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A's Attack With Another Comeback To End Season
The members of the Dodge City Athletics, who stuck around for the final game,
did not hang their heads after a rough season and played until the final out of
the 2010 campaign.
Despite falling into an early 6-0 deficit, Dodge City
kept chipping away to the end the season with a 9-7 victory against Liberal on
Thursday night.
“That has been the patented Dodge City A’s cardiac
comeback,” A’s head coach Phil Stephenson said. “It is a lot of late inning
heroics, and it has been different guys different times. A couple of key hits
when we needed them.”
A’s shortstop Nate Hewes capped off a four-run
seventh by sending a grounder to shortstop Kelby Tomlinson, and right before he
could get a glove on it, it took a wicked hop and skyrocketed over his head,
bringing in two runs to give the A’s a 9-7 lead, their first of the night.
“I was pumped that we were able to go ahead,” Hewes said. “We seem to do it
over and over again. We are completely down and out of a game, and somehow we
comeback.”
The A’s entered the inning trailing 7-3, but Brock Green and
Will Hagel got things going with back-to-back doubles after Stephen Castiglione
was hit by a pitch, bringing in two runs.
Trey Whaley knotted up the
score with a two-run home run.
“It has been a rough summer for all of
us,” Whaley said. “It was kind of up and down and I wanted to give the town a
win and leave on a good note.”
With the victory, Dodge City finishes the
season 11-20 in the Jayhawk League, far short from being able to make an
appearance at the National Baseball Congress World Series this weekend in
Wichita.
“It is always nice to finish with a win no matter what the
situation is,” Stephenson said. “Everybody gets to leave on a positive note. It
makes the summer seem a lot better when you finish on a win.”
Lance Day,
making his second start of the season for the A’s, began the game much like his
first appearance, getting into trouble early. Five Bee Jay batters got hits to
take an early 4-0 lead.
After Day started the game with a strikeout,
Tomlinson blasted the ball to right-center field for a triple and scored on a
single by Blake Bergeron.
Kyle Borden and Richard Bohlken each had
doubles during the inning.
The Bee Jays were not done with Day. Bohlken
blasted a two-run home run over the left field scoreboard in the third to put
Liberal up 6-0.
Bohlken left the game a triple short of the cycle, going
3-for-5, scoring one run and had two RBIs.
Dodge City started to figure
out Liberal pitcher Austin Robson after only getting one hit in the first three
innings.
The A’s first four hitters in the fourth each got hits,
including a two-run single by Daniel Olinger, cutting the Bee Jays lead in half
— 6-3.
After pulling ahead, it was up to CJ Bula to finish the game for
Dodge City. After walking Kelby Tomlinson, who moved to third on steals, Bula
ended the inning unharmed striking out two and earning a save.
“I am only
doing what I have to do,” Bula said. “They put me out there to get the save and
that is what I am going to do.”
A's Battle to Stay Out of Last in Jayhawk League
The Dodge City Athletics went into last weekend needing a sweep of first place
Haysville to have a chance take one of the Jayhawk League’s automatic bids to
the National Baseball Congress World Series.
In the three games, Dodge
City scored one run on 11 hits, losing every game.
“It is pretty
disappointing,” A’s center fielder Allen Riley said. “Going into the second
game, I feel like we were in all the games. The game Friday night was pretty
tough. We just did not swing the bat well. All the other games were pretty
tough.
“It was kind of fitting to know we had a chance to write our own
destiny, because we really did not do to well.”
The only way Dodge City
has a chance at the NBC tournament is if other teams drops out.
“It is
like a one percent chance of something like that happening,” A’s head coach Phil
Stephenson said.
With being a long shot to play in the tournament, Dodge
City still has something to play for in its final two games — not finishing in
last place in the Jayhawk League.
“We went through a rough season,” Riley
said. “I don’t think any of us want to finish last in the league, that is just
something you don’t want to go through. I know all the guys are going to try to
do their best to get us out of last place. You don’t want to look at the
(standings) and see the Dodge City A’s in last — I know I don’t.”
The A’s
who have a 10-20 record, are a half game behind 11-20 Derby and not far from
10-16 El Dorado.
Dodge City will meet up with Hays tonight on the road at
7. So far this season, Dodge City is 4-3 against the Larks. Hays has only
defeated Dodge City once at home.
Thursday night will be the team’s final
game at Cavalier Field, hosting Liberal at 7.
The Bee Jays won the first
four games they played against Dodge City and have gone 5-2 overall against the
Athletics this season.
“It will be pretty fun,” Riley said. “We started
out the first game of the season was in front of home fans, so that’s kind of
(nice) that the last game is in front of home fans. I hope we can get a good
turnout, that would be nice.”
The A’s started the season going 10-3, but
after a 14-game losing streak they fell to the back of the standings.
“It
is always sad to see a season come to an end,” Stephenson said, “especially one
that started with such promise and it has kind of ended in disappointment.”
A’s Get Shutout for
Second Time Against Haysville
The Haysville
Heat swept the Dodge City
A's in a three-game series, shuting them out for the second time in three days
with a 7-0 victory on Monday night.
Greg Hendrix threw seven shutout innings for Haysville
before Ormiston and Heath Wyatt came in to finish the game.
Albert Baez kept Haysville off the scoreboard for the first
three innings, but allowed five runs in the final three innings of his seven
inning outing.
Dodge City
will finish a four-game road trip on Wednesday at Hays. They finish the season
Thursday, taking on Liberal at home.
Dodge City
is now 10-19 in the Jayhawk League and 16-24 overall. Haysville is 21-8 in
league.
Haysville Holds A's Scoreless
The Dodge City Athletics did not do any better at the plate on Sunday, not
scoring a run, losing its second consecutive game to Haysville, this time
4-0.
In the last two games, Dodge City has put up a combined four hit and
no earned runs.
“Their pitching was very good both days,” A’s head coach
Phil Stephenson said. “They are a good ball club and there is a reason they lead
the league. That is what you are suppose do in your home park.”
This is
the second time this season Dodge City has been shutout.
Neither team had
an extra base hit during the game and Haysville picked up its lead with
sacrifice flies.
KC Pfister had the games first two RBIs, both off of
sacrifice flies.
