Who wins the AAA state title

I don't know enough about the non-Central teams to hazard a guess. I think Cosby has a decent shot. But I think at this point James River is a long shot. Their offense comes and goes from game to game, and that doesn't bode well for a week when you would have to win 3 straight. And while Kirby continues to dominate, he cannot throw every game. And even he needs more run support than the team provided in its last outing.

I would seriously consider starting Roberts today for 2 innings just to see if I could get through today without extending Kirby too far. The idea would be to have him available to close if necessary on Friday, otherwise to start and go all the way on Saturday.

But I expect they'll start Kirby today and hope for the best. To win it all that way, they have to (a) score enough to be able to pull Kirby today, maybe after 5, AND (b) score enough Friday to overcome an opponent who is likely to score some itself.

I am well aware of the adage that you don't want to lose today's game playing for tomorrow's game, as well as the corollary that you cannot win the next game unless you're in the next game. But no one remembers if you lose in the semis vs. the quarters. To me you play the week planning from the start to go all the way.

For 7 teams, of course, the plan won't work no matter what they do. So no matter how you play it, we'll all be here second guessing after the fact!

if your challenge is scoring runs you have to make sure you minimize the number of runs the other team scores...assume they will use their best pitcher meaning the probability of you having a breakout day at the plate is diminished.
In tne second game if you win the first you will face your opponents #2 pitcher...maybe then tne probability of you scoring more runs goes up.

If you do have a breakout game in game one then you can get your number 1 guy out early.

The strategy of saving Kirby and using Roberts could put you in a situation where neither one is available for game 2.

If JR doesnt start Kirby today I would like to be there to see all the grinning the other team would be doing

I have a feeling that James River breaks out and has a big day at the plate. If that happens, how big a lead is big enough to pull Kirby and conserve him for later in the week? Good luck to James River and Cosby today.

I just think you make sure you win that first game and give the kids a chance to go to the next round.

WHo remembers if you lost in the quarter finals?

I think the kids getting out of school - traveling to NOVA - school buying the dinner is a memorable experience. Pulling your #1 guy and losing is the opposite kind of memorable experience.

All of us remember when Manchester pulled I think it was Hauser (who may get drafted today) with an 8 run lead vs. LCB only to have everything that could go wrong go wrong.
I guess that day the infield was used to stnding around for 5 innings watching Hauser strike people out because when the next guy came in and Bird put the ball in play it was like they forgot how to field and throw the baseball!

Let's say you pull Kirby in the 5th...Roberts I assume throws 2 innings....can he give you 7 the next game?

No one remembers if you lose the quarter final game. We were there last year and it was a heck of a game losing to South County 11-12. It was a great experience and hopefully NR, can make it past the first round. Should be a great tourney.

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Originally posted by hsbasballfan:
I just think you make sure you win that first game and give the kids a chance to go to the next round.

WHo remembers if you lost in the quarter finals?

I think the kids getting out of school - traveling to NOVA - school buying the dinner is a memorable experience. Pulling your #1 guy and losing is the opposite kind of memorable experience.

All of us remember when Manchester pulled I think it was Hauser (who may get drafted today) with an 8 run lead vs. LCB only to have everything that could go wrong go wrong.
I guess that day the infield was used to stnding around for 5 innings watching Hauser strike people out because when the next guy came in and Bird put the ball in play it was like they forgot how to field and throw the baseball!

Let's say you pull Kirby in the 5th...Roberts I assume throws 2 innings....can he give you 7 the next game?

I'll be providing updates of Cosby / Lake Braddock on my Twitter feed at the link below. Highlights of the game will be up tonight on VirginiaPreps.com

Twitter updates

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The strategy of saving Kirby and using Roberts could put you in a situation where neither one is available for game 2.

My understanding is that Roberts is on a pitch count due to the fact that he had such a long layoff. But I don't think there'd be any problem with him bouncing back for Friday as long as you didn't extend him past 40 pitches or so today.

