Great pitching and timely hitting led the Clarence 13U Black Travel team to a fine 13 - 8 record, including an 8 - 4 record in regular season division play and a 5 - 3 record in tournament competition. Clarence finished the season with a loss to West Seneca in the semi-finals.

West Seneca defeated Clarence 13u Black 3 – 1 to advance to the league finals. Pitchers for both sides dominated the day as no runs were scored until the 6th inning.

Dom D’Angelo started for Clarence and pitched masterfully in his 3 inning stint. He was relieved by Brad Kreppel, who also continued his sring of fine appearances. Kreppel pitched 2 scoreless innings but, with 2 outs in the 6th, a runner reached on an error and stole 2nd. An infield single advanced the runner and then a clean single scored the 1st run of the game. After an intentional walk to load the bases, their #5 hitter looped a hit over 1st to score 2 runs. At this point, Kreppel held and Matt Nawrot came in to pitch a scoreless 7th.

Clarence batters were held in check most of the afternoon. Alex McGlue got Clarence’s 1st hit in the 5th, a clean single to left. Kreppel singled to short to lead off the 6th. When the throw got past the 1st baseman, Kreppel started to advance to 2nd, but their catcher had backed up the throw and got Kreppel on a close, controversial call. Matt Schulenberg also singled in the 7th.

As they have done all season, Clarence would not go down without a fight. McGlue singled with 1 out in the 7th. Nawrot followed with a shot for a single. McGlue advanced to 3rd and on the errant relay, he scored and Nawrot got all the way to 3rd. Unfortunately, that was all Clarence could muster and the game and the season ended.

Down 4 – 0 after the 1st, Clarence battled back to take a 6 – 4 lead. But they could not hold on against a tough team from Orchard Park, falling 8 – 7 and out of the Clarence tournament.

In the top of the 2nd, Matt Nawrot hit a line drive double to left center. Charlie Rusch followed with a single to left, scoring Nawrot. Rusch took 2nd on the throw home. Pat Territo advanced him to 3rd, but he was standed there.

Brad Kreppel came in to pitch in the 2nd and got into some trouble. But, he gutted it out and got the outs he needed. Andrew Skomra saved some runs with a fine jumping catch of a high Matt Schulenberg throw for the 3rd out.

Clarence appeared to take control of the game in the 3rd. Kreppel led off the inning with single. Scott Baldwin hit a long single into the gap in right center. When the throw got past the 2nd baseman, Kreppel scored and Baldwin advacnced to 2nd. Justin White then followed with another bunt single to move Baldwin to 3rd. Baldwin scored on a wild pitch and White tried for 3rd on the play. The throw beat him, but White slide to the side of the bag, eluded the tag and reached back to grab it. The play soon proved to be important as White scored the tying run as Joe Wesolowski grounded out to 3rd.

Although the bases were now clear, Clarence was not done. Alex McGlue doubled down the left field line. Dom D’Angelo singled in McGlue and Clarence took the lead. D’Angelo took 2nd on the throw home. Nawrot followed with a single to score D’Angelo. Nawrot made it to 3rd as the ball got past the catcher, but did not advance. Clarence now held a 6 – 4 lead.

Kreppel pitched a 1 – 2 – 3 inning in the bottom of the 3rd, but Orchard Park cut the lead to 6 – 5 in the 4th. It would have been worse if not for a great play by Wesolowski to end the inning. Wesolowski ranged to his left from his 2nd base position to catch a pop behing 1st. As th erunner tried to score from 3rd, he stopped, pivoted and fired a strike to home to nail the runner.

Clarence added another run in the 6th. McGlue singled. D’Angelo followed with a hit up the middle that normally would have made it through. But mcGlue was running on the play and the shortstop was able to catch up to the groung ball as he went to cover the bag. He knocked it down but then threw wildly to 1st as both McGlue and D’Angelo advanced. Nawrot followed with a sacrifice fly as McGlue trotted home with the 7th run.

Orchard Park scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th after 2 were out. They went on to win 8 – 7 and knocked Clarence out of the tournament.

Down 2 – 1 and locked in another close game, Clarence bats awakened and scored 11 runs in the 5th inning. Matt Nawrot held Lakeview scoreless in the bottom of the inning as Clarence mercied them 12 – 2. Clarence will need to defeat Orchard Park tomorrow to advance to the playoffs.

Matt Nawrot pitched the complete game, allowing just 2 runs over 5 innings. He was helped in the 3rd by a fine catch on a high throw by 1st baseman Dom D’Angelo. He also helped himself with several good defensive plays, including a nice play on a grounder back to the mound. Nawrot stayed with the ball as it took a strange hop, holding the runner on 3rd as he got the out at 1st.

Clarence’s offense started slowly. Joe Wesolowski doubled to left center in the first, but was stranded there. Justin White hit a line drive between short and 3rd base in the 3rd inning. He stole 2nd, but advanced no further. Finally, Clarence got a run in the 4th. Matt Schulenberg hit the ball hard to 3rd and beat out the throw. Schulenberg stole 2nd and scored on a single to left by Alex McGlue.

The score was 2 – 1 Lakeview when Pat Territo led off the 5th with a hard shot to 3rd. Territo beat out the bad throw and hustled into 2nd when it got past the 1st baseman. Andrew Skomra walked to put runners at 1st and 2nd and Brad Kreppel came up in a bunt situation. After fouling off an attempt, Kreppel swung away and dribbled a ball in front of the plate. Hustling all the way, he beat out the bad throw to load the bases.

