The Royals continue to improve, but a late inning rally propelled the Jokers to a 12-9 win over the boys in royal blue.
Andrew Miller started, but had trouble finding the strike zone (0 hits, 8 walks over 1.1 innings.) However, he held the Jokers to 4 earned before turning things over to Gabe Sherman. Sherman threw his best game as a Royal, allowing 2 earned over 4.1 innings (including 3 strikeouts), before Jake Romo came in to close. Romo worked a quiet 2 innings, before some timely hitting (and an untimely error) in the 8th inning gave the Jokers a 6-run cushion.
Offensively, the Royals bats continue to heat up,as they pounded out 12 hits, with all but 2 Royals getting a hit. Mike Miller and Eric Addis broke out of their slumps, combining for 4 hits, 3 runs and 3 rbis at the top of the lineup. Michael Citro, Zeke Guzman and Nick Perez also had mutli-hit games, while Andrew Miller and Jake Romo combined for 5 stolen bases.
On defense, Luis Valencia made a Sportscenter top play by throwing out a runner at 2nd from deep right-center!
The Royals get a few weeks off to heal up before finishing their season with 9 games over 6 Sundays!
The Royals played one of their best games of the year, but came up just short against the 2nd place Bats. In a see-saw game, the Royals took a 6-5 lead in the 6th, but couldn't keep up as The Bats plated 5 runs over the final 3 innings.
Kyle Tanaka took this loss, but put up impressive numbers. 3 earned (7 total runs) over 5.1 innings, allowing 9 hits and 4 walks while striking out 9 (including 6 over the first 2 frames.) Andrew Miller relieved and worked 2.2 solid innings, allowing 3 earned on 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 1.
Offensively, the Royals bats are finally showing signs of life. Oliver Lopez led the way with 3 hits and 2 runs scored, while Michael Citro and Alex Contreras had 2 hits each. Giovanni Smith had 2 rbis, and Luis Valencia reached base 4 times.
Next week, the Royals face off with the Jokers on Mother's Day, 10am at Conejo Creek.
Just when the Royals looked to be playing better baseball, a 9-run 4th inning sunk their chances of victory.
Kyle Tanaka had a stellar debut going for the Royals, allowing just 1 runs over his first 3 innings in blue. But shaky defense and timely hitting in the 4th gave the Rangers a nearly insurmountable lead. Gabe Sherman relieved and threw 3 innings of 2-run ball, before handing it over to Jake Romo for late inning mop-up duty.
The Royals' bats still aren't quite firing on all cylinders, as they only put together 6 hits on the day. Nick Perez had a double and walked twice, driving in 2 to lead the offense. Sherman's hot bat continued, with a hit in 2 plate appearances, and catcher John Stradling lined a double to deep left for his first hit of the season.
Not a whole lot to say about this weekend, as the Royals were swept in both halves of the doubledip with the Outlaws.
In game 1, Mike Miller started on the bump and kept things close through 4, trailing only 4-2, until the wheels fell off in the 5th. 8 runs allowed over the next 2 frames spelled the end of the day for the Royals. Andrew Miller, Olivery Lopez and Gabriel Sherman each had 2 hits in the loss.
In game 2, the Royals tied the game 2-2 in the first, but the Outlaws scored in every remaining inning, including a 9 run 6th, while the Royals only scored 1 more time. The team only had 5 total hits, with Andrew Miller notching 2 of them. On the hill, Gabriel Sherman looked better than the statline showed, allowing 9 runs (but only 3 earned) over 3 innings. Poor infield defense extended innings and allowed the Outlaws the cruise for the victory.
The Royals and Soldiers were locked in a close battle for 6 and a half innings, before the gas tank ran dry and the Soldiers ran away with the game.
Jake Romo started for the Royals and pitched well, going 4 innings and allowing only 2 earned runs. Unfortunately, 4 errors in the 2nd inning spotted the Soldiers an additional 4 runs. But the Royals' offense kept them in the game, putting up 1 in the 2nd (Oliver Lopez singled and eventually scored when Giovanni Smith reached on an error) and 4 in the 4th (Nick Perez, Lopez, Michael Citro and Andrew Miller reached in order, plating 1, before Smith singled home another and Alex Contreras doubled home a pair.) After 4 innings, the Soldiers led 6-5.
Eric Addis relieved and allowed 1 run over the next 2 frames, but in the bottom of the 7th, the Soldiers put up 11 runs against Addis, Andrew Miller and Mike Miller. The Royals plated one final run in the top of the 8th (Addis walked, then eventually scored when Lopez reached on an error.) Final score 18-6 in favor of the Soldiers.
Not a lot to say about this game. The offense was non-existant, and while the pitchers didn't give up many hits, their lack of control led to 14 walks and 3 hit by pitch. The Royals will forget about this one as soon as they hit the parking lot, and move on to next week.