Dodge City is now 10-18 in the Jayhawk League and 16-23
overall. Haysville is 20-8 in league.
The two teams will play again today
in Haysville.
“Everyday is a new day,” Stephenson said. “You never know
what is going to take place. They pitched well and beat us. Today we pitched
well and couple of mistakes cost a couple or runs late.”
Zinkovich Throws a No-Hitter Against A's
After putting up 23 hits and 25 runs on Thursday, the Dodge City Athletics did
not get a hit in a 5 1/2 inning contest on Saturday, losing 8-1 to the Haysville
Heat.
Dodge City, who entered the game after winning four of its last
five games after trailing, did not get a chance to make a comeback.
Going
into the bottom of the sixth rain began to pour, ending the game short.
The game will not be resumed because if a game goes over five innings, it is
ruled a complete game.
Justin Zinkovich pitched six hitless innings for
the Heat.
Nate Hewes scored the only Dodge City run. He walked to get on
base and moved to third after two passed balls and scored on an error.
The starter for the A s was Lance Day who just joined the team. The pitcher
that attends Texas Arlington gave up all eight runs in the first two
innings.
Brian Voigt took over for him the third, throwing three
scoreless innings.
A's In Postseason Chase
Not long ago, fans were wondering if the Dodge City Athletics would win another
game. Now after winning four of their last five games in dramatic fashion, the
question is, will the A’s qualify for the BaseballSavings.com 76th Annual
National Baseball Congress World Series tournament?
The tournament starts
July 30 and runs through Aug. 13.
“The talk of Kansas is the NBC
tournament,” A’s center fielder Allen Riley said. “It would be really nice to go
there. If we make it, it would great. ... I know the host families and all the
fans would love to see us there and would love to support us.”
The top
two teams in the Jayhawk League standings who do not earn an automatic bid will
qualify for the tournament. The top team in the league standings, the Haysville
Heat, grabbed one automatic bid by winning the Midwest Regional on
Thursday.
The El Dorado Broncos will also receive an automatic bid for
winning the NBC World Series last year.
As of today, Liberal and Hays are
heading to the tournament. Dodge City is currently 3 1/2 games behind Hays, with
five games left to be played, including a meeting between the two teams on
Wednesday.
“There is still plenty to play for for everybody,” A’s coach
Phil Stephenson said.
Dodge City will need to keep winning and some help from Derby this weekend who
play Hays to qualify.
Even if the A’s do not make the postseason, they
did improve from a season ago. Last summer, Dodge City finished the
season 5-25 in league play, while this year the A’s have accumulated a 10-17
record, doubling their win total from last year.
Part of the team’s
recent success can be attributed to Stephenson being named the head coach on
July 8. He replaced Jeremy Irlbeck, who lost 13 straight games.
“I
definitely think we owe a lot to the coaching change,” Riley said. “Coach
Stephenson is a well-known guy around here, and he is a really good coach. I
feel like his coaching methods allowed us to get into a good groove.
“I
am not saying anything against Irlbeck. I think it was just time for a change to
switch things up, and we did that and I guess it is working.”
Since
the change, Dodge City has gone 6-6 and 4-1 in its last five games.
“I
think it is just something you go through in baseball,” Riley said. “You go
through a span where you play really well as a team, and you go through a span
you don’t play real well. I think that is what we were doing earlier, because we
were not winning games.”
“We did everything to put us in a bad situation
to win a game, and now we are doing everything the right way. I guess it is just
turning the page, flipping the script.”
Each of the A’s last four wins
has been a come-from-behind victory.
On Thursday night, the A’s trailed
by seven going into the bottom of the second, but soon the bats came alive. The
A’s scored seven in the fourth and 15 in the eighth.
Karch Kowalczyk, who has not hit a home run
since high school, hit two in that eighth inning — a three-run shot and a grand
slam.
He finished the night going 5-for-5 with two homers, two doubles, a
single, two walks, four runs and eight RBIs.
Since Stephenson has come on
board, several players have improved drastically at the plate.
“A lot of
times it is an individual that takes it upon theirself to change how they
approach the ball game,” Stephenson said. “We just got to find a way to keep the
ship going in the right direction. I don’t swing the bat, I just put them in
best position to succeed.”
Rick Lesperance had five hits and five RBIs
while batting .125 in the 16 games he played in under Irlbeck. In nine games
under Stephenson, Lesperance has had eight hits, six RBIs and is batting
.258.
Brock Green has seen his batting average improve from .288 to .363
since Stephenson became coach. Prior to the coaching change, Green had only one
home run. But since the change, he has hit three.
The A’s will need
continued success at the plate if they are going to fight for a playoff
spot.
Starting today, Dodge City will travel to Haysville to play a
three-game series against the Heat.
“Haysville is a really good team,”
Riley said. “They swing the stick and they pitch well. I mean for us to be
successful, we have to keep doing what we have been doing: Play error-free
baseball. I feel like we will be good because we have been swinging the stick
and we are in a groove now. If we can take that down to Haysville, we will be
all right.”
The first time the two teams played this season, Haysville
swept a three-game series in Dodge City, scoring more than 11 runs in each
game.
Haysville comes into the series after winning its last six games on
the way to becoming the Southwest Regional champions.
“They are a good
ball club, but I feel like we are a good ball club too and we are playing like
it now,” Riley said.
Only in Your Dreams
The Dodge City Athletics' Karch Kowalczyk had the type of game Thursday night
that players dream about. Kowalczyk had two home runs in the eighth inning, a
three-run bomb and a grand slam in the A’s 25-10 win on Thursday night.
He ended the night a triple short of the cycle, going 5-for-5 with two doubles,
two home runs, a single and two walks while driving in eight runs and scoring
four runs.
“Nice to see him have a breakout game again,” A’s head coach
Phil Stephenson said. "It’s been a while since he swung the bat the way he is
capable of.”
Dodge City totaled 23 hits, and Hays had 13. The two teams
combined for 14 extra-base hits, including six that were homers.
For the
fourth time in their last five Jayhawk League games, Dodge City came from behind
to win. Dodge City overcame a seven-run deficit Thursday at Cavalier
Field.
Brock Green started a seven-run rally in the fourth with a solo
homer. Michael Fear was the only A's player not to reach base, but he had a
sacrifice fly to bring home Jeremy Gum.
