Central Region Playoff thread

Correct. Td beat Matoaca 6-5.  

Matoaca vs TD at Matoaca Thursday at 5pm.

Winner plays PG on Monday for the District Title.

The new pitching rules are going to make this playoff season very interesting as well.

Matoca beat Thomas Dale 2-1 last night.  2 hits for Matoaca, 1 hit for TD.  

Boyd for Matoaca (their everyday catcher) tossed a complete game 7k 1 hitter.

Boydstun for TD tossed a complete came 8K 2 hitter.

PG vs Matoaca at Meadowbrook on Monday 4pm.  Winner gets the automatic Regional birth

I guess today is a baseball junkies dream day:

JR vs Cosby 2pm

Midlo vs Manchester 4:30

Freeman vs Godwin 7pm

Who's playing hooky from work ?

Just curious how you pitch a 2 hitter and lose?  HR?  Errors?  Walks?  Granted your own team getting one hit does not help, but how did the runs score?

Each run (different innings) were a hit following a fielding or throwing error. 

JR vs Cosby 2pm

Do we have confirmation on that time?

Yes, 2pm. Expect "travel delays" with school letting out and construction.

Freeman vs Godwin game has been moved up to a 6pm start.

Wish I'd seen that note about the starting time change at Freeman!  I got there around 6:50 and it was in the 3d inning of a 1-1 game.  Both pitchers were very effective and runs were hard to come by.

Godwin finally got to a 3-2 lead in the 5th I think it was, but also had a screwup that may well have ultimately cost them the game.  With runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Godwin started both runners, and the batter hit cleanly through the SS hole to get the lead.  LF's throw went all the way home, catcher attempted the tag but call as safe (no question there), C then throws to 3B where runner was also safe.  Somehow in all that, the batter failed to get to second base.  Later, I think with 2 outs now, batter hits a grounder deep to the SS hole.  Gerstenmeier makes a nice backhand, pivots and fires to 2nd for a force out.  Had the guy made 2nd earlier, Gerstenmeier would've had no play anywhere.  This cost Godwin a key out and at least one run.  Big time play by Gerst but with proper baserunning it would not have been available to him.  (Doh!)

So, you guessed it, Freeman gets bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th, Ethan Payne nailed a shot high off the LF fence and the tying and winning runs score.  Trevett made short work of Godwin in the 7th, and with that, Freeman takes the district title 4-3.

Colonial District Baseball Tournament

Quarterfinals, Monday 5/20 at campus sites

#6 Maggie Walker GS at #3 Patrick Henry, 6pm

#5 J.R. Tucker at #4 Hermitage, 6pm

Semifinals, Tuesday 5/21 at J.R. Tucker HS

#1 Douglas Freeman vs. J.R. Tucker/Hermitage, 5:30pm

#2 Mills Godwin vs. Maggie Walker GS/Patrick Henry, 7:30pm

Championship, Thursday 5/23 at J.R. Tucker HS

Semifinal winners, 7pm

any word on how things shook out in the district with Hanover, Atlee, L-D and the rest?  The name of that district escapes me at the moment.

From Twitter:

"Atlee wins 5-3 over Glen Allen! Eliminating GA for district tournament! Hanover gets the 1 seed, Atlee 2, LD 3, and Varina 4! ..."

Matoaca vs PG today has been moved to Matoaca at 5pm

Gamble for PH paid off - they didn't throw Palmer against MWGS and (barely) won.  Great season for Maggie Walker, the best season they've ever had that didn't involve Will Roberts.  PH now has a shot against Godwin, although the Eagles are still the favorites.  I'll be covering that game for at least a little while tomorrow night to get highlights.

Tangent: For those of you who don't read my weekly (FREE) wrap-up columns, I've been devoting quite a bit of space this season to the history of Central Region baseball.  These pieces appear as the second half of my Week-in-Review articles.  They normally run on Monday, but, due to the tie-breaker game today, this week's runs tomorrow.

I've covered topics ranging from the first Central Region championship (Highland Springs in 1968) to the 1994 Clover Hill state champs to the 1979 Colonial District title race, and several other stories.  Tomorrow's topic is the 2007 James River Rapids state championship squad.  You can find these on www.VirginiaPreps.com, and, as I said, these are all free articles.  For anyone who knows about / cares about the history of the region, I hope they're fun reads.

I've seen two RTD line scores indicating games where Patrick Henry got one-hit, with Ches Harrington getting the only hit both times.  Today's report shows PH getting only 4 hits, 2 by Harrington.

What has happened to the rest of the lineup's bats?  I realize they have managed to save Palmer for a big game, but no matter who is pitching, you can't win if you don't score.

