Professional Association of Southern Softball

[StLee]

PASS Results, May 3, 2012:

Memphis 7 at Savannah 5
Raleigh 9 at Myrtle Beach 7
Shreveport 8 at Miami 4
Austin 11 at Jackson 14
Houston 14 at Nashville 9
Mobile 5 at Baton Rouge 7
New Orleans 4 at Virginia Beach 3
Dallas 4 at Richmond 3
Jacksonville 11 at Louisville 10
Little Rock 9 at Tampa 3
Atlanta 3 at Charlotte 7

[StLee]

PASS Players of the Day, May 3, 2012:

Barry Bailey, Orlando, 3-6, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R


Hayden George, Houston, 4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 4 R, BB


Nick Carr, Raleigh, 5-6, 2 RBI, 3 R

[StLee]

Reactions Around the League, May 3, 2012:

Houston Player-Coach Nick Elliott: “It feels good to be sitting at 3-0. It’s just us and New Orleans left as undefeateds, but it’s a long season. We just have to keep on keeping on.” Reacting to being one of only two teams without a loss.

New Orleans Player-Coach Terry Beatty: “Guys hit good. Players play good. I just hope by the end of the season some of the younger guys step up and take over. If they can step up, we can take this thing [the championship].” Also reacting to being one of only two teams without a loss.

Richmond Player-Coach Paul Harris: “We’re the only team at 0-3? Well that sucks [expletive]. We’re just going to have to go out there and start winning some games, huh?” Reacting to being the only team without a win.

Miami’s Joseph D’Abrichecourt: “I’m feeling good about my swing so far this season. Every at bat, I’m thinking it’s my turn to run around the bases. If I can keep it up, I think [Miami]’ll have a damn fine season.” Reacting to starting the season leading the league with three home runs through three games.

[StLee]

May 4, 2012

Featured Game:



In a high-scoring game, Mobile outscored Baton Rouge for a 15-10 victory. The Hounds move to 2-2 on the season, while the Rhinos fall to 1-3.

Mobile’s efforts paid off in the top of the eighth inning when the Hounds scored seven runs to take a 14-10 lead at that time. They trailed for most of the game going into the eighth inning.

Vincent Ortiz of Mobile was named player of the game. He finished 4 for 6 with three doubles, an RBI, and three runs. The Hounds also had 21 hits in the game.

The Hounds started the scoring in the game with a big first inning. Art Andersen and Ortiz led off with singles. With one out, Ricardo Rojas hit an RBI single. Two batters later, Rick Smith hit an RBI double. Roy Jones followed by reaching on an error, allowing Tyler Douglas and Smith to score and make it 4-0. Shannon Simpson then hit an RBI single to give Mobile a 5-0 lead.

In the bottom of the first, John Sawyer doubled to lead off for Baton Rouge. With two outs, Jack O’Slattery reached on an error to score Sawyer and cut the Mobile lead to 5-1.

The Rhinos took the lead in the second inning. Craig Long reached on a walk, followed by singles by Esteban Martinez and Jack Hudson to score Long. Sawyer then doubled to score Martinez and Hudson. Keith Jackson followed that hit with an RBI single to tie the game 5-5. With two outs, Dalton Bailey hit a two-RBI single to give the Rhinos the lead, 7-5.

Baton Rouge added three more runs in the fourth inning. Three straight singles by Tom Greene, O’Slattery, and Dalton Bailey scored Greene. Alberto Morales then hit an RBI double, but Bailey was thrown out trying to score. One batter later, Long singled in Morales to make the score 10-5 in favor of Baton Rouge after four innings.

Mobile began its come back in the sixth inning. After Andersen reached on an error and Ortiz doubled, Daniel Ash hit a two-RBI single to cut the Rhinos lead to 10-7.

The Hounds then made their push in the eighth inning. Mark Hawkins and Andersen led off with singles. Ortiz then doubled in Hawkins to make it 10-8. Ash followed with an RBI sacrifice fly. Rojas and Douglas then singled to score Ortiz. With two outs, Jones hit an RBI single to tie the game 10-10. Julian German then hit a two-RBI double to give the Hounds the lead for good. Hawkins followed with an RBI single to give Mobile a 14-10 lead.

