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 Nick Stevens

MONTEZUMA - The New Market Shockers had one goal Thursday night in Montezuma, win the game and clinch the #2 seed in this year’s RCBL playoffs. Unfortunately for New Market and their fans, the Montezuma Braves decided to play the role of spoiler, defeating the Shockers 3-0.
 
Colin Benner took the mound for New Market, tossing seven innings of three-hit ball. He gave up just one earned run and two walks while striking out seven, completing a quality start and an impressive performance on the mound.
 
Unfortunately, his offense mustered just six hits, spread out over nine innings against the Montezuma duo of Brendon Salladay (7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K) and Brandon Lambert (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K).
 
The Braves broke a scoreless game in the third inning with Zach Roberts drawing a bases loaded walk, followed by a sacrifice fly by Montezuma cleanup hitter, Kyle Mathews.
 
Mathews would later drive in his second RBI of the game and 20th of the season on a single in the sixth inning, scoring Roberts and giving the Braves a 3-0 lead.
 
With the loss, New Market now finds themselves tied with Grottoes for first place in the Eastern Division with just one more night left in the RCBL regular season (those words hurt to type).
 
*Insert dramatic music here* It all comes down to this, maybe. Every single team is in action tonight with New Market taking on the Bridgewater Reds at Ray Heatwole Field, while Grottoes battles the Clover Hill Bucks at home.
 
If either New Market or Grottoes wins and the other team loses, the winner will lock up the Eastern Division and the #2 seed. If both teams win or lose, the East Division title comes down to head-to-head matchups during the regular season, where New Market has a 3-1 advantage.
 
Grab your lawn chairs and find a ballfield. The 2018 RCBL regular season is going away quietly. 

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. 
​
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 Matthew Atkins

BRIDGEWATER - The Bridgewater Reds went down early, but were able to mount a comeback as they defeated the Montezuma Braves 11-6 on Sunday night.
 
The dark clouds over Ray Heatwole Field gave the game an ominous feeling as the Reds found themselves in a hole early on. The Braves jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the first three innings before Bridgewater started to get into a groove.
 
“We just kept battling,” Reds head coach Robert Sherfey said. “You have slow starts sometimes. We hit the ball hard, just hit it right at them. You’ve just got to keep battling, keep your heads up, keep passing it on and hope that things will turn out, and they did.”
 
The Reds scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but still weren’t able to get ahead as the Braves added two more runs in the top of the sixth.  
 
Even after the Reds had gotten their offense going, they couldn’t find a way to stop the Montezuma bats. Enter Tyler Bocock. Coming onto the mound in the sixth to relieve John Page, Bocock got himself out of a jam as Montezuma left the bases loaded in the inning.
 
“Just come in and throw strikes, make them hit the ball,” Bocock said about his mentality coming into the game with runners on. “Just wanted to keep it close because I know if we keep it close long enough, our offense will strike like it did and we’ll end up winning the ballgame.”
 
The Braves would leave two men on in each of the next two innings and one in the ninth as Bocock finished out the game for the Reds. Bocock pitched 3.2 innings, giving up just one run on six hits.
 
Soon after he came into the game, the Reds had a six-run sixth inning to take their first lead of the night and give Bocock more confidence on the mound.
 
“Once you get runs and we’re ahead, you just go out there and pound the zone and let the defense do what they do,” Bocock said. “It puts the momentum back in our favor and I think we did a good job of that tonight.”
 
The defense that Bocock spoke of did their job well as they were able to get their pitcher out of tough situations late in the game. Every time the Braves had an offensive opportunity, Bridgewater would find a way to get out of the inning. The Reds defense caused Montezuma to leave 15 runners stranded in the game.
 
Meanwhile in the Bridgewater lineup, the Reds combined for 12 hits. Four batters had multi-hit performances, including Brian Bocock, who finished the night 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Derek Shifflet went 2-for-4 on the night with two runs and three RBIs.
 
The win moves the Reds to 19-7 on the season, but with just two games left, they’ll have to settle for second place in the West as Clover Hill has clinched the pennant and the West Division title.
​
Provided the weather holds up, the Reds will finish out the season with a game against Elkton on Tuesday and New Market on Wednesday, both at home. As Coach Sherfey says, though, there’s no telling what might happen with the forecast this week.
 
“We’ve kind of got our plans for what we want to do, but we can’t control Mother Nature, so if it happens to be so be it,” Sherfey said about the impending rain this week. “We’ll just go with what it is and play it when it’s there and available.”

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 Matthew Atkins

MONTEZUMA - ​Continuing to show their dominance with a second-straight 10-run victory, the Bridgewater Reds defeated the Montezuma Braves 13-1 at Ruritan Park on Friday night. The Reds tallied up 13 runs on 17 hits to end the Braves’ four-game win streak and improve to 18-7 on the season.
 
As was the case with Thursday night’s win over Elkton, last night’s game was close for the majority of the contest. The Reds scored the first runs of the game in the top of the fourth inning when Andrew Berry and Derek Shifflett came around to score on a single by Kevin Bocock.
 
