By Matthew Atkins

BRIDGEWATER - Following up their 12-run performance on Thursday night, the Bridgewater Reds defeated New Market 11-0 in game two on Friday. The Reds’ 12 hits combined with eight errors by New Market led to a shut-out win to take a two-game lead in the series.
 
“Momentum’s going our way right now,” Reds’ catcher Josh Wright said. “We’ve still got to stay focused one game at a time. We don’t get ahead of ourselves because we need to focus on each and every pitch. We’re looking forward to game three.”
 
Much like Thursday's game, a few key innings proved to be the difference for the Reds.

Bridgewater’s offense started off slow, scoring one run each in the first and third innings. The offense exploded in the fifth for five runs on five hits and four errors. Tyler Bocock, Wright, Brian Bocock, Corbin Lucas and Andrew Armstrong all came around to score in the inning.
 
The Reds scored three more runs in the sixth to make it 10-0. The final run of the game came on a solo shot to straightaway centerfield by Tyler Bocock in the eighth inning.
 
Four Reds had multi-hit games, including Wright, who finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored on the night.
 
“The guy coming in first was a sidearmer, so we just tried to stay with a good approach and go with inside pitches best we could and it seemed to work tonight,” Wright said about his mentality at the plate.
 
Bridgewater starter Tucker Garrison got the win on the mound, pitching six innings while striking out eight batters. Garrison gave up just three hits and one walk on the night.
 
“He got ahead early and that’s the key to success in this league is making sure you can get ahead in the count,” Wright said about his pitcher’s performance. “He got some ground balls and it worked out great for us.”
 
The Reds now have a 2-0 lead in the series heading into game three on Sunday night. Sunday’s contest will be a home game for the Shockers back at Rebel Park. 

By Dwyer Neal

NEW MARKET -  After multiple rain delays and cancellations, the first game of the Bridgewater versus New Market series was completed last night. The Reds took home a 12-5 win to take a 1-0 lead in the semifinals. 

New Market had a strong start by capitalizing on the mistakes that the Reds made in the first two innings. The Shockers got two runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. They added three more in the second to take a 5-0 lead. 

“I think we struggled early, but took a deep breath, settled in and had a good third inning and just kind of kept it going from there,” Tyler Bocock said about the Reds performance on Thursday.

The Reds answered back to those five runs by bringing home 10 runs in the top of the third. Starting with a single to left field from Corbin Lucas that brought home Tyler Bocock, the Reds scored 10 runs on 10 hits to break the game open. 

The Reds kept the Shockers from advancing home the rest of the night while the Bridgewater offense kept the runs coming. Bridgewater scored one more in the  fourth inning and put another run across in the ninth to take the win in game one. 

“There are things we can take away from this game, just like every game we can definitely do better. We walked some guys tonight, it would be nice to go after some guys, give our defense a chance,” Bocock said. “We had a couple innings that were big innings but it’s nice sometimes to chip away, keep scoring throughout the game.” 

New Market and Bridgewater will play again in the second game of the series tonight at Ray Heatwole Field.

By Matthew Atkins

The RCBL end-of-season awards have been finalized for the 2018 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.
 
Putting together a phenomenal two-way season, Bridgewater shortstop/pitcher Tyler Bocock has been named the 2018 MVP. Bocock led or was near the top in almost every offensive category this season, batting .423 with six home runs. His 36 RBIs were the most in the league.

In addition, he earned four wins on the mound while finishing the season with a 2.00 ERA, fourth in the league. Bocock’s performance helped lead the Reds to a 21-7 regular season and a second-place finish in the West Division.
 
In his first year in the league, Elkton’s Kris Lalk has been named Pitcher of the Year. The Colorado native led the RCBL in strikeouts with 87, tying the Pointstreak-Era record set by Nolan Shaffer in 2013.
 
Lalk’s highlight of the season came when he struck out 16 New Market batters on the way to earning a 6-1 victory on July 8. He pitched six games this season in which he struck out 10 or more batters. Lalk finished the season with an ERA of 2.39, good for seventh in the league.
 
Lalk wasn’t the only first-year player to have a good season. Dan Fry of the Broadway Bruins has been named Rookie of the Year for 2018. Fry batted .316 for Broadway this year while hitting four home runs and driving in 26 runs.
 
