July 2009 Archives

Over the next few weeks, I will be doing a preview of every college football team in the Big Six Conferences (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big Twelve, Pac-10, SEC) for the upcoming season. This continues with:

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Clemson - After a preseason top 10 ranking that ended in a 7-6 season last year, the Tigers look to rebound on the legs of C.J. Spiller.

Key Players Leaving - James Davis, RB - the "Thunder" to Spiller's "Lightning", Davis ran for 3,881 yards and 47 touchdowns over his career with the Tigers. Davis was drafted by the Browns in the 6th round. Aaron Kelly, WR - his 20 career touchdown receptions are a Clemson record. Cullen Harper, QB - after a great junior season, Harper threw more interceptions than touchdowns his senior year, but still managed to finish with 5,762 passing yards and 42 touchdowns in his career. Dorell Scott, DL - the highest Clemson player drafted in 2009 (third round by the Rams), Scott had 48 tackles, including 8 for a loss, his senior year. Michael Hamlin, DB - a first team All-ACC safety last year, Hamlin (who was drafted by the Cowboys in the fifth round) intercepted six passes and had 97 tackles this past season. Chris Clemons, DB - Clemons, the highest drafted player in 2009 whose name was also an anagram of his school (fifth round to the Dolphins), had 82 tackles and two interceptions.

Flash Without the Bang - C.J. Spiller has been one of the most exciting running backs in college football over the past three years, when given the carries. Spiller has 2,335 yards and 20 touchdowns over his career, and is averaging almost 6 yards a carry. However, he's always had Davis with him to share the load. No one knows how Spiller will do as the Tigers' full time back, but if he performs nearly as well as he did in a part time role, he should be one of the ACC's most dominant rushers.

New Coach, New Attitude - Tommy Bowden resigned as head coach in the middle of his tenth season at Clemson last year, and was replaced by Dabo Swinney. The best word to describe Swinney is, well, energetic. The new coach brought a definite fire to the Tigers, but they still lost three out of seven games under him, including a disappointing bowl game loss to Nebraska. Some say a head coach should be more reserved and that that kind of energy should be reserved to players, or even fans, but others say he brings a refreshing new attitude to a profession that is often filled with old, fat, and dull men, and Swinney is none of those three. Only time will tell whether this translates to win.

The Bottom Line - There is no doubt that Clemson has the talent to compete in, and possibly win, the ACC. C.J. Spiller is one of the top talents in college football, Willy Korn and Kyle Parker (who shined in the spring game) have potential at quarterback, and Kavell Conner is a tackling machine at linebacker. The players have had around a year under their new coach, and really have taken to his methods (or so they tell the media). But as we've learned over the past decade, anything can happen in the ACC.

Prediction - 9-3 (6-2), second in ACC Atlantic. After starting out 2-1 with a loss to Georgia Tech, Clemson suffers surprising back-to-back losses to TCU and Maryland. They then rally around Swinney and finish the year with seven straight wins, including a (mild) surprise over rival South Carolina.

BETHESDA - - The Thunderbolts lost to the Maryland Redbirds last night in an elimination game of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball Game playoffs, 3-0.

Casey Allison led off the top of the first by getting on base on a dropped third strike, but injured himself stealing second. Nate Cudney pinch ran for Allison, but the 'Bolts were unable to drive him home.

In the top of the third, Frank Florio singled to right with one out for the Redbirds, and it looked the ball could bounce to the wall. Cudney made a great play cutting it off, however, and gunned Florio out trying to go to second.

"I didn't think he'd run," Cudney said. "And I just threw it off my back foot just close to second, and luckily the ball got there before he did."

In the bottom of the fourth, starter Blair Delean ran into some trouble for the 'Bolts. After walking Josh Winter, he got Alex Frederick out on a sacrifice bunt and then struck out Dustin Douglas. However, he then walked Cory Jensen and Ben Winter before giving up a two-run single to Florio.

Curtis Wilson led off the top of the sixth with a walk, and then stole second. The next two batters, Mark Hill and Devin Rivers, flied out to right, leaving Wilson at second. The following batter, Matt Lopsonzski, singled to center, but Wilson was thrown out at home by Ben Winter.

