St.Thomas Evergreen Centennials

[Monday]

Favourites avoid near-upsets


by JASON PETERS, Citizen staff

Sean O’Brien had mixed feelings about his home run.

O’Brien’s hit barely cleared the centre field fence and helped his St. Thomas Evergreen Centennials avoid an upset at the hands of Newfoundland Impact Signs during Monday afternoon play at the Canadian senior men’s fastpitch championship.

O’Brien’s solo shot at Spruce City Stadium came in the first at-bat in the top of the seventh inning and pulled the Centennials into a 2-2 tie with Impact Signs. St. Thomas, the defending champions, went on to win the game 4-2.

So why were O’Brien’s emotions pulling him in different directions? He’s a Newfoundlander by birth.

“Unfortunately, it was against my home province of Newfoundland,” O’Brien said. “You hate beating your fellow mates, but we got lucky. It’s a good building block for our team. All the boys are pretty excited now.”

O’Brien connected on a rise ball offered up by Newfoundland pitcher Blair Ezekiel. Later in the top of the seventh, with two out, Chris Jones doubled to centre field and Ezekiel then issued walks to Steve Mullaley and Tyler Lessard. The next batter, Dale Levy, cracked a two-run single to give St. Thomas its first lead of the game. In the bottom of the seventh, Newfoundland couldn’t reply. Leadoff batter Keith Maynard sent a looper into shallow right field, a ball that forced St. Thomas second baseman Lessard to make a great grab. St. Thomas ace pitcher Frank Cox fanned the next two batters — Andrew Evans and Travis Head — to end the game.

Newfoundland, one of the younger teams in this year’s tournament, had taken a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning thanks to a two-run homer by Ezekiel. St. Thomas responded with a run in the top of the fifth.

The Newfoundlanders, who dropped to 0-2 in the event at that point, were naturally disappointed to lose in the last inning.

“Going into the seventh with the lead, you expect to come out with the win, but there is a reason why they are the defending champs,” said Ezekiel, who gave up nine hits and had four strikeouts.

“We’re not too happy about (our record) so far but this team, we’re capable of pulling out some wins. Despite the lopsided score in the first one (a 14-3 loss to Vancouver on Sunday), we looked at (Monday) for a big start and that’s what we got. The two teams we faced are probably the best two teams here, on paper.”

The St. Thomas-Newfoundland game was a rematch of last year’s championship final, won 7-1 by St. Thomas. This year’s Newfoundland team is much different, however, with just five returning players. Jones, the St. Thomas shortstop, said the rematch wasn’t on the minds of the players.

“We just took it that they were going to be a tough team,” Jones said. “We didn’t really think at all about the final last year, it was just a win we wanted to have.

“The Newfies, they’re always good hitters. It doesn’t matter who they have, they always swing the bats well.”

Later Monday, Newfoundland faced the Charlottetown Razzy’s Roadhouse Fawcetts and lost another heartbreaker, 8-7. St. Thomas, meanwhile, took on the Jarvis Merchants and triumphed 8-0.

[Double A]

Tom Thumb can you call me if you get a chance 1-888-517-8335

[Tuesday game]

St.Thomas 10 - Vancouver 4

[Tommy]

Coley hit a bomb off Smith. Retard 3/4 and Payner smashed a 2b off Underhill and scaled the fence by 3rd to make a good catch.
Storm players playing well out here.

Coach 29

[game 4]

Tough times for Grey Sox

by JASON PETERS, Citizen staff

They were still licking the wounds inflicted during an 8-1 Monday night loss to the Prince George Black Bears. For the Vancouver Grey Sox, a 10-4 drubbing at the hands of the St. Thomas Evergreen Centennials Tuesday morning was the equivalent of salt in the sores.

