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To close out the first half of the Athletics inaugural season, the A's hosted the perenial powerhouse Leduc Milleteers.  On a beautiful Thursday night in May, and after having received a timely 1/2" of rain at the diamond, the A's and M's were to battle, as both teams were trying to jump ahead of eachother in the playoff race.

Rosalind started right hander Ryan Yuha, his second start of the season, after having made a solid transition to the outfield as well.  Yuha gave up a run early in the first inning on two hits, but settled in quite well the rest of the way.  Displaying gold glove calibra defence from the mound, Yuha entered the fifth inning tied 1-1.  A couple of errors and a solid hit home run down the right field line put the A's in a hole that they couldn't recover from.  Matt Enright came on to finish the game, the forth appearance of the season for the A's closer.  Still double checking the stats to see if Matt gave up his first earned run of the season.

Offensively the Rosalind line up faced a vintage Roger Clemens, or at least that's how the batters made it look.  As the Milleteers fireballer of a pitcher racked up multiple strikeouts per inning, leaving the A's hitters to look over matched on many occasions.  The lone bright spots were Bart Orr and Matt Enright's 2 for 3 performances.  Ryan Yuha drove in the A's only run, with a double in the first inning. 

The A's travel to Spring Lake to partake in the annual Sports Days tournament at the antique community hall on a diamond that is probably a stunt double for the Field of Dreams.  With a sprase and rag tag roster the Athlets take on the Killam Braves at 9am.

The Athletics travelled to Ryley to take on the regining Powerline Baseball League 2014 Champions.  The Rebels currently sit in first place, with a 5-0 record, and look to be the favorites again this year.  Their ability to crush the ball all over the yard has been rumored, and the A's were looking to slow down the Rebels offence and make strides in the early playoff race.

Once again, Rosalind gave Dan Enright the start in an important game.  Enright was for back to back quality starts, coming off a strong 9 inning performace against Armena last week.  Dan's start can be seperated into two parts: the first inning, and the rest of the game.  The first inning started off rough, with a hard hit double and a booming home run.  Not a great start, but nothing serious, as this tied the game at 2-2.  After a batter got hit, followed by a squib single that got through the infield, the Rebels 6th batter almost hit his hands on a beauty 2 seam fast ball bearing in on the right handed batter.  Yet, as the ball hit only a few inches above the batters hands, it somehow was able to creep over the wall for a 3 run shot.  Bizzare!

From that point on, as a few strategic pitching adjustments were made, Enright shut down the Rebels offence and gave the A's a chance to claw back into the game.

Offensively, Rosalind has been preching the importance of getting off to a better start early in the game, and the A's delivered; putting two runs on the board in the top of the first.  Ryan Yuha hit a RBI double in the top of the first to give the A's a 2-0 advantage.  With the bases loaded in the fifth inning, McDonald cashed in a run on a fielders choice to make the game 3-5 for Ryley, chipping into the Rebels lead.  In the top of the sixth, Sheldon Pederson scored Matt and Dan Enright on a single that ended up getting past the left fielder and going to the wall, and Pederson standing up at third.  Pinch hitter, Steve Enright (who was batting the flu), got on to lead off the top of the seventh, took second on a passed ball and ended up scoring on a clutch RBI single by Bart Orr.

The A's look to close out the first half of the season (yeah, that came quick) as they host the Leduc Milleteers, a perenial contender in the PBL.

After a marathon, extra innings game on Tuesday in Armena, the Athletics were set to take on the Holden Blue Jays at the "Homer Dome" in Rosalind on Thursday night.  Holden has been an up and coming team in the PBL for the last few years, culminating in an appearance in the finals last season.  The Blue Jays are a good team, and Rosalind needing a win making for an exciting match up early in week 3.

Coming off the tough loss versus the Royals, the A's sent veteran hurler, Steve Enright to the mound to right the ship.  Steve wasn't taking any prisoners, sending messages, as his 50mph curveball managed to hit three Holden batters.  With some ancy feet in the batters box, Enright relied on a solid defense behind him for 5 innings.  Steve worked out of a jam in the 5th leaving the bases loaded and a 7-3 lead for the A's.  In a rare relief appearance, Brayden Benson came out of the pen, to throw one quick inning and the start of the 7th before turning the ball over.  Fresh off a clean shave and haircut that made closer, Matt Enright, look like a 12 year old boy compared to the Brian Wilson bearded maniac image he had been sporting.  Oh, and he also shut the door to secure the victory for the A's.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but it was offence by committee that lead the charge for Rosalind in a win. Without many, what most baseball minds would call, “offensive threats”, the A’s managed to string together 15 hits, with only one being for anything more than a single. The majority of the A’s went 2 for 4, with Kevin ‘Skip’ McDonald leading the charge producing 3 RBI’s, followed by Nic Ronsko’s 2 for 4 appearance with 2 RBI’s.

Highlight of the night was Nathan Pederson’s web gem of a catch, laying out for a diving catch in left field, that Steve called, the current leader in Play of the Year.

The final score was 10-5 in favor of Rosalind, keeping an unbeaten record at home intact. The A’s travel to Ryley to take on the current first place Rebels on Tuesday. It has the makings to be a very good game, make sure to come out and watch.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.....that that was just between the seventh and eleventh innings!

