Pitching duel ends with Skeeters loss

In this, the 3rd game of the 4-game series, the Skeeters desperately needed to get a "W". Michael Nix got the call against Jason Monti...and both put on a show for the LI Ducks.

Skeeters drop Game 2...7-4 

After getting the day off yesterday, Jason Lane took the mound for the Skeeters against Mike Loree for the Ducks. The Ducks got on the board in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Shawn Williams singled in Brandon Sing to take the 1-0 lead. The Ducks added 2 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning after Reid Gorecki singled in Dan Lyons & Reid Gorecki scored on a wild pitch by Jason Lane...3-0 Ducks. after 3 innings. The Skeeters finally got on the board in the 4th inning with a 1-run home run by Josh Pressley, his 7th HR of the season...3-1 Ducks after 4 innings. The top of the 5th inning saw the Skeeters tie the game 3-3 after Matt Hagen doubled to right field to score Octavio Martinez & Matt Hagen scored on a Miguel Negron single to right field. In his last inning, Jason Lane gave up a 2-run home run to Brandon Sing to give the Ducks a 5-3 lead after 6 innings. Derrick Gordon & Eric Krebs combined to pitch the 7th inning. The Ducks sent 5 batters to the plate but were held hitless & scoreless, getting 2 runners on base via walks. Eric Krebs stayed in to pitch the 8th inning and gave up a 2-run home run, the 2nd of the game, to Shawn Williams. The Ducks extended their lead to 7-3 after 8 innings. The Skeeters got 1 run back in the top of the 9th when Steve Moss singled in Ofilio Castro...the Ducks win 7-4.

My MVP of the game is a tough decision...but I am going to give it to Ofilio Castro. He went 2-4 with 2 doubles, and 1 run scored. He also extended his consecutive game hitting streak to 8 games.

Hitting Streaks:
Ofilio Castro (8)
Josh Pressley (5)
Octavio Martinez (5)
Miguel Negron (3)
Steve Moss (3)
Matt Hagen (2)

Home Runs:
Josh Pressley (7)

The 3rd game of the 4-game series is scheduled for a 6:05pm local time start Saturday night.

Skeeters lose nail-biter in 9th 

Since the Skeeters are well out of contention for the first-half playoff spot, they looked to play spoiler in the first game of the Long Islnad Ducks series. Heath Phillips waisted no time in falling behind by giving up 2 runs on 2 hits...one of which was a home run by Brandon Sing. He would settle down to pitch the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th innings. The Skeeters tied to game in the top of the 4th inning when Bubba BEll doubled to left field scoring Ofilio Castro, and Octavio Martinez doubled to left field scoring Bubba Bell...making the score 2-2. The Skeeters added 2 more runs in the top of the 5th inning when Miguel Negron scored on a Josh Pressley single to left field, and Luis Figueroa scored on a Steve Moss single to left field...making the score 4-2 Skeeters. Heath Phillips then gave up the lead when Ray Navarrete hit his league leading 23rd double scoring 3 runs...making the score 5-4 Ducks. Phillips came back out for the 6th inning and gave up 2 hits but kept the Ducks scoreless. The Skeeters regained the lead in the top of the 8th inning when Matt Hagen, with Bubba Bell on 2nd base, absolutely crushed the ball completly out of Bethpage Ballpark...making the score 6-5 Skeeters. Kelvin Villa & Gary Majewski combined to pitch the bottom of the 8th keeping the Ducks scoreless. Insurance runs where added to the Skeeters' score in the top the 9th inning when Luis Figueroa scored on a Steve Moss sac fly, & Ofilio Castro scored on a Bubba Bell single to right field...making the score 8-5 good guys. Gary Majewski came back out to close the game for the Skeeters and blew his 2nd save of the season by allowing 4 runs on 4 hits...Ducks win 9-8 in walk-off fashion.

My MVP of the game once again is Bubba Bell who went 4-5 with 2 RBI, 2 Runs scored, and getting 3 doubles for the game...giving him 19 for the season.

