2009 Playoffs
Update:
PJ's Pub Tigers ranked 3rd in state and Southshore All-Stars ranked 5th, in final Wisconsin Amateur Baseball Rankings.
The 2009 Milwaukee Baseball League Championship match up featured 3 time MBL champion South Shore All-Stars sponsored by All-Star Sportswear hosting defending champion PJ's Tigers. South Shore All-Stars were looking to regain their title as champion against the team who currently held that title. Southshore sent their undefeated ace Tony Landgraf to the mound who was 7-0 during the regular season with a 1.96 ERA. PJ's, countered with 2008 Playoff MVP, Andy Monigal who went 3-0 on the regular season. With the stage set, all that was left was for the game to be played. The first two innings went by without a run being scored, but in the top of the third, Andy Monigal led off with a sinking line drive to right-center field, that trickled all the way to the fence for a triple. Monigal would score on a sac-fly by the next batter Eric Cluppert.
South Shore would quickly tie the game in the bottom half of the inning when the "gun slinger" Justin Gelhausen rifled one into centerfield trying to pick a runner off from second from catcher. The runner, Andy Pergande hustled all the way from second to tie the game at 1. In the top of the 4th, Scott Rappl (4 for 4) lead off with a line drive single up the middle and Victor Helin followed with an infield single. The runners would both advance a base on a wild pitch. Matt Duranso would bring in Scott Rappl with a sacrafice fly to right field. Landgraf was on his way to escaping the inning with no further damage until Eric Cluppert dumped a soft liner over the third basemen's head that would score Victor Helin and give the Tigers a 3-1. The score would remain 3-1 until the bottom of the 5th when Andy Pergande would score All-Stars 2nd run, on a wildpitch. After five innings, the game was shaping up into what everyone had anticipated, a low scoring, defensive pitchers matchup. But what the game needed, was a big run producing hit from one of the teams. Both teams had opportunities in the game before, but both teams had failed.
The top of the 6th began with Kyle Knaust working the count full before drawing a lead off walk. Kyle would move up to second when Andy Monigal reached base via an error. With runners on first & second, a passed ball sent the runners to second and third with nobody out. All-Star would quickly record an out without the runners advancing, setting the stage for Cory McEwen. McEwen, a graduate of Ripon College, a health & P.E. teacher & head varsity baseball coach at Milwaukee Madison High School, stepped to the plate not knowing that what he was about to do, and would forever make him a legend in the eyes of the Tigers. Cory glared down Tony in a late inning tight game and drove a belt high fastball over the right field fence scoring Knaust, Monigal & himself. That home run would prove to be the turning point in the 2009 championship game, as Andy Monigal & the Tigers defense would go on & record 6 more outs & gain back to back championships in only their second season in the league. Monigal improved his post season record over the last 2 years to 5-0.
Leading hitters for the Tigers were Cory McEwen, 1 for 2, 2 walks, with 3 RBI on his game winning homerun, Eric Cluppert with 2 RBI, Matt Duranso with 1 RBI, & Scott Rappl who went 4 for 4 with a run scored & finished the season 6 for 6 over his last two games. Scoring runs included Andy Monigal (2), Cory McEwen (1), Scott Rappl (1), Victor Helin (1) & Kyle Knaust (1). Lastly, the team would not have been in position to the win the championship game if it wasn't for great overall defense; where standouts were Eric cluppert at shortstop, Justin Gelhausen at Catcher, & a "skips best friend" Kyle Knaust in right field. The win gave the Tigers a 7 game winning streak to end the season. For All-star's, Landgraf picked up his first loss on the season with a well fought "gutty" performance. Andy Pergande collected two hits & scored both of All-star's runs. All-star ended the season with a 13-4 record. Eligible playoff Tigers from this season who contributed all season long were; Andy Monigal, Eric Cluppert, Cory McEwen, Jason Maaske, Justin Gelhausen, Scott Rappl, Victor Helin, Matt Duranso, Kyle Knaust, Kevin Tapper, Richard Pease & Manager/Player Steve Rappl. Other players that contributed a game or two for the Tigers in 2009; Kevin Nowak, Cory Sumner, Larry Teeling, Joe Gottardo, Joe Reisner, Paul Juanbauger.
Games listed in order from beginning to end of the playoffs:
Brew City Indians 11 Club Paragon Phillies 6
In the Play-in game the Indians held off the Phillies to claim the final playoff spot and a match-up next Saturday v. Leff's Lucky Town.
Leff's Lucky Town 2 Brew City Indians 0
Leff's starter Mike Schroeder shut down the hard hitting Indians team throwing the complete game shut out while accumulating five strike outs. Leff's defense played its best game of the season, converting ten ground balls into outs. Jared Catenacci scored both Leff's runs being driven in by Greg Ketz and Rob Tschimprle respectively. Solomon Juarez pitched his longest game of the season for the Indians going seven allowing only two earned runs.
Johnny V's 6 St. Francis A's
Johnny V's beat the St. Francis A's 6-5 in the first round of the play-off's. Mike Gramaross pitched a strong 4 1/3 innings before the rains came to get the win and Dan Goral finished the suspended game by pitching a solid 2 2/3 innings to get the save. Johnny V's came up big in the 6th by scoring 4 runs after the A's cut the lead to 2-1 in the 5th. Triples by Lee Klescszynski and Alex Marchen were the key hits in the inning. The A's scored 2 runs in the 7th but the rally came up short. Alex Marchen lead the Johnny V's with 2 hits.
Varsity Club over The Steakout Black Sox
In another suspended game, Varsity Club was able to hold onto a five run lead and advance to the second round versus Southshore Allstars.
