Lombard ends Cats' season in regionals

Oswego finishes with seventh straight 20-win season

 

Just a few weeks ago, the Oswego Cats endured a pair of losses to Lombard that seemed to derail their regular-season momentum.

When the teams met again this past weekend, a similar result ended the Cats’ playoff aspirations. The host Orioles took the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) Regional at Madison Meadows with Sunday’s 16-4 victory.

Lombard – owner of the best record in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League – will now travel to Battle Creek (Mich.) for the opening round of the Charles M. Blackburn Major Division World Series.

Oswego (20-14, 14-12), meanwhile, heads home despite posting its seventh straight 20-win season.

The double-elimination tournament started off well, but the Cats eventually ran into a buzzsaw.

After taking the opening-round game against Westmont 5-4 on Friday night, the Cats were saddled with the challenge of toppling the dominant Orioles, who defeated Team Acceleration on Thursday evening in its first game.

Lombard, which won a doubleheader 10-6 and 4-0 at Jackie’s Field of Dreams on July 25, dominated Oswego 16-3 on Saturday afternoon, and Sunday’s result was nearly identical.

“That’s a [darn] good team right there,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “They just hit everything we threw up there. We didn’t get strike calls, and [Saturday], we kinda got squeezed a little bit, but that still doesn’t take away the fact that they were just hitting the ball all over the yard. It’s tough to beat that.”

Oswego struggled against Lombard in 2018, going 0-6 in their meetings, but games between these foes have been incredibly competitive overall. Last summer, the two met in the regional championship for an epic 18-inning contest that the Cats won.

This time, however, the Cats were unable to come out on top, and their fight wasn’t enough to outlast a relentless Orioles team that racked up 19 hits on the day.

“This is by far the best team we’ve ever played, and that includes the team out of Houston that we played in the 2012 [in the American Amateur Baseball Congress Stan Musial World Series],” Miller said. “[Lombard] does not have a hole.”

The Orioles jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first and tacked on six more in the second, ending the day for Cats right-hander Kendall Interial (10 runs, eight hits, four walks, 1 2-3 innings), who was spelled by right-hander Jacob Lipscomb for the rest of the game.

Oswego came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Catcher Rocco Pascente brought a run in on a single to right, and then he came home on second baseman Trevor Lines’ three-run double.

“We kind of battled back and kind of got ourselves back in it,” Miller said. “We just keep plugging away like we always do and put up a couple of runs late; we weren’t going to go away quietly, and I give our guys a lot of credit for playing to the end, for not throwing the towel in. Of course, it’s disappointing to lose, but I’m not disappointed with the effort, not one bit.”

Lombard came out swinging in another four-run inning in the third before tacking on single runs in the fourth and sixth against Lipscomb, who finished with 11 hits and three walks allowed, as well as eight strikeouts in his 5 1-3 innings of work.

“Some days it goes absolutely great, and some days it just doesn’t come together,” Miller said.

While a game like Sunday’s could dishearten an inexperienced squad, there was nothing but optimism from Miller, who expressed positivity in his team’s efforts and is already starting to look toward next summer.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who could make a big difference moving forward, but overall, we’ve got a solid team – we won 14 games in the league, and only three other teams did that,” he said.

“I’m not saying we were the best team out here last year, but we played as a team, and everyone pitched in. This year, we just couldn’t get over the hump, and we couldn’t stop the momentum from their side.”

 

By LAURA MEDINA - sports@kendallcountynow.com

Jose Camacho's big blast boosts Oswego Cats past DuPage

Cats bounce back from tough weekend to win 7-6

 

To find success in a long baseball season, a team’s biggest goal is to overcome stretches of adversity and pave a path toward the playoffs.

The Oswego Cats bounced back from a tough weekend on Wednesday, riding the wave of Jose Camacho's huge hit and a solid bullpen effort to edge the DuPage Angels 7-6 at Benedictine University.

After rounding out June with six wins – four in Chicago Suburban Baseball League play – in seven games, the Cats (14-8, 10-6) opened the month with a doubleheader loss at North Division rival Crystal Lake 5-3 and 12-1 on Sunday.

