AF Cardinals

Timp Sports Weekly

July 20, 2010

Publisher's Message

For this week's issue, we have as our cover story the American Fork Cardinals' winning the Timp Colt League playoffs. We also look at the Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings' rebound win at Jordan. We look at the the Awesome American Fork Cavemen's 17-under baseball team's wins over the Ben Lomond Scots, AKA the North Britons, and Bingham Miners, AKA the Pickers. Finally, we examine the Awesome American Fork Cavemen's wins over the Orem Tigers, AKA the Tiggers, and Brighton Bengals, AKA the Bad Old Puddy Tats. Let's get to those stories.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

deanmemmott@hotmail.com

Awesome AF Cavebatters Post Home Wins Against Ben Lomond North Britons and Bingham Pickers

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

After being in a recent two-game slump, the Awesome American Fork Cavemen's 17-under division team returned to its winning ways recently by triumphing in two straight home games last week. On July 12, the Awesome Cavemen defeated the Ben Lomond Scots, AKA the North Britons, 10-0, and on July 16, American Fork won 3-1 over the Bingham Miners, AKA the Pickers.

After the North Britons and Awesome Cavemen battled to a scoreless tie in the first inning, Nick Searle scored a run in the bottom of the second. In the third's lower, Kyle Wright doubled in Morgan "Mo" Flinders to open a five-run rally for American Fork. Cousin Ryan Draper contributed a one-run double to the rally. The fourth saw Tyler Flinders hit a one-run single. It set the stage for the Cavemen to win the game on a four-run rally in the fifth. During that final rally, Searle hit a one-run double, and B.J. Eldridge knocked him in for the winning run.

Wiley Stephans hit a third-inning single for the only Ben Lomond hit of the game.

In the Bingham game, American Fork Coach Jarod "The Pankseter" Ingersoll said, "We threw Kyle Wright for six innings and Jeremy Reynolds for one. Wright located his mark and threw strikes."

Bingham scored a run in the top of the first, but in the bottom of the first, Zach "Robbie" Robinson singled in Draper to tie the game at one. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the sixth when Draper and Robinson  each scored a run, courtesy of singles hit by Zach Willis and Searle.

Ferocious PG Vikings Harvest 12-7 Win on Jordon Plowboys' Sandy Diamond July 13

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In spite of getting pummeled in a doubleheader against the Awesome American Fork Cavemen July 109, the Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings proved on July 13 that they could come back to win in a game for the Utah Baseball Academy's 16-under division. On the Sandy diamond of the Jordan Beetdiggers, AKA the Plowboys, Pleasant Grove won 12-7.

Hitting a two-out single in the top of the first, Pleasant Grove's Tyler Harmon stole home to open the night's scoring. Even though pitcher Colton Sheriff gave up a center-field double to Pete Morgan in the bottom of the first, he managed to keep the Vikings' 1-0 lead intact at the end of the inning.

In the bottom of the second, though, the Plowboys pulled ahead 2-1 on a Nick Vitti sacrifice fly and a Marquez Guiterrez single.

Singling at the start of the third, Zach Hicken came home on a Mitch Merrill single to start a three-run rally for Pleasant Grove. An extremely distant "cousin" of TV's Barney Fife, Al Fife singled in a run to put Jordan within 4-3.

Advanced into scoring position by Taylor Stika's fourth-inning, right-field single, McKay Walker scored a run on a Harmon double that started a three-run rally for the Vikings. During the rally, Stika came home on a passed ball, and a Sheriff sacrifice fly scored Merrill.

In the bottom of the fourth, Vitti knocked in a run, and Jordan scored another run during a fielder's choice play  at second, cutting the lead to 7-5.

During that fifth, Harmon hit a grand slam that improved Pleasant Grove's chances of surviving any Plowboy comeback. Even though the Vikings loaded the bases in the sixth, the Plowboys held scoreless. Fife scored the sixth Jordan run on a Viking error in the bottom of the sixth.

Singling on one out in the top of the seventh, Merrill moved to third on a Sheriff double. Merrill then scored on a Parker Bullock sacrifice groundout. In the bottom of the seventh, Guiterrez came home on an Adam Weeks sacrifice groundout. Left fielder Matt Larson picked off a Morgan fly to clutch the game for the Ferocious Vikings. 

AF Cardinals Defeat PG A's For Timp Colt League Championship

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The American Fork Cardinals finished their Timp Colt League season with a 11-5 win over the Pleasant Grove A's in their conference's championship game at American Fork's Rotary Park July 14.

Bearing a striking resemblance to Todd "Off the Record" Glover, an American Fork High quarterback in the 1980's, Cardinal Coach Craig Roberts said, "After we had a couple of heard losses to an American Legion team last weekend, our guys battled fiercely through the Colt League tournament. We made it through unscratched through the championship bracket. 

"They [Pleasant Grove] have a lot of high school baseball players on their team like we do ours. That made the game all the more tough. We hit really good, and helped each other a lot on defense. We're now going to be focusing on doing well in our other league's games, so we can go to the American Legion state tournament at the end of this month."

