Pennsylvania

American Legion Baseball

Interview Part 2

PA ALB:

When looking at the overall stats, your team had perhaps the most balanced hitting and pitching of any team in the country during national regionals.  While some teams relied heavily on one or two pitchers and batters apiece, your team seemingly did not.  Can you give us some insight on how the style of baseball that your team plays and how the team element helps you there?

Coach Bowles:

Well, to start the season, we knew we had a strong 4-man rotation in Cox, Ali, Adair and Bedi and that all three can throw 85+ with good off-speed stuff.  But the emergence of Carter & Applin (again, both throw 85+) was the extra depth we needed to make it through.  For example, Bedi and Applin pitched amazingly at the State level, but both struggled in PA.  In their place, the other four guys stepped up and dominated at times.  Everyone involved with the team this year knew from the beginning that having 7 guys (Clemmons also throws in the upper 80's but isn't really a pitcher) who can throw 85+ gave us the potential to be one of the deepest pitching staffs around, it was just a matter of finding the hot hand at the right time.

PA ALB:

West Lawn, the host team (who finished near the top of the Berks County League in PA which is widely considered to be one of the top leagues in the state) definitely gave you some trouble in game one.  Why do you think that is and did that catch your team off guard?

Coach Bowles:

Well as I said earlier, my thinking was... I wanted to get through game one with Cox and Ali fresh.  We were going to need James Bedi (our only HS Sophomore) to beat someone on the mound.  If we went with Cox & Ali in games 1 & 2, then Bedi would have been going up against an undefeated team or be pitching in an elimination game in game 3.  As a coach, I wanted to put us in the best position to win it all and obviously West Lawn's season record played into the decision.  Regardless, Bedi is no sloutch.  He had a 2.-something ERA and struck out more than one per inning this season.  As well, he started against a then 26-1 Stafford team in the State Tournament when we won to advance to the State Championship games.  In the game against West Lawn Bedi struck out 7 in the first 3 innings, but for the first time all year, he completely lost the strike zone in the 4th and we had a dog fight from there.  With all of that said, West Lawn was extremely impressive.  I was very impressed with Gehris who kept them in the game for 7+ innings on the mound, keeping us off-balance all night and contributing 3 hits at the plate as well.  I loved that kid.  I went up to him after the game that if I had 9 of him, I'd have a heck of a team.  I can't say I was caught off guard by him or the Owls.  I didn't assume we'd roll over them in a mercy rule game.  I just instituted a plan and in the end, it luckily paid off.

PA ALB:

Besides one ten-run mercy rule victory, your team excelled at the regional tournament by winning low scoring close games.  Is this something you've thrived on all season and did you think you had the pitching to sweep through the tournament?

Coach Bowles:

Well, any coach from the southeastern section of Virginia would tell you that if Cody Cox or Dean Ali is on the mound, you generally don't give up a lot of runs based on how they have pitched over the past 3 years in high school play.  But the pitching we got from everyone else was rediculous all season as well.  As a whole our pitchers finished the regular season with a 2.64 ERA while striking out 199 batters over 148 innings and holding opponents to a .186 batting average.  I knew we'd be facing better and better hitting at each level, but again, I knew from game one that our pitching was our number one strength as a team and knew we'd go as far as they'd take us.

PA ALB:

 If you're going to win the Mid-Atlantic Regional, doing so against a team like Brooklawn, NJ has to make it extra sweet.  Your team actually defeated them in extra innings in game 8 as well.  Was there a sense of nervousness taking on such a historic team (they won their 24th state title this year), and how did it feel to take them down twice on the way to the title?

Coach Bowles:

To be honest, we weren't sure how to take Brooklawn.  The first day of the regional, the legion put on a picnic for the teams.  Brooklawn decided to wear these shirts they made that stated all of their accomplishments instead of the legion provided shirts that all of the other teams had on, so I knew they'd be a confident team... and that our group of guys would notice it.  When our guys talked about it though, they were constantly pointing out that the last Regional tam was in 2001 and that none of these players were on that squad.  The part that I made sure my guys knew was that through my research I found that the majority of the Brooklawn team was on a high school state champion this spring and that they would be very strong.  We got awesome performances on the mound by Cox, Carter and Adair in the two games and were able to hit enough to pull them out.  The extra innings game was one I will remember for a long time.  After giving up 4 ugly unearned runs, to fight back, tie it in the 9th and win it in the 10th 5-4 with the walk-off hit by Thomas Dushatinski was amazing. In all, to hold that program to 5 hits and no earned runs over 19 innings is an accomplishment in itself.  The thing that suprised us and, honestly, made the wins more sweet was the suprising level of sportsmanship they displayed.  Here in our area you would never hear kids screaming and yelling while a pitcher is trying to pitch or after every pickoff attempt and you certainly never hear fans call your players "a JV team."  At the World Series I was very glad to hear one of the first this addressed by the tournament officials was sportsmanship and that no team would be allowed to yell and scream while a pitcher is in his delivery.  I completely understand cheering on teammates, but none of us had experienced the noise from an opponent like we experienced versus Brooklawn.  I was really most suprised that a team with such history of greatness would approach the game in that manner.  By the same token, I'd love to point out how classy and amazing the Salisbury, MD team was.  We played a great game against each other on the field and got along great with those guys off of the field.  They were very impressive with their level of sportmanship.

