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The Bobcats came into the meeting with LTRC with fresh memories of an unpleasant scene from just one week earlier, during which one of their opponents' coaches loudly lost his temper at one of the Bobcats' players with only one out left in the game-a Bobcats victory. For the current contest, which also featured some interesting banter coming from the sidelines but, thankfully, nothing more, CAA got off to a somewhat slow start. With one out in the top of the first, Nathan Carpenter singled and made it over to third on successive stolen bases. But despite a walk to Joe Szczybor, they were unable to put anyone across the plate.

Carpenter came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning, and the normally solid, hard-throwing right hander initially displayed some rare control trouble, usually missing high. The result was walks to three of the first four batters. Fortunately for the Bobcats, though, the only one of those four not to walk was the number two hitter, who sent a grounder over to shortstop Brian Shearer. Shearer deftly fielded the ball and tossed it over to second baseman Jeremy Shugars to force the lead runner at second. Carpenter then settled down and struck out the fifth batter, then got the next hitter out on a fly ball to Matt LaPrade in center field.

CAA's offense came alive in the second, thanks in part to LTRC's own pitching control woes. Nolan Clancy led off with a walk and he, too, advanced to second and third on steals. Patrick Daniels also walked, and LaPrade filled the bases when his helmet got nidked by a pitch-although he wasn't aware of it until one of his coaches told him. Shugars then came up and poked a liner into shallow center field, scoring Clancy, but Daniels got tagged out rounding third. Jeremy Davis came up next and rapped a single, bringing in LaPrade and Shugars. Then during the next three batters-Carpenter, Joe Szczybor, and Tim English, Davis stole second, third, and came home on a wild pitch, putting the Bobcats up by the score of 4-0. And in the bottom frame CAA stymied LTRC in a three-up-three-down turn.

Seeking to extend their advantage in the third, the Bobcats came up empty, sending four batters to the plate and managing only a single by LaPrade. LTRC then broke through for a run in the bottom on a two-out single followed by a double, but that would be it for the inning.

The Bobcats again struggled at the plate in the fourth, on just three hitters, but they kept the screws on LTRC in the bottom half, getting the side out in order on two strikeouts and a fly ball to right field.

The Bobcats' bats continued to look like wet noodles in the damp summer heat as they again went down in order in the top of the fifth. Then LTRC, in their turn at the plate, injected the first real drama into the game, and put a major scare into the Bobcats. With one out, LTRC's number one hitter singled, and then errors on the next two batters-one for three bases-followed by a single brought three runs across, knotting the game up at 4 apiece.

But just as quickly, the Bobcats clawed back in the sixth. Clancy led off with a single, LaPrade walked, and A. J. Uebel reached first on an error, bringing Clancy around to break the tie. Another error with Shugars up-this one for two bases-led to another run, and then Davis brought in the third run of the inning on a groundout. By the time the dust settled, CAA was now back up, by the score of 7-4.

Davis came in to pitch in the bottom of the sixth and was rocky at first, allowing a run on two walks and a single while recording one out. But then he regained his pitching form and got the next two hitters out on a strikout and a popup to the mound. When the ball settled into Davis' glove for the third out, practically everyone on the field was surprised to learn that the game ended because BCML rules called for a six, not seven, inning game. So, almost without realizing it, the Bobcats had been catapulted into the championship game.

And for that game, to be played immediately after, CAA's opponent was Overlea, who'd defeated White Marsh in the other semifinal showdown. Once again, the Bobcats were the visiting team, and in their half of the first they showed their fatigue, as LaPrade, Davis, and Carpenter were all retired in order. Then the Bobcats trotted Davis out to the mound in the bottom half. CAA's defense sent the first two batters back to the bench on a popup and a grounder to second, but then Davis walked the next batter, who stole second, and then hit the number 4 hitter with a pitch. Then, during the next at-bat, the umpire spotted lightning and called for a 30-minute delay. Everyone took cover, and for 20 of the next 30 minutes heavy rain fell. When the rain stopped, it was clear that the field now resembled the Great Lakes, and so the game was suspended until the following day.

Picking up with a fresh count the following evening, about 27 hours later, Davis induced the next hitter to ground out to second again, and so the teams changed sides. Looking fresh and rested now, the Bobcats' bats were, for the moment at least, much more potent, as Szczybor and Shearer started off with singles and advanced on steals. With one out and runners on second and third, Daniels singled to drive in the first two runs of the game. Jake Smuck and James Middleton each walked to load the bases, and Shugars came up and got a big double, bringing in 3 more. After another single by English to plate Shugars, the Bobcats were finished, and now held a 6-0 advantage. And they maintained that lead by holding Overlea scoreless on tight defense again, facing only four batters.

But after their explosion of offense in the second, CAA's bats got pretty quiet over the next three innings, despite hits-all singles-from Szczybor, Smuck, Shugars, and English. They came close to picking up another run in the fifth when Shugars, on a sacrifice bunt by English that moved Uebel from first to second, got caught in a rundown between third and home but managed to escape. But his Houdini act brought him back to third, where he would be stranded. Meanwhile, Overlea got their first run in the third without getting a hit, instead getting two walks off Davis and scoring on a wild pitch. And in the fourth, they got one more on a home run. Davis was then relieved by Carpenter, who got out of the inning to hold the Bobcats' lead at 6-2, and he held Overlea scoreless on a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth.

The Bobcats picked up one more run in the top of the sixth when Szczybor, who had singled and stolen second, scored on a single by Shearer. Then came the final frame. Carpenter struck out the first batter, then got the next hitter to fly out to Szczybor in right, a play that was foreshadowed moments earlier when one of the parents noticed the batter looking Szczybor's way. Now with two down and a 1-2 count, Carpenter 's next pitch fooled the Overlea cleanup hitter, and the Bobcats had their second BCML championship in three seasons under their belts. Asked what he thought of the Bobcats' achievement, Manager Bob Carpenter, clearly pleased and still wet from the ice shower he'd received from his players, had one simple, telling thing to say as this scene began to dissolve into the next one: “The boys finished the season the same way they started it. With teamwork.”

To view more game photos, go to the "Photo Albums" section of this site, and use the pull-down menu to select an album. For the games of the 2008 BCML playoffs, select the “BCML Playoffs 2008 2008 Game 1” and “ Essex Tournament 2008 Game 2” albums.

To read previous 2006-2008 Bobcats game stories, go to the "Bulletin Board" section of this site.

CAA Bobcats InMotion! InMotion, the REVOLUTIONARY live-action video feature for the CAA Bobcats 12U baseball team, is back! There are no new videos this week, but you can still go here to view past exciting Bobcats action!

The Bobcats thundered out to an early lead when, with one out in the bottom of the first, Carpenter hit a solo home run. Joe Szczybor followed that with a walk, and after stealing both second and third, trotted home on a groundout. Shearer came up next and singled, but the inning ended there with the Bobcats up, 2-0.

Then the bear took of his bull mask and started haunting CAA in the top of the second. Linthicum's number 6 hitter singled to start the inning, then advanced to second on a steal. The next batter grounded out, allowing the runner to advance to third. The Cougars then got their first run of the game when the following batter singled. A steal, a walk, and a single brought in a another run, tying the game, and with runners at first and third, Shearer got a crucial strikeout for the second out. But then an error allowed another score, and by the time the Bobcats went back to offense, they were behind, 3-2.

But they weren't down too long. Leading off, Matt LaPrade walked, but then a shocking thing happened: The fleet-footed LaPrade got caught attempting to steal second on a perfect throw by the Cougars' catcher. A. J. Uebel also walked, and he managed to swipe second. Shugars, up next, reached first on an error by the Linthicum second baseman, so now there were runners at first and third. Jeremy Davis followed with a sacrifice bunt, scoring Uebel to tie the game and moving Shugars to second. But then lightning struck twice in the inning, although in this case it burned the Bobcats, because Shugars, no slouch on the basepaths himself, got caught trying to steal third on a close call.

The third inning went by in a flash, with Linthicum going down after squeezing out just a walk, and CAA bowing out in order. But the fourth was a different story. The Cougars got a leadoff baserunner on an error, then a run when the next hitter doubled. A steal of third followed, and then a walk and steal of second put runners at second and third. The next hitter doubled, scoring two runs, the second of which came on another very close play, this time at the plate. The Bobcats got an out when the next batter popped up to catcher Davis, but then a double scored the Cougars' fourth run of the inning. Shearer was replaced on the mound by Carpenter, who struck out the next two hitters to end the inning. And when the Bobcats went scoreless in the bottom frame after managing to get only one baserunner, they found themselves in a 7-3 hole.

