Kettering Royals

The Boys in Blue took the field Thursday night against the Dayton Astros.  It was a nice night for some baseball and despite some errors in the field the Royals picked up the 15-3 victory to keep pace with the Shockers in the race for the number 2 seed in the playoffs.  On the night the Boys in Blue combined for 15 hits, 7 of which were doubles, and off the mound Kevin Reynolds and Breden Regan combined for the win only allowing 2 hits and recording 8 K's.

 The Shockers were also able to pickup a 7-3 win Thursday night against the Redlegs.  The Royals will face off against the Redlegs on Sunday morning at 10am to kickoff the final Sunday of Regular Season action at Carleton Davidson Stadium.  With only 2 games left the Royals will need to stay hot if they want to hold off the Shockers and Slammers who both also have a shot at the Number 2 spot.  Stay tuned for the outcome for an exciting run at the end of the regular season.

On August 1st several Royals participated in the 2010 MVABL All-Star Game held at 5/3 Field, home of the Dayton Dragons.  The weather for the event was perfect, not too hot, not too cold, and just enough clouds in the sky to block out the sun every now and then.  The first event on the day was the Home Run Derby.  This year saw the most ever participants with 39 players taking their swing to put one into the seats.  With the luck of the draw the Boys in Blue held the pivotal 11th spot giving the Royals a chance to see what everyone else did ahead of them.  Drew Dobbins led off for the Royals and made solid contact but was unable to put one into the seats.  Next up for the Royals was their skipper, Mark Franklin.  He stepped into the box hoping Assistant Coach Eric Jameson would serve up some meatballs... However, excitement got the best of the Royals coach as he swung at nearly every parmesan pellet Jameson threw hitting several shots to the gap, but again nothing out of the park for the Royals hitters.  The Royals hopes of a Derby champ fell on the shoulders of Chris Jergens who stepped into the box as the final hitter in the first round needing 2 to advance.  With his Dad on the mound, serving him meatballs, Jergens was able to plate his first and got the much needed 2nd with only 1 out remaining in his at-bat to advance to the 2nd Round.  4 batters advanced to the 2nd round, and with only 5 outs to give, only 2 were able to hit a HR, David Moss from the Thunder and the Royals own, Jergens.  With 2 tied both hitters advanced to the third and final round of Sudden Death Derby!  Moss went first and promptly lauched 2 balls down the line that were just nearly foul, but in his 10 pitches was unable to hit a HR.  Chris and his Dad then took their spots with all 10 pitches to just hit one HR to take the prize.  Jergens swung at everything with a few falling just short, but on his 8th pitch launched a ball into the rightfield lawn seats that hit the handrail for the Derby winner!

 Following the Derby the 5/3 maintenance crew cleaned up the field as the rest of the MVABL All-Stars began to arrive for the 3PM game.  Playing in the game for the Royals were SS Brian Duffy, RHP Jason Holmberg, and OF Chris Jergens.  The game was very exciting as both teams went back and forth, and the fans even witness the first Cycle from the Thunders'infielder David Moss.  At the plate for the Miami Division, Jergens went 1-5 and Duffy went 1-3.  In the field Duffy also wrapped up the Defensive Player of the Game with a diving stop in the hole that he was able to then throw out the runner at first for the final out of an inning.  On the mound, Holmberg was making his first appearance in an All-Star game, but his outing was shortened due to some defensive miscues allowed 4 runs (1 ER) to cross the plate.  When the final out was recorded the Miami Division found themselves on the losing end falling 3 runs short.  Congratulations to all particpants in a fun and exciting All-Star extravaganza.

As the season enters the final 2 weeks the Royals were scheduled to play their first split double-header of the season against the Dragons and Rangers.  However, Mother Nature was not on their side as thunder delayed the Dragons game with the Royals up 5-0 in the 3rd inning for nearly 50 minutes before the clouds opened up and put an end to the game.  It only rained for 20 minutes, but it was enough rain to engulf the field.  With so much water on the field Royals Rookie infielder DJ Swearingen and Veteran outfield Brenden Regan took advantage of the slip-and-slide conditions.  Once the rain ended the puddles drained but it was too late to regroup the troops for a later matchup with the Rangers.

