PITTSBURG METTLE PRO BASEBALL!

We have officially rebranded to the Pittsburg Mettle!

You can view our website at www.mettlebaseball.com
Our Facebook page is www.facebook.com/mettlebaseball

The Lumberjacks will continue as a club team for the Mettle!

Winning streak to 4 - Lumberjacks 5, Pacifics 3

VALLEJO, CA - The Lumberjacks ownership group as been reshuffled and the team has gotten off to a nice 4-0 since being rebranded to the "Bay Cal Lumberjacks".  Saturday afternoon the Jacks were able to slow down the red-hot San Rafael Pacifics, snapping their 10-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory behind starter Marquis Pettis.

The Pacifics struck first in the top of the 1st as Lumberjacks-killer Price Kendall was hit by a pitch, advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, stole third, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Johnny Woodard.  The Lumberjacks would respond with a 2-out 2-RBI double by the red-hot Steve Detwiler, giving the home team a 2-1 lead.

In the 3rd, Justin James would reach on a hit-by-pitch, stole second base, advanced to third on a ground-out by Andre White, and would come in to score on a sacrifice fly by Detwiler, who finished with 3 RBIs, giving the Lumberjacks a 3-1 advantage.

In the 5th Justin James would leg out an infield single to the pitcher then steal second base and eventually score on an RBI single by Mike Taylor, increasing the Lumberjacks advantage to 4-1.

After tacking on another run in the 8th to make it 5-1, the Pacifics would rally in the 9th off James LoPresti with a 2-out 2-run home run by Matt Quintero to make it 5-3, but Morgan Mickan would fly out to the shortstop, ending the game.

The Lumberjacks are back at it for a doubleheader vs the Pacifics on Sunday at 5pm at Wilson Park in Vallejo.

Box Score

LUMBERJACKS SWEEP THE ADMIRALS WITH HOME RUN FROM DANNY RICO

VALLEJO, CA - The Lumberjacks were hopeful to finish off a sweep of the Admirals, but found themselves down 4-1 in the top of the 8th with 2 outs to go.  Scott David and Justin James got the ball rolling with a pair of 2-out singles, and a red-hot Andre White followed with another RBI single to center, cutting the lead in half to 4-2.  In stepped Danny Rico, who had drawn a walk his previous at-bat, pinch hitter for recently acquired slugger Steve Detwiler, who had felt some tightness in his hamstring.  Rico squared up an inside fastball and drilled it way out over the scoreboard in left, giving the Lumberjacks a big 3-run homer and a 5-4 lead.

Wayne Franklin would throw another complete game, his second in two weeks against the Admirals, and the Bay Cal Lumberjacks are now 3-0 since being sold and rebranded with their new sponsor.  The Lumberjacks begin to wind down their regular season and prepare for the playoffs with a 3-game series at home vs the San Rafael Pacifics, the top team in the league.  Games are Saturday at noon at Wilson Park in Vallejo, and a double-header on Sunday starting at 5pm at Wilson Park.  Go Jacks!

Box Score

Game Audio (via Vallejo Admirals)

Lumberjacks take first 2 games from the Vallejo Admirals

The Lumberjacks are in line for a 3-game sweep tomorrow having won the first two games of the three game series.  Yesterday it was Reggie Leslie besting the Admirals ace Kyle Breuggeman, as the Lumberjacks came back and won 9-5.  Tonight it was Rob Ellis on the mound for the Lumberjacks, who came back from a 3-2 deficit in the 8th, scoring single runs in the 8th and 9th to come away with the 4-3 victory.  The Lumberjacks also recorded back-to-back double-digit hits for the first time this season.

In the top of the 2nd inning, the Lumberjacks got on the board with a home run to left from Steve Detwiler, taking the early 1-0 lead, although the Admirals would counter back with a 2-run home run of their own from Pugh in the bottom half.

Tied at 2 in the 5th, the Admirals would take a 3-2 lead after the leadoff hitter advanced to 2nd on a throwing error by second baseman Joe Wittig, and would later score on a 2-out base hit.