Next came the kind of play that doesn’t show up in the box score but changes the complexion of the game. Territo took a very aggressive lead off 3rd. Scott Baldwin hit a hard grounder to 3rd that was fielded cleanly by the 3rd baseman. Although the fielder threw it home, Territo’s lead and hustle allowed him to beat the throw and everyone was safe. That play opened up the floodgates.

Wesolowski singled in Skomra and Clarence had its first lead of the game, 3 – 2. Schulenberg followed with a bad bounce infield single to score Kreppel. McGlue doubled to left to drive in 2 runs to make it 6 – 2. D’Angelo reached on an error and successive walks to Charlie Rusch and Matt Nawrot added another run. A passed ball allowed D’Angelo to score Clarence’s 8th run.

At this point, I’ll need to check the book to see exactly what happened. Territo walked to reload the bases. Skomra got on base and drove in at least 1 run. Scott Baldwin hit a bomb to drive in runs and send Kreppel to 3rd. Rusch, Nawrot, Territo and Skomra scored to make the score 12 – 2.

Clarence jumped out to an early lead, but could not hold off a determined Lancaster squad, losing 5 - 4. The loss will force Clarence to win its final 2 games to advance to the Clarence Tournament playoffs.

Clarence struck in the top of the 1st. Justin White reached on an error to start the game, but was caught stealing. Joe Wesolowski drew a walk, stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on a Matt Schulenberg grounder to short. With 2 outs, Alex McGlue singled to left, scoring Wesolowski.

Dom D’Angelo started for Clarence and turned in a fine performance. In the 1st, Lancaster got a runner to 2nd with none down. The next batter lifted a pop fly to Schulenberg at short and Schulenberg raced over to touch 2nd base and double up the runner. D’Angelo then got their hitter to lift a fly to Matt Nawrot in center and the inning was over.

The score was still 1 – 0 when Brad Kreppel walked in the 3rd. Scott Baldwin also walked and up strode White with the runners on 1st and 2nd. White dropped a beautiful push bunt to the 1st base side of the mound. Although the pitcher eventually got to the ball, White reached 1st as Lancaster did not cover the bag. With 2 outs and the bases loaded, Matt Schulenberg walked to drive in Kreppel. McGlue followed with a bouncing ball up the middle, which snuck through and scored Baldwin and White for a 4 – 0 Clarence advantage.

Clarence threatened, but could not push across another run. Charlie Rusch reached 3rd in the 4th inning, but was standed. Wesolowski and White reached 2nd and 3rd in the 5th, but did not score.

Lancaster pecked away at the lead, scoring 2 in the bottom of the 4th and 2 more in the bottom of the 6th. With the score knotted at 4 all, Lancaster advanced a runner to 3rd in the bottom of the 7th inning. With the Clarence infield playing up to stop the runner from scoring, a bad bounce single got past short and into left field to score the winning run.

Brad Kreppel pitched well for 2+ innings. Matt Nawrot relieved Kreppel in the 7th.

Clarence 13U rallied to defeat South Cheektowaga 3 – 2 in a rain shortened thriller. With the win, Clarence goes to 2 – 0 in their tournament division. The last game to determine the playoffs will be against Lou Gehrig Red at 9:00 am tomorrow at Williamsville North High School.

It looked like it would be a long afternoon for Clarence in the 1st. South Cheektowaga’s lead off man got on when his ground ball hit the bag at 1st and bounced over Brad Kreppel. Their #2 hitter followed with a long double over the head of Matt Nawrot in center and Clarence had to play their infield in before many fans had settled in their seats. The next batter smoked a line drive that appeared to be heading to left center for 2 runs. Matt Schulenberg dove to his left and caught the ball in the air, holding the runners. A passed ball led to 1 run and put a runner on 3rd. Then another batter hit a line drive and Schulenberg dove to his left and snared another one, this time also doubling up the runner off 3rd. Those plays prevented a potential huge inning and allowed starter Dom D’Angelo to settle down.

D’Angelo retired the side in order in the 2nd. South Cheektowaga did score another single run in the 3rd, but D’Angelo had definitely found his groove. After walking the lead off man in the 4th, D’Angelo and a South Cheektowaga batter engaged in a great battle. D’Angelo threw strike after strike that the batter kept fouling off. D’Angelo won the battle when he caught him looking at a 3rd strike. The next batter popped out to Skomra at 1st, which set the stage for another fine defensive play. Scott Baldwin made a backhanded running grab of a foul pop behind 3rd and the inning was over.

Crawley from South Cheektowaga carried a no hitter into the 4th , using his slurve to keep the Clarence batters off balance. Justin White led off with a solid line drive over the 2nd baseman’s head to get Clarence’s 1st hit. White then stole 2nd, but was stranded.

D’Angelo followed with an excellent 5th. He easily retired the heart of the order and left the game trailing 2 – 0, reaching the inning maximum. It looked like he would have to settle for a well-pitched loss until Clarence came to bat in the bottom of the 5th.

