DELMARVA Baseball League

[illeracula]

Game 1: Georgetown Sixteens at New Castle Colonials

I have a delima going into game 1, do I go with my ace who is 87% ready or do I go with a well rested Alberto Ramos who pitched well against the Colonials this season? The downfall is Ramos is going to go 5-6 innings, which means the bullpen will need to be up and ready to go. I don't feel strongly about starting my starts on short rest, so Ramos will be getting the ball. Ramos has no playoff expeirence, but he was 0-0 in 2 starts (15.0 Innings) against he Colonials.

The Colonials will go with their ace Pablo Garcia. Garcia went pitched one game against us this giving up 4 runs over 5 innings and taking the loss... the Colonials ace went 15-7 2.68 on the season, however, like Ramos does have a stamina problem. So the Colonials bullpen will be needed tonight as well.

Against lefties, the Sixteens went 24-19 (.558) so I like our chances tonight, but I am a little worried about this post-season. Our lineup will look like this:
CF Randy Downey (L), SS Stephen Bentall, DH Edgardo Perdnard, LF Blake Quirke, C John Herbert, 1B Francisco Gallegos (S), RF Dave Lewis, 3B Robinson Lopez, 2B Leon Mendoza

The only players on this roster with some solid playoff experience are Robinson Lopez and Francisco Gallegos on the offensive side and SP Ricardo Gonzalez.

For the Colonails their #1 offense will send this lineup up against Ramos:

RF Cris Flores, 3B Ramon Soto, 1B Jorge Trujillo (L), C Emilio Rivera, SS Tim Simmons (S), LF Jeff Williams, CF Steve Moon, DH Nick Watson, 2B Ian Sellers

I am a little nervous heading into game 1, not sure what to expect and this Colonials team looks tough.

Play Ball:
The first inning started off in my favor with a lead-off walk to Randy Downey, but on a first pitch hit-and-run Bentall swung and missed and Downey was gunned down... The Colonials fared a little better. A 1-out infield single by Soto go things started, and a 2-out 2-run shot (356ft) down the RF line by Rivera finished it off... after 1 the Colonials lead 2-0

In the 4th the Sixteens would try to chip away at the 2-0 lead. The inning started with a lead-off walk to Quirke, followed by a single by Herbert. Gallegos would ground into the 6-4-3 DP, moving Quirke to third. With 2-outs Lopez would single to right-center scoring Quirke and the Colonials lead was cut in half 2-1.

The Colonials would answer back in the bottom of the 4th, getting that run back, thanks to a solo-shot by Rivera (397ft). After 4 the Colonials lead 3-1

The Sixteens would get things going in the 6th, thanks to a 1-out walk to Francisco Gallegos. The walk would chase Garcia from the game, and the Sixteens would attack new pitcher Jose Lerma. Lopez would triple, scoring Gallegos and 2-batters later Leon Mendoza would tie the game with a single to right. After 5 1/2 the game is tied at 3.

After loading the bases in the 7th with no outs the Sixteens would try again in the 8th. Edgardo Perdnard leads the inning off with a single up the middle. Javier Janchez would run for him and steal second base, and would move to third on the errant throw by the catcher. One-out later Downey would be walked. After a Bentall strike out, Downey would steal second and with runners on 2nd and 3rd, Dave Lewis would come through with a single to left, scoring both Janchez and Downey... The Sixteens would have their first lead of the game 5-3.

Things would get a little nerving for the Sixteens in the 8th, after Alfonso Hernandez, righty/righty match-up, struck out Soto, Ramon Tirado would get Trujillo (lefty/lefty) to fly out. Leo Hampton would come in to try to finish off the inning. A walk to Rivera was followed by a double by Tim Simmons. With runners on 2nd and 3rd Hampton would hit Jeff Williams loading the bases. John Perez would come in and try to get us out of the inning... And with a 2-2 count to Steve Moon Perez would blow a fastball by him for strike three. After 8 the Sixteens continued to hold the 5-3 lead.

Bottom of the 9th Bernard McCormick on the hill to close out the game:
DH Nick Watson flies out to left.
2B Ian Sellers grounds out to first.
And with two outs the close on the hill... all hell would break loose.
Flores singles to third. Soto singles up the middle. Trujillo singles to right, scoring Flores. Rivera singles to left scoring Soto
Game tied! 5-5 and we are heading into the 10th.

McCormick would be left out their for the 10th. With one out Moon singled to right center. With 2 outs Ian Sellers walks moving Moon to second. And the next hitter Cris Flores would crush a "single" to right-center scoring Moon end the game. The Colonials win the extra-inning thriller 6-5.

Colonials lead the series 1-0

W: Luis Deleon (1-0) (2.0 IP, 2 K)
L: Bernard McCormick (0-1) (1.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, BB, K)
HR: GEO: none, NWC: Emilio Rivera 2 (2)

POG: Emilio Rivera (NWC): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI

Game Notes:
Each team had 3 players with multi-hit games: GEO: Dave Lewis (2-6), Robinson Lopez (3-4) and Leon Mendoza (2-5). NEW: Cris Flores (2-5), Ramon Soto (2-5) and Rivera (3-4)... The Sixteens had 1 extra-base hit, 6th inning triple by Robinson Lopez... The Sixteens used 6 pitchers on the evening. Ramos had a solid start going 7.0 innings, allowing 5 hits and 3 runs... The Colonials used 4 pitchers. Starter Pablo Garcia went 5.1 innings allowing 4 hits, 2 runs, walking 5 and striking out 4... The attendance was 48,071.

GM Notes:
Not much to say here. The bullpen let us down. We fought back and had the Colonials right where we wanted them and we blew it. At least this game should give us some confidence heading into tomorrows game. We can hang with these guys... Leaving the bases loaded in the 7th with no-outs was really the deciding factor of this game. Yes we took the lead in the 8th, but we missed a huge opportunity... We now have our ace ready and rested for Game 2. I actually think we could win this series. We just need one or two key hits... Our post-season inexperience showed tonight.

This one hurt...

[illeracula]

Game 2: Georgetown Sixteens at New Castle Colonials

I made the right choice going with Ramos in game and now I feel lucky to have my #1-2-3 ready and 100% for the next 3 games... Game 1 was tough and I hope our guys learned something from it and will do a little better this game. We are going up against Seth Bennet of the Colonials and he held us quite in his one game against this season. I hope we are ready.

No change in the lineup, I liked what they did in game 1 and I hope we can do it again in game 2.
CF Randy Downey (L), SS Stephen Bentall, DH Edgardo Perdnard, LF Blake Quirke, C John Herbert, 1B Francisco Gallegos (S), RF Dave Lewis, 3B Robinson Lopez, 2B Leon Mendoza

Ricardo Gonzalez went 2-0 0.63 in 2 starts against the Colonials this season so I am hoping he can continue that trend and keep their powerful offense at bay. Feels like that is what we need to win games.

The Colonials run out the same lineup in Game 2 as well:
RF Cris Flores, 3B Ramon Soto, 1B Jorge Trujillo (L), C Emilio Rivera, SS Tim Simmons (S), LF Jeff Williams, CF Steve Moon, DH Nick Watson, 2B Ian Sellers

One thing I did learn from game 1 is we can run against these guys. Rivera doesn't have a great arm and most of the bullpen don't hold runners on well. Now just to get some runners on so we can make use of that knowledge.

Play Ball:
From the bottom of the first on, the Sixteens just didn't have it going for them... In the bottom of the first the game started with a Cris Flores solo-blast (402ft) to right-center. Soto and Trujillo would follow with singles, with Soto ending up at third, and then scoring on a Emilio Rivera ground out to third. After 1 the Colonials were up 2-0.

The game would remain 2-0 until the fourth when Jeff Williams would give the Colonials an insurance run with a lead-off solo-shot down the left-field line (382ft). That was all they would get. After 4 the Colonials held to a 3-0 lead.

In the 7th the Colonials would add an insurance run. Lead-off man Ian Sellers doubled to get things going, then moved over to third on a ground-out and a batter later he would score on a Jorge Trujillo single. After 7 the Colonials held a commanding 4-0 lead.

In the 9th Randy Downey would start the inning off with a double, but that would be all the Sixteens would manage. Closer Ed Yoder would come in with 2-outs and Downey on third to get Quirke to fly-out to center and end the game. The Colonials win 4-0.

New Castle Colonials lead the series 2-0

W: Seth Bennet (1-0)
L: Ricardo Gonzalez (0-1)
HR: GEO: none; NWC: Jeff Williams (1), Cris Flores (1)

POG: Seth Bennett (1-0): 8.2 IP, 6 H, 7 K

Game Notes:
Seth Bennet was in full command from the first inning to the last. The Sixteens managed 6 hits, and in only 1 inning were they able to get more than 1... Edgard Perdnard went 2-4 to lead the Sixteens... Cris Flores and Jorge Trujillo both went 3-4 for the Colonials... Ricardo Gonzalez gave up 2 HR's and struck out 7, both stats off from his regular season performance... The Colonials turned 2 double-plays... Attendance for tonights game was 48,862.

GM Notes:
When you have your ace on the hill you expect a better game, but you can't expect perfection every time out. RG gave up 11 hits and 4 runs, which aren't bad stats, but when you have an offense like ours you just need more... Speaking of offense, we need one, tonights game was another awful offense exposition. Painful to watch. The worst part is looking at the lineup card there are a bunch of snow flakes... not sure what to say, expect I know we have holes and I will try to plug them up this off season. Our team shouldn't be this bad.

MarVa Conference - Game 1
Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs vs Norfolk Cavaliers

Reynaldo Dominguez brought his A-game and the Surf Dawgs were able to get to the Cavaliers bullpen in the 8th and get just enough runs to pull out the victory. After losing to the Cavaliers for 3 straight seasons the Surf Dawgs are desperate for some magic and that is what they had today.

Surf Dawgs lead series 1-0

[illeracula]

Game 3: New Castle Colonials at Georgetown Sixteens

The series shifts to Georgetown where I hope we can pick up a couple wins. It will be nice to extend this series and make a series out of it. I know we can hang with these guys we just need a few things to fall into place.

Stan Burns will be on the hill for the Colonials today. Burns pitched ok against the Sixteens this season holding them to a 3.86 ERA and winning once... as for the offense they will run out the same as they have the first 2 games.