BTW though obviously biased I would still rate the 2007 JR squad as the best I've personally ever seen.  The pitchers got a lot of attention, but what made them truly the best was how strong they were 1-9 in the lineup and especially defensively, led by catcher Tyler Gruhl in particular.  Somewhere I have data on how few runs they gave up in their 19-0 start.  They played in a district that featured 5 opposing future pro draft pitchers in Midlothian's Tyler Wilson, Clover Hill's Sean Tierney and Hunter Ackerman (who later moved to Cosby), L.C. Bird's Matt Laney and Cosby's Ronnie Shaban.  That was the heyday of Dominion District baseball!  It took a strong lineup just to score consistently that year.

Keewart,

Thanks for the update on the Capital District seeds.  Do you know when they play?

Nevermind...I found it.  Hanover vs. Varina at 5 p.m.

         Atlee vs. Lee-Davis at 7 p.m.

          All games at Glen Allen

Teams clinching regional berths so far:

Hanover

Freeman

Matoaca

Cosby

Atlee

Thomas Dale

Other two spots will be filled by someone from the Dominion (Manchester, Clover Hill, or James River), and the winner of the Hermitage / Godwin Colonial final.

Hermitage no hit Godwin earlier this year, 1-0, and Godwin pitched McGarity last night(16k's, 5th HR of season, 2B before an an intentional walk third AB) so will likely pitch Phelps, their strong #2.  Godwin needs to play errorless ball and limit Nigro's impact at the plate

So how does the Regional Pairings work?  Can't seem to find a bracket anywhere.  I do know that #1 Dominion plays #2 Central, that's all I've seen so far.

Colonial 1 vs Capital 2 (Freeman vs Atlee) - I think this 9:00 Monday at RMC

Capital 1 vs. Colonial 2 (Hanover vs Godwin/Hermitage) not sure of the time.

Okay - so if it's Colonial vs Capital and Central vs Dominion...that makes sense.  I heard that all 4 games will be played  this Monday at Randolph Macon.

The info I got, combined with what you just posted:

Colonial #1 (Freeman) vs Capital #2  (Atlee)  9am

Central #2  (Thomas Dale) vs Dominion #1 (Cosby) 11am

So that probably means:

Capital #1 (Hanover) vs Colonial #2 1pm

Central #1 (Matoaca) vs Dominion #2 (James River / Manchester?)  3pm

Day 1 Monday 5/27 - Randolph Macon, games at 9, 11, 1 and 3

Note: The next game will follow as soon as possible.  Adjust the above times to when the field is ready.

The highest seeded team will have umpires from its association (if split association) and will have home plate and second base.  The lower seeded association will have first base and third base.  If the seeds are tied the top half of the bracket gets home and second and the lower half will have first and third base.

There will be no presale of tickets.  All game tickets are $7.00.

There will be no 10 run rule in regional play.

The suspended game rule is used in regional and state play.  See the policy manual 56-4-2 for an explanation of the baseball suspended game rule.

Games at Macon

1- #1 Colonial v #2 Capital

2- #1 Dominion v #2 Central

3- #1 Capital v #2 Colonial

4- #1 Central v #2 Dominion

Day 2 - Thursday 5/30 RF&P 5pm & 7PM Finals - Friday 5/31, RF&P 7PM

Rain may push to June 1 at Hanover HS

I think this means:

1- #1 Freeman v #2 Atlee

2- #1 Cosby v #2 Thomas Dale

3- #1 Hanover v #2 Colonial

4- #1 Matoaca v #2 James River

The Capital, Central, and Colonial district championship games have all been postponed to Friday night. 

Capital: Hanover v. Atlee at Glen Allen HS, 6pm

Central: Thomas Dale at Matoaca, 6pm

Colonial: Godwin v. Hermitage at J.R. Tucker HS, 7pm

The Dominion District final between James River and Cosby is still set to start at 4:45pm today. The rain has stayed east of Cosby so far.

I think you'll see Cosby use Williams 3 innings today, to keep him sharp without using him up too much or threatening his eligibility for Monday.  After that, it's a staff game.  You always play to win, but since you can't even get home field advantage for the regional quarterfinals, you don't want to compromise next week too much trying to win today. 

Godwin and Hermitage are the ones at a real disadvantage.  That's an elimination game with only 2 days off before Monday's regional game for the winner.  You have to do what you have to do to try to win that one, but what's necessary to win Friday could well get you eliminated Monday.  Can't be helped, you just have to deal with it the best you can, but it sure puts them at a disadvantage.  Especially given that, assuming Hanover uses Casey on Monday, you can't bank on scoring a bunch on Monday either.

I agree 100%.  I would throw a JV pitcher before I would use a guy who has any chance of pitching in the QF if I were in a district tournament final that didn't matter.

I should add that it's not unheard-of to cancel the district final in the face of bad weather if the #1 team made it (i.e. if there are no regional berths on the line).  A Colonial final got scratched altogether after about three days of rain a few years back.  Not saying a district would do that after one day, but, if it happens to rain tomorrow, I would certainly begin to consider that if I were looking to give teams from my district the best chance of being successful at regionals.

