April 29-30

The uncommonly warm weather was out in force as the new week started, it felt more like late July than April. Tuesday night was Opening Night at the ballpark on North Prince Street with the (no-longer BARN)Stormers beginning the franchise's twentieth year of existence and the nineteenth as a on-field entity (like the Royals, there is a year in there we don't talk about). The brand-new Hagerstown Flying Boxcars were the opponent, they had played an exhibition game at the ballpark as part of FanFest on the 20th. The Stormers roster is the usual mix of newcomers and returnees, on this night both factions played big roles. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when Chad Sedio walked and moved to second on Jack Conley's single, after a Trace Loehr sacrifice bunt and a walk to Shawon Dunston newcomer Isan Diaz delivered a sacrifice fly scoring Sedio putting the Stormers up 1-0. In the sixth newcomer Gaige Howard singled and came in on a Joseph Carpenter RBI double. A four-run seventh broke the game open, Dunston started it with a walk and Diaz followed with a base hit. Dunston scored on an RBI hit by newcomer Cristian Santana making it 3-0. Howard batted next, his two-run double into the leftfield corner chased home Diaz and Santana, after Carpenter lined out Chris Proctor rapped an RBI single plating Howard to make it 6-0. The visitors broke up the shutout bid with a two-out run in the ninth but it mattered little as the Stormers won it 6-1 before a crowd of better than 6300. Brad Markey was the starting pitcher with six inning of three-hit ball and four strikeouts, Max Green (one inning) and Noah Bremer (two) wrapped it up in relief. The series continues on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, I am unlikely to be present at either. Take care, thanks for reading. 

April 26-28

Friday afternoon at McCaskey for the third time in five days, Hempfield returned for the second of their two visits. The first order of business on this day was the completion of that suspended game from April 4, we got underway at the regular 4:15 start time under sunny skies, sixty degrees and winds out to left at ten miles per hour (in other words, a typical baseball day at JPM). The game was in the bottom of the fifth when time was called on the 4th, Hempfield led 10-2 and would go on to win 13-2. Andrew Carlisle was pitcher of record from the original date, Niko Bergeron finished it in relief. The game was over around 5:00 or so, the regular game started about twenty minutes later. The Red Tornado fell behind 4-0 in the second, base hits by Carlisle (run scored) and Janpaul Rodriguez (RBI) in the home half got JPM on the board. The deficit was 7-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Rey Ortiz doubled to start the inning and advanced to third on a groundout. Adrian Rodriguez drew a walk to put runners on the corners, Carlisle's sacrifice fly brought Ortiz home and Adrian scored on a wild pitch. A single Hempfield run in the seventh ended the scoring, Elliott Fluck took the decision with Eli Morales in relief support. We were all done by 7:40, the next home date is May Day with Warwick. Saturday was a dreary day with rain in the area, a marked contrast to the weather on Sunday. Higher temperatures were in the forecast, in Rothsville in the morning it was close to seventy degrees for week #3 at Lions Park, Three new players brought the total enrollment to fifty, Ephrata defeated Township and Hillside won over Warwick. The unseasonably warm weather is expected to stick around into the new week, a clear case of Too Much Too Soon. Take care, thanks for reading. 

April 24-25

Jenny and Helen were in town for Wednesday morning for medical appointments, I took them home and we had lunch along the way. Shortly after 5:00 I went over to McCaskey for the first of two scheduled night games, Cedar Crest was the opponent (interesting that a game against the divisional opponent traveling the greatest distance would be at night, make of it what you will). The game got underway at 6:30 under overcast skies, sixty-four degrees and winds straight out to leftfield. JPM started hot in the first inning when Elliot Fluck singled, Adrian Rodriguez walked and Josh Reyes was hit by the pitch to load the bases. Consecutive wild pitches allowed Elliot and A-Rod to score, Reyes came around with run #3 on an RBI double by Eli Morales. The visitors from Lebanon County got one back in the second, in the bottom half Rey Ortiz walked and scored on an error to put JPM up 4-1. From there the game turned on a dime, Cedar Crest scored seven runs unanswered over the next three innings and won 8-4. Adrian R. was the starting pitcher, he was relieved by Andrew Carlisle in the fifth inning. The ballclub stays home for a date with Hempfield on the 26th. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 22-23