In the top of the first, Pleasant Grove's McKay Hartle doubled into center, and he went on to steal home. American Fork quickly answered Hartle's run during the bottom of the first. Singles from Jake Blackhurst and Taison Smith caused a five-run rally for the Cardinals.

In the top of the second, Pleasant Grove's Sefa Tonai, a recent addition to the University of Utah's football game, hit a single, but got thrown out while trying to turn his hit into a double. That setback led to the A's getting held scoreless in the second.

On two outs in the bottom of the second, Ryan Larson hit a one-run single to spark a four-run rally for the Cardinal. Matt "Lug Nut" Ludlow hit a two-run homer, and Taison Smith doubled in Blackhust to put the lead at 9-1. It shrank to 9-3 when Austin McDonald reeled Hartle in with a two-run in-the-park homer during the bottom of the fourth.

During the bottom of the fourth, Dylan Taylor got on base through a walk. Ricky Smith, another son of the Beautiful Angie Manning Smith, hit a center-field single that moved Taylor into scoring position. Ludlow singled Smith and Taylor in. Before American Fork could go on a long rally, Blackhurst hit into a double play. Pleasant Grove held American Fork scoreless from thereon out. 

One out in the fifth, Pleasant Grove's Zach Lewis scored on a Cardinal error. The Cardinals belted Pleasant Grove with a double play that kept the A's from picking up a fifth run until the seventh. In the top of if Tonai doubled into left, and Lewis singled him in. That turned out to be the last run that Pleasant Grove made in the game.

Awesome AF Cavemen Win Scout League Game at Orem July 15 

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In Scout League action at Orem July 15, the Awesome American Fork Cavemen won 8-6 over the Orem Tigers, AKA the Tiggers.

During the top of the first, the Awesome Cavemen couldn't make any gains over the Tiggers. During the inning's upper half, Skylar Mounteer and Riley Winter both struck out while Koy Dibb grounded out. In the bottom of the inning, Nolan "Razor" Oray doubled in Brent "Bouncer" Tittle, and he then came home on Zach "Shark" Jensen's single.

A distant "cousin" of Hollywood actress Ursula Andrus, Ryan Andrus singled into left, and a Ricky Smith double moved him to third. Chase Durfey singled in Andrus. When a Milo Abbott walk resulted in American Fork loading the bases on two outs, Dan McCombe doubled in three runs. The rally ended with Mounteer striking out.

American Fork held the Tiggers scoreless during the second, third, and fourth innings. In the fourth, Smith singled in Jason Nebeker, then came home on an Andrus sacrifice fly. Hitting a fifth-inning double, Mounteer got doubled in by Dibb to conclude American Fork scoring for the night.

In the bottom of the fifth, Oray tripled in Stinger Urquhardt to open a four-run rally for the Tiggers. Once American Fork shut the rally down, Orem couldn't secure any more chances for bouncing ahead of the Cavemen.

AF 16-Under Team Sweeps July 17 Doubleheader Against Brighton's Bad Old Puddy Tats

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In a Utah Baseball Academy League doubleheader at American Fork July 17, the Awesome American Fork Cavemen's 16-under squad won both ends of a doubleheader against the Brighton Bengals, AKA the Bad Old Puddy Tats, by scores of 11-1 and 9-4.

American Fork Coach Jarod Ingersoll said, "We pitched really well today. We exposed them with some running plays that distracted them long enough for us to score runs. We're progressing really well. We should expect to do well in the state tournament."

The Bad Old Puddy Tats got their only run of the first game when Joe "The Thriller" Miller doubled in Brad Wallace in the top of the first.

In the bottom of the first, Zach Willis hit a one-out triple to bring home Zach Haws and Danny Beddes. Willis then came home on a Jeremy Reynolds single. After Kai Clayton had gotten base through an error, pitcher Wags Wagner struck out Alex Shultz to end the inning.

In the second, Blake Brailsford tripled in two runs to begin the destruction of Brighton. During the third, Willis doubled in two runs, and in the fifth, Tyson Heap hit an in-the-park homer while Morgan "Mo" Flinders singled in Kyle "Music" Ruzick.  Aided by a Willis double in the sixth, Reynolds hit a two-run single to finish off the Bengals, his father Jason's former high school team.

American Fork held the Bad Old Puddy Tats scoreless during the first three innings of the second game. This allowed the Awesome Cavemen to secure an early lead in the game's first two innings.

Singling into left during the bottom of the first, Morgan "Mo" Flinders came home on a Beddes sacrifice fly, and Clayton hit a one-run single to put the Caveman score at 2-0.

In the second, Tyson Heap stole home to open a three-run for the Cavemen. The Cavemen's 5-0 lead received a big slash in the top of the fourth. Garrett Eickers stole home at the start of the fourth to begin a four-run rally for the Bengals. During the rally, Miller and Wagner each hit a one-run double while D.J. Orchard produced a one-run single.

After the fourth, the Cavemen didn't let the Bad Old Puddy Tats make any more runs for the afternoon. American Fork loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth, and Ralphie Holding came home on a passed  ball to spark a three-run rally. Late in it, Heap distracted Bengal infielders in between first and second, so that Alex Shultz could score a run.

Singling in the bottom of the sixth, Beddes scored the final Caveman run on a Reynolds sacrifice fly.