PA ALB:

How was the travel out to Spokane, Washington?  We heard some horror stories from PA runner-up Pennridge who took a middle of the night bus fourteen hours back home from Illinois after they were eliminated for the Great Lakes Regional.  No horror stories for your team, right?

Coach Bowles:

Oh, it wasn't fun, I can say that.  We lost that heart-breaking game and before I get to the dugout to clean up and get back to the hotel, the legion travel manager is talking business with me.  For the rest of that Saturday and into Sunday morning, it was pretty crazy trying to get everyone home.  One problem is that legion pays for just 2 coaches to travel, so for our other 2 coaches, they had to find and pay for airfare on their own.  Well obviously you have to book one-way because you don't know when you are coming home.  Buying tickets the night before or day-of can be a nightmare and it was extremely stressful trying to get these guys home.  Also, because we were going home on a weekend day, instead of a weekday, things were made even tougher.  In the end, our team was divided into 4 different fights through 3 different airlines.  We had to drive 6 hours to Seattle to catch our flights and we were flown into Richmond, VA, which is an hour-and-a-half from our homes.  This was made worse by the fact that our planes landed between 9am and 10am on a Monday morning... when parents are having to be at work.  Luckily we have some truly fantastic parents who organized the pickups and drives home.  Nonetheless, with all of those headaches mentioned, it is very important to point out that American Legion covered the costs of the flights and gave us some money for milage to get home.  Although the experience getting home was rough, I thank the American Legion for everything they do for these kids... it's unique and awesome!

Hope you've enjoyed part two, part three coming tomorrow!

We're honored to present another exclusive interview to the site for your reading pleasure.  Larry Bowles, head coach of the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Regional champion Chesapeake, Virginia has been gracious enough to take some time to do an extensive interview about a plethora of topics related to his team. 

Chesapeake, Virginia swept through the Mid-Atlantic National Regional being hosted in West Lawn, PA.  They defeated Brooklawn, New Jersey in game fourteen to secure their bid to the 2010 ALB World Series in Spokane, Washington.  The team had a bit of a rough go at it on the West Coast, going 0-2 in the tournament.

The interview is quite lengthy, so we'll present it over the next couple of days in three different parts.  We hope you enjoy the truly unique content that we've been able to write in recent weeks.  As always, if you'd like to share a comment or question please don't hesitate to post a comment or email us at [email protected]  Thanks and enjoy!

Interview Part 1

PA ALB:

What was your outlook for the season back in the early summer? When did you start getting the feeling that you could potentially make a run at the state and regional titles?

Coach Bowles:

When we formed our team, it was originally about me being able to coach many of the Indian River High School players for one more summer.  I was the Junior Varsity baseball coach at IRHS from 2003-2009, then was hired as Head Varsity Baseball Coach at Oscar Smith High (neighboring school) in October 2010.  I decided to put the best from each school togther, then Dean Ali (will be rooming with Cody Cox at Old Dominion U.) mention bringing Cody in with the team.  Once we finalized the roster, I knew that our goal would be to win a State Championship.  We talked about how great it's be to travel to PA and WA... but no one REALLY believed it at the time.  When we got to the Regional, I honestly knew nothing about the competition or the level of play compared to the VA State Tournament, which had some great teams.  The first day there, and every day that followed, it was on a shirt, published or announced that the Brooklawn program had all of those State & Regional titles, so I knew that facing them would be a challenge.

PA ALB:

When you looked at the talent on your team, did you set lofty expectations (like 'hey we could make it to the World Series this year'), or it was just a wait and see how things go type of situation?

Coach Bowles:

I told the guys from the very beginning of the season about how Legion covers costs to travel and play in Danville, VA, Westlawn, PA, and Spokane, WA.  When we were on the way to Spokane a couple of the players said, coach, we heard you talk about possibly flying to Spokane this year and we all acted like we were right there with you, but inside, we were like, yeah right... but now we're headed to Spokane!  This is crazy!

PA ALB:

What were some of the keys to your team's success?  It wasn't just great coaching on your part was it?