In the top of the fifth, Linthicum went down on three strikeouts, and the Bobcats' offense took over for the bottom of the inning. Shugars led off with a walk and took second and third on steals, and Davis and Carpenter followed with walks to load the bases. Szczybor then hit a blast into deep right field that hit the fence on one hop, and he circled the bases to complete a “great grand salami”, as manager Bob Carpenter described it. With the game now suddenly tied, the fired-up Bobcats kept at it. With one out, Nolan Clancy singled and stole second, and with two down, LaPrade also singled, scoring Clancy. Uebel then came up and hit a double to score LaPrade, and so the Bobcats ended the inning with a 9-7 lead.

The top of the sixth was another quick one, with groundouts to pitcher Carpenter and second baseman LaPrade, and a strikeout. Then CAA padded their lead in the bottom of the inning. Carpenter led off with a single and moved to second on a walk to Szczybor. Both Carpenter and Szczybor would go all the way around on a combination of steals and wild pitches, and the Bobcats now found themselves with an 11-7 advantage. Then things got a little hairy in the top of the seventh. After a strikeout, Linthicum's number 11 hitter walked and stole second. Carpenter and second baseman LaPrade picked that runner off, though, for the second out. But then the Cougars' leadoff batter lifted a fly ball into the outfield that fell in for an error, and then stole second. With the potential for a 2-out rally looming, the next hitter singled, and now had runners at first and third. The next Linthicum hitter smashed a grounder to shortstop, where Shugars made a sideways stab of the ball and fired over to Jake Smuck at first to end it.

The Bobcats' victory over Linthicum qualified them for the semifinal round, for which they trekked back to Eastern Regional Park the next day to face the White Marsh Warriors. White Marsh, as the visitors, got off to a good start. Facing Uebel on the mound, the leadoff batter grounded out to Carpenter at short, but then the next batter singled and swiped both second an third. The Warriors' number three batter walked and he, too, took second without permission. A subsequent walk loaded the bases, and then with two away, an error allowed two runs to score. When the Bobcats took their turn at bat in the bottom of the inning, all they could muster was a single by Szczybor, so the inning ended with White Marsh ahead, 2-0.

Patrick Daniels took over on the mound in the top of the second, and the Warriors' offense was stumped for two innings, sending only eight batters to the plate and stranding their only baserunners, both of whom had reached on errors. But while that defensive effort helped, the CAA offense also came away empty, going three-up-three down in the second and getting just one runner on base in the third.

In the top of the fourth, the Warriors led off with a single, and the runner took second and third on steals. The next batter reached first on a dropped third strike/passed ball, putting runners at first and third. The next batter followed with a sacrifice bunt, allowing the runner at third to score and White Marsh to add to their lead, and that would be all the Warriors would get in the inning. In the bottom frame the Bobcats finally broke through, on another inside-the-park homer by Szczybor, and the score now stood at 3-2.

Facing Carpenter on the hill in the top of the fifth, the Warriors went three-up-three-down, but so did CAA in their turn at the plate. Then in the sixth, White Marsh added some more distance, getting one more run on a single, three steals, and an error. The Bobcats chipped away a bit more, but just a little, getting one run in the bottom half when Smuck, after a single and steal of second, scored on a grounder by LaPrade.

Then came the seventh, and the CAA defense held on, getting the Warriors once again to go down in order on two grounders and a strikeout. But the bear just wouldn't go away for the Bobcats, as they managed to only get Carpenter on base thanks to an error, sending the Warriors to the final to face Parkville.

To view more game photos, go to the "Photo Albums" section of this site, and use the pull-down menu to select an album. For the games of the Essex Tournament 2008 Championship round, select the “Essex Tournament 2008 Game 4” and “Essex Tournament 2008 Game 5” albums.

To read previous 2006-2008 Bobcats game stories, go to the "Bulletin Board" section of this site.

Jeremy Davis led off the game with a single, then stole second with Nathan Carpenter batting. Carpenter proceeded to rap a double, scoring Davis, and setting the table for Joe Szczybor. Szczybor ripped the first pitch he saw into deep left centerfield, allowing him to circle the bases for a 2-run homer. Then with one out, Brian Shearer, after patiently working the count to 3-2, poked a pitch into shallow right field for a single. Shearer would proceed to swipe second and third bases on steals, then come home on a dropped third strike.

CAA sent Matt LaPrade to the mound for the bottom of the inning, but the dynamic, speedy centerfielder/second baseman just didn't have pitching in him today, yielding a single to Severna Park's leadoff hitter and then walking the next three, bringing in a run. When the count on the next batter reached 2-1, he was replaced by Carpenter. Carpenter quickly doused the blaze that had built up on the base paths, getting the next two hitters on strikeouts and throwing the last batter of the inning out at first on a dribbler back to the mound. CAA now led, 4-1.

And they wouldn't look back. The Bobcats would go on to score another twelve runs, highlighted by a double from Patrick Daniels and triples from Davis and Carpenter. Meanwhile, Carpenter continued to stymie the Hornets' bats, yielding only a walk and a single over the next three innings and getting all nine of the outs on whiffs. The Shearer took over on the hill, limiting Severna Park to just a run in one inning of work. With the fielders barely challenged, the game ended at the close of the fifth inning on a 16-2 tally.

The Bobcats' next opponent in the tournament, on Sunday, was the North Harford Hawks, an interesting draw because a local resident discovered that a young red-tailed hawk had fallen out of a tree just before game time at Essex Elementary school, the site of Sunday's games (the man took the frightened bird to a nearby animal control facility).

Against North Harford, the CAA offense continued the pummeling they had administered the day before, scoring a whopping 22 runs over seven innings. Unlike Game 1, though, this time the attack featured contributions up and down the lineup, from a leadoff single and a later triple by Davis, a three-for-four effort by Carpenter that included a double and a triple, a double and another homer by Szczybor, and singles from A. J. Uebel, Jake Smuck, Shearer, Daniels, Nolan Clancy, and James Middleton.

In the field the Bobcats weren't quite as overpowering as the day before, but it was still a fine effort. Behind Shearer pitching for five and Daniels closing out the final two, CAA limited the Hawks to five runs and only committed one error. The defense, which had been inconsistent of late, not only made all the routine plays on groundouts and fly balls, but even had two stunning, highlight-quality moments. On one, they produced a 4-4-3 double play when Second baseman LaPrade tagged a runner going to second on a ground ball and threw to Smuck at first to get the batter. And the other came when, with runners on first and third, the runner at first attempted to steal. Catcher Davis fired the ball to shortstop Carpenter at close range, duping the runner at third to break for the plate. Carpenter gunned it right back to Davis, who caught the ball and made the tag out as the runner bowled him over in a furious collision. “It wasn't exactly Pete Rose running into Ray Fosse,” noted one observer, recalling the famous play in the 1971 Major League All-Star game, “but it was still pretty impressive.”

With the unseasonably high heat, already intense and building toward toward triple digits, the Bobcats had to play Game 3 immediately after-almost literally, with about 20 minutes between showdowns. For this one, their opponent was Churchville, who'd been beaten earlier in the tournament by North Harford.

And the game turned out to be the Bobcats' first close contest, at least initially, of the tournament. In the top of the first and with one out, Carpenter reached first on an error, then stole second and third with Szczybor batting. Szczybor slapped a single into left field, scoring Carpenter, and stole second and third as well with Tim English up. When English singled to bring Szybor around, it looked like the Bobcats' offensive juggernaut was still at full steam. But no, the rally ended there.

With Jeremy Shugars pitching for CAA, Churchville jumped out to an early lead on an opening walk, a single, two more walks, and an error, knotting the game up at two. From there, the two teams exchanged zeroes over the next two innings. Churchville threatened briefly in the bottom of the third, putting runners at first and third, but Shugars picked off the runner at first to take away some of the momentum. Then the Bobcats squeaked ahead in the top of the fourth. Carpenter, after reaching first on an error, stole second. Then there was a bizarre moment when Churchville pretended that Szczybor was bunting, hoping to pick Carpenter off. But Carpenter wasn't fooled by the ruse, and would go all the way around on steals.

Shearer took over the pitching reins in the bottom of the fourth and continued to hold Churchville at bay, getting three-up-thee down, and then yielded only a run in the fifth. For their part, the Bobcats got nothing in the bottom of the fifth, managing only a single by Smuck.

With the Bobcats ahead by a hair, 3-2, to start the sixth, the Bobcats' bats finally opened up. Middleton walked, stole second, and scored when LaPrade doubled. Uebel followed that with another walk, Carpenter brought both runners in with a double, and the Bobcats went back to the field leading 6-2. For the bottom frame, Carpenter went to the mound and got three quick outs, on two strikeouts and a grounder back to the mound.

