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The Battle River League playoffs got kicked off on Thursday night, with the #1 seed Rosalind Athletics taking on the #8 seed Amisk Astros.  The Astros and A's only met one time during the regular season, with Rosalind securing a 12-2 win.  Rosalind entered the game on a bit of a roll, winning their last 6 games and 9 of their last 10.

First and foremost, the A's got a huge boost even before the game started, with a surprise visit by long time A's player and absolute beauty, Geordy Millar!  Geordy recently announced that he'd moving to Peace River to take on a new job opportunity, so it was awesome to see the big guy for the first time in 2013.  For those who don't know Geordy, you are missing out, but he is the A's resident funny man, heart and soul player and a first baseman that can scoop any of the junk our infield put in his feet.  He's also the legendary A's player that coined the phrase, "A's are forever!, ...[additional part censored, but it involves a hat]".

To the game! Amisk was able to get on the board early, scoring on run on A's pitching staff ace, Tyrel Herder.  A double and seeing-eye single had the A's down by one going into the bottom of the first.  It didn't get any prettier, after Steve Enright literally fell down while on base, resulting in the easiest pick off ever.  Sheldon Pederson is probably the only A's player that could have made it look effortlessly worse.  Enright noted that he was surprised not to face a barage of chirping on his return to the dugout, but given the situation, the A's obviously had their game faces on.  Rookie Nathan Pederson was also thrown out at the plate, trying to score from second on a single, as the A's ran into the first two outs of the game for Amisk.  However, the A's went on to score 15 runs in the first two innings, and put it cruise control from there on.

On the mound, Rosalind went with the pitching by committee assignment to shutdown the Astros.  Ty Herder got the start in game one of the series, while Ryan Yuha and Matt Enright came in relief to eat up innings and get some work after a weekend off for the pitching staff.  Herder went two innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and striking out four Astros.  Ryan Yuha was lights out in his 3 innings, firing 6 K's on the scoresheet and while only facing 1 over the minimum.  Yuha's change up was the catalyst for his dominance, keeping the eager Amisk hitters of balance early in the count.  In the 6th and 7th inning, closer Matt Enright continued his impressive streak in his new role, only allowing 1 texas league hit while picking up a rare strikeout for the pitch to contact pitcher.  Enright showed additional depth to his pitching arsenal, using a very slow, high forkball to make a few Amisk batters look like absolute bird watchers at the plate.

Second baseman, Steve Enright had this to say about the game, "There were lots of positives right from the get go.  The boys were really swing it hot, even Ty got in on the hitting.  We were able to get up and it afforded us the opportunity to mix up the lineup.  Ron looked real good at short and Adam was a natural in left field, although he complained about the long job back to the dugout."

Game two goes on Tuesday night at Shornecliffe Lake, the home of the Amisk Astros, at 7PM.  If you're unable to make the road game, make sure you follow the A's twitter account for the live tweeting of the game.  In an unrelated note, do we have a volunteer to live tweet the game?   If nothing else, the trip out east is worth the price of admission for the quality baseball, or the assortment of fancy soft ice cream and hearty Taco-In-A-Bag from the impressive concession!

The Athletics travelled to Heisler with first place in the Battle River League on the line, in the final regular season game for the A's. Over the past few season, a healthy rivalry has been forged between the two neighbouring teams. The A's twitter account posted a fun fact prior to the game: Rosalind or Heisler has been in the Provincial 'AA' final 3 of the past 4 years. The latest battle of perennial BRBL contenders would not disappoint.

Rosalind was excited to give Dan Enright the start in the season finale, not only giving the ball to a dependable pitcher, but also a chance to rack up some important innings as work commitments have gotten in the way. Right from warm up, Enright's pitches had more life behind them than his previous outings in the 2013 season. Zam Zam did a great job of keeping his pitches down, highlighted by a filthy change up.  After Dan pitched 4 solid innings, while giving up only 1 earned run on 5 hits.  Tyrel Herder closed out the final three innings, picking up his 4th win of the season.