RF Cris Flores, 3B Ramon Soto, 1B Jorge Trujillo (L), C Emilio Rivera, SS Tim Simmons (S), LF Jeff Williams, CF Steve Moon, DH Nick Watson, 2B Ian Sellers

Gonzalo Bustamante had a career year this year and I hope he can take that and get us our first playoff win ever. He got hit pretty hard against the Colonials this season, but I am feeling good about this game tonight... having Perdnard on the field might hurt our D some, but I need the bats, we need to score runs.

I decided to switch the lineup up some, just trying to get something going...
CF Randy Downey (L), RF Javier Janchez (L), SS Stephen Bentall, DH Edgardo Perdnard, LF Blake Quirke, 1B Francisco Gallegos (S), C John Herbert, DH Dave Lewis, 3B Robinson Lopez

Play Ball:
Lead-off man Cris Flores would single to start the game, but Bustamante wouldn't allow him to get off first... For us Randy Downey would start the game with a single of his own, but then get gunned down. Downey is a 12-speed and 19-steal guy so I felt good sending him against Burns hold-6 and Rivera Arm-9, but it wasn't even close... Janchez would walk and steal second, but that was it... After 1 game is tied 0-0

The game would remain tied until the bottom of the third when the Sixteens put together an ever-so-small rally. Lopez lead off the inning with a single, the next batter Randy Downey would be given the hit-and-run sign and he would ground out, but Lopez would move up. Janchez would ground out and Lopez would end up on third. And Stephen Bentall would come through with 2-outs singling to right, scoring Lopez... After 3 the Sixteens would take the lead 1-0.

That lead would last till the 5th when the Colonials would take advantage of a 2-out error by Robinson Lopez allowing Soto to reach. Soto would move to third on a Trujillo single, Trujillo would steal second, and then both runners would score when Emilio Rivera would single down the RF line. Simmons and Williams would follow with singles and Rivera would cross the plate and after the dust settled in the 5th, the Colonials would hold a 3-1 lead.

In the 7th, when everyone in attendance thought the wind was out of the Sixteens sails they would fight back. Robinson Lopez started off the inning with a walk, chasing SP Burns, and getting to the Colonials bullpen and Michael Meagher. After a Downey strikeout Javier Janchez hit what some people are calling the furthest ball ever hit at the Stadium in Georgetown (451ft) to dead center to tie the game up. Two batters later Edgardo Perdnard would give the Sixteens the lead with a solo-blast down the LF line (396ft). And after 7 the Sixteens would take the 4-3 lead.

Lefty Ramon Tirado would be called on to keep the lead in the 8th and he would do just that. Ground out, strikeout, strikeout... With closer Bernard McCormick ready to go, I decided to keep Tirado in the game (partly recalling game 1)... Tirado would get Sellers to fly out to center, strikeout Flores and get Soto to ground out to short ending the game! After 9, the Sixteens had their first playoff victory 4-3!

Colonials lead the series 2-1

W: Leo Hampton (1-0)
L: Michael Meagher (0-1)
S: Ramon Tirado (1)
HR: NWC: none; GEO: Edgardo Perdnard (1), Javier Janchez (1);

POG: Gonzalo Bustmante (Georgetown Sixteens), 6.0 IP, 8 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Game Notes:
Blake Quirke lead Georgetown with 3 hits going 3-4, with a double. Robinson Lopez went 2-3, scoring 2 runs, Randy Downey went 2-5... Cris Flores (2-5) and Emilio Rivera (2-4) each had 2 hits for the Colonials. Rivera added a run and 2 RBI... Lopez committed the first error of the series. The error lead to all 3 Colonials runs... This is the first win in playoff history for the Sixteens. The game was at home and in front of 48,042 people.

GM Notes:
I am glad I mixed things up. Wow. I didn't expect a HR from Janchez I was actually just hoping to steal a base or two with him. He stole one in the first and never had another chance. He did lay down a perfect sac-bunt, which could of been big, but we were unable to execute with runners on second and third and no-one out... I am excited by this win, but it puts a lot of pressure on Ronald Cook who is coming into the game on a 3-game losing streak. If we can win this game the series momentum could change. Pye in game 5, and maybe Gonzalez on short in game 6. I am getting a little ahead of myself. But it is exciting.

MarVa Conference - Game 2
Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs vs Norfolk Cavaliers

The next day the Cavaliers would bounce back and tie the series up, thanks to a wonderful pitching performance by Joaquin Hernandez. Claudio Flores would hit a solo-HR in the third to break the 0-0 tie and then Cav's would hit and walk their way to 2-more runs, which is all they would need as they cruised to a 4-0 victory.

The Series is tied 1-1

[illeracula]

Game 4: New Castle Colonials at Georgetown Sixteens

The Colonials will be going with Jimmy Powers, we beat him this season, so I can take that as a good sign. Powers split the season between the Senators and the Colonials going 10-12 3.84. He became a full time starter when he joined the Colinals and went 3-7 in 12 starts...

RF Cris Flores, 3B Ramon Soto, 1B Jorge Trujillo (L), C Emilio Rivera, SS Tim Simmons (S), LF Jeff Williams, CF Steve Moon, DH Nick Watson, 2B Ian Sellers

For us its Ronald Cook's game and its a big game. Must win pretty much. Cook has never seen the post-season before and he comes in losing his last 4 starts. I do hope he can trun things around today. Our offense has very little experience against Powers with Lopez, our hottest post-season hitter, having seen him the most going 0-8. After the game 3 win I will go with the same lineup. Hopefully it will bring good luck in this game as well...

CF Randy Downey (L), RF Javier Janchez (L), SS Stephen Bentall, DH Edgardo Perdnard, LF Blake Quirke, 1B Francisco Gallegos (S), C John Herbert, DH Dave Lewis, 3B Robinson Lopez

Play Ball:
After 3-innings the score is tied 0-0 with the Sixteens leaving 2 runners on in the 3rd as the only real "threat" of the game. The Colonials have 2 hits and the Sixteens 4. The first third of the game is in the books, and the game is tied 0-0.

In the 4th the Colonials will take lead. Lead-off man Jorge Trujillo doubled to center and would move to third after a Rivera ground out. Trujillo would come across the plate on a Simmons 5-3 ground out, giving the Colonials the first run of the game and the lead 1-0.

The score would remain 1-0 until the 8th when the Colonials added an insurance run. With 1-out Nick Watson drilled a triple down the third-base line. And 2-batters later, Cris Flores would deliver the 2-out RBI single. And after 7 1/2 the Colonials held a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the 9th the Sixteens would try to get tie things up, but they would have to face the Colonials closer Luis Deleon. Bentall strikes out looking. Perdnard grounds out to second. Quirke strikes out to end the game. The Colonials would win game 4 2-0.

Colonials lead the series 3-1

W: Jimmy Powers (1-0)
L: Ronald Cook (0-1)
S: Luis Deleon (1)
HR: NWC: none; GEO: none;

POG: Jimmy Powers (New Castle) 7.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 K, 68 GS

Game Notes:
The Colonials had 7 total hits with Ramon Soto and Jorge Trujillo collecing 2-each. Trujillo had a double and Nick Watson added a triple for their only extra-base hits... The Sixteens collected 6 singles, lead by Blake Quirke who had 2... Francisco Gallegos grounded into 2 double plays and left a team-high 3 men stranded. In the 4th with runners on 1st and 2nd and no-one out, Gallegos hit into a 1-6-3 DP, which could of been the turning point of the game... Ronald Cook went 8 innings, allowing 7 hits and 2 runs while striking out 4... The attendance for today's game was 47,991.

GM Notes:
The whole season we have been looking for offense and today was the exclamation point. Six hits, no runs, against a half-way decent starter. This will be my #1 goal this off-season I need to get some runs behind these starters... Ronald Cook was awesome and we couldn't of asked for a better outing... I am just to ready to play a strong game and get another win in this series. Its one day at a time now.

MarVa Conference - Game 3
Norfolk Cavaliers at Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs

In the first home game in Virginia the Surf Dawgs were able to manufacture 5 runs off of Cornell Pearson over 5.2 innings, thanks to a big hit by Daryl Burns and his 4-4 day. He ended up driving in 3 runs and scoring 1 of his own. Gerado Garcia was able to keep the Cavaliers offense in check for 6 innings, which was helped by 4 double plays. Manuel Petrelia closed the door and the Dawgs took the game 5-4.

Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs lead 2-1

[illeracula]

Game 5: New Castle Colonials at Georgetown Sixteens

Game 1 starter Pablo Garcia is 100% rested and back for game 5. He took us down pretty easily in the game 1, but maybe we will be ready in game 5 since we just saw him a week ago. He has a 7 staminia, so getting his pitch count up will be a key.

No changes in the New Castle lineup for the 5th straight game...

RF Cris Flores, 3B Ramon Soto, 1B Jorge Trujillo (L), C Emilio Rivera, SS Tim Simmons (S), LF Jeff Williams, CF Steve Moon, DH Nick Watson, 2B Ian Sellers

Game 5, and this is it, must win or we go home... at least we get three home games this series, but it will be nice to walk away with the W. Ricardo Gonzalez will be on the hill, he says he is 85% but ready to go, so the ball is his. You win and lose with your best right?

I did tweak the lineup some with Janchez heading back to the bench and David Marricio getting the start in the OF. I need my heart to pick it up, namely Stephen Bentall (3-17) and Francisco Galleogs (2-12) if I hope to have any chance at the W.

CF Randy Downey (L), 2B Edgardo Perdnard, LF Blake Quirke, DH Dave Lewis, SS Stephen Bentall, 1B Francisco Gallegos (S), C John Herbert, 3B Robinson Lopez, RF David Marricio (S)

Perdnard isn't a noted defender at 2B, but has been playing solid all series (knock-on-wood).

Play Ball:
With two outs in the bottom of the first the Sixteens would get things rolling. A 2-out walk to Blake Quirke was followed by 4-straight singles by Lewis, Bentall, Gallegos and Herbert. Quirke and Bentall would score. And after a walk to Lopez, David Marricio would single in Gallegos. And After 1 the Sixteens had a 4-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth the Sixteens would add an insurance run. Downey lead off the inning working the 3-2 walk (3 foul balls), then Perdnard singled to right, moving Downey tho third and 2 pitches later, Pablo Garcia would bounce one up to the plate, and Downey would score on the wild pitch. After 4 the Sixteens held a 5-0 lead.