Alex McGlue lead off the home 5th by fouling several 2 strike pitches and finally getting hit by a pitch. McGlue stole 2nd and continued onto 3rd when the throw wound up in center. He scored on a passed ball and Clarence trailed 2 – 1. Matt Nawrot then followed with a hard shot to right center and hustled into 2nd. Charlie Rusch then singled to left and Coach Wesolowski sent Nawrot toward home. The throw was good but Nawrot easily made it to tie the score at 2. On a great heads up play, Rusch advanced to 2nd on the throw.

With Pat Territo batting and no one holding him on, Rusch got a big lead at 2nd. The shortstop snuck behind him on a set pick off play. The throw sailed into center and Rusch moved to 3rd. Territo walked which put runners on the corners and brought up Andrew Skomra. With 2 strikes, Territo took off for 2nd. Skomra swung and missed on a ball in the dirt and took off for 1st. Thinking that the dropped 3rd strike was in effect, the catcher threw to 1st, but it got past the 1st baseman and into right field. Since Territo had been on 1st, the throw was unnecessary but Rusch trotted home and Clarence led 3 – 2 with 2 innings left.

Brad Kreppel came in to save the win for D’Angelo in the 6th. After walking a batter, Kreppel picked him off 1st with a fine move. With the tying run on 2nd, Kreppel fielded a ground ball to the 3rd base side of the mound and tried to get the lead runner going to 3rd. The throw was late and both runners were safe. When the runner stole 2nd, South Cheektowaga had the tying and lead runners in scoring position. As they had done all day, Clarence pitchers dug down deep and got themselves out of a jam. Kreppel did it all by himself, getting the 2nd out on a swinging 3rd strike and got out of the inning on a called 3rd strike.

Those 2 strikeouts would be the dramatic ending of the game as a 30 minute lightening delay was followed by a brief return to the field. Scott Baldwin led off the bottom of the 6th with a walk, but the rain came down even harder. The game was stopped and was called minutes after as the field became unplayable.

After getting rained out of their opener on Thursday, Clarence 13U Black shut out Orachard Park 4 – 0 in the opener of the Lou Gehrig Tournament. Matt Nawrot earned the victory with 4 innings where he continually battled out of trouble. Andrew Skomra picked up the save with 3 fine innings of work.

Nawrot opened the 1st by walking the first 2 hitters. Alex McGlue let a ball get past him at catcher, but hustled back to get the ball and fired to Pat Territo to catch the lead runner. Joe Wesolowski then made the defensive play of the game, diving to his left to snare a grounder and throwing out the runner at 1st. With a man on 3rd and 2 down, Nawrot induced a soft ground ball to Wesolowski to end the inning.

After again walking 2 batters in the 2nd, Nawrot made an excellent play on a squib to the 3rd base side of the mound and threw to Territo to get the runner at 3rd. Andrew Skomra then caught a fly in right and alertly doubled up the Orchard Park runner at 2nd to end the inning.

Clarence drew first blood in the 2nd. Dom D’Angelo led off with a long single to right. The pitcher could not handle a Nawrot ground ball and Clarence had runners on 1st and 2nd with none down. Charlie Rusch forced Nawrot at 2nd, putting runners on 1st and 3rd. Justin White grounded to 2nd, driving in the 1st run and forcing Rusch at 2nd . With 2 outs, Skomra singled and Nawrot hustled to 3rd. Nawrot then scored on a single by Brad Kreppel.

Nawrot continued his Houdini-like performance into the 3rd. Two weak singles sandwiched around a walk loaded the bases for Orchard Park. With 2 down, Nawrot got their #4 hitter to sky to Rusch in right.

Clarence added to its lead in the 3rd. Paul Kucinski walked and Wesolowski followed with an infield single. Matt Schulenberg then followed with his patented “Schu Single” to load the bases. McGlue hit a sacrifice fly to left and Clarence held a 3 – 0 lead.

Nawrot’s last inning of work followed a similar pattern. With 1 down, Orchard Park had runners on 1st and 3rd. The next hitter hit a medium-deep drive to Rusch in right. Looking to get on the board, the O.P. coach sent his runner and Rusch gunned him down with an excellent throw to the plate.

Clarence scored their last run in the 6th. Wesolowski reached on an error by the shortstop and stole 2nd. He scored Clarence’s 4th run when D’Angelo’s drive to right was misplayed.

Skomra followed Nawrot’s gritty performance with 3 quiet innings of work. Orchard Park did load the bases with 2 outs in the 6th, but Skomra handled a ground ball back to the mound for the 3rd out. In the 7th, Skomra made an excellent play on a hard comebacker to the mound. After a walk, Skomra picked the runner off 1st. The last play of the game featured another fine defensive play. Kreppel charged a slow grounder at 1st. He made an acrobatic throw to McGlue covering 1st, who bare-handed it.

Clarence 13U Black beat Mel Ott 8 – 5 to end division play with an 8 – 4 record. Clarence finished 3rd in the division, ½ game behind Grand Island. Only a lack of games kept them from a probable 2nd place berth.

Charlie Rusch started for Clarence and gave up a lone hit and no runs in his maximum 3 innings of work. Scott Baldwin relieved Rusch and also pitched 3 innings. Brad Kreppel completed the 7th inning to earn the save.

Clarence scored their 1st run in the 2nd. Matt Nawrot singled and stole 2nd and 3rd. Kreppel walked and Nawrot scored on a single by Pat Territo.

