By Nick Stevens

BROADWAY - The first night of the RCBL playoffs played out just as expected, nothing is guaranteed. In last night’s matchup between the four-seed Broadway Bruins and five-seed Grottoes Cardinals, the Cardinals emerged victorious, taking game one by a score of 8-5.
 
Josh Pittman took the mound for the Cardinals, giving up three earned runs on eight hits, while striking out seven Bruin hitters. Pittman continued his quietly dominant season in the RCBL, leading his team one game closer to the semi-finals of the RCBL playoffs.
 
He received a welcomed early advantage in the top of the first inning as All-RCBL slugger Keegan Woolford slugged a three-run home run, setting the tone for this game early on.
 
The Bruins slowly mounted a comeback in the third and fourth innings against Pittman. Bryce Strawderman drew a bases loaded walk, followed by an RBI-single by veteran Kevin Rush to bring the Bruins to within one.
 
Matt Meiser would tie the game in the fourth inning, scoring on a passed ball on a Brady Duff strikeout.
 
After significant struggles throughout much of the regular season, Cardinals’ infielder Matt Curry continued his impressive streak at the plate, driving in a three-run double in the top of the sixth, giving the Cardinals a lead they would refuse to surrender for the rest of the evening.
 
Jacob Merica and Logan Grimm added a little insurance in the eighth inning with RBI-base hits, however, Brady Cockerham didn’t need the extra help, striking out the side in the ninth inning to slam the door shut on game one.
 
Grottoes is now just one game away from advancing the semi-finals. They will look to lock up the series tonight, as the series moves to Grottoes for game two (weather permitting). Assuming Cole Holsinger takes the ball for Broadway tonight, expect quite a show in Grottoes as the veteran-lead Bruins attempt to claw their way back to even the series. 

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 Matthew Atkins

Updated July 26 at 4:57 p.m.

The end of the 2018 regular season is shaping up to be just like the beginning. Games that were originally scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday have been pushed back two days due to rain coming through the area this week.
 
Tonight’s schedule features two games around the league. Elkton travels to Bridgewater for an interdivisional matchup with the Reds. The New Market Shockers will play the Montezuma Braves at Montezuma Ruritan Field, although the Shockers will serve as the home team in the contest. 
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Friday will see four games played on the last day of the regular season. Elkton will be on the road again as the Blue Sox take on the Diamondbacks at the Diamond Club in Stuarts Draft. Broadway will close out the season with a matchup against the Braves in Montezuma. New Market and Bridgewater will face each other at Ray Heatwole Field in their last game of the season.
 
The Grottoes Cardinals play host to the Clover Hill Bucks at 7:30 on Friday night in a critical matchup for the Cardinals. Tonight is Grottoes’ last game of the regular season and the Cards are just half a game behind New Market in the East Division.
 
The Cardinals need to win tonight’s game and need the Shockers to lose their next two games in order to win the division. If the two teams are tied in the standings when the season ends, the division champion will be decided by head-to-head performance during the regular season. New Market leads Grottoes three games to one in the regular season series.
 
With the final games of the season being pushed back, the playoff schedule has been changed as well. As of right now, the playoffs will begin on Sunday, July 29. The first round is a best of three series that will be played on consecutive nights.
 
Clover Hill has already clinched the one-seed in the playoffs and the Bucks will take on the Braves in the first round. The rest of the playoff matchups will be determined following the conclusion of the regular season.
 
With two games left in the season, Elkton, Stuarts Draft, Bridgewater and Broadway all have chances to improve their playoff seeding.
 
The 2018 All-RCBL team will be announced this Saturday, July 28 on the Play Ball show on ESPN 106.9 and 1360 WHBG. Karl Magenhofer and Mike Bocock will announce the players at each position who have been named to the All-RCBL team for their performance during the 2018 season.
 
Saturday morning’s show will be broadcast live from the Hall of Fame Sports Grill at 2264 Clover Hill Road in Dayton. 

By Nick Stevens 

ELKTON - Friday night, the Grottoes Cardinals fell one run shy of completing a ninth-inning comeback against the Clover Hill Bucks. On Saturday night, the Cardinals completed the job.
 
On an uncharacteristically cold night in Elkton, the Cardinals defeated the Blue Sox, 8-3, after scoring five runs in the top of the ninth inning. With their win, Grottoes remains just one game behind New Market in the race for the East, with just a few more days remaining in the regular season.
 