Mike Loeb came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and didn't allow a run. Stephen "Money" Miller pitched a perfect innings, and nine of his ten pitches were strikes.

The 'Bolts had yet another opportunity in the top of the eighth. With one out, Chris Holland singled and advanced to second on an error. Wilson walked, and Hill singled sharply to center, advancing both runners one base. Rivers then grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, ending the inning.

Gray Cardon came in to pitch the ninth, and allowed one unearned run after errors by Hill and Mike Knight on a stolen base attempt.

The Thunderbolts would like to thank all of their fans, sponsors, players, coaches, volunteers and campers for a great tenth season. The LCS continues today at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, with games at 2:30 and 7:30.

The Thunderbolts lost to the Maryland Redbirds today, 3-0, ending their season. Ben White (Temple) pitched a complete game shutout for the Redbirds, striking out five. Blair Delean (Maryland) started the game for the 'Bolts, pitching five innings and allowing two runs. Mike Loeb (Davidson), Stephen "Money" Miller (Salisbury), and Gray Cardon (Wingate) followed with three innings of relief in which no earned runs were allowed, but the 'Bolts were not able to come through on offense.

I'll put up a full article tomorrow.

Over the next few weeks, I will be doing a preview of every college football team in the Big Six Conferences (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big Twelve, Pac-10, SEC) for the upcoming season. This starts today with:

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Oh Matt, how the Eagles' faithful misses you.

Boston College - After a surprising 9-5 record last year, the Eagles are gearing up for one of their worst seasons in recent memory.

Key Players Leaving - B.J. Raji, DT - the anchor of the team and the ninth overall pick in this year's NFL Draft. Chris Crane, QB and Dominique Davis, QB - as mentioned below, will leave a huge hole for BC at quarterback. Robert Francois, LB - had 82 tackles, including 9 for a loss, last year. Ron Brace, DT - Raji's partner up the middle, Brace had 11 tackles for a loss and was drafted by the Patriots in the second round. Brian Toal, LB - an underrated presence on one of the best front sevens in the country. Brandon Robinson, WR - racked up 42 catches and 646 yards last year. Paul Anderson, DB - had six interceptions his senior year, including one returned for a touchdown against Notre Dame.

Finally, Mark Herzlich, LB - His shocking announcement earlier this year that he has Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, stunned the sports world. Herzlich was last year's ACC defensive player of the year and had been one of the ACC's more exciting defensive players. Herzlich will be going through treatments this year, but will not be able to play for the Eagles.

Quarterwack? - After great college quarterback and now rookie success story Matt Ryan graduated and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, the Eagles stuck little known Chris Crane behind center last year. Crane did surprisingly well, throwing for 1,721 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine starts. Redshirt freshman Dominique Davis started the last four games of the season, including the Eagles' bowl game loss to Vanderbilt, and had 741 yards passing and 6 passing touchdowns over the year. Both are gone (Crane graduated, Davis recently announced he would transfer), and now BC is forced to choose between David Shinskie (a 25 year old ex-minor league baseball player), Codi Boek (a juco transfer and ex-fullback), and two redshirt freshmen, Justin Tuggle and Alexander Atiyeh. Not a good situation for a Big Six school, especially given how competitive the ACC has been over the past few years.

Half Force - Besides the obvious loss of his defensive prowess that the absence of Herzlich takes away from the Eagles, Herzlich's leadership will be sorely missed. Well, kind of. Herzlich will be attending all of the Eagles games, will be a presence in the locker room, and you can be sure that at least one "Win One for Mark" speech will rally BC to a victory. The Eagles sure wish they could have Herzlich staring down the quarterback (and anybody that gets in his way) every play, but his value as a teammate will still definitely be there.

The Bottom Line - BC is going to have to rely heavily on true sophomore running back Montel Harris to get them anywhere. Harris had five 100-yard games last year, and will be getting a good chunk of handoffs no matter who is playing QB. The Eagles do have some talent - defensive backs Marcellus Bowman and Donnie Fletcher are ball-hawks, Rich Gunnell caught 49 balls for 551 yards last year, and Mike McLaughlin is already continuing BC's recent history of great linebackers - but the bottom line is they've lost too much to be considered a contender in the ACC. But who knows, maybe Billy Flutie can pull a miracle out of his family's bag of tricks.