In the 8th short rest caught up to Ricardo Gonzalez and the Colonials were finally able to break their goose egg. Lead-off man Moon was drilled with a 1-2 fastball. He would move to third on a 1-out Sellers single to right and then come home to score on a sac-fly by Flores. That was all the Colonials would get and after 7 1/2 the Sixteens held a 5-1 lead.

Ramon Tirado would replace Gonzalez in the 9th for the Sixteens and Tirado would set the Colonials down 1-2-3, and preserve the 5-1 victory for the Sixteens.

Colonials lead the series 3-2

W: Ricardo Gonzalez (1-1)
L: Pablo Garcia (0-1)
HR: NWC: none; GEO: none;

POG: Ricardo Gonzalez (Georgetown Sixteens) 8.0 IP, 5 H, R, BB, 8 K, 110/72 PI/PS, 75 GS

Game Notes:
The Colonials managed only 5 hits on the day, with none of them going for extra-bases. Ian Sellers went 2-3 out of the 9 slot of the Colonials... Stephen Bentall showed some life going 3-5 leading the Sixteens offense... Dave Lewis and John Herbert each went 2-4 with an RBI... John Herberts double was the only extra-base hit on the day... Robinson Lopez drew 3 walks and went 1-1 reaching base all 4 times... Each team turned 2 double plays... Colonials Cris Flores was held hit-less for the first time in the series... Pablo Garcia threw 3.1 innings, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits, he walked a surprising 4 hitters... The attendance for today's game was 47,988.

GM Notes:
Our offense score some runs and it was enough thanks to a brilliant pitching performance by Gonzalez. What if he pitched like this in game 2, it coudl be 3-2 us, or not, but its fun to dream. I wonder if there would be any chance he would be halfway ready for a game 7. As it is now Mike Pye will make his playoff debut in Game 6 and back to Bustamante for Game 7... In reality I don't think I have a shot to pull this off, but I am not fully counting us out yet. I would like to see our offense go berserk next game and just pile on the runs and force a game 7. But the real key to 7 will be Pye. Which Pye is going to show up?... I like to see these guys draw walks and not strike out (7 BB's, 2 K's) that means we are clicking. Hopefully we can continue this in Game 6. I think I will go with the same lineup with Marricio batting 9th and playing right. He did go 1-3 with an RBI... A game 6 win would be awesome...

MarVa Conference - Game 4
Norfolk Cavaliers at Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs

The Cavaliers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd, but the Surf Dawgs would battle back with a run in the 3rd and 2 in the 6th to take the lead. In the 8th, Bob Short would hit a solo-HR for the Cavaliers tying the game up... With the game tied in the bottom of the 8th the Surf Dawgs would manufacture the winning run. A lead-off walk to Jose Silva. A Sac-bunt by one of the Surf Dawgs top players Steven Jefferson would move Silva to second. Duncan Gilmore would ground out to second moving Silva to third. And Martin Scott would knock him in with a single to right. Manuel Petrelia would end the game by striking out the final two Cavaliers and the Surf Dawgs would take a commanding series lead and win game-4 4-3.

Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs lead 3-1

[illeracula]

Game 6: Georgetown Sixteens at New Castle Colonials

Mike Pye is on the hill in this must win game 6 for us. He has 6 post-season games under his belt, including 3 starts he made in 2022. He pitched ok going 1-2 3.93, but it feels good knowing he has been here.

Before the game it was announced that Francisco Gallegos is not able to go. We aren't sure why ("Unkown"), and it is just for this day. This is the first game Francisco has missed all year playing in all 162 games. This injury means we will be using another different lineup. I decided to go with the best 1B fielder I had left, which was Javier Janchez. Janchez will play and bat 7th. Marricio is back in the game batting 9th.

CF Randy Downey (L), 2B Edgardo Perdnard, LF Blake Quirke, DH Dave Lewis, SS Stephen Bentall, 1B Javier Janchez (L), C John Herbert, 3B Robinson Lopez, RF David Marricio (S)

We are going up against Seth Bennett who pitched earlier in this series and went 8.2 shut-out innings, allowing just 6 hits. I hope we are bringing our A game today. The Colonials will be throwing out the same lineup as the first 5.

RF Cris Flores, 3B Ramon Soto, 1B Jorge Trujillo (L), C Emilio Rivera, SS Tim Simmons (S), LF Jeff Williams, CF Steve Moon, DH Nick Watson, 2B Ian Sellers

Must win time...

Play Ball:
In the bottom of the 2nd the Colonials would jump ahead thanks to a solo-shot down the RF line by Tim Simmmons. The Colonials would threaten some more in the inning with 2 more singles, but Pye would work his way out of it. After 2 innings the Colonials lead 1-0.

However that lead wouldn't last long as the Sixteens would answer back in the 3rd. Randy Downey lead things off with a double and he would move to third on a Edgardo Perdnard ground out. With the tying run at third Blake Quirke laced a liner into right scoring Downey. Stephen Bentall would leg out an infield hit, putting runners on 1st and 2nd for John Herbert. Herbert would single to right, scoring Quirke. Javier Janchez would follow with a single of his own scoring Bentall. Robinson Lopez would load the bases with 2-outs, but David Marricio struck out ending the threat. The Sixteens bounced back and took the lead 3-1 after 2 1/2.

In the 4th the Sixteens would add another run. Perdnard singles with one out. Moved up to second on a Blake Quirke ground-out. A wild pitch moved Pednard to third and he would come hom on a Dave Lewis single. The Sixteens added an insurance run, and now lead 4-1 after 3 1/2.

The 5th inning would be the inning the Sixteens would break the game open. Plating 5. Janchez doubled to start things off. Lopez was intentional walked. Marricio was called on to lay down the bunt, which was done successfully. Downey was IBB'd to load the bases. Perdnard singled scoring Janchez and Lopez. Quirke drew the walk to load the bases. After Dave Lewis struck out. Bentall was plunked on a 2-2 pitch scoring Downey. A Wild pitch scored Pedrnard and 2 pitches later Herbert singled in the 5th run of the inning. After 4 1/2 the Sixteens lead 9-1.

IN the 7th the Sixteens would add 3 more to finish of the scoring for the day. Blake Quirke lead off the 7th with a solo-HR (391ft). And with one out Bentall singled to right. Herbert walked. Janchez would double to left, scoring Bentall and putting runners on 2nd and 3rd for Lopez. Lopez would ground-out scoring Herbert. That was all the Sixteens would get. And after 6 1/2 the Sixteens lead 12-1

Leo Hampton replaced the tired Mike Pye and would retire the Colonials 1-2-3 to end the game. The Sixteens won 12-1

The Series is tied 3-3

W: Mike Pye (1-0)
L: Seth Bennett (1-1)
HR: GEO: Blake Quirke (1); NWC: Tim Simmons (1)

POG: Blake Qurike (Georgetown Sixteens): 2-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Game Notes:
Jorge Trujillo was the only player on New Castle to collect multiple hits, going 2-4... Edgardo Perdnard, Stephen Bentall and Javier Janchez each collected 3 hits for the Sixteens... Four Sixteens drove in 2 runs, Perdnard, Quirke, Herbert and Janchez... Blake Quirke scored 3 times, 3 other Sixteens scored twice... Seth Bennett went 4.1 innings, allowing 13 hits and 8 runs... Mike Pye threw 113 pitches, striking out 7... The Sixteens left 14 runners on base... The games attendance was 48,477.

GM Notes:
Uh, wow, is all I have to say about Mike Pye's day. After we gave him the lead he just took over. The Colonials really didn't have a chance against him. I was in awe as he has had such an up and down season. Today was the up'iest day... We head into game 7 trying to pull off the improbable comeback, by winning the last two games on the road. We will need to bring our A-game if we want to win and I hope we can do it... I am happy for this team we have gone further in the playoffs than I thought we would, so even if the owner doesn't beleive it, this was a successful season for us.

MarVa Conference - Game 5
Norfolk Cavaliers at Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs

Bob Short and Leonard Lawson each hit 2-run HR's for the Cavaliers, but it wasn't enough as the Dawgs were able to score 5 runs, including a huge 4-run 5th, thanks to doubles by Ira Kelley and Luis Romero... With their closer tired and not able to go the Surf Dawgs would take their 1-run lead into the 9th. Brooks Carlson was given the ball to finish off the Cav's. Pedro Torres walked. Bob Short was plunked, Bryant Frank followed by getting hit-by-a-pitch, as well, loading the bases with no-outs. Claudio Flores hit a deep sac-fly scoring the tying run, moving Bob Short up to third. With runners on 1st and 3rd the Cavaliers would take the lead on another sac-fly, this time by Jesse Bryant... The Cav's would take the 6-5 lead and Miguel Angel Gonzalez would close the door in the 9th giving the Cav's the victory and staving off elimination.

Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs lead 3-2

[illeracula]

Game 7: Georgetown Sixteens at New Castle Colonials

Gonzalo Bustamante will be on the hill in game 7, after a solid performance in his first playoff start I am hoping he can follow it up with another solid start. He is full rested, so my fingers are crossed.. We go up against Stan Burns and he held us quiet but took the ND as we plated the go-ahead runs against the Colonials bullpen.

This should be a good game... Gallegos is back in the lineup, and I decided to keep Janchez in the game after his solid game 6. Janchez will bat 9th and play RF.

CF Randy Downey (L), 2B Edgardo Perdnard, LF Blake Quirke, DH Dave Lewis, SS Stephen Bentall, 1B Francisco Gallegos (S), C John Herbert, 3B Robinson Lopez, RF Javier Janchez (L)

The Colonials bring the same lineup to game 7 as they every other game this series. And Stan Burns who took the ND in game 3 is back.

RF Cris Flores, 3B Ramon Soto, 1B Jorge Trujillo (L), C Emilio Rivera, SS Tim Simmons (S), LF Jeff Williams, CF Steve Moon, DH Nick Watson, 2B Ian Sellers

One game, winner takes all... I hope these guys are ready to play...