The story of the night was St. Bonaventure RHP Josh Pittman. Coming off back-to-back performances against Clover Hill and Bridgewater in which he was hit hard and often, Pittman gave up just four hits and two earned runs across seven innings.
 
His counterpart, potential RCBL Pitcher of the Year Kris Lalk, went 8.2 innings, striking out 10 hitters in the process. Unfortunately, four errors behind him ultimately cost his team the game. Lalk now sits at 87 strikeouts in 52.2 innings.
 
Brady Cockerham relieved Pittman in the eighth inning, putting in another high quality performance. Cockerham struck out four across two innings, refusing to allow a hit or a walk. He has very quietly put up 2-0 record and 1.39 ERA in seven relief outings this summer.
 
As for the offense, Grottoes took a two-run lead into the bottom of the fifth, after an RBI-single by Ray Tricarico and Keegan Woolford’s ninth home run of the season.
 
JJ Loker’s two-run double in the bottom of the seventh gave Elkton a 3-2 lead, until the ninth inning.
 
Dan Scott led the inning with a HBP, followed by a Logan Grimm single, and an error on a Jacob Merica ground ball. With no outs and the bases loaded, the Cardinals went to work.
 
Keegan Woolford drew a bases loaded walk, Dylan Nicely recorded an RBI-single, and Eli Lam drew a walk, giving the Cardinals a 5-3 lead with just one out.
 
Two more runs would come across on a Jacob Zoller single, finalizing the Cardinals’ rally.
 
Tonight, weather pending, New Market and Elkton have big matchups against Western Division foes, Clover Hill and Bridgewater, respectively. Both games will have a big impact on Grottoes and their standing in the Eastern Division.
 
Grottoes has just one game left on their schedule, a must-win against the Clover Hill Bucks at home on Tuesday, July 24th. 

Clover Hill 8, Montezuma 3

The Clover Hill Bucks scored four runs in the first inning to take an early lead on the way to an 8-3 win over Montezuma on Saturday. Clover Hill added one more run in the third, two in the fifth and one in the eighth to complete the victory.

Bucks' starter Tanner Moyers didn't allow any base runners through the first four and a third innings. Moyers finished the night with six innings pitched, allowing just one run on four hits and striking out six batters. 

Clover Hill catcher Cody Warner finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs scored and five RBIs. Warner hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning that scored Blake Sipe. 

The Bucks improve to 20-5 on the season with the win. The Bucks have a 2.5 game lead over the Bridgewater Reds with two games left in the season. Their next matchup comes tonight against New Market at Buck Bowman Park. 

New Market 11, Stuarts Draft 10

The Shockers were the first to get on the board last night on their way to a win over Stuarts Draft. A home run from Josh Tayman brought home Chase Smallwood to give the Shockers an early lead.

New Market put six more runs on the board during the fourth inning, which started with a RBI hit from Nolan Potts and an error made by Staurts Draft that brought home Joseph Rutherford.

Chase Smallwood walked to first bringing home teammate Billy Quinn, making the score 4-0. Ty Michau brought home Smallwood, Potts, and Gavin Rush with an RBI later in the inning.

Josh Tayman hit a sacrifice fly and brought home Michaud as the Shockers finished the fourth inning leading 8-0.

The Diamondbacks answered back by bringing home four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Ryan Cooper started the four runs with a double that brought home Tyler Wilcher and Zach Brown, which made the score 8-2.

The Shockers scored one run in the sixth and two in the seventh to make the score 11-4.

The Diamondbacks answered back in the eighth and ninth, but couldn’t get past the Shockers, making the final score 11-10.

The Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks will play again against the Elkton Blue Sox on July 25 at the Diamond Club. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
​
The New Market Shockers will play again tonight against the Clover Hill Bucks at Buck Bowman Park.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By Nick Stevens

GROTTOES - The Clover Hill Bucks improved their record last night to a league-best 20-5. An early offensive output and an unlikely bullpen hero emerged to secure a 7-6 road win over the Grottoes Cardinals.
 
Tyler Conley scored the first run of the game for the Bucks on a passed ball, right before cleanup hitter Luke Shifflett sent his second home run of the season up and over the outfield fence.
 
The Bucks would add two more in the second, as Kevin Kirk and Alex Knicely would come around and score on an error by Cardinals’ third baseman, Eli Lam.
 
Grottoes made things interesting in the sixth, pulling to within one after a four run explosion against the Clover Hill bullpen.
 
