Surrey Indians 2 VS Newton Rockies 8 (Jul 27)

Indians falter against the Rox

The Indians were looking to finish the year strong; riding a 3 game winning streak -- they were hoping to make it four against the Rox. The Rox’s pitching has improved dramatically since last year, and they’re hitting is not that far behind.

E. Roblero took the mound for the Indians and quickly experienced control problems. After walking the lead off man, Roblero sent a pitch to the backstop advancing the runner to second. He would later score on a sac fly. Roblero tossed 4 innings giving up 7 runs on 5 hits, 5 walks and a hit batter. Of the 7 runs allowed by Roblero, 6 were unearned as the Indians committed a whopping 5 errors in just 4 innings of play. The worst came in the top of the third when 2 singles and a walk were intertwined with 3 errors. The Rox took advantage in this frame by scoring four unearned runs.

The tribe struggled offensively the whole game. The tribe only recorded 7 hits contrasted by 9 K’s. The top of the order which is usually exceptional at getting on base went a combined 1 for 18 with 6 K’s.

The tribe got on the board in the bottom of the second. With one out, Roblero managed an infield single past the pitcher. After G. Nolan reached base on an error, J. Karls singled up the middle to push the first Indian run across.

The Indians had their moments but could not cowboy-up in the clutch. In the bottom of the 3rd, there were runners on 1st and 2nd – no outs, but the tribe did not advance the runners. In the bottom of the 6th again the tribe had runners on 1st and 2nd no outs, but could only tally one more run on the score board. In fact, the tribe was very lucky to even score one more run as somehow, J. Ubeda batted out of order but the competition did not catch the error in time.

On a positive note, T. Jones seems to be back in the groove working 5 innings and allowing only 1 run on 3 hits, 6 walks; striking out 2 and plunking 2. Jone’s velocity seems to be getting better each outing, which makes him a good candidate for pitching in the playoffs.

Player of the game nominations:

Enrique Roblero 2 for 4, 1B(2), 1RS, 1K
Josh Karls 2 for 3, 1B, 2B, 1RBI
Tyler Jones 1 for 4 * 5IP, 1ER , 2K, 3H, 6BB, 2HB

Surrey Indians 12 VS Coquitlam Cardinals 0 (Jul 20)

Indians blank the Cards

The Coquitlam Cardinals rolled into Whalley on Sunday afternoon and they probably wished they never had.

The tribe quickly went to work in the bottom of the first inning when C. Edger and B. Tonogai received free passes. A. McBoyle followed with a run scoring single to place runners on the corners. K. Neidert then walked to load the bases for E. Roblero. With the count 1 and 0 the Cardinals hurler unleashed a wild pitch to score Tonogai and moved the runners up a base. After Roblero was retired, J. Olar smacked a run scoring single. The fourth Indian run crossed the plate when G. Nolan grounded out and Neidert rushed home from third.

Roblero got the ball rolling on the hill experiencing some control problems. Although he tossed 3 shut out innings and allowed no hits, Roblero walked 3 and plunked 2; one of them in the centre of his helmet. When Roblero got the ball back, there was red paint on the baseball. Fortunately, the hitter was ok.

The Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the second inning by scoring 3 more runs. It all happened with 2 outs; Tonogai once again showing the opposition what patience is all about, walked on five pitches. McBoyle also reached 1st on a walk. Neidert then bounced a grounder to shortstop, which should have ended the inning however, the Cards could not convert the out. Two runs scored on the play and Neidert moved to second. Roblero followed with a single to centre. J. Olar then bounced to second but once again the Cardinal defense was shaky allowing Neidert to sore. C. Ren crossed the plate with the Indians’ 8th run in the bottom of the 3rd on McBoyle’s sac fly to right.

T. Jones jumped on the hill to relieve Roblero in the top of the 4th inning. He’d record 8 strikeouts in 4 innings of work, allowing no runs and only 2 base hits. Jones allowed 3 runners to reach on walks and 1 was hit by a pitch.

The tribe kept adding to the lead by scoring 1 in the bottom of the 4th, 2 in the bottom of the 6th and 1 more in the bottom of the 8th.

Neidert tossed the last 2 innings preserving the shutout by allowing no hits and a walk.
The tribe will now get ready for the final game of the regular season at Unwin park against the much improved Newton Rockies.

Player of the game nominations:

Andrew McBoyle 1 for 2, 1B, 1BB, 2RS, 2RBI
Jason Olar 2 for 3, 1B, 2B, 2BB, 2RS, 1RBI
Tyler Jones 0 for 2, 1RBI * 4IP, 0R , 8K, 2H, 3BB

Surrey Indians 9 VS Burnaby Brewers 3 (Jul 13)

Indians down the Brew Crew

The Indians were back at work and once again there was a last minute scramble to field a team of 9. Thanks to new call-up Jordan Olar and a gutsy outage from Chris Ren to complete a 10 man roster.

C. Ren got it started against the Brew crew tossing 2 shut out innings while recording 5 out of the 6 outs via the strike out. Ren walked 3 and hit a batter. Ren was removed from the game in the 3rd inning with a runner on 2nd. E. Roblero would go on to pitch the next 4 innings. After surrendering a base hit in the 3rd, Roblero would go on to retire the next 9 hitters in order. Roblero allowed 1 unearned run while surrendering only one base hit and striking out 2.

The Indians got on the board in the bottom of the second inning. B. Tonogai walked and with one out, K. Neidert smacked a triple to the right field alley. S. Sibley followed with a run scoring single.

Two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the tribe a 4-1 edge. Tonogai once again got it all started by walking for his second consecutive at bat and consequently stealing second. Neidert singled with 2 outs to push Tonogai across the plate and went to second on the throw home. Sibley once again came through to score Neidert.