Nate Hewes, Rick Lesperance and
Allen Riley each had RBI singles, while Stephen Castiglione hit a two-run double
to put his team up 9-7.
When the Larks got within one run, trailing
11-10, Dodge City scored 14 runs in the eighth, including a two-run homer from
Green and Kowalczyk’s homers.
“The eighth inning was one of those innings
you have once every two-to-three years,” Stephenson said. “I just don’t know
what to say, 14 runs.”
Hays had no trouble crushing the pitching of Jesus
Francies to start the game. In the 1 2/3 innings Francies pitched, he gave up
three doubles and a homer.
The Larks got their first five runs off RBI
doubles by Brian Martin, Andrew Heck and a three-run double by Cody
Gougler.
Cam Brown hit a two-run homer to cap off a five-run second
inning for the Larks, giving them a 7-0 lead.
Allen Riley struck out in
what should have ended the bottom of the second, but Larks catcher Ollie Goulder
could not hang onto the ball and Riley sprinted to first and Kowalczyk came
home for the A’s first run of the game.
After Dodge City took the lead in
the fourth, it added two more runs in the fifth. Whaley led off the inning with
a double and Gum drove him in. Gum scored when Lesperance was walked with the
bases loaded.
The Larks were not done scoring and started a comeback of
their own. Trailing 11-7, Brown hit his second home run of the game in a two-run
top of the sixth.
Whaley Carries Athletics Past Hays
For the third time in its last four National Baseball Congress games, Dodge City
overcame a late deficit to come back and win. On Monday night, Trey Whaley hit a
two-run single in the 10th inning to push the Athletics past Hays, 8-4.
“We are getting pitching when we need it to keep us in the ballgame and the
guys are coming through in clutch situations,” A’s head coach Phil Stephenson
said. “We have that feeling we are never out of a game as long as we stay close
and we have proved that the last three games.”
Jeremy Gum, who had a
game-winning double the night before, had an RBI single in the 10th and
Kowalczyk drove in one more to give pitcher CJ Bula a four-run cushion heading
into bottom of the inning.
The A’s went into the eighth trailing 4-1, but
put up three runs to push the game into extra innings.
Whaley had his
first of three RBIs in the eighth to tie the game.
Prior to Whaley’s hit,
Stephen Castiglione had an RBI double and Brock Green brought in a run with a sacrifice fly.
The A’s is now 15-21 overall and 9-16 in the Jayhawk
League. They will play Hays again on Thursday night at Cavalier Field. starting
at 7.
Gum Chomps at Bit, Chews up Liberal
Going
into the bottom of the ninth Sunday night, it looked like Liberal would
win its third game of a four-game National Baseball Congress series, as
the BeeJays held a 7-5 lead.
The A's scored a run and strung together some hits
to bring hot-hitting Jeremy Gum to the plate in the ninth. Gum
hit his fifth double in two games to bring home two runs and give the
A's an 8-7 win. Gum said it was the first walk-off in his life.
"I was just trying to get a pitch I could hit," Gum said "I was
trying not to be picky. I just wanted a single to score the run
from second. I was able to square up the pitch in the strike
zone. Luckily, I hit it hard enough."
His teammates rushed the field and piled on top of
him, as soon as Trey Whaley crossed the plate with the game-winner.
"The guys believe they can score and that is important,"
A's head coach Phil Stephenson said. "We are not out of any ball
game when we are behind. You have to have a little belief that
way and as a group we do. It is not just one guy or two guys,
everybody is contributing." The win helped the A's improve to
14-21 overall and 8-16 in the Jayhawk League. Liberal is now
24-10, 16-10. "Coach has really been preaching to play all nine
innings," Gum said. "A couple games in the middle innings we got
kind of a little lackadaisical and weren't hitting and got kind
of careless in the field. Playing nine innings is the key to
winning those close games."
The A's Rick Lesperance tied the game in the sixth
with a "Rick-stick" hit, a blooper to shallow right field, that has
been nicknamed by Dodge City Community College players because
Lesperance does it so often. It drove in Gum to tie the game at 5
in the sixth.
"It all started in college in his first year here,"
Stephenson said. "A lot of hits he got were just off the handle,
off the end, shots over there down the right-field line and we just
started calling it Rick sticks and it kind of stuck."
Marc Gomez came up big for the BeeJays earlier in
the game, breaking 5-5 tie, hitting two-run triple with two outs for a
7-5 lead.
But the A's answered the trio of runs in the ninth.
Gum had three doubles in the game. His first double drove
in Whaley in the second inning. Gum later scored off a sacrifice
fly by Michael Fear.
Liberal's most productive inning was in the third, getting six hits and scoring four runs.
A's Split Doubleheader with Liberal
On Saturday night, the Dodge City Athletics split a double header with Liberal, winning the first game in dramatic fashion.
After overcoming a 7-0 deficit to force extra
innings, Rick Lesperance drove in the winning run with an RBI single,
winning 8-7. In the nightcap, Liberal won 8-6. "It would be
nice not to have to play from behind all the time" Dodge City head
coach Phil Stephenson said. "But at least it shows the guys are
staying in the game, that we are capable of breaking out and scoring
runs in bunches if we stay on top of things." Soon after, Will
Hagel walked with the bases loaded to add one more and Brock Green had
a three-run double to give Dodge city a cushion. This was the
first time the A's have defeated their Jayhawk League foe this season.
The National Baseball Congress comeback started in
the seventh inning, the final inning of first game of the doubleheader.
Liberal had a commanding 7-1 lead, but RBI hits from Jeremy Gum,
Nate Hewes, Allen Riley and Green tied the game up. In the second
game, the A's struck first, scoring two in the top of the first, but
Liberal left the game with the victory, winning 8-6. Dodge City's
two-run lead did not last long as Liberal scored three in the bottom
half of the first inning, including a leadoff home run from Aaron Mees.
Dodge City went back up in the third, scoring four. Jason Schmidt
had a two-run home run to give the A;s a 6-3 lead. But again,
Dodge City could not hold onto the lead for long. Marc
Gomez topped off a five-run fourth with a three-run homer to give the
BeeJays a lead they would not give up.
