Waterford Still Alive; Last League Meeting
The Waterford Rivermen won their first of two games over the weekend, assuring them that they would stay alive for at least another game in the Grand Championship Tournament.
The Southwest representatives beat defending champion Butler in Butler on Saturday, 6-2. Waterford then hosted Cedarburg on Sunday, as the game was tied 5-5 heading into the eighth inning. However, the Mercs tallied four runs in the frame and that's the way the game ended, in a 9-5 Cedarburg win. Adam Brechtl had a bomb to help Waterford's cause. Cedarburg's 7 thru 9 hitters did most of the damage, going a combined 7-for-12 and driving in all but one of their runs.
The Rivermen (1-1) got the weekend off, as Cedarburg (2-0) and Brookfield (1-1) square off in the double elimination Grand Championship this coming Sunday. The Bulldogs beat Butler (0-2) on Sunday to stay alive and eliminate the defending champs.
Waterford will play the winner of Brookfield and Cedarburg on September 7th.
Meanwhile, the Southwest heads of trust had their final meeting of the summer and voted on awards. They are as follows:
League MVP: Adam Brechtl, .540 avg. 1.089 slg, 11 HR, 10 2B, 3B, 58 RBI, 31 runs
MVPitcher: Todd Nabor, 11-2, 98 innings, 123 K's
Rookie of the Year: Andy Sturtevant, .407, 2 HR, 21 RBI
All-Star Game MVP: Justin Keegan (3-for-3, 3B, run) and Steve Ems (3-for-3, run, RBI)
Manager of the Year: Bart Nowicki, Waterford
Homerun leader: Adam Brechtl, 11
Hitting Champ: Todd Nieuwenhuis, .579
One final note, be sure to keep checking out the Rome site, as The Oracle starts making his 2008 Prep Football picks - his favaorite time of the year!!
Week 1: Todd Nabor (East Troy) - Nabs was the man, not giving up an earned run in his team's 16-5 blasting of Genesee. He also finished the game with 16 K's. He showed his muscle at the dish by going 4-for-5 with two doubles, making him Week 1's POTW!
Week 2: Todd Nabor (East Troy) - For the first time in POTW history, there is a back-to-back winner. Nabor has had maybe the best two weekends of anyone in recent history. After not giving up an earned run a week ago, Nabs decided to one-hit the Dousman Frogs, as he took a perfect game into the seventh inning before giving up an infield hit. Nabor also helped himself out by not walking anybody. He didn't stop there, garnering two more hits on the season, including a double, in his team's 18-0 shalacking of Dousman.
Week 3: Adam Brechtl (Waterford) - There were several quality performances this week, however, the nod goes to Adam Brechtl. Waterford desperately needed someone to step up for them since they were missing three of their top hitters, and Beef did just that. Brechtl went 4-for-7 with two bombs, three runs and 8 RBIs. It was part of a 21-1 drubbing of Rome. A loss would have hurt Waterford, but they seem to be heading back on track thanks to Beef.
Week 4: Washed Out!
Week 5: Ryan McCormick, Jeff Luedtke, and Dave Lebak (Burlington) - The Barons played three games over the weekend, including a double dip against Mukwonago where pitchers Ryan McCormick, Jeff Luedtke and Dave Lebak combined to throw the first no-hitter of the year in the Southwest. The trio held down a pretty stout Mukwonago lineup that scored an average of 11 runs in their first three games. The no-hitter also catapulted the Barons throughout the weekend, gaining the sweep of Muktown and pounding Farmington the very next day to move into second place at 5-1 on the year.
Week 6: Wade Axelson, Adam Brechtl (Waterford) - The Waterford Rivermen pounded out 51 runs in two games over Memorial Weekend. Axelson and Brechtl were right in the middle of it, putting up video game-like stats. Axelson led a Waterford offense on Saturday that scored 32 runs by going 4-for-6 with a Grand Slam and six runs batted in. Beef picked up where Axelson left off on Sunday against East Troy by going 4-for-6 as well with a home run - his league leading fifth of the year - and a double to go along with 6 RBIs of his own. The Rivermen find themselves right behind North Prairie once again and look to be headed to another offensive showcase season.