For those District Tourney Championship games that mean nothing, they should pull up the JV teams and let 'em go at it.  Bet they would get a kick out of it.

No athlete or coach from any program, much less a successful program, wants to lose a game, especially a championship game to a rival (that doesn't mean burn your ace and not have him for the regional playoffs).  Yes in the bug picture to the novice it may seem as if it really doesn't matter, but at this time of year, when everyone still playing is good, it is about momentum, and losing is never good for momentum  You usually hear the game really didn't matter from the losing side, the winning side are the ones saying it feels great to be a champion. 

If you ask the two senior Cosby kids that pitched, Flannagan and Day, I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to pitch and win a district tournament championship.  As far as JR, kids that will be their top line arms in the next few years received great experience.  JR pitcher who gave up the GS to Williams on Friday was able to redeem himself and got Williams to nub one back to him in the 7th. JV should have their own tournament, IMO.

Redbird,

While his comments above are not offensive at all, "Not R Graham" 's choice of screen name is obviously someone's bad idea of a joke, and I would appreciate your deleting his privileges.

You read it wrong Big B,  I am a huge fan of RG.  I find him insightful, informative, and funny.  It is a complement..

If that was your intention, I did read it wrong.

But to avoid confusion, not to mention unintentional offense, I would respectfully suggest you adopt a less similar screen name.

According to Marc Davis from NBC12, the Central District has cancelled all of its championship contests, including the Thomas Dale-Matoaca baseball final.  Both teams were declared tournament co-champions.  

As of 3pm the Capital and Colonial District baseball finals are still on for tonight.

I think cancelling Hanover-Atlee could still happen, since those two advance in any event.  But the Godwin-Hermitage game will have to be played at some point, to determine who advances.

While you may be correct about the Atlee/Hanover game, I can tell you that the kids definitely want to play.

Here is the bracket:

http://www.vhsl.org/doc/upload...l-region-bracket.pdf

If the stars are aligned, it looks like there is a possibility of a Casey/Roberts match up.  

keewart - willing to bet that this matchup won't happen - how about a burger at Big Al's?

That's an interesting bracket document, in that it has four blanks to fill in for "teams advancing to next level." 

For years only the top 2 teams have gone to the state tournament.  I was under the impression that was still the case.  Has that changed, or is that just some sort of oddity of the form?  Maybe a holdover from the northern region's district tourneys, since I think they advance 4 from each district to a larger regional?

In any event, Monday's games are all elimination games.  Anyone taking their opponent lightly enough to hold back their # 1 for Thursday's game risks never seeing Thursday's game.

I should think at most you'd run your # 1 out there to start and you'd hope like heck that you put up a huge number of runs early, so you could pull him early and then be able to start him again Thursday.  But if you end up in the tighter game that is more common, you have to leave him in and deal with Thursday only if and when you get there.  And then maybe you pray for rain on Thursday.

So I should think the odds would be heavily against seeing Casey v. Roberts on Thursday.

Ok MidloDad and Usedtobe29...I'll conceed, and not wager that burger.  I was just hoping -and I guess it was a remote possibility - to see those Virginia-bound boys go head-to-head!

For those who are interested, I'll be updating all day tomorrow at my Twitter feed (@CRTomGarrett), and providing more detailed information on VirginiaPreps.com, assuming the internet connection in the RMC press box is good to go (and I have no reason to believe it won't be).

Also, my Central Region Tournament preview is now online at VirginiaPreps.com as well, as of 11 this morning.

Here's the link to the board over at VirginiaPreps where I'll be updating:

http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/forum.asp?sid=914&fid=721&style=1&Reset=

Freeman wins 3-2.  Highlights of the game are now available at our multimedia board, which may be found HERE.  (Subscriber content)

Cosby / Thomas Dale highlights are up HERE.

Hanover held on for a 6-5 win over Godwin.  Highlights are now up at VirginiaPreps.com HERE.

Jack Roberts struck out 13 and out-dueled Rick Spiers as James River beat Matoaca 3-2.  Highlights are now up at VirginiaPreps right here.

Wrap-ups are now on the front page of VirginiaPreps.com for all games.

Looks like Henrico County P&R will be webcasting the semis & final on Thursday & Friday - http://www.co.henrico.va.us/rec/baseball/highschool/

I watched the Jr Legion states tourney on the site last year and although it's not ESPN quality, if you can't make the games it works well.

It was the perfect weather day for sitting through 4 games, and the teams made it all the more pleasant by playing all the games briskly.  Only the Cosby win was devoid of nail-biting tension; the others all went down to the wire.

One thing you'll see on the VP videos is how the choice of venue affected play.  Had these been played at the district regular season champs' (higher seeds') home fields, there would've been some homers that, at RMC, went for doubles.  Most notably, the last out for Godwin would've been a game-winning HR if played at any HS field, as it was caught just shy of the 400' mark and would've cleared any fence under 380' for certain.

