From the press box...

Bobcats, league make changes for 2012

2011-11-13T19:18:00.000-06:00

By DEREK McCREE
THE CRITTENDEN PRESS
With six months before the Marion Bobcats begin a fifth season, major changes are happening off the field. The Ohio Valley League president and founder, Gordon Guess, is stepping down from his four-year run as the general manager of the Bobcats due to health-related issues.

Kory Wheeler will take over the reigns as the team's general manager, with Guess remaining as the Bobcats CEO and league president. Wheeler is one of the team's original investors and a member of the Bobcat Executive Committee.

"She is a great detail person and has been actively involved with the Bobcats since the beginning," Guess said of his replacement.

The Bobcats will enter next season with a new skipper at the helm as well. Guess has tapped former Bobcats shortstop Drew Barrett to take over for Kyle Medley who coached the team to a 20-22 overall record last season. Barrett played for the Bobcats in 2009 and his collegiate career has consisted of a stint at Wabash Valley College before finishing his career at Lindsey Wilson College. Barrett was an assistant coach for the Owensboro Oilers last season.

The new Bobcats coach has started the process of filling the roster for the team and Guess said he is hoping to get several players to return from last year's team.

One major shakeup in the league for the upcoming season is with the Tradewater Pirates. Dawson Springs will no longer host a team in the Ohio Valley League. Former Bobcat coach Steve Fowler left his post as the coach of the Oilers and will head a new Pirates franchise, now based out of Madisonville. The new team will be called the Madisonville-Tradewater Pirates.

"We are glad to have Madisonville join our league and are still actively pursuing additional franchises in Hopkinsville, Paducah and Mayfield," Guess said.

As of now, Guess said the league remains at four teams and is working to get games broadcast on the Internet and radio for every home game.

Hall signs with Austin Peay

2011-08-07T18:51:00.001-05:00

Hall

Zach Hall, Marion's strikeout leader for the 2011 season, has committed to play for Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tenn.

All of the Bobcats' 2011 players were from two-year schools, so Hall's signing with the, ironically, Ohio Valley Conference Division I college team, is significant according to Marion Manager Kyle Medley. With the Bobcats, Hall was 2-2 with a 1.55 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched

League president comments on 2011 season

2011-08-07T18:34:00.001-05:00

The inaugural season of the Ohio Valley League turned out to be a real dandy!

The teams provided the fans with an extremely interesting and competitive race with each team leading the league at different times. Three teams were still in the running for the league title with less than four days remaining in the schedule. It was finally settled when Owensboro won the league title, only to fall to Fulton in the post season playoff.

Rain outs played a large role in scheduling as the area rainy season played havoc with promotions and pitchers arms. There were a auarter of all games requiring rescheduling and pushed back into July with doubleheaders somewhere almost daily.

Going forward, the league is working on expansion, exploring opportunities into eight new communities in the area. Don Gabbard is the point man in developing what ideally may become an eight team league, with two divisions of four teams each to begin play in 2012.

Gordon Guess, President Ohio Valley League

Raolroaders sweep double header, take title

2011-08-07T18:30:00.001-05:00

The Fulton Railroaders swept a double header over Owensboro to win the 2011 postseason championship two games to one. Because of a Game 2 rainout on July 30, the teams agreed to play two seven-inning games on July 31 to decide the playoff title. For a summary of each of the three championship games, follow the links below:

Game 1 box score: Owensboro 19, Fulton 9
Game 2 box score: Fulton 2, Owensboro 1
Game 3 box score: Fulton 10, Owensboro 7

Fowler takes Oilers to championship series

2011-07-28T23:07:00.001-05:00

Steve Fowler, the former Bobcats manager, has taken his Owensboro Oillers to the Ohio Valley League championship series in his first year with the club. The Oilers dispatched the Tradewater Pirates Thursday 4-3 at Chautauqua Park, taking the best-of-three series 2-1.

The Oilers broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth with a run on a two-out single. Jim Mulvaney then shut down the Pirates in the ninth for a save and a shot at the postseason title to go along with their regular season crown.

Former Bobcat Drew Barrett was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI for the Oilers.

With the Pirates' exit from the playoffs, 2011 marks the first since 2008 that the Pirates have not won either the regular or postseason or even both titles.

Click here for box score.

Fulton ends Marion's season

2011-07-27T23:43:00.000-05:00

Szathmary

A defensive miscue by the Bobcats in the bottom of the ninth sent the winning run across the plate for Fulton, sending the Railroaders to the Ohio Valley League Championship Series and ending Marion's 2011 season.

A 3-2 loss in the second game of their first round best-of-three playoff series against the Railroaders was the Bobcats' sixth consecutive loss, including four to end the regular season. An 8-16 July after spending all of June and early July in first place dropped the Bobcats to third at the end of the regular season. Regardless of the disappointing ending for Marion, 2011 was the best year for the franchise since the team was formed in 2008.

For the third time in the team's four-year history, the Bobcats ended the season with 20 wins, but finished only two games below .500. Marion's record in its first three years was 20-28, 20-30 and 22-26.

In Wednesday's playoff game, the Bobcats trailed Fulton 2-1 after four innings until Cody Kottich drove in Kyle Vander Ark in the eighth to knot the score. Reliever Jeremy Jansen held Fulton scoreless in the bottom half of the inning after spelling starter Todd Brazell with two out in the seventh.

Marion failed to score in the ninth, giving the Railroaders a shot at a walk-off win to advance to the championship series. Daniel Szathmary climbed the hill for the Bobcats in the ninth to face the top of Fulton's order. Leadoff hitter Mikee Moore, who had already singled and knocked in both Railroader runs on a two-run homer in the fourth, singled to start the inning. Szathmary then allowed Moore to reach third on a balk and wild pitch.

With the end of the season 90 feet away, manager Kyle Medley brought in the league's best closer with 11 saves, Matt Vollenweider, to face No. 3 hitter Rob Hogenkamp. But Vollenweider's miscue on a ball put in play by Hogenkamp allowed Moore to score safely on the error. Szathmary, who had allowed Moore to reach, took the loss.

Brazell was off the hook when Marion rallied in the eighth, but the home run to Moore in the fourth, the third he had given up on the season, was more than the Bobcats' offense could overcome. Marion's six hits were all singles, coming from Kottich, Vander Ark, Cody Schmitt, Desmond Roberts, Taylor Banks and Landon Weitekamp. Caleb Eickhoff knocked in Marion's first run in the third on a fielder's choice.

Fulton's Joe Mike was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4. Starter Roman Kelly gave up only one run on four hits through seven innings. Jimmy Ryan gave up the Bobcats' second run in the eight, and the team's closer with nine saves to his credit in the regular season, Tate Glasscock, got the win by holding Marion scoreless in the ninth.

Click here for box score.

Tradewater 7, Owensboro 3
Tradewater set the stage for a showdown in Owensboro by beating the Oilers 7-3 Wednesday in the second game of their opening round playoff series. The winner of Thursday's game will advance the championship series against Fulton beginning Friday.

Owensboro dominates stats leaderboard

2011-07-26T23:46:00.001-05:00

Qualifying batters 113+ plate appearances, pitchers 33.67+ innings
pitched, except saves (post-season games not included).

Vollenweider

Marion's Matt Vollenweider was the only Bobcat to make the Ohio Valley League leaderboard in key statistical areas. He had 11 league saves, two more than the next best closer in the circuit. Vollenwieder added another save in interleague action for a new team saves record, besting current manager Kyle Medley's 2008 record of eight.

Fulton takes 1-0 lead in playoff series

2011-07-26T23:35:00.000-05:00

DEREK McCREE/The Crittenden Press

Marion must win its next two games to keep their 2011 season
alive in the Ohio Valley League playoffs.

The Railroaders got an early 6-0 jump on Marion Monday and cruised to an eventual 9-3 win over the Bobcats to take the first game of the opening round of the playoffs. It was the fifth consecutive loss for Marion, but this first of the postseason leaves them forced to win their next two games in order to move on to the league championship series that begins Friday.

Fulton put three runs on the board in each of the first two innings off starter Garret Hunt, who was 2-3 with a 3.42 ERA during the regular season. Hunt lasted only 1 1/3 innings against Fulton's bats. Ian Creager got the bulk of the work on the mound for Marion, throwing 5 2/3 innings and allowing only one run. Stephen Glaze threw a perfect eight, but in two innings of work, Kyle Tokunaga allowed two more runs to put Marion down by six with just three outs left.

Glaze

The top four hitters in the lineup did all of Fulton's damage, led by No. 3 hitter Rob Hogenkamp who went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Mike Moore drove in two more runs on three hits, and came home to score all four times on base. Brandon Eggenschwiler was perfect in three at-bats with a run batted in and two runs scored. Cleanup hitter Joe Mike was 2-for-5 with two RBI. The only other hit for the Railroaders was Kahtan Al-Kaissy's single in the second inning. The rest of the order was only 1-for-20.

The Bobcats showed signs of life in the sixth when Fulton starter Tyler Reilly started to show signs of tiring. A single, two doubles and a triple cut Fulton's lead in half at 6-3, but Reilly was able to close out the inning earn the win. Fulton's bullpen shut out Marion in the final three innings.

As he has been all season long, Desmond Roberts was the heart of Marion's offense, reaching on three singles and a walk. He also swiped two bases and score one run. Taylor Banks and A.J. Dokey were each 2-for-4 with a double and run batted in. Dokey added a triple in the run-producing sixth inning. Leadoff hitter Cody Schmitt got three hits and Kyle Vander Ark and Landon Weitekamp contributed a double and single, respectively.

One more loss and the season is over for the Bobcats. They will play the next game of the series at Fulton beginning at 6 p.m., Wednesday. If necessary, they will play another game at Lohaus Field at the same time Thursday.

Click here for box score.

Owensboro 4, Tradewater 2
Regular season champion Owensboro continued their hot streak Tuesday, taking the opening game of the playoffs 4-2 over the Pirates. The best-of-three series moves to Owensboro for the final two games, if necessary.

Bobcats hand Owensboro league crown

2011-07-25T20:11:00.002-05:00

DEREK McCREE/The Crittenden Press

The Bobcats lost their final regular season game
but will host Fulton Tuesday in the postseason.

It was the shortest game in league history, ending the Ohio Valley League's first regular season with former Bobcats' skipper Steve Fowler and his Owensboro Oilers on top. Monday's resumption of a tie game suspended in the middle of the 11th earlier this month ended in 2 1/2 more innings of play, with visiting Oilers on top 8-6 in 13 innings.

The win for Fowler and his team left them a game ahead of Fulton for the league title. Ironically, the crown was won on the skipper's home field the last three years with the Bobcats, Guess Field.

A season that began with a roar for the Bobcats ended in a whimper, with Marion (19-22, 20-22 overall) losing 10 of their last 14 including the final four games of the season. July saw the first-place Bobcats plummet in the standings with an 8-16 record for the month. The Bobcats fared bettter on the road than at home, going 12-10 with one of those wins coming in interleague play. At home, Marion was only 7-12.

It was still the best season the Bobcats have ever had, and their manager, Kyle Medley, and the team have a new chance at glory beginning Tuesday when they host second-place Fulton for Game 1 of the best-of-three opening round series. The game will begin at 7:05 p.m. The final two games of the series would be played on the road at Lohaus Field. During the regular season, Marion held the advantage, beating the Railroaders eight of 14 times.

In the other first-round series, Owensboro takes on last-place Tradewater, traveling to Dawson Springs for Game 1 Tuesday and heading back home for the rest of the series.

The championship series will begin Friday.

Click here for box score.

Final match with Tradewater cancelled

2011-07-24T19:03:00.000-05:00

Because of the late afternoon rains in Marion, Sunday's game against Tradewater has been canceled. Because the game will have no impact on the standings, it will not be rescheduled.

The Bobcats (19-21) end their season series with the Pirates with a 6-7 record, and move their all-time record against their rival to 20-23.

Against Fulton in 2011, Marion was 8-6, matching the number of victories against the Railroaders that the Bobcats had managed in the team's first three years of existence. Marion is now 16-30 all-time versus Fulton.

With one game left against Owensboro, the Bobcats are 5-8 against their old skipper, Oilers manager Steve Fowler. All-time, that leaves Marion at 13-30 against the Oilers thus far.

Monday's game against Owensboro, a resumption of an earlier game suspended as a 6-6 tie, will still be played at Guess Field. The game begins at 7:05 and will pick up after the middle of the 11th inning with Marion at bat.

If the Bobcats win Monday, a one-game playoff between Fulton and Owensboro will be played Tuesday in Marion to decide the league crown. The two teams would end the season with the same record, and league rules call for a playoff game to decide the regular season champion be played at a location that requires the least travel. Marion is the closest league site between Fulton and Owensboro, therefore Guess Field will host the game beginning at 7:05 p.m.

If there is a home field advantage for either team Tuesday, it would probably go to Fowler and the Oilers. Fowler led the Bobcats from 2008-10.

Marion will host a playoff game either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the need for the Fulton-Owensboro playoff. The game would begin at 7:05 p.m. on either night.

Bobcats will play 1st playoff game at home

2011-07-24T08:31:00.000-05:00

Not much is certain about the Ohio Valley League playoffs just two days before they are scheduled to start, but what is assured is that Marion will be at home for its first postseason game of the season.