Prediction - 4-8 (2-6), fifth in ACC Atlantic. After demolishing Northeastern and Kent State, BC loses four straight games, before rebounding against NC State. They then lose four of their last five, getting a close defeat against Notre Dame before beating Virginia. The head-to-head victory against NC State breaks the tie in last place and puts the Eagles in at a fifth place finish.

BETHESDA - - The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts lost their first playoff game tonight, falling to the top-seeded Bethesda Big Train 6-5.

Jason Patten took the mound for the 'Bolts, and didn't allow a run through his first three innings. In the top of the second, Mark Hill scored on a Nate Cudney single, giving the T-Bolts an early lead. The Big Train were able to tie it up, however, on an RBI double by Mike Celebza in the bottom of the fourth.

Spencer Patton came in to pitch in relief starting in the fifth inning, and pitched three innings, allowing two unearned runs. In the bottom of the sixth, Jarrod Parks led off with a single, and an error by Mike Knight allowed Luke Adkins to reach first and sent Parks to third. Parks scored on a sacrifice fly, and Adkins scored on an error by Curtis Wilson.

The Patten-Patton combo seemed to work really well for the 'Bolts (if not for poor defense - errors and boneheaded plays - they might not have given up any runs). Patten showed good velocity and command on his fastball, and was in complete control. Patton came in and was able to still pound the fastball while mixing in a very good changeup and a wicked curveball.

The T-Bolts' offense came roaring back, scoring two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings to take a 5-3 lead. A two run single by Casey Allison that snuck through the right side scored Chris Holland and Nate Cudney in the seventh, and a two-run double by Holland scored Mark Hill and Devin Rivers the following inning. Then the bottom of the eighth hit the 'Bolts hard.

Josh Futter came in to pitch, and walked two of the three batters he faced (he got Celenza to line out) before being pulled for Mike Bzozowski. Bzozowski got Ryan Mulligan to pop out to second, and the inning seemed over when Connor Bernatz hit a foul pop up near the third base dugout. It was a tough play, however, and Holland dropped the ball, giving Bernatz another chance. The San Francisco Don obliged, loping a single that scored one. Two batters later, Danny Stienstra knocked in two with a single, and the Big Train retook the lead in a dramatic turn of events.

Mike Matta struck out five batters in 1 2/3 innings pitched and earned the win. Bzozowski allowed one run in 2/3 innings pitched and got the loss. Allison was 3-5 with two RBIs, and Hill was 3-3 with a walk, a double and two runs. The 'Bolts outhit the Big Train 10-8, but four costly errors did them in.

TheThunderbolts play their second game of the double-elimination tournament tomorrow against the Maryland Redbirds at Bethesda. The game starts at 2:30. The Big Train play their second game against the Herndon Braves at 7:30.

The Thunderbolts beat the Alexandria Aces last night, 9-6, guaranteeing them the fourth and final slot in this year's CRSCBL playoffs.

The 'Bolts took the lead in the top of the third on a Casey Allison (Wingate) single in this must-win game. Starting pitcher Vince Lloyd (Slippery Rock) gave up a run on a bases loaded walk to Bobby Pizzuto (Buffalo), and the game was tied.

Mike Bzozowski (Catholic), who has been successful all year, primarily as the 'Bolts closer, came in with two outs in the sixth and gave up three runs in the seventh, leaving the score 4-2 Aces. Then the T-Bolts came to bat in the eighth inning.

Curtis Wilson (NW Shoals CC) led off with a single, and Mark Hill (George Mason) flied out to right. Devin Rivers (NW Shoals CC) and Jacob Darr (Mt. Saint Mary's) were hit by pitches on consecutive at-bats, and the bases were loaded. Nate Cudney (Belmont Abbey) singled to right, scoring both Wilson and Rivers and tying up the game. The next batter, Mike Knight (West Virginia), singled through the left side, scoring Darr. Alex Bechta (Lafayette) followed with an RBI sacrifice fly, and Allison finished off the scoring with an RBI double, giving the 'Bolts a 7-4 lead.