Heading to the seventh, the Bobcats got some free insurance when, follwing a walk to English, Shearer got everyone off the bench by belting a homer, the score now 6-2. When the Bobcats got Churchville to go down in order in the bottom frame to end it, Manager Bob Carpenter told them, “This was a gutsy win...It was what, 2-2 through what, four, five, innings? Any letup, any letup opens the door for that baseball team but we didn't let up, instead we slammed the door and put a big dog out in front.” And with that, they could now put the game, and their overheated, worn-out selves, on ice.

To view more game photos, go to the "Photo Albums" section of this site, and use the pull-down menu to select an album. For the games of the Essex Tournament 2008 Round robin, select the “Essex Tournament 2008 Game 1”, “Essex Tournament 2008 Game 2”, and “Essex Tournament 2008 Game 3” albums.

To read previous 2006-2008 Bobcats game stories, go to the "Bulletin Board" section of this site.

The Bobcats traveled to Eastern Regional Park to conclude the tournament, and for game 5 faced Emmorton, whom they had beaten 9-1 in game 1 on May 24. CAA sent Nathan Carpenter to the mound, and Carpenter promptly made short work of the Emmorton hitters. In the top of the first, Carpenter got the Emmorton leadoff hitter on a strikeout, but then the numer 2 batter reached first on an error. That opportunity vanished for Emmorton, though, because when the next hitter slapped a fly ball that was caught by first baseman Jake Smuck, the baserunner went too far toward second, and Smuck flipped the ball to second baseman Jeremy Shugars, who was covering first, to complete the double play and send Emmorton to the field. Then in their turn at bat, the Bobcats started pounding away. Jeremy Davis led off with a single. Davis then got picked off and found himself in a rundown, but managed to make it to second safely with Carpenter batting. Carpenter then singled, and an error by the Emmorton left fielder allowed Davis to score and Carpenter to take second. Carpenter stole third with Joe Szczybor at the plate, and then Szczybor walked. With one out and A. J. Uebel up, Szczybor took second uncontested, and in the aftermath, Carpenter stole home while the Emmorton defense wasn't looking. Szczybor would go on to steal third, and then after Uebel walked, Brian Shearer put down a suicide squeeze bunt to bring Shearer home. The Bobcats now held a 3-0 lead, which they took with them heading into the second inning.

Emmorton managed to put together a micro threat in the top of the inning, getting two baserunners on walks. But it got them nothing but air, as the CAA defense set them down without scoring. Then in the bottom frame, Nolan Clancy led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Smuck. Clancy stole third with Shugars up, and after Shugars walked, Clancy scored when Davis grounded out. Carpenter then came up and blasted a triple into center field, easily scoring Shugars, to give the Bobcats a 5-0 advantage that they ending the inning with.

In the third, Emmorton managed to get on the board, when their number 9 hitter walked, stole second, and, following two strikeouts, scored when the leadoff batter doubled. But that would be all they would get in the inning, and for the game for that matter, as Carpenter, over a total of five-plus, and then Uebel the rest of the way, would shut down the Emmorton attack. On offense, CAA continued the slow-but-steady onslaught, picking up a run in the third when Shearer scored on a single by Clancy, then one more in the sixth when Matt LaPrade doubled, stole third, and then stole home in an inning in which the Bobcats had no other baserunners, and the game would end with the ensuing 7-1 tally and put them into the championship game.

The Bobcats' opponent in that game was to be the winner of the other semifinal matchup between Parkville, the only team to beat CAA in the earlier round robin, and Severna Park, who, despite finishing fifth in the first round and failed to qualify for advancement, was playing anyway because qualifier Roland Park was unable to compete. Strange as that was, however, Parkville didn't show for the game due to another makeup commitment, and therefore forfeited the game to Severna Park, whom the Bobcats had also beaten in game 2 by the score of 9-1.

For the championship, the Bobcats sent Uebel back to the mound. Visiting Severna Park's leadoff batter opened with a walk and then stole second, and the next batter followed with a single to drive in the first run of the game. That was followed by a triple to score another run, and then the Severna Park cleanup hitter singled to easily drive in another run before making an out. The Bobcats managed to set the next three hitters down in order, but they now found themselves in a 3-0 hole.

The Bobcats came right back, though, and then some. Davis led off and reached first safely, then stole second and third. Szczybor followed with a walk and his own steal of second, and then with one out, Tim English reached first on an error, bringing Davis home. Szcybor would go on to score when Uebel also made it to first on an error, and when LaPrade stretched a double to a triple on yet another miscue by the Severna Park defense, the Bobcats were ahead. But they weren't done yet, getting their fifth and final run of the inning when Shearer put down a suicide squeeze bunt to score LaPrade.

Shearer came in to pitch for the second inning, and Severna Park cranked out three more runs on a combination of walks, errors, and stolen bases. Then the top of the Bobcats' order-Davis, Szczybor, and Carpenter-went down in order in the bottom frame, leaving the Bobcats on the wrong end of an 6-5 score.

Severna Park continued to collect runs in the top of the third, getting four more against a shaky Bobcats' defense. Then in the Bobcats' turn at bat, they managed to make some noise, getting walks by English and Patrick Daniels and a single by LaPrade. But the noise was faint, as they failed to score.

The top of the fourth was Severna Park's first scoreless inning of the contest, as they went three-up-three down. The Bobcats jumped on that opportunity in their half of the inning, scoring two. Davis singled with one out, and advanced to second on a balk. Szczybor followed with a walk, and Davis scored when Carpenter grounded out. Szczybor stole third, then got the Bobcats' next run by stealing home, putting them a little closer in the scorebook at 10-7.

In the fifth and with one out, when it was starting to look like the Bobcats were going to turn the game around in a heartbeat, the Hornets' number three hitter cracked a drive into deep right-center field that got by everybody, leading to a solo home run. It was all Severna Park would get in the inning, but it was pretty big. And in their next turn at bat, the Bobcats came up empty, despite getting LaPrade to third on a single and two steals.

In the top of the sixth, in almost mind-numbing fashion, the Hornets' offense got another two runs, putting them up by 6. Then finally, in the bottom frame, the Bobcats broke out like they hadn't since the first. Shugars led off with a walk, then stole second with Davis up. Davis proceeded to rap a single, easily plating the speedy Shugars. Carpenter and English each followed with walks and steals, loading the bases. With Szczybor up, Davis scored the second run of the inning on a passed ball. James Middleton followed on one out with a groundout, but it was enough for Carpenter to score and move English to third. Then, with both first and second base open, Severna Park elected to intentionally walk LaPrade, who, fast as he is, easily stole second to put two runners in scoring position. That left Shearer to hit a double, and the ensuing pair of RBIs gave the Bobcats five runs for the inning and put them within 1 at the score of 13-12.

The encouragement from that inning was nearly wiped out though, when Severna Park picked up two more runs in the top of the seventh. So it came down to one more at-bat. With one out, Shugars reached first on an error, then moved to second when Davis grounded out. Szczybor followed with a single, and scored when Carpenter himself reached first on an error. Carpenter then took second and third and, representing the potential tying run, loomed as a major threat. But it was not to be, with the Bobcats ending the inning without further damage and congratulating the Hornets' on their scrappy victory and tournament title.

To view more game photos, go to the "Photo Albums" section of this site, and use the pull-down menu to select an album. For the games of the Rosedale Tournament 2008 Championship round, select the “Rosedale Tournament 2008 Game 5” and “Rosedale Tournament 2008 Game 6” albums.

To read previous 2006-2008 Bobcats game stories, go to the "Bulletin Board" section of this site.

The Bobcats' opponent in Game 1 was Emmorton, and they jumped out to an early lead. Jeremy Davis led off the game with a single and stole second with Nathan Carpenter at the plate. Carpenter then doubled to score Davis for the game's first run, and then he stole third. A. J. Uebel grounded out to the right side, but that allowed Carpenter to score. Joe Szczybor followed with a walk, and continuing in the Bobcats' tradition of speedsters, stole second and third and then scored when Tim English grounded to the right side. That would complete the Bobcats' scoring for the inning, but they now had three runs under their belts.

Carpenter started on the mound for CAA, and he was immediately effective, giving up one run on no hits and an error in the bottom of the first. The Bobcats answered by padding their lead with two more in the top of the second, as Jeremy Shugars and Davis walked, and were brought home on a double by Carpenter. When the Bobcats held Emmorton scoreless in the bottom of the inning, they exited with a 5-1 lead.