The Bobcats will finish in third place no matter the outcome of either of its two remaining games—today against Tradewater and Monday against Owensboro in the resumption of a suspended tie game. The means they will host the second-place team, either Fulton or Owensboro, in the first game of the postseason. That game would be Tuesday if Owensboro wins Monday, earning them the league crown. However, the postseason would likely start Wednesday if the Oilers lose Monday at Guess Field, forcing a one-game playoff between Owensboro and Fulton necessary to decide the league crown.

If Marion advances in the playoffs, they will be guaranteed of at least one more game at Guess Field in the championship series.

Bobcats assured of 3rd-place finish

2011-07-23T23:14:00.001-05:00

Roberts

The Bobcats went down in defeat 5-4 at Fulton Saturday, eliminating them from a shot at the league title and keeping the Railroaders' hopes alive for the same.

Marion (19-21, 20-21 overall) had to play catch-up after being down 4-0 after two, but they cut the lead in half in the top of the third and closed the gap to one run with another score in the fifth. However, Fulton extended their lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh before Marion answered in the next half inning to close the gap to 5-4.

Down a run with one out and no one on in the top of the ninth, a shot at a league title looked grim for the Bobcats. But A.J. Dokey and Cody Kottich reached on back-to-back singles to put the winning run on base. Fulton closer Tate Glasscock, in his second inning of work, turned it up a notch after that, though, striking out Mike Lockett and Cameron Chestnut to end the game and cementing a third-place finish for the Bobcats.

Jeremy Jansen (1-1) gave up all five of Fulton's runs, including three in the first, and took his first loss of the year, putting on 13 runners through 6 2/3 innings with 11 hits and two walks. Garret Hunt pitched near flawlessly in the final 1 1/3 inning, allowing only one bases on balls and keeping the hopes for a rally alive.

At the plate for Marion, Desmond Roberts went 2-for-5, including a two-run shot in the third. It was his third home run of the year to lead the team. Caleb Eickhoff was 3-for-4 with a double and run batted in, and Cottich, Chestnut and Landon Weitekamp each added two hits. Chestnut added Marion's only other RBI.

Together, the Bobcats tallied 12 hits on the night, but left 14 runners on base.

The victory for the Railroaders, combined with Owensboro's win over Tradewater Saturday, left Fulton (23-19) at a half-game in back of the Oilers (23-18) at the end of their season. Though Saturday was Fulton's last scheduled game of the season, their shot at a league title is still alive. They will have to wait until at least a couple of more days for their fate to be determined. On Monday, Marion and Owensboro will have to resume an unfinished game from July 10 that ended in a 6-6 tie.

If the Bobcats lose that game, which will be picked up in the bottom of the 11th at Guess Field with Bobcats at bat, Owensboro would win the title by one game over Fulton. If the Oilers lose, however, that would force a one-game playoff between them and Fulton, likely coming on Tuesday and pushing the start of the postseason back a day.

Marion (19-21) and Tradewater (17-24) will face one another at Guess Field Sunday. It is the only game on tap in the league and will have no effect on the standings for either team. Tradewater, the team that has won the last three regular season crowns and last two playoff titles, albeit in the now defunct KIT League, will finish in last place. Marion can do no better than third.

July has been a struggle for the team that was in first place most of the season. For the month, the Bobcats are 8-15. With two more wins, though, the Bobcats could still finish at .500 in league play for the first time in their four-year history. Technically, those two victories would put the team at 22-21 overall, counting their win in an interleague game in June, when they finished the month 12-6.

The postseason picture at this point is a blank canvas. Pairing of the teams based on seeding will have to wait until at least Monday. Even the date the playoffs are to begin is in question, pending the outcome of Monday's Marion-Owensboro game. Currently, they are set to begin July 26, but could be pushed back a day of Fulton and Owensboro are left to face-off for a 43rd game to decide the regular season crown.

Owensboro 6, Tradewater 5
Owensboro holds a half-game lead over Fulton for the league crown, but will have to wait for Monday to secure that with a win over Marion in resumption of an earlier game suspended as a tie. A loss would force a one-game playoff with Fulton for the regular season title.

Jankowski makes Cape Cod League all-star team

2011-07-23T21:34:00.002-05:00


*CHRISTINE HOCHKEPPEL/Cape Cod Times* Former Bobcat Travis Jankowski has been selected to play in the 2011 Cape Cod League All-star game.

Former Bobcat and KIT League All-star Travis Jankowski on Friday will get to fulfill a dream of many a young ball player: take a swing at the Green Monster in fabled Fenway Park. Jankowski was selected as on of six Bourne Braves to play in the Cape Cod League All-star game next week. Playing the premiere summer league for college players, Jankowski is leading his team in hitting with a .346 average and is second in the league, only 12 points off the lead.

Bobcat fans may remember Jankowski as the best batter and base runner the team has known. He ended the season with a .484 average, 62 hits and 45 stolen bases, each leading the team and the entire league. Jankowski was invited to play in the Cape Cod League last summer at the end of the 2010 KIT League season. While there, he saw only limited action as the New England league's season wound down.

Starting the season in the league, Jankowski has proven his all-star credentials and helped the Braves to the second-best record in the league. Besides the second best average at this stage of the season, the 20-year-old Stony Brook (N.Y.) sophomore has more hits than anyone (47), is second in runs scored (24), third in RBI (21) and has showcased his trademark speed and base running with three more triples than anyone in the league (7) and has the fourth highest number of stolen bases (11).

Below is a reprint of a story by Dan Popko of the Cape Cod Times. The story originally appeared on the July 8, edition of the Times.

Jankowski

What a difference a year makes for Bourne’s Travis Jankowski.

The Stony Brook sophomore impressed with a near .500 average for the Marion Bobcats of the (KIT League) last summer and earned a late-season cameo with the Braves last August. In nine games between the regular season and playoffs Jankowski hit .306 for Bourne, but didn’t have a single RBI.

At the halfway point of the 2011 season, the speedy center fielder already has 14 RBIs hitting out of the Braves’ leadoff spot, good for third place in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Sitting one spot ahead of Jankowski is his college roommate, Brewster’s Tanner Nivins. Even though Stony Brook isn’t known for producing a lot of baseball talent, six Seawolves are in the league this summer.

You’ve had a lot of success so far. Why, and and what are the keys to continuing it?

I’ve really got to contribute it to the coaching staff here in Bourne. They changed my swing early on. I started off struggling a little bit, but since they’ve talked to me and tweaked some things I’ve been doing all right. Up here, you know you’re going to struggle against the pitching because it’s the best. You’ve just got to kind of take the mental aspect into the game and not get down on yourself. When things are going good it’s easy to play, but when you start slumping you’ve got to keep your head in it and your mind focused.

You wouldn’t call yourself a run producer, at least not like you’ve been so far. Are you surprised you’re near the top in RBIs? 

It’s really cool. At school I was in the seven hole, but up here the leadoff guy. The guys at the bottom of the lineup are getting on base and getting over. If they aren’t on base I can’t drive them in so I’ve got to give them most of the credit.

What would you say your game normally involves? 

It’s just speed. I’m always running around, putting the ball in play and getting on base. Usually I’m a run scorer, not the one driving in the runs.

You were with Bourne for the end of the season and the playoffs last year. How did that taste of the Cape League help with the transition coming back this season? 

Mainly it kind of just killed my nerves. I wasn’t nervous coming up here at all. I knew the coaches, I got a feel for the competition. (Last summer) was almost like a tryout, that’s how I took it. I knew what to expect (this summer) so it definitely helped.

You’re one of six players from Stony Brook in the league, including (catcher Patrick Cantwell) on your Bourne team. What is that experience like?

It’s always fun to look on the opposing team and see a teammate. My college roommate (Tanner Nivins) is with Brewster. On off days we meet up and hang out. It’s a lot of fun and it really says a lot about the program, too.

Stony Brook used to be known as “that school Joe Nathan went to.”  We’re not a big-time school and to have six guys up here on Cape Cod, it just says that we’re getting our name out there and turning into a mid-major school, and hopefully it gets better from here on out.

Any kind of trash talk going on? 

Not too much. Usually if there is trash talk, it’s all fun and games. Probably.

Have there been any benefits of this being your second time on the Cape when you step away from baseball? 

Yeah, definitely. I know all the hot spots, the beaches to go to, where to take the guys who are first-year players up here. I know where to get food, which is the important thing. Knowing the town is always good.

What sort of things do you like to do off the field?

I like hanging out with my friends. I like golfing and there are a couple good golf courses up here. Of course, there is always going to the beach and getting a tan, going to the gym.

How do you see this time playing at such a high level impacting you going forward?

 Hopefully it gets my name out to the scouts and I can really take my game to the next level, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Bobcats issue walk-off walk in 5-4 loss

2011-07-23T07:51:00.001-05:00

Anders

Marion fell below .500 in league play for the first time this year after 5-4 extra-inning loss at Owensboro and lost any chance to win the Ohio Valley League title in the season's 42-game regular season.

Josh Anders walked in the winning run with one out in the bottom of the 10th to put Owensboro one win away from taking the regular season title. Anders (2-4), who has seven starts on the year, pitched the last 1 2/3 innings after relievers Matt Vollenweider and Stephen Glaze failed to get an out after spelling starter Kyle Tokunaga in the eighth.

Anders was able to get the Bobcats out of the bases-loaded jam created in the eighth by the three previous pitchers and in the ninth got out of his own bases-full predicament without a run. Marion ended and exited the top of the 10th without having scored since a run in the second took their lead to 4-1, setting up the Oilers to end the contest in walk-off fashion.

In the bottom of the 10th, Anders led off with a walk issued to designated hitter Ty Broady. With Broady in scoring position after a sacrifice bunt, Gabriel Pena then singled but failed to get Broady home. An intentional walk to lead-off hitter Luis Mila then left Anders with no wiggle room for the final two outs. The next batter, Ty Stetson, drove in the winning run with a careful eye at the plate, drawing four pitchers out of the strike zone to force in the game winner.

Tokunaga had allowed only one run on four hits until the eighth, when he allowed the cycle—a single, double and triple—in that inning before being pulled. All three runs that scored in the inning, including one on a wild pitch, were charged to Tokunaga.

Owensboro pitchers buckled down after Marion's fourth run in the second, allowing only four hits across the final eight innings. The Bobcats had scored three runs to start the game with an RBI-single from A.J. Dokey and a run-scoring double from Taylor Banks, who also scored a run on a rare steal of home. In the second, Desmond Roberts' single drove in Mike Lockett after the second baseman reached on an error and landed 90 feet from home on a wild pitch and passed ball.

That's all the scoring Marion would do Friday. Roberts was 2-for-3 and Dokey 2-for-5. Caleb Eickhoff, Lockett also added singles to accompany Banks' RBI-double.

Marion travels to Fulton Saturday. The game will be the last of the season for the Railroaders, who, at a half-game behind the Oilers, have a chance to take the league title with a win at Lohaus Field and help from Tradewater, who takes on Owensboro Saturday. That scenario would force resumption of a Marion-Owensboro tie on July 10 in order for the Oilers to play their 42nd game Monday, hoping to force a tie atop the standings with Fulton. Monday's game would also be necessary if both Fulton and Owensboro win Saturday, with Fulton pulling for a Marion win in that game so that both Fulton and Owensboro would end the season at 23-19.

Marion still stands an outside shot at the title, but would require three straight wins. The Bobcats would need to win Saturday and Sunday combined with an Owensboro loss Saturday in order to force Monday's resumption of the tie game. The Bobcats would have to win that game, as well, in order to end tied with Owensboro with a 22-20 record.

Fulton 2, Tradewater 1
Fulton kept their hopes alive for a league title with a 2-1 win over the Pirates.

Click here for box score.

Friday's loss could call for Monday showdown

2011-07-23T01:10:00.001-05:00

Marion's 5-4 loss at Owensboro Friday just may call for a July 10 tie between the two clubs to be played on Monday. But the Oilers would have to lose tomorrow's game with Tradewater and Marion win its last two games at Fulton on Saturday and at home against the Pirates on Sunday.

At best, though, that would leave the Bobcats a full game behind with Monday's July 10 tie-breaker at Guess Field left with significant impact on the regular season standings. If Marion then won the resumption of that of that suspended game, which ended at 6-6 with the Bobcat offense up in the 11th inning, then the two clubs would be then be tied again—in the standings with identical 22-20 records.

That would leave the league with the decision of when and where to play the one game would determine the Ohio Valley League regular season crown. It could be played at Guess Field immediately after the 6-6 game was decided, or could be moved to Owensboro, in which case the game would likely be played on Tuesday, when the playoffs are scheduled to start.

There is another scenario that could create a need for the suspended game to be finished. If Owensboro wins Saturday's game at Chautauqua Park and Fulton ends Marion's hopes the same day with a win in their last scheduled game, that would put the Railroaders in first place with a half-game lead over the Oilers. Owensboro would then likely want the chance to complete its 42nd game with the resumption of the July 10 game in order to force a tie in the standings with Fulton, forcing a one-game playofff between the Railroaders and Oilers.

That would most assuredly call for the postseason to be pushed back a day, because Tuesday would be needed for the Fulton-Owensboro tie-breaker.

Of course, either of those complicated situations could be avoided with a Fulton loss and Owensboro victory on Saturday. That would end the season with the Oilers at 23-18 and the Railroaders at 22-20, 1.5 games out in second place. Then, completion of the Owensboro-Marion suspended game would have no effect on who earns the league crown.

