15 3
Fine pitching by Gerry, Hawaz and Nick held the Dodgers in check while the offense went to work. Jermain performed well in the leadoff spot with 3 hits and everyone else chipped in. Brent drew 3 walks. The big hit of the day... well, the BIGGEST hit of the day was a bases loaded triple by Jay, who went hitless all of last year.

6 2
The field umpire in this game honestly did not know the difference between a force play and a tag play, and it was that kind of night. He has since been demoted to T-ball. As for the game, the team played fairly well, although the bats were fairly silent. Michael's was working fine, however, as he crashed a long, high drive halfway up the right field fence.

15 4
There was a reward put out during this game for anyone who could find the strike zone. It was never claimed. Nick summed up the feeling of the pitching staff when, during a visit to the mound, he exclaimed "Get me outta here!" With the 5 inning a week rule, we need more pitchers. This was tryout night. We'll keep trying. On the offensive side, the only true bright spot was Steffan's rare feat of a bases-loaded, bases-clearing single. He's not THAT slow, and may have been too busy talking to Keyur at first base to take second.

6 6
A great game that looked out of reach in the first when Hawaz was touched up for 3 runs and left the bases loaded. Hawaz proceeded to load the bases in each of the next two innings, but remarkably did not allow another run and logged 5 solid innings. He later scored the 6th and tying run. A major highlight of this game was Johnathan (#15) collecting his first ever hit.

10 4
We actually led this game 1-0 for a few innings before the roof fell in. The Expos are a very good team and taking a tie out of this tough two game week wasn't too bad. We proved we can play with this team and be competitive. Another major highlight: Andrew spanked his first hit and performed a celebratory dance at first base afterwards.

12 4
A fine game by all concerned. Both Jermain and Gerry threw out runners attempting to steal, and Gerry and Hawaz each pitched well. Mike (#11) belted a drive into the outfield and helped to spark the offense.

9 8
A one run loss to the team with the league's best record is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Gerry pitched well and crushed a pitch to deepest, darkest centre field. The team built up a 7-3 lead by taking advantage of the Astros' throwing the ball around then proceeded to give it back doing the same stuff. Hawaz had a productive game leading off.

5 5
Another hard-fought tie against another strong team. Kyle played a strong defensive game at second base. Gerry chipped in by throwing out 3 runners in 2 innings at catcher. Jay had a busy night, debutting at catcher and pitcher and doing fairly well at both. Andrew was a major cog in the offense, drawing 2 walks, stealing 2 bases and scoring 2 vital runs. Joseph took not one, but two HBPs for the team.

5 4(8 inn.)
A tough loss after a tenacious comeback. Jermain and Michael (#2) both pitched well. Michael struck out 9 in 4.1 innings of work and allowed only one run. Behind the plate, Gerry held the opposition to no stolen base attempts, and smacked a 3-run home run to right field to tie the game at 4. Despite being short-handed, the team performed well in the field, especially Mike(#11) in his first game at first base.

20 3
Well, this actually wasn't all THAT bad. Only 7 Reds were able to play, necessitating the loan of 2 Expos for a night. Our thanks to those guys, it's tough to play against your own team. As for the Reds, the eligible pitchers in the lineup had a grand total of 1 inning of experience between them, and nearly all of our veteran players were absent. A valuable learning experience, as many of the players played new positions. Jay pitched very well for four innnings, he showing good velocity and decent command. In the field, Johnathan (#15) played a good game at 2nd and short, and Justin was our offensive star, going 2-3 in the leadoff spot against very tough pitching.

5 3
Despite sloppy defense, fine pitching and some timely hits powered the Reds to their first win in 5 games. Gerry pitched well and tripled in the winning run. Steffan continued his hot hitting, pounding the ball twice. In his debut, Julian drew a pair of walks, scored a run and played an alert left-field.

