Cincinnati Steam

Cincinnati Battles Weather, Monarchs and Themselves to Gain 1^st Round Victory

(Xenia, OH) – The Cincinnati Steam left Cincinnati about 9:30 this morning driving through torrential rain heading for Xenia for its first round game against Lake Erie Monarchs. Arriving in Xenia, the Steam encountered a persistent drizzle that was annoying all throughout batting practice and pre game infield. With the noon time start being pushed back only fifteen minutes, Cincinnati embarked on their quest to continue their 2008 regular season championship into a playoff run and by Friday be crowned overall league champions. The first test would be from a pesky Lake Erie Monarch team that wouldn’t go away. Cincinnati swept the season series from Lake Erie but in the Steam’s short existence the playoffs have not been so successful for the mighty Steam. After going 75-41 in their three years of regular season play, Cincinnati has only mustered one win in five attempts in the post season through the first two playoff opportunities. In 2006, Cincinnati defeated then Granville (now Licking County) in their first game, alas losing the next two to exit the playoff in their first year. Last season, after going 23-14 in the regular season, Cincinnati took a quick two and out approached being exiled from the playoffs with losses to Delaware and Southern Ohio. So with a personal four game losing streak at hand Cincinnati was looking to get the monkey off the back and get the ball rolling early. Today it would take persistence and a never say die attitude and some help from mother nature to get the job accomplished.

Cincinnati took an early 4-0 lead in the bottom of the 2^nd inning off a grand slam home run by centerfielder Nate Fields. Billy O’Conner began the inning by being issued a walk. Jon Edgington followed by getting a bunt single when no one covered. Ryan Bellamy reached on a single to right center that moved O’Conner and Edgington up a base. With the bases loaded and one out Nate Fields launched his first home run of the summer, a grand slam to left center, the third Steam grand slam of the summer.

Lake Erie chipped away and mounted a comeback in the top of the 3^rd when the league’s leading defense malfunctioned uncharacteristically. After getting the first hitter of the inning looking, Kruzska gave up a base hit to Richard Gonzalez, balked him to second and then walked Aaron Crooks. With runners on first and second and one out, Derek Spencer ripped a single to left that loaded the bases for Pedro Dager. Dager hit a grounder to short that Ryan Strausborger misplayed, scoring Gonzalez from third. Kyle Gendron reached on a fielders choice off a ground ball hit to third that Brandon Besl went to second for a force that was mishandled by Steve Brown for the second error of the inning and second run for the Monarchs. The Monarchs cut the lead in half making it 4-2.

Cincinnati threatened in the fifth after Tommy Nurre reached on a lead off error and moved to third on a double by Brandon Besl. Nurre and Besl were left stranded. Lake Erie capitalized again off of Steam errors in the 7^th when Matt Dittman reached on a one out throwing error by Steve Brown. Dittman stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Billy O’Conner. Dittman scored on a base hit by Brett Savage. Savage scored all the way from first on a triple to right center by Richard Gonzalez. With the scored now tied 4-4 and the go ahead runner on third with one out, Eric Braeckel is brought in to replace starter Ryan Kruzska. Braeckel induces a pop up bunt for the second out and gets Derek Spencer looking for the third out of the inning.

Lake Erie takes the lead in the top of the 8^th inning on a two out double by Matt Dittman scoring David Borcherdt from second off reliever Eric Braeckel.

Cincinnati regained the lead in the bottom of the 8^th inning on a two out, two run single by Ryan Strausborger scoring Steve Brown and Nate Fields. Brown reached on a single to right with one out. With Brown on first and two outs, Nate Fields hits a high infield flyball that second baseman Richard Gonzalez lost in the sun, Brown advanced to third and Fields reached second on the throw to third. After driving in Brown and Fields, Strausborger stole second and scored the vital insurance run on a base hit by Zach Hurley that deflected off a diving Richard Gonzalez.

Richard Gonzalez atoned for the sun aided hit in the bottom of the 8^th by leading off the top of the 9^th with a solo home run shrinking the lead to one, 7-6. Braeckel did not let that phase him as he retired the next three batters to get the Steam a 7-6 victory and its first post season victory in two years.

With the victory the Steam will meet the loser of Delaware and Lima tomorrow at 3:30pm at Xenia AIA Sports Complex.

WP – Braeckel LP – Leady

Hitting Leaders:

Steam – Besl (2-4, double), Bellamy (2-4, run scored), Fields (2-4, GSHR, 4 rbi, 2 runs scored), Strausborger (2 rbi), Hurley (2-5, rbi)

Monarchs – Gonzalez (3-5, triple, home run, 2 rbi, 2 runs scored), Spencer (2-5), Savage (1-4, rbi, run scored), Dittman (2-4, double, rbi, run scored), Flora (2-4)