St. Johns Saints Baseball

GAME 1--POOL A--ST. JOHNS-LAMBROS--9     LEIBS OF BUFFALO-6  

DESPITE BEING OUTHIT 16 TO 8, THE SAINTS OPENED POOL PLAY WITH A 9 TO 6 VICTORY OVER LEIBS.  IT WAS A DAY WHEN THE ONLY THINGS HOTTER THAN THE LEIBS BATS WAS THE TEMPERATURE, 105 DEGREES, AND LUKE KATICH'S ABILITY TO GET OUT OF JAMS.  THE SAINTS RELIED ON THE 3RD. AND 5TH. INNINGS WHEN THEY PLATED ALL 9 OF THEIR RUNS AND HAD 7 OF THEIR HITS.  THIS WOULD BE THE ONLY GAME OF THE TOURNAMENT WHERE EITHER JIM JASKOWSKI OR RICH SATCHO WOULD NOT HAVE HITS.  KEY HITS WERE DELIEVERED BY RICK KRIST, A 2-RUN TRIPLE IN THE 3RD. AND AN OUTSTANDING SQUEEZE BUNT BY JON ZILLES IN THE 5TH.

GAME 2--POOL A---ST. JOHNS-LAMBROS--20    ORLANDO--4               

ON FRIDAY @ 2, THE SAINTS TOOK ON THE ORLANDO CARDINALS.   THIS TEAM WAS MADE UP OF MANY SPANISH SPEAKING AMERICANS AND HAD TWO FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE PERFORMERS ON THEIR CLUB, EX-COLORADO ROCKIES SLUGGER, DANTE BICHET AND FORMER MET AND ROYAL PITCHER, OMAR MORANO.

SCOTT CHISHOLM WAS ON THE MOUND FOR THE SAINTS.  THE SAINTS SPOTTED THE CARDINALS AN EARLY 1 NOTHING LEAD, BUT REBOUNDED WITH 1 IN THE 3RD., 4 IN THE 4TH., 9 IN THE 5TH., AND 6 IN THE 6TH. INNING.  OVERALL, THE SAINTS WOULD SCORE 20 RUNS ON 19 HITS AND WERE AIDED BY 2 HIT BATSMEN AND 8 WALKS.  NATE THIMONS HAD 3 HITS AND 4 RBI, WHILE ANDY BLACKWELL, ANDREW HECK, JEFF MARTIN, NATE STATZER, MIKE HERMANN, AND JON ZILLES HAD 2 EACH.  SCOTT CHISHOLM PITCH THE ENTIRE GAME, DESPITE YIELDING A 2-RUN HOMER TO BICHET IN THE 4TH.

GAME 3--POOL A--ST. JOHNS-LAMBROS--12   ADDISON BRAVES-3 

 IN THE SECOND GAME OF THE DAY, THE SAINTS WOULD PLAY THE BRAVES OF ADDISON ILLINOIS.  TODD SHIFFHAUER WOULD START, DESPITE THE INJURIED HAMSTRING HE SUFFERED ON MONDAY IN YOUNGSTOWN.  WHETHER IT WAS THE LEG OR EARLY HITTING, ADDISON JUMPED ON THE SAINTS FOR 2 IN THE FIRST.  A SERIES OF FOUR SINGLES TIED IT FOR THE SAINTS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE INITIAL FRAME.  ADDISON REGAINED THE LEAD IN THE TOP OF THE 5TH. WITH A SINGLE RUN.  hOWEVER, 2 BRAVES WERE THROWN OUT TRYING TO SCORE AT THE PLATE.  THE SAINTS WOULD PUT AND END TO ALL THE RUN SCORING NONSENSE BY PLATING 3 RUNNERS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 5TH.  AND IN THE TRUE "THEY SCORE 1, WE SCORE 5" FASHION, ADDED 2 MORE IN THE 7TH.  THE SAINTS FINISHED OFF THE SCORING BY ADDING 5 MORE RUNS IN THE EIGHTH.  HITTING STARS WERE JIM JASKOWSKI WHO WAS 4 FOR 4 WITH A WALK AND JEFF MARTIN WHO WENT 4 FOR 5.  JASON FOREMAN, PLAYING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE NABF THIS YEAR ON FRIDAY, HAD 3 HITS AND 4 RBI.  RICH SATCHO ALSO KNOCKED IN 3.  KUDOS GO OUT TO SCHIFF FOR HIS 6 INNING EFFORT AND TO YOUNGSTER, ANDREW HECK FOR HIS SCORELESS RELIEF EFFORT.