Play Ball:
The Sixteens got things started in the first scoring 2-runs. With one out Edgardo Perdnard singled. He would be followed by a Blake Quirke double to right. Perdnard would just beat the throw home, giving the Sixteens an early run. Quirke head to third on the throw. Dave Lewis doubled following Quirke to score Quirke. After the first half the Sixteens lead 2-1.

In the bottom of the second the Colonials would cut the lead in half, thanks to a solo-HR by Tim Simmons. After 2 the Sixteens lead 2-1.

In the 4th the Sixteens would plate 5-runs and blow the game open. Things went back for the Colonials in the 4th. Bentall reached on an E6. Gallegos walked. Herbert would double scoring Bentall. Lopez followed with a single of his own, scoring Gallegos. Janchez singled scoring Herbert. Downey would double in Lopez, the 4th straight Sixteens hit. After 2-k's Janchez would score on a Durango passed-ball. After 3 1/2 the Sixteens lead 7-1.

In the 6th the Colonials plated 1. A one-out double by Ramon Soto, a walk to Trujillo and then another double, this time by Rivera, would score Soto. Two pop-outs end the inning and after 6 the Sixteens held on to a 7-2 lead.

The Sixteens would score 4 more in the 7th. With 1-out Dave Lewis would hit a solo-HR. That would be followed by 3 straight singles by Bentall, Gallegos and Herbert. Herbert's would drive in Bentall. With Lopez up to bad, Ryan Carson would be brought in to pitch. During the at-bat a wild pitch would move Gallegos and Herbert up to 2nd and 3rd and a passed ball would plate Gallegos and move Herbert to third. Lopez would eventually walk. Janchez grounded out scoring Herbert ending the Sixteens scoring. After 6 1/2 the Sixteens hold a 11-2 lead.

In the 8th the Sixteens would score 3 more. Pednard singled to start the inning. Quirke followed with a single. Lewis doubled in Pednard. Bentall doubled in Quirke and Lewis... After 7 1/2 the Sixteens lead 14-2.

Bustamante would be left in the game to finish off the Colonials with a pitch count uner 80. Simmons flew out to right. Jeff Williams singled to right. Steve Moon would fly out to center. Nick Watson would end the game with a ground-out to short. The Sixteens would won the deciding game 14-2.

The Sixteens win the series 4-3

W: Gonzalo Bustamante (1-0)
L: Stan Bruns (0-1)
HR: GEO: Dave Lewis (1) ; NWC: Tim Simmons (1)

POG: Dave Lewis, Georgetown Sixteens, 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 runs, 3 RBI's

Game Notes:
The Sixteens collected 16 hits, of which 7 went for extra-base hits... Dave Lewis lead the Sixteens with 3 hits... Perdnard, Quirke, Bentall, Herbert and Lopez each had 2-hits... Lewis had 3 RBI's, Bentall, Herbert and Janchez each had 2... Francisco Gallegos went 1-1 with a DE Conf playoff record 4 walks... Steve Moon lead the Colonials with 2 hits... Emilio Rivera and Tim Simmons each had an RBI for the Colonials... Stan Burns threw 80 pitches in 3+ innings, allowing 6 hits, 7 runs, 5 of which were earned... Gonzalo Bustmante went 9 innings, allowing 8 hits and 2 runs. Throwing 92 pitches, while striking out 4... The attendance was 48,118

Georgetown Takes Conference Championship in Deciding Game:
Georgetown Sixteens won a nail-biting series from the New Castle Colonials 4-3, wrapping up the Conference Championship finale 14-2 at Colonials Stadium.

Sixteens right fielder Dave Lewis was named the series MVP.

He batted .387, drove in 7 runs and scored 3 to lead Georgetown into the next round of play.

The Georgetown Sixteens don't know who they will face in the next round. They will play the winner of the Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs - Norfolk Cavaliers series. Virginia Beach leads the series 3 games to 2. The League Championship schedule will be announced after the Conference Championship finishes..

GM Notes:
Well that was surprising. I didn't expect to be playing a game 7, let alone winning it the way we did. I have to say I am happy for us and now we are heading to the title game. Just wow... Bustamante, Pye and Gonzalez brought us back from a 3-1 deficit. Without their pitching we wouldn't be here... And the offense performed better than I have seen them all season. Just on fire... I am not sure what the next series is going to bring, but I am going to take some time to soak in this 'W' and our amazing 3-1 series comeback. Never expected that... After pulling off this series win, I think we might be able to pull off the next series as well. Just being here is pretty amazing, and the possibility of winning it all? Well that just sounds awesome as well... The Championships series includes two teams that have never been here before! This is fun...

MarVa Conference - Game 6

Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs at Norfolk Cavaliers

The Surf Dawgs were able to touch=up Joaquin Hernandez in the 4th for two runs, thanks to back-to-back doubles by Ira Kelly and Steven Jefferson. Kelly scored on Jefferson's double and Jefferson scored 2-batters later on a Duncan Gilmore double-play ball. Those 2-runs were all the Surf Dawgs would need, as Irving Mills shut the Cavaliers down for 7 innings, allowing 7 hits and 3 runs. Manuel Petrelia would close the door in the 9th the finish off the Cavaliers and the Surf Dawgs would finally take down the Cavaliers after 4-straight conference title losses.

Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs win the series 4-2

Surf Dawgs are off to League Championship:
Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs fans are rejoicing after a 2-0 win at Cavaliers Ballpark has propelled the club to a 4-2 Conference Championship victory over the Norfolk Cavaliers.

The win has advanced the club on to the League Championship.

"Total team effort, that's the only way we get it done in this one," said Virginia Beach's Darryl Burns, who was named series MVP.

The Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs will play against the Georgetown Sixteens in the next round. Georgetown won their series against the New Castle Colonials 4 games to 3. The League Championship schedule will be announced after the Conference Championship finishes.

[illeracula]

Georgetown Sixteens
The Sixteens are getting ready for the Championship Series, the first one in organization history. The 94 wins we pulled off this season was the 2nd best in team history, only to 2017 when the Sixteens finished with 96 wins and in second place 3-games behind the Braves. Oddly enough the fan loyalty hasn't changed much during this playoff run and the mood of the owner? Well he is just 'satisfied'...

And the day of the first game of the series we get the following news:

Gallegos Will Miss Time After Freak Treadmill Injury: Georgetown first baseman Francisco Gallegos will miss at least a few weeks after being diagnosed with a strained groin. The injury occurred while Gallegos was running on a treadmill in the team's workout facility. Safety inspectors weren't able to find anything mechanically defective on the offending machine. However, a subsequent review of the team's facilities showed several pieces of equipment to be unsafe. As a precaution, Georgetown management has announced that equipment in the team's aging facility will be immediately replaced with brand new machines.

Gallegos who didn't miss any games all season, missed one during the first round of the playoffs for an unknown reason and now this. This might really hurt however, since we relied on his solid defense at first-base. The one bright note that I can take away from this injury is Gallegos hit .222-0-1 with 4 runs scored. To take his place we added our top offensive prospect OF Tom Brown to the playoff roster. Good move? I like to think so, he can fly and he can play solid LF and he has average ratings with the bat. He will most likely be my starting LF during the playoffs. Brown hit .313-25-89 during his double-A campaign this season... yes this is risky, but I feel like he could add a spark I need. Javier Janchez and Dave Lewis will be my first basemen during this series. Janchez offers better defense and speed, Lewis a better bat.

With Gallegos (.254-25-69) and Alejandro Diaz (.277-34-96) out for the Championships, the pressure will even more on the pitchers. We will also be without Emory Phillips (.235-3-10) who is a speedster and solid OF'er, but only played in 23 games before going down with an injury this season. We aren't lined-up for Gonzalez to go game 1, but he will be there for game 2 and game 6. Game one and 5 will be Ronald Cook, with Mike Pye going in game 3 and 7 and Gonzalo Bustamante going in game 4. This of course is subject to change... Gonzalez claims to be 100%, but he just threw 110 pitches 5 days ago. I am not exactly sure what to do, it will be a game-time decision.

If I pull off this series win, this could be my last week in Georgetown. For some reason the owner, Matt Hardy, just rubs me the wrong way... if we don't get the win it will be tougher decision. I'd like to take over one of the expansion teams from the beginning... something to think about over the next week plus.

Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs
After losing to the Norfolk Cavaliers in the MarVa Conference Championships the previous 3 seasons, their fourth time seemed to be the charm. The Cavaliers were the team to beat this season and the Surf Dawgs did just that, surprising everyone. After a slow start the Surf Dawgs picked things up and were able to take the Eastern Division for the 4th straight season. This is their first appearance in the Championships.

Lead by an offense that scored more than any other team in the Conference, but one, and a pitching staff that relies heavily on the bullpen the Surf Dawgs are ready to become the first of the 2017 expansion teams to take home the crown. The Surf Dawgs come into the Championship round with 3 injuries to key players. Catcher Luis Romero is listed as day-to-day (17%) for the first 2 games, Hall-of-Famer, and oft-injured Peter Peters put up numbers when healthy (.255-16-56), which was only for 62 games, and MR/SP Steve Cole (2-7 5.94) is out with shoulder inflammation.

The ace of the Surf Dawgs, Reynaldo Dominguez, is listed to face off with the Sixteens ace in game 2, as the Surf Dawgs come in with a ready starting rotation. They key again is the bullpen lead by closer and all-time saves leader Manuel Petrelia.

Preview:
The 2 teams split the season series 2-2 and the Surf Dawgs didn't get a look at the top-3 Sixteens starters. The Sixteens however, didn't hit the Surf Dawgs starters that well this season, then again they really didn't hit till the last 2-games of the last series... These two teams are opposites, with the Surf Dawgs scoring runs and the Sixteens not allowing runs to be scored. This series really comes down to 1) can the Sixteens score runs and 2) Can the Surf Dawgs pitching do its job against the the Sixteens.

It is tough to favor either one of these teams going in. The Dawgs are healthier and have more post-season experience than most of the Sixteens. The Sixteens are hot scoring double-digit runs the last 2 games of the Conference Championships. Pitching versus hitting, this is adding up to be a great series. I do expect this series to go 6 or 7 games and it should be a close an fun series overall.

The Sixteens are ready to win this series, and should have a slight advantage having home field advantage. Even if they played better on the road most of the season.