With the setback, the Grey Sox — stocked with seven members of Team Canada — dropped to 2-2 in the Canadian senior men’s fastpitch championship. The loss to defending champion St. Thomas was particularly tough for the Grey Sox because they grabbed a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning thanks to two-run home runs by Pat Mackintosh and Kevin Schellenberg. Both bombs came off Centennials’ ace, Frank Cox.

But, from that point forward, St. Thomas dominated. The Centennials put one run on the board in the bottom of the third inning (solo home run by Ryan Wolfe) and exploded for five runs in the fourth. A single run in the fifth and three more in the sixth completed the scoring.

Nick Underhill, who relieved starting pitcher Rick Smith in the fourth inning, said fatigue may be one factor in the two consecutive sub-par performances by the Sox. Pressure may be another.

“I don’t know if it’s coming in with such high expectations and we’re not relaxed, we’re pressing,” said the 28-year-old Underhill, who, along with Smith, is a national team chucker. “For myself, I feel I’m pressing a bit. I’m not really relaxed out there, I’m trying to steer the ball a little bit.”

St. Thomas batters rapped out 12 hits against Smith and Underhill, including three home runs. The Centennials moved to 4-0 with the victory.

[Wednesday AM]

St.Thomas 9 - Sask. 0

[dd]

Wolfe hit a bomb....rest of runs all around....OB very solid on the hill....
KL gets a pinch hit single. Edie wins at casino.....DD doesn't.....we face PG tonight between Sandback and Ghostkeeper 9 ding-dongs, Ghostkeeper's boy, Tristan is our batboy.

[rib season]

oh is it?

[dd]

from Prince George Citizen:
When asked why Cox is such a tough pitcher "Because you never know when he'll hit you in the ribs" says shortstop Chris Jones with a grin.

[dd]

Easy AA, Coxy isn't like that

[mmmm mmmmmmmm]

doen't fergit
ribs are good toooooooooooo

[dd]

do UMFC?

[mmm hmmmmm]

IMFC

[from tj]

Centennials undefeated at Canadian Fastpitch

Wednesday August 30, 2006

By Times-Journal Staff
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. -- It appears the St. Thomas Evergreen Centennials love the beer garden.
The defending champions at the Canadian senior men’s fastpitch championship may have spent some time there post game but the Centennials kept the place hoping improving to 4-0 in the tournament.
Three home runs in to the beer gardens brought the Centennials back from an early 4-0 deficit to beat drown the Vancouver Grey Sox 10-4 Tuesday.
Mark Coleman, Ryan Wolfe and Tim Macumber splashes knocking balls out of the park.
Down by four runs Wolfe started the come back with a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning.
Coleman hit a two run homer in a fourth inning that saw the Centennials score five runs. Rob O’Brien delivered a two run double and Tyler Lessard had a run scoring single.
St. Thomas added one in the fifth on an error.
Macumber with his bomb and another Lessard RBI completed the scoring in the sixth.
Lessard went three for four while Rob O’Brien and Chris Jones each had two hits.
Centennials Frank Cox pitched a complete game four hitter with 5 strikeouts and a walk.
Vancouver’s Pat Mackintosh and Kevin Schellenberg hit two run homers for the early lead. Vancouver is now 2-2.
St. Thomas plays Saskatoon and host Prince George today.
According to the tournament website poll St. Thomas (31%) and the Charlottetown Fawcett’s (48%) are the two favourites to win the title.
The two teams meet in the final round robin game Thursday.

[Wednesday]

Cents have minds set on repeat


by TED CLARKE Citizen staff

Rob O’Brien had an early wake-up call Wednesday.

He had a job to do at Spruce City Stadium — putting the bats of the Saskatoon Aspen Interior Black Sox to sleep.

The 32-year-old St. Thomas Evergreen Centennials pitcher made quick work of the Black Sox at the Canadian Senior Men’s Fastpitch Championship as he faced just 18 batters over five innings in a 9-0 pasting. A master of the riseball, O’Brien rose to the occasion and struck out eight batters while allowing just three hits before the mercy rule kicked in.