The final run came in the ninth. Ash singled, followed by an RBI double by Rojas for the final 15-10 score.

“It was a nice team win today,” Mobile player-coach Mark Hawkins said. “It’s nice to get twenty or more hits in a game, and that’s what we got today. Hats off to our ball club.”

Outstanding Players of the Game:
Vincent Ortiz, Mobile, 4-6, 3 2B, RBI, 3 R
Ricardo Rojas, Mobile, 4-6, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Daniel Ash, Mobile, 2-5, 3 RBI, R
Alberto Morales, Baton Rouge, 4-5, 2B, RBI, R
Dalton Bailey, Baton Rouge, 2-5, 3 RBI

[StLee]

PASS Results, May 4, 2012:

Birmingham 6 at Orlando 9
Shreveport 5 at Miami 8
Memphis 12 at Savannah 7
Raleigh 3 at Myrtle Beach 10
Jacksonville 13 at Louisville 8
Atlanta 13 at Charlotte 5
Little Rock 13 at Tampa 3
Dallas 1 at Richmond 5
New Orleans 5 at Virginia Beach 8
Austin 3 at Jackson 11
Houston 13 at Nashville 10

[StLee]

PASS Players of the Day, May 4, 2012:

Gerardo Villanueva, Nashville, 3-3, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R


George Leslie, Virginia Beach, 4-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R


Jessie Oates, Nashville, 3-4, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB

[StLee]

Reactions Around the League, May 4, 2012:

Virginia Beach’s George Leslie: “It was a good day all around. We beat one of the last unbeaten teams, and I had a great day at the plate. I nearly hit for the cycle, except no triple.” Reacting to his team’s 8-5 victory over previously unbeaten New Orleans and going 4 for 4 with a double, home run, 3 RBI, and 3 runs.

Baton Rouge player-coach Keith Jackson: “That was a tough game for us. We started out hitting hot and got 10 on [Mobile] early, but then we just couldn’t get anything going on offense the last half of the game. We need to do better and keep the pressure on the other team.” Reacting to his team’s 15-10 loss to Mobile where Baton Rouge had a 10-5 lead after four innings.

Memphis player-coach David Crow: “It feels good to be in first place, even if it’s really early in the season. I think it helps the momentum of the team to start out at hot. The challenge will be to keep the heat.” Reacting to his team moving to 3-1 on the season and being tied for first place in the South Central Division.

Savannah player-coach Mark White: “That was a plum bad game right there. We couldn’t hit the side of the barn with an elephant gun today, and now we’re 1-3. I hate losing, and we done did that three times already on the season. The buck’s got to stop here.” Reacting to his team’s 12-7 loss to Memphis and 1-3 record on the season.

[StLee]

May 5, 2012

Featured Game:


In the featured game of the day, Nashville doubled up the Dallas Bandits, 14-7.

The Muskies (2-3) totaled 20 hits on a day when star player Gerardo Villanueva had an off day, going 1 for 5 with a double, RBI, and run. Glenn Moore of Dallas (1-4) was the player of the game and PASS player of the day. He went 5 for 5 with three doubles, five RBI, and a run. Jessie Oates was the top player for Nashville, going 5 for 6 with a double, two RBI, and a run.

“We didn’t have one of our best weapons [Villanueva] clicking today and we still ended up with 14 runs and 20 hits,” Nashville player-coach Jimmy Hall said. “I know we haven’t gotten off to a fast start, but if we can pop the ball like this, we’ll win 4 out of 5 every time.”

Nashville started off the scoring in the top of the first when Jimmy Hall hit a solo home run. However, the Bandits answered in the bottom of the inning. Orlando Franks hit a two-out single, followed by a John Jackson double. Moore then doubled in both runners to give Dallas a 2-1 lead.

The Muskies took the lead back in the second. Michael Bowden doubled in Will Kemp with one out. After a strike out, Spencer Taylor doubled in Bowden. Shawn Sanders then hit an RBI single to give Nashville a 4-2 lead.

