Meridians Baseball

The word of the day was "$hit" as we hear it jokingly throughout the 1st game after Moore ends the inning on the base paths after knocking in our 1st run with a double, McClung doing the same after knocking in another in the 2nd and then Derek Williams getting plunked for the 2nd consecutive time in the 4th.   We then could probably be heard uttering even worse expletives after the day was done as we score 20 runs in Game 1 for an easy victory (Final:  20-2), but give up 22 in the night cap (11-22).   The only team that beat us through the regular season remains the only team to beat us all year, but they do it twice throughout the tourney to knock us out of the loser bracket finals.

We score 8 in the 2nd inning of Game 1 highlighted by Derek Williams' line drive out of yard.   6 more in the 3rd and 5 in the 4th (McClung HR) to finish Game 1 in 5 innings.   Kraus gets his 1st start of the season and earns the Win.   Lewis cleans up in the 5th helping himself with a barehand snag of a toss to 1st to get their speedy lead-off man.

Moore (2009 Meridians Silver Slugger), Parkhurst and Boster (NKU) on base all 4 times scoring 8 of our runs.   Reese, McClung and Soto with 3 hits each.   Multi-hit game for Moore, Cutter and Lewis.   Moore and Boster with 3 runs each.   Reese, McClung, Cutter, Parkhurst, Lewis, Williams and Soto with 2 runs each as well.

We see some of the best pitching all year in Game 2.   The same pitcher who beat us last weekend, but with even better stuff this go-around.   We touch him up for our 11 runs when it's all said and done, but we see 22 cross the plate against us.   All hands on the mound as Jones, Reese and Moore try to stop the bleeding.   We don't help ourselves with some early errors and a mis-matched infield, but still get web gems from Reese at short with a barehand grab and toss on a high, infield chopper while also starting a double play by himself later in the game.   Cutter covers a lot of ground for a ball in right center early in the evening and then again into foul ground in Game 2.   Kraus ends an inning with a diving snag in front of him in left field as well.

Derek Williams leads the way in Game 2 with 2 2Bs (on base all 4 times) and 2 runs.  

Lewis with 2 hits & 2 runs and Boster with 2 runs.

Meridians finish with a 20-3 record as the NKABL Regular Season Champions (17-1), but only go 3-2 in the tournament to end the season on a down note.   Great additions up & down the roster with the return of Chuck Moore (missing since '06), newcomers Tyler Fugate and Chris Wood (Wooster), Ryan Williams full-time this year and RJ (Kentucky State), Derek Reese, James Jones (UC), Stephen Boster and Conor Thomas.