Royals Walk-Off on Ironbirds

Round 1 in the playoffs was a lot closer than anyone expected, as the Ironbirds put up one of their best performances of the year.  But the Royals kept things close, breaking the Ironbirds' hearts with a 9th inning rally to move on in the playoffs.

 

Will Chapman took the hill for the Royals and struck out 4 of the first 7 batters he faced.  Leading off the bottom of the 2nd, Chapman blasted a solo home run to left.  Brian Rapf followed with a double, and back-to-back singles from Ryan Elliott and Jason Bolding made it a 2-0 lead.

 

The Ironbirds came right back in the 3rd.  Taking advantage of an error, 2 walks and a hit, they tied to score 2-2.

 

In the bottom of the 2nd, the Kyle Tillack led off with a single for the Royals.  After a walk and a passed ball, Ryan Elliott singled him home to retake the lead 3-2.

 

On to the top of the 5th inning, when Jake Romo took over on the hill.  He walked the first 2 batters he faced, and the Ironbirds took advantage of his early wildness, scoring both runs and taking a 4-3 lead.  In the 6th, they'd add another on 3 singles and a balk, chasing Romo from the game as the Royals were forced to go to their closer Brett Kahanowitch early.

 

Meanwhile, the Royals' offense had stalled.  Heading into the bottom of the 7th, they still trailed 5-3.  Kahanowitch led off with a grounder right back to the pitcher, but an errant throw allowed him to reach first.  After stealing second, Kahanowitch scored on a Will Chapman single.  Chapman stole second, and scored 1 out later on a Ryan Elliott single, tying the game at 5-5.

 

Kahanowitch worked quickly through the last 2 frames, facing only 7 batters and setting up the 9th for some Royal magic.  Brian Rapf led off with a walk, and Ryan Elliott doubled him to 3rd.  Jason "I ALWAYS swing at the first pitch" Bolding promised to take the first pitch.  On the first pitch, he swung - skying a ball to center, well deep enough to score Rapf and give the Royals a walk-off win and a ticket to the semi-finals.

 

Congrats to the Ironbirds on a great game!  They showed they're a contender in this division, and we look forward to many more battles.

 

 

 

Pitching

Will Chapman - 4IP, ER, 3H, 7K, 3BB

Jake Romo - BS, 1.2IP, 3ER, 3H, K, 2BB

Brett Kahanowitch - W, 3.1IP, 0R, 0H, 3K, BB, HBP

 

Batting

Royals Clinch 3-Seed 12-6 Over Berserkers

With 1 game to go until playoffs, both the Royals and Berserkers were fighting for playoff seeding - the winner would clinch the 3-seed, while the loser would fall to the 5-seed.  With a strong opening inning and a rested bullpen, the Royals came up big in the final regular season contest.

 

Will Chapman took the mound and worked a quiet first.  In the bottom of the inning, the first 8 batters reached base, giving the Royals a 6-0 lead after 1.  Chapman struck out 7 of the next 11 batters faced, and the Royals plated 4 more in the 3rd to move it to 10-0.

 

But just like the last game between these two squads, the Berserkers came back.  Plating 2 in the 5th, and 3 more in the 6th, Chapman handed the reigns over to Chris Dyer.  Dyer struck out 5 in the next 3 innings, stomping out any momentum the Berserkers had gained.

 

In the bottom of the 8th, the Royals plated 2 more to take a 12-5 lead.  Brett Kahanowitch came in to work the 9th, allowing 1 unearned run to finish off the regular season.

 

Congrats to the Berserkers on a great year!  Good luck in the playoffs!

 

 

 

Pitching

Will Chapman - W, 5IP, 3ER, 3H, 10K, 3BB, HPB

Chris Dyer - 3IP, 0R, H, 5K, BB

Brett Kahanowitch - IP, 0ER, 0H, 2K, BB, 2HBP

 

Batting

Veterans Lead Lion Hunt

With vacations and injuries ravaging the Royals, they found themselves short-staffed again on Sunday.  Not to worry, as a pair of veterans threw the team on their shoulders and carried them to victory.

 

Mike Miller took the hill for the Royals, and after back-to-back singles to lead off the first, Daniel Kahn took a ground ball to first and turned it into a double play, "gunning" a runner at home with his bum shoulder.

 

Both team would remain quiet until the bottom of the second, when the Royals offense stepped up.  Brian Rapf led off with a screaming double down the left field line, and after Jason Bolding reached on an error, Mike Miller lined a single to left for a run.  With 2 outs, Justin "Juice" Born picked up his biggest hit as a Royal - a double to the gap in left-center to plate 2 and give the Royals a 3-0 lead.

 

Miller continued mowing down hitters with his mix of slow-slower-and-slowest off speed pitches, and the score remained the same until the 5th.