In the top of the third, Nashville blew the game open thanks to some poor defense by Dallas. Villanueva and Kemp each reached on errors, followed by a Kris Walton single to load the bases. Bowden then reached on an error to score Villanueva. Ronnie Black walked, scoring Kemp, and Taylor hit a sacrifice fly to give the Muskies a 7-2 lead. With two outs, Hall and Oates hit RBI singles to give Nashville a 9-2 lead.

Dallas was able to get on the board again in the fourth. Moore singled to lead off the inning, and Sergio Alvarado doubled him in to cut the Muskies lead to 9-3.

Each team got on the board in the fifth inning. Black led off the top of the inning for the Muskies with a triple, followed by an RBI single by Taylor. With one out, Oates hit an RBI single to make it 11-3. Kemp added an RBI sacrifice fly to complete the scoring in the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Dallas answered. Jackson hit an RBI single, followed by a two-RBI double by Moore to make the score 12-6 in favor of Nashville after five innings.

Neither team scored again until the eighth inning. Walton tripled for the Muskies, followed by an RBI double by Carlos Rodriguez to make it 13-6.

In the ninth, Nashville scored its final run when Oates and Villanueva hit back-to-back doubles. In the bottom of the inning, the Bandits got its final run on a Moore RBI single for the 14-7 final.

“It was a tough game,” Moore said. “We hit the ball well, I thought, but [Nashville] just overpowered us offensively. You have to give them a lot of credit. Both teams were close in hits, but theirs scored runs, and ours didn't.”

Most Outstanding Players of the Game:

Glenn Moore, Dallas, 5-5, 3 2B, 5 RBI, R
John Jackson, Dallas, 3-5, RBI, 2 R
Jessie Oates, Nashville, 5-6, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Jimmy Hall, Nashville, 3-6, HR, 2 RBI, R

[StLee]

PASS Results, May 5, 2012:

Jackson 9 at Jacksonville 6
Richmond 8 at Virginia Beach 10
Atlanta 11 at Orlando 7
Louisville 8 at Raleigh 0
Myrtle Beach 10 at New Orleans 4
Savannah 12 at Birmingham 3
Baton Rouge 9 at Austin 3
Tampa 6 at Memphis 3
Miami 10 at Mobile 4
Little Rock 1 at Shreveport 7
Charlotte 7 at Houston 9

[StLee]

PASS Players of the Day, May 5, 2012:

Glenn Moore, Dallas, 5-5, 3 2B, 5 RBI, R


Arnold Spears, Savannah, 5-6, 2 RBI, 3 R


Hayden George, Houston, 4-5, 2 2B, 3B, 4 R

[StLee]

Reactions Around the League, May 5, 2012:

Richmond player-coach Paul Harris: “We’re not getting the butter in the churn to start the season, and we have to find a way. We gave Virginia Beach a scare, but even though we out hit them, we played bad defense and gave up some easy runs based on when and where those happened.” Reacting to Clinton Vickers’ three errors in right field that allowed 5 Virginia Beach runs in the Robins’ 10-8 loss. Richmond is now 1-4.

Austin player-coach Albert Goodyear: “That’s four [losses] in a row now. We have to get this ship turned around soon or we’ll have a tough time catching up with Houston. I know it’s a long season and all that, but it ain’t that long.” Reacting to his team’s 9-3 loss to Baton Rouge, the fourth loss in a row since an opening day win.

Atlanta player-coach Joe Jones: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going. We scored seven runs in the last two innings and we got a big pick-me-up dinger from our nine hole hitter, Cockroach [Kevin Roach].” Reacting to Atlanta’s 11-7 win over Orlando where the Arrows outscored the Kings 7-1 in the last two innings to overcome a 6-4 deficit.

Tampa player-coach Max Ramon: “We didn’t get much offense, but the sixth was enough to get us going. We only had four extra base hits in the game, and three came in the sixth inning. That’s what you call timely hitting.” Reacting to Tampa’s 6-3 win over Memphis thanks to five runs scored in the sixth inning.

[StLee]

I thought I would get more time this month since I am on vacation. However, the mix of travel (from Korea to Louisiana), jet lag, activities, caring for two kids, and fatigue have made a perfect mix to prevent me from doing too much of anything.

So if there are any more delays in activity, I attribute it to lack of energy and time, not a lack of want. August will be much easier.