Nerves are setting in...

[illeracula]

DelMarVa Championship Series
Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs @ Georgetown Sixteens

Game 1:
Before game 1 I made a few more changes. I removed Joe Gould (MR/SP) from the playoff roster and added Jose Garcia (IF) who will give me a little more depth and defense. This moves gives us 14 position players and 11 pitches.

Another thing I decided to do was to give the ball for game 1 to Ricardo Gonzalez. He says he is rested and ready to go. You go with your best right? He will go up against Gerado Garcia who won his only start in the Cavaliers series and went 0-1 4.26 against us this season.

The Surf Dawgs lineup has a bunch of solid hitters lead by power man Ira Kelly and SS Steven Jefferson. They have a solid mix of righties and lefties throughout.

1B Jorge Arrendondo, 2B Kent Davis (L), CF Ira Kelly, SS Steven Jefferson (L), 3B Darryl Burns (S), DH Duncan Gilmore (L), LF Jose Silva (S), RF Luis Antonio Cora and C Luis Romero (L).

For us we go with what we know best, the lineup I think will score us the most runs:
CF Randy Downey (L), 2B Edgardo Perdnard, 1B Dave Lewis, DH Blake Quirke, SS Stephen Bentall, C John Herbert, LF Tom Brown (L), 3B Robinson Lopez, and RF Javier Janchez (L)

Notes: VB: Kent Davis the all-time hits leader is in the lineup at 2B a position he doesn't play well. Catcher Luis Romero is playing at 85%. GTW: Tom Brown is making is big league debut.

I am nervous about this one...

Play Ball...
The Surf Dawgs didn't waste anytime getting things going, scoring 1 in the first. Lead-off man Arredondo lead the game off with a double, which was followed by a run producing single by Kent Davis. Gonzalez struck out the next 3 but the damage was done. After 1: Surf Dawgs 1, Sixteens 0

In the third the Surf Dawgs would add to their lead, and it started off again with a lead-off double, this time by Luis Romero. Romero would score 2-batter latter on a Kent Davis single up the middle. Davis would be thrown out at home on a great Janchez/Perdnard relay for the second out. After 2 1/2: Surf Dawgs 2, Sixteens 0

The bottom of the third would be in the inning the Sixteens would get on the board. Janchez lead off the inning with a single and moved to third on Randy Downey's single. After a Perdnard strike-out, Dave Lewis doulbed to left-center scoring Janchez and moving Downey to third. Quirke beat out an infield single allowing Downey to score and moving Lewis to third. Gerardo Garcia would botch a pick-off attempt and throw the ball away scoring Lewis and giving the Sixteens the lead. After 3: Surf Dawgs 2, Sixteens 3

The Sixteens would add another run in the fourth. Rookie Tom Brown drew the lead-off walk. He would steal second. Move to third on a ground out. And with 2-outs Randy Downey would single him home. After 4: Surf Dawgs 2, Sixteens 4

That lead wouldn't last long. In the 5th, With 1-out Arredondo grounded into the FC. He would steal second and move to third when Herber threw the ball to center, and would score on the E5 on the Kent Davis grounder. Davis would score on an Ira Kelly single. After a Kelly steal of second, Steven Jefferson would single him home. After 4 1/2: Surf Dawgs 5, Sixteens 4

The Sixteens fought right back. Blake Quirke lead things off with a single, he woudl move up to second on an E4 putting Bentall on first. John Herbert would single to load the bases. After a fly-out, Robinson Lopez doubled down the RF line scoring Quirke and Bentall. Janchez would follow with a double of his own, scoring Herbert and Lopez. After 5: Surf Dawgs 5, Sixteens 8

The game would be quiet until the 7th with Luis Romero lead-off with a solo blast down the RF line (399ft). After 6 1/2: Surf Dawgs 6, Sixteens 8

As the Sixteens have all game they had an answer. A one-out single by Robinson Lopez started thigns off. David Marricio, who entered the game for an injured Janchez, followed with a single. Downey grounded moving both runners up, and Edgardo Perdnard would knock them both in with a single. Perdnard would move to second on a single by Dave Lewis. Blake Quirke was drilled, loading the bases. And Stephen Bentall would draw the 3-2 walk, scoring Perdnard. After 7: Surf Dawgs 6, Sixteens 11

Bernard McCormick who has struggled during the playoffs was called on in the 9th to close out the game. Arredondo singled to start things off. Kent Davis grounded out for out #1. Ira Kelly strikes out for out #2. Arredondo would move to second on a steal. Jefferson would single scoring Arredondo. After a wild-pitch moved the runners up, Darryl Burns would add a single of his own scoring Jefferson. With 2-outs McCormick would get Gilmore to fly out to center ending the game. Final Score: Surf Dawgs 8, Sixteens 11

Georgetown leads the series 1-0

W: Ricardo Gonzalez (1-0)
L: Gerado Garcia (0-1)
HR: VB: Luis Romero (1)

POG: Luis Romero (Surf Dawgs): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI

Game Notes:
The Surf Dawgs took advantage of the missing Diaz behind the plate and stole 4 bases. On the day they went 4 for 5 with Arredondo stealing 2... The Surf Dawgs slugged out 15 hits with Romero and Kent Davis collecting 3 each. Arredondo, Kelly and Jefferson each had 2... Davis and Jefferson drove in 2 runs each, and Arredondo scored 3 times... Despite both teams having plus .700 def eff on the season they combined for 5 errors, 3 by the Surf Dawgs, 2 by the Sixteens... Starter Garcia went 4.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and 8 runs, 7 earned. He walked and struck out 3... Kajetan Levorato gave up 3 runs on 3 hits in 1/3 of an inning for the Surf Dawgs... Dave Lewis lead the Sixteens with 3 hits. Five other Sixteens collected 2: Downey, Perdnard, Quirke, Lopez and Janchez... Of the 15 Sixteens hits 4 went for extra-bases, all doubles... Lopez, Janchez and Perdnard drove in 2 each... Janchez left the game after a double in the 5th, his starts for the rest of the series is unlikely... Ricardo Gonzalez didn't have his best stuff, but went 7 innings, allowing 6 runs, 3 earned, on 11 hits. He struck out 10... The game was played in front of a sell out crowed of 48,839.

GM Notes:
After the first two batters of the first inning I was worried that I made a mistake by starting Ricardo Gonzalez. Maybe he was tired and I should of saved him. But wow did the offense step it up and pick him up. I am not sure where this offense is coming from, but I am glad they have decided to show up... Losing Janchez might be tough on this team. Janchez is my best defensive 1B, with Gallegos out, as well as, one of the top defensive OF's, and from the looks of it he will be out the rest of the playoffs. His playoff experience will be missed... The injury to Janchez makes that pre-game swap of Gould and Garcia on the roster that much more important. If I didn't make that swap we would have only 12 active position players... Tom Brown went 0-4 with a walk during his debut, he stole a base and scored a run. I liked the way he looked and he may even earn a start against the game 2 lefty... We still leave too many runners on base, leaving 11 on this game. Yes we scored a ton of runs, which could end up hurting us in a future game... What a fun game... Game 2 is going to be interesting as we face the Surf Dawgs left-handed ace, and our top winner will be on the hill. I am glad we fought back and won game 1, that was a huge home win...

[illeracula]

DelMarVa Championship Series
Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs @ Georgetown Sixteens

Game 2:
The Surf Dawgs will be throwing Reynaldo Dominguez in game 2. Dominguez is the ace of this staff and was a big reason for the Dawgs second half surge after he was acquired form the Balitmore Barons. With the Dawgs Dominguez went 9-2 3.30 in 18 starts. He is alos a tough lefty and dominated the Cavaliers during his playoff start in the Conference Championships.

The Dawgs go with the same line up for game 2 as in game 1. One player to watch is Kent Davis who is 22-62 lifetime against Cook.

1B Jorge Arrendondo, 2B Kent Davis (L), CF Ira Kelly, SS Steven Jefferson (L), 3B Darryl Burns (S), DH Duncan Gilmore (L), LF Jose Silva (S), RF Luis Antonio Cora and C Luis Romero (L).

Ronald Cook is on the hill for game 2 and is fully rested. Despite his struggle in September he put together a great Conference Championship playoff start, one which, despite being an L, turned the series around. With the lefty on the hill the Sixteens lineup will change slightly. Tom Brown will not start against the lefty, so Arias will be making his playoff debut tonight, as will 2B Jose Garcia who was added to the playoff roster before the Championships after coming back from injury.

CF Randy Downey (L), SS Stephen Bentall, 1B Dave Lewis, DH Blake Quirke, 2B Edgardo Perdnard, C John Herbert, 3B Robinson Lopez, RF Rafael Arias (S) ande 2B Jose Garcia (L)

A slight change, but hopefully we can keep the momentum up. Janchez is not able to play in today's game, but wouldn't of been in the starting lineup against the lefty. His speed, defense and bat will be missed.

