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Eastern Regional

LB luv baseball5,000+ posts
If the region went to 16 teams there would be 15 games in the regional and probably a small number like 3 or 4 mismatches each year almost all of which would be in the first round. It would still allow for teams to play and for coaches to get players in games that might not play later in the tournament.

BTW it was my comment to kill the District tournamnets which I would only advocate if it meant expanding the regional. I want to have both if possible. Luvbaseball the more the better!
MC Mr. C10+ posts
i must say that is refreshing to read these posts instead of babble from someone's daddy who was the 5th best player in his district at his respective position

couple of points:
1. Lobby your principals and ADs politely/energetically for expansion of the regional
2. Find out just how much money each tourney makes (gotta be published somewhere since these are public schools). I would guess that girls/boys hoops do NOT make as much as people would think after you pay for ticket takers, cops, officials, more cops and trainers etc. AND I will bet you would be surprised at just how much revenue district, regional tourneys do make for baseball.
3. Get the softball coaches involved cannot do one without the other.
4. Refuse to accept the attitude from administrators that "we just want to get the school year over and we are tired of having to attend more events". This is the one that is probably the biggest obstacle to expansion. Funny how teachers are expected to teach all the way to the end of the school year yet administrators get tired of doing their jobs in the spring.
5. Get the south Hampton Roads media involved
6. Get the college coaches involved (I am sure they love the idea of being able to see more kids in post season play usually at 1 site.)
WR WB Reporter1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by bballday:
Wow.. can't believe im missing this game.

WB/Menchville headed into inning number TWELVE!!

Cant wait for WB Reporter's summary...


Here it is. Spouse says it is not a summary, it is an epistle. But if you think it is long, so was the game!

Western Branch 5, Menchville 1

By the numbers:
352-the number of pitches thrown (WB-162; M-190)
104-the number of batters sent to the plate (WB-53; M-51)
94-the number of minutes the game was delayed due to lightning
26-the number of runners left on base (WB-12; M-14)
12-the number of innings played
7-the number of sacs (WB-4; M-3)
6-the number of double plays turned (WB-3; M-3)
5-the number of innings Johnsonbaugh threw before he yielded a hit
4-the number of times bases were loaded without the team scoring (WB-1; M-3)
4-the number of intentional walks issued (by WB)

In a game that ended approximately 4 hours and 50 minutes after it started, WB defeated the defending state champion Menchville Monarchs. No one leaving could complain about the $7 admission price.

The first batter of the game, Garrett Brooks, reached first on a walk, stole second, advanced to third on Brandon Doggett’s sac bunt and scored when Shane Johnsonbaugh’s batted ball ricocheted off the pitcher. The lead-off batter for the home team, Menchville, hit a deep fly ball to the right field corner but Alex Hunt, the WB right fielder, did a great job tracking the ball for the fly out. The next two Menchville batters flew out. End of 1, WB 1, Menchville 0.

Kenny Cassidy led off the top of the 2nd with a single but WB was unable to bring him home. Menchville batters were retired in order. End of 2, WB 1, Menchville 0.

In the top of the 3rd, Brooks reached on a walk, stole second, and advanced to third on a sac bunt. Nick Thompson walked but the Bruins scoring threat was ended when Menchville turned a 4-6-3 double play. The Monarchs were retired in order. End of 3, WB 1, Menchville 0.

In the 4th, the Bruins were retired in order but the Monarchs had their first base runner when Hunter Lewis reached on a fielding error with one out. CJ Mc Andrews ended the Monarchs’threat with an unassisted double play, a great angular leap to snag a line drive followed by a race to the first base bag to double off the runner. (Shown on the late night news.) End of 4, WB 1, Menchville 0.

In the top of the 5th, with 1 out and the adrenalin still at a high, McAndrews reached first on a single and was advanced to second by Brooks’ sac bunt. After Doggett reached first on a walk, Austin Chrismon relieved the Monarch’s pitcher, Lake, and induced a ground ball out to end the half inning. Alex Korecky, the Monarch’s first batter of the inning, reached first on a throwing error (first baseman was pulled off the bag). Josh Moore then attempted a sac bunt but instead reached first and advanced to second on the second error (throwing error) of the inning. The next batter struck out and with first base open, the intentional walk was issued to Teddy Brewer to load the bases. The strategy worked. Johnsonbaugh induced the 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. End of 5, WB 1, Menchville 0.