However, another perplexing situation could then arise. Marion could force the issue with wins in its last two games, leaving a battle for runner-up with the Bobcats a half-game behind second-place Fulton. If the Railroaders lose Saturday at the hands of the Bobcats as in the scenario above, resumption of the suspended game on Monday would give the Bobcats a chance to end the season at 22-20 along with Fulton. In that case, second and third place would likely be determined by the winner of head-to-head competition between the Railroaders and Bobcats during the regular season. Marion would have the advantage in that scenario, having gone 8-6 against Fulton in 2011.

All of that confusion, however, could be completely avoided and leave Monday's suspended game moot. Owensboro would have to win Saturday and Fulton lose, then Marion lose to Tradewater on Sunday. The regular season would end as follows:

Owensboro...........23-18 - OVL champion
Fulton...................22-20 - 1.5 games behind
Marion..................20-21 - 3 games behind
Tradewater...........18-24 - 5.5 games behind

That is the only scenario that would leave resumption of the suspended Owensboro-Marion game with no impact on the standings.

Split keeps Marion 1.5 games behind Oilers

2011-07-21T23:45:00.002-05:00

Creager

After Thursday's double header split, the Bobcats must win outright with three games on the schedule and hope for some help in order to win the 2011 league crown. It is also still possible that resumption of a July 10 game with Owensboro suspended as a tie could be needed on July 25 to decide the title. That game will not resume at Guess Field unless its outcome could affect league standings.

Marion's 5-4 win over Owensboro in the first game Thursday was thanks to a mix of old and new. Newcomer Ian Creager (1-0) took his first win, giving up four runs in 6 1/3 innings. To end the game, the club's season-long closer, Matt Vollenweider, notched his 11th league save by getting the final two outs of the game before the largest crowd at Guess Field in 2011.

The Bobcats broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth on a Mike Lockett sacrifice fly that scored Landon Weitekamp who had reached on a one-out single. Lockett just joined the team this week, and went 2-for-2 with two RBI on Thursday. Cody Scmitt also drove in two runs without the benefit of a hit, pushing runs across on a fielder's choice and sacrifice fly.

The Bobcats registered only four hits in the game, but Owensboro's Brandon Flora (0-2), who allowed only one hit, took the loss having given up the game-winning RBI in the sixth.

Cameron Chestnut and Weitekamp each scored two runs for Marion, including Weitekamps eventual game-winner.

Lead-off hitter Luis Mila was perfect for the Oilers, going 3-for-3 with a run scored. Ryan Stephens batted in two.

Click here for Game 1 box score.

Kottich

The Bobcats (19-19, 20-19 overall) missed a chance to overtake the Oilers (21-18) in the standings by dropping the second game of the twin bill 8-7. Vollenweider (1-3), having just earned his record 11th save a couple of hours earlier, failed to nail down another, giving up the eventual winning run in on a Ryan Messex single in Owensboro's last time up.

The Oilers had jumped out to a 5-1 lead after their half of the fifth, adding four runs in the inning with the help of an Eric Barnes two-run home run. But Marion marched back with three runs of their own in the bottom half, closing the game to 5-4. Singles in the inning by Desmond Roberts and Cody Kottich drove in one and two runs, respectively.

Roberts would add two more RBI on a three-RBI night in Marion's next at-bat, with Jake Hirniak contributing another RBI in the inning on a sacrifice fly. The back-to-back three-run innings for Marion put them ahead 7-5 over the league-leading Oilers.

Owensboro's seventh-inning rally started of Jeremy Jansen, who put on the eventual tying run in the last frame after giving up two hits. Jansen failed to record an out before manager Kyle Medley called on his closer for the second time on the night.

Of the combined 22 hits—the Bobcats with 10—six were extra-base hits including two doubles from each team, a triple from Marion's Mike Lockett and Barnes' home run.

Lockett, Roberts and Cody Schmitt each went 2-for-4 for the Bobcats. Hirniak and Kyle Vander Ark doubled. Schmitt and Vander Ark scored two runs apiece.

Marion has just one more head-to-head match with Owensboro, and that comes Friday night on the road. After that, only two games remain for Marion, and one for the Oilers. Owensboro controls its own destiny in the hunt for the first-ever Ohio Valley League regular season crown.

Click here for Game 2 box score.

Fulton 4, Tradewater 3
The Railroaders picked up a game on front-running Owensboro with a 4-3 win over Tradewater in the first game of a twi-night double header. The victory ensured a shot at first place remains, being only a half-game behind Owensboro with the Oilers' lost in the first game of a double header at Marion. Second-place Fulton can finish no worse than third.

Fulton 13, Tradewater 9
The Pirates were eliminated from contention for the league crown by being swept with a 13-9 loss in the second game of a double header. In fact, Tradewater can finish no better than third place.

Marion win helps team control own destiny

2011-07-20T22:57:00.001-05:00

A 6-5 win at Riverside Park halted a short two-game skid for the Bobcats and kept the Owensboro Oilers to within a 1.5 game lead with just five more games left in the season for Marion. The next three of those games are with Owensboro, in fact, giving the Bobcats a chance to control their own destiny in their hunt for a first-ever league title.

Matt Vollenweider notched his 10th league save in the 6-5 win, but not before the Pirates managed a furious comeback against the bullpen in the final two innings.

Vollenweider came on in the ninth with the bases full of Pirates and one run already in to make the score 5-2 with the winning run at the plate. He got the next two batters out, but two walks and a single later, Tradewater had closed the gap to just one run. With the bases full once again in the inning, league's top closer was able to get Eric Silakowski to ground out to end the game and the Bobcats' two-game skid.

Garret Hunt (2-3) earned the win in six innings of four-hit, shutout work. But Marion's bullpen that was automatic in June, once again withered in the July heat. Jeremy Jansen came on in relief of Hunt and threw a perfect seventh inning, but Stephen Glaze, who entered the game to start the eighth, gave up all five of Tradewater's runs. The Middle Georgia College product gave up one run in his first inning of work, and despite not recording an out in the ninth, all four runs belonged to him.

Marion's offense, which had managed only 13 hits in the last four games, put 10 hits on the board, including doubles from Caleb Eickhoff and Cody Schmitt. Eickhoff's only hit of the night drove in the first run for the Bobcats. Two innings later, lead-off hitter Schmitt's double cleared the bases, bringing in three runs for a 6-0 lead.

The lead could have been larger heading into the bottom half of the frame, but Marion's first two runners to reach were thrown out at the plate before Schmitt's eventual hit, the only one of inning, gave him his 11th, 12th and 13th RBI on the season.

Also at the plate for Marion, new infielder Mike Lockett went 2-for-5 with a run scored. The team's leading hitter with a .270 average, Kyle Vander Ark also added two hits and drove in his 10th run. A.J. Dokey had a hit and scored two of Marion's six runs.

The Oilers come calling for a double header at Guess Field beginning at 5:05 p.m. Thursday. Thanks to The Crittenden Press, all fans enter the twin bill for free. Gifts will also be given away throughout the game.

The last of the three-game set will take place Friday at Chautauqua Park in Owensboro.

After Owensboro, Marion has one more game with each second-place Fulton and last-place Tradewater.

Though only five games remain on the schedule, if necessary, a fourth game with Owensboro might be required on July 25 to settle an unfinished game on July 10 settled as a tie between the two clubs. The game would only be played out to its completion only if the outcome could drastically affect the league standings. The game would pick up with the Bobcats at bat in the bottom of the 11th inning.

Click here for box score.

Owensboro 11, Fulton 0
The wins are gushing near the end of season for Steve Fowler and his Oilers. An 11-0 drubbing of Fulton Wednesday extended Owensboro's lead to 1.5 games over the Railroaders and Bobcats.

Pirates take both ends of twin bill

2011-07-19T20:53:00.001-05:00

Tradewater took the first game of Tuesday's double header 4-3 at Dawson Springs. Marion managed only three hits and Josh Anders took the loss. The Bobcats are 6-11 in July after the loss.

In the second game, the Pirates won 3-2, dropping the Bobcats into third place for the first time this year and only a half-game out of the basement. Marion (17-18, 18-18 overall) also dropped below .500 in league play for the first time.

Click here for Game 1 box score.

Click here for Game 2 box score.

Owensboro 13, Fulton 2
The Oilers took over first place Tuesday with a 13-2 win at Fulton.

Additions fill holes in roster

2011-07-17T23:39:00.002-05:00

Hall

Injuries and exits have made for a few roster changes for the Bobcats.

According to manager Kyle Medley, pitchers Andrew Edwards and Zach Hall and infielder Matthew Fears have left the team in the last week. Hall was 2-2 with a 1.55 ERA and 40 strikeouts to lead the team in that category. Edwards was 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA. Fears, who joined the team in mid-season, was batting .286 with two hits in seven at-bats.

Added to the team are right-handed pitchers Jeremy Janson of Olney Central College in Illnios and Ian Creager from Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. Also added is middle infielder Mike Lockett of Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Bobcats, Oilers split double header

2011-07-17T23:15:00.002-05:00

Tokunaga

A split in a double header at Owensboro Sunday left the league standings unchanged with Marion percentage points ahead of the Oilers for second place and a half-game off first place.

In Game 1, the Bobcats managed only three hits and were blanked in seven innings, the third time the team was shut out this year. The 3-0 win for Owensboro put them briefly in second place. Marion starter Kyle Tokunaga (1-3) went the distance, giving up only four hits, but the three runs he allowed were more than enough with Owensboro's staff shutting down the Bobcat offense.

At the place, Cody Kottich doubled and Landon Weitekamp and Cody Schmitt singled for Marion.

Click here for Game 1 box score.

In the second game, Marion retook second place by percentage points with a 4-3 win. Down 3-2, the Bobcats came within three outs from being swept, but an error in the top of the last inning allowed two runs to cross for the eventual win.

Weitekamp and Taylor Banks started of the seventh with back-to-back singles and scored on a ball put in play by Desmond Roberts. Banks was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Weitekamp scored Marion's other two runs.

On the mound, newcomer Jeremy Jansen (1-0) earned a win in his first appearance, limiting the Oilers to only three runs on 10 hits. One of the runs was unearned.

Click here for Game 2 box score.

Win at Tradewater reverses Bobcats' fortunes

2011-07-17T15:37:00.001-05:00

Vander Ark

An 8-4 win in 10 innings Saturday at Riverside Park ended a three-game skid and moved the Bobcats back to within a half-game of first place.

After trailing most of the game, the Bobcats evened the score at-3-3 in the eighth and pulled ahead 4-3 in the next inning. But closer Matt Vollenweider, who came in for the last out of the Pirate eighth, couldn't hold the lead, allowing Tradewater to battle back, sending the game into extra innings.

It appeared for a moment, though, that the Pirates had walked away with a 5-4 win off Vollenwieder. With the bases full and two out in the last frame of a 4-4 game, an infield grounder by George Kalousek seemingly moved the winning run across the plate with a single. However, the field umpire ruled the throw to first on the play was in time despite protest from the Pirates that the throw had pulled Marion's first baseman off the bag.

The call allowed the Bobcats new life, which they took advantage of with four runs in the visitor's half of the 10th. After Taylor Banks led off with a double, two quick outs seemed to have any rally the Bobcats may have been putting together. However, A.J. Dokey reached on walk followed by a game-winning RBI single by Landon Weitekamp. Cameron Chestnut followed with another single to load the bases for Kyle Vander Ark, who came through with a two-RBI single. Chestnut would later score on a wild pitch for the fourth run and final run of the inning.

Vollenweider threw the last of the 10th, allowing the first two batter to reach, but he left them stranded to earn the win and even his record to 1-1 with 10 saves.

For the Bobcats, two new names figured big in the game. Ian Creagor threw seven innings in his first start for Marion, allowing only four hits and one earned run. Mike Lockett, who came in to run for Banks after his lead-off double in the top of the 10th, scored the winning run.

At the plate, the Bobcats mounted 12 hits. Vander Ark was a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI. Chestnut was also 2-for-2, scoring a run. Cody Schmitt, Banks and Desmond Roberts each added two hits. Weitekamp and Dokey accounted for the other two hits.

Click here for box score.

Owensboro 11, Fulton 7
The Oilers slowed the runaway Railroaders with an 11-7 win Saturday, pulling to within a half-game of the league-leaders. Owensboro ended the night in third place, though, just percentage points behind the Bobcats who also rest at a half-game out of first.

Disputed July 10 game settled as tie

2011-07-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

Marion and Owensboro have agree to let the July 10 game suspended due to a protest, go into the books as a tie. The game will only be finished if the result would dramatically change the final league standings as of July 24, scheduled as the last day of the regular season. The contest would be played at Guess Field on July 25.

The game had initially been slated to be completed next Thursday before the regularly-scheduled game at Owensboro.

Bobcats lose 3rd straight

2011-07-16T15:23:00.002-05:00

Schmitt

Marion lost its third straight game Friday, falling 9-0 to Tradewater and dropping to 4-9 on the month. The Bobcats (15-15, 16-15 overall) share second place with Owensboro (16-16), 1.5 games in back of a surging Fulton team in first place. Tradewater is in last place, albeit only three games off the pace and 1.5 games behind the two second-place clubs.

Tonight, the Bobcats will try to expand the divide between their second place position and the Pirates when they travel to Riverside Park in Dawson Springs.

