ABL Week 8 vs Melbourne Aces

This week we travelled down south to take on the Melbourne Aces. Over the last few years travelling to Melbourne hasn't been too friendly to us but now that the Aces have moved to a new home ground, anything could happen.

Travel days haven't been smooth for us this year and this one wasn't any different. The flight was delayed for a little while but it was no big deal as we were entertained by a couple who put on a very impressive stretching display at our gate. It seemed as though we were the only people at the airport who thought this was quite strange. Everyone else at the gate were playing on their phones or reading their magazines, but we had our eyes glued to what these two were doing.

Game 1

We won game one of the series 5-1 thanks to a great start, middle and end by the starting pitcher. Once again Craig Anderson was given the game one and we couldn't have asked him to do anymore. He went the distance throwing a complete game while giving up only one run. This gives him his fourth win in his last four starts and is in the middle of his best ABL season so far. Like I've said before, watching Craig pitch is a joy because he doesn't get away with mistakes. He is a control artist that relies on deception and movement, and to see him freeze hitters on 78mph fastballs is just a pleasure to watch. Zach Penprase had a great game on the basepaths stealing three bases, while Boss Moanaroa broke out of his slump by blasting a two run home run.

After the game a few of the boys were treated to an amazing dinner thanks to our Korean friend Dae-Sung Koo.We hung around all night just indulging in some great Korean barbecue. Whenever you go out with Koo its going to be an experience and this was no exception. Koo signed many autographs and took countless photographs with other patrons at the restaurant. It was a fun night out with the boys and like Chris Snelling said "This feels like we're now a family".

Game 2
This was a very frustrating game for the boys. The pitching was once again outstanding with former Major Leaguers Chris Oxspring and Brad Thomas striking out 18 hitters through eight innings. That set an ABL record for most strikeouts in a game. Unfortunately I think we also set another ABL record by leaving 17 runners on base. That is a lot, especially when you lose the game 1-0. Thats not taking anything away from the Melbourne pitchers who pitched out of big situations the entire game but its one of those games where you look back and go "what if" and "just maybe".

For some reason we had a 5:05pm for game three of the series, so it meant less time to get up to activities. Tim Atherton and me decided to take a tram ride down to the markets. While the tram ride there was easy and painless, trying to get back to the hotel was a different story. We were on the tram for quite a while and Tim and me both started to worry. We got off the tram and checked the maps on our iPhones and we were 2.6km away from out hotel. The time was 12:40pm, and the vans for the field left at 1:15pm so we had to make a decision. Our choices were catch another tram and hopefully it goes where we need to be, catch a taxi, or run. We were unsure when the tram would come, we were also unsure whether we'd be able to find a taxi. What we did know is that it would take us about 15 minutes to run, so we decided to run. We also weren't wearing running attire. We both had board shorts on and flip flops. We looked like we were ready for the beach, not a casual 2.6km run. To make it worse it was also 28 degreese celsius with no cloud cover so we were just bathing in sun the entire time. Not going to lie, it was a tough run. We were running up hills and on concrete. My calves were burning the entire time but we had to keep on keeping on. We made it back in a great time of 16 minutes. We both thought it was a good effort considering we didn't stretch, didn't warm up and we weren't wearing shoes. Its just another Atherton and Van Steensel roommate adventure.

The route Tim and I took to get to the hotel

Game 3
This was a wild game. It felt a lot like game two with our hitters stranding a lot of runners on base. We were behind the entire game and only had three hits, but thankfully Trent D'Antonio came up with one of the biggest hits of the season blasting a two out, two strike, two run home run in the bottom if the ninth inning to give us a 4-3 win. Its fun for once to be able to play heartbreaker and ruin the night for the opposing team.

Game 4
In another wild game we got out to an early 5-0 lead, only to give it up and then rally back to win it 10-8. Trent Schmutter played his best role as a superhero as he got three hits and three crucial RBIs to help us down the Aces. In a game that saw 14 runs scored from the sixth inning onwards, Schmutter hit the game winning single in the top of the ninth inning, scoring JD Williams and Jacob Younis for a 10-8 lead. Once again these heroics came when we were down to our final out. Heading into the ninth inning we were down 6-8 and I specifically remember Jacob Younis say "Alright boys! Lets put on a four spot!", and well I guess the rest is history.

