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Standings and Game Summaries

September 30th (Championships and All-Star Game)

Royals (6) 10  Pirates (1) 7

On an overcast day at 69º, perfect for baseball, the 2012 season came to a close in spectacular fashion pitting the #1 seed Pirates against last years' runners up, the #6 seed Royals.  Veteran Barry Blood took the mound for the Royals and showed why he has been a consistent performer over the years holding a "bend-don't break" form.  Blood only gave up 5 scattered earned runs despite giving up three to the first three batters, but settled down to get the win to secure the storybook championship for a team coming in from the middle of the pack. Blood also walked home with the tournament MVP honors. The Pirates elected to start the young Matt Stoltee who looked solid in the regular season, but gave up 7 runs (4 earned) to the aggressive Royals to get tagged with the loss.  When the Pirates finally brought in their ace, Brett Reynolds in the 5th, the damage had been done.  But as stellar as Reynolds pitched in the season and in the playoff game versus the White Sox, the Royals still put the ball in play against him tacking on an insurance-worthy three more runs to reach the final score of 10-7.  Offensive stars for the Royals include: Josh Lane (1-4, 3R, HR, RBI, BB, K), Jared Scott (2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB, 2K), and Mitch Cameron (1-4, 2R, BB, K).  The Pirates offense was highlighted by:  Matt Stoltee (2-4, 2R), Kevin Hare (2-4, 2R, RBI, K), Jose Cueto (2-4, R, 3B, SB), Casey Benicosa (2-4, RBI).--Stephen Boudreaux, President

2012 NWAMSBL 25+ Champions, Royals

2012 NWAMSBL 25+ Runners-Up, Pirates

Congratulations to the 2012 All Star Selections!

Game starts immediately following the Championship Game (appx 3:30pmCST)

All Stars 236710 - 10

All Stars 14589   -  5

2012 All Stars!

September 23rd (Playoffs)

Congratulations to the Royals and Pirates for advancing to the 2012 Championship Game to be held at Arvest Ball Park on Sunday, September 30th at 12:30pmCST.  I would like to see as many members of the NWAMSBL out to watch this game and support both teams in their endeavor.  It's a big ball park and it would be nice to get some bodies in there and make some noise.  Sean Hearn will be broadcasting and DJing as well. It will be a good day and a great game between two strong teams.

Senators L  Pirates W

White Sox 1  Pirates 7

The NWA Pirates use time off to get healthy, regroup for playoff run. On a beautiful day in NWA, the Pirates pitching dominated, the hitting was timely, and the defense was solid. Game 1 vs. Washington (county) Senators found Matt Stelte on the mound going 3 strong innings, followed by 4 more innings of the same from Jose Cueto. The hitting was capped off late in the game when Brett Reynolds and Cueto had back-to-back HR's.
Game 2 vs. NWA White Sox, the Pirates faced former league MVP Mark Taylor, who had a bit of a Nuke LeLoush game on the mound; 10 K's, 3 hit batters. That effort was overshadowed by Brett Reynolds who had control of the game from start to finish, striking out 15 batters. The offense picked up where it left off in Game 1 giving Reynolds an early lead, it was all he needed. The defense had few chances and made most of the plays that were available.  The Pirates will face a formidable opponent in the championship game; NWA Royals, who will have the "home crowd" on their side. They will be looking to avenge a mid-season loss, in what was a great 5-3 game going to the Pirates. The Pirates ship will dock one last time this season, as they look to strom Arvest Park and take the league championship. Go Pirates, ARGH!!!!
Committed to WINNING,
Committed to EXCELLENCE!!
--Dennis Marshall, Pirates
 

Wingnuts 2  Rangers 5

Cardinals 6  Rangers 8

Rangers 1  Royals 16

What a weekend for playoffs for the Rangers. We came in to the playoffs as a 7th seed. We exceeded our expectations notching a victory against the Wingnuts 5-2. Defense step up for both teams to make it an exciting game. The Wingnuts are in rebuilding mode and when they get the right players the will be competitive. The second game was equally as good vs the Cardinals. Both defenses again playing outstanding the key to this game was a three run shot by Ryan Lutz, and a second three run shot by Boedy Perrin to give us the 8-6 win of the Cardinals to advance into the final 4. At this point the Ranger were tired and the mistakes mounted up. The Royals was coming off a big victory against the Browns had fresh bodies. They came in pounded us 16-1 to move on to the big dance. I knew this Ranger team had it in them and we finally was able to put it together at the right time. We went down swinging, a hell of a great ending to the season. Good luck to the Royals in the Championship you guys are there for a reason. Also our three representing the Rangers in the all-star game (Lance Perrin, Martin Tabler, and Ryan Lutz) good luck guys,--Reggie Smith, Rangers

Dodgers 3  White Sox 10

White Sox 1  Pirates 7

The Sox were jonesing to defend their early season loss to the Dodgers in their first round of the 2012 playoffs.  Scheduled starter, Erin McGee, could not show to the park in time to get the start, so catcher, Chris Huebner got the nod only 2 minutes before first pitch. Huebner gave up the only three runs the Dodgers could muster in their first four at-bats before he settled down to retire that side with a strike out and a lazy pop fly to center.  McGee finally arrived to take the next two innings not letting a batter advance to first.  From there, veteran Dustin Wilson added to the Dodger frustrations facing only four batters over the minimum in four innings to get the win.  Wilson once again helped his own cause with a stellar offensive line:  3-4, 2R, HR, RBI.  Others contributing on offense were Andy Miller (2-3, 3R, BB), Patrick Taliaferro (2-3, 2R, BB), and Erin McGee (2-2, 2RBI, BB).  Matt Villines also knocked one of the sweetest swingin' home runs I have seen in a long while.

In the bracket final, the White Sox met the Pirates for the first time this season due to the previous matches being rained out.  The game looked to be a strong pitcher's duel between the Pirates' stalwart, Brett Reynolds, and our own MVP from last season, Mark Taylor.  Taylor (much like the early game) gave up three quick runs to the hard-hitting pirates but settled in the rest of the way with a stellar outing.  As much hyped (well deserved) as Reynolds is, Taylor stood toe-to-toe striking out 10 Pirates batters in 6 innings.  After Chris Huebner belted a home run off Reynolds in the top of the 5th inning the game was 3-1 Pirates.  In their next at-bat, the Pirates had a runner on first and third with one out.  Reynolds hit a sharp grounder to Mike Lopez at second base who tagged the runner and threw to first that looked like a double play.  However, the umpire reversed his call to keep the runner at second and the runner from third scoring.  Instead of the White Sox coming to bat in the sixth top of the order, the change of circumstance had the demoralized Sox down 7-1 instead following an error in left field by an injured Andy Carpenter.  Offensive bright spot was limited on the Sox side to Chris Huebner and his aforementioned HR (2-3, R, HR, RBI, K).  The White Sox settle for third place in league this season which is respectable considering difficulties fielding a full squad much of the way.  But the future looks bright and strong...--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

September 7-8th

Cardinals 14 Rangers 8
The Rangers had the lead until the 6th inning when the Cardinals tied things up. Jack Richardson pitched the last three innings to shut down the Rangers and record the win. The game was just like the last time we faced the Rangers, decided in the final innings. Since the book didn't go home with me I don't have all the stats but James Johnson and Javier Morales both went deep. David Thral hit a line drive that I would have bet went over but was ruled a ground rule double. David showed is all-star abilities both at the plate and in the field, just like a veteran to really turning it on in September. No comments on my performance other than I look forward to next week so I can put it behind me. It's a good feeling to close out regular season play with a win, we hope to keep the momentum through the playoffs. --Gary Miller, Cardinals

August 25-26th

Rain...