A's Fall to Liberal
The
Liberal BeeJays' edwin Arroyo went 5-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs
to lead his team to a 10-8 National Baseball Congress victory against
the Dodge City Athletics on Friday night at Cavalier Field.
Dodge city has not lost 17 of its last 19 games,
falling to a 12-20 overall and 6-15 in the Jayhawk League.
Liberal is now 23-8, 15-8. The two teams face off again
tonight in Liberal at 7.
Arroyo broke an 8-8 tie in the eighth inning,
scoring on a hit by Joe Vaskas after reaching on his third double of
the game. Aaron Mees added an insurance run later in the inning,
stealing second base and the throw from the catcher got through the
infield, allowing Mees to get up and score, barely avoiding the tag at
the plate.
Stephen Castiglione gave the A's hope for a
comeback, doubling in the ninth with one out. He was stranded at
second as the next two batters struck out. Dodge City already had
tied the game once after falling in an 8-2 hole.
A ground single from the A's Daniel Olinger, that
took a hop over the head of first baseman Blake Bergeron with the bases
loaded, scored two runs to tie the game at 8-8 in the sixth.
In the first, the BeeJays had no trouble getting the
offense started, as the first seven batters reached base, six of those
had a hit. With the bases loaded, Mark Gomez hit a grand slam,
but only three runners scored. Gomez passed Kyle Borden near
second base on his home run trot, which made Borden out.
The A's were in catch-up mode and put up two-runs in
the first to cut into the BeeJays lead, placing the score at 5-2.
In that inning, Brock Green and Trey Whaley had back-to-back
doubles and both of them scored. On Green's double, Allen Riley,
who reached on an error, tried to score from first, but was tagged out
at the plate. Riley injured his knee on the slide home and would
not return to the game.
The next time the top of the A's lineup came to the
plate, they scored two more runs. Jeremy Gum, who came into the
game for Riley, had a leadoff double and scored on a single by Olinger.
Green scored his second run of the night off of a single from
Castiglione.
Broncos Kick A's 8-2, Win Series
Broncos righthanded pitcher Conner Sinclair continues to dominate his
opponents as the Jayhawk League schedule winds down with the Dodge city
Athletics his latest victim.
Sinclair thew six innings and gave up only two runs
to improve to 6-0 on the season as the Broncos beat the Athletics 8-2
in Thursday night action in the finale of a three-game series at
McDonald Stadium.
The former Butler Community College hurler gave up
seven hits and one walk while striking out five in getting the
decision. Sinclair's earned run average actually rose to 1.34 in
the outing, but Dodge City (12-19, 6-15) couldn't get any consistent
offense going.
The Broncos (19-15, 10-13) also took advantage of
the wildness of Dodge City starting pitcher Chuy Francies and two third
inning errors. The righthander gave up seven runs (four earned),
six hits, three walks and seven wild pitches in a 3 2/3 inning of work
as El Dorado built a 7-2 lead after four innings.
Catcher Tyler Smith led the Broncos' charge with two
hits, two runs batted in and a stolen base. Brian Fisher, Zach
Noonan and Jacob White also had two hits for El Dorado, while Sam Bates
also knocked in two runs.
Stephen Castiglione and Daniel Olinger had two hits
apiece to lead Dodge City at the plate. Dodge City got on the
board in the top of the first inning when Castiglione walked, stole
second and scored on a single by Brock Green.
The Broncos got three in the bottom of the first to
take a lead they would not hand back. Elliot Frey opened up the
frame with a home run over the leftfield fence; Brian Fisher singled
and would later score on a wild pitch; and Zack Noonan was hit by a
pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Smith.
The Athletics cut the deficit to one in the top of
the third, but they had a huge change to score more. Allen Riley
and Castiglione singled and Green reached base on a fielding error to
load the bases. Riley scored on a double play grounder by Trey
Whaley and Jeremy Gum hit a weak grounder to end the threat.
El Dorado got the run back in the third when Kirk
Walker singled, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a RBI
single by Smith. The Broncos scored three more in the fourth with
a lot of help from Dodge City's defense.
Hagel Pitches A's to Win
Lefthander Will Hagel had a three-up and three-down inning out of the
seven he threw for the Dodge City Athletics in their Wednesday night
Jayhawk League contest against the El Dorado Broncos at McDonald
Stadium. But Hagel used his defense to induce three double plays,
as well as other timely plays, on the way to picking up the decision in
the Athletics' 8-2 win over the Broncos to even the three-game series
at a game apiece. Hagel walked five and gave up three hits, while
striking out three in his seven innings of work.
The only run Hagel allowed came on an error in the
first inning on what would have been a fourth inning -ending twin
killing. The Broncos (18-15, 9-13) had a chance to get more runs
on the board, but what could have been an error turned into an out at
home plate as Hagel backed up an errant throw from the outfield and
threw to catcher Rick Lesperance for the third out of the inning.
The Athletics tied the game in the third inning when Stephen
Castiglione doubled, stole third base and scored on a groundout by
Lesperance.
Castiglione finished 2-for-4 with two runs, brought
in a run with a bases-loaded walk, and stole two bases.
Dodge City (12-18, 6-13) took the lead in the fourth
on a solo home run by Trey Whaley and Allen Riley helped the Athletics
pull ahead 5-1 with a three-run home run in the fifth. All runs
were scored off of starting pitcher Aaron LaBrie, who threw 4 2/3
innings in suffering the setback.
Castiglione's bases-loaded walk in the top of the
eighth made the score 6-1 before El Dorado picked up their only other
run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Brian Fisher in the bottom of the
inning. Dodge City's last two runs came in the ninth on a ground
out by Whaley and a double by Karch Kowalczyk.
Bates Pushes Broncos by A's
The Dodge City Athletics overcame a three-run deficit in their Jayhawk
League game against the El Dorado Broncos, but then gave up a solo home
run to the Bronco's Sam Bates in the bottom of the eighth to suffer a
4-3 setback Tuesday night at McDonald Stadium.
Brock Green went 3-for-4 at the plate for the
Athletics (11-8 overall 5-13), including a game-tying home run over the
right-field fence in the top of the eighth inning. The Athletics,
who have lost 16 of their last 17 games, totaled five hits.
Neither team could get on the scoreboard until the fifth inning when
the Broncos scored three runs off of losing pitcher Albert Baez.