JD Williams taking out the catcher to score in the 8th inning

This coming weekend we take on the fourth place Adelaide Bite. A series win will put us in a great position as we get closer to the playoffs.

ABL Week 7 vs Perth Heat

After our disappointing series against Canberra last week, we ventured to the west coast to take on the Perth Heat. We couldn't dwell on the losses to Canberra for too long, so had to put it behind us and put all our focus into taking on the defending ABL champions.

Traveling to Perth is never fun. Its always the longest flight and the time difference there is rough for us. Here on the east coast we are three hours ahead of Perth. So when the game starts at 7:00pm in Perth its 10:00pm back in Sydney. Now I don't go to sleep that early but for a lot of guys on the team 10:00pm would be their bed time.

Game 1
This weekend Craig Anderson started game one for us. Chris Oxspring would usually start game one but due to work commitments, he was unable to travel with the team on Thursday morning. Anderson won his third start in a row tossing 6 2/3 innings, allowing only two runs. The bullpen then combined to throw 2 1/3 perfect innings to secure the win, with Matt Williams closing the door on his sixth save of the season. We opened the scoring in the fourth inning when Mitch Dening doubled and then was brought in by a single by David Kandilas. We increased our lead in the sixth inning when James Robbins hit a solo home run, his first of the season. Geoff Klein continued the scoring in the inning with a single to right field that scored Kandilas giving us a 3-0 lead. Trent D'Antonio hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to score Michael Lysaught. Perth scored their only runs in the bottom of the seventh, but couldn't amount a comeback as we took out game one of the series 4-2.

After the game most food places are closed, so I bought a footlong sub from Subway when I went out to lunch. That was my big dinner that I enjoyed after the game. It only sat in my room for seven hours. Thats not so bad is it?

Game 2
This was the first game of the double header and were never really in the game. We were put in an early 4-1 hole and ended up going down 10-2. I came in to pitch 1 2/3 innings, striking out four while giving up one hit and one walk. Even though it was a good day personally for me, its bittersweet as we were unable to come away with a win.

Game 3
In the nightcap of the double we showed great character to come out on top with a 6-4 win. Chris Oxspring had a rough start to the game allowing four runs in his first two frames. Those were the only runs Oxspring would allow as he battled through seven innings. JD Williams came up big on the night, driving in three runs on two hits. One of those hits being a two run triple to highlight a four run second inning. JD also drove in a run in the fourth with an RBI single, which was followed by Mitch Dening, who hit a solo home run to give us a 6-4 lead which we held onto for the rest of the game.

Before our last game of the series we just got word that our flight home was going to be on Saturday night, and not Sunday morning like we had originally been told. This was a big mess, as we were still booked into the hotel for Saturday night. Not many people on the team were happy about this. Apparently there was a miscommunication between the front office which caused this debacle. You have to deal with a lot of adversity in this league, with a lot of being told what to do and where to be even if it is very inconvenient. Hopefully in the next few years everything will run smoothly.

Game 4
We jumped out of the blocks early scoring four runs in the top of the first inning, which was then followed by Perth scoring three in the bottom of the frame. Both teams scored runs consistently throughout the game, but a six run inning by the Heat in the seventh inning gave them a lead which they were able to hold onto and snatch a 10-9 win.

We had a pretty good weekend. If we could have avoided those big innings in game two and game four of the series, we could have come back home with four wins, but thats baseball and we just have to prepare for our next series against the Melbourne Aces.

Week 6 vs Canberra Cavalry

This week we took on our closest rivals, the Canberra Cavalry. We have already played the Cavalry this season in week one of the year taking two out of three games against them down in Canberra. The Cavalry are always a tough team to play because they are loaded with imports. Its hard to get familiar with their lineup because it seems like they always have one or two new guys on the roster that we have never played against.