He's not going to make it through 7 on Friday no matter what you do. He came out smoking last week, running 92/93. Velo fell about 2 mph/inning until he was 85/86 in the 4th. Clearly the stamina is not back yet, and though you hope he would continue to gain stamina this week, the best you could hope for is clean innings and maybe he gets through 5.

Given that the rest of JR's staff has not exactly been shutting people out lately, I'm thinking I'd like to have the option of bringing in Kirby to close on Friday if that is what it took just to get to Saturday. What you hope, again, is that the offense gives you a cushion to work with. But when you're playing only other top teams, you have to assume you're going to have to win some dogfights at this point.

The other concern I have is that if Kirby goes over 100 pitches today, even Saturday is kind of soon to be going back out there. I'm sure he would do it, but how sharp he'd be would be something you'd have to watch.

I hope Monty is right and they score a bunch today. Then maybe you could do it in reverse -- go to the bullpen, and keep Roberts in reserve if needed for an inning or two at the end.

What all this highlights is how much JR misses Kit Scheetz. If he were healthy right now, JR would be your favorite for this week. Without him, I think they are a long shot.

Not having Collin Lawless and now also losing their defensive 2B Paul Wood (injured in practice last week) also leave them with some vulnerabilities. At some point you just have too many holes to fill them all. (Unless you're Cosby, in which case your bench is just like rows of shark's teeth!)

Not looking good for Cosby...currently down 9-0 after five complete. Oooof

I hear it's final:

LB 9 Cosby 0

Lake braddock over cosby 9-0

Are you kidding me???

I heard Rogers gave up two hits in six innings.They played in about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

VA AAA - remaining games:

NR at Hylton 6 pm

Lower bracket:
Freedom-SR at Kellam [ODU] 6pm
James River at West Springfield 630pm

quote:

Originally posted by 3plplay:
VA AAA - remaining games:

NR at Hylton 6 pm

Lower bracket:
Freedom-SR at Kellam [ODU] 6pm
James River at West Springfield 630pm

Note, someone has posted already that the Freedom - Kellam game has been moved to tomorrow due to rain.

Kellam - Freedom South Riding postponed til tomorrow

I read on tweeter that the LB-Cosby game was played under a steady rain.

was a bad day for Cosby on tne diamomd.

Game was not played in the rain...there was a shower that caused fans to seek shelter and umbrellas came out.

Cosby never got on track...starting pitcher got caught on the mound durimg worst of rain...seemed to have trouble with footing amd strike zone.

Not sure Cosby had many baserunners past first base the whole game.

I lost track but I think there were 7 hit batsmen on theee LB side.

LB pitcher did a good job...not over powering but hit the mit amd mixed it up. Not many Ks and dedense made no mistakes behind him.

Wow, I did not see that one coming!

I watched the video highlights on VirginiaPreps.com and the thing that struck me was how lifeless Cosby looked. How do you explain it?

I'm going to add this to my file of games where, with overcast skies, one team comes to the field with their heads just not in it. I do not know the scientific reason for it, but it's just something I've seen I don't know how many times. One team is flat and the other isn't and the result is a pounding.

Congrats to Lake Braddock, they are in really good shape now, as they will play this weekend in what will be pretty close to home games.

I think people underestimated how good Lake Braddock was/is. The West Springfield win over LB in the Norhtern Region Final was a huge upset. I think it might have worked out in LB's favor as a tough pitcher like Kirby can shut out any team when he is on. It should be interesting the rest of the way...

It is interesting how things work out in sports, esp. baseball. West Springfield defeating Lake Braddock, might have done both the Bruins and the Rapids a favor.

It looks like four very talented teams will be headed to Westfield on Friday.

quote:

It looks like four very talented teams will be headed to Westfield on Friday.

You were going to be able to say that no matter what happened today!

I have to assume LB is tough, to put a shellacking like that on Cosby. Rogers has to be good to hold them to only 3 singles. But 7 hit batters and a bunch of errors? Weird.

But you can't win if you don't score, so even without those miscues, LB would've won.