[StLee]

May 6, 2012

Feature Game: Tampa at Memphis


In the PASS Feature Game of the Day, the Memphis Navigators edged the Tampa Toros 15-13. The Navigators move to 4-2 on the season, while the Toros drop to 3-3.

Memphis was led by an outstanding game by Hector Cantu, earning him the PASS Player of the Day. Cantu went 4 for 5 with two doubles, a home run, three runs batted in, and four runs scored.

“Today is what you call Miller Time!” Cantu said. “Every time I swung the bat, I felt like I could hit the moon. We had a great day.”

Tampa led off the scoring in the top of the first. Mark Davidson reached on an error, followed by singles by Sandy Manuel and John Bender. Charlie Mills then hit a bases-clearing triple for the early 3-0 lead. Player-coach Max Ramon then hit an RBI double to make it 4-0.

The Navigators answered in the bottom of the inning when Cantu doubled, followed by an RBI single by Bruce Walsh to cut the Tampa lead to 4-1.

Memphis followed up the first inning with a big second inning. Willie Jacobs singled, followed by Eugene Sanders reaching on an error. The Navigators then got three straight singles to cut the Tampa lead to 4-3. Walsh then hit a two-RBI double to make it 5-4 in favor of Memphis. After a Carlos Ramirez sacrifice fly scored Cantu, Gerald Robinson doubled to give Memphis a 7-4 lead.

The Toros stormed back, though. After scoring a run in the top of the third, Tampa retook the lead in the fourth. Davidson led off with a single, followed by an RBI double by Manuel. With two outs, Ramon singled in Manuel, followed by a two-run blast by Buddy Hynes to give Tampa a 9-7 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, Cantu hit his first homer of the season, making it 9-8 in favor of the Toros after four.

Tampa would get two more in the sixth. With two outs, Davidson doubled, followed by three straight singles by Manuel, John Bender, and Charlie Mills.

However, the Navigators would take the lead for good in the bottom of the inning. Robinson doubled to lead off, followed by singles by Wilfred Gunter and Jacobs to make it 11-9. Sanders then doubled to tie the score at 11. Two batters later, David Crow hit an RBI double and Memphis took the lead. Cantu followed with an RBI double, and Ramirez did the same with two outs. After a Robinson RBI single, Memphis had shot ahead 15-11.

The Toros made their last effort in the ninth. Three straight singles loaded the bases for Manuel, who then grounded into a double play, allowing a run to score. Bender followed with an RBI single, but Mills flew out to end the game.

Most Outstanding Players of the Game:
Hector Cantu, Memphis, 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R
Gerald Robinson, Memphis, 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R
Charlie Mills, Tampa, 2-6, 3B, 4 RBI, R
Sandy Manuel, Tampa, 3-6, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R

[StLee]

PASS Results, May 6, 2012:

Myrtle Beach 6 at New Orleans 3
Baton Rouge 4 at Austin 3
Richmond 0 at Virginia Beach 13
Louisville 8 at Raleigh 3
Orlando 4 at Atlanta 6
Jackson 11 at Jacksonville 3
Charlotte 14 at Houston 15
Nashville 6 at Dallas 7
Miami 4 at Mobile 10
Little Rock 2 at Shreveport 4
Savannah 8 at Birmingham 9

[StLee]

PASS Players of the Day, May 6, 2012:

Hector Cantu, Memphis, 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R


Zach Hodges, Charlotte, 4-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB


Terry Beatty, New Orleans, 4-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

[StLee]

Reactions Around the League, May 6, 2012:

Louisville Player-Coach Mike York: “We got two [wins] in a row now. That was some nice consistent hitting in Raleigh. And Billy Yates keeps powering us to contention.” Reacting to the Thoroughbreds’ 8-3 win over Raleigh.

Little Rock Player-Coach John Hubbard: “We could never get our bats working for us, and that’s why we almost got shut out.” Reacting to the Razorbacks’ 4-2 loss to Shreveport.

Myrtle Beach Player-Coach Mike Brown: “When you’ve got a player [Terry Beatty] for the other team hitting two homers and you still only give up three runs, you have yourself one damn fine defensive team.” Reacting to the Dolphins’ 6-3 win over New Orleans.

