After taking Memorial Weekend off, Elk Grove Babe Ruth's stretch run returns with vengeance as a successful and exciting 50th season winds its way to a close and, in the penultimate offering of the Saturday Night Game of the Week, fans will watch as the surging Knights square off with the resilient Storm in a National League Corey Vaughn Division match-up that figures to include sharp pitching and big-time offensive fireworks.
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| Lucas (catching) leads the 2011 Knights in average and OBP. |
The Knights, sponsored by Elk Grove Transmissions, are led by returning Babe Ruth coach Garrett White who, in his second year with the league, has supplemented a strong core of players from the first Knights iteration with a talented cast of additions that have the Knights making noise in the second half of the season. Coming into the final two weeks with an 8-8 record, the offense has been led by two-time all-star Mike Lucas, a 15-year-old who has been putting together a fantastic season. Lucas leads the team in batting average and on-base percentage this season to lead an offensive lineup that has averaged over seven runs per game in 2011. Key hits have also come from another returning member of the Knights, Thomas Colton, who injects an excellent speed-and-power combination to the squad, as well as former River Cat Christian Janini, who has shown power and patience out of the lead off spot, most recently with a crushed, opposite-field triple in a big win over the Red Wings.
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| Southpaw Joel Barragan has been sharp on the mound. |
On the mound, two names stand out as true aces for the Knights: crafty southpaw Joel Barragan and supplemental righty Jeremy Caldwell. Barragan, the Knights' opening day starter and a major force on the 13-year-old all-star team that finished third in district last season, has been an absolute horse all season. Leading the team with 30 innings on the season, Barragan has been effective both in a starting role and out of the bullpen, keeping hitters off-balance with a deep arsenal from the left-side. Also performing on the mound has been the right-handed Caldwell, who recently joined the team after a stellar season with Cosumnes Oaks High School's JV team. Despite pitching in only four games, Caldwell has already generated a buzz by flashing electric stuff in his mound work. Most recently, Caldwell left the River Cats coaches raving after a dominant start in which he struck out nine batters across three shutout innings in an eventual 6-4 loss. Beyond that impressive duo, the Knights have also gotten strong innings on the mound from Lucas, Colton, Shurbir Soman, and Nick Pruitt.
"This game will be a big test for us, playing in the second half of a double header," said Coach White. "We'll need everyone with available innings to be prepared to go. It'll come down to whoever makes the least mistakes, [so] we'll find out how mentally tough we are in this big back end game. "
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| Saragoza has been hot at the plate in the second half. |
Taking on the Knights on Saturday will be the Storm, sponsored by Mobile DJ Services, and managed by Andrew Davies. Although the Storm's record stands at 2-14-1, they have demonstrated a knack for scoring runs in bunches and battling up and down the lineup. Leading the way offensively has been speedster Grayson Fox, who has been a force from the top half of the Storm batting order, providing multi-hit games and stolen bases every game, including some impressive lines such as his 2 for 4 day against the River Cats that included a double, a run scored, and two RBIs. 13-year-old infielder and pitcher Miguel Saragoza has also had a great year at the plate, including a barrage of extra-base hits in the second half of the season. Catcher Denis Vajraca and 15-year-old Stan Dettner have also been big time contributors to an offense that averages nearly eight runs per game.
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| Davies was the Storm ace in the first half. |
On the mound, it has been tale of two halves of the season, as the Storm pitching staff has been headed by different hurlers over different parts of the season. In the first half, the unquestioned ace was Anders Davies, a right-handed former Rockhound that has kept opponents off-balance with a deceptive pitching motion and nice fastball with movement. Davies threw 24 innings in the first half of the season alone, including three sharp innings to earn the win in the Storm's first win of the year on May 7th versus the Thunder. Although Davies continues to throw well in the second half, supplemental right-hander Matthew Kuhl has stepped up on the mound to help push his team toward respectability. After a solid JV season at Sheldon High School, Kuhl has drawn the tough starting assignments for the Storm in the second half and produced results, including pitching his team to an upset victory 11-5 over the playoff-contending Raptors with three excellent innings of work. In addition to Davies and Kuhl, Marc Gerdin has also done well as a starter and reliever this year, while Fox and Saragoza have also seen time on the hill during the season.
Singing the National Anthem this week will be the Head Coach of the Storm, Andrew Davies, who will squeeze a performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" in between writing out his lineup card and guiding his team in the seventh Game of the Week.