Play Ball...
Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the first inning, but the big news is on the last pitch of the inning Reynaldo Dominguez broke towards first and seemed to have sprained his ankle. He will not be able to continue. After 1: Surf Dawgs 0, Sixteens 0

Against the new pitcher Rodney Glatz the Sixteens would get the scoring started in the second. Lead-off man Blake Quirke greeted Glatz with a HR (393ft). Perdnard followed with a single, and the moved to second on a Herbert walk. Two batters later Rafael Arias would single to load the bases. Then Jose Garcia would single to right scoring Perdnard. Downey would end the ralley with a 4-6-3 ground out. After 2: Surf Dawgs 0, Sixteens 2

The score would change in the 4th with a Darryl Burns lead-off blast down the right-field line (407ft). But Cook would settle down and set the Dawgs down 1-2-3. After 3 1/2: Surf Dawgs 1, Sixteens 2

Ronald Cook would head out to the mound in the 7th holding on to a 2-1 lead with his pitch count approaching 100. Lead-off man Duncan Gilmore singled to left. Jose Silva dropped down the sac-bunt moving Gilmore to second. Luis Antonio Cora walked on four pitches putting runners on 1st and 2nd and ending Cooks day. David Moran would come in and retire the first batter he faced, but Jorge Arredondo singled to left scoring Gilmore from second and tying the game. After 6 1/2: Surf Dawgs 2, Sixteens 2

The game would remain tied through regulation and with the Surf Dawgs closer Manuel Petrelia on the hill for his second inning the Sixteens would end the game. With one out Dave Lewis ripped a 0-2 single to left. Next batter, and hero for the day, Blake Quirke would just miss his second HR of the day a liner that bounced off the wall and would score Dave Lewis and end up a walk-off triple for Quirke. Final Score: Surf Dawgs 2, Sixteens 3

Georgetown leads the series 2-0

W: Alfonso Hernandez (1-0)
L: Manuel Petrelia (0-1)
HR: VB: Darryl Burns (1), GEO: Blake Quirke (1)

POG: Ronald Cook (Sixteens) 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 105/61 PI/PS, 59 GS

Game Notes:
Both teams had plenty of missed opportunities. The Surf Dawgs left 8 men on. Doug Gilmore lead the team with 5 of them. And the Sixteens left 10, and they added two inning-ending double play balls with the bases loaded. Randy Downey left the Sixteens with 5... Dominguez threw 6 pitches before being removed. His replacement Randy Glatz went 3 innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs, he walked 1... The Surf Dawgs used 5 pitchers for the game, the final three: Larry Palmer 2 innings, Kajetan Levorato 2 innings, and Manuel Petrelia 1.1 innings... The Surf Dawgs collected 6 hits, with Arredondo leading the way with 2 of them... The Sixteens used 4 players out of the bullpen. David Moran was credited with a blown-save going 0.1 innings, allowing an inherited runner to score. John Perez and Ramon Tirado each went 1 inning, walking 1 and striking out 2. Alfonso Hernandez was called on in the 10th, with the plan to go a few innings, gave up a hit and a walk in teh 10, but struck out 2... The 5 Sixteens pitches struck out a combined 11 Surf Dawgs... Rafael Arias and Jose Garcia made solid post-season debuts, both collecting 2 hits, Garcia also drove in a run... Blake Quirke also added 2-hits, the only extra-base hits of the game a HR and a triple... Today's attendance was 48,716.

GM Notes:
We needed a big game from our pitcher today to beat the Dawgs and that is exactly what we got from Ronald Cook. It is a shame he took the ND, but he kept the game close and held his own against this tough offense of the Dawgs... Maybe we lucked out with their starter going down in the first, and we are still waiting to see if he will be able to come back later in the series, but I will take the 2-0 lead. I am feeling pretty excited about our chances with the pitching lineup we have coming, we will just need to score runs... I am surprised how Arias and Garcia just came out swinging. Its been a while since either one of them played, Arias didn't play make an appearance during the Conf Championship, and Garcia was out for 3+ weeks with an injury... Going into the 10th I was nervous about bringing in Hernandez, but I needed someone who could go a few innings if needed. He gave up a hit and a walk in the 10th, but was able to get out of the inning. The bullpen just stepped it up the whole game... Now we head into Virginia Beach to play 3 games there and I am hoping we can pull out at least 1 of the 3. If we can win it there even better, but to come home with 2 games to play and 1 to win, I would feel good... Is it over? No way, is it close? No way. Not how they hit and we have been known not too. Plus 2 of our top hitters are out, and one of our hottest post-season hitters is out as well... I hope Lewis and Quirke can stay hot and I need Downey to shake off today's game and get his swing back... Here is to game 3, hopefully Mike Pye is ready.

[illeracula]

DelMarVa Championship Series
Georgetown Sixteens @ Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs

Game 3:
The setting changes for game 3 as we head into Virginia Beach. I am overly worried about not playing at home, since we played better on the road this season than we did on the road, but I am getting a little worried about my offense. We can't win if we don't score runs and we had a big let-down runs scoring wise in game 2 after 3-games in which we put some numbers on the board. I just worry this is a sign that we are heading back to our lack of offense. Hopefully not... but if that is the case then Mike Pye will hopefully be on his A game, again. He had a great game in the Conference Championships and I hope he can bring some more of that fight today.

I never thought I'd say this, but I am missing Janchez. Bummed out he is missing the rest of the series. He was having his best post-season ever, as well as, one of the best hitting post-season on the team. Marricio, due to his speed and power, will be in the game instead of Arias. Lets see how these boys do...

CF Randy Downey (L), 2B Edgardo Perdnard, 1B Dave Lewis, DH Blake Quirke, SS Stephen Bentall, C John Herbert, LF Tom Brown (L), 3B Robinson Lopez, ande RF David Marricio (S)

The Dawgs go with the same lineup as they did the past 2 games, with Ray Thompson on the hill. Thompson took a ND in the Conference Championships but pitched well. He has had a solid playoff career, but is still looking for that first post-season in. He heads into his 6th post-season start.

1B Jorge Arrendondo, 2B Kent Davis (L), CF Ira Kelly, SS Steven Jefferson (L), 3B Darryl Burns (S), DH Duncan Gilmore (L), LF Jose Silva (S), RF Luis Antonio Cora and C Luis Romero (L).

Play Ball...
The Sixteens would get the scoring started in the 2nd, thanks in part to an big Surf Dawgs error. Bentall lead off the inning with a single. He would move up to second, on a John Herbert grounder, which turned in to the big E6. Tom Brown bunted them over, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd. A wild pitch would plate Bentall and move Herbert to third, and he would score on a Lopez grounder to second which was booted by Kent Davis... After 1 1/2: Sixteens 2, Surf Dawgs 0

The Sixteens would add some runs in the third, but missed out on a bigger inning. A single by Lewis was erased by a DP, but Bentall would single setting up John Herbert. Herbert would drive a 1-1 pitch over the LF wall (371ft)... After 2 1/2: Sixteens 4, Surf Dawgs 0

In the bottom half of the third the Surf Dawgs showed the Sixteen the game isn't over and they were going to fight. With one out Ira Kelly singled to right, then Steven Jefferson drew a walk. With 2-runners on Darryl Burns would make it a 1-run game with HR just clearing the RF wall (338ft). The Surf Dawgs had some life. After 3: Sixteens 4, Surf Dawgs 3

The 5th inning would bring an unlikely hero. With 1-out Quirke doubled. Two batters later John Herbert would hit a rocket to third baseman Burns who would boot it, putting runners on 1st and 3rd. Clearly upset Ray Thompson grooved the next pitch and Tom Brown delivered a huge 3-run shot to CF (430ft). After 4 1/2: Sixteens 7, Surf Dawgs 3

With Mike Pye starting to tire the Surf Dawgs would make a move. Luis Antonio Cora singled with 1-out, which was followed by a Luis Romero single. After a FC put runners on 1st and third Kent Davis would slug a big double to right-center scoring Cora and Arredondo. After 6: Sixteens 7, Surf Dawgs 5

The Sixteens would quickly answer back in the 7th. Quirke lead off the inning with a single. Followed by a single by Bentall. Bringing up John Herbert. Herbert would guess right on the 1-2 pitch and send over the RF wall (338ft) for a big 3-run HR. After 6 1/2: Sixteens 10, Surf Dawgs 5

In the 8th the Sixteens would add an insurance run. Randy Downey lead of the inning with a single and 2-batters later he would come around to score on a Dave Lewis double to right-center. After 7 1/2: Sixteens 11, Surf Dawgs 5

The Surf Dawgs would try to answer back in the 8th. With 1-out Luis Romero doubled. He would move to third, two batters later, when Kent Davis reached on a E3. With 2-outs Ira Kelly singled to right, scoring Romero, who would end up being stranded on third. After 8: Sixteens 11, Surf Dawgs 6

The Sixteens would put the game out of reach in the 9th beating up on the usually reliable Surf Dawgs bullpen. John Herbert lead off the inning with a single, he would score on Tom Brown's second HR of the game. With one-out Marricio doubled to get another rally going. With 2-outs Jose Garcia, in for Perdnard, got drilled putting runners on first and second. Dave Lewis doubled in Marricio and Garcia. And Blake Quirke followed with a single driving in Lewis. After 8 1/2: Sixteens 16, Surf Dawgs 6

The Surf Dawgs continued to try to fight back. With 2-outs in the 9th Jose Silva singled. Silva would then come around to score on a Luis Antonio Cora single. But David Moran would toughen up and strike out Luis Romero to end the game. Final Score: Sixteens 16, Surf Dawgs 7

Georgetown leads the series 3-0

W: Mike Pye (1-0)
L: Ray Thompson (0-1)
S: David Moran (1)
HR: GEO: John Herbert 2 (2), Tom Brown 2 (2); VB: Darryl Burns (2)

POG: John Herbert (Sixteens) 3-5, 2 HR, 5 R, 5 RBI

Game Notes:
John Herbert set the record for most runs scored in the play-off game by a Delaware Conference player, scoring 5 times... The Sixteens offense exploded for 18 hits, including 4 doubles and 4 HR's. They had 5 players with 3 hits a piece... The Surf Dawgs collected 13 hits and had 5 players with 2 hits a piece... Starting pitcher for the Surf Dawgs Ray Thompson gave up 7 runs in 4.2 innings, of which, only 3 were earned. The Surf Dawgs defense committed 3 errors... Three Surf Dawg reliever gave up 3 runs each... Mike Pye walked 4 hitters, and struck out only on in 6 innings of work before tiring with 112 pitches thrown... David Moran threw the final 3 innings allowing 5 hits and 2 runs, 1 earned... Rookie Tom Brown collected his first hit of his career, as well as, his first 2 HR's of his career going 3-4 with 5 RBI's and 2 Runs... Dave Lewis added 3 hits and 3 RBI's for the Sixteens... Today attendance was 48,211

GM Notes:
Ok, well my worry about the offense was sort of short lived. I am not sure what to say about these guys, expect maybe they hit better in cold weather? The last 5 games have been insane with this offense... People probably called me insane for calling up Tom Brown, but after today's game they may be changing their tune. I took a risk and so far it is paying off. I didn't expect him to put a performance on like he did today, but I will take it... In the second inning with John Herbert at the plate I was like its about time you do something. And I actually started tinkering with the idea of not playing him next game if he doesn't start hitting. Well did he change my mind in the 3rd with a huge 2-run blast. And then to follow it up in the 7th with another one, it was really awesome. I guess he can play next game, hopefully riding this high. 5 Runs and 5 RBI's? Wow... One more win and we take home the crown. You have to like our chances with 2 games still left to play at home, with Gonzalez, Cook and Bustamante throwing 3 of those games. As long as we can score we can celebrate... I really don't know where this offense is coming from after the way they played during the regular season. I may have to look back over the season to see how many times we scored more than 10 runs. I am not complaining its actually a little fun, let alone surprising.