Rosalind travelled to Anniversary Park in Armena to take on the Royals in Powerline Baseball League action on Tuesday night.  The A's entered the game on the heels of a loss versus the Beamount Angels, looking to right the ship early in the season.  Rosalind's roster was in flux, as the flu was going through a few families, a couple guys busy with farming related work commitments, and a late developing story as Clayton Harbak was getting stitches to his wrist hours before game time.

Dan Enright got the nod for the Athletics, his second start of the year, and did not disappoint.  The veteran right hander ended up throwing nine strong innings in the eventual no decision.  Enright ended up.  Paul Ofirm came in to throw the tenth and eleventh innings, ending up saddled with the loss.

The standard section detailing the offensive production was going to be a short and sweet post, as Royals pitcher Ian Sherbannick completely shut down the A's through the first 5 innings of the game.  At one point the Rosalind dugout gave themselves a Bronx cheer after breaking up the perfect game with a walk, and subsequent hit to eliminate the no hitter.

That all changed in the top of the 7th, with the A's down 2-0.  Rosalind catcher, Sheldon Pederson, led off with a single and took second on an overthrow.  Left fielder, Kevin 'Skip' McDonalad singled and quickly stole 2nd to put the A's on 2nd and 3rd with one out.  Youngster Nathan Pederson kept the ball rolling with a clutch RBI single to right field, followed by Steve Enright's RBI single through the left side of the infield to tie the game.

The Athletics kept the momentum going in the top of the 8th inning, as Paul Ofirm hit a one out triple.  Sheldon Pederson hit a sacrifice fly to left field that would score Ofirm on a close play at the plate, and give the A's the lead for the first time in the game.

Everything was looking to be the makings of a huge come from behind victory, as Dan Enright was on the mound to shore up a win in the bottom of the 8th inning.  After two quick out through a ground ball to Benson and a nice catch by Ryan Yuha in center on a solid hit ball up the middle, the A's were an out away.  However, a hard hit ball to the opposite field that the right fielder broke in on, only to have it go over his head, left a Royals runner at third with two outs.  Following a tough error on a bouncy Anniversary Park infield, the game unfortunately was tied yet again.

The A's went down in order in the top of the 9th inning, putting Armena on the offensive in the bottom of the 9th with the top of the potent order due up.  Zenan Sherbannik led off with a single and was sacrificed into scoring position on a good bunt.  After an intentional walk, the A's got very fortunate on the rarely seen centerfielder looks like he's camped under a shallow hit pop fly behind 2nd only to drop it, get the force at second base and tag the confused runner hustling to third.  Textbook Rosalind A's baseball, and a heads up play by Ryan Yuha.

The top of the 10th looked potentially promising as Yuha slapped a single to find some grass, and stole second with a new found speed.  Ofirm reached on an error, putting runners on first and second with one out and a chance to take the lead once again.  However, Pederson and McDonald were unable to get the job done, like they did in the top of the seventh.

The bottom of the 10th looked harmless, after a ground out and a long fly out to left field.  Needless to say, a single and an error changed the confident outlook in a hurry.  After, a Petryshen single up the middle, centerfielder Ryan Yuha came up throwing in stride and gunned down the runner at the plate on a perfectly fortunate throw.

To the top of the 11th inning....with one out, Nathan Pederson reached first on a swinging bunt that ate up the Royals pitcher, giving life to yet another inning for the Rosalind squad.  Steve Enright followed with another clutch single to again, have runners at first and second with one out.  After Dan Enright hit a hard hit ball to the shortstop up the middle, Pederson was able to advance to third and force a throwback to the bag that got away from the third baseman.  On his attempt to score on the missed played ball, the now covering shortstop was able to throw a strike at home, and get Pederson at the plate.

Finally, the bottom of the 11th inning, which was going to the last inning regardless of the score.  A nice catch by the right fielder off of Zenan, put one out on the board.  Paul Ofirm, now on to work his 2nd inning, was nibbling, but walked Adam Johnson.  Doug followed with a single to put runners on 1st and 3rd with one out.  A tough play on a soft hit ground ball that third baseman, Brayden Benson, tried to turn a double play on ended up coming up short as the Royals baserunner scored.

The collective thud that could heard as the heartbreaking comeback for the A's ended up being for not.  But the A's get right back at it, as they host the Holden Blue Jays in Rosalind on Thursday, looking to get the bitter taste of defeat out of our mouths.  We're hungry, let's go!!

The Rosalind Athletics first road trip of the PBL season took them to the booming metropolis of Beaumont on Thursday night.  The Angels are a young team, with a lot of talent and solid fundamentals.  Both Beaumont and Rosalind entered game three of the season at 2-0, so both teams were looking to keep their winning streaks alive.

Veteran Steve Enright took the mound for the A's for the first time in the 2015 season.  The man of many arm angles and pitch speeds versus the upstart Angels squad.  After rolling thru three innings, Beaumont was able to put 4 runs on the board courtesy of a could well hit balls, and a few rare and unfortunate errors by the A's defence.  Joe Pasychnyk and Matt Enright closed out the game for the A's in the loss.