In the top of the 7th, the Brewers responded with 2 runs of their own. O. Matsubara tossed the 7th and 8th innings allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, 2 base on balls and 2 strike outs. A single sandwiched between two walks was the undoing for Matsubara. The next hitter would rip a two run single to the right field gap but was gunned down at second trying to stretch it into a double.

In the bottom of the 8th, the tribe sent 10 men to the plate. Thank goodness we were batting 10 or there would have been no space to keep score. The inning started with Mr. Tonogai collecting a single and K. Grace and K.Neidert dis exactly the same. Then two free passes were issued to Sibley and Roblero. J. Olar capped the 5 run inning with a run scoring single.

Neidert tossed the last half of the 9th surrendering a double with one out but the Brew crew could do mo more damage. On another note, Neidert went 4 for 4 in this game – combined with his previous 4 at bats, Neidert is now 8-8 in his last 8 at bats. Just another day at the office for Neidert.

Player of the game nominations:

Brayden Tonogai 2 for 2, 1B(2), 3RS, 2BB
Enrique Roblero 2 for 3, 1B(2), 1BB, 1RBI * 4IP, 1R 0ER, 1H, 2K, 0BB,
Kris Neidert 4 for 4, 1B(3), 3B, 3 RS, 3RBI , 1SB * 1IP, 0R , 1H
Scott Sibley 2 for 3, 1B(2), 2RBI

Surrey Indians 7 VS Aldergrove Giants 6 (Jul 6)

Indians come up with Giant win against Aldergrove

The Indians were back in business after an extended break from baseball. A forfeited game and Canada day festivities made up the past two weeks. Prior to Sunday’s game, the Aldergrove Giants owned the best record in the Mathers division; the Indians’ game plan was to inch a bit closer to the division leaders and try to secure a good spot heading into the playoffs.

We’re glad to report that we had a surplus of players this time around and the bats are showing signs of improvement. O. Matsubara started the affair against the Giants and lasted 5 innings while allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 Ks.

The Indians got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when J. Karls crossed the plate on K. Neidert’s RBI single. The lead didn’t last long as the Giants responded with 2 in the top of the second. The Indian’s defense was a bit sloppy early in the game and would end up committing 5 errors in the ball game. Two costly errors in the top of the second allowed the Giants to take the lead.

The Giants again applied pressure in the top of the third inning when their lead off man singled and then placed runners on first and third with one out. Matsubara managed to get the second out on a flyball to the outfield but could not get out of the inning unharmed as the next hitter singled in a pair.

After 4 innings of play, the Indians had only collected two basehits and were down 4-1. That is until the bottom of the fifth when K. Grace and A. McBoyle connected with consecutive singles. E. Roblero then sent a comebacker up the middle to score Grace; McBoyle and Roblero moved up a base after the catcher couldn’t handle the relay throw. Up stepped B. Tonogai and he pushed McBoyle across the plate with a bouncer to short. Roblero moved to third on the put out. With C. Edger at the plate, the Giants catcher tried to catch Roblero sleeping at third base, and it almost worked, but his throw sailed high and into left field. Roblero darted towards home with the tying run. In the bottom of the sixth, the tribe would take a one run lead after the “natural” – K. Neidert – a.k.a hitting machine, sent a drive into left centre for a one out double. Then, on T. Jone’s grounder to short, Neidert took off for third and the Giants shortstop erroneously tried to nail him at third. Neidert was called safe and the Giants recorded no outs on the play. S. Sibley then sent a high fly ball into centre field allowing Neidert to score.

Once again, the lead was short lived when in the top of the seventh the Giants tied the score against Neidert and the tribe. Neidert ended up tossing 4 innings of 3 hit ball while allowing 2 runs, walking 2 and striking out 2. Neidert once again stepped up and gave the Indians a chance to win the ball game and eventually ended up with the victory.

This game was a see-saw affair through out its entirety and so in the bottom of the eighth Neidert led off with his fouth hit of the game. With runners on first and second and one out, Grace sent a solid single to the right side allowing Neidert to score the go ahead run. On the next play, McBoyle pushed Sibley across home to give the Indians a 2 run lead.

The 2 run lead came very handy in the top of the ninth when the Giants would not go down quietly. The Giant’s lead off man started the frame with a single but would only reach second base after the second out was recorded. However, down to their last hitter, in dramatic fashion, the ball was crushed to the left centre field gap for a double. With the score now 7-6, Neidert got the final hitter to fly out to centre.

Game bits:
In the bottom of the first inning, the line up card read “Chris R” due up in the number 3 spot. When “Chris R’s” turn to bat came up, Ratelle was nowhere to be found. Luckily, we had another “Chris R” in Chris Ren and he ended up taking the at bat. When asked of his whereabouts a few minutes later, Chris Ratelle responded “I was watching the game right behind home plate” in the stands. That was close…
We’re glad to report that B. Tonogai managed to complete the ball game without getting hit by a pitch, thus ending his streak of consecutive games with a bruise.

This week’s player of the game should be pretty obvious but I will also note two other nominations to recognize their contributions:

Enrique Roblero 2 for 3, 1B(2), 1RS, 1RBI
Kelly Grace 2 for 4, 1B(2), 1RS, 1RBI
Kris Neidert 4 for 4, 1B(3), 2B, 1 RS, 1RBI , 3SB * 4IP, 2R 2ER, 3H, 2BB, 2K

Surrey Indians @ Vancouver Mounties

Indians hand Mounties a gift

We lost by forfeit. 'nough said. Thanks to all those players who made it out. Brayden Tonogai, Chris Ren, Clay Edger, Greg Nolan, Julio Ubeda and Enrique Roblero. Also thanks to Jerome for answering Julio's call to show up at the game.

