Salvi Showdown Series: Game One

Game one of the Salvi Showdown Series...I took some video with Gary Manager Greg Tagert talking about the changes at Boomers Stadium and more importantly his thoughts on Boomers Manager Jamie Bennett...I will post that later...It was strange to hang around during batting practice and know so many faces...Baseball is such a small world and it was good to catch up with players and coaches that I dealt with last year...Gary 3rd Base Coach Dennis Pelfrey had some good country music suggestions for me, which is always awesome...Feel free to send some my way if you have any...

Lineups for today...Schaumburg features an 11-man starting lineup...Only one umpire...I also hear there will be a couple Boomers who suit up for Gary to get at bats...

GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS
(AMERICAN ASSOCIATION)
Chris Carrara - 2B
Kyle Haines - SS
Craig Maddox - C
Rico Washington - 3B
Jordan Comadena - LF
Mike Coles - RF
Mike Rohde - 1B
Mike Massaro - DH
Jason James - CF

SCHEDULED PITCHERS
Mike Perconte - RHP
Chad Rhoades - RHP
T.J. Wohlever - LHP
Will Krout - RHP
Scott Kelley - RHP

SCHAUMBURG BOOMERS (1-0)
Chad Mozingo - DH
Raphael Turner - DH
Gerard Hall - SS
Frank Pfister - 3B
Pat Biserta - DH
Nate Baumann - RF
Brandon Hairston - 1B
Mike Valadez - C
Andrew Cohn - 2B
Jeff Harkensee - LF
Cody McMorris - CF

SCHEDULED PITCHERS
Cameron Roth - LHP (1-3)
Andy Heston - RHP (4)
Jose Rodriguez - LHP (5)
Wally Goodline - RHP (6)
Jason Braun - RHP (7-8)
Matt Collins - RHP (9)

TOP 1st
First pitch came at 1:15...Carrara flew out to right...Haines reached on an infield single to third (Nice barehanded effort from Pfister but ruled safe)...Maddox with a flare single to right...Washington struck out looking...Comadena struck out looking...
0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB
GARY 0, BOOMERS ON THE WAY TO THE PLATE 

NOTE: The teams are switching baseballs between innings...The American Association and Frontier League use different baseballs (Rawlings vs. Wilson)...

BOT 1st
Chad Mozingo struck out swinging...Raphael Turner drew a walk...Gerard Hall doubled off the wall in deep right-center, scoring Turner from first... Hall stole third...Frank Pfister walked...Pat Biserta struck out looking...Nate Baumann struck out swinging...
1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 2 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 0

TOP 2nd
Coles popped out to first...Rohde walked...Massaro struck out looking...James struck out looking...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 0

BOT 2nd
Brandon Hairston led off with an opposite field double into the left-field gap...Mike Valadez with a groundout to short, moving Hairston to third...Greg Tagert brings the infield in for Gary...Andrew Cohn blooped a single into short left...Hairston had to hold...Infield back up the middle and in at the corners...Jeff Harkensee struck out swinging...Cody McMorris struck out swinging...
0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 0

TOP 3rd
Carrara bounced to third...Nick pick on a short hop by Pfister...Haines grounded to second...Maddox walked...Washington lined to third...Diving play by Pfister...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 0

BOT 3rd
Chad Rhoades taking over on the hill...Perconte threw two innings, and allowed one run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts...Rhoades was with the rival of Gary last year, Fargo-Moorhead...Mozingo first up...Mozingo struck out looking...Rhoades is a hard thrower...Turner walks for the second time...Turner moves to second on a wild pitch...Hall fouled out to third...Turner to third on a failed pickoff...Throw sailed to the second base side and into center...Valadez popped out to second...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error, 1 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 0

TOP 4th
Changes for the Boomers...On the hill its time for Andy Heston, a young RHP who was in Windy City last year...Behind the plate is rookie Brad Hawn...Nice line for Roth...3IP, 2H, 2BB, 4K...Heston comes from the side a bit...Comdena fouled out to third...Coles flew out to right-center...McMorris made the catch...Rohde flew out to right...Nice diving play by Biserta...First 1-2-3 inning of the day from either side...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 0

BOT 4th
Another inning for Rhoades...Pfister led off by popping out to third...Now a pitching change...T.J. Wohlever enters...Rhoades with 1.1 IP, BB, K, WP...Pitching change was made by Dennis Pelfrey...Tagert has been wandering back and forth to check on velocity and such...For the record, the Boomers batted out of order in the 3rd...But it was to get another at bat for Valadez before exiting...It's spring training...I won't hold it against them...Biserta could not lay off, striking out swinging...Baumann struck out looking...He was on his way to first...Back-to-back 1-2-3 frames though this one required a pitching change...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 0

TOP 5th
Another new pitcher for the Boomers...LHP Jose Rodriguez, who was the team's top pick at the Frontier League Draft, 4th overall...Rodriguez did pitch some on Friday night, likewise for Roth, today's starter...Heston with an IP...Massaro led off with a triple to deep right Baumann actually had a chance and had the ball pop out of his glove...Shocker...Massaro set a RailCat record for triples last year...James ties the score with an RBI groundout to second...Pfister just robbed Carrara, breaking his bat on a hard grounder to the third baseman who was playing in...Pfister's play today excites me...Haines walked...Ryan Babineau pinch hitting for Craig Maddox...Babineau flew out to right...
1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 1

