Pirates Capitalize on Errors, Win 5-4
 

On a triple digit day in the valley, both teams' bats were ice cold.  But the Royals wasted a great day from their pitching staff, committing 5 errors in the field that led to 3 unearned runs and a 5-4 loss.

 

Mike Miller took the mound for his second start of the year and threw a gem.  He matched the Pirates starter by putting up zeroes in each of the first 4 frames, while also turning a double play and allowing only 1 hit.

 

To lead off the 5th inning, the Pirates put men on 1st and 2nd after an error and a single.  But an over-aggressive runner on second and poor base running on first led to both runners being picked off on a single play!  The next 2 batters would reach, and 2 consecutive errors would plate the first 2 runs of the day, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead.

 

Greg Falk led off the bottom of the 5th with a single, scoring 1 batter later on a Kyle Tillack single, making it a 2-1 game.

 

The first two hitters singled off Miller in the top of the 6th, chasing him from the game.  Greg Falk came in and retired the side, but not before one run scored, making it 3-1 Pirates.

 

Brett Kahanowitch relieved, and allowed a run in the top of the 8th on a walk and a double.  But the Royals responded in the bottom of the inning.  With 1 out, Phillip Gerber reached on an error, moved to 2nd on a Ryan Elliott walk, then scored on a Jason Bolding single.  After 8 in the books, the Pirates led 4-2.

 

Another error in the top of the 9th gave the Pirates a 5-2 lead, but the Royals weren't going to go down quietly.  With 1 out, Justin "Juice" Born, Brett Kahanowitch and Greg Falk each walked, loading the bases.  Kyle Tillack brought home one with a sacrifice fly to left, and Kahanowitch scored on a passed ball.  But with the tying run on 3rd, the Pirates got a big strikeout to preserve the win.

 

Congrats to the Bucs on a great game - we'll hopefully see you again in the playoffs!

 

 

 

Pitching

Mike Miller - L, 5IP, ER, 5H, 2HBP, 1 pick off

Greg Falk - IP, K

Brett Kahanowitch - 3IP, ER, 2H, K, BB

 

Batting

2 Big Innings Cost Royals
 

The Royals pitching staff put up zeroes for most of the game, but the Regulators put together a pair of 6-run innings to take the victory.

 

Jake Romo started the game and put up zeroes for 3 innings.  Unfortunately, he began to tire in the 4th, and the Regulators took advantage, eventually knocking him out of the game after putting up 6 runs (4 earned.)  Rookie Chris Dyer came in to get out of the inning, then struck out the side in the 5th in his pitching debut for the squad.  Veteran Dennis King II came in, but after his spikes ripped in the bullpen, he was forced to throw with his Vans on, and it didn't go well.  6 more runs scored, before Ryan Schappery came in and closed out the game (2.1 innings, 0 runs.)

 

Offensively, the Royals spread 9 hits over 8 innings, plating 6 runs (most of them after they were trailing by double digits, unfortunately.)  Mike Miller led the offense, going 2 for 3 with a double.  Jake Romo scored twice and swiped 3 bags, including home twice.  Kyle Tillack also broke out of his mini-slump with a hit and 2 steals of his own.

 

And finally, Daniel Kahn ended the day getting an autographed ball from his little league coach/baseball mentor (read: idol)/Regulator's manager Greg Granillo.  We are all so for happy Daniel, as the ball now resides next to his bed, so it's the last thing he sees when he falls asleep, and the first thing he sees when he wakes up.  At least he didn't give Greg a mid-game hug, as he'd threatened earlier in the week...

 

Congrats to the Regulators on a good game!

 

 

Pitching

Jake Romo - L, 3.2IP, 4ER, 7H, K, 5BB

Chris Dyer - 1.1IP, 0ER, 3K

Dennis King II - .2IP, 6ER, 3H, 5BB

Ryan Schappery - 2.1IP, 0ER, 2H, BB, 2K, HBP

 

Batting

Royals Bring Lightning, Sweep Thundercats
 

The Royals' bats looked well-rested after Memorial Day weekend, putting up a few big innings late to complete a  weekend sweep of the Thundercats.  Pitching and defense were solid as well, but the offense definitely stole the show.

 

Game 1 (which was nearly rescheduled thanks to a surprise Hillary Clinton speech at Mission College) featured Brett Kahanowitch on the hill.  Brett threw a CG in the blazing heat, striking out 7 in 6 innings.

