Site Down(August 16, 2009)
As I'm sure you've noticed, the website has been down almost all week. Our hosting provider has server problems and I was unable to update the site. Hopefully next year we'll be able to provide daily updates. Results from the games and photos will be online later this week as I catch up with the backlog.
NATIONAL: New Orleans wins National Championship (August 16, 2009)
After losing a close 1-run game to New Brunswick on Monday, the New Orleans Boosters battled back to win 6 straight games and claim their 13th National Championship and first since 2000. New Orleans got their bats going with a 15-1 romp over Altoona. Wednesday saw NORD's toughest game, a 3-2 comeback win over Livonia. Lansing was eliminated 14-3 and newcomer Toledo's rally came up short as New Orleans advances 10-5. In a rematch against undefeated New Brunswick, NORD scored in every inning on way to a 14-0 blow out, putting them into their first championship game since 2005. There, they faced the surprising New Brunswick Matrix for the third time. NORD scored a single run in each odd inning, but New Brunswick kept the game close until the 8th innings, where timely NORD hits and errors from the Matrix broke the game open. New Orleans closed out the game at 9-0 to win the championship.
TWITTER: AAABA on Twitter (August 12, 2009)
Several people have been posting score updates on Twitter. Visit the site and search for "AAABA".
WEBSITE: Message Board Problems (August 12, 2009)
Our message board has been temporarily shut down. Instead, we'll be using a temporary board at http://www.jtownsports.proboards.com. Feel free to register and join the conversations, as well as to report scores for games you've attended.
NATIONAL: New Brunswicks wins third straight (August 12, 2009)
New Brunswick (12) Martella's (9)
Making their first appearance in the national tournament since 2004, the New Brunswick Matrix have beaten New Orleans, Columbus, and now Martella's Pharmacy of Johnstown to improve to 3-0. This is the first time since 1991 that New Brunswick has won 3 games, and only the 3rd time since 1980. In 1991, Larry Sporer's Edison Boys Baseball team finished 3rd to New Orleans and champion Baltimore.
New Brunswick jumped to a 6-0 lead after 3 innings. Martella's picked up 2 in the 4th, but those were quickly returned by the Matrix in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the 7th and trailing 8-2, Martella's loaded the bases with no outs and scores 5 runs. They stranded a man at third. The rally energized the home crowd, but a balk and hits-batsman put men on for New Brunswick who scored 4 times in the bottom of the inning to keep Martella's at a distance. The Johnstown entry added 2 more and brought the tying run to the plate in the 9th, but couldn't find the hits they needed. Both teams are expect to have the day off tomorrow as they await the outcome of Brooklyn's game, which awaits the outcome of tonight's Johnstown / Youngstown game.
Zanesville (6) Buffalo (4)
The Junior Pioneers went 12 innings without scoring a run before drawing a walk-in run with the bases loaded against Schenectady. The early morning win seems to have sparked the Pioneers, as they opened a 5-0 lead over Buffalo's Ken Hy Auto at Arcurio and hung on for a 6-4 win. Buffalo is eliminated, while Zanesville will play against the winner of the Toledo / Columbus game (no report).
NATIONAL: New Orleans and Zanesville advance (August 12, 2009)
Zanesville (4) Schenectady (2)
After being mercy-ruled on Opening Night, the Junior Pioneers from Zanesville benefitted from a bad innings from Schenectady PNA to scrap together a 4-2 win. Schenectady led 2-0 after 4 innings, but walked the first two batters in the 5th on 8 pitches. A bunt single loaded the bases, and a walk brought in Zanesville's first run of the tournament.
An apparent double-play ball was bobbled at second, allowing the tying run to score. Zanesville then took the lead on a balk call. The Polaks allowed another run on an error, and were unable to generate anymore offense. Schenectady is eliminated with an 0-2 record, while Zanesville plays Buffalo today at 3 PM at Arcurio in another elimination game.
New Orleans (3) Livonia (2)
The Game of the Day was at Roxbury, featuring two favorites in an elimination game. After 3 scoreless innings, New Orleans rallied to get on the board with a run. In the bottom of the inning, lead-off batter Stephen Anderson hit a 345-ft solo home run to tie the game. Livonia took the lead later in the inning, but the Boosters battled back to take a 3-2 lead in the 7th. NORD pitching then held off the Rams to earn a big victory, and hand Livonia its second one-run loss, eliminating the Rams from the tournament.
As expected, the game had a big turnout of vocal fans and provided a close, exciting game between these two popular teams. New Orleans next opponent is currently unknown due to the rain-out of opening night.