Although two WB batters reached on walks in the top of the 6th, the Bruins were unable to capitalize due in part to a diving catch by the Monarch’s centerfielder for the second out of the inning. For the Monarchs, Cody Joyner led off the inning with a single up the middle, advanced to second on a fielder’s choice, was advanced to third when Jeff Gray singled and with 2 outs was brought home by Alex Korecky who singled up the middle. End of 6, WB 1, Menchville 1.

And now, we are at the game’s half way point. Although Brooks reached first on a fielding error in the top of the 7th, with one out, the Bruins grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. The first Monarch batter in the 7th reached on a walk but the next 2 struck out and the fourth batter popped up to end the inning. End of 7, WB 1, Menchville 1. Into extra innings.

In the top of the 8th, Nick Thompson reached on a fielding error, Johnsonbaugh walked, and Bobby Barefoot reached first on a bunt when no Monarch covered first. Chrismon struck out the next batter and then induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the Bruin threat. In the bottom of the 8th, Deron Hanley led off with a single and Hunter Lewis advanced him to second with a sac bunt. With first base open, Jeff Gray (the third batter in the lineup) was issued the intentional walk. Korecky then walked. Bases were loaded and the potential winning run was at 3rd base with one out. Josh Moore hit a fly ball to Brooks, WB’s center fielder, and with the game and the season on the line, Hanley tagged up and Brooks threw Hanley out at the plate to end the inning. End of 8, WB 1, Menchville 1.

In both the 9th and 10th innings, the Bruins went in order. Richard Eisenhower, who pitched only 1 1/3 innings during regular season, took the mound for the Bruins in the bottom of the 9th. At that point, I felt that if WB’s defense could hold up, WB had a good chance of winning. WB had a fresh pitcher on the mound; Chrismon had thrown 54 pitches on Monday and could only go so far. (He did end up throwing over 100 pitches in the game.) Cameron Triplett, the first Monarch batter of the 9th inning, reached on a single and was bunted to second by Brewer. WB issued an intentional walk to Chrismon to keep the force play in place. The next batter grounded out to third and runners advanced to second and third. Again, the winning run was 90’ from home plate. To add pressure to the pitcher ( Smile), the speedy lead-off hitter for the Monarchs, Hanley, was given a free pass to first base to load the bases. With no open base for a Monarch, Eisenhower had to throw strikes and that he did. With a 1-2 count, the batter flew out to center field to end the 9th inning. In the bottom of the 10th inning, two Monarchs reached base, one with a single and one as a hit batter but they were left on base. End of 10th, WB 1, Menchville 1. Only two more innings to go. If you are still with me, hang in there, I have to go to another page in the score book!

In the top of the 11th, WB threatened again. Barefoot reached on a single. Cassidy followed with such a great bunt that by the time it had slowly rolled dead, it still was fair, barely inches within the third baseline, and Cassidy was at first. The next 3 Bruin batters were retired in order to leave Barefoot and Cassidy on base. Hanley reached first as the third Monarch batter of the 11th inning, but he was the only batter to reach base that inning. End of 11th, WB 1,
Menchville 1.

Yes, we now are in the final and decisive inning. Brooks reached on a single but was thrown out when Doggett attempted to bunt him over. Doggett stole second and, with 2 outs, Eisenhower hit a hard grounder between first and second, bringing Doggett home for the go-ahead run. The Bruins were not finished, though. Barefoot followed Eisenhower with a double in the left field corner and Cassidy plated both Eisenhower and Barefoot when he doubled in the right field corner. Alex Hunt brought Cassidy home when he reached on an error. Going into the bottom of the 12th, the Bruins had a (somewhat) comfortable cushion of 5-1. Although the Monarch’s Korecky reached first on a walk, three other batters were retired to end the game.

Both teams BATTLED. Hats off to all of the pitchers who withstood many stressful situations. No one wanted to go home with a season ended. (Although, I am sure that at 4 hours and 50 minutes after the start of the game, many in attendance wanted to go home.)

The only players with multiple hits in the game were WB players Bobby Barefoot (3 for 5 with a double) and Kenny Cassidy (3 for 6 with a double).