17 0
Seems that cliche about payback is true. There are few words to describe a defensive effort of this sort, none of which are appropriate for this type of site. Errors do happen, but what shouldn't happen are players falling asleep in the field, failing to cover bases, and especially rifling the ball in disgust with runners on base The hitting actually wasn't too bad. Many players made good contact: Justin, Jonathon (#16), Mike (#2), but they hit it right at the Cardinals' fielders. A bright spot of the game was Julian collecting his first hit, which broke up the Cardinals' pitcher's perfect game.

9 0
A better effort, although 0-2 and outscored 26-0 is not exactly the ideal way to start the second half of the season. The defense still had its porous moments, but looked a little sharper. Mike (11) had a big game, making a fairly effective pitching debut (3 inn. 3 runs) and drove a hit into right field. The hitting wasn't bad, just unlucky. Brent had some good at-bats and made some contact. Jay, returning from injury, was sent right to the mound and put forth a courageous, if somewhat erratic effort.

7 4
Despite being without Justin, Steffan, Jonathon (16), Dave, Hawaz and Nick, the Reds put forth a spirited effort with MUCH better defense. Andrew had some much better at-bats and played well in right field. Jermain pitched well and continued to crunch the ball. Mike (11) and Kyle both swung the bat well and picked up hits. Gerry put in a good game behind the plate. The team was much more focussed at bat and in the field. They thought baseball and gave the division leaders a good scare because of it.

12 6
The team's improved play finally paid off with a W. Andrew broke out with a two-hit performance, including a BLAST over the centre fielder's head. Gerry pitched a solid game and got the win, while Nick picked up the save, pitching 2 innings and striking out 6. He also stole home. Michael (2) had a much better game at the plate and played solid defense.

8 4
The team's best effort of the year resulted in their biggest win of the year, as they took names and kicked Astros. Andrew continued his recent hot streak at the plate, Julian had an RBI single and Gerry went 3-3 to power the offense. Steffan took 2 HBPs, to the head and kneecap. Mike (11) was also plunked in the head/face, but shook it off (!) He also played a stellar game at third base. Jay handled some hot grounders at first, while Jermain had a good game behind the plate. Again, Nick was a pitching hero, stranding the bases loaded in relief of Gerry, and finishing the game without allowing a run. With the bases loaded in the 7th, 2 outs and the Astros' best hitter on deck, Nick threw a 3-2 fastball to retire the final batter and let the party begin.

9 3
"The Night of the Base Running Follies." Where to begin? Brent and Andrew were both caught stealing third, both times against coaches orders. John (15) hesitated stealing third, and not even his patented swan-dive slide could save him. Michael (2) was gunned down at second, acting on his own. Jay stole third, only to find Brent already there (miraculously both survived this play), and Kyle topped everybody by attempting to trot home after Mike (11) was hit by a pitch. Much to Kyle's chagrin, he discovered that the bases were NOT loaded at the time, when the Dodgers catcher tagged him. Of course, to make poor baserunning decisions, one must first be on base, and the team did that very well. Gerry continued to pound the ball, Andrew extended his hitting streak to 3 games and Brent drew three walks and scored twice. Jay after mysteriously enscribing "Speedy Boy" on the peak of his cap, singled, and later stole home. The defense was a non-factor as starter Nick and Gerry in relief combined for 17 strikeouts out of 18 Dodger outs.

8 7
This game appeared to be over after the top of the first, in which Jermain was touched up for 5 runs. But an RBI double by Gerry, and a steal of home by pinch runner Nick cut the gap to 5-2. Jermain was solid the rest of the night giving up only 1 more run over the next 3 innings. Michael (2) singled home Mike (11) to cut the lead to 6-3, although he was thrown out trying for 2nd. In the 5th, Jermain lead off with a single, followed by walks to Jay and Nick. Gerry followed with a bloop double down the right field line, clearing the bases. Gerry, digging for third, scored on an overthrow. Later in the inning John (15) walked, stole second and scored on 2 overthrows. Gerry pitched the final three innings for the win. Jonathon(16) and Justin both played well after a couple of weeks off.