Dodgers 17  Rangers 13

Rangers 11  Dodgers 13

Looks like we got lucky Saturday and was able to get both doubleheader's in the skies threaten all day long but the rain held off. The Ranger got off to a great start taking a 13-3 lead into the top of the 5th inning with one out away from run ruling the Dodgers, they was able to avoid the run rule and the barrage began. 14 unanswered runs in the span of 2 innings put them ahead 17-13 and that was the final score. The second game another hot start Rangers jump out to an 8-2 lead and then the last two innings we slipped again finding ourselves down 13-8 we tried to battle back adding 3 runs in the last inning of play. Final score Dodgers 13 Rangers 11. --Reggie Smith, Rangers

August 18-19th

Browns 10 Tigers 9
Browns 23 Tigers 0
Just like their first meeting of the season, it was a tight battle between the Browns and Tigers that came down to the late innings. After falling behind 9-8, Steve Brown doubled and drove in two runs in the bottom of the 6th to give the Browns a 10-9 lead. Sam Neal came in to slam the door in the 7th and preserve the win for the Browns. 
Not wanting another nail biter, the Browns set out to take control of the “night cap” quickly, posting 9 runs in the first inning. They followed it up with 4 runs in the third and 10 runs in the fifth to post the 23-0 victory. Sam Neal, Justin Cartwright and Ryan Schacht all homered for the Browns. The Browns received strong pitching performances from Tjay Linn and Shannon Peterson, limiting the Tigers to just two hits over five innings.--Mike Smith, Browns

Wingnuts 2 Cardinals 9
Cardinals 10 Wingnuts 8
This weekend was a tough one to swallow for the Wingnuts as both games were there for the taking in two hard fought contests. In the first game the Wingnuts were up 2-1 going into the bottom of the 6th inning when the Cardinals were able to plate 8 runs before the Nuts could get the third out in the inning. The pitching was very solid for the Nuts as the son tandum of Joe Don and Joey Dawes threw a combined 6 innings allowing only 1 earned run in those 6 innings.
In the second game the Nuts were down 5-2 in the bottom half of the 3rd inning as we were able to score 6 runs in the frame. Making the score 8-5 Nuts. The lead was short lived as the Cardinals were able to push across 5 more runs in the top of the 4th putting the score at 10-8 Cardinals. The Nuts were denied a chance at the come back with the heart of the order coming up for the bottom of the 5th inning as the game was called for rain that stopped about 10 minutes after the game was called.
The star of both games has to be given to Joey Dawes as he pitched 6 total innings in the 2 games allowing only 3 earned runs, he made 2 stellar catches in centerfield that were Web Gem worthy, and went 5-5 with 3R and 3SB. Other Mentions for the Nuts were Dan Motz 3-5 (3R,2B), Mandar Thakur 2-3 (3B,RBI), Marc DeWeese 3-5 (R,RBI), Joe Don 2-4 (2SB,R,BB), Jeremy Engelhardt 2-5 (2R,SB,BB), Jim Bob 1-5 (2RBI), and Matt Ryan 2-5 (2RBI,2B).--Marc DeWeese,Wingnuts

Rangers 10  Senators 9

Senators 12  Rangers 2

The Rangers got off too a slow start in the first game of the doubleheader the pitching of the Senators mixed it up, and the defense played hard to keep or offense grounded the final score in the first game Senators 12 Rangers 2. In the second game a much better performance from the Rangers jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the early innings. The Senators was able to get with in 1 making the score 4-3 and it stayed that way until the 7th inning when the Rangers bats came alive adding 5 runs in the final frame taking a 9-3 lead. The Senators said not so fast adding 6 runs in the bottom of the 7th to tie the game 9-9 and force the game into extra innings. The Rangers was able too score the last blow in the top of the 8th inning giving us a 10-9 lead. David Valentini shut the door for good and was able to help the Rangers to a win. Great game by both teams it was a battle all the way to the end.--Reggie Smith, Rangers

White Sox 4  Royals 3

The White Sox and Royals were supposed to participate in the 2012 Arklahoma Shootout, but due to circumstances out of their control, the tournament was canceled.  Having fields and umpires at their disposal, the two teams needed to get a league game in each.  The last game between these two teams was a one-run, come-from-behind, nail-biter that mirrored the 2011 championship game between the teams.  The thoughts were that this third game in the series would be the same sort of prize-fight.  Since the book is in the uniform bucket at Patrick's house, I cannot reveal details...but what I do recall is that Erin McGee pitched strong for the Sox in the first four innings holding the Royals back, but it was Dustin Wilson's 2-hit over 5 inning pitching performance that sealed the victory for the Sox just as it seemed the Royals would mount yet another come back.  Offensive numbers and line scores to follow...--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

August 11-12th

Van Buren Hogs 18  NWACC Eagles 9 (18+ Championship Game)

Congratulations to the Van Buren Hogs who took what was essentially an even series between these two squads and got the last laugh winning the 18+ NWAMSBL Title on Sunday at Randall Tyson Park in Springdale, AR.  Highlights to follow...

Browns 9 Pirates 4

The Browns got off to a big start with Tomo Shibata hitting a triple as the lead off hitter. Two more runs in the first and the Browns were off and running against a banged up Pirates team. Tjay Linn started off on the mound for the Browns and pitched 4 solid innings of shut out baseball. By the end of the 4th inning, the Browns had enough runs to win the game, but would plate one run in each of the last 4 innings to put the game away as the Pirates worked through their lineup to find an able bodied catcher. The Pirates made a run at it in the 5th getting 1 run and then 3 more runs in the 6th, however, they were unable to get anymore runs on the close out by Sam Neal. The Browns used 3 pitchers to get the win. Tjay Linn, Shannon Peterson, and Sam Neal combined for 9K on the afternoon and had a solid defense behind them. Great afternoon for playing baseball as the weather was well under the 100 + degrees we've been playing under. --Scott Packnett, Browns
 

Rangers 10  Royals 15

After taking a 7-1 lead, the Royals bats came alive. With only 8 guys on the roster for the Rangers Josh came in from the senators and played third base for us. The final score Royals 15 Rangers 10. The Rangers played hard from start to finish and with temps 25 degrees cooler then the previous weeks made it just a pleasant day all the way around to play ball. We have the senators up next week in a doubleheader the rangers are looking forward to playing the new team. Thanks Josh for coming over to help us last week we appreciate that. --Reggie Smith, Rangers

Tigers 16  Senators 14

Tigers defeated Senators 16-14. Hitting stars for the Tigers included Cory Peck going 4-4, Justin Griffiths going 3-4 with a home run and Jeremy Travis going 2-4 with a home run.--Al Hatcher, Tigers

Cardinals 21 Dodgers 10
A beat up Cardinals managed to hold of the Dodgers with another outstanding pitching performance from Mark Miller and Brad Schuman. The Cardinals hitting came up big in the last couple of innings with Keith Wheeler leading the charge going 2-4 on the day with a double, home run, and 5 RBI's. At the end of the game the Cardinals 17 man roster had only 10 able bodies for the field, the manager (that's me) was pleased that Brad was able to close the game out, saving the embarrassment of me having to pitch me. Other highlights were Same Stoke 2-4 (one double), Brian Reed 2-4, Javier Morales 1-2 (home run and 2 walks), Jacob Meyers 3-4 (4 RBI's), and Allen Burchette 2-4 with 2 RBI's.--Gary Miller, Cardinals