Three straight walks given up by Alex Knicely to load the bases for the Cardinals with no one out. Enter second baseman, Kevin Kirk. Kirk took the mound the first time this season in a less than ideal situation.
 
Keegan Woolford’s bases loaded walk scored the first run of the inning, followed by a two-run single by Dylan Nicely. Woolford would score the final run of the inning on an Eli Lam groundout, putting the Cardinals within striking distance of a big late-season win.
 
Kirk made sure that wasn’t going to happen, giving up just two hits and striking out three over the final three innings.
 
With the win, Clover Hill keeps their two game lead over the Bridgewater Reds for first place in the Western Division. With just a few days remaining in the regular season, the Bucks appear headed for the top seed in this year’s playoffs.
 
Grottoes remains in the tight race for the Eastern Division title, sitting just one game behind New Market. They travel to Elkton tonight for a must-win game against the Blue Sox. As for Clover Hill, the Bucks will travel to Montezuma tonight to take on the Braves and extend their Western Division lead. 

By Matthew Atkins

NEW MARKET - The RCBL’s East Division has a new leader going into the final week of the season. New Market hosted Grottoes on Wednesday night, defeating the Cardinals 6-5 to move into first place in the East.
 
The game was every bit as dramatic as a battle for first place should be, with multi-run innings, late-game comebacks, and an extra-inning walk-off victory by the home team Shockers.
 
New Market took a one-run lead off an RBI single by Ty Michaud in the second inning, but a five-run fifth inning by the Cardinals gave them a big lead going forward. Adam Dofflemyer, Jacob Merica, Keegan Woolford, Dylan Nicely and Eli Lam all came around to score in the fifth as the Cardinals started to pull away.
 
New Market slowly chipped away at the lead by sending Trenton Burgreen across the plate in the sixth and Nick Goode in the seventh.
 
Trailing by two runs going into the bottom of the ninth, the top of the Shockers order came up to the plate. Joseph Rutherford walked with one out before Goode drove him home with an RBI triple. Goode came around to score in the inning to tie it up and send the game to extras.
 
Grottoes wasn’t able to get anything going in the 10th and 11th innings and the top of the Shockers order came back to the plate to lead off the 11th. After the first two batters got out, Goode singled on a full count to keep the Shockers’ hopes alive late in the evening.
 
Pat Wingfield stepped up to the plate with Goode on first, hoping to close out the game for New Market. The former UVA infielder drove a fly ball into right field, where it bounced in and out of Ray Tricarico’s glove and allowed Goode to score, winning the game for New Market.
 
It took him a couple of tries, though. As he was heading home down the third base line, Goode dove too early and ended up a few feet in front of home plate. He got up and made another attempt, this time touching home plate and sending the Shockers home victorious.
 
“[Coach Rush] said 'You gotta get on your horse' and I caught my feet and tried to barrel roll to the plate,” Goode said about his scoring play. “It was terrible but hey, we won, so who cares?”

Goode’s efforts earned him a Gatorade shower from his teammates, which he enjoyed despite the cool weather in New Market last night.
 
“It felt pretty good after a W,” Goode said. “It felt like old times. I played in the Valley League last summer and that’s what we used to do. That’s what it feels like now, we’re getting excited, so it’s awesome.”
 
Goode finished the night 3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI. He also came just a home run short of hitting for the cycle. The centerfielder out of Shenandoah University had some key at bats for the Shockers and he said he felt confident in every one.
 
“I knew we had a great pitcher with Benner on the mound who was going to keep us in the game,” Goode said. “Keeping it at five runs, I knew we could just chip away. Just keep putting in good at bats, that’s all that matters with the team.”
 
With the win over Grottoes and Elkton’s loss at Montezuma last night, New Market sits alone on top of the East Division at 10-14. The Shockers have four more games to finish out the season, only one of which is against an East Division team.
 
New Market’s next matchup comes on Saturday night as the Shockers head to Stuarts Draft to take on the Diamondbacks. That game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Diamond Club. 

By Nick Stevens

GROTTOES- Just when you start to question whether or not the Grottoes Cardinals can make noise in the upcoming RCBL playoffs, they put in a performance like they did last night.
 
In a home matchup against the 15-8 Broadway Bruins, the Cardinals proved victorious, defeating the Bruins 3-2 after scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth to secure the walk-off victory.
 
