Meridians Baseball

We finally get the scoring started in the 3rd with back-to-back hits from Bach (2R) & Herby (2R - SB), back-to-back walks and a big, 2 RBI knock from Woltermann (2-3, 2 SB).

Meridians then bust it open in the 5th with the first 4 hitters scoring, highlighted by Mears' stand-up 3B to the fence clearing the bases (3 RBI - 2R).   Reese then caps off the inning with another loud 3B to the wall, but then, No... "BOOM!" - thrown out at 3rd.

Kraus hits the ball hard all day (3-3) with his 3rd one off one of Parkhurst's fleet feet.

Happy Dad's Day!

Final: 9-2 vs. StarTunes

Pitching tells the tale as we flip the starters and hope to actually get both games in this time.   D. Reese takes a no-no into the 6th in Game 1 with all the support he would need before he even steps to the plate as the clean-up man in the 1st.   B. Reese (HBP, on-base all 3 times) and Mears (2-3) reach right away before Woltermann belts a high fastball well past the left-centerfield fence (2-3).

Woltermann's hustle 2B may have been a better highlight than his 3-run HR as he vertically breakdances into a 2-hop Jumpstyle dive into 2nd.   We plate 4 more in the 5th with a lead-off 2B from Couture and RBI hits from Humpert, Reardon, B. Reese and Mears.  Koppelman tosses the 7th.   Final: 7-1 over Reds 

                                                           "You Can Go Faster!"

We start Game 2 trading runs with each squad scoring 2 in the 1st and 1 in the 2nd.   We then pull away for good pushing across the first 5 hitters in the 3rd with RBI knocks by Woltermann, D. Reese (2B), Kraus (2-2, 3 RBI) and Duncan (2 RBI).   Dolan booms a double for 2 RBI - Couture, Kraus, Mears & Wolt each with 2 Runs scored.

Hump on base 4 times.   Dolan and Duncan wrap up the final 2 innings.  Final: 11-4 vs. Chill

Meridians eventually cruise on Opening Day with a football roster in tow.   Multiple lightning strikes (and then rain) cut short Game 2.

Doc steals the day going 2-2 with a Sac Fly and 2 RBI.   But the debut of Brady Reese, coming off another great college season, smacks the ball around all day going 3-4 with 2 Runs and a SB with the Brescia University incumbent Woltermann adding a 2B (2-4), 2R and SB as well.

Derek Reese: 2B, SB - Humpert: 3B - Easterling: 3 SB - Kraus: 2B, 2 RBI - Clim: 2B, 2R - Couture: 2B

9 different Meridians score while the defense has an interesting afternoon including Hump once he gets some 3B time in Game 2, "I was just excited to get the ball!".  Final:  12-4 vs. Chill

Derek Reese & Justin Kraus headed west into Indiana over the long weekend to join Reese's uncle's Indy Shamrocks team for the holiday tournament.   Uncle Bobby Herbert somehow allows Kraus to start on the bump for Game 1, but that reckless abandon pays off as he goes 5 innings (3 ER) and keeps them in a barnburner that they eventually win, 9-8.   Reese steps in for the Save with 2 K's and goes 1-3 with a 2-run home run in the opener.

Game 2 was a wash in more ways than one, resulting in a 7-7 tie due to rain (Reese with the Hold).   The Shamrocks handle Games 3 & 4 easily though (8-2 & 9-1), but do eventually fall in the championship game.

Reese tallys 8 RBI over the weekend, going 7-15 with that HR while sporting the Meridians' blue hat that clashed nicely with the Shamrocks' green.   Kraus goes 3-7, 2 HBPs overall with 2 2Bs in the Game 4 victory.

~ 1 game in August.. that's all we got, 1 game in August ~ 

We are the last team standing in the NKABL as the other 3 teams in the league confirmed last week that they are done for the summer.   (LYC Raiders on 8/11, C. White Tile on 8/16 and the Whales later that night).   So no tournament and no rightful end to our tenure in the league where we amassed an overall record of 47-12-1 since 2009.

Best of luck to our college contingent of Robert Humpert at UC-Clermont, Cameron Bommer at Anderson (IN) University and 2013 Meridians Silver Slugger - Nick Woltermann at Brescia University (Owensboro, KY).