Meridians Baseball

We send Ryan Williams back to Kentucky State for his Senior season after this regular season finale.   We would love having our lead-off hitter and most dominant pitcher (Fugate - Wooster) for the tournament, but they did their parts in ensuring us our #1 seed going in to the tourney.

Their lefty gifts us 6 walks through two innings and we cruise, scoring 6 runs in the 1st.   Reese gets the Win going 4 innings with 7 K's while helping himself by going 3-3 with 3 runs and 2 stolen bases, all on a bad hammy.   Kraus wraps up the top of 5th before we finish it in the bottom half (Final:  14-4).

Every Meridian hits.   Kraus with 2 BBs, Fread on base all 4 times (H, 2 BBs, HBP).   Cutter (2-3) and Parkhurst (1-2) with 3 RBI each.   Kraus, Lewis, Fread and Moore with 2 runs scored each.   Parkhurst with the game-ending Sac fly that Moore (2 RBI himself) considered sand-bagging in order to be able to hit the mound.

Meridians are NKABL Regular Season Champions finishing league play at 17-1!

Late field change finds us thankfully at newly-renovated Brandon Phillips Field as oppososed to Covington #5 for this make-up match.   Fugate's Meridians finale finds him with 9 K's through just 5 innings earning him his 8-0 record through the summer season.   Blain tosses the final two despite a hurting wing.

Parkhurst colors in the scorebook even more to make sure I didn't miss his 4 RBIs as he goes 2-3 including a Sac fly and an RBI groundout.   Blain contacts NASA in the 4th inning to let them know that a MacGregor baseball was being put into orbit with his 3-run tater.   Cutter makes another cameo and knocks in our 1st of 10 runs on the night and is on base all night with another knock and 2 BBs.   RJ almost goes yard in the 1st smacking the top of the fence (2 hits, 2 runs).   Derek Williams on base 3 times with an RBI.   Stolen bases for Ryan, RJ and Cutter.

Final:  10-7 after getting in a very dark 7th inning.   NKABL regular season wraps up with a final tune-up Saturday evening.   Thanks go out to the Clark Montessori head coach and volunteers to get Brandon Phillips Field in great shape for the game as well as the Kentucky umpires making the trek northward as well.

Tyler Fugate (Wooster):  8-0       Blain Williams:  4-1, Save

Derek Reese:  2-1, Save              Justin Kraus:  1-0

Conor Thomas:  1-0                       Daron Williams:  1-0

Chuck Moore:  Save       Phil Pratt:  1-0       Tedd Schaffer:  1-0       

2009 Meridians Bombers

Chuck Moore (6 includes 1 inside-the-park), Blain Williams (4), Phil Pratt (2)

Ryan Williams (2), Mike Soto (2), Derek Williams (2), Kevin McClung (2)

Bradley Younger (1), Chris Wood (1)

Derek Reese finally gets a start on the hill after several threats throughout the summer.   Reese scatters 4 hits across 4 innings and then gives way to Chuck Moore for his first appearance on the mound since '06.  He works a perfect 5th with 3 K's as we run away with this one (Final:  13-2 in 5 innings.).   Great bounce back back against the only team that has beat us this year.  Even though we already had the #1 seed in the league tournament locked up, it was good get a quick win from our only blemish this season and we get to do it again this Thursday.

Reese helps himself with 3 hits (line drive screamers in the scorebook) and 3 runs scored to lead the way.   McClung with 2 RBI, 2 runs - Moore with 2 runs and RJ with 2 hits.   Derek Williams with 2 hits and 2 RBI.   Parkhurst was robbed of a 2nd hit by a great play up the middle, but got 2 RBI by cranking a double down the line in the 1st.   Reese, McClung, Moore, Derek Williams and Ryan Williams each swipe a bag although D. Williams should have been out before he even slid.

We go down easily right away in the top of the 1st with a good pitcher on the mound and then they push 2 runs across in the bottom half, but Blain Williams wakes us all up with a laser over the right-centerfield fence that got out very quickly.   Moore scores on that after a HBP and then comes through with a big 2-out, 2-RBI base hit in the 3rd after they force 2 more across.   Blain holds them there through the 6th and then helps himself again launching the game winner to right-center again (very high, but not too high as it gets lost midway up the tree line).   Reese comes in for the Save.

Two double plays (always tough on Meinken's infield) started by Fread and Ryan Williams with turns by McClung and Ryan.   Soto takes one off the glove, wrist and face, but gets the put out.   2 hits for Ryan and 2 BBs for Derek Williams.   Best contest of the year so far in the NKABL as the Meridians move to 14-1.