Hitting Streaks:
Ofilio Castro (7)
Bubba Bell (6)
Josh Pressley (4)
Octavio Martinez (4)
Miguel Negron (2)
Steve Moss (2)

Home Runs:
Matt Hagen (3)

Game 2 of the 4-game series is scheduled for a 6:05pm local time start. Jason Lane will take the mound for the Skeeters looking for his 2nd win in 4 games.

Skeeters take series with 11-1 win 

With the win, the Skeeters take the series against Camden 4-2 and, for the first time in Skeeters history, every player that started the game recorded at least one hit. Bobby Livingston pitched 6 phenominal innings in which he allowed only 1 run on 4 hits while walking 3 and striking out 6...and getting his 7th win of the season. The 1 run came in the 6th inning but the game was well out of reach at that point. The Skeeters waited until the 4th inning to score but did so with Jason Lane & Josh Pressley hitting back-to-back home runs to give the Skeeters a 2-0 lead. The 5th inning for the Skeeters was the breakout inning. Iggy Suarez scored on a bases loaded walk to Josh Pressley. The next batter, Ofilio Castro, singled in Miguel Negron. Steve Moss then stepped up and doubled, scoring Jason Lane & Josh Pressley with the very next batter, Bubba Bell, doubling to score Ofilio Castro & Steve Moss. That made the score 8-0 good guys. As stated already, the Riversharks scored their lone run in the top of the 6th to make the score 8-1. As if they needed anymore runs, the Skeeters put 2 more on the board when Josh Pressley doubled to score Dominic Ramos & Miguel Negron...making the score 10-1 Skeeters. Ryan McKeller then came in to pitch 2 shut out innings only allowing 1 hit while walking 1 and striking out 2. The Skeeters added an "insurance run" in the bottom of the 8th inning when Miguel Negron scored on an error by the shortstop allowing Ofilio Castro to reach base...11-1 Skeeters after 8 innings. Sean Morgan pitched the 9th inning and faced 3 batters...getting 3 ground outs to end the game. SKEETERS WIN 11-1!!! 

My MVP of the game is Josh Pressley. He went 2-4 with a HR & a double while recording 4 RBI for the game.

Hitting Streaks:
Ofilio Castro (6)
Bubba Bell (5)
Jason Lane (5)
Josh Pressley (3)
Iggy Suarez (3)
Dominic Ramos (2)

Home Runs:
Josh Pressley (6)
Jason Lane (3)

The Skeeters now hit the road for a 7 day, 7-game road trip that has them playing a 4-game series against the Long Island Ducks & a 3-game series against the Bridgeport Bluefish. The first game of the Ducks series is scheduled for Thursday night, first pitch at 5:35 local time.

Skeeters take 3-2 series lead 

The series between Sugar Land & Camden was tied 2-2 headed into the game. Dustin Richardson took the mound for the Skeeters in hopes of getting the home town team back into the win column. The Riversharks took an early lead in tht etop of the 2nd inning when they scored 2 runs on 2 hits. Things could have been worse as they also left 2 runners on the bases. Ofilio Castro appeared to get 1 one run back with a HR but after an umpire conference, it was called a foul ball and Castro had to get back into the box again. On the very next pitch, Ofilio made sure the umps got the call right and blasted a no-doubter to make the score 2-1 Camden after 2 innings. The Skeeters added 2 runs to their score when Dominic Ramos (single) & Jason Lane (walk) where able to score on a Josh Pressley double. The Skeeters took the lead with a 3-2 score after 3 innings. Once again, the Skeeters put 2 more runs on the board when Iggy Suarez doubled in Bubba Bell (double) & Miguel Negron hit a sac fly to score Octavio Martinez (single) to give the Skeeters the 5-2 lead after 4 innings. In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Skeeters added an insurance run after Iggy Suarez (double) came in to score off a Josh Pressley single. The score was 6-2 after 8 innings. Gary Majewski came in for the top of the 9th inning and secured the win for Pedro Liriano...SKEETERS WIN 6-2!!! 

Pressley (1), Bell (2), & Suarez (2)combined for 5 doubles in the game.