Oswego currently sits second in the division behind undefeated Lombard (13-0) and is in a position to compete in the season-ending, single-day elimination CSBL tournament on July 29.

“We’ve got 10 games left in the league, and obviously, our goal is to finish in the top two, so we can go to the tournament, and right now, we’re where we need to be,” Cats manager Todd Miller said.

On Wednesday night, the Cats traded offense early and often with the Angels, who entered on a three-game win streak.

In the first, Bobby Smith brought Camacho home on a deep double to center to put Oswego on the board.

DuPage, though, responded with three runs off of right-hander Anthony Nicholas in the bottom half of the inning.

The Cats answered back with three of their own in the second, including two on Anthony Fumagalli’s triple to left center. He then came around on Clay Schuler’s double to the same spot.

Nicholas got himself into a bit of trouble at the bottom of the third, where he struck out three but gave up four hits and two runs, as well.

DuPage left-hander Andrew Jurack, however, walked Nick Mayerhofer and Schuler in the fourth before Camacho (2-for-2, three walks, two runs) homered over the left field fence to give the Cats a 7-5 lead.

“[Camacho] has been swinging a really good bat for us,” Miller said of the Cats veteran. “From when he first started playing with us to now, the improvement has been so steady. I don’t want to say dramatic (...) but you saw the progress from coming from [Oswego High School].

“He goes about everything – there’s a professionalism to how he prepares himself. He’s really matured as a ballplayer. He’s got a really good glove, and he can hit from both sides of the plate like you saw [Wednesday]. He showed the power that he had.”

DuPage scored on a two-out single in the bottom of the inning, marking the end of the night for Nicholas, who surrendered 10 hits and three walks on the night. Right-hander Carter Turnquist struck out the last batter in relief.

Both bullpens were stellar, as the Angels’ right-hander Colin Pfoftenhauer allowed three hits and three walks while fanning six in five innings.

Meanwhile, Oswego’s Turnquist gave up two hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings, and right-hander Austen Kapusinski allowed four walks and struck out one over the next two innins.

Right-hander Kendall Interial rounded it out with a walk, a hit and a strikeout in the ninth to preserve the victory.

“That’s kind of where we need to be, especially with the nine-inning games. If I can get five out of the starters, that’s a bonus, because I’ve got the pen to go to,” Miller said.

“I didn’t expect it to be a rollover, because [DuPage] can hit, and I know they’ve got a little bit of pitching. The first time we came up here, we 10-runned them [12-1 on June 6]. I think at the beginning, they kinda thought it was [going to be easy] and saw that we were in a little bit of a dogfight there. But they stuck with it, and we played pretty good defense; that was a good win.”

Oswego looks to build on the victory as it continues its four-game CSBL road trip tonight at Addison before heading to Joliet for a doubleheader on Saturday.

The Cats return to Jackie’s Field of Dreams for a doubleheader against new league member Hammond on Sunday. Several players will then head to the league’s College All-Star Game at Judson University next Wednesday before the final week of the schedule.

“This is the toughest time of the year, but the end of the month is the fun part,” Miller said.

 

July 12, 2018

Cats pound out nine hits in 9-2 win behind Oswego graduate

 

OSWEGO – Cam Paladines can take the heat.

 

Paladines, a right-handed pitcher, wore shirt sleeves to his elbow underneath his jersey on a steamy Saturday afternoon.

 

It was no walk in the park, but it beats the alternative.

 

"Maybe not like this, but I love the warm weather – it's better than throwing in 32 degrees or under," Paladines said. "I like to be able to feel the ball with my fingertips."

 

Paladines was feeling good Saturday. He walked eight batters, but only gave up one hit over five-plus innings – and received plenty of run support – in the Oswego Cats' 9-2 win over the Homestead Ranchers in Oswego.

 

The win was the sixth win in seven games for the Cats (8-4) in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League.

 

The Cats pounded out nine hits and blew the game open with a five-run fourth.

 

"Our offense has been unbelievable," said Paladines, an Oswego graduate coming off his junior year at Benedictine University. "Today is a typical day. We score a run, I'll battle for three or four innings and then we'll break through."

 

Paladines (4-0), in his second summer with the Cats, is getting in a nice rhythm.

