Opening weekend starts off with a one hitter from Somerville
May 7, 2008 --
Rain almost cancelled the opening weekend for the Bullett Proof Prospects but good weather prevailed long enough to get their games in as they played .500 ball over the weekend. The Prospects started strong out of the gate as they handed the Ontario Prospects 17u team an 11-0 loss. Riding the left arm of Niagara Fall's Paul Somerville, the Prospects cashed in 12 hits for the win. Somerville only allowed 1 hit through 6 ½ innings while walking 2 and striking out 8. The hits went to Matt Spillman, Josh Butler, Chris Pickles, who each had a single and a double. Graeme Riches had 2 singles while Alex Zegers, Kaiden Bowers, Taylor Anderson , Eric Picard and BJ Pattison each had singles.
Game 2 looked like a different team took the field as the Prospects took it on the chin with a 13-2 loss to the Ontario Tigers. The Prospects allowed 12 unearned runs as their fielding took the wet, rainy night off. Geordan Dennahower took the loss giving up 10 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts over 4 innings. Jordan Bray pitched 2 innings striking out 1 and Dillon Doig finished up the 7th . Taylor Anderson had 3 hits while BJ Pattison and Chris Pickles each had a double.
Game 3 the Prospects were back as they handed the Brockville Bunnies an 8-5 loss. Josh Butler led the way with 3 hits followed by Matt Spillman and Alex Zegers with 2 a piece. B.J. Pattison, Eric Picard and Paul Somerville each had singles. Chris Pickles pitched a complete game giving up 6 hits while striking out 3 and walking 2.
Game 4 the Prospects were leading 8-6 and the bullpen gave up 8 runs in the 6th as the Prospects lost 14-9 to the Ontario Prospects 18u. Jordan Bray went 4 innings giving up 5 runs on 5 hits with 6 strikeouts, and 6 walks. Dillon Doig gave up 5 runs and Brandon Shaw 4 runs. On offence BJ Pattison led the way with 3 hits, followed by Chris Pickles and Matt Spillman with 2 hits. Singles went to Josh Butler, Alex Zegers, Kaiden Bowers Eric Picard and Taylor Anderson.
Jordan Bray gets the Prospects off to a good start
May 13, 2008 --
Bullett Proof Prospects had a very good second weekend going 3-1 as they hosted the Ontario Prospects 18u on Saturday at their home park,Welland Stadium on and Sunday they visited the Ontario Prospects 17u team in Ajax.
Game 1
Bullett Proof won in extra innings game 3-2 as Jordan Bray was the story of the day. Jordan went 8 innings giving up 0 earned runs as he struck out 14 batters while allowing 5 hits and only walking 2 to get the win. The offence was spread through the lineup with BJ Pattison leading the way with 2 hits while Matt Spillman, Josh Butler, Alex Zegers, Kaiden Bowers, Eric Picard and Paul Somerville all collected singles. Chris Pickles also had a single but it was the game winner in the bottom of the 8th .
Game 2
Facing the Ontario Prospects top pitcher , Nick Purdy, Bullett Proof struggled at the plate with only 3 hits, BJ Pattison with 2 and Josh Butler with the other, as they lost 12-2. Chris Pickles pitched 5 innings giving up 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Eric Picard allowed 3 earned runs and 5 hits while Brandon Shaw finished up the game by striking out 2 in a third of an inning.
Game 3
Chris Pickles just missed his first home run of the season and settled for a triple and a single on the day as Bullett Proof beat Ontario Prospects 17u team 5-3 in the first game of a Mothers Day doubleheader. Also collecting hits were Matt Spillman, Alex Zegers, Josh Butler, Graeme Riches and Tony Cirillo. Paul Somerville collected his second win of the season as he again had a complete game giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and 7 walks while striking out 4.