Elliot Frey and Kirk Walker hit RBI doubles , while Robbie Rea
had an RBI single.
Dodge City came back with single runs in the sixth,
seventh and eighth to even the game. Nate Hewes opened up the
sixth inning with a single off starting pitcher Cody Conners, went to
third on a double by Green and scored a sacrifice fly by Trey Whaley.
Karch Kowalczyk started the seventh by getting hit
by a pitch, stole second base, went to third on a groundout and scored
on a passed ball to cut the deficit to 3-2. Green then tied the game
with hit one-out solo shot off Rea, who is the Broncos' closer when not
playing third base.
Bates, who led the Broncos at the plate with a
3-for-4 performance of his own, hit the game-winning homer off Baez
over the 375 sign in right-centerfield. Reas was the winning
pitcher in the game for the Broncos (18-14, 9-12). Baez gave up
all four runs and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings of work for Dodge City.
The two teams will meet again tonight in the second
game of a three-game series tonight at 7:05 at McDonald Stadium.
A's Are Blanked
One night after ending a 14-game National Baseball Congress
losing streak, the Dodge City Athletics were shut out for the first
time all season.
The A's lost 4-0 to Derby on Sunday night at
Cavalier Field. Dodge City will start a three-game series at El
Dorado on Tuesday. The A's are now 11-17 overall and 5-12 in the
Jayhawk League. Derby is 10-15, 8-14.
Derby's Jon Anderson was untouchable for a spurt,
starting in the second, striking out five consecutive batters.
All six outs in the second and third innings were by strikeout.
Anderson threw a gem, striking out nine, allowing six hits and no
runs in eight innings of work. He got help from Ryan Jones who
put up a highlight-reel performance in the outfield, making multiple
diving catches to rob the A's of hits.
"Why that guy Jones is not playing pro ball, I don't
know," A's head coach Phil Stephenson said. "That's kind of
ridiculous he is not in pro ball somewhere playing. I spend 18
years in pro ball. That guy's got to be in pro ball, playing some
place."
Andrew Wild only allowed Derby to get one hit in the
first four innings, but starting in the fifth, Garrett Bayliff figured
out how to hit the A's lefty. Bayliff doubled in both the fifth
and sixth innings, driving in two runs in the sixth and scoring the
game's first run in the fifth. He had a third double in the night
and later scored.
Athletics Finally End
14-Game Losing Skid
On
Saturday night, the Dodge City Athletics finally ended a 14-game
National Baseball Congress losing streak. With solid pitching and
clutch hitting, the A's beat the Derby Twins 6-3 at Cavalier
Field.
With two outs in the top of the ninth, Derby's Jimmy
Howick popped out to end the game and the A's rushed off the field with
giant grins on their faces and a sigh of relief.
"Sadly and shamefully, I got goose bumps," A's
designated hitter Jeremy Gum said. "It almost felt like we forgot
what it was like to win." "I wouldn't say it was different, but
it was exciting. ...We are still under .500, but hopefully we can keep
it going." Dodge City A's head coach Phil Stephenson ended the
losing streak in his second game running the team. Jeremy Irlbeck
was fired
last Wednesday. "We still got a lot of things we have to improve
on, but I think as a whole, it is nice to get that monkey off our back,
" Stephenson said. "Now we have to come out and do it again."
A's pitcher Jesus Francies gave up one earned run on
six hits while striking out two in getting the win. "It feels
like a weight lifted off my shoulders," Francies said about ending the
losing streak. "It feels good. I just tried to keep the
ball down and give us a chance. "
Dodge City took an early lead, thanks to the hitting
of Gum. With the bases loaded in the first inning, Gum gave Dodge
City a 2-0 lead with a two-run double down the third-base line.
"The opposing pitcher was making good pitches," Gum
said. "We ended up working a full count. The pitch I ended
up hitting was a good pitch, too. It was a fastball on the outer
third of the plate. Luckily, I slapped it over the third baseman
and it stayed fair."
Derby scored its first run of the game with a
sacrifice fly from Brett Marshall in the second inning, bringing home
Garrett Bayliff.
With a 3-1 lead, the A's added two more in the fourth. Jason
Schmidt was standing on third while Allen Riley was on first.
Riley took off and stole second and Schmidt darted home on the
throw, scoring uncontested.
Derby closed in on the A's 6-1 lead in the seventh.
Marshall scored on a wild pitch. Chase Greenwell reached on
a double and scored off a grounder hit down the first-base line by
Howick to make it 6-3.
C.J. Bula made his first appearance in an A's
uniform, coming from Purchase College in Purchase, New York. Bula
held the Twins scoreless in the final two innings to pick up the save.
Derby Hands A's 14th Straight Loss
The
Dodge City Athletics scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth
inning to send the game into extra innings, but Derby's P.J. Garcia
ended the A's hopes to end a 13-game losing streak with a two-run home
run in the 10th.
In
Phil Stephenson's 2010 debut as head coach, the A's dropped a 9-7
decision to Derby at Cavalier Field. The A's have now lost 14
straight National Baseball Congress games. The Athletics
are now 10-17 overall and 4-12 in the Jayhawk League. Derby is
10-14, 8-13.
Adrian Gutierrez stepped up to the plate for
the first time in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the A's
trailing by one. On the first pitch he saw, he drove it over the
left field wall to tie the game at 7. The A's entered the ninth
trailing by three, and only one hit since the second inning. With
two outs, Michael Fear kept the game alive with a single. Will
Hagel brought him home with a two-run homer to set up Gutierrez's games
-tying bash.
Allen Riley helped the A's get off to a good
start offensively. He had a single to lead off the first inning
and had a solo home run in the second.
In the first inning, Jeremy Gum hit Riley and
Stephen Castiglione in to score the game's first runs. Hagel also
had a home run in the second inning.
Rain Postpones Stephenson's Debut
The Dodge City Athletics' game in Liberal on Thursday night was
postponed due to rain. A's general manager and head coach Phil
Stephenson said they have not rescheduled the Jayhawk League game.
Dodge City will play Derby tonight at Cavalier Field at 7 wehre
Stephenson will make his 2010 debut as head coach of the Dodge City A's
after Jeremy Irlbeck was released on Wednesday.