 

A reliever at Benedictine, Paladines was sidelined from March through early April with a shoulder injury.

 

He only threw nine innings all spring, but his pain-free now. His routine with the Cats is Saturday starts. He'll prepare by running as much as he can during the week to get his stamina up, and throwing a bullpen and long toss.

 

"I'm really into my mechanics," Paladines said. "[Cats manager] Todd [Miller] can tell when I'm starting to get tired and we need to go to the bullpen. I honor that. My job is just to throw."

 

Paladines only struck out one, and allowed a baserunner in all but one inning Saturday. But he made the big pitch when he needed it.

 

"Cam is not where he needs to be or wants to be, but he had a good summer last year and Cam will work through it," Miller said. " He's knows what he's doing out there. I know what I'm getting with Cam."

 

Miller also knows what he's getting from Bobby Smith.

 

The Oswego East product, a 2016 North Central graduate, is in his fourth summer with the Cats. Now the strength and conditioning coordinator at the Romeoville-based Rhino Baseball Academy, Smith appreciates still being in the game.

 

And he can still play. Smith had two singles, reached base three times and drove in two runs Saturday.

"I'm around a lot of high school kids [at Rhino], but I still want to play," Smith said. "Giving knowledge to the younger kids is beneficial."

 

Smith had an RBI single in the first inning, and again in the Cats' big fourth inning. Nick Mayerhofer, who was on base base three times, had a bases-loaded walk. Clay Schuler, who also reached base three times, singled in a run.

 

Rocco Pascente also reached three times.

 

"We're hitting top to bottom," Smith said. "We have a young team but we're playing well."

 

Nick Sewruk, a Yorkville product, closed things out with two innings in the mound.

 

"We had a lot of turnover from last year, but we have a good group of guys," Miller said. "Every year it's a new battle. We have a nice little team. We hope to be where we need to be at the end of the year."

Baseball: Cats come up short at World Series

Oswego bows out with sixth straight 20-win season, fourth playoff appearance

By LAURA MEDINA

Aug. 15, 2017

Postseason wins were at a premium for the Oswego Cats over the weekend.

Despite bringing their best efforts to the table, they were unable to triumph in their brief appearance at the 104th National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) Charles M. Blackburn Major Division World Series in Battle Creek (Mich.).

There, the Cats dropped three contests to some of the most competitive teams in the country, including two on Thursday – a 6-0 loss to Buffalo-Orville’s (N.Y.) followed by a 5-3 result to Flanagan Associates (Conn.) later that day – before enduring a tournament-eliminating 19-7 defeat to the St. John’s Leftys (Pa.) on Friday afternoon.

Buffalo-Orville’s eventually fell to local rival Battistoni Diesel 8-5 in the championship on Sunday afternoon at C.O. Brown Stadium.

It was a sixth consecutive 20-win season and a third overall regional title that brought Oswego (23-20, 18-14 Chicago Suburban Baseball League) to the playoff stage for the fourth time in the program’s 30-year existence.

“The pool was ultimately pretty (darn) good,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “The team we played in the first round went on to play in the World Series, and the team we played in the third round made it to the semifinals. The pool was deep.”

In the Cats’ first game, they matched up with a familiar opponent in Buffalo-Orville’s, which knocked them out in the semifinal last season.

“I think it was a little bit of jitters and a little bit of youth,” Miller said. “We had three errors in the first inning, which cost us four runs, and we couldn’t recover. We had three hits, and everything we did was seemingly (ineffective). They were a solid team, and they showed (it)."

Later that day, Oswego took to the field again, but were unable to build on an early lead before bowing out against Flanagan Associates.

“We were up 2-0 at the end of two, so we finally broke the lid on crossing the plate, but we gave up one run, then two and another two in the fifth,” Miller said. “We added another run in the late innings, and we threatened in the ninth but couldn’t manage to get the runs we needed."

The Cats had an opportunity to extend their run in the tournament, but faltered again, this time at the hands of perennial power St. John’s Leftys, who were NABF champions in 2013 and runners-up in 2012 and 2014.

“We thought they might be the best team there, but they entered our game with them at 1-1,” Miller said. “We started slow and fell behind 7-1 after 5 1-2 innings. We came back and got another run in the sixth and five in the bottom of the seventh.