A product of Allegany College of Maryland, Fry stole eight bases this season, third in the league. One of Fry’s many highlights was a 3-for-5 performance in Broadway’s 15-13 comeback win over Bridgewater on July 2. Fry hit the game-winning double for the Bruins before making a spectacular catch in centerfield to end the game.  
 
Earning his second-straight honor, Clover Hill’s Chris Cofer has been named Coach of the Year. Cofer guided the Bucks back to the pennant and a 23-5 overall record. Over the past two years, Cofer has helped the Bucks improve from their 2016 season.
 
This year, the Bucks had one of the deepest pitching staffs in the RCBL. Clover Hill led the league with a 3.46 ERA and was second behind Broadway with 250 strikeouts on the season. Nick Corbin, Corey Armentrout and Eric Yankey all finished the season with four wins for the Bucks. 

By Matthew Atkins

BRIDGEWATER - ​With a trip to the RCBL semifinals on the line, the Bridgewater Reds lineup produced another big outing on the way to an 11-6 victory over Stuarts Draft. Three key innings powered the Reds to a game three victory on their home field in Bridgewater.
 
Neither starting pitcher made it out of the first inning as Bridgewater’s Alex Stover gave up three runs on two hits and three walks and the Dbacks jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
 
The Reds were ready to answer back, though, as they got to Stuarts Draft’s Stephen Baker in the bottom of the first. Baker exited after two-thirds of an inning, giving up five runs on four hits and one walk.
 
Corbin Lucas hit an RBI single to score Kevin Bocock for the Reds’ first run of the game. It was Lucas’ first of three hits on the night, including a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the third inning.
 
“All series I’ve been hitting the ball hard, just right at people,” Lucas said. “Tonight was another one of those nights where I just tried to be aggressive early, look for fastballs early in the count. In this league I don’t like to get to two strikes because you never know what’s going to happen”
 
Lucas finished the night 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. His home run in the third started another big inning for the Reds as they sent three more runners across the plate to make the score 8-3.
 
Despite the fact that they were facing elimination in each of the last two games, Lucas said the team never thought about the possibility of their season ending early.
 
“I don’t think so,” Lucas said when asked if the Reds were worried about getting knocked out. “That’s not something we’re really taking into consideration because we know we can have a big inning at anytime. Our pitchers are going to keep it close.”
 
The Dbacks didn’t give up the fight, putting up three runs in the top of the eighth, two of them coming from a Stephen Baker home run. It wasn’t enough to make a comeback, however, as Drafts’ season ended in the quarterfinals.
 
For the Reds, their semifinal opponent is still unknown and depends on the outcome of the New Market/Elkton series. If New Market wins the series, the Reds will face the Shockers in the next round. If Elkton wins, Bridgewater will take on Grottoes in the semifinals.
 
Whoever their opponent is, the defending champs are ready.
 
“Mainly we hope to get a lot of rest and get our pitchers back,” Lucas said. “Our pitchers have thrown a lot of pitches in these last three outings and our catchers have really had to sit there for a long time. So whoever they got coming, we’re ready for them and just hope for a great series.”

By Matthew Atkins

STUARTS DRAFT - In a complete turnaround from Monday night’s extra-innings loss, the Bridgewater Reds defeated Stuarts Draft 14-6 on Tuesday to even up the quarterfinal series at 1-1. Four home runs from the powerful Bridgewater lineup propelled the Reds to a dominating victory at the Diamond Club.
 
“Good things happen when you hit the ball hard and that’s kind of what we did, got a few runs early,” Bridgewater pitcher Tyler Bocock said. “I think that helped a little bit and just trying to settle in. We executed tonight and just added on well.”
 
Draft’s Ryan Cooper led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run for the first run of the game. The Dbacks’ lead lasted through the first three innings, but the Reds came to the plate ready to make a statement in the fourth.
 
Josh Wright led off the inning with a solo home run to left field. All-RCBL first baseman Brian Bocock followed suit with a shot of his own to nearly the same spot.
 
Two batters later, Andrew Armstrong hit the third home run of the inning as the Reds started to settle into a groove.
 
“I think we did a good job of adjusting after our first at bat and then coming out hitting balls and producing runs that way,” Bocock said about the Reds’ offense.
 