The Bobcats kept the pressure on in the top of the third, getting two more runs on singles by English, Brian Shearer, Nolan Clancy, and Patrick Daniels, and a double by Matt LaPrade. But in the bottom of the third, behind Shearer pitching, things got a little more interesting. Emmorton scored three times on a combination of three hits, a hit batter, and a walk, bringing the score to an uncomfortably close 7-4 in favor of CAA.

But as if to say, “OK, enough is enough”, the Bobcats really lowered the sledgehammer in the top of the fourth. Davis led off with a double and only needed to crawl home when Carpenter smashed a 2-1 pitch into right for a triple. Uebel then brought Carpenter around with a grounder to short. James Middleton walked and scored easily on a double by Jake Smuck. Smuck then crossed the plate for CAA's fifth and final run of the inning when LaPrade singled, and the Bobcats had a much healthier 12-4 lead.

Shearer continued on the mound the rest of the way for the Bobcats, and his last three innings were a little less eventful. CAA gave up three more runs, on a combination of five hits and two walks. That is how the game would end, by the score of 12-7.

Game 2, played about four and a half hours later, was against Severna Park. In this one, the Bobcats took a while to wake up from their afternoon sojurn, as they managed to scratch out only two runs on three hits and a walk over the first three innings. Fortunately, though, the Hornets' offense was even more quiet. Behind Uebel on the mound for four innings and then Carpenter the final three, the Bobcats held Severna Park to a lone run run the entire game, yielding five base hits and five walks. Meanwhile, in the fourth inning CAA's bats revived, picking up seven more runs to prevail, 9-1.

On Sunday the Bobcats returned to Rosedale to meet up with BCML rival Parkville for the first time since April 12. Back then, CAA had played a Jekyll-and-Hyde doubleheader; though Parkille had won both games, the first was by a close 4-2 while the second was by the much uglier tally of 18-1. With Parkville coming into Rosedale undefeated, it was unclear what type of contest the Bobcats would be facing in Game 3.

It didn't matter. While Parkville is clearly a strong team, six weeks has made a huge difference for the Bobcats. After going three-up-three down in the top of the first, CAA sent Shugars out to pitch. Shugars yielded a leadoff walk, and then Parkville's number 2 hitter blasted a shot to deep center that look like it might give enough distance for a home run and a quick 2-0 lead. While a run did score, LaPrade fired the ball in and, on the ensuing relay, Uebel made the tag at third for the out and the completion of a sparkling team play. Then with one out, the Parkville number 4 hit a solo shot to make the score 2-0, but the CAA defense held steady and got out of the inning without further damage.

In the top of the second, Szczybor led off with a walk and then stole second. Then on two outs, Clancy slapped a single up the middle to easily score Szczybor, and CAA was now within one run. That would be all they would get in the inning, though. The CAA defense continued to hang tough in the bottom frame, facing only four Parkville batters, giving up only one hit, and holding them scoreless.

In the top of the third, though, CAA's offense continued to struggle, again going three-up-three-down. At this point in the game, they'd managed to have just one batter more than the minimum. But when Parkville also went down in their half scoreless, the Bobcats still trailed 2-1.

In the fourth, the Bobcats came oh-so-close to knotting it up, when Carpenter rocketed a triple to left. But he was left stranded. Once again, though, CAA's fielders kept Parkville at bay in the bottom of the inning, preserving the 2-1 margin.

In the top of the fifth, the Bobcats battled again. With 2 out, Clancy singled and LaPrade walked, and so CAA had another shot at a 2-out rally. But once again Parkville slammed the door. Then in the bottom of the inning Parkville broke out of their batting doldrums and picked up three runs, on a triple, three walks, and a hit batter, putting the score at 6-1.

In the sixth, the Bobcats showed still more grit. With one out, Davis took first when he got hit by a pitch, then went around to third when Carpenter singled on the left side. Uebel then bunted to bring Davis home and move Carpenter over, and Carpenter was driven home when English singled, pitting the Bobcats now within 3. But in the bottom of the inning Parkville picked up three more, and when the Bobcats went three-up-three-down in the seventh the game ended on the 9-3 score.

After another lengthy break between games (though not as long as what they had on Saturday), the Bobcats faced their final opponent of the weekend: Roland Park. This game started out a runaway for CAA and finished up as a nail-biter. Over the first three innings the Bobcats' attack made short work of the Roland Park pitchers, grabbing nine runs on four hits and six walks. The Bobcats seemed to be cruising so much, in fact, that the only thing noteworthy about the game up to that point was that the umpire sustained a bad hand injury when he was struck by a foul tip while Carpenter was pitching in the second, causing an approximately 30-minute delay (he was OK and returned to the game).

But as “Stuff” does happen, things changed dramatically. The CAA bats suddenly looked like they'd been plunged into liquid nitrogen, with the Bobcats going down in order in both the fourth and fifth innings. In the sixth they thawed out, but just a little-the Bobcats managed to scrape out one more run when Shearer walked, stole second and third, and scored on a single by Uebel. Meantime, Roland Park just started doing their best imitation of the Bobcats and chipped away. They collected two runs in the fifth on two hits and a walk, another run in the sixth on two hits and a walk, and then the Bobcats' defense, which had been largely airtight throughout the weekend and inluded some spectacular plays at second by Shugars-suddenly started breaking down. Roland Park got three more runs in the bottom of the seventh on three errors and, with a runner on third and two outs, had the tying run at the plate. But then the next hitter bounced a grounder to Szczybor at third, and when Szczybor threw over to Smuck at first to put it into the books, Bobcats Nation could breathe a little more easily again.

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CAA Manager Bob Carpenter, who four days earlier had described the Bobcats' chances in the tournament as "excellent", saying that the players had been "working hard", could have been forgiven if he had felt a little chagrined as the visiting Naturals came out slugging against a jittery defense in the top of the first. Facing Bobcats' pitcher Nathan Carpenter, Connecticut began with a leadoff single, followed by a home run for a quick 2-0 lead. The next hitter reached by getting git by a pitch, then stole second. That was followed by a single to add another run, and the tally increase to 4-0 when the number 5 hitter doubled. The Bobcats then managed to get two successive outs-which could have ended the inning if not for an earlier error-on a catch by left fielder Jeremy Shugars and a strikeout by Carpenter. The scoring resumed, though, on a combination of two more singles, another error, and a hit batsman. By the time Nathan Carpenter caught the Connecticut number 2 hitter looking for the third out, CAA was in an 8-0 hole.

The Bobcats did manage to put together a threat in their half of the first, but it was for naught. With one out, Nathan Carenter singled and stole second, but was left stranded following the second and third strikeouts of the inning.

The Naturals picked up 2 more runs in the top of the second on 2 more singles. But then the Bobcats defense started to clamp down, getting out of the inning on by getting the lead runner at second when second baseman Jeremy Shugars flipped the ball to shortstop A. J. Uebel, a catch by Nolan Clancy in left, and a strikeout.

In the bottom frame, CAA struck. Tim English and Brian Shearer each walked, and then Clancy came up and cracked a single to drive English home for the Bobcats' first run. That was all CAA would get in the inning, but it was one loud run.

CAA's defense stayed stingy in the top of the third, holding Connecticut scoreless on a mere single, and the Bobcats likewise went down scoreless-in 3-up-3-down fashion-in the bottom half.

The Naturals got their eleventh run in the top of the fourth, but it came on an sacrifice fly after a 2-base error, and the Connecticut offense went down otherwise hitless.

Now down by 10, the Bobcats had their best offensive inning of the game in the bottom of the fourth. A. J. Uebel and Jeremy Davis started the inning with successive walks, and advanced on a double steal. Davis, though, got picked off third on a good move by the Connecticut pitcher, but managed to get caught in a rundown long enough to allow Uebel to take third. Then English came up and put down a squeeze bunt, but the Connecticut first baseman fumbled the throw and English was safe, allowing Uebel to score. The Bobcats went down scoreless after that, but they were now back within 9.

Facing Shearer on the mound, Connecticut got three more runs in the top of the fifth on four singles and two errors, and then finally the Bobcats tried to keep it alive in the bottom half. With 2 outs, Jeremy Shugars got on and tried to steal second, but was erased to end the game on the 10-run rule. Still, it was an encouraging outing for the Bobcats, who had played some pretty inspired ball for much of the game. Bob Carpenter was pleased, saying that the Bobcats had raised the level of their game to meet the challenge. "Connecticut is a team that recruits from 2 states" he remarked in contrasting the two organizations. "We recruit from 2 zip codes."

Game 2 was markedly different, starting off much quieter. The Delaware Thunder is a squad that, according to comments made by their manager one day prior, is "two rec all-star teams put together." Yet, that didn't prevent the Bobcats starting off on the wrong end of a shutout.

