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Arrows Top Braves, 4-3
April 27, 2008 --
The Indiana Braves suffered their first loss of the young season yesterday versus the Arrows. Kevin Murphy (1-1) made his second consecutive start for the Braves and went head-to-head with Eric Teall. The Arrows struck first, scoring a run in the bottom of the second when Daren Johnson came across on a Ben Mitchum single. The Braves would come back to score three runs in the top of the fifth. Catcher Erich Rusie led off the inning with a single and was pinch ran for by Steve Gentry. A Jordan Marsell walk was followed by a Matt DeWolf single that scored Gentry. Second baseman Jerad Tallman then lifted a sacrifice fly that plated Marsell. Jason Combs capped off the scoring with a two-out single that brought DeWolf in to score. The Arrows answered with another run in the sixth courtesy of a passed ball that allowed Brad Jones, who doubled earlier in the inning, to score. The Arrows were able to tack on two more runs in the seventh when Teall led off the inning with a single and later scored on an error that allowed Jeff King to reach base. King later scored himself when Scott Kemp reached on an error. The Braves were unable to rally in the eighth or ninth innings and left a total of ten runners on base. Kevin Murphy took the loss despite throwing a good ballgame. Murphy allowed all four runs, one earned, in six and one-third innings. Nick Blomeke replaced Murphy in the seventh and did not allow a run while striking out two. Final score: Arrows 4, Braves 3.
The team took the loss particularly hard because in addition to leaving runners on base, the team struck out eleven times and committed three errors that allowed three Arrow runs. Players were left searching for answers after the game. First baseman Matt Burke said manager Erich Rusie summed it up by saying the team needed "heart." When asked if Burke understood his message clearly, Rusie said, "No, I meant Hart, as in the Colts' draft pick out of Michigan, not 'heart.' I think that guy could have really helped us out today, he's a beast, I bet he can mash a fastball." Upon hearing Rusie's clarification, most of the team looked puzzled, except for Matt DeWolf who stated, "I don't have the figures right here in front of me but there's got to be a way to get rid of this guy. He must have inhaled a lot of fumes spray painting all those helmets." The Braves will take on the Hurricanes next Sunday at Spencer Fields in a wood bat game, the first of seven such games for the club this year.
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Murphy Tosses Gem, Braves Hold On vs. Rockies
May 18, 2008 --
Last Sunday, the Indiana Braves were able to edge out the Rockies after a twenty-day layoff from action. Kevin Murphy (2-1) once again started for the Braves and Erik Roe took the ball for the Rockies. The visiting Rockies scored first, pushing a run across in the top of the third when Roe doubled to lead off the inning and later scored on a single by Mike Bentley. The Braves answered right back in the bottom of the inning with two runs. Steve Gentry led off with a walk, Matt DeWolf reached base on an error, and Jerad Tallman reached on an infield single to load the bases. Matt Burke then drew a walk to score Gentry, making it a tie ball game. Jason Combs then reached on a fielder's choice that allowed DeWolf to score, making it 2-1 in favor of the Braves. Neither team would score again until the seventh when Jordan Marsell, DeWolf, and Tallman each drew walks to once again load the bases. This time, Combs drilled a line drive off of the left field fence that scored all three base runners. Combs would later scored when Matt Matheis reached on an error. The Rockies would score two more runs in the eighth inning when Matt Wiseman and Pat Burke both singled and later scored on a pair of singles by Jeremy Roberts and Kenny Miller, respectivley. However, Murphy would retire the Rockies in order in the ninth to secure the victory. Final score: Braves 6, Rockies 3.
