By Matthew Atkins

Bridgewater jumped out to an early lead, but the Reds had to keep fighting throughout the night on their way to an 11-9 victory over Broadway. The win puts Bridgewater up 1-0 in the best-of-five series.

Derek Shifflett led off the game with a single in the top of the first and the Reds scored six runs in the frame to take an early lead. Broadway answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first as Matt Meiser and Bryce Strawderman each came around to score.

The Reds had another big inning in the third, bringing three men across the plate to stretch their lead to 9-2.

With a comfortable advantage, the Reds let Shifflett go to work on the mound. He pitched all nine innings, striking out 15 batters in the game. The Bruins battled back late in the game, and threatened with a four-run ninth inning, but the Reds defense came through and Bridgewater escaped with a win on the road.

While Shifflett was his usual dominant self on the mound, he also helped his own cause at the plate. The veteran leader of this year’s Bridgewater squad, Shifflett went 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored in the game.

Tucker Garrison had a good night at the plate as well, going 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Eight of the Reds’ starting nine scored in the game, and seven of them registered a hit as Bridgewater took the first game of the series.

The series goes to Bridgewater tonight, when the Reds host the Bruins for a 7:30 matchup at Ray Heatwole Field.

Clover Hill 16, Elkton 3

The Bucks got revenge for Monday night’s loss against Elkton by storming back with a 16-3 victory at Stonewall Memorial Park last night. Tyler Bocock went 3-for-6 at the plate with four runs and an RBI, helping the Bucks to tie up the series.

Six other Bucks had multi-hit performances, including Kevin Kirk, who went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.

The game was tied 1-1 at the end of the first inning, but Clover Hill scored multiple runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth, and capped off the game with a five-run seventh inning to secure the slaughter-rule victory.

Eric Yankey got the start for Clover Hill, pitching six innings and allowing just three runs on two hits. Yankey struck out 13 batters in his outing.

Jordan Showalter came on the mound to pitch the seventh inning, retiring the Blue Sox in order and striking out two to close out the game.
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The win for the Bucks ties up the series and sends it back to Clover Hill on Thursday night for game three. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By Matthew Atkins

The Elkton Blue Sox barely had enough players to field a team in game one against Clover Hill, but they came firing on all cylinders as they won 10-3 to take a 1-0 series lead. Lee Carneal continued his hot streak with a three-run home run in the top of the first to put the Blue Sox out front. 

Clover Hill came back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, but Elkton wasn't done yet. The Blue Sox sent two more runners across the plate in the top of the second to increase their lead to 5-2. 

After that, they sat back and let starting pitcher Jacob Rich go to work .Rich. fanned 10 batters over seven innings, allowing just two runs on seven hits in the game. He left in the eighth inning and handed the game over to Seth Berry, who closed things out for Elkton. 

Elkton continued to score throughout the night, adding two more runs in the sixth inning. They really stretched their lead in the top of the eighth when Canon Davies hit a monster home run over the left field fence to plate three more runs and make it 10-2. 

The Bucks fought in the bottom of the eighth inning as Alex Knicely scored on an RBI single from Grant Painter, but a groundout in the next at bat would end the inning. 

The win gives the Blue Sox a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series and keeps their momentum going after sweeping New Market in the first round of the playoffs. 

Up Next:

Elkton and Clover Hill are back in action tonight when they play game two at Stonewall Memorial Park in Elkton. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m.

Also in action tonight is game one of the other semifinal series between Bridgewater and Broadway. The Bruins host as the Reds continue their bid for a third-consecutive title. First pitch at Broadway High School is set for 7:30 p.m.

By Matthew Atkins

Members of the media voted last week on the 2019 All-RCBL team, which is made up of 15 of the best players from around the league. Voters chose one player at each infield position, four outfielders, four pitchers, a utility player and a designated hitter to make up the team.

Each RCBL team ended up with at least one representative on the All-RCBL squad. Clover Hill leads the way with four honorees; Ross French, Drew Easter, Nick Corbin and Eric Yankey all earned spots on this year’s team. Easter and Yankey were members of the 2018 All-RCBL team as well. Easter is the only player in the league to earn All-RCBL honors in each of the past three seasons.

Three of the RCBL’s end-of-season award winners made the team: MVP Corbin Lucas, Pitcher of the Year John Judy and Rookie of the Year Luke Paczewski.

A number of statistical leaders are represented on the team as well. Keegan Woolford (.484), Lucas (.425) and David Wood (.422) have the three highest batting averages in the league and each received All-RCBL honors. PJ Hanisak led the league with seven home runs and earned an All-RCBL spot at catcher.

Nick Corbin led the league with a 1.47 ERA while strikeout leader Derek Shifflett earned a spot as a pitcher after fanning 82 batters this season.

Three rookies – Hanisak, Paczewski and Pearce Bucher – earned All-RCBL honors while second-year players Will Hass and John Judy made the team for the first time in their careers.

Joining Judy from the Bruins is outfielder Matt Meiser, who led the league with 21 stolen bases while batting .327 this season.
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Elkton veteran Christian Rodriguez capped off a fantastic season by earning a spot on this year’s team after batting .341 with four home runs and 26 RBIs this year.