Friday's was the third time the Bobcats have been shut out this year. Marion managed only five hits in the game, with two coming from Cody Schmitt in three at bats. Taylor Banks, Landon Weitekamp and Matthew Fears each contributed singles.

The Pirates were led by J.B. Sapienza, who went 2-for-2 with a double and two-run home run. He drove in three runs on the night and scored three times. Three other batter had a multiple-hit night.

Marion's starter, Garret Hunt (1-3) took the loss, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Cody Schmitt, an outfielder, made his first appearance on the mound to spell Hunt. He finished the game on the hill, allowing two more runs on three hits.

Click here for box score.

Fulton 12, Owensboro 2
The Railroaders jumped all over Owensboro Friday, continuing their hot July with their 11th win in the month and extending their first-place lead to 1.5 games over second place.

Bobcats drop into 2nd with 5-3 loss

2011-07-14T22:23:00.002-05:00

Weitekamp

Since June 10, the Bobcats have had a firm grasp on first place in the Ohio Valley League. But a 5-3 loss at Fulton Thursday night moved the Railroaders past Marion in the standings, putting the Bobcats in unfamiliar territory, looking up at the league lead. In fact, Marion had held at least a share of first place since the season began on June 3.

Only two of the five runs given up by Marion pitchers were earned. Stephen Glaze took the loss. At the plate, Landon Weitekamp and Caleb Eickhoff each drove in a run on a hit. Cameron Chestnut had the only multiple-hit night with two.

A lackluster July for the Bobcats, has allowed the rest of the league to tighten the race for the first-ever league title. Marion's 4-8 record so far this month is last among the four teams, giving Fulton at 10-5 a chance to go from worst to first, picking up ground on everyone, including 4.5 games to overtake Marion.

And after falling from first, the Bobcats enjoy second place by just percentage points. Owensboro, 7-5 in July, and Marion are both at a half-game back, but the Bobcats' winning percentage has them on top of the Oilers. Tradewater rests 4.5 games out with a 5-8 record in the second month of the season.

Click here for box score.

Owensboro 2, Tradewater 1

Oilers push across winning run in 11th

2011-07-14T00:00:00.003-05:00

Dokey

Marion played its fourth extra-inning affair in five days, losing 3-2 Wednesday to Owensboro in the 11th.

The Bobcats put a run on the board in the third and then the seventh, tying the game after the Oilers scored two runs in the top of the inning. The bullpens kept runs off the board until the 11th when Marion's closer, Matt Vollenweider, let the winning run cross the plate to move Owensboro to 3-2. The run and ensuing loss, however, were charged to Garret Hunt (1-3, 3.12 ERA) who allowed the eventual winning run to reach on a lead-off double.

In his third inning of work for Owensboro. Austin Clay sat down the Bobcats 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 11th, securing his third win of the season.

A.J. Dokey had Marion's only RBI of the night, coming of a double in the third inning. Dokey would factor in the Bobcats' only other run as well. In the seventh, Dokey led off the inning with a walk and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.

Owensboro's two runs scored in regulation came off Josh Anders, who started the game for Marion. Both runs were unearned, however, thanks to an error.

Click here for box score.

Fulton 7, Tradewater 0
The Railroaders notched their league-leading 17th win Wednesday, dropping Tradewater into last place, 3.5 games behind Marion. Despite the 17 wins, Fulton's 16 losses puts the team a half-game behind the 15-13 Bobcats. Owensboro is in third place, a game off the pace.

Tuesday's delay officially ruled a rainout

2011-07-13T23:26:00.000-05:00

Tuesday's game with Owensboro has been ruled a postponement to be made up at a later date.

The game was suspended in the fourth inning due to lightning and wind, but heavy rains that followed forced an end to action for the night. The game will not be picked up where it left off, with Owensboro up 5-3 and Marion at bat in the bottom of the fourth with the tying run at the plate. Instead, a new date will be scheduled to start the game from the very beginning.

To become an official game, the trailing team must have had five innings at bat.

League ruling snatches win from Bobcats

2011-07-13T23:20:00.000-05:00

Sunday's game with Owensboro at Guess Field, which ended under protest from Oilers' manager Steve Fowler, has been ruled incomplete by the league and will be picked up where the controversy over a substitution began.

The contest will resume as a 6-6 tie in extra innings, taking away a 7-6 Marion win on a walk-off RBI single by Joey Xavier in the 11th. The game will resume with the same line-ups at the time of the suspension in the bottom half of the 11th with the first batter—nobody on and nobody out.

The contest will be played on July 21 prior to an already scheduled game in Marion. An adjustment in standings and stats have been removed, and will be reinserted upon completion of the game.

The controversy began when Fowler and his assistant coach were ejected from the game, forcing former Bobcat Drew Barrett from the field at shortstop and into the role as coach. Barrett was replaced in the field and when Xavier's would-be winning hit was grounded between short and third base, Fowler registered an official protest. Further review of the situation by league officials determined that Barrett should not have been forced to vacate his defensive position in order to coach along the baseline while the Oilers were at bat.

Weather delay leads to rainout

2011-07-12T21:49:00.000-05:00

A lengthy delay Tuesday due to severe lightning and wind turned into another postponement due to Mother Nature. There have been numerous rainouts and rescheduled dates already this summer, but on Tuesday night, the game with Owensboro had already gotten under way when it was called due to the elements.

The Oilers left town around 9:30 p.m. with a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth. The game had paused with the tying run at the plate for the Bobcats, but before play could resume, the skies opened up and heavy rains left the field unplayable for the night.

It is unclear at this time whether the game will be picked up where it left off or if it will be restarted at another time.

Win extends Bobcats' lead

2011-07-11T22:13:00.001-05:00

Bailey

A 6-4 decision Monday over the Pirates gave the Bobcats their third win in the last four games and extended the club's lead to 2.5 games over their rival.

Marion scored all of its runs in the first inning when six of the first seven batters reached safely off Tradewater starter Dylon DeLaune, thanks mostly to some poor defensive play behind him. The big blow in the inning, however, came on a Tyler Bailey two-RBI double with two out. Three errors accounted for all but one of the runs in the inning.

In six innings, the Pirates offense managed only one run on two hits off Kyle Tokunaga in his third start, but reached Marion's struggling bullpen with three runs on four walks and a single off Daniel Szathmary in the ninth. After Tradewater chased Szathmary from the game, though, Stephen Glaze came on to shut the door, striking out two of the three batters he faced to end the game. Tokunaga earned the win, his first against two losses.

Despite the rough first that led to his third loss of the year, DeLuane kept the Bobcat hitters off balance for the next six innings. Bailey had the only two-hit night for Marion. Jake Hirniak, Cody Schmitt and Landon Weitekamp were the only other Bobcats to register a hit.

David Zorn had big night for Tradewater at the plate, accounting for half of their six hits in four at-bats and scoring a run.

Tradewater left 12 runners on base to the Bobcats' six.

Click here for box score.

Xavier drives in 4, hits game-winner in 11th

2011-07-10T21:02:00.004-05:00

Because of a disputed substitution in the 11th inning, this game was played under protest and later ruled an incomplete game to be picked back up at the point of controversy. As of July 15, however, the two clubs agreed the game would result in a tie, to be completed on July 25 only if the league standings would be affected. Click here for details.

Glaze

For the third night in a row, fans got some free baseball at Guess Field. And for the second time in three games, the hometown fans left the park as winners with a walk-off hit.

On Saturday, after an extra inning victory the night before, the Bobcats were unable to rally from a run down in the 10th to prevent their fifth loss in the last six games . But on Sunday, Joey Xavier's single in the 11th ended the game with Marion (15-12, 16-12 overall) on top of Owensboro 7-6. The run was the fourth of the night driven in by Xavier on a 3-for-5 night.

Entering the eighth inning up 6-3 on the Oilers behind a strong performance by starter Andrew Edwards, Marion's bullpen couldn't close the door. Manager Kyle Medley's normally reliable tandem of set-up man Daniel Szathmary and closer Matt Vollenwieder each got touched for runs in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to allow Owensboro (13-15) to send the game to extra innings. For Vollenweider, who gave up two runs in the last frame of regulation to tie the game, it was his first blown save of the year and the first runs charged to his ERA.

Vollenweider had not allowed a single runner to reach home all season until Saturday's game winner in Fulton's half of the 10th inning.

But Marion's bullpen redeemed itself in extra innings. Stephen Glaze pitched two hitless innings to give the offense another chance to end a game in walk-off fashion.

With the heart of the order up in the bottom of the 11th, the offense did just that. Desmond Roberts led with a single off reliever Jim Mulvaney, but Mulvaney rebounded for two quick outs before an error allowed Cody Schmitt to reach and Roberts to move to third. With the winning run just 90 feet away and the count full, Xavier drove a hard grounder between third and short to end the game.

Glaze (1-1) got the win, his first of the year. Mulvaney (3-3) took the loss.

After combining for eight errors the night before, the defense on Sunday was not much better. Seven errors were committed in the game, leading to an unearned run for each team, including the game-winner.

Early in the game, Owensboro scored first with a Brent Weinzapfel two-run homer off Edwards in the second. Marion would answer with three runs in the next half inning, led by Xavier's first RBI of night when he drove in Caleb Eickhoff who started the inning with a double. The second run was forced in on walk from Owensboro starter Brad Pressley. The final run came home on a fielder's choice on a ball put in play by A.J. Dokey.

In the third, Edwards balked home the Oilers' third run of night, tying the game at 3-3. But Marion's bats once again had an answer, adding two of their own on another run-scoring single from Xavier. The Bobcats added their final run in regulation in the sixth when Roberts drove in Dokey with a single.

On the base paths, Dokey and Jake Hirniak each had two stolen bases and Roberts added one of his own.

The Oilers' manager, Steve Fowler, was tossed from the game after arguing a substitution with the umpire. Prior to this year, Fowler was the only manager to have led the Bobcats.

The game was the only action on tap Sunday in the Ohio Valley League, giving Marion a chance to extend their first-place lead by a half-game over Tradewater, who comes to town on Monday 1.5 games in back of the Bobcats. The game starts at 7:05 p.m.

Click here for box score.

Marion falls in extra innings

2011-07-10T01:15:00.002-05:00

Hirniak

For the second consecutive night, the Bobcats and Railroaders needed extra innings to decide the contest. On Saturday, however, Fulton was the team to walk off the field with a 5-4 win.

In a game that saw porous defense from both squads, it was perhaps fitting that an error played a part in the winning run. In the 10th, a defensive miscue to start the inning put Fulton's Mikee Moore on base, setting up a showdown between cleanup hitter Kahtan Al-Kaissy and Marion's closer, Matt Vollenweider. With two outs and Moore on second, Al-Kaissy was able to touch Vollenwieder for his first run of the year on an RBI single. The unearned run kept Vollenweider's ERA at 0.00, but put the first blemish on the record of the league's saves leader—a loss.

The Bobcats would commit another error in the inning, the team's fifth of the night, but no further damage was done—or needed. In the bottom half of the 10th, Fulton's Miles Canady was able to nail down his first save after walking two. Altogether, the two teams combined for eight errors with only four of the nine runs in the game charged to pitchers.

Just like on Friday, Marion rallied late to send the game into overtime. In the home half of the ninth, the Bobcats, down 4-3, tied the game on a two-out RBI single off the bat of Jake Hirniak. With Vollenweider, his perfect ERA and nine saves already on the mound since relieving starter Garret Hunt in the ninth, chances looked good that the Bobcats might again be able to end the game with an extra-inning score. But with the top of the order due up for Fulton in the 10th, Marion's closer was unable to overcome the error that put the leadoff hitter on.

A second Bobcat rally fell short in the final inning despite back-to-back walks issued by Canady. With one out, Taylor Banks reach base on four balls but was soon erased when trying to steal second. Cody Schmitt followed Banks on first via the bases on balls but was left on first when Joey Xavier grounded out to end the game.

Both teams put runs on the board early, each scoring a pair of runs in the first with Marion's coming on a Desmond Roberts home run. But Hunt and Fulton's Roman Kelly settled down, but poor defense behind them allowed each to be touched for another pair of runs. Kelly, who earned the win, threw nine innings, allowing only four hits while walking four. Hunt pitched eight innings, giving up six hits and walking four.

A.J. Dokey added a double and Cameron Chestnut a single to account for Marion's only other hits outside of the run-scoring hits from Roberts and Hirniak. Roberts' home run was his second of the year.

For Fulton, Friday's losing pitcher, Brock Downey, was 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Moore scored three runs, including the game winner. Rob Hogenkamp tallied two RBI.

Marion faces Owensboro Sunday at Guess Field beginning at 5:05 p.m.

Click here for box score.

Owensboro 7, Tradewater 1
The Oilers' 7-1 win at Riverside Park allowed the Bobcats to remain on top of the league all alone. Tradewater still rests a game in back of Marion. Only one run separates all four Ohio Valley League teams. Marion, Fulton and Tradewater all have 14 wins on the season with last place Owensboro at 13.

Extra-inning affair ends losing streak

2011-07-08T22:54:00.002-05:00

(NOTE: Initial reports had Friday's game ending in a three-run home run, but upon further review the hit was ruled a ground rule double resulting in a 3-2 decision for the Bobcats.)

Kottich

Marion broke a four-game skid Friday in dramatic fashion. After tying the game in the eighth at 2-2 with their first scores of the night, Cody Kottich ended the game for the Bobcats in the bottom of the 10th inning with a walk-off hit. The 3-2 win over Fulton was Marion's 14th of the season, but the first in an eight-day, 10-game homestand that began Thursday.

