Red River Adult Baseball League

The 2010 All-Red River Baseball teams have been released. The All-RRABL teams are voted on by the coaches of the seven teams that comprise the league. Coaches cannot vote for their own players, but coaches do nominate their own players for the honor. Congrats to everyone on a great season.

Special Awards
MVP: Brandon Goswick, Hounds
Pitcher of the Year: Jim Tiller, Hounds
Hitter of the Year: Josh Lansdale, Reds
Coach of the Year: Mikey Davis, Royals

First Team All-RRABL
Pitcher: Sean Struwe, Hounds
Pitcher: Jim Tiller, Hounds
Catcher: Tony Lamothe, Hounds
First Base: Jed Dance, Roadrunners; Zane Nipper, Dirtbags (Tie)
Second Base: David Pratt, Hounds
Third Base: Chase Falls, Dirtbags
Shortstop: Brandon Goswick, Hounds
Outfield: Paul Baker, Strokers
Outfield: Josh Cummins, Bombers
Outfield: Matt Marsiglia, Royals
Utility: Josh Lansdale, Reds
Designated Hitter: Gabe Meiki, Hounds

Second Team All-RRABL
Pitcher: Josh Cummins, Bombers
Pitcher: Richard Pharr, Dirtbags
Catcher: Mikey Davis, Royals
First Base: Kris Calhoun, Bombers
Second Base: Drew Andre, Bombers
Third Base: Bronson Rhodes, Roadrunners
Shortstop: Brandon Haygood, Royals
Outfield: Jonathan Hood, Roadrunners
Outfield: Sean Struwe, Hounds
Outfield: Ryan VanZandt, Strokers
Utility: Jason Wright, Bombers
Designated Hitter: Jonathan DePriest, Royals

Honorable Mention All-RRABL
Pitcher: Paul Baker, Strokers
Pitcher: Brandon Goswick, Hounds
Catcher: Wes Eustes, Roadrunners; Scott Talley, Dirtbags
First Base: Bill Hardy, Hounds
Second Base: Chris Riggin, Roadrunners
Third Base: Rhett Webber, Strokers
Shortstop: Doug Williams, Bombers; Landon Wade, Roadrunners
Outfield: Tayvaughn Brown, Bombers
Outfield: Kyle Davey, Bombers
Outfield: Shawn Johnston, Royals
Outfield: Andy Stroup, Hounds
Utility: Andrew Moullette, Bombers; Blake Murray, Hounds

The Shreveport Royals took the momentum of a first game 10-3 win in the South Louisiana Spring Classic, hosted by the Red Stick ABL of Baton Rouge, into a twinbill on Saturday. However, the teams from Hattiesburg (MS) and Houston (TX) got the best of the Shreveport squad as the Royals fell 5-1 to Hattiesburg and 20-4 to Houston.

The Royals (1-2) were paced by Paul Baker's complete game in the 5-1 loss. Baker allowed the runs early, but he recovered to shut down the Hattiesburg team over the final 6 innings.

Offensively, Max Hahnel, Casey Huntsinger, and Gabe Meiki collected hits in the first game while Charles Dean added a pair of walks. Meiki, Dean, and Huntsinger also showed well at the plate in game two. Jim Tiller was 2-for-3 with a double and Baker added a knock.

SHREVEPORT, La. - The Minden Redbirds captured the 2021 Red River Adult Baseball League 30+ Division crown with a 8-5 win over the D’Arbonne Lake Monsters Sunday, Aug. 22 at Captain Shreve High School’s Baseball Field.

It’s the second straight RRABL crown for the Redbirds, who won the 2019 title. The league did not play in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“After struggling during the regular season, we put it all together in the playoffs much like we did in 2019,” said Minden player-manager Charlie Cavell. “Our pitching and defense was incredible. When you can throw it and catch it well, more often than not, you’re going to give yourself a chance to win. We had a big inning offensively in the semifinals and got some timely hits in the finals and were able to win it all again.”

The championship was a resumption of a game which started a week before at LSU Shreveport’s Pilot Field. The Redbirds were leading 5-3 at the end of six innings before torrential rains forced the suspension by RRABL president David Pratt.