Bryce Strawderman gave the Bruins an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, scoring on a Kevin Rush fielder’s choice. Brady Duff would make it 2-0 on a John Ackerman ground ball in the top of the third. Unfortunately, that’s all the offense Broadway would muster on the night.
 
Down to their final three outs and down 2-1, here’s how the ninth inning played out for the Cardinals.
 
David Wood was hit by a pitch. Adam Dofflemyer walked. Logan Grimm singled. Bases were now loaded with no outs and the eight-nine hitters in the lineup coming up to bat.
 
Matt Curry (recently joined Grottoes after beginning the season with Clover Hill) has struggled with the strikeout this season. There’s no sugarcoating it. He put all of that behind him and came up with a clutch RBI-single to tie the game.
 
Four pitches later, Michael Wilhite drew a bases loaded walk, sending Grottoes home winners.
 
Cole Holsinger did an admirable job on the mound for Broadway, giving up just two hits and an unearned run across seven innings. He struck out seven in the process.
 
As for Grottoes, it was Wilhite’s performance on the mound that also helped to propel the Cardinals to victory. He struck out five and gave up just one hit over 2.2 relief innings. Wilhite improved to 3-1 on the season in eight games out of the bullpen.
 
Grottoes is back in action tonight, traveling to Montezuma to take on the Braves in another must-win game for the Cardinals. Broadway returns to action on Wednesday night with a home game against Bridgewater. 

By Matthew Atkins

CLOVER HILL - A battle of first place teams took place at Buck Bowman Park as the Clover Hill Bucks defeated the Grottoes Cardinals 7-3 on Saturday night.
 
The races in both divisions are tight as the season winds down, but Saturday’s win helped the Bucks pull away a bit in the West. Clover Hill has a two-game lead over second-place Bridgewater following the victory.
 
The Bucks started the scoring early in the contest against Grottoes, which has not been typical of this year’s Clover Hill team. The Bucks got two runs across in the bottom of the first inning to take a two-run lead before adding another in the third.
 
“We’re making an effort to get started a little quicker,” Clover Hill head coach Chris Cofer said about his team’s performance. “We’ve been a better second half team, so hopefully we can do things a little better in the front half and make things easier on ourselves.”
 
Grottoes made the game tight with one run in the fourth and two more in the eighth to make the score 4-3 in favor of Clover Hill. The Bucks pulled away again though, scoring three runs on a double by Luke Shifflett in the bottom of the eighth.
 
The Cardinals had a chance to keep the game going in the top of the ninth, but they left the bases loaded and Clover Hill took the win.
 
Starting pitcher Corey Armentrout threw 7.1 innings for the Bucks, giving up just two runs on four hits and striking out seven. He did not allow a baserunner through the first three innings.
 
“He looked good,” Cofer said. “He was extremely efficient early. With all the stuff that went on in the seventh inning and with a couple extra pitches, he was still under 100 pitches in the eighth.”
 
Cofer brought in Waring Garber in the eighth to get one out before bringing in Eric Yankey to close out the game. Cofer said Armentrout probably had a little more in the tank, but he liked the matchup with Garber coming in to face Jacob Merica.
 
Yankey tossed 1.1 innings, allowing just two hits and striking out two batters as he picked up his second save of the season.
 
With the Bucks now sitting at 17-4 and two games ahead in the West, Cofer feels confident in their ability to close out the season.
 
“We’re healthy, which, knock on wood, has been a great thing this year,” Cofer said. “Our depth has held up. We’re not having to do anything spectacular. We’re just playing good, solid baseball and hopefully that’ll carry us through.”
 
The Bucks are on the road tonight as they head to New Market for a matchup with the Shockers at 7:30. 

By Matthew Atkins

BRIDGEWATER - The past two postseasons have featured matchups between the Grottoes Cardinals and Bridgewater Reds, so the matchup is starting to have the feel of a rivalry during regular season contests. Bridgewater won a back-and-forth game against Grottoes Friday night, defeating the Cardinals 8-7.
 
Fans from both sides made their presence known as the teams took turns scoring runs throughout the night.  
 
The Reds were in front for most of the contest, but a pair of two-run home runs by Grottoes kept the Cardinals in it. Right fielder Keegan Woolford hit his league-leading eighth home run in the third inning to tie the game at 2-2.
 
Bridgewater responded by scoring two runs in the bottom of the third inning. The first came on an RBI double to right field by Andrew Armstrong that scored Daniel Heatwole. Heatwole came all the way around from first base and scored when the Grottoes cutoff man failed to make the throw home.
 