Hitting Streaks:
Ofilio Castro (5)
Bubba Bell (4)
Jason Lane (4)
Octavio Martinez (3)
Josh Pressley (2)
Iggy Suarez (2)

Home Runs:
Ofilio Castro (2)

My MVP of the game goes to Bubba Bell who went 4-4 with 2 doubles and 2 singles.

The final game of the series is scheduled for 7:05pm Wednesday night at Constellation Field. The Skeeters will then travel to Long Island to begin a 4-game series against the Ducks.

Skeeters fall short in comeback 

The Skeeters jumped out to an early lead in the 2nd inning when Josh Pressley scored on an Octavio Martinez single, and Ofilioi Castro scored on a Luis Figueroa sac fly to give the home team a 2-0 lead. Things fell apart for Michael Nix in the 3rd inning when he gave up 5 runs on 5 hits to the Riversharks...who take the 5-2 lead. Over the next 4 innings, the Skeeters where only able to collect 5 hits, and were unable to get any additional runs. The Riversharks were able to add an insurance run in the top of the 8th inning to make the score 6-2. The Skeeters were able to get 2 runs back on an Ofilio Castro triple that scored Josh Pressley and a Steve Moss sac fly that scored Ofilio Castro...the score was 6-4 after 8 innings. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, the Skeeters made an attempt at a rally. Miguel Negron walked, stole 2nd base, and advanced to 3rd on a pass ball. Jason Lane hit a double, his 8th of the season, to score Negron...pulling the Skeeters to within 1 run at 6-5. The winning run reached base when Josh Pressley, who went 4-4 on the night, walked, giving Ofilio Catsro the chance to become "THE HERO" once again. On the first pitch of his at bat, Castro gorunded to 2nd base for the final out of the game...killing the comeback. Riversharks win 6-5.

Hitting Streaks:
Ofilio Castro (4)
Bubba Bell (3)
Jason Lane (3)
Octavio Martinez (2)
Steve Moss (2)

Game 5 of the series is scheduled for a 7:05pm start Tuesday night.

Skeeters fall 5-1 

Jason Lane got the start for the Skeeters and went 5.2 innings, gave up 2 runs with 6 hits while walking 3 and striking out 4. He was charged with his first loss of the season with this loss. Lane, other than giving up 2 runs in the 1st inning, pitched a great game and kept the Skeeters within striking distance but got little to no run support from the bats. The Skeeters did not score a run until the 6th inning. In the 6th, Steve Moss hit his 1st HR of the season as a Skeeter making the score 2-1...well within reach for another come from behind win. All that changed when Derrick Gordon gave up 3 runs on 5 hits in 1.1 innings pitched...making the score 5-1, Camden. The Skeeters were only able to muster 4 hits for the entire game, thus losing the game to Camden 5-1.

The loss snaps the 5-game consecutive win streak the Skeeters had over the Riversharks.

Hitting Streaks:
Ofilio Castro (3)

Home Runs: Steve Moss (1)

The 4th game of the series is scheduled to start at 7:05pm Monday night.

Skeeters comeback to get WIN

Jason Lane blasted his 2nd home run of the season, his first 3-run HR, to tie the score at 3-3 in the 6th inning. Luis Figueroa got a 2-run single in the 7th inning to give the Skeeters the 5-3 lead. Gary Majewski came into the game for the 9th inning and faced 3 Riversharks as the Sugar Land Skeeters hung on to beat Camden 5-4. Pedro Liriano got credit for the win giving him a 2-2 record. Liriano struck out one batter, and walked one batter in 2 innings. Gary Majewski gets the save, his 8th of the year!

Hitting Streaks:
Matt Hagen (3)
Jason Lane (2)
Miguel Negron (2)
Ofilio Castro (2)
Luis Figueroa (2)


Home Runs:
Jason lane (2)

Tonight's win was not only the 2nd win in a row for the Skeeters, it was the 5th consecutive win over the Camden Riversharks. That means this homestand could be just what the Skeeters needed to get out of the cellar in the Freedom Division.

The 3rd game of the series is scheduled to begin at 6:05pm Sunday night.

