Newark Bears Looking To Bounce Back Versus Rockland Boulders

From the desk of:   THE BRICK CITY NINE

NEWARK BEARS - Despite Club Record, There's Good Things Happening In The Den.


The Bears started a three game series Friday morning against the red-hot CanAm League leading Rockland Boulders.  The New York team is off to a 10-3 start this season, while the Bears are  foraging around with a 4-6 record.  Newark suffered through a 10-3 early day thumping in game one yesterday at the Den.  They'll try and even the series this evening as the series shifts to Rockland.


Early on, Rockland and Newark sport five of the league's top six hitters, led overall by the Bears Bridger Hunt with a .500 mark after ten games.  Bridger also leads the Bears with three home runs.  Rockland's Chris Edmondson is tied for the circuit lead with five home runs, but owns the undisputed early lead with fourteen runs batted in.


On the hill, the Boulders' Pat Moran leads the league with twenty strikeouts, while Newark's Ryan Carr tops all pitchers with a 1.86 ERA.  Team mate Bryan Banes is second with a 2.70 mark.  Then Rockland posts the next three starting pitchers with the top ERA.


Entering today's game, the Boulders are winners of three in a row, while the Bears have dropped two straight.  Entering the series, the Bears were fresh off taking two of three at the Den against the defending champs, Quebec Capitales.

 

Weekend Series Tied 1-1

I - RKL 10; NWK 3

 

GAME TWO FINAL

BEARS    6
Boulders   5

* 13 innings

Garry Templeton's group proved themselves a little more resilient than the average Bear.  After Newark center fielder JJ Sherrill led off the game with his first home run of the season, the Bears fell behind 4-1 in the third inning, on the strength of two Rockland home runs off Bears starter Brian Parker, struck by Chris Edmondson and former Bear, Billy Alvino.

The Bears clawed back in the fifth with an RBI from Bridger Hunt, which knocked Rockland starting pitcher Cameron Bayne out of the box after four innings and facing three batters in the fifth.  Evan Stermer entered in relief to face Carlos Guzman.  Brandon Newton scored when Guzman bounced into a fielder's choice, to make it a 4-3 game.

In the top of the eighth, left fielder Jamar Walton scored the game tying run on a passed ball committed by Rockland catcher Scott Knazek.  With no scoring in the ninth, into extra innings they went.

The Bears took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eleventh inning on Bridger Hunt's RBI single.  However, the Boulders tied the game again off Bears reliever Sergio Espinosa on a single by Jerod Edmondson, and a triple by Chris Edmondson.

In the top of the thirteenth inning, appropriately, Bridger Hunt crossed the plate with the Bears sixth run on yet another Boulders passed ball.  Newark pitcher David Dinelli then put the Boulders to bed with a scoreless effort in the bottom of the inning, to earn the win in relief.

The Bears halted Rockland's win streak, and improved their own mark to 5-5 in their last ten games.  The rubber game of this three game set is scheduled for 2pm Sunday in Provident Bank Park.




Mike.BTB

Newark Bears Drop Home Opener; Rockland's Pat Moran Fans Nine - Boulders Win 3-1

From the desk of:   THE BROAD STREET NINE

NEWARK BEARS - I'm Sure Someone Advised Coach Garry Templeton That Life In The Den Is Never Easy.


The Newark Bears kicked off their sixteenth season Thursday night in Rockland, New York, dropping a 6-4 decision to the Boulders.  This evening, the Bears opened the gates on their fifteenth campaign at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium, this time hosting the Rockland Boulders for the next three games.


Bears starter Brian Parker had the distinction of making this year's Opening Day start, opposed by Rockland's Pat Moran.  The Boulders wasted no time, scoring a pair off Parker in the first on a two run home run struck by Chris Edmondson.  Brian Parker also needed to pitch his way out of big trouble in the third inning.  After allowing Rockland a third run, he worked out of a one out bases loaded situation by striking out the last two batters.  In the bottom of the third, the Bears got a run back on Brandon Mims' first home run of the season, to make it a 3-1 game.


Brian Parker lasted six full innings, allowing three runs on eight hits.  He walked one batter and struck out three before exiting the game.  Reliever Sergio Espinosa was summoned from the bullpen to take over in the seventh and pitched a scoreless frame.  Rockland's Pat Moran pitched 6.1 very effective innings, allowing the Bears one run on just three hits.  He walked no batters and struck out nine before departing.


Bears reliever Ryan Fennell turned in a scoreless inning for Newark in the top of the eighth, in what was still a 3-1 game.  In the bottom of the eighth, the Bears faced Rockland's Alex Kreis, pitching his second inning of relief, and went down quietly.  Ryan Fennell again turned the Boulders back in the top of the ninth, setting up last licks for Newark with their numbers three, four and five hitters due up against Rockland's closer, Kevin Fuqua.  Center fielder JJ Sherrill led off for the Bears and struck out swinging.  Next up, left fielder Jamar Walton reached safely with a single.  With right fielder Carlos Guzman up, Walton advanced to second base on a passed ball.  That mattered little as  Guzman worked out a base on balls.  Kyle Lafrenz was next in the order, and struck out on five pitches for out number two.  First baseman Matt Huggins then stepped in, and worked a 3-0 count before Kevin Fuqua ran the count full.  After fouling off a pitch, Huggins grounded to second base for the last out of the game.