I thought it was interesting that Atlee bypassed Bolka.  Word on the grapevine was that he was struggling with control in pregame warmups and the coaches opted to go with their # 2, who performed quite well all game on short notice. 

The other interesting point was that in the final game, the HPU was giving 4-6" off the plate to the first base side all game long.  Both Roberts and Spiers showed their savvy by recognizing this and exploiting it all game long.  It made life tough on the hitters for sure.  Early on, Roberts appeared to be laboring to find his touch.  He walked 3 in the first two innings and through the first three innings he had a lot of deep counts.  From the 4th on, though, he was in command and efficient, and that helped him to get the CG this time. 

The new pitching rules are going to make it super tough to handicap the Thursday matchups.  Cosby has lots of arms available and I would think there'd be a quick hook for anyone who had any struggles as they will never run out of options.  Bickford, Wilson, Flanagan, Day, Hess and more.  Williams would be eligible for 2 innings as well.  On the other side of that game, Crowder should be good for his allowed 2 innings and Trevett is eligible to go all game.  Both teams have potent lineups, Cosby maybe a bit more power but both hit consistently from 1-9.  I honestly have no idea who will win this game.  I have to say Trevett can be a tough riddle to solve, I just don't know how far he goes into the game.  If he and Bickford face off, the guy who keeps his sinker down and gets the ground ball outs will get it done.

The later game I would think favors Hanover.  Denton is a quality pitcher and eligible to go all game.  JR has lots of options in White, McLellan, Arnold, Griffin Roberts and Caples, so like Cosby I'd expect a quick hook if anyone out there starts struggling.  They can't afford to let Hanover post a big inning unless they're going to break out the bats more like last week and less like yesterday.  Jack Roberts would be eligible by rule to come in to put out a fire for up to two innings, but as he went 117 yesterday, it may be asking a lot for him to have to pull that duty on short rest.

So often these games come down to an unfortunate critical error.  Always hate to see that happen to a kid but it nonetheless is often the case.  Should be a fun night out at RF&P.

DSF will start their ace Daniel Lynch who they saved for the game Thursday. If he faces trouble then they will go to Miller who pitched amazing in relief yesterday.  I highly doubt Crowder is brought back at all on 2 days rest (well really 3 with such an early game time yesterday for them). Cosby will certainly have the edge in pitching depth but don't count out the Rebels. Lynch and Trevett have combined to have some very good games this year against teams like DR (yes clearly very down this year but Lynch struck out 14 so it barred mentioning), Godwin, PH, and James River. They combined for a one hitter in two or three of those games. That said none of those lineups are close to Cosby and its anybodies guess what happens in a offense happy park like RFP.

Should be a very good game. In the second game I hope James River doesn't bring Robert back for 2 innings after throwing all those pitches yesterday but sometimes the regional call for desperate measures.

Phanatic - The URL is very much appreciated for those of us travelling or not able to get there.  It could be a homerun derby at RF&P on Thursday & Friday if the pitchers can't keep their pitches down.

What's the logic of quarterfinals at RMC and semis/finals at RF&P? I'd think both facilities should be available to host the entire week of games. To me, both of those parks change the game in different ways...for example, the long fly ball to end the Godwin game that Midlo Dad mentioned is a no doubter at RF&P. 

Personally, I'd prefer the bigger field rather than routine fly balls becoming homers.

In the past we have seen some additional HR's -- certainly some that you wouldn't get at RMC -- but really not that many, compared to a typical HS field.  LF is pretty true anyway, and CF has the high wall; only RF is really closer.

What often does come into play is when balls go off the wall in CF or RF and the runners can't advance as far as they could've if the ball had bounced or rolled out there another 20 feet.  You also may lose a shallow blooper hit here and there, since the RF in particular pretty much has to play in more than he normally would.

So, you don't necessarily get a higher scoring game.   

I prefer the bigger field as well but RMC doesn't have lights so they cannot host the week-day games.  Not sure why RF&P Park wasn't used for the entire tournament.

RMC is a fabulous location.  But only works well on Monday because it is a holiday.  You may have noticed they do not have lights.  Which makes RF&P a great choice for the rest of the event.

I for one am extremely excited to see some games at RF&P.  I know I'm in the minority, because 9 out of 10 people complain that the fences are too short.

I saw the first 3 games yesterday.  There may have been 3 balls all day that left RF&P.  Lets say 6 would have left the yard.  Is that a bad thing?  As a fan of baseball I love seeing home runs!  Could you imagine if that game ending fly ball in the Hanover v Godwin game had been at RF&P.  The place would have gone nuts!  And Hanover would have hat their last at bats coming.  Exciting stuff!

Not to mention, RF&P is stunning, has shade, has bathrooms, has a real concession stand.  Those facilities are coming to RMC soon w/ the next phase of construction, but 2 port-o-johns is a little weak.

See you Thursday.  