 

Offensively, it was a see-saw game as the Thundercats seemingly had an answer for every Royal run in the first 5 innings.  Entering the top of the 6th, the Royals led 8-5.  But the 6th inning proved huge for the Royals, as they brought 22 batters to the plate and scored a season high 16 runs.  12 separate players scored a run that inning, and the 2 that didn't score knocked one in.  At the end of the day, the Royals claimed game one 24-6.

 

Game 2 sported a different Royals pitching staff, as none of their regular starters were available.  Veteran Mike Miller took the start, allowing 1 earned over 3 innings and striking out a season-high 1 batter.  Will Chapman relieved and threw 3 scoreless frames, giving way to Zach Sloane.  Sloane, coming off his best pitching performance a few weeks back, didn't have his best stuff, but gave the squad 1+ hard-fought innings (and milked a lot of clock), allowing Greg Falk to come in and close the door for his first save of the year.

 

Offensively, it was much like the day before.  Tied 3-3 after 2 innings, the Royals went up 6-3 in the 6th, only to find themselves tied up 6-6 again half an inning later.  But a big 7th inning led to the Royals batting around and plating 6 runs, giving them enough cushion to outlast the dangerous Thundercat offense (who scored 3 of their own in the bottom of the inning on a mammoth home run to left.)  At the end of the day, the Royals hung on for a 12-9 victory, moving into 3rd place with 2 weeks to go before the All Star break.

 

Thanks to the Thundercats for a great weekend of baseball!

 

 

Pitching (game 1)

Brett Kahanowitch - W, CG, 6IP, 3ER, 7H, 7K, 4BB

 

Pitching (game 2)

Mike Miller - 3IP, ER, 3H, K

Will Chapman - 3IP, 0ER, 2H, 4K, HBP

Zach Sloane - W, BS, IP, 4ER, 5H, K, HBP

Greg Falk - S, IP, 0ER, H, 2K

 

Batting (combined)

Royals End Losing Streak, Offense Erupts in Sweep
 

After losing the last 2 weekends against AAA teams, the Royals faced a division foe in a doubleheader, and their bats were up for the challenge.  Over 2 games, the Royals scored 33 runs on 38 hits.  Not to be outdone, their starting pitchers were exceptional, combining to strike out 17 batters in 11 innings, including the first 5 outs of each game.

 

Jake Romo started game 1, and was on fire early.  He struck out the first 5 men to come to the plate, and 7 of the first 9.  He allowed only 1 hit and 2 runs, both unearned.  Ryan Elliott relieved, working 2.1 innings with his trademark knuckleball.  While it wasn't as dirty as normal, he was effective, scattering 5 hits and allowing just 2 earned runs.  Greg Falk came in to close in his first action of the year, striking out the final batter of the game.

 

Game 2 featured Brett Kahanowitch, who just moved back to CA after finishing up his MBA (and his wife finishing up med school) in Tennessee.  He picked up where he left off last fall, pitching 7 innings and striking out 10, allowing only 1 unearned run while scattering 4 hits.  Steve Apperson worked his first inning of the season in relief, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, but closing out the game for the Royals.

 

Offensively, there were stars up and down the lineup.  Both Brett Kahanowitch and Zach Sloane ended game 2 a home run shy of the cycle, and Kyle Tillack started game 1 by hitting his first home run as a Royal.  Daniel Kahn proved that his shoulder injury might actually HELP his batting, as he likley led the PCBL with 6 hits on the day.  Ryan Elliott and Phillip Gerber both had 5 hits over the 2 games, and even Steve Apperson had some fun, swiping a bag (his first of the season, and one of 11 Royal steals on the day.)

 

The Royals head into Memorial Day weekend alone in 4th place, and staring down a split doubleheader against the 3rd place Thundercats in 2 weeks (yet another El Nino make-up game.)

 

 

Pitching (game 1)

Jake Romo - 4IP, 0ER, H, 7K, 3BB

Ryan Elliott - W, 2.1IP, 2ER, K, 5H, 2BB, HBP

Greg Falk - .2IP, 0ER, H, K
 

Pitching (game 2)

Brett Kahanowitch - W, 7IP, 0ER, 4H, 10K, 2HBP

Steve Apperson - IP, 2ER, 2H, K, BB

 

Batting (combined)

3-Run Double Break Backs of Royals
 

Jake Romo made his first career start for the Royals, taking a 1-0 game into the 4th inning before a 2-out, 3-run double broke the game open.  Neither team put up much offense, as the Lugnuts went on to win 5-1 in a clean game on both sides.

