Kettering Royals

After a one year hiatus the Kettering Royals are headed back to the MVABL Championship after defeating the South Dayton Slammers 5-3 and 5-4 Saturday evening.  Game 1 was delayed a bit due to weather, but once the rain lifted it turned into a great night for baseball.  The Royals sent rookie Drew Dobbins to the hill for the start to counter Slammers' rookie Sean Casey.  The Slammers would strike first after a sac fly was able to plate Ashworth from third before the first would end.  The Royals went to work in the bottom of the first as the first 4 batters were able to reach base and Jesus Velasquez laced a single that would knot the game up at 1.  The next 2 batters would go down, bringing Dobbins to the plate looking to help his own cause with the bases still loaded, and he would cash in.  With a 1-0 count Dobbs lifted the next pitch over the right-centefield wall for the Grand Slam.  When the rubber pellets settled the Royals held a 5-1 lead after 1, but the Slammers would not go down without a fight.  Sean Casey would control the Royals hitters over the final 6 innings of the game as they would get runners to 3rd, but were unable to score them.  In the 4th inning the Slammers made it a 5-2 game as a leadoff walk would haunt Dobbins as Chris Copeland was able to score from 1st as Dan Wayman laced a 2B RIGHT down the 3rd base line.  Entering the top of the 7th the Royals still held their slim 5-2 lead, but they know against the Slammers the game is not over until the last out is recorded.  Dobbs went to work looking to finish what he'd started with bottom of the Slammers order due to start things off.  Dobbs would record 2 quick outs, but would struggle a bit as the Slammers middle order smacked back-to-back singles.  With runners at 1st and 2nd, Chris Copeland delivered belting a single that would score Ashworth and allow him to move to 2nd on the throw home.  Now with runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs the Royals went to the bullpen bringing in their closer.  Chris Jergens took the mound looking to pickup the save he should've had 2 weeks prior against he slammers, but some defensive miscues allowed the game to go into extras.  Howver this time would be different, as Jergens only needed 6 pitches to record the punchout to end the game and pickup the much needed save with a Royals 5-3 victory.

In the nightcap the Boys in Blue were the visitors and went to work early plating the first run of the game in the top of the first as Tim Biedenharn was able to score on Jergens single.  In the bottom of the first the Royals sent Jason Holmberg to the hill looking to wrap up the series, but it would not be Holmberg's day.  A few defensive miscues ended Holmbergs day early as the Slammers were able to plate 4 (2 ER) in the bottom of the first for the quick 4-1 lead.  In the top of the second though the Boys in Blue would respond sending 9 batters to the plate.  5 hits and 1 walk later the Royals were on top 5-4, capped by a bases loaded ground rule double over the centerfield fence off the bat of DJ Swearingen, but with Sean Casey still on the hill that would again be all the Royals would get.  Looking to lock things up holding a slim 5-4 lead, Royals skipper sent Frank Burgos, still battling a finger injury suffered in the Indians series, to the hill looking to hold off the Slammers offense, and he was able to do just that.  Over the final 6 innings of the game Burgos faced 20 batters, recorded 3 K's, issued only one free pass, and didn't allow a single hit for the narrow 5-4 win in the sweep of the Slammers sending the Royals back to the Finals.

The Royals are headed to the MVABL finals where they will face off against the Warren County Shockers, who were able to defeat the 2009 MVABL Champion Rangers in a 2 game sweep as well.  The 2 teams will face off in their best of 3 series at Athletes In Action starting this Saturday at 4 PM where they will play games 1 and 2.  For the Royals, this is their 4th trip to the Finals in the last 5 years, and it will be the first trip for the Shockers.  The Royals have the edge on the 2010 series with the Shockers this season going 2-1 and outscoring them 33-17.  However the Shockers have advanced through some admiral opponents, defeating the Redlegs and Rangers, on their way to the Championship so it is sure to be a good series.  Please mark your calendars now and come out and support your Boys in Blue as they look to reclaim the MVABL Championship.

It took 3 games, but the Royals were able to come out on top of the Springfield Indians.  Round 1 kicked off Sunday for the Royals in their matchup against the Springfield Indians.  Kevin Reynolds, would be game 2 starter, kicked off the day for the Royals as their game 1 starter was mugged at a bar in Newport and unavailable for the day, and the Indians sent their win leader, Derrick Coleman, to the hill to counter.  The Royals got off to an early lead as Brian Duffy was able to score on a Chris Jergens' single in the bottom of the first.  It would remain 1-0 until a few fielding miscues in the 3rd allowed the Indians to tie the game.  However in the top of the 4th the Indians would take a 4-1 lead as a questionable "fair or foul" homerun plated 2 more and they plated a 3rd in the inning after Beach's SF scored Buynak from 3rd.  In the bottom of the 4th the Royals were able to get their 2nd, and final, run of the game Eric Jameson belted a SF to score Burgos from 3rd.  From their the Indians would plate 2 more off Royals reliever Brenden Regan, but at the plate Coleman continued to baffle Royals hitters and had tough defense behind him to lock up the game one victory for the Indians.