Armstrong scored in the next at bat on an RBI single by Tyler Bocock to make it 6-4 Reds.
 
Tyler Mahone continued to be an RBI machine for Bridgewater, driving in three runs on the night. He drove in Brian Bocock on an RBI putout in the sixth to increase the lead to 7-4.
 
Grottoes managed to get one run across in the seventh and trailed by two entering the top of the ninth. With two outs and their backs against the wall, the Cardinals rallied as Dylan Nicely hit a two-run double to score Sam James and Jacob Merica.
 
Ray Tricarico struck out swinging to end the inning and the game went into the bottom of the ninth tied at seven runs apiece.
 
The Reds weren’t done yet though. Heatwole knocked in a base hit and found his way to third on a passed ball. With two outs in the inning, center fielder Grey Sherfey drove a ball to Shortstop, where Merica overthrew the first baseman and allowed Heatwole to score the winning run. 
 
The Bridgewater faithful cheered as loud as they had all night, happy to see the Reds pick up another win and not lose momentum in the division race.
 
“I think that’s a big win,” Reds starting pitcher Tyler Bocock said. “It puts the pressure on Clover Hill to keep and hold serve basically. So put the pressure on them and see what happens.”
 
Bocock pitched seven innings, giving up five runs on five hits and striking out seven batters. Tucker Garrison relieved him in the eighth, pitching the final two innings and allowing two runs on two hits while picking up the win.
 
“I feel good. I threw well, just didn’t have my best stuff,” Bocock said. “At the same time, I could’ve made some pitches here or there and been a different result, but it’s all in the swing of the game and we ended up winning so it is what it is.”
 
Armstrong, who was hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, finished the night 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Four other Reds had multi-hit games, including Tyler Bocock, who went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two driven in.
 
Bridgewater will stay at home tonight as the Reds welcome in West Division opponent Montezuma. Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By Matthew Atkins

BROADWAY - Keegan Woolford drew three walks in the Cardinals’ 8-0 win over Broadway on Tuesday night, but he thinks that has more to do with his plate discipline than his home run prowess.
 
“I’m just being patient looking for my pitch,” Woolford said when asked if he thought opposing pitchers were avoiding pithing to him. “I don’t take it personally. If it’s not there, I’m not going to swing in certain counts.”
 
Woolford leads the league in home runs with six on the season, but he’s been working on other aspects of his game besides his power hitting. His ability to draw walks has led him to an on base percentage of .526, which leads the league.
 
“I’ve cut down on strikeouts a little bit,” Woolford said. “I wish I’d done that in school ball. Getting better every day, that’s the key.”
 
Woolford’s OBP jumped 19 points in the win over Broadway. The Shenandoah University sophomore finished the night 1-for-2 with two runs scored as the Cardinals picked up their second straight win.
 
The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth inning when Grottoes put four runs on the board. Woolford scored the first run of the game on an RBI single by Ray Tricarico.
 
Three more runs came across when Logan Grimm hit a triple to right field scoring Eli Lam, Tricarico and Jacob Zoller. Grimm was tagged out at home trying to turn the triple into an inside-the-park home run.
 
The Cardinals put up two more runs in the fifth and then one each in the seventh and eighth to take home the victory.
 
Grottoes starter Spenser Davis picked up the win, tossing five innings and giving up no runs on four hits. Davis struck out three batters in his outing.
 
Woolford wasn’t the only Grottoes player to have a successful night at the plate. Lam finished the night 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. Grimm was 2-for-3 on the night with three RBIs.  
 
The win is the Cardinals’ second consecutive victory over a West Division power after defeating Bridgewater 11-10 on Sunday night. While no team in the East is above .500, the top three teams in the West are all above .700, so two straight wins gives Grottoes some confidence going forward.  
 
“The team’s feeling good,” Woolford said. “We’re putting the pieces together defensively, offensively and pitching. So we’re looking good and looking forward to the last stretch of the season.”
The Cardinals are now 9-10 on the season and in first place in the East Division.

Grottoes’ next matchup comes tonight as the Cardinals take on Elkton at home. The Blue Sox trail the Cardinals by just one game and won the last matchup between the two teams 7-4 on Friday night.
 
“That’s a huge matchup,” Woolford said about tonight’s game. “Every game from here on out is huge for us since the season’s been compressed since the rain. We’re going to try to go out there and win as many as we can.”
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Tonight’s game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Shifflett Field.