Game 4
Bullett Proof waited until their last at bats to secure this win as they completed their weekend on a winning note beating the Ontario Prospects 17u team 6-5. It looked like Geordan Dennahower would be let down again by the offence as he pitched 7 solid innings, giving up 3 earned runs on 5 hits, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts but Alex Zegers single driving in Matt Spillman in the bottom of the 7th got Geordan the win. Graeme Riches and Eric Picard led of the 7th with back to back singles as Bullett Proof entered the inning down by 2 runs. Matt Spillman unloaded on the ball and ended up tying the game with a triple, Zegers then finished off the comeback as Bullett Proof Prospects ended the day with their third win of the weekend.
Next up is the Brockville Tournament this coming weekend.
Prospects take silver
May 19, 2008 --
Bullett Proof Prospects snag silver!
Traveling to Brockville on the weekend the Prospects played 5 games in 2 days to garner the silver medal at the 8th annual Duff Tournament. The final day was a test for the team as they had to play three back to back games at two different diamonds as they came up short of the gold dropping a 5-1 decision to the Montreal Titans in the final.
Game one
Bray and Zegers start the tournament with a bang!
A hard fought game against the host Brockville team ended with the Prospects on the winning side 2-0. Jordan Bray had a perfect game going until the bottom of the 5th before giving up a hit with two outs, he hit the next batter and Brockville was threatening to score the game’s first run, a fly ball out snuffed that threat for the third out. The scoreless game was broken open in the top of the 6th inning , with Matt Spillman leading off with a single, Alex Zegers stepped up the plate and promptly stroked a 2 run home run to give the Prospects a 2-0 lead that they would not relinquish. Bray’s line for the day was 7 innings, 2 hits, 2 K’s, 1 HBP and O walks. On offence Alex Zegers had a single and a home run while Matt Spillman, Josh Butler, Eric Picard and Paul Somerville all had singles.
Game two
Another close game
Game two was another hard fought game with the winner not determined until the 7th inning as the as the Prospects came out on the short end of 2-1 game against the Montreal Titans. Montreal took a 1-0 lead into the 7th and then went ahead 2-0 in the top of the inning. Taylor Anderson came in a pinch hitter for the Prospects and led off with a double and the scored on a Montreal error which also allowed Alex Zegers to reach first. A fielders choice moved Zegers into scoring position but the potential tying run was snuffed out when Josh Butler’s bullet line drive was snagged by the Titan’s third baseman to end the game. Offence was led by Taylor Anderso’s double, Eric Picard’s 2 singles as well as singles by Matt Spillman, Alex Zegers and Kaiden Bowers. On the hill Chris Pickles went the distance giving up 1 earned run on 5 hits, 2 walks and 5 K’s.
Game three
Do or Die game puts the Prospects into the semi final
Playing their first of three games on Sunday this game was a do or die game with the winners moving to the semi finals, as the Bullett Proof Prospects won 7-5 over the Ontario Prospects 18u squad. The Ontario team took an early lead in the first with a 2 run home run with the Bullett team getting one back in the 2nd from Pickles single, Picard’s sacrifice and Graeme Riches rbi single. The Bullett team put up 3 more in the 3rd to take a lead they would not relinquish. They scored 3 more in the 6th and the Ontario team made it interesting in the 7th scoring 2 but Paul Somerville held on for his 3rd win of the season. He had a complete game line of 3 earned runs on 4 hits, 2 HBP, 3 walks and 6 K’s. On offence Graeme Riches 2 singles and 2 RBI’s led the way with Josh Butler, Kaiden Bowers and Chris Pickles also contributing 2 singles apiece and 1 RBI each. Matt Spillman chipped in with a double and singles to Zegers, Anderson and BJ Pattison rounded out the hits. The win put the Bullett Proof Prospects into the semi final game.