This time playing visitor, the Bobcats began the game with an offensive whimper. LaPrade, Nathan Carpenter, and Uebel started the game going three-up-three-down. Then against Uebel on the artificial turf-covered box of a "mound", Delaware got got the first run of the game when their number 2 hitter reached on a single, stole second and third, and came home on 2 outs on another single.

Back on offense, the Bobcats continued to struggle. Davis led off with a single and stole second with English at the plate. English moved Davis over to third on a groundout, but Davis was left stranded at third. Then In the bottom of the second, Delaware kept gnawing away. On the strength of three opening singles, and with an error thrown in, the Thunder pushed another run across, and now led, 2-0.

In the third inning, the Bobcats looked like they were slowly sinking into quicksand, going down in order in their turn at bat, then giving up yet another run on defense on the strength, or lack thereof, of a three base error and a sacrifice fly.

But then things changed suddenly. The Thunder's cleanup hitter walked and stole second, and the number 5 hitter then rapped a single to center. Center fielder Matt Laprade picked the roller up and fired home to catcher Patrick Daniels, who tagged the runner out. On the next hitter, Daniels threw the runner out at third trying to steal, and just like that the Bobcats were out of the inning.

The Bobcats offense has been pretty quiet most of this season. As coach Joe LaPrade put it, "We're not hitting the ball." But in the fourth inning the Bobcats' bats didn't look as waterlogged as the rest of the Ripken Academy, as they used the bunt and some daring baserunning as weapons. With one out, Nathan Carpenter singled and then stole second, and then the Bobcats finally got on the board when Uebel singled to drive Nathan Carpenter home. Davis followed that by bunting and was safe when the Delaware pitcher committed an error. Then English came up and bunted, scoring Uebel and moving Davis to third. Then when Shearer singled to bring Davis in, the Bobcats suddenly found themselves in a tied ballgame. But they weren't done, not by a longshot. Joe Szczybor smashed a 1-0 pitch and legged out a triple to score Shearer and put the Bobcats ahead. Then with Clancy batting, Szczybor stole home for CAA's fifth and final run of the inning.

From there, CAA muffled the Thunder on a combination of tight-though not perfect-defense and crafty pitching. The Bobcats held Delaware through the fourth and fifth innings, facing the minimum six batters. The sixth inning was a little rockier, as CAA committed two errors, but the Bobcats still managed to catch three fly balls, including one by Daniels at catcher and another by James Middleton in right, his second of the game. Offensively the Bobcats were no better, managing only a single by English. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Shearer, pitching, got the last two batters out on strikes to put the game to bed, and put a warm spot in their Moms' hearts.

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Game 1, played Saturday, was against BCML colleague Forest Hill, with whom the Bobcats had split a league double header two weeks earlier. The Bobcats had been Jekyll and Hyde on that day, crushing Forest Hill in the first game and then getting themselves clobbered in the rubber match. In the tournament, Hyde showed up for CAA, with the help of some interesting umpiring. Forest Hill, batting first, jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead against starting pitcher Jonathan Hamilton on the strength of three singles. Then the CAA bats not only went down, they crashed on the mat. The CAA top four exited on three strikeouts, with only A. J. Uebel reaching on a single.

The Bobcats managed to check Forest Hill in the top of the second, as Hamilton struck out one and got two others on comebacker grounders to the mound. Then CAA broke through in the bottom half, as Hamilton led off with a single, stole second and scored on a fielder’s choice by Patrick Daniels.

Forest Hill answered the Bobcats’ run with two more of their own in the top of the third, on three straight hits to start the inning. Forest Hill now led 4-1.

In the bottom of the third, it looked as though the Bobcats were going to break the game wide open. The frame started when both James Middleton and Nolan Clancy reached first on dropped third strikes. With one away, Uebel walked to load the bases, and Nathan Carpenter drove Middleton and Clancy in when he beat out a hard grounder to short.

Now with runners at first and second, Controversy reared its ugly head. Joe Szczybor hit a high popup that the Forest Hill shortstop appeared to have misjudged. The shortstop fell backward on the infield grass trying to catch the ball, but the ball landed safely just out of his reach. However the umpire, who did not see the ball from behind home plate but also could have invoked the infield fly rule, ruled that a catch was made. But the CAA runners, who all saw that the ball had not been caught, ran on the apparent force play. The Forest Hill shortstop picked up the ball and flipped it to the third baseman, who tagged out Uebel running from second to complete the first single-out double play turned against the Bobcats in 2007. The inning ended with CAA down 4-3.

While one play, shocking as it was, shouldn’t make a big difference in a game, it almost seemed like that was what happened. The Bobcats’ bats went stone cold the rest of the way, and at the same time Forest Hill’s got pulled out of a furnace. Forest Hill would go on to score seven more over the next three innings. The game ended in Forest Hill’s favor, 11-3, after six innings on the two-hour time limit.

Game 2, vs. Emmorton, represented the pinnacle of redemption for the Bobcats. CAA batting first, finally got a foot in the door. With one out, Carpenter walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch. That was all the Bobcats would get in the inning, but coming against the team that had flattened them in the Essex final, it was a huge psychological lift.

The strong Emmorton squad came right back, though, in the top of the second against Bobcats’ starting pitcher Jeremy Davis. Davis struck out the leadoff hitter on three pitches, but then yielded two hits and a walk to put Emmorton ahead, 2-1. After another single Emmorton was threatening to push further ahead, but a diving catch by Szczybor in left ended the inning.

The next two innings went by quickly. The Bobcats went scoreless over that span, sending only seven batters to the plate and managing one hit. Emmorton was almost as futile, though, getting one run against Davis and the Bobcats’ defense on one hit, one walk, and one error.

But with Emmorton ahead 3-1 going into the top of the fourth, the game got away from them. Matt LaPrade led off with a single, followed by a walk to Carpenter. With runners at second and third, Hamilton came up and bashed a line drive for a single that scored the two roadrunners in front of him to knot it all up. Hamilton would go on to score, and now the Bobcats were ahead by a fragile but very sweet one run.

In the bottom of the inning, Davis’ last as pitcher, the Bobcats’ defense slammed the door on the Eagles. CAA set Emmorton down 1-2-3 on a popup and grounder to Davis, and a grounder to Carpenter at shortstop. At this point, the Emmorton bench was starting to show its frustration.

After the Bobcats themselves went down in order in the fifth, Carpenter took over on the mound and blanked the Eagles. Then the Bobcats pushed a little more in the sixth, when Nolan Clancy led off with a single and was driven home by another liner to left by Hamilton.

Carpenter again froze out the Eagles’ offense in the bottom of the sixth, and the Bobcats’ offense surged ahead. CAA collected five runs on three consecutive hits by Jeremy Shugars, Davis, and Daniels, and when Brian Shearer was hit by a pitch. In the seventh, though, things got pretty scary for the Bobcats. Down 10-3, Emmorton decided they just couldn’t get blown out. Instead they grabbed four runs back from Carpenter on 2 walks, one hit, and an error. With two out and the tying run at bat, the situation looked ominous. But second baseman Shugars squeezed a popup for the third out to even the Bobcats’ tournament record at 1-1.

Now the scene changes, this time to Sunday and opponent Hickory, who’d beaten the Bobcats in Essex. This was a different match, though, as Hamilton, the starting pitcher, shut Hickory out over four innings of work. This game truly showcased the revitalized CAA defense, as Hamilton recorded only a single strikeout.

On offense the Bobcats chipped and scraped their way to the lead. Szczybor scored the first run on a single by Shugars in the second, Middleton scored on a LaPrade single in the third, Szczybor again scored on another single by Shugars in the fourth, and Daniels singled, stole second, and was driven home on a groundout by Middleton in the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, Davis relieved Hamilton on the mound and continued to keep Hickory at bay. Davis faced only four batters, striking out two and walking one.

The Bobcats continued picking at Hickory in the sixth, getting their fifth run when Carpenter blasted a triple into right and scored easily when Uebel hit into a fielder’s choice. In the bottom of the inning, Davis ran into some control trouble, walking two and giving up a run, but managed to escape the inning with a strikeout.

The Bobcats went down in order in the seventh, and Davis returned to the mound to try to close out the 5-1 ballgame. But Davis’ control had evaporated, as he walked the first two hitters of the inning. Davis was then lifted in favor of Carpenter. One of Davis’ runners managed to score to narrow the CAA lead to three, but Carpenter finished Hickory off on two strikeouts and a grounder.