“The momentum really swung our way, but the next inning didn’t go as planned. They scored eight runs in the top half; that took the wind out of our sails before they added four more in the ninth. They were a solid team.”

Miller didn’t make excuses for his youthful squad all season and wouldn’t do so for their performance against more seasoned lineups in the World Series. Instead, he looked at their “greenness” as a reason to celebrate.

“We enjoyed the experience and the learning curve,” he said. “They finally got a chance to compete on the national level – not just the local one – against teams that know how to win. I’m not disappointed. The outcome wasn’t ideal, but I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys, who played together."

Despite an abundance of new faces joining their ranks and welcoming back a few players who were limited by injuries and availability in previous summers, the Cats found success in a variety of ways all summer long.

They rallied behind the offensive efforts of shortstop Garrett Saunders (.356 average, 13 RBI, team-leading 17 stolen bases), centerfielder and postseason catcher Clay Schuler (.336, 20 RBI) or right fielder Bobby Smith (.433, team-best 30 RBI), and they played strongly in support of right-handers Cameron Paladines (CSBL-best 6-2 record) and Marty Maves (league-leading 12 appearances, 4-for-4 saves).

“I’m pretty happy with things this year. We had a lot of new guys (and) good young talent,” Miller said.

Though the personnel changed from last year, Oswego found itself again enjoying the spoils of a trip to Battle Creek. The weekend might not have produced winning results, but Miller still counts this as a successful season.

“This was as fun as any year, but it was a grind,” he said. “It’s been fun, and it will be fun to see where this goes next year. I hope there are many more years of this.”

Baseball: The Cats' Meow – Oswego Cats going to World Series

Oswego Cats go 18 innings to win NABF regional championship

By LAURA MEDINA

Aug. 7, 2017

Lengthy games are certainly nothing new in baseball, and though the Oswego Cats have had plenty of extended outings in their history, Sunday was one of their most memorable.

After 18 innings, the Cats earned a 12-10 victory over host Lombard to take the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) Regional Championship at Madison Meadows.

It was the third regional title in the program’s existence and first such honor since taking the American Amateur Baseball Congress’ North Central Regional in 2015.

With the win, Oswego (23-17, 18-14 Chicago Suburban Baseball League) clinched a berth to the Charles M. Blackburn Major Division World Series that starts Thursday in Battle Creek, Michigan.

But the route to the World Series wasn’t an easy one.

Sunday’s contest was the culmination of a weekend of hard-earned victories for the Cats, who defeated the Orioles 8-7 on Friday and followed it up with a 9-8 win over the DuPage Angels on Saturday afternoon as part of the double-elimination tournament.

Against Lombard on Sunday, the back-and-forth battle continued well into extra innings.

Oswego led 5-4 after five, but Lombard put up three in the bottom of the sixth. The Cats eventually tied it up with single runs in the eighth and ninth, pushing the game to extras.

“We had to refocus on Sunday, but none of our guys quit,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “You know, we’re kind of at the upper crust of the league, and this was just two heavyweights going punch for punch.

“As frustrating as it was, at the end, it was like ‘finally.’”

The bout lasted another nine frames, as the teams exchanged single runs in the 14th, 15th and 16th. Things remained knotted until the 18th, when the Cats scored on a passed ball at home and on a bases-loaded walk.

“That was definitely the longest game I’ve played, but just that back and forth was exciting,” said right fielder Bobby Smith, who went 3-for-8 with two runs batted in.

Clay Schuler went 5-for-8 with an RBI and three runs scored for the Cats, while Nick Mathey (3-for-5), designated hitter Ryan O’Dell (1-for-4) and catcher Chris Hill (1-for-8) each had two RBIs.

Right-hander Carter Turnquist allowed 10 hits, seven runs, four walks and two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, finishing without a decision in the game. He also pitched in relief on Friday against the Orioles.

“They’re a good team, and hats off to them; they did a phenomenal job this year like they do every year, but there’s a lot of pressure to want to do well,” said Turnquist, who started the season with Lombard before being granted his release to join his hometown Cats.

In relief of Turnquist, right-hander Austin Kapusinski allowed two hits, one run, four walks, six strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.