Irlbeck Relieved of Duties;
Stephenson Takes Over
After losing 13 straight National Baseball Congress games as head coach
of the Dodge City Athletics, Jeremy Irlbeck has lost his job.
"Honestly I am disappointed, but obviously people
are not excited that we lost 13 in a row," Irlbeck said. "I was
not happy that was the way we were playing. If that is the change
the organization wants to make, it really doesn't matter what I think
because it is done."
The move was announced Wednesday, a day after the
A's were swept in a doubleheader against Valley Center. "The
board felt like there was a need for a change, " A's president
Glenn Kerbs said. "As you know, we had an up and down season with
the 13 straight losses that just occurred. We felt like a change
would be beneficial to the team." Phil Stephenson, the A's
general manager, will take over the reins as head coach.
"I will just go in and see what I can do to
get some things turned around," Stephenson said, "hopefully get us back
to a point of how we were playing the first couple of weeks. "I
don't have any magic tricks or anything else. It is a matter of
just seeing what we can do to turn some things around."
Irlbeck will no longer have a part with the team in
any capacity. He never finished his final game as head coach
after being ejected from Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Valley Center for
arguing with an umpire.
"This is something we have been looking at the past
couple of weeks," Kerbs said. "We were concerned about what
happened. We felt like maybe it was time to have things change a
bit. It has nothing to do with his ejection from the ball game."
In 1 1/2 seasons as the A's coach, Irlbeck accumulated a 26-43
overall record and was 9-36 in Jayhawk League play.
Stephenson coached the Dodge City A's in 2007 and
2008 before Irlbeck was named head coach last season. Stephenson
left the position of head coach after the 2008 season to become the
general manager. With the departure of Irlbeck, Stephenson will
now do both jobs.
"We felt like Phil would be the natural person to
come in," Kerbs said. "He has been the general manager and he
coached the A's for the first two years of our four-year existence.
We felt like he was familiar with the personnel and he would be
able to step in and do the job for us."
Along with taking part int he A's, Stephenson has coached the past five
seasons at Dodge City Community College. Stephenson brings years
of knowledge of the game to the team, as he was a highly decorated
college player, holding 13 individual hitting records at Wichita State
while being named Baseball News College Player of the Year in 1982.
He went on to play four years in the Major Leagues, playing for
the Cubs and Padres.
Irlbeck has been an assistant coach under Stephenson
the past two seasons at the community college. Irlbeck's duties
at the college will remain unchanged. "It actually give me more
time to focus on finalizing some recruits here with the community
college," Irlbeck said. "Give me the opportunity to go and see
some kids play I would not have had the opportunity to do. This
in no way affects my career here at Dodge City Community College."
While Irlbeck was the coach of the A's, things were not always
bas as they started out 10-3. The A's 4-0 start to this season
was their best start since they were brought back in 2007 after not
being around since the 70's. The team continued to play well,
winning five games of a six-game road trip. Since returning from
the road trip on June 23, the A's have not won another game. "We
were always just a couple of breaks away from getting out of that
streak," Irlbeck said. "I know we had some success and I know we
had some failures. I think there is some talent here still.
Losing Streak Reaches 13
The
Dodge City Athletics' Albert Baez gave up one earned run during his
eight innings on the mound and it cost him the win.
Jeff Hutton of Valley Center hit a home run in the
fourth for the only run against Baez and the Diamond Dawgs' only run in
regulation as they went on to win 3-2 in 10 innings in the first game
of a doubleheader Tuesday night at Cavalier Field.
"The pitch before (the home run) on a
2-2 count, was a curveball and we thought it was a strike," Baez said.
"We did not get it and had to go with the fastball and he just
poked at it and it went out." Baez added that he believed the
wind helped carry the ball over the left field fence.
Valley Center did not even need a hit in the 10th to
take the lead and eventually win the National Baseball Congress
non-conference game. Lance Rymel reached on a fielding error by
Brian Voigt and Dustin Moses walked. A bunt moved them over and
Dodge City elected to intentionally walk Daniel Jordan to load the
bases to setup the double play. Dodge City did not get the double
play and Brennan Murphy walked to bring home Rymel to take a 2-1 lead.
Davis Morgan grounded out, but brought home another run.
Lately the pitching has been good for A's, but
Albert Baez picked up a notch and still could not get a victory.
He threw eight innings, allowing one run, four hits and struck
out six.
"We need to keep chipping away," Baez said. "Now , things are just not going our way."
The A's immediately responded to Hutton's home run,
picking up a run in the fourth. Brock Green was walked and a few
batters later with two outs, Jeremy Gum hit a grounder hard to the
right side of the infield that got by a diving Hutton to bring Green
home.
But in the 10th, Dodge City could not match Valley
Center's two runs in the top of the inning. Green put the game
within one run with a two-out double to bring home Daniel Olinger.
Green was stranded on second as Trey Whaley popped out to left
field to end the game.
The first time Dodge City played Valley Center this
season, they won each game of a doubleheader by at least five runs.
The Diamond Dawgs looked like just the team to end A's losing streak,
but their struggles continued as Dodge City lost in the nightcap.
The A's have now lost 13 straight, the longest drought since the
team came back into existence four years ago. The longest
previous National Baseball Congress losing streak for the A's on record
was six games in 2009. With the loss, Dodge City drops to 10-16
overall. It will resume Jayhawk League play on Thursday with a
road trip to Liberal, a team they have not defeated this season.
Things did not start out well for Dodge City.
Daniel Jordan had a leadoff single and Davis Morgan hit a two-run
home run to left field. Jason Schmidt got the A's first hit of
the game with a two-out double to the left-center gap. Soon
after, the A's loaded the bases, but all three runners were left
stranded as Nate Hewes struck out looking.
In the next inning, Daniel Olinger hit a one-out
triple down the right-field line. He too was left on base.
In the fourth, Trey Whaley led off the inning hitting a line
drive down the third-base line for double. It was the same story
as he was left on the base paths. The A's first three hits were
extra-base hits.
In the top of the fifth, the first four batters
swung at the first pitch they saw, and for the most part it worked out
well. Jordan led off the inning with a home run and Jeff Hutton
had a double. A double from Jake Marasco brought him and the
Diamond Dawgs left the inning leading 4-0.