White Sox 10  Wingnuts 1

I have no idea what it is going to take to get the White Sox to show up with full strength for a game.  As Patrick said, "We either have pitching, infield and no outfield; pitching, outfield and no infield; outfield, infield and no pitching, but never all three."  Fortunately, the Sox core group of about 7 guys show up most times and get the job done.  It's getting at least the 8th guy there to keep from forfeiting or a couple others to be competitive.  Gees.  Remember the days when the Sox had like 18 guys for every game?  I do...  Today, the Sox were fortunate that Mike Lopez was having a good day because he's not grumpy when he has a good day and the equipment is safe.  Lopez raked two line drive home runs out of Phillips III against two different Wingnut pitchers, scored three runs, three RBI, and got plunked once.  Dustin Wilson was also hot going 3-5, 2B, 2RBI and 2R.   Mark Taylor returned to the mound and was pitching lights out despite a less-than-favorable zone.  Taylor's line:  5IP, 1R, 1ER, 1H, 3BB, 2HBP, 11K and the win. Matt Mozzoni pitched 2 innings in relief and looked strong giving up no runs on no hits with 2BB and 4K (Mozzoni also roped a line drive home run of his own to help the cause).  Matt Villines closed out the affair with 2 innings with only one base hit, 1HBP, and 2Ks.  17Ks in 9 innings is a good day.  But the Sox are going to have to get with the program or crawl into the playoffs way under-manned.--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

August 4-5th

Cardinals 9 Royals 5
Cardinals 8 Royals 6
After suffering two losses last week the Cardinals battled to take two from the very good Royals. Pitching and defense was the story for the Cardinals. Jacob Tipton pitched amazing in game one with Allen Burchette coming in to close. In game two Brad Schuman came in the first inning with bases loaded and no outs to work the Cardinals out of a major jam. Brad would go on to pitch 5 solid innings with Mark Miller coming on in relief. Mark was Cardinals draft pick and what a valuable pick that has been, every time his name has been called he has answered. After throwing 1 and 2/3 innings all-star Jack Richardson came in with the tying run on second to close the game out with a ground ball hit back to him. Injuries have continued to plague the Cardinals, in game two Jacob Tipton injured his ankle forcing him to leave the game. Jacob Meyers and Javier Morales have been trying to rehab their arms and Jake Young's hammy has been an issue. Lets hope these guys get healthy before the playoffs. --Gary Miller, Cardinals

White Sox 9  Tigers 4

Tigers 11  White Sox 3

Another rough outing for the White Sox showing up to the ball park with only 8 players to start the first game.  Taking the mound was Mark Taylor who was scheduled to start game 2, but was thrust into covering for the others that didn't show.  Taylor pitched well and earned a tough win going all 7 innings striking out 11 and giving up only 3 hits.  Andy Carpenter's bat came alive despite recent injuries (3-4, R, RBI, 2B).  Also contributing in game one Tim Hooper (2-4, R, RBI, 2SB) and Stephen Boudreaux (2-4, R, RBI, K).  Game two was a bit of a disaster for the White Sox spotting the Tigers three unearned runs in the first inning on three errors E4, E5, E6.  In the third inning, the White Sox tied the game on Nick Coe's second-ever base hit who scored on Mike Lopez moving him over and Seth White's RBI base hit.  However, the next bit stifled the entire bench...  Mike Lopez got caught leaning too far off second base and was caught in a run-down pickle for the second out.  Seth White moved up to second in the mêlée but danced off the bag trying to draw a throw and got picked off immediately killing the rally.  Matt Villines was at the plate during the fracas and he was following up his line drive home run from the 2nd inning with runners on first and second.  It seems from there, the Sox were done.  In the next inning, Villines struck out on Karma and the Sox failed to threaten again.   Erin McGee gets a no-decision leaving with the game tied.  Dustin Wilson gets saddled with a rare loss for him giving up 6 runs before leaving without recording an out in the 7th.  Offensively, there was not much going on:  Mike Lopez (2-3), Andy Carpenter (2-3, R), and Nick Coe (1-2, R, K)--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

July 30th

The NWAMSBL celebrated our 2012 fundraising campaign by having the "NWAMSBL Day at Arvest Ball Park" on Monday.  It was tough to get a total count on our group's attendance, but I would say close to 300 players, family, friends, and ticket buyers from our group that showed up on a day where temperatures exceeded 108º.  The home team NWA Naturals fell to the visiting Springfield Cardinals after the game was tied in the bottom of the 8th inning in exciting fashion.  NWAMSBL League President, Stephen Boudreaux, was invited again to the radio booth for a scheduled half-inning interview.  Mark Zaiger, our liaison with the Minor League team, exclaimed that Stephen's interview last year with team broadcaster, Steven Davis, during the event was his most favorite all year and that he was looking forward to having me in the booth again to talk baseball.  Instead of the scheduled half-inning, Stephen was allowed to remain in the booth for three full innings.  After leaving the booth, his smart phone began to buzz with online registration announcements from folks that heard the interview.  A total of 6 new registrants came in during the hour following the interview.  That may not sound like much, but it is an evident spike and great exposure.  Immediately following the game, the NWAMSBL had a successful home run derby getting more than 24 contestants to the plate to try and send a ball out of the big Minor League park.  Even though a few home-run-hitting favorites could not attend, two members of the West Beech Browns showed why that squad has been racing up the standings in recent weeks.  Shannon Peterson and Sam Neal, both of the Browns, were the winners of the derby in a tie launching shots in the deepest part of the park.  Congratulations to them and thanks to our membership and the NWA Naturals for a great time at the park. 

July 28-29

Royals 5 Wingnuts 8
Wingnuts 9 Royals 23
On a day where the temperature hit 109 the Wingnuts started out the day by cooling off the offense of the Royals. Jim Tackett took the mound to start the day in the 1st of 2. The Royals plated a run in the 1st to take the early lead. The Nuts took the lead by pushing across 3 in the bottom half of the 1st to go up 3-1. The Nuts were able to increase the lead over the next few innings to 8-3. The momentum in the 3rd for the Royals was halted when Joe Don Dawes made a play on a foul ball by teetering over the fence to snare a foul ball from his first base position.The score tightened up in the 6th and 7th to 8-5. The Royals had runners at 1st and 3rd with 2 outs in the top of the 7th when a curve ball kicked away from the catcher Marc DeWeese. The runner from first took off, Marc gathered the ball in and fired a strike to Andrew McMurray at 2nd to nail the runner by a very healthy margin to end the game. Jim Tackett threw a complete game allowing 3 ER and striking out 5 to earn the win. The keys to the offense were Jeremy Engelhardt (3-3 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB), Joe Don Dawes (1-3 2 R), Jim Tackett (1-2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Andrew McMurray (2-3 R, SB), and Dan Motz (3-4 3 R).
The second game of the double header did not go so well for the Nuts. The Royals jumped out to an 11-0 lead after 1 inning. They were able to battle back to make it 11-9, but the Royals were able to push the lead back up to double digits and win the game handily. Jeremy Engelhardt (3-5 3 R,SB), Joe Don Dawes (2-2 2 R, 2S B, BB, HBP), Jim Bob Tackett (2-4 4 RBI), Mandar Thakur (2-4 R), Colt Neal (4-4 2 2B, R, 2 RBI) --Marc DeWeese Wingnuts