Following a brief delay to rest, both teams took the field for game 2.  The Royals sent their ace to the mound as Jason Holmberg took the mound with his team's back against the wall in the must win game.  Holmberg didn't disappoint for his team throwing a 7 inning, 5 hit Complete Game for the victory.  The Royals belted 16 hits off 5 different Indians hitters to plate 16 runs over the course of the game.  They were led by Chris Jergens (4-4, 2 runs, 3 RBIs) and Kevin Reynolds (3-3, 3B, 3 runs, 1 RBI).  Offensively on the day 9 different Royals batters tallied at least 1 hit in the 16-1 victory setting up game 3.

This past Tuesday night both teams faced off once again at Rotary Park in another must win game for both teams.  The Royals sent lefty Drew Dobbins to the mound for his start, who was looking to take out his fury from the recent mugging.  The Indians sent Jason Moore to the mound to counter, but his day was shortened as the Boys in Blue were able to plate 5 runs in the bottom of the first as Moore was only able to record 1 out.  Looking to stop the bleeding, Indians skipper went to the bullpen and brought in Aaron Lawson who was able to end the Royals scoring picking up 2 quick outs.  However Dobbins continued to work on the mound sitting the Indians down 1-2-3 in the first and second to get his team back up to the plate.  Picking up where the left off in the first they were able to plate 4 more runs for a comfy 9-0 lead after 2.  In the 3rd, with the help of a constricting zone the Indians were able to work 3 straight walks before a couple groundouts plated their 1st run before the 3rd ended.  Down 9-1 the Indians plated 2 more runs in the top of the 4th as a misplayed ball in the outfield allowed a pair of Indians to score.  With a 9-3 lead Dobbins continued to work against Indians batters for 7 straight innings before exiting with a 14-3 lead following another 5 run inning by Royals batters in the 6th.  Dobbins left the game and Royals skipper handed it over Jesus Velasquez, the hero from their final regular season game with the Slammers, but the night was not meant to be for Jesus.  A bit fatigued from his 5-5 day at the plate and a recent gym workout, his outing was shortened as a walk, 2 HBP, and an error allowed the Indians to plate 3 more runs.  With the Indians trying to gain some momentum outfielder/reliever Chris Jergens was brought in from the bullpen to halt the Indians scoring.  Jergens loaded the bases with a walk as he struggled to get into rythm, but after that he picked up 2 quick K's to end the Royals threat.  Entering the top of the 9th with a 14-6 lead the Royals brought DJ Swearingen, their number 1 draft pick, out from behind the plate to finish the game on the mound.  DJ didn't let his team down as he quickly recorded the final 3 outs of the game with only 11 pitches securing the 14-6 game 3 victory.

With the victory the Royals are advancing to the Semi-Finals for the 5th straight season.  The are also advancing to face off against the Slammers, their semi-finals opponent from 2009, who ended their season in a close 7-9 nightcap at Rotary Park.  The Slammers have been hot this season, and have played the Royals tough each game they've had this season.  This series is sure not to disappoint as the MVABL #2 and #3 seeds are meeting for a chance to advacne to the Finals!  The Royals and Slammers Semi-Finals matchup will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday September 11th starting at 4:00 PM.  Mark your calendars now and hopefully you can make it out to support your Boys in Blue as they continue their run to return to the MVABL Finals!