Going into the bottom of the eighth, Fulton led 2-0 with both runs coming off starter Todd Brazell. But Brazell, who gave up only one earned run in this, his fifth start, was taken off the hook when the Bobcats rallied for a pair of runs on a Kyle Vander Ark single. But the Railroaders threatened in both the ninth and 10th innings off reliever Desmond Robert, putting runners on third in both frames. Roberts, though, was able to get out of each inning unscathed, including the 10th when manager Kyle Medley left him in to work out of his own one-out, bases loaded jam.

The win was Roberts' second against no losses. Brock Downey (1-1), who gave up Kottich's game-winning hit after registering only one out, took the loss for Fulton.

Downey, in the 10th, walked Jake Hirniak to lead off the inning then hit Vander Ark to put runners on first and second. Cameron Chestnut came in to run for Vander Ark for insurance against a double play, but a fly out by Caleb Eickhoff failed to advance the runners. It became academic, however, when Kottich stepped in and ended the game with his only hit of the night, a ground rule double that bounced over the fence. The hit was initially reported as a home run.

Coming into the night, Marion threatened to relinquish sole possession of first place for the first time since early June. Tradewater, after sweeping a three-game set at Guess Field Thursday, had moved to within one game of the league-leading Bobcats. Friday's victory preserved the game lead over Tradewater, who beat Owensboro 5-3 to remain a game back in second place.

For Marion, Brazell allowed seven hits and struck out seven in eight innings. At the plate, Vander Ark was 2-for-4 and Hirniak, Eickhoff and Cody Schmitt each added singles.

For Fulton, Alex Azeredo was 2-for-4 with a double. Pudlo also doubled for his only hit in three at-bats. Brandon Eggenschwiler had the Railroaders only RBI, with a one run in the fifth scoring on an error.

The two teams square off again Saturday at Guess Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Click here for box score.

Tradewater 5, Owensboro 3
The Pirates kept pace with Marion while the Oilers fell to 2.5 games out in last place. Fulton is also 2.5 games behind Marion in third place, just percentage points ahead of Owensboro.

Tradewater leaves town with sweep

2011-07-07T21:55:00.003-05:00

Anders

For the first time this season, the Bobcats have dropped four in a row, thanks in part to a series sweep by a surging Tradewater club. The Pirates left town Thursday with a 6-1 win to preserve the sweep and move to within one game of first-place Marion.

The Bobcats are 2-5 in July and 4-8 since returning from a four-day layoff on June 22.

Marion (13-11, 14-11 overall) took an early lead Thursday with a run in the second, but Tradewater (13-13) tied the game in the sixth. The Pirates pulled away with a five-run explosion in the next frame, touching starter Josh Anders (2-1) for four runs. Stephen Glaze came in to finish the game for the Bobcats, but also surrendered a run in the five-run seventh.

Anders, who gave up three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings, came into the game with a minute 0.67 ERA. After the performance, his 1.35 ERA is still among the best in the league.

On the mound for Tradeater, former Bobcat hurler Logan Thomas (3-0) did in his old club Thursday, going the distance and allowing only one run. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out nine.

Lately, it's been ex-Bobcats hurting the club's grasp on first place. Late last week, former manager Steve Fowler and shortstop Drew Barrett took a two-game series at Guess Field. And for the Pirates, Thomas is the second winning pitcher in as many nights to have worn the Bobcats tunic in the past. Caleb Luttrell was the first, doing in his old club with a 2-1 win in the second game of Wednesday's double header.

The bottom of the order for Marion saw solid production out of Landon Weitekamp and Jake Hirniak, each going 2-for-3 as the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, respectively. Desmond Roberts and Taylor Banks also contributed hits. But Cody Schmitt, who was hitless on the night, drove in the Bobcats' only run, his seventh RBI of the season.

For Tradewater, Brock Bontrager drove in half of the team's six runs in the No. 2 slot, going 2-for-5. J.B. Sapenzia got three hits in four trips to the plate, including a double.

Click here for box score.

Fulton 4, Owensboro 2
Fulton move out of the Ohio Valley League cellar Thursday with a 4-2 win over Owensboro, though by only one one-thousandth of a percentage point. In fact, all teams except Marion ended the night in a different spot in the standings than the night before.

Tradewater sweeps double header with pair of 2-1 wins

2011-07-06T21:14:00.005-05:00

Tradewater took both ends of a double header at Marion Wednesday, walking away with a 2-1 victory in each of the pitching duels. The sweep cuts the Bobcats' lead over rival Tradewater in half. At the end o of the night, Marion (13-10, 14-10 overall) led second-place Owensboro (12-12), who split a twin bill with Fulton, by 1.5 games and Tradewater (12-13) by two.


Szathmary

In the first game, Daniel Szathmary gave up both Pirate runs in his first start, which ended in his first loss of the year. Szathmary (2-1) threw six strong innings, but Tradewater's Russ Gilliam bested him, giving up only one run on seven hits for a complete-game victory. Szathmary, who has served as closer Matt Vollenweider's set-up man for most of the season, gave up only five hits and one of his runs allowed was unearned.

A lead-off triple from Pirate slugger Derek Etsell in the sixth proved to be the difference in the game. He was promptly driven in by a sacrifice fly from the next batter to face Szathmary.

Garret Hunt, normally a stater for Marion, pitched a scoreless top of the seventh, giving the Bobcat bats a chance to tie or win the game in the final frame of regulation. Gilliam, however, remained sharp and sat down the Marion offense in order to end the game.

At the plate, Cody Kottich, Caleb Eickhoff and Kyle Vander Ark all went 2-for-3, with Vander Ark driving in Marion's only run with one in the bottom of the fourth with one of his two doubles on the night. Taylor Banks, who scored the sole run, accounted for the only other hit for the Bobcats.

Click here for Game 1 box score.

Banks

In the nightcap, all of the scoring came early with the Pirates posting a run in each of the first two innings and Marion putting its lone run on the board in the home half of the second.

Like in the first game, Marion's starter sparkled on the mound, but came up short thanks to a defensive miscue in the second that allowed Tradewater's Chris Mitko to score on a one-out double. Zach Hall dropped to 2-2 with the complete-game loss for the Bobcats, but pushed his strikeout total on the year to 40 in 29 innings pitched. At the end of the night, he had struck out more batters than any other pitcher in the league.

But Hall and the Bobcats would have gladly traded the strikes for a couple more runs of former Bobcat lefty Caleb Luttrell. Luttrell (1-2) threw five innings for the Pirates, nailing down the win by allowing only one run on two hits. The Pirate bullpen would allow only one more hit in keeping Marion scoreless over the final two innings.

Tradewater pitchers allowed only singles to Schmitt, Banks and Desmond Roberts. Marion would put three more runners on courtesy of the walk, one of which led to the team's only run of the night. A lead-off walk issued to Vander Ark would be Luttrell's worst mistake of the night. Vander Ark would come around to score on an RBI-single from Banks.

Marion will try to right the ship and prevent a series sweep Thursday at Guess Field. The 7:05 p.m. start against the Pirates will be just the third game of an eight-day, 10-game homestand.

Click here for Game 2 box score.

Fulton 4, Owensboro 2
The Railroaders doubled up Owensboro in the first game of a double header, send the hosts to a 4-2 defeat.

Owensboro 8, Fulton 4
Owensboro returned the favor in the second game to split the bill, defeating the Railroaders 8-4 to remain in second place.

Bobcats' game with Oilers postponed

2011-07-04T21:26:00.000-05:00

Another game for Marion was postponed, with holiday rains keeping the field at Chautauqua Park in Owensboro unplayable. No make-up date has been scheduled yet. Meantime, at 10-5 win over Tradewater move Fulton out of the Ohio Valley League basement and left the Pirates in last place.

Fulton 10, Tradewater 5
The Railroaders double-up the Pirates to move up in the standings, 3.5 games behind first-place Marion. Tradewater fell to four games back.

Marion splits twin bill with Fulton

2011-07-03T23:01:00.003-05:00

Roberts

The Bobcats (13-8, 14-8 overall) took the first game of a double header Sunday at Fulton (10-13) by a score of 8-6, but fell to the Railroaders 3-2 in the second game.

The win in the front-end of the twin bill gave Desmond Roberts (1-0) his first win and allowed Matt Vollenweider his 10th save.

The teams were tied 6-6 going into the seventh and final inning, but a lead-off home run by Cameron Chestnut in the top of the inning proved to be the game-winning hit. An A.J. Dokey single drove in Jake Hirniak for an insurance run. In the Fulton-half of the inning, Vollenwieder, who has not blown a save this year, was again perfect to nail down the win for the 13th win of the season for the Bobcats.

Each team managed 12 hits, but four extra-base hits from Marion—Chestnut's second home run of the season and doubles by Taylor Banks, Roberts and Dokey—each drove in a run. All of Fulton's hits were singles.

Both teams also gave up their share of unearned runs, with half of each team's run total coming off errors.

Bobcats starter Andrew Edwards gave up all six of Fulton's runs, but Marion touched the Railroaders' bullpen for runs. Fulton's Kahtan Al-Kaissy, the league's No. 2 hitter, was held hitless by Marion pitchers for the second time in as many nights. Roberts earned the win in relief by setting down all four Fulton batters he faced before leaving after the sixth inning.

Marion had four hitters contribute multiple hits with Roberts going 3-for-5, Chestnut 2-for 3, Joey Xavier 2-for-4 and Dokey 2-for-5. Dokey drove in two and Roberts added a stolen base, as did Hirniak.

Click here for Game 1 box score.

Vander Ark

In the second game, Kyle Tokunaga pitched the entire contest for Marion, giving up only three hits, but took his second loss of the year in the 3-2 win for the Railroaders. Fulton starter Taylor Reilly gave up six hits allowing two runs. All of Fulton's runs came in the fourth inning off Tokunaga (0-2), but it was all they would need to split the double header.

For Marion, Kyle Vander Ark had a multiple-hit night, going 2-for-3. Cody Scmitt had the only RBI for the Bobcats coming off a single in the fourth. An error in the inning prior gave Marion its only other run of the night.

Click here for Game 2 box score.

Owensboro 5, Tradewater 1
The Oilers retook sole possession of second place with a 5-1 win Sunday at Riverside Park. Owensboro (11-11) is now 2.5 games out of first place, one game ahead of Tradewater (10-12).

Bobcats use 12 strikeouts, suicide squeeze to beat Fulton 1-0

2011-07-02T23:19:00.003-05:00

Vollenweider

A lone run in the seventh inning was enough to give Garret Hunt his first win and snap the Bobcats' two-game losing streak. Closer Matt Vollenweider also earned his ninth save in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Fulton, giving him the new team record for saves.

Hunt (1-2) struck out 12 Fulton batters and allowed only two in seven innings en route to Marion's second win at the end of a four-game homestand. As he has done so many times this season, set-up man Daniel Szathmary threw the eighth, holding the Railroaders at bay by setting down all three runners he faced. Manager Kyle Medley then handed the ball over to his closer in the ninth and, in turn, handed over his own team saves record to Vollenweider.

Vollenweider shut down Fulton (9-12) after a lead-off walk to the league's top hitter, Kahtan Al-Kaissy, who came into the game batting .375 but failed to register a hit Saturday. The save was Vollenweider's eighth in league play, but another registered in interleague action allowed him to overtake Medley. The first-place Bobcats still have 24 games to offer Vollenweider a chance to extend his mark.

For Marion, (12-7, 13-7 overall) the shutout was the second of the season.

Fulton's B.J. Sieverding (1-3) pitched his own masterful seven innings, giving up three hits and striking out eight Bobcats, but a lead-off walk that led to a single run in the bottom of the seventh on a rare suicide squeeze was his undoing. The bases full of Bobcats and one out, Landon Weitekamp laid down a perfect bunt to score Desmond Roberts. Marion lost a shot at a second run when Caleb Eickhoff was tagged out at home trying to score.

No Marion batter had more than one hit, but of the four, Weitekamp's bunt single was by far the biggest of the night. Cody Kottich added a double while Tyler Bailey and Kyle Vander Ark registered base hits.

Click here for box score.

Tradewater 5, Owensboro 4
The Pirates once again pulled even with the Oilers with 5-4 win Saturday, putting both teams at 10-11 an three games back in second place.

Oilers sweep short series

2011-07-01T21:29:00.002-05:00

For the first time this year, the Bobcats were swept in a series, albeit only a short, two-game set with Owensboro (10-10). The Oilers came to town for the second night in a row, beating Marion (11-7, 12-7 overall) 7-3 Friday night.

Eickhoff

The Bobcats trailed only 2-1 going into the seventh, but starter Todd Brazell (2-1) was touched for another run before being pulled in favor of Desmond Roberts, who plays the outfield when not on the mound. Roberts would allow two more runs in the inning, as well as two in the next frame to put Marion down 7-1. Small rallies pushed one Bobcat run across in both the eighth and ninth innings, but Owensboro's bullpen closed the door on the rally by notching three strikeouts in the ninth.

All three of the runs the Bobcats scored were unearned, as the Oilers' defense committed three errors. Marion's offense managed seven hits, with Taylor Banks and Caleb Eickhoff each knocking in a run. Eickhoff and Landon Weitekamp each went 2-for-4 and the top of the order—A.J. Dokey, Cody Schmitt and Cody Kottich—each added a hit. Marion added three stolen bases.

