Indians

A pair of late rallies were not enough to prevent a loss as the Alameda AAA Indians fell to the Angels.

Isaac Maximov started on the mound for the Indians against Nick Chen leading off for the Angels.  Chen singled on a fly over second base and was followed by Sean Cunningham's single on a grounder past the shortstop.  Garrett Langfeld singled, but the force play was made at third on Chen for one away.  "Babe" Rhys Morgan followed with a fly ball to right that was good for a double and scored Cunningham.  With runners on second and third Emmett Kaake flied to left field where Casey Thiering made the catch, but Langfeld scored on the play.  Nicholas Jaber came to the plate but Morgan was tagged out attempting to steal third and the Angels were retired after scoring twice.

Nick Stevens led off for the Indians against Robby Platt pitching for the Angels.  Stevens flied out to first base.  Jackson Tracy batted next and singled on a grounder down the third base line.  Micah Rothenbuhler followed with a fly to shallow center for a single, but a force play was made on Tracy at second.  Michael Copple grounded to third and the Angels made the force play on Rothenbuhler at second and the Indians were held scoreless in the first, trailing by two.

Maximov continued to pitch for the Indians in the second as Jaber returned to the plate for the Angels.  Jaber, and then Zachary Bailey, struck out and the Indians quickly had two away.  Platt doubled on a fly to left center and then stole third before scoring when Richard Allen hit a grounder to second for a single.  Allen stole second before Philip Chin walked, giving the Angels runners on first and second.  A wild pitch to Daniel Newell allowed the runners to advance, and then a fly ball double down the third base line scored them both.  Chen grounded to short and beat the throw to first, advancing Newell to third.  Chen stole second on a pitch in the dirt to Cunningham, and then advanced to third when Cunningham's single scored Newell.  With Langfeld at the plate Cunningham stole second.  A mishandled pitch allowed Chen to steal home and Cunningham to steal third before Langfeld struck out to make it three away, with the Angels now up by seven.

Maximov led off the bottom of the second against Platt again pitching for the Angels.  Maximov's pop-up foul was caught by the catcher for one away.  Trevor Greenley stretched a ground ball single to the shortstop into a double when the throw to first went astray.  Greenley stole third and was held there when Derek Snediker flied out to short.  Wyatt Arens tested the shortstop yet again with a ground ball and was thrown out at first, stranding Greenley, and the Indians remained scoreless after two.

Morgan led off the third against Maximov on the mound for the Indians.  A long fly to center was good for a double, but Morgan could not advance when Kaake grounded back to Maximov who made the throw to Rothenbuhler at first for one away.  Morgan stole third before Jaber flied out to Snediker at short, and then scored on Bailey's ground ball double through the gap to right center.  Bailey stole third before Platt took a base on balls, and then the bases were loaded when Allen was hit by a pitch.  Chin hit a grounder to short, but Snediker's force throw to home got loose and Kaake and Bailey scored.  With runners on first and second Newell struck out and the Angels now were up by ten.

Platt returned to the mound for the Angels against Evan Park leading off for the Indians.  Park hit a short fly that fell in the infield and beat the throw to first for a single, and then stole second before Thiering struck out.  Liam Bergstrom followed with a strike out and Stevens came to the plate.  Park stole third base and then scored when Stevens hit a fly ball double to right field.  One run is all the Indians would get in the third as Tracy left Stevens stranded when he flied out to the shortstop.  The score with three played was Angels ten, Indians one.

Michael Copple took the mound for the Indians in the fourth against the Angels at the top of their batting order.  Chen doubled on a line drive to short, but was picked off trying to steal third before Cunningham singled on a fly to left field.  Langfeld's fly ball single to left field allowed Cunningham to advance to third.  Langfeld stole second, and then advanced to third when Morgan singled and then made second as a rundown play on him broke down allowing Cunningham to score.  A mishandled pitch allowed Langfeld to steal home and Morgan to advance to third before Kaake's fly ball double brought Morgan home.  Jaber flied to center and Stevens made the catch, holding Kaake at second.  A wild pitch to Bailey made room for Kaake to steal third, where he was stranded when Bailey struck out.  The Angels were leading by twelve over the Indians as play moved to the bottom of the fourth.

The Angels brought in Nick Chen to pitch the fourth inning.  Rothenbuhler led off for the Indians with a fly ball to center field that was caught for the out.  Copple grounded to short and was thrown out at first.  Maximov took Chen to a full count before being called out on strikes and the Indians went three up three down, still trailing by twelve runs at the top of the fifth inning.

The Indians returned the three up three down favor to the Angels in the top of the fifth.  Platt faced Copple on the mound and struck out.  Allen grounded to Maximov at short and was out at first as Arens caught the throw for the force out.  Chin struck out swinging and the Angels were retired without adding to their lead.