Skeeters get one in the WIN column 

After a tough road trip, the Skeeters came home to face the Camden Riversharks for 6 games. First pitcher on the mound for the home team was Bobby Livingston. He would face off against Keith Weiser for Camden. 

Revs cruise past Skeeters again

Looking to square the record against the Revs, the Skeeters sent Michael Nix (1-5, 9.26 ERA) to the mound for the start against Omar Javier (0-5. 6.61 ERA) for the Revs.

Doubleheader = Double disaster for Skeeters

Riding a 4-game win streak, the Skeeters took the field in game 1 of a doubleheader with Ryan Ketchner (0-2, 13.50 ERA) pitching against Corey Thurman (5-1, 4.24 ERA).

Skeeters cruising in the winner's Lane

In the 1st game of the 4-game series, Jason Lane (0-0, 6.00 ERA) got his first start of the season for the Skeeters. The Revs would send their newest pitcher Matt Chico (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound to face the visitors.

Skeeters celebrate Father's Day with win...

The Skeeters looked to continue their winning ways and make it 3 consecutive wins versus Camden. The Father's Day starting pitchers were Heath Phillips for Sugar Land and Kevin Reese for Camden.

Skeeters dominate in later innings

After stopping a 3 game losing streak with a win over Camden Friday night, the Skeeters looked to get a win streak going with a win Saturday night. Manager Gary Gaetti sent Bobby Livingston to the mound to face off against Sean Jarrett for the Riversharks.

Skeeters hook the Riversharks for win

The Skeeters, looking to turn things around, sent Michael Nix (1-5, 9.00 ERA) to the mound against Camden's Mike McGuire (2-4, 4.56 ERA).

Struggling pitching reason for loss

With the Skeeters desperate for a win, Derrick Gordon got the call for the Skeeters and Keith Weiser took the mound for the Riversharks. Both teams were coming off of road trips, although Camden's trip was much shorter, and the Riversharks were coming home after winning both games of a doubleheader.

2012 Atlantic League All-Star Voting

The 2012 Atlantic League All-Star game will be played on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at Campbell's Field in Camden, New Jersey, home of the Camden Riversharks.

The all-star teams will be selected in the normal fashion with you, the fan, having a chance to get a word in on who you would like to see. The voting will begin on Wednesday, June 20th and will continue for 2 weeks until July 3rd, 2012. The link to the ballot is listed below, just click to get there.

A combination of your votes, media, and team voting will determine the starters and remaining roster players. The pitching squads for both divisions will be selected by the respective managers...Andy "Etch" Etchebarren of the York Revolution will manage the Freedom Division squad, and Kevin Baez of the Long Island Ducks will manage the Liberty Division squad. The coaching staff for both divisions will be chosen by the managers and will be announced on June 18, 2012 by the Camden team.

Click to follow the link for fan voting:

http://www.atlanticleague.com/vote/

Patriots swat the Skeeters...again

After becoming the losing pitcher in the final game of the series, Ryan Ketchner is now 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in just 7.1 innings pitched over 3 games started. He went 3 innings tonight giving up 6 runs on 6 hits.

Nix & Morgan help Patriots to a win

The Skeeters dropped the first 3 games of this 6-game series with the Somerset Patriots but got the 2nd half of the series started with a win yesterday. Looking to continue that, Manager Gary Gaetti called on Pedro Liriano (1-2, 2.93 ERA) and the Patriots sent Derell McCall (2-2, 6.08 ERA) to the mound.

Former Skeeters' player updates

If you have ever wondered where your favorite player went, here is the information I was able to find after digging around on the internet.

Ben Harrison: had his contract purchased by Saraperos de Saltillo, which play in the North Division of the Mexican League. While in this league, he has played in 10 games. In those 10 games, he has had 41 plate appearances with 33 official at bats. He has amassed 12 hits with 3 HR, 11 RBI, and has scored 9 runs. All that combined with 6 walks, 11 strike outs, and 1 hit by pitch gives him a .364 batting average.