Game four
An 8-7 win puts the Prospects into the final
Moving to another other park the Prospects continued their Sunday winning way as their second game was started 30 minutes after eliminating the Ontario Prospects 18u team their next opponent was the Ontario Prospects 17u squad. Bullett Proof scored 2 in the 1st and then broke the game wide open plating 5 runs in the top of the 6th. Ontario put a scare into the Bullett team plating 5 of their own in the bottom of the 7th on a series of seeing eye singles and a triple, but Bullett Proof held on for the 8-7 win. Multiple rbi games for Nick Stanov and Kaiden Bowers with 2 a piece led the Bullett team. Chris Pickles, Matt Spillman, Alex Zegers and Taylor Anderson also collected rbis. Spillman with 2 doubles, Zegers and Bowers with 1 double each, Stavov and Anderson with 2 singles and and Graeme Riches with singles was all the offence the Bullett team needed. On the hill Brandon Shaw, making his 1st start of the season went 3 innings giving up 1 run on 1 hit, 3 walks and 3 K’s. He gave way to Geordan Dennahower who finished up the final 4 innings giving up 6 runs on 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 K’s. The win put Bullett Proof into the final game against the Montreal Titans.
The Final
Dismal weather and 3 back to back games catch up to the Prospects.
Once again moving parks the Prospects had to start the final game 30 minutes after completing the semi final in what was their third consecutive game of the day. A wet, cold afternoon was a challenge for both teams but Montreal, playing their 2nd game of the day, took the final 5-1. Six hits from the Bullett Proof team was not enough offence to keep the game close enough for a win. Montreal put up 1 in the 1st and 3 in the 3rd before the game was delayed for rain. The teams retook the field but had 3 more rain delays before the completion of the final.
Graeme Riches took the loss going the distance giving up 5 runs on 10 hits, 6 walks and 4 K’s. Kaiden Bowers led the offence with 2 singles, Matt Spillman had a double while Tony Cirillo had the lone Bullett Proof rbi with a single. Josh Butler and Chris Pickles also had singles to round out the game.
Next up or the Bullett Proof Prospects is this coming weekend as they host the Ontario Tigers on Saturday at Welland Stadium, game starts at 10:00am. They then move to Burgar Park on Sunday to play the Ontario Prospects 18u team.
Prospects take 3 out 4 to take the league lead
May 25, 2008 -- Bullett Proof Take 3 out of 4
In the first two games of the weekend the Bullett Proof Prospects swept the Ontario Tigers at Welland Stadium. They had little trouble in game one winning 7-0 with game two being almost a carbon copy as they won 8-4. The wins put Bullett Proof into the league lead with a 10 win and 2 loss record.
Game one
Chris Pickles went the complete game and picked up a shutout win. Pickles, who has pitched extremely well this season but has been unlucky with run support, only allowed 3 hits and one walk. He also stuck out 5 in the shutout win, his second win of the year. Offence was supplied by Matt Spillman’s triple and single, BJ Pattison and Graeme Riches had singles. Bullett Proof took full advantage of the Tiger’s pitching as they took 11 free passes and capitalized with timely hits.
Game two
7 hits for the Prospects turned into 8 runs as they took game two 8-4. Josh Butler led the way with 2 singles and double as well as 2 rbi’s. Chris Pickles had a single and double with the other singles going to BJ Pattison, Matt Spillman and Nick Stanov. On the mound Paul Somerville got his 4th win of the year going 5 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6. Brandon Shaw came in to shut down the Tigers going 2 innings, allowing 1 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and striking out 2.
Game 3
The Prospects were in Welland against the Ontario Prospects 18u for a battle with the 2nd place team, a Bullett Proof sweep would secure top spot for the Wellanders with four games to go in league play, but it was not be as Welland won the 1st but dropped game 2. Bullett Proof maintains the league lead but a doubleheader early in June will likely decide first place overall as both teams play one more doubleheader. In the first game of the Sunday afternoon doubleheader had Ontario out front with a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th when the Bullett Proof bats came to life and they plated 4 runs to gain a lead they would not relinquish, beating Ontario 5-3. Jordan Bray went the distance to get his 4th win of the season. He allowed 2 earned runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batters while striking out 3. Josh Butler led the offence with 2 hits, a single and a double. Newly acquired Welland native Randy Kraneyk helped out with a single as did Kaiden Bowers and Chris Pickles.