Clarence broke the game open in the 4th, batting around to score 7 runs. Dom D’Angelo lead off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. Nawrot got on with an error on a hit to short. Andrew Skomra then singled in a run. Kreppel and Scott Baldwin followed with walks. Justin White drove one to center field that was mishandled by their center fielder. An error by their 3rd baseman on a grounder by Joe Wesolowski ended the scoring.

Clarence jumped out to a 6 – 0 lead but could not hang on as NCAAA rallied to win 8 – 6 in extra innings. With the loss, Clarence gained a berth in the playoffs as the #3 seed with a 7 – 4 division record. They will play at Grand Island ( 9 – 4 ) on Tuesday July 21st.

The beginning of the game was a carbon copy of the first encounter between the two squads. Clarence, showing great patience against their top pitcher, parlayed many walks around a few hits to score 6 runs in the home half of the 1st. Joe Wesolowski beat out an infield single with 1 down. After Matt Schulenberg walked and a wild pitch advanced the runners, Alex McGlue singled to left to score Wesolowski. Dom D’Angelo walked to load the bases and then Matt Nawrot walked to force in the 2nd run. Charlie Rusch hit a sharp grounder to 2nd base forcing Nawrot, but the throw for the double play sailed past the 1st baseman and 2 more runs scored. Walks to Andrew Skomra and Pat Territo loaded the bases again. Brad Kreppel hit a grounder to short and reached 1st on the errant throw, driving in the 5th and 6th runs.

Brad Kreppel once again started against NCAAA and did another fine job. Defensive lapses put Kreppel in trouble in the 2nd, but he induced NCAAA’s #2 hitter to pop to Schulenberg at short to get out of the inning. In the top of the 3rd, Kreppel was relieved by Andrew Skomra after the first 2 batters reached on errors. NCAAA went on to score 3 runs in the inning. It could have been more, but a Baldwin to Wesolowski to McGlue relay caught their runner as he crashed into McGlue at home. The player was immediately ejected and his spot was awarded an out each time he was to come up. Thanks to Coach Nawrot for knowing that somewhat obscure rule.

Clarence made several NCAAA runners pay for being too aggressive. In the top of the 4th , Andrew Skomra picked off their runner at 1st. Also, Nawrot threw out a runner trying to advance to 3rd. Rusch made a nice play on the Nawrot throw to tag the runner. In the 6th, Territo threw behind the runner, trapping him off 3rd. He was tagged out in the resulting rundown.

After falling behind 8 – 6 in the top of the 7th on a pop up double down the right field line, Clarence had 1 last chance to get the win and did not go down easily. Someone walked and with 2 outs, Matt Schulenberg singled to right. The runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd and McGlue lined to right to end the game.

Behind strong pitching performances by starter Dom D’Angelo, Matt Nawrot and Charlie Rusch, Clarence 13U Black defeated Orchard Park 9 – 2 to complete a regular season sweep. D’Angelo picked up the win, battling Orchard Park’s tough top pitcher and holding them scoreless in his maximum 3 innings of work.

I'll add more this weekend when I see the book. Thanks to Bob Kreppel and Diane McGlue for filling in the details

Clinging to a 7 – 5 lead and with a runner dancing off 2nd, Andrew Skomra was looking to slam the door on NCAAA’s rally. When their #5 batter hit a line shot toward left, it looked like Clarence’s lead would be reduced to one. But Justin White snared the drive and alertly ran over and doubled up the runner who was far from the base. One routine grounder later, Clarence had ended NCAAA’s bid for an undefeated league regular season.

Clarence wasted no time grabbing control of the game, scoring 4 in the 1st on only 1 hit. With 2 down, Skomra earned a walk. Coach Wesolowski called a hit and run and Alex McGlue hit a grounder toward the hole created when the shortstop covered 2nd. Although he recovered to get the ball, he could not get enough on the throw to catch McGlue. Pat Territo followed with a walk and the bases were loaded for Charlie Rusch. Rusch hit a hard shot that bounced off their 2nd baseman and Skomra scored. Dom D’Angelo, Paul Kucinski and Scott Baldwin drew successive walks, each driving in a run.

Starter Brad Kreppel mystified NCAAA for his 3 innings. NCAAA batters could not figure out Kreppel’s assortment of pitches and were constantly off balance. Quite a few hitters were so frustrated after grounding out that they were mumbling all the way to 1st and back to the dugout. Kreppel gave up only 1 run in earning the victory.

NCAAA tied the score in the bottom of the 5th. The score could have been worse, but Clarence had a fine defensive game. Scott Baldwin stopped several hard shots during his stint at 3rd. The Clarence fielders caught all grounders hit to them on the concrete like infield throughout the game.

Clarence regained the lead in the 6th, this time with several well-timed hits. Kreppel walked and then Matt Nawrot shook off the effects of illness to double over the head of their right fielder. Kreppel scored all the way from 1st and Nawrot took 3rd on the throw. Skomra then followed with an RBI single to left. After a Joe Wesolowski walk, McGlue doubled over the left fielder’s head to score Skomra and end the scoring for Clarence.

D’Angelo and Nawrot pitched well in their stints. Skomra earned the save, doing a fine job getting Clarence out of a tough spot in the 6th. D’Angelo also doubled over the center fielder’s head in the 7th, completing Clarence’s trifecta of doubling over each outfielder. With the victory, Clarence moved to 8 – 4 for the season, 6 - 3 in league play. Their next scheduled game is Thursday July 16th 6:00 pm at Orchard Park.

