GRBL Week Two Recap: Week of August 22nd

Nixa Suckers vs. Republic Locos

Back and Forth Battle Leads To Extra Innings Thriller

By: Adam Dawson

Game Preview: The Locos will look to improve to 2-0 on the young GRBL season, as the Suckers look to get their first win after suffering a loss during the first week. Josh Engler, dominated last week for the Locos, as he recorded an incredible 13 strikeouts in five innings. The Suckers will look to improve on their defense, as errors played a big factor in their loss to the Moon City Mavericks.

Game Recap:

Josh Engler took the hill for the second time in two weeks for the Locos. He looked to continue his dominance, as he struck out 13 last week.

Engler added to his season strikeout total in the top of the first with a strikeout of Seth Burnes to end a scoreless top of the first.

Kyle Carpenter made his first career GRBL start for the Suckers, as he looks to give the Suckers their first win.

Carpenter matched Engler’s scoreless top of the first with a scoreless inning of his own. Carper made David Edwards look foolish as he struck him out to end the first.

Engler was solid in the top of the second, as he only allowed a leadoff walk. Aside from the walk, he recorded his second strikeout and his second scoreless frame on the day to keep the game scoreless through one and a half.

Carpenter kept the game scoreless in the bottom of the second, with some help from left fielder Michael Esther who made a great catch in the inning.

Marshall Dyer singled to record the first hit of the game for either side. With one out in the top of the third, Bradey Welsh singled to put runners on the corners. The Suckers had a golden opportunity to score after Tony Lewis was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but it was simply not meant to be as Seth Burns grounded out. The game remained scoreless through two and a half.

Todd Tolbert, nicknamed “The ToddFather” ledoff the bottom of the third swinging, with a single. Josh Engler followed with a single of his own to put runners on first and second. Great defense from first overall pick, Bradey Welsh, retired Todd Tolbert who was trying to advance to third. Some great defense kept the game scoreless through three innings, alongside some great pitching mixed in.

After back to back walks with two outs in the fourth, a mound visit took place as Engler looked to get back on track. Marshall Dyer gave him a good battle, but Engler prevailed with an inning ending strikeout. The Suckers made Josh Engler work in the fourth, but could do nothing about it.

The Locos broke through in the bottom of the fourth on a Jared Fox RBI single, resulting in David Edwards to score. The Locos took a one-run lead headed into the top of the fifth.

Engler headed out for the fifth with a one-run lead that he tried to protect.

The Suckers went down in order in the top of the fifth, as Engler ended his day having racked up seven strikeouts, alongside having given up no runs. With the effort, Engler brought his strikeout total up to 20 on the season.

Seth Burns relieved Kyle Carpenter in the bottom of the fifth. Carpenter gave up one run in his four innings. Burns kept the game at a one-run deficit, as he allowed a few runners to reach base in the inning.

Chandler Veit relieved Josh Engler in the top of the sixth, as Engler was dominant yet again.

Tony Lewis was plunked for the second time to leadoff the inning. Veit settled in soon after, as he recorded a strikeout, lineout, and groundout to end the inning.

Steve Aldridge singled, as he recorded his fourth hit already in the young season. Aldridge was the only man who reached base in the bottom of the sixth, as a pair of fly outs kept the game at a 1-0 Locos lead.

The Suckers tied the game in the top of the seventh, as Matt Pennington led off the inning with a triple. Pinch hitter Grady Goodwyn brought home Pennington to tie the game at one apiece through six and a half.

The Locos recorded back-to-back singles in the bottom of the seventh, including Todd Tolbert’s second hit of the game. A double play essentially ended the threat, as the game remained tied going into the eighth.

The Suckers plated three runs in the top of the eighth. Calvin Dryer highlighted the inning when he blooped a single, allowing two runs to score.

Being down three, the Locos looked for a late game comeback as they headed for their half of the eighth.

