It was a cool, damp afternoon at the yard this past Monday. The Eagles were matched up with their geographic rivals the Port Hope Flyers. The home town boys took the early lead as Troy Foster scored on a two out RBI single by Chris Stark in the first frame. Port Hope bounced back and put up three runs in the next inning. The Eagles battled back for the entire game, finally tying it up in the home half of the seventh. With Troy Foster on third player-coach BJ Hackett took a monstrous swing at the Port Hope offering. The result a swinging bunt down the third baseline that Hackett legged out for an infield single as Foster plated the run. Port Hope then loaded the bases in their half of the ninth and the winning run was scored on a passed ball, the Flyers tacked on two additional runs for a 6-3 victory. Starting pitcher Nick Stacey threw very well, whiffing nine against two walks over five innings of work. Offensively the Eagles were led by Troy Foster with two runs scored, while Mark Foster, Chris Stark, and BJ Hackett each chipped in with a pair of singles. Second year player Derek Langstaff had this to say “The team hit the ball very well, things just weren’t falling in. We also didn’t execute the little plays that are needed to win baseball games.” All in all, it was an exciting game for our fans to watch and the Eagles and they’d really like to thank all those that braved the chilly weather to come out and support us. The Eagles will travel to Markham this Wednesday (7:30) and they will be back in Kendal this coming Sunday to play the Peterborough Tigers (noon).

What a difference six days can make, this Sunday was a glorious day for a baseball game. Although there was a huge change in temperature from last Monday’s season opener, the results were similar for the hometown boys.
Eagle’s veteran right-hander Troy Foster got his first start of the season against a very young Peterborough Jr squad. The Tigers started lefty Tom Kemp Jr., the son of former Kendal Eagle Tom Kemp. When the festivities started, the birds once again jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Chris Stark that scored leadoff man Bryan Landry. The Tigers came back with some timely hits and three consecutive tallies. Once again the blue birds began to claw back into the game, tying the game in the fifth inning when centerfielder Chris Stark stole home. The Peterborough boys answered back in the seventh with two more runs and then clamped down defensively. The Kendalites loaded the bases in the ninth but, it was all for not, as the Peterborough reliever was able to strike out two and then get the final out of the game on a groundball.
The Eagles may have been watching their counterpart in Toronto too much this spring as they left fifteen runners on base. Assistant Coach Chad Maartense spoke after the game saying, “There has been no shortage of good at bats. We just need one guy to start hitting in the clutch and then it will become contagious.” Eagle’s starter Troy Foster had a strong game recording ten strikeouts over seven innings. Hard hitting Mark Foster had another great game leading the way with three hits and an RBI, Kyle ‘Big Red’ Vowles had a single and reached base in all three of his at bats, and rookie Evan Moore looked good in his Eagles debut. Southpaw Glen Wagg relieved Foster and threw three quality innings.
Although their record is 0-2 Coach BJ Hackett does not seem worried and is satisfied with both the teams pitching and the hitting. The Eagles will have a chance for revenge this Wednesday as they play the Tigers again in Peterborough at Riverside Park.
Note: The 50/50 on Sunday was won by local Kendal fan Fred Andrews for the second week in a row. Rookie righty, Phil Cammisulli will make his first start as an Eagle in Peterborough on Wednesday. Last Wednesday’s game against the Markham Pioneers was cancelled due to rain.

FOLLOW ACTION ACROSS THE SENIOR LEAGUE AT THE E.O.B.A SENIOR MENS WEBSITE.

http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=eobasenior

Or maybe there are. Last Wednesday night the Red Birds couldn’t hold on to a 4-1 lead in the eight inning and had to settle for a tie once the park curfew was exceeded. First year pitcher Phil Cammasulli took to the hill for his first start of the season. He was looked brilliant in striking out 10 Tigers and allowing only a single run. He showed the coaching staff that he is a work horse, throwing over a hundred pitches in his first outing. Veteran right hander Mark Foster had this to say about Phil’s performance “I thought the rook threw quite well. Kept the ball down and showed good command with his deuce. The Eagles look to have a good one in Phil for the years to come!” The Eagles offence was jump started in the fourth inning when the Tigers uncharacteristically started to make some mental mistakes and a couple throwing errors. This lead to the Eagles scoring four runs on only a bunt single and a couple walks. The birds had several chances to score following that inning, but yet again were unable to come up with some clutch hits. Taking the 4-1 lead into the eighth frame, the Tigers combined an error and two walks with a clutch two strike single to shrink the lead to 4-3. The Tigers then tied it up in the ninth after the leadoff hitter was allowed to reach 2nd on a very strange bunt play. The game was then called in the eleventh inning due to curfew. Eagles standouts were Cammisulli with seven innings pitched, 10 K, and 1 ER; Chris Stark with a couple hits, a BB, and a run scored; and Steve Foster and Bryan Landry turned a beautiful double play to end the third inning.