 

With the exception of the double, Romo continued to show great promise in this one.  He went a career-best 5 innings, allowing 9 hits and only 1 walk.  He struck out 5 in the loss.  Dennis King II, finally back from his early season hiatus, looked like his old self again, throwing 3 innings of 1-hit relief.

 

Offensively, there's not much to say for the Royals, as the Lugnut pitchers scattered 7 hits across 9 frames.  Steve Apperson led the way with 2 hits, while Greg Falk, Jason Bolding, Zach Sloane, Ryan Elliott, and Justin Borne each had 1.  Will Chapman walked twice and scored the only run on Ryan Elliott's 9th inning hit.  The only other time the Royal's threatened was on Mike Miller's 9th inning line drive to second, which nearly doubled up Elliott at second to end the game.

 

Hat's off to the Lugnuts for another close one!

 

 

Pitching

Jake Romo - L, 5IP, 4ER, 9H, 5K, BB

Dennis King II - 3IP, 0ER, H, K, 2BB
 

Batting

First Inning Costs Royals
 

Coming off their biggest victory of the season, the Royals' shaky defense and injured starting pitcher led to 7 first inning runs for the Mudhens, and the team could never recover.  Even outscoring the Mudhens 6-4 for the next 8 1/2 innings, the deficit was just too much for the boys in royal blue.

 

Daniel Kahn started the game, but 2 early errors, 3 hits, 3 walks and a hit batter got him only thru 2/3 of an inning.  Later, it was revealed he felt tingling in his pitching arm, and the medical staff have him on the shelf for at least the next 6 weeks with a partial tear.  Jake Romo relieved and pitched well, allowing just 2 earned over the next 3.1 innings while striking out 5.  Fill-in (and former Royal) Ryan Shappery threw 4 innings of relief after that, allowing just 2 earned while striking out 4, and Zach Sloane closed out the 9th with his best outing as a Royal, striking out the side and giving Royals' pitchers 12 strikeouts on the day.

 

Offensively, Kyle Tillack, Ryan Schappery and WIll Chapman (another former Royal lending himself as a fill-in before reporting to his high-A ball team) were each 2 for 4, combining to score 4 runs and knock in 3.  Brian Rapf and Zach Sloane each were 2 for 5, and Mike Miller and Daniel Kahn each chipped in with a hit.

 

 

 

Pitching

Daniel Kahn - L, .2IP, ER, 3H, 3BB, HBP

Jake Romo - 3.1IP, 2ER, 4H, 5K, 4BB

Ryan Schappery - 4IP, 2ER, 4H, 4K, 4BB

Zach Sloane - IP, 0ER, 3K

 

Batting

Royals Stroll to Victory Over Naturals
 

A patient Royal lineup took full advantage of the wild Naturals pitching staff, walking an amazing 18 times in their victory on Sunday.  All 11 players scored multiple times and knocked in at least one run in a true team effort.

 

Rick Valdez led the charge for the Royals offense, going 4 for 4 with 4 runs, 2 rbis and a walk.  Ryan Elliott (3 for 3, 4 runs, 1 rbi) and Phillip Gerber (2 for 2, 2 runs, 3 rbis) were also perfect on the day.  Steve Apperson put up the best stat line of the day, going 0 for 1 (lining into a double play) and walking 4 times, scoring twice and knocking in 3 rbis.  Greg Falk and Jason Bolding were the only Royals without a free pass.

 

Zach Sloane got the start and went 2 innings, allowing 2 runs while striking out 3.  Daniel Kahn worked an inning of relief, allowing 4 runs, though only 1 was earned as the defense obviously went home early.  Jake Romo worked 2 solid innings of relief as well, striking out 3 and allowing only 2 hits (the only men to reach base off him.)

 

 

 

 

Pitching

Zach Sloane - W, 2IP, 2ER, 3H, 3K, BB

Daniel Kahn - IP, ER, 2H, 2K, 3BB, HBP

Jake Romo - 2IP, 0ER, 2H, 3K

 

Batting

Royals Walk Plank, Fall to Bucs
 

The Royals' high-powered offense met its match on Sunday as the Pirates league-leading pitching held them in check all day,  While the Pirates only out-hit the Royals 9-8, they managed to string their hits together in 1 big inning, while the Royals only saw 4 runners reach scoring position all day in the loss.