Ian Doiron, who was named the 2021 Most Valuable Player by a team vote, closed out the final three innings on Sunday to register the save. Doiron struck out six of the 11 batters he faced in the three innings.

“I didn’t think I’d get a chance to pitch in the championship,” said Doiron, who played collegiately at LSU Shreveport. “When the game got suspended, it gave me the chance to come back and pitch. I was able to come in and close it out, but I wouldn’t have been in that position had it not been for Corey (Burr) and Chris (Fort) getting us there.”

Burr earned the win for Minden after allowing three runs on four hits, walking three and striking out three over five innings. Fort pitched a scoreless sixth inning before the rains halted the game.

Minden, who was the No. 4-seed heading into the playoffs, defeated the No. 1-seed Bossier City Rats 15-4 in the semi-finals, behind Doiron’s strong pitching performance. Doiron struck out 10 in going the distance to earn the win.  

“I’m grateful to be named the MVP,” said Doiron. “I’m just happy to be the champs again. Now we can go for the three-peat.”

In that semi-final contest, the Redbirds were clinging to a 5-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning before erupting for 10 runs on eight hits to blow the game open.

“We had most everyone back from 2019 and we added a couple of key new players,” said Cavell. “I said it in 2019 and I’ll say it again, that when all of our guys show up we’re an outstanding baseball team, and I think we proved that again.”

Cavell thanked the team sponsors Casey Surmick at Claiborne Pharmacy & Gifts and Gary Jones at Advanced Ambulance Service of Minden for their support of the team.

In the first RRABL coaches meeting of 2019, the coaches and league president David Pratt discussed many issues. The two major points of interest that passed unanimously involved the age limit for players in the league and cross-divisional play.

After a lengthy discussion, the coaches voted to lower the allowed minimum age limit for a player to 18, down from 21 in previous seasons. That means that any player who is at least 17, but will turn 18 at any point in the 2019 calendar year, is now eligible to play in the RRABL. The only exception being that a player cannot still be on a college baseball team/roster at any level, or have the intent to play college ball, while playing in the RRABL. All the other rules about professional baseball still apply [(1.) You are immediately eligible to play in the RRABL if you played independent professional ball as long as you are not on a RRABL and a professional roster simultaneously and (2.) You must sit out 3 years after your last affiliated minor league professional game before you can play in the RRABL]. Also included in that vote, the coaches opted to lower the 35+ age division to 30+. However, a player must be at least 35 years old to pitch in this division.

The panel of coaches also voted to continue cross-divisional play, which was instituted for the first time in 2018. This means that teams in the 18+ division and the 30+ division will play each other for a few games. This provides a larger variety of teams to play against, as opposed to playing the teams in your division multiple times. It also provides the 30+ division with exposure to the 18+ players in hopes of promoting the natural transition from one division to the other as players age. 

Also, a reminder that all teams must carry 15 players on its roster or pay for a minimum of 15 total players if it chooses to carry less. The two reasons for this are: (1.) The league needs for 15 players per team to pay their full fees in order for the budget to work out accordingly for the season. Anything less and we risk financial instability. (2.) 15 players on a roster will help lessen the chance of forfeits or games being played with less than 9 players.

The Shreveport Royals opened play in the 2011 South Louisiana Spring Classic on Friday night in impressive fashion, dropping the host Baton Rouge Blue team, 10-3. The metal bat 18+ division tournament is a change from the usual 23+ wood bat Red River Adult Baseball League (RRABL) the Royals hail from, but those differences didn't seem to matter on Friday.

After a scoreless battle through the first half of the contest, Shreveport broke through with three runs before Jim Tiller launched a three-run bomb to put the Royals up comfortably. The game was never close after that as Shreveport continued to gain momentum.

Tiller shined in his first game of the 2011 campaign, adding a double in the victory and tossing all nine innings on the mound. The RRABL veteran allowed only two hits on the evening as he practiced his usual stellar command.

Casey Huntsinger had a clutch RBI double at the plate and Gabe Meiki added a pair of hits in the win for Shreveport.

The Royals will continue their quest for the tournament title when they face Hattiesburg (MS) and Houston (TX) in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. today.