The first A's hit that did not go for extra bases brought in two runs.
How Long Can This Go On?
Dodge
City received one of its best performances from a starting pitcher in a
while, but it was not enough to stop the Athletics losing streak,
falling to the Liberal BeeJays 4-1 Thursday night at Cavalier Field.
The A's have now dropped eight straight games, and
Jesus Francies got the loss after striking out 10, giving up three
earned runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched. "We are all right,"
Francies said. "I left the ball up on two people only and they
did what they were suppose to do, (hit a home run). It is tough
to pitch with the wind blowing straight out. You really have to
work to keep the ball down."
Liberal's Parker Markel, however, was better,
allowing one hit in six innings pitched while striking out four.
Thursday's game was the first time in seven games Dodge City
allowed less than 11 runs. "That is a direct correlation to the
pitching and what Francies was able to do and (Stephen) Castiglione was
able to do and what Karch (Kowalczyk) was able to do," A's head coach
Jeremy Irlbeck said. "Those guys went in the zone, got out some
of the jams. If we put a little bit better offensive effort
forth, maybe we get a win."
Dodge City goes on the road today to take on
non-conference foe Topeka. They will play its next three games on
the road, two at Topeka. Dodge City falls to 10-11 overall and
4-10 in the Jayhawk League. Liberal is 13-6,
7-6.
Both teams wasted opportunities in
the first inning. Kelby Tomlinson doubled for the BeeJays.
Shortly after, Tomlinson sped off to third and the pitch got by
catcher Adrian Gutierrez. Tomlinson turned the corner and headed home,
Gutierrez flipped the ball to Francies who got the out at the plate.
In the bottom half of the inning, Allen Riley had a
double to leadoff inning. The A's however could not bring him
home and the next 24 batters who stepped up to the plate for Dodge City
could not get a hit.
In the second inning, Liberal's Mark Gomez made sure
he would not be stranded on base, hitting a solo home run. In the
third, Liberal added one more as Blake Bergeron drove in Edwin Arroyo
who reached on a fielder's choice. Dodge City stranded two more
runners in the third. Aaron Heiland and Brock Green both reached
with one out, but nobody could hit them in. After Francies struck
out the side in the fifth, Liberal's Joe Vaskas hit a two-run home run
in the sixth to go up 4-0. Francies soon loaded the bases with
one out and was removed from the game. Castiglione came in the
ball game and picked up two outs not allowing a run to finish the
inning. Allen Riley's second hit of the game in the seventh put
the A's on the board as Jason Schmidt came home. In the ninth
inning Brandon Ward-Hersee made sure Dodge City did not come back
retiring the batters in order and striking out the final two hitters of
the game.
Game notes - Trey
Whaley made his third start at right field after missing four games due
to illness. Whaley leads the team in RBI's with 16.
Unlucky Seven
Jayhawk
League win No. 5 isn't coming easy for the Dodge City Athletics.
A little over a week ago the A's were 4-4 in league trying to
match their league win total from a year ago. After losing 16-2
to Hays Wednesday at Cavalier Field, the A's seventh straight National
Baseball Congress loss, Dodge City falls to 10-10 overall and 4-9 in
league.
"We need to figure something out," A's head coach Jeremy Irlbeck said.
"We need different mojo, ... I think we need to get back to
having fun and that is what we are going to try tomorrow and see if
that does it for us."
Hays is 13-5, 9-4. Wednesday night marked the sixth consecutive
game Dodge City gave up at least 11 runs. "We need to stop
throwing the ball thigh-high over the middle of the plate," Irlbeck
said. "We need to try and not get squared up every time we throw
the ball in the zone. We need to make better pitches."
When the Athletics were winning, they were getting on the scoreboard
first. Lately that has not happened. In four of the seven
losses, Dodge City found itself trailing early on. That was the
case Wednesday night as Hays jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings. Cody
Gougler doubled in the first and was drove home by Justin Klusak to put
the Larks up 1-0.
Klusak contributed to another run, scoring off
a two-out, two-run home run by Andrew Heck. Levi Schlick, who was
drafted by the Chicago White Sox, did not allow a hit in the first
three innings. He struck out 11 batters in six innings while
giving up three hits and no earned runs.
To start the fourth, Karch Kowalczyk hit the ball to
right-center field for a double. Kowalczyk scored when Hays
second baseman Larry Rodriguez could not handle a grounder. Hays
had two outs at that point and a clean handle would have kept the A's
off the board. The A's trailed 4-1 after four, but Dodge City
could not hold the Larks offense.
Gougler hit a solo home run in the fifth, Rodriguez
had a three-run homer in the sixth, three runs were walked in the
seventh and Brian Martin had a two-run triple later in the inning.
Dodge City would get one more run as Brock
Green led off the ninth with a double and Brian Voigt brought him home
shortly after with a sacrifice fly.
The Liberal BeeJays come into town tonight to face the A's at 7.
A's Bring on Olinger, Voigt
The Dodge City Athletics went to the land of 1,000 lakes to pick up two new players to join the squad. Dan
Olinger and Brian Voigt were recently added to the National Baseball
Congress team and have already made an impact. Both players were
major contributors to A's nine-run comeback against Haysville in the
recent days, sending the game into extra innings, where they lost 16-14.
Brian Voigt had a pinch-hit single and scored the
tying run. Olinger had a solo home run and RBI triple during the
game. Olinger, who comes to Dodge City after redshirting his
first season at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, plays catcher
and third base. He made his debut with the Athletics against
Topeka. "(Olinger) is just getting acclimated, he is just
learning to see how we are doing things," Dodge City head coach Jeremy
Irlbeck said. "The kid is hungry, he wants to play and he wants
to be in the lineup. He plays hard and that is what I expect all
my guys to do. I have been pleased so far, but it is early."
Olinger is new to the position of catcher as the
Golden Gophers are trying to convert the high school infielder.
"This is some of the first catching I have ever done," Olinger
said. "We lost two catchers to the draft, so at the end of the
year, they gave me some catcher's equipment and told me to come back at
the end of the summer as a catcher." Olinger was a three-sport
athlete in high school, playing football and hockey where he was a
goalie. "(Playing goalie) is not as similar as you would think to
(catching)," Olinger said. "I use completely different reflexes."