Despite coming away with a win, the Braves received bad news following the game. Dominic Marino and Steve Owens both left the game due to injury, Marino injurying his hamstring in the second inning and Owens suffering from back pain in the third. It was determined that Marino strained his hamstring beating out an infield single and could be sidelined for weeks. Owens has battled back problems throughout his career and will be evaluated on a week to week basis. Manager Erich Rusie, who has never been big on words, said that "losing a speedy guy like Dom will take away from our ability to be fast, while losing a productive guy like Owens will make us less productive." Pitcher Kevin Murphy was not surprised by the simplicity of Rusie's post game comments, saying, "I can only throw three of my five pitches because using more than three fingers gets that guy confused. Watching Rusie coach baseball is like passing a stranded car on the hiway, you know theres probably something wrong, but you're hoping that somebody else is going to step in and help." The Braves next play on Sunday, June 1st at Plainfield Hummel Park, game time is 6:30 p.m.
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Braves Come Up Short vs Canes in Postseason
August 20, 2008 --
The Indiana Braves went up against the Indy Hurricanes in the second round of the MABL playoffs on Sunday. The Braves were fortunate enough to get some of their pitchers back for the postseason, but would be without some of their biggest offensive threats. Zach McLean got the start for the Braves and went three innings, allowing three unearned runs in the first inning and one earned in the fourth. The Braves got on the board in the first inning when Dominic Marino drew a one-out walk and later scored on a single by Matt Burke. The Canes would add two more runs in the fifth inning when Ben Werner hit a solo homerun that was followed by a Brent Bilski sacrifice fly that plated Jude Burger. The Braves would try to stage a comeback in the seventh when Scott Friedline doubled and later scored when Matt DeWolf reached on an error. DeWolf would go on to score when Nick Smiley singled to center field. In the eighth, Matt Burke would single to lead off the inning and be driven in by a Steve Gentry base hit. After narrowing the score to 6-4, the Braves would allow five runs in the eighth courtesy of two walks and three errors in the inning. The Braves would once again rally in the ninth when DeWolf and Jason Combs singled and both came home on an Erich Rusie single. Matt Burke, who reached on a walk, would also score when Matt Matheis singled. However, the Braves would fail to score again, ending their 2008 season. Final score: Hurricanes 11, Braves 7.
After the game, several players couldn't help but feel the season had not lived up to their expectations. With all of the offseason acquisitions, the team felt they would finish well above .500 in the regular season and make a serious run at a league title. However, the team turned out to not have enough arms on the pitching staff and simply did not put up enough runs against beatable teams. While most of the players did not want to place blame on any one player or group of players, there were a few references made to the lack of production from Stew Amberger. Amberger hit below the Mendoza Line during the regular season and failed to get a hit in the playoff game against the Canes. Amberger also failed to retire a single
 Canes batter. Nick Blomeke, who followed McLean to the mound, had this to say, "Stew really dropped the ball this year, especially down the stretch, he choked. He may look like Michael Phelps, but he just doesn't perform in the clutch like Phelps does. Maybe Stew can take up swimming. If he stinks at that, he can just blame it on getting water in his goggles." Manager Erich Rusie refused to say much about Amberger's performace, but instead focused on the absence of standout Jerad Tallman. Rusie told the media that Tallman claimed to have food poisoning, but he believes he was in L.A. pursuing his acting career. Rusie said this after the game, "All these guys think that they can just take off for photo shoots and sitcoms. After Jason Taylor did Dancing With the Stars, Tallman got a role on the new 90210. I think he owes this team an apology for missing a playoff game so that he can reinvent the character of Dillion in fictious Beverly Hills circa 1991." The Braves will take some time off before focusing on how to rebuild for 2009. Tallman fans can catch the series permiere of 90210 on Tuesday September 2nd.
