6/9/2017Oswego Cats ready to roar again

Baseball: Oswego Cats ready to roar again

Smith leads Cats coming off regional appearance

By LAURA MEDINA sports@kendallcountynow.com

June 9, 2017

Ten months ago the Oswego Cats’ summer ended on a successful note, with a fifth 20-win season in six years, a spot in the league championship game and a promising playoff appearance.

The Cats – now in the midst of their 30th season – are optimistic for a similar outcome this season.

They’re off to a 2-3 start after Tuesday’s 14-3 loss to the Joliet Dirtbags at Jackie’s Field of Dreams in Chicago Suburban Baseball League (CSBL) competition.

In 2016, Oswego finished 21-18 with a 13-15-1 mark in the CSBL. The team went on to make its first appearance in the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) Regional in Cincinnati, where it won the first three games before falling in the semifinals.

Cats field manager Todd Miller believes that his roster is built for another such run.

“It’s a good group of kids. They want to play, and that’s a bonus for us,” he said. “They want to do well, and I think with that attitude, we’ll have a lot of success, especially once we get everyone back.”

With many college semesters still in session, Oswego has played its first five games without some key returning players. Still, the team has managed to turn in respectable results, dropping both ends of a non-league doubleheader at Michigan City (Ind.) on Saturday but then winning two at home versus the DuPage (formerly Chicago) Angels in league play on Sunday.

Against Joliet, the Cats stayed afloat before their two-run deficit soon ballooned into a 10-2 battle after six innings. They were able to get a run back in the bottom of the seventh, but the Dirtbags tacked on four more runs in the next two innings to secure the win.

“Overall, it was not a premier performance, but we were in it for the first five innings; we were right there,” Miller said. “We had the bases loaded (in the seventh), and if Bobby Smith got into one at that point, we cut the lead in half, and we’re right back in the game. That’s the bright side, and I think we’re capable of that.”

Smith, who went 2-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored Tuesday, hit a team-best .339 with 21 runs batted in for the Cats last season.

The Oswego East graduate is one of several area players on the roster, which continues to boast local talent from Oswego, Sandwich and Minooka.

“David Schurr (Oswego East) will be a solid starter,” Miller said. “He got a little roughed up (against Joliet), but he’ll be okay.

“Marty Maves (Oswego) has been pretty solid and was good (on Tuesday night). I want him to work the back end, but we really needed to get out of that sixth inning, and he was the guy to do it.”

Schurr allowed 10 runs and 12 hits in 51⁄3 innings of work before he was replaced by Maves, who limited Joliet to a run and a hit in 22⁄3 of relief. Jacob Lipscomb came on in the ninth.

With plenty of games remaining, the Cats are hoping to find their way back into the win column soon. They’ll have a challenge, though, against a tough Crystal Lake squad on Saturday at home.

“We’ll be good, (but) Crystal Lake will be another test for us,” Miller said. “Now that the guys are getting their feet wet, it’ll help out. I like the way these guys get along. Everyone is pulling on the same end of the rope, and even at the end of a game like (Tuesday night), we’re still out there rooting for each other.”

8/1/2016Oswego Cats end season with loss in Cincinnati

By LAURA M. MEDINA - sports@kendallcountynow.com

Oswego Cats end season with loss in Cincinnati

Team reaches NABF regional semifinal, falls 5-1 to New York lineup

For the Oswego Cats, the road to the playoffs was paved with the typical ups and downs of winning streaks and losing skids, unexpected and unpredictable weather delays, and a rash of injuries that wrenched the everyday lineup.

In spite of the tough spots, the Cats put together another successful season, surpassing the 20-win mark (21-17-1, 13-15-1 Chicago Suburban Baseball League) for the fifth time in six years and ending sixth in the realigned CSBL. They even reached the league’s inaugural championship game before it was called off because of lightning.

All of this set the stage for Oswego’s first appearance in a National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) Regional last weekend in Cincinnati, where it opened with three wins before a 5-1 semifinal loss to Buffalo-Orville’s (New York) on Sunday morning to end its summer season.

“Overall, the season was a success,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “We didn’t know what we were going into [at the NABF]. We’ll take a few days off before looking at things for next year, but I consider this a success. It was another year with 20 wins … but it was a good rebuilding year. We were hit with injuries, but hopefully, those guys will recover and will be able to come back and do what they’ve done before.”

Buffalo eventually lost to the Ohio-based Lake Erie Buckeyes, who grabbed the Cincinnati Regional title and will head to the Charles Blackburn Major Division World Series that starts Wednesday and concludes Sunday at Bailey Park in Battle Creek, Michigan.

It was Oswego’s first venture into NABF competition. Previously, the Cats competed in the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) Regional. A new direction within the CSBL, however, made the team one of seven from the league to compete in postseason NABF major tournaments.