Pitching lines:
Menchville:
Lake 4 2/3 IP, 20 batters, 2 hits, 1ER, 5BB, 3Ks
Chrismon (LP) 7 1/3 IP, 33 batters, 7 hits, 4ER, 3 BB, 11Ks

Western Branch:
Johnsonbaugh 8 IP, 32 batters, 4 hits, 1ER, 4BB, 8Ks
Eisenhower (WP) 4 IP, 19 batters, 3H, 0 runs, 3BB, 3Ks

WB will play Gloucester for the Eastern Region title on Thursday, June 03, 2010, 6 p.m. at ODU.
Last edited by WB Reporter
bob Ueckerbob Uecker10+ posts
While I think it unlikely, I have no objection to increasing the Regional play-off field. I also concede that the S.E. and Beach Districts are usually stronger than the E.D. from top to bottom. I wish more out of district regular season games could be played. As a Maury supporter I am not unbiased, however, I reject the argument that Maury's lop-sided loss to Gloucester should be cited as the reason for the change.

A bit of history is in order. In recent past Regionals, the ED has played very competitive games. Maury lost to WB last year (2009) 6-4 in a game that could have gone either way. The year before that (2008), Maury lost in thr Regionals to Ocean Lakes 8-4 but Granby knocked off Beach champ Landstown. The year before that (2007), Maury lost to Denbigh 2-0 in the Regionals when Ethan Carter pitched a complete game and a hit a homerun for Denbigh and Denbigh advanced to the State tournament. In 2007, Granby of the ED was regional runner-up and advanced to the State tournament.

Every team can have a Ringling Bros.Barnum and Bailey inning and unfortunately, Maury had one in the Regionals against a very good Gloucester team. Don't forget that Menchville lost at home to Gloucester 16-0 this season when Menchville was ranked No. 1 nationally. And don't forget that Maury beat a very good Cox team 7-2 at Cox this season as well as getting a victory over State Independent School Champ Cape Henry at Cape Henry 3-2.

This year’s Regional losses were indeed embarrassing for Maury, Norview and the ED but they are not indicative of the quality of baseball of the better E.D. teams.
LB luv baseball5,000+ posts
Congratulations to WB. Keep it rolling!

Uek, I don't think there would be strong support for limiting the number of ED or any districts teams. Part of the nature of the tournament is each district gets equal representation and that is as it should be. I think the sentiment is to expand the field so that additional teams that really deserve the chance can participate similar to basketball. Of course part of a bigger tournamnet is the risk of mismatches but that is a small thing compared to the opportunity created across the board.
WR WB Reporter1,000+ posts
A 12-inning game Wednesday night was not enough so the Western Branch Bruins played 8 Thursday night, defeating the Gloucester Dukes 11-9. The only lead for the Bruins came in the 8th and final inning.

Neither team scored or threatened to score in the 1st. Joey Burney, pitching for the Dukes, retired the Bruins in order in the top of the 2nd. Gloucester scored 4 in the bottom of the 2nd. David Lutz reached on a single, Adam Baldwin reached on a HP, and Court Womble reached on a BB. Jacob Houston’s double brought Lutz and Baldwin home while a throwing error permitted Womble to score also on the play. Tim Houston singled home J. Houston but was out at second when the next batter grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. End of 2, Gloucester 4, WB 0.

WB bats remained silent in the 3rd while Gloucester added a run to their lead when Baldwin plated Matt Fischgrund who had doubled. End of 3, Gloucester 5, WB 0.

In the top of the 4th, WB put their first runs on the board. Nick Thompson tripled to bring home Garrett Brooks who had walked. Bobby Barefoot's sac fly brought Thompson home. The bats of Gloucester, though, are strong (14 hits in the game). Womble led off the inning with a triple, J. Houston was hit and advanced to second on T. Houston’s sac bunt. With first base open, Joey Burney, the 3-hole hitter, was issued the intentional walk to load the bases. Kenny Cassidy, the WB pitcher, induced the ground ball 6-4-3 inning-ending DP to prevent the Dukes from extending their lead. End of 4, the score remained Gloucester 5, WB 0.