Senators 12  Pirates 17

Pirates 15  Senators 6

Pirates sweep Senators in a slugfest. The Senators are a great hitting team and can put the ball in play, their defense is pretty solid as well. After scoring only 5 runs the week before, the Pirates exploded for 32 against the Senators. The Pirates pitching did enough to get the 2 wins, and the offense was never in question.  The Pirates will wrap up interleague play with 2 against NWACC on Sunday. --Dennis Marshall, Pirates

Rangers 2  Browns 20

Browns 14  Rangers 5

Out scored 34-7 by the surging Browns in a double header sweep first game 20-2 second game 14-5. We have a pitcher on this team that brings fire and smoke he came in the game after being down 14-0 and struck out the side again. Why he is not starting is beyond me and his teammates. We got a butt whipping putting it plain and simple.--Reggie Smith, Rangers

White Sox 7  Cardinals 3

Cardinals 5  White Sox 9

Once again, the White Sox came to the field short-handed (9 players) for a double header on the hottest game day of the year at 109º.  Fortunately, our position players that can pitch, did and did well.  In game one, Chris Huebner virtually shut down the now-potent Cardinal hitting giving up only one run on only 2 hits striking out 5 in three innings' work.  Maybe just as impressive was Dustin Wilson who seems to have found his arm from the past pumping in fastballs in the mid-80's easy...maybe more?  And his curve ball seems to have found it's way back as well taking care of the Cardinal's 15-spot hitting lineup.  The Cardinal pitching in game one stifled the Sox, but a few clutch hitters found there way to a good day.  Chris Huebner (2-3, 2-2B, RBI, HBP), Tim Hooper (2-3, R, 2RBI, SB, HBP), Stephen Boudreaux (2-4, R, RBI).  Game two was much the same scenario with Seth White starting on the mound to cover for regular starters being MIA.  White shut down the Cardinals in the first three innings allowing only one run and striking out three.  Andy Carpenter tried in relief, but left after an injury and giving up four runs despite three strikeouts of his own.  Trusty Andy Miller volunteered to come to the rescue after his stellar day at the plate (3-3, 3R, 3RBI, HR(5)).  Miller kept the Cardinal hitters at bay giving up only one meaningless hit in 2 1/3 innings of relief to earn the save.  Aside from Miller's day at the plate, Seth White also helped himself (3-4, R, RBI, SB), and newcomer TO BASEBALL, Nick Coe, gets his first hit in the sport EVER going 1-3 on the day.  Nick never played the sport in Little League or any level, but absolutely loves the game and wanted to try his hand at baseball at the age of 32.  Nick started taking throwing and batting lessons last year and is making great progress.  Most importantly, he is the most enthusiastic competitor we have ever witnessed in a White Sox dugout.  Way to go, Nick, and thanks for being our teammate.--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

July 21-22

Rangers 11  Browns 14

14-11 was the final score vs the Browns. The Browns defense knows how to clamp down when needed. They started out with a 6-2 lead after two innings. Martin Tabler settled down after giving up 6 runs early and held the browns scoreless in the 3rd and 4th innings to allow the Rangers to score 3 in the 3rd and 2 in the 4th giving us a 7-6 lead in the 5th inning the Browns scored 7 times including a gram slam that sealed the deal. The Rangers had some fight we started creeping back into the game with a 2 run shot from Lance Perrin to make it 13-9 the Browns added 1 in the top of the seventh and the rangers added two more in the bottom of the 7th. Ex-ranger Shannon Peterson comes in to get the save as the Rangers fall to 2-5 on the season. The Rangers have a chance for redemption next week as we face the Browns in a double header. --Reggie Smith, Rangers

Dodgers 15  White Sox 13
The first inning was a preview of what this day was going to be. The Dodgers started the top of the first with 2 home runs, one each by Mike McAllister and Ralph Duenas, scoring 3 runs. The White Sox came back with 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st with a grand slam. The game stayed close until the 6th and 7th innings where the White Sox scored 6 runs, to take a 13-11 lead. With time running out, there was only time for one more inning. Being the visiting team, the Dodgers had to score in this inning, or end up with a tough loss. Well, the first two batters struck out to start the inning, the #11 batter in the lineup, John Finch, got two quick strikes and was in an 0-2 hole quickly. Well, Finch took that 0-2 pitch, and lined it into left field for his first hit of the day. Up came Matt Garza, who homered in his last at bat, the walked him to face Mike McAllister, who promptly took a curveball in the back to load the bases for Rich Conner. Conner ran the count to 3-1, and that is when he blasted the fastball over the left field fence for his 2nd grand slam of the season, and gave the Dodgers a 15-13 lead. Brian Tomlin came in for the Dodgers, and pitched a perfect inning, getting the save for the Dodgers victory. The Dodgers had 9 hits, 4 of them homeruns by Mike McAllister, Ralph Duenas, Matt Garza and the game winner by Rich Conner--Eric Exner, Dodgers

Royals 2 Pirates 5
Eric Smith pitched 8 1/3 innings, adding 12 strikeouts to his season total. Smith also added 2 RBI's to put the Pirates ahead for good. The defense failed him almost every chance it could, but came together in the end to secure the win. --Dennis Marshall, Pirates


 

July 14-15

White Sox 15  Rangers 5

Rangers 4  White Sox 10

Defense wins ball games and championships and this is why the sox are defending champions year end and year out they find good pitching and play great defense its that simple. We beat ourselves in this double header. Clay Fecht gave up five runs in the first game and the defense played well until the last two innings of the ball game we just simply fell apart. Last year we was run ruled in both double headers this year we hung tough for a good deal of both games but it just wasn't enough we have to play better defense if we want to beat good teams. To be the men you have to beat the men.--Reggie Smith, Rangers

The White Sox enjoy playing the Rangers.  Not because we have gotten the best of them the last couple of years, but rather because they are good guys and enjoy the atmosphere regardless of the end result.  It wasn't obvious that the Rangers needed to improve (from last year's winless season), but it was important to them to give a better effort and recruit some help.  Winning isn't everything, but it definitely cures a lot of ails.  So, the Rangers have improved and have won a couple of games in the early season, so I am certainly hopeful for them.  As for my guys...we have some work to do of our own.  The White Sox have a great core group, but we are piece-mealing our pitching staff.  When Mark Taylor cannot make it to the ball park, we have exactly zero true pitchers over the age of 25 on the roster.  This was evidenced by the fact that I had to take the old-school knuckleball to the mound to eat a few innings.  I haven't pitched in nearly a decade (in a scrimmage game), but I will admit I enjoyed the opportunity.  Game one was a quick burst by the Sox offense scoring 5 runs in the top of the first.  Ranger pitcher Clay Fecht settled down through the 5th when the Sox struck again with 4 runs and then another 6 runs in the 6th.  Sox  pitcher, Chris Huebner, shut down the Rangers until I came in for the 4th inning.  I didn't do terrible until the 6th inning plunking 3 batters in a row to load the bases and then my little experiment was over.  Andy Carpenter finished things off for Huebner, but not after surrendering a few runs.  The second game was almost a mirror image of the first with the Sox again scoring 5 in the first.  Rookie pitcher Erin McGee took the first three innings for the Sox and didn't give up a run scattering only 2 hits and 2 walks striking out 4 Rangers.  Dustin Wilson finished things off with an impressive outing striking out 5 Rangers and giving up only one hit per inning.  Offensively on the day for the White Sox, Tim Hooper was the breakout star (5-6, 4R, 2RBI, BB, HBP, SB, K).  Seth White (3-7, 5R, RBI, HBP, 4SB), and Andy Miller (3-8, 4R, 3RBI, HR(3), 2K).--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

Browns 8  Royals 2

Royals 13  Browns 11

The Browns picked up where they left off the week before, using great pitching  and stingy defense to hand the Royals their first loss on the season by a score of 8-2.  Tjay Linn and Sam Neal combined to give up just four hits and strike out nine over seven innings. 