Offensively, the A's were in tough as the Cardinals sent Cory Martz to the hill; easily one of the premier pitchers, not only in the league, but in all of Alberta. Rosalind was able to capitalize early on a few timely hits, and some aggressive baserunning. Steve Enright lead the way, stealing 2nd and third in the same at-bat. The rest of the A's followed suit, with Adam Enright and Tyrel Herder picking up a couple of stolen bases as well. Nic Ronsko continued the aggressive baserunning, not only for the pinch hit, 2 RBI double, but for taking 3rd on the throw to the plate. The at-bat of the night goes to Matt Enright, for his excuse me check swing single that just landed fair over 1st base, scoring 2 important runs early in the game.

On the defensive side of the game, the A's were hit and miss. Catcher Sheldon Pederson was fortunate to throw out two Cardinal stolen base attempts early in the game, limiting a Heisler rally early in the game. Steve Enright also made a terrific heads up play on a 1st and 3rd stolen base attempt, cutting off the throw and gunning down the runner at home. On the opposite side of the ledger, a few outfielders errors looked to be haunting as the Athletics 5-0 lead seemed to evaporate on a few unfortunate plays. However, late in the game, the traditional A's defence prevailed as Tyrel Herder and Matt Enright both ranged deep to make running catches in the gap.

Here's what starter Dan Enright had to say about the game and his appearance, "I was pleased to see more life on my fastball compared to my other starts this season. A few small adjustments to my mechanics surprisingly made a big difference. In the game, a few untimely walks and uncharacteristic errors in the outfield gave Heisler bats life and momentum. Luckily, the we pounced on a few similar Heisler errors. It's reassuring to have Ty to come in and shut the door and preserve a big win. A shoutout to the rook (Brayden Benson) for an excellent bunt, and a tip of the cap to Nic Ronsko on his clutch pinch hit liner over short that really broke the game open in the 7th for us. That's why he's our MVP! What a beauty!!"

It was an important game for the A's, especially to get another win against Heisler, as those have been hard to come by the last two seasons. Rosalind will be hosting game one of the playoffs against either Amisk or Lougheed, starting next Thursday.  Fans make sure to check the website and team twitter account (@RosalindSports) for all the playoff times and dates.

After round robin play, the final featured the leaders of both pools in the baseball tournament.  The Lougheed Wildcats were able to squeak into the 'A' final via runs for and against, after all three teams ended up 1-1.  Lougheed ended up +3, with the Camrose Cougars at -1 and the unlucky Armena Royals at -2.

Early forecasts didn't look good, but mother nature co-operated beautifully as the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  Even the diamond was in good shape after getting poured on much of Saturday night.  The extra work the A's and the Rosalind Elks put in made infield, mound and batters boxes more than decent to play in.  Also, a thank you to the Elks for allowing us to join forces for the combined tournament hosting.  The talent off the field and in the stands did not go unnoticed, and was greatly appreciated.

In the finals, Rosalind sent young Brayden Benson to the mound to battle hard throwing lefty Alex for Lougheed.  Brayden did a great job of keeping the ball down, playing right into the solid A's defence behind him.  Benson really got in a groove late in the game with 3 strikeouts in the final two innings, on the way to a 8-1 mercy victory for Rosalind in 5 innings.

Offensively, Tyrel Herder continued to be a juggernaut of the tournament, absolutely crushing the ball all over the field with timely hits.  Local boy Ryan Yuha provided 3 clutch hits in the finals, and displaying never before seen speed on a double in the gap.  Matt Enright also had a hot stick in the finals, leading the way with 3 walks in his 3 at bats.  His solid plate disipline and good eyes are attributed to his "Elton John" sunglasses that Matt rocks on the bright dog days of summer.

The A's wanted to express some large Thank You's to all the people who helped us run the beer gardens during the tournament.  Also to Reg Enright for providing terrific, Vin Scully quality commentary for the fans during all the A's games.  Someone really needs to get Reg a twitter account to live tweet the A's games.  Lastly, a special thank you to Carly, Kelsi, Katie, and Jenn for all your bartending the beer gardens! Obviously we wouldn't have done nearly as well without you girls.  We'll start working on your wish list for next years event to make it bigger and better.  Dance Party?!

Is there anything Tyrel Herder can't do?!