The Red River Adult Baseball League will again be sending a team to a MSBL sanctioned regional tournament as the Shreveport Royals, led by tournament coach Matt Marsiglia, will participate in the South Louisiana Spring Classic over March 11th, 12th, and 13th. The tournament takes place in Baton Rouge, hosted by the Red Stick ABL 18+ division and it is a metal bat tournament.

The Shreveport Royals, consisting of players primarily from the Royals league team, have also added players from other teams in the RRABL to make a run at the tournament title. The complete roster includes: Marsiglia (Royals), Mikey Davis (Royals), Robbie Brooks (Royals), Jendri DeLeon (Royals), Jonathan DePriest (Royals), Charles Dean (Hounds), Gabe Meiki (Hounds), Jim Tiller (Hounds), Casey Huntsinger (Hounds), Max Hahnel (Diablos), and Paul Baker (River Bandits). The team also picked up two players from the Lake Charles MSBL.

The Royals will play their first game in the tourney on Friday at 9 p.m. against the Baton Rouge Blue team. The team will then play two games on Saturday starting with a 4 p.m. tilt against Hattiesburg, MS, and then a 7 p.m. nightcap against Houston, TX. Should they advance to the championship game, they would play Sunday at 1 p.m. Good luck boys!

The Shreveport Hounds represented the RRABL well over Labor Day weekend as they went 4-0 in Texas Cup pool play, defeating two teams from Dallas, one from Ft. Worth, and one from Little Rock. The run through the tournament field ended with a 2-0 loss in the championship game to the Dallas Modocs.

The Hounds bested the Dallas Blue Stars 12-3 and the Little Rock Pirates 16-5 on Saturday. On Sunday they beat the Dallas Dodgers 3-0 and the Ft. Worth Giants 5-1. Their undefeated mark earned them a spot in the title contest against the also undefeated Dallas Modoc club.

See the game-by-game results for the Hounds on the official Texas Cup Tournament Web Site.

2010 Shreveport Hounds Texas Cup Roster
Tony Lamothe (Hounds), Blake Murray (Hounds), Gabe Meiki (Hounds), Sean Struwe (Hounds), Jim Tiller (Hounds), Bill Hardy (Hounds), Casey Huntsinger (Hounds), David Pratt (Hounds), Brandon Goswick (Hounds), Matt Marsiglia (Royals), Eric Martonovic (Royals), Paul Baker (Strokers), Ryan VanZandt (Strokers), and Richard Pharr (Dirtbags).

The Red River Adult Baseball League has entered at least one team in a MSBL National sanctioned tournament for many many years and this year was no different. In the past, the tournament of choice has included New Orleans and Birmingham (Bama Bash), but both of those tournaments were preseason contests. This year, the Hounds decided to participate in a postseason tournament known as the Texas Cup.

The Texas Cup rotates yearly between the host cities of Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. This year's version resides in Dallas and falls over Labor Day Weekend. Anybody from our league may form a "travel team" to enter in MSBL tournaments. The last several years the Hounds have decided to do so. Comprised of players mostly from the Hounds, the team has also asked a few players from around the RRABL to fill in some roster spots in positions of need.

Congratulations to the Hounds as they defeated the Royals 5-1 and 11-1 in the best of three 2010 Red River Baseball Series. Also congrats go out to the Royals for a fine season and their Runner-Up finish.

Sean Struwe tossed a complete game while striking out 14 in the opener for the Hounds. Robbie Brooks also threw a complete game for the Royals. It was a tight game throughout, but the Royals were unable to solve Struwe on offense.

Game two saw Jim Tiller of the Hounds go seven innings while allowing just the one run in another strong outing. The Hounds scored three runs or more in three different innings to put the game away and nab their third tournament title in four years after securing their fourth consecutive regular season crown.

Meanwhile, the Royals finished the 2010 campaign in second place with a 13-6 overall mark. A great improvement after concluding their first season in the league last year at 5-10-1.

Great season for both teams!

After 16 regular season games and an additional playoff contest, the Royals and Hounds are set to meet in the RRABL Series. The two clubs will square off on Saturday, August 28 at Southwood High School in a best of three series. Games are set for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday with game three tabbed for Sunday at 7 p.m. if necessary.

The second seeded Royals won in dramatic fashion by scoring two in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Bombers 4-3 on a walk-off knock by Matt Marsiglia. Marsiglia had also homered in the game.