Game 3
Bullett Proof had a chance to go undefeated for the weekend but a combination of poor relief pitching and quiet bats is never a good combination as they dropped the final game 8-0 to Ontario Prospects 18u. Geordan Dennahower went four innings and left the game behind 2-0. He allowed 1 earned run on 5 hits, 2 walks while striking out 2. He handed the ball to lefty Graeme Riches but he could not get an out giving up 4 runs on 4 hits before being lifted for Eric Picard. Picard got out of the inning unscathed. He took the mound for the 6th inning and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits. The offence for Bullett was not there in this contest as they only managed 4 hits, 2 to Nick Stanov, while Taylor Anderson stroked a double and Alex Zegers with a single. Next up for Bullett Proof are 4 games next weekend as they start play in the New York Boys of Summer league. Doubleheaders Saturday at the Welland Stadium, 10:00am start and then at Burgar Park on Sunday.
Prospects take 3 out 4
June 8, 2008 -- Bullett Proof goes 3-1 for the weekend
Bullett Proof Prospects won 3 out of 4 games this weekend beating Stratford Nationals Saturday in Welland with scores of 4-3 and then a 10-2 mercy in New York’s Boys of Summer play. They then traveled to Ajax on Sunday for their final CSBL regular season game where they split the day with the Ontario Prospects 18u team with scores of 6-3 and a 4-2 loss to end the weekend.
Game one
Bullett Proof left this one to their final at bat to gain the 4-3 win. The Prospects held a 2-0 lead to the 4th with Stratford getting one back in the 4th, another in the 5th and then took the lead with another run in the 6th. The Prospects had the top of the order up in the bottom of the 7th and they didn’t disappoint. Matt Spillman led off with a single, his second of the game, Josh Butler took a walk an Taylor Anderson got his 2nd single of the day to score one. Alex Zegers, with his 3rd single of the day, drove in the winning run. The rest of the offence was supplied by Nick Stanov with 2 singles and Eric Picard with one. Chris Pickles went 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 8 hits, 2 walks and 5 Ks. Graeme Riches came in to close the game giving up 1 hits and striking out 1.
Game two
This was one was no contest as the Prospects plated 8 runs in the 2nd and 2 more in the 3rd as they mercied the Nationals 10-2.Graeme Riches led the offence with 2 doubles, Josh Butler and Nick Stanov each had a triple and Geordan Dennahower had a double. Singles to Tony Cirillo, Matt Spillman and Kaiden Bowers. Jordan Bray went 5 innings giving up 3 runs on 4 hits, 1 hit batter, 3 walks and 6 Ks
Game three
Down 2-0 going into the 4th inning against the Ontario Prospects 18u the Bullett Proof team plated 4 in the 4th and 2 in the 6th to take the first game of two 6-3. Paul Somerville went 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks while striking out 7. Randy Kraneyk came in to close and walked 1 and struck out 1. The offence was led by Taylor Anderson who went 2 for 3 and scoring 2 runs. BJ Pattison and Kaiden Bowers rounded out the hits.
Game four
Geordan Dennahower went the distance on the mound and deserved a better fate than a 4-2 loss. After giving up 3 runs in the 1st he settled in and went 6 more innings only allowing 5 hits, 2 walks and striking out 7 . Bullett Proof could only manage 5 hits, all singles over the 7 innings and a couple of poor base running mistakes they took a loss to the Ontario Prospects 18u in the 2nd game of Sunday’s doubleheader. Taylor Anderson, Josh Butler, Chris Pickles, BJ Pattison and Nick Stanov provided the offence in this game.
Next up the Bullett Proof team travels to Toronto for a 3 day tournament June 13-15.