Owensboro moved past Tradewater to take second place in the league. The Bobcats, however, remain in first place despite the back-to-back losses.

Click her for box score.

Fulton 3, Tradewater 1
Fulton moved into a third-place tie with Tradewater Friday on the back of a 3-1 victory. Both teams rest at three games behind Marion at 9-11.

Ex-Bobcats do in former club

2011-06-30T21:58:00.003-05:00

Two former Bobcats came back to haunt the team Thursday night.

Steve Fowler, the manager that led Marion onto the field in its first three seasons, opened at two-game series at Gordon Blue Guess Field Thursday with 4-3 win over his former team as the first-year manager of the Owensboro Oilers. The game-winning hit was provided an ex-Bobcat shortshop under Fowler, Drew Barrett.

The Oilers (9-10) jumped out to an early one-run lead with a score in the first inning and added two more in the seventh to take a 3-0 lead of Marion (11-6, 12-6 overall). But the Bobcats stormed back in the home half of the inning to tie the game on a two-RBI single from Cody Kottich and a Tyler Bailey score on a double steal. Owensboro answered, however, with an RBI hit off the bat of Barrett.

Vander Ark

In the last frame of the contest, the Bobcats were able to get the tying run to third, but Owensboro's bullpen left Cody Schmitt stranded on third and the Bobcats with a loss in the second game of a long four-game homestand.

Starter Josh Anders gave up only one earned run of the three he allowed through 6 2/3 innings. Stephen Glaze (0-1) took the loss after getting only two outs. Kottich and Kyle Vander Ark each had two hits, and the Marion's defense turned three double plays to counter two fielding miscues.

Click here for box score.

Fulton 8, Tradewater 4
The Railroaders chased and tied the Pirates through almost fives innings before finally taking a lead and preserving an 8-4 win.

Bobcats start dry spell with win

2011-06-29T21:19:00.005-05:00

When the Bobcats finally got a break in the weather to return to the field, they returned in grand style, scoring eight times and shutting out Fulton Wednesday at Guess Field.

Marion (11-5, 12-5 overall) has been idle five days due to rainouts both at home and away. In fact, in those five days, six attempts at ballgames have been quashed by Mother Nature. But Wednesday, the bats and arms of the teams seemed to have benefited from the time off, making an almost perfect return to action.

Hall

The Bobcats were efficient at the plate, with their eight runs coming on six hits, while starter Zach Hall with some help from Marion native Alex Wood and the bullpen held the Railroaders to three hits en route to the staff's first shutout of the season. The defense was also flawless in the field, as compared to the four errors committed by Fulton.

The offense exploded for five runs in the second inning, scoring an RBI single by Landon Weitekamp and a grand slam off the bat of A.J. Dokey, his second home run—though initial league home run, with the first shot coming in interleague action—and the first bases-clearing hit this year for the Bobcats. Marion added a run in the third and two more in the sixth.

Hall (2-1) kept Fulton batters guessing all night, striking out 13 in only seven innings pitched, including retiring the side on strikes in the second, fifth and seventh innings. Earning the win, Hall has now struck out 31 batters in 22 innings pitched. His strikeout total was tops in the league at the close of the ballgame.

Wood came on in the eighth, striking out one, and Daniel Szathmary pitched the last frame, setting the Railroaders down in order with two strikeouts and a fly ball. The bullpen didn't allow a hit. All total, Bobcat pitchers fanned 16 Railroaders, a team high for this year.

Dokey's one hit was more than enough for Marion to strengthen their hold on first place, but Cameron Chestnut added two hits and an RBI. Caleb Eickhoff, Desmond Roberts, Taylor Banks and Jake Hirniak also added hits.

Click here for box score.

Tradewater 7, Owensboro 0
The second-place Pirates kept pace with Marion with their own shutout Wednesday, downing Owensboro 7-0. Tradewater (9-9) is three games in back of Marion. Owensboro (8-10) rests at four back and Fulton (7-11) at five.

Yet another game postponed

2011-06-28T21:33:00.001-05:00

The weather again has created field conditions in Fulton unsuitable for playing. The game for tonight has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader to be played this Sunday at Fulton. Each game will be seven innings each and the first game will start at 5 p.m.

Owensboro 2, Tradewater 1
Owensboro moved into a second-place tie with Tradewater three games in back of Marion with a 2-1 win Tuesday over the Pirates.

Rain, rain, go away!

2011-06-27T20:55:00.001-05:00

It seems Tradewater and Marion just weren't meant to play one another.

The rivals were once again rained out on Monday night, a scheduled make-up to salvage at least one game of a three-game series postponed since Friday. The league had planned for the teams to meet tonight at Guess Field to play one of the two games of double header in Marion washed out on Sunday. Already, Saturday's game at Riverside Park had been postponed due to weather.

Altogether, Tradewater and Marion have four rain dates to reschedule. Only one has been set, a home date a Guess Field on July 11, originally an open date on the schedule for both teams. The Bobcats have two more with Owensboro to make up—one on July 10 and another to be determined later.

Every Ohio Valley League match-up except Marion-Fulton owe one anther a make-up date. Ironically, the Bobcats are slated to travel Tuesday to Lohaus Field in Fulton. Fulton returns the favor as a guest at Marion on Wednesday.

Tonight's game pushed back 1 hour

2011-06-27T16:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight's scheduled game against Tradewater at Guess Field will still take place despite today's rains, but will start one hour late. First pitch will now be at 8:05 p.m., if no further rain falls in Marion.

Double header postponed

2011-06-26T12:27:00.001-05:00

Today's double header with Tradewater at Guess Field has been postponed and rescheduled in part as a single home game Monday at 7:05 p.m.

Also postponed was Fulton's double header with Owensboro.

Fulton creeping out of cellar

2011-06-25T20:18:00.002-05:00

Fulton 5, Owensboro 4
The Railroaders nipped Owensboro Saturday by the score of 5-4 to move within a half-game of third place in the Ohio Valley League. Fulton (7-10) scored all of their runs in the third inning, and was able to fend off Owensboro (7-9) rallies in the fourth and fifth innings.

Game at Riverside Park postponed

2011-06-25T14:06:00.000-05:00

Tonight's contest at Riverside Park in Dawson Springs has been postponed due to another day of heavy rains. No make-up date has been scheduled as of yet.

Tonight's rainout makes the fourth postponement of Marion's season yet to be played.

Sunday's double header against Tradewater is still set to begin at 2:05 p.m. at Gordon Blue Guess Field.

Pitching staff helps end 2-game skid

2011-06-24T22:08:00.004-05:00

The league-leading Bobcats knocked off the rust Friday with a tight 2-1 win at Fulton after dropping two straight games following a five-day layoff.

Edwards

Marion's pitching staff came to the rescue of a struggling offense that has been outscored 12-5 in the last three contests. Starter Andrew Edwards moved his record to 2-0 with a one-run, three-hit effort in 6 1/3 innings. The bullpen, as it has regularly this year, continued to keep Fulton's hitters mystified, allowing only one hit the rest of the way.

Closer Matt Vollenwieder pitched the ninth to hold the 2-1 lead and pick up his eighth save of the season, tying his manager's old team record. Kyle Medley, the rookie manager of the Bobcats, set the saves record in 2008, Marion's debut season. Though one of Vollenweider's saves came in interleague play and is not reflected in Ohio Valley League stats, he is still atop all other closers with seven league saves.

On any other night, Fulton's B.J. Sieverding (1-2) would have probably walked away with a win after throwing eight innings of two-run ball. But one of the five hits he allowed gave Marion's Caleb Eickhoff a two-RBI single in the fourth, giving the Bobcats all they would need to split the two-game series with Fulton and hand Sieverding the loss.

The Railroaders' only score came in the home half of the sixth when hot-hitting Kahtan Al-Kaissy contributed an RBI single. Al-Kaissy was 5-for-7 with four RBI in the series with Bobcats.

Marion's offense managed as many walks as hits against Fulton. Cody Kottich reached base three times in four trips to the plate with two walks and a hit. Desmond Roberts also drew two walks. Eickhoff struggled on the night with three strikeouts, but made the only time he put the ball in play count with the game-winning hit. Also adding hits—all singles—were A.J. Dokey, Kyle Vander Ark and Joey Xavier.

Meantime, Cody Schmitt, who leads the team with a .311 average, was 0-for-3.

The win moved Marion to 10-5 (11-6 overall), preserving a 2.5-game cushion over Tradewater heading into a three-game series with the Pirates. The Bobcats are now 4-2 against the Railroaders in 2011, more wins than the team has amassed in any season against the Fulton team.

Fulton dropped to 6-10, behind Owensboro and Tradewater in chasing Marion for the first-ever Ohio Valley League title.

Click here for box score.

Tradewater 7, Owensboro 2
Tradewater (8-8) traded places with Owensboro (7-8) in the league standings Friday, moving into second with a 7-2 win at Riverside Park.

Bobcats look to rebound at Lohaus Field

2011-06-24T05:57:00.004-05:00

BY CHRIS HARDESTY
For the first time this season, the Marion Bobcats lost two consecutive games dropping a 9-3 decision to Fulton Thursday night at Gordon Blue Guess Field.

Kyle Vander Ark greets Joey Xavier after
crossing the plate in a 9-3 loss to Fulton.

Things actually began well for the Bobcats in the bottom of the first when Cody Kottich, Taylor Banks and Caleb Eickoff all drew two-out walks. One batter later, Joey Xavier, who finished with a 3-for-4 night with an RBI and a run scored, put his team on top 1-0.

An error followed, allowing Landon Weitekamp to reach and another run crossed the plate for a 2-0 advantage.

But Bobcat starting hurler Garret Hunt fell behind hitters most of the night and did not get much defensive support behind him as the hosts committed five errors in the contest. They committed two miscues each in the second and fourth innings and the Railroaders took a 5-2 lead that they never relinquished.

Through five innings of work, the Rend Lake College hurler allowed seven hits, walked four batters and surrendered five earned runs.

Conversely, Railroader starting hurler Mike Canaly was sharp most of the night only allowed five hits and three runs and got great defensive help behind him.

Fulton catcher Connor Tracy and first baseman Kahtan Al-Kaissy each had perfect 3-for-3 days at the dish accounting for six of their team's 10 hits. Al-Kaissy also had three RBIs while scoring three runs. Meanwhile, Tracy was on base all four times he stepped to the plate, drawing a walk while also scoring a run.

"Yesterday's loss and tonight's loss were a lot the same," Bobcat skipper Kyle Medley said after the lackluster performance.

While not using the five-day layoff—which consisted of three rainouts—as an excuse, Medley described the stoppage in play as frustrating since his team was rolling along after 13 games.

He lamented the 10 walks surrendered by four Bobcat pitchers and knows they must make the opposition put the ball in play.

While he says he hasn't used the fact that his team has not dropped a series yet this season as a motivating factor, that is exactly what they will try avoid doing when they travel to Fulton tonight for the final game of the two-game set.

"My goal is to win every game," he said.

While the Bobcats (9-5, 10-5 overall) are still in first place, things are beginning to tighten up with Thursday's outcome. Despite not losing ground to second-place Owensboro, who lost to Tradewater 8-5, the Railroaders climbed to within 3.5 games of Marion in spite of owning a 6-9 worksheet.

New shortstop joins team
Shortstop Matthew Fears joined the Bobcats this week from Middle Georgia University. While playing hard in his first game with his new team Thursday, Fears left the game in the late innings due to an injury suffered in the field.

However, the Bobcat coach does not believe it will keep him out for an extended period of time.

"We're starting to get banged up. That's a concern," he said.

Marion drops 2nd consecutive game

2011-06-23T21:48:00.002-05:00

Xavier

The Bobcats were unable to supply their general manager with a win Thursday for a belated birthday gift, dropping their second in a row with a 9-3 loss to visiting Fulton. It is the first time this season Marion has lost two consecutive games. It also marked the worst loss of the year, a six-run deficit.

Despite the loss, the Bobcats (9-5, 10-5 overall) remain in first place and celebrated general manager Gordon Guess' birthday—albeit five days late—after the game in what has become a tradition at the field that carries his name. Guess' birthday was on Saturday, but that contest with Tradewater was rained out, delaying the festivities.

At the plate Thursday, Joey Xavier went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored for the Bobcats. A.J. Dokey and Cameron Chestnut each registered doubles. Matt Fears was 1-for-4 in his debut for Marion. Fears replaced Josh Johnson on the roster. Johnson left the team earlier this week due to personal reasons.

Starter Garret Hunt (0-2) took the loss for Marion, giving up seven of the nine runs, though two were unearned.

Miles Canaly picked up his first win for Fulton, allowing three Bobcat runs in seven innings. The Railroaders tallied four extra-base hits, including a triple off the bat of Rob Hogenkamp. Kahtan Al-Kaissy was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI.

The Bobcats will look to right the ship at Fulton tomorrow. Marion will remain on the road Saturday at Dawson Springs for the first of a three-game series with the Pirates. The final two games of the series will be played at Guess Field in a rare Sunday double header. The first game will start at 2:05 p.m.

Click here for box score.

Tradewater 8, Owensboro 5
The Pirates (7-8) picked up a game on Marion to move to within 2.5 games of the league leaders and a half-game behind second-place Owensboro (7-7). Three weeks into the season, the Bobcats are the only team in the league with a winning record.

