDATE (5:50 p.m.): Newburgh just beat Rockland on a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning. Newburgh advances to face the loser of tonight's Jurek-Anaconda game (orginally scheduled for 7 p.m., but they obviously aren't going to get started then) at 4 p.m. tomorrow. We're looking at a 6:40 p.m. start time for the Smith-Melvin Roads game. I'll keep you guys posted...

UPDATE (6:15 p.m.): We're about 25 minutes away from the start of a losers bracket game between Smith and Melvin Roads. Smith fell 8-4 in the tournament's first round on Wednesday and then eliminated Horseheads with a 16-5 mercy-rule victory yesterday to get to today's game. Melvin Roads beat Newburgh 4-0 Wednesday and then lost 7-6 to Anaconda last night after holding a 6-0 lead. Melvin Roads is the defending New York State champion.

The tournament is now down to five teams: Anaconda (2-0), Jurek (2-0), Smith (1-1), Melvin Roads (1-1), and Newburgh (2-1). Anaconda and Jurek meet in today's final game (following Smith vs. Melvin Roads) with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Smith-Melvin Roads game at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The loser of the Anaconda-Jurek game takes on Newburgh at 4 p.m. tomorrow. The loser of the Smith-Melvin Roads game will be eliminated from the tournament.

Now, on to Smith's third game of the state tournament. Smith is the home team after winning the coin toss for the third time in three games.

Starting lineups:
Smith (28-4-1)
1. Kyle Richardson, P
2. Ryan Kramer, SS
3. Nate Mallinder, CF
4. Zack Ciccotti, C
5. Jason Nowicki, LF
6. Joe Melioris, 3B
7. Eli Hendrington, 2B
8. Ryan Marquette, 1B
9. Ryan Cooke, RF
Pitcher: Kyle Richardson, RHP

Melvin Roads (24-13)
1. Kevin Barnes, SS
2. A.J. Ragone, 2B
3. Mike Krogh, 3B
4. John Barna, 1B
5. Ryan Regan, LF
6. Anibal Maldonado, CF
7. Joe Fazioli, DH
8. Mike Barana, C
9. Anthony Valenti, RF
Pitcher: Ethan Lyons, RHP

*If the fans could score runs, Smith would win this one by the mercy rule. Smith has a noticable advantage in crowd size and loudness. The Smith fans went nuts during the team's introduction. You could hear a pin drop while Melvin Road's players were being introduced. I think the big Smith crowd is an Oneida County thing. When I was here for the 2005 NYS tournament and the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Regional as a player for New Hartford, we always had the biggest crowd (even bigger than the hometown Newburgh team - Smith has that too).

*I have a great view of the action from up in the press box. However (and this unfortunate), the view only re-enforces my opinion that the state tournament should be permanantly moved to Murnane Field's Donovan Stadium in Utica. The facilities here at Delano-Hitch Stadium are nice, but the field itself is far from the best (not even close to Murnane) and the crowds that are drawn to the tournament games here are nowhere near as large as they are when the tournament is held in Utica. The tournament is just much better overall when it is played in Utica (and I speak from experience having played in two state tournaments at Murnane, and a state and Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament here at Delano-Hitch).

*6:47 p.m. - We're finally underway here in Newburgh (three hours and forty seven minutes after the originally scheduled start time).

Top 1st: Barnes grounded out to Melioris at third for the first out. Ragone grounded out weakly to Melioris for the second out. Krogh single past a diving Melioris to give Melvin Roads a two-out base runner. Barna grounded out 6-3 to end the inning.

Bottom 1st: Richardson ripped a line-drive double down the left field line to lead off. Kramer laid down a 2-4 sacrifice bunt to move Richardson to third with one out. Mallinder bombed a RBI triple off the base of the wall in center field to put Smith in front. Smith 1, Melvin Roads 0. Ciccotti ripped a shot off the left field fence (a foot higher and it would have been a home run) for an RBI double. Smith 2, Melvin Roads 0. Nowicki singled to left to put runners on the corners with one out. Melioris walked to load the bases with one out. Hendrington hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Ciccotti from third (runners on first and second, two outs). Smith 3, Melvin Roads 0. Marquette flew out to center to end the inning.

Smith 3, Melvin Roads 0

Top 2nd: Regan doubled down the left field line to lead off. Maldonado was beaned to put runners on first and second with no outs. Fazioli grounded into a 6-4-3 double play (runner on third, two outs). Regan scored on a passed ball on a pitch in the dirt that tipped off Ciccotti's glove all the way to the backstop. Smith 3, Melvin Roads 1. Barana struck out swinging for the third out.

