Slugfest between Pilots and Tide suspended in ninth inning

Originally posted on jerseypilots.com and acbl-online.com

Sunday’s game between the Jersey Pilots and the Staten Island Tide was suspended in the middle of an at-bat in the ninth inning with the game tied at 14. 

The game was also under protest by Staten Island due to a disputed run scored in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, one out, and the score 14-10 in favor of Staten Island, Pilot first basemen David Young hit a ball to center field. Tide centerfielder Connor Powers made the catch, but ball was hit deep enough for the runner on third base to score easily. However, the runner on second base broke early. Powers threw the ball into the infield, the Tide stepped on second base, and the umpire called the runner out. The umpires said the runner that scored counted, but the Tide disagreed and put in a formal protest.

The scoring started right from the start. Charles Misiano led off the game with a double. He then stole third and scored on single. The Pilots then countered with two runs of their own in the second and three runs of their own in third. 

The Pilots four run lead was short lived. In the third, the Tide led off with back-to-back singles. Anthony Godino then hit a three run home run to cut the lead to one run.

A Justin Cassinelli sacrifice fly and a Zachary Leone RBI single gave the Tide the lead in the top of the fifth. Jersey retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning. John Scarr and Drew DeAngelis both hit singles that knocked in two runs. Through five, the score was 9-6 in favor of the Pilots.

The Tide reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth. Staten Island batted around and plated six runners in the inning. The Tide added two more runs in the seventh to take a 14-9 lead.

After the controversial seventh inning, the Pilots tied the game in the eighth. Scarr knocked in one run with a double and Brian Dudeck knocked in two with a double of his own.

There were two outs and a runner on base in the top of ninth when the game was stopped due to lightning. After a few more streaks of lightning were seen, the managers agreed to suspend the game to a later date.

At this time, a date to continue the game has not been selected.

Staten Island and Jersey will play tomorrow in Staten Island with a 5:00 start time. The Pilots return to Snyder Avenue Park on Wednesday to play a doubleheader against the North Jersey Eagles. For updates on the Pilots, visit jerseypilots.com and @ACBL_Pilots.

Quakertown win both games of doubleheader against Jersey

Originally posted on jerseypilots.com and acbl-online.com

The Quakertown Blazers defeated the Jersey Pilots 5-3 and 8-0 at Snyder Avenue Park on Friday.

Both of the Blazers’ starting pitchers threw complete games. Pablo Matos gave up only two earned runs on seven hits in game one. In game two, Trey Bickel gave up no runs on six hits. 

The Blazers got on the scoreboard early in game one. In the top of the first, James Bleming hit a sacrifice fly that scored a run. Then, in the second, Jordan Draude scored on a Greg McDonough single.

Quakertown added two more runs in the fourth. Draude and McDonough scored on a Calvin Baker fielder’s choice and Michael Young single, respectively.

Jersey cut the lead to one run over the next two innings. Greg Kocinski scored on a Brian Dudeck sacrifice fly in the fourth and Tommy Trotter knocked in two runs on a single in the fifth.

However, the Pilots could not tie the game. Quakertown added an insurance run in the sixth to make the score 5-3.

The Blazers got off to a quick start in game two as well. Two runs scored on a Michael Rothmund double in the first. 

Quakertown blew the game open in the fourth. First, Calvin Baker knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly. Three more runs were later knocked on a Bleming double and Rothmund single.

Draude knocked in two more runs in the fifth and seventh on a groundball and sacrifice fly, respectively.

For the Pilots, Trotter had three hits over both games and John Scarr had two hits in game two.

The Jersey Pilots next game is on Sunday against the Staten Island Tide. The game is at Snyder Avenue Park and will start at 6:30. For updates on the Pilots, check jerseypilots.com and @ACBL_Pilots.

Railers shutout Pilots in both games of Sunday’s doubleheader​

Originally posted on jerseypilots.com and acbl-online.com

The pitchers of the Allentown Railers held the Jersey Pilots to only four hits over two games at Snyder Avenue Park as the Railers won 2-0 and 5-0.

In the second inning of game one, the Railers almost broke the tie. Pat Donnelly led off the inning with a double. The next hitter, Cal Jadacki also hit a double, presumably scoring Donnelly. However, Donnelly missed third base. The Pilots appealed and the run was taken off the board. Jadacki was left stranded.

The Railers scored game one’s only two runs in the third inning. With two outs in the inning, Casey Clauss hit a single. Allentown centerfield Brandon Soat then hit a home run to put the Railers up 2-0.