Surrey Indians VS North Delta Fighting Irish (June 15)

Irish give Indians a fight

The much anticipated contest against the North Delta Fighting Irish could have ended in the biggest humiliation in the history of the tribe. The Irish led early in the ball game 2-0. We are talking about a team that was 0-8 coming into the game; yet somehow, our dormant bats and mediocre defense, allowed the Irish to think they were actually going to get a win out of us. This was supposed to be a game in which everyone's average was going to look a few hundred points better the next day; not so, instead, many of us added a few more K's under the SO column. The final score was 13-5 in favor of the tribe, but, considering many of those runs were unearned - and the result of a comedy of errors by the Irish defense, there is little to be content with in the Indians' clubhouse.

We are also suddenly facing a player count crisis. The injury bug has hit a couple of key members and head coach / player Scott Sibley has accepted a front office job with the Toronto Blue Jays. Some players were MIA on Sunday and were reportedly seen at gentlemen's clubs the night before. The Indians started the game with 8 players on the field, would have been 7 if it weren't for a last minute call to D. Jones who was able to make it out for his second game for of the season. O. Matsubara arrived in the bottom of the first inning to complete the squad of 9.

K. Neidert eager to face the Irish, got off to an uncharacteristic start by allowing a walk. The Irish took advantage of the walk and a miscue by the tribe's defense to score the game's first run. In the top of the second inning, the Irish led off with a single and a stolen base. The Irish took the 2-0 lead when the next hitter singled in the runner from second. Neidert would settle down and shut down the Irish for the next 2 innings.

The tribe got on the board in the bottom of the second. K. Grace started things off with a walk and went to third on a failed pick off attempt. E. Roblero then blooped a double to the right field line and went to 3rd on the errant throw to second base. After O. Matsubara walked, he stole second and went to third on the catcher's errant throw. The same error allowed Roblero to score. D. Jones singled to score Matsubara. C. Edger followed and reached base on a fielder’s choice but no out was recorded as the ball was once again booted around allowing D. Jones to score. C. Edger stole second, B. Tonogai reached base on an error by the first baseman allowing Edger to score. Neidert followed with a double and G. Nolan took a free pass to first. With the bases loaded, C. Ratelle ripped a single to score the Indian’s 6th run of the inning.

Roblero pitched the 6th and 7th innings allowing one run in each frame. While Matsubara completed the last 3 innings and allowed 1 run on 1 hit, 1 walk and 5 Ks.

The tribe would go on to score 2 runs in the 5th and 5 more in the 6th highlighted by a bases clearing double by D. Jones.

Please don’t forget to vote for this game's player of the game; The nominees for player of the game Indians VS Irish are:

Clay Edger 2 for 5 2(1B), 1BB, 1RBI, 2 RS, 1SB
Greg Nolan 2 for 4 2(1B), 1BB, 1RS
Kelly Grace 1 for 3, 2BB, 2BB, 1RBI, 3RS
Dane Jones 3 for 5 2(2B), 4RBI, 2RS

Surrey Indians VS Newton Royals

Indians go toe to toe against the Royals

What a ball game! The Newton Royals and Surrey Indians locked horns at Central Park in a classic pitcher’s duel. The game featured outstanding pitching from both sides and good defense as evidenced by the score of 1-0. In total, the Royals used 3 hurlers while the Indians used 2.

This game marked the return of key players in Ratelle and Sibley; we also spotted former Indian Rob and wife Sandra Aubertin in the stands, rooting in support of the tribe. They were accompanied by a 6 month old little one… perhaps…um, Robbie’s in training??? This game also marked the first time the Indians enjoyed home field advantage -- in a Montreal Expos--San Juanish -- sort of way. The Indians will finally play on their home turf on Sunday June 15th; a brand new playing field awaits.

The Indians could only knock 4 base hits in this game, one of them a double by T. Jones. It wasn’t really a lack of contact that contributed to our poor production; there were in fact, some very hard hit balls but they were hit almost perfectly at every defender on the field. The Royals’ shortstop never moved an inch on more than a few occasions.

In the bottom of the third inning, T.Jones reached base on an error by the Royals’ third baseman. B. Tonogai followed with a single. K. Neidert then laid down a beautiful sac bunt down the first base line. With one away, K. Grace chopped a high bouncer to third, Jones running on contact from third, was gunned down at the plate. It took a perfect throw to nail Jones at home. The threat ended with the Indians scoring no runs.

The tribe threatened again in the bottom of the sixth inning when Tonogai reached base on a free pass. Neidert followed with a single to centre. As the centre fielder bobbled the ball, Tonogai took off for third and made it safely. Neidert would get caught stealing second base one out later. After Sibley earned yet another walk, this threat ended with the same result as the previous one; no runs for the tribe.

In the bottom of the eighth, Jones led off with a double to left centre and Tonogai reached base by getting hit for the 3rd time in two games. We’ll have to get this kid a body armor soon. This again was developing into a very good threat until the next hitter K’d and the one after flied to centre. After Sibley walked to load the bases, the inning ended with a fly ball to right field. The tribe was 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position in this ball game.

O. Matsubara was outstanding in relief of K. Neidert who pitched the first five innings of the ball game. Matsubara tossed 4 innings of no-hit ball, allowed no walks, and struck out 7 batters while facing the minimum number of Royals. The only things in the way of perfection for this outing were a couple of miscues by the Indian defense but those base runners were quickly erased as the tribe turned two impressive double plays. At one point, Matsubara K’d 6 Royals consecutively.