Rich

www.PlayInSchool.com/bus_tour

www.twitter.com/PlayInSchool

The Diamond was the best place to have it, and it was great the years that the tournament was there.  However, the scheduling became a problem.  I also actually don't have a problem with district champs (higher seeds) getting QF home games.  But RMC was fine.

RF&P is a pretty place, but it's really too small for a high school tournament.  Not so small that it's unplayable, but it doesn't have dimensions that are ideal for a high level of varsity competition.  And I would rather err on the side of a field being too big than too small.  But that's just me.

RF&P is fine, but a place a little bigger would have been preferable in a perfect world.  There's also the fact that the Southside schools sort of get hosed on the regional sites every year.  From a selfish, north-of-the-river perspective, I don't have a problem with that, but that's another reason why the Diamond was so good - it's right off the interstate, and it's centrally-located.

Anyway, the games will likely be higher-scoring, just as they were when they used to be at RF&P.  My preference would be to see tight, low-ish-scoring games like we saw at RMC rather than 12-10 games, but that's just me.  In the end, I have no big complaints.

If the choices are RMC, RF&P, and The Diamond, I'd actually rank The Diamond a distant third. I just think the sheer size of the stadium makes it feel empty even when there is a good sized crowd there for high school baseball. If RF&P gets 1,000 people, there is buzz and it's packed and there's energy in the air. If The Diamond gets 1,000 people I just don't get that same electricity. Just my opinion

They close off the upper deck, so it really isn't an issue.  Playing at the Diamond also has the advantages of (1) plenty of parking, (2) proximity to the interstate, (3) fully-staffed concession stands (not some one-man-band who runs out of food halfway through the proceedings), (4) geographical superiority, and (5) spacious dimensions. 

Whereas the intangible "electricity" of RF&P may seem better (and that's debatable), I could just as easily point to the "professional" feel of the Diamond.  And the Diamond unquestionably has a better press box.  The RMC pressbox is also very good for a D-III facility - it can easily accommodate 8 or 9 people, which is far more than a typical RMC game is going to have.

Anyway, I also love Shepherd, although I haven't been there in several years.

Bottom line is that RF&P is fine, but I do expect the scores to be inflated a bit.

I agree 100% with Emanski.  

Simply closing the upper deck does not make it disappear.  Having played at the Diamond many times I never enjoyed the atmosphere.  And don't get me started on the size of the field.  VCU's coach told me they didn't have a home run hit there (by them or their opponent) this year until almost the end of the season.  

So while some may like pitching duels, most fans prefer a little offense.  Say what you will about PED's but nothing put fans in the seats like the HR's McGuire, Sosa & Bonds were hitting!

And if scores are inflated tonight, which I'm all for, will it be due to the dimensions or the fact that every team will be throwing their # 2's or 3's?  

Hope to see everyone out there tonight!  Maybe I'll save my $8 and hang out beyond the LF wall to collect all the HR balls!  My bucket is in need of a few new pearls!

Rich

www.PlayInSchool.com/bus_tour

www.twitter.com/PlayInSchool

The McGuire, Sosa & Bonds reference had to do with the fact that baseball was dying.  You may remember there was this little thing called a strike that turned people off from the sport.  When play resumed nobody was going to games.  That was, until people (those 3 specifically) started hitting home runs at a record pace.  

And the comment about HR's hit was INCLUDING visiting teams.  NO HR's HIT at the Diamond until something like next to last home series.  

If you are referencing "Parker Field" then you played in a very different era.  Kids today play on top fields every weekend.  UVA, JMU, SC, W&M, etc... Every single weekend. Just part of the deal these days. So I'd say they are not in awe when they show up at the Diamond the way you and I may have been.

Personally, I don't need home runs to enjoy a game.  And, the last time the regional tourney was at the Diamond, a kid from Godwin hit one out for a home run.

Anyway, no matter what happens, I think we can all agree that we have two good semi-final matchups.  I'm looking forward to covering them today.

The big problem with the Diamond is that they charge a fortune for you to use it, and if it rains, they make that your loss.

I do like Shepherd Stadium as a venue.  I'd suggest rotating it down there every few years, if it weren't for the fact that there will not be a Central Region in the future anyway.

100% agree.

What time and where is the Championship game tommorrow ?

RF&P Park@7:00

FYI - I am updating the games on Twitter (@CRTomGarrett) and with more detailed updates at the VirginiaPreps scoreboard messageboard: http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/forum.asp?sid=914&fid=721&style=1&Reset=

Freeman / Cosby highlights are now online (subscriber content).  Errors really hurt Cosby in this one, but the Rebels hit the ball well also: http://virginiapreps.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2782&mid=164746011&sid=914&tid=164746011&style=1

Since this is the Central Region playoff thread, can someone post actual scores please!!!!