Mike Kammerer went 6.1 innings for the Railers in the win. Jersey starter Tim Pilrun went all seven innings and had six strikeouts.

In game two, the Railers got out to an early lead. Donnelly knocked in Soat with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first.

The Railers almost added another run in the third. With Andrew Coffey on first, Clauss laid down a bunt. The ball was fielded cleanly, but the throw got into the outfield. Drew DeAneglis, backing up first base, got the ball and threw it home. Pilot starting pitcher Tomy Giunta ran from down the third baseline to home, caught the ball, turned around, and tagged out a diving Coffey. 

Drew Hercik hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to score one run and Donnelly followed that up with a two-RBI double. 

In the top of the seventh, Allentown added a fifth run. Soat hit a solo homer, his second of the day and sixth of the season. 

The Jersey Pilots dropped to 9-18 on the season with the losses. The Allentown Railers improved to an ACBL best 25-3 and extended their win streak to 11 games.

The Pilots return to action on Monday against the Staten Island Tide in Staten Island. The next home game for Jersey is on Wednesday against the Trenton Generals. The Pilots and Generals will be playing a doubleheader with the first game set for 4:30. For more information on the Pilots, visit jerseypilots.com and @ACBL Pilots on twitter.

New Rules for Home Run Derby Prove to Be Successful

Todd Frazier
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That was an exciting, and important, Home Run Derby last night.

MLB implemented new rules to improve the Derby and the event was need of some excitement after last year's struggles with weather and home runs.

There were potential hiccups last night, including worries about rain and the new format, but they did not come to fruition. 

The new format is fantastic, and here to stay.

Skepticism about the new rules proved to be erroneous. The bracket is a great edition to the event as it adds more drama to the early rounds. There were multiple times that a participant hit a home run or just missed clearing the fence at the buzzer.

MLB also succeeded with the four minute clock. Originally five minutes, the clock was shorten to four due to weather concerns. And four minutes seemed to be a perfect fit. It gives the hitter enough time to get warmed up and not too much time that they are wiped out by the last round.

That does not mean that the format is perfect. The second hitter in the bracket won every round except one (4 seed Joc Pederson over 1 seed Albert Pujols in the semifinals). While that may be an anomaly, MLB should try to think of a way to give the first hitter some type of advantage. 

Joc Pederson
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Also, the 30 second bonus needs to be readjusted. It was not hard to get the bonus round. If they want to include it, maybe just have it be a guaranteed bonus round where they have a 45 second break after the first four minutes and before the bonus round.

The success of the Derby should also be attributed to the players. Each of the eight players did a great job and was exciting. Anthony Rizzo hit eight home runs in one round, the least of the day. Last year, only two players hit over eight home runs in one round (Jose Bautista and Yoenis Cespedes). The players hit homers like they were supposed to do and that is a key to the Derby's success.

The success can be shown in the TV ratings. The ESPN broadcast got a 4.9 rating, better than last year, and about the same as 2010-2013. There was also a 57% increase on viewership on WatchESPN. 

The MLB hit a home run with the new rules for the Home Run Derby. Unlike other skills competition changes that fell flat and were flops (ex: the 2014 NBA Slam Dunk Contest), the Derby's new rules are improvements on the original product and should be long lasting. 

Pilots spilt doubleheader with the Tide

Originally posted on jerseypilots.com and acbl-online.com

The Jersey Pilots and Staten Island Tide split a doubleheader at Snyder Avenue Park on Friday night. The Tide won the first game 16-2 and the Pilots won the second game 10-9.

The Pilots got out to an early lead in game one. With the bases loaded, Brian Dudeck hit a groundball to Justin Cassinelli at first base. Cassinelli got the out at first, allowing David Young to score from third.

The Tide got on the scoreboard in the third inning. Charles Misiano and Justin Cassinelli both knocked in a run on singles. Zachary Leone also hit a double scored two runs.

Staten Island blew the game open in the fourth, scoring eight runs in the inning. Sean Mazzio hit an RBI single; Gabe Hernandez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded; Justin Cassinelli, Leone, and Anthony Godino were all walked with the bases loaded; Connor Powers hit a two RBI single; and Matt Cassinelli hit a sacrifice fly. 

Two more runs were added by the Tide in the both the fifth and sixth inning to give the Tide 16 runs for the game. Hernandez hit an RBI double and John Russo hit an RBI single in the fifth. In the sixth, two runs scored on a Hernandez double.

The Pilots scored one run in the fifth when John Scarr singled home Young. 