Bottom 2nd: Cooke gave it a ride to deep center, but was retired for the first out on a nice running catch by Maldanado. Richardson hit a double to the gap in right-center (his second double of the game). Kramer reached on a throwing error by the third baseman as his throw was high and pulled the first baseman off the bag. Mallinder flew out to deep center for the second out. Richardson tagged on the play (runners on first and third, two outs). Richardson scored from third as Kramer stole second and the catcher's throw was low and skidded into center field. Kramer went to third and Richardson scored on the errant throw. Smith 4, Melvin Roads 1. Ciccotti walked and Kramer scored on the play as the catcher dropped the ball when he went to throw it back to the pitcher. The ball slipped out of his hand and rolled all the way into the Smith dugout on the third base side, allowing Kramer to come home. Smith 5, Melvin Roads 1. Nowicki flew out to the warning track in left field to end the inning.

Smith 5, Melvin Roads 1

Top 3rd: Valenti grounded out 6-3 for the first out. Barnes struck out swinging for the second out. Ragone hit a two-out single to right. Krogh singled to put runners on first and second with two outs. Barna hit an RBI single to right and then advanced to second on Cooke's throw to the plate (runners on second and third, two outs). Smith 5, Melvin Roads 2. Regan continued the two-out rally with a two-RBI single to right. Smith 5, Melvin Roads 4. Maldonado grounded out sharply 1-3 for the third out.

*Garrett Baker is warming up in the Smith bullpen. Baker needed just 65 pitches to pick up the win in yesterday's game. Smith assistant coach Brad Waters told me that Baker would likely be who they go with if they need to relieve Richardson.

Bottom 3rd: Melioris singled to center to lead off. Hedrington laid down a 1-3 sacrifice bunt to move Melioris to second with one out. Marquette hit a RBI double to right to score Melioris from second. Smith 6, Melvin Roads 4. Cooke reached on an infield single that turned into quite the whacky play. Cooke just beat the second baseman's throw to first on a weakly hit grounder up the middle. The throw was low and got away from the first baseman for an error. Marquette went to third on the single and then scored when the throw skipped away from the first baseman. Cooke advanced to second as the first baseman's throw home (in an attempt to get Marquette) was wild. Smith 7, Melvin Roads 4. Richardson grounded out 5-3 for the second out (Cooke went to third on the play). Kramer popped out to the first baseman in foul territory to end the inning.

Smith 7, Melvin Roads 4

Top 4th: Fazioli popped out to Marquette in foul territory for the first out. Barana popped out to Melioris for the second out. Valenti popped out to Marquette in foul territory for the third out.

Bottom 4th: Mallinder reached on a error by the second baseman as he bobbled a grounder and couldn't recover in time to make the throw to first. Ciccotti laid down a 1-3 sacrifice bunt to move Mallinder to second with one out. Nowicki singled to left to put runners on the corners with one out. Nowicki stole second. Melioris reached on a throwing error by the shortstop as his throw was high and pulled the first baseman off the bag (bases loaded, one out). Hedrington hit a sacrifice fly to center (his second of the game) to score Mallinder from third (runners on first and second, two outs). Smith 8, Melvin Roads 4. Marquette walked to load the bases. Cooke flew out to center to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded.

Smith 8, Melvin Roads 4

Top 5th: Barnes singled to right to lead off. Ragone laid down a 5-3 sacrifice bunt to move Barnes to second with one out. Krogh hit an RBI double to right to score Barnes from second. Smith 8, Melvin Roads 5. Barna singled home Krogh, but was thrown out (9-3-6) trying to reach second on the right fielder's throw to the cutoff man. Smith 8, Melvin Roads 6. Regan doubled to the gap in left-center. Maldonado struck out swinging for the third out.

Bottom 5th: Richardson grounded out 5-3 for the first out. Kramer popped out to the second baseman for the second out. Mallinder drew a two-out walk. Ciccotti flew out to left to end the inning.

Smith 8, Melvin Roads 6

Top 6th: Fazioli struck out swinging for the first out. Barana popped out to Marquette for the second out. Valenti grounded out to Richardson for the third out.

Bottom 6th: Nowicki struck out for the first out. Melioris popped out to the catcher for the second out. Hendrington grounded out to third to end the inning.

Smith 8, Melvin Roads 6

*Garrett Baker has replaced Richardson on the mound for Smith. Baker threw 65 pitches and picked up the win in yesterday's 16-5 victory over Horseheads. Richardson moved to center. Mallinder shifted over to left field and Nowicki went to right. Baker will bat in the nine hole, replacing Cooke.