Week 7: Jay Peterson (Delavan) - It didn't help that Peterson was the only nominee for this week, so it has to be him. He did have a very nice game against Farmington, though, as he was batting leadoff in place of the absent Joel Katte. Peterson was on base 10 of his 12 at-bats, as he went 5-for-7 with five walks. He also scored seven of the teams 31 total runs during the sweep of the Braves.
Week 8: Washed Out!
Week 9: Chris Houk, Kris Sagert (Rome) - The two came up big in the sweep of Delavan this week. Sagert had the eventual game-winning hit in the top of the ninth inning to break a 4-4 tie on Wednesday night, and added two more hits, including a home run, to give Rome the lead for good on Sunday. Houk, meanwhile, has found his stroke, as he went 2-for-3 on Wednesday and had another 2-for-3 performance on Sunday. However, his two hits on Sunday were three and two-run homers, as he finished the week by going 4-for-6 with four runs, two home runs, four walks and 6 RBI.
Week 10: Todd Nieuwenhuis (Delavan)/Andy Sturtevant (Genesee) - Both of these guys desreve the POTW not only for their individual performaces, but because they have kept their teams afloat and are in the hunt for a playoff spot. Nieuwenhuis blasted two more home runs in a double dip sweep against Burlington on Sunday, giving him four on the season. He also raised his batting average to a league-high .529. His team now stands just a half game out of the sixth spot at 5-7. Sturtevant, who is a newcomer to Genesee and was just named an All-Star, went 5-for-5 with a home run and 5 RBI in the double dip sweep against Rome. His RBI single in the fourth frame ended up being the game-winner in Game 1. After a rough start, Genesee now is alone in the sixth spot at 6-7.
Week 11: Need some Help!!
Week 12: Derek Roberts (Genoa City) - It's very rare to see any Genoa City pitcher go more than a couple of innings at a time, but the Red Dogs couldn't take Derek Roberts out of the game, as he just mowed down the Sullivan Rooster lineup in his team's 10-0 victory. Roberts threw the first 9 inning no-hitter of the season against a Sullivan offense who gets a good amount of baserunners. Roberts really isn't the ace of the Genoa City staff, but they'll obviously be using his arm more during the stretch run. The 10-0 shutout win helps GC stay within a couple of games of Waterford for first place.
Week 13: Chris Houk (Rome)/Kim Walters (North Prairie) - It's another tie for Player of the Week. Houk has been on an absolute tear for Rome, as he's a big reason why the Raiders are now in sixth place. Houk went 5-for-7 in a double dip against Farmington, including 3 doubles, a three-run jack, 6 RBIs, 3 runs and a walk. As for Walters, he's supposed to be retired. But because of some unforseen circumstances coming out of North Prairie, Walters unretired, a la Brett Favre, and came up big against Burlington. Walters pitched a complete game in Game 1, getting the win, and hit the go-ahead three-run home run. With the help of Walters' bat and arm, NP is still right on Waterford's tail for first place.
Week 14: Todd Grafenauer (Mukwonago)/Nick Hunt (Waterford) - This is was too tough to choose, so we have another tie. Although the Lakers went just 1-2 in Week 14, Grafenauer has been on a tear like no other. The veteran second baseman went 9-for-12 with two home runs, 11 RBIs and two doubles. Nck Hunt, who is usually in the shadows of Anthony Kozelek over in Waterford, pitched the Rivermen into sole possession of first place on Monday night. After his team got shellacked, 11-3, the day before against North Prairie, Hunt went the distance on Monday in virtaully a game for all the marbles. He through six perfect innings before giving up a leadoff hit to Cody Nowak in the top of the seventh. He only faced one batter over the minimum and finished with 10 strikeouts.