Voigt, who attended Riverland Community College in
Austin, Minnesota, has signed to play Augastana University in Sioux
Falls, South Dakota. He give the Athletics another pitcher in a
small bullpen.
At Riverland, Voigt had a team-low 2.45 ERA and
team-high 59 strikeouts. At the plate he was just as spectacular.
He led Riverland in doubles (17) and RBIs (60), while batting
.453. Voigt also has seen some action at shortstop and pitcher
with the A's, making his first appearance against Valley Center. Both
players said they were excited about the opportunity to play for the
Athletics, and did not waste much time getting to Dodge City.
Voigt said he made the 12-hour drive to Kansas a day after
learning he was on the roster. "(After getting invited to play
for the A's), I went to bed and woke up and came on down," Voigt said.
"When this opportunity comes, you can't pass up this league with
the history (the Jayhawk League) has. Obviously, if you get
invited to come down here, it is a no-brainer in saying yes."
Olinger was on the playing field hours after he
arrived in town. "It is awesome to have the opportunity to play
down here," Olinger said. "(They have a) good group of guys and I
am blessed."
Celebrating 35th Season in 2010
The
Jayhawk League is Summer Collegiate Baseball at its best! It is
one of the most prestigious, well scouted and competitive leagues in
the nation. The Jayhawk League has teams in one of the Midwestern
states in the heartland of America: Kansas.
The six-member league has an automatic berth into the National
Baseball Congress World Series that is played in Wichita, Kansas.
The Jayhawk League is a wood bat league that plays according to
American League rules.
Dozens of current Major League stars have played on
the Jayhawk League on their way to stardom, surely to be followed by
dozens more. Some of the alumni who have become prominent Major
League stars include Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, Lance
Berkman, Ozzie Smith, Andy Benes, Trevor Hoffman, Doug Drabek and Chuck
Knoblauch.
Jayhawk League teams continue to dominate at the NBC
World Series. They have won three Championships and countless top
finishes in the past ten years. The Jayhawk League is recognized
as a premier league in the National Baseball Congress.
The league consists of the Derby Twins, Dodge City
Athletics, El Dorado Broncos, Hays Larks, Haysville Heat and Liberal
BeeJays.
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| Thank you host families and sponsors for your support this summer! |
Host Families for 2010
Ruby Beatty
Angie Heiland
Kip & Shanda Koehn
Shane & Kirstin Bangerter
Tyler & Jackie Luft
Russ & Cathy McBee
Ryan & Lora Miller
John & Lori Oldham
Albert & Joyce Schulte
Hugh Shapiro &
Kerry Carter
Matt Turner
Justin & Rochele Weil
David & Tami Weiser
Steve & Faye Wells
Bob & Maggie White
Rose Kerns
Mike & Debbie Setzkorn
Dale & Margie Cunningham
Kerry Miller |
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If you are interested in hosting a Dodge City A's player next summer contact Dodge City A's President, Glenn Kerbs. |
Athletics Lose Fifth Straight
Haysville
handed the Dodge City Athletics their fifth straight loss on Sunday
evening at Cavalier Field, winning 11-5 and sweeping the three-game
series between the two teams.
The Athletics play again on Tuesday at Hays. The Athletics lost
7-4 the last time they faced Hays to start the losing streak.
Hays is also the last team the A's defeated, winning 11-4 on the
road last Tuesday.
The Athletics fall to 10-8 overall and 4-7 in the Jayhawk League, Haysville is 14-4, 12-3.
Dodge
City has given up at least 11 runs in each of its last four games.
Like the first two games of the series, Haysville was quick to
build a big lead. Justin Miller scored in the first and Ben
Kline doubled in each of his first two at bats to bring in four runs
and put Haysville up 7-0 after three innings.
Erik Dahl helped contribute to Haysville's three-run third with an RBI
double. In the top of the fifth, Justin Miller and K.C. Phister
each doubled, and Phister drove in two runs. The Heat scored in
each of the first five innings. In the sixth, Karch Kowalczyk
came into pitch for Dodge City and faced three batters. Kline
singled, but was caught stealing.
In three innings pitched, Kowalczyk held Haysville scoreless, giving up
four hits and striking out three. For the second consecutive
game, Dodge City got the offense started after falling in a big hole.
The only time Dodge City scored was when Jeremy Gum reached base.
Gum was hit by a pitch in both the fourth and seventh, and
doubled in the fifth.
The Athletics picked up their first run in the fourth. Michael
Fear drove Gum home with a sacrifice grounder in a one-run bottom of
the fourth. Dodge City added two more in the fifth. Gum
drove in one with a double. In the seventh after scoring two
runs, the A's had the bases loaded with one out. Haysville's
Steve Carlin kept the A's off the scoreboard, getting the final two
outs via strikeout.
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Taking
Time Out From Camp to Coach Camps
College baseball players who joined the
Dodge City Athletics, a summer college baseball team that is part of the
National Baseball Congress, are doing more than just playing games this summer.
The players are also coaching youth camps, teaching the basic
fundamentals of baseball and softball.
"It is a good experience for the kids and it is a good
experience for our guys that continue working with kids," A's head coach
Jeremy Irlbeck said. "It means a lot coming from our guys to the
kids...probably more than coming from one of their own coaches."
The camps start with some stretching and drills, and
finishes with a scrimmage so the kids can learn in-game situations.
"Having fun is the No. 1 thing we do out here," A's first
baseman Brock Green said. "Get them out and have fun."
The A's put on camps Wednesday and Thursday, and will be
hosting six more through July. The dates for the camps are June 30, July
1, July 6, July 9, July 16 and July 22. "I think it is pretty cool
they offer this, so I can bring girls over to learn some new skills,"
Lakin recreational softball coach Kate Goodnight said. The camp is
offered to both boys and girls. Wednesday's camp was mostly female
softball players around 12 years old. "It's a little different
scenario," Green said about working with girls, "but (it's nice) just
being around the kids. they look up to you." The camps go from
12:30-3:30, and take place at Legends
Park. They are free
to participate in. "I think it is
fun," A's infielder Kristopher Hecktor said. "It is nice to see
them smile and have a good time. It is a good time for us-something for
us to do that takes up some time and it is fun."
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