The Locos scored two runs on Edwards and Aldridge RBI singles. The inning came to an end on a Scott Weis double play in which the bases were loaded with one out. An eventful way to end the eighth, as the Locos could have done more in the inning.

Ben Hammitt came in for relief in the ninth inning, as he tried to keep the deficit at one.

The Suckers added a run in the final frame on a fielder’s choice to make it a two-run lead.

Marshall Dyer remained in for the final frame to try and close out the game for the Suckers.

David Edwards brought home two runs to tie the game at four on a single. Steve Aldridge grounded out to take the game to extra innings. The Suckers broke the tie in the tenth on a Michael Esther scored run. The Locos looked to tie the game or win it in the bottom half of the extra frame Courtney Spitz came in in the bottom of the tenth to try and give the Suckers their first win of the year. Gerad Fox hit an RBI single to tie the game at five, resulting in the game going into an eleventh inning. The Suckers tacked on three runs, including a Bradey Welsh two-RBI double in the top of the eleventh. The Locos went down in order in the eleventh, to give the Suckers their first victory of the year.

The Final Note: In a back and forth game in which pitching was the highlight of the early innings, first overall pick Bradey Welsh delivered the game winning blow. The Suckers won by three in the end, giving them an 8-5 victory.

Ozark Mountain Ducks vs. Branson Showmen

Batey Comes Through In Tight Win

By: Adam Dawson

Game Preview: The Ducks will look to improve their record to 2-0, as they send fast working King Owens to the hill. Andy Galle will look to record his 100th career strikeout, as he is only a few away.

Game Recap:

Galle set the top of the Ducks lineup down in order, as the top of the first was a quick one.

The quick worker King Owens was on the bump for the Ducks, as he looked to improve their record to 2-0.

King Owens fired a scoreless bottom of the first, as he struck out one and only gave up one hit.

Andy Galle got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the second. The heat must have played a factor, as he was bent over in the middle of the inning. He soon recovered to keep the game scoreless going into the bottom of the second.

Owens pitched his second consecutive scoreless inning in the bottom half of the second, as he kept the game at all zeros.

Andy Galle struck out his 100th career batter in his GRBL career in the top of the third. His counterpart, King Owens, was the strikeout victim. Galle recorded three strikeouts in the inning, but more importantly, recorded yet another zero.

King Owens recorded a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the third to bring his total up to four. A pitching duel seemed to have formed within the first three innings, as both teams could not crack the scoring column through three innings. Andy Galle picked up another pair of punch outs to bring his total up to six, as he got help from Robert Fackrell who threw out a runner to end the inning. John Arts was removed from the game in the top of the fourth, due to heat fatigue. Scott Wilson relieved King Owens in the bottom of the fourth. After walking Jose Vargas and hitting Haydon Gibson, he recorded three straight strikeouts. As a result, he kept the game scoreless in his first relief inning. Levi Shelton relieved Andy Galle. Galle shoved four scoreless innings, while striking out six. Shelton recorded a scoreless inning of relief, as each team could not muster a run through four and a half frames. Scott Wilson came in for relief in the bottom of the fifth. After allowing the first two runners to reach base, Nick Young quickly relieved Scott Wilson in the fifth. Wilson did not record an out in his brief appearance. Schuyler Carter hit an RBI single to center to break the scoreless tie, as the inning ended on a double play. Trevyn Batey brought home two RBI’s in the top of the sixth to give his team the lead in the top of the sixth. Nick Young struck out one in the bottom of the sixth, as Trevyn Batey was ecstatic while going back to the dugout. Ethan Bryan, the author of “A Year of Playing Catch”, pinch hit in the seventh, as he broke his bat and needed to grab another piece of lumber. Nick Young fired another scoreless frame in the bottom of the seventh, as he recorded two strikeouts. Aside from a leadoff walk, the Showmen kept the deficit at one, as they looked to tie the game in their half of the eighth. Nick Young remained in the game and through his first few innings had been nothing short of fantastic. Young continued his dominant relief effort, as he recorded two strikeouts to bring his total up to five. Going into the final frame, the Ducks looked for some insurance runs. The 21 year old Nick Young secured the win for the Ducks in the ninth as he easily secured the win.