Monday afternoon at the ballfield at McCaskey for the first time in two weeks. The ballclub is just 2-9 through eleven games (eight of them on the road), on this day Penn Manor visited for a divisional game. At 4:15 first-pitch it was sixty degrees and partly sunny with a sharp wind straight out to leftfield. The Red Tornado took a 1-0 lead in the first, Ray Ortiz doubled and scored on Josh Reyes' RBI single. PM answered with four in the second, JPM got one back in their half when Cristian Cancel launched one into the wind for a solo home run to left. Two more for the visitors in the third brought the score to 6-2 but the good guys continued to peck away, Ortiz drew a walk and came home on an Adrian Rodriguez single making it 6-3 after three innings. In the home fifth Ortiz walked before consecutive singles from Elliot Fluck and A-Rod loaded the bases with nobody out. Ortiz would score on Reyes' fielders choice groundout, Eli Morales reloaded the bases with an infield hit for Andrew Carlisle whose RBI groundout plated Adrian with run #5. In the sixth JPM pulled even when Cancel walked and came in on Fluck's RBI groundout but in the seventh Penn Manor pushed across the lead run and made it stand up for a 7-6 win. Janpaul Rodriguez started and worked into the seventh with A-Rod finishing it. This was the team's first home game since April 12 (I was absent for hockey), during the following week they played four games, all of them on the road. This was the first of a three-date homestand, Cedar Crest visits for a night game on the 24th before Hempfield returns for the completion of that suspended game from April 4 plus the scheduled contest on the 26th. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 19-21

Saturday lunch in Quarryville with Jenny and her mother, Helen continues to do very well since her episode from last October. I was back in town around 2:30 and went to the ballpark on North Prince Street. This was the local ballclub's annual FanFest and it was a day of several debuts. Since its inception in 2005 the Barnstormers have always been known informally as the "Stormers", in February it was announced that the shortened form would become the club's official nickname going forward. The day also featured the first public appearance of the ballpark's brand-new synthetic playing surface as the Stormers hosted an exhibition game with the newly-minted Hagerstown Flying Boxcars (no kidding, look it up). Hagerstown had affiliated baseball from 1981 to 2019, the new team replaces the Atlantic League club that played in Frederick in 2023 (the Spire City Ghost Hounds are on a declared one-year hiatus, when and if they return it should make for a great rivalry since Frederick and Hagerstown are only about twenty-five miles apart). Ross Peeples is back for his seventh season as manager of the Stormers, the preseason roster features ten holdovers from the 2023 league-championship squad. The season starts on April 25, the home opener is on Tuesday the 30th against the new club from Hagerstown. Sunday was overcast and windy with temperatures in the high 50s and a bit of chill in the air (not unlike Saturday), in the morning we were at Lions Park for week #2 of Sunday hockey in Rothsville. Six new players joined the ranks bringing the total to forty-seven overall, Hillside beat Ephrata and Warwick defeated Township. Through two weeks Hillside is in first place at 1-0-1 with the other three tied for second at 1-1-0, not a bad thing given the nature of the league. We have often said that there is competition involved (and no question about it) but it's not blood-and-guts kill-or-be-killed, it's about recreation and fun first and foremost. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 15-18

Another quiet week with little going on affords the opportunity to put the twenty-second season of Reading Royals hockey into the books (yeah, we all know it should have been the twenty-third but that's an old story). The club's final mark of 29-35-8 was the fifth below-500 season in franchise history and the first since 2008-09, from February 2 under Jason Binkley the record was 13-16-4. Fifty-eight players appeared including seven goaltenders, Nolan Maier (forty) and Parker Gahagen (fourteen) the only two with double-digit appearances. Joseph Nardi, Devon Paliani, Matt Brown, Yvan Mongo and Tag Bertuzzi were the top five scorers, Paliani and Tyson Fawcett were the only two skaters to appear in every game. Historically the franchise has played 1,571 regular-season games for a mark of 831-581-159, in postseason play the Royals have won one championship (2013, the lone appearance in the Finals), lost in the Conference Final three times, lost in the Division Final six times, lost in the first round five times and failed to qualify on six occasions (and we won't even discuss The Year We Never Talk About). It should be a very interesting off-season with the first order of business being whether or not the "interim" tag is removed from Jason Binkley's title, from there it's anybody's guess and October will be here before you know it. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 12-14

Friday night hockey at the Arena for the first time in nineteen days. The Royals finished their road trip with a mark of 2-3-1 and were eliminated from playoff contention in the process for the first time since 2019. On this night the Orlando Solar Bears (from the league's Southern Division) visited for the first time since October of 2015. Goals by Darren Brady and Yvan Mongo gave the Royals a 2-0 lead in the first seven minutes but the visitors from central Florida were battling for a playoff berth of their own and weren't about to go away quietly. Two Orlando scores in the third period tied the game and set the stage for overtime, just over a minute into OT Will Zmolek (back from a stint with the Phantoms) took a feed from Tag Bertuzzi and fired home the game-winner. Parker Gahagen was goalie of record in the 3-2 win and probably deserved hazardous-duty pay, the Royals were outshot 53-28. The teams met again on Saturday night in The Very Last Game, it was Fandemonium Night with prizes awarded at every whistle (a night that keeps me alert from beginning to end). The game itself was scoreless deep into the final period, needing a win to secure a playoff spot the Solar Bears pulled their goaltender and skated with an extra attacker in an effort to win in regulation time. In the final minute of play Orlando was awarded a power-play opportunity, they were able to cash in with thirty seconds left to win 1-0. Nolan Maier took the loss but couldn't be blamed in the least, the Royals finish 29-35-8 overall and 16-17-3 at home. As one season came to an end on Saturday night in Reading another one began the following morning at Lions Park in Rothsville. This was opening day for the seventh season of the Sunday over-35 league, we have the usual format with four teams playing a nine-game schedule. On this day Township defeated Hillside via shootout and Ephrata beat Warwick, forty-one players participated. The league continues on the 21st. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 8-11