Coach Bowles:

Obviously it was great coaching.  Seriously, the greatest statistic I threw out to the team and other people after the regional was that in our 11-game winning streak through States & Regionals, Cody Cox (who everyone wanted to talk about due to his 90+ fast ball and being drafted by the Chicago Cubs) did not win one game for us.  Dean Ali came up big, but he has the accolades such as District Player of the Year & 2nd Tam All-State for pitching.  We had guys who had not yet been recognized like Jordan Adair, Troy Applin, James Bedi & Josh Carter come up HUGE on the mound for us.  Applin was phenomenal in States, winning 2 games and earnind 2 saves in his 4 appearances.  Adair pitched us to a win in our State Championship, Regional Championship, and gave us a great chamce to win the Oregon game in the World Series.  At the plate, Matt Dickason, Josh Carter, Leland Clemmons, and Dean Ali carried us.  Dickason was out of his mind this postseason and finished the regional and World Series batting .667 (18-for-24) and hit 2 homeruns in the Oregon game.  Carter batted over .500 this postseason and Clemmons hit 3 homeruns.  Ali had some monster games and clutch hits as well to propel us to Spokane.  Our pitching and the offense these guys provided were the keys to all of our success.

PA ALB:

Your team was just one of two that had an undefeated run through national regionals this year.  How did you feel the competition stacked up against your team, and how did you go about game planning for teams you've never seen before?

Coach Bowles:

Well, I am a researcher.  I scoured the internet for as much information as possible on the teams involved.  I knew we were starting off with the host team.  When I looked up their season I read that they did not win their district or region tournaments and were around .500 for the summer.  I knew, with the setup for the National Regional, we'd have to win 5 games.  I figured that if I could get through game 1 without using Cox or Ali, then we'd be in great position to go through the winners bracket and into the championship game.  I also told my team before we played that there was a kid for West Lawn named Chris Gehris who would probably be pitching and batting third for them... I was right... and he deserved to be in both spots.  Gehris, and his entire team played even better than I had expected.  That group really impressed me with their discipline and desire to win.  That first game was very rough... and luckily we were able to pull it out.  I was able to research enough to know who each team's ace was and what side they threw from, but that doesn't tell you how hard they throw or what kind of stuff they have.  It was tough to gameplan, but there were a few things we did, that I can't divulge of course, haha, that truly paid off in the end.

PA ALB:

How was the experience of playing at Owls Field?  It is considered one of the amateur baseball gems that southeastern PA is known for.  How did your team handle the pressures of playing in front of relatively large crowds, and did your fan base travel well up to the tournament?

Coach Bowles:

Owl's Field was truly impressive.  I was most impressed with the volunteers and the organization of those committed to making that Park so great.  To have so many people step up to help out with all of the things that go into hosting a tournament is awesome to witness.  The field setting is awesome and the Owl's organization is top-notch.  We had quite a few friends and family make the trek up the east coast and they remarked at how nice the facilities were as well.  As far as the players, many had played in Regional and State Tournaments with hundreds in the crowd, so I don't know how much it affected them.

Parts two and three will be posted over the next few days.  Thanks for reading, we've hope you enjoyed the first segment of the interview!

Each year, thousands of young men take to the baseball diamond for what they hope will be an eventful spring and summer season playing American Legion Baseball.  For the lucky ones, having a great year earns you a trip to your league or state regional tournament.  Out of those thousands of teams, four hundred remain alive in mid-July for the state tournaments that take place across the country.  From there, just sixty-four teams remain.  Getting through your national regional and into the tournament every legion player dreams about, the ALB World Series, means your team is one of just eight left standing in the entire nation.

After a long and hot summer that featured a total of seventy-six baseball games for the Midwest City based Oklahoma Outlaws, they are alone atop the amateur baseball world.  They came to Spokane, Washington with high hopes of continuing the success they had endured so far this summer.  They knew one thing, they'd have to do without their top player.  Shortstop Jake Realmuto, who posted some of the gaudiest offensive numbers in the nation this year, had to leave the team before the tournament.  The star had previously committed to college baseball power Oklahoma State, but he was drafted in the third round (#104 overall) by the Florida Marlins in the spring.  With the deadline to sign a professional contract just a few days away, Realmuto inked a deal with the MLB team for a whopping $600,000.

Things didn't start off the way the Outlaws would have liked in national play, as they dropped  the first game of the Mid-South National Regional to Gonzales, Louisiana.  That ten inning affair lit a fuse under the Oklahoma state champs, propelling them to five straight victories to earn the World Series bid.  The team hit .307 in the tournament, and racked up an eye-popping thirty-one steals in six games.  They committed just eleven errors in that span, while posting a team era of 2.52.  Solid pitching, stellar defense, and an offense willing and able to play small ball.  It's the little things that so many teams try to do, but this year, nobody did them better.

Midwest City made a statement to Chesapeake, Virginia, and to the rest of the playing field in their first game of the World Series Friday afternoon.  They jumped all over the Mid-Atlantic champions, putting up eighteen runs in seven innings.  The effort was led by starting pitcher Kevin Hill, who struck out fifteen batters in just six innings of work.  The team amassed nineteen hits, every single one of which was a basehit.  