Bullett Proof Prospects have clinched the CSBL championship
For the second year in a row the 17u Prospects team, playing in the 19u CSBL league, have won the league championship.
"Thank you to all the players, coaches, parents and volunteers for such an exciting and successful 2008 season! Congratulations to the Bullett Proof baseball club the 2008 League Champions!"
Ciro Fernandez President CSBL
The Prospects put together a 12-5 record for the year, a great .705 winning percentage. A team batting average of .330 and a team pitching era of 3.23 carried Niagara's elite baseball team to the championship. Bullett Proof Prospects are now playing in the Western New York Boys of Summer League where they sit with a 3-1 record so far. The month of July is a busy month for the team as they head to Nashville, TN for a week to compete at the Trevecca University Invitational Tournament, then the Prospects hold their own tournament here in Welland as part of the 150th Anniversary celebration. They then head to Cleveland, Ohio for a week to compete in the CABA World Series. To finish up the month the team heads to Buffalo to compete in the New Era Classic. This is an important month for the team as all the tournaments are highly scouted by U.S. Colleges and the team hopes to repeat last years success by placing all their players with college scholarships.
Prospects take 3 out 4 The Bullett Proof 18u team took 3 out of four this weekend, continuing their season long pattern. The team has now gone 3 for 4 every weekend of the CSBL season in May and now continues the trait into the New York Boys of Summer League for the month of June. They started the weekend at home playing the New Era Gold team out of Buffalo and took game one with a 4-3 win. The game was a hard fought game with the teams trading the lead 3 times before heading into extra innings. The New Era team took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st with the Prospects tying it up in the bottom on Matt Spillman’s triple and Josh Butler’s single. Bullett Proof went ahead in the 3rd with Matt Spillman singling and stealing a base then Josh Butler’s single brought him home. Taylor Anderson also had a single. New Era popped a 2 run home run in the 4th to take the lead. Bullett Proof’s Rick Ferri was hit by a pitch and then came home on Matt Spillman’s double in the bottom of the 7th to tie the game and force extra innings. In the bottom of the 9th Rick Ferri walked, Matt Spillman walked and then Josh Butler’s single to right field scored the winning run. Chris Pickles went the distance throwing 75 pitches and allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. Game two was a nightmare for the Bullett Proof squad as they took it on the chin with a 16-7 loss to split the day with New Era.
Sunday saw the Prospects in Buffalo to play a neutral site game with the Syracuse based Valley Baseball Club. The day was a success for the Canadian squad as they overcame some questionable umpiring to win both ends of a doubleheader. The Prospects took the went ahead 2-1 in the 4th inning on Taylor Anderson’s single and Josh Butler’s walk, Chris Pickles sacrificed them over and Edwin Corona hit a ball to right side scoring a run and then Alex Zegers reached base on a error to bring home the second run. The lead held up until the top of the 7th when Syracuse plated 2 to tie the game and force extra innings. In the bottom of the 8th the Syracuse pitcher ran out of steam and walked home the winning run. Jordan Bray went the distance giving up 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. In the second set of the doubleheader the Prospects again trailed 2-0 before getting one back in the 3rd on Eric Picard’s single Paul Somerville’s and Nick Stanov’s walk . Picard scored on a wild pitch. In the top of the 5th Bullett Proof took the lead as Marshall McDougall reached on an error, Picard and Somerville walked and then Taylor Anderson drove home 2 runs with a single. Syracuse answered back in the bottom of the 6th to tie the game but the Prospects took a lead on Marshall McDougall’s walk and stolen base, he came home on an error by the first baseman’s handling of Tony Cirillo hit to right. Geordan Dennahower went 4 innings giving up 1 earned run on 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. Greame Riches took over in the 5th going 2 and 2/3rd ‘s giving up 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 3. AJ Clark took the ball from Riches to finish the game giving up 1 hit while striking out the last hitter to end the game.
