by
posted 07/18/2008
12U OYA WARRIORS TAKE 4th PLACE IN 10 TEAM OAK LAWN TOURNAMENT!
The Warriors advanced to the playoffs in the Oak Lawn tournament and finished fourth in a field of ten strong contenders. The Warriors are now 7-2 in July tournament play and came within just one pitch of a second consecutive tournament championship game appearance!
The Warriors opened the Oak Lawn tournament wit h a 10-5 victory over SheridanPark. Ronny Drabeck blasted a homerun onto Central Avenue to give the Warriors the early lead. He later doubled and was recognized as the game’s MVP for his offensive production. Grant Lewis had a big day at the plate with three hits—including a double off the rightfield fence. Matthias Dietz threw well through the middle innings while Mike Rafferty closed the game for the Warriors.
The Warriors then defeated the Oak Lawn Storm by a score of 16-4 in the first game of a doubleheader. Jack Lebert was the game’s MVP with four hits=2 0as the Warriors’ lead-off man in the game! Ryan Novak and Sam Marc each pitched an inning in relief. Grant Lewis hit a homerun to score three runs and had 5 RBI in the game.
The Warriors then jumped out to an early 9-1 lead over Glen Ellyn in the second game of the doubleheader. Grant Lewis hit another homerun in this game and threw three innings of no-hit baseball. He was recognized as the game’s MVP. But, Glen Ellyn kept chipping away at the Warriors’ lead. With two out and two strikes on the batter in the final inning of play, the Glen Ellyn hitter lined a single down to rightfield line to defeat the Warriors by a score of 10-9. The Warriors finished “pool play” with a 2-1 record.
Evergreen Park advanced directly to the tournament’s championship game with its 3-0 record. Four other teams had records of 2-1—so the tie-breaker of runs allowed came into play. The Warriors allowed 19 runs in three games. But, the Oak Lawn Thunder only allowed 18 runs—edging the Warriors by just one run for the right to remain in contention for the championship game! Instead, the Warriors were matched up once again with Glen Ellyn to determine which team would “place” and play for the third and fourth place trophies.
In one of the better played games of the entire tournament, the Warriors shutout Glen Ellyn in a 3-0 victory to place in the tournament! Matthias Dietz held Glen Ellyn scoreless during the first three innings of play. Mike Rafferty had his best stuff and kept the Glen Ellyn batters off balance for the next three innings without allowing a run. Grant Lewis closed the game by pitching a scoreless seventh inning. The Warriors played stellar defense. Sam Marc made four putouts at his shortstop position and Ryan Tannebaum made a nice running catch on a sinking line drive into centerfield. Mike Rafferty was recognized with the game’s MVP for his three dominant innings of pitching and his two hits in the game.
The Warriors then faced MerrionnettePark in the consolation game. The Warriors jumped out to an early lead after scoring two runs in the first inning. But, MerrionnettePark played an outstanding defensive game—turning three double plays. The Warriors ran the bases aggressively, but MerrionnettePark retired two runners at the plate on strong throws from the outfield. MerrionnettePark held a one run lead in the top of the seventh inning before Jayson Lenzen singled to tie the game at six. The inning ended on another strong defensive play by MerrionnettePark when Ryan Novak lined sharply to the shortstop’s right to end the rally. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the lead off hitter for MerrionnettePark promptly ended the game with a walk-off homerun over the centerfield scoreboard. Danny Poulos was the Warriors’ MVP in this one in recognition of his two hits and aggressive baserunning during the game.
The Warriors look forward to its next tournament appearance in Lockport this weekend.