Of the 11 Tide players that had a plate appearance in the game, only one hitter did not reach base. Misiano had four hits and Hernandez had three hits. Staten Island pitcher Rosario DiLorenzo pitched all seven innings in the win.

In game two, the Pilots again got off to an early lead. Greg Kocinski started the scoring when he doubled home two base runners. Kocinski would later score in the inning on a Drew DeAngelis single.

The Pilots scored another three runs in the second inning. David Young, Tommy Trotter, and Greg Kocinski all hit singles to load the bases. Stephen Petriello was then hit by a pitch to bring in a run. The next batter was John Scarr. Scarr hit a single that scored Trotter and Kocinski.

The Tide scored one run on a Misiano single in the third inning. Staten Island scored two more runs in the fourth on RBI singles.

The Pilots extended their lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the fourth when Greg Kocinski hit a two-run home run over the right field wall. It was his second homer of the season. 

Staten Island got back into the game in the top of the fifth. Hernandez and Leone both hit doubles that scored two runs and Godino hit an RBI double to tie the game at eight.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Pilots regained the lead. Again, Petriello came to the plate with the bases loaded and, again, he was hit by a pitch. The Tide argued that Petriello leaned into the pitch, but the umpire disagreed. The Pilots took a 9-8 lead.

An insurance run was tacked on in the sixth when Dudeck doubled home Drew DeAngelis.

The Tide managed to score one run in the top of the seventh, but could not get a second run to cross the plate and tie the game. 

Vinny Zanfordino got the win for the Pilots and Nick Pedalino got the save. Kocinski went 3-3 with a home run, double, walk and four RBIs.

After the doubleheader, the Pilots move to 8-14 on the season, while the Tide move to 13-6. The Pilots next play on July 13 against the South Jersey Giants. Jersey’s next home game is on July 15against the Trenton Generals with a game time of 6:30. For updates on the Pilots, visit jerseypilots.com and @ACBL_Pilots.

South Jersey Takes a Pair from Pilots

Originally posted on jerseypilots.com

Fueled by first inning rallies in both games of Sunday’s doubleheader, the South Jersey Giants beat the Jersey Pilots 8-5 and 12-1 at Snyder Avenue Park.

Game one started off with the Giants getting three consecutive singles to load the bases. The next hitter, left fielder Devin Ruiz, cleared the bases with a grand slam. The Giants scored another run in the inning when Matt Maul hit a single, making the score 5-0.

The Pilots responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Tommy Trotter scored on a John Scarr single, Ryan Jennings scored on an error, and Greg Kocinski scored on a groundout.

South Jersey tacked on another run in the second on a Nick Browne sacrifice fly and two in the third on a Kyle Lindsey RBI double and sacrifice fly by Jon Theckston.

In the fifth, the Pilots cut the lead to 8-5. Trotter scored on an errant pickoff throw and Jennings scored on a single by Drew DeAngelis.

Ryan Dorosh went six innings and got the win for the Giants with Ben Hoffman pitching the seventh inning. Tommy Giunta picked up the loss for the Pilots.

In the top of the first of game two, the Giants had seven runners cross home plate. Browne, Vic Cosenzo, and Maul all had RBI singles; Kevin Mohollen and Cody Clarke had RBI doubles; and John Brue had a single that scored two runs.

The Giants scored two runs in the third inning on a Nick Tierno double and a Ruiz single. Another run crossed the plate in the fourth on a groundout by Tierno. The Giants added two runs in the fifth on a single by Brue and a fielder’s choice by Mohollen.

The Pilots scored their one run in the third inning. David Young got on with a double and then scored on a groundout by Christian Zazzali.

The Pilots next game is Tuesday in Trenton against the Generals. Jersey’s next home game is Wednesday against the North Jersey Eagles. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 pm. For team updates, check jerseypilots.com and @ACBL_Pilots.

Pilots Lose to Tide 5-4

Originally posted on jerseypilots.com

The Jersey Pilots lost to the Staten Island Tide 5-4 at Snyder Avenue Park on Wednesday.

The Pilots got the lead early. In the third inning, Pilots’ starting pitcher Nick Pedalino walked and center fielder Tommy Trotter followed that up with a single. Left fielder Ryan Jennings then hit a single that went off the first base bag. The hit scored Pedalino and advanced Trotter to third. During the next at-bat, Tide starting pitcher Mitchell Hillert balked, scoring Trotter. Jennings would later score on a Stephen Petriello single to make the score 3-0. 

The Tide scored one run in the next half inning. In the fourth, Angelo Navetta got a single and then scored on a sacrifice fly.