Below is a full list of players named to the 2019 All-RCBL team: 

Catcher: PJ Hanisak, Montezuma
First Baseman: David Wood, Grottoes
Second Baseman: Will Hass, Stuarts Draft
Third Baseman: Luke Paczewski, Montezuma
Shortstop: Ross French, Clover Hill
Outfielder: Drew Easter, Clover Hill
Outfielder: Matt Meiser, Broadway
Outfielder: Keegan Woolford, Grottoes
Outfielder: Corbin Lucas, Bridgewater
Utility: Pearce Bucher, New Market
Designated Hitter: Christian Rodriguez, Elkton
Pitcher: John Judy, Broadway
Pitcher: Derek Shifflett, Bridgewater
Pitcher: Nick Corbin, Clover Hill
Pitcher: Eric Yankey, Clover Hill

The RCBL end-of-season awards have been finalized for the 2019 season. Coaches around the league voted for the MVP, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year based on performance during the summer.

Stepping up as a veteran leader on a Bridgewater team that lost most of its core over the offseason, Corbin Lucas earned MVP honors for the 2019 season. Lucas batted .425 with five home runs this summer. His 30 RBIs led the league, while his other offensive marks were near the top.

The Reds’ right fielder posted an on-base-percentage of .475 while slugging .782 over the course of 23 games, leading the Reds to a 12-16 season. Lucas’ five home runs are the most he has ever hit as a member of the Reds.

Just up Route 42 in Broadway, Bruins starter John Judy put together a phenomenal season on his way to becoming Pitcher of the Year. Judy finished the regular season with a record of 4-1, posting a 2.31 ERA and striking out 65 batters.

Judy’s season was highlighted by a rain-shortened no-hitter, in which he struck out nine batters in six innings. He had a season-high 14 strikeouts in a complete game victory against Montezuma on July 20. Judy’s season helped lead the Bruins to a 14-14 season and the fourth seed in the 2019 postseason.

Making a breakthrough in his first year in the RCBL, Montezuma’s Luke Paczewski earned Rookie of the Year honors. Paczewski hit .400 on the season, while driving in 16 runs for the Braves. He added six walks and seven doubles to cap off his standout rookie season.

In his first year at the helm of the New Market Shockers, Nolan Potts led the team to a 15-13 record to earn Coach of the Year honors. Potts served as an assistant in New Market for multiple seasons before being promoted to head coach for the 2019 season.

Potts led the Shockers to their first season above .500 in the Pointstreak Era, which dates back to the 2013 season. He was able to recruit a plethora of new talent while retaining many of the players that have seen success in New Market in previous seasons.

Potts occasionally had to put himself into the lineup as well, hitting .231 on the season in seven games played for the Shockers. 

By Adam Harnish

ELKTON - After a wild victory in Game One, the Elkton Blue Sox knew they had a massive challenge going into Game Two. Could they really pull off the dramatic upset and defeat the vaunted number two seed New Market Shockers for a second time?
 
By the end of the night, they had their answer. Elkton starting pitcher Kris Lalk threw a complete game, racking up twenty strikeouts with only three hits allowed, leading the Blue Sox to their series-clinching 4-1 victory over the Shockers.
 
The game started off as a classic pitcher’s duel, with Lalk and Shockers’ starter Adam Miller each throwing four near-perfect innings. The Shockers briefly took the lead in the top of the fifth on a series of errors from the Blue Sox defense, but Elkton responded in the bottom of the frame by scoring on a passed ball.
 
After a scoreless frame in the top of the sixth by Lalk, the Blue Sox took the lead on a solo shot by Lee Carneal, and Cannon Davies hit an RBI single to stretch the lead to 3-1. Carneal mashed another home run in the seventh, and then all the Blue Sox had to do was sit back and watch Lalk finish the game off.
 
“Personally, I’ve never seen it,” Carneal said with a laugh about Lalk’s pitching performance. “It makes playing behind him really easy. I mean, 20 K’s speaks for itself.”
 
Lalk, for his part, was quick to put the spotlight on his teammates.
 
“It was a team effort,” Lalk explained after the game. “A lot of our guys were able to step up tonight...I’m pretty proud of our guys.”
 
Elkton came into the playoffs as the seventh seed, fueled by a late-season surge to jump out of the 8th spot. Facing a dynamic Shockers lineup, the Blue Sox were able to scrap a win in the extra innings of Game One, then come into Game Two and secure the series victory.
 
“It’s a little bit surprising, to be honest with you,” Carneal admitted. “But we want to ride it as long as we can.”
 
Now, the Blue Sox will turn their attention to the Clover Hill - Grottoes series. Grottoes was able to deliver a walk-off victory against Clover Hill Thursday night to force a Game Three. If the heavily favored Bucks can win Game Three, they will automatically lock in as Elkton’s opponent in the semifinals. If Grottoes can pull off the upset, Elkton will have to wait for the other two series to wrap up to discover their opponent.
 
Stay tuned to the RCBL website to follow the rest of the playoff action, or get out and watch it live! The three other quarterfinals series are back in action tonight in Broadway, Clover Hill and Stuarts Draft. All games have the first pitch scheduled for 7:30 PM.