The new week began with a rare astronomical occurrence, there was a partial solar eclipse on Monday afternoon. The path of totality passed through the northwestern part of the state, in our area they were expecting about 91% cover. It started around 2:30 or so and reached its peak around 3:30, there were heavy clouds and a good breeze but the eclipse was still visible (the clouds actually helped to lessen the danger of viewing it directly). By 4:15 it was all but over, just in time for first pitch at the ballfield at McCaskey. It was a busy day overall in the athletic complex, there was a track meet going on next door at the football stadium. On this day Warwick made the first of its two visits, they along with Hempfield and Manheim Township play twice at McCaskey while Cedar Crest and Penn Manor visit once each (this particular schedule format is in its second season and it's rumored to be on its way out in 2025). Offensive highlights were in short supply through six innings, in the seventh Warwick broke a scoreless tie with three runs. In the bottom of the inning JPM fought back, Adrian Rodriguez started it with a walk and Josh Reyes singled putting runners on first and second. Eli Morales' RBI hit plated Adrian to put JPM on the board, after an out moved Reyes to third he would score on Niko Bergeron's infield groundout but the rally went no further. The final was 3-2, Eli took the loss in relief of starter Elliot Fluck (five innings) with Tobe Kuntz getting the last two outs in the seventh. The boys are at home on Friday the 12th (I'm out because of the Royals), my next game would be on the 22nd. Daytime temperatures reached into the 70s in midweek, on Wednesday Jenny had an appointment at the health clinic in Quarryville and we had lunch after that. Take care, thanks for reading

April 5-7

A quiet Friday was followed by a busy Saturday as we made our annual Northern Pilgrimage to Allentown to see the AHL affiliate. The Phantoms are in their tenth season in the Lehigh Valley, the franchise itself was established in Philadelphia proper in 1996 and played for five years in Glens Falls while awaiting the move to the Valley. On this night the Cleveland Monsters (that is correct) were the opposition. Cleveland is another city with a strong AHL tradition, from 1936 to 1973 the Cleveland Barons won nine league championships. The current club began in 2007 as the "Lake Erie" Monsters, they adopted the city name in 2016. Ex-Royals on the current Phantoms roster include forwards Jacob Gaucher, Matt Brown and Zayde Wisdom, defensemen Will Zmolek and Adam Karashik plus goaltender Felix Sandstrom. Offensive highlights were unfortunately in short supply for the Phantoms on this night, the Ohioans scored twice within nineteen seconds in the first period and added an empty-netter in the final minute of the game for a 3-0 win. NHL veteran Cal Petersen took the loss in goal but deserved a better fate. It's about seventy miles from my place to the arena in Allentown, Jenny and her mother were home a little before midnight and I was back in town by 12:30. Sunday was a day to sleep in and do nothing and that's exactly what happened. Take care, thanks for reading.

April 1-4

The fourth month of 2024 began in the usual Monday manner, overnight into Tuesday a storm system moved into the area and stayed for the better part of two days. McCaskey had a ballgame scheduled for Tuesday at home, it was unsurprisingly postponed and reset for Thursday. Found my way to Jenny's house for Wednesday lunch, along the way there were a few detours set up in the southern part of the county because of high water on back roadways. The sun finally reemerged on Thursday and the ballgame at McCaskey went on as (re)scheduled, the field was in remarkably good shape despite the heavy rains. The ballclub already had two games under its belt including one home game I missed because of hockey, on this day Hempfield visited for a divisional matchup. Hempfield is traditionally one of the league's stronger programs, they ran out to a 7-0 lead in the first two innings. In the home third JPM put together a two-out rally, an Andrew Carlisle base hit and a Rey Ortiz double put runners on second and third. Adrian Rodriguez walked to load the bases, Josh Reyes was next and he was hit by the pitch forcing Carlisle home with the first run, Ortiz would score on a wild pitch making it 7-2. Hempfield struck back with three in the fourth and carried that advantage in to the bottom of the fifth. The Red Tornado was batting with one out and two men on when a bolt of lightning caused a halt to play, during the mandated thirty-minute delay the wind picked up and it began to rain (Why Not?). It didn't take long for puddles to develop on the pitchers mound and the home plate area, the coaches and umpires huddled up and agreed to the only logical decision. The game is considered suspended and will be resumed from the point it was stopped on a date to be determined. Weather permitting the next home date is Monday the 8th. Take care, thanks for reading.