Neidert held his own on the mound as he continues to give the Indians a chance to win ballgames every time he climbs the hill. Unfortunately for Neidert, he would end up taking the loss on this one, as the Royals managed to scratch out a run in the top of the third inning. Neidert allowed 6 hits, 2 walks, and K’d 3 while facing 20 Royals batters.
It was a very good ballgame all around and hopefully the tribe can cowboy up and come thru with clutch base hits in our next assignment. That will take place on Sunday June 15th at 5:30 in the newly revitalized Whalley Stadium.

Please don’t forget to vote for the player of the game, this game and the previous two games are open for voting.
The nominees for player of the game Indians VS Royals are:

Brayden Tonogai 1 for 1, 1BB, 1HBP
Kris Neidert 1 for 3, 1B, 1SAC * 5 IP, 6H, 1ER, 2BB, 3K
Orien Matsubara 1 for 4, 1SB * 4 IP, 0H, 0BB, 7K
Tyler Jones 1 for 3, 2B

Surrey Indians 8 @ Langley Padres 5

Indians Alive in the Nick of Time

The Indians traveled to Langley City Ballpark to engage in battle with the Langley Padres, formerly known as the groovy Langley Playaz. If ya’ll remember former Indian B.J. Woelders, he is now a mentor and player for the Langley Padres.

Once again, the Indians did not have a complete squad and it seems to be starting to hinder the development of this club. For the second straight game the Indians were lethargic out of the gate. It’s like not having the entire baseball family at the park brings the energy level down a bushel.

And for the second consecutive game, the Indians could not mount a productive attack against some very hitable pitching during the first five frames of the game. The top of the third looked promising. E. Roblero walked to start the inning and C. Ren and B. Tonogai each followed with singles. At this point there were no outs; but would you believe it if I told you that somehow, we managed not to score a single run? C. Edger went down looking and J. Karls bounced into the inning ending 6-2-3 double play.

K. Neidert got the ball for this contest and once again proved why he’s the leading arm of the pitching staff. Although there was no much offensive help to back up his pitching, Neidert kept the ballgame within reach by maneuvering out of difficult situations and minimizing the damage caused by the Padres to just 4 runs in 5 innings of work. Neidert allowed 5 hits, walked 2 batters and K’d 3.

Every lucky bounce and every questionable call by the umpires seemed to be going the Padres’ way the entire ballgame. Then finally with one out, Edger singled and promptly, in road runner fashion, stole 2nd and 3rd on consecutive pitches. The Indians went on to once again load the bases on a Kalrs free pass and a K. Grace infield single. Neidert pushed across the first Indian run by grounding out to 1st. That was all the Indians would score as the offensive chaos continued.

O. Matsubara relieved Neidert in the 6th and contained the Padres to just 3 hits over 4 innings of work. Matsubara allowed just one run while walking 3 and striking out 1. This was probably Matsubara’s best pitching performance of the season and could be a sign of more great things to come.

With the score 5-1 in favor of the Padres, the Indians pressured in the top of the 7th. A. McBoyle and Matsubara started it off with consecutive walks. After seeing the pitcher struggle, Roblero swung at the first pitch he saw and nearly ripped off the pitcher’s spikes as the ball traveled right up the middle, but wait, the Padres’ 2nd baseman inexplicably well positioned right over the 2nd base bag quickly double off any hopes of an Indians big rally. This was the 3rd double play turned by the Padres in the ball game.

In the top of the eight, Tonogai reached base after taking one in the back. With one out, Karls sent a line drive into left centre field scoring Tonogai. After Grace reached base on a free pass, Neidert ripped a run scoring single to right to make the score 5-3 heading into the Indians’ last at bat.

For consecutives at bats, MCBoyle and Matsubara once again reached base on walks to start the ninth and deciding frame. And once again, Roblero, after witnessing two more walks, swung at the first pitch he saw and sent a grounder between short and 3rd; the shortstop forced Matsubara at 2nd to record the first out of the inning. However, the energy at the Indians’ bench was finally visible. As Ren grounded to the short stop, the throw to second base sailed into foul territory on the right side of the field. McBoyle plated the Indians’ 4th run and the few fans that made it out to Langley were going crazy. On the play, Roblero moved to 3rd to keep runners are 1st and 3rd and one out. Then Tonogai stepped up to the plate and quickly got nailed for the second time in a row. With the bases loaded, Edger hit an infield single to score Roblero and tie the game at 5. Karls put the Indians ahead by grounding to short and plating Tonogai. The Indians could not believe it, they had fought their way back from oblivion and now led by one run. Veteran Grace wanted to make sure that the elation continued, he made sure of that by ripping a run scoring single to right. With runners on the corners and two outs, Grace took off for second but the Padres’ hurler stepped off the mound and had Grace served on a platter; however, time and time again this season, we’ve seen Karls beat throws home when he’s starting from 3rd. It happened again, as the Padres chased Grace back and forth on the base path, Karls took off for home and beat the throw by merely inches. Another great scoring play by the speedy Karls. Grace would eventually be tagged out anyways but the Indians’ work was nearly complete.

Matsubara took care of the Padres in the ninth to complete the comeback and award the Indians their most exciting win of the year.
Way to go tribe, way to battle ‘till the end.

Next up for the tribe, a date with the Newton Royals at Central Park in Burnaby. Game time 1:30pm, be there or be squared.