Top 7th: Barnes struck out on a check swing (that was appealed to the first base umpire) for the first out. Ragone singled to left. Krogh flew out to Nowicki in right for the second out. Barna singled up the middle. Ragone went from first to third on the play and Barna advanced to second on Richardson's throw to third that was just late. Regan grounded out to Hendrington for the third out, stranding two runners in scoring position.

Bottom 7th: Marquette struck out swinging for the first out. Baker grounded out 4-3 for the second out. Richardson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Smith 8, Melvin Roads 6

Top 8th: Maldonado singled to left to lead off. Tyler Rose has come in the pinch hit for Fazioli. Rose struck out swinging for the first out. Maldonado was caught stealing for the second out (it wasn't even close as Ciccotti gunned him down with plenty of time to spare - Malodonado didn't even bothering sliding). Baker struck out Barana swinging for the third out.

*Who knows what would have happened had Malodano not been thrown out stealing, but the unsuccessful steal attempt is definitely something the Melvin Roads coaching staff will be kicking themselves about if they end up losing this game. Trailing by two runs in the top of eighth and trying to steal second is awfully questionable. Perhaps there was a mix-up in the signs? Either way, it was a big play at a very important time in the game.

Bottom 8th: Kramer struck out for the first out. Mallinder got beaned to put a runner on first base. Ciccotti singled to left (Mallinder went from first to third) to put runners on the corners with no outs. Nowicki smoked a RBI double to the wall in left (runners on second and third, one out). Smith 9, Melvin Roads 6. Melioris struck out swinging for the second out. Hedrington struck out looking to end the inning.

Smith 9, Melvin Roads 6

Top 9th: Valenti grounded out to Kramer for the first out. Barnes flew out to left for the second out. Ragone singled to right on a fly ball that was just out of the reach of a diving Nowicki. Krogh struck out swinging to end the game.

FINAL: Smith 9, Melvin Roads 6

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Smith stays alive at states

Smith Post scored nine runs in the first inning on its way to a 16-5 seven-inning, mercy-rule shortened victory over Horseheads Post Thursday in a losers bracket game of the American Legion New York State Championship tournament at Newburgh's Delano-Hitch Stadium.

Smith advances to face the loser of tonight's game between Anaconda and defending state champion Melvin Roads at 3 p.m. tomorrow. With the loss, Horseheads becomes the first team eliminated from the eight-team state tournament.

Smith beat Anaconda 2-1 in an earlier season matchup in Albany. The last time the Romans faced Melvin Roads was in last year's state championship game when they fell victim to a no-hitter in a 13-0 loss.

Check out the update from the OD's website and check back there later for more details on today's win: http://www.uticaod.com/homepage/x977626534/Smith-Post-wins-at-Legion-state-tourney

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

State tourney: Smith falls in first game

Smith Post lost to Jurek Post 8-4 today in the opening game of the American Legion New York State championship tournament at Delano-Hitch Stadium in Newburgh.

The start of the game was delayed for two hours due to rain. The loss moves Smith into the losers bracket of the double-elimination tournament where it will next play at 10 a.m. tomorrow against the loser of today's 5 p.m. game between Horseheads and Rockland.

Here's a more detailed account of today's game from OD sportswriter Ron Moshier: http://www.uticaod.com/breaking/x903585818/Smith-Post-loses-in-first-round-of-American-Legion-tourney

Monday, August 4, 2008

Smith playing in state tourney opener

The schedule for this week’s American Legion New York State championship tournament in Newburgh is set as Oneida County and District V champion Smith Post (27-3-1) looks to take home the state title a year after finishing runner-up.

Smith plays in the tourney opener Wednesday at 10 a.m. against District VIII representative Jurek Post (Buffalo). All of the tournament’s games will be played at Delano-Hitch Stadium in Newburgh with the winner (eventual state champion) advancing to next week’s Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament in Colonial Heights, Va.

The state tournament's teams are drawn from seven districts across New York State, with the host district receiving an extra bid to round out the eight-team field. Each team is champion of its respective district (with the exception of the host).

Here is a look at the tournament field, by district:

District III: Melvin Roads Post
District IV: Anaconda Indians
District V: Smith Post
District VI: Horseheads Post
District VII: Greece Post
District VIII: Jurek Post
District IX: Rockland OTB Pirates (Eller/Laders Post)
Host team: Newburgh Nuclears

Here is a look at the complete schedule for the double-elimination state tournament:

Wednesday, August 6
Game 1: Jurek Post vs. Smith Post, 10 a.m.
Game 2: Greece Post vs. Anaconda Indians, 1 p.m.
Game 3: Horseheads Post vs. Rockland OTB Pirates, 5 p.m.
Game 4: Melvin Roads Post vs. Newburgh Nuclears, 8 p.m.