While the offense showed more life in week 2, the defense took a step back, as 4 costly errors led the Royals to a 13-7 loss to the Doinks and Dingers.
With a few early season injuries, the Royals were already playing with a skeleton crew, so they called in All Star Matthew Guerrero to help the cause. Guerrero pitched 4 solid innings, keeping them in the game despite below average help from his defense. Oliver Lopez came in to relieve, but a costly error extended his inning and led to 5 runs (only 2 earned.) Offseason acquisition Eric Addis (known more for bat and work behind the dish, than for his pitching prowess) threw the final 3 innings, allowing only 1 run.
Offensively, the Royals looked improved from week 1. Nick Perez ripped a 2-run double in the first to lead the offense, and Oliver Lopez had a 2-hit day. Andrew Miller drove in a pair of runs, and Matthew Guerrero scored a pair.
After going 0-17 in the spring 2024 season, the Royals have already clinched a better record in 2025 after tying the Threshers 4-4 in the season opener. Fantastic pitching and missed opportunities on the bases were the story of the day.
The season started on a positive note for the Royals. Jake Romo reached on an error, and with 1 out, Michael Citro did the same. Pinch runner Andrew Miller and Romo pulled off the double steal, and with 2 outs, skipper Mike Miller singled home Romo to take an early 1-0 lead.
Romo started on the mound, and after hitting a pair of batters, and giving up 2 hits in the first (accounting for 3 runs), settled in. He worked 3 innings and struck out 7. Gabe Sherman relieved him, striking out 3 in 2 innings of work while allowing 0 hits. Oliver Lopez worked 2 innings, allowing just a single run, and Andrew Miller closed the final 3 frames, allowing 0 runs and striking out 3.
Offensively, the Royals had their chances all day. They left at least 1 runner on in 7 of the 10 frames, including 8 in scoring position and the bases loaded twice (including in the top of the 10th.) Aside from Miller's rbi single, Zeke Guzman and Nick Perez each had rbi-singles of their own, and Tony Suarez accounted for the only other Royals hit.
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Just a season removed from going 0-17, the Fall 2024 season can be considered nothing short of a success, as the Royals bounced back going 3-7 and reaching the playoffs as the 5-seed. Jake Romo was the team MVP, and Matthew Guerrero won the team Cy Young. Romo also finished 5th in the league for Cy Young (Guerrero didn't have enough appearances to qualify for the league Cy Young.) Leading on offense, Josh Holmes had a .471 batting average, Matthew Guerrero and Mike Miller each had 10 hits, Andrew Miller had 8 runs scored, Jake Romo had 8 rbis, and Guerrero and Andrew Miller had 3 stolen bases. On the mound, Romo led the team with 26.1 innings pitched, 3 wins, 26 strikeouts and a .229 opponent batting average, and Gurrero had a 3.37 ERA. The Royals look to continue to improve in 2025! |
The Royals' playoff run ended as quickly as it began, as the Doinks scored early and often to bounce the Royals 14-5.
The Royals took a brief 1-0 lead after Matthew Guerrero walked, moved to third on a pair of groundouts, and then scored when Jake Romo reached on an error. Vince Miller took the hill for the Royals, but allowed 3 runs over the next 2 frames to give the Doinks a 3-1 lead after 2.
In the top of the third, rookie Josh Holems led off with a double, moving to third on a ground out and scoring on a Mike Miller single. 3 consectutive 2-out walks to Alex Contreras, John Mendoza and John Stradling brought home Miller, and tied the game at 3. But that tie was short-lived, as the Doinks put up 6 runs in the bottom of the frame, chasing Vince Miller from the game and taking a commanding 9-3 lead. The damage would have been even more, if it weren't for a fantastic throw from right fielder Angel Preciado, nailing a runner trying to stretch a single into a double.
The Royals refused to give up, and in the top of the 4th, Romo and Mike Miller walked, with Romo scoring when Giovanni Smith reached on an error. With Romo on the hill, the Royals' defense showed its might and kept the Doinks from another big inning. Catcher John Stradling gunned a potential base thief at third, and Andrew Miller laid out to snag a sinking liner in left field. But the Doinks would keep the pressure on, scoring 4 more runs over the next 2 innings and expanding their lead to 13-4.
In the top of the 6th, the Royals would strike again. Andrew Miller singled to right, and promptly swiped second base. Romo reached on a hit by pitch, and Mike Miller reached on a fielder's choice/error. Giovanni Smith cashed in the run with a sac fly, cutting the lead to 13-5.
Matthew Guerrero came in to pitch, and worked 3 solid innings of relief, allowing only 1 run, but the Royal bats went quiet, and the Doinks came away with the victory.