Bridgewater would go on to score six runs in the fifth inning and five more in the seventh to take a 14-1 lead, but the slaughter rule is not in effect in the postseason.
 
The Dbacks stayed in the fight with a three-run seventh inning and two runs coming in the ninth from Cooper’s second home run of the night, but they were unable to come back and Bridgewater took the game to tie the series.
 
Bocock picked up the win on the mound, tossing six innings and giving up two runs on five hits. The leadoff home run by Cooper might have rattled some pitchers, but Bocock settled in and led the Reds to their first win of the postseason.
 
“He hit it real, real good,” Bocock said about Cooper’s solo shot. “If you just stay attacking hitters overall, in the long run it works out for you, just getting outs, letting our defense do what they need to do.”
 
The Reds will host the Dbacks at Ray Heatwole Field tonight in a decisive game three. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By Matthew Atkins

The RCBL has announced nominees for its four annual awards. Over the next week, coaches will vote for the MVP, Pitcher of the Year, Coach of the year and Rookie of the Year for the 2018 season.
 
Clover Hill leads the way with five overall nominations, including three for Pitcher of the Year. Bridgewater and Broadway each have two nominees, while Stuarts Draft, New Market and Elkton have one nominee each.
 
Brian Bocock and Tyler Bocock of Bridgewater are both nominated for MVP. Brian finished the season batting .407 with five home runs and 29 RBIs. Tyler hit .423 on the year with six home runs and led the league with 36 RBIs. The cousins were the Players of the Week for the final two weeks of the regular season.
 
New Market’s Nick Goode is the third nominee for MVP. Goode led the league in batting average this season, hitting .465 in 21 games. Goode also led the league in on base percentage (.543) and slugging percentage (.767). The Shockers’ outfielder had 10 doubles and two triples on the season along with four home runs.
 
Corey Armentrout, Kevin Chandler and Eric Yankey of Clover Hill are all nominated for Pitcher of the Year. Chandler led the league with a 1.63 ERA over 38.2 innings while Armentrout was tied for the lead in wins with a record of 4-0.
 
Yankey was one of the most dominant relief pitchers this season, picking up two saves for the Bucks while also earning four wins. Yankey’s 0.42 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 21.1 innings earned him a nomination for Pitcher of the Year.
 
Joining the Bucks’ trio is Elkton newcomer Kris Lalk. Lalk finished the season with a record of 1-4 and one save, but was one of the most unhittable pitchers in the league. His 87 strikeouts tied the Pointstreak-era record set by Nolan Shaffer in 2013. Lalk’s ERA of 2.39 was in the top 10 in the league.
 
Chris Cofer of Clover Hill and Justin Getz of Broadway are the nominees for Coach of the Year. Cofer guided the Bucks to their second-straight pennant and improved over last season by finishing the year with a record of 23-5.
 
Getz put together a team of young talent in Broadway that finished the season 18-10. The Bruins vastly improved from last season and nearly matched their total of 21 wins from 2014-2017, as pointed out by the RCBL’s Nick Stevens.
 
One of those young players from the Bruins is Dan Fry, who is nominated for Rookie of the Year. Fry finished the season batting .316 with four home runs and 26 RBIs. Joining him on the list is Stuarts Draft’s Will Hass, who batted .341 with four home runs and 19 RBIs. Hass had a breakout three home run game against Montezuma earlier in the season.
 
Rounding out the nominees for Rookie of the Year is Matt Larson of Clover Hill. Playing 23 games at catcher for the Bucks, Larson batted .329 on the year with 17 RBIs. The rookie backstop also stole six bases for Clover Hill.
 
The nominees have been sent to the coaches for voting and winners will be announced sometime in the coming weeks.
 
2018 RCBL Awards Nominees
 
MVP

• Brian Bocock, Bridgewater
• Tyler Bocock, Bridgewater
• Nick Goode, New Market

Pitcher of the Year

• Kevin Chandler, Clover Hill
• Corey Armentrout, Clover Hill
• Eric Yankey, Clover Hill
• Kris Lalk, Elkton

Coach of the Year

• Chris Cofer, Clover Hill
• Justin Getz, Broadway

Rookie of the year

• Dan Fry, Broadway
• Will Hass, Stuarts Draft
• Matt Larson, Clover Hill

By Matthew Atkins

BRIDGEWATER - All four times that Bridgewater and Stuarts Draft faced off during the regular season, it ended up being a blowout in favor of the Reds. But that didn’t scare Diamondbacks’ pitcher Ryan Cooper going into Monday night’s game one of the quarterfinals.
 