The rainout puts even more emphasis on the Royals remaining 3 games.  They are currently sitting in 2nd place with 3 games left.  In the number 2 spot is still up for grabs for 4 MVABL teams; the Royals, Slammers, Shockers, and Redlegs.  The easiest way for the Boys in Blue to hold onto that number 2 spot is to win out, but that will not be an easy task.  Thursday the Royals will face off against the Astros who can be a tough team to beat when they have their big guns.   Then Sunday they will meet up with the Redlegs in their 2nd matchup with them this season.  The Redlegs have reeled off a very impressive rookie season, and the last time the Royals played them the Boys in Blue finished on top in a extra innings 4-3 victory.  After those 2 tough games, the Boys in Blue will finish off the season against the Slammers, another team that can be very tough.  The Royals were able to get the split in their double header with the Slammers nearly 3 weeks ago.

It is a tough road for the Boys in Blue as the regular season winds to a close, but be sure to come out to the ballpark as the weather will be in their favor to play some baseball.

As the regular season is winding down the Royals picked up a key victory Tuesday night to keep pace with the Warren County Shockers. The Shockers leap-frogged the Boys in Blue with a 16-7 victory over the South Dayton Slammers on Sunday. However with a victory over the Cardinals Tuesday night the Royals were able to tie the Shockers record, but moved into 2nd due to the tie-breaker. With every team only playing a handful of games over the next 2 weeks it is shaping up to be quite a playoff race. The Royals have a tough road ahead of them as they still have games against the Rangers, Slammers, and Redlegs as the regular season wraps up. Be sure to come out to the ballpark and cheer on the Boys in Blue as they looked to make their push for the playoffs.

Since suffering a close 7-5 loss to the Beavercreek Sox almost 2 weeks ago the Royals have bounced back. One week ago the Boys in Blue battled back and forth against the Sox as Kevin Reynolds worke hard against the Sox before Drew Dobbins was able to pickup the 9-8 save. Then this past Sunday the Royals faced off against the Astros who are missing a lot of key personel. The Royals were able to begin their win streak as they cruised to a 22-12 victory.

Last night Boys in Blue faced off on a very hot and humid night against the Cardinals. The Royals were the visitors in the game and were able to strike first as Brian Duffy was able to score on a double by Jesus Velasquez for the quick 1-0 lead. However it was short lived, as an early error in the second allowed Nate King to reach base and he later scored off on a Chad Jaynes single to tie it up at 1's. The Royals were able to plate 2 more in the top of the 3rd as Tim Biedenharn drilled a double off the left field fence to score DJ Swearingen and Duffy. With a 3-1 lead the game became a pitchers duel as Frank Burgos (Royals) and William Howard (Cardinals) mowed down batters on both sides. Entering the 7th the Royals held a slim 3-1 lead as Jason Holmberg started things off with a single between 1st and 2nd. Royals Rookie Chris Smith entered the game to run for Holmberg as the Royals looked to pickup an insurance run. Smith promptly stole 2nd and was moved 3rd on a pass ball. Kevin Reynolds was able to plate Smith on a hard hit ball for the 4-1 lead. Howard was able to close out the top of the 7th picking up his 7th and 8th K's on the night. The Cardinals went to bat in the bottom of the 7th as Burgos looked to close out what he had started. However the heat and humidity got to him as he lead of the 7th hitting the first batter and giving up a single that put runners on the corners. The Royals went to the bullpen for some relief as Adam Thomas entered the game for the Royals. With runners on the corners Ryan Kreitzer moved up as Thomas faced S. Schwendeman. S. Schwendeman was able to get a much needed hit for the Cardinals as he reached for a fastball to slap it into the hole to plate 1 again putting runners on the corners with MVABL number 1 draft pick Aaron Thacker stepping into the box. Thomas battled Thacker, but eventually gave up the walk on a close pitch to load the bases. With the bases juiced and no outs the Royals again went to the bullpen for some relief bringing in Chris Jergens. Jergens entered in quite a jam, but was up to the challenge. Jergens struck out Kevin Enchelmeyer for the 1st out of the inning bringing Cardinals skipper Nate King to the plate. King battled Jergens fouling off several pitches before Jergens again won the batter picking up his 2nd K. With 2 outs and the bases loaded Howard stepped into the box looking to salvage his great game on the hill. Jergens missed with his first pitch, but then beared down and threw 3 fastballs past the Cardinals pitcher to secure the 4-2 save for the Royals 3rd straight victory.