GAME 4--POOL A---ST. JOHNS-LAMBROS-14     TOLEDO ALL-AMERICAN COACH--6

THE SAINTS ENDED POOL PLAY AGAINST TOLEDO SATURDAY AFTERNOON.  THE GAME WAS FOR THE TOP SPOT IN THE POOL.

THE SAINTS STRUCK FIRST WITH A PAIR OF RUNS IN THE FIRST.  THE LEAD LASTED FOR A SHORT TIME AS TOLEDO SCORED 4 IN THE TOP OF THE SECOND FOR A BRIEF 4-2 LEAD.  HOWEVER, A DOUBLE AND ERROR AND 4 SINGLES PLATED 4 MORE SAINT RUNS AND THE NONSENSE WAS OVER AS THE SAINTS BREEZED TO A 14-6 VICTORY.  JIM JASKOWSKI ADDED 3 MORE HITS TO HIS TOTAL AND 3 RBI.  JEFF MARTIN AND MIKE HERMANN ALSO HAD 3, WHILE STEVE LONG, NATE THIMONS, AND JON ZILLES HAD 2 HITS APIECE.  MARTY "ROCKY" FAGLER TOSSED A 6-HITTER, STRIKING OUT 7.

THUS THE CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET WAS  SET...ST.JOHNS-LAMBROS AGAINST A-PLUS PLUMBING FROM CONNECTICUT, AND TOLEDO VERSUS DETRIOT JET BOX.

GAME 5--NABF NATIONAL SEMI-FINAL--ST. JOHNS-LAMBROS--5  A-PLUS PLUMBING--0

THE BOYS FROM CONNECTICUT HAD TALKED ALL WEEK ABOUT HOW THEY SHOULD BE RANKED NATIONALLY HIGHER THAN THE SAINTS AND THAT POOL A WAS LESS DIFFICULT THAN WAS POOL B, SO IT WAS PUT UP OR SHUT-UP TIME.

THE PLUMBERS WANTED NOT PARTS OF LEFTY, BRANDON FEDERICI, AS FED TWO-HIT THE BOYS FROM CONNECTICUT OVER 8 INNINGS.  IN THE MEAN TIME, THE SAINTS GOT ALL THEY NEEDED IN THE 2ND., WHEN NATE THIMONS LED OFF WITH A SINGLE, STOLE SECOND, AND SCORED ON JIM JASKOWSKI'S DOUBLE.  WHEN RICH SATCHO FOLLOWED WITH A MAMMOUTH 2-RUN HOMER, THE GAME WAS ALL BUT OVER.  WHEN DAVID LEE CLOSED OUT THE 9TH., THE SAINTS WERE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP.

GAME 6---NABF CHAMPIONSHIP                 ST.JOHNS-LAMBROS  V. DETRIOT JET BOX

THIS WAS THE GAME EVERYONE DOWN WAS SHOOTING FOR AND NOW IT WAS HERE.  THE SAINTS, THE BEST HITTING TEAM IN THE TOURNAMENT, AGAINST DETRIOT AND THEIR PITCHER WHO HAD THREW A NO-HITTER IN THE REGIONAL AND A 2-HITTER ON THURSDAY.