Orlando Player-Coach Aubrey Wines: “You want a quote from me? How about, ‘Eat [expletive].’ We played like [expletive] and we fielded like [expletive]. Thank God for [Randy] Watts and Joe Lee.” Reacting to Orlando’s 6-4 loss to Atlanta.

[StLee]

May 7, 2012

BNN, Softball Edition:
Throughout the season, we hope to give you feature games, representing all teams in the league. However, today we did not feature a particular game. Instead, we decided to feature the most exciting game of the day. Please be patient if we have not yet featured your favorite team. We here at BNNSE are fans of all 24 teams, and would like to give them all as much time and space as we possibly can.

Game of the Day:


In the PASS Game of the Day, Orlando edged Houston 8-7.

The Slammers (6-1) dropped their first game of the season, despite holding a 7-0 lead over Orlando in the game. The Kings (4-3) are now in a four-way tie atop the Southeastern Division.

“It was a huge disappointment today,” Houston player-coach Nick Elliott said. “We had a big lead and just couldn't hang on to it.”

Houston started off the scoring with a big fourth inning, thanks in part to the Kings committing some of their six errors in the game. With one out and the bases loaded, Neal Astley hit an RBI single. A throwing error on the play, the Kings’ third error in the inning, allowed Christian Holmes to score to make it 2-0 for the Slammers. Bob Chase then followed with a two-RBI single, followed by consecutive singles by Hayden George and Evan Guerehan to make it 5-0. Nick Elliott hit an RBI single and Chris Olson hit an RBI sacrifice fly to cap off the seven run inning.

The Kings answered in the bottom of the fourth, though. Consecutive singles by Allen Palen, Spencer Douglas, and Randy Watts made It 7-1. With one out, Jone Rosseland hit an RBI single to end the inning 7-2 in favor of the Slammers.

Improved defensive play started to benefit Orlando at this point as they held Houston to its first three up, three down inning in the fifth. The Kings then bit more into Houston’s lead with three in the bottom of the fifth. Barry Bailey singled and Tim Roy doubled before Palen hit a three-run homer over the left field fence to make it 7-5.

Orlando then scored three more in the eighth for the advantage in the game. Joe Lee led off with a triple, followed by doubles by Zach Warren and Bailey to tie the game. With one out and the bases loaded, Ken Petty hit an RBI sacrifice fly to give the Kings the 8-7 lead.

“We didn't have the best game defensively,” Orlando player-coach Aubrey Wines said. “However, we showed heart to beat the best team in the league. I don’t know if Houston’s going to lose a whole lot of games this year, but I most certainly like being one of the teams that beat them.”

Players of the Game:

Allen Palen, Orlando, 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB
Barry Bailey, Orlando, 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R
Bob Chase, Houston, 2-5, 2 RBI, R

[StLee]

PASS Results, May 7, 2012

Richmond 6 at Myrtle Beach 5
Atlanta 8 at Savannah 6
Austin 9 at Miami 7
New Orleans 3 at Louisville 5
Dallas 10 at Charlotte 2
Birmingham 15 at Tampa 8
Shreveport 5 at Mobile 3
Memphis 3 at Little Rock 2
Raleigh 10 at Jackson 4
Jacksonville 7 at Baton Rouge 2
Virginia Beach 11 at Nashville 4

[StLee]

PASS Players of the Day, May 7, 2012

Milo Reed, Dallas, 5-6, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R


Allen Palen, Orlando, 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB


Michael Farley, Austin, 2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

[StLee]

Reactions Around the League, May 7, 2012

Birmingham’s Frank Thomas: “No, there’s no relation to [Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas]. First of all, I’m smaller than he is. I play third base. And I can’t hit a bomb worth a [censored].” Reacting to being asked if he is related to famous MLB player Frank Thomas.

Jacksonville Player-Coach Rusty Lewis: “We were [censored] our drawers early in the year looking at some of the builds of the other teams. But you can’t beat good defense, and we might could win a game or two based on our defense.” Reacting to Jacksonville’s 7-2 victory in Baton Rouge. Jacksonville had been averaging giving up 8 runs per game before holding the Rhinos to a season-low two runs.