Here are this week’s player of the game nominations:

Breydan Tonogai 1 for 2, 1B, 2RS
Clay Edger 2 for 5, 1B(2), 1RS, 1RBI , 2 SB
Josh Karls 1 for 4, 2B, 2RS, 2RBI, 1BB, 1SB (home)
Kelly Grace 2 for 4, 1B(2), 1RBI
Kris Neidert 2 for 4, 1B(2), 1RBI , 1SB * 5IP, 4R 3ER, 5H, 2BB, 3K
Orien Matsubara 1 for 2, 2BB * 4IP, 1R, 3H, 3BB, 1K

Surrey Indians 3 @ Delta Tigers 8

Indians dazed by Tigers (May 25)

As the Indians got back to work after a nice long weekend, it seemed as though their bats were still on an extended break. The tribe could only muster 3 measly runs off a depleted Tiger squad who seemed to lack the unhitable pitching they always carry.
Facing pitches that possibly would not top 50 Mph, the tribe seemed outmatched and mesmerized at the speed at which the ball was traveling. The team lacked energy and the mood was blah to say the least. By the end of the fifth inning, the tribe still had no runs on the board and only tallied 4 singles under the hits column. By now, the score was 4-0 in favor of the felines.

E. Roblero started on the mound for the Tribe and pitched well enough to keep the team in the game. It wasn’t until the bottom of the 3rd inning when Roblero walked the second batter of the inning to promptly give consecutive singles to allow the first Tiger to score. On the run scoring single, Roblero tried to gun down the runner going to second base but the ball traveled into centre field to allow another run to score and setup what would end up being the third run of the inning for the Tigers.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Tigers applied more pressure by leading off the inning with a single and a double. The Indians nearly escaped unscathed as Roblero got the next two hitters to ground out. However, after hitting a batter, a free pass was issued to walk-in a run before retiring the last batter on an infield fly to short. Roblero ended his day with 5IP, 9 hits allowed, 4 runs allowed (2 ER), a hit batter and 2 costly base on balls.

The Indians finally showed signs that they could actually hit the ball when K. Neidert led off with a single and stole second. G. Nolan moved him over to third with a ground out to short and would later score on a ground out RBI by T. Jones. The tribe again went to sleep and didn’t score until the top of the ninth. With one out, Roblero ripped a single to left and moved to third after a walk was issued to K. Grace and a wild pitch thrown by the Tiger hurler. A. McBoyle then ripped a single to centre to score Roblero and move Grace to third. Grace plated the last Indian run when C. Edger grounded out to short.

O. Matsubara took over the hill for the Indians in the bottom of the sixth and promptly saw himself in a heap of trouble after walking a batter and a few Indian physical and mental miscues. The Tigers would score two unearned runs in the process to add to their lead. Two more runs scored in the bottom of the eighth to mark the score at 8-3. Matsubara ended his day with 3IP, 5 hits allowed and 4 runs scored (1ER), and 1 base on balls.

Not a whole lot of highlights for the Indians in what can easily be described as the Indian’s worst performance of the season.

Following are your player of the game nominations:

Andrew McBoyle 2 for 2, 1B(2), 1RBI
Enrique Roblero 2 for 4, 1B(2), 1RS, 5IP, 4R 2ER, 9H, 1HPB, 2BB,
Kelly Grace 1 for 3, 1B, 1RS, 1BB
Kris Neidert 3 for 4, 1B(3), 1RS

Surrey Indians 7 @ Newton Rockies 4

Indians Roll over the Rockies

We had nearly a full squad on hand for a mother’s day match up against the winless Rockies. After losing many of their talented players in the off-season, the Rockies haven’t been nearly as competitive as last year. That is, until May 11th. The Indians had the task of facing some quality pitching and a fairly good offense. After being out-hit 14-8 and having struck out more than double our opposition, we still, somehow, managed to pull out the victory.

The Indians didn’t waste any time getting on the board. With one out in the top of the first, J. Karls singled and later went to third on a failed pick off attempt at first base. C. Ratelle then struck out on a wild pitch that sailed all the way to back stop, on the catcher’s throw to first base, Karls took off for home and beat the return throw by inches.

The tribe added to their lead in the top of the third. T. Jones reached on an infield single and moved to second on the errant throw by the second baseman. C. Ren pushed Jones across with a screaming line drive double down the left field line. With two outs, Ren tried to steal third base but was patiently out-waited by the Rockies hurler; Myette, stepped off the mound and had Ren’s head served on a silver platter, luckily for Ren and the tribe, Myette’s throw was nowhere near the bag and Ren ended up scoring the Indian’s third run.

O. Matsubara made his first start on the hill and went five strong innings allowing four unearned runs, with three Ks and two walks. The Rockies got on the board in the bottom of the third as J. Peever singled and scored when B. Kennedy’s single to right managed to get past the Indian’s right fielder. The Rockies continued to apply pressure by loading the bases on consecutive free passes but Matsubara ended the threat by striking out W. Shortall.

The momentum kept going the Indians’ way in the top of the fourth. C. Ratelle and K. Neidert reached on consecutive singles and S. Sibley received a free pass to load the bases. G. Nolan then collected the Indians’ third single of the frame to score Ratelle. R. Edger followed with yet another single before K. Grace pushed two across with; you guessed it, the Indians’ fifth single in the inning. The Indians would not record another base hit in the remainder of the game.

The bottom of the fourth didn’t start too well for the Indians. Reminiscent of the days at Tamanawis Park, a grounder to short took a devilish hop over the head of A. McBoyle. Myette followed with a double and both runners would later score on J. Popov’s single. Popov moved up to second on the throw to home plate. With two outs, J. Peever grounded to second but reached base on the error. As Peever wheeled his way to second, another errant throw sailed into left field where Karls picked up the baseball and threw a rocket to home plate. Peever was DOA... for real.

K. Neidert jumped on the hill in the top of the sixth and once again gave a dominant pitching performance. Although he would allow seven hits, they were all singles and came at inopportune times for the Rockies. He would allow no runs while walking one and striking out one in four innings of relief.

The Indians thank all the Moms who came out on Sunday to watch a pretty good ball game. The Indians will enjoy their off week and get ready for a date with the always powerful Delta Tigers on May 25th.