“That was enormous; without him bridging the game, there’s absolutely no way [we win],” Miller said.

After Kapusinski’s efforts, second baseman Trevor Lines shifted from the infield to the mound, tossing the final five innings, where he gave up six hits, two runs and one walk, holding Lombard in the bottom of the 18th to secure the victory.

Oswego won’t have much time to relish the spoils of the triumph, as they prepare for Battle Creek this week.

This will be the Cats’ first appearance in the NABF World Series. They made three previous trips to the AABC Stan Musial World Series, finishing fourth in 2012 and fifth in 2015.

For many of the members on the current squad, this will be their first venture into a deep postseason run.

“I’ve always said that this is what we play for,” Miller said. “It used to be just ‘getting here’ and now, it’s getting to that next step and making an impact when we get there, which we have in years past.

“With the brand of baseball that we play in Illinois in this league, it’s sometimes head and shoulders above some of the other teams that we see on the Battle Creek stage, and the World Series stage is just amazing.”

Miller, who has been with the team since its founding, knows the importance of this postseason berth, acknowledging that Sunday’s game is the first step in a ladder of success.

“It’s summer baseball, but when you get a taste of this, you want more,” Miller said. “Hopefully, you bring the same kind of mentality to the field up there. I can’t ask for more of a group effort out of everyone; it was just unbelievable.”

If they don’t play for one another, then the players are more than willing to play for Miller, whose impact is not lost on them.

“It means more winning these games for Todd, because he puts everything he has into our team and into the Oswego Cats program; it means more to him than anything else, and it means more to us to do that for him,” said O’Dell, a Cat since 2012.

“We do have a good amount of returners, so they know how important it is to make it to the World Series. There, you’re playing against some of the best teams around, so it’s special any time you make it. It means a lot.”

Opponents for the major bracket have not been determined yet, but fans can follow Oswego either on the NABF website, www.nabf.com/world-series, or on Twitter @NABFInfo.

Notes: Against Lombard on Friday night, shortstop Garrett Saunders’ big night (2-for-3, four RBIs and one run scored) supported starting right hander Cameron Paladines, who gave up nine hits, five runs – three earned – and three walks while striking out three in 5 2/3 innings. Turnquist came on in relief.

On Saturday versus DuPage, the team led 4-0 heading into the bottom of the third, where the Angels scored seven. They added another in the fourth, but the Cats came back with one in the fifth, three in the sixth and one in the seventh to seal the win. Mathey (1-for-4), Jose Camacho (2-for-4) and Vince Schwartz (2-for-2) each had two RBIs.

Right-hander Jacob Lipscomb allowed nine hits, eight runs (four earned) and four walks in 3 2/3 innings before right-hander Marty Maves closed things out with 3 1/3 shutout innings (three strikeouts).

Baseball: Beecher sweeps Cats, add uncertainty to playoff prospects

By LAURA MEDINA

July 24, 2017

Four games that should have solidified the Oswego Cats’ positioning for the Chicago Suburban Baseball League championship next weekend instead revealed weaknesses that will need improvement before they consider their postseason prospects.

One day after a doubleheader split against Westmont, the Cats returned to Jackie’s Field of Dreams and dropped a pair close games 5-3 and 4-3 (six innings) to Beecher on Sunday afternoon.

With the wins, Beecher tightened its grasp on the second-place spot in the CSBL, while Oswego (18-16, 16-13) dropped to fourth, just a few percentage points behind Joliet. Lombard continues to lead the pack ahead of the championship to be held July 30 in Lombard, where only four teams will qualify for the honor.

Though the Cats will likely be invited to play for the league title, a lackluster weekend of winnable games put a damper on their potential success.

“They played well, but that's kind of what happened (Saturday) night, too,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “They kind of stopped hitting at the end of the first game, and in the second game, we nicked away and got back into it, but couldn’t get over that hump in it.”

Against fifth-place Westmont on Saturday, Oswego opened with a 7-4 win but faltered in a 6-5 loss in game two; a similar pattern occurred in Sunday’s weather-impacted twinbill.