Thursday, August 7
Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 3, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 4, 1 p.m.
Game 7: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 3, 5 p.m.
Game 8: Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 4, 8 p.m.

Friday, August 8
Game 9: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 7, 12 p.m.
Game 10: Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 8, 3 p.m.
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 7 p.m.

Saturday, August 9
Game 12: Winner of Game 9 vs. Loser of Game 11, 4 p.m.
Game 13: Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11, 7 p.m.

Sunday, August 10
Game 14: Winner of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 13, 11 a.m.
Game 15: Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 14, 2 p.m.

*So what do you guys think? Can Smith pull off the sweep and take the state title after winning the county and district crowns? Will Smith's limited three-man pitching rotation be enough to survive the grueling stretch that is the state tournament (remember, games are nine innings like in districts)? How about the bats? Can Smith bring the hit parade that we saw in Sunday's District V finals to Newburgh? Let's hear it...

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Game 3 Final: Smith 18, NH 1 (7 inn.)

A third-and-deciding Game 3 will be played to decide who advances on to the New York State championship tournament in Newburgh.

Smith evened the series at 1-1 with a 12-2 (7 inning, mercy rule) victory in Game 2. New Hartford won Game 1 9-8 in 10 innings on Friday night.

I've just learned that this game will start at 3:45 p.m. So check back then to follow the action.

*Smith will use the exact same line up that it used in Game 2, including the pitcher. Garrett Baker will start Game 3 after throwing 93 pitches in today's first game. He will only be allowed to throw a maximum of five innings as per American Legion rules. Baker entered today on just three days rest after throwing nine innings on Wednesday.

*Chandler Evans will start on the hill for New Hartford. He is on nearly two weeks rest, not having thrown since the first game of the Oneida County playoffs back on Monday, July 21.

Starting lineups:
Smith (26-3-1)
1. Kyle Richardson, CF
2. Ryan Kramer, SS
3. Nate Mallinder, LF
4. Jason Nowicki, 3B
5. Zack Ciccotti, C
6. Rocco DeBlasiis, DH
7. Ryan Marquette, 1B
8. Eli Hendrington, 2B
9. Ryan Cooke, RF
Pitcher: Garrett Baker, LHP

New Hartford (21-10)
1. Erik Sheridan, LF
2. Joe Carcone, 2B
3. Mike Matt, CF
4. Eric Verbickas, 1B
5. Joe Desens, DH
6. Dan Nelson, 3B
7. Pat Calli, RF
8. Mike Doyle, C
9. Joe Betar, SS
Pitcher: Chandler Evans, RHP

*Smith will be the home team for the second straight game after winning the coin toss.

Top 1st: Sheridan flew out to left for the first out. Carcone ripped a one-out double to the gap in left-center. Matt struck out looking for the second out. Carcone went to third on a passed ball that scooted away from Ciccotti. Carcone scored on the next pitch on a wild pitch from Baker. NH 1, Smith 0. Verbickas grounded out 4-3 for the third out.

Bottom 1st: Richardson flew out to center for the first out. Kramer grounded out 5-3 for the second out. Mallinder reached on an infield single up the middle. Mallinder went from first to third on a two-base throwing error by Evans on a pickoff attempt. Nowicki hit an RBI single up the middle to tie the game. Smith 1, NH 1. Ciccotti singled to left to put runners on first and second with two outs. DeBlasiis walked to load the bases. Evans threw a wild pitch over the head of Doyle, allowing Nowicki to score and Smith to take the lead (runners on second and third, two outs). Smith 2, NH 1. Evans threw another wild pitch over Doyle's head to let Smith score again. Smith 3, NH 1. Marquette struck out swinging to end the inning, stranding DeBlasiis at third.

*Smith has continued its hot two-out scoring streak. After scoring its first seven runs of Game 2 with two outs, Smith has scored its first three of this game with two down. Smith has scored 10 of its 15 runs today with two outs.

Smith 3, New Hartford 1

Top 2nd: Desens grounded out to Nowicki at third for the first out. Nelson struck out swinging at a change up for the second out. Calli struck out looking at a nasty backdoor curveball for the third out.

*Baker has thrown 25 pitches through two innings, bringing his full day total to 118.

