Miller earns 5th win with complete game State Tournament effort.

Outlaws-3 / Braemar-2

A first inning 2 RBI double off the bat of Josh Noble along with a Jeff Appel RBI, prove to be enough as the Southwest Outlaws nipped the Braemar Bee's 3 to 2 on Saturday.  The 3 runs were all Jeff "Spanky" Miller needed as he held off several Bee's rallies.  Solid defense up the middle was the story of the day for the Outlaws as Robb Larson and Josh Noble put on a fielding clinic. 

The Outlaws were the visiting team once again as they took on the Braemar Bees in Jordan.  Sam Baumgartner got the Outlaws off on the right foot (no pun intended) as he was hit on his....right foot to lead off the game.  Ryan Meyer laid down a nice sacrifice bunt that the Bees pitcher fielded and promptly threw over his first baseman's head.  With Sammy on third and Meyer on second, Josh Noble stepped to the plate and laced a 2 RBI double to left center.  Mike Roth then reached on a walk and the Outlaws had runners on first and third.  One batter later Jeff Appel pushed a grounder to the right side of the infield and Noble scored on the play.  

Jeff Miller was on the hill for the Outlaws as the Bees began to scratch back in the home half of the first.  The Bee's first three hitters reached on two walks and a single.  With the bases loaded and nobody out, Miller coaxed a ground ball to second and Robb Larson stepped on second and tossed across to Ryan Meyer to complete the double play.  A run scored on the play to make the game 3 to 1.  Miller then ended the inning with a strikeout stranding another Bee's runner at third.  

After the Outlaws put up 3 runs in the 1st inning, Braemar pitcher Mark Koritz found his groove on the mound.  Koritz only allowed three more Outlaws base runners, two of which reached on errors.  Sam "Bammy" Baumgartner singled in the second inning and Pat Nelson lined a ball off the left field fence  in the 4th inning before pulling his hamstring between 1st and 2nd and being retired on the play.  

Jeff Miller kept the Outlaws in front pitching around several Bee's rallies.  Braemar had runners on second and third in the third inning with their clean up hitter at the dish.  Miller once again pitched the magic grounder and Robb Larson started a 4-6-3 double play to Josh Noble then on to Ryan Meyer.  

Braemar battled back for another run in the home half of the 6th with a two out rally.  After Miller retired the first two batters of the inning the Bees gathered three singles in a row off the bats of Gary Fritch, Al Wachutka, and Mark Koritz.  Koritz's single drove in Fritch and the Bees were within 1 run at 3 to 2.

The score would remain 3 to 2 in favor of the Outlaws heading into the bottom of 7.  Once again Miller retired the first two Braemar hitters in order.  The Bees would not roll over and quit however as Glen Sorenson doubled down the right field line.  Toby Boyum then worked a walk and runners were in 1st and 2nd.  An interesting ball four call from the umpire as Boyum leaned his head over the plate and a Miller curve ball found the mitt of Baumgartner breaking just over Boyum's head.  The pitch appeared to be a strike but the call was ball 4.  Miller then ended the 2 out rally and the game with his 7th strikeout of the day.   

Spanky was once again the story of the day pitching a complete game and striking out 7 Bees hitters to earn his 5th victory on the season.  Josh Noble had the big 2 RBI double in the fist inning and finished the day 1 for 3 with a run scored.  Sam Baumgartner was also 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, a single and a run scored.  Pat Nelson was 1 for 1 with a walk and a would be double before being injured and leaving the game.  Jeff Appel accounted for the Outlaws only other RBI and Ryan Meyer scored the only other run after reaching on the error in the first inning.  

Tid Bits

The Outlaws will advance to face the Veseli Vulcans in the consolation championship in Union Hill at 3:00pm on Sunday.  It will be a thin Outlaws squad as they lose two more players to injury.  Chad Wertz and Pat Nelson both will be held out of Sundays game.  Nelson with a hamstring and Wertz with back and hip problems.   

Sundays game is the final of the 2012 season.  What a year it's been.  It seems like we were just getting things started in Jordan.  Where has the time gone???