The Outlaws dropped just their tenth game of the season, 9-6, to Eden Prairie, Minnesota in the winner's bracket on day two.  Despite a solid offensive game, eight walks plagued pitcher Chris Mullins' effort to hold back the potent offense of the Central Plains champs.  

The loss dropped Midwest City into the loser's bracket, where they took on Southeast representative Kernersville, North Carolina on Sunday.  Behind a strong complete game outing by  Dalton Bernardi on the mound, the Oklahoma champs cruised to a 6-1 victory.  The top six batters in the order contributed eleven of the team's twelve total hits.  

Midwest City ace Kevin Hill took the mound on Monday against Las Vegas, Nevada, hoping to put his team into the tournament's final day.  He turned in another great performance, throwing the complete game and surrendering just five hits and an unearned run.  This time, it was the bottom of the order holding their own for the offense.  Turner Coon and Caleb Price combined for three hits and 5 rbi out of the eight and nine holes.

An Eden Prairie victory later in the day over Roseburg, Oregon cemented the championship matchup between the two teams who had met just a few days prior.  Eden Prairie was undefeated, and had to be beaten twice by the Mid-South champs for the National Championship.

The Outlaws took a big step towards securing their title hopes by handing Eden Prairie their first loss of the tournament in game fourteen, 11-6.  Midwest City was clinging to a 5-3 lead in the seventh when they broke the game open with a five run inning.  Chris Mullins pitched well and got the win, with Dakota Andrews and Clark Roberts coming in for relief duties.  The three combined to give up nine hits on five earned runs.  Josh Halbert led the offensive attack, posting two hits, two runs scored, and four rbis.

That forced a decisive game fifteen, where the winner would literally take all.  This is where the story takes an interesting turn.  With a tired pitching staff that had logged a ton of innings the past few weeks, Midwest City looked to Tyler Schuman to get them some quality innings.  Schuman had been sidelined since early May with a serious arm injury.  With no chance for a rehab appearance or a chance to acclimate himself to the pressures of postseason play, the Outlaws were hoping he could eat a few valuable innings.  Schuman dazzled, pitching five flawless innings.  He surrendered just one hit over that span, while striking out and walking two apiece.  By the time he was relieved of his duties, Midwest City had a five run lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Clark Roberts and Dalton Bernardi came on to close things out for the title, with Bernardi on the mound as things ended.  He and Greg Nelson led the offense, putting up three rbis each.  The Outlaws combined for sixteen hits, while giving up just five.  They had done the unthinkable, winning the 2010 American Legion Baseball World Series.  Their final record? A staggering 66-10.

Dalton Bernardi, the tournament's most valuable player, had a combined eighteen rbis in twelve national tournament games.  The team hit .346 over that span, while their pitching staff kept posted an opposing batting average of just .233.  The team stole 56 bases in the past two weeks, good enough for almost five swipes a game.  The strikeout to walk ratio for their pitchers was over two to one, and they continued their solid defense with twenty errors in the twelve games.

As we reflect on the 2010 ALB season, there's just one thing left to ponder.  What team will be standing atop the legion world a year from now?  Only time will tell, and that's the beauty of it.

The sixty-sixth win of the year for the Oklahoma Outlaws will certainly be the most memorable of their lives.  A 10-1 romp over Central Plains champion Eden Prairie, MN in game fifteen of the 2010 ALB World Series has given them the title of National Champions.  

It was no easy feat for the Mid-South champs, who defeated Eden Prairie a few hours prior to this win 11-6 in order to force a decisive game for the title.  Midwest City, who played so well all week without their top player, Jacob Realmuto, turned the reigns over to starting pitcher Tyler Schuman to get them off on the right foot Tuesday evening.  Schuman went five innings without surrendering a run, while his teammates posted five runs behind him.

Clark Roberts and Dalton Bernardi combined to finish the game, giving up just a run in the process.  Greg Nelson and Bernardi each had three rbi for Midwest City.

More to come!

Midwest City, OK handed Eden Prairie, MN their first loss of the tournament just moments ago out in Spokane, Washington.  The two teams will play again for the national championship in about half an hour.

Check back for a recap of the nation's last game of the year tomorrow morning!

Eden Prairie stayed undefeated in the Legion World Series on Monday night with a 6-2 victory over Roseburg, Oregon.  The loss eliminated Roseburg.  Both losses for the Docs in the tournament came at the hands of Eden Prairie.  Eden Prairie needs just one win on Tuesday to clinch Legion Baseball's ultimate prize.  They'll have two chances to do so against Midwest City, Oklahoma, which eliminated Las Vegas earlier on Monday.  Midwest City will need to beat Eden Prairie twice on Tuesday to snatch away the crown.

Grant Soderberg went 8 2/3 innings to get the win for Eden Prairie.  Soderberg gave up twelve hits, but was able to dodge bullets for much of the game, giving up only single runs in the second and seventh.  Lance Thonvold earned the save by getting the final out of the game.  Austin Marsh gave up four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work to get the loss.  Catcher and cleanup hitter Matt Halloran led Eden Prairie offensively by going 4 for 5, driving in three runs, and scoring another.  Vince Ampi went 3 for 4 with an RBI and run scored for Roseburg.