NATIONAL: Johnstown wins big, first 3 teams eliminated (August 11, 2009)
Johnstown (13) Zanesville (0)
With heavy rains on Monday night forcing the postponement of Johnstown's first game, the hometown players were anxious to hit the field on Tuesday. Delweld wasted no time, scoring 6 times in the first three innings to open a 6-0 lead against the Junior Pioneers from Zanesville. The Pioneers stayed in the game and threatened to score, but failed to bring a man home. In the bottom of the sixth, the Pioneers went to their bullpen and came up empty, walking many batters and allowing 7 runs to score, including on walks and wild pitches. That built the Johnstown lead to 13-0 which ended the game early on the mercy-rule.
Due to the rain delay, Zanesville has the unenviable task of now playing an elimination game at 10 AM against Schnectady, who was off today. Johnstown will play their second game on Wednesday night against the Youngstown Metros.
Toledo (3) Philadelphia (1)
Philadelphia and Toledo each had great showings at their regionals and had high hopes coming into Johnstown. But, after a loss on Monday, they had to face each other on the second day in an elimination game. Toledo took a 3-1 lead into the 5th and kept the score the same for the next four innings, ending the game on a hurried out at first base. The win is the Toledo franchise's first win in the national tournament and eliminates the Philadelphia Bandits.
Philadelphia manager Dave Amaro: "Their pitcher pitched a real nice game. We couldn't make adjustments to him and he kepts us off balance all game."
Martella's (2) Livonia (1)
Livonia trounced Toledo with 14 runs and a mercy-rule win on Monday, but the Rams faced a much tougher defensive team on Tuesday at the Point Stadium. Martella's Pharmacy of Johnstown exchanged runs with the Rams in the third, and then scored one more in the 8th to win a close 2-1 game. Martella's remains in the winner's bracket at 2-0, while Livonia drops to the loser's bracket at 1-1
New Brunswick (10) Columbus (6)
New Brunswick remains undefeated by defeating Columbus and will face Johnstown's Martella's Pharmacy tomorrow.
Brooklyn (8) Buffalo (3)
Another New York based team, the Bonnie Rams of Brooklyn, also remained undefeated with an 8-3 over cross-state opponent Buffalo Ken Hy Auto. Brooklyn will have Wednesday off as they await the winner of the Johnstown / Youngstown game, which will be played at 7:30 PM.
Lansing (10) Elk County (5)
Lansing doubled-up Elk County to remain alive in the tournament. Lansing will have Wednesday off as they await the loser of the Johnstown / Youngstown game. Elk County, who lost to Brooklyn on Monday, is eliminated.
New Orleans (15) Altoona (1)
As the only Big Four team in the tournament, the NORD Boosters were expected to make a deep run in the tournament. But on Monday afternoon, they lost a close game to New Brunswick and found themselves in the loser's bracket on only the second day. With their backs to the wall, NORD came out swinging against Altoona and put up 6 runs in the first two innings, driving out the starting pitcher and reigniting hopes for the Boosters and their fans.
NATIONAL: Opening Night Rained Out (August 10, 2009)
With a strong hope for the local team in this year's tournament, fans packed the Point Stadium for Opening Night. The pre-game parade gave the fans and players a chance to savor one of the highlights of the tournament. But, as the national anthem hit its last note, the skies unleashed a torrential downpour that lasted until the AAABA was forced to postpone the game until tomorrow night.
NATIONAL: Comebacks the norm on Day 1 (August 10, 2009)
The first of the 65th Annual AAABA has been full of memorable games, with come-from-behind victories in many games.
Martella's (8) Philadelphia (4)
The early game featured Philadelphia and Martella's Pharmacy of Johnstown. A rusty start for Martella's featured two missed outs at second base, allowing Philly to load the bases and walk in the first run. Some timely hitting made it 3-0 Bandits in the first. But Martella's battled back from the early deficit and gave the locals fans reason to cheer as they come away with an 8-4 victory.
Columbus (4) Altoona (3)
Another almost-local team, Johnston Realty of Altoona, held a 3-2 lead over the Columbus Bandits in the seventh inning in front of a large crowd at Lilly. But the Ohioans scored a pair in the final 3 innings to overtake Altoona and win 4-3.
New Brunswick (5) New Orleans (4)
New Orleans came in to today's action as a favorite to win the tournament, as the NORD Boosters are the only 'Big Four' team competing this year. NORD lead a close game 2-1, but was also narrowly edged out by New Brunswick 5-4. As a result, Columbus and New Brunswick will play tomorrow, with New Orleans and Altoona playing in an elimination game.