BOT 5th
Changes for the RailCats...Darryl Evans into left...Babineau behind the plate...Brian Kolb is at second...David Cooper at short...Still Wohlever pitching...Hairston leads off the tie game...Hairston struck out swinging...Brad Hawn with his first at bat of the day...Another lefty for the lone lefty on the RailCats staff...Hawn struck out swinging but was thrown out at first by the catcher...Pelfrey out for another change...On comes Will Krout, who may be a closer candidate for the 'Cats...Boomer Manager Jamie Bennett and Greg Tagert talking in the ramp behind home plate...1.1 IP for Wohlever, 4K...Cohn grounded out to third...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 1

TOP 6th
Changes for the Boomers...Now pitching...RHP Wally Goodline...At first base Jordan Castaldo...At third base Nick Kuroczko, at second base Drew Heithoff...Sean Mahley in left...Washington grounded out to second...First at bat for Darryl Evans AKA Boogey, apparently he can dance...Hillary Smith from the Times told me the story...Evans is from Merrillville, AKA The Region, AKA NW Indiana...Here's the story in the NWI Times about Evans, who by the way popped out to second...Speaking of for the record, Rodriguez allowed a run on a hit with a walk...Coles reaches on an E6...Low throw that Castaldo couldn't pick out...Coles on the move...Would have had the bag stolen by Rohde drew a walk...Massaro strikes out swinging on a 3-2 pitch with the runners moving to end the threat...Line score identical for both teams...1-3-1
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error, 2 LOB
BOOMERS 1, GARY 1

BOT 6th
One change, and it affects both teams really...Boomer Ellis Lowe is taking over at third base for Rico Washington in the Gary order...Harkensee leads off with an infield single up the middle...McMorris flew out to left...Mozingo singled to center...Harkensee hustles to third...Ruled safe...Throw may have beaten him but Mozingo moves up on the play...Second and third...One out...Infield in...Turner struck out swinging on a breaker in the dirt...Hall with a double down the right-field line...Bouncer towards first that shot over Rohde's glove, scoring two runs...Nick Kuroczko rocketed a double to left, scoring Hall...Nate Bryan pinch hit, deflecting off the pitcher's glove to Kolb at second...1-4-3...
3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB
BOOMERS 4, GARY 1

TOP 7th
Enter Jason Braun on the hill...1-2-3 inning as James pops to short, Cooper grounds to short and Kolb grounds to third...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
BOOMERS 4, GARY 1

BOT 7th
Scott Kelley in to pitch...Baumann walked...First at bat for Jordan Castaldo, who flies to center...First at bat for Ty Nelson, who bounces into a fielder's choice...Drew Heithoff with his first AB...Reaches on an error by Lowe at third...Runners at the corners for Sean Mahley, 2nd Round Pick in the Frontier League Draft...His first AB...Off to the races goes Heithoff who steals second easily...Mahley strikes out swinging to end the frame...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error, 2 LOB
BOOMERS 4, GARY 1

TOP 8th
Another inning of work for Braun...Babineau leading off...And draws a walk...Boomer Ellis Lowe, batting for Gary, makes his first plate appearance...Lowe reaches on an error...Babineau to third...Evans with his second at bat...Lowe steals second...Infield in for the first time today...Good time to work on things...Grounder to short...No runs score...Comadena hit by a pitch with the infield still in...Loads the bases...What a catch by Hall in the bullpen, diving to record an out but a run scores on a crazy sacrifice fly...Rohde with a triple to right center scoring two and tying the game...Pitching change...Matt Collins on to pitch...All those runs are unearned...But still a tie game...Massaro walks...James grounds to first to close it...
But Gary ties the game...
3 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error, 2 LOB
BOOMERS 4, GARY 4

BOT 8th 
McMorris leading off...FYI Kolb and Cooper have switched up the middle...McMorris flies out to center...Mozingo to the plate...Fly out to left...Turner struck out looking...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
BOOMERS 4, GARY 4

TOP 9th
I hope you are following along because my box score is a mess!!! Cooper first up for Gary...And walks...Cooper thrown out attempting to steal...Kolb strikes out swinging...Comadena bounces out to third...
0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB
BOOMERS 4, GARY 4

Gotta love the indecision...Is the game over? Is it not? Lol...Finally the RailCats take the field...Yes, an exhibition game can end in a tie...

BOT 9th
Hall grounds out to short...Kuroczko walked...Winning run is on base...Bryan popped out to second...Nice running catch by Cooper to cover a ton of ground...Kuroczko on the move...Baumann crushes an offering deep to right...Off the wall for a triple...Kuroczko scores...Technically game over...But the contest continues and Castaldo with an RBI single into the right-center gap...Trying to get at bats for everyone...One of the big challenges of spring baseball...Castaldo steals second...Nelson grounds out to short...And that ends it...BOOMERS WIN!!!!
BOOMERS 6, GARY 4

Reminder...The teams reprise tomorrow in Gary at 2:00 p.m. I will be broadcasting with the Gary crew from U.S. Steel Yard...And blogging...And doing more stuff...I will post final details on this game in a bit...