While the A's didn't light up the scoreboard, they did take a 1-0 lead in to the fourth inning.  However, a few unlucky bounces, solid pitching and air tight defence by the Angels shut the Athletics down for the majority of the game.  Rosalind was only able to muster up 5 hits, making the 7-1 final score fairly reflective of the game overall.

On Thursday night, the Rosalind Athletics took on their new neighbouring rival, the Camrose Roadrunners.

Youngster Brayden Bensen got the start for the A's, his first appearance on the mound of the new season.  Bensen was in fine form, continuing to pound the strike zone and create ground balls.  The only blemish to his pitching line came on a tailing line drive to the outfield that eluded the left fielder with two outs.  Clayton Harbak finished off the game for the A's, and the former Round Hill flame throwing standout tossed a clean inning.  Look for Harbak to make a comeback in a effort to provide depth in the pitching rotation.

For the second game in a row, the lead off position was on fire offensively.  Adam Enright went 2 for 3 with two hard hit doubles and a sac fly to put three RBI's on the scorebook.  Clayton Harbak was no slouch either,with a 3 for 3 day that consisted of 2 singles, a double and a walk.  Sheldon Pederson slapped a couple of RBI sac flies to the outfield.  Ryan Yuha went 2 for 2 with keen eye, and Matt Enright was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's.

The Rosalind Athletics hosted their league debut and home opener at the Rosalind Sports Grounds on Saturday, taking on the Bardo Athletics. There was a lot of excitement in the air with the move to the Powerline Baseball League, seeing most opponents for first time. The spring weather was perfect, as the sun was out and so were the A's fans, getting their first glimpse of the 2015 Rosalind roster. Surprise! Not much has changed.

Securing the coveted opening day start was local Rosalindite, Dan Enright, taking on a relatively unknown Bardo roster. ZamZam, as Enright is affectionately known from the hollers of right field, did a great job of throwing strikes and keep his defense involved with a pitch to contact philosophy. Enright threw 4 innings, while striking out 4, no walks and allowing only 5 hits. Ryan Yuha played the middle relief role for the A's, pitching the fifth and sixth innings. While Yuha made it interesting with a few walks, the right hander was able to get a couple of key strike outs to get out of a jam in his last innings. Matt Enright brought his intimidating beard out of the bullpen to close the game for the boys, working quickly and securing the A's first victory in the PBL.

Offensively, the Athletics got contributions throughout the entire lineup, scoring runs in five of their six innings at the plate. Noteable, was Dan Enright's afternoon, as the leadoff man went 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. Catcher Sheldon Pederson seemed to be swinging a decent bat, with a 3 for 4 effort and 2 RBI's. Shortstop Adam Enright was on fire, 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 RBI's; the only blemish to his batting line courtesy of a terrific play by the Bardo third baseman. While Steve Enright didn't have a career night at the plate (1 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI), he did have a few fantastic defensive plays that stood out.

Next game for the Athletics is Tuesday as Rosalind hosts the Camrose Roadrunners at 7pm.

The start of the 2015 baseball season is near.  The grass is turning green, farmers are busy out in the field seeding and spraying, and the weather (*editor’s note: it’s actually snowing right now) signals the boys of summer are back!  Here’s a look at what you can expect for the Rosalind Athletics in the Powerline Baseball League home opener on Saturday, May 9^th at 2PM in Rosalind versus the Bardo Athletics.

The strength of the A’s team has traditionally relied on solid team defense.  The A’s might see some different lineups, potentially featuring some Enright’s in the outfield during the season.  Often thought to have had footwork ballerina’s aspire to, and therefore main stays on the left side of the infield, Matt and potentially Adam Enright, could see time in the wide open spaces of the outfield.  Even the athletic Ryan Yuha may be patrolling the grass in center field.  The cornerstone in the outfield though, will remain being the talented Nic Ronsko.  Clayton Harbak remains a mainstay at first, while youngsters Brayden Benson and Chance Wheatley bring a youthful exuberance on the shale.  Steve Enright continues to have second base locked down, and has added an over the shoulder catch to his skillset this year.  The A’s are continuing to try and upgrade their catching, definitely a weak spot.

Offensively, through a collection of youth and veterans, the A’s have a roster of patient hitters prepared to execute small ball to put runs on the board.  The return of Bart Orr and Kevin McDonald gives the Athletics a beneficial shot in the arm with plenty of experience and left handed hitters.  Once seeding is done, Rosalind looks to have Josh Burnstad swinging his big bat.

Pitching by committee has traditionally been the theme of the A’s rotation.  While Rosalind may not have any fireballers, they continue to have ballplayers that keep the ball down and hit their spots, while replying on the aforementioned defense to play tight.  Dan Enright is set to get the opening day start, while a variety of guys will be coming out of the bullpen to get some action early in the season.

As a new team in the Powerline league, Rosalind is prepared for plenty of stiff competition.  The parity in the PBL last year proved that you can’t take a night off and every game is important.  To say there’s a lot of excitement in the A’s roster for the upcoming season, is an understatement.  Can’t wait to get the season started.