The Royals charged into the “nightcap” with revenge on their mind and jumped out to a 10-5 lead after 5 innings, powered by home runs from Jared Scott and Barry Blood (coolest name in the league?).  The Browns made it interesting in the bottom of the seventh, cutting the lead to 13-11 and putting the winning run on 1st base only to have Chris Collins slam the door to preserve the win for the Royals.--Mike Smith, Browns

Dodgers 5 NWACC 6

NWACC 1 Dodgers 2
Two very good games against a young, solid NWACC team. Game 1 started with NWACC scoring a run in the bottom of the 2nd, but the Dodgers answered with 3 in the 3rd with key hits by Kevin Wofford, Trey Vanderpool, Don Prim, Troy Steiner and Eric Exner. NWACC answered with 5 runs of their own between the 3rd and 5th innings, to take the lead that they would not relinquish. The Dodgers mustered 2 more runs on a double by Matt Garza, and a single by Jim Enneking, but came up short in the first game 6-5. The Dodgers had 12 hits, led by Ralph Duenas and Eric Exner, each with 2.
The second game was a pitcher dual. Matt Garza pitched 7 innings of 4 hit ball for the Dodgers, and helped himself with a leadoff homerun in the bottom of the 1st inning for an early 1-0 lead. That lasted until the 7th when NWACC was able to tally a run after a 1 out single, a couple of stolen bases, then a 2 out single that tied the game. The bottom of the 7th, the Dodgers fought back. With one out, Don Prim worked a walk. Charles Fowler replaced him as a pinch runner at 1st. Matt Garza then stepped up with a huge double to center field, sending Fowler to 3rd. The next batter, Troy Steiner was walked, and loaded the bases, to set up a potential inning ending double play. Eric Exner took an 0-2 pitch and lined it into left field for a 2-1 walk off win. Garza finished the 2nd game with 3 of the Dodgers 5 hits at the plate, struck out 13 NWACC batters in 7 innings pitching, while giving up only 4 hits.--Eric Exner, Dodgers

 

July 7-8

Cardinals 5 Senators 4
Cardinals 9 Senators 6
The Cardiac Cardinals somehow pull off a sweep in the last inning of each game. Javier Morels two doubles sparked the Arkansas Cardinals to a 5-4 victory in seven innings over the Washington County Senators in the first game of a double header on Sunday at Lincoln High School. After getting out to their fist early lead of the season the Cardinals were unable to preserve the two-run lead in the top of the seventh as the Senators knotted things up at four runs. Unfortunately for the Senators, the Cardinals are no stranger to late-inning heroics and managed to load the bases for Johnson, who sealed the Cardinal victory with a walk-off line drive to left, scoring Jacob Tipton. Tipton’s leadoff single was followed up by Young’s walk and an Ikenberry single. Mark Miller put together another impressive outing for the Cardinals, surrendering only three earned runs while racking up six strikeouts over six innings. Tipton got the win in relief.
James Johnson launched a decisive three-run blast in the top of the seventh inning, as the Arkansas Cardinals hung on to beat Washington County Senators 9-6 in the second game of Sunday’s double header.--Gary Miller, Cardinals

Rangers 14  Tigers 5

The Rangers are now 2-2 with a great pitching performance from Clay Fecht who went the distance giving up 5 runs on 8 total hits. The Rangers had 14 runs on 16 hits the defense started out shaky in the first inning after taking a 5-0 lead in the firs t the Tigers scored 2 in the bottom of the 1st we added a run in the second and then Tigers scored 3 in the bottom of the second to make it 6-5 we started to make mistakes and as usual the tigers began to nickel and dime us. But then the defense began to step up and help out our pitcher. The ranger added 2 in the 4th inning and was able to finish, scoring 6 runs in that final frame to get the 14-5 win. We have the White Sox to contend with next week this team is two time defending champion for a reason and the Rangers will get another big test from a great team. Our second game was rained out prematurely 5 min after the game was called it stopped raining never the less a great win for the Rangers.--Reggie Smith-Rangers

Wingnuts 2  Pirates 18

Pirates 10  Wingnuts 6
Pirates take 2 from Wingnuts. 2 was the magic number on Sunday, as Eric Smith led the way for the offense hitting a 2 run shot in each game. Jose Cueto was a force on offense as well, going 8-8, looks like fishing and NOT golfing is starting to pay off! Welcome back kid.
Pitching has been solid all season, Marcus Pratt earned another start and was lights out, followed by 2 other guys (Steve-O & Cueto) and they did pretty good too. Game 2 had Clayton Luyanda seeing his first action of year from the mound, and he looked just fine. Ryan Hudgens came in to finish the game, seeing his first action on the mound as well. The 2nd game would have been closer, but 2 outstanding doubles plays, by Corey the 2nd baseman, one unassisted, and the other to end the scoring chance and the game, highlighted the defense. As for my demise, benched for the first game, and a error-free game at 3rd in game 2. The Pirates will battle the Tigers in another double-dip Sunday. --NWA Pirates beat writer Dennis Marshall
 

White Sox 11  Van Buren Hogs 13

This game was a test of, "which coach can get their full squad together for a ballgame" which was ultimately won by the younger bunch.  In the first of the Interleague games this season designed to match up the depleted 18+ teams with 25+ to give them some variety, the White Sox didn't answer the call with a full squad and had to rely on a prospect in Dan Nowacinski and Tigers manager, Al Hatcher, who was game enough to give the Sox a hand to field 9 spots.  Missing from the Sox lineup were 8 out of 15 on the roster including 5 of the top 9 hitters.  The Hogs were much better equipped and the game started off this way through the first 7 innings with the Hogs leading 9-2.  By the time the Hogs had shuffled in their 4th pitcher, the White Sox were ready to hit scoring 8 runs in the top of the 8th inning to knot the game at 10 apiece highlighted by Albert Swann's daring 3-run triple and Stephen Boudreaux's 3-run double.  In the bottom of the 8th, though, the White Sox had run out of pitching and gave up three runs.  In the top of the 9th, the Sox managed to plate a single run and then load the bases with a chance to steal the win.  However, Boudreaux chased a wild curve ball to strike out and Mark Taylor dribbled a grounder to first to end the threat.  Mark Taylor pitched a dandy game despite the outcome striking out 5 batters.  Chris Huebner gets saddled with the loss despite striking out 6 Hogs in 3 innings.  Offensively, the White Sox did better than expected:  Chris Huebner (2-2, R, RBI, 2B, 3BB), Stephen Boudreaux (3-6, 2R, 4RBI, 2B, 2K), Albert Swann (1-5, 2R, 3RBI, 3B, BB).--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

Browns 7 Dodgers 0
Browns 6 Dodgers 4
Looking to avenge an earlier loss to the Dodgers, the Browns sent Aaron Wolfe to the mound with a stingy defense to back him up. Wolfe channeled his inner Sandy Koufax and handcuffed the Dodger batters for a one-hit shutout. Brenton Wolfe led a balanced attack for the Browns with 2 hits and 2 RBI.
The “nightcap” was tied 1-1 until the Browns broke it open in the 4th inning on a two run homer by the debuting Shannon Peterson and a two run double from Sam Neal. Nathan Fries added a triple and single to help power the Browns to a 6-4 win. --Mike Smith, Browns