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Braves No Match For Trojans, Rebound Versus O's
August 18, 2008 --
On Friday night, the Braves battled the expansion Trojans at Manual HS. The Trojans took the first game of the series earlier in the season and the Braves were looking to build off of their win the previous Sunday versus the Rockies in hopes of starting some momentum going into next weekends playoffs. Shaun Arnold started for the Braves and David Denneman got the nod for the Trojans. The Trojans put an early three-spot on the Braves when Ryan Jones singled to lead off the game and later scored on an error. That was followed by a couple more errors that allowed Denneman and Holdman to score. The Braves got two runs back in the bottom of the first when Matt DeWolf singled and later scored on a Jason Combs single. Combs later scored on a passed ball. Neither team would score again until the fourth when the Trojans added six runs on four hits and two walks. The Braves would try to keep pace, but added only one run in the fourth courtesy of double steal attempt that allowed Nick Smiley to score from third base. Two more runs would come in the Braves’ fifth when Scott Friedline was hit-by-a-pitch and scored on a Jerad Tallman triple, which also allowed Tallman to come home on a throwing error to the plate. The Trojans would add six more runs in the eighth inning to take a ten-run
lead. Steve Gentry came on in relief of Arnold in the fourth to get out of a bases loaded jam and proceeded to hold the Trojans at bay for four innings before surrendering the six runs in the eighth. Zach McLean and Tallman followed Gentry to the mound, pitching scoreless relief. Final score: Trojans 15, Braves 5.
On Sunday, the Braves battled the Orioles at Butler University. Stew Amberger made his MABL debut on the mound for the Braves and delivered one of the finest pitching performances of the season for the club. In the first, the Orioles would get one run on a throwing error by catcher Erich Rusie, but would not score again until the eighth, when one more run would cross when Ward reached on an error and later scored on a double by Justin Hole. Meanwhile, the Braves would threaten early and often, but strand several base runners. After pushing across a run in the third inning when Nick Smiley doubled and scored on an error, the Braves would not score again until the sixth when Rusie singled and later scored on a single by Shaun Arnold. However, the seventh and eighth innings would see the Braves erupt for five runs in each inning. The seventh inning rally was started by Jerad Tallman and Smiley who led off with back-to-back singles. Matt Matheis and Scott Friedline would each have base hits later in the inning, with Matheis driving in Tallman and Friedline plating Dominic Marino and Matheis. In the eighth, three walks and a hit-by-pitch helped set the table for Gentry and Tallman, who both drove in runs. Amberger would go the distance, allowing two unearned runs on four hits. Final score: Braves 12, Orioles 2.
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Braves Fall Behind Dodgers Early, Drop Bombs on Rockies
August 6, 2008 --
The Braves fell to the Indianapolis Dodgers on Friday July 25th by the score of 18-5. Shaun Arnold got the start for the Braves and Al Ready made an emergency start for the Dodgers. The Braves struck first when Jerad Tallman scored on a sacrifice fly by Scott Friedline. The blue crew would answer with four runs in the bottom of the first inning, thanks in large part to doubles by Dan Taylor, Dustin Waalkens, and Drew Sylvester. The Braves added two more runs in the second when Jerad Tallman drove in Matt Matheis and Steve Owens scored on a fielder's choice by Nick Smiley. However, the Dodgers offense would explode for ten runs in the second inning to put the game out of reach. Each team would tack on a couple more runs, but the Braves would strand several base runners each inning while the Dodgers delivered with runners in scoring position. Final score: Dodgers 18, Braves 5.
On Sunday, The Braves would take another early lead when Jordan Marsell led off the game versus the Rockies with a homerun. Zach McLean started for the Braves and allowed the Rockies to plate a run of their own in the bottom of the inning when Ben Weiser walked and later scored on a Ryan Zenn single. The score would remained tied until the fourth when Erich Rusie hit a solo homerun to lead off the inning. The Braves would add two more runs in the fifth when Tallman singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Dominic Marino, which was followed by a botched appeal to third base that allowed Jason Combs to also score. In the sixth inning, the Braves would load the bases when Zach McLean reached on an error, Marsell walked, and Tallman reached on a fielder's choice. Nick Smiley would proceed to blast a grand slam off of the scoreboard in left-centerfield, making it 8-1. The Rockies would rally for three runs in the sixth inning, but Shaun Arnold came on in relief to get out of a bases loaded jam, before shutting out the Rockies in the final three frames. McLean picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing just four runs. Arnold earned the save for his 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
After the Rockies game, several players spoke about the sudden outburst of power from a lineup that usually just produces singles and doubles. Jordan Marsell thought that the team may have been excited about the upcoming homerun derby that the Braves are hosting, saying, "I was jacked to get here and practice my homerun swing. I didn't waste anytime juicing up on a fastball to lead things off. I'm done with slap hitting and walking, that is for guys who can't go yard. I just proved to Rusie that I don't fall into that category." Manager Erich Rusie offered this, "I think Jordan had an extra energy drink or two before that first at-bat, maybe we should have some energy drinks on hand at the homerun derby to make sure the guys hit some bombs. I'll have to order a couple of cases of Xs from Burke if it's not too late."