Sean Cunningham took the mound for the Angels in the bottom of the fifth.  Greenley led off for the Indians with a fly to center field for a double.  Greenley then stole third on a wild pitch before Snediker walked.  Arens hit a fly ball to center scoring Greenley, and advancing Snediker to second.  The runners advanced on a wild pitch to Park, who then grounded back to the pitcher for a single.  The pitcher made the throw to the plate and Snediker was tagged out by the catcher and prevented from scoring.  Thiering flied down the first base line, scoring Arens, and stretching a single into a double to give the Indians runners on second and third.  Bergstrom took Cunningham to a full count before striking out swinging, and the inning closed with two men stranded when Stevens struck out swinging as well.  The score at the end of five was Angels thirteen, Indians three.

The Indians stayed with Copple pitching in the sixth.  Newell led off for the Angels, grounding to Greenley who connected with Arens for the first out at first.  Chen popped up and Copple made the catch for two away.  Cunningham walked on a full count ball, and then stole second, then third on a missed pick-off throw with Langfeld batting.  Langfeld struck out and the Angels were again held scoreless, still up by ten runs.

Cunningham continued as pitcher for the Angels against Tracy leading off for the Indians in the sixth.  Tracy flied out to the second baseman, and Rothenbuhler followed him with a walk, giving the Indians a base runner.  Rothenbuhler stole second on a pitch in the dirt with Copple at the plate.  Copple's fly ball into right field was deep enough to score Rothenbuhler, and Copple stretched the single to a double as the Angels tried for a play at the plate.  Maximov singled on a grounder to short, but Copple could not advance.  Greenley grounded to second and the second baseman tagged Maximov out, but Copple scored and the Indians had a man on first base.  Greenley stole second on a wild pitch to Snediker, and then a pitch in the dirt provided the opportunity for a successful steal of third.  Snediker struck out swinging on a full count pitch, and the Indians rally was brought up short, the final score Angels thirteen, the Indians five.

The Indians stayed with it but a slow start to their fielding allowed the Angels to build a lead that proved too much to overcome.  The Angels brought a well rounded game and saw success for their consistency.

Game recap written by J. Michael Bergstrom.  All rights reserved.

Final Score Game 4: Indians 5 vs. Braves 4

Monday, April 24, 2006, 5:30 p.m., Minor Field

The Alameda AAA Indians pulled out a win in a well contested game with the Braves.

The two teams would remain tied at the end of the first inning. Nick Stevens led off for the Indians, but struck out. Jackson Tracy followed him with a fly ball to second base for two away. Micah Rothenbuhler singled and was advance to second base on Michael Copple’s line drive single to right field. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch with Trevor Greenley at the plate, but were stranded when Greenley was thrown out at first after hitting a ground ball to second.

Rothenbuhler took the mound for the Indians in the bottom of the first, striking out the first Braves batter and getting support from his infield when Tracy fielded a fly ball at second for the second out. The next batter managed a single with a grounder into left field. The Braves base runner stole second then advanced when the clean-up man hit a ground ball to third. With runners on first and second the batter hit a ground ball back to Rothenbuhler, who threw to first for the force play and retired the side.

The Indians got on the scoreboard in the second on the strength of some aggressive base running. Isaac Maximov led off and took a base on balls. A pitch in the dirt allowed him to steal second, and then advance to third when Derek Snediker was thrown out at first after hitting a grounder back to the pitcher. Maximov scored for the Indians on a wild pitch to Evan Park. The Braves defense stiffened, and Park struck out, as did Wyatt Arens to close the top of the second with the Indians up by one and no runners stranded.

The Braves put pressure on the Indians in their second at bat, but were unable to even the score. The Braves’ first up singled on a fly to shallow right field. The next batter grounded to Tracy at second, and he made the throw to first for one away as the base runner advanced to second. A mishandled pitch allowed the runner to advance to third, and the Braves go-ahead run took first when he was hit by a pitch. He stole second before the next batter struck out for two away. The Indians kept their lead when the catcher caught a foul tip for the third out, stranding the Braves’ runners and preventing a score.

Billy Hommert led off the third inning for the Indians and struck out swinging. Liam Bergstrom followed him to the plate and also struck out. The Indians added to their lead when Stevens singled and then, with Tracy at bat, stole second, third, and home as the Braves had trouble connecting on their pick-off throws. Tracy singled to right field, and then stole second with Rothenbuhler at bat. Micah singled, scoring Tracy, and then advanced to second as the Braves tried to prevent Tracy from reaching home. Copple batted in Rothenbuhler with a long fly to right field for a triple, but was stranded when Greenley grounded to second and was thrown out at first. The Indians went to the bottom of the third with a respectable lead of four to nothing.