Wingnuts 2 Pirates 18

Pirates 10 Wingnuts 6
[The first game] is a game the Nuts would just soon forget. They were no hit by the Pirates and barely pushed the 2 runs across.  The Wingnuts made [the second game] a much better game by far. The Pirates held the lead throughout, but the Nuts put up a great fight all the way up to the final at bat. Joe Don Dawes tried to keep the Pirates at bay, but the Wingnuts just couldn't get enough run support for him or make enough plays in the field. Joe did his part on the mound and at the dish. Joe came up a homer shy of the cycle going 3-4 with 3R and 2RBI. Troy Mcbride (1-2 2BB, R), Colt Neal (1-3 HBP, 2RBI), Marc DeWeese (2-3 BB, RBI), and Jeremy Engelhardt (2-4 2B,R,RBI)--Marc DeWeese, Wingnuts

 

July 1-2

Cardinals 10 Browns 9
Faced with a five run deficit entering the bottom of the 9th inning, the Arkansas Cardinals proved resilient, mounting another comeback. Jacob Meyers led off the ninth with a triple to right field and scored as Brad Schuman reached on an error. Eric Burchette followed up with a single just before Allen Burchett smoked a line drive off of the wall in center, scoring Schuman. A bases-clearing double from Gary Miller would then cut the Browns’ lead to one.  Kirk Nicholas drew a one-out walk to put runners at first and second for Sam Stokes, who then knotted things up with an RBI single to right.  With Jack Richardson at the plate, a passed ball allowed Nicholas to score from third, setting the final 10-9 margin in dramatic fashion. The Cardinals pitching staff battled to keep the game within striking distance using Jacob Tipton, Mark Miller, Brad Schuman, Jacon Meyers, and David Thral to close and pick up the win.--Gary Miller, Cardinals

Dodgers  L  Royals W

With our bats coming to the rescue and some key people stepping up to the challenge the Royals overcame a strong hitting( as usual) Dodgers team. Brice Hall, Jared Scott, Roger Hill and Mitch Cameron combined for 13 hits, 10 RBIs and 9 runs scored to lead the Royals to victory. --Justin Belk, Royals

White Sox 23  Tigers 3

The White Sox rebounded from their disappointing last inning loss to the Royals last week with an offensive barrage against the Tigers.  Generally surehanded Tiger pitcher, Jeremy Travis, has faired well against league competition but the Sox were determined and amassed 11 runs against the veteran before running him out of the game.  For the Sox, the combination of pitching by Erin McGee, Mark Taylor, and newcomer Chris Currier accounted for only 2 earned runs surrendered and 11Ks in 8 innings.  Taylor was most impressive with 7Ks alone in his three innings.  Offensively, the book is hieroglyphical, but key contributors:  Albert Swann (5-5, 3R, 3@2B, RBI, BB, SB), Mike Lopez (3-5, 2R, 2RBI, 2B HR(1), BB, SB), Seth White (4-6, 3R, 5RBI, 2B, GS-HR(1)), Patrick Taliaferro (5-6, 2R, 3RBI, 3@2B, SB), Stephen Boudreaux (3-5, R, 2RBI).  Things don't get easier for the Sox...next week comes interleague play with the Van Buren Hogs of the 18+ division in Van Buren and short-handed to boot.--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

NWA Pirates 18  Springdale Rangers 3
The much improved Springdale Rangers fell victim to a NWA Pirates offense that is running on all cylinders.  The offense was powered by Eric Smith, who went 3 for 4 with a 2 run HR, and was a single shy of hitting for the cycle.  Don Longley contributed to the cause going 3 for 3, driving in 4 runs.  The Pirates have outscored their opponents 55-9, through 3 games. 
Marcus Pratt took the mound and pitched 4 strong innings striking out 4 Rangers. Smith pitched 1 inning adding 2 K's, and Jose Cueto finished the game facing 4 batters striking out 1. The defense played pretty solid, the infield has really stepped it up, now that I'm playing Right Field. I did get to touch the ball once, turned out I ran all that way for a foul ball!
As mentioned earlier the Rangers are much improved and reminded me of a very young Pirates squad of years past. If they continue to play together, they will upset some teams throughout this season.  The Pirates continue to have different players step-up on offense, and with solid pitching and defense they look to keep building momentum as the season progresses. Up next for the Pirates a double dip with the NWA Wingnuts, who will be looking to avenge a week 2 loss to the Pirates.  --NWA Pirates beat writer  Dennis Marshall

Rangers Perspecitve...

Third week of the season we faced the pirates. Here is a stat with these pirates they have hit 7 home runs in 3 games one against us. They have out scored there opponents in three games 55-9. This team is a wrecking machine a well oiled wrecking machine. With the game pretty much out of reach we decided to do some expermenting with pitching. David Valentini was roughed up early in his pitching debut but settled down as he progressed and began to slow down the high powered offense of the pirates. The Rangers had 3 runs on 6 hits scattered through out the game. The pirates pitching group is very good of course lead by Eric Smith. We made mistakes and the pirates took full advantage of it. The final pirates 18 rangers 3.--Reggie Smith, Rangers

Wingnuts 13  Senators 21

The Wingnuts were beaten by the Senators 21-13 on Sunday. The Senators were able to get out to a huge lead on hits and defensive back fires from the Wingnuts. The Senators were up 16-2 and the Nuts rallied back to make it a 16-13 contest. The Senators were able to stave off the Winguts and tacked on 3 in the 7th and 2 more runs in the 8th to make it 21-13. Time and Chances ran out for the Nuts. Jim Bob and Joe Don had good pitching performances for the Wingnuts. They made the Sen's put the ball in play. Jim went the first 4 innings (6H and 5K) and Joe finished up the last 4 (8H and 2K). The offense for the Wingnuts tallied 18 hits. Dan Motz (4-4 2B,3R,BB,RBI), Joe Don Dawes (3-5 2B,3B,3R,3RBI,SB), Jeremy Engelhardt (3-4 4R,2B,3B,3SB,BB), Jim Bob Tackett (3-4 R,RBI), and Marc DeWeese (2-3 R,RBI,BB). The Nuts are improving, but no where near where they thought they would be at the start of the year. They are a competitive bunch and won't give up until the end.--Marc DeWeese Wingnuts

 

June 23-24

Senators 16  Dodgers  17

The Dodgers came back from a 13-0 deficit to beat the Senators on Sunday 17-16 in 6 innings. The Dodgers were led by Rich Connor’s 2 homeruns, and 7 RBI. Brian Tomlin also added a 3 run homerun as well. The Dodgers were down 13-0 going into the bottom of the 3rd, and that is when Connor and Tomlin hit homeruns, accounting for 5 runs, and the Dodgers added 2 more runs on singles by Zacc Arnold and Connor again. While it was a hot afternoon, the Senators continued to score, adding another 2 runs on the 4th and another in the 6th to get to 16 runes, while the Dodgers scored 6 in the 5th, and the last 3 in the bottom of the 6th as time ran out. For the fateful 6th, Ralph Duenas started things with a double, he was moved to 3rd after Jim Enneking and Don Prim were hit by pitches, loading the bases. After an out and a fielder’s choice, the Senators still had a 1 run lead with 2 outs. The Senators then intentionally walked Connor, to load the bases again with the winning run on 2nd base. Mike McAllister was the next batter, who last week had a 2 run walk off double to beat the Browns. Well, not to be denied, McAllister came up with another game winning, 2 run single, to beat the Senators 17-16. The Dodgers ended the game with only 8 hits, received 8 walks, they got hit 7 times by the Senator pitchers, and hit 3 homeruns. The Senators have a very good hitting team, they had 7 hits in the 1st inning, and 12 overall in the 6 inning game. While the Dodgers took advantage of the 8 walks and 7 hit batters, the Senators were hitting the ball, and taking of the 9 errors committed by the Dodgers to score their 16 runs. Not a pretty game, but a win none the less.--Eric Exner, Dodgers