Jimmy Van Ostrand: had his contract purchased by the Washington Nationals of the MLB. At this point, he is playing for the Harrisburg Senators, a Class AA affiliate of the Nationals in the Western Division of the Eastern League. While there, he has played in 11 games. In those 11 games, he has had 35 plate appearances with 28 official at bats. He has amassed 9 hits with 1 double, 1 HR, 4 RBI, and has scored 6 runs. All that combined with 2 walks, 4 strike outs, and 4 hit by pitch gives him a .321 batting average.

Drew Locke: had his contract purchased by the Houston Astros of the MLB. At this point, he is playing for the Corpus Christi Hooks, a Class AA affiliate of the Astros in the South Division of the Texas League. While there, he has played in just 2 games. In those 2 games, he has had 10 plate appearances with 10 official at bats. He has amassed 5 hits with 1 double, 1 HR, 4 RBI, and has scored 3 runs. All that combined with 0 walks, 0 strike outs, and 0 hit by pitch gives him a .500 batting average.

Matt Wright: had his contract purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies of the MLB. At this point, he is playing for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a Class AAA of the Phillies in the North Division of the International League. He has a 0-0 record with a 3.00 ERA after starting just 1 game. He pitched 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, giving up 1 HR, 1 walk, and 6 strike outs...while facing 22 batters.

Jason "BIG MAN" Botts: not a whole lot can be found about his recent move but the Skeeters' website reports that he has been signed by a team in the Mexican League. Through an acquaintance, I have been able to find out that his contract with the Mexican League, does have a clause giving him the option of playing in a league in Japan...which is what I was able to find out while at the game after his signing. In 2008 & 2009, Botts spent time in the Japan Pacific League, and both times he played for the Nippon Ham Fighters. I will continue to monitor this recent move...as Botts was my favorite Skeeter.

BOTTS UPDATE...he will stay in the Mexican League and play for the Piratas de Campeche, a team in the South Division.

Skeeters end 4-game slide

After dropping 3 in a row to the visiting Patriots, the Skeeters needed to figure out a way to get a win. Bobby Livingston (3-2, 4.53 ERA) got the call for the Skeeters and Justin Cassel (1-5, 3.64 ERA) took the mound for the Patriots.

1 day...2 games...2 loses

GAME 1

The Skeeters started their day at 12:05pm with the 1st of 2 games on the schedule. Game 1 was played under protest by the Somerset Patriots because it would be a 7 inning game instead of 9...which is standard when there is a double-header being played.

As I sat in the outfield watching the game...I found out that Jason "BIG MAN" Botts was no longer with the team as he had been signed by a team in Japan. I also learned that Drew Locke had his contract purchased by the Houston Astros...and was headed to Corpus Christi even as the game was being played...thanks to my wife & Twitter! The good news is that a former Houston Astro joined the team...Jason Lane.

The Dark Side defeats the Rebel Alliance...this time

Ryan Ketchner got the got the ball for the Skeeters tonight and faced a very dominating opposing pitcher in Doug Arguello for the Somerset Patriots.

Things got off to a slow start for both teams...until "The Force" sided with the Patriots in the top of the 2nd. Ketchner pitched to 11 batters, allowing 7 runs on 5 hits...and an error by SS Iggy Suarez (who had 2 errors in the game). In the inning, Ketchner gave up a 1-out Grand Slam to Jeff Nettles.

Derrick Gordon came into the game in the 3rd inning and settled the Patriots bats down but got zero run support from the Skeeters bats. 

Gordon gave up 1 run in each of the last 2 innings (8th & 9th) to make the final score 9-0.

The Skeeters could do nothing at the plate and only tallied 5 hits for the entire game. Those 5 hits came from 3 Skeeters' batters...Bubba Bell (2-4), Drew Locke (2-4), & Matt Hagen (1-3, Walk).

Tonight was Star Wars themed, hence the nerding-out in the title, and saw Lord Vader toss out the first pitch. There were Star Wars themed fireworks after the game...it gave the crowd something to cheer for.