Nope.  The Rosalind Athletics sent the hard hitting and pitching staff ace to the mound against the Amisk Astros, trying to secure a berth in the tournament finals.  With a win the A's would face the Lougheed Wildcats in the finals, and for the 2nd time in 3 days.  The match up versus Amisk was also a league make up game, making the game doublely as important.  Futhermore, Heisler lost to Spring Lake on Thursday, so with a win over Amisk, the A's final game of the season would be a battle for 1st place in the Battle River League.

Offensively, Clayton Harbak was the catalyst for the Athletics against Amisk.  Harb crushed a double and single for 3 RBI's.  More impressively were the wheels Harbak showed on a infield single (ruled toughly as an error by the offical scorer) that Harb gracefully slid head first in to second on the overthrow.  This is the kind of agility and speed that makes Harb a 5 tool player and offensive dynamo.  Basically the Miguel Cabrera of the Battle River League.

Tyrel Herder got the start for the A's and went a solid 3 innings, giving up only 1 hit to the Astros.  Matt Enright closed the book on Amisk in the 12-2 mercy win.  Enright gave up his first earned run of the season after a lead off double in the 4th inning.  Enright has been lights out since transition to the closer role.  Much like Brett Cecil, Matt has shut down the opposition with his splitter while also rocking glasses.  I'm sure Emma would like to see Matt with a similar mohawk to complete the look.

For the first time in modern day Rosalind history, the baseball tournament wasn't held during the May long weekend.  Instead, the Rosalind Athletics baseball team and the Rosalind Elks combined forces to host a baseball and slo pitch tournament this fine June weekend.  The dual hosted tournament gave a chance to provide more fan exposure, and potentially better weather than the 3rd weekend in May. (Which is now ironic, because of the rain that poured during most of the tournament).

The first round robin game saw the Rosalind Athletics take on the Castor Raiders (run the name together a few times, still makes me laugh).  Ryan Yuha got the call to take the hill for the A's, marking his 3rd start of the season.  The Raiders have some solid hitters, but Yuha was able to navigate through the roster with his fastball and change up.  Yuha's line in the win read, 5IP/7H/2W/4K/1ER to extend Rosalind's winning streak to 7 games.

The highlight of the game came courtesy of Mark Gjesdal, with a towering shot to the deepest part of the field for the Athletics first home run of the year.  Who would have thought that on a team with Tyrel Herder, Clayton Harbak and Josh Burstad that the first home run of the year would be belted out by the soft spoken ginger.  Obviously we need to add a props betting line to the website, as Mark's family could have cashed in on a long shot going deep.  Well done sir!

The Rosalind Atheltics have obviously been spooked by the recent MLB ankle injuries to Jose Reyes and Brett Lawrie, because head first slides have become all the rage amoung A's base runners.  Even veteran Skippy was seen laying out, superman style, on a close play at the plate.  When your leaders are laying their body on the line, the younger guys obviously will follow suit.  Clyaton Harbak and Nic Ronsko continued the awkward head first slide, eating a mouthful of shale proudly as the dugout erupted in laughter everytime.

On the game, Nic Ronsko was quoted as saying, "I'm not going to church it up, we didn't play well.  Not A's baseball.  At any rate we came out with the win and we will be ready for Castor on Saturday morning."  On Pederson's pitching performance, Nic continued, "Shelly was bibbling at the strike zone, and just wasn't getting the calls.  He'll get it next time out."  Lastly on the upcoming Rosalind A's baseball tournament, Nic gave us these thoughts, "As the tournament [marketing director], the first 5 fans in the stands will receive a firm handshake and a smile from manager Matt Enright.  Also, for the ladies, Steve Enright will  be made available after the 11am game for pictures and autographs!  Ladies, try to control yourselves!!"

Sometimes you win; sometimes you're full value for a loss.

Although originally having a self proclaimed MVP caliber season, Nic Ronsko has taken great strides in his role on the A's roster, moving up to 5th in the batting order and a defensive staple in right field. Tonight however, wasn't Nic's night.  I'd like to say that Nic's botched attempt at stealing 3rd base to end a 1st inning rally was an unfortunate situation with a hilarious barrel roll slide outcome, but it turned out it wasn't.  I'd like to say that on any other day, Nic's single that he stretched into a double was heads up base running, but that is tough to pull off when a teammate may already be occupying second. This wasn't Nic's night...at all.