Game 1
This is a long story short. Canberra hit a solo home run, we hit a solo home run and then Canberra took the lead in the top of the 13th inning and eventually won the game 2-1. I was the unfortunate pitcher to take the loss as I gave up the run on a wild pitch with a runner on third. It wasn't my best outing but I did learn a lot from it. Once again Chris Oxspring delivered another outstanding start going eight innings and allowing only one earned run on the solo home run. We also welcomed back David Kandilas to the lineup who started his season off with two hits, including our lone run which was a solo home run.

Game 2
Canberra opened the scoring in the third inning scoring three runs, but we got one run back in the bottom of the frame thanks to a RBI single by David Kandilas to drive in Shane Benson from second base. We weren't done there. In the fifth inning we strung together five consecutive hits. Kandilas continued his hot start to his season hitting a single, followed by a double from Zach Penprase. Mitch Dening joined the party with a double of his own which drove in both Kandilas and Penprase. The hot hitting continued as James Robbins punched an RBI-single giving us a 4-3 lead. A lead we didn't surrender. Craig Anderson picked up his second win of the season giving up three runs, all in the third inning. Its always fun to watch Craig pitch because he doesn't have a pitch repertoire that can light up the radar gun. He gets guys out by having good movement, good command and deception. The combination of that makes opposing hitters look silly, which has earned Craig the nickname "The Frustrater" over the years.

Game 3
Canberra pounced on Tim Cox early and drove in four runs in the first inning. In that first inning Tim threw 44 pitches, but managed to get through five innings for us. Canberra were able to hold onto the lead the entire game as they downed us 6-2. Josh Guyer made his second appearance of the season and held the Cavalry bats quiet for three innings. At only 18 years old he's come into the ABL and proven that he can compete with the best in the country.

Before the final game of the series, the team met Kaliova Seleiwau who is the tallest man from Fiji. Standing at a whopping 230cm tall, he is easily the tallest man I have ever met. He even made Wayne Lundgren and Tyler Herr look small, and they are both 200cm tall.

The boys with Kali before the game, he's the tall one in the middle

Game 4
This was a rough game and one of those games that are hard to get over. We lead 6-1 heading into the ninth inning and we sent Matt Williams out to close the game. He's been lights out all year, but baseball can be a cruel game and it wasn't Matt's friend in that ninth inning. In an uncharacteristic outing, Matt allowed five runs to score and Cavalry tied the game. I came out to throw the tenth inning, and it was like deja vu all over again. I wasn't able to keep runs off the board as Canberra scored a run and ended up winning the game 7-6. Safe to say extra inning games haven't been nice to me this year.

Even though it was a tough weekend we have to look forward to the coming week where we head to Perth to take on the Heat. Its going to be a good test for us to see how we recover from these losses against Canberra.

ABL Week 5 vs Brisbane Bandits

We played Brisbane three weeks earlier and they took the series from us at home, so we were determined to head up north and ruin their weekend. This series was going to be a little different. The Bandits home ground was being used for a music festival which meant other locations had to be found to play at. We had to play four games, in three days at two different venues. The first three games would be played at Albert Park in the country town of Lismore, which is in our home state of New South Wales. The fourth game of the series was played on sunny Gold Coast. The locations of these games meant that travel arrangements to these venues would be very different to what we've experienced in the ABL before.

Before I start to talk about our travel day I need to tell everyone that even though Brisbane is in the same time zone as us, they don't have daylight savings. What this means is that when our flight left Sydney at 12:00pm, it was still only 11:00am in Brisbane. So this was how our lovely travel day went down, and please excuse all the times that I will be quoting, its vital to the story and the mind blowing adventure we had. Our flight left Sydney at 12:00pm and even though it was a 90 minute flight we landed in Brisbane at 12:30pm. We all got our bags and loaded the bus to to get ready for the three hour ride to Lismore around 1:00pm Brisbane time. Now things start to get complicated. As we were driving there was a huge car accident on the highway which backed up traffic for miles. This posed a huge problem as our batting practise at the field was supposed to start at 4:00pm. We ended up getting off the highway and drove along the coastline through residential areas to get around the traffic jam. Our big bus was going up and down hills on tiny streets. If we got any closer to the cars next to us, we would have crushed them. Now! Another bizarre thing we had to deal with was heading back into New South Wales and the time going ahead one hour. With all the traffic, all the driving through back streets we finally ended up getting to Lismore at 5:30pm Sydney time. We thought we were late, but that was nothing compared to the umpires who also got stuck in the same traffic jam as us. They ended up getting to the field at 7:00pm which was the scheduled starting time. It was no big deal as they suited up quickly and got out on the field and we started the game at 7:15pm. Pretty fun day right?