12 2
A lacklustre defensive effort marked the end of the season high 4-game win streak. On the upside, Nick had a two hit night, including an RBI single to drive in Julian, for our first run against the Cardinals in a LONG time. Jermain played a good game at catcher and gunned down a runner at third. Mike (11) pitched the final two innings, and showed good control. The only bright spot of the game defensively was Andrew throwing a runner out at first from right field. The team is very capable of a much better defensive game. The Cardinals certainly had our number this year, outscoring us 47-10 in 4 games, although we did manage to win one of those.

15 5
To end off the season, we had a little fun by shifting players to many new and different positions. Nick, John and Jon all caught for the first time ever, and each of them did fairly well. Joseph and Justin looked pretty good at third base, while Andrew put in a good effort at second. At the plate, Nick smashed a shot into the gap in right field, driving in two runs, and Justin chipped in an RBI single. For a couple of innings, the defense featured only players who will be back next year. The future looks bright. On to the playoffs...

Game One
9 6
Fine pitching and some clutch hits got the playoffs off to a good start. Nick pitched 5 strong innings, Jermain played a good game at short, and Jay and Mike were solid at the corners. Offensively Jermain and Brent both reached base 3 times each, setting the table for Gerry who doubled, homered (in the park), drove in 4 runs and stole home. Jermain also swiped home. With the game tied 6-6, Kyle sparked a two-out rally in the fifth with a base hit. His aggresive base running allowed him to score from second on a throwing error.

Game Two
9 1
Some excellent pitching powered the Reds to a sweep of the Dodgers. Nick, quickly becoming the workhorse of the pitching staff, put in 4 solid innings for the win. Jermain threw out a pair of runners from behind the plate, while Gerry made a fine diving stop at short and threw while sitting to first, where Jay made a great scoop to end the only serious Dodger threat. Offensively, Gerry drove in 4 runs, Jay performed well in the leadoff role, and Jermain stole the cycle. Kyle and Andrew also swung the bat well.

Game One
3 1
By far the BEST defensive effort of the season. Brent and Julian were solid at second, Mike (2) a rock behind home plate, and Jay played an inspired game at first. Jermain pitched the first two, pinching in for a an ill Gerry, did well, despite loading the bases twice, once with no one out. It was then that Andrew made a game-saving catch on a shallow fly ball to end the inning. Andrew then stared in disbelief at the ball in his glove for a full two minutes. Nick took over for four innings, allowing 1 unearned run. A recovered Gerry pitched the 7th for the save.

Game Two
5 2
Possibly the biggest win in club history, a thrilling game in which the team built on its previous performance. John, Julian, Jay, and the Mikes anchored a solid infield, while Nick, Jermain and Gerry shut down the Astros bats. Gerry picked up the win, while Nick powered the offense with a single, triple, run scored and rbi. Jermain made a pair of unassisted double plays. Julian and Brent each took one for the team, Mike (2) doubled and scored, and pinch-runner Andrew stole two bases and scored. Everyone showed tremendous hustle and they were rewarded.

League Championship
2 1
A tremendous game that went down to the wire. The Reds struck first on doubles by Jermain and Gerry. The Mets would later claw back to even the score, which remained 1-1 until the sixth inning. Gerry led off with a single. Nick grounded out, advancing Gerry to second. He later stole third. Mike (11) then chopped a comebacker to the mound, scoring Gerry on a close play to take a lead we would never give up. The pitching was outstanding again, Nick for 2 and Gerry for 5 innings for the win. Mike(2) was a force behind the plate, and the defense was rock solid. Julian, Jay, Jermain and Nick all played well. Although hits were at a premium, the offense put out a good effort, with Andrew, Kyle and the Johns taking their cuts. The team can be very proud of their first ever league championship.

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