(right: photo of Kevin Wells, courtesy of Bay Area Toros)By Olivia Dodson
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
Bay Area Toros catcher Kyle Wells and pitchers Jack Tilghman (Texarkana Gunslingers) and Kevin Cooper (Bay Area Toros) were named the Continental Baseball League’s Player and Pitchers of the Week for the week ending July 20.
Wells led all CBL batters with a .417 average, going 15-for-36 while driving in a league-best 11 runs since the All-Star break. For the season, Wells is among the leaders in batting average (second, .328), on-base percentage (third, .407), and slugging percentage (.406).
Tilghman, the Texarkana relief ace, has appeared in seven games for the Gunslingers since the All-Star break, picking up two victories and two saves. In eight innings of work, he has allowed no earned runs and only 5 hits, striking out 13. Tilghman is far and away the CBL leader in games pitched (31) and saves (11), and has struck out 48 batters in 36.1 innings, posting a 1.49 ERA.
Cooper threw 8 innings of shutout ball against Texarkana on Saturday, July 11, striking out 11 Gunslingers while garnering his third win of the season. For the week, Cooper posted a 0.60 ERA in 15 innings with 14 strikeouts. Cooper is the CBL ERA leader at 1.42, and also leads the league in strikeouts (60) and fewest hits (5.54) and runners (9.81) per nine innings.
Both Cooper and Tilghman are second-time winners of the Pitcher of the Week award (Cooper previously shared the award on June 1, and Tilghman on June 22).
By Olivia DodsonCopyright 2008 TexSport PublicationsThese are the results from games around the Continental Baseball League for Saturday, May 31, 2008 games.At Texarkana, TexasCorpus Christi BeachDawgs-14 Texarkana Gunslingers-5 Win: Rene Recio Loss: William JackelAt Texas CityMcKinney Blue Thunder-9 Bay Area Toros-2Win: Donald Furrow Loss: Will SmeltzerSchedule for Sunday, June 1McKinney Blue Thunder at Bay Area Toros at 6:35pmCorpus Christi BeachDawgs at Texarkana Gunslingers at 7:05pm
By Olivia Dodson
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
Games of Friday, May 30, 2008:
At Texarkana:
Texarkana Gunslingers-9 Corpus Christi BeachDawgs-1
Win: Brandon Wells. Loss: Garardo Valera.
At Texas City:
Bay Area Toros-8 McKinney Blue Thunder-4
Win: Kevin Cooper. Loss: Andrew Kelne.
Schedule for Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1:
McKinney Blue Thunder at Bay Area Toros
Corpus Christi BeachDawgs at Texarkana Gunslingers
TEXAS CITY, TEXAS (May 29, 2008) Bay Area Toros starting First Baseman Ben Burum summed up Thursday evening's 9-2 loss to the Texarkana Gunslingers with only a few words, “We just couldn’t get the key hits we needed.”
Unfortunately, Burum was right on in his assessment. The Toros appeared lackluster at the plate striking out swinging and placing easily played hits. Collectively, the team managed a meager .151 average while the Gunslingers were true to their name, connecting nearly at .300. The two lone bright spots for the Toros were Greg Plecki and Jose Suncar who both scored runs and tied with the most hits at two.
Texarkana continued to exhibit their strength near the middle of their order as Third Baseman Gene Crimoli led the team with three hits out of four at bats. He would also score two runs while knocking in one. Defensively, Gunslinger pitcher Ryan Williams would give the Toros fits as he pitched into the sixth inning only allowing one run and striking out eight. His relief, William Jackel would nearly match his totals in slightly less than three innings. Five Bay Area batters struck out under his watch.
Toro starter Keegan Laycock looked to record his first win in two outings but was harassed by batters in the Second Inning after throwing expertly in the First. Facing a total of eight batters in the Second, Laycock surrendered two hits and walked three. A passed ball by Catcher Corey Thrush allowed the first score while a double by Erik Lingren would bring home three more.
Bay Area’s only response came during the Sixth Inning, ignited by Shortstop Jose Suncar’s triple. He would find home plate with a Greg Plecki single and Plecki would follow suit on an error by Texarkana Second Baseman Dane Peavy.
The mood in the home team clubhouse was somber to say the least following the game. Not only had the Toros given Texarkana their first win in franchise history, but the offense had seemed to disappear.
“We have to hit better, period,” Burum would sigh. “There is so much potential on this team, it is painful to go out and feel like we could have done better.”
The Toros will have to manage to rejuvenate their batting and fielding since the reigning champions McKinney Blue Thunder make their first visit to the Bay Area beginning Friday. The Blue Thunder and Toros will have a three game series with all games beginning at 6:35 PM.