Game 1
It was going to be interesting to see who the fans would support. Even though the game was being played in NSW, it was a still a Brisbane home game. We found out early on that the crowd was very divided as Mitch Dening put us in front early by hitting a solo home run. Half the crowd cheered, and half the crowd was silent. We never surrendered the lead as we scored runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th innings. Chris Oxspring earned his 2nd win of the season going seven innings, giving up three runs, with three strikeouts and three walks. The walks were the first free passes he has allowed all season. It was also a welcome return for Chris Snelling who hit a home run in his first professional game in over three years. We took game one of the series 8-3

Game 2
This was the first game of the double header and would only be a seven inning game. My roommate Tim Atherton made his first start of the season, and even though he didn't have his best stuff he threw five innings give up one run on a solo home run in the 2nd inning. We scored a run in the 1st inning and the scores remained the same up until the bottom of the 6th inning. Wayne Lundgren came into pitch the 6th inning and got the first two hitters out on strikeouts. The Bandits then mounted a mini rally. Josh Roberts hit a single which was followed by a two run home run by Cody Clark. We were able to get a run back in the top of the 7th inning but stranded runners on 3rd and 1st to end the game. Once again we had chances to win the game but were unable to come up with the clutch hit. Brisbane ran out winners 3-2.

Game 3
The Bandits scored first with a run in the bottom of the 3rd inning. However we answered back quickly with a run in the top of the 4th when Geoff Klein drove in Mitch Dening with a groundout. After Brisbane took a 2-1 run lead into the 5th inning we scored two runs in the 7th thanks to a Chris Snelling single that scored JD Williams, then Snelling came into score on an error to give us a 3-2 lead. Craig Anderson threw 6 2/3 innings before I came into relief in the 7th inning. I ended the inning on my first pitch as the hitter lined out to 3rd base. I came out to throw the 8th and gave up a weak single to Josh Roberts. That was the only damage that was done as I struck out the next two hitters before being relieved by Dae-Sung Koo who ended the inning with a fly ball out. Matt Williams came into the game in the 9th and ran into a little bit of trouble, but with loaded bases and one out in the bottom of the 9th, and hanging onto a one run lead, Williams was able to get Brad Dutton to ground into a game ending double play. It was a nerve wracking end to a great series in Lismore.

Yep, I make that face before I throw each pitch. Just breathing deeply.

We enjoyed another night in Lismore before we had to travel north to the Gold Coast to play the final game of the series. We loaded the bus and left Lismore at 10:00am, and arrived on the Gold Coast at 10:30am thanks to the time difference. You encounter many oddities in the ABL and well, seeing as though the facility we played at is only used for a few weeks of the year, and its not a home to any baseball club, they don't have any real change rooms to cater for two teams of 22 players and staff. We were able to make it work. Only a few players got dressed at the same time, so it was no big deal. It just smelled really bad and was really hot in there.

The scene inside the change room

Game 4
Long story short, this was an offensive onslaught unseen by us this year. We scored early and often and took out the game 9-2. Mitch Dening and Trent D'Antonio both hit two run home runs in the 6th inning. Tim Cox earned his first win of the season going six shutout innings, scattering seven hits and striking out three. It was a fun game to the end of a great series.

After the game we all had to shower in our tiny change rooms and head further up north to Brisbane to catch our flight home. Very satisfied with the series after Brisbane took the series from us in Sydney, it was fun to beat them on their "home" turf.