Rockland defeated the Newark Bears for the second night in a row, this evening by a 3-1 final.  Newark's Brian Parker suffered his first loss of the season.  Rockland's Kevin Fuqua earned his second save in consecutive nights.  Starter Pat Moran rightfully gets credit for his first victory after a fine performance over the Bears.


The teams will meet again Saturday evening in the third match of a four game set.





Mike.BTB

Newark Bears Rally Comes Up Short In Rockland; Drop CanAm Season Opener To Boulders 6-4

From the desk of:   THE BROAD STREET NINE

NEWARK BEARS - The Resilient Urban Species Begins Another Season In A Wild Yet Dwindling Environment.

Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball

The 2013 Canadian-American League regular season is open for business.  Welcome to year nine for the old circuit, reorganized in 2005.  Many teams have come in and out of the league, and this year is no different.  The Can-Am League will try to make a full season of it with five teams.  Returning from last season are the Rockland Boulders, New Jersey Jackals, Quebec Capitales, and the Newark Bears.  The league welcomed a new expansion team this season - the Trois Rivieres Aigles, which gives the Quebec Capitales a local Canadian rival.  Missing from last year's group are the Worcester Tornadoes.  They similarly went the way of the Pittsfield Colonials and the Brockton Rox  respectively, after the 2011 season.  The Can-Am League will once again play inter-league games against the independent American Association to facilitate a one-hundred game schedule.

The Quebec Capitales have won the last four CanAm championships consecutively.

 

2013 NEWARK BEARS ROSTER


Garry Templeton - a veteran of sixteen Major League seasons, is famously known as the shortstop traded from St. Louis to the San Diego Padres for Ozzie Smith.  He was the first switch hitter to achieve one hundred hits from each side of the plate in the same season.  He led the National League in triples for three consecutive seasons, and led the circuit in hits once.  This season, Gary Templeton is the new manager of the 2013 Newark Bears.
 

The Newark Bears opened their season this evening at Provident Bank Park against the Rockland Boulders.  Returning for another season to bolster the Bears rotation, Mike Ness took the mound opposed by Rockland's own veteran hurler, Bobby Blevins.  The visitors gave Mike Ness an early 1-0 lead in the first, when Bears right fielder Carlos Guzman doubled off Blevins, to deliver DAngelo Jimenz with the game's first run.  In the bottom of the frame however, Rockland struck back for a pair.  With two outs, Jerod Edmondson drew a four pitch walk.  The following batter, Chris Edmondson then connected off Ness for a two run home run.


Rockland center fielder Donnie Webb led off the bottom of the third inning with the Boulder's second home run off Ness.  In the fourth, Boulder's DH Johnny Welch led off with yet another home run off Mike Ness, giving Rockland a 4-1 lead.  The Boulders continued with another run in the fifth, on Jerod Edmondson's sac-fly, giving the Boulders a 5-1 lead through five complete.


After allowing Newark's first inning run, Bobby Blevins tamed the Bears over the next four.  Through five innings, he allowed Newark six hits, walked none, and struck out five.  His counter-part, Ness allowed five earned runs on six hits, walked one and struck out four.  Both pitchers continued through the sixth.  The Bears finally mustered another run off Blevins in the top of the seventh.  Designated hitter Brandon Mims and second baseman Brandon Newton struck consecutive one out singles.  Third baseman  DAngelo Jimenez then doubled to deliver Mims from second, to make it a 5-3 game.  In relief of Mike Ness, Coach Templeton tasked Ryan Carr with pitching the bottom of the seventh.


With one out, the Bears put a runner in scoring position in the eighth.  Jamar Walton drew a walk off Rockland reliever Nick Serino, then promptly stole second.  Kyle Lafrenz came through with a clutch base hit to score Walton, making it a 5-4 game.  In the bottom of the frame however, Rockland picked up an unearned run off Newark's veteran pitcher Kyle Morrison.


Newark put the tying runs in scoring position in the top of the ninth after Brandon Mims drew a walk and Brandon Newton doubled.  But that's where they stayed, stranded.  Reliever Kevin Fuqua recovered to retire the next three in order, picking up his first save of the regular season.


Bobby Blevins picked up his first victory.  He pitched 6.2 innings, allowed three earned runs, nine hits, and struck out five Bears batters before exiting.  Mike Ness suffered his first loss.  In six innings of work, he surrendered five runs on six hits, three of which were home runs.  He walked one and fanned five.


Newark's Opening Day is tomorrow, Friday, at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium, where the Rockland Boulders will visit for the next three games of the series.





Mike.BTB