Cooper took the mound at Ray Heatwole Field and threw 123 pitches over 11 innings as the Dbacks took a one-game lead thanks to a 4-3 victory.
 
“I was looking forward to facing Bridgewater when we found out we were going to face them,” Cooper said following the win. “I like a challenge. Any team is a challenge, but Bridgewater, you could view them as the best team in the league.”
 
Monday night’s game was certainly a challenge for both squads as neither team could hold onto a lead the entire night. When the Dbacks scored a run in the second, Brian Bocock answered with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning.
 
When Bridgewater scored two more in the sixth, Stuarts Draft was ready to respond. Calen Owens bunted to advance Zach Brown in the top of the seventh. Two errors on the play by the Reds allowed Brown to score the tying run, knotting the teams up at three runs apiece.
 
Neither team was able to get anything going over the next two innings and the game went into extras with both starting pitchers still on the mound.
 
After going down in order in the 10th, the Dbacks put together a rally in the 11th. Cooper came up to the plate with no outs and Brown on third, driving a fly ball into centerfield. Brown was able to tag up on the play and came across the plate for the go-ahead run.
 
“Going back up the middle and try to hit it to the outfield somewhere,” Cooper said about his mentality during the game-winning at bat. “We had an opportunity the inning before that and wasted it so I’m like, ‘We’ve got to at least get one.’”
 
Cooper still had to get through the Reds in the bottom half of the inning, though.
 
With two runners on and two outs, the All-RCBL utility man intentionally walked Daniel Heatwole to get to Derek Shifflett. Shifflett, who had already struck out three times on the night, went down swinging, ending the game with the bases loaded and sending the Dbacks home victorious.
 
Cooper finished the night giving up three runs and striking out eight batters. The only free pass he issued was Heatwole’s intentional walk. Depsite his performance, Cooper credited his team with helping him get through the game.
 
“I’ve gotta say one thing,” Cooper said, raising his voice as his teammates around him listened while packing up their bags. “On the wet grass, the defense was spectacular tonight. I don’t strike a lot of people out, so I need my defense to be good and they were catching balls at the fence, making great plays on routine balls and tough balls. That was pretty clutch.”
 
The veteran pitcher made sure his catcher received some praise as well. Kurt Latocha hit an RBI single in the top of the seventh to get the inning going for the Dbacks. He was solid behind the plate, too, picking off Josh Wright at first base to end the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
“My catcher was amazing,” Cooper said, motioning for Latocha to join him. “I’ve pitched for a long time. I’ve pitched to some good catchers. Sometimes when you’re gassed at the end of the game, you’ve pitched 11 innings, it’s good to not have to think about what you’re going to throw because he does the thinking for you.”
 
Embracing Latocha in a hug, Cooper was all smiles as the Dbacks celebrated their game one victory. They’ll host Bridgewater tonight at the Diamond Club in game two.
 
“These guys are awesome,” Cooper said about his teammates. “I’m pretty happy.”

By Matthew Atkins

Tyler Bocock and Colin Benner have been named the Bob Wade Player and Pitcher of the Week for the final week of the 2018 RCBL season.
 
In two games for the Bridgewater Reds this week, Bocock was 7-for-8 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. Bocock helped the Reds to an 18-3 victory over the Elkton Blue Sox on Thursday, going 5-for-5 at the plate and driving in 10 runs. He hit both of his home runs in that game.
 
The Reds finished the season with a 12-5 victory over New Market on Saturday night. Bocock finished the night 2-for-3 with one RBI and four runs scored.
 
The Reds take on Stuarts Draft tonight in the first round of the playoffs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Ray Heatwole Field.
 
Benner pitched seven innings for the New Market Shockers on Thursday night at Montezuma. He gave up one earned run and allowed three hits while striking out seven batters.
 