The Bobcats next squared off against Jarrettsville B for Game 4. Despite the lopsided 17-4 final score, the game was almost a nail-biter around the midpoint. The Bobcats broke out strong, getting four runs on singles by LaPrade and Hamilton and walks to Carpenter and Szczybor. Then the Bobcats, behind Davis pitching, blanked Jarrettsville on two hits, a walk, and a strikeout.

The CAA offensive fire was doused in the second, though, as the Bobcats went down in 1-2-3 order. Then with Shugars on the mound, the Bobcats again stuffed Jarrettsville to maintain the 4-0 lead.

The Bobcats got another run in the third when LaPrade singled and scored on a single by Hamilton. Then in the bottom of the inning, Jarrettsville finally broke through for three runs on a pair of singles and a walk. The Bobcats were still ahead, but by the not-so-comfortable margin of 5-3. At that point some of the CAA players were talking about which team they wanted to face in the tournament final, but coach Joe LaPrade sternly warned them against taking their opponent lightly. “You gotta focus on this game, guys” LaPrade told them. “Win this game first.”

Fortunately for the Bobcats, they pulled out of sight after that. They scored twelve more runs, while limiting Jarrettsville to just one. As a result, they wound out the round robin phase with three wins and only one loss, and a berth in the championship game.

In that final scene the Bobcats locked horns with now-familiar opponent Emmorton, and this finish had some touches of drama and controversy. The Bobcats, as the visiting team, couldn’t get anything for three innings against the hard-throwing Emmorton starting pitcher. CAA managed just a single and a walk over that span.

On the flipside of the diamond, Emmorton jumped out to the lead against Bobcats starter Carpenter, who was named CAA’s Most Valuable Player of the game by the Emmorton coaches. In the first, Emmorton patiently did their damage while Carpenter struggled with his control. With one out, the number 2 hitter got hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a single to left by the number 3 guy. After another single and a walk, the bases were loaded, and then another walk brought in the Eagles’ second run. Carpenter settled down for the next two batters, getting a strikeout and a groundout. Emmorton picked up another run in the third, resulting from a missed the call from manager Bob Carpenter on a stolen base play with runners on first and third. The runner on first ran on the pitch, and catcher Davis threw toward Carpenter, who ducked for a throw to second. The ball landed in the grass nowhere near anybody, allowing the runner on third to score. Then in the third Carpenter and the Bobcats’ defense kept Emmorton scoreless, facing only four batters.

In the top of the fourth, the Bobcats finally got on the board. Carpenter got on with a one-out single and stole second with Hamilton up. Hamilton moved Carpenter over to third with a hit. Carpenter then took advantage of the fact that the pitcher wasn’t paying enough attention and stole home for the Bobcats’ first run. Hamilton then scored on a balk to put CAA within one. Emmorton answered that in the bottom frame, though, getting two runs on two hits and two walks, putting them ahead, 5-2.

The fifth and sixth innings was an exchange of zeros. The Bobcats went down on only three batters despite a single by Daniels, who was caught stealing with Shearer up. Then in the sixth Middleton and LaPrade each singled but were stranded. Meanwhile, Davis relieved Carpenter on the mound and faced only six batters despite a walk, thanks to shortstop Carpenter stabbing a line drive and throwing to Hamilton at first for a double play.

That brought the Bobcats to the seventh inning. Hamilton led off with a line drive single to left, and Uebel followed with a grounder that went through the hole just to the left of second for another hit. With one out, Shugars singled to score Hamilton and move Uebel to second. Then Davis came up and hit a low pop fly that landed in the infield dirt about a third of the way down the first base line, just fair. Davis apparently either beat the catcher’s throw or the first baseman’s foot was off the bag, but it didn’t matter as the umpire called him out for the second out. That would be as close as the Bobcats would get, leaving Shugars and Uebel stranded at first and third, and their weekend saga ended on the 5-3 score with the Bobcats getting their second consecutive tournament runners’ up trophy.

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CAA sparkled on the defensive side as well. Starting pitcher Jeremy Davis got Forest Hill’s first 2 batters on strikes. Then the number 3 hitter hit a hard liner to the left side, but Bobcats shortstop Nathan Carpenter made a leaping catch to send Forest Hill back to the field.

Davis was less overpowering in the second, walking 2 and fanning 1, but it didn’t matter as the Bobcats defense kept the lid on. In the third, Davis walked the leadoff hitter, who promptly stole second. After getting a strikeout for the first out, Davis was set to deliver to the next hitter, then wheeled and threw to third baseman Hamilton, who applied the tag on the runner coming from second for out number two. That play prevented a run, because the next hitter singled. Forest Hill again exited scoreless as their number 11 batter hit a grounder to the right side, past first baseman Smuck, that was picked up and taken to first solo by second baseman Shugars.

For the fourth, Davis was relieved by Uebel, and the Bobcats’ defense hung on. Forest Hill sent only 8 more batters to the plate in 2 innings, getting only 2 hits. The game ended early, after five innings on the slaughter rule, by the score of 10-0.

The defense had been so good-it was literally “an error-free ball game” as one observer noted-that what happened next was sort of a shock. The players on both sides exchanged uniforms for the second game. Well, they didn’t really, but it kinda seemed that way. For game 2, Uebel returned to the mound to pitch, and Forest Hill suddenly began hitting. They started the game with four straight hits, and would score five runs with the help of 2 stolen bases and 2 errors.

Down by 5, the Bobcats did answer in the bottom of the inning when, with 2 out, Nathan Carpenter singled and was driven home by a hit from Szczybor. Szczybor took second and third, and then Hamilton walked. Davis came up and singled to drive in Szczybor for the Bobcats’ second run, and it looked like CAA was about to rally. But Forest Hill slammed the door, and the Bobcats trailed, 5-2.

Where the Bobcats defense had held so well in the first game of the doubleheader, it really struggled in the second game. Other than an out-of-play catch (which still counted as out under the ground rules) by first baseman Smuck, and a double play pulled when Nathan Carpenter caught a liner and doubled a runner tagging back to first-several errors contributed to the Forest Hill onslaught. Forest Hill would go on to score 10 more runs on 3 errors and several big hits. The Bobcats, meanwhile, scored 3 more times, but it wasn’t enough. This game also ended early on the slaughter rule, but this time it was the Bobcats on the wrong end of the 15-5 score.

So the Bobcats then traveled to Essex that night to continue the tournament as the fourth seed. Their opponent in game 4 was Towson, who batted first against CAA starting pitcher Hamilton. After getting the leadoff hitter on a grounder to second, Hamilton ran into some trouble. Each of the next two hitters singled, and after a pair of stolen bases Towson had runners at second and third. With two out, the Towson number 5 hitter came up and, on a 1-2 count, smashed a hard grounder up the middle for a 2-RBI single. Hamilton got the next hitter on a popup to Smuck at first, but now CAA came to bat in a 2-0 ditch.

But these Bobcats are pretty accustomed to starting out behind, so they just went to work in their half of the first. Leading off, LaPrade was caught looking, and Uebel followed with a groundout to second. That brought up Nathan Carpenter, who lined a 1-0 pitch into left for a single. After two stolen bases, Carpenter would go on to score the Bobcats’ only run of the inning, making the score 2-1.

In the second and third, the Bobcats got stingy behind Hamilton, keeping Towson scoreless on no hits and a walk. On offense, CAA threatened briefly in the third. Davis singled with one out and stole second and third. Then with 1 out, Smuck grounded out and Davis tried to score on the play, but was tagged out to end the inning.

In the third, however, the Bobcats hit Towson right back. Patrick Daniels led off with a walk and stole second. With one out, James Middleton singled to plate Daniels and tie the game. Nolan Clancy followed with a single, and then with 2 out, Uebel hit a flare into shallow right field to score Middleton and put CAA up 3-2. Clancy then stole third and scored when Nathan Carpenter hit a liner to right, and the inning ended like that, with the Bobcats ahead 5-2.

Not to be outdone, Towson came right back with a few runs of their own. After a leadoff double and a groundout to second, the Towson number 5 hitter reached on an error, allowing a run to score. After getting the next hitter to watch strike three, Hamilton served up an 0-1 pitch that was smacked for a triple, bringing in Towson’s second run of the inning. The next hitter, Dougherty, reached first on an error, and now the game was knotted at 5. When Dougherty stole second it looked as though Towson might break the game open, but then he tried to steal third and was thrown out by catcher Davis, ending the inning.

The Bobcats kept the roller coaster ride going in the bottom of the fourth. Hamilton led off with a double and was replaced by courtesy runner Szczybor. Davis followed with a single, scoring Szcybor to put CAA ahead. Szcybor then came back in to run for Davis, the catcher of record, and stole second. After Smuck and Daniels went down on a grounder and strikeout, respectively, Brian Shearer came up. Szczybor, at third, broke for the plate, and slid in safely for a steal of home to put the Bobcats ahead, 7-5, the score that held as the Bobcats went back to the field.