Freeman beat Cosby 8-4. River leads Hanover 6-3 in 4th

Middle of 6, Hanover 11, James River 6

Freeman over Cosby:

I thought both pitchers came out strong.  Unfortunately Bickford is a true sinker guy who has to have defense behind him to do well and Cosby just started kicking the ball all over by the third inning.  Riley Wilson relieved Bickford but had a similar fate; I thought he looked strong, too, and in fact Cosby had other pitchers it never really went to until Flanagan got the very last out, and that's because pitching was just not the problem tonight.  Bickford and Wilson each had an E, SS had 2 (one on a DP ball), 2B had 1, C threw one away, and CF lost a pop out in the sun.  Even with all that, Cosby came within a hair of coming back when H.J. Ellis just missed a grand slam or at least a bases-clearing double on a very tough catch by DSF's CF.  (Good view of this on the VirginiaPreps video highlights.)  For Cosby Hunter Williams had a 2B and a 3B, and A.J. Nicely had two hits on 4 times smoking the ball plus he added a tough diving catch in LF as well.  Freeman really just played a fundamentally sound game from start to finish.  They hit consistently all up and down the lineup, but in the end 7 of their 8 runs were unearned.  I do have to say that Logan Harvey continues to impress behind the plate and it's fun to think he will be around here for 2 more years before he goes to some top college program somewhere.

Hanover over James River:

Talk about an ugly game.  Hanover had a clean single and a bomb HR by Knizner to jump out to a 2-0 lead, then got to 3-0 with Denton also looking strong on the hill.  Austin Arnold started for JR and after he got in trouble, Austin McClellan relieved and escaped a jam when a shot hit by Knizner was turned into a DP on a nice play by Mac Caples. 

Then all of a sudden, Denton lost the strike zone in the top of the 3d and walked SIX while Hanover seemed to take its sweet time getting a new arm ready.  JR ended up with a 6-run inning despite getting only one hit that inning. 

After that it was just a question of whether JR could find anyone to get enough outs to finish the game.  Hanover got 1 in the 3d so it was 6-4 going to the bottom of the 4th and after a walk, Griffin Roberts came in for McClellan and unfortunately could not throw strikes.  Justin White, who's been struggling with a hip problem (otherwise he probably would've started) came in then and tried but also could not get it done.  Caples finally came in to get three outs but by then it was 11-6 and JR did next to nothing offensively the rest of the way.  Casey threw his max eligibility 2 innings in the 5th and 6th and was really on despite the short rest, while apparently Roberts had just thrown too many pitches Monday to be able to come in this evening. 

Hanover clearly played the better ballgame.  Both teams suffered one ugly inning but aside from that Hanover controlled the rest of the game.  I think JR only had 3 hits in the entire game and in fact there weren't but a couple of hard hit outs.

Seems to me Freeman has more arms ready to go Friday, as Hanover used a lot of guys tonight.  But part of me would like to see Hanover win, just to see a Casey v. Jones matchup at Hanover on Tuesday, since Great Bridge lost tonight and will come to Richmond to play the winner of Friday's game.

That second game aged me in dog years.  

Twenty walks.  TWENTY walks.

RF&P was awesome last night!  

Anyone have a guess at attendance?  Place looked like standing room only from where I was sitting.  But I also heard someone say that the same number of fans at the Diamond would have felt like an empty stadium.

Only 1 disappointment.  I only saw 1 home run.  It was a no doubter that probably would have been gone at the Diamond too.  Other then that not 1 ball was hit even 350 feet.  Oh well.

On to the next subject, winner of the DSF vs Hanover game gets the pleasure of hosting GB with Connor Jones as probable starter.  Ouch.  So, will we be seeing a "Bad News Bears" style game in attempt to go on the road to Kellam?  I guess there are no easy tasks at this point in the year.

Rich

www.PlayInSchool.com/bus_tour

www.twitter.com/PlayInSchool

I agree with you. It's been fun to see his improvement from last year. 

CRT - Thanks for the twitter feed.  It is very much appreciated. I kept updated while in a late business meeting last night.  The video feed had serious issues, but you get what you pay for .  You may have aged in the 2nd game, but I aged in the first game with 6 errors, and only one earned run (?).  Wow is all I can come up with.  Best of luck to Hanover and Freeman in the next round.

the first game was much more entertaining than the second even with the errors.  The home plate ump decided to make himself the star of the show with a matchbook sized strike zone and two hbp where he called the hitter back to the plate.  Both teams struggled with control but the home plate ump did noone any favors with that ridiculous zone.  Let's go, make the kids swing a little bit

I presume your comments about the HPU are directed to the second game.

It's true, the zone was tight.  But if you watch that VirginiaPreps footage, you'll see that it wasn't the culprit for the walks.  Lots of pitches missed by a LOT.

The two HBP's called back indicated that this particular HPU is one of those who completely misunderstands the rule.  Some guys interpret the rule to mean you have to get out of the way.  That is not correct.  The rule only prohibits profiting from sticking yourself out into the path of a ball that otherwise might not have hit you.  When a kid turns his shoulder -- as they are trained to do -- to protect his hands and chest from a ball coming in, that's not anything wrong, that is correct baseball and the batters in those two cases absolutely should have been awarded first base. 