 

In the top of the inning, a hit by pitch, followed by back-to-back singles plated the Lions first run of the day, making it 3-1.

 

In the bottom of the 5th, new Royal Kelan Smith led off with a walk, and moved to third on a Kyle Tillack double.  Will Chapman got hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Ryan Elliott must have thought it looked like fun, so he got hit by a pitch to bring home one.  Brian Rapf singled home another, and Jason Bolding hit a sac fly to center to plate one more, giving the Royals a 6-1 lead after 5.

 

From there, it was the "Mike Miller Show".  Miller continued to silence the Lions bats, and entering the top of the 9th, the score was still 6-1.  With Will Chapman warmed up and ready to go, Miller stepped back on the hill to try and finish what he started.  A leadoff walk followed by a double to shallow left center, and the Lions looked like they were making a comeback.  But a few ground balls and a strikeout would secure Miller's second career complete game, and his first since his rookie season (April 13, 2003.)  Almost as amazing was the fact that while his first complete game took over 170 pitches, this one lasted only 87!  Great job Mike!

 

Congrats to the Lions on a tremendous turnaround this season - they are 100x better than the first time these teams met, and are looking to be a playoff contender as early as next season after barely missing the cut this year.  The Royals look forward to many more close games in the future!

 

And finally, congrats to The Juice, on his first extra-base hit as a Royal - and it couldn't have come at a more clutch time!

 

 

 

Pitching

Mike Miller - W, CG, 9IP, 3ER, 9H, 3K, 2BB, 3HBP

 

Batting

Royals Flat in Loss to Angels

The Royals high-powered offense took the day off Sunday, as the Angels handled business on both sides of the ball for a 9-2 victory.

 

Brett Kahanowitch took the hill for the Royals, but showed some uncharacteristic wildness, plunking 4 batters and walking 8 over 5.1 innings, though he only allowed 5 hits.  The rest of the bullpen was solid (if not a little eccentric), as Dennis King II and Chris Dyer combined to allow 1 earned run over the remaining 3.2 frames.  On the day, Royal pitchers combined to strike out 10 hitters.

 

On offense, Jake Romo and Kyle Tillack both had a pair of hits on the day, Romo scored both Royals runs, with Tillack's triple in the 9th accounting for one of the two.  Kahanowitch knocked in the other with a single in the 3rd.

 

 

 

 

 

Pitching

Brett Kahanowitch - L, 5.1IP, 4ER, 5H, 7K, 8BB, 4HBP

Dennis King II - 1.2IP, ER, 2H, K, BB

Chris Dyer - 2IP, 0R, H, 2K, BB

 

Batting

Pirates Capitalize on Errors, Win 5-4
 

On a triple digit day in the valley, both teams' bats were ice cold.  But the Royals wasted a great day from their pitching staff, committing 5 errors in the field that led to 3 unearned runs and a 5-4 loss.

 

Mike Miller took the mound for his second start of the year and threw a gem.  He matched the Pirates starter by putting up zeroes in each of the first 4 frames, while also turning a double play and allowing only 1 hit.

 

To lead off the 5th inning, the Pirates put men on 1st and 2nd after an error and a single.  But an over-aggressive runner on second and poor base running on first led to both runners being picked off on a single play!  The next 2 batters would reach, and 2 consecutive errors would plate the first 2 runs of the day, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead.

 

Greg Falk led off the bottom of the 5th with a single, scoring 1 batter later on a Kyle Tillack single, making it a 2-1 game.

 

The first two hitters singled off Miller in the top of the 6th, chasing him from the game.  Greg Falk came in and retired the side, but not before one run scored, making it 3-1 Pirates.

 

Brett Kahanowitch relieved, and allowed a run in the top of the 8th on a walk and a double.  But the Royals responded in the bottom of the inning.  With 1 out, Phillip Gerber reached on an error, moved to 2nd on a Ryan Elliott walk, then scored on a Jason Bolding single.  After 8 in the books, the Pirates led 4-2.

 

Another error in the top of the 9th gave the Pirates a 5-2 lead, but the Royals weren't going to go down quietly.  With 1 out, Justin "Juice" Born, Brett Kahanowitch and Greg Falk each walked, loading the bases.  Kyle Tillack brought home one with a sacrifice fly to left, and Kahanowitch scored on a passed ball.  But with the tying run on 3rd, the Pirates got a big strikeout to preserve the win.

 

Congrats to the Bucs on a great game - we'll hopefully see you again in the playoffs!

 

 

 

Pitching

Mike Miller - L, 5IP, ER, 5H, 2HBP, 1 pick off

Greg Falk - IP, K

Brett Kahanowitch - 3IP, ER, 2H, K, BB

 

Batting

2 Big Innings Cost Royals
 

The Royals pitching staff put up zeroes for most of the game, but the Regulators put together a pair of 6-run innings to take the victory.