Bottom 2nd: Hendrington reached on a weak chopper for an infield single down the third baseline. Cooke laid down a sacrifice bunt for the first out, moving Hendrington to second. Richardson reached on an infield single as Betar's attempt to tag Hendrington running to third was unsuccessful and then his throw to first was late. Hendrington scored on a throwing error as Betar's late throw to Verbickas was late. Smith 4, NH 1. Kramer singled to left to put runners on first and second with one out. Mallinder ripped a single past a diving Nelson to load the bases. Nowicki bombed the first pitch he saw off the wall in left-center field for a three-RBI, bases-clearing double. Smith 7, NH 1. Ciccotti popped out to Doyle in foul territory for the second out. DeBlasiis hit an infield single that was knocked down in the middle of the infield by Carcone to keep Nowicki from scoring (runners on first and third, two outs). Marquette popped out to Betar to end the inning.

Smith 7, New Hartford 1

*Smith changes: Baker has been relieved on the mound by Richardson. Mallinder took Richardson's place in center. Ryan Cooke went from right field to left field. Baker shifted to right field.

Top 3rd: Doyle flew out to center for the first out. Betar grounded out to short on a nice play by Kramer for the second out. Sheridan flew out to right for the third out.

*Richardson needed only seven pitches to retire the side in his first inning on the hill.

Bottom 3rd: Hendrington lined a single to left to lead off. New Hartford manager John Randall came out to relieve Evans in favor of Nelson. Desens took Nelson's spot at third, moving there from DH. Cooke grounded out to first on a nice diving stop by Verbickas for the first out. Hendrington went to second on the play. Richardson struck out swinging for the second out. Kramer grounded out 4-3 to end the inning.

Smith 7, New Hartford 1

*Smith's hot hitting from Game 2 has carried over into this one as it already has 10 hits in just three innings. After ripping New Hartford pitching for 18 hits in today's first game, Smith now has 28 hits in 10 innings.

Top 4th: Carcone grounded out to Richardson for the first out. Matt reached on an infield single in the hole toward third as Kramer's throw to first wasn't fast enough to get the speedy Matt. Ciccotti hosed Matt on a steal attempt for the second out. Verbickas blooped a single to shallow center field to give New Hartford a two-out base runner. Desens hit a high chopper to Hendrington and the second baseman made a strong throw to first just before Desens could touch the base for the third out.

Bottom 4th: Mallinder hit a triple to the gap in right-center to lead off. Nowicki ripped an RBI double down the left field line (his third hit and fifth RBI of the game). Smith 8, NH 1. Ciccotti hit an RBI double to the gap in right-center. Smith 9, NH 1. Baker (batting for DeBlasiis) walked to put runners on first and second with no outs. Marquette singled to right to load the bases with no out. Hendrington struck out looking for the first out. Cooke picked up an RBI with a walk to keep the bases loaded. Smith 10, NH 1. Richardson poked an RBI single to center. Smith 11, NH 1. Matt threw Marquette out at the plate for the second out as he tried scoring from second on Richardson's single. Cooke went to third on the throw home (runners on first and third, two outs). Kramer hit an RBI single to left to score Cooke (runners on first and second, two outs). Smith 12, NH 1. Mallinder walked to load the bases. Richardson scored on a wild pitch from Nelson that went behind the batter. Smith 13, NH 1. Kramer went to third and Mallinder advanced to second on the wild pitch. Nowicki flew out to center to end the inning.

Smith 13, New Hartford 1

*The offensive explosion for Smith continues...The Romans ripped off six hits in the fourth and now has 34 hits in 11 total innings today.

Top 5th: Nelson blooped a single to right-center to lead off. Calli struck out swinging for the first out. Doyle singled to left to put runners on first and second with one out. Betar flew out to Baker down the right field line. Sheridan struck out looking for the third out.

*Mike Bower has come in to pitch for New Hartford. Nelson moved back to third base and Desens is now out of the game (Bower will take his spot in the batting order).

Bottom 5th: Ciccotti drew a leadoff walk. Baker walked to put runners on first and second with no outs. Bower walked a third straight batter, Marquette, to load the bases with no outs. Hendrington hit an RBI single to center to keep the bases loaded. Smith 14, NH 1. Cooke picked up an RBI on a 6-4 fielder's choice (runners on the corners, one out). Smith 15, NH 1. Richardson bombed a three-run homerun over the fence in left. Smith 18, NH 1. Kramer singled up the middle on a lined shot that Bower just got out of the way of. Mallinder popped out to Calli in right for the second out. Nowicki singled up the middle to put runners on first and second with two outs. Matt Wanner has come on to bat for Ciccotti. Wanner popped out to Betar to end the inning.