Staten Island took the lead for the first time in the game in the fifth inning. Anthony Romito had come into pitch for the Pilots. The inning started when the Tide’s shortstop Charles Misiano walked and third baseman Sean Mazzio single. The next hitter, Justin Cassinelli, hit a three-run home run to put the Tide ahead.

The Pilots equalized the score in the sixth when catcher Stephen Petriello hit a solo home run, his second of the season.

The game stayed tied until the eight inning. After Jersey’s David Young struck out the first two batters, Tide second baseman Julian Lanfranco and Misiano hit back-to-back singles. Misiano’s single but runners on first and third. During the next at-bat, Misiano went to steal second base. Petriello made the throw to Drew DeAngelis covering, but DeAngelis had to cut the throw because Lanfranco broke from third base. Lanfranco slid into home safely, giving the Tide the 5-4 lead.

Jersey could not take advantage of baserunners in both the eighth and ninth inning and score the game-tying run. 

Daniel Beizer got the win for the Tide while Young picked up the loss.

The Pilots fall to 6-9 with the loss, while the Tide improve to 10-5. The Pilots and Tide play again on Thursday at Staten Island. The Pilots return home for a doubleheader against the South Jersey Giants on Sunday, July 5. The first game starts at 4:30 pm. For more updates on the Pilots, check jerseypilots.com and @ACBL_Pilots. 

2015 NBA Free Agency Preview

LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge
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Aldridge has been under appreciated for years. While he is not an elite player, he is just a notch below and can be a key player on a championship team. He has spent his whole career with Portland, but that is set to change as it appears he is on his way out. He has meetings set up with the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and Toronto Raptors. Aldridge would be a good fit on all of these teams. Heading into July, the Spurs are the favorite due to Aldridge's appreciation of the system and the team. The one problem with the Spurs signing Aldridge is that they will have to make moves to open up cap space. One team that has not be given much attention but would be a very good fit is Toronto. Toronto's power forwards last season were Tyler Hansbourgh, Amir Johnson, and Patrick Patterson. All are good role players, but not typical starters. Aldridge could slide right into that starting role and help the Raptors become a legit contender in the East. With that being said, the odds are against the Raptors.

Paul Millsap

The Atlanta Hawks had one of the biggest free agent steals in recent memory when then signed Millsap to a two year, $19 million deal in 2013. Now, two years later, Millsap is again a free agent. Millsap can fit in with almost any team. As a stretch four, he can score the basketball from close, midrange, and three point land. He is also an above average rebounder. Millsap is likely to stay in the ATL, but it will be interesting to see if any team will be able to prowl him away. And if a team does, it would a great deal. 

Greg Monroe

Greg Monroe
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Monroe is a very good big man who is only 25 years old. He will not resign with the Detroit Pistons. Ever since the Pistons drafted Andre Drummond, Monroe has been forced to play more power forward and less center, his natural position. Monroe and Drummond would have been a good duo 25 years ago, but now the game has gotten smaller and the two clog too much space. It is better for the Pistons to let Monroe walk and stick with Drummond. Monroe will get a big deal from a team that misses out on one of the big time big men. It would also not be surprising if he replaced LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland. The problem with signing Monroe is it is going to cost a team a lot of money.

Jimmy Butler

The Chicago Bulls have reportedly offered Butler, the 2015 NBA All-Star, a max offer of five years, $90 million. That may be one of the smartest moves of this offseason. Butler is a fantastic player and key  for the Bulls. While the contract may seem large, it will not seem too bad when the cap increases over the next two seasons. By 2017, the deal will seem like a bargain.

Dwayne Wade

Wade has spent his whole career with the Miami Heat. And even though he opted out of his contract, it is still likely that he resigns with the Heat. Wade is asking for a three year, $16 million per year deal, which is way too much for him at 33. I think the Heat are the only team that would even come close to that offer. The Lakers have interest in Wade, but they would not overpay Wade and lose the opportunity to sign a young big man. Odds are in the Heat's favor with Wade.

Monta Ellis

Monta Ellis
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Ellis is an unrestricted free agent after opting out of his contract. He spent the last two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. The Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Sacremento Kings are reportedly after the 29 year-old shooting guard. Of those four teams, the Kings would be the most interesting and most likely fit. Ellis is a high volume shooter who can be a ball stopper and shoots poorly from behind the arc. He seems like the type of player the Kings would overpay to sign. Ellis is going to get a large deal somewhere, but it is likely that it will be with a team that is not a good fit for him.