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BERKSHIRE BLIZZARD BASEBALL
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GREENLEAF PROPELS BLIZZARD INTO SEMI-FINALS
May 25, 2008
After dropping two preliminary pool play games in the Duquette Tournament on Saturday, the Blizzard responded in outstanding fashion with a dominant 9-1 victory over the North Attleboro Storm in a single-elimination quarterfinal game at Wahconah Park on Sunday. When the Blizzard needed him most, Nick Greenleaf came through for his teammates in a big way to lead the team into Monday's semifinals.
Greenleaf overwhelmed the Storm hitters on the mound as he mixed his pitches perfectly - finishing with a complete game two-hitter. At the plate, Greenleaf blasted the ball all around Wahconah Park to lead a big Blizzard hit parade. Greenleaf's battery-mate, Andrew Ringie, called a perfect game behind the plate and also collected three hits of his own - including two bombs to left-centerfield.
Cam Loehr also helped spark the Blizzard offense with two hits including a 2-RBI blast to deep left-center when the Blizzard needed it the most. John Kinne and Steve Shea also had two-hit games.
The Blizzard will get a chance to avenge Saturday's 20-4 loss to the New England Wolfac, as the two teams will face each other in Monday's 8:30 am semi-final match-up at the Duquette Academy.
BLIZZARD GOES INTERNATIONAL
The Blizzard 14U team played its first game against international competition on Friday night and it was a memorable battle in the first game of the 2008 Duquette Tournament. Sparked by Steve Shea's excellent adventure and a terrific team performance, the Blizzard took Game 1 of the tournament with an impressive 8-2 victory over the Montreal Titans.
Shea brought smiles to the faces of Blizzard players and fans alike with his "all-around" performance. Shea's day began with some pre-game web research on his opponents, he then arrived at the field early, made a quick wardrobe change, pitched two solid innings, ripped a double, drove in runs and -- for his final at-bat -- he took a creative "skip" around the bases (flying so fast that he never stopped to say hello to Coach Ringie at third base) en route to the first Blizzard home run of 2008. Above is a picture of Shea sliding into home with his teammates running out to meet him.
The rest of the Blizzard also rose to the occassion against their Canadian counterparts. Down 2-0 in the third inning, Jonthan Obanhein got the offense started when he worked a walk and stole second. After two walks and an error, Andrew Ringie then delivered a bases loaded double to tie the score. Shea's double then added another two runs followed by an RBI triple to deep centerfield off the bat of Austin Phillips to make it 5-2. The Blizzard added three more runs in the 5th, sparked by Shea's home run.
John Kinne got the victory on the mound for the Blizzard. Kinne threw three scoreless innings to get the win, aided by some fine defense including a superb play by Jonathan Obanhein digging a throw out of the dirt at first base with the bases loaded. Connor Kelley made his return to the Blizzard roster throwing two scoreless innings to pick up the save.
The Blizzard return to action on Saturday with two more pool play games in the tournament.
BLIZZARD 14s BLAST THROUGH BETHLEHEM
May 4, 2008
The Berkshire Blizzard 14U team showed a devastating mix of power, speed, defense and pitching to overwhelm the Bethlehem Braves in both games of their Sunday doubleheader at Berkshire School. The morning started out wet, cold and windy and it looked like the game might be postponed. But a last minute switch to the Berkshire School JV field was a blessing for the Blizzard as it played one of its best all-around doubleheaders of the season.
The Blizzard got off to a fast start and stole bases at every opportunity in Game 1. In the bottom of the first, the Blizzard broke out to a 7-run lead and kept the pressure on throughout the game on its way to a 10-0 mercy rule victory. Trevor Johnston and Tyler Barry delivered the key hits in the first inning, each knocking in two runs during the uprising.
Johnston was outstanding throughout the game. Not only did he finish with an impressive 3-4 game at the plate but he also combined with Nick Greenleaf to pitch a shutout on the mound.
The runs kept coming in Game 2, sparked by another big first inning during which the Blizzard jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Hits by John Kinne, Johnston and Andrew Ringie were the keys to the first inning rally. The fifth inning also was impressive as Steve Shea and Jonathan Obanhein delivered the knockout punches with 2-RBI hits of their own. Ringie and Johnston combined for the win on the mound in the 16-3 victory.
Trevor Jamross, Cam Loehr, Kinne, Johnston, Greenleaf, Ringie and Austin Phillips finished with multiple hits on the day.
With the doubleheader sweep, the Blizzard 14U team improved its record to 6-4 on the season. The team returns to action on Friday night with a single game against the Connecticut Capitals in East Hartford, CT. Special thanks to Jacquie Loehr for "pinch-hitting" as the team photographer this weekend.
BLIZZARD 14s SPLIT WITH WMASS BRAVES
April 27, 2008
The Berkshire Blizzard 14s split a doubleheader with the WMass Braves on a chilly Sunday at Monument Mountain. With the split, the Blizzard record moved to 4-4 on the season.
In Game 1, the Blizzard scored all five of its runs in the first inning on the way to a 5-2 victory over the Braves' #1 starting pitcher. Steve Shea delivered the key hit of the inning with a three-RBI, bases-clearing double to right center. Nick Greenleaf led the offensive attack with a double and a single and also combined with Wilson Flower to get the win on the mound. Greenleaf and Flower limited the Braves to just five hits over seven innings.