Nathan Carpenter replaced Hamilton on the mound in the top of the fifth. He was effective, facing only four batters, but Towson still managed to put a run across on a walk, a stolen base, and an error, putting them only a run behind CAA.

Towson held the Bobcats scoreless in the bottom frame, despite a double by Uebel. Then, just in case anyone from CAA was getting bored, Towson came back for the top of the sixth and tied the game, using only four batters, on a walk and an error.

Szczybor led off the Bobcats’ top half of the sixth by doubling down the left field line and stealing third with Hamilton up. After Hamilton waved at strike three, Davis strode to the plate. Davis ripped the first pitch into center field for a single, easily scoring Szczybor. That would be all the Bobcats would get, but it put them up 8-7.

Now came the top of the seventh. Towson’s number 6 hitter swung at Nathan Carpenter’s 1-2 offering and tipped it, but catcher Davis held it for out number 1. Carpenter then got the next batter to pop up to Hamilton at third for the second out. That brought up Dougherty, who in his previous at-bat had hit a hard smash down the third base line. Bob Carpenter then called over to Hamilton, the third baseman, saying, “OK Jon, I need you to knock the ball down.” Sure enough, Dougherty hit another hard grounder right at Hamilton. Hamilton couldn’t come up with the ball to make a play, but he knocked it down and kept it out of the outfield to keep Dougherty at first. Nathan Carpenter then threw 3 straight pitches past the next batter to seal the victory for CAA and put them into Sunday’s semifinal game.

That game, the Bobcats’ fourth of the weekend and fifth of the tournament, was against BCML rival Cockeysville, a team that, according to Bob Carpenter, is “dominated by 12-year olds.” And it was “déjà vu all over again”, as the Bobcats were the home team and found themselves in an immediate hole. Cockeysville, facing rubber-armed CAA starter Hamilton, got three runs in the top of the first on three hits-one of them a triple-and an error.

But the Bobcats always battle back, and this game was no exception. Shugars led off with a double and advanced to third when Uebel grounded to first. Then Nathan Carpenter brought Shugars home with a hard grounder single to right. Carpenter would go on to steal second and third, and score on a wild pitch with Davis at the plate. The Bobcats went back on defense now down only by one run, 3-2.

CAA held Cockeysville scoreless over the second and third, but they themselves were held scoreless in those innings, too. But in the top of the fourth, against Nathan Carpenter, Cockeysville managed to squeeze out a run to go up 4-2.

The bottom frame got pretty crazy, and pretty productive, for the Bobcats. With 2 out, Hamilton singled to left and was replaced by courtesy runner Nathan Carpenter. Davis then came up and doubled to left to score Carpenter. Carpenter replaced Davis on the basepaths and scored when speedster LaPrade beat out an infield grounder for a basehit, and the Bobcats headed to the top of the fifth tied at 4.

Nathan Carpenter and the CAA defense held Cockeysville scoreless in the top of the fifth, and then the Bobcats came to bat and picked up 3 more runs, on hits by Daniels, Shearer, Middleton, and Shugars. Cockeysville then came back to bat in the top of the sixth and made some serious noise. Their number 1 hitter, leading off, blasted a triple into deep center, then scored on a botched fielder’s choice that the next batter hit into. But the drama ended as Carpenter got the next three batters to go down in order.

The Bobcats went down meekly in the bottom of the sixth, managing only a walk. Now leading 7-5, the CAA defense took the field for the top of the seventh. Shearer made a slick-looking stab of a grounder to throw out the leadoff batter for the first out, and Carpenter froze the next batter with a 1-2 fastball for the second. When third baseman Hamilton squeezed a pop fly from the third and final batter, the bench exploded in cheering, as they were now catapulted into the championship game and with at least a second-place trophy in the bag.

Game 6, the final, took place about 4 hours after game 5 ended, following a 30 minute delay due to problems with the placement of the bases. For this contest the Bobcats faced Emmorton. Once again, the Bobcats’ opponent batted first, and once again the Bobcats fell behind immediately. Hamilton was the starting pitcher, but he appeared to be out of gas from the beginning from all the hurling he did over the weekend, and the Emmorton bats were loud and persistent. The Eagles sent 10 of their 12 batters to the plate, and scored six runs on six hits and one error. In the bottom of the inning the Bobcats were overpowered by the hard-throwing Emmorton starter, getting blanked on just 1 hit and a walk.

The second inning went by in the blink of an eye, as Carpenter came in and set Emmorton down 1-2-3, and the CAA bats also went away in order. On the field for the top of the third, the Bobcats were starting to look discouraged, and the fact that Emmorton’s first 2 hitters of the inning got base hits and scored didn’t make them feel any better.

But CAA got out of the inning without further damage, and despite being down 8-0, they began to fight back. Uebel led off with a hard grounder to the left side that went through for a single, and CAA scored 2 runs in the inning when Nathan Carpenter walked, and Hamilton singled.

The Bobcats held Emmorton at bay in the top of the fourth, facing only 4 batters, one of whom reached on an error. CAA then threatened in the bottom half, when Daniels, leading off, got hit by a 1-2 pitch and Middleton drew a 1-out walk, but they came away empty.

In the fifth Carpenter, who had pitched effectively for three innings, like Hamilton also lost momentum after a weekend of heavy pitching. Emmorton roared further ahead, getting four more runs on three hits, a walk and two errors And after Emmorton held the Bobcats scoreless in the bottom frame, they had a robust 12-2 lead.

Davis, who had played well at catcher in games 4 and 5 but was struggling there against Emmorton, took the mound for the sixth inning, and set the side down in order on two strikeouts and a grounder. Then the Bobcats’ offense chipped away further, as Shugars led off with a walk, and Carpenter and LaPrade each singled. Two runs came across, and Emmorton led by a hearty-but-less impressive score of 12-4.

Finally, the seventh inning rolled around. Davis faced only 4 batters, giving up one hit-a double-and one run. At bat the Bobcats, down by 9, gamely threatened when Clancy managed a 2-out single, but when Shugars followed with a groundout the game ended, and the Bobcats’ five game endurance test was over. So while they didn’t claim the tournament championship, the weary red-and-black clad team was all smiles as they hoisted their runners’ up trophies for the team photo later in the evening.

To view more game photos, go to the "Photo Albums" section of this site, and use the pull-down menu to select an album. For the games of the weekend of June 16-17, 2007, select the “June 16, 2007 Game 1”, June 16, 2007 Game 2”, “Essex 2007 Game 4”, “Essex 2007 Game 5”, and “Essex 2007 Game 6” albums..

To read previous 2006-2007 Bobcats game stories, go to the "Bulletin Board" section of this site.

At the plate, the Bobcats roared from the beginning. Matt LaPrade and Shugars led off the game with walks, and were both driven home on singles by Nathan Carpenter and Joe Szczybor. They never looked back, scoring 12 more runs, the last of which coming on a Jonathan Hamilton double to bring Shugars home in the seventh.

Game 2, against Fallston, was a much different contest. Facing CAA starting pitcher Hamilton, visiting team Fallston pushed a run across in the first. But the Bobcats answered that in the bottom half. With one out, Shugars and Carpenter each walked and stole to put runners at second and third, then Szczybor walked to load the bases. On a 2-1 count, Hamilton singled to left to bring Shugars and Carpenter around. The Bobcats got two more runs on singles by Jake Smuck and Uebel, giving them a 4-1 lead going into the second inning.

In the top of the second, Fallston started out by loading the bases on a walk and two singles. Then on Fallston’s fourth hitter of the inning, JD, a pitch got by catcher Jeremy Davis. James, at third, broke for the plate. Davis recovered the ball and tagged James out. But then when JD and Alex reached first on errors, two runs came across. Hamilton retired the next two hitters on a strikeout and a pop fly to third baseman Patrick Daniels, and the Bobcats came to bat with a 4-3 lead.

In the bottom of the second, Brian Shearer led off by getting hit by the first pitch, and would go on to steal second and third. With one out, Middleton walked and then took second uncontested with LaPrade up. LaPrade grounded to first, allowing Shearer to score. Middleton would go on to score also, putting CAA up 6-3. Fallston went ahead in the top of the third, picking up four more runs on three hits-one of them a double. But the back and forth continued when Szczybor led off with a double, Hamilton followed with a single, Smuck walked, and Uebel singled. Then with 2 out, James Middleton singled to bring Uebel home, and the Bobcats were now ahead, 10-7.