 

Daniel Kahn started on the mound for the Royals, and found himself in trouble in the 2nd inning.  The Pirates scored 5 times on 5 hits and a walk (3 of those hits with 2 outs), and that was pretty much the difference in the game.  Kahn let another run score in the 3rd, then settled down and worked through the 6th.  Craig Erickson worked 2 innings of relief and gave up a pair of runs in the 7th, but it wouldn't matter as the Royals offense was mostly invisible all day.

 

Jason Bolding, injured and pulled from the field after the 2nd batter of the first inning, led the way (limping) going 2 for 3.  Steve Apperson scored the only Royals' run, and Greg Falk knocked him in.

 

Both teams played excellent defense, with the only error coming on an over-throw on a stolen base attempt.  The game was played in 2 hours 10 minutes.

 

These two teams meet again just before the All-Star break, where the Royals will look for redemption.

 

 

Pitching

Daniel Kahn - L, 6IP, 5ER, 7H, 3K, 3BB, HBP

Craig Erickson - 2IP, 2ER, 2H, K, BB, HBP

 

Batting

Royals' Defense Falters Late in 11-11 Tie
 

The Royals, who once had a 10-3 lead in the 5th inning, committed 3 errors in the final 4 frames and had a runner cut down at the plate to tie the Berserkers in another great game between the two squads.

 

The first half of the affair was all Royals, as the offense batted around 3 times in the first 4 innings.  Zach Sloane and Ryan Elliott each had 3 hits in the win, while Phillip Gerber and surprise batting average leader Jason Bolding each collected 2 hits.  Kyle Tillack continued his amazing rookie season, going 1 for 3 with 3 walks and 2 stolen bases.

 

On the mound, Craig Erickson had another great start, allowing 3 earned over 5 innings while striking out 3.  Daniel Kahn was the recipient of some bad luck, giving up 8 hits (though only one was hit hard.)  The poor defense, especially 2 errors in the final inning, capped off his day.

 

The Berserkers' bullpen pitched well, with their last pitcher allowing only 2 runners over the final 3 innings, stalling the mighty Royals' offense in its tracks.  The two squads don't face each other again until the final weekend of the regular season, with plenty of playoff implications (and a tiebreaker) at stake.

 

 

Pitching

Craig Erickson - 5IP, 3ER, 8H, 3K, 3BB, HBP

Daniel Kahn - 4IP, 4ER, 8H, K, 3BB, HBP

 

Batting

Royals Naturally Win
 

Picking up where they left off last week, the Royals' league-leading offense stayed as hot as the weather, collecting 20 more hits in a 14-4 victory over the Naturals.  Not the be outdone, the bullpen was outstanding and showed up as possibly the biggest strength for the Royals, as 7 different pitchers took the hill, with 5 of them working scoreless relief.

 

 

Chris Powell, who made the drive from Oregon for the game, went 3 for 3 and scored 4 times, including scampering for the first triple in his Royals career!  He also was hit by a pitch for the 24th time in 60 games (maybe the sting made Mr. Go run a little bit faster!)  Jason Bolding also had a perfect 3 for 3 day, knocking in a team-leading 4 runs.  Brian Rapf hit his first home run of the year - a shot to right center that he had to leg out for an inside-the-parker, and Craig Erickson kept up his perfect 1.000 season batting average with a single and triple.

 

Erickson also started the game on the hill, and after 2 of the first batters he faced scored in the first, worked a quiet second.  Daniel Kahn relieved him and faced the minimum over 2 innings (including his second pick off of the season.)  Mike Miller followed with a 7 pitch inning, giving way to Chris Powell and his perfect inning.  Jake Romo worked a quiet 7th, and Jason Bolding gave up a pair of runs in the 8th (but struck out the first batter he saw on 3 pitches and picked another runner off 2nd base - not bad for an outfielder!)  Zach Sloane closed the door with a perfect 9th, and the Royals cruised to their second straight victory.

 

The Naturals played better than the score showed, as they managed to avoid the big inning on defense after a 5-run first chased their starting pitcher.  These squads meet again in the beginning of May, and revenge will certainly be on the minds of the Naturals.

 

 

 

Pitching

Craig Erickson - W, 2IP, 0ER, 3H, 2K, HBP

Daniel Kahn - 2IP, 0ER, 2K, BB, PO

Mike Miller - IP, 0ER

Chris Powell - IP, 0ER, K, BB, PO

Jake Romo - IP, 0ER, 2BB

Jason Bolding - IP, 2ER, 2H, K, BB, HBP, PO

Zach Sloane - IP, 0ER
 

Batting