 

Jake Romo started the game and put up zeroes for 3 innings.  Unfortunately, he began to tire in the 4th, and the Regulators took advantage, eventually knocking him out of the game after putting up 6 runs (4 earned.)  Rookie Chris Dyer came in to get out of the inning, then struck out the side in the 5th in his pitching debut for the squad.  Veteran Dennis King II came in, but after his spikes ripped in the bullpen, he was forced to throw with his Vans on, and it didn't go well.  6 more runs scored, before Ryan Schappery came in and closed out the game (2.1 innings, 0 runs.)

 

Offensively, the Royals spread 9 hits over 8 innings, plating 6 runs (most of them after they were trailing by double digits, unfortunately.)  Mike Miller led the offense, going 2 for 3 with a double.  Jake Romo scored twice and swiped 3 bags, including home twice.  Kyle Tillack also broke out of his mini-slump with a hit and 2 steals of his own.

 

And finally, Daniel Kahn ended the day getting an autographed ball from his little league coach/baseball mentor (read: idol)/Regulator's manager Greg Granillo.  We are all so for happy Daniel, as the ball now resides next to his bed, so it's the last thing he sees when he falls asleep, and the first thing he sees when he wakes up.  At least he didn't give Greg a mid-game hug, as he'd threatened earlier in the week...

 

Congrats to the Regulators on a good game!

 

 

Pitching

Jake Romo - L, 3.2IP, 4ER, 7H, K, 5BB

Chris Dyer - 1.1IP, 0ER, 3K

Dennis King II - .2IP, 6ER, 3H, 5BB

Ryan Schappery - 2.1IP, 0ER, 2H, BB, 2K, HBP

 

Batting

Royals Bring Lightning, Sweep Thundercats
 

The Royals' bats looked well-rested after Memorial Day weekend, putting up a few big innings late to complete a  weekend sweep of the Thundercats.  Pitching and defense were solid as well, but the offense definitely stole the show.

 

Game 1 (which was nearly rescheduled thanks to a surprise Hillary Clinton speech at Mission College) featured Brett Kahanowitch on the hill.  Brett threw a CG in the blazing heat, striking out 7 in 6 innings.

 

Offensively, it was a see-saw game as the Thundercats seemingly had an answer for every Royal run in the first 5 innings.  Entering the top of the 6th, the Royals led 8-5.  But the 6th inning proved huge for the Royals, as they brought 22 batters to the plate and scored a season high 16 runs.  12 separate players scored a run that inning, and the 2 that didn't score knocked one in.  At the end of the day, the Royals claimed game one 24-6.

 

Game 2 sported a different Royals pitching staff, as none of their regular starters were available.  Veteran Mike Miller took the start, allowing 1 earned over 3 innings and striking out a season-high 1 batter.  Will Chapman relieved and threw 3 scoreless frames, giving way to Zach Sloane.  Sloane, coming off his best pitching performance a few weeks back, didn't have his best stuff, but gave the squad 1+ hard-fought innings (and milked a lot of clock), allowing Greg Falk to come in and close the door for his first save of the year.

 

Offensively, it was much like the day before.  Tied 3-3 after 2 innings, the Royals went up 6-3 in the 6th, only to find themselves tied up 6-6 again half an inning later.  But a big 7th inning led to the Royals batting around and plating 6 runs, giving them enough cushion to outlast the dangerous Thundercat offense (who scored 3 of their own in the bottom of the inning on a mammoth home run to left.)  At the end of the day, the Royals hung on for a 12-9 victory, moving into 3rd place with 2 weeks to go before the All Star break.

 

Thanks to the Thundercats for a great weekend of baseball!

 

 

Pitching (game 1)

Brett Kahanowitch - W, CG, 6IP, 3ER, 7H, 7K, 4BB

 

Pitching (game 2)

Mike Miller - 3IP, ER, 3H, K

Will Chapman - 3IP, 0ER, 2H, 4K, HBP

Zach Sloane - W, BS, IP, 4ER, 5H, K, HBP

Greg Falk - S, IP, 0ER, H, 2K

 

Batting (combined)

Royals End Losing Streak, Offense Erupts in Sweep
 

After losing the last 2 weekends against AAA teams, the Royals faced a division foe in a doubleheader, and their bats were up for the challenge.  Over 2 games, the Royals scored 33 runs on 38 hits.  Not to be outdone, their starting pitchers were exceptional, combining to strike out 17 batters in 11 innings, including the first 5 outs of each game.