Though they were the newcomers, the Cats opened the bracket impressively to advance to the championship round.

“We played some very tight games,” Miller said.

One such contest was last Thursday’s opener in which right-hander Brandon Thielk tossed a three-hitter for a 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Mudcats.

Thielk, who finished 4-3 on the mound with a 4.44 ERA in eight starts this summer, walked two and fanned six in his second shutout of the season. He was supported by the run Mike Rissley (2-for-2, walk, stolen base) scored in the bottom of the third.

“We didn’t really hit, but we had a ton of baserunners,” said Miller, noting that the Cats stranded 11 of 12 on base. “But they didn’t really threaten, and Brandon was in control.”

After going 2-for-3 at the plate in Thursday’s game, Kevin Loukota went the distance on the mound in an exciting 3-2, eight-inning win over the Portland (Indiana) Rockets on Friday afternoon.

The right-hander conceded seven hits, two runs and two walks while striking out eight for the Cats, who trailed 2-1 after the bottom of the sixth inning and tacked on single runs in the seventh and eighth.

Catcher Mike Cherven went 2-for-2, while Jeff Woods went 1-for-3 with a walk and a RBI and Jose Camacho, hitless in three at-bats, had a sacrifice-fly RBI.

Oswego then took advantage of pitching and defensive miscues in Saturday morning’s 12-2 drubbing of the Yorkville (Ohio) Yaks.

Down 1-0 after the top of the first, the team scored six in the bottom portion and cruised from there. Right-hander Ryan Millan was solid on the mound, allowing two runs (one earned) in the effort, while Ryan O’Dell homered and had two RBI, and Camacho had a two-run home run.

“We hit the ball pretty well, but really, we had the benefit of walks and some of their fielding errors,” Miller said.

Sunday’s loss was a difficult one, as Oswego scored one in the bottom of the second before Buffalo responded with three in the top half of the third inning and scored a pair as the game progressed.

“It was OK. We played well defensively, but we didn’t hit well, and that was our downfall,” Miller said. “Every hit we had was right at someone.”

Left-hander Adam Eck, who conceded four walks and hit two batters, gave up those first three Buffalo runs and didn’t make it out of the third inning, when Thielk came on in relief.

7/26/2016Oswego Cats reach CSBL title game, storms win out

By LAURA M. MEDINA - sports@kendallcountynow.com

Oswego Cats reach CSBL title game, storms win out

Team preps for trip to Cincinnati for NABF Regional

At the very least, Sunday proved to be a unique experience for the Oswego Cats. At the most, it was preparation for their next postseason challenge.

Despite reaching the title game of the inaugural Chicago Suburban Baseball League Championship, the Cats were unable to compete for the top spot amid powerful storms.

Inclement weather – summer baseball's greatest opponent – had impeded Oswego (17-16-1, 13-15-1) on several occasions, forcing game delays, postponements and even one suspension last week. All three factors, however, made their way into the four-team CSBL tournament.

Originally expected to start in the late morning, all contests were pushed to the afternoon where Oswego rallied back with seven runs in the final two innings to take the first game of the tournament, 8-6, over league-best Lombard at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.

Storms didn't impact the outcome of Game 2 between Beecher and Joliet, as the Muskies dominated the Dirtbags 9-0 to set up the championship before another change was made – this time to a new venue. With that start postponed almost two hours and another round of lightning in the area, the game was called without intent to make it up.

"The weather was just bad luck," Cats field manager Todd Miller said. "We were scheduled for Silver Cross, then that was unplayable, so we ended up at Homewood-Flossmoor since Beecher has access to it. We drove through the storm to get there, and it's like there was a bubble around the field, because it ways in good shape. We expected to get the game in at around 9:30, but the lightning determined by then that we weren't going to play."

In the game that was played, Oswego was stellar.

Down 3-0 after four, a Mike Rissley homer put the team on the board in the fifth before Lombard answered with a run in the bottom half. The Cats then benefited from a two-run home run from Ryan O'Dell in the top of the eighth to make it 4-3, but the Orioles' offense got one back before heading into the ninth.

There, Bobby Smith cracked a three-run home run to give Oswego the lead, and a pair of insurance runs later in the inning provided enough momentum to survive a Lombard rally in the final frame for the 8-6 victory.

"It was good to go out and be a part of (the first CSBL Championship), especially for the younger guys to see a little bit of what tournament baseball is all about," Miller said. "We worked our pitchers in, had four guys go out and throw a few innings each. We even had a fifth guy lined up if we needed him.

"We had runners on base all game. Three home runs accounted for six of our runs, and we have 20 combined this season. We've got some power in our lineup."

A bit of that power appeared to be missing prior to the championship event. Following an offensive explosion during a four-game winning streak from July 10-16, the Cats sputtered with doubleheader home losses to Lombard last Monday, 9-8 and 12-6, and to Westmont on Saturday, 3-2 and 4-3.