Neither team would cross the plate again until the top of the seventh when the Reds sent four men across to widen their lead. Bridgewater scored three more runs in the eighth and four more in the ninth to take home the victory.
 
Shifflett, making his fourth start of the season, limited the Montezuma bats early in the game. The Reds’ starter struck out the side twice during his outing and racked up 13 total strikeouts in seven and two-thirds innings. Four batters went down on strikes as they watched a Shifflett pitch sail by them in the zone.  
 
Shifflett gave up just five hits in the game and one run off a solo home run to right field by Braves’ first baseman Ryan Kiser.
 
Brian Bocock continued his hot streak, finishing the night 4-for-6 with three runs scored. Kevin Bocock, Tyler Bocock, Josh Wright and Andrew Berry each had multi-hit games as well.
 
Wright and Corbin Lucas each hit home runs for the Reds. Lucas hit his in the top of the ninth, a no-doubter that flew clear over the left field fence.
 
The win keeps Bridgewater in second place in the West Division, just two games behind the Clover Hill Bucks. Each team has three games left before the season ends next Wednesday.
 
Bridgewater’s next matchup comes tomorrow night as they host the Braves at Ray Heatwole Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By Matthew Atkins

Kyle Matthews and Derek Shifflett have been named the Bob Wade Player and Pitcher of the Week for the seventh week of the 2018 RCBL season.
 
In three games for the Montezuma Braves this week, Matthews batted .643 with two home runs and four RBIs while leading the Braves to two wins.
 
Matthews went 3-for-5 from the plate on July 12 against New Market, coming around to score once and driving in three runs. The Braves’ outfielder hit his first home run of the week as Montezuma defeated New Market 6-4.
 
The Braves picked up another huge win on July 14 against Bridgewater. Matthews finished the night 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a home run as Montezuma won 4-3 over the defending champions.
 
The Braves are currently 5-16 on the season following their two wins this week. The team will take on Grottoes on Tuesday night in an interdivision matchup.
 
Derek Shifflett threw a seven-inning no-hitter on Thursday night as the Bridgewater Reds defeated the Elkton Blue Sox 13-0 at Stonewall Memorial Park.
 
Shifflett struck out 12 batters in the outing as he picked up his second win this season. The former JMU pitcher only allowed one base runner in the game, a walk issued in the first inning.
 
The Reds are currently 15-6 and 1.5 games behind Clover Hill for first place in the Western Division. Bridgewater heads to the Diamond Club tonight for an interdivision game against Stuarts Draft. 

By Nick Stevens

BRIDGEWATER- There are thousands of reasons as to why baseball is the greatest sport on Earth and Saturday night in Bridgewater showcased one of the best reasons.
 
The Montezuma Braves entered last night’s game with a record of 4-16, sitting 12 games out in the Western Division. They held the worst record in the RCBL by three games. Their opponent, the Bridgewater Reds, entered the contest with a 15-5 record, winners of seven of their last nine games. None of that mattered as the Braves walked away from Ray Heatwole Field winners of a 4-3 game.
 
Ryan Kiser (sidelined for nearly the entire season with an injury) led off the scoring with an RBI-single in the top of the first inning, bringing in Kyle Matthews for one of his three runs scored on the night.
 
Corbin Lucas responded with an RBI-single of his own in the bottom of the first. Lucas ended the night with three of the six Bridgewater hits.
 
A solo home run by Kyle Matthews (his sixth of the year) in the third gave Montezuma a lead they would not surrender for the rest of the evening. Bridgewater threatened in the bottom of the ninth, scoring two runs on a Tucker Garrison double. However, the Reds failed to produce any offense against Brandon Lambert, who struck out two hitters, securing his first save of the season.
 
The story of the night was the Montezuma pitching staff. Matching up against a fully stacked Bridgewater lineup, Kyle Johnson (3 IP) and Kyle Eagle (5 IP) combined to strike out six hitters, allowing just six hits and limiting the top of the Bridgewater lineup (K. Bocock, T. Bocock, T. Mahone, B. Bocock) to two hits in 14 at-bats.
 
Bridgewater will look to rebound on Monday when they travel to Stuarts Draft, while Montezuma remains off until Tuesday. They welcome the 9-13 and Eastern Division leading Grottoes Cardinals to town at 7:30 pm. 

By Matthew Atkins

ELKTON - Derek Shifflett put his name in the history books on Thursday night. The Bridgewater pitcher threw a seven-inning no-hitter as the Reds defeated Elkton 13-0 by slaughter rule at Stonewall Memorial Park.
 
“It feels great,” Shifflett said about his performance. “When your team gets on top in the first two innings and gives you four, five, or whatever we had, it’s a little bit more relaxing.”

The Reds gave Shifflett plenty of run support, scoring five runs over the first two innings. Bridgewater added five more runs in the fourth, allowing Shifflett to really settle in on the mound.
 
“I just get a little more relaxed,” Shifflett said about finding his groove later in the game. “Like I said, when we have hitters like we have, you don’t really stress that much. When they get on top like that, you know you have plenty of padding, so you’re just out there competing and throwing.”
 
The former JMU pitcher struck out seven batters over the final three innings of the game, and 12 total on the night. He struck out the side in the fifth and sixth innings.
 