Bzozowski was taken out with two outs and two runners on as Cudney moved from DH to the mound. Cudney gave up both inherited runners, but was able to redeem himself with a two-run double in the top of the ninth and a scoreless ninth to close it out and clinch they playoff berth.

Cudney went 3-4 with 4 RBIs, 3 runs, 1.1 scoreless innings on the mound, and a save. Wilson was 3-5 with 3 RBIs.

The 'Bolts play their first playoff game tomorrow, July 29th, in Bethesda against the top-seeded Bethesda Big Train. We hope to see you all there, and the game starts at 7:30 P.M.

A note: Over the next few weeks, I will be doing a conference-by-conference preview of the the upcoming college football season. I'm sure that, when I get around to the Independents, my readers that are fans of Notre Dame will have more to say about knitting.

SILVER SPRING - - The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts have now won 8 of their past 10 games, defeating the Rockville Express 6-5 last night at home, a day after beating them 4-2 on the road.

Ryan Lapointe (George Washington) took the mound for the 'Bolts and allowed two earned runs in six innings for the win, improving to 4-0 with a 1.79 ERA. After running into some trouble in the first, allowing three runs including a two-run home run to Ryan Geffert (Southern Connecticut), Lapointe settled down. Over the next five innings, he didn't allow a single run on four hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

"No, I didn't change anything after the first inning," Lapointe said. "That just happens, that's baseball, but then we started to make some plays throughout the game. I got to pitch my game, and things kinda just fell in to place. [I've been trying to] just pitch my game and make them hit it and make them do the work, let my defense play behind me."

Lapointe almost allowed another run in the top of the third. With one out, Jeff Reynolds (Harvard) singled, and seemingly scored on a Joey Martin (Maine) double. Surprisingly for a Harvard man, however, Reynolds missed second base, and was called out.

In the bottom of the fourth, with the 'Bolts still down 3-0, Mark Hill (George Mason), Devin Rivers (NW Shoals CC), and Chris Holland (George Washington) all reached base, loading the bases with one out. After an Andrew Derr (Frostburg State) strikeout, Mike Knight (West Virginia) walked to put the T-Bolts on the board. The next batter, ninth hitter Alex Bechta (Lafayette), tripled down the right field line, scoring three and giving the 'Bolts a 4-3 lead.

"Well, first I was trying to see a couple of pitches," Bechta said. "Because it looked like he had a weird arm angle, so I just wanted to get up and look at a couple, see if I can get him timed down. I got a pretty good swing on it, I think it was a changeup, and I got the triple."

The T-Bolts scored two more in the bottom of the sixth on a Casey Allison (Wingate) single and a steal of home on a run-down by Bechta. Brennan Wojdyla (Marist) and Josh Futter (James Madison) combined for two innings of scoreless relief, bringing Gray Carden (Wingate) in for the ninth, as usual closer Mike Bzozowski (Catholic) had pitched the previous two days.

Carden struggled, allowing two hits and two walks while only getting one out, and Bzozowski was brought in with the bases loaded, one out, and a 6-4 lead. Bzozowski hit Jabair Khan (Temple), the first batter he faced, to bring in a run, but struck out Ed Medeiros (Merrimack) and got Taylor Juran (Temple) to ground out to short for the final out.

"You know, I trust in my team behind me, everyone's been playing really well in the field, and it's nice to know you've got guys behind that are gonna make up for any hard ball you let it," Bzozowski said. "I was just working on getting that first pitch strike, once you get that first pitch strike, it makes everything that much easier. It's always sweet when the crowd stays like they did today, and it made everything more exciting."

Manager Jason Walck was very pleased with the team's performance today and over the past few weeks.

"Ryan's been great for us the last two outings, and he battled for us and did a nice job and gave us what he had and it was enough to keep us in the game until we could find a way to scratch," he said. "Alex has just been on a tear the last ten games that we've been on this winning streak, seeing the ball real well, and it was just another good at-bat for him at the right time."

Walck said that with all of the roster moves and uncertainty at the beginning of the season, it was hard to know what kind of team they had, and now that it's set, it makes sense that the team is playing better.