Truly, it wasn't a good night for the whole A's squad. Between leaving way too many runners on base or a few pitches left up in the zone, the A's put themselves in a poor situation for almost the entire night against the Cardinals. In the end, that will be the story, although a triumphant comeback would have been much easier to write about.

The A's sent rookie Mark Gjesdal to the hill at Burma Park to face one of the top teams in the early part of the 2013 BRBL season, the Coronation Cardinals. The young rookie wasn't able to get in his regular grove, however showed impressive perseverance to pitch out of a jam in the 1st and 2nd innings. Brayden Benson came on in relief, but wasn't able to stop the hot hitting Cardinal bats. Coronation produced a few Texas leaguer soft hits, followed by a couple of booming cracks that left the A's in a 10-5 deficit. Veteran Matt Enright was the final pitcher of the night for the A's, shutting the door on the Cardinals and giving Rosalind a chance to produce a memorable comeback. With his newly found Splitter on display for the first time, Matt was able to get the Cardinals to roll over a few weak ground balls, and yet another runner thrown out at home by the Athletics.

Rosalind rallied, yet again, late in the game with runners in scoring position in the 6th and 7th innings.  Down by 1, 10-9, in the top of the 7th.  The A's sent the bottom of the order to the plate.  The A's had the bases loaded with 2 out, and Adam Enright at the plate, but the short stop with the sweet swing barely missed the A's taking the lead after a nice pick by the third basemen.

The Highlight of the night (HOTN) normally would have gone to one of Nic's slight base running mishaps, or even his potential future brother-in-law being similarly gunned out at 3rd. However, on a more reflective night, the HOTN goes to Nathan Pederson, for taking a unique (or odd) line on a deep fly ball to right field, only to slip and fall, yet still make a beauty grab while laying on his back.

The Athletics have the weekend off from tournament play, but will be back in action taking on the Castor Raiders (yes, you read that right) on the road next Wednesday. The A's will also be hosting their own tournament June 22-23, so make sure to come check that out. Steve Enright has promised a stirring rendition of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer", and he welcomes all challengers, at the karaoke competition!!

The Rosalind Athletics travelled to Anniversary Park in Armena to take on the Holden Blue Jays in the finals of the Tri-Hosted Powerline tournament. To get to the finals, Rosalind had mercied the Camrose Roadrunners and the Armena Royals in round robin play.

The A's sent Steve Enright's electric (rubber) arm to the bump for his third start of the 2013 season. Enright did a good job of keeping the young Holden squad off balance with his customary changeup and curveball arsenal, while painting fastballs on the corners when needed. The Blue Jays were able to put some pressure on the A's in the 2nd and 7th innings, with a couple of singles and a double in each inning, resulting in 2 runs in both innings. Otherwise, 10 ground outs and a few routine fly balls kept the Rosalind defence busy.

Much like the other two games of the tournament, the A's bats stayed hot with many patient and quality at bats. Tyrel Herder continued to hit the ball hard, going 2 for 3; while Steve Enright helped his own cause with a 3 for 4 effort. Adam Enright was the hard luck victim, absolutely crushing the ball right at the Blue Jays defence. A-Rod may think about switching back to hitting with the grain and producing a few broken bat singles to change his luck.

The highlight of the night obviously was Nic Ronsko's base running.  Not many guys can pull off the "Todd Stottlemyre" head/chin first slide into third with such grace and athleticism.  Ronsko appeared  a bit gun shy on a double steal late in the game.  However, as the anonymous forum poster pointed out, Ronsko is having an MVP-like season, so I'm sure it won't effect his role in the line-up.

Player/Coach Matt Enright was pleased with weekend overall, "It was great to have most of our guys back (for the first time this season).  Having Burnie back meas a lot to our team.  I mean, he didn't do much with the bat, and that's to be expected, but he's just a great presence in the dugout.   The boys love him.  Plus, you know he's a great addition in case we ever get in a brawl."

The A's travel to river valley at Burma Bridge to take on the Coronation Cardinals on Wednesday at 7pm.  Rumor has many of Mr.Enright's students coming out to see him in action.