The Bobcats held Fallston scoreless over the fourth, with Hamilton pitching, and in the fifth, with Carpenter on the mound. In the bottom of the fourth, LaPrade walked and scored to make the CAA advantage 11-7.

Fallston threatened again in the top of the sixth, getting a run on a 2-out single. But Carpenter slammed the door by getting the Fallston number 9 hitter to look at strike three.

After the Bobcats were held scoreless in the bottom of the sixth, they held a decent-but-still-hairy 3 run lead. The situation demanded effective pitching, and they got exactly that, as Carpenter got all three hitters to look at strike three to end the game.

Game 3 was on Sunday, against Hickory. The Bobcats started off very shakily, giving up 5 runs in the first inning on a combination of hits and errors. From then on, they chipped away, but could only come up with 4 to fall just short. Still, the Bobcats ended the weekend with 2 wins and 1 loss, and hope that their winning record will result in a favorable seed in next weekend’s championship round. And the excitement that goes with the chance to win a trophy. As manager Bob Carpenter told his troops before game 1: “This is tournament baseball, guys.”

To view more game photos, go to the "Photo Albums" section of this site, and use the pull-down menu to select an album. For the games of the Essez 2007 tournament, select the “Essex 2007 Game 1”, “Essex 2007 Game 2”, and “Essex 2007 Game 3” albums..

To read previous 2006-2007 Bobcats game stories, go to the "Bulletin Board" section of this site.

In the top of the second, the Bobcats came oh-so-close to getting on the board, but ran into a baserunning quagmire. Jonathan Hamilton led off with a bloop single to left, and stole with Jake Smuck batting. With one out Davis hit into a fielder’s choice to erase Hamilton. Then with Matt LaPrade aboard, Davis stole second and third, but when he attempted to take home on a wild pitch, was tagged out to end the top half of the inning.

Essex got another run in the bottom frame against Davis, on 2 walks, 2 singles, and an error, but CAA got out of the inning when the Express’ ninth hitter, coming from third, tried to steal home on a wild pitch and was tagged out by catcher Patrick Daniels.

The Bobcats’ bats picked up some steam in the third. LaPrade and Daniels each led off with singles, then A. J. Uebel drove LaPrade home on a groundout to short. With 2 out, Joe Szczybor doubled to drive in Daniels, and the Bobcats went back to the field with the game tied. But Essex picked up a third run in the bottom of the inning, on 2 walks, 2 errors, and a strikeout, going up 3-2.

But the Bobcats, as is their fashion, would not stay down long. The CAA hitters punished the Essex pitching, starting with a leadoff single by Jeremy Shugars and ending five runs later with LaPrade coming in on a single by Uebel.

Now leading 7-3, the CAA defense, which has had its ups and downs in this young season, had to tighten the reins. They did just that, behind the pitching of Hamilton in the fourth and fifth, and Nathan Carpenter, who closed out the game. Essex got only zeros the rest of the way. In the meantime the Bobcats would pick up 2 more, when Davis and LaPrade scored on a single by Daniels.

Now the ‘Cats have gotta take some of that momentum straight into their next tournament gig: Rosedale.

To view more game photos, go to the "Photo Albums" section of this site, and use the pull-down menu to select an album. For the game of May 20, 2007, select the “May 20, 2007” album.

To read previous 2006-2007 Bobcats game stories, go to the "Bulletin Board" section of this site.

CAA Bobcats InMotion! InMotion, the NEW live-action video feature for the CAA Bobcats 11U baseball team, is here! Click here to play this week's video

In the first two innings, though, it looked like the Bobcats could end up being the ones doing the driving. Starting pitcher Jonathan Hamilton faced only seven batters, keeping Perry Hall scoreless while giving up 2 hits. Behind Hamilton, the Bobcats defense sizzled. Matt LaPrade caught 2 fly balls in left field, and on the second of those, LaPrade threw out a runner at the plate tagging up from third. Shortstop Nathan Carpenter and second baseman Jeremy Shugars each threw runners out on grounders to first baseman Jake Smuck.

Starting in the third inning, Perry Hall began bashing the ball, crossing the plate 3 times on a walk and three hits. CAA did hold Perry Hall scoreless in the fourth despite 2 walks, and so after 4 innings the score was a manageable 3-0.

But this years’ Bobcats are a young and inexperienced team, while the Perry Hall squad clearly is not. So in the fifth, the Bobcats’ “D” lost focus and started to unravel. Behind Nathan Carpenter, the Bobcats made several errors and allowed 4 runs across. Then in the sixth it was more of the same, as CAA gave up an additional 5. Meanwhile, on offense the Bobcats couldn’t get anything against the Perry Hall hurlers, getting blanked and managing only 2 hits and a walk the entire game. The contest ended early, after six, on the 10-run “slaughter” rule by the score of 12-0.

Game 2 followed immediately after, and was against Jarrettsville, another team more seasoned than the Bobcats. The game 2 starter was game 1 finisher Nathan Carpenter, and in the first inning, he and the Bobcats held Jarrettsville scoreless on 1 hit while striking out 2. But then Jarrettsville started looking like Perry Hall in game 1, hitting shot after solid shot and making the Bobcats’ defense appear to have amnesia. Two triples, three singles, two walks, two errors, and a whole lot of antacid later, and Jarrettsville had pushed six runs across. The Bobcats lineup continued to wave at air, sending 11 hitters to the plate in the first three innings and managing only 1 hit-a hard-smashed double to left by Smuck that was erased when he tried to stretch it to a triple. CAA also walked twice in that span, and struck out three times.

Jeremy Davis pitched the last three innings and gave up three more runs on three hits-including another two triples-a walk, and 2 more errors, while striking out three. Then finally the Bobcats managed to bring their scoreless string to a halt in the fifth. Nathan Carpenter led off with a single, and stole second with the next hitter, Hamilton, up. Hamilton then got hit by a pitch to put runners at first and third. With Smuck up, Jarrettsville inattentively got Hamilton caught in a rundown, which allowed Carpenter to score from third, but then Hamilton was safe at second anyway as Jarrettsville botched the play. The next hitter, Davis, got an infield single and went to second on an overthrow to first, scoring Hamilton, and the Bobcats suddenly looked like they were getting back in the ballgame. Shugars followed by grounding to first for the second out. But Davis tried to score from second on the play and was tagged out at the plate for the third out. That would be all the offense the Bobcats would get, and the game ended by the score of 9-2.

On Sunday the Bobcats returned to Overlea for their final game. Despite the previous days’ losses, their was energy in the air before the game-the team looked ready to play baseball.

Early on, though, things were pretty scary. Even though Shugars led off with a single to center and stole second and third, the Bobcats stranded him, going down in order. Then in the bottom of the inning, Hereford jumped out ahead against Hamilton, sending 9 batters to the plate. Hereford would end up scoring 5 runs on 4 hits, a walk, a hit batsman, and several more errors. By the time the inning ended, the Bobcats had been outscored 26-2 in 2 days.

But then everything changed dramatically. Even though CAA got nothing on nothing in the top of the second, they held Hereford at bay in the bottom frame, retiring the side in order. Brian Shearer led off with a single but was erased when Joe Szczybor hit into a fielder’s choice. A. J. Uebel and Nolan Clancy walked, loading the bases. With the top of the order coming up, Hereford changed pitchers, but it didn’t help. Shugars doubled up the right field gap to bring in Szczybor and Uebel, moving Clancy to third. James Middleton kept the rally alive by singling, scoring Clancy and Shugars. With one out, Hamilton reached first on an error, Smuck singled, and Davis walked, again loading the bases. That proved costly for Hereford, because LaPrade tripled, scoring all three runners ahead of him. That would be it for CAA in the inning, but they now had an 8-5 advantage.

And even though the Bobcats would go on to score 5 more times in the game, they still had to hold ‘em. Which they did, with some pretty impressive defense playing behind the pitching of Hamilton, who would go the distance. The outfield play, especially, was outstanding. LaPrade caught three flies, Szczybor one, and Clancy caught a sinking line drive and threw to second to double up a runner. When shortstop Nathan Carpenter threw to Smuck at first for the last out of the game, the Bobcats cheered. "Another brilliant come from behind win from a team that just will not quit" said Bob Carpenter afterward.

To view more game photos, go to the "Photo Albums" section of this site, and use the pull-down menu to select an album. For the games of the Overlea 2007 tournament, select the “Overlea 2007 Game 1”, Overlea 2007 Game 2”, and “Overlea 2007 Game 3” albums..

To read previous 2006-2007 Bobcats game stories, go to the "Bulletin Board" section of this site.