Browns 11  Tigers 10

Another weekend, another dramatic ending for the Browns. Things started out well in the 1st as the Browns plated two runs on Steve Brown’s single. The Tigers battled back, taking a 3-2 lead in the 3rd inning. Behind a Herculean pitching effort by Jeremy Travis, the Tigers kept the Browns at bay until the 5th when Andrew Harrison’s lead off triple opened the flood gates and the Browns pushed across 5 runs to take a 7-3 lead. The Browns added insurance runs (or so they thought) in the 6th and 7th innings to push the lead to 10-5, but the Tigers weren’t done. With their back against the wall in the 9th, the Tigers’ responded with 5 runs with the tying run coming on Al Hatcher’s blast to right field. With the score tied 10-10, runners on second and third and no outs, Browns’ pitcher Sam Neal worked out of a major jam with a strikeout, popout and a groundout to keep the go ahead run from crossing the plate. In the bottom of the ninth, the Browns’ first two hitters reached base and Mike Smith singled to left field for the walk-off 11-10 victory.--Mike Smith, Browns

Wingnuts 6  Rangers 11

It was a hard fought loss for the Wingnuts with another week of having a depleted roster. The score may not indicate it, but we fought to the end. The Rangers got out to a big lead. 8-1 by the end of the second. Anytime the Wingnuts would get something big started the Rangers were able to squash it. Having runners thrown out at third and home. The Wingnuts closed the gap slightly in the 3rd with RBI's from Joe Don Dawes and Mandar Thakur making the score 9-3. The Rangers plated 2 more in the 4th making the score 11-3. Jim Bob was able to hold the Rangers at bay for through the 6th. The Nuts plated one in the 5th and two in the 6th to make it 11-6. The Rangers got to Jim in the 7th scoring 2 runs. The final tally was the Rangers taking it 11-6. The stars of the game were Mandar Thakur (3-4 R, 2 RBI) Dan Motz (2-5 R,2 RBI), Jim Bob Tackett (2-5 R, 3 IP 3K's 2 ER), Joe Don Dawes (2-3 2R, RBI, BB), and Marc DeWeese (2-3 RBI, SB). The Wingnuts drop to 0 and 3 on the season. They showed much improvement defensively and hitting. The pitching will come around. The loss was still a gain for the team and it will continue to build it's chemistry. Congratulations to the Rangers for there first victory in the league. It is well deserved. - Marc DeWeese Wingnuts

NWA Pirates 19 Fayetteville Cardinals 3
Does good pitching stop good hitting? It did on Saturday for the Pirates, as Brett Reynolds took the mound and grounded the high-flying Cardinal bats. Reynolds pitched all 6 innings and single handedly shut the opposing offense down by striking out 13. When the defense was called upon to help out, they did, for the most part. Dennis Marshall (that's me) had 3 errors in 4 chances; 1 at 2nd base and 2 at 3rd base as soon as the switch was made. It's funny how the ball finds the guy who just changed positions. Right Mike?
The offense gave Reynolds all the support he would need in the top of the 1st as Ryan Hudgens capped off a 7 run inning with a 2 run blast. Hudgens HR wasn't the only one of the day for the Pirates, as Marshall added a 2 run shot and Jose Cueto capped off the barrage with a solo round tripper.
The Cardinals have a good squad with good pitching led by their "crafty ace" (the rest of the league will figure this out soon enough!) Mark Miller. They made the most of the few scoring chances they had, plating 3 runs. The Cardinals simply ran into a determined Brett Reynolds who kept them off balance the entire game at the plate. For the second game in a row the offense collected 3 HR's, all six have come from different players. The Pirates look to stay hot as they face a scrappy Springdale Rangers team next Sunday at 12:30 in Rogers.
Side note to the Cardinal fans; loved the plate music, you guys are great! Thanks for coming out to support your team. And to our fans, BOTH of them, your silent support really spoke volumes to the team. For that we thank you.
"Relax, all right? Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic." - Crash Davis

--NWA Pirates beat writer Dennis Marshall

For the Cardinals

Alex Ikenberry did his best to will the Arkansas Cardinals to a win with a two-hit game, but the Arkansas Cardinals dropped a 19-3 contest to the NWA Pirates on Saturday at Lincoln High School.
Ikenberry had two extra-base hits for the Arkansas Cardinals. He doubled in the second and fourth innings.  Brett Reynolds got it done on the hill for the Pirates earn the win, throwing a complete game. He allowed three runs over seven innings, striking out 15, walking none and scattering nine hits.
The Pirates pounded Cardinal pitching, as six hitters combined for 12 hits, 11 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
Home runs for the Pirates came when Ryan Hudgens homered in the first inning, Dennis Marshall homered in the sixth inning, and Jose Cueto homered in the seventh inning.
The Pirates didn’t relinquish the lead after scoring seven runs in the first inning when they scored on two doubles, a two-run error, and Hudgens’ three run shot.--Gary Miller, Cardinals
 

Royals 9  White Sox 8

It was a re-match of last year's championship game between these two squads and just as tight til the end requiring a last-inning effort to win it.  This time the outcome was different 9-8 in favor of the Royals (last year's Yankees).   Erin McGee pitched a dandy and deserved a win basically shutting the Royals down, but his bullpen faltered and let the lead slip away.  A late White Sox rally fell victim to the dreaded baseball clock. The Royals are better this year even than last year's Yankees squad we met in the championship game. But the White Sox without their pitching can still hang with them. The White Sox still lack some offensive production in key spots that we will need to improve on before the next game as the competition in the 25+ division is stronger top-to-bottom.  McGee's line:  4inn, 2R, 1ER, 3H, 0BB, 2HBP, 5K.  Wilson gave up 2 runs and Swann gave up 3 runs and gets the loss.  Miller gave up the final two runs in the margin, but hit a 2-run homer to make it that close.  Offensive producers for the White Sox:  Seth White (3-4, 2R, RBI, BB), Andy Miller (2-4, R, 2RBI, HR(1)), Dustin Wilson (2-4, 2RBI, 2@2B), and Andy Carpenter (2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB)--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

For the Royals

The Royals were faced with the task of redemption from last years loss in the championship game to the Sox. With Jacob Koch and Trent Polston only giving up 1 earned run apiece and key hits by Michael Yates (1-3, dbl 2 RBI) Jacob Koch (2-3), Roger Hill (2-5) and Brice Hall (2-4, 1 RBI) the Royals were able to hang on for a 1 run win.--Justin Belk, Royals
 

June 16-17

I am so excited...look at all these game reports!!!