In the opener, the Cats jumped out to an early lead in the first inning following a two-run home run by centerfielder Clay Schuler. The Muskies cut into the lead with a run in the third, but the hosts bounced back with catcher Mike Dato’s run-scoring single in the fourth.

Beecher tied things up with two runs in the fifth and then grabbed the lead with two more in the sixth, thanks in part to some untimely defensive miscues.

“We just need to play better,” said Miller, whose team totaled five errors in both games on Sunday. “We weren’t bad, but those couple of (poor defensive plays) cost us.”

Game two saw the Muskies crack the scoreboard in the first and third to take an early 3-0 lead. Then, in the fourth, the Cats got things going with right fielder Bobby Smith’s run-scoring double and first baseman Ryan O’Dell’s RBI-single.

Oswego tied it up in the fifth on third baseman Garrett Saunders’ single, just as the storm clouds – and a bit of lightning – rolled in.

Following a brief delay, the teams returned and played through drizzle in the sixth, when another run crossed the plate for Beecher. It would prove to be the eventual game-winner, as Oswego couldn’t get anything going in the bottom half of the inning and heavy rains forced umpires to call the contest at the start of the seventh.

The close result was the team’s sixth consecutive defeat by three runs or less.

Patchy play isn’t ideal for a team that’s not only looking for its first league title. Oswego ended up with a tie in the weather-shortened inaugural CSBL championship game last year. The Cats are also seeking a third straight postseason berth and fifth in the last seven seasons.

“Our pitching has been good, and we hit the ball OK, but it wasn’t consistent like we’ve been doing; we had patches when we hit the ball well,” Miller said.

Baseball: Cats give postseason hopes a boost

Bounce back from tough weekend to beat District 20 Mules 12-2

By LAURA MEDINA

July 19, 2017

After a tough weekend and with just a few games left in the regular season, the Oswego Cats are grasping every opportunity to boost their overall record in the hopes of a postseason berth.

They took down the District 20 Mules from Peru 12-4 in exhibition play on Tuesday night at Jackie’s Field of Dreams, bouncing back from a 1-3 weekend in Chicago Suburban Baseball League play.

In Saturday’s doubleheader at fourth-place Joliet, Oswego (17-13, 15-10) faltered in both games and started Sunday’s twinbill with a 2-1, eight-inning loss at league-leading Lombard before salvaging things on a 14-9, nine-inning win in the nightcap.

No extra-inning theatrics were necessary against the Mules, as the Cats scored in the first inning then added five runs in the second. Shortstop Garrett Saunders and center fielder Dolan Nicholson each had two-run doubles in that frame, while designated hitter Bobby Smith brought in a run, as well.

The Cats tallied four more in the third, one on right fielder JT Schurr’s single, one on a passed ball at home and two on third baseman Jose Camacho’s double. They would add two more in the sixth on catcher Nick Lowe’s double to left-center.

“We swung the bats really well, and we’ve been on for every game lately,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “Early on, the pitching was carrying us, but now, we’re getting both. We got all that going for us right now at a time where that’s what we need.”

The offense stepped up in support of left-handed David Schurr, who struck out four and allowed one baserunner in four innings of near-perfect baseball.

Right-hander Trevor Lines gave up four runs – all in the sixth – and five hits, while walking one and fanning three in two innings, and righty Marty Maves conceded two hits and struck out four in the last three.

While Tuesday’s win didn’t add anything to Oswego’s league resume, it did allow the team a moment for perspective on its third-place positioning in the CSBL. It is six games behind first-place Lombard and has seven remaining, including six league contests.

Only the top four teams have a chance at the CSBL title, making this weekend’s doubleheaders even more significant for the Cats’ postseason hopes. They play lower-tier Westmont on Saturday and second-place Beecher on Sunday, all at home.

“Not to put pressure on them, but it has to be a 4-4 or 3-4 weekend,” Miller said. “Last year, we needed a split [in the last doubleheader of the regular season] to get there; this year, we are right where we want to be.”

Tuesday not only transitioned Oswego into the most critical part of the regular season, but it also led them into Wednesday’s Collegiate All-Star Game between the CSBL and Metro Collegiate Baseball League at Judson University. Saunders, Nicholson and Oswego graduate Cameron Paladines will represent the Cats.