In between the twinbill pairings, Oswego and Joliet played to a 2-2 tie before storms halted and eventually suspended things at Jackie's Field of Dreams.

With the steamy and stormy weekend behind them, Oswego is now focused on its first appearance at the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) Regional in Cincinnati, where the winner will head to the World Series in Battle Creek, Mich., in August.

"Sunday was a taste of it. It's two games, but it kind of makes you think of the rotation you want to work with and your bench," Miller said. "We had a short brunch on Sunday, but we're piecing it together. We're taking 16 guys to Cincinnati. Position-wise, we're a little thin, but our pitching is strong."

Few bracket details were known at press time, with only Thursday's opening game on the schedule. It is unclear if the Cats will play that evening time slot, but after surviving Sunday, Miller expects that his team will be ready for every possible tournament obstacle.

"We're right where we need to be at the right time of the year. I'm definitely more optimistic than I was heading into Sunday," he said.

7/19/2016Oswego Cats sparked by red-hot offense

By LAURA M. MEDINA - sports@kendallcountynow.com

Oswego Cats sparked by red-hot offense

Squad racks up 26 hits in doubleheader sweep over Chicago Angels

Having won four consecutive Chicago Suburban Baseball League games and nine in their last 11 overall, the Oswego Cats appear to have found their groove. With only a few contests left in the regular season, their timing has put them in a position for future success.

Oswego (17-12, 13-11) started the summer 8-5 before a five-game skid from June 23-26 created a roadblock. The team has since lost just twice to put itself near the top of the league standings.

What's helped lately is a red-hot Cats' offense, which racked up 17 total hits in a doubleheader sweep of Homestead on July 10, and 26 while taking two from the struggling Chicago Angels, 10-3 and 7-5, on Saturday afternoon at Jackie's Field of Dreams.

"We had a lot of things going on in those games that really hurt us, and we didn't play with a full lineup; we were in those games and could have come away with wins instead of going 0-5," Cats field manager Todd Miller said.

"We regrouped, and we're getting it back together. We're starting to hit the ball again."

On Saturday against the Angels, the Cats trailed 3-0 in the top of the first before they tallied five of their own in the bottom half. They added three in the second inning and single runs in the fifth and sixth to notch the game one win.

Ryan O'Dell went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, and Jeff Woods (1-for-4) picked up two RBI. Bobby Smith (2-for-3) also had an RBI and a run, Bailey Watros (1-for-4) had an RBI, and Clay Schuler went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and two runs in the victory.

"Guys are hitting their stride; when they get their opportunities, they're coming through, and when they're called on, they're answering," Miller said.

Left-handler Nick Evola went five innings, surrendering three runs, four hits and three walks, while also striking out one. Right-hander Matt Schultz came on for the last two frames and had three strikeouts.

In game two, Oswego held a 4-0 lead after the fifth, but Chicago knotted the score in the sixth. The Cats picked up three runs in the bottom portion of the inning, and the visitors added another in the seventh, but it wasn't enough for the last-place Angels.

Big contributors at the plate were Smith (2-for-4, homer, three RBI, run) and Mike Cherven (3-for-3, two RBI, run), while O'Dell went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run.

Right-hander Jeff Woods conceded four hits and a walk, while fanning seven over five innings, but the left-handed Watros came on in the sixth and struggled, allowing five runs (four earned), four hits and four walks in 1 2-3 innings. Right-hander Kevin Loukota came on with two runners on in the seventh and secured the last out to preserve the win.

Things seem to be falling in place for Oswego, which closes out the regular season with a doubleheader versus Lombard on Monday, one against Joliet on Thursday and two with Westmont on Saturday – all at home. Sunday's twinbill against Crystal Lake, meanwhile, was rained out.

"With three doubleheaders in a row, (the rainout) works in our favor a little bit going into Lombard with a day's rest," Miller said.

The busy Cats will also send three representatives to the CSBL All-Star Game this week. Evola, Clark Brinkman (also in the home run derby) and Jose Camacho will face the best in the Metro Collegiate Summer Baseball League (MCSBL) at Judson University.

July wraps up with the inaugural four-team league championship, and with co-third place team Crystal Lake expected to play in the MCSBL tournament, the way is seemingly paved for fifth-place Oswego. As such, a few more wins against No. 2 Lombard and No. 6 Westmont would be ideal.

"If we hold our ground this week, we can solidify a spot," Miller said. "We could then play Beecher or Lombard, and with Lombard, it's not a hate thing; it's a respect thing. We don't like losing to them, but at the same time, (they) don't like losing to us."

Once CSBL play has completed, Oswego will travel to the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) Regional in Cincinnati instead of its usual American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) Regional. The winner of the NABF tournament will head to the World Series in Battle Creek, Mich.