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Canes Rough Up Braves in DH
July 20, 2008 --
The Braves came into Sunday's doubleheader with the Hurricanes with high hopes of defeating another one of the
 MABL's constant powers. However, it would turn out to be a long day for the Braves, who stranded numerous runners and committed several errors on the day. Game one was a battle between Kevin Murphy for the Braves and Jeff Brunette from the Canes. Both offenses seemed to have a beat on the opposing pitcher, but the Canes were able to come up with more clutch hits. The Canes scored two runs in the second inning, courtesy of a Brunette double that plated Phil Belcher and Brent Bilski. The Braves got one run back in the bottom of the inning when Matt DeWolf singled home Erich Rusie. The Canes would continue to pressure the Braves, adding two more runs in the third and six runs in the fourth, highlighted by a Kenny Hughes two-run homerun. The Braves would manage to add two runs in the third when Nick Smiley singled home Jordan Marsell and Jerad Tallman singled, then later scored on a passed ball. The Braves would load the bases in the fourth with no outs, but only push across one run when Steve Gentry singled, plating Scott Friedline. The Canes were relentless and added six more runs in the sixth, once again highlighted by a Hughes homerun, this time a three-run shot. During the sixth inning, lightening forced the umpired to delay the game, ultimately resulting in a five-inning complete game. Final score: Hurricanes 16, Braves 4. Game one not only resulted in a bad loss for the Braves, but also saw another Braves pitcher leave a game due to injury. Kevin Murphy came out after the third inning with shoulder pain and was replaced my Zach McLean, Murphy allowed four runs, all earned, before leaving. McLean allowed six runs, four earned in his two innings of relief. The team has not yet received word of how serious the injury is, but manager Erich Rusie said he hopes it is just muscle soreness as Murphy was pitching on five days rest, his shortest stint between outtings this year.
 Game two got underway once the weather broke and the storm clouds missed the northwest side. Shaun Arnold (pictured left) started on the hill for the Braves and was countered by Tanner Freeman. The Braves jumped on Freeman early, with the first three batters recording hits. However, only one run would come out of the fast start, courtesy of a fielder's choice by Matt Burke that brought Jordan Marsell into score. Freeman would settle down and not allow another hit on the day. The Hurricanes would get two runs in the first inning when Tom Gandolph drove in Jude Burger and Kenny Hughes followed by singling home Gandolph. The Canes would tack on three more runs in the third thanks to three errors by the Brave defense. Arnold would take the loss, despite allowing no earned runs and striking out six batters. Final score: Hurricanes 5, Braves 1.
The Braves come out of the weekend at 7-6 in the MABL and in desperate need of a winning streak to secure a solid playoff seed. The Braves will battle the Dodgers on Friday night, then face the Rockies, Trojans, and Orioles to finish the regular season. The Braves are also still working on finding a time to finish the suspended game versus the Stallions. Despite the pair of tough losses at the hands of the Canes, most players felt the worst part of the day was the one and a half hour lightening delay. Most players hung out in the dugout, while some ventured off to secure food and supplies for all the villagers left on base. This was according to a source close to the team, particularly Matt DeWolf. Seth Lucas-Falk, a defensive specialist for the club said "I went to grab some gyros and soft drinks and thought about going home and playing some baseball on my Wii. I'm trying to get some at-bats and it seems to be working for Manny."