Shifflett allowed one walk on the night, allowing JJ Loker to reach in the bottom of the first inning. From that point on, Shifflett was locked in and no Elkton batter reached base the rest of the game.
 
Shifflett said that some of his teammates told him during the game that he had a no-hitter going, which made issuing the one walk just a bit more upsetting.
 
“A couple of the guys had said something,” Shifflett said. “I get a little competitive so when the one walk happened I was a little frustrated, but yeah I knew it was somewhere in there. When the teammates come up and say something it feels pretty good.”
 
Shifflett is now 2-0 on the season and leads the Reds in strikeouts with 27. He lowered his ERA from 5.71 to 4.07 with his performance on Thursday.  
 
The Reds had just as good a performance on the offensive side as well. Bridgewater put up 13 runs on 12 hits against the Blue Sox. Andrew Armstrong finished the night 3-for-3 with a run scored and two driven in.
 
Brian Bocock also had three hits on the night and came around to score once.
 
Tyler Mahone, Josh Wright and Corbin Lucas each came across the plate multiple times in the victory, with Mahone and Lucas scoring three times.
 
The Reds improve to 14-5 with the victory and trail Clover Hill by just one game in the Western Division standings. The Reds next game comes tonight as they host Grottoes at Ray Heatwole Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
Montezuma 6, New Market 4
 
Home runs by Kyle Matthews and Brett Jones led the Braves to a 6-4 victory over the Shockers at Rebel Field on Thursday. Matthews finished the night 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three more driven in as the Braves picked up their first victory since June 28
 
Head coach Ronnie Brunk had high praise for the entire team following the win.
 
“We had some good hitting as well, the home runs, finally hitting the ball hard at the plate,” Brunk said about his team’s offensive performance. “Having Ryan Kiser back tonight was big. I think he had three hits tonight. Kyle Matthews has been great. Brett Jones has been hitting the ball well and Brandon Lambert getting on at the top. Zach Roberts is a good hitter.”

Kiser returned to the lineup for the first time this season after getting injured during his college season. The first baseman finished the night 2-for-4 with an RBI.
 
The Braves had some solid pitching to help them out as well. Starter Jordan Yankey threw five innings, giving up three runs on six hits. Yankey struck out four batters in his outing.
 
Reliever Koice Quintinilla came on to the mound for the first time this season and pitched four solid innings. Quintinilla struck out four batters while allowing just one run on four hits to pick up the save.
 
“Yankey, I had told him, let’s go try to get me through two or three,” Brunk said. “Koice hadn’t pitched in this league ever. Jordan gutted through it and got people out and then Koice threw really well.”
 
With the win, the Braves improve to 4-16 on the season. Montezuma has a tough road in the West to finish out the season, but Coach Brunk was happy with his team’s performance last night.
 
“The defense was good tonight too,” Brunk said. “Everybody did their job tonight.” 
 
Montezuma's next matchup comes Saturday night as the Braves head to Bridgewater to face the Reds at Ray Heatwole Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By Nick Stevens

CLOVER HILL - Clover Hill- Head Coach Chris Cofer’s lineup has been dangerous from top to bottom all season long, however, it appears as if the heart of the order is starting to heat up at once, forming a nightmare lineup for opposing pitchers.
 
After surrendering a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Clover Hill settled into their usual routine, scoring 10 runs on 14 hits en route to 10-2 victory over the Montezuma Braves at Buck Bowman Park.
 
Jordan Showalter was given the start last night, tossing 6.2 innings of two-run baseball, striking out eight hitters in the process. After allowing two runs in the first and allowing baserunner after baserunner to reach over the next two frames, Showalter found his groove and cruised through his final three-plus innings. His unhittable offspeed and breaking pitches were the difference maker in last night’s outing.
 
The Bucks piled on six runs between the fifth and six innings, led by a Blake Sipe  RBI-single, followed by a three-run double in the sixth. Last year’s regular season home run champion is now hitting .278 and has found his swing at the plate.
 
Drew Easter chipped in his second double of the year, while Luke Shifflett added two singles and an RBI. With these three veterans getting hot, Clover Hill will once again be a favorite to take home the RCBL championship.
 
Tanner Moyers upped his batting average to .423 after sending his first home run of the season over the centerfield fence in the second inning. Teammate Waring Garber also hit his first home run, a deep drive over the mini-green monster in left field. Garber received the silent treatment as he returned to the dugout, before being mauled in jubilation by his teammates.
 
Montezuma starting pitcher Kyle Armstrong was dominant through the first five innings, before running out of gas in the sixth. He did all he could to help his cause, going 4-4 at the plate. Unfortunately, the six through nine spots in his offense produced just one hit.
 
All-Star game MVP and home run derby champion Kyle Matthews went 2-4. He’s now hitting .357 this summer.
 
Montezuma returns to action on Thursday night in a road contest against New Market. As for Clover Hill, they will  take the field at the Diamond Club in Stuarts Draft tonight. That game is this week’s RCBL Online Game of the Week, which you can listen to here as Matthew Atkins and myself bring you the call.