7/1/2016Heads-up base running gives Oswego Cats win in 11t

By LAURA M. MEDINA - sports@kendallcountynow.com

Heads-up base running gives Oswego Cats win in 11th inning

Wild pitch allows go-ahead run to score in 4-3 victory

A wild-pitch offense might not always be the ideal game strategy, but it worked for the Oswego Cats, as an errant toss allowed the winning run to score in the 11th inning against the Crestwood Panthers on Thursday night at Jackie’s Field of Dreams.

Oswego (13-11, 6-9 Chicago Suburban Baseball League) won its second straight after losing five in a row and wrapped up a stretch in which the team split 12 games by celebrating after left fielder Jeff Woods came home on the wayward throw during Clark Brinkman’s at-bat for the 4-3 victory.

“With a runner on third, you’ve always gotta have your guy aware of what’s going on and ready, and hopefully, you get a fortunate break like that, and that one was more fortuitous than I would have expected; it worked out,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said.

“In a situation like that, the important guy is the leadoff guy, and Jeff got on, and then we got the bounce over to second. I was hoping maybe that [catcher] Mike Cherven [2-for-5] would come through, and he got the ground ball and kept us out of a double play. It wasn’t Clark’s best night, but those are the guys you want in that situation.”

The late-inning heroics were essential against Crestwood starter Danny Guido, who was tough from the outset. The right-hander made quick work of the first five batters he faced, but he allowed shortstop Chris Saltijeral (2-for-4, RBI) a two-out triple that scored Sandwich alum Woods (3-for-5, two runs) in the bottom of the second.

The Panthers, though, earned two back in the third off of Cats right-hander Andrew Bruss and added another off of him in the fifth to jump ahead 3-1. Oswego wouldn’t trail for long, getting a spark in the sixth from first baseman Michael Fidler’s two-run home run over the left-field fence to knot the score.

“It moved really quickly there for a few innings, but we weren’t putting the ball in play,” Miller said. “We definitely struggled, and we had a tough time catching up to [Guido].

“They went up 3-1, and we were hoping we could battle back here, and we just weren’t getting anything going. Then with the strikeouts [10 before the homer], that just didn’t help, but we got a big boost there, and that helped us out.”

It also helped that Bruss was able to pitch himself out of a few jams on his end. He gave up six hits, walked three and fanned four in 6 1/3 innings before giving way to left-hander Andy Grunewald, who was stellar in relief against the non-CSBL Panthers.

“Andrew Bruss did a really good job,” Miller said. “He got into some situations, but he got himself out of them. Andy, too, came in, and he threw the ball very well. He was pounding the strike zone, and he had [six] strikeouts in a row at one point. He’s done very well for us.”

In fact, Grunewald fanned eight total – six straight over the eighth and ninth – and surrendered two hits in 4 2/3 frames.

“I think that’s the most strikeouts I’ve had in an outing,” Grunewald said. “I’m not a strikeout guy, but I was finding the zone.”

Oswego had other offensive chances in the seventh, eighth, and ninth, but it wasn’t able to solve Crestwood’s pitching, much like the Panthers were unable to get to Bruss or Grunewald in that same stretch.

The timely hit in the 11th, however, allowed the Cats to revel in a comeback win, something that could bode well for them when they return to the diamond in July, a month rife with tough CSBL competition.

“It’s a morale-builder, especially facing that guy we faced, to claw your way back and then take the win,” Miller said. “I mean, the way we were hitting, we could have just rolled over. We didn’t, we kept fighting, we kept getting base-runners, and I told our guys that’s what we need to do, just a little at a time.”

6/21/2016Oswego Cats use strong pitching, timely hitting to

By LAURA M. MEDINA - sports@kendallcountynow.com

Oswego Cats use strong pitching, timely hitting to top Wheaton White Sox

Riding the efforts of solid mound work and timely hitting, the Oswego Cats topped the Wheaton White Sox 5-1 in a non- Chicago Suburban Baseball League matchup on Thursday night at Jackie’s Field of Dreams.

Oswego (7-5, 5-4), which is in the midst of 13 games in a 14-day stretch, returned to the diamond after a rainout against CSBL associate member Team Acceleration last Tuesday.

The Cats, who surrendered four hits while racking up 12 of their own, jumped on the board first with a three-run fourth. Bailey Watros walked to open the inning, and center fielder Clay Schuler moved him to third on a long double. Right fielder Bobby Smith hit one back to the pitcher, who elected to throw home and instead launched one to the backstop to allow Watros to score.

Smith moved to second on the play, distracting the infielders long enough for Schuler to score. He came around three batters later on first baseman Michael Fidler’s ground-rule double.

“Our hitting went pretty well,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “We had a base-running blunder there early, but I was hoping that it wouldn’t come back to bite us, and it didn’t. It was nice to see the bats wake up and put the ball in play. We’re coming along, and we’re getting these guys here a little more comfortable."