[illeracula]

DelMarVa Championship Series
Georgetown Sixteens @ Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs

Game 4:
We have a chance to clinch the Championship today and I think it is very fitting that we have one of our top home grown talents on the hill, Gonzalo Bustamante. IN 2021, Bustamante signed as a free agent out of Venzuela and has worked his way quickly through the organization making his big-league debut at 18 years old in 2024. This season, at the ripe age of 23, he put together his finest big-league season. A fan favorite, a home grown star, who could ask for a better story?

Up against the lefty we go back to our lefty lineup. I was torn about starting Arias or Marricio, but Arias played well in game 2, so he is back. I will probably be making a defensive switch in the 6th or 7th however... hard to sit out Brown this game, but going with the matchup.

CF Randy Downey (L), SS Stephen Bentall, 1B Dave Lewis, DH Blake Quirke, 2B Edgardo Perdnard, C John Herbert, 3B Robinson Lopez, RF Rafael Arias (S) ande 2B Jose Garcia (L)

Irving Mills came over from the Richmond Cardinals in August then promptly went the DL and missed the final 2 months. He made it back in time for the playoffs and turned in 2 quality starts against the Cavaliers.

Not lineup changes for the Surf Dawgs. One player to watch this game is Luis Antonio Cora who is 9-28 with 2 HR's against Bustamante for his career.

1B Jorge Arrendondo, 2B Kent Davis (L), CF Ira Kelly, SS Steven Jefferson (L), 3B Darryl Burns (S), DH Duncan Gilmore (L), LF Jose Silva (S), RF Luis Antonio Cora and C Luis Romero (L).

Play Ball...
Both teams where hitless for the first 2 innings, but that changed in the third when Stephen Bentall hit a solo-shot (413ft) for the first hit and run for the Sixteens. After 2 1/2: Sixteens 1, Surf Dawgs 0

In the 6th the Surf Dawgs would get their first hit a lead-off single by Kent Davis. He was quickly erased by a 4-6-3 DP. After 6: Sixteens 1, Surf Dawgs 0

Gonzalo Bustamante was called to pitch in the 9th, at least to the first hitter, Jorge Arredondo, for the righty/righty match-up. Arredondo hit a hard grounder to third, which was booted by Lopez and left Arredondo on third. Ramon Tirado came in to try to stop the bleeding. Kent Davis laid down a bunt and Tirado threw the ball away allowing Arredondo to get to third and Davis to second. Ira Kelly grounded out to short, scoring Arredondo and moving Davis to third. PH Angel Hernandez popped out to second. With two outs and the go-ahead run on third Ramon Tirado struck out Darryl Burns to end the inning. After 8: Sixteens 1, Surf Dawgs 1

The game would head into extra innings tied at 1. With new pitcher Mark Smith on the hill Robinson Lopez would lead-off the inning with a single. He would head to second as David Marricio reached on an E6. Jose Garcia laid down a great sac-bunt moving Lopez to third and Marricio to second. Randy Downey was intentionally walked to load the bases. Stephen Bentall struck out. With 2-outs and the bases loaded Blake Quirke came to the plate. With the count 0-2 he laced a single to right-center, scoring Lopez and Marricio. Lewis grounded out to end the inning. After 10 1/2: Sixteens 3, Surf Dawgs 1

Closer Bernard McCormick came into close out the game. Kent Stone singled to lead off the inning. Darryl Burns followed with a single of his own putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Duncan Gilmore laced a line drive to Jose Garcia who doubled Burns off of first. After a wild-pitch moved Stone to third Jose Silva grounded out to third ending the game!!! Final Score: Sixteens 3, Surf Dawgs 1

Georgetown wins the DelMarVa Championships 4 games to 0!!!!

W: Ramon Tirado (1-0)
L: Mark Smith (0-1)
S: Bernard McCormick (1)
HR: GEO: Stephen Bentall (1); VB: none

POG: Gonzalo Bustamante (Sixteens) 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 101/64 PI/PS, 69 GS.

Game Notes:
The Surf Dawgs missed plenty of opportunities, collecting 6 hits and 5 walks on the day. The Sixteens defense picked up the pitching by turning 4 double-plays... The Surf Dawgs left 10 runners on base. Ira Kelly 0-4 with an RBI, left on 4 during his AB's. Kelly also hit into 2 of the 4 double plays... Stephen Bentall, Blake Quirke and Robinson Lopez each had 2 hits for the Sixteens. Lopez went 2-2 with 2 walks. Quirke and Downey each walked 2-times as well... Tom Brown who had a sensational game 3, went 0-2 with 2 K's... Dave Lewis went 0-6 for the Sixteens leaving 6 men on!... The Sixteens used 3 pitchers, Bustamante went 7 innings, allowing 3 hits. Tirado went 3 innings allowing 1 hit and McCormick gave up 2 hits in his 1 inning of work... The Sixteens used 55 pitchers on the day. Irving Mills went 5 innings with 4 hits. Carlson went 2 innings. Glatz went 1 inning. Petrelia went 2 and Mark Smith went he 11th... The game was played in front of 47,871 people.

Series MVP:
2013 MVP of Series: Javier Uberuaga, Washington Senators, SP. 2-0, 15 IP 13 H, 3 BB, 9 K, 2.40 ERA
2014 MVP of Series: Carlos Rodriguez, Norfolk Cavaliers, RP. 1-0, 3 G, 2 SV, 5 K
2015 MVP of Series: Bruce Walker, Lewes, .450-2-10
2016 MVP of Series: Jose Rodriguez, Norfolk Cavaliers, OF. .240-3-10, 5 R's
2017 MVP of Series: Miguel Contreras, Norfolk Cavaliers, SP. 2-0 16 IP, 8 H, R, 5 BB, 18 K
2018 MVP of Series: Derek Campbell, Norfolk Cavaliers, OF. 11 H, 3 R, 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI's
2019 MVP of Series: Matt Hollis, Norfolk Cavaliers, SP. 1-0, 9 IP, 9 K
2020 MVP of Series: Leonard Davis, Lewes Braves, OF. .481-2-4
2021 MVP of Series: Jamie Trulilio, Milford Clippers, SP. 2-0, 15.1 IP, 7 H, 9 BB, 8 K, 0 R
2022 MVP of Series: Seth Bennett, Milford Clippers, SP. 2-0, 1.42 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 R; 1-2 2B, 2 RBI
2023 MVP of Series: Cristobal Diaz, Lewes Braves, SP. 2-0, 13.2 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 16 K's, 0 R
2024 MVP of Series: Totoya Ogawa, Lewes Braves, 1B. 6 H (6-13), 2B, HR, 5 R, 2 RBI
2025 MVP of Series: Bob Short, Norfolk Cavaliers, OF, .533-2-4 (8-15), 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 6 R
2026 MVP of Series: Bob Short, Norfolk Cavaliers, OF, .333-1-5 (7-21), 4 2B, 5 RBI, 4 R
2027 MVP of Series: Bob Short, Norfolk Cavaliers, OF, .333-0-5 (5-15), 2B, 2 R, 5 RBI
2028 MVP of Series: Cornell Pearson, Norfolk Cavaliers, P, 2 GS, 2-0, 12.2 IP, 12 H, 2 BB, 13 K, 4.26 ERA
2029 MVP of Series: Blake Quirke, Georgetown Sixteens, OF, .529-1-6 (9-17), 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, 4 R

GM Notes:
I am not sure what to say, but I never expected us to end up here this season. I figured this was going to be season of growing pains and trying to figure out this offense out. We held on to win the division title and our offense seemed to wake up in game 5 of the Conference Championship and that was all she wrote. I can't say enough about this team and how the played during this playoff season... Blake Quirke had a series to remember going 9-17 with a HR and 6 RBI's including the game winning single in game 4. Impressive stats for the 25-year old... When we lost Alejandro Diaz I started to get worried about our offense and how we were going to score runs. Then to lose Francisco Gallegos right before the Championship Series, I got even more nervous and when Javier Janchez went down in Game 1, I honestly thought that was the singal of the end... Two seasons in the Sixteens have their first title and now I need to decided if I want to come back to build this team or walk away and take over one of the new expansion teams coming. I am not a fan of this owner, so that might make the decision easier. I will be back with some more later...

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by illeracula

[SIZE="5"]GM Notes:
I am not sure what to say, but I never expected us to end up here this season. I figured this was going to be season of growing pains and trying to figure out this offense out. We held on to win the division title and our offense seemed to wake up in game 5 of the Conference Championship and that was all she wrote. I can't say enough about this team and how the played during this playoff season... Blake Quirke had a series to remember going 9-17 with a HR and 6 RBI's including the game winning single in game 4. Impressive stats for the 25-year old... When we lost Alejandro Diaz I started to get worried about our offense and how we were going to score runs. Then to lose Francisco Gallegos right before the Championship Series, I got even more nervous and when Javier Janchez went down in Game 1, I honestly thought that was the singal of the end... Two seasons in the Sixteens have their first title and now I need to decided if I want to come back to build this team or walk away and take over one of the new expansion teams coming. I am not a fan of this owner, so that might make the decision easier. I will be back with some more later...

Congratulations on the win! It's impressive considering how things were when you inherited them. I'll be curious what your decision is and whether you decide to come back or not. It's never fun when you don't like your owner, so I know what my vote would be.

[illeracula]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

Congratulations on the win! It's impressive considering how things were when you inherited them. I'll be curious what your decision is and whether you decide to come back or not. It's never fun when you don't like your owner, so I know what my vote would be.

Thanks.

I am going to (hopefully) do my expansion tonight and get ready for the next season. I am pretty sure I am moving on and taking over one of the expansion clubs. I may try to take over the one with the lowest budget, making me work a little harder.

I still don't know how I ended up winning the series in Georgetown, but I will take it. You do some pretty amazing teams when you have a top starting rotation that is for sure. I will miss Ricardo Gonzalez.