South Shore All-Stars 8 Varsity Club 7 (12 innings)
In a 3 hour game, the All-Stars outlasted Varsity Club to advance to the semi-finals.
Leffs Lucky Town 15 O'Briens Milwaukee Harley Davidson Orioles 11
Leff's won the rubber match of the season series between long-time friends and rival managers Kirk Spano of Leff's and Jim Rinelli of O'Brien's. Both teams came out swinging to score four runs each in the first three innings. It was the fifth and sixth innings though where the fireworks started. In the fifth, O'Brien's scored five runs, much to the chagrin of the Leff's battery who thought they had what should have been two called third strikes on full counts that went for walks, keyed by Chris "Colonel" Sanders shot to the wall for a double, to take a 10-7 lead heading into the sixth inning. In the top of the sixth, Leff's responded with an eight run inning of their own, on seven hits and with two close calls at bases going their way. Jared "I swing at the first good pitch I see" Catenacci led off the Leff's sixth with a walk, and was followed by a double from the red hot John Kuhn who hit .500 after Independence Day, and singles by new daddy Greg Ketz, Andy Bartosh (ABB employee who built the robots in the recent Terminator movie), Mike "Workhorse" Schroeder, Terry "Old as the Hills" Dittrich, Jeff "Lazer" Lazewski and Jared again rounding out the inning. Mike Schroeder threw the 135 pitch complete game victory, throwing mostly blazing mid 80s fastballs in the sixth and seventh daring O'Brien's to keep hitting. Leff's moves on to play defending champions PJ's Pub Tigers in the semi-finals. Rinelli's teams still cling to a 19-17 won-loss lead over Spano managed teams the past two decades.
Town & Country Braves 15 Brown Deer Supreme Builders 2
PJ's Tigers 6 Johnny V's Kings 5
PJ's Tigers defeated Johnny's V's 6 to 5 in a game where the Tigers were a strike away from elimination. The Tigers jumped out to an early 3 to 0 lead in the first inning as Andy Monigal walked to begin the inning, stole 2nd and ended up at third when the throw sailed into center field. Eric cluppert then followed with a walk. Cory McEwen followed with an RBI single that scored Monigal and sent Cluppert, who was running on the pitch, to third. Cluppert would score on an infield single by Jason Maaske. McEwen would score on a RBI by Matt Duranso. For the next 5 innings, PJ's held a 3 to 0 lead behind Andy Monigal solid pitching performance. But in the top of the 6th, Monigal moved to centerfield because of tightness in his arm and Johnny V's put together a 5 run 6th inning, to give them a 5 to 3 lead. In the bottom of the 6th, the Tigers manufactored a run when Cory McEwen led off with a double, moved to third on a fly ball to right by Jason Maaske and scored on a Sac Fly by Ricky Peese, to cut Johnny V's lead to 5-4. In the top of the 7th, sore arm and all, Monigal asked for the ball back and retired all 3 batters he faced in the inning. In the bottom of the 7th, Jonny V's retired the first batter but then Kevin Tapper then put together a great at bat and drew a one out walk. Tapper advanced to second on an infield single by Kyle Knaust. PJ's next hitter was retired with a fly ball out, which set the stage for "Mr. August" Eric Cluppert, who last August hit 2 post season Home Runs (one a grand slam vs. All-Stars & another a 3 run blast vs. O'Briens), to be a hero again. After getting behind in the count 1 and 2 strikes, then fouling off a couple tough pitches, Cluppert laced a ball through the hole between the short stop and third basemen. Kevin Tapper who was the runner on second took a great angle, hit the inside part of third base, and ran through the skips stop sign (which the skip is sure glad he did) & slid safely into home plate to tie the game at 5 to 5. Cory McEwen was then intentially walked to load the bases for Jason Maaske. Maaske got behind in the count as well 1 and 2 strikes, then lined a single into right center field that scored Kyle Knaust for the win. The win gave the Tigers a 14-4 record on the season & fueled them with momentum & confidence for their Sunday matchup with Leffs Lucky Town.
South Shore All-Stars 14 Town & Country Braves 12
In a slugfest with the Braves mounting a late rally, Southshore Allstars, a three time league champion, advance to the championship game.
PJ's Tigers 11 Leffs Tosa Grads 5
PJ's Tigers defeated Leffs Lucky Town 11 to 5 in a semifinal game Sunday afternoon at Zirkel field. PJ's started their scoring in the second after falling behind 1-0 on a HR by Andy Bartosh by Leff's in the top of the second, scoring four runs on two hits and four walks. PJ's added three more in the fourth as the Leff's defense broke down before finally chasing the Leff's started in the fifth with four hits including a Cory McEwen double and Keven Tapper triple. John Kuhn hit a seventh inning home run for Leff's but could not start a late rally. On the day the Tigers were led by Eric Cluppert 3 for 5 with 2 RBI, 2 runs, & 1 stolen base, Cory McEwen 2 for 3 with 3 RBI, 1 double & 2 runs, Kevin Tapper 2 for 3 with 2 runs, 1 triple & 2 RBI, Justin Gelhausen 2 for 3 a run & 1 RBI and Scott Rappl 2 for 4 with 2 RBI & 1 run. On the mound, the "bulldawg" Kyle Knaust pitched a complete game to earn the victory. But Kyle's performance would not have been possible without the outstanding defensive performance of his teammates. Andy Monigal, Eric Cluppert, & Kevin Tapper round up the players who had extremly awesome defensive performances. The win gave the (2008 Defending MBL Champs) Tigers a 15-4 record heading into the Championship game this Friday night at 7:15 PM at Zirkel field against (2006 & 2007 MBL Champs) South Shore All-Stars.
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