*Richardson's three-run shot was his second homerun of the day. He hit a two-run homer to almost the exact same spot in Game 2 of the series.

*Smith now has 38 hits in 12 innings today. Smith has at least one hit in every inning.

Smith 18, New Hartford 1

*Dustin Colgan has come in to pitch for Smith. Richardson is now out of the game. Ryan Grogg has come in to the game at center field and Mallinder moved back to left field.

Top 6th: Carcone walked to lead off. Matt hit a hot-shot infield single at Nowicki that the third baseman knocked down, but couldn't relay to first in time. Verbickas walked to load the bases with no outs. Bower struck out swinging for the first out. Nelson grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning and the threat.

Bottom 6th: Baker ripped a single to left-center to lead off. Marquette struck out looking for the first out. New Hartford manager John Randall just made a bunch of changes (to have some of his final-year players recognized by the fans). Hendrington lined out to Carcone who made a great leaping grab and then threw to first to double off Baker who was caught off the bag to end the inning.

Smith 18, New Hartford 1

*New Hartford will have to score at least seven runs to avoid the seven-inning, 10-run mercy rule.

Top 7th: Kris Kallay (in for Calli) walked to lead off. Doyle struck out swinging for the first out. Kallay went to second on a wild pitch from Colgan. Betar walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Sheridan walked to load the bases. Carcone struck out swinging for the second out. Tyler Porter (in for Matt) grounded out to Kramer to end the game.

FINAL: Smith 18, New Hartford 1 (7 innings)

Game 2 Final: Smith 12, NH 2 (7 inn.)

Hey guys. I'm here at DeLutis Field for Game 2 of the District V final series between New Hartford and Smith. As most of you probably know by now, New Hartford leads the series 1-0 after handing Smith its first loss to an Oneida County team on Friday night.

Smith coach Tony Abone Jr. told me yesterday that he did not know who would start on the hill for his team, but did say that ace Garrett Baker would definitely pitch at some point. Whether he would start or not, Abone Jr. did not know. Well, his mind is made up now as Baker is the starter on the lineup card. It will be a lefty-lefty matchup as Erik Sheridan will start for New Hartford.

Abone Jr. said his players were feeling better yesterday after Friday's heartbreaking loss.

"They're in a better frame of mind right now," he said. "Another day of rest, getting every a little more healthy, I'm sure is going to help."

It apparently helped center fielder and leadoff man Kyle Richardson as the tough do-all player will play today after dislocating his shoulder in the ninth inning of Game 1.

Now, let's get going with today's game. Smith is the home team after winning a pre-game coin toss. With a win, New Hartford advances to the NYS championship tournament. If Smith takes Game 2, a third-and-deciding Game 3 will follow to determine who moves on to Newburgh.

Starting lineups:
Smith (25-3-1)
1. Kyle Richardson, CF
2. Ryan Kramer, SS
3. Nate Mallinder, LF
4. Jason Nowicki, 3B
5. Zack Ciccotti, C
6. Rocco DeBlasiis, DH
7. Ryan Marquette, 1B
8. Eli Hendrington, 2B
9. Ryan Cooke, RF
Pitcher: Garrett Baker, LHP

New Hartford (21-9)
1. Erik Sheridan, P
2. Joe Carcone, 2B
3. Mike Matt, CF
4. Eric Verbickas, 1B
5. Joe Desens, LF
6. Dan Nelson, 3B
7. Pat Calli, RF
8. Mike Doyle, C
9. Joe Betar, SS
Pitcher: Erik Sheridan, LHP

Top 1st: Sheridan led off with a bomb of a double that one-hopped the fence in left-center field. Carcone laid down a sacrifice bunt for the first out, moving Sheridan to third. Matt drew a walk to put runners on the corners with one out. Verbickas was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Desens struck out swinging on a full-count change up for the second out. Nelson struck out swinging on a high fastball for the third out, stranding the bases loaded.

Bottom 1st: Richardson flew out to center for the first out. Kramer hit a high chopper to the hole on the left side of the infield for an infield single. Kramer was hosed out by Doyle on a steal attempt for the second out. Mallinder walked on a full-count fastball in the dirt. Nowicki drew a walk to put runners on first and second with two outs. Ciccotti ripped a single to right field to load the bases (Calli threw a perfect strike to the plate to keep the runner on second from scoring). DeBlasiis pulled the first pitch he saw through the hole between short and third and into left field for a two-RBI single (runners on first and second, two outs). Smith 2, NH 0. Marquette hit a grounder right at Sheridan and the pitcher made a nice diving stop and threw to third for the force out to end the inning.