The top seeded Hounds then followed with a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Dirtbags. George Stricker homered for the 'Bags while Richard Pharr (Dirtbags) and Jim Tiller (Hounds) both tossed complete game gems.

The third place game featured the Strokers and the Reds. Ryan VanZandt hurled a one-hitter to give the Strokers the 13-2 victory.

The playoff field is set and four teams will pursue their quest for the Red River Baseball World Series title, beginning Saturday. In one of the closest races for the playoffs in recent league history, three teams entered the final weekend of play vying for one spot. In the end, the Dirtbags nabbed the last ticket to the playoffs as the 4th seed. They will join the Regular Season Champion Hounds (#1 seed), the Royals (#2 seed), and the Bombers (#3 seed).

The playoffs will kick off with the Royals hosting the Bombers at 4 p.m. Saturday at Southwood. Following that game, the Hounds will host the Dirtbags at 7 p.m. The losers of both of those games will play the following day (Sunday) at 7 p.m. in the third place game.

The winners of the two games will meet in the RRABL World Series (Best 2 of 3 series) beginning the following Saturday (Aug. 28th) at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. If a third game is necessary, it will be played Sunday, Aug. 29th at 7 p.m.

Teams may not borrow players for a playoff game. You must play with your own players. Only players who have paid their full league fees may participate in the playoffs. Any violation of these rules will result in the forfeiture of the game by the violating team. Only weather will change the dates and times of scheduled playoff games.

All playoff games will be played using regular season rules regarding game length (9 innings or 2 hours, 30 minutes). However, there will be no ties, so games will continue after the time limit expires until a team earns the victory.

The higher seed in each game will serve as the home team. In the world series, best 2 of 3 format, the higher seed will serve as the home team in the first and third games. The lower seed will be the home team in game two.

Good luck to all the teams!

The battle for the fourth and final playoff spot is complicated. The Hounds, Royals and Bombers are in. The Hounds have clinched the top seed and the Royals have secured the #2 seed. The worst the Bombers can finish is 7-9. The best the Strokers and Dirtbags can finish is 7-9. Yet, the Roadrunners could still be 8-8. The Bombers hold the tiebreaker over both the Strokers and Dirtbags by virtue of winning the head to head match up during the regular season.

If the Roadrunners finish 8-8, their in. If they finish 7-9, and tie with the Dirtbags, the Roadrunners advance due to head to head victories. If they tie with the Strokers, the Strokers advance due to head to head (for that to happen, the Roadrunners would have to lose to the Strokers and beat the Dirtbags on the final weekend). If the Roadrunners lose both games, the Strokers win their game, and the Dirtbags win both their games, the Strokers and Dirtbags would tie and the Dirtbags hold the head to head advantage over the Strokers.

It's going to be an exciting final weekend! Good luck to everyone.

Weeks 7 through 11 brought shape to the upcoming playoff picture. The Hounds, Royals, and Bombers positioned themselves favorably for possible postseason births, while the fourth and final playoff spot looks like it won’t be decided until near the final days of summer.

The Hounds clinched a playoff spot with their 11-1 mark, which included wins over the Strokers (twice), Royals, Dirtbags, Bombers, and Roadrunners in the last five weeks. The Dirtbags handed the Hounds their first regular season loss in almost three full seasons in Week 11, with a strong 6-5 victory.

The Royals are in prime position to enter the postseason after notching an 8-3 record with recent wins over the Bombers, Roadrunners, Strokers, and Reds. They are 4-1 in their last five games, including a come-from-behind victory over the Reds with three runs in their final at-bat.

The Bombers continue their playoff push and overall impressive season, currently sitting in third place at 7-4 after finishing last in 2009. They are riding a three-game winning streak at the moment with a pair of wins over the Strokers and a victory over the Dirtbags.

The Strokers (4-8), Dirtbags (3-7), Roadrunners (3-7), and Reds (2-8) are all within one game of each other for the final playoff spot. The Strokers have only four contests left while the other three in the hunt all have six games remaining.

