West Allis NATIONALS Baseball

Dean Smith, former head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heel basketball team, used to say that come tournament time first year players were no longer freshman. He is a wise man. Jared Stengel, first year player with the Nationals, earned his second player of the week honor for his performance last week. His 4 RBI's against McGuire's in the team's 10-2 victory effectively woke the team up from its offensive slump. Since his key bases clearing double, the team has scored 33 runs in 15 innings. Jared Stengel...this week's honoree...still a ROOKIE! Don't forget to pack up the equipment and carry it to the parking lot.

Tuesday night the West Allis Nationals clinched the regular season title in the American Division of the Milwaukee Independent Wood Bat League. Tim Ustruck threw 7 strong innings before giving way to Tim Spata as the Nationals defeated the second place Milwaukee Athletics 10-5. With the title comes a top seeding in the playoffs. The Nationals will face Kingpins in a semifinal doubleheader on Saturday August 9 at Zirkel Field in McCarty Park, West Allis. First game begins at 6PM. Should the teams split the doubleheader, a deciding game will take place on Tuesday August 12 at Zirkel Field. First pitch will be 7PM.

Gather round the computer boys and girls. Today's story is one of family, magic, and blessings. The general malaise engulfing the spirits and bats of the Nats was present again last night. Seven days after having been swept by the rival Cubs, the maroon looked flat. Little brothers can smell when big brothers are vulnerable, and look to take advantage. Saturday McGuire's was the little brother. They jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a bad hop single. Big brother was slow to respond, but when big brother responded, little doubt about the family pecking order remained. Tom Donovan delivered a glancing blow with his third inning RBI groundout to get the team on the board. Later, after a Nick Kibler triple, Jared Stengel hit a sacrifice fly and the score was knotted at two. However, little brother was still dancing. The Nationals entered the seventh with a precarious 3-2 lead and had shown little punch. Enter Big Brother. Tom Donovan and James Herkowski led off with walks. After Jake Koutnik sacrificed and Tim Spata drew an intentional walk, Jared Stengel stepped up. His liner to the left field corner cleared the bases and gave the team its first comfortable lead at 6-3. Jim Dettman, Jason Koconis, Jake Paige, and Erik Dunn each followed with RBI singles and the Nationals had pulled away 10-2. That was more than enough for Joe Kissler. Joe improved to 7-0 on the season with his complete game performance. Joe's line: 7IP/5H/2ER/2BB/8K. With the team's offensive recession declared officially over, game two was a rout. An early 3-0 lead quickly grew to 13-0 before things got interesting. Little brother, unable to compete with the tools of the trade, decided to fight dirty, resorting to verbal assaults and a beanball. Big brother withstood this last ditch effort before the referee mercifully called an end to the fight in the fifth inning and the Nationals up 19-0. The knockout had been delivered. What's the moral to the story you ask, grasshopper? No morals here. Just baseball. Winning is magic and magic is elusive. When you have it, cherish and protect it. It is like the wind. It cannot be harnessed or contolled. Understand this and your respect for the game will be rewarded. Ignore or neglect this principal and suffer the wrath of the baseball gods. (Those Nationals who are confused should seek out Paige or Wajerski for an explanation.) Next up....Milwaukee Athletics (12-6) Tuesday July 29 @7PM, Zirkel Field in McCarty Park, West Allis. A victory in one of their final two games will clinch the team the American Division Regular Season title.

Though the team came out flat in a doubleheader loss to the Cubs on Saturday night, two players continue to provide steady and reliable leadership. Because of this, both have been named this week's players of the week. Alex Franson and Mike Wajerski have started all 22 of the team's games this year and both have shown versatility and unselfishness, playing a variety of positions based upon team need. Thanks to Alex and Mike for providing a steadying influence in a season filled with injuries and personal conflicts of all types.

The Cubs demonstrated Saturday that they have no plans of letting their title go undefended. Last year's champions came ready to play and handed the Nationals their first doubleheader sweep in over a year. Game one was decided late. The Cubs scored first on a bases loaded walk in second inning. The Nationals reciprocated with an RBI single by Jake Paige, but the score remain tied 1-1 until the bottom of the seventh. Pat Bovee, in relief of starter Jim Dettman, allowed a bases loaded single and sending the Nationals to a tough 2-1 defeat. The Nationals failed to capitalize on a golden scoring opportunity in the sixth when James Herkowski lined into a double play with no outs and runners on first and second. Game two was decided earlier. The Cubs took advantage of starter Nick Kibler's wildness in and out of the strike zone to jump to a 3-0 lead. After the Nationals battled back to narrow the margin to 3-2, Kibler was touched for a four run fourth inning. The key blast was a bases clearing double from Cub Mark Tomczak. The 7-2 margin proved too much to overcome, though Kibler did help his own cause with a two run homer late. Despite these runs, the Nats succombed 7-5. Next up are McGuire's Cats in a Saturday doubleheader at Kuenn Field in Rainbow Park. The Nationals can clinch a playoff spot with two victories in their final four games.