Mark down the Mentor Firecracker Classic as another fun and successful tournament for the Clarence 13U Black. After a start marred by the absence of our opponent Super Joe's Godot's; I mean Sluggers; the boys played excellent baseball. While disappointed that they didn't make Sunday's playoffs, Coach Wesolowski declared himself satisfied with the level of play.

Everyone asked had a good time and was very happy with the accomodations at the Mentor Hampton Inn. All are looking forward to the next out of town tournament

In related news, Kreppel and Kreppel Tourism's contract was extended through next year. Customers were very pleased with the rooms, the goodie bags complete with door tag, Thursday's gathering at the long table in the lobby, the Indians game complete with obligatory Michael Jackson tribute and the pizza party ending. Reportedly their salary has been doubled. No word from Kreppel and Kreppel.

West Seneca defeated Clarence 6 - 3 in Clarence's return to division play.

Clarence started well as Matt Schulenberg continued his hot hitting with a 2 out 1st inning double. Schulenberg stole 3rd and came home on a wild pitch. Matt Nawrot pitched the first 3 innings and left down 2 - 1.

West Seneca scored 4 runs in the top of the 5th to take a 6 - 1 lead. In the home half, Schulenberg again doubled for Clarence and came around to score on a wild pitch. Andrew Skomra walked in the 6th and stole 2nd base. After a passed ball moved him to 3rd, Skomra also scored on a wild pitch.

Clarence hit the ball hard, but almost all were corralled by a fine West Seneca defense. Dom D'Angelo pitched a solid, scoreless 7th inning. Charlie Rusch made a fine play on a pop to right, grabbing it on 1 bounce and firing to 1st for the out. Brad Kreppel blocked numerous pitches in the dirt, preventing the runners from advancing.

Clarence fell to 5 - 3 in division play. They play league leading NCAAA at 1:00 this Sunday.

Clarence 13U Black ended their stay in Mentor, Ohio with a mercy-shortened 13 - 1 victory over Triple A Sports Saturday afternoon. Brad Kreppel and Charlie Rusch combined to hold the opponent in check. Our reporter was driving back and forth to the hotel and missed the early innings, so we'll pick up the action in the 3rd.

Scott Baldwin hustled to beat out a double into the gap in right center in the 3rd. Kreppel singled, sending Baldwin to 3rd. Matt Nawrot singled to deep short to score Baldwin and put runners on 1st and 3rd. Joe Wesolowski singled to drive in Kreppel and Nawrot. Then Matt Schulenberg drove in Wesolowski with a triple, his 2nd of the tournament. Alex McGlue hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Schulenberg with the 5th and final run of the inning.

In the 4th , Clarence picked right back up where they left off. Andrew Skomra reached base on Catcher's Interference and stole 2nd. After advancing to 3rd on a Kreppel grounder, Nawrot singled him home and stole 2nd. Wesolowski walked and Schulenberg hit a towering pop and the Umpire invoked the Infield fly rule. Wesolowski and Nawrot alertly advanced to 2nd and 3rd when their shortstop helpfully declared that he couldn't see the ball. Their risk was promptly rewarded when McGlue singled them both in. Rusch then walked. Dom D'Angelo singled to left to drive in McGlue. Both runners advanced on a balk and then Pat Territo doubled to center to drive in both runners.

Triple A managed several threats which were thwarted by fine defensive plays. In the first with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Rusch grabbed a grounder at 3rd, stepped on the base and threw to 1st to complete an inning ending double play, Clarence's 3rd of the tournament. Triple A managed to get a runner to 3rd with 2 gone in the 4th, but Rusch made a fine play on a come backer to end the inning.

The 5th was no different for Clarence as they tacked on more runs. Team HBP leader Kreppel got hit with a pitch to lead off the inning. Any adverse effects of the pitch did not show as Kreppel raced around the bases on Nawrot's double. Wesolowski singled in Nawrot and scored himself on a McGlue fly that was mishandled by the center fielder. That ended Clarence's scoring and one half inning later, the tournament for Clarence had also ended.

Playing possibly their best opponent this year, Clarence fought gallantly before dropping a 4 – 2 decision to the West Side Warriors. The game was so well played that the umpire said that it was a pleasure to call it.

Dom D’Angelo started for Clarence and gave up a lead off single. D’Angelo retired the next batter and quickly got 2 strikes on the #3 hitter. With the runner going, D’Angelo blew strike 3 past the hitter and Alex McGlue gunned the ball to Matt Schulenberg to catch the surprised runner at 2nd for a “Strike ‘em out, Throw ‘em out” inning ending double play.

Clarence struck first in the bottom of the 2nd. Pat Territo singled and went to 3rd on a Charlie Rusch single. Andrew Skomra grounded to 2nd to bring in Territo and Clarence lead 1 – 0.

Meanwhile, D’Angelo was dominating. In the 2nd, their lead off man got on with an error, but he never moved as the side was retired. Clarence increased its lead in the bottom of the inning. Justin White reached on an error by the 3rd baseman and promptly stole 2nd. Matt Nawrot walked and after a force out at 2nd, up strode the torrid Matt Schulenberg. Schulenberg delivered with his 2nd hard single down the 3rd base line of the game and 5th successive hit of the tournament to score Nawrot from 2nd.

