Sheps split double header in a tale of two slams

Joey Linn - LA MIRADA, Calif.

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Box Score 2

Game Summary

The Shepherds competed in a double header against the Sparrows on Saturday, July 6th. Both games were similar in their nature, but not in their outcome. Philip Wall got the start for game 1, and pitched a very solid game before handing the ball over to the sure handed bullpen. His offense was quiet for most of the game until who else but Austin Caulk stepped to the dish with the bases loaded and promptly unleashed on a fastball and sent it way over the wall for a grand slam. The HR was Austin’s 6th of the year, and his 2nd grand slam. This pushed the lead out too far for the Sparrows to ever reach, despite some a late game push.

Game number two was a similar story with a different outcome. The Sheps had right hander Joey Acosta on the hill, and he was dominant throughout. Joey surrendered 1 run early on an RBI infield single, but was lights out until the 7th inning. Some shaky defense and unlucky bounces saw Joey give up 2 runs that gave the Sparrows a 3-2 lead. The Shepherds would see this lead expand however, when they found themselves on the wrong side of a grand slam in the 7th inning. This pushed the lead to 7-2, and despite a few comeback attempts, the team fell short and split the double header in a tale of two slams.

The team will now take their talents to the coaching side of the ball this week, when they serve at another baseball camp before returning to game action.

Shepherds drop heartbreaker in extras

Joey Linn - LA MIRADA, Calif.

Box Score

Game Summary

The Shepherds started this ballgame against the South Bay Sliders in a 4-0 hole after 2 innings. Starting pitcher Roy Washburn had success with his off speed pitches, but the Sliders took advantage of some early misplaced fastballs. Despite being down early, the Sheps responded with 2 runs of their own, highlighted by a Nic Costas RBI triple, to cut the lead in half. Those 2 runs were quickly given back, when the Sliders pushed the lead out to 6-2 the very next inning. The game would remain around this run differential throughout, until the Shepherds finally broke through in the 7th inning. After trimming the deficit to only 2 runs, Austin Caulk stepped to the plate representing the tying run. He wasted no time jumping on the first pitch he saw and destroying it to left field for a 2-run game tying blast. The fans, players, and broadcasters all erupted as the Shepherds had come all the way back to tie things at 7-7 in the 7th.

The score would remain tied the rest of the way, behind clutch pitching outings from power arms Blake Bolgiano and Liam Neri. Both hard throwing right handers were able to hold the Sliders at bay until the top half of the 10th when two runners reached base, and ultimately scored on a base hit to centerfield that Sawyer Smith dived for, but saw the baseball rattle in and out of his glove.

It was an incredible effort by the Shepherds to remain in the game throughout, and once of the most exciting games of the season, despite the loss.

Next Game

The next game will be on Saturday, back at Biola University.

Oilers Can't Stop Full-Strength Shepherds

Joey Linn – LA MIRADA, Calif.

Game Summary

The Shepherds got back in the win column on Tuesday evening, with an 8-4 victory over the Signal Hill Oilers. The Shepherds improved to 3-0 over the Oilers, as they are becoming a team that the Sheps presumably match up well against. The win improved the team to 10-4, and snapped 2-game losing streak, which was the first of the season. After an error riddled game that saw a make shift defense surrender a tough loss, the Shepherds were more than pleased with the showing from their starting 9 today.

Moments That Mattered

The Shepherds scored first in this one on a Clayton Espino sacrifice fly in the top half of the 2nd inning. However, drawing first blood was not the momentum shifter quite yet. The team still had a bad taste in their mouth after failing to score in the top of the first with bases loaded no outs. Starting pitcher Joey Scottvold struggled with his command early, which allowed baserunners for the Oilers to reach without hitting their way on. Scottvold surrendered a couple of runs early on, but would quickly settle down and never look back. He ended up giving the team 5 innings of 2 hit baseball and gave the Sheps in a great chance to win. The biggest moment of the game was not pitching related, but was the Austin Caulk blast that sucked the life out of the Oilers. Caulk had a big day at the plate also adding a double to his bomb.

After the first away game of the season, first baseman Austin Caulk talks about the contribution his home run made to the victory.