Down 3-2 in the 8th, Andre White would collect his third hit of the game, a laser line drive through the shortstop for an RBI single that tied the game.  In the 9th with a man on, pinch-hitter Jay Almendral would hit a ball off the top railing of the center field wall for a booming double, giving the Jacks a 4-3 lead.  James LoPresti was brilliant in the bottom half, striking out the first two batters and ending the game with a popout to third baseman Scott David.

The Lumberjacks go for the 3-game sweep tomorrow at 7pm at Wilson Park in Vallejo.

Box Score

Lumberjacks lose to Admirals in 11 innings

The Lumberjacks and Admirals played a tightly contested game on Friday night, with the Admirals tying the game at 4 in the 8th and eventually winning in the 11th 5-4 on a walk-off double.

Rob Ellis started the game, breezing through the first 7 innings, giving up only 1 run.  In the top of the 8th, down 2-1, Mike Taylor belted a 3-run homer to put the Jacks up 4-2 and on the on the way to a possible second strait win.  However, in the bottom half of the 8th, Ted Lemasters hit a 2-run shot to tie the game 4-4, and eventually send the game into extra innings.

In the bottom of the 10th, with the bases loaded,  no one out and the winning run only 90 feet away, Joe LoPresti came in for Eric Edwards and struck out Jesse Oliver, Tillman Pugh, and got pinch-hitter Matt Streich to ground out to first to end the threat.  In the bottom half Garrett Barnett and Jordan English both doubled to complete the extra-inning walkoff for the Admirals.

Game 4 of the series is tonight at 5:05pm at Wilson Park in Vallejo.

Box Score

Franklin dominant as Lumberjacks defeat Admirals

VALLEJO, CA - Wayne Franklin was at his best on Thursday, throwing a complete game giving up only 2 runs on 2 hits vs the Vallejo Admirals.  The Lumberjacks also flashed some good leather and consistently put pressure on the Admirals defense to complete a 7-2 victory.

A small moment in the first inning could become a turning point for the Lumberjacks season.  The Lumberjacks infield has struggled defensively this season, often leading to big innings and big holes the team has been unable to overcome more often than not.  Newly acquired Mark Leocox (shortstop) and Sabien Duplessis (second base) showed immediate defensive chemistry turning a super smooth double play, sending a message to the team that the Lumberjacks now have a solid up-the-middle defensive presence - exactly what the team needs.

The Jacks got on the board in the 2nd inning with an RBI double by Brad Shannon and a sacrifice fly Dwight Tardy.  The Admirals responded in the bottom of the 3rd with a 2-run home run by Garret Barnett, the only 2 runs Wayne Franklin would allow.

Dwight Tardy would get a 2-RBI double in the 6th, giving the Lumberjacks a 5-2 lead, and the Jacks would score their final 2 runs of the evening with a walk and an error and some heads-up baserunning.

The 4 game series, tied 1-1, resumes tonight at 7:05pm at Wilson Park in Vallejo.  The Admirals throw former Lumberjack right-handed pitcher Bo Henning while the Jacks counter with former Tampa Bay Devil Ray lefty prospect Rob Ellis.

Box Score

Jacks add serious lumber to the middle of their order

The Lumberjacks have recently added a lot of thunder to the middle of their order, let's learn a little more about the Jacks power hitters:

> Justin James, outfield

Justin is currently 2nd in the league in hitting at .331 and is the son of former MLB player Deion James.  He generally bats 3rd and has already gone deep for the Jacks.

> Mike Hoefs, first base

Mike played 3 games with the Lumberjacks last year, hitting 4 home runs with 17 RBI's.  While playing for various teams last year, Mike hit about 30 home runs in limited playing time.  It's anticipated Mike will bat cleanup for the Jacks.

> Steve Detwiler, outfield

The Jacks have just completed a trade with the San Rafael Pacifics for outfielder Steve Detwiler who was the MVP of the 2008 College World Series and has big-time power.  Steve is currently hitting 5th for the Jacks.

> Mike Taylor, third base

Mike has already hit two grand slams in only a handful of professional games this year, racking up about 20 RBIs in about 20 games.  While a legit cleanup hitter on most teams, Mike will generally bat 6th or 7th for the Jacks.