Last week's player of the game voting saw a share of the lead between C. Ren and K. Neidert. Way to go boys. Here are this week's player of the game nominations in alphabetical order:

Chris Ren 1 for 2, 1B, 1RS, 1RBI
Kelly Grace 1 for 4, 1B, 2RBI
Kris Neidert 1 for 4, 1B, 1RS * 4IP, 0R, 7H, 1BB, 1K
Orien Matsubara 0 for 1 * 5IP, 4R 0ER, 7H, 3BB, 3K

Surrey Indians 3 @ MapleRidge Jerks 13

Indians Jerked Around in Big Loss

Rumor has it there was a Rob Aubertin and Rod Wingrove sighting at Central park... The Indians thank these two gentlemen for coming out.. sorry you had to see that.

So do you want the good news first or the bad news? Doesn’t really matter, I’m writing the piece now, and I ain’t waiting for your response. Besides, you've already read the good news... see above.

Central park in Burnaby was the setting for the Indians’ worst defeat of the season. The tribe dropped the contest by a score of 13-3 behind poor relief pitching and poor hitting, The game remained very tight for the first five innings as K. Neidert had a strong outing on the mound allowing only two runs (one earned) on four scattered hits. But it was not E. Roblero’s day as he gave up eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits, including a bomb to left field.

The Jerks opened up the bottom of the second with a double to left centre. They took a 1-0 lead when the next batter blooped a single in the same direction. J. Karls made sure it was only a single by gunning down the Jerky baserunner as he tried to stretch his blooper into a double.

The Indians bats would have no answer against a dominant Jerks right hander who had a big sweeping slider sliding out of harm’s way. It wasn’t until the top of the third, when with one out and obviously no body on base, B. Tonogai broke up the no-no with a single up the middle. The only hit the Indians recorded in the first six innings.

The Jerks scored their second run in the bottom of the third. P. Francis singled to left and stole second. He would score on an errant throw by the third baseman trying to record the third out at first. In this same inning, C. Ren made two outrageous diving stops at third base. Both outs were recorded by Ren diving to his right, getting up, and gunning down the runner at first on bang-bang plays. Both truly amazing plays…

Neidert gave way to Roblero in the bottom of the sixth with the score 2-0 in favor of the Jerks. Roblero quickly found himself in trouble by walking the first batter he faced. Five straight singles followed. Each just out of the reach of Indian leather. The Jerky boys would go on to score the six run max and added two more on a two run shot to left field in the bottom of the seventh.

The top of the seventh looked promising for the tribe for just a few seconds…. C. Ratelle led off the inning with a gapper to right centre. He was gunned down on his way to second base. With two outs, Roblero drew a walk and went to third on R. Edger’s single to left. T. Jones followed with a run scoring double. With Indians on second and third, J. Ubeda grounded out to end the inning.

In the top of the eighth, Tonogai took one for the team right in the middleback. Karls then drilled a 1-1 offering over the wall in left field bringing the score to 10-3. The blast by Karls keeps the Indians’ streak of homers in every game by an Indian alive.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Jerks responded with three runs of their own. T. Jones finished the game on the hill for the Indians allowing three runs (all unearned) two hits and a strike out.

The Indians recorded a total of six hits in this contest... and that just ain't gonna getter done. The tribe will look to bounce back and take their frustrations out on the Newton Rockies next Sunday at Unwin park. Game time is 4pm… be there or else…

Here are your player of the game nominations in alphabetical order:
Chris Ren 1 for 2 (1B, 2 amazing defensive gems)
Josh Karls 1 for 4, 2RBI (1HR, 1RS)
Kris Neidert 0 for 3 * 5IP, 2R 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 1K
Tyler Jones 1 for 4, 1RBI (2B)

Surrey Indians 12 @ Aldergrove Giants 5

Indians sling 4 ROCKets against Giants

A bit of disarray an hour before game time; some tribe members showed up on time but at the wrong battle field. As it turns out, someone sent the wrong directions to the entire team. Fortunately, the real home of the Aldergrove Giants was just minutes away. Scotty got on the hook and quickly echoed the right information to the rest of the tribe. Are all parks in Aldergrove named “Aldergrove Park?”…

This game featured the return of long time Indian R. Edger, it also featured the return of S. Sibley’s big stick. He wasn’t the only one flexing his muscles on this night though as the Indians exploded with an awesome display of power.

C. Edger got things started in the top of the first with a bunt single and J. Karls followed up with a walk. Unable to capitalize on this opportunity, K. Neidert took the mound for the tribe and quickly struck out the first two Giants he faced.

A miscue by the Giants third baseman allowed G. Nolan to reach base leading off the top of the second. A. McBoyle drew a walk after a great at bat and both runners moved up a base when B. Tonogai laid down a gorgeous sacrifice bunt down the first base line. Sibley then lined a single to centre to score Nolan and McBoyle. With runners on first and second and two outs, C. Edger lined a single to right, Sibley got the wave around third but was greeted by a masked man holding the baseball at home plate to end the inning.

The bottom of the second inning would see some shaky defense by the Indians. As a result, the Giants knotted the game at 2. With one out recorded, a single and a wild pitch put a Giant at second base. The next Giants hitter made good contact to centre which seemed to fool our centre fielder and the ball sailed over his head for a run scoring double. Another wild pitch allowed the runner to move up to third base, but as he wondered off towards home plate, C. Edger gunned him down sending shockwaves through the Giants’ bench. Still, the Indians seemed determined to give away opportunities this inning. A mishandled grounder to second allowed the runner to reach first and after a failed pickoff attempt, he moved up to second base. A double to the left-centre gap pushed the second Giants run across the plate.