Smith 2, New Hartford 0

Top 2nd: Calli hit a leadoff single that just squeaked under the glove of a diving Marquette. Doyle laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Ciccotti bobbled it, allowing Doyle to reach safely on an error (runners on first and second, no outs). Betar bunted toward third, but he hit it too hard as Nowicki scooped it up and touched third base on a dive for the first out (runners on first and second, one out). Sheridan struck out looking for the second out. Carcone drew a two-out walk to load the bases. After a first-pitch ball to Matt, Smith coach Tony Abone Jr. came out to the mound for a short chat with his pitcher. Baker struck out Matt on a 2-2 pitch for the third out as New Hartford stranded the bases loaded for the second straight inning.

Bottom 2nd: Hendrington lined out to Calli, who was playing shallow, for the first out. Cooke lined out to Matt in center for the second out. Richardson hit a two-out groundball single to left. Kramer lined out to left to end the inning.

Smith 2, New Hartford 0

*While New Hartford hasn't been able to score on Baker yet, its made the hard-throwing lefty work hard as he's already thrown 49 pitches through two innings. This will be something to watch as Baker is going on just three days rest after throwing a complete nine-inning game on Wednesday night. New Hartford's Sheridan, going on a full week's rest, has thrown 43 pitches.

Top 3rd: Verbickas flew out to left for the first out. Desens hit a nubber down the third baseline for an infield single. Nelson hit the first pitch he saw for a bloop single into center to put runners on first and second with one out. Calli struck out looking for the second out. Doyle hit a deep fly ball to left on the first pitch from Baker, but it was settled under by Mallinder for the third out.

*New Hartford has now stranded eight runners in scoring position in its three at-bats. Five of those runners were in scoring position.

*The last half inning was a good one for Baker as he only needed nine pitches to retire the side. His pitch count is now at 58 through three innings.

Bottom 3rd: Mallinder flew out to Desens in left on the first pitch from Sheridan. Nowicki ripped a line-drive single down the left field line (Desens made a nice play to cut it off and throw it in to keep Nowicki from getting extra bases). Ciccotti hit the first pitch he saw at Betar who turned the grounder into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Smith 2, New Hartford 0

*Sheridan needed only four pitches in the bottom of the third. He's now thrown 47 pitches.

Top 4th: Betar flew out to Richardson for the first out. Sheridan took a fastball the opposite way to right field for a line-drive single. Carcone ripped a first-pitch curveball from Baker for a groundball single to left (runners on first and second, one out). Matt ripped a one-hop liner past Nowicki for an RBI single to cut the lead in half. Smith 2, NH 1. Carcone went from first to third on Matt's hit, just beating Mallinder's throw to third. Matt advanced to second on the throw (runners on second and third, one out). Verbickas was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out. Desens hit a sac fly to deep left to score Carcone from third and tie the game. NH 2, Smith 2. Nelson grounded out 4-6 to end the inning.

*New Hartford standed two more in the 4th (one in scoring position), and has now left 10 runners on base in the game.

*Baker needed 19 pitches in the top of the fourth and is now at 77 pitches through four innings.
Bottom 4th: DeBlasiis grounded out weakly to Sheridan for the first out. Marquette grounded out 4-3 for the second out. Hendrington pulled a liner past a fully-extended Betar at short for a two-out single. Cooke ripped a liner over the head of Desens in left (he misplayed the ball, running in too far and allowing it to get over his head) to score Hendrington all the way from first and give the lead back to Smith. Smith 3, NH 2. Richardson hit a second straight two-out RBI-double to the gap in left-center to score Cooke from second. Smith 4, NH 2. Kramer hit the first pitch from Sheridan up the middle for a single. Richardson was held at third and Kramer advanced to second on Matt's throw to the plate (runners on second and third, two outs). Mallinder grounded out 6-3 to end the inning, stranding two runners in scoring position.

Smith 4, New Hartford 2

*Smith has scored all of its runs with two outs.

*Sheridan threw 15 pitches in the fourth and is now up to 62 for the game. New Hartford has double-barrel action going in the bullpen as Pat Derrane and Mike Bower are warming up.

Top 5th: Calli hit a bloop single to left to lead off. Doyle popped out to Marquette in foul territory for the first out. Betar ripped a liner to left on the first pitch from Baker that was caught on a dive by the Mallinder for the second out. Mallinder threw to Kramer who relayed it to Marquette at first to double up Calli who was caught off the base.