D’Angelo was finally reached for a run, but pitched 5 masterful innings. Clarence had several opportunities to add to its 2 – 1 lead. Scott Baldwin had a hard single up the middle in the 4th, but was stranded. In the 5th, Brad Kreppel and Joe Wesolowski singled and wound up on 2nd and 3rd after a balk. Clarence could not get them home.

In the top of the 6th, West Side struck for 3 runs which would end the scoring. Clarence had several fine defensive plays in the 6th and 7th. Andrew Skomra made a great reaction grab on a line shot back to the mound. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Paul Kucinski made a running grab of a fly ball to left and his strong throw almost nailed the runner moving to 3rd. In the 7th, McGlue caught a pop up from his catcher’s position and doubled the runner at 1st who was running on the play. Brad Kreppel made an excellent grab of McGlue’s offline throw.

Clarence also had several good shots in the 6th and 7th, that were caught by West Side’s outfield. In the 7th, D’Angelo had a particularly hard hit ball snagged by the right fielder, holding Skomra at first base.

With the loss, Clarence’s tournament playoff chances were ended. Westside beat Painesville to advance to the semi-finals, where they ousted Griffen Sports ( good team in blue uniforms that played before us on Friday ) 7 – 2. They lost in the final against Grove City.

After a no show by Super Joes sluggers, Clarence opened the Mentor Ohio Firecracker Tournament with an 8 - 2 victory over Triple A Baseball on Friday afternoon. Matt Nawrot started for Clarence and did a fantastic job holding Triple A to 2 runs.

In the top of the first with one out and a runner on third, a line shot hit Nawrot in the leg and bounded a few feet away. Nawrot scrambled after it and threw to home. The runner seemed to beat the throw, but Alex McGlue blocked the plate and kept the run off the board. Andrew Skomra made a fine catch on a drive to right to end the inning.

Clarence struck for two in the bottom of the inning. After a single by Joe Wesolowski, Matt Schulenberg scorched a double high off the wall about 300 feet away. Wesolowski scored easily and Clarence was on the board. Schulenberg scored on a wild pitch and Clarence lead 2 - 0 after the first.

Nawrot continued to pitch well. After allowing a double to lead off the 2nd, Nawrot struck out 2 in a row and got the 3rd out on a soft liner to Brad Kreppel. Triple A did score 2 in the 3rd to tie the score, but a Justin White to Schulenberg to Charlie Rusch relay cut down a runner attempting to stretch a double into a triple.

Clarence jumped right back into the lead in the bottom of the 3rd. Matt Nawrot singled and stole 2nd. Schulenberg continued his display of power with a towering triple to the warning track in left center. Nawrot jogged home and Clarence had regained the lead. Paul Kucinski singled in Schulenberg and the lead was 4 - 2.

Scott Baldwin walked to start the 4th and after successive singles by Pat Territo and White, Clarence had the bases loaded. Kreppel grounded to short, but a hard slide into 2nd by White prevented a double play, scored Baldwin and kept Clarence in the inning. Nawrot followed with a single and Territo and Kreppel scored when the ball got past their center fielder.

Triple A had a chance to close the 7 - 2 deficit in the 5th. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, Coach Wesolowski went to the bullpen to bring in Brad Kreppel. Kreppel zeroed in on the outside corner and struck out their best hitter to end both the inning and any Triple A hopes of a comeback.

Clarence scored their last run the 5th. Schulenberg opened up with the Schu Single, a hard shot to short that he beats out. After 2 wild pitches put him at 3rd, Schulenberg scored on a McGlue single to left.

Pat Territo, Alex McGlue and Matt Nawrot had 2 hits in the victory. Matt Schulenberg had 3 hits, a home run shy of the Cycle.

After falling behind early last Sunday against Grand Island and never quite catching up, Clarence 13u decided to take a play from the Grand Island playbook. In a game eerily like the 1st meeting between the 2 teams, it was Clarence that jumped out to an early lead and held on to outlast a fine Grand Island team 5 – 4.

With 2 down in the bottom of the 1st, Matt Schulenberg scorched a double to left center. Alex McGlue followed with a single to right, the speedy Schulenberg scored and Clarence got a confidence boost by scoring on Grand Island’s top pitcher, something they could not accomplish last Sunday.

Starter Andrew Skomra again pitched well in his 3 inning stint. Skomra allowed 2 runs, 1 of them on a walk, an advancement to 2nd on a questionable balk call and a steal of 3rd which resulted in the runner coming home when the throw to 3rd couldn’t be handled. He was replaced by Matt Nawrot after reaching his 3 inning maximum.

In the bottom of the 4th, Clarence added to its lead. Matt Schulenberg beat out the throw for an infield single and promptly stole 2nd and 3rd. With Dom D’Angelo up, the pitcher uncorked a wild pitch for Ball 4 and Schulenberg scored as Clarence went up 4 – 2.

Leading 5 – 2, Clarence called on D’Angelo to secure the victory. As can often happen in baseball, the rally started with a walk. A bobbled grounder and an errant throw put runners on 2nd and 3rd. A solid single followed and Clarence had run out of breathing room. Justin White made a fine running play on a fly to left, but with 2 outs, Grand Island had runners on the corners. Coach Wesolowski came out to get D’Angelo and placed the ball in the left hand of the crafty Kreppel.

