After 2 promising games, the Royals offense took a step backwards Sunday as they fell to the Jokers 10-4.  They left 9 on base (including the bases loaded in the 2nd), and couldn't get the big hit when they needed (2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.)

Eric Addis continued his hot hitting, going 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles.  Zeke Guzman had 2 hits, while Nick Perez, Giovanni Smith and Andrew Miller had the only other base knocks.

On the hill, Kyle Tanaka pitched 4 solid innings before losing his command in the 5th.  He struck out 2 and spread 6 hits over the outing, allowing 7 runs (5 earned) (3 of those runs came in his final inning.)  Mike Miller relieved and put together a vintage outing, throwing 33 pitches over 4 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits while striking out a pair.

Next week, the Royals play a split doubleheader at Poly High School - 8:30am vs the Soldiers and 12:00pm vs the Threshers.

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.