On the shoulders of a full 7 innings by junior pitcher Rawlings Cumbea, Midlo wins 4-1.
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atta boy Raw!
Congrats to the Midlo team
Congrats to the Midlo team
not to take anything away fro Midlo as this is a great win for their program and they should be vbery happy...affter seeing JR play they kind of seemed like a one trick pony with Kirby on the mound with average defense and average hitters.
Last year team had a much more powerful line up with pretty mch the same pitching....defense cost them greatly when it matterered and all the preseason hype turned out to be just that...hype.
this year more hype....and now a huge loss down the stretch.
Last year team had a much more powerful line up with pretty mch the same pitching....defense cost them greatly when it matterered and all the preseason hype turned out to be just that...hype.
this year more hype....and now a huge loss down the stretch.
quote:Originally posted by hsbasballfan:
.....and all the preseason hype turned out to be just that...hype.
I think the "preseason hype" assumed a 100% healthy squad. Currently, Scheetz (LHP - Va Tech) is out for the season. Lawless (C - Longwood) still out with an injury. Roberts (RHP) still not pitching due to injury but in the lineup and doing a good job at 1st. Shirley (3rd base) can't hit/field due to an injury in California, but is doing some pinch running.
Tonight's game was a great win for Midlo...not sure if I would consider it a "huge loss" for JR. Shoot - JR has lost 5 of their last 9 games. Midlo was their first district loss.
In a perfect world, all pitchers would be healthy. Note, Midlo is missing Ayoub on the mound, but he got 2 RBIs tonight so he is still quite the contributor. Watch out when he returns....
This is why they play the game. Well done Midlo and Rawlings. Congrats on a big win!
JR was beat because Midlothian played better yesterday period. Let's not talk about JR losing because they have injuries....please. Injuries are part of the game. Everybody has them, and everybody has to deal with them. Typical high school coaches take 16-20 players for this very reason. Other players on the team have an opportunity to step up, do something positive and win a job.
JR was beat because Midlothian played better yesterday period. Let's not talk about JR losing because they have injuries....please. Injuries are part of the game. Everybody has them, and everybody has to deal with them. Typical high school coaches take 16-20 players for this very reason. Other players on the team have an opportunity to step up, do something positive and win a job.
quote:Originally posted by fenwaysouth:
This is why they play the game. Well done Midlo and Rawlings. Congrats on a big win!
JR was beat because Midlothian played better yesterday period. Let's not talk about JR losing because they have injuries....please. Injuries are part of the game. Everybody has them, and everybody has to deal with them. Typical high school coaches take 16-20 players for this very reason. Other players on the team have an opportunity to step up, do something positive and win a job.
I'm not in the mix regarding the goings on in the Central Region, so that is my disclaimer. I also agree that injuries are part of the game, and others need to seize their opportunities.
Having said that, I don't care who you are, if you lose two of your top 4 pitchers (D1 players at that), your D1 catcher, in addition to another contributor...that's a lot to absorb for any team. As talented as any team may be, when your depth gets depleted, that's how losses happen.
Personally, and its just my opinion, I don't think JR was overhyped at all. They have had some unfortunate injuries, and have played a national schedule. It's not an excuse, but it is reality. Congrats to Midlothian on a big win!
a national schedule? because they went to california for spring break? Interesting to note they went to CA and came back with a bunch of hurt arms and players.
I dont think their loss to midlothian really had much to do with pitchers being hurt...if they had all them healthy they still would have just scored 1 run.
you guys talk like if they had them it would have been a different ball game.
"it wasnt the 4 that beat them it was the 1"
I dont think their loss to midlothian really had much to do with pitchers being hurt...if they had all them healthy they still would have just scored 1 run.
you guys talk like if they had them it would have been a different ball game.
"it wasnt the 4 that beat them it was the 1"
The bottom line is you are not going to win many games scoring one run. JR's starting 3rd baseman Mac Caples (VT) played and doubled in the game. The only hitter missing from the line up was Lawless. Neither team made an error in the game. Both teams had 6 hits. The difference in the game was Midlothian sophomore Zach Ayoub's big hit with bases loaded, junior Kevin Oakey's HR, a couple stellar defensive plays and Cumbea's great performance on the mound.
quote:Originally posted by hsbasballfan:
a national schedule? because they went to california for spring break? Interesting to note they went to CA and came back with a bunch of hurt arms and players.
I dont think their loss to midlothian really had much to do with pitchers being hurt...if they had all them healthy they still would have just scored 1 run.
you guys talk like if they had them it would have been a different ball game.
"it wasnt the 4 that beat them it was the 1"
My comments aren't reflective of whether or not JR should have beaten Midlothian. Just pointing out in response to others that they were not overhyped coming into the season, and the justifications as to why. Regarding their schedule, within the confines of the VHSL, which restricts everyone's ability to play other competition...I would say three games against teams (all played in California) that are or have been nationally ranked at some point this season would qualify.
Wow, congrats to the boys at Midlo. They have come a long way in 2 seasons.
keewart
I think Mac Caples would find it interesting that Shirley is the 3B for James River and that the only thing keeping him out of the lineup is an injury he suffered in California.
With that said, what I saw yesterday was numerous balls (at least 6) that fell into Trojan gloves on the warning track. It was baseball. The game allows for 2-6 teams to beat 7-0 teams when 7-0 teams fail to adjust in the batters box. It was a clean game where the Trojans executed a couple key at bats and the Rapids did not.