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Braves Deal Arrows First Loss, Come Up Short vs Franklin College
July 19, 2008 --
The Indiana Braves took on the Arrows Monday night, the second meeting between the two clubs this season. The Arrows took the first game 4-3, and stood undefeated coming into their match-up with the Braves. Kevin Murphy (pictured right) returned to action for the Braves and got the start on the hill. The Arrows also sent their ace to the mound in Eric Teall, who leads the MABL with six wins. The visiting Arrows got on the board in the second inning when Brad Jones led off with a double and later scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Ben Mitchum. The Braves answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning when Dominic Marino and Scott Friedline began the inning with singles and scored on a two-out single by Matt DeWolf (pictured below). The Arrows would regain the lead in the fifth when J.D. Hill and Scott Kemp each singled and later scored. The Braves would not score until the seventh as Erich Rusie led off with a walk, which was followed by a pair of singles by Matt Burke and DeWolf, with DeWolf driving in Rusie. Nick Smiley then singled home Burke and DeWolf, and Jason Combs drove in Jordan Marsell, who had been intentionally walked. With Nick Blomeke coming on in relief of Murphy, the Arrows were held scoreless until the ninth. Teall doubled to lead off the Arrows’ ninth, and later scored on a Hill single, but the Arrows would fail to score again. Final Score: Braves 6, Arrows 4.
Nick Blomeke picked up his first win of the season, tossing three innings and allowing only one earned run. Kevin Murphy got a no decision, hurling six solid innings while allowing three earned runs. Overall, both Murphy and Blomeke did an excellent job of keeping the Braves in the game, which allowed the offense to find its groove late in the game.
On Thursday, the Braves traveled to Shelbyville HS to battle the Franklin Cougars in the club’s second wood bat game of the season. The Cougars are the summer team for the Franklin College baseball program and compete in the MidWest Prospects Baseball League. Shaun Arnold got the nod for the Braves and got some early run support when Matt Burke blasted a two-run homerun in the top of the first inning. The Cougars would respond with three runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a Paul Strack RBI triple. The Cougars would strike again in the fourth inning, adding
three more runs on four hits. The Braves would add one more run in the sixth when Jerad Tallman walked, stole second and third base, then came home on a fielder’s choice by Nick Smiley. The Braves would continue to trail by only three runs heading into the ninth after Zach McLean and Jerad Tallman each tossed scoreless relief. Matt Burke would start a rally in the final frame by lacing a single to left field. After a strikeout, Matt Matheis walked and Brandon Tallman singled. Scott Friedline then singled home Burke, making it 6-4. The Braves would load the bases with two outs, but fail to push any more runs across. Final score: Cougars 6, Braves 4.
Despite splitting a pair of weekday games, the Braves feel pretty good heading into a Sunday doubleheader versus the Indy Hurricanes. Newcomer Scott Friedline expressed his satisfaction with the way his new team played this week, saying, “We played two very good teams this week and each game came down to the end. I’m especially proud of our effort against Franklin. The first two pitchers we used weigh about as much as the wood bat I used tonight, but they held their own. Not bad for a couple of guys who get carded going to ‘R’ rated movies.” The pitchers that Friedline spoke of were Arnold and McLean, both of whom were unavailable for comment due to curfew.
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Braves Power Past Cubs, Have Stallions Game Stopped By Groundskeeper
July 10, 2008 --
The Indiana Braves exploded for twenty-five runs on twenty-four hits when they took on the Cubs this past Sunday at Manual HS. Shaun Arnold made his first start in the MABL and went three innings, allowing one unearned run to pick up the win. The offense put a five spot on the board in the first inning, before pouring on ten more in the second. The third inning saw the Braves push across only one run, and after being shut out in the fourth, the club added nine more runs to finish off the scoring. The game was stopped after the top of the sixth inning due to the time-limit rule. There were several offensive standouts, Jordan Marsell, Jerad Tallman, Scott Friedline, and Steve Gentry all had three hits, while Matt Burke, Jason Combs, and Matt Matheis each had two. Zach McLean tossed two innings of solid relief, striking out four batters and Jerad Tallman closed out the sixth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Final score: Braves 25, Cubs 2.