In the sixth, second baseman Adam Lipscomb and shortstop Jeff Woods led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and both eventually crossed the plate to make it a 5-0 game. At the bottom of the order, catcher Mike Cherven hit 3-for-4 on the night.

Wheaton was quiet at the plate, as right-hander Kendall Interial tossed five innings of no-hit ball, walking one in the third and striking out eight in his season debut.

Lefty David Schurr came on in the sixth and was stellar, holding the White Sox without a hit until shortstop Justin Lo broke it up with a single to start the seventh.

Former Cat and Yorkville graduate Chris Hill drove Lo in with a base hit three batters later for Wheaton’s lone run of the night.

Schurr conceded another hit in the eighth, but the runner was left stranded at third. He gave up four hits and a walk and fanned two in three frames before right-hander Andrew Bruss closed out the ninth with a one-two-three effort.

“Our pitching was good with Kendall out there,” Miller said. “It was a little rough, and there were a lot of pitches, but there were a lot of swings and misses. That was definitely a good one to get, and it gets his first one out of the way."

Keeping both pitchers and batters ready will be just part of the regular-season battle for Oswego, which has been bitten by the injury bug recently. Already without Jose Camacho as he completes a college course, the squad will miss catcher Matt Bunetta (undisclosed), infielder Trevor Lines (wrist), and outfielder Jeff Tucker (shoulder).

It is unclear how long Bunetta and Lines will sit, but Tucker is expected to have an MRI this week and could be out for an extended time. A deep roster, though, should continue to make these absences easier to overcome.

“He’s going to have some rehab on it, and we’ll see where he’s at afterward,” Miller said. “If we have to shut him down for the summer we will, I’d rather do that so he can play two years of college baseball. ... We have guys in the bank and haven’t used them yet, but I want to get them some innings because I don’t want them to come in later in the year and have them be rusty.”

Notes: Oswego, currently fifth in the league standings, turned in a stellar weekend in CSBL competition, splitting a pair at Joliet on Saturday with a 10-3 win in game one and a 10-4 loss in game two and sweeping two at Beecher 5-2 and 4-3 on Sunday.

6/13/2016Offense rusty as Oswego Cats open summer slate

By LAURA M. MEDINA - sports@kendallcountynow.com

Offense rusty as Oswego Cats open summer slate below .500

The Oswego Cats are experiencing a start vaguely reminiscent of last season, and while that’s not enough to guarantee the same kind of success the team experienced in 2015, it’s a reminder that there is plenty of time to ensure that it at least has a chance for a similar kind of finish.

Oswego, which is currently 3-4 overall and 2-3 in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League, opened last season with just four wins in its first seven games en route to ending it at 17-14 with a 15-10 record in the CSBL.

The team then clinched the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) Regional Tournament at Jackie’s Field of Dreams and rounded things out as the fifth-best team in the Stan Musial World Series at Farmingdale State (N.Y.) College last August. The national tournament was the Cats’ first such bid since finishing fourth in the World Series in Port St. Lucie (Fla.) in 2012.

With their sights on another postseason run, the Cats are hoping to turn their early struggles into learning experiences that lead to later successes.

After splitting a season-opening doubleheader (11-6 win, 8-5 loss) with the Crestwood Panthers on June 5, Oswego dropped a 6-1 league contest against the Joliet Dirtbags two nights later. On Saturday, the team swept a doubleheader from the Homestead Ranchers 11-2 and 8-2 at home, but lost two to the host Crystal Lake Cardinals by identical 2-0 scores on Sunday.

Against Joliet last week, the Cats went up against a pair of right-handers that combined to allow just one run and seven hits, while striking out seven.

Shortstop Trevor Lines, first baseman Kevin Loukota and second baseman Adam Lipscomb each had two hits for Oswego, which went quietly through the first five innings and trailed 3-0.

A one-out rally seemed to be on the horizon in the sixth, when Lines and right fielder Bobby Smith each singled. Loukota drilled a pitch to left-center that appeared to clear the bases, but it was ruled a ground-rule double, plating Lines and stranding Smith at third.

With the bases loaded and two outs, left fielder Jeff Tucker grounded out to end the inning.

“(Two) double plays killed us, and that ground rule double killed us,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “We just couldn’t put the ball in play and couldn’t get the run. We were missing some of our veteran bats, and our older guys were swinging, but we couldn’t put anything together and couldn’t get over the hump.”

Miller, though, shouldn’t worry about the Cats’ offense too much, as that was the team’s strongest attribute last season.

Its .294 batting average was second in the league, with Clay Schuler leading all hitters in the CSBL with a .351 clip and five other players in the top 25 (69 at-bats or more): Jose Camacho at .333, Lines at .323, Ryan O’Dell at .300, Loukota at .297 and Smith at .291.