*That was a big half inning for Baker as he needed only four pitches. He is now up to 81.

*It was the first inning New Hartford hasn't left a runner standed.

*A third New Hartford pitcher has gone to the bullpen as right-hander Kris Kallay is warming up.

Bottom 5th: Nowicki grounded out 4-3 for the first out. Ciccotti flew out to center for the second out. DeBlasiis poked a two-out single to left. Marquette drew a full-count walk to put runners on first and second with two outs. Hendrington ripped a line-drive to right-center, just out of the reach of a diving Matt, for a two-RBI double. Smith 6, NH 2. Cooke bombed an RBI triple to the gap in left-center. Smith 7, NH 2. *New Hartford manager John Randall came out to relieve Sheridan. Right-hander Pat Derrane is now pitching for New Hartford. Richardson flew out to center to end the inning, stranding Cooke at third.

Smith 7, New Hartford 2

*Smith has scored all seven of its runs with two outs.

*New Hartford's Derrane will lead off at the plate next inning. It will be just his second at-bat all season.

Top 6th: Derrane struck out swinging for the first out. Carcone popped out on a nice running grab by Ciccotti in foul territory. Matt struck out looking for the third out.

*The sixth was just a nine-pitch inning for Baker. He is now at 90 pitches. Remember, he's throwing on just three days rest.

*There is a huge crowd on hand here at DeLutis Field. The grandstands are full and the other bleecher sections are packed as well. A bunch of kids are running around and playing catch behind the bleechers.

Bottom 6th: Kramer worked a 10-pitch walk to lead off. Mallinder chopped an infield single down the third baseline that looked like it was going to roll foul, but was picked up by Nelson in fair territory. Nowicki flew out to center for the first out. Kramer tagged and went to third on the play (runners on the corners, one out). Ciccotti poked an RBI single to left (runners on first and second, one out). Smith 8, NH 2. DeBlasiis reached on a fielder's choice as he grounded to Nelson who stepped on third for the force and the inning's second out. Marquette grounded out to Verbickas on a nice backhand stop to end the inning.

Smith 8, New Hartford 2

*Smith is crushing the ball today and has 14 hits through six innings. Marquette is the only Smith batter without a base hit.

Top 7th: Ciccotti made a great catch in foul territory to retire Verbickas on one pitch for the first out. Desens ripped a liner on the first pitch from Baker, but Mallinder made a sliding catch in left for the second out. Nelson popped up to Hendrington for the third out.

*Baker needed the minimum - three pitches - to get through the seventh. His pitch count is at 93 after needing only 16 pitches (and facing only nine batters) over the past three innings.

*New Hartford substitutions: Tyler Porter has replaced Verbickas at first. Tim Whalen has come on to catch in place of Doyle.

Bottom 7th: Hendrington hit a chopper over the head of Nelson for a leadoff single. Cooke popped out to Desens for the first out. Hendrington stole second on a pitch in the dirt. Richardson bombed a two-run homerun over the fence in left. Smith 10, NH 2. Kris Kallay has come on to relieve Derrane on the mound for New Hartford. Mike Bower has replaced Nelson at third base. Kramer walked on four pitches. Mallinder reached on an infield single as Betar fielded the ball in the hole toward third and couldn't get the throw to second in time to force out Kramer. Kramer stole third. Nowicki hit an RBI single to left to score Kramer (runners on first and second, one out). Smith 11, NH 2. IF MALLINDER SCORES FROM SECOND, THE GAME WILL BE OVER DUE TO THE MERCY RULE. Mallinder stole third and Nowicki stole second. Ciccotti hit a sac fly to center to score Mallinder and end the game.

FINAL: Smith 12, New Hartford 2 (7 innings)

A LOOK AT LEGION

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

All-Star game rescheduled

Monday, August 11, 2008

Smith Post: The Aftermath

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Check in later for more on Smith Post

FINAL: Anaconda 9, Smith 8 (11 inn.)

FINAL: Smith 6, Newburgh 4

Saturday, August 9, 2008

FINAL: Smith 4, Anaconda 3

Smith to play at 7 p.m. tonight

Friday, August 8, 2008

FINAL: Smith 9, Melvin Roads 6

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Smith stays alive at states

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Oneida County All-Stars

State tourney: Smith falls in first game

Monday, August 4, 2008

Smith playing in state tourney opener

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Game 3 Final: Smith 18, NH 1 (7 inn.)

Game 2 Final: Smith 12, NH 2 (7 inn.)

Final League Standings

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