"When we started out, we were figuring out what guys were going to be where, where our guys fit," he said. "And unfortunately we got into a tough rut and at the time it was hard to get out of it just because everyone was putting pressure on themselves and it magnified everything. Lately we've just been playing relaxed and guys have been having fun and things have been working our way. We've not been making too many errors, our pitching's been great, and our hitting's come up in big situations, and it's just the reverse of earlier this year."

The Thunderbolts' final home game of the season is Friday, July 24th against the Maryland Redbirds. The game will start at 7 P.M.

Considering how the rest of the season has gone for the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, these past seven games have been a pretty big success.

Starting with an 11-10 win over the Big Train in Bethesda on July 9th, the 'Bolts have gone 5-2, jumping two places in the league standings. The 'Bolts led that game 10-2, and almost gave up the lead. Mike Bzozowski (Catholic) was able to close it out, however, giving Nate Cudney (Belmont Abbey) the win. Curtis Wilson (NW Shoales CC) went 3-5, and Kyle Maldonado (New Orleans) was 2-3 with 3 RBIs.

Spencer Patton (Towson) got knocked around for eight runs in four innings in the 'Bolts next game, at Herndon,and even a home run by Devin Rivers (NW Shoales CC) and a great performance in relief by Brennan Wojdyla (Marist) couldn't get the T-Bolts the win.

In the next game, against Alexandria, Blair Delean (Maryland) delivered with a great effort on the mound, allowing one earned run in six innings for the win. Three scoreless innings of relief by Cudney and Bzozowski closed it out, and three RBIs by Wilson helped give the Thunderbolts the 5-2 win.

Another great pitching job by the 'Bolts gave them a win at Herndon. Ryan Lapointe (George Washington) allowed one earned run in seven innings for the win, while Mike Loeb (Davidson) pitched two scoreless innings to end it. Left fielder Andrew Derr (Frostburg State) went 3-4 with two runs.

The T-Bolts continued their winning streak on July 13th, as they were able to rally back from an early 5-2 deficit for a 7-5 win. Vince Lloyd (Slippery Rock) was the star of the game, throwing four scoreless innings of one-hit ball in relief for his first win. Matt Hillsinger (Radford) and Wilson both contributed with three hits.

After the All-Star break, the 'Bolts lost a disappointing game to the College Park Bombers, in which they committed ten errors and allowed nine unearned runs in a 10-9 loss, but bounced back with a 7-5 win over Herndon last night.

The 'Bolts play today at Rockville at 5 P.M. Their next home game is Sunday, July 19th, against Rockville at 6 P.M.

SILVER SPRING - - The Thunderbolts dropped to 8-17 on the year, losing to the second place Youse's Maryland Orioles 3-2 tonight.

Two University of Maryland pitchers took the mound to start the game - the Thunderbolts' Blair Delean and the Orioles' Sander Beck. Both pitched great games: Beck allowed two runs in seven innings for the win while Delean allowed two earned runs (and one unearned) in seven innings for the loss.

Per a recent trend, the 'Bolts fell behind early. Orioles' catcher Dan Schefferman reached on an error by Devin Rivers with one out and later scored on a single by Wes Wilson. The O's scored two more in the third on an Austin Harclerode double, and it was 3-0.

Delean and Stephen "Money" Miller dominated the rest of the game on the mound for the 'Bolts, combining for six scoreless innings on three hits and four strikeouts.

"Well, I was able to get a lot of first pitch strikes," Delean said. "I had my curveball and changeup working early on, so that was a bonus, but unfortunately we just couldn't pull away from this one."

The 'Bolts put together a run in the bottom of the third, when Matt Greene scored on a Mark Hill ground out. Matt Hillsinger, on fire of late, drove in Curtis Wilson in the bottom of the fifth on a single.

The T-Bolts had opportunities in the seventh and eighth innings, but were unable to deliver. Casey Allison led off the seventh with a single, but was thrown out at second on a bunt attempt by Curtis Wilson that floated over the pitcher's head, freezing Allison in the base path. The next batter, Greene, grounded in to a double play, ending the inning. The 'Bolts had two runners on and one out in the eighth, but Jacob Darr struck out and Mike Knight lined out to right to end the threat.