They say that a good memory can destroy a reliever. The batter that approached the plate had gotten around on an inside pitch and rapped a single against Kreppel in last Sunday’s defeat. Instead of letting that get him down, Kreppel replaced the reliever’s memory cliché with another one – Knowledge is Power. He delivered 3 straight fastballs on the outside corner. The batter tried to pull the last one and popped weakly to short. Game Over. Clarence wins! Clarence wiiiinnnns! ( My apologies to Yankee announcer John Sterling and any Red Sox fans associated with the team ).

Schulenberg ended up with 3 hits, 2 of them infield singles. Territo had 2 hits and several solid defensive plays. Scott Baldwin had an excellent catch in the outfield. Clarence is now 5 – 2.

Clarence fell behind early and could not catch a disciplined team from Grand Island, ending up on the wrong side of a 7 – 5 final. Facing probably their craftiest pitching opponent all year, Clarence hitters were kept off balance by an assortment of well mixed fastballs and curves. A lone opposite field single by Joe Wesolowski was the only hit for Clarence in the first 3 innings.

In the 1st, Kreppel threw across the diamond to nail a runner trying to advance to 3rd on an infield single. In the same inning, a Grand Island runner attempting to score from 2nd on a single to left tripped rounding the bag. Left fielder Justin White alertly threw to Charlie Rusch at 3rd to get him trying to scramble back to the bag.

With a run in and 1 down in the 3rd, Grand Island had a man on 2nd. The batter lifted a pop toward 2nd. Wesolowski tracked it down and then alertly touched 2nd base for an unassisted double play.

The teams traded runs in the 4th. Matt Schulenberg reached on an error and promptly stole 2nd. Alex McGlue followed with a double all the way to the fence in left center, scoring Schulenberg. Had Wesolowski not been victimized by a great play on a shot to center, Clarence would have scored more. Grand Island managed an unearned run against Kreppel, who had relieved Dom D’Angelo to start the inning.

Clarence’s fortunes turned in their half of the 5th. With 1 down, Matt Nawrot worked a walk. Charlie Rusch singled to right and Clarence had runners on the corners. Paul Kucinski singled driving in Nawrot and sending Rusch to 3rd. With Kucinski running, Pat Territo hit a ball hard down the left field line. Kucinski barreled home with Rusch in front of him, Territo ended up on second with a double and just like that, Clarence has tied the score at 4. Kreppel followed with a single of his own, but Clarence did not score again in the inning.

Grand Island did a fine job in the bottom half of the inning, scoring 3 runs on some seeing eye singles and aggressive base running. Catcher Matt Schulenberg gave Clarence fans a thrill as he picked a runner off first to end the inning.

Clarence scored a final run in the 7th. Schulenberg lead off by legging out a hit to deep short. He again stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on a ground ball and scored on an errant pick off throw at 3rd.

Andrew Skomra relieved Kreppel in the 5th and had another fine outing. He kept the Grand Island batters off balance, setting them down in order with the help of a few slow curves.

Leading only 2 – 0 after 3 innings, Clarence’s bats turns a nail biter into a comfortable 13 – 1 win at home versus Orchard Park. Facing probably their toughest pitcher all year, the boys had to play some aggressive fundamental baseball to eke out a small lead. Paul Kucinski lead off the 3rd by legging out an infield single. After a Kucinski steal of second, Brad Kreppel strode to the plate with 2 outs. Brad singled cleanly through the left side, giving Clarence its finest scoring opportunity up until that point in the game. Then came one of the best plays of the young season, not to mention a great call by Coach Wesolowski. Justin White pushed a bunt just by the desperate grasp of their pitcher and barely beat out the throw to first. This scored Kucinski from 3rd. A wild pitch and an errant pickoff brought Kreppel in for a 2 – 0 Clarence advantage. Dom D’Angelo made sure that the lead held up, pitching 3 scoreless innings before handing the ball off to Matt Nawrot.

Clarence added to its lead in the 4th. Alex McGlue and D’Angelo lead with walks and advanced to 3rd and 2nd respectively. After a hard line out off the bat of Andrew Skomra, Nawrot singled to left to score McGlue. Charlie Rusch then hit a clutch double down the right field line driving in two runs. Pat Territo followed with a hard single to left to drive in the final run of the inning.

Nawrot turned in another fine pitching performance. He did get into a spot of trouble in the 6th, loading the bases with 2 out. Up came Orchard Park’s best hitter and suddenly our 6 – 1 lead appeared in jeopardy. For the 2nd time in the game, Brad Kreppel was called on in a big spot and delivered. He induced an inning ending ground ball fielded by Kucinski at 2nd and Clarence fans breathed a sigh of relief.