Oswego was also third in hits (211) and runs scored (151). Schuler was second among players with 27 hits (77 at-bats), while Smith (23) and Camacho (22) were not far behind. Among those driving runs in, Schuler was fourth with 22 RBI, O’Dell sixth with 16, and Camacho and Smith had 13 and 12, respectively.

Camacho, though, will be unavailable for a few weeks to complete a summer course at Texas Southern University.

“We’ll bounce back, and we’ll get more swings and more guys in the lineup,” Miller said. “It’s just a matter of getting them comfortable with the idea that, ‘You can do this; you don’t have to press and try to hit 40 home runs. Just play your game. You’re going to have to manufacture runs, get timely hitting, and stay out of the situations that cause us outs.”

As the bats begin to come around, Oswego will look to its pitching to provide some stability.

In the loss to Joliet, left-hander graduate David Schurr surrendered three runs and nine hits while striking out 10 in seven innings of work. Right-hander Ryan Millan surrendered two hits in the eighth, and right-hander Andrew Bruss conceded three runs and four hits in the ninth.

The trio looks to keep contributing to a staff that combined for a regular season 5.04 ERA and features six new arms in addition to its 12 returners.

“David was very good,” Miller said. “He throws the ball really well, has good movement and good velocity. He’s a nice addition.

“Our pitching should be really good. It will definitely lead us, but we have to let our bats keep up. We’ll start to hit; just like the major leagues, the bats have to catch up to the pitching.”

Miller also looks to build on the defense, which features a bevy of infield and outfield veterans that have provided a solid backing to the pitching staff in years past.

Oswego will have plenty of time to evaluate each aspect of its team with 14 games left in June.

“Everybody’s got a ‘deer in the headlights, we gotta make that impact,’ and it’s like, play your game,” Miller said. “Just relax and go out there. You’re here because you can do it, not because we hope you can do it. It’s a matter of juggling everybody around and finding them playing time, but we’ll be okay.”

8/11/2015Oswego Cats close season with memorable trip

By LAURA M. MEDINA - sports@kendallcountynow.com

Oswego Cats close season with memorable trip

Win over Long Beach gives squad fifth-place finish in World Series

After earning their first bid to the Stan Musial World Series in three years, the Oswego Cats again proved that they belonged among some of the best teams in the nation.

While they fought hard to stay alive, the Cats couldn’t outlast the competition, as they suffered a 3-2 loss versus the Braintree White Sox and finished fifth in the double-elimination tournament on Saturday afternoon at Farmingdale State (N.Y.) College.

Oswego clinched the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) Regional Tournament with four wins in five games at Jackie’s Field of Dreams at the end of July, earning its first playoff trip since taking fourth overall at the Stan Musial World Series in Port St. Lucie (Fla.) in 2012.

“Overall, I’m pretty happy. We (placed fifth) with a small roster of 16 guys because of availability,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “Our goal was to make it to Saturday.”

In their 8-7 first-round loss to the Long Island Storm on Thursday night, the Cats rallied back in the fifth from a two-run deficit. Then, they were down by five in the first four innings of an eventual 9-5 win over the Long Beach Legends on Friday afternoon.

Against Braintree on Saturday, Oswego trailed in the first inning, as the opposition scored its three runs off of right-handed starter Kevin Loukota.

“Getting through the regional was their first eye-opener,” Miller said. “Once we got up here, and they saw some of the teams, especially the Long Island team, which had guys that were at least 25 to 35 years old, things changed. It woke them up.

“Ultimately, it didn’t go our way (in the whole tournament), but it could have. Going 1-2 doesn’t’ sound good and losing two games by one run is disheartening, but it shows that we didn’t give up.”

Just as they had throughout the tournament, the Cats rallied and put themselves on the board with two runs in the sixth, one coming on a hit by centerfielder Clay Schuler (2-for-2), but they couldn’t get much else going as the game continued.

“They didn’t score the rest of the game, but we had a little bit of anxiousness,” Miller said. “Every inning, it seemed like we had runners on, and we couldn’t the hit we needed. They were a good team with solid defense and didn’t make a lot of mistakes.

“With this big stage, sometimes the pressure builds – and we’re playing against guys that are minor leaguers – but we just have to remember to win with what we have and the way we play. We gave ourselves a chance to be in the game.”

Loukota gave up eight hits and recorded five strikeouts in his complete-game effort against Braintree. The defending World Series champion played later on Saturday but was eliminated from the tournament by eventual victor Westchase Express, which needed to play the Long Island Storm twice on Sunday afternoon to win the title.

Though the Cats were unable to reach 20 regular-season victories and faltered in their ultimate goal to win the Stan Musial World Series, they experienced growth in other areas, specifically with getting new players to buy into the team’s purposeful mission.

“We wanted 20 wins, and we came up short, but we were right there overall,” Miller said. “It was good to see the first-year guys contribute in individual games or sustain it over a few games.