On Thursday, the Braves battled the Indy Stallions, who pounded the Braves earlier in the season. The rematch made for a better ballgame with the Braves jumping on top early courtesy of a Jason Combs solo homerun. The Stallions answered back with two in the second and five more runs in the third. The Braves were able to get six runs back in the third when DeWolf, Tallman, Combs, Burke, Friedline, and Matheis scored consecutively to tie the game. The game went back and forth and each team continued to manufacture runs before the score was knotted at eleven in the bottom of the seventh. During the Stallions at-bat in the bottom of the inning, the lights went out and the field of play was too dark to continue. Both sides would soon learn that the groundskeeper at Roncalli HS had shut the lights off because a few players drove around a barricade and across a recently paved parking lot. No date has been set to continue the game, but both managers agreed to work something out so that the game can be completed.
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Game Versus Hurricanes Cancelled
May 4, 2008 --
The Braves received bad news this afternoon when their game against the Hurricanes was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. The Braves were set to play at Spencer Fields but the facility coordinator double booked several of the diamonds leading to mass confusion and frustration. The Braves are off next weekend for Mother's Day and next play (hopefully) on Sunday May 18th against the Rockies at Chatard HS, game time 3:30.
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Braves Split Series With Astros, Fall to Trojans
July 3, 2008 --
The Braves were able to salvage a split of the Friday-Sunday series with the Astros the weekend before last before falling to the Trojans this past Tuesday. The series with the 'Stros saw the Braves come out flat on Friday, squandering another solid start from Kevin Murphy. Murphy went seven innings and allowed six runs, four of them earned. However, the offense struggled against Dustin Brown, who was able to keep hitters off balance with a variety of arm angles, most notably submarine style. The only Brave hitters to enjoy success against Brown were Nick Smiley and Matt Burke. Smiley went 2-for-4 and drove in all three runs for the Braves, while Burke went 2-for-5 with a double. Shaun Arnold threw an inning of relief for the Braves, making his MABL debut and second appearance of the season overall. Final score: Astros 8, Braves 3.
On Sunday, the Braves brought their bats and exploded for a ten-run second inning, highlighted by a Jerad Tallman grand slam. Matt Matheis made his first start of the season and threw all seven innings, allowing just one run. The Braves tacked on a few more runs as the game wore on and picked up their fifth win of the season. Final score: Braves 13, Astros 1. The game versus the Trojans was rained out on Sunday and rescheduled for Tuesday night, which left the Braves shorthanded on the mound and Matheis was forced to make his second start of the season much earlier than anticipated. The Trojans scored four runs in the first and three more in the second before pulling away. Final score: Trojans 13, Braves 1.
After an up and down stretch of games, manager Erich Rusie was mind boggled over his team's sporadic offense. Many of the Braves' games have been affected by the availability of pitchers, the team has learned that David Dugger has been lost for the season due to a foot injury and Adam Hershberger may be inactive for the rest of 2008 after taking a new job. The team has looked to reload mid-season with the additions of Zach McLean, Seth Lucas-Falk, and Scott Friedline. McLean is a pitcher and utility infielder from Zionsville HS, Lucas-Falk an outfielder from Tech HS, and Friedline has spent the past couple season with the Indy Cubs before being acquired in a mid-season deal between the Braves and Cubs. With the constant juggling of players, outfielder Stew Amberger expressed his concern, stating, "I missed a few games and when I came back, I didn't recognize anybody. I wondered where all those guys went and since im a police officer, I decided to file a bunch of missing persons reports. No job is too big for deputy Stew, I'll have this roster back to full strength in no time." Manager Erich Rusie glady appreciated Amberger's offer, adding, "Maybe he can find me a guy who dominated in the California Penal League, if it were up to me, I'd say 'gimme Vaughn.'"