In the top of the third, Neidert singled to the right side on the infield. With two outs and a 3-0 count, Nolan turned on a waist high fastball and deposited it in the forest behind the right-centre field fence. Nolan leads the team with two home runs this year.

In the top of the fourth, Tonogai reached on a dropped fly ball by the Giants’ second baseman. Sibley then tomahawk-chopped a high fastball over the right-centre field fence. In a bizarre turn of events, the Giants appealed the play claiming that Sibley never touched home plate. The blue crew would have none of it and the 2-run homer stood. Up stepped E. Roblero and badda-bing, another high fastball was driven high and deep to straight away centre. The Indians’ first back-to-back jacks in recent history had the fans and team mates alike going crazy.

The hit parade continued for the Indians in the top of the fifth. Ratelle led off with a single to left centre and moved to second on a wild pitch. After Nolan got a free pass to first, Sibley smashed his second dinger of the night with a rocket to centre. The 3-run shot made the score 10-2 and gave Sibley a share of the team lead in the home run category.

In the bottom of the inning, the Giants showed signs of life. The first two hitters reached base on consecutive singles and wound up scoring both. Neidert finished off his day at the office with his third strike out of the night.

The Indians would end up adding one run in the sixth and one more in the eighth. Roblero relieved Neidert in the sixth and preserved the win for the Indians. The Giants pressured in the bottom of the seventh by loading the bases with one out, but Roblero induced a popup to first and finished the Giants off with a strike out.

The Giants scored their fifth run in the bottom of the eighth when #11 took Roblero deep to centre field. In total, there were five bombs hit in this contest. We all can’t wait to be back at this park soon.

Up next for the Tribe, a showdown against the Maple Ridge J's at Central Park in Burnaby. Double check those directions...

Here are your player of the game nominations in alphabetical order:
Clay Edger 2 for 3 (1B (2), 2BB, 2SB, 1RS)
Greg Nolan 2 for 3, 2RBI (2B, 1HR, 2RS)
Kris Neidert 1 for 5, 1RBI (1B, 1RS, ) * 5IP, 4R 3ER, 5H, 1BB, 3K
Scott Sibley 3 for 4, 7RBI (1B, 2HR, 2RS)

Indians @ Dodgers Apr 20

Surrey Indians 10 @ North Delta Dodgers 7

Indians dodge North Delta comeback

The homeless Indians continued their season on the road. Partly cloudy skies covered the vast grass at Mackie park… perfect baseball conditions if it weren’t only for the artic breeze felt all the way down our spines.

We quickly found out we had a problem. Key members of the team were not going to be present, especially, members that make up the pitching staff. C. Ratelle was there, but unavailable to pitch. A decision was made to start E. Roblero and K. Neidert would follow.

Both teams were sat down quietly in the first two innings, but all hell broke lose for the Dodgers in the top of the third. C. Edger started the attack with a single and J. Karls followed with one of his own. C. Ratelle then clubbed his second double of the game with a gapper to left centre scoring Edger and moving Karls to third. K. Neidert then hit a come backer to the pitcher who lobbed the ball to the first baseman. Alertly, speedy Karls took off for home and avoided the tag with a sensational overstretched slide. A. McBoyle, S. Sibley and G. Nolan followed with 3 consecutive singles making the score 4-0. With two outs and runners on first and third, E. Roblero sent a line drive into the left centre gap scoring Sibley and Nolan to cap the max number of runs allowed per inning.

As if all the running from hitting a two bagger appeared to take the life out of Roblero, he promptly allowed the first five Dodgers hitters to reach base. It all started with an infield dribbler down the third base line followed by a deep fly ball to centre. J. Ubeda appeared to have a bead on it; however, the ball went off the tip of his glove for a double. A walk was followed by another double and a single making the score 6-4 at the end of the third frame. The Dodgers tied the score at 6 in the bottom of the fifth inning and had a chance to do more damage, but Neidert came in to put out the fire. With runners on second and third, and one out, Neidert produced an infield fly out and a strike out to end the inning.

The Indians put their sticks to work in the top of the sixth. Nolan led off the inning with a moon shot down the left field fence. Up stepped Grace and everyone jumped to their feet when we saw the ball sailing towards the fence in left centre. We had come to within a few inches from hitting back-to-back jacks but we were content with the double. Roblero followed with a single to left scoring Grace. Egder reached on an error by the second baseman and went to third on Karls single. Ratelle then collected his third hit of the game and second RBI with a single. When the sixth frame was in the books, the Indians had a 10-6 lead.

Neidert would take care of the rest as the Dodgers were baffled by Neidert’s curveball and could only get one base hit against him in three and two thirds. Only a couple of miscues by the Indians defense allowed one more Dodger run to cross the plate.

The Indians were able to cut down on their strike outs and look forward to putting bat on ball in the coming games.
Up next for the nomads, a date with the Aldergrove Giants at South Aldergrove Park.

Here are your player of the game nominations in alphabetical order:
Chris Ratelle 3 for 4, 2RBI, (1B, 2B (2), 1RS)
Enrique Roblero 2 for 4, 3RBI, (1B, 2B) * 4 1/3 IP, 6R 5ER, 6H, 6BB
Greg Nolan 2 for 4, 2RBI (1B, 1HR)
Josh Karls 2 for 5 (2 RS)
Kris Neidert 1 for 4, 2RBI * 3 2/3 IP, 1R 0ER, 1H, 2BB

Indians VS Cubbies

Surrey Indians 10 @ Chilliwack Cubs 14

As the Indians made their way into the valley of death, we saw steady rain, slick roads and a number of motor vehicle accidents that could only make you think “what next”. There was a 60% chance of precipitation for the Fraser Valley but the closer we got to our destination the brighter the skies seemed to appear. To our surprise, a special guest was visiting in the Indians clubhouse... stellar starting pitcher Lee Sandau was down from the great white North. Fairfield Island Sports complex was the setting for the Indian’s 2008 season opener. First pitch came at 11:05 am and the first 3 Indians were promptly retired in order as the Cub’s hurler struck out the side. C. Ratelle answered right back by retiring the Cubs in order utilizing only 8 pitches.