“The pitching was solid, and everybody contributed off the bench. Up and down the lineup, everyone picked their spots and contributed. Sometimes, it’s hard putting the lineup together, and not everyone’s going to be happy, but they had a good attitude this season.”

As Miller thinks ahead to next year, his greatest hope is that Oswego continues to build on its recent successes. Should the Cats return the players that brought them to the postseason this summer, they might have another opportunity to do.

“They know what this is now and what a taste of success is,” Miller said. “We just have to guard against complacency and the feeling that we’re going to make it every year just because we made it the year before. Hopefully, these guys see the bigger prize here, something to shoot for and play for every year. The most excited people were the guys that have been there before, and it was a little contagious for everyone else.”

Tournament Notes: On Thursday, Long Island cracked the scoreboard first, crossing the plate twice in the fourth inning, but its lead wouldn’t last long, as Oswego rallied with four runs in the fifth. While the Storm cut into the deficit with a run in the sixth, the Cats earned it back in the seventh. But in the bottom of the frame, Long Island tacked on four runs to retake the lead at 7-5.

Not out of it yet, Oswego knotted the score with two of its own in the eighth, but Long Island sent the winning run home in the second half of the inning. Despite having a leadoff runner in the ninth, the Cats couldn’t bring him in.

Right-hander Cody Love gave up three runs in six innings with five strikeouts, giving way to right-handed reliever Kendall Interial, who surrendered four runs in the seventh. Right-hander Tom Ozlanski took the hard-luck loss by conceding the game-winner in the eighth.

Oswego was boosted by the efforts of infielders Ryan O’Dell, who had two doubles, and Mike Rissley, who had two RBIs. Outfielder Bailey Watros also had two RBIs in his three at-bats.

After losing in the first round, the Cats had a chance to make a splash in the consolation bracket against the Long Beach Legends on Friday afternoon. Right-hander Brandon Thielk took the mound for the first time since pitching a complete-game win versus Lombard on June 24. The 28-year-old Sandwich native works out of state and missed all of July but found a way to be effective despite a rough first inning in which he conceded four runs.

Thielk settled in as the game went on, allowing another run in the fourth. In all, he surrendered 12 hits but racked up a total of seven strikeouts in eight innings. Loukota pitched the ninth, as Thielk was dealing with a blood blister.

In support of their pitcher, the Cats cut the deficit with two runs in the fifth and continued their momentum into the sixth with a seven-run rally.

Offensively, Bobby Smith had three hits, while Rissley and Jose Camacho each had two RBIs.

“At that point, they (Long Beach) were kinda done, and we were hoping to keep our foot on the gas; you could tell they were defeated,” Miller said. “It was good to bounce back from the loss and good to bounce back from being down.”

8/7/2015Oswego Cats suffer tough loss in New York

By LAURA M. MEDINA - sports@kendallcountynow.com

Oswego Cats suffer tough loss in New York

Long Island Storm score game-winner in eighth inning, win 8-7 to advance in World Series

In their return to postseason competition, the Oswego Cats turned in a valiant effort, but fell 8-7 to the Long Island Storm on Thursday night in the first round of the Stan Musial World Series at Farmingdale State (N.Y.) College.

Following a 17-14 regular season that included a 15-10 record in Chicago Suburban Baseball League play, Oswego clinched the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) Regional Tournament with four wins in five games at Jackie’s Field of Dreams July 31-Aug. 2.

With the victory, the team was poised for its first playoff trip since taking fourth overall at the Stan Musial World Series in Port St. Lucie (Fla.) in 2012.

Though that team reaped the rewards of a successful tournament run, Oswego knew that it had a difficult road ahead in New York, especially facing a formidable Long Island squad in its first game of the double-elimination bracket.

It was the Storm that struck first in Thursday’s matchup, taking a 2-0 lead in the fourth. That advantage wouldn’t last long, as the Cats bounced back with a four-run rally in the fifth. Long Island cut into the deficit with a run in the sixth, but Oswego earned it back in the seventh. The bottom of the inning, however, saw the Storm tack on four runs to retake the lead at 7-5.

“It was a game of huge momentum shifts,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “We scored four in one inning, and they scored four in one inning. It was two teams slugging it out, and we’re not going out without a fight.”

Not out of it yet, the Cats knotted the score with two of their own in the eighth, but they couldn’t prevent the eventual winning run from coming home in the second half of the inning. Oswego had a chance in the top of the ninth with its leadoff runner on, but it couldn’t bring him home.

“We played well,” Miller said. “We’re disappointed to lose, but I’m not disappointed in the team. We were in it all the way, and for a team like (Long Island), with a lot of ex-minor leaguers, they were legitimately worried (against us).”

