2011 Greater Akron AA League Awards
The Greater Akron AA Baseball League has announced it's award winners for the 2011 season.
Frank Garcia MVP Award - Phil Smith, Portage South Black Squirrels
Dave Young Pitcher of the Year - Walt Samson, Portage South Black Squirrels
Don Lombardi Rookie of the Year - T.J. Deininger, Players i Bulls
Dave Layton Tournament MVP Award - Mike Darrah, Portage South Black Squirrels
All-Star Game MVP - Phil Smith, Portage South Black Squirrels
Smith hit .489 for the year, which also earned him the league batting title, with 5 doubles, 3 triples and a homerun. He led the league in Slugging percentage (.800) and triples. His 22 hits were good enough for third in the league and was 4th with 18 RBI. Smith won the award by 1 point over teammate, Jimmy Jamieson.
Samson was 5-1 in 6 starts this season with a 1.58 ERA. He led the league in wins and strikeouts with 41. He walked only 5 batters in 40 innings of work. This was Samson second Dave Young Award, he also won in 2005 while playing with the Akron Storm.
Deininger finished his first season in the AA League with a .412 average, good enough for 4th in the league. He also had 21 hits, 4 doubles, 2 triples and 19 RBI.
Darrah went 7-14 in the tournament with a 2B, 3B, HR and 3 RBI. He also picked up a win over the Lasiks in the first game of the championship.
Smith, who had a part in all 3 of the AA All Stars runs, had a triple, a run scored and a RBI.
Portage South Wins First Title in Team History
The Portage South Black Squirrels and Akron Lasiks met for the third time in the tournament to decide the 2011 Greater Akron AA League Championship. The Lasiks got on the board in the top of the first with when Kevin Brown singled to left with 2 outs and stole second. Rob Beahn followed with a single that scored Brown. Portage South came right back with 2 runs in the bottom half of the inning. Tyler Rost walked to start the inning. Kevin Haley doubled to put runners at second and third. Jimmy Jamieson followed with a single that scored both runners. PS would push 3 more runs across in the third inning to make the score 5-1. Again, Rost walked to start the inning. Haley reached on an error and both runner were moved up by a Jamieson sacrifice bunt. Phil Smith singled to score Rost and Haley then stole second base. He would score on a Kyle Campfield double. The Lasiks got a run back in the fourth when Ryan Petrusky, Mike Christopher and Jamie Matvey, all singled to load the bases. Anthony Longhitano drew a walk to plate Petrusky. Portage South would open the game up in the sixth with a 4-run frame. Rost and Danny Campfield would single, followed by a Jamieson single that scored Rost. Smith would walk to load the bases and Mike Darrah singled to score Campfield and Jamieson. Smith then scored on a Ron Spears sacrifice fly. Walt Samson went the distance on the mound for the Black Squirrels for his second win in the tournament. Jamieson was 2-3 with 3 RBI for PS.
Mike Darrah was 2-4 with 2 RBI in the game. He went 7-14 in the tournament with a 2B, 3B, HR and 3 RBI. Darrah also picked up a win over the Lasiks in the first game of the championship. He was named the 2011 Dave Layton Tournament MVP. - Portage South 9, Akron Lasiks 2
2011 AA League Tournament Recap
Complete AA League Tournament Bracket
July 24, 2011
After 2 days of rain delayed games, the consolation final was played followed by game 1 of the Championship. In the consolation final, Portage South would face Team Diesel. Team Diesel would score a run in the top of the second for a 1-0 lead. Portage South came back with 2 runs in the bottom half of the inning to grab the lead. PS would score 4 more runs in the third and found themselves up 6-1. Diesel was able to get a run back in the fourth, then they scored 3 in the fifth to close the deficit to 1 at 6-5. Portage South held Team Diesel scoreless over the final 2 innings and won. Eric Schaffer went 5 innings on the mound for the win. Mike Price picked up the save with 2 scoreless innings of relief. Kevin Haley was 3-4 with 2 RBI for Portage South. Alan Krontz had 2 hits and a RBI for Team Diesel. - Portage South 6, Team Diesel 5
In the first game of the Championship, Portage South would meet Akron Lasiks for the second time in the tournament. The game was a pitcher's duel early with neither team scoring in the first 4 1/2 innings. The Lasiks would score a run in the fifth on a bases loaded walk to Rob Beahn to score Mike Christopher, who had singled to reach base. The score would remain 1-0 heading into the top of the seventh. Mike Darrah would leadoff the seventh inning for Portage South with a game tying homerun. In the ninth inning, PS got 4 straight singles to start the inning and push across 3 runs to make it 4-1. The Lasiks scored a run in the bottom half, but fell short 4-2. Mike Darrah went 8 2/3 innings for the win on the mound for Portage South. He also was 2-4 with a game tying HR in the seventh. Jamie Matvey had 2 hits to lead the Akron Lasiks' offense. The Portage South win forced a second game in the Championship. - Portage South 4, Akron Lasiks 2 (9 inn)
July 21, 2011