Just what that game needed, right?  More free passes!

It did give me flashbacks to the HBP that played a pivotal role in the James River defeat of Hanover in the 2007 regional semifinal, also played at RF&P.  Now THAT was a game for the ages.  I wondered if Coach Dragum was sharing my flashbacks and wondering why the calls went against him in both games.

NOT so fast Rich..... I won't disagree with the thought behind the comment, but you never know what BIG surprises are in store for you !!!  Stayed tuned my good friend....   

Game should be very interesting tonight. I'm not sure what Hanover has left to throw (judging from the boxscore last night the answer is not much) but if DSF holds Crowder (who pitched Monday) out for Tuesday then they have no regular pitching remaining and will have to turn to arms who haven't pitched in regular non blowout games this season. Looks like we could have a very high scoring game on our hands with the two very good offenses.

Driller - 

You know I'm a big fan of your Kellam boys.  My comment was in no way a jab at them.  

The reality is 1 team has a guy that has 1st round stuff.  And he would probably pitch against the winner of the Central.  Thats a tough draw.

If you guys have been hiding a potential 1st rounder for the first rounds of states then that will be a "BIG surprise" for everybody!

Rich

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The zone was beyond tight; it was ridiculous and inconsistent.  The pitchers on both sides seemed frustrated with the zone which led to more balls (a number of which were legit calls) especially in a ballpark where most anyone in the lineup can park a pitch right down the middle.  To add fuel to the fire, it seemed that a number of high, out of the zone strikes were sprinkled in which created more confusion.  The worst of it, is that in-between all of the walks and the HBP calls, the kids made a number of good plays and had good at bats on both sides.

What I'm reading sounds like poor officiating, plain and simple.  If the strike zone is as tight as people are inferring, then that would suggest that the HBPs were in the batters box.  You cannot turn in your shoulder to protect yourself, stay in the box, get hit by the pitch, and not be awarded first base.  (assuming no loosey goosey elbows).  It is an absolute atrocity if the umpire has a matchbox strike zone.  At that point, he loses all credibility.  There is no argument that an umpire can make if he hasn't been calling the inside strike off the plate.  He cannot argue that the batter attempted to get hit.

IMO, the first HBP call was correct.  The batter clearly stuck his left evoshield guarded elbow into the path of the pitch.  The second call was incorrect as the player attempted to evade the pitch.  As far as the HPU's strike zone, smaller than most regular season games I witnessed this year. 

I agree that the 1st batter at the least left his left elbow sticking out and did not make any attempt to avoid 'Permit a pitched ball to touch him'.  While the 2nd batter HBP was not as apparent, I think when the ball hit his elbow shield and made a very loud noise and he immediately bolted for 1st base, it looked very much like a strategy of using protective gear to 'take one for the team'.  The above rule of 'not permit pitched ball, etc' translates into the common phrase of 'made no attempt to avoid the pitch' and this is where it is completely the umpire's call.  I've seen it rarely used, and never twice in one game.  But again, the fact that both hitters took the impact on their protected elbow, made little to no effort to move, and bolted for first base without any hint of injury, probably influenced the umpire...both calls ended up being balls as they were high in the strike zone as evidenced by them getting hit in the left elbows....I agreed with the 1st call and the 2nd call was on the fence.

HPU went way overboard to indicate who was in-charge.  In the first inning, Caples tossed the bat toward the dugout and advances to 1b on what should have been ball four, but it was a called strike; he then strikes out swinging at the next pitch which was high but who could blame him for swinging after the previous call...and I'm a Hanover fan. 

Blaming umps on a tight zone may work for a few walks.  But there were 20.  6 in a row at 1 point.  There might have been a few close pitches.  But there were plenty way out of the zone.

But.... did anyone see the 3B ump fall asleep?  He totally missed a play when the home plate ump was looking for help on a check swing.  Actually pretty funny moment for everyone that saw it.  That was in game 2.

In game 1 with bases loaded I'm confident that Cosby's pitcher balked and it took everyone by surprise.  With bases loaded (or maybe 1st & 2nd...can't remember) the 1B was not holding the runner.  Pitcher wheels to fire a pick off to 1B but holds on to the ball when he realized there was no 1B there.  Looked like the 3B ump was ready to call balk, but after all the umps spoke they must have concluded the pitcher "stepped off".  My question is when was the last time a pitcher "stepped off" intentionally to full arm fake to 1B with nobody covering the bag?  Any umps able to give clarification on that for us?  

As for the HBP, both looked like legit HBP to me.  Ump blew both.  

On a sort of related note, I hate all the armor these players wear now.  Totally changes the game.  Pitchers need hitters to fear an inside pitch.  And anyway, how bad does a 79 mph FB from a HS pitcher hurt?  99 from Chapman... yeah I get the Evowhatever gear.  I dont think I know anyone that has missed time on the field from getting HBP on elbow, ever.  Yet every kid now wears an elbow protector.  Crazy.  Isn't that "performance enhancing"?  Outlaw the body armor!  