Hitting Streaks:

Matt Hagen (6)

Drew Locke (4)

The Skeeters & Patriots face each other TWICE tomorrow with a day/night double-header. The 1st game is scheduled for 12:05pm & the 2nd game is scheduled for 7:05pm. Both games will be 7-innings, unless there are "extra" innings because of a tie.

ALPB League Leaders (after June 7th games)
Batting AVG
1.      Jesus Merchan	(LAN)	.405
2.      Jimmy Van Ostrand	(SL)	.368
3.      Adam Godwin	(LAN)	.366
4.      Jason Botts	(SL)	.355
5.      Fehlandt Lentini	(LAN)	.343
Runs Scored
1.      Bryant Nelson	(LI)	30
2.      Drew Locke	(SL)	28
Lloyd Turner	(CMD)	28
4.      Jason Botts	(SL)	27 (+2 other players)

Skeeters lose despite 4 home runs

The Skeeters split the first 2 games so a win was needed badly to stay on pace with the top 2 teams in the division. Ryan Houston (1-2, 9.31 ERA) was given the start by Gaetti and faced Virgil Vasquez (3-1, 4.30 ERA) for the Blue Crabs.

Matt Wright now in Phillies organization

The Sugar Land Skeeters announced today that top pitcher, Matt Wright, had hi contract purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Wright was by far the best pitcher on the team so the opportunity is well deserved. Wright leaves the team with a 2-0 record on 8 games started. He pitched a total of 49 innings giving up 12 earned runs for a 2.20 ERA...2nd in the league among starting pitchers. He leads the league in strike outs with 47...an average just under 1 strike out per inning!

Wright will be missed in the rotation but hopefully things won't suffer too much and his replacement can step up and fill the big shoes Wright leaves behind.

GOOD LUCK MATT!!! KEEP MOWING 'EM DOWN!!!

Skeeters squeak by Blue Crabs...win 5-4

Bobby Livingston (2-2, 5.16 ERA) took to the mound for the Skeeters looking to add another win to his season totals. His opponent was Nick Green (4-1, 3.35 ERA) pitching for the Blue Crabs. The last time the Skeeters faced Green was on May 31st and they put 6 runs on the board off 8 hits in 5 innings and ended up winning the game 10-7. The Skeeters would need to win this game to stay out of a tie for the cellar dweller.

Blue Crabs pinch Skeeters in Game 1

The Skeeters needed another "W" in the win column tonight to stay out of the cellar but were not able to get it done. Ryan Ketchner, brand new Skeeters pitcher, got the nod from Gaetti while Deinys Suarez (1-2, 3.80 ERA) went for the Blue Crabs.

Game 2...pitcher's duel brings "extra" innings 

After the bullpen let one slip away after an hour rain delay, the Skeeters & Barnstormers took the field again in the 2nd game of the scheduled double-header. Matt Wright (2-0, 2.09 ERA) took the bump for the Skeeters while J.D. Durbin (1-3, 5.18 ERA) got the call for the Barnstormers. This is the first time for the Skeeters to face Durbin. Remember that in double-header games, only 7 innings are played instead of the full 9.

Bullpen loses Game 1 of double-header after rain delay

The Skeeters had a chance to pick up 2 games on the 1st place Barnstormers tonight as they played a double-header, the first double-header in franchise history. In Game 1, Heath Phillips (0-3, 3.57 ERA) got the call for game 1 and faced Rich Rundles (2-1, 3.30). The only time the Skeeters have faced Rundles, they scored 6 runs on 8 hits in 5.1 innings on their way to a 9-0 win. They hoped to keep that going in this game...and had 7 innings to get the win.

Skeeters held scoreless...first time ever

For the first time in franchise history, the Skeeters were held scoreless in a game as they fall 0-5 to the 1st place Lancaster Barnstormers.

Game 1 in Lancaster postponed due to weather...

Game 1 of the 3-game series between the Lancaster Barnstormers and Sugar Land Skeeters has been postponed due to heavy rain.

The game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader for Sunday, June 3rd, beginning at 3:05pm local time.

Game 2, scheduled for Saturday, will start at 6:00pm local time.