August 29-30

Wednesday afternoon: Jenny and Helen were along for their final game of the regular season, before the game started Jenny saw Darin Ruf outside the team clubhouse and got a photo with him. The team awards were presented in the pregame, to no one's surprise Darin won the club MVP and Big Stick award. Justin Friend won honors for top pitcher, Cody Asche received the Player of the Game award, Troy Hanzawa won the Gold Glove award and Leandro Castro was named Unsung Hero. The ballgame itself was rather lackluster as the R-Phils lost 6-2 to Binghamton. Tug Hulett had an RBI double and Troy Hanzawa added a run-scoring hit in support of losing pitcher Adam Morgan (who pitched well and deserved a better fate). Those who attended in anticipation of witnessing history went home disappointed, if they returned on Thursday they got their money's worth and then some. Before the game it was announced that Darin Ruf had been named Eastern League MVP and Rookie of the Year. The R-Phils ended the home season with a 7-2 win as winning pitcher Austin Hyatt helped himself with a two-run double and Tyson Gillies had an RBI two-bagger. The big moment for Ruf arrived in the second inning, his thirty-eighth home run of the year was a three-run bomb and established a new club record for home runs in a season. For good measure Darin added an RBI hit later in the game to finish the night with four RBI. Jordan Whatcott worked in relief of Hyatt, in the ninth inning Justin Friend finished it for his twenty-fourth save. That ties Justin with Toby Borland (1991) and Wayne Gomes (1996) for the club's season record in that category. The ballclub's final home record was 42-29, the overall mark stands at 74-64. The boys are on the brink of a playoff spot, what happens on the road over the weekend will tell the story. As for me the weekend will be busy enough, Labor Day weekend signals the start of high school football season. Take care, thanks for reading.