 Next Game

The next game will be a special 4th of July classic on Thursday back home at Biola. The Shepherds will face off against the South Bay Sliders that they are currently 3-0 against on the season. The full-strength roster of the Shepherds is back and rolling once again, as they look to continue their ascent to the top of the league.

New Rotation Slows Shepherds

Connor Taylor - FCA

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Game Summary

The Shepherds struggled Sunday night with multiple players in new positions. The Shepherds had four players in new positions with the infield having a completely new look. The Redbirds got moving early by scoring four runs in the first inning and never looked back. On the other side, the Shepherds struggled to get much going offensively while putting up a four-spot on the board through nine innings. Overall, the Shepherds fought to get anything going on offense and defense and eventually fell 13-4.
Up Next

The Shepherds play their first away game Tuesday, July 2, against the Signal Hill Oilers.

Sheps battle to split with Pirates

Connor Taylor - FCA

BOX SCORE 1 BOX SCORE 2

Game 1

The Shepherds found themselves down after six innings 3-1 because of the inability to put up a run on the scoreboard until the bottom of the sixth. The team struggled to bring runners in early while leaving many on base. As always, the Shepherds continued to fight hard despite being down 4-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth. The Shepherds finally found their groove in the eighth by putting up five runs on the board to take the lead 6-4. Blake Bolgiano came into the ninth to close the game by not even letting up a single hit.

Game 2

The second game was a different story with the Shepherds falling behind early, and the they were never able to crawl their way back into the game. The Shepherds struggled defensively by giving up nine runs and fourteen hits. Caleb Pollema had a strong outing while tossing for four innings and only allowing one run. Again, the Shepherds struggled to get their bats going by only scoring two runs with the Pirates putting up nine runs, but don't expect the Shepherds to stay down for long because the Shepherds have yet to lose back-to-back games.

Up Next

The next game for the Shepherds will be tomorrow at home against the Redbirds at 4:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on Facebook Live through the FCA So Cal Baseball page.

Dominant Pitching Seals Saturday Sweep

Connor Taylor - FCA

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Pitchers Blake Bolgiano and Philip Wall join infielder Sebastian Dunn to comment on a big double-header sweep.

Game 1 

The Shepherds struggled to get their bats going early in the game, but strong pitching from Philip Wall kept the Shepherds in the game while only letting up one earned run through six innings. Austin Caulk finally got the offense up and running with his third home run on the season coming in the 4th inning making the Shepherds take the lead 2-1. After the home run, the Shepherds could not be contained with putting up twelve runs for the first game. Sebastian Dunn led the Shepherds during game one with three runs, two hits, and an RBI. 

Game 2

The second game started to look gloomy with the Pirates taking an early 2-0 lead after the 1st inning. Roy Washburn bounced back quickly though by not giving up another run through six innings. The Shepherds continued to have great pitching throughout the rest of the game by only letting up one more run in the 8th inning. Blake Bolgiano came into the game in the bottom of the 8th with two players on base and escaped the inning without giving up a run. Bolgiano continued his excellent pitching by closing the game in the 9th inning while only giving up one hit. The Shepherds took game two of a score of 4-3.

Up Next

The Shepherds will have a week off from games because of their FCA baseball camps. Their next game is June 29th against the Ventura County Pirates for a doubleheader matchup at 1 p.m. 

Pirate's Bats Halt Win Streak

Joey Mistretta - LA MIRADA, Calif.

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RECAP

The Shepherds played their first game after returning from Mexico on Friday, June 21. The first three innings went rather smoothly for both teams. Pitcher Joey Scotvold only made one mistake which led a solo home run. However, the opposing pitcher, Deandray Carter, was also good and allowed zero runs through the first three innings. However, Scotvold ran into trouble in the first and the Pirates scored 6 runs in the inning. Two of those runs came off a mammoth home run from a Pirates hitter. Scotvold’s final line was 4 IP with 7 runs allowed (6 earned.) That was the beginning of the end for the Shepherds as they would go on to drop the game 13-3

Moments that mattered

The Fourth inning was a major turning point in the game. The game was close and pitching duel was on the line. However, the Pirates break out gave them a 7 run advantage and they never looked back.

The defense for the Pirates played a tremendous game as they posted a number of highlight reel plays and led to much frustration for the Shepherds hittters.