Rain ends chance at redemption

2011-06-22T20:29:00.001-05:00

Rains between games of a scheduled double header eliminated a chance for Marion to pay back Owensboro for 2-0 earlier in the night.

Holding Marion (9-4, 10-4 overall) scoreless with only two hits in the front end of a twi-night double header that never was, Owensboro (7-6) became the first team in 2011 to beat the Bobcats more than once. It was also the first time the Bobcats were shut out this year.

Cody Kottich and Kyle Vander Ark provided the only offense for Marion, with singles in the fourth and fifth inning, respectively. Kottich and four other batters also reached via bases on balls, but the Bobcats couldn't manage a runner past second base off starter Ben Wright and reliever Zach Krebs.

Marion's Todd Brazell (2-1) held the Oilers scoreless through five innings, but a two-run sixth was all Owensboro needed in the seven-inning affair. Brazell pitched the entire game for Marion, giving up only five hits, but was saddled with his first loss.

Owensboro reached Brazell with three singles and a sacrifice fly in their final at-bat. Krebs came in to pitch the Oiler seventh and stranded two Bobcats after Owensboro's defense allowed Desmond Roberts and Caleb Eickoff to reach on errors with no outs.

The second game of the double header has not yet been rescheduled.

Click here for box score.

Tradewater 3, Fulton 2
The Pirates (6-8) picked up a game on Marion an moved into sole possession of third place, dropping Fulton (5-9) alone into last place.

Fulton, Tradewater tied for 3rd

2011-06-21T22:28:00.000-05:00

Fulton moved into a third-place tie with Tradewater Tuesday by virtue of a 7-4 road victory at Riverside Park. The Pirates put the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth with two out, but the Railroaders were able to end the rally with a ball hit back to the box for an easy toss-over to first for the final out.

Marion remains in first place despite being idle since Friday. Owensboro is three games back, while Fulton and Tradewater are now both 4.5 games out.

Click here for box score.

Brazell, Hunt get starts in double header

2011-06-21T20:42:00.000-05:00

Brazell
2-0, 4.20 ERA

After Tuesday's rainout at Owensboro, the Bobcats will finally retake the field Wednesday at Owensboro for a double header after a four-day break thanks to Mother Nature. Manager Kyle Medley will send Todd Brazell to the hill in Game 1, which begins at 5 p.m. Brazell is one of three Marion pitchers tied for the league lead with a perfect 2-0 record. He sports a 4.20 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched.

In the second game, Garret Hunt (0-1) will get the start. Hunt has a 4.38 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 12.1 innings.

Each game, which is a seven-inning affair, can be followed live on GameChanger.

Tonight's game reset as part of Wednesday twin bill

2011-06-21T17:20:00.001-05:00

Tonight's Bobcats' game at Owensboro has been canceled due to heavy rains. The game has been rescheduled for Wednesday as part of double header beginning at 5 p.m.

Last Tuesday's rainout—also against the Oilers—originally rescheduled for July 11 has been moved to at day earlier. The Sunday game will start at 2 p.m.

The Bobcats' last game was Friday, a 6-3 win at Tradewater.

Owensboro splits twin bill with Fulton

2011-06-21T05:27:00.000-05:00

Fulton 5, Owensboro 4
Owensboro 12, Fulton 2
Owensboro and Fulton traded wins Monday in a double header scheduled to make up games postponed last week due to rain. Because of the split, both teams neither picked up or lost ground on league-leading Marion.

Brazell starts at Owensboro

2011-06-20T22:05:00.001-05:00

2-0, 4.20 ERA

The Bobcats retake the field Tuesday at Owensboro after a three-day break thanks to Mother Nature. Manager Kyle Medley will send Todd Brazell to the hill. Brazell is one of three Marion pitchers tied for the league lead with a perfect 2-0 record. He sports a 4.20 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched.

Game time is set for 7 p.m. and can be followed live on GameChanger.

No game tonight

2011-06-18T14:55:00.001-05:00

Due to heavy rains today, the game at Guess Field hosting the Tradewater Pirates has been postponed. No make-up date has been scheduled as of now.

Brazell looking for 3rd win

2011-06-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

Todd Brazell, one of three Marion pitchers tied for the league lead of two wins, will shoot for a perfect 3-0 record tonight when he takes the mound against the visiting Tradewater Pirates. One of three southpaws on the Bobcats staff, Brazell has 19 strikeouts in 15 innings and a 4.20 ERA.

Of the five Ohio Valley League pitchers with two victories on the season, Marion's Brazell, Josh Anders and Daniel Szathmary have unblemished records. Only Owensboro's Zach Krebs boasts the same 2-0 showing. Tradewater's George Kalousek's two wins are matched by two losses.

At Guess Field tonight, all fans in attendance have a shot at a free half-order of breadsticks from Marion's Main Street Italian Grill.

With measurable rainfall already on the ground this morning and storms forecast throughout the entire day, look to this Web site for any possible announcement of a rainout.

Bobcats make it five in a row

2011-06-18T07:41:00.001-05:00

BY CHRIS HARDESTY
The Bobcats continue to get great pitching performances, with the latest coming from the duo of Josh Anders and Daniel Szathmary Friday in Dawson Springs to help their team to a fourth straight victory in a 6-3 triumph over the Tradewater Pirates.

Entering the game with a miniscule 0.69 ERA, Anders (2-0) tossed a four-hitter while striking out five, improving to 2-0 on the season.

Staked to a 2-0 lead with one out in the Pirate fourth, the right-hander from Moss Bluff, La., retired nine consecutive batters. He did not allow another base runner until a two-out walk in the seventh inning.

Marion (9-3, 10-3 overall) made sure the hosts would have to play catchup very early as leadoff hitter Desmond Roberts scored on a Caleb Eickoff ground out to second in the top of the first after being hit by a pitch. The Bobcats never looked back from the 1-0 lead.

They added another run in the fourth when Cameron Chestnut reached on a fielder's choice scoring second baseman Landon Weitekamp for a 2-0 advantage.

While the Bobcats only had five hits in the winning effort, they had plenty of base runners as three Pirate hurlers combined for 10 walks during the game.

Bobcat DH Joseph Xavier, who went 2-for-5 in the win, extended the lead to 3-0 in the sixth with an RBI-double plating No. 5 hitter Kyle Vander Ark.

Leading by that same score entering the Pirate eighth, the visitors appeared to be in superb shape, especially since Anders had been in command all night. But with one out in that frame, Tradewater No. 9 hitter Tyler McDonald, who went 3-for-4 with an RBI, reached on a one-out single. One batter later, leadoff hitter Brock Bontrager reached on the only Marion error of the game.

That ended Anders' night, bringing reliever Szathmary into the game and the tying run to the dish.

After Szathmary walked left fielder David Zorn to load the bases, a sacrifice grounder to second by Eric Herman plated McDonald making it 3-1, spoilng Marion's bid for the first shutout of the season. But first baseman Derrek Etsell's, who had a rough night the plate, struck out for the fourth time and ended his team's threat.

As if the Pirate struggles at the plate were not a rough enough already, Etsell was inserted as the second reliever in the Bobcat ninth and issued three straight walks, leading to Marion's biggest lead of the evening at 6-1.

But Tradewater (5-7) refused to go easily. Two walks, a pair of hits and a balk off the arm of Szathmary made it 6-3 and brought the tying run to the dish for the Pirates. But just as Marion's bullpen has done all season, Szathmary put a stop to things as his team improved to an impressive 7-2 in games decided by three runs or fewer.

"Tying runs are gonna come to the plate. You've got to stay on an even keel," Marion skipper Kyle Medley said after the contest.

He was glad his team was able to jump out to a 3-0 lead and make the hosts play from behind from the first inning.

"We did the things we needed to do," he said.

Bobcat general manager Gordon Guess said from top to bottom it is the best pitching staff he has assembled in the franchise's four-year existence.

"Everybody on our pitching staff can give us something." said Guess.

Bobcats double up on Pirates 6-3

2011-06-17T22:58:00.001-05:00

The Bobcats gained ground on the entire league once again with a 6-3 victory Friday at Riverside Park in Dawson Springs. The win over the Pirates was the fourth in a row for Marion (9-3, 10-3 overall) and the seventh in the last eight contests. The team's last loss came in the tail end of a double header last Sunday against the Tradewater squad in the same setting.

Because Owensboro and Fulton were rained out, Marion picked up a half game on the second- and fourth-place teams, respectively. Owensboro (5-5) is three games out, Tradewater drops to two games below .500 and four behind Marion at 5-7 and Fulton, whose last two contests were called due to Mother Nature, stands five games out in last place at 3-7.

Click here for box score

Medley puts league's best ERA against Pirates

2011-06-17T05:31:00.000-05:00

Josh Anders boasts a 0.69 ERA

Josh Anders will start Friday's game at Tradewater with a chance to record Marion's fifth consecutive win. Anders (1-0) has a 0.69 ERA, the league's lowest among pitchers to throw more than nine innings.

The game starts at 7 p.m. at Riverside Park in Dawson Springs.

Home run earns win in extra innings

2011-06-16T23:17:00.001-05:00

It took 12 innings, but the Bobcats were able to extend their lead Thursday over second-place Owensboro with their fourth in a row. A lead-off home run by Cody Kottich in the top of the final inning pushed Marion (8-3, 9-3 overall) to a 5-4 win, moving 2.5 games ahead of the Oilers.

It was another comeback that allowed Marion to tie the game at 4-4 in the sixth inning, and Bobcats starter Kyle Tokunaga and the bullpen held Owensboro (5-5) in check to force extra innings. The game could not have been more even heading into overtime—both teams had 4 runs, 6 hits and 3 errors.

In the 10th, the bullpens each recorded a 1-2-3 inning, but the Bobcats put the go-ahead run 90 feet away in the next frame. Jake Hirniak reached third on an error after a one-out walk and stolen base but was left stranded when No. 2 hitter Caleb Eickhoff flied out to shallow left.

Marion allowed its own runner in the 11th on a two-out walk, but Tripp Jolly closed out the pen's third hitless inning in relief leaving the Owensboro threat at first. The Oilers managed only one hit after the Bobcats tied the game in the sixth inning, giving an 0-for-5 Kottich a chance to play hero to start the 12th. After fouling off two Jim Mulvaney pitches with the count full, the designated hitter sent the eighth pitch he saw over the right field fence.

That would be all Mulvaney would allow, but it was enough for Bobcats closer Matt Vollenweider to earn his seventh save by striking out two and forcing a ground out to short. Only 12 games into the schedule, Vollenweider is one save away from tying his manager's team saves record. Kyle Medley set that record in the Bobcats' inaugural season, 2008.

Tokunaga pitched eight strong innings, giving up only two earned runs of the four he allowed. Stephen Glaze, Jolly and Vollenweider combined for only one walk and three strikeouts in four innings of relief.

At the plate, only Cameron Chestnut had multiple hits for Marion, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Click here for box score.

Hall sparkles in Bobcat win

2011-06-16T05:44:00.001-05:00

BY CHRIS HARDESTY
Despite a rainout the previous night, the Marion Bobcats showed no signs of rust whatsoever Wednesday as southpaw starting hurler Zach Hall tossed a four-hitter, struck out 12 and allowed only one runner past second base in a 3-1 triumph against Owensboro at Guess Field.

He also helped to spoil the homecoming of former Bobcat skipper Steve Fowler, now the Oilers' manager, as well as Drew Barrett, a former Marion second baseman and now an assistant for the Oilers.

Hall was in command all night, retiring the first 11 batters he faced before surrendering a 4th-inning single to Oiler left fielder Ty Stetson. After stranding that runner to keep the contest in a scoreless deadlock, he had another impressive streak of setting down eight more consecutive Oiler batters.

"It was about the best I have felt in a long time," said the freshman at Parkland Community College in Champaign, Ill.

Hall continually got ahead in the count and at one juncture in the 8th inning had thrown 65 strikes to just 39 balls.

"I try to work ahead. One thing I really wanted to do was throw strikes," he said.

He also had tremendous praise for his defense, which played errorless baseball while he was in the game.

"The defense made every play. They've got my back, and they had it tonight," Hall said.

With one out in the Bobcat 5th and the game still in a scoreless deadlock, No. 9 hitter Jake Hirniak reached base via a hit batsman. A pair of Oiler infield errors—to the third and second basemen—allowed A. J. Dokey and Cody Schmitt to reach base safely.

Hirniak came across to score on a sacrifice fly by Cody Kottich making it 1-0. Dokey also later scored and the hosts would have all the runs they would need in the win.

Trailing by the same score in the visitor's half of the seventh, Owensboro cleanup hitter Gabriel Pena received the only walk Hall would issue all night. Two batters later, Bo Younker recorded an RBI-single to left field cutting, the lead in half at 2-1 and proving that the outcome was far from over.

In the bottom of the 8th, No. 7 hitter Kyle Vander Ark recorded an RBI-single, scoring right fielder Dustin Roberts to give Marion (8-3, 7-3) an insurance run at 3-1.

Bobcat closer Matt Vollenweider entered in the ninth searching for his sixth save.

After retiring Stetson on a pop up to second, Vollenweider hit Pena. After a strikeout, an error and walk followed, loading the bases for the visitors against the closer who has been automatic this summer.

Despite not being as sharp as usual, he got the next hitter to hit to third and Younker was forced out at the third base bag to secure the win.