In the top of the 5th, the WB bats continued to wake up. Alex Hunt singled, Brooks walked and with 2 outs, Brandon Doggett singled to bring home Hunt. Brooks came home on a throwing error. Thompson doubled in Doggett but was thrown out at third trying to stretch the hit into another triple. Gloucester, a good hitting team, responded. Ryan Kellum singled, Baldwin singled and J. Houston walked on a full count to bring home Lutz who had reached on a fielder’s choice. Kellum came home after that on a wild pitch. End of 5, the score was Gloucester 7, WB 5.

In the top of the 6th, Johnsonbaugh and Barefoot both reached on singles. Hunt brought Johnsonbaugh home on a ground out. Michael Donovan followed with a single to right field and when Barefoot tried to make it home, Tim Houston, the right fielder for Gloucester gunned Barefoot out at the plate to end the Bruins’ half inning. Gloucester continued to add to their lead in the 6th. With one out, Cameron Cecil reached on a single and stole second. Lutz singled and Cecil made it home when a throw to home ricocheted off his leg. With two outs and Lutz at third, Hunt laid out for a diving catch towards the right field line to end the inning. (The catch can be seen on WVEC’s Internet coverage.) End of 6, Gloucester 8, WB 6.

In the 7th, Gloucester struck out the first two WB batters. With the season on the line, Brandon Doggett doubled to right center. Thompson was issued the intentional walk to put runners at first and second. Again, with the season on the line, Johnsonbaugh ripped a line drive to right center, bringing in both Doggett and Thompson to tie the game. Barefoot grounded out to end the Bruins’ half inning. Thompson took the mound. The first two Gloucester batters reached on an error and a walk. When the third batter hit the ball back to the pitcher, the play was made at third to get the lead runner. The next batter was struck out and with the winning run at second, Joey Burney hit a low fly ball in shallow center. Donovan made a great diving catch, with the season on the line. End of 7, Gloucester 8, WB 8.

In the 8th, Hunt reached on a walk with one out, Donovan singled to right field. CJ McAndrews flew out with a deep fly ball to center for the second out. Brooks singled up the middle to bring home Hunt and break the tie. Doggett added insurance runs with a double to the right field corner to bring home Donovan and Brooks. Thompson then flew out to deep center field to end the Bruins’ half of the inning. Gloucester’s first batter struck out. The second batter hit a chopper along the third base line which Thompson barehanded and, falling away, threw out the batter at first. But Gloucester was not done. Lutz, Kellum and Baldwin hit three consecutive singles, with Lutz scoring on Kellum’s hit. That brought the potential winning run to the plate but he flew out to right field to end the game. Final, WB 11, Gloucester 9.

Western Branch will play at ODU on Tuesday, 6 p.m. against the Central Region runner up which will be determined Saturday.
WR WB Reporter1,000+ posts
As this was the thread where expanding the Eastern Regional was discussed, I'll throw out there that I would like to see a structure similar to the NCAA College World Series regional structure. SmithBaseball had mentioned that expanding the number of teams in the Regional tournament would prevent that 1 miscue (I believe he mentioned Grassfield's in the district tournament) from ending the season. If number of teams is expanded in the Eastern Regional field to 16, as currently exists in the Northern Region, the one miscue in the district tournament might not end the season. However, that one miscue in Regionals still could because of the single elimination structure. Even if the Regionals are expanded to 16 teams, they could be split into 4 "pools", using the Northern Region's preset formula of having a #1A, #2B, #3C and #4D where the letters are different districts and then use a double elimination within the pool the way the NCAA Regionals worked. The 4 pool winners then could go through the same double elimination structure. I realize that it would be too many games to be played at ODU but home fields of the higher seeds could be used for the first rounds. I also realize it is highly unlikely to get both expansion of the field to 16 and a pool play system but one surely won't get it if one does not try.
Last edited by WB Reporter
LB luv baseball5,000+ posts
For this reccomendation I think you have to kill the district tournaments. It takes 3 days to do a 4 team double elimiation if you allow double headers on the 2nd and 3rd day. It takes 6 or 7 games to do this and an 8 team single elimination fits in the same footprint for days and games. Since the Beach is already at 8 teams in their district and the regional is also an 8 team tournament which would be reduced to a 4 team double elimination the number of games and dates is identical to what exists today. In other words there is no calender or cost limitation to this change other than in places like SED where an extra game or two might be added. I bet you can get West, Todd and Lee to sign up now for it.
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