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