Livonia (14) Toledo (4)
One game that did not have a comeback victory was in St. Michael, where the veterans Livonia Rams blasted their way past newcomer Toledo 14-4 in seven innings. Livonia chased the starting pitcher before the end of the 2nd inning, and let 6-0 after 2. The Rams' bats seemed to hit everything deep. Livonia will play Martella's tomorrow, while Toledo will play Philadelphia in an elimination game.
Buffalo (8) Lansing (7)
In Portage, it was a back-and-forth game. Buffalo held a 2-0 lead in the fourth, but Lansing came through with a big offensive inning, having the tying run walked home and scoring two more to take a 4-2 lead. However, as they did in their playoff series, Buffalo's Ken Hy Auto battled back and pulled out an 8-7 victory.
Brooklyn (9) Elk County (2)
The Bonnie Rams from Brooklyn broke open a 4-1 game in the bottom of the 8th with 5 runs, all unearned, with help from mental lapses from the Elk County defense. While the Kersey Diamonds were able to get one back in the 9th, Brooklyn rolled to the 9-2 win. Roger Beimel, manager for Elk County, said "We started off well, and they hadn't hit it out of the infield, and then all of a sudden were four runs down. The mental errors killed us. We play decent defense, but we didn't today."
Brooklyn manager Jerry Katzke seemed to agree: "It wasn't a clean game, but when we had to make the plays, we made them. The gave us some runs early, and we got some runs later ourselves." Brooklyn will play Buffalo tomorrow in a Battle for New York. Lansing plays Elk County in an elimination game.
Youngstown (11) Schenectady (7)
Finally, Youngstown put on a strong offensive showing, scoring 11 runs and defeating Schenectady PNA 11-7. Youngstown will play the winner of the Johnstown/Zanesville game tonight, with the loser playing Schenectady in an elimination game.
There is still one more game tonight, and that's the official tournament opener at the Point Stadium between Johnstown Delweld and the Zanesville Junior Pioneers.
NATIONAL: Play begins today (August 10, 2009)
The 65th Annual All American Amateur Baseball Association National Tournament kicks off this morning at 11:00AM at the historic Point Stadium in downtown Johnstown. Altoona Regional runner-up Philadelphia Bandits will play Johnstown City League runner-up Martella's Pharmacy in a game that is sure to draw a large crowd. Philadelphia has finished in the Top 5 the past two seasons and defeated 6-time defending champion Baltimore in the regional. Martella's Pharmacy is the second Johnstown entry in this year's tournament, as they were brought in when Washington withdrew mere hours before registration.
Elsewhere around town, New Brunswick will play perennial favorite New Orleans at Roxbury at noon. New Orleans' stock has improved considerably this season with Baltimore and Washington absent, but former NORD manager Joe Scheuerman knows that "you've still got to beat who you play."
Schenectady PNA plays the Youngstown Metros at Arcurio Field (aka Johnstown Middle School, formerly Fichtner Field) at noon.
The remaining afternoon games will be played at outlying fields. Columbus will play Altoona at their almost-home field in Lilly. Altoona manager Kurt Farabaugh is in his last season with the team, and is looking to end his run with a national championship. His team won the Altoona Regional last week, including an elimination game over Baltimore, and are "jelling real well." Bob Godlewski, with Schenectady, has been coming to the AAABA Tournament since 1971 and managing since 1977. "Each year varies, but they still get great players in this tournament," he says.
First-time team Toledo brings high hopes to Saint Michael where they will play seven-year veterans Livonia at noon. Toledo won the Zanesville regional with a 3-0 record and are being expected to put forth a strong showing for their first year. Livonia always brings a strong team, and with two big contendors out, have moved into a spot as favorites for the championship this year.
In Portage, Lansing plays Buffalo at noon. The Buffalo team, Ken Hy Auto, is in only its third year of existence. In their first year, the team went winless in fourteen games, but finished 2nd in their league this year and won two, 3-game playoff series, coming from an 0-1 series deficit in both.
Brooklyn's Bonnie Rams qualified for the national tournament by eliminating fan favorites Youth Service in a tence 9-game series in New York. The Rams won the 9th and deciding game 4-3. They will play Elk County's Kersey Diamonds at Revloc and noon.
The final game of the day will be the official opener at Point Stadium, with the Zanesville Junior Pioneers taking on Johnstown Delweld. Pre-game ceremonies are to begin at 6:30 PM, including the player's parade, with the game beginning at 7:30.
The tournament bracket is available on this website under the 'National' section. Tomorrow's games and times will be determined based on today's results and will be announced later this evening.