This definitely makes the Cosby vs James River rematch that much more interesting in a couple weeks assuming both teams win out.
I think Mac Caples would find it interesting that Shirley is the 3B for James River and that the only thing keeping him out of the lineup is an injury he suffered in California.
With that said, what I saw yesterday was numerous balls (at least 6) that fell into Trojan gloves on the warning track. It was baseball. The game allows for 2-6 teams to beat 7-0 teams when 7-0 teams fail to adjust in the batters box. It was a clean game where the Trojans executed a couple key at bats and the Rapids did not.
This definitely makes the Cosby vs James River rematch that much more interesting in a couple weeks assuming both teams win out.
JMO,
My response was to hsbaseballfan's comment about the hype. I did not say that Shirley was "the" 3rd baseman. But, when Caples comes to the mound like he did yesterday, someone needs to be on third. (Roberts went to 3B, BTW).
I was not making excuses for JRs showing yesterday (again, my reply was referring to the comment about the hype). Cumbea, and the rest of the Midlo team, did great!
My response was to hsbaseballfan's comment about the hype. I did not say that Shirley was "the" 3rd baseman. But, when Caples comes to the mound like he did yesterday, someone needs to be on third. (Roberts went to 3B, BTW).
I was not making excuses for JRs showing yesterday (again, my reply was referring to the comment about the hype). Cumbea, and the rest of the Midlo team, did great!
quote:JMO said....This definitely makes the Cosby vs James River rematch that much more interesting in a couple weeks assuming both teams win out.
It definetly makes for good theater. Mark those calendars for Thurs. May 17 4:30 at Cosby, and bring some popcorn.
I had two concerns about JR at the season's start. One was middle infield defense. That problem was resolved fully by the solid play of 2 sophomores new to the varsity, Paul Wood and Cullen Large. But the other problem was whether their lineup would hold up top to bottom. At the start of the year, everyone was producing and that question seemed to be answered. But lately, it seems like everyone's bats have gone to sleep all at once, at least in a handful of games if not every game.
Their pitching depth promised to cover for those failings, but with Scheetz and Roberts both out, they lost that advantage. That being said, they only gave up 4 runs yesterday. You aren't going to win a lot of games scoring only once in a HS game. So, this one's on the offense -- or maybe that's unfair, and perhaps it's a case of needing to give credit where credit is due, to Cumbea. I wasn't there to see it, but he must've been doing something well.
The problem this poses for JR is that if Cosby gets the W on May 17, Cosby wins the regular season title (barring an upset in the interim), which means that JR would have to either win the district tourney, or finish 2nd to Cosby, just to get to regionals. Kirby has shown he can dominate anyone for 4-5 innings but has yet to finish a game. So either they're going to have to stretch him out, or wake up the bats, or they could be primed for an early exit a la Manchester in 2009-10.
I am also wondering which districts match up against which in the regional tourney. Because if Deep Run takes the Colonial's # 1 seed, I don't care who you are, Michael Boyle can shut you down, and he has shown he can go even beyond the 7th inning in a dogfight. If the Dominion is paired with the Colonial, the Kirby-Boyle matchup in the quarterfinals would be one to watch for sure. But honestly, if it were played today I'd have to say Deep Run would be favored.
Their pitching depth promised to cover for those failings, but with Scheetz and Roberts both out, they lost that advantage. That being said, they only gave up 4 runs yesterday. You aren't going to win a lot of games scoring only once in a HS game. So, this one's on the offense -- or maybe that's unfair, and perhaps it's a case of needing to give credit where credit is due, to Cumbea. I wasn't there to see it, but he must've been doing something well.
The problem this poses for JR is that if Cosby gets the W on May 17, Cosby wins the regular season title (barring an upset in the interim), which means that JR would have to either win the district tourney, or finish 2nd to Cosby, just to get to regionals. Kirby has shown he can dominate anyone for 4-5 innings but has yet to finish a game. So either they're going to have to stretch him out, or wake up the bats, or they could be primed for an early exit a la Manchester in 2009-10.
I am also wondering which districts match up against which in the regional tourney. Because if Deep Run takes the Colonial's # 1 seed, I don't care who you are, Michael Boyle can shut you down, and he has shown he can go even beyond the 7th inning in a dogfight. If the Dominion is paired with the Colonial, the Kirby-Boyle matchup in the quarterfinals would be one to watch for sure. But honestly, if it were played today I'd have to say Deep Run would be favored.
On the up side, I heard a report that Roberts had been cleared for game action on the mound, so hopefully JR will be getting some of their expected pitching depth back for the home stretch.
The 2008 team proved that you can stink it up mid-season and still get red hot for a playoff run, as long as you have the arms to pull it off.
The 2008 team proved that you can stink it up mid-season and still get red hot for a playoff run, as long as you have the arms to pull it off.
It was definitely a defensive team effort. Highlighted by a diving catch at SS and an over the shoulder catch at the fence in CF.
JR bats remained sluggish through 4 innings today before they finally got a couple of runs, then more on errors, then more on some long balls to suddenly win 10-0 in a game that was 0-0 going to the bottom of the 5th.
Sometimes when the bats go south, you just need that first one to get loose and rolling again.
Sometimes when the bats go south, you just need that first one to get loose and rolling again.