The Bobcats now have a 1.5 game lead over the second-place Oilers and the two teams will close the series tonight in Owensboro.

"I think the day off helped us tremendously," assistant Bobcat coach Dave Gilbert said after the game.

Gilbert didn't pull any punches while giving his analysis of the game.

"We absolutely wanted it worse than they did. They just didn't have a lot of fire," he said.

While still not having lost a series or dropped two games in a row on the young season, he believes that consistent play will continue.

"Its gonna be hard to beat us. We've got a good group of guys," said the Brookhaven Academy assistant high school coach in Mississippi.

Tokunaga gets 1st start of year

2011-06-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

Kyle Tokunaga gets his first start for the Bobcats Thursday at Owensboro. Tokunaga, a freshman at Marion Military Institute in Alabama, has a 1.56 ERA with six strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

The Bobcats will be looking to sweep the two-game series with the Oilers.

Bobcats spoil Fowler's return

2011-06-15T21:19:00.003-05:00

Marion proved a poor host on Wednesday for former manager of the Bobcats, Steve Fowler. Fowler, now heading the Owensboro Oilers (5-4), was met with a 3-1 defeat in his first trip to Guess Field as the opposing skipper.

With the win, Marion (7-3, 8-3 overall) held on to first place and increased their lead over second-place Owensboro by a full game. The Oilers will be looking to return the favor Thursday and whittle away A 1.5-game gap when the Bobcats play visitor.

Leadoff hitter A.J. Dokey did his job for Marion, going 2-for-4 and scoring one of Marion's runs. On the mound, Zach Hall (1-1) erased memories his Opening Night loss at Guess Field by pitching eight innings, striking out 12 and allowing only four hits. Matt Vollenweider closed out the game for his league-leading sixth save, though one was recorded in an interleague contest and is not counted in Ohio Valley League stats.

Click here for box score.

Tradewater 7, Fulton 6
The Pirates picked up a game on second-place Wednesday and kept pace with league-leading Marion with a 7-6 win over Fulton (3-9). Tradewater (5-6) won with an RBI, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.

Marion, Owensboro to tangle for 1st place

2011-06-14T23:17:00.000-05:00

Fulton picked up ground on everyone Tuesday with a 5-4 win over Tradewater. The loss was the Pirates' fifth in their last six games, but they remain in third place in the Ohio Valley League ahead of the last-place Railroaders by a half-game.

The Bobcats and Oilers had the night off due to a rainout at Guess Field, but the two teams will face Wednesday in a battle for first place. A win will keep the Bobcats in first, but a loss moves the Oilers a half-game ahead of host Marion.

Manager Kyle Medley will send Tripp Jolly to the mound for the Bobcats. Jolly had a no-decision in his only start, but maintains a 3.18 ERA.

Down 6-0, Bobcats rally past Hustlers

2011-06-14T22:54:00.002-05:00

The following story was originally published June 13 on www.TheNewsEnterprise.com, Elizabethtown, Ky.'s daily newspaper.

BY JOHN GROTH
Kyle Medley’s plan worked out perfect.

And the inaugural Snappy Tomato Baseball Classic received a bit of a surprising result.

The Marion Bobcats, a team filled with all junior college players, showed that they could take down the Lexington Hustlers – a team with plenty of NCAA Division-I talent.

The John Hardin High School teacher and Marion coach guided his team to a huge come-from-behind 7-6 win Monday at his home high school.

Oh snap!

Marion rallied from a six-run deficit, scoring six runs in the middle three innings and adding one off a wild pitch in the top of the ninth to pull out the victory.

Marion, which formed in 2008, is a member of the new four-team Ohio Valley Summer Collegiate Baseball League, while Lexington is the newest member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. But Hustlers’ coach Bobby Wright thinks that Marion would be a welcome addition in years to come – especially after their impressive comeback.

“I think it’s a great idea for our teams. Like for Marion with a lot of JUCO kids, it gives them a chance to show what they’ve got. I was impressed by them. They swung very well. They’re a good team,” Wright said. “It’s a good idea. I knew how teams get into the Great Lakes League. I see this team (Marion) being able to compete in the Great Lakes League, most certainly.”

And that’s what the Bobcats hope to do in the future. For now, though, they’re showing they can compete with upper-level talent.

Medley and Wright worked together to plan the Snappy Tomato College Baseball Classic months ago. Medley took over as the Bobcats’ manager in the fall of 2010. He played for the Bobcats the year before and also served as an assistant baseball coach at John Hardin and the varsity pitching coach at Washington County.

Now, he’s coaching a young and youthful lineup of players from throughout the United States.

For the first time in its four-year history, Marion is made up of all junior college players. The Bobcats hail from eight states – Kansas, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Ohio, Georgia and California.

Two of the Illinois players provided the spark, as freshman A.J. Dokey (Wabash Valley) hit a two-run home run to tie the game at 6-6 in the sixth inning and freshman Cody Schmitt (Olney Central) scored the game-winning run.

It’s a little bit of a different summer baseball experience for these players, but Schmitt acknowledged the common bond is something different.

“It’s refreshing to walk in here. We know everyone is exactly in the same boat,” said Schmitt, who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. “Coach (Medley) told us we’re not supposed to win this game. When people wake up to read the paper, they won’t expect to read we beat Lexington. Not a lot of people would have expected that. They went to big schools. They can hit the ball and field the ball. It makes it so much sweeter that we can come out on top.”

Marion is in the middle of the toughest part of its schedule, playing 13 games in a 12-day stretch. The Bobcats played a doubleheader Sunday against OVSCBL rival Tradewater and have home games today and Wednesday against league rival Owensboro.

Since it was an interleague game, neither team’s league record will be affected.

John Groth can be reached at (270) 505-1754 or jgroth@thenewsenterprise.com.

Fowler's return to Guess Field postponed

2011-06-14T15:46:00.000-05:00

Former Bobcat manager Steve Fowler's return to Guess Field as the opposing manager has been rained out. Fowler and the Owensboro Oilers were scheduled to begin a two-game series today, but heavy rains made the field unplayable. Wednesday's game against Owensboro is still scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Today's contest against the Oilers has been rescheduled for July 11 at Guess Field.

Fowler makes 1st visit as opposing manager

2011-06-13T20:53:00.002-05:00

Steve Fowler will be in a familiar setting Tuesday, but with an unfamiliar view—from the visiting dugout at Guess Field. Fowler, who helped establish the Bobcats by guiding the team through its first three years before joining Owensboro earlier this year, will return as manager of the second-place Oilers (5-3) with a chance to take over first place with a win.

But across the field in the home dugout will be his former closer and current manager of the league-leading Bobcats (6-3, 7-3 overall), Kyle Medley. Medley, who set Marion's saves record under Fowler in 2008, will face his old manager at home for the first time, looking to retain sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley League. A split or sweep of the two-game set would guarantee the Bobcats the league lead when Fowler and the Oilers leave town after Wednesday's game.

First pitch for both contests will be 7:05 p.m.

Zach Hall (0-1) will make the start Tuesday. Hall was on the short end of the decision on Opening Night at Guess Field. He has a 3.86 ERA with six strikeouts in seven innings pitched.

For the fans, hot dogs will be half price all night Tuesday, with only a buck landing the the traditional baseball fare. Tuesday will also give fans a shot at a gift from Edward Jones. If an Oiler batter selected before the game strikes out, everyone in the house will receive a promotional golf tee.

On Wednesday, KFC will offer a free drink with a sandwich under the same strikeout promotion.

All Bobcat games can be followed free of charge, play-by-play on GameChanger.

Bobcats hustle Lexington out of interleague win

2011-06-13T20:13:00.003-05:00

It was another come-from-behind rally that allowed the Bobcats to take the Snappy Tomato Classic Monday in their final at-bat. Breaking a 6-6 tie in the 9th inning on a score from third off a wild pitch, Marion (6-3, 7-3 overall) was able to seal another comeback with a 7-6 victory over the Lexington Hustlers (0-2, 0-3 overall) of the Great Lakes League.

The interleague contest at a neutral site in Elizabethtown, Ky., was the first meeting between the teams in the first-ever Classic. The win, however, will not count in Ohio Valley League standings, but returns league-leading Marion to its winning ways after dropping the night cap of Sunday's double header to Tradewater.

The Bobcats dug themselves a hole early, ending the third inning down 6-0 to the Hustlers, but pulled even with two runs in each of the next three innings. Marion starter Anthony Edwards gave up all six Lexington runs in four innings, but was taken off the hook with the rally and another strong showing by the bullpen.

Desmond Roberts, typically an outfielder, made his first appearance on the mound, spelling Edwards and throwing two scoreless innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts. Daniel Szathmary pitched the 8th, earning the win. Matt Vollenweider recorded a save by shutting down Lexington's offense after giving up a lead-off single in the final frame.

The win was Szathmary's third and the save was Vollenweider's fourth, each leading the Bobcats in the respective categories. Statistics and records for the game will not be tallied with Ohio Valley League numbers, but will count toward Bobcat records.

At the plate, Roberts also shined, going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and run scored. Meantime, Taylor Banks had 3 RBI on a 2-for-3 night, and A.J. Dokey added a two-run home run to pull Marion even in the visitor's half of the sixth. Cody Schmitt scored the winning run on the wild pitch after a lead-off single in the 9th.

Click here for GameChanger box score. You will have to sign up for GameChanger to view the results.

Nashville double header cancelled

2011-06-13T19:08:00.001-05:00

Sunday's scheduled interleague double header at Nashville has been canceled according to Marion's general manager, Gordon Guess. Another date at Music City has been tentatively scheduled for July 10, he said.

Interleague games do not count in the Ohio Valley League standings.

Interleague contest next on Bobcats' schedule

2011-06-13T06:00:00.013-05:00

Andrew Edwards gets his second start today in the Snappy Tomato Classic, a first-ever showdown between two Kentucky collegiate league baseballs team in Elizabethtown, Ky.

Marion (6-3) will face the Lexington Hustlers (0-2), the newest member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and is to be played at John Hardin High School in Elizabethtown. An interleague game, the outcome will not affect the Bobcats' standings in the Ohio Valley League.

In his first start, Edwards (1-0) struck out five and allowed 3 earned runs in 5 innings. After a three-game winning streak came to an end Sunday, the Bobcats are looking to Edwards to start a new string of wins.

For more on the Snappy Tomato Classic, visit the Lexington Sports Examiner.

Tradewater takes nightcap 6-5

2011-06-12T22:29:00.004-05:00

Tradewater ended the Bobcats' winning streak Sunday and ceased their own four-game slide, earning a 6-5 victory in the nightcap of a double header at Riverside Park in Dawson Springs.

The Pirates (4-5) broke a 2-2 tie with a run in the bottom of the 3rd inning and never looked back, tacking on 3 more runs in the fifth. After the 3rd inning, Marion (6-3) was held scoreless by Pirates pitchers until the last frame when the offense clawed its way back to within one run. However, Tradewater was able to finally shut down the Bobcat offense for a 6-5 win.

Garret Hunt (0-1) took the loss for the Bobcats, but the team managed to keep their hold on first place.

The Bobcats' next Ohio Valley League game will be Tuesday when former manager Steve Fowler returns to Guess Field for the first time as manager of the Owensboro Oilers.

Click here for box score.

Owensboro 7, Fulton 6
Owensboro thwarted a late comeback by Fulton in the seventh and final inning of the front end of a double header to earn a 7-6 win at Lohaus Field. The game saw the teams combine for eight stolen bases in nine attempts.

Owensboro 2, Fulton 1
Fowler has poised the Oilers to challenge the Bobcats for first place when they visit Guess Field on Tuesday. By winning the second half of a Sunday twin bill at Fulton, the Oilers could take over first place with a win Tuesday. Owensboro had to come from behind in the game for the 2-1 win. Ryan Stephens accounted for both Oiler runs with a solo home run in the 5th and RBI-single in the 6th.

Front-end of double header goes to Bobcats

2011-06-12T19:25:00.005-05:00

The first game of tonight's double header at Riverside Park went to Marion. The Bobcats defeated Tradewater 7-6 behind 11 hits.

Marion (6-2) broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 6th inning with three runs. All three runs came on Pirate miscues—an error and two passed balls—with a runner on third. They added two more scores in the top of the seventh on a Cody Kottich triple and single by Desmond Roberts. Kottich's single was the first for the Bobcats in 2011.

The extra runs were needed to preserve the win as Tradewater mounted a comeback against starter Todd Brazell and the visiting Bobcats in the final inning, scoring four runs before closer Matt Vollenweider shut the door on the comeback at 7-6. The Pirates scratched out the four runs in nearly every way possible—two hits, a walk, a hit batsman, an error and a sacrifice fly.

In the Ohio Valley League, each end of a double header is only seven innings unless extra frames are needed to break a tie.

Brazell earned his second win in as many starts despite the rough 7th inning. Vollenweider tallied his league-leading fourth save by getting the final two outs of the game.

Click here for box score.

Bobcats on road for double header

2011-06-12T10:57:00.000-05:00

Marion hits the road to Dawson Springs today for its first double header of the season, closing out the three-game Tradewater series. The first game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and can be followed on GameChanger.

Todd Brazell, a Garden City (Kan.) Community College product, will start Game 1, going for his second win in as many starts. He has a 4.00 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 9 innings pitched.

In the nightcap, Garret Hunt of Illinois' Rend Lake Community College will be looking for his first win after a no-decision in his first start for Marion