On Thursday, the AA League played the Winner's bracket final and the consolation semifinal. In the Winner's bracket final, the Akron Lasiks would take on the Portage South Black Squirrels. The Lasiks got 2 runs in the second to take the lead. Portage South cut that lead in half with a run in the bottom of the second, the Lasiks would 9 more runs over the next 3 innings and win 11-1. Nic Carucci allowed just one run in 5 innings of work for the win. Anthony Longhitano was 3-4 with a 2B and 4 RBI for the Lasiks. Jimmy Jamieson was 2-2 for Portage South. The loss also snapped a 18-game winning streak for the Black Squirrels. - Akron Lasiks 11, Portage South 1
In the consolation semifinal, Team Diesel and Alliance White PT would meet for the second time in the tournament. Each team scored a run in the third. The Diesel would grab the lead with a run in the fifth and sixth. Alliance would tie the game in the top of the seventh with a 2-run frame. The game would remained tied into the ninth inning. Alliance was able to get a run in the ninth inning to take the lead, but Team Diesel came with 2 runs in bottom half for the win on a walk off double by Mark Hayhurst. Pat Havens picked up the win on the mound for Diesel. - Team Diesel 5, Alliance White PT 4 (8 inn)
July 20, 2011
On Wednesday, the first round of the consolation bracket was played. The first game played was between Team Diesel and Canton Crew. The Crew score a run in the top of the first. Diesel came back with 5 runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Crew posted 3 runs in the top of the second to cut the lead to 5-4, but Team Diesel got 4 runs to push the lead out to 9-4. In the third, both teams score 2 runs, making the score 11-6. Canton got 3 runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to just 2 at 11-9, but Diesel held on for the win. Devin Dye, who picked up the win for Team Diesel, was also 2-3 with a 2B and 3 RBI. Mark Hayhurst also had a 3-run HR for Diesel and earned the save on the mound. - Team Diesel 11, Canton Crew 9
The second consolation game was Players i Bulls and Alliance White PT. Alliance took an early lead and never looked back as they won 9-3. Jeff Deckerd struck out 8 in his 7 innings of work for the victory. Matt Kulick was 2-2 for Alliance White. 2011 Don Lombardi Rookie of the Year winner, T.J. Deininger, was 2-3 in the loss for the Bulls - Alliance White PT 9, Players i Bulls 3
July 19, 2011
After rain washed the games from Monday to Tuesday, the second round games were played at the Ballpark in Hudson. The first game was Alliance White PT matching up with Portage South Black Squirrels. Portage South scored first with 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Alliance would come back and tie the game in the fifth with a 2-run frame. PS was able to push 2 more runs across in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead. Alliance was unable to score in the seventh and Portage South would win. Walt Samson went the distance for PS on the mound for the win, striking out 10 batters. Jesse Michel was 1-2 with 2 RBI including the game winning RBI for the Black Squirrels. Mickey Manser was 2-3 with a triple for Alliance. - Portage South 4, Alliance White PT 2
In the nightcap, the Canton Crew took on the Akron Lasiks. The Lasiks grabbed the lead in the first with a run and picked up 2 more in the fourth. They were able to break the game open with 5 runs in the fifth and posted one more run in the sixth to make it 9-0. Mike Grady struck out 13 batters in his complete game win for the Lasiks. Rob Beahn led the Akron Lasiks attack, going 2-4 with a 3B and 2 RBI. Grady also had 2 hits along with Kevin Brown and Scott Saylor. - Akron Lasiks 9, Canton Crew 0
July 17, 2011
The Greater Akron AA League Tournament began on Sunday, July 17th with 2 games being played at Kent Roosevelt High School. In the first game, Alliance White Physical Therapy matched up against Team Diesel. Alliance White PT took the lead with a run in the first inning. They followed with a run in the third, fourth and fifth to take a 4-0 lead. Team Diesel got on the board in the sixth with a run, but Alliance scored one more in the top of the seventh and won 5-1. Brad Thomas threw a complete game for Alliance, striking out 7 and allowing only one run. Anthony Beitler was 2-3 for Alliance to lead the offense. Matt Kulick and Jake Duvall also had 2 hits each for White PT. Mark Hayhurst was 2-3 for Team Diesel. - Alliance White PT 5, Team Diesel 1
In the second game of the opening round, Players i Bulls faced the Canton Crew. The Crew scored a pair of runs in the first inning for a 2-0 lead. Canton would tack on another run in the fifth inning to make it 3-0 and that's how it would end. Tyler Asbury threw a complete game shutout for the Canton Crew. Jake Stahl led the Crew attack, going 2-2 with 2 RBI. Taylor Branisel, Joe Chiarappa and Eric Napoli had 2 hits each for the Bulls. - Canton Crew 3, Players i Bulls 0
AA League Tournament Set to Begin Sunday, July 17th
After meeting on Saturday, July 16th to establish the AA League Tournament bracket, the matchups are set for Sunday, July 17th. In the 1:00PM game at Kent Roosevelt HS, Alliance White Physical Therapy (6-13-1) will take on Team Diesel (11-9). Players i Bulls (3-16-1) will meet Canton Crew (7-11-1) in the 4:00PM game at Kent Roosevelt. The winner of the first game will meet Portage South (17-3) at Kent Roosevelt on Monday with the game beginning at 6:00PM. Game 2 winner will face Akron Lasiks (13-5-1) at Sisler Field on Monday with that game also beginning at 6:00PM.