The Eagles would like to apologize to any fans that turned out in Kendal on Sunday, there was a scheduling change as Ajax could not make the game on Sunday. Please feel free to check our website for any future changes. ( www.leaguelineup.com/kendaleagles )
The Eagles next game is this coming Sunday night at 7:00 in Clarington vs. the Whitby Canadians. We hope to see some of you make the short trip out to Clarington. The next outing in Kendal will be a night game on Thursday June 19th, 7:00, vs. the Port Hope Flyers.

Cue the theme song to the Bad News Bears. Yes crank up Georges Bizet’s classic, March of the Toreador. Now picture the beer swilling Morris Buttermaker and the rest of the pint sized Bear's, Tanner, Lupus, Ogilvie, and Engelberg (before Amanda and Kelly signed long term contracts). Exchange Eagles for Bears on the jerseys and this was the scene in Ajax on Monday night. The loveable losers came unwound in an 11-1 loss to the Ajax Spartans. Give the Spartans credit, they are a solid hitting squad and they hit the ball very well through the first 5 frames. The Eagles on the other hand struggled mightily at the plate. They were no hit through 6-2/3 innings; until hard hitting Mark Foster stepped up to the plate and beat out an infield single to break up the no-no. The Eagles defence is in need of a large over haul, it seems no one wants to pick up or catch the baseball. Veteran Nick Stacey had this to say of the defence’s performance, “It was as if the ball was made of molten lava, our guys wanted nothing to do with it. I’ve never seen this team make errors like this before.” The bluebirds have drawn comparisons to the 1962 Mets, the “Casey Stengel’s Loveable Losers” Stengel once said of his ‘62 Mets “Been in this game one-hundred years, but these guys show me new ways to lose 'em I never knew existed before." Which is very similar to how your home town ‘Loveable Losers’ are playing right now.
The Eagles look to right their ship this Thursday night in Kendal, game time will be 7:30 versus the Port Hope Flyers. Come on out and bring the kids, you never know what you might see! The Eagles have also made a scheduling change, the June 29th game against the Markham Pioneers has been cancelled.

If you were anywhere near the ball park in Kendal Sunday afternoon you probably heard a strange sound, a kind of exhale. It was the Eagles making a collective sigh of relief as they collected their first win of the year against the rival Whitby Canadians. On Sunday the Eagles were excited to find themselves with a lead late in the game. The Eagles started building that lead in the first inning as the DH, BJ Hackett stroked a two strike RBI single the other way to cash in Bryan Landry. The Eagles offence continued to chip away at the Canadian’s with four runs in the second and single tallies in the third and sixth frames, giving the Eagles a 7-0 advantage. The Eagle's relief pitching was a little shaky but was able to preserve the lead and give the team a 7-4 victory. Two veteran players led the boys in blue to this victory. What veteran players bring to the table are experience and an understanding of what it takes to win, Landry and Troy Foster showed both of these traits on Sunday. Foster, the bird’s starter was masterful through his six shutout innings of work, leaving the Eagles in control of the game. “It was exactly the kind of performance we needed out of Troy to break out of the slide we were in.” said Coach Chad Maartense. Shortstop Bryan Landry also stepped up and had a career day at the plate going 5-5, with 5 singles to lead the offence. After the game, Coach BJ Hackett was asked if he was relieved that the team had broken out of its slump? He replied, “Slump? We weren’t in no slump. We just weren’t winning”.
There were plenty of smiles and it was an upbeat atmosphere in the clubhouse after the game. Every one enjoyed the post game festivities, but there wasn’t much said about this week's opponent, the Oshawa Royals. The reason there wasn’t much talk about this weeks game is because Oshawa is one of the best senior teams in all of Ontario. The Royals are coming off an 8-7 loss to Windsor in the Finals of the Troy May Invitational tournament which featured the best teams in the province. If you are looking to see a high scoring offensive baseball game, come on out on Thursday night, game time is 7:30.