 

Jake Romo started game 1, and was on fire early.  He struck out the first 5 men to come to the plate, and 7 of the first 9.  He allowed only 1 hit and 2 runs, both unearned.  Ryan Elliott relieved, working 2.1 innings with his trademark knuckleball.  While it wasn't as dirty as normal, he was effective, scattering 5 hits and allowing just 2 earned runs.  Greg Falk came in to close in his first action of the year, striking out the final batter of the game.

 

Game 2 featured Brett Kahanowitch, who just moved back to CA after finishing up his MBA (and his wife finishing up med school) in Tennessee.  He picked up where he left off last fall, pitching 7 innings and striking out 10, allowing only 1 unearned run while scattering 4 hits.  Steve Apperson worked his first inning of the season in relief, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, but closing out the game for the Royals.

 

Offensively, there were stars up and down the lineup.  Both Brett Kahanowitch and Zach Sloane ended game 2 a home run shy of the cycle, and Kyle Tillack started game 1 by hitting his first home run as a Royal.  Daniel Kahn proved that his shoulder injury might actually HELP his batting, as he likley led the PCBL with 6 hits on the day.  Ryan Elliott and Phillip Gerber both had 5 hits over the 2 games, and even Steve Apperson had some fun, swiping a bag (his first of the season, and one of 11 Royal steals on the day.)

 

The Royals head into Memorial Day weekend alone in 4th place, and staring down a split doubleheader against the 3rd place Thundercats in 2 weeks (yet another El Nino make-up game.)

 

 

Pitching (game 1)

Jake Romo - 4IP, 0ER, H, 7K, 3BB

Ryan Elliott - W, 2.1IP, 2ER, K, 5H, 2BB, HBP

Greg Falk - .2IP, 0ER, H, K
 

Pitching (game 2)

Brett Kahanowitch - W, 7IP, 0ER, 4H, 10K, 2HBP

Steve Apperson - IP, 2ER, 2H, K, BB

 

Batting (combined)

3-Run Double Break Backs of Royals
 

Jake Romo made his first career start for the Royals, taking a 1-0 game into the 4th inning before a 2-out, 3-run double broke the game open.  Neither team put up much offense, as the Lugnuts went on to win 5-1 in a clean game on both sides.

 

With the exception of the double, Romo continued to show great promise in this one.  He went a career-best 5 innings, allowing 9 hits and only 1 walk.  He struck out 5 in the loss.  Dennis King II, finally back from his early season hiatus, looked like his old self again, throwing 3 innings of 1-hit relief.

 

Offensively, there's not much to say for the Royals, as the Lugnut pitchers scattered 7 hits across 9 frames.  Steve Apperson led the way with 2 hits, while Greg Falk, Jason Bolding, Zach Sloane, Ryan Elliott, and Justin Borne each had 1.  Will Chapman walked twice and scored the only run on Ryan Elliott's 9th inning hit.  The only other time the Royal's threatened was on Mike Miller's 9th inning line drive to second, which nearly doubled up Elliott at second to end the game.

 

Hat's off to the Lugnuts for another close one!

 

 

Pitching

Jake Romo - L, 5IP, 4ER, 9H, 5K, BB

Dennis King II - 3IP, 0ER, H, K, 2BB
 

Batting

First Inning Costs Royals
 

Coming off their biggest victory of the season, the Royals' shaky defense and injured starting pitcher led to 7 first inning runs for the Mudhens, and the team could never recover.  Even outscoring the Mudhens 6-4 for the next 8 1/2 innings, the deficit was just too much for the boys in royal blue.

 

Daniel Kahn started the game, but 2 early errors, 3 hits, 3 walks and a hit batter got him only thru 2/3 of an inning.  Later, it was revealed he felt tingling in his pitching arm, and the medical staff have him on the shelf for at least the next 6 weeks with a partial tear.  Jake Romo relieved and pitched well, allowing just 2 earned over the next 3.1 innings while striking out 5.  Fill-in (and former Royal) Ryan Shappery threw 4 innings of relief after that, allowing just 2 earned while striking out 4, and Zach Sloane closed out the 9th with his best outing as a Royal, striking out the side and giving Royals' pitchers 12 strikeouts on the day.

 

Offensively, Kyle Tillack, Ryan Schappery and WIll Chapman (another former Royal lending himself as a fill-in before reporting to his high-A ball team) were each 2 for 4, combining to score 4 runs and knock in 3.  Brian Rapf and Zach Sloane each were 2 for 5, and Mike Miller and Daniel Kahn each chipped in with a hit.

 

 

 

Pitching

Daniel Kahn - L, .2IP, ER, 3H, 3BB, HBP

Jake Romo - 3.1IP, 2ER, 4H, 5K, 4BB

Ryan Schappery - 4IP, 2ER, 4H, 4K, 4BB

Zach Sloane - IP, 0ER, 3K

 

Batting