The Strokers have dropped five of their last six, but defeated the Dirtbags in a key matchup. The Dirtbags are also 1-5 in their last six, but added Richard Pharr, George Stricker, and Chris Fort to their roster in hopes of making a late run. The moves paid off immediately as Pharr tossed a complete game in the ‘Bags 6-5 win over the Hounds in his debut and Stricker added an RBI double.

The Roadrunners have lost three in a row after winning back-to-back games over the Reds and Dirtbags. The Ruston-Simsboro based team is trying to hold on after being stricken by the injury bug, losing four players for possibly the rest of the season.

The Reds have played only three games over the last five weeks due to rainouts and requested rescheduling, but have played well in those contests. Also known as the RW Consumers, the Reds split with the Roadrunners and seemingly had the Royals beat until a last at-bat rally sent them home on the losing end.

With only three weeks left in the regular season, there will be a lot of key matchups ahead with both playoff spots and playoff seeds on the line. Several teams will be on the field a lot as they make up multiple games with only a short period of time left.

Three Saturday games and two Sunday contests highlighted the Week Six docket for the RRABL. After all five games were concluded, five different teams could lay claim to victories.

Saturday began with the Strokers hanging on to defeat the Roadrunners of Ruston, 13-12, in a high scoring affair. No stats are available for the Strokers, but every player recorded a hit for the Roadrunners. Jed Dance turned in a 4-for-5 performance and Bronson Rhodes went 3-for-4 with four RBI in the loss.

In another tight game, the Bombers slipped past the Dirtbags by a 4-3 score. Kris Calhoun threw five innings of two-hit ball while striking out seven to earn the win. He also scored a run and drove in two to help his own cause. Andrew Moullette got the save after tossing four frames in relief of Calhoun.

Kyle McConnell notched another strong pitching effort despite taking the loss for the Dirtbags. The righty went eight innings, allowing two earned runs while fanning six. Heath Brown, Chase Falls, and Chad Spears all had two hits with Spears adding all three RBI.

The Saturday finale saw the Royals pound out 17 hits en route to a 16-1 victory over the Reds. Mikey Davis (4-for-4), Robbie Brooks (3-for-4, 5 RBI), and Jendri DeLeon (3-for-4) shined offensively while six different Royals scored two or more times. Josh Locke was 2-for-2 for the Reds and Josh Lansdale went 1-for-2 with a RBI.

Sunday started with the two teams who lost one-run games on Saturday facing each other. The Roadrunners, playing on their home field, took down the Dirtbags, 10-2, behind eight gutsy innings on the hill from Jed Dance. Jonathan Hood, William Wade, and Chris Riggin each tabbed three hits in the win. Zane Nipper went 3-for-4 and Chad Spears finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a homerun in the loss for the Dirtbags.

The final game of the weekend featured the Hounds in their only week six contest against the Reds, who were playing for the second time in as many days. Jim Tiller went the distance in leading the Hounds past the Reds, 6-1. Tiller struck out 12 in eight innings. Ryan Magee went 3-for-3 at the dish while David Pratt, Andy Stroup, and Gabe Meiki tallied two hits apiece. Pratt added four RBI in the win. The Reds were led by Josh Lansdale, Josh Locke, and Buford Morris, who each had a hit.

The weather cooperated and week 5 took place as planned, first with a Friday tilt between the Dirtbags and RW Consumer Reds, followed by a pair of games on Saturday and two more on Sunday.

On Friday, the Dirtbags defeated the Reds 14-8, in a make-up game from a previous rain-out. The Dirtbags collected 12 hits in the victory as every player in the lineup but one recorded a knock. Cayce Burkett went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI and Kyle McConnell was 3-for-5 with two runs to go with three RBI. McConnell also picked up the win on the hill, striking out eight in five innings.

The Reds pounded out 11 hits in the loss as Roy Hall, Josh Lansdale, Jason Tynes, and Robert Webster all reached base on two hits in the game.

Saturday featured a pair of morning games. The Bombers notched the first of two wins on the weekend, taking down the Strokers 10-3 and the Hounds outlasted Ruston to win 13-4.

The Bombers overcame an early two-run deficit led by a pair of hits from Drew Andre, Josh Cummins, Kris Calhoun, Andrew Moulette, and Scott Hamilton. Paul Baker's 2-for-4 effort and Brandon Todaro's 3-for-3 performance paced the Strokers.