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Marino's Walk-Off Finishes Dodgers
June 15, 2008 --
The Indiana Braves picked up their first ever win against the Indianapolis Dodgers on Sunday at Decatur Central HS. The game saw David Dugger make his first start of the season for the Braves, while Mark Buis took the rubber for the visiting Dodgers. The Dodgers got on the board early when Miguel Silva reached on an error and later scored on an Alan Ready single. The Braves repsonded with a run in the bottom of the first when Matt DeWolf was hit by a pitch and scored on a Jerad Tallman single. The Dodgers added another run in the fourth when Ready singled and was plated via a Kurt Brabender base hit. Three more runs were added in the Dodgers' sixth and two in the seventh to make it 7-1 in their favor. The Braves' offense, which had managed only one run in the first six innings, exploded for five runs in the bottom of the seventh. Erich Rusie and Dugger started the inning with back-to-back singles and after a fielder's choice, Smiley, Tallman, Combs, and Burke all singled consecutively before Dominic Marino doubled to bring the Braves within one. Zach McLean, who joined the Braves just days before the game, came on in relief of Dugger and shut the Dodgers down in the eighth and ninth innings. In the bottom of the ninth, Jerad Tallman ledoff the inning with a single to put the tying run on base. Jason Combs followed Tallman with a double off of the left-centerfield fence that scored Tallman. After Matt Burke successfully moved Combs to third with a groundball to second, Dominc Marino laced a sharp single into right field to seal the game for the Braves. Final Score: Braves 8, Dodgers 7.
Zach McLean picked up the win in his MABL debut and the Braves moved to 4-2 in league play. Although Marino was the day's hero, he almost didn't have an opportunity in the ninth. Jason Combs' double missed clearing the fence by only a couple of feet and had he ate breakfast Sunday morning, Marino would have merely had a good look at a walk-off homerun from the on deck circle. But as it stands, Marino, who left the previous two games before the third inning due to injury, came through in the clutch. No one was happier for Dom than fellow Scecina alum Nick Smiley. Nick spoke highly of Dom, stating, "That guy is like my little brother. I wouldn't speak to him at football games or social events, but after this, I may acknowledge his exisence." Smiley later added, "I would put him in my five, but I can't keep those Broad Ripple girls straight without their pictures in my phone, sorry Dom."
The Braves also played on Monday, taking on the MidWest Tomahawks of the MidWest Prospect Baseball League. The team fell to the 'Hawks 13-1, struggling to adjust on offense with woodbats. The Braves play six more woodbat games this season, the next of which is Saturday, June 28 versus Geneva. Nick Blomeke took the loss despite throwing well and logging six innings, the most work in one game for the lefty all season. Shaun Arnold came on in relief to make his 2008 debut after breaking his wrist just before opening day. The loss drops the Braves to 4-3 overall, but the club remains 4-2 in the IABL standings.
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Braves Come Back vs O's, Get Smashed by Stallions
June 9, 2008 --
The Indiana Braves split their past two games, defeating the Orioles on Sunday, June 1st and falling to the Stallions on Friday, June 6th. The game vs. the Orioles saw the Braves pitch by committee with Adam Hershberger getting the start and being followed by Nick Blomeke, Kevin Murphy and David Dugger. The Braves' pitchers looked a little rusty, walking a total of nine batters in eight innings. However, after falling behind 8-2 in the fifth inning, the Braves offense woke
 up, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the inning. The explosion was started with a Jerad Tallman double and single by Jason Combs to put both men in scoring position for slugger Matt Burke. Burke delivered with a double and after Stew Amberger and Erich Rusie drew walks, Steve Gentry delivered the third double of the inning. By the end of the fifth, the Braves led 9-8. Newcomer David Dugger closed out the game, allowing no runs in two innings of work. Final score: Braves 12, Orioles 8. The Braves were glad to see several players break out of their early season slumps, but more players were lost to injury for the second consecutive game. Dominic Marino, who had just returned from a hamstring strain vs. the Rockies, had to leave the game during his first at-bat after a foul ball struck him in the face. Marino received eleven stitches above his left eye after being taken to the hospital. Centerfielder Jordan Marsell was also injured during the game while diving for a fly ball in the fourth inning. Marsell remained in the game offensively but was replaced in centerfield by Jason Combs. It was later determined that Marsell suffered a separated shoulder on the play. When asked if the string of injuries was affecting the team, pitcher Nick Blomeke said, "Absolutely, losing two guys kind of bummed me out, but what really hurt was when Murphy's dog ate my crocs, I loved those shoes. Wait, are crocs considered shoes?" Other players also noticed Kevin Murphy's incredibly large canine, which is probably a mix of St. Bernard and some sort of grizzly bear. Marc Boudouris claims that he witnessed the entire fiasco and that Murphy had actally told his dog to eat Nick, so that Murphy could pitch earlier, but the dog saw the crocs and couldn't help but noticed that they looked out of place on a baseball diamond, and decided to devour them.