“We came out ready to play and everyone hit the ball,” said O’Brien. “We knew these guys were a good team and we had come out flat they probably would have done the same thing to us,” said O’Brien, a native of St. John’s, Nfld.

“Craig Crawford called a great game behind the plate and wherever he called it, we hit the spot, and that was the key to the game.”

O’Brien has spent most of his summer days playing ball in Canada, which means he’s had to get used to touching the rubber with both feet during his windup. In the big-money American tournaments, pitchers are required to make contact with just one foot.

“I’m happy with throwing with two feet on the rubber,” he said. “You take a couple miles an hour off when you throw that way, but I’ve been doing it since Day 1 this year. I threw in the world championships that way and I felt great with it. I find I hit spots better when I throw with two feet on the rubber.”

Ryan Wolfe continued to hold a hot bat and welcomed Saskatoon pitcher Sean Whitten to the game with a base hit over Whitten’s head. Retard Lessard followed up with another hard-hit ball to left field, and Steve Mullaley laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Wolfe, the only run the Cents would need. Back-to-back doubles by Mark Coleman and Chris Payne brought in two more runs to add to Whitten’s misery.

The wind gusting in from right field didn’t prevent St. Thomas from scoring, but it did calm the long-ball excitement that has characterized the tournament. More than 50 home runs have been hammered out of Spruce City Stadium and Wolfe added to the total with two out in the second when he launched a rocket over the fence.

A series of singles led to three more St. Thomas runs in the fourth, and Wolfe completed the damage with an RBI single in the fifth.

The Black Sox threatened to extend the game in their half of the fifth, after consecutive hits by Jason Hitchings and Geoff Evely, but Bill Simmons hit right at Chris Jones at third base, who tagged Hitchings and forced out Evely at second to end the game.

“Any time you play a team like that, you have to bring your A-game and any mistakes, they’ll take advantage of it, and that’s what they did,” said Hitchings, the Black Sox centre fielder.

“They hit lots of singles and just made their scoring opportunities count.”

Saskatoon (3-2) went on to beat Newfoundland Impact Signs 7-0. Newfoundland (0-5) will try for its first win this morning (9 a.m.) against the Stony Plain Twiliters. The Alberta team earned its first win of the tournament Wednesday afternoon, a 9-5 decision over Charlottetown Razzy’s Roadhouse Fawcetts, then dumped the Vancouver Grey Sox 6-0. The Fawcetts (2-3) came back with a 2-0 win over the Jarvis (Ont.) Merchants.

The Cents are the defending champions and following their 3-0 win Wednesday over the Prince George Black Bears Wednesday night, sit undefeated at 6-0. St. Thomas will be the top seed heading into Friday’s playoff round. They’ll finish out the round-robin today at 3 p.m. against Charlottetown.

“Our goal is to finish in the top-four so we get two lives (in the double-knockout playoff round),” said Cents manager Bill Horne. “It doesn’t matter to us whether we finish first or fourth, as long as we’re in there.”

The Cents are essentially the same team they were in 2005, with Mullaley, Tim McCumber and Dale Levey added to the mix of 15 returnees. The team spent close to $30,000 on the trip to Prince George, with another $30,000 already gone toward tournament travel.

“We’re probably a $60,000- or $70,000-a-year budget team and you’ve got to have some good sponsors and raise some money to do it,” said Horne. “We’re not up there with the big $150,000-$200,000 American teams. Most of these guys play in the States elsewhere in the summer and then come back and play with us.”

n Cents pitcher Trevor Wardell flew back to his home in Chatsworth, Ont., to attend his father-in-law’s funeral, but is expected to return to Prince George for Friday’s games...Simmons and national team member Keith Macintosh arrived in Prince George Tuesday night and were in the lineup for Saskatoon to face St. Thomas in their first appearances at the national tournament. Mackintosh, one the world’s best hitters, struck out and grounded out in his two at-bats against O’Brien.