The Braves began a comeback in the bottom of the third before the Indians defense tightened up and stopped the rally. Three singles in succession scored one run and the Braves were on the scoreboard with runners on first and third. A stolen base made that runners on second and third as Rothenbuhler pitched the batter to a full count. The batter connected on the next pitch for a long fly double to center, scoring one runner, but the Indians held the second runner on base. That was it for the Braves scoring in the third as Rothenbuhler struck out the next two batters, and then fielded a return grounder. The throw to first was good and the Braves were retired, scoring two and stranding two.

The Indians were unable to add to add to their lead in the fourth inning. Maximov led off for the Indians but was thrown out at first when he hit a grounder back to the pitcher. Snediker was next to the plate and was called out on strikes. Park followed with a walk and successfully stole second, but was stranded when Arens grounded to the pitcher and was thrown out at first.

Evan Park took over pitching for the Indians in the bottom of the fourth. The Braves’ lead-off batter obtained a base on balls and was advanced to second when the following batter was also walked. The third Braves batter struck out, but the following batter walked to load the bases. The Braves added a run to their score when the fifth man up walked, bringing an Indians pitching change in response. The Indians saved their lead when, with Copple pitching, the Braves batter grounded back to the mound and the force play was made at home. The next batter grounded to first and Arens made the play at the bag. The inning ended with the Indians up by one run.

The Braves defense held the Indians off the scoreboard in the fifth inning. Hommert, first up, grounded back to the pitcher and was thrown out at first. Bergstrom walked and the Indians had a man on. A wild pitch to Stevens allowed Bergstrom to steal second. Stevens then struck out, but the ball got away from the catcher and Bergstrom stole third. He was stranded there when Tracy popped up and the ball was caught to retire the side.

Copple continued pitching for the Indians in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Braves got a man on base when the first batter hit a double. A base on balls put a second runner on, and a stolen base gave the Braves a man in scoring position. The runner on first stole second base, but the Indians gained their first out of the inning when the Braves batter bunted foul on a third strike. The next up was called out on strikes and it was two away with runners on second and third. A wild pitch gave the Braves base runner the chance to steal home and tie the game, and the winning run advanced to third. The batter took a base on balls, and then stole second. The next batter walked to load the bases, but Copple struck out his successor to end the inning with the score four all.

Rothenbuhler singled to start off the last inning and advanced to second when Copple was thrown out at first after hitting a grounder back to the pitcher. A mishandled pitch to Greenley allowed Rothenbuhler to steal third, and Greenley walked to give the Indians runners on first and third. Maximov scored Rothenbuhler with a grounder to the shortstop but was thrown out at first, advancing Greenley to second. Greenley stole third with Snediker at bat, but was unsuccessful on an attempt to steal home and the inning ended with the Indians leading by one.

The Indians held in the bottom of the sixth to get the win. Copple provided strong pitching, striking out the first two Braves batters. The Braves went three up three down when the third batter popped up and Copple made the catch to end the inning and seal the win.

It was a close game and well contested by both teams, but the Indians made the plays they had to make to come out on top.

Game recap written by J. Michael Bergstrom.  All rights reserved.

Final Score Game 6: Indians 4, Red Sox 10

Monday, May 1, 2006, 5:30 p.m., Minor Field

The Alameda AAA Indians lost to the Red Sox for a second time this season when they we unable to build on an early lead and the Red Sox rallied to take the win.

Jackson Tracy led off for the Indians against Deluca pitching for the Red Sox. Tracy grounded to third and beat out the throw for a single. Nick Stevens struck out swinging and Micah Rothenbuhler followed him with a single on a ground ball to short, but Tracy was forced out at second. Michael Copple popped up and Deluca made the catch to retire the Indians scoreless in the first.

Michael Copple took the mound for the Indians in the bottom of the first. Leung, and then Flood of the Red Sox went down swinging bringing Hobbes to the plate. Hobbes’ hit down the left field line was good for a double, but he was stranded when Deluca grounded to second and was thrown out at first, closing the inning with both teams scoreless.

Deluca continued pitching for the Red Sox in the second inning, walking the Indians lead off man, Trevor Greenley. Isaac Maximov hit a ground ball single to short but Greenley was forced out at second. Maximov stole second with Derek Snediker at the plate, and then advanced to third on a wild pitch before Snediker took a base on balls. Evan Park stepped up to the plate and Snediker stole second base to give the Indians runners on second and third. A wild pitch to Park allowed Maximov to steal home and put the Indians on the scoreboard and also allowed Snediker to steal third. Snediker was held at third when Park hit a fly ball to short that was caught for the second out, and Wyatt Arens struck out swinging to end the Indians at bat with one stranded and one run scored.