By Olivia DodsonCopyright 2008 TexSport PublicationsThe McKinney Blue Thunder dropped the Corpus Christi BeachDawgs 4-1 in Continential Baseball League action on Thrsday night. The Texarkana Gunslingers won their first game of the season, defeating the Bay Area Toros 9-2 in Texas City.Game stats are below:At McKinney:McKinney Blue Thunder 4 Corpus Christi BeachDawgs 1
Win: Marcus Markary (1-0). Loss: Ryan Kondratowiz (0-1). Save: George Castillo (1). HR: None.
At Texas City: Texarkana Gunslingers 9 Bay Area Toros 2
Win: Ryan Williams (1-0). Loss: Keegan Laycock (0-1). HR: None.
Highlights: TEX - Gene Crimoli 3-4 RBI 2 runs; Jay Reynolds 2-5 3 RBI. BA - Greg Plecki 2-5 RBI 1run; Jose Suncar 2-3 1 run
By Olivia Dodson
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
Below are the stats and game notes from Wednesday evening's Continenal Baseball League (CBL) games
At McKinney, Texas:
Two games, both scheduled for seven innings, due to rescheduling of Tuesday's game.
Corpus Christi BeachDawgs 6
McKinney Blue Thunder 5
8 innings
The first game is Trey Salinas' first game as field manager of Corpus Christi. He assumes the position from his father, Hector Salinas. The elder Salinas will now focus on his role as BeachDawgs' GM. The younger Salinas enjoyed a nine-year career in professional baseball primarily as an outfielder and catcher, including stops in the Tampa Bay, Cincinnati, and Baltimore organizations, before closing out his playing career at home in the Corpus Christi area with the Coastal Bend Aviators in the Central League in 2004.
Corpus Christi BeachDawgs 2
McKinney Blue Thunder 3
Win: David Kennedy (1-0). Loss: Toro Trevino (0-2).
Former NFL wide receiver Jake Reed (Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints) served as first-base coach for McKinney in the second game.
At Texas City, Texas:
Bay Area Toros 6 Texarkana Gunslingers 3
Win: Alex Fernandez (1-0). Loss: Ryan Zimmerman (0-1).
Schedule for Thursday, May 29:
Texarkana Gunslingers at Bay Area Toros, 6:35pm
Corpus Christi BeachDawgs at McKinney Blue Thunder, 7:00pm
TEXAS CITY, TEXAS (May 28, 2008) On Wednesday evening, under a balmy and threatening sky, the Bay Area Toros found themselves ahead of the visiting Texarkana Gunslingers with ample amount of cushion. Before a crowd numbering over five hundred, the Texas City professional ball club would pull together their fourth win on the season, keeping them within a game from first place in the Continental Baseball League.
The bats would provide the Toros with plenty of offensive action during the first four innings pushing Bay Area to a 4-0 lead. Texarkana would counter with two runs of their own in the Fifth Inning, not only threatening the Toros but brewing a determination within the home ballclub that would create two additional runs in the closing innings.
Slugger Ben Burum and crafty Brian Schupp would each bat in two runs with Schupp going 2-3 on the night. With ten hits, the Toros would be outgunned by Texarkana with twelve connections. The difference, however, would be the keen play of the Bay Area defense. Despite Gunslinger Catcher Nick Encisco going 3-5 and Right Fielder Anthony Edwards knocking in two runs, the home-team fielders were on target and mechanically proficient.
Starting right-handed Pitcher Alex Fernandez would throw into the Sixth Inning with only one strikeout with seven hits and two runs, but his defensive mates managed to carefully cover for sixteen outs. Fernandez’s counterpart, Ryan Zimmerman, would last through six innings but would feel the brunt of the Toros’ fury, giving up all six runs and nine hits.
One more game remains between these two teams and it is to be played out tomorrow at Robinson Stadium at 6:35 PM. Texarkana will continue to look for the elusive first win while the Bay Area Toros aim to build upon the new tradition of winning. Through the first fifteen games of the 2007 Season, the team had merely managed a somber 1-14 record. Already the club is on pace to shatter last season’s total in the win column.
“It feels good,” GM Mike Pede stated. “Winning is great. Continuing that trend is going to take hard work.”
After Texarkana, the Toros will have their work cut out for them with a faceoff against the number one ranked team in the league, and reigning Champion, McKinney Blue Thunder.
Continuing the winning ways will be on everyone’s mind in the populous of Texas City.
By Chris Price
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications
MCKINNEY, TEXAS (May 25, 2008) The McKinney Blue Thunder defeated the Texarkana Gunslingers 4-3 in the resumption of their suspended game from Friday, May 23. The two-day game went 14 innings which is the longest in Continental Baseball League (CBL) history. It was also the inaugural game in Texarkana franchise history.
In the second game of their opening weekend series, the Blue Thunder downed the Gunslingers 3-1 in a mutually agreed seven-inning game.
The Blue Thunder raised their season record to 2-0 as the Gunslingers drop to 0-2.
They will continue the Memorial Day Weekend series in Texarkana on Sunday and Monday.
(right: photo of Kevin Wells, courtesy of Bay Area Toros)