ABL Week 4 vs Perth Heat

After enjoying a week off it was back to business against two time ABL Champions, the Perth Heat. During the week the Perth Heat website published an article titled "Can anyone beat the Heat?". Needless to say an article posted this early on in the season with that title would cause a stir amongst the opposing clubs. We were out there to prove the Heat can be beaten.

Game 1
In a pitching matchup that was built up to be the best the season had to offer, former Major Leaguers Chris Oxspring and Virgil Vasquez both pitched brilliantly, as neither allowed a run in their outings. Oxspring went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just 4 hits and striking out 10. In the end we won 1-0 on a walk off single by Zach Penprase in the bottom of the 9th inning. We had many opportunities to score earlier in the game but were unable to capitalize. Just like Vin Diesel says in The Fast and the Furious, "It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winnings winning". We'll gladly take take the win. This win marked the first time we've beaten Perth in Sydney since the ABL started.

Game 2
The Heat wasted no time taking the lead in the first inning when leadoff hitter Steve Bumbry took Blue Sox starter Craig Anderson deep over the right field wall to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. It wasn't a lead that Perth held for long as we took the lead in the 4th inning when Mitch Dening tripled to score Zach Penprase. Geoff Klein then hit a single to drive Dening in from 3rd to give us a 2-1 lead. The lead didn't last for long as the Heat scored the very next inning to tie the game up at 2-2. We didn't scored again until the 7th inning when James Robbins hit a lead off triple which was followed by a single by Shane Benson. We scored another run in the inning thanks do an infield single from JD Williams which scored Michael Lysaught all the way from 2nd. We ran out winners 4-2 and handed Perth their 3rd consecutive defeat.

Game 3
We had our chances with runners in scoring position but we just weren't able to capitalize on our opportunities. Vaughan Harris started off strongly and was able to battle through 4 innings but ran into trouble in the 5th inning allowing 5 runs. The inning was highlighted by a 2 run home run by Alan De San Miguel. We were able to get within 1 run, but Perth added an insurance run in the 8th and we were unable to mount a comeback. Perth winning their first game of the series 6-4. I threw 1 inning in this game and was able to get a strikeout, groundout and a fly ball. A positive from this outing is that people were saying my velo was 90-92mph. So I'm glad my arm strength is coming back.

Game 4
We sent Tim Cox to start his first game of the season. It wasn't the return he would have hoped for as he allowed 10 hits and 4 runs in 3 2/3 innings. Once again we had plenty of chances with runners in scoring position but were just unable to get it done. A special mention to Josh Guyer, who at only 18 years old made his debut with the Blue Sox throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. The first of many appearances for the young Minnesota Twins prospect.

After 4 weeks of competition we are 5-5. This week we head up north to play the Brisbane Bandits at two different locations as a part of their community series. We play 3 games in Lismore before playing the last game of the series on the Gold Coast. Should be interesting

ABL Week 2 vs Brisbane Bandits

This was our first home series of the season and one of the things we needed to improve on was winning games at home. Something we didn't do too will last season.

Game 1
This game can be described in two words. Chris Oxspring. In one of the most dominant performances in ABL history, Chris struck out 14 hitters on his way to a 4 hit shutout. The offense did their part scoring runs at a steady pace on the way to an 8-0 win.

Game 2
This is a game I'd rather forget. We were tied 1-1 going into the 11th, which was when I came onto pitch. I gave up a weak single up the middle, and then a two run home run to Josh Roberts. Our offense couldn't mount a comeback in the bottom of the 11th inning. Getting tagged with a loss is rough, especially since the pitchers before me did a great job silencing the Bandits bats. After the game its a very low feeling in the clubhouse. I was the last to leave the clubhouse. All I did was sit there in the corner thinking "What if I threw the pitch a bit higher, he would have popped up, what if I threw a changeup, he may have swung and missed". So many "what ifs?" run through your mind after a game like this. I heard a teammate say something quite true about how brutal baseball can be. He said "The highest high can't outweigh the lowest low in baseball". Which I find is quite true. If you have a good outing, you're happy about it for a few hours, but if you have a bad day, its on your mind for days. Baseball is a failure based sport, even the best hitters in the game fail 7 times out of 10, its not so much are you going to fail or succeed, its how you deal with that failure that separates the men from the boys.