New Market takes on Elkton in the first round of the playoffs tonight at Stonewall Memorial Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By Matthew Atkins

The members of the All-RCBL team have been announced for the 2018 season. Members of the media met earlier this week to vote on the team, which was revealed on Saturday morning’s episode of the Play Ball show on ESPN 106.9 and 1360 WHBG.
 
Bridgewater and Clover Hill lead the way with four players from each team being honored. Bridgewater has four position players on the team while Clover Hill has three pitchers and one position player.
 
This year’s team features four players who were honored last season as well: Tyler Bocock, Drew Easter, Ryan Cooper and Corey Armentrout.
 
A number of statistical leaders were named to this year’s All-RCBL team. Home run leader Keegan Woolford made the team as a designated hitter. Nick Goode was named as an outfielder and currently leads the league with a .470 batting average  with one game left in the season.
 
Regular season strikeout leader Kris Lalk and ERA leader Kevin Chandler were each named to the team as pitchers. Lalk tied the Pointstreak-era record of 87 strikeouts in a season for the Elkton Blue Sox this year.
 
Rookie Dan Fry was named to the team in his first season in the RCBL. Fry finished the season batting .316 with four home runs and 26 RBIs. Joining him is veteran Kevin Rush, who batted .292 with 14 RBIs in what is likely his final season.  

Stuarts Draft veteran Ryan Cooper was named as a utility player after batting .416 with one home run and 16 RBIs for the Dbacks this season. Cooper’s main position is first base, but he also saw time at every infield position and outfield this season.

EMU product Kyle Mathews made the team as an outfielder, batting .378 with six home runs and 20 RBIs on the season. Mathews leads the Montezuma Braves in nearly every offensive category this season.

Below is the full list of players named to the 2018 All-RCBL team.
 
Catcher: Tyler Mahone, Bridgewater
First Baseman: Brian Bocock, Bridgewater
Second Baseman: Josh Wright, Bridgewater
Shortstop: Tyler Bocock, Bridgewater
Third Baseman: Kevin Rush, Broadway
Outfielder: Kyle Mathews, Montezuma
Outfielder: Nick Goode, New Market
Outfielder: Dan Fry, Broadway
Outfielder: Drew Easter, Clover Hill
Utility: Ryan Cooper, Stuarts Draft
Designated Hitter: Keegan Woolford, Grottoes
Pitcher: Corey Armentrout, Clover Hill
Pitcher: Kevin Chandler, Clover Hill
Pitcher: Kris Lalk, Elkton
Pitcher: Eric Yankey, Clover Hill

By Dwyer Neal

BRIDGEWATER - The Bridgewater Reds went up against the Elkton Blue Sox on Thursday, taking a big 18-3 win at home. The Reds are now 20-7 on the season and have clinched the three-seed in the playoffs.

“We are getting ready. We’re making that next step for what we've got to be prepared for to get into the playoffs and go with the play off. Play as a team,” Coach Robert Sherfey said about how his team performed last night. 

The Reds started the game off early with three runs in the bottom of the first. Tyler Bocock hit a two-run home run scoring Kevin Bocock to give the Reds the first runs of the game. A home run from Josh Wright finished out the runs for the Reds in the bottom of the first, making the score 3-0. 

An RBI from Tyler Bocock brought home Grey Sherfey which was the the only run the Reds could bring home in the second inning. 

The Blue Sox answered back by bringing home three runs in the top of the third inning. A double from Cameron Stanley brought home Chris Smith and Luke Easter. Christian Rodriguez drove in Stanley on a groundout to make the score 4-3. 

Bridgewater got their rhythm in the third inning and answered back to the three runs they let in by bringing home seven runs. Tyler Bocock hit his second home run of the night as the Reds took an 11-3 lead. 

The Reds shutout the Blue Sox the rest of the game, limiting them to just three runs. 

The Reds scored two more runs in the fourth and five in the sixth as they rolled to a slaughter-rule victory. 

“It is up to them. We've got to defend. Everyone is coming after us. We know what we've got to do, so we just got to get that mindset and believe in ourselves,” Coach Sherfey said about heading into the playoffs on Sunday. 

The Reds will play again against the New Market Shockers tonight at Ray Heatwole Field. First Pitch is scheduled for7:30. 

The Blue Sox will go up against the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks tonight at the Diamond Club. First Pitch is scheduled for 7:30.