I didn't hear about the errors but I did hear about the hit batsmen. I would say Cosby must have tried to pitch LB a certain way and it didn't work. Sounds like a scouting report that didn't work out today. Not many teams hit that many batters in a game...

LB is indeed in great shape, and the loss to West Springfield did indeed work in their favor. The way Kirby looked tonight, I don't know that there's any team that could have beaten him. I also have to believe 108 pitches on a cool evening will have a lingering effect on Saturday should JR get there.

Kirby is indeed an excellent pitcher, with great speed, command, and movement on his ball. Without Kirby being available on Friday, I think James River may be vulnerable to a loss in the semifinals. If Lake Braddock advances, as I expect, and JR does make it to the final, the final on Saturday should be an epic game to see.
That said, I'll take Braddock to win it all.

quote:

Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
Wow, I did not see that one coming!

I watched the video highlights on VirginiaPreps.com and the thing that struck me was how lifeless Cosby looked. How do you explain it?

I'm going to add this to my file of games where, with overcast skies, one team comes to the field with their heads just not in it. I do not know the scientific reason for it, but it's just something I've seen I don't know how many times. One team is flat and the other isn't and the result is a pounding.

Congrats to Lake Braddock, they are in really good shape now, as they will play this weekend in what will be pretty close to home games.

I was kind of wondering if being the home team under the circumstances might not be a good thing. Let me preface this by saying I'm not making excuses for Cosby...I have no ties to the school and other than being a central region fan, I really don't care who wins.

But my thought is...they're sitting around school all day wondering if they're going to play. It looks really bad at times outside, they've got the distractions of the school day, etc. Meanwhile, the away team gets on a bus at 10 or 11 in the morning and they've got a two hour ride to lock in and get their minds right. Just a thought

quote:

But my thought is...they're sitting around school all day wondering if they're going to play. It looks really bad at times outside, they've got the distractions of the school day, etc. Meanwhile, the away team gets on a bus at 10 or 11 in the morning and they've got a two hour ride to lock in and get their minds right. Just a thought

Plus, that bus ride always loosens a team up. C'Mon Man.

I'm telling you, it's all about the overcast skies.

Next time you're at a game with overcast skies, see how that game goes. One team will play like they left their brains in their other uniforms.

quote:

Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
I'm telling you, it's all about the overcast skies.

And there's data regarding baseball performance and cloudy skies!: http://technorati.com/sports/b...-impact-on-baseball/

Can we please remember that LB is now 24-3?? In my opinion, if LB and Cosby played 10 times, LB is winning about 7 of them. Whatever the circumstances were in terms of weather, etc...the better team won.

Congrats to Coach Lowery and Cosby for yet another outstanding season.

quote:

Originally posted by golfball:

quote:

But my thought is...they're sitting around school all day wondering if they're going to play. It looks really bad at times outside, they've got the distractions of the school day, etc. Meanwhile, the away team gets on a bus at 10 or 11 in the morning and they've got a two hour ride to lock in and get their minds right. Just a thought

Plus, that bus ride always loosens a team up. C'Mon Man.

You're right...a two hour ride on a chartered bus is just a killer for 15-18 year olds. I think my theory has merit, especially when it comes to getting away from some of the distractions of home. Plus apparently Lake Braddock is very very good...maybe that has something to do with it.

quote:

Plus apparently Lake Braddock is very very good...maybe that has something to do with it.

It was hard to get a feel for how good of a team LB is for me.
Certainly the Cosby team did not play up to expectations. Their pitching pretty much collapsed and so did their bats.

I credit the LB pitcher for turning in a solid although not overwhelming performance.

Cosby got in a hole early.... Their pitcer got caught in a downpour that led to an inning where he loaded the bases- then hit a batter and walked another one.
With 7 hit batsmen, 4 errors, and a handfull of walks it was said LB had 13 baserunners they may not have otherwise had.