Game 3
We were behind straight away, and could never make a serious threat against the Bandits starter. Vaughan Harris gave up 5 runs, but I can only remember one ball getting hit hard off him. There were bloop singles, infield singles everywhere. It was just one of those days where if something could go wrong, it did go wrong. Brisbane ended up eventual winners and took the series 2-1

We have a week off next week before we play defending champions Perth Heat. Its going to be a true test for us. Perth have been the benchmark of the league for the last 2 seasons, and it would be great to show them we belong with them at the top.

ABL Week 1 vs Canberra Cavalry

After having to go through that massacre we endured back in February against the Melbourne Aces that ended our championship hopes last season, all the boys were raring to go to Canberra to take on the Cavalry. Canberra is our closest opponent so we don't fly there. We caught the bus from Blue Sox Stadium at 10:00am on Friday. The bus trip is only about 3 hours, so its not as bad as some that I've been on.

In past seasons I've always roomed with pitchers on the road but this year I decided to mix it up and room with some position players. Wanted to do some research into whether the position players trash talk to the pitchers in their room. I roomed with Jacob Younis, Alessio Angelucci and JD Williams. We immediately went to get some lunch and do a little grocery shopping. Since we have fully serviced apartments we buy food that we can cook in our rooms. We didn't have too much time to relax once we got back to our rooms so we pretty much showered, got dressed and hopped in the vans to head to the field

Game 1
Just like in the season opener two years ago, Chris Oxspring was given the honour of starting Opening Day for us. He was superb throwing 7 1/3 innings allowing only 1 run, which was a solo home run in the 2nd inning. Canberra's starting Brian Grening wasn't to be outdone as he also only allowed 1 run in 6 innings of work. It was a classic pitchers duel.

I came into the game in the 8th inning in relief of Chris and got out of the inning inducing a groundout and a strikeout. I came out for the bottom of the 9th inning with the scores still tied at 1-1 so if I gave up a run, we would have been packing up and heading back to the hotel. I started off very shakily walking my first hitter on 4 straight pitches then giving up a single to my second hitter. I knew the next hitter would attempt to bunt so I just tried to throw strikes to let him put the ball in play so we could get an out somewhere. Luckily for me he missed his first 2 bunt attempts, then I struck him out on a slider that he also attempted to bunt. The next hitter came up and I got to 0-2 on him as well, then 1-2 on a ball just a bit outside. I then came back inside and threw a strike belt high that froze him. I now had 2 outs, with 2 runners on base. The next guy came up to the plate and I started him off with a strike, then threw a slider down that the catcher missed and went to the backstop. The runners advanced to 3rd and 2nd. So now the winning run was only 90 feet away. I then got the hitter to 2 strikes, and then threw a slider again that struck him out swinging. I know its only the first game of a long season, but I was extremely pumped up to get out of the inning!

We were able to score 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning to take a 3-1 lead. Matt Williams came in to get the save allowing only 1 unearned run in the bottom of the inning. Blue Sox win the first game of the series 3-2.

Game 2
This was the first game of a double header so it was only a 7 inning game, and the story of the day was Vaughan Harris. During Spring Training there was a battle for two starting rotation spots and Vaughan deserved his. He went 5 2/3 innings allowing 1 run while scattering 5 hits. The offense did just enough to earn him a win as we won this game 2-1. The offense was lead by Zach Penprase and Mitch Dening who each got 2 hits a piece.

Game 3
Craig Anderson followed up Oxpsring and Harris's great starts by throwing 7 innings allowing only 3 hits. Unfortunately two of those hits were solo home runs. Even though we outhit the Cavalry, we still only managed to put 1 run up on the board. That run was driven in by Shane Benson in the 4th inning with a single to left field. We dropped our first game of the season on a score of 2-1.

All in all, it was good start to the season. Its always fun heading down to Canberra to take on our closest rivals, its even more fun when you beat them.