The Docs finish their season at 35-15 and with a third place World Series finish.  Eden Prairie moves to 39-7 and will have two shots at the title on Tuesday.  The first game between Eden Prairie and Midwest City will begin at 7pm Eastern Time, with a second game to follow, if necessary.

Despite the absence of their star shortstop, Midwest City has more than held their own this week.  They continued their run with a superb outing from starting pitcher Kevin Hill and defeated the Western Regional champs 7-1.

Midwest City, the Mid-South Regional champs, started off with a one run first inning to give themselves the early lead.  Things remained relatively quiet for a few innings, before the Outlaws broke through for another run in the top of the fifth.  They blew the game open with a four run seventh.  Las Vegas got a run back in the bottom of the inning, but Midwest City answered with their last run in the eighth.

Midwest City starter Kevin Hill was superb, going the distance and surrendering one unearned run on just five hits.  He walked one and struck out seven.  Dakota Roehl was the hard luck loser for Las Vegas, as he went seven innings and gave up six runs, though just one of them was earned.  He scattered eight hits and four strikeouts, pitching well enough to win.  Derron Davis came in for the final two innings, giving up a run on five hits.

Caleb Price, the designated hitter in the nine hole, led the offensive attack for Oklahoma with a homerun and three rbis.  Turner Coon and Dalton Bernardi both added two rbis apiece.  Brooks Klein had three hits for Las Vegas in the losing effort.

Midwest City advances to the tournament's final day.  They'll take on the winner of tonight's game between Eden Prairie, MN and Roseburg, OR.  They'll need to win two games tomorrow, whether that be against Roseburg and Eden Prairie, or two over the Minnesota champs.

Eden Prairie, Minnesota is now just one win away from capturing the ultimate Legion Baseball crown, with a come-from-behind 6-4 win over Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday night.  Eden Prairie opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first, but Las Vegas struck back quickly with a run of their own in the bottom half.  The Lions added two more in the second and another in the third to build a 4-1 lead, which they held until the sixth.  In the sixth and seventh, Eden Prairie was able to add single runs to cut the lead to 4-3.  Las Vegas took this lead in the ninth.

In the ninth, Matt Lintner, the Eden Prairie starter who stayed in the game at third, led off with a double down the right field line.  Following a sacrifice bunt, outfielder David Belusky doubled home pinch runner Jake Tharaldson with the tying run.  After a pitching change, a Tim Miller single gave Eden Prairie runners at second and third and after Miller moved up on the throw.  Las Vegas induced a groundout for the second out and almost saw its way out of the inning.  However, second baseman Tony Skjefte singled up the middle to score runs five and six.  Las Vegas went down in the order in the 9th to seal its fate.

Reliever Lance Thonvold got the win for pitching a scoreless eighth and Tim Miller earned the save for his work in the ninth.  Blair Goldsack was the hard luck loser for Las Vegas.  Julian Cutolo and Alex Estrella led the balanced offensive attack for Las Vegas with two hits apiece.

Las Vegas drops to 48-16 on the year and faces Midwest City, OK in the Game 12 elimination contest at 7pm Eastern on Monday.  Eden Prairie is now 38-7 and has assured itself of a spot in the Tuesday's final game.  They will meet Roseburg, OR in Game 13 at 10pm Eastern on Monday night.  Roseburg, which lost to Eden Prairie 13-6 on the tournament's first day, will be facing elimination.

Following a tough defeat on Saturday to Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Midwest City, Oklahoma got back in the win column to stay alive Sunday at the Legion World Series.  The Outlaws eliminated Kernersville, North Carolina by a 6-1 count.  In a game where both starters went the distance, Midwest City was able to take advantage of mistakes and to get the timely hits that eluded Kernersville for much of the game.

Kernersville opened the scoring in the top of the first with an unearned run.  However, Midwest City pitcher Dalton Bernardi was able to keep them off the board for the remainder of the contest.  Midwest City got single runs in the fourth and the fifth, before two-run innings in the seventh and eighth put the game out of reach.  Pete Schultz took the loss for Kernersville, which finishes its season at 35-16.  Josh Halbert led the Outlaws offensively with a 3 for 5 night and two runs scored.  Jason Nelson, Tanner Hessman, and pitcher Dalton Bernardi each added two hits.  Alex Swim and Corey McKinney had two hits apiece for Kernersville.

Midwest City, which has improved to 63-10 will move to Monday's action, where they will play Las Vegas at a time to be determined by the result of Sunday night's Game 11.  Eden Prairie, Minnesota will play Roseburg, Oregon on Monday as well.

The day began with just six teams left remaining in the country, though only four would survive and advance to Monday's action.  Roseburg, the Northwest Regional champs, rallied from a four run deficit to defeat Moline, IL 9-7.  A six run fifth inning proved to be the difference in this one.