The Eagles had a very busy and successful week, going 3-1 in the process. Earlier this season the Kendalites had their confidence shattered with a miserable start (1-9-1), but this week they began to pick up the pieces and rebuild that confidence. The Eagles bats are beginning to heat up as they are consistently driving the ball the other way and driving the ball into the power allies for some extra base hits. Rookie pitcher Phil Cammasulli finally got some defensive support and showed that he can be a dominant pitcher in this league. Sophomore pitcher Derek Langstaff also proved his value by mixing speeds and pitches to keep a strong hitting Ajax team back on their heels.
Last Monday the boys in blue had a big comeback win in Ajax by scoring four runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 9-8 lead. Glen Wagg then shut down Ajax in the bottom half of the inning to pick up the win. Rob Staples had a great game with the hickory, 3 hits, 2 doubles, and 5 RBI.
The boys in blue dropped a heartbreaker on Wednesday night in Port Hope. Troy Foster threw a gem, giving up only two earned runs. However, former Eagle Corey Baker matched Foster pitch for pitch. The difference in the game was that Baker got two key double plays from his defence when the Eagles looked to be starting rallies.
In another tight game against Ajax on Saturday, the Eagles once again battled back when they were down late in the game. The Eagles forged ahead 5-4 in the seventh inning, only to have Ajax tie the game with an unearned run in the eighth. Ajax brought in their closer in the eighth inning, trying to preserve the 5-5 tie. The blue birds loaded the bases in the ninth and with two out, the table was set for pinch hitter, BJ Hackett. He promptly drove a single to left leading the Kendal boys to a 6-5 triumph. Kyle Vowels pitched 6 innings allowing only 2 hits, while Langstaff threw 3 innings and picked up his first win as an Eagle. The Kendal bats were lead by Chris Stark and Corey Fenton who both had 3 hits a piece.
On Sunday afternoon a much more confident Eagles team knocked off the Whitby Canadians 5-0. After a night where most Eagles were celebrating a milestone birthday for Eagle’s trainer, Bert Reid, Phil Cammasulli took to the hill. He was dominant in throwing a complete game shutout where he did not allow a single Whitby runner to reach third base. He allowed only 4 hits in picking up his first win as a blue bird. Kris Boyd’s big bat led the Kendal offence with 3 hits, 2 doubles, and an RBI.
In the two weekend games pitching and defence were integral parts of the victories. The defence made a solitary error and the pitchers gave up only 8 hits in the two games.
This coming week the Eagles will face-off against the Thornhill Reds, Thursday night starting at 7:45. Then on the weekend the Kingston Ponies will visit the ‘Harv’ for a double header, Sunday afternoon, 12:00 start in the first game and approximately 3:00 for the second game.

The Eagles pounded out 13 hits last night in Port Hope cruising to an 8-5 victory over the Flyers. Both Bryan Landry and Rob Staples went 3 for 5 at the plate and looked very good at the 3 and 4 positions in the order for the first time this season. Nick Stacey threw 7 innings of 5 hit ball giving up 2 runs. Derek Langstaff came in relief of Stacey who then gave way to veteran right hander Troy Foster who retired the final 2 batters of the game to pick up his first save of the season. The Eagles have now posted a 5 and 3 record in the past 8 games and appear to be rounding into shape, as the playoffs are not far away.

This weekend the Eagles host Kingston for a double header on Saturday. Game times are 3:00pm and 5:30pm. The Eagles then host the Markham Pioneers for a double dip on Sunday; games times are 12:00pm and 2:30pm. Sunday is also the 3rd annual Breast Cancer day at Harvey Jackson Memorial as the Eagles along with a group of local ladies join forces to raise money for Breast cancer awareness and research.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The 2008 Senior "B" Provincial Championships took place over the Labour day weekend and saw a strong team from Thornhill take home the 2008 Senior "B" championship.

Game results are available by clicking on the link above

The host Kendal Eagles went 2 & 2, losing in the semi-finals to the Champion Thornhill Reds.

The Eagles would like to thank everyone who helped out over the weekend which turned out to be a huge success. A special thanks goes out to the Eagles President Chad Maartense who did a fantastic job in organizing and running the entire tournament. His extra time and effort really paid off as the weekend unfolded without a problem.