Greater Akron AA League Tournament Meeting
The Greater Akron AA League will be meeting on Saturday, July 15th to determine the league tournament braricket. The meeting will be held at Applebee's in Brimfield beginning at noon. In addition to establishing the bracket, the league awards will be voted on at the meeting as well. Managers, please bring any items required by the league still outstanding.
Greater Akron AA All Stars Get Victory Over Roy Hobbs All Stars
The Greater Akron AA League All Star team hosted the Roy Hobbs All Stars Tuesday night at the Ballpark at Hudson. Brad Thomas of Alliance White PT got the start on the mound for the Akron AA All Stars. He threw 2 scoreless innings allowing no hits. The AA All Stars got on the board early with 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning. After a Kevin Brown (Akron Lasiks) walk, Phil Smith (Portage South) tripled to score Brown. Rob Beahn of the Akron Lasiks followed with a single that scored Smith. Eric Schaffer (Portage South) and Dave Krusinski (Akron Lasiks) followed Thomas' lead on the mound with back-to-back scoreless innings.
In the top of the fifth, the Roy Hobbs All Stars tied the game with a 2 run frame. Brit Williams of the Horned Frogs and Dan Zust of the Hurricanes each had a RBI single in the inning. The game would remain tied 2-2 through 7 innings. In the bottom of the eighth, the AA All Stars would manufacture a run to take a 3-2 lead. After back-to-back walks, Phil Smith hit a groundball to third. The thirdbaseman stepped on third for the force, but threw the ball away at first. This allowed the runner from second to move up to third base. Smith also tried to advance to second on the errant throw, but was caught in a rundown. He stayed in it long enough to get the runner home from third. Dave Ford (Canton Crew), who came on in the 8th inning, threw 2 scoreless innings for the win.
Phil Smith of the Portage South Black Squirrels, who had a part in all 3 of the AA All Stars runs, had a triple, a run scored and a RBI to earn All Star Game MVP honors.
Box Score
AA League All Star Game
The Greater Akron AA Baseball League will hold an All Star game against the Akron Roy Hobbs Open Division All Stars at the Ballpark in Hudson. The game will be Tuesday, July 5th at 7:00pm.
2011 Regular Season Set to Begin May 31st
The Greater Akron AA Baseball League is set to begin the 2011 regular season on Tueday, May 31st. Team Diesel will travel to Kent Roosevelt for a game with the Portage South Black Squirrels while the Akron Lasiks will host Bulls Baseball in the Bulls first game in the AA League. Alliance and Canton Crew will start their seasons on Wednesday, June 1st.
Manager's Meeting - May 14, 2011
The Greater Akron AA Baseball League managers will be meeting at Legends Sports Bar in Green, OH on Saturday, May 14th. The meeting will begin at noon. The initial version of the 2011 regular season schedule will be finalized with the team managers. Initial submittal of roster, all available contracts and insurance forms will be requested. Baseball, lineup cards and scorebooks will be distributed to managers in good financial standing.
Greater Akron AA League Adds 2 New Teams
The Greater Akron AA Baseball League has added 2 new teams to the 4 returning teams from the 2010 season. Alliance, managed by Don Blackmon, will be joining the league. Blackmon was an assistant coach on the Alliance White PT team a few years ago and is now bringing his own team to the league. The second team to join is Bulls Baseball managed by Dennis Napoli. The Bulls will be playing their games in the Solon area. The Greater Akron AA League had 4 teams depart after the 2010 season.
Manager's Meeting Date Changed - April 6, 2011
The Greater Akron AA Baseball League Managers Meeting at Legends Sports Bar in Green, OH on Saturday, April 9th has been changed to Wednesday, April 6th. The meeting will begin at 7pm. The second $500 deposit fee is due at this meeting. The initial version of the 2011 regular season schedule will be discussed with the team managers.
Manager's Meeting - April 9, 2011
The Greater Akron AA Baseball League managers will be meeting at Legends Sports Bar in Green, OH on Saturday, April 9th. The meeting will begin at noon. The second $500 deposit fee is due at this meeting. The initial version of the 2011 regular season schedule will be discussed with the team managers.
First Manager's Meeting for 2011
The Greater Akron AA Baseball League will be holding the first Manager's Meeting of 2011 on Saturday, February 26th at noon. It will be held at Legend's Sports Bar in Green, OH. The $500 Team Deposit will be due at this meeting.