Copple returned to the mound for the Indians in the second inning. Rocha led off with a single to center right field, but was forced out at second base when Royster-Brown grounded to short. A single by Ribera advanced Royster-Brown to second and Westerman followed with another single to load the bases with one away. Kim followed with a single but a score was prevented when the Indians made the force play at home plate for two away. Bartlett’s grounder to short led to a force play at second and the Red Sox were retired scoreless for a second at bat and the Indians led by one run at the end of two innings.

The Red Sox stayed with Deluca pitching for the third inning. Billy Hommert led off for the Indians and obtained a base on balls. Casey Thiering followed him to the plate but was called out on strikes. Liam Bergstrom was next up for the Indians and Hommert stole second base, and then stole third base on a wild pitch. Bergstrom struck out and it was two away with a man in scoring position for the Indians. Deluca walked Tracy putting runners on first and third and Stevens stepped into the batter’s box. The Red Sox chose to make a pitching change and Leung took the mound for the Red Sox. The Indians were held scoreless when Hommert was tagged out attempting to steal home.

The Indians held on to their lead through another inning as Copple continued as pitcher, striking out Montecino. Ulloa walked, then advanced to second when Leung’s ground ball single to first was mishandled and the force throw to second was late, giving the Red Sox two men on base. Flood hit a grounder to first and was forced out advancing the runners to second and third. The Indians kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard as Hobbes struck out swinging, the score remaining Indians one, Red Sox zero after three.

The Indians extended their lead in the top of the fourth inning. Leung took the mound for the Red Sox, striking out Stevens but walking Rothenbuhler to give the Indians a base runner. Rothenbuhler stole second when a pitch to Copple was thrown into the dirt and escaped the catcher. Copple then grounded to second but beat out the throw to first, with Rothenbuhler held at second. A wild pitch to Greenley allowed Rothenbuhler and Copple to advance to second and third before Greenley was called out on strikes for two away. Maximov scored the runners with a line drive single to shallow center, but was stranded when Snediker struck out and the side was retired with a three run lead.

The Red Sox took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Greenley replaced Copple as pitcher for the Indians. Deluca gained a base on balls, and then stole second with Rocha at the plate. Rocha walked and Deluca stole third, giving the Red Sox runners on first and third. The Indians decided to bring in a new pitcher and Snediker replaced Greenley on the mound. A wild pitch allowed the runners to advance, scoring Deluca and walking Royster-Brown. With Ribera at bat Royster-Brown stole second and then advanced to third when Ribera singled scoring Rocha. Westerman’s single scored Royster-Brown and Ribera to put the Red Sox up by one run with no outs. Kim followed with a single and the Red Sox had runners on first and second. A wild pitch to Bartlett put the runners on second and third where they were held when Maximov caught Bartlett’s fly ball to second for one away. Montecino singled, scoring the runners, and advanced to second as the ball remained in play when the Indians tried for a play at the plate. Ulloa struck out for two away and Montecino stole third with Leung at bat. Leung’s grounder back to Snediker was delivered to first base for the third out and the fourth inning ended with the Red Sox taking the lead six to three.

The Red Sox brought in a fresh arm in the fifth inning and the Indians were retired three up, three down. Park hit a grounder and was thrown out at first, as was Arens on his grounder. Hommert struck out and the Indians were unable to narrow the Red Sox lead.

Snediker returned to the mound for the Indians and Flood took a base on balls to start the bottom of the fifth. With Hobbes at bat Flood stole second on a wild pitch. Hobbes flied to shallow center field for a double, advancing Flood to third. Deluca walked and the bases were loaded with no outs. Rocha’s fly to center was good for a single and scored Flood. Royster-Brown followed with another single, scoring Hobbes, but the Indians made the force play at second for one away and runners on first and third. Ribera singled with a line drive to third but the runner was held and bases were again loaded. Westerman drove in two more runs with a double to right field and the Red Sox had runners on first and third. Kim’s pop-up was caught by Snediker for two away and the runners did not advance. Bartlett hit a short grounder that was fielded and thrown to first to end the inning with the Red Sox comfortably out in front ten to three.

The Indians attempted to come back in the sixth inning but the rally fell short. Bartlett pitched for the Red Sox. Thiering singled to third, and then advanced to second on a wild pitch to Bergstrom. Bergstrom was called out on strikes and Tracy walked. A wild pitch to Stevens allowed the runners to advance to second and third. Stevens popped up to the pitcher for two away and the runners were held on base. Rothenbuhler singled to score Thiering and advance Tracy to third. Rothenbuhler stole second with Copple at the plate, but Copple’s grounder to the shortstop set up the force play at third to end the game with the score Red Sox ten, Indians four.

The Indians put in a good effort, but it wasn’t their day.

Game recap written by J. Michael Bergstrom.  All rights reserved.