The Indians opened up the scoring in the top of the 2nd frame when hitting sensation K. Neidert hit a single to centre field. C. Ratelle followed with a line drive single to right moving Neidert to 3rd. Ratelle was gunned down at 2nd trying to stretch the single into a double. Up stepped S. Sibley who hit a grounder to 3rd; as Neidert darted towards home, the 3rd baseman thought he had a shot at him and quickly drove the ball in front of the dirt at home plate and into the backstop.
The Cubs would open their bottom half of the inning by placing their first 3 hitters on base via a line drive single to centre followed by a double into the left centre gap and an infield squibbler down the 3rd base line. The Cubs' first run was scored by #6’s sac fly to right.. scoring # 77 from 3rd base. #7 would then hit what seemed like a perfect double-play ball to 3rd but the feed to 2nd sailed into shallow right field allowing # 55 to score from 2nd base and leaving runners at 1st and 2nd. Ratelle would take care of the Cubbies by inducing # 18 to hit into the inning ending 4-3 double play.

The Cubbies added to their lead in the bottom of the 3rd when #13, leading off the inning, reached base on an infield single to third and moved to 2nd on the errant throw from E. Roblero. With two out and runners on 1st and 2nd, # 77 laced a double to the right centre gap scoring # 13 and #9. Veteran K. Grace gunned down # 77 trying to stretch his double into a triple. The base umpire initially called the runner safe at 3rd base, but having over slid the bag, Roblero kept applying the tag and asked the home plate umpire to overrule the call. After a brief meeting on the third base side of the mound, the runner at 3rd base was called out.

The Indians went to work in the top of the 4th. A. McBoyle reached on a base-on-balls and Neidert followed with a base hit. Ratelle then hit a screaming line drive over the centre fielder’s head scoring McBoyle from 2nd and Neidert all the way from first. Indians fans and teammates held their breath as Neidert dove head first into the catcher’s shin guards and emerged with a run scored, a bloody nose and a crown of flying stars. Way to go buddy… Sibley then hit a high fly ball to centre that moved Ratelle down to 3rd, the errant throw from the Cub’s right fielder allowed Ratelle to score from 3rd and tie the game at 4.

The celebration didn’t last long as the Cubs quickly loaded the bases on solid base hits and shaky Indians defense. When the 4th inning was all said and done, 4 Cubbies had crossed the plate and O. Matsubara replaced Ratelle on the mound (3.1/3 IP, 6 RA, 4ER, 1BB, 6H).

The Indians got one back in the top of the 5th but had a chance to get more. G. Nolan was hit by a pitch and C. Edger and J. Ubeda reached base on consecutive free passes. McBoyle bounced a grounder to 3rd to score G. Nolan from 3rd. Neidert followed with a sac fly to right moving Edger over to 3rd. The sacs were once again full after Ratelle accepted an invitation to first base. The rally would come to an end when Sibley was caught looking at a called 3rd strike.
With the score 8-6 in favor of the Cubs, the Indians were still within striking distance of their prey. The bottom of the 6th inning however, would prove to be the turning point of the game. Indians pitchers would only record one out before the maximum 6 runs-allowed crossed the plate. Matsubara (1.2/3 IP, 5RA, 3ER, 3BB, 3H, 2K) gave way to T. Jones (1/3 IP, 3RA, 2ER, 3BB, 2HBP). Three base on balls and 2 hit batters were issued consecutively.

In the top of the 7th, the Indians for the second time in the game were retired in order via strike outs. In total, the Indians K’d an amazing 15 times in this contest. All we can say is WA—HOO…

After complaining of neck and shoulder pain for the most part of the pre-season, Roblero took the mound for the Indians in the bottom of the 7th and retired the Cubbies in order. J. Karls and B. Tonogai reached on free passes in the top of the 8th and quickly moved to 2nd and 3rd on a beautifully coordinated double-steal. J.Heatly grounded to 2nd pushing the Indians 7th run across the plate. T. Jones reached on yet another free pass and moved to 2nd on a balk. Tonogai walked across with the Indians’ 8th run. Up stepped stellar catcher C. Edger and crushed the first pitch he saw into the hen house over the right field wall. That’s as close as the Indians would get in this contest as Grace grounded to 3rd to end the ball game.

The Indians definitely need to cut down on their strike outs and tighten up the defense to be able to compete against the better clubs in the LMBA.

Next up for the Indians is a date with the expansion Delta Dodgers at McKee field in North Delta. Don’t forget to vote for the player of the game by clicking on your choice in the Poll on the right hand side bar.
The choices are:
Chris Ratelle 2 for 3, 2RBI, (1B, 2B)
Clay Edger 1 for 3, 2 RBI, (1HR)
Kris Neidert 2 for 3, (1B (2))

The Warm Up

One week to go before our grand season opener and here we were without seeing any real game action on the field. We've had a few very good outdoor practices but when it comes down to it... it just ain't the same as facing live arms.
Thanks to our coach Scotty for hooking up today's exhibition game against the Delta Dodgers. Needless to say, our bats need a little work (this excludes you Mr. Bronx bomber) but we'll be ready come next week. Pitching is looking good as always and the defense is not far behind. Bottom line, a good first game to let go of some jitters-- highlighted by a two run shot by Kris Neidert to DEEP left centre estimated at 380+... See you all next week at Fairfield island home of the Chilliwack Storm. First pitch at 11:00am.