Moline took the lead early with a run in the top of the first.  Roseburg countered to tie the game in the bottom half of the second.  After a scoreless third, Moline jumped out in front with three in the fourth and another run in the fifth.  Roseburg capitalized on two errors by the Great Lakes Regional champs to put six runs on the board in the bottom of the fifth.  

To their credit, Moline rallied to tie the game in their half of the sixth.  The tie was short-lived, however, as Roseburg plated the decisive two runs in the bottom of the inning.  It was in no way a defensive showcase, as eight errors led to six unearned runs.

Jared Priestley, Roseburg's starting pitcher, threw five and a third innings and surrendered seven runs (four earned) on ten hits.  Dakota Cavens came on and earned the win, pitching three and two thirds flawless innings.  Moline's starter, Seth Fuller, gave up seven runs (five earned) in just over four innings of work.  The relievers rounded out the eight innings of work by giving up two runs.

Roseburg's heart of the order provided most of the offense, led by designated hitter Vince Ampi who had four rbis on the day.  Dakota Bacus, the right fielder for Moline, had the best day for his team as he went two for three with two rbis in what was a pretty balanced offensive attack.

Moline's successful season ends with an overall record of 42-9, with an Illinois state and Great Lakes Regional titles.  Roseburg, OR moves on to the fourth day of competition where their opponent and game time will be determined by the outcome of the winner's bracket final later this evening.

The field at the World Series in Spokane has now been trimmed to six teams.  They'll all be in action Sunday.  In the two Loser's Bracket contests, Roseburg, Oregon will take on Moline, Illinois in Game 9 and Kernersville, North Carolina will play Midwest City, Oklahoma in Game 10.  Those games will be followed by Game 11, the Winner's Bracket Final, between Las Vegas, Nevada and Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  Follow along for continued coverage, and remember all games can viewed online at the National Legion Baseball site.

Sunday's Schedule (All times Eastern)

Loser's Bracket

Roseburg, OR vs. Moline, IL, 4pm

Kernersville, NC vs. Midwest City, OK, 8pm

Winner's Bracket

Las Vegas, NV vs. Eden Prairie, MN, 11pm

Eden Prairie hung on to win a wild Game 8 9-6 over Midwest City, Oklahoma late Saturday night in Spokane.  The Central Plains Champs led 9-1 heading to the ninth before a five-run inning from the Outlaws almost stole the game away.  Eden Prairie built a 4-0 lead early and held Midwest City scoreless until the Outlaws plated a run in the sixth on a couple of singles and a walk.  Eden Prairie continued to tack on runs to take the eight run lead into the final inning.  Midwest City fell short, needing three more runs.

Starter Caleb Phillips went 7 2/3 innings to get the win for Eden Prairie.  He held Midwest City to only six hits, but did walk five.  Loser Chris Mullins paid the price for the seven walks he issued.  Phillips also led the way offensively for Eden Prairie, going 2 for 3 with three runs batted in.  Shortstop Alex Polston had a big offensive night for Midwest City, going 2 for 4 while knocking in four runs.

Eden Prairie (37-7) moves on to Sunday night's Winner's Bracket Final (Game 11) versus Las Vegas, Nevada.  Midwest City (62-10) will look to rebound against Kernersville, North Carolina in Game 10.  Check back for continued coverage of the Legion World Series.

Las Vegas clinched the first of the two berths in Sunday's Winner's Bracket Final with a 12-2 seven inning victory on Saturday night over Moline, Illinois.  The Western Regional Champs jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings and never looked back.  They combined twelve hits, seven walks, and two Moline errors to hammer the Great Lakes representative.

Dusty Stevens got the win for Las Vegas, while starter Dakota Bacus took the loss for Moline.  Leading the way offensively for Las Vegas were Julian Cutolo, the team's Designated Hitter, who went 3 for 4, drove in five runs, and added a run scored, and leadoff hitter Jake Hager, who also had his own 3 for 4 day and scored three runs.  Grant Jasper and Emilio Alonso each had two hits for Moline.

Both teams will play Sunday.  Moline, now 42-8, will play in Game 9 against Roseburg, Oregon.  Las Vegas (48-15) moves on to Game 11 against the winner of the Eden Prairie, MN - Midwest City, OK game, which will be played late Saturday night.

With Legion Baseball's double elimination tournament structure, teams falling in defeat also get a chance for redemption.  Chesapeake, VA had another shot on Saturday following a disastrous mercy-rule loss to Midwest City, OK in their opener.  Although their performance was much improved, the Mid-Atlantic champs were eliminated by Roseburg, OR by a score of 11-10.