Cardinals 18 Rangers 15
Cardinals rally from from early deficit to knock off the Rangers in season opening slug fest. The Rangers came out early with 8 unanswered runs showing they meant business. The Rangers off-season work proved they mean business and should not be taken lightly. It took the Cardinals a few innings to shake the cobwebs off their gloves and bats. It was a true "team effort" to climb a mountain that seemed impossible. The Cardinals used 4 pitchers and grinded out at bats before finally taking the lead in the 7th of this 8 inning Father's Day extravaganza. --Gary Miller, Cardinals

Arkansas Wingnuts 3  NWA Pirates 18
On a hot, windy day in Lincoln, AR the Pirates opened the 2012 season vs. Arkansas Wingnuts. Eris Smith took the mound and on the first pitch hit the leadoff batter, but quickly returned to form, striking out 2 of the next 3 batters. Smith pitched 4 strong innings and had 5 K's. Jose Cueto closed out the game pitching 2 solid innings, adding 2 K's for a team total of 7.
With the pitching and defense in check, the offense came to life scoring 5 runs in the 1st, 6 in the 2nd, 2 in the 3rd, 1 in the 5th, and 4 in the 6th. The offense was lead by Brett Reyonlds and Smith, both going yard. The hit of the day went to Clayton Luyanda on a lined shot to Center, which the center fielder had played perfectly, one problem, the ball hit a clump of grass, took a terrible hop, and rolled to the fence. Even though Luyanda was clearly out of gas rounding 2nd base, he still managed to beat the throw to the plate for an inside the park HR.
The Wingnuts have many new faces, as the season moves forward, they will mesh well together and give opposing teams trouble. The Pirates look to build from the opener, and improve for Saturday's game vs. Fayetteville Cardinals.
I will close each game summary with a baseball quote, and this will most usually be directed to our team: "You guys...you lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? LOLLYGAGGERS!"--NWA Pirates beat writer, Dennis Marshall
 

Dodgers 6  Browns 5 (10 innings)
The Dodgers had the lead for most of the game. Brandt Barnes led the Dodgers with 4 hits, 2 stolen bases at the plate. On the mound, he had 11 K’s in his 4 innings of work, the only out that was not via a strikeout was a runner thrown out at 3rd base trying to steal. The Dodgers had a 4-1 lead going into the 7th inning, where some mental mistakes, and some good hitting by the Browns gave them a 5-4 lead. The Browns looked to wrap up the game in the bottom of the 9th when Rich Connor singled in Barnes to tie the game back up. The 10th was almost as eventful as the 7th…the Browns led off the top of the 10th with a double, and the 3, 4, 5 batters were coming to the plate. Connor went to his years of experience on the hill, and picked the Browns runner off of 2nd base by whirling and throwing a strike Mike McAllister covering the bag. (Just like we practiced it…) Conner got the next two batters to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, the momentum continued the Dodgers way. With one out, Ralph Duenas started the winning rally with a line drive single. Brian Tomlin followed with a double into right center. Up came Mike McAllister, who came through with the game winning double that scored Duenas from 3rd easily for the walk off win.
Overall, a well-played game, and it was a team effort by the Dodgers. There were contributions up and down the lineup, and key plays were made defensively throughout the day. The Browns have a very good team that will be a force as the season continues. They are a good group of guys, and they have been a good addition to the league in the last year, a fun and challenging team to play.--Eric Exner, Dodgers
 

Royals  15  Tigers 0

The NWA Royals put up fifteen runs in 5 innings while holding the Tigers scoreless. The Royals were lead by strong performances by Barry Blood with 4 K's in 2 innings, Jacob Koch with 3 K's in 2 innings and Trent Polston with 2 K's in 1 inning. Combined the Royals pitchers gave up no hits, 1 HBP and 2 walks. The Royals batting was lead by Josh Lane(3-3 with a single,dbl and triple 4 RBIs), Jared Scott (3-4 with 3 singles) and Nathan McCarville (3-4 with 2 singles, dbl and 2 RBI's). --Justin Belk, Royals
 

Rangers 15  Cardinals 18

The rangers added some new faces via the draft and some recurits. And I think it will pay off this year. The rangers lost to the Cardinals by the score of 18-15 it was a fun slug fest both teams pounded out around 20 hits. The most important thing about the Rangers in this game is we fought to the very end and despite the loss we was very happy with what we accomplished at the plate. We still need to eliminate the mistakes but we are a much improved team this year at the plate and on the mound. Some people may laugh but this game resembled game six of the world series. Rangers gave all they had in that game but the Lou wouldnt go away exactly what happen Sunday those Cardinals just would not go away. We had fun that's for sure.--Reggie Smith, Rangers.

White Sox 13  Senators 7

The 25+ division is a plus one team over last year thanks to some rebels that seceded from the Dodgers.  This new squad will fare well if Sunday was any indication.  Fortunately for the White Sox, last year's league MVP, Mark Taylor, returned to the mound to shut down the Senators through 4 2/3 innings before leaving with a 5-2 lead striking out 8 batters giving up only one hit.  Newcomer, Albert Swann, literally stepped off a plane in relief along with Andy Miller to save things striking out an additional 6 batters. Dustin Wilson should always make bets about winning some sort of slugger title, because he is absolutely crushing the baseball going 3-5 with another home run (3) (3-5, R, HR, 4RBI 2SB).  Others contributing offensively:  Patrick Taliaferro (3-4, 2R, BB, SB), Chris Huebner (2-4, HBP), Albert Swann (1-1, 2R, 2B, SB, RBI, HBP all in two plate appearances).--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

June 10, 2012

NWACC Eagles 10  Van Buren Hogs 9

Van Buren Hogs 9  NWACC Eagles 8

The Eagles got a walk off bases loaded hit by Levi Schroeder (Fayetteville HS) in extra innings on Sunday to win the first game of the double header 8-6. Starting pitcher, Dakota Brissey (Springdale HS) and relief pitcher David Copeland (Elkins HS) made several key pitches with Hog runners on and in scoring position to insure the win. --John Luedtke, NWACC Eagles
 

June 4, 2012

Wingnuts 2  White Sox 17

Kicking off the delayed 2012 season, the game Wingnuts and White Sox hustled out to expertly-groomed Lincoln HS Field to square off and test their squads.  These two teams actually scrimmaged twice in the pre-season in a pair of even contests.  However, when the reality of the "games-that-matter" was at hand, the White Sox proved that they might have picked up where they left off from last seasons' championship run.  Despite missing starting catcher, Andy Miller (broken foot), starting center fielder, Tim Hooper (cut open hand), starting short stop, Lincoln Garner (out for season with torn laborum), and last season's MVP, LHP Mark Taylor, the Sox looked to a couple of newcomers to take up the slack.  Erin McGee took the mound to start the contest and pitched a dandy 4 innings of 2-hit ball striking out 6.  Shortstop, Albert Swann, made a heckuva play to end the 4th when the Wingnuts were threatening.  Rookie, Nick Coe...who claims to have never played the game ever...stepped to the plate four times,  recorded an RBI and put the ball in play each at-bat.  The king of the day on offense for the White Sox was veteran slugger, Dustin Wilson who started his day off with a grand slam and ended it with a solo shot sandwiching a walk, single, and HBP and 6 RBIs.  Others atop the leaderboard were Erin McGee (2-3, RBI, BB, SB, K), and Stephen Boudreaux (2-3, 2R, 2RBI, SAC), and Mike Lopez (1-1, 2R, 2BB, SB).--Stephen Boudreaux, White Sox

2012 Standings

Final

18+ Champions Van Buren Hogs

25+ Champions Royals

2011 Final

2010 Final

2009 Final

2008 Final

2007 Final

2006 Final

2005 Final

2004 Final

2003 Final

2002 Final

2001 Final

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