NATIONAL: Opening Day Pairings Posted (August 9, 2009)
The opening day pairings have been selected and posted! Johnstown (Delweld) will open against Zanesville (Junior Pioneers) at 7:30 PM at the Point Stadium. All other games are at noon, except for the Philadelphia vs Johnstown (Martella's) game which will begin at 11:00 AM at Point Stadium.
At noon, Columbus plays Altoona at Lilly; New Orleans plays New Brunswick at Roxbury; Toledo plays Livonia at Saint Michael; Brooklyn plays Elk County at Revloc; Lansing plays Buffalo at Portage; and Schenectady and Youngstown play at Arcurio. For more information on the opening day schedule, go to the national tournament section of this website.
Chris Delsignore (pictured left), manager for Johnstown Delweld, is in the unusual situation of sharing the spotlight with fellow Johnstown entry Martella's Pharmacy. Delweld, as city winner, will be considered the main Johnstown entry just as they have for the past 2 tournaments.
"I'm worried about Zanesville, not Martella's," said DelSignore. Delweld beat Zanesville 5-4 on the third day in 2008 and will look to their veterans to help guide them to another win this year.
"Our younger guys can lean on the veterans so they know what to expect and get the opening night jitters out."
Zanesville manager Doug Pollock (pictured right) knows the pressures a team faces on opening night. His Junior Pioneers lost on opening night to Johnstown 17-0 in 2004 and 13-1 in 2005.
"The kids are excited; this is what they wanted. We talked to the kids about opening night, but they've got to experience it for themselves."
Pollock thinks that this will be an "interesting tournament" without Baltimore and Washington. "Some teams, like Johnstown, have played well in past years and won four games, but then ran into one of those big guys and were eliminated."
One of those teams has been Altoona's Johnston Realty. This year, Altoona is certain to get extra attention from their opponents since they eliminated Baltimore in the regional competiton.
"I hope we don't have a target on our backs," said Altoona manager Kurt Farabaugh, "but word spreads fast." Since tournament competition is already tough, Farabaugh is hoping that his team can slide under the radar. The veteran manager is also hoping for a possible rematch against Johnstown. Altoona defeated Johnstown 2-1 in extra innings on opening night in 2007. "It would be great to see us two meet up again." With Altoona being only an hour away from Johnstown, they get plenty of fan support at their games, but Farabaugh recognizes that being only an hour away is still out-of-town when playing the hometown Johnstown squad. "The tournament is a big tradition and there's always a big crowd in Johnstown, and we know if we get to play them, we won't be the fan favorites."
NATIONAL: Registration and Banquet Photos Online (August 9, 2009)
Click here for photos from Sunday's player registration and banquet.
NATIONAL: Registrations underway (August 9, 2009)
Beginning this morning, sixteen teams began registering for the 65th annual AAABA National Tournament, including two Johnstown entries. With the exception of the last-minute Washington withdrawl, registration appears to be going smoothly and spirits are high for the upcoming tournament.
The seven fields for this year's tournament will be Lilly, Portage, St. Michael (Forest Hills), Arcurio (formerly Fitchner), Roxbury, Revloc, and Point Stadium. As host, Johnstown's Delweld will play at the Point Stadium for each night game. Johnstown's Martella's Pharmacy will play in the afternoon in the upper bracket in place of the Washington franchise.
George Arcurio III says that the use of a second Johnstown entry is something that has been talked about for a while.
"We talked about at our meeting this winter. We think that having two Johnstown entries would help to support the tournament financially, and it would increase the competition at the regionals with one less spot available."
Chris Pfeil, manager for Martella's Pharmacy, has had a wild weekend, as he found out shortly before dinner on Saturday that his team would be competing in the national tournament. Martella's lost to Delweld in the Johnstown City championship, but was asked to fill in for Washington, which withdrew from the tournament Saturday afternoon.
"It's an unconventional way to get in, but we're excited, said Pfiel.
Pfeil has had almost no time to muster his players, who were expecting to watch this year's tournament from the sidelines. Martella's will have very little time to prepare, both mentally and physically.
"The last sixteen hours have been hectic, but we got all of our guys and we're going to have a workout this afternoon before the banquet."
While Pfiel has managed the Johnstown host team in the past, this will be his first time as an 'out-of-town' manager. Martella's will not play the night game unless Delweld is eliminated.
"It will be a different dynamic. When the host team plays the night game, there's a lot of hoopla and distractions. Maybe we'll get to play a simpler game."
Prior to the lunch break, Delweld, Zanesville, Altoona, New Orleans, Elk County, Youngstown, Philadelphia, and Martella's have registered.
Click here for archived news articles.