Chesapeake led for much of the game, but a seven-run Roseburg rally gave them a 10-8 lead.  Chesapeake got two their own to reclaim the lead in the top of the eighth, but Chesapeake star pitcher Dean Ali couldn't hold the lead, and Roseburg scored to go back ahead 11-10.  Roseburg starter Brandon Jackson was able to get his complete game victory with a one-two-three ninth inning.  Jackson gave up ten runs, but only five were earned as a result of five Roseburg errors.  Chesapeake had three errors of their own.

Chesapeake ends their postseason run with a 29-8 record.  Roseburg survives to play another day.  The Doc Stewarts improved to 34-14 and will meet the loser of the Moline, IL - Las Vegas, NV contest in Game 9 on Sunday.

One day removed from a heartbreaking 6-5 defeat to Las Vegas, Kernersville, NC was back at it Saturday morning in Spokane.  The Southeast Regional Champs stayed alive with an 8-6 victory over Branford, CT.  Kernersville was able to go ahead early, and led wire to wire to knock Branford.

The scoring began two batters into the game with a two-run homer by centerfielder Brandon Harrison.  This was Harrison's second home run of the national tournament.  He also leads Kernersville with ten runs batted in.  Branford starter Pat Simone was removed after only one inning of work following a three-run Kernersville first.  Despite rallies by Branford, the NC representative never relinquished the lead.  Other stars for the victors included Alex Swim and Evan Orenstein who joined Brandon Harrison with three hits for the game.  Starter Kevin Parrish earned the win, improving to 2-0 in national play.  John Lefeber and Mike Forgione each had two hits for Branford.

Branford's season ends with a final record of 28-9.  Kernersville improved to 35-15 and will await the loser of Saturday's Game 8 between Eden Prarie, MN and Midwest City, Oklahoma.  That match up will in Game 10, the middle game of Sunday's three scheduled.

In front of a crowd of over two thousand people, two of the nation's top programs over the last few years squared off in hopes of heading to the winner's bracket.  Eden Prairie, Minnesota, the Central Plains power, capitalized on seven Roseburg errors to win 13-6.

Roseburg jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first before Eden Prairie rattled off 9 straight runs from the third through the fifth.  The Oregon state champs answered with four in the bottom of the sixth, but Eden Prairie got two apiece in the seventh and eight.  Roseburg mustered one more run in the bottom of the eighth, but was unable to fight their way back into the game.

Adam Bray, who posted the most amount of innings last week, started for the Minnesota champs and gave them four solid innings of work.  He did walk seven while striking out five, but scattered three hits and surrendered just one run.  Reliever Tyler Ruemmele got the win, pitching three innings and giving up four runs (3 earned).  Lance Thovold came on to shut the door as he pitched the final two innings, giving up a run.  

Roseburg starter Josh Graham, who wasn't one of the team's top pitchers last week, got touched for twelve hits and nine runs (just four earned) in four innings.  Relievers Jay Tovey, Jared Priestley, and Austin Marsh pitched relatively well, giving up four runs in a combined four innings.

Eden Prairie second baseman Tony Skjefte swung the big bat, going three for six with five rbis.  In the loss, Roseburg right fielder Mitch Huff had three rbis.

Roseburg drops into the loser's bracket where they will face Chesapeake, Virginia at about 4pm eastern.  Eden Prairie will play in the night cap against a very solid Midwest City, Oklahoma team at 10pm eastern.

Stay tuned throughout the day for updates!

Game 3 of the 2010 ALB World Series was a high scoring affair between the Great Lakes and Northeast Regional champions.  Moline, Illinois jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first.  Branford appeared unphased and scored five straight runs in the second and third innings, taking the lead by three.

That's when Moline's offense broke out and posted two straight six run innings.  Branford fought back, scoring a combined two runs the rest of the way.  It wasn't enough though, as the Illinois state champs put up another run in the ninth on their way to a 15-7 victory.  The game featured a staggering twenty-two runs on thirty-four hits with eight errors.

Moline starter Sam Welvaert, who pitched just six innings last week, was roughed up for six hits and five runs in two and two-thirds.  Kyle Lewis, Brandon Shaw, and Paul Mills combined for six and a third innings, surrendering just two runs.  Lewis picked up the win for the Great Lakes representative.

Shane Coughlin, who had a solid tournament last week, didn't do so well this time around.  He gave up eight runs (6 earned) in four innings before reliever John Lefeber pitched the remaining five and gave up another seven runs.

Eric Ashcraft, Moline's starting left fielder, had an incredible game.  He had a two rbi home run in the first, a basehit in the third, an rbi basehit in the fourth, a two rbi double in the fifth, and another double in the seventh.  He went five for six with five rbis on the day.

Pat Simone had the top performance for Branford, going two for four with three rbis and a run scored.

Branford will return to play Kernersville, North Carolina at 1pm eastern today in the first game of the day.  Moline will take on Las Vegas, Nevada at approximately 7pm eastern.