The Hounds trailed 3-2 in the third before scoring five runs in the frame to take the lead for good. They scored 13 runs on just five timely hits after being issued 10 walks. Gabe Meiki tallied five RBI while going 2-for-5 and Jim Tiller notched the win after tossing seven strong innings. Ruston spread out 11 hits, led by William Wade's three knocks.

The Bombers returned to the field on Sunday with a mission and took down the Reds by the count of 16-2. Kris Calhoun went 3-for-5, Josh Cummins 3-for-4, and Drew Andre 2-for-3 to front the offensive attack. Doug Williams threw five innings of three-hit ball to go with six strikeouts to record the win on the bump. Josh Lansdale and Josh Locke captured two hits for the Reds.

The Sunday night prime-time billing of the Royals versus the Strokers was over in the early going. The Royals plated five in the first to run away with it, 7-2. Newcomer Brandon Haygood was 2-for-3 with three runs and three stolen bases in the victory while Jendri DeLeon went 2-for-4 with two RBI. The Strokers were led by Paul Baker's 3-for-4 night at the dish and Rhett Webber's 2-for-3 effort with the stick.

Week 4 was supposed to see three games featuring six teams with the Hounds off on their scheduled bye week. After a requested cancellation and a rain out of what was going to be a Thursday game, the weekend approached with only one game on the dockett. Thankfully, the Strokers and the RW Consumers Reds were flexible and two teams that would have been sitting at home got to play afterall.

The only originally scheduled game to take place was in Simsboro as Ruston (1-2) played its first home game, beating the Royals (2-2) by the score of 7-1.

Ruston led from the start, scoring two in the first, and Michael Sherrill would make it stick as he hurled eight innings of one-run baseball. Jed Dance was 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Roadrunners and Wes Eustes, Johnathan Hood, and Louis Niel each added two hits in the victory.

Matt Marsiglia led the Royals at the plate, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and two walks. Mikey Davis went 1-for-1 with three walks and pitched seven innings, allowing only two earned runs in suffering the loss.

The Reds (1-2) were left without a game when their Thursday night contest was rained out and the Dirtbags were unable to play over the weekend. The Strokers also did not have a team to play as the Bombers requested the weekend off to accomodate several of the players' military obligations. So, the two clubs got together and played a tight one until the Strokers (2-1) pushed four runs across in the eighth to win 8-3.

Nine Reds collected hits, but couldn't manage to lump enough together to sustain a rally. Ryan Robinson had two RBI in the loss and Josh Locke struck out seven over six innings while giving up three earned runs for the Reds.

No stats were posted for the Strokers.

Week three opened with the Dirtbags and the Strokers squaring off at Southwood High School. After trailing by three in the early going, the Dirtbags fought back to take the tighly contested game, 6-4.

Rob Carroway, Zane Nipper, and Chase Falls all went 2-for-4 from the plate for the Dirtbags (1-2) while Carroway added three RBI to go with two from Nipper. Kyle McConnell tossed five strong innings, striking out five and allowing only one run (none earned).

The Strokers (1-1) were led by Paul Baker and Rhett Webber. Baker finished the day 3-for-5 and Webber went a solid 3-for-4 in the loss.

The second game on the afternoon featured a 24-hit attack from the Bombers (1-2) en route to a 17-4 victory over Ruston (0-2). Six Bombers collected three or more hits and two or more RBI. Kris Calhoun paced the offensive explosion with a 4-for-5 effort with three runs and five RBI. Jason Wright added three hits, four runs, and a pair of RBI at the dish and Josh Cummins picked up the win on the hill, allowing two earned runs over five innings.

William Wade highlighted the Ruston effort, going 2-for-3. Wes Eustes also tallied two hits in the loss.

The nightcap pitted the only 2-0 teams remaining in the league. The game was fitting of the billing, proving to be a back-and-forth contest until the Hounds (3-0) scored eight in the fifth inning to defeat the Royals (2-1), 15-9.

Blake Murray's four RBI while going 2-for-3 and Andy Stroup's 2-for-3 in the box with two runs and three RBI paced the Hounds. Bill Hardy and Brandon Goswick also had two knocks. Sean Struwe struck out nine over five innings for the win.