Saunders (Central College, Iowa) has hit .355 with seven RBI and 13 stolen bases in league play, while Nicholson (Waubonsee Community College) has racked up 10 RBI and has a .330 on-base percentage in CSBL competition.

“In this game, it’s not just about the summer league; it’s about getting ready for our college teams, so even if it doesn’t help us with the [Cats] season, it’ll help us down the road,” Saunders said.

“I think we’ll see the best reps of the season in the All-Star Game,” said Nicholson, who hit 3-for-4, with two RBIs and three runs scored on Tuesday. “I know hitting-wise, we will see good pitching, and I know that Cameron will see some of the best hitting from the other league.”

Paladines (Benedictine University) leads the league in wins (5-1) in his seven starts.

“I’m excited,” Paladines said. “They have a lot of advanced divisions on that [MCBL] roster, so it’s going to be exciting to play those guys and see what that competition is like.”

The trio considers the all-star experience important, but knows that the business of its regular season resumes immediately after the last out in Wednesday’s game.

“This is go-time for our season,” Saunders said.

Baseball: Cats' tough stretch continues with loss to District 20 Mules

By LAURA MEDINA

July 7, 2017

Within a typical season, a team is bound to experience various types of adversity.

For the Oswego Cats, four losses in five games has proven to be their toughest stretch of the summer slate, with Thursday night’s 4-2 loss to the District 20 Mules from Peru in exhibition play being the latest in that span.

Oswego (11-9, 10-6 Chicago Suburban Baseball League) ended last month on a 6-1 run but stumbled into July, dropping a doubleheader on Saturday at Crystal Lake and splitting a pair on Sunday at Beecher.

The slide put the team into a three-way tie for second in the CSBL, 4.5 games behind first-place Lombard. While Thursday’s exhibition loss will not factor into the league standings, it’s one that Cats field manager Todd Miller expected to have gone differently.

“I hope (this) goes a long way,” Miller said. “Frankly, it was a little embarrassing, and I don’t know if we weren’t prepared or if the layoff between Sunday and (Thursday night) was too much for them. But I hope that this is a bit of an eye-opener for the upcoming weekend.”

With doubleheaders against Westmont and DuPage at Jackie’s Field of Dreams set for Saturday and Sunday, respectively, Oswego sought a better outcome against District 20.

Trailing 2-0 in the fifth, the Cats cracked the scoreboard on designated hitter Clay Schuler’s two-out, two-run double.

Neither team scored again until the eighth. There the Mules capitalized against right-handed reliever Marty Maves, notching two run-scoring base hits against the recent Oswego graduate.

“Maybe they’re not the competition that we’re used to, but our guys don’t take off games, at least you hope not,” Miller said. “We just didn’t hit the ball; that’s all it was.

“Defensively, we didn’t play bad. Our pitching was pretty good. Marty got hit hard again, but he’ll bounce back and be there when we need him.”

Oswego managed just seven hits, second baseman Ryan O’Dell accounting for two of them, against District 20 and left seven in scoring position. The team had an opportunity to tie the game in the ninth with two men on and one out but couldn’t put anything together.

“We’re putting swings on the ball, and we’re hitting it hard, but sometimes, you get into a stretch where you hit it right at people,” Schuler said. “We have some of that going on.

“A game like (Thursday), we had runners on base, and if we knock a couple of those guys in at the right moment, we’re right in that game.”

In 16 years with the Cats, Schuler – a 2002 graduate of nearby Minooka – has seen his fair share of rough patches. As such, he has the best outlook on how to shake off the team’s recent slump.

“The big thing that I’ve personally learned over time is that if you just relax out there and try to have fun, you’re a better player,” said Schuler, who leads the team with 14 runs batted in and is 5-for-18 with a homer and 4 RBIs in the five July games.

“With the young guys, they’re in college, and they all have very high expectations of themselves," Schuler said, "and you can get into the mode of trying to do too much and forcing it instead of going out there and playing.”

Schuler looks for his team to demonstrate that kind of resilience over the weekend against struggling Westmont and DuPage, who sit a combined 10-21 in league play and reside in the lower portion of the CSBL.