Next Game

The Shepherds will host another double header on Saturday, June 22 at Biola University. The games will start at 1:00 and game 2 will depend on when game 1 ends, but it should be around 4:30.

Walk Off Walk Seals the Sweep

Philip Wall, Nic Costas, and Clayton Espino offer their thoughts on a doubleheader sweep following a walkoff win in the second game. Antics abound in the background.

Connor Taylor - FCA 

BOX SCORE 1 BOX SCORE 2

Game 1 
The first game was characterized by another excellent pitching performance by Philip Wall. Wall pitched six innings and only let up two runs on the day. The Shepherds were walked fourteen times during the first game and had six hits. The team was steady throughout the day with only letting up three runs as a whole with a good offensive day by putting eight runs on the board. 

Game 2

The Shepherds struggled to get their bats going early in the second game with only scoring one run through five innings, while the Orange County Legends brought in eight runs through the top of the sixth inning. The tide started to turn after the top of the sixth with the Shepherds finally scoring another run in the bottom of the sixth.

After the seal was reopened, the Shepherds couldn't be contained while scoring seven runs in the last three innings. Caleb Pollema closed the outing with pitching the last two innings and allowing zero hits. The Shepherds eventually won off of a walk-off walk by Chad Ragland to win the game 9-8. 

 Up Next 

The Shepherds head to Mexico this week to serve at an orphanage and their next game will be next Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Biola University against the Ventura County Pirates. The game will be streamed on Facebook Live through the FCA So Cal Baseball page.

Sheps Split tough Doubleheader

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Shepherds drop game 1

The first game was a tough one for the Shepherds as their offense struggled to get any sort of rally going. While they had their chances, the ended up losing the game 1-0. The lone run of the game came after a triple and then a sacrifice fly. Starting pitcher Roy Washburn pitched a good game only giving up the run over 7 innings.

Offense rebounds in game 2

Saturday’s games were opposites in terms of offense. The bottom of the first opened with a single, walk, single then an Austin Caulk grand slam giving the Shepherds an early 4-0 lead. From there they never looked back and went on to take the game by a final score of 11-2.

Upcoming games

The Shepherds will take the next week off of baseball as they will host their annual FCA baseball youth camps.

Shepherds take 2 in 1 day

BOX SCORE 1 BOX SCORE 2

LA MIRADA Calif. – Joey Linn

The So Cal Shepherds had a big day on Thursday, taking both games of their double header against the Signal Hill Oilers. The two games were very different from each other, although both ended in wins for the Shepherds. Game 1 was started by Philip Wall, who is quickly emerging ads a pitching ace for the team. Wall dealt with some misfortune early in the game, when some runners reached base via soft hit balls that happened to find grass. He settled in, however, and was able to cruise through the next 5 innings.

In game 2, the Shepherds handed the ball to Joey Scottvold. Coming off his high school graduation, Joey was quickly acclimated by being thrown in to start his first collegiate level baseball game. Joey, like Phil in game 1, surrendered a run early. This run would ultimately be the only one scored off of him all game, as he went 8 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, and got the W.

 Moments that mattered:

The Shepherds took game 1 by a score of 6-4. The difference in the game was when cleanup hitter Austin Caulk stepped up to the plate, trailing by a run, and crushed a hanging breaking ball over the left field wall for a go-ahead homer. This ignited a flame in the offense for the Shepherds that would not be extinguished the rest of the day.

Clutch heroics were not needed in game 2, as the Shepherds handled this one from start to finish. With a final score of 14-1, there are more than enough offensive highlights to speak on. A turning point in the game was when the ever so popular Florida boys did what they do. It started like it always does, with a single by Sebastian Dunn. He advanced to 3rd on a beautifully executed hit and run by Colton Back, and the eventually scored and the hit by Chad Ragland. Another exciting play came late in the game, when it was already out of reach. Brett Cobb stepped up to the plate in the bottom half of the 6th with an 11-1 lead, and send a middle in fastball to what would have been on the parking structure if it weren’t for the net in left field. This 3-run blast capped off a 14-1 game 2 win for the Sheps.

 Next Game:

The next game for the Shepherds will be at home on Saturday, June 8that 1:00 PM. This will be game 1 of a double header against the same Sliders team that he Shepherds handled on opening day.