In Game 2, the Blizzard bats got hot early as the Blizzard jumped out to a 9-4 lead after 3 innings. Unfortunately, the Blizzard didn't score after the 3rd and the Braves bats came alive, scoring 8 unanswered runs to seal the victory. Trevor Jamross and John Kinne both had two hits and two runs scored to stake the Blizzard to its early lead, Tyler Barry's sharp double down the left field line and Cam Loehr's 2-RBI single were also highlights of the early innings.
The Blizzard 14s return to action against the Bethlehem Braves on May 4th beginning at 11 am at Berkshire School's new Tom Young Field.
BLIZZARD 14s ATTACK STRIKE ZONE
April 21, 2008
The Berkshire Blizzard 14U team exploded for 10 runs to capture the night cap of its Patriot's Day doubleheader against the Worcester Strike Zone 10-1. Trevor Johnston pitched 5+ innings of one-hit ball to earn the victory, while John Kinne paced the offense with a single, double, triple and three RBIs.
After dropping Game 1 of the doubleheader at Crosby field, the Blizzard bats came out blazing in the second game. In the top of the first, Trevor Jamross started the game with a single, stole second and then scored on a Kinne double. After Kinne scored on a Worcester error, Nick Greenleaf doubled in Johnston to stake the Blizzard to a 3-0 lead that it would never relinquish.
The Blizzard added two in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and then ended the game with two in the 7th on singles from Andrew Ringie and Tyler Barry and a two-RBI blast off the bat of Steve Shea.
With the win, the Blizzard 14s improved their mark to 3-3, heading into next weekend's game against divisional rival Western Mass. Braves.
PROVIDENCE PANTHERS TAKE TIGHT TWINBILL FROM 14s
April 19, 2008
The Berkshire Blizzard 14s gave the Providence (RI) Panthers all they could handle in both games of Saturday's doubleheader at Monument Mountain but the Blizzard fell just short in both games.
In Game 1, Nick Greenleaf and Wilson Flower pitched masterfully and held the hot hitting Panthers to only three runs, but the Panthers pitchers were equally impressive on the hill leading their team to a 3-2 victory.
Both teams were scoreless over the first three innings. In the fourth, the Panthers got on the board first with two runs. The Blizzard cut the lead to one in the bottom of the same inning when Andrew Ringie singled, stole second, advanced to third on a pass ball and then scored on a balk. After the Panthers scored another run in the 6th, the Blizzard bounced back with one of their own when John Kinne singled, stole second and scored on a Nick Greenleaf single. The Blizzard put the tying run on second with no outs in the bottom of the last inning but could not advance him from there as the Blizzard suffered their first defeat of the season.
In Game 2, two bad innings doomed the Blizzard's chances en route to a 13-11 loss. The Blizzard gave up five runs in the 1st and five in the 5th and did not have a hit of their own going into the 5th inning. With their backs against the wall and on the verge of a mercy rule loss, the Blizzard staged a rally of their own in the 6th, when they scored 5 runs of their own on singles by Shawn Folin and Trevor Jamross, a double by Trevor Johnston and a triple by John Kinne. The Blizzard added two more in the 7th, but it wasn't enough.
The Blizzard 14s returns to action on Patriot's Day with a doubleheader against the Hit Zone from Worcester beginning at 11 am at Berkshire School in Sheffield.
MERCY, MERCY - BLIZZARD 14s SWEEP OPENING DOUBLEHEADER
April 13, 2008
Playing like a team that has been together for years, the new look Berkshire Blizzard 14U team got off to a hot start in the 2008 season-opening doubleheader against the Worcester PMP Bulldogs on Sunday at Monument Mountain. The boys in blue swept both games of the doubleheader with a relentless offensive attack and superb pitching.
The offense got going early in Game 1 and never looked back. In the first inning of the season, the Blizzard put together a two-out, three-run rally sparked by a Trevor Johnston double to the gap in left center and line-drive singles by Tyler Barry and John Kinne.
One inning later, the Blizzard added another five runs on hits by Steve Shea, Austin Reardon, Trevor Jamross and Nick Greenleaf. In the next several innings, Andrew Ringie, Austin Phillips and Cam Loehr joined the hit parade. Loehr's solid, two-RBI single in the bottom of the 5th clinched the mercy rule victory by the score of 16-6.
Nick Greenleaf and Wilson Flower were simply outstanding on the mound and combined for the victory.
In Game 2 the offense got even better as the Blizzard scored a team record 22 runs. Trevor Johnston led the hit parade finishing a home run short of hitting for the cycle. Trevor Jamross, Austin Phillips, Andrew Ringie, Shawn Folan, John Kinne, Jonathan Obanhein and Steve Shea all had multiple hit games while Wilson Flower blasted a mammoth triple to deep left field. Phillips, Johnston and Ringie combined for the victory on the mound, giving up only 2 runs over five innings.
The 14s return to action next Saturday, at Monument Mountain beginning at noon against the Providence (RI) Panthers.
The Berkshire Blizzard 13U and 14U AAU Baseball Teams compete against elite AAU baseball teams on the East Coast. The Blizzard was founded in 2005 and consists of the best group of 13U and 14U baseball players in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The Blizzard gives kids the chance to have fun, develop their skills, become teammates with baseball players from other Berkshire County towns and appreciate the game of baseball.
The Blizzard's AAU schedule is designed so that its players enjoy the game of baseball, compete at the highest level and still have time to spend on other activities, including Babe Ruth League baseball. The team will practice twice a week and play at least one doubleheader every weekend from early April through the end of June.
The 2007 13U Blizzard team won the Duquette Sports Academy AAU tournament and then advanced to the Sweet 16 of the AAU National tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC. This year, the Blizzard hopes to bring home tournament titles in both the 13U and 14U divisions.
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