Rich

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Freeman wins regional title 5-1 over Hanover.  You know the drill - highlights and a report will be up at VirginiaPreps shortly.  Eric O'Brien, making his first start, goes the distance and holds Hanover to one run.  Great job by the Rebels to win their first-ever regional baseball crown.  Rebels get Great Bridge on Tuesday, Hanover plays Kellam.

on tuesday, where and what time is the gb vs dsf game?

The Freeman / Great Bridge game is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:00pm and will be played at Douglas Freeman HS, 8701 Three Chopt Rd, Henrico, VA 23229.

Rich,

I agree that many calls were legit balls but when you start squeezing the zone especially on a field with short fences it can get into a pitcher's head making it more difficult to throw strikes.  I don't like the armor either but I disagree that a HS fastball on the elbow doesn't hurt and could not cause an injury.  I suggest that while you're filming some of your HS pitchers you let one of them hit you square on the elbow.  It hurts.  I know of at least one HS player who was hit on the elbow during an intrasquad game that could not throw for the next week. They would never do this but my suggestion is to not award first base if the batter is hit with pitch on the armor (maybe that was the HPU's own little rule). 

Mike

Sorry to add to the post...once the pitcher steps back he can fake a throw to first base just like he can turn his front shoulder to first base without throwing. 

I disagree with the idea that the evoshield should be done away with.  As a hitter, it is my job to take away one side of the plate.  Meanwhile, pitchers have made a living over the last many years throwing low and away. 

To that end, the good hitter attempts to take away the outside pitch by getting up on the plate.  The elbow guard simply protects him in the process.

What hasn't happend YET, is the adjustment by the pitcher, who then needs to live inside and below the hands.  Hitters will take one on the elbow guard.  They will hesitate to the extent that their ribs, knee, or head get in the way.

I think a big shift in approach will occur in the years to come, as pitchers learn to pitch inside again.  Rendering the elbow guard less advantageous to the hitter.

Evoshield is being used by more defensive players too!  Now it allows third basemen more confidence to play 35 feet from home, therefore taking away the bunt and cutting off angles through the infield.

This is a photo of 3B using it in last nights game!

Where does it end?

Rich

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Id have to agree that wearing the armor takes away a pitchers ability to pitch inside to a degree; and alters the game.

Then the only way to really be effective is to throw chin music; which no one advocates... But you cant let a guy sit on top of the plate. Bonds was a terror because of this...

I do think the umpires could go a little overboard and not award first as often if there is any doubt as to "attempt to get out of the way"... I've always taught kids to pitch inside. To throw at the hands...

Is more effective today than ever with the overdone movement to hit the ball the other way...

Wow...this thread has degraded into worrying about wearing EvoShield?  It is protective equipment to prevent injury.  Some hitters use it to an advantage...big deal.  Learn to effectively throw inside and all of the EvoShield in the world won't matter.  

And for those that think a HS fastball would hurt you if it hit your elbow, I have the bone chips in my elbow to prove it.  It was an 80-81 FB.  If you'd like to perform your own experiment, I'll set up a bullpen session with one of our EvoShield Canes 2015's.

Pitchout31 - That was the point of my original tangent into this topic.  Sorry the thread has digressed so far away from the original topic.  How can a pitcher "learn to effectively pitch inside" as Redbird says if the hitter literally has no fear of being plunked?  The psychological warfare is so important to the pitcher vs hitter competition.  The protection worn by hitters is removing the inherent fear of the inside pitch.  

If a hitter can wear guards all over, why cant a pitcher take an L screen out to the mound?

Good hitters don't stick their elbow out.  Not that I was considered a good hitter but I can tell you I was never afraid of getting hit when I was in the box regardless of who was pitching.

So only bad hitters are covering elbows with pads then?

Or is it possible that these things are simply a fashion fad?  No.  That definitely couldn't be the case!

That's not what I said.  I said "Good hitters don't stick their elbow out".  This means good hitters don't typically stick their elbow out to get hit on purpose.  

As stated previously, pitchers have been taught over the years to keep the ball down and away, and have effectively lost the ability to pitch inside.  I wholeheartedly agree with Redbird.  As kids re-learn the art of taking away the inside third of the plate (and a couple balls in), hitters will have a decision to make.  Standing with their toes on the inside white of the batters box, isn't the most likely outcome at that point.

The bottom line is that the game evolves.  Pitchers throw inside, hitters stand off the plate.  Then pitchers caught on, learned to paint the outside black.  Now hitters stand on the plate.  This too shall pass!

I would disagree with any premise that suggests that player without the ball has the upper hand.  In every sport, the player with the ball knows what he/she will do with it.  The player without, simply has to react.  Because of this simple rule, pitchers have always had the upper hand.