The bottom of the 6th saw Clarence break the game wide open. Kreppel lead off by taking a hard pitch in the back. After a wild pitch got him to 2nd, Justin White again showed how to play good fundamental baseball by hitting behind the runner to move Kreppel to third. Joe Wesolowski then powered a ball over the left fielder’s head and beat a fine relay for a RBI triple. That started a streak of 8 straight Clarence hitters getting on base. Matt Schulenberg hit a sharp single to left to score Weso. McGlue hit a Texas-Leaguer to score Schulenberg. D’Angelo walked and Andrew Skomra singled to drive in McGlue. Nawrot doubled to score D’Angelo. Rusch hit a ball that eluded the shortstop to score Skomra. Territo followed with an RBI single to close out the scoring for Clarence. The boys also turned in a solid defensive effort. Joe Wesolowski made 2 excellent plays, one on a bad hop grounder that saved a run when the game was still very tight. Also, the game ended with a Kreppel to White to D’Angelo ( 1 – 6 – 3 ) double play.

Before a fashionably dressed Clarence crowd, Dom D’Angelo, Matt Nawrot and Andrew Skomra continued their hot pitching performances and lead Clarence to an 11 – 2 victory over a Lou Gehrig team from Amherst.

Clarence got all the runs they would need in the top of the first. Justin White and Matt Schulenberg singled and stole bases to reach 2cd and 3rd. Alex McGlue grounded to 3rd to bring in White. With 2 outs, Dom D’Angelo launched a deep fly which was misplayed by the right fielder and resulted in a 3 base error. This scored Schulenberg and gave Clarence new life in the inning. Clarence immediately took advantage as Skomra walked and Nawrot singled in D’Angelo.

Clarence added single runs in both the 2cd and 3rd. Paul Kucinski reached on an error and was driven in by a Scott Baldwin single in the 2cd. Schulenberg doubled in the 3rd and came around to score on a wild pitch.

As Clarence was tacking on runs, D’Angelo was continuing this year’s masterful pitching performance. The Amherst team hit 2 shots in the 1st, resulting in 2 hits and a run. Here D’Angelo showed his ongoing maturity as a pitcher by retiring Amherst in order in his last 2 innings, This included striking out the side in the 2cd. D’Angelo handed the ball to Nawrot, who pitched 2 scoreless innings. Nawrot struck out the side in the 4th, including Amherst’s top 2 hitters on fastballs letter high.

Not satisfied with their 5 – 1 lead, Clarence added a run in the 5th, 3 in the 6th and another 2 in the 7th. With 2 down, Wesolowski singled in the 5th and eventually scored on a McGlue single. In the 6th, Skomra and Nawrot both singled. Charlie Rusch launched a double to left, scoring both runners. Pat Territo drove in the last run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. In the 7th, Wesolowski walked and scored on a McGlue double. Skomra and Nawrot both singled, Nawrot’s driving in McGlue.

Clarence’s bats came alive in a 13 – 6 victory over the Lou Gehrig team from Amherst. Clarence struck early, scoring 7 runs in the 1st inning.

Justin White drew a walk to lead off the game. Continuing his fine early season hitting, Joe Wesolowski scorched a triple, easily scoring White from 1st. After a Matt Schulenberg line out to short, Alex McGlue’s single to right drove in Wesolowski. Matt Nawrot reached on an error and after a double steal, McGlue scored when Charlie Rusch’s grounder was misplayed by Amherst’s shortstop. Dom D’Angelo walked, loading the bases. With 2 outs, Andrew Skomra lined a critical single to right, scoring Nawrot and Rusch. Skomra scored Clarence’s 7th run of the inning on a Pat Territo single to left.

Clarence cooled in the 2nd through the 4th with a Wesolowski single their only hit. Still, they did manage to manufacture a run in the 4th. Territo walked and stole 2nd. After a wild pitch advanced him to 3rd, Territo scored when Paul Kucinski hit a hard RBI grounder to short that could not be handled.

Amherst clawed its way back into the game and the Clarence lead had shrunk to 2 runs as they came to bat in the 5th. Schulenberg and McGlue opened the frame with singles. A well placed Nawrot ground out drove in 1 run. Then, Charlie Rusch and Dom D’Angelo each singled and drove in a run. Andrew Skomra knocked in Clarence’s 4th run of the inning, singling to left to score D’Angelo.

Kucinski singled to left leading off the 7th. Wesolowski and Schulenberg walked and Kucinski scored Clarence’s last run on a wild pitch.

Matt Schulenberg stated the game at pitcher and did a fine job in his 2+ innings. Charlie Rusch, Scott Baldwin and Brad Kreppel helped hold Amherst to 6 runs on 6 hits while striking out 6.

Clarence improved to 2 - 1.

Dom D’Angelo, Matt Nawrot and Andrew Skomra combined for a one hit shut out as Clarence defeated Lancaster 3 - 0. D’Angelo and Nawrot each pitched 3 innings, with Nawrot yielding Lancaster’s only hit, a single in the 4th. Skomra came in to pitch the 7th, earning the save as he set Lancaster down in order.

Clarence’s pitching trio did not issue a walk, holding Lancaster to only 2 batters over the minimum.

Clarence manufactured its 1st run without the benefit of a hit. Pat Territo lead off the inning with a walk. Skomra and Paul Kucinski also walked, moving Territo to 3rd . Lancaster’s pitcher then uncorked a wild pitch and Territo hustled home.

Clarence added to its lead in the 4th. Schulenberg reached on an error and stole 2nd . Nawrot singled to left, scoring Schulenberg.

In the 5th, Joe Wesolowsi walked. With 1 out, Schulenberg stroked a double and Wesolowski scored Clarence’ final run of the day.

Wesolowski had Clarence’s only other hit, a solid single to right in the 1st inning.