Matt Marsiglia and Travis Jore both tallied three hits for the Royals. Marsiglia also scored three times while Jore had three RBI to go with two runs scored.

With everyone but the Strokers having a game under their belt heading into week two, the action in the RRABL was expected to rise to an even higher competitive level. The weekend did not dissapoint as the Royals (2-0), Strokers (1-0), and Hounds (2-0) emerged victorious and sit currently as the only remaining unbeaten teams.

The opening tilt saw the Royals and Dirtbags (0-2) battle it out until the very end when the Royals pulled out the 6-5 win on a throwing error with two outs in the ninth. Justin Baker did not factor in the decision for the Dirtbags despite tossing eight innings and fanning 10. Cayce Burkett led the offense with a 3-for-4 effort to go with three RBI. Zane Nipper added a pair of hits as well for the Dirtbags.

Eric Martonovic paced the Royals offense with three hits in four trips to the plate while Jonathan Attaway and Jonathan DePriest each contributed a pair of knocks and two RBI in the victory.

The middle game of the afternoon at Southwood High School was the first meeting for the two expansion teams of 2010. The Strokers, playing in their first game after receiving the first week bye, squared off against the RW Consumers Reds (1-1), who were coming off of a win in their first contest.

The game remained close until the Strokers capitalized on some errors to push across six runs in the sixth inning. The deficit would be too much to overcome for the Reds as the Strokers cruised to a 9-4 triumph. Paul Baker went 3-for-3 with a run at the plate while earning the win after throwing three innings and striking out four on the mound.

The Reds' Stephen Desselle, Josh Locke, Buford Morris, and Jared Ware all collected two hits apiece in the loss.

The Hounds and Bombers (0-2) met in the nightcap and found themselves in a 1-1 tie headed to the bottom of the fourth. The Hounds scored two that inning and then added one in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh to win 7-3. Jim Tiller nabbed his first win, tossing six innings while allowing one run to go with nine strikeouts. Brandon Goswick, Charles Dean, and Blake Murray all pounded out two hits apiece.

The Bombers were led by the hitting of Kris Calhoun and Doug Williams. Calhoun went 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI while Williams was 1-for-2 with a double, two runs, two walks, and a stolen base.

The 2010 season officially kicked off with a Thursday night game between the Hounds and the Dirtbags that had a climactic ending. Two more challenging contests took place over the weekend between the Royals and Bombers and the RW Consumers Reds and the Ruston Roadrunners.

The Dirtbags (0-1) dominated the first seven innings of their tilt with the Hounds (1-0) at Tinsley Park and staked themselves to a 5-0 lead. The Hounds plated three in the eighth, sparked by Tony Lamothe's homerun, and then rallied for four in the ninth to win 7-5. Lamothe, Jim Tiller, and David Pratt each tallied two hits in the win. Reliever Brandon Goswick took the victory after throwing two hitless innings, striking out three.

Kyle McConnell hurled six shutout innings for the Dirtbags, scattering six hits, and also went 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate. Zane Nipper was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two RBI while Chad Spears also notched two hits and two RBI.

On Saturday at Tinsley Park, the Royals (1-0) outlasted the Bombers (0-1) to take their opener 5-3. Pitcher Eric Martonovic was on his game, going eight strong innings, giving up two runs (none earned) and striking out 13. Jonathan DePriest paced the Royals offensively with a 2-for-4 effort and Brent Martwick went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

The Bombers received a standout performance from Kris Calhoun who was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI in the box and on the hill threw four scoreless innings in relief with seven punchouts. Tayvaughn Brown, Doug Williams, and Joshua Cummins all had two hits for the Bombers.

Huntington High School was the site of the weekend's final matchup on Sunday featuring the RW Consumers Reds (1-0) and the Ruston Roadrunners (0-1). The newly formed Reds accomplished something that is very rare for expansion teams in the RRABL, winning its first game 6-3 over Ruston.

Josh Locke captured the win for the Reds, tossing six innings with three runs (none earned) and 12 strikeouts. Locke also went 2-for-3 batting while Jared Ware was 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Wes Eustes led Ruston with a 2-for-3 offensive performance. Jed Dance added a 1-for-2 effort with a run and two RBI.