The Royals and Slammers met up Tuesday night on a beautiful night for baseball at Rotary Park.  On the line for both teams was the Number 2 Seed heading into the upcoming playoffs.  As expected both teams sent an ace to the hill with so much on the line.  On the hill for the Slammers was Sean Casey, and the Royals countered with their lefty Rookie Drew Dobbins.  The game truly was a pitching duel as hits were few and far between, but the Royals were able to build a small 3-0 lead over 5 innings.  However, in the 6th the Slammers finally came around on Dobbins scoring 2 before the Royals went to the bullpen.  Chris Jergens entered the game looking to secure the win for Dobbins and pickup his 3rd save of the season.  He quickly ended the threat in the 6th picking up a quick K.  Entering the top of the 7th with a slim 3-2 lead Jergens again took the hill looking to finish things out.  However just like the Royals last win against the Slammers, some late inning errors allowed them to get right back into it.  With 2 outs Jergens was able to get a lazy fly ball off the bat handle of the Slammers bat that look like it would end the game stranding the tying run on 3rd base, but unfortunately it was in the one spot on the left side of the infield that no one could reach in time as it fell to the ground allowing the Slammers to tie the game up at 3.  The Royals were unable to score anything in their half of the 7th so with all the suspense building the Boys in Blue took the field in the top of the 8th, but....  Who was on the hill for the Royals?  Needing some relief, Royals Skipper made a risky move in such a pivotal game and sent Veteran Jesus Velasquez to the mound for his 1st appearance of the year!  Jesus' last appearance was in 2009, which lasted 10 pitches, he gave up 3 earned runs, and he didn't record an out, but Franklin had faith that he was the right guy for the task.  To make things interesting Jesus hit the Slammers speediest guy on his first pitch, and then allowed him to move across the infield on 2 pass balls.  He then started to relax as he quickly recorded his 1st K followed by a quick 5-3 groundball out to hold the runner at 3rd.  With 2 outs and the winning run on 3rd for the Slammers Jesus was unable to win the battle as he walked the Slammers batter after going to a 3-2 count.  Now with 2 runners on Jesus needed just 4 pitches to record his 2nd K of the inning to end the Slammers threat.  The Royals then stepped up to the plate with the heart of their order due up.  Jergens led off the inning for the Boys in Blue with a ground ball deep in the hole that he was able to leg out for an infield single.  Holmberg then moved him over with a ground ball of his own bringing Jesus up to the plate looking to help his own cause.  After working a full count he was walked on a low and away pitch.  With runners at 1st and 2nd Frank "The Tank" Burgos stepped into the box.  Side note: Burgos wasn't even supposed to be at the game, but was a last minute addition as he was able to get off work to make the big game.  Casey got up early on Burgos getting him down 0-2, but on the next pitch Burgos connected for a shot down the 3rd base line that was just fair that was able to plate the game winning run from 2nd base clinching the number 2 seed for the playoffs!!!!

It was an exciting game for all to watch.  The Royals stuck together and everyone played their part in the victory, whether it be defensive stops in the field, key pitches, or at the plate, but it was a great victory to start some momentum rolling into the playoffs.

The Royals finished the regular season with a 15-9 record, winning 5 of their last 6 games in August.  Their first matchup of the playoffs is still undetermined.  They will face the winner of the Thursday night game between the Springfield Indians or the Miami Valley Dragons.  What they do know though is that they will start their first round Best of 3 series this Sunday in a Double Header at 1 & 4 pm at Rotary Park.  Be sure to come out to the ballpark and cheer on your Boys in Blue as they make a run at another Championship!

 Congratulations to the Slammers on a great season and game, and best of luck to you in the playoffs!

 See everyone Sunday.

The Boys in Blue took the field Sunday in the dreaded "Before Noon" game, which hasn't played out well for them this season.  They took the field against the Redlegs at Carleton Davidson Stadium on a great day for baseball.  However, the Redlegs skipper had the scouting report for each and every Royals batter.  The Redlegs were able to be in the right place for nearly every well hit baseball that came off a Royals bat.  The Royals played from behind nearly the entire game, but with a 2 run lead the Redlegs put the game out of reach plating 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th to secure the 15-8 victory over the Boys in Blue.

 With the loss, it setup the MVABL Game of the Week on Tuesday night at Rotary Park as the Royals will play the Slammers in a winner take 2nd place game in the playoff standings.  The Royals control their own destiny as a win will secure the 2nd place seeding, but a loss could drop the Boys in Blue down to 4th place depending on the outcome of the Thunder/Shockers game also being played Tuesday night at Howell Field.  There are 2 great games of MVABL action tonight and the Royals hope to see you out at the ball park as the Royals and Slammers will most likely both leave it all on the field playing for that coveted 2nd place spot.

As the rest of the Royals were battling the Redlegs, the Royals Assistant Coach Eric Jameson took the day off so he and his girlfriend Tracie could welcome the newest Royal to the family.  At 8:34 am Eric and Tracie welcomed Baby Joseph Lawrence into the World!!  He came in at a healthy 8lbs 8 oz and 20.25" long!!  Baby Joseph shares his birthday with Royals Skipper Mark Franklin's 3rd child Luke Franklin, who was celebrating his 4th Birthday Sunday as well!!

 On Tuesday Mom, Baby, and New Dad all went home from the Hospital.  Congratulations to the new parents!!!