by: Daulton Shearer
The NWLA Tournament Regional was very nerve racking for the BWBL Breaker Boys, knowing we needed at least four points to have a chance to book a trip to Ohio. The day started out great with having a game against our friends. But that Saturday morning, we weren't thinking about friendships with our buddies from the WWF. We were playing for bragging rights and a valuable two points. The game was very competitive game and also intense, but with Zach Artim being able to shut us down in key situations and a few fielding mistakes that hurt us, it gave us a 3-0 loss. With Steve Dotzel getting the loss.
The next game, we squared off with the SRL - another local rivalry. They jumped on us first with a lead then we came back and we walked it off to win 4-3 on a single by Doug Novitski. Doug also got the win on the mound.
Then on to Hudson Valley where I found myself struggling to throw a strike, we ended up losing 9-3 with a Doug three-run HR.
After that, we faced off against Interstate in a very important game to keep our Ohio hopes alive. We jumped on them early and cruised to a 15-0 victory leading us to a game with Hess Field where we needed to squeeze a point to clinch a berth to Ohio. Drew Slater hit a homerun in the Interstate game and Doug got the win on the mound.
Some of us thought we were in for a rough game against Hess Field and we were hoping our run differential was good enough, but for Dotzel he didn't want any of that and he pitched the greatest game of his life. Facing a team who didn't give up a hit all day, that was our goal was to get a hit and we put up a four-spot in the hit column. Toward the end of the game, we believed that a tie could happen and turns out the glass slipper fit and we were officially going to Ohio!
Wrapping up the whole regional for us, it was a true team effort. From Dotzel's two amazing pitching performances to Doug being a machine from having the best bat, a solid pitching performance, then showing unbelievable heart and hustle in the field. Brandon Haydt also made many great plays in the field and Drew had a good performance in the field and had a solid bat throughout the day. Andy Peck did what he does well and that is make the pitcher work.
Unfortunately not all these guys will be able to attend in Ohio. It was such a great group of guys and we all had each other backs. We competed in every game and everyone had a good time.
The NWLA Tournament Regional was very nerve racking for the BWBL Breaker Boys, knowing we needed at least four points to have a chance to book a trip to Ohio. The day started out great with having a game against our friends. But that Saturday morning, we weren't thinking about friendships with our buddies from the WWF. We were playing for bragging rights and a valuable two points. The game was very competitive game and also intense, but with Zach Artim being able to shut us down in key situations and a few fielding mistakes that hurt us, it gave us a 3-0 loss. With Steve Dotzel getting the loss.
The next game, we squared off with the SRL - another local rivalry. They jumped on us first with a lead then we came back and we walked it off to win 4-3 on a single by Doug Novitski. Doug also got the win on the mound.
Then on to Hudson Valley where I found myself struggling to throw a strike, we ended up losing 9-3 with a Doug three-run HR.
After that, we faced off against Interstate in a very important game to keep our Ohio hopes alive. We jumped on them early and cruised to a 15-0 victory leading us to a game with Hess Field where we needed to squeeze a point to clinch a berth to Ohio. Drew Slater hit a homerun in the Interstate game and Doug got the win on the mound.
Some of us thought we were in for a rough game against Hess Field and we were hoping our run differential was good enough, but for Dotzel he didn't want any of that and he pitched the greatest game of his life. Facing a team who didn't give up a hit all day, that was our goal was to get a hit and we put up a four-spot in the hit column. Toward the end of the game, we believed that a tie could happen and turns out the glass slipper fit and we were officially going to Ohio!
Wrapping up the whole regional for us, it was a true team effort. From Dotzel's two amazing pitching performances to Doug being a machine from having the best bat, a solid pitching performance, then showing unbelievable heart and hustle in the field. Brandon Haydt also made many great plays in the field and Drew had a good performance in the field and had a solid bat throughout the day. Andy Peck did what he does well and that is make the pitcher work.
Unfortunately not all these guys will be able to attend in Ohio. It was such a great group of guys and we all had each other backs. We competed in every game and everyone had a good time.