The 'Bolts play tomorrow July 6th, at Shirley Povich Field against the Bethesda Big Train. The game is scheduled to start at 7 30 P.M. The next home game is Saturday, July 11th, against the Alexandria Aces at 7 P.M.

The Thunderbolts have lost at least three players this week, adding to the complexity of their roster this season. LSU closer Matty Ott informed the team that he will not be playing, and instead will be trying to play for the national amateur squad. First baseman Big Dan Kassouf went to North Carolina to be closer to his family, and is playing in the Coastal Plain League for the HiToms. T-Bolt veteran Sean Swetnam and the team parted ways, and the reliever is now pitching for the College Park Bombers. Catcher Leland Snaider is hurt, and his status for the rest of the year is unknown.

There are, as of now, three additions to the team: pitcher Spencer Cromer from Hagerstown Community College, catcher Andrew Derr from Frostburg State University, and catcher Mike Knight from West Virginia University.

On a side note, a sad farewell to former NFL great Steve McNair, who was shot and killed today at the age of 36. Rest in peace.

The Thunderbolts' game against the College Park Bombers was suspended at 9-9 after nine innings due to lighting issues. Starting pitcher Josh Futter allowed two earned runs in 7 1/3 innings, and Mike Bzozowski followed with one run in 1 1/3 innings. In back to back innings, clutch doubles by T-Bolts tied up the game. In the bottom of the eighth, Curtis Wilson tied the game up at eight, and Matt Hillsinger tied it at nine in the ninth.

The game is scheduled to resume on Thursday, July 16th. I will write a full article after the game is completed.

Hillsinger was the hero of the second game. Photo by Jeff Lautenberger.

SILVER SPRING - - The Thunderbolts split a doubleheader with the Herndon Braves yesterday, losing the first game 9-4 and winning the second 1-0.

Spencer Cromer, making his second appearance for the 'Bolts, started the first game and ran into some trouble early. After errors by middle infielders Matt Greene and Curtis Wilson put runners on in the top of the first, Cromer hit Connor Mullee with a pitch and walked Matt Simone, scoring a run and leaving the bases loaded for Chris Taylor. The Virginia Cavalier hit a grand slam to left field, scoring four more unearned runs against Cromer.

The 'Bolts were able to put some runs together, including a two-run home run by Greene in the bottom of the fifth, but that first inning was too much for the 'Bolts, losing it 9-4. Cromer's final line: five innings pitched and two earned runs on four hits and three walks. The five unearned runs, however, sunk the T-Bolts' chances.

Mike Loeb took the mound for the 'Bolts in the second game against Ryan Miller, and both threw absolute gems. Loeb allowed one hit and no runs in 5.2 innings, while Miller allowed one hit and no runs in 5 innings. In the top of the sixth with two outs, a lightning delay postponed the game for about an hour, and when the game was resumed, both managers pulled their starters. Mike Bzozowski came in for the 'Bolts and continued Loeb's great effort, pitching 1.1 innings of shutout ball.

Josh Allman came in to pitch for the Braves in the bottom of the sixth, retiring Jacob Darr, Chris Holland, and Big Dan Kassouf in order. In the bottom of the seventh, however, he ran in to trouble. After serving up singles to Devin Rivers and Mark Hill to start the inning, Allman threw a wild pitch, advancing both runners. Allman intentionally walked catcher Mike Knight to load the bases, and struck out Casey Allison. Matt Hillsinger singled down the right field line, scoring pinch-runner Curtis Wilson, and the 'Bolts had a walk-off victory.

The T-Bolts are now 8-15 on the year, moving in to a tie for last place with the Rockville Express, and are 9 games behind the first place Bethesda Big Train. The 'Bolts play tonight at Four Mile Run Park against the Alexandria Aces at 7 P.M., and tomorrow at home against the College Park Bombers at the same time.

The 'Bolts split a doubleheader with the Herndon Braves today, losing the first game 9-4 and winning the second 1-0 on a Matt Hillsinger walk-off single. The second game was interrupted by rain, but a great performance on the mound by Mike Loeb propelled the 'Bolts to a win.

I'll have a full article up tomorrow.