HOWEVER, AFTER A YEAR OF THINGS GOING THE SAINTS WAY, SUNDAY WOULD NOT.  DETRIOT WOULD SCORE 2-UNEARNED RUNS IN THE 2ND. AND WATCH AS THE SAINTS STRANDED RUNNER AFTER RUNNER, INNING AFTER INNING.  THE SAINT CAUSE, BOT OFFENSIVELY AND DEFENSIVELY WAS DAMPENED BY TWO KEY PLAYS IN THE 4TH. AND 5TH. INNINGS.  IN THE 4TH. RICH SATCHO DOUBLED WITH 1 OUT.  NATE STATZER'S LINE-DRIVE WAS CAUGHT OFF THE OUTFIELD TURF BY A DIVING CENTERFIELDER.  AS SATCHO WAS SLIDING BACK INTO SECOND, HE RE-INJURED HIS KNEE AND HAD TO LEAVE THE GAME.  IN THE 5TH., KEY LEFTFIELDER, RICK KRIST WAS EJECTED FROM THE GAME FOR QUESTIONING A CALL AT FIRST.  THIS REMOVED A KEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER AND #2 HITTER FROM THE GAME.

THE SAINTS WOULD FINALLY BREAK THROUGH IN THE 8TH. WHEN JASON FOREMAN DELIEVERED WITH A 2-OUT DOUBLE SCORING JEFF MARTIN.  HOWEVER, DETRIOT CAPITALIZED ON ANOTHER ERROR AND A FLY BALL THAT COULDN'T BE HELD ONTO IN LEFT, TO SCORE 3 ADDITONAL RUNS AND MAKE THE FINAL SCORE JET BOX 5 AND THE SAINTS 1.

JOHN ASTFALK PITCHED AN OUTSTANDING GAME FOR THE SAINTS.  THE SAINTS OUT HIT THE BOX 10 TO 9, BUT STRANDED 10 RUNNERS TO THE BOX'S 5. 

JIM JASKOWSKI WAS NAMED THE TOURNAMENTS OUTSTANDING HITTER WITH A REMARKABLE .662 AVERAGE.

PERSONALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK CHARLIE BLACKBURN, GREG REDDINGTON, AND ALL THE NABF AND DERBY CITY OFFICIALS FOR ALL THEIR HOSPITALITY, AND KIND WORDS ABOUT THE SAINTS WHILE WE WERE IN LOUISVILLE.  AS WELL AS TIM TURPIN AND OUR MOSQUITO FRIENDS, EDDIE AND MARK, FOR ALL THE WELL WISHES AND SUPPORT.  I THINK WE DID THE YOUNGSTOWN REGIONAL PROUD.

ALSO, I CAN'T THANK THOSE "HONORARY" SAINTS; RYAN DOUGLASS, LUKE KATICH, STEVE LONG, DAVID LEE, AND OF COURSE, JEFF MARTIN, ENOUGH FOR TAKING THIS NABF JOURNEY WITH US.  WE AIM TO DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR.

FINALLY, WORDS CANNOT SAY HOW PROUD I AM OF OUR GUYS WHO WORE THE RED AND BLACK ALL SEASON.  EVERYONE OF YOU, WHETHER YOU WERE IN YOUNGSTOWN, LOUISVILLE, OR BACK IN THE 'BURG, PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN OUR PERFORMANCE AND I AM GRATEFUL.  IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO THANK EVERYONE, AND TO SAY WHAT I'D LIKE TO SAY, BUT THERE ARE COUPLE OF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE SAID.  (AND NO IT ISN'T GET YOUR MONEY IN, EVEN THOUGH SOME PEOPLE STILL OWE.)

1. GREG WE MISSED YOU IN LOUISVILLE.  THANKS FOR TAKING THAT CHANCE WITH YOU CHEEK.

 2. SATCH THANKS FOR BRINGING YOUR HEART, OUR HEART, TO LOUISVILLE.

FINALLY TO PARAPHRASE WHAT THE CURRENT GOVERNOR OF THE GREAT STATE OF CALIFORNIA ONCE SAID,                                

"WE'LL BE BACK!"