Dont know about the weather being a factor as for most of the game it was the same on both sides of the field - only expecption is when Cobsy kid (a sophomore) was on the mounbd in the rain with mud caked on his cleats. To me it looked like that got in his head.
Once he came out the next pitcher had to be thinking about the pitching surface and may have tried to make a "safe" pitch to get ahead in the count...the hitter sent it back up the middle to add two more runs....still no outs....they walk off the field down 6-0.

No Cosby fan, coach, or player would make any excuses...they didnt play well, got beat, and their 2012 season is over.

As for LB beating them 7 out of 10 times...cant say I got that feeling - their pitcher had a good game- infield made some good plays (one by the pitcher himself) - cant say I was impressed with their hitting - they played mistake free baseball for seven innings which typically results in wins.

I think Cosby also caught a team that was said to be the best in their Region coming off a wake up call type loss to the team many said was second best. Those losses have a way of motivating teams!

Cosby on the other hand was said to be the second best in the Region and beat the "best" team in alarming fashion. I gotta believe every kid that wore the Blue and Black yesterday was convinced the were about to eliminate their opponent on their home field and move on to the next one. They had "arrived"
In the minds of teenagers all this plays into things - One team seeking to avenge a slip up the other maybe forgetting how they got there.

Cosby is a great underdog team...wehn they take the field with something to prove they deliver and suprise people...yesterday sitting on their home field with their fellow student athletes hosting #2 teams from other areas I dont theink they felt that underdog, fight, and scrap intensity to prove them selevs...they though they already had.

Baseball is kind of like golf...when you go out and do well you think you have "arrived" or finally figured it out....a short time later you relax a little and are humbled. Unfortunately for Cosby the game that humbled them was an elimination game and they will not get that second change to show the world they are one of the best teams in the State.

Cosby is a great team, certainly one of the "best" in the state of Virginia. They will reload next season...

quote:

quote:
Plus apparently Lake Braddock is very very good...maybe that has something to do with it.


good

That comment actually merits a double thumbs-up! They are an excellent team that, if they play up to their potential this weekend, will have some hardware to show for it.

As for hsbaseballfan's comments, I discount 90% of what was said. I will admit that I wasn't there to see the game, however I almost always disregard excuses being made about a team losing a game because of conditions. Both teams have to deal with the exact same conditions. For example, I guarantee that that muddy mound was still muddy when the LB's pitcher climbed upon it a few minutes later. Now you can say that perhaps one team dealt with the conditions better than the other, and that led to a victory, but since I wasn't there I don't know if that was true.

As for what he said about the "wake up call type loss," and the resulting motivation, I couldn't agree more! That is exactly why I think that LB is going to roll this weekend. Losses like the one they suffered in the Regional finals have a way of tightening a team up and making each player realize that they have to be on their game. I'm sure that LB's coach doesn't have to provide any additional motivation to those players in practice this week. I expect them to be sharp and focused this weekend. Let the games begin!

lake braddock vs.c.d.hylton friday it looks like unless rain keeps cancelling the kellame game!in max preps isnt lake braddock no.1 and c.d.hylton no.2

berryberry...just offering analysis from the perspective of someone who was there.
Not taking anything away from LB...when they showed up they were one of 8 best teams in AAA...now they are one of 4. Possibly they will make it all the way.


I do think you are right when you say you wrent there so you dont know...hard to believe you would discount 90% of what someone says who was?

I would like to ask what are the terms of your "guarantee" that the mound was still muddy when the LB pitcher stepped on it?

Those of us who were there watched the Cosby Coaches drag a big ole bag of field material and rake the mound while the game was stopped.

I agree 100% with the one comment you made : "but since I wasn't there I don't know if that was true"

Wish I'd seen LB. At 24-3, that's outstanding. Records like that don't get piled up unless you are very, very good.

I'm sorry that I won't ever get to see them in person. Just can't get up there this weekend.

The score says LB was the better team and I believe it. But I also believe Cosby didn't show up and that's a shame. Sounds like the game wasn't much of a game, at least not for the disinterested observer to watch -- though I guess the LB fans and team went home happy about it!