Against the Stallions, Marsell and Marino were both out of actions due to their injuries, while several other players were missing due to personal obligations. Kevin Murphy started for the Braves and Rick Davis got the nod for the Stallions. The visiting Stallions wasted no time scoring runs, putting up an eight spot in the first. The Braves responded with one in the
 second when Matt Matheis doubled and later scored on a double play. The Braves pushed across three more runs in the third when Nick Smiley and Jerad Tallman notched back-to-back singles to start a rally. Smiley would later score on a single by Matheis, and Tallman and Matheis would plate on a Steve Owens double. The Stallions however, would be relentless at the plate, pushing across five in the fourth, four in the fifth, and twelve in the sixth. The Braves would manage only two more runs. Final score: Stallions 29, Braves 6. The Braves were unable to slow down the Stallions despite a decent effort defensively. Murphy took the loss but was followed by David Dugger and Matt Matheis, who made his first pitching appearance of the year after battling tendonitis last season. The Braves were rained out on Sunday, June 8th in a scheduled game versus the Stallions, but will resume play next Sunday against the Dodgers at Decatur Central HS, game time 3:30 p.m.
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Braves Blank Cubs in Opener
April 20, 2008 --
The Braves opened the 2008 season with a 14-0 victory over the Indy Cubs Sunday at Triton Central HS. Kevin Murphy (1-0) started on the mound for the Braves and former Brave, Eric Yeary, took the hill for the Cubs. The Braves threatened in the top of the first with runners at second and third, but came up empty as Yeary got back-to-back strikeouts to close the door. The Braves threatened again in the second and this time plated five runs thanks to a Steve Gentry single that scored Erich Rusie and Steve Owens and a Jordan Marsell homerun that also scored Matt Matheis and Gentry. In the third, the Braves scored four runs with two outs, beginning with an Owens single that scored Dominic Marino. A walk to Rusie was then followed by another Braves' three-run bomb, this time by Matt Matheis. The fourth saw more Braves' scoring when Marsell doubled to lead off the inning and was promptly knocked in by Jerad Tallman, who went 4-for-5 on the day. Jason Combs later doubled in Tallman and Matt Burke, who had reached on an error. Meanwhile, Kevin Murphy worked four scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and striking out six. The Braves added two more runs in the sixth when Nick Smiley doubled in Tallman and later scored on an Evan Montgomery single. Lefthander Nick Blomeke pitched the fifth and sixth innings, allowing no hits while striking out four. Adam Hershberger came on in the seventh and closed out the game, preserving the shutout. Final score: Braves 14, Cubs 0. After the game, many Braves expressed their relief to have the season underway. The offseason saw many players switch teams and the Braves added to their roster by picking up several players from the IABL Rockhounds and Athletics. All seventeen Braves in uniform saw action opening day, but players still noticed the large number of players in the dugout. Second baseman Jerad Tallman mentioned the big turnout, saying, "Guys just kept showing up through the third inning, I thought maybe Rusie had a football game planned for us after the Cubs game." Despite the lineup juggling, the Braves played a solid, all-around game. The team tallied fourteen hits and all fourteen runs were driven in. Third baseman Steve Owens captured most of the game on his camcorder and announced afterwards, "I'm going to put this on MySpace!" The Braves are in action again Sunday at Plainfield Hummel Park against the Arrows, game time 3:30 p.m.
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