The Final Note: Trevyn Batey was named the Player of The Game, as he came in the clutch as he put his team ahead for good. Batey roped a double down the left field line bringing in the much needed two RBI’s. With the win, the Ducks improve to 2-0, while the Showmen fall to 0-2.

Moon City Mavericks vs. Springfield Metropolitans

Mavs Pull Away In Tough Battle

By: Adam Dawson

Game Preview: Skyler Henson, the strike thrower, will take the hill for the Metropolitans in Baseball Night In The Ozarks.

Game Recap: Aside from a Jacob Karlson single, the Mavericks could not get him home to score the first run of the game. Devin Braswell opposed Henson as his pitching counterpart, as Braswell is a rookie in the GRBL. Kyle Poynter hit an RBI double, as Logan Prock came around to score. The Mets were able to put across one run, as they looked to hold the lead early in the game. Skyler Henson recorded a quick top of the second, as he had the game in the palm of his hand, especially with a one-run lead.

Devin Braswell fired a one-two-three inning in the bottom of the second, as he threw his first scoreless inning of the game.

Henson struck out the side in the third, as Braswell, Altic, and Freeman all went down in order. The Mavericks have their work cut out for them as it is going to be tough to break the scoreboard against Henson.

Justin Lowden relieved Braswell in the bottom of the third. A lot of traffic was on the basepaths in the bottom of the third, as Logan Prock and Chandler Maples were both hit by a pitch. The main highlight of the inning was when Justin Parker hit a two-RBI double.

After the Mavs loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fourth, Tyler Jones unloaded them with a grand slam that gave them a 5-4 lead. With Jones’ grand slam, it was the first slammy in GRBL history.

Mark Hudson came across to score in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at five on a wild pitch. The game was tied at five apiece going into the fifth.

The Mavs kept the bases busy in the top of the fifth, but did not score. As a result, the game stayed tied at five.

Chandler Maples brought home Nick Van Gorp to break the 5-5 tie. The Mets headed to the sixth with a one-run lead.

Kyle Poynter relieved Skyler Henson after five innings. Henson racked up a slew of strikeouts, but gave up a big mistake, a Tyler Jones grand slam.

The game was knotted up in the top of the sixth, when Matt Spangler doubled, who then came around to score.

Hunter Altic came in for relief in the bottom of the sixth

The inning ended in dramatic fashion in the bottom half of the sixth, as Jacob Karlson hosed down a runner from center field who tried to score from second. Karlson showed off his exceptional defensive abilities in this one, as he is one of the top defenders in the GRBL.

Hazelhorst remained in the game after getting nicked by a pitch in the bottom of the sixth.

Not much action occurred in the Mavs half of the seventh, as the game remained tied at six going into the seventh inning stretch.

Clay Murphy, the GRBL 2020 MVP, came on in relief in the bottom of the seventh. Two of the outs in the seventh, were recorded by the second baseman, while the other was recorded on a Murphy slider.

Ben Van Gorp came on in relief in the eighth. A Tyler Jones triple was the only action that happened in the top of the frame, as the Mavs could not get him home, the game stayed tied at six.

Murphy recorded two strikeouts in the eighth, as he kept the game tied at six going into the top of the ninth.

The Mavs left two runners on base in the ninth, as they were unable to break the tie. The Mets had runners on the corners with two outs in the ninth, but could not come up with any runs. Yet another game would go into extra innings as a result. Three runs came across to score in the Mavs extra inning frame. Spangler, Lowden, and Altic all brought home RBI’s. With the Mavs up three runs, Clay Murphy had a cushion to work with. The Mets were able to get one runner on base, but that was all they could muster as the Mavs hung on for a three-run victory.

The Final Note: In another back and forth affair, the Mavs pulled away in the tenth, in one of the better games of the GRBL so far this season.