“This weekend is big; it’s four league games against two beatable teams, but we’ve got to come ready to play,” Miller said. “These really are four big games for us; they could put us back in the top of the league, if we get three out of four or four out of four. That puts us right back in the top of the pile, and that’s where we want to be – among the top four at the end of the season.”

Tom Colletti signs with San Diego Padres

 

Senior right-hander Tom Colletti has signed with the San Diego Padres as an undrafted free agent, Ohio announced in a release on Saturday.

Colletti, who did most of his work out of the bullpen, made six starts this season in 27 appearances, finishing with a 3.66 ERA and leading the team with a .196 opponent batting average.

He became a Sunday starter in late April and pitched the only complete game of Ohio’s season, a three-hitter with nine strikeouts against Mid-American Conference regular season champion Kent State.

Baseball: Mike Cherven, Cats get the bats going to stay hot

Oswego beats Addison 9-3 for fifth win in six games

By LAURA MEDINAEmail

June 21, 2017

Riding the efforts of solid pitching and just enough hitting, the Oswego Cats have turned in wins in five of their last six games.

Their bats awakened further in the latest victory, a 9-3 decision over the Addison Braves in Chicago Suburban Baseball League play on Tuesday night at Jackie’s Field of Dreams.

Oswego (7-4, 7-2 CSBL) dropped three of its first five games by a combined 33-6 score, but since that stretch, the team has gone 5-1 and surrendered no more than three runs in the wins.

Conversely, the Cats hadn’t done much at the plate in those triumphs – just 11 combined runs – until Tuesday, where they scored in five of eight innings, including a four-run sixth.

“Our pitching has been outstanding, save for a couple of games,” Cats field manager Todd Miller said. “If our bats can catch up to them, we’ll be good. We’ve kind of dug ourselves into some holes getting behind and haven’t been able to battle our way out, but every game brings a little more confidence.”

Against Addison, the Cats muscled out 12 hits and were paced by catcher Mike Cherven’s performance. Cherven went a 4-for-5 with two runs batted in and two runs scored.

“The last couple of games, we’ve managed to win, but the hitting and leaving runners on base was a struggle,” said Cherven, an Oswego East graduate. “But this game, every time we had a runner in scoring position, we were moving him over and doing something for him.”

Other Wolves alums also made an impact on the scoreboard, as right fielder JT Schurr went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run, while designated hitter Vince Schwartz was 1-for-5 with an RBI.

“JT Schurr has been a nice little addition,” Miller said. “He’s played right field for us, gotten into some games, put the bat on the ball. For a kid who really didn’t play a lot of games at Aurora [University], I’ve been pleasantly surprised with him.”

JT’s older brother David worked hard on the mound, as well, conceding a run, three hits and a walk, while striking out five in five innings to start. Right-hander Kendall Interial then faced six hitters in two innings of relief, and right-hander Marty Maves (Oswego) gave up two runs and three hits before striking out two in the ninth.

“Our hitting finally turned on,” Maves said. “The last few games, we were only getting a few hits and one or two runs, but as a relief pitcher with this kind of run support, you could go out there and pitch loose. If you make a mistake or let up a run, it’s not a big deal.”

That loose environment has not only spurred the Cats on their current winning run, but it has also kept them near the top of the CSBL, just 1.5 games behind league-leading Lombard.

“I haven’t been here in the past, but it’s more fun to play in that kind of atmosphere,” JT Schurr said. “I just think it’s better for us to play like that, but we’re still all focused and trying to get better.”

The Cats have yet to jump into the thick of their schedule, but they’re already in the appropriate mindset for future goals, including the possibility of another regional title.

“The guys who are playing right now are really devoted, and they’re realizing that [it’s serious],” Cherven said.

With the weight of the summer slate in mind, Oswego looks to continue its recent run as it closes out the month, starting with Thursday’s non-league matchup versus Team Acceleration and Saturday’s home doubleheader against CSBL foe Homestead.

“Everybody’s in this together; there is a true camaraderie,” Miller said. “It’s fun to be here – it’s like pulling teeth some days, but for the most part, they’re doing fine.

“Everybody is building confidence, everybody wants to perform, but even when they don’t, there is somebody behind them who is picking them up, and that’s the big thing. One guy doesn’t have to row the boat for everyone.”