Game 8 Preview - Thunder vs. Iron Pigs, 6/14/2011

 

Although a torrent of June rain, flooded diamonds, and a perilous late-season rescheduling have conspired to prevent the match-up from coming to fruition, the eighth and final installment of the Game of the Week series will finally be played on Tuesday, June 14th at a special 6:30pm time as Elk Grove Babe Ruth celebrates its 50th season one last time when the Thunder take on the Iron Pigs at Bartholomew Sports Park.

The Thunder, sponsored by the Law Offices of Norma Samra, come into the game sporting a 6-14-1 record that might suggest a squad that struggled frequently during the season. And, although there have been bumps and blowouts along the way, the Thunder have been a feisty, competitive team that have stayed positive and relished the role of spoiler as the season progressed. 

"I have a great bunch of guys, always cheering each other on all year," said Coach Don Logsdon, a rookie coach with Babe Ruth but experienced baseball man. "We've been an up and down team this year: we had our moments, and we lost lots of close games at the end." 

The Thunder discuss strategy before coming to hit.

Truly, Coach Logsdon's words could not be more accurate, as no team earned the label of "snake-bit" more than the Thunder, who suffered no fewer than three losses in the final inning of games this season including one game in which they lead by one, only to fall on a walk-off two-run home run. Still, despite these potentially disheartening setbacks, the Thunder kept working and showed great improvement in the second half of the season, coming back in a few games themselves while over and over again proving that they were not to be overlooked.

Leading the charge all season for the Thunder have been two players on the opposite ends of the experience spectrum, 15-year-old Alec Coyne and 13-year-old Shane Kaminsky, who have nevertheless proven to be a capable partnership. Coyne, a veteran right-handed pitcher and infield of multiple seasons with EGBR, had to shoulder the burden of being the young team's top draft choice, and he was more than up to the task. Pitching in almost nearly every game of the first half, Coyne kept his team in games including a fantastic start against the Hot Rods, a four inning, five strikeout start against the Beavers, and a hitless two inning save in a victory over the playoff-bound River Bandits. Kaminsky, although a rookie, has taken on a similar load, pitching key innings over and over again for the team. Kaminsky has started many of the Thunder's biggest games including an early season win over the a dangerous Ironbirds' team and a late comeback win over the Redwings en route to a much-deserved spot on the all-star team.

Kaminsky (left) and Coyne helped carry the Thunder early on.

In the second half, the Thunder were helped by the arrivals of two players from Sheldon High's JV team, Peter Sprague and J.D. Davidson. Sprague, who started his Babe Ruth season with 10 scoreless, hitless innings pitched, and Davidson helped turn the Thunder from a team that struggled to keep up offensively and close out wins to a squad that was a legitimate threat, pitching their team to a win over the playoff-bound Volcanoes in their first appearances and never looking back.

"Our team had even more fun after we picked [them] up. Both guys helped out a lot, keeping us in the game with their good pitching," noted Coach Logsdon. "It was kind of tough until they got there, but both of them were a big help for us."

Beyond that strong quarter, the Thunder were known for frequently changing up their batting order and defensive rotations to give all of their players opportunities and experience, and nearly every member of their team saw action on the mound over the course of the year.

Freitas anchored a potent Iron Pigs offense all year.

Taking on the Thunder are the Iron Pigs, sponsored by Lyon Real Estate, and coached by another new face in the EGBR coaching ranks, Terry O'Neil. Despite being new to the league, the Iron Pigs were in playoff contention until the final weekend on the strength of an offense that has scored 203 runs, second in all of Elk Grove Babe Ruth, this season. As part of their devastating attack, the Iron Pigs have scored 30 runs once, 20+ runs three times, and averaged nearly 10 runs per game.

Providing the offensive fireworks has been a devastating lineup of skilled, experienced sluggers that have provided hits in bunches for the Iron Pigs. 15-year-olds David Hollen, Kyle Freitas, and Forrest Northart have all been major factors for the team, with Hollen and Freitas slugging home runs during the course of the year. 14-year-olds Michael Irish, Ryan Pressey, and Yoseph Tadesse have all been strong as well, with Pressey representing the team in the Len Willeford Homerun Derby and demonstrating a penchant for the extra-base hit himself. And, not to be out-done, the thirteen-year-olds have also made pitching strenuous for their opponents, as Jaystid Davis, Trevor Reinwald, and Parker O'Neil have also been strong contributors.

Hollen was the Pigs' ace in his 3rd year with EGBR.

On the mound, the Iron Pigs have not shown the same consistent success, but have nevertheless featured an impressive cast of arms. Filling the role of ace all season long has been Hollen, an experienced right-hander who uses a unique delivery and arm slot to keep batters, particularly those batting right-handed, off-balance. Hollen was on the mound for nearly every big game early on, and his work on the hill left opposing coaches shaking their heads.

"He was unbelievable all game," said Coach Larry Stone of the Ironbirds after his team fell 20-2  to the Iron Pigs behind Hollen on opening weekend. "I felt like [Hollen] was hittable, yet we never really squared the ball."

In addition to Hollen's impressive work, the Iron Pigs also got valuable innings from the youngster Davis, imposing righty Irish, and, in the second half of the season, two-time all-star southpaw Northart who proved capable, as he has throughout his previous two years in EGBR, of shutting down an opponent anytime and anywhere.

Although, due to conflicts, the final Game of the Week will likely feature less fan fare and out-dated music, that should not take away from the excellent seasons by both teams in what should be considered another successful, competitive, and memorable season of Elk Grove Babe Ruth.