In Thursday’s game, right-hander Cody Love gave up three runs in six innings with five strikeouts. Right-handed reliever Kendall Interial surrendered four runs in the seventh, while right-hander Tom Ozlanski took the hard-luck loss by conceding the game-winner in the eighth.

Offensively, Oswego was boosted by the efforts of infielders Ryan O’Dell, who had two doubles, and Mike Rissley, who had two RBIs. Outfielder Bailey Watros also had two RBIs in his three quality at-bats.

“I’m very proud of the way they played,” Miller said. “We gave them everything they wanted, and we had big at-bats.”

Though it has one loss, Oswego still has a chance to make a splash in the World Series by winning out in the consolation bracket, starting with a Friday afternoon game against the Long Beach Legends. The tournament ends Sunday afternoon.

“We played our (butts) off (on Thursday),” Miller said. “It goes to show you that on any given day, with baseball, anyone can win. We’re here to play, and we’re not going to go down easy.

“We’re not done yet.”

8/3/2015Oswego Cats bound for World Series

By LAURA M. MEDINA – sports@kendallcountynow.com

Oswego Cats bound for World Series

Squad records 13-6 win over Westmont to earn trip to New York

In their biggest game of the season, the Oswego Cats rallied back from four runs down to defeat the Westmont Red Sox 13-6 on Sunday afternoon, winning the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) Regional Tournament and earning a bid to the Stan Musial World Series.

With Jackie’s Field of Dreams as the backdrop for the tournament weekend, the Cats, the Red Sox and the Addison Braves each competed for the title. Addison was eliminated following a 6-1 loss to Westmont on Thursday and a 9-1, eight-inning defeat to Oswego on Friday. Oswego is now 17-4 this season and finished 15-10 in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League.

Saturday’s matchups between the remaining teams resulted in a split, with the Cats winning the opener, 6-2, and the Red Sox taking the second game 12-4 in 11 innings to set up Sunday’s championship, which became Oswego’s most important contest of the summer – especially after the previous night’s struggles.

“It was good to rebound from the debacle (on Saturday) and put things together,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “We didn’t start the game the way we wanted to after that eight-run 11th, but we kept it together. (Right-hander Tom Ozlanski) kept us in it; it’s a veteran thing to do.”

Westmont hit two singles against Ozlanski in the first, with one of those providing the first score of the game. The second run came on an overthrow at third base to establish the lead.

Two innings later, the Red Sox tacked on two more runs in the third to put the hosts in a 4-0 jam, but the Cats got one of them back in the fourth on shortstop Mike Rissley’s bases-loaded walk.

“We have done that throughout the weekend - we’ve kind of been playing behind, and we dug ourselves a little bit deeper of a hole there with some bad defense, but we had to wait out (right-hander Kevin Jakubauskas),” said Miller of the Cats, who trailed in the first inning during three of their four tournament games.

In the fifth, Westmont took advantage of the double steal to sneak another run in, but it was the bottom of the inning that proved to be the game’s turning point, as Oswego sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs against the Red Sox’s first reliever of the night.

Catcher Javier Martinez III started the rally with a run-scoring single followed by left fielder Bailey Watros’ RBI-base hit two batters later. Second baseman Adam Lipscomb and right fielder Bobby Smith each plated a run and reached first on a fielder’s choice, while Schuler brought Smith in on a mishandled ball by the second baseman.

Rissley rounded out the scoring, coming home on a balk to help Oswego jump ahead 7-5.

“We had the bases loaded, and we left a lot of runners on early, but you know, we kept at it,” Miller said. “We kept getting guys on doing the things we needed to do.

“We didn’t want them to start pressing. It’s three runs, it’s four runs, but we had six innings left. We hung in there, and that’s all we can do.”

Now holding the lead, Ozlanski worked confidently through the next three innings, allowing one hit and walking three in that span. He was further supported by the offense, getting two runs in the seventh on first baseman Ryan O’Dell’s long double to left and four runs in the eighth on alternating RBI-singles and sacrifice fly-outs for an 11-5 advantage.

The Red Sox tried to rally in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to change the eventual outcome, as Oswego captured the coveted bid for the World Series, which begins Aug. 6 at Farmingdale State (N.Y.) University.

“We had to not make the mistakes they made defensively, and we started being patient, waiting on our pitches and putting the ball in play,” Miller said. “That’s the best that we can do and what we’ve been waiting for all year, finally putting it all together. We had timely hitting from one through nine, and the young guys came through for us.”

Miller is hoping his players continue to come through in New York, as the Cats can expect to see an increased level of competition on a national platform.

“It’s going to be a new stage for a lot of the guys, because they haven’t been to something like this before,” Miller said. “Fortunately, we have a lot of guys here that have been through it.”

Oswego’s lineup could receive a boost from the return of infielders Trevor Lines (hamstring) and Jose Camacho (hand), as well as right-hander Brandon Thielk (personal reasons).