Midwest City, the Mid-South Regional champions, made quite a statement in game 2 of the 2010 ALB World Series in Spokane, Washington.  Taking on one of the most balanced teams in the tournament, the Oklahoma natives ran away with a huge 18-2 seven inning victory.   In what may go down as one of the most unique boxscores in World Series history, all twenty-two hits were singles.  Can you believe it? Eighteen runs for Midwest City without an extra base hit.

Midwest City got the scoring going in their first at-bat, plating five runs in the top of the first inning.  To their credit, Chesapeake rallied for two in the bottom half of the inning.  Unfortunately, that was the extent of the offense for the Mid-Atlantic champs the rest of the way.

The Outlaws pounced, taking advantage of opportunity presented to them.  They scored two more in both the second and third innings.  They were held in check for the next two innings, before another five run outburst in the sixth and another for four runs in the seventh.  

Chesapeake managed just one hit after the first inning when they had two hits.  Starter Dean Ali had the worst outing of his career, getting roughed up for seven runs (six earned) in just one and a third innings.  Things didn't get any better from there for the Virginia champs, as relievers Josh Carter and James Bedi pitched two innings combined and gave up nine runs.

Midwest City starter Kevin Hill was dominant, going six innings and surrendering just two runs, one of which was earned.  He walked two and struck out a staggering fifteen batters, as all but three of the outs in that time from came on punchouts.  

The scary part?  Midwest City was without their best player, and possibly the top player in the tournament this week, in starting shortstop Jacob Realmuto who had a .920 slugging percentage last week.  

In his absence, the team put up 19 runs on 18 hits in seven innings.  Eight of nine starters had at least two hits.  The only starter without a hit, shortstop Alex Polston, had three rbis to his credit.

The loss drops Chesapeake, VA into a do or die situation for the rest of the week.  They'll take on the loser of Eden Prairie, MN and Roseburg, OR tomorrow afternoon at about 4pm eastern.

Midwest City, who has established themselves as a favorite, will take on the winner of that game featuring two storied teams at about 10pm eastern.

Things didn't look so good early for the reigning Western Regional champions in the 2010 ALB World Series, as they trailed 4-0 in the fourth inning.  The Nevada state champs answered back with a run in the bottom of the fourth, before Kernersville, North Carolina plated another run in the sixth.

Las Vegas scored five unanswered runs to stun the Southeast Regional champions.  Starter Alex Estrella had a decent outing for Nevada, as he gave up four runs in six innings.  Reliever Brooks Klein came in and surrendered just one hit in two scoreless innings before turning it over to Blair Goldsack for the flawless save.

Kernersville starter Nick Rhodes gave up four runs, three of which were earned, in six and a third innings.  Reliever Evan Orenstein took the loss after he gave up two runs in less than two innings of work.

Kernersville, NC moves to the loser's bracket where they'll take on the loser of Branford, CT/Moline, IL in game 5 at 1pm eastern.  Las Vegas, NV will play the winner of that game in game 7 at 7pm eastern.

Stay tuned for more updates on the tournament being held in Spokane, Washington all night long!

Western Regional Champion

Record

44-16

National Regional Results

Defeated Waipahu, Hawaii 15-7

Defeated Taylorsville, Utah 6-3

Lost to Las Vegas (Titans), Nevada 11-9

Defeated Long Beach, California 8-2

Defeated Waipahu, Hawaii 15-4

Defeated Las Vegas (Titans) 9-0

Top Hitters

Jake Hager: .519 avg, 11 runs, 14 hits, 3 triples, 1 hr, 5 rbi, 2-3 sb, .921 slugging

Connor Klein: .458 avg, 7 runs, 11 hits, 3 triples, 6 rbi, .750 slugging, 2-3 sb

Matt Holman: .391 avg, 9 runs, 9 hits, 1 hr, 9 rbi, 4 walks, 3 hbp, .533 on base

Top Pitchers

Dusty Stevens: 3.38 era, 2 cg, 16.0 ip, 18 hits, 7 runs, 6 er, 9 walks, 9 strikeouts

Dakota Roehl: 1.59 era, 11.1 ip, 8 hits, 2 runs, 2 er, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts

Jake Hager: 4.15 era, 8.2 ip, 7 hits, 4 runs, 4 er, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts

Team Totals

Hitting: .333 avg, 62 runs, 71 hits, 4 hr, 23 walks, 25 strikeouts, 11-15 sb

Pitching: 4.53 era, .278 opp avg, 55 hits, 27 runs, 26 er, 20 walks, 37 strikeouts

First Game

Game 1 vs. Kernersville, North Carolina

Keys To Success

• The defense needs to be solid again, as they averaged just an error a game and gave up just one unearned run
• The starting pitching needs to be better, as a team era of 4.53 probably won't cut it this week
• They run a bit, but will need to do so more this week to help manufacture runs
• Their pitchers don't strike out too many hitters, about six a game, but if they continue with a low walk rate they'll be alright
• This team can put up huge offensive numbers, so if the pitching holds up there's no reason to believe they can't be there at the end