[illeracula]

Delaware Conference
Pitcher
Jesús Ramírez (Wilmington Iron Pigs)

Catcher
Alejandro Díaz (Georgetown Sixteens)

First Baseman
Jorge Trujillo (New Castle Colonials)

Second Baseman
Mike Thompson (Dover Generals)

Third Baseman
Ramón Soto (New Castle Colonials)

Shortstop
Anthony Lucarelli (Wilmington Iron Pigs)

Left Fielder
Blake Quirke (Georgetown Sixteens)

Center Fielder
Mark Hoover (Dover Generals)

Right Fielder
José Díaz (Christiana Blue Hens)

MarVa Conference

Pitcher
Jaime Cruz (Baltimore Barons)

Catcher
Halmar Stolk (Richmond Cardinals)

First Baseman
Manuel Miranda (Washington Senators)

Second Baseman
Roberto Zavala (Salisbury Ports)

Third Baseman
Gordon Purkis (Ellicott City Express)

Shortstop
Peyton Hensley (Annapolis Admirals)

Left Fielder
Arturo Casas (Salisbury Ports)

Center Fielder
Nick Jackson (Ocean City Tourists)

Right Fielder
Roberto Flores (Ellicott City Express)

Repeat Winners
SS Anthony Lucarelli: 6
RF Jose Diaz: 3
C Alejandro Diaz: 3
CF Mark Hoover: 2
C Halmer Stolk: 2
LF Arturo Casas: 2

This win puts Anthony Lucarelli 1 Glove Wizard Award away from tying the DelMarVa record of 7, held by outfielders Kent Davis and Peter Peters.



The Sixteens had 2 players walk away with the award, catcher Alejandro Diaz won for the second time and OF Blake Quirke won his first.

Diaz posted a 1.099 EFF, .996 FPct, a _4.2 ZR, threw out 39.8% of the attempted base runners and committed only 4 errors and 4 PB's.

Quirke played 151 games in LF, starting 149 of them. He committed 4 errors and 3 assists. He posted a .984 FPct, a 1.113 EFF and a whopping 17.4 ZR.

Congrats to these two. I can see more awards in both of their futures.

[illeracula]

2029 (along with the upgrade to OOTP 16) brought the making of two new awards. The first the Reliever of the Year the next is the Platinum Sluggers.

Inaugural Delaware Conference Reliever of the Year Award Winner Named

He's a veteran presence in the New Castle Colonials bullpen and now Ed Yoder can say he's a 2029 award winner.

The bullpen ace was today named the Delaware Conference Reliever of the Year Award winner.

"When you're 35 years old, your main objective is to just stay healthy and stay productive. I guess I did that this year," he said.

The award was won on the strength of a season that featured 26 saves in 73 relief appearances, with 69 strikeouts in 73 innings and a record of 7-3 to go with his 1.11 ERA.

Luis Deleón of the New Castle Colonials finished second in voting, while Roberto Chávez of the Lewes Braves finished third.

Inaugural MarVa Conference Reliever of the Year Award Winner Named

Miguel Angel González came out of the bullpen and worked through tough situations all year, and for his performance he's been named the recipient of the MarVa Conference Reliever of the Year Award for 2029.

The 29-year-old out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic captured the award with 46 saves in 70 relief appearances, 76 strikeouts in 68.1 innings and a record of 7 wins and 7 losses to go with his 2.77 ERA.

"I'm thankful, it's a great honor," he told Baseball News Network.

Raúl González of the Richmond Cardinals finished second in voting, while Teo Ha of the Norfolk Cavaliers finished third.

[illeracula]

Platinum Stick Award Winners Named for the Delaware Conference

This group of hitters were players that Delaware Conference pitchers didn't want to see digging into the box in 2029. They are the winners of the Platinum Stick Award, which goes to the top offensive performers at each position.

Here are the 2029 winners:

Catcher
Tom Brown (Dover Generals)
.314/.359/.533, 563 AB, 31 HR, 0 SB, 138 wRC+, 6.0 WAR

First Baseman
Jorge Trujillo (New Castle Colonials)
.312/.359/.510, 641 AB, 32 HR, 10 SB, 130 wRC+, 4.9 WAR

Second Baseman
Edgardo Perdnard (Georgetown Sixteens)
.263/.304/.462, 517 AB, 25 HR, 0 SB, 107 wRC+, 0.8 WAR

Third Baseman
Tom Anderson (Wilmington Iron Pigs)
.245/.333/.374, 604 AB, 15 HR, 0 SB, 92 wRC+, 2.8 WAR

Shortstop
Shunen Koyama (Dover Generals)
.264/.357/.443, 553 AB, 22 HR, 6 SB, 121 wRC+, 3.5 WAR

Left Fielder
Ryan Sutton (New Castle Colonials)
.310/.370/.586, 584 AB, 41 HR, 19 SB, 158 wRC+, 5.8 WAR

Center Fielder
Mike Johnson (Milton Brewers)
.281/.365/.516, 591 AB, 32 HR, 40 SB, 143 wRC+, 8.6 WAR

Right Fielder
Cris Flores (New Castle Colonials)
.307/.369/.502, 626 AB, 28 HR, 43 SB, 130 wRC+, 5.2 WAR

Designated Hitter
Edward Barnes (Milton Brewers)
.296/.387/.483, 604 AB, 27 HR, 22 SB, 141 wRC+, 4.1 WAR

MarVa Conference Platinum Stick Award Winners Announced

The winners of the MarVa Conference Platinum Stick Award award demonstrated "consistent and outstanding offensive excellence," according to a statement made from the office of the DELMARVA Baseball League commissioner.

The winners for 2029 are:

Catcher
António Castaneda (Ocean City Tourists)
.275/.370/.524, 538 AB, 40 HR, 0 SB, 135 wRC+, 5.6 WAR

First Baseman
Manuel Miranda (Washington Senators)
.317/.371/.626, 618 AB, 53 HR, 4 SB, 165 wRC+, 7.4 WAR

Second Baseman
Roberto Zavala (Salisbury Ports)
.280/.359/.453, 592 AB, 16 HR, 29 SB, 127 wRC+, 6.1 WAR

Third Baseman
Gordon Purkis (Ellicott City Express)
.258/.335/.458, 598 AB, 24 HR, 13 SB, 115 wRC+, 5.4 WAR

Shortstop
Claude Bond (Chesapeake Blue Crabs)
.294/.483/.520, 354 AB, 20 HR, 1 SB, 177 wRC+, 5.6 WAR

Left Fielder
Mauro Pérez (Annapolis Admirals)
.283/.303/.472, 600 AB, 27 HR, 14 SB, 108 wRC+, 1.5 WAR

Center Fielder
Ira Kelly (Virginia Beach Surf Dawgs)
.288/.374/.484, 562 AB, 27 HR, 24 SB, 131 wRC+, 5.9 WAR

Right Fielder
Lúcio Peña (Annapolis Admirals)
.279/.378/.570, 481 AB, 35 HR, 7 SB, 156 wRC+, 5.7 WAR

Designated Hitter
Leonard Lawson (Norfolk Cavaliers)
.283/.362/.499, 591 AB, 26 HR, 12 SB, 135 wRC+, 4.0 WAR

[illeracula]

2029 DE Conference Best Newcomer Named

Peter Harvey put together some impressive numbers for Newark to garner enough votes for the Delaware Conference Newcomer Award.

The Millers third baseman took the honor by hitting .261 in 87 games this season and finishing with 81 hits, 9 home runs, 44 RBIs and 53 runs scored.

Jesús Ibarbia of the Newark Millers finished second in voting, while Luis Manuel González of the Milford Clippers finished third.

Sierra Selected MarVa Conference Rookie of the Year

The 2029 MarVa Conference Newcomer Award winner is Alonso Sierra of the Express.

In the 2029 season the 23-year-old Ellicott City catcher played in 140 games, recording a .252 batting average with 42 home runs, 99 RBIs and 83 runs scored.

Don Hamilton of the Washington Senators finished second in voting, while Héctor Marín of the Ellicott City Express finished third.

[illeracula]

Delaware Conference Selects Manager of the Year
The New Castle Colonials coaching staff broke out the bubbly when Manager Carlos Martínez was announced as 2029 Delaware Conference Manager of the Year.

He skippered the Colonials to a 105-57 record this year and a first place finish in the Delaware Conference Northern Division.

To a man, they all agreed that their boss was most deserving of the award. All had glowing words to say about this year's winning manager.

"He just has a way with people. Coaches and players alike love him."

MarVa Conference Selects Top Manager, Cavaliers Ray Wins

Arthur Ray stepped before the microphone today and accepted his MarVa Conference Manager of the Year award, thanking the whole Norfolk Cavaliers organization for making the 2029 season such a success.

Ray struggled to find the right words, "My father was a drill instructor in the military. He taught me that you have to work hard, set goals and accept responsibility for your actions. That's what the entire Norfolk organization did this year. My dedicated owner, coaching staff, hard-working and talented players and loyal front office all made this award possible. I thank them for it."

And what a year it was. Ray sparked the Cavaliers to a 112-50 record and a first in the MarVa Conference Western Division standings.

This is the 7th time Ray has brought home the Award.

[illeracula]

Georgetown Sixteens Hurler DE Conference's Premier Pitcher

The Georgetown Sixteens have a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making.
It's Ricardo González, this year's Delaware Conference Golden Arm Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance.

González compiled a 18-3 record in 32 starts, tallied 306 strikeouts in 236.2 innings and recorded a 1.41 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .188 batting average against him.

Júlio Rocha of the Milton Brewers finished second in voting, while Gonzalo Bustamante of the Georgetown Sixteens finished third.

Top Pitcher Trophy Won by Blue Crabs Cortés

António Cortés of the Chesapeake Blue Crabs was in command and couldn't do much wrong when he was on the mound this season. His outstanding 17-7 won-lost mark and 2.46 ERA were big factors in his winning the 2029 MarVa Conference Golden Arm Award.

In 234 innings of work and 32 starts, Cortés struck out 243 while giving up 171 hits and 40 walks. He held opposing batters to a .201 average.

Joaquín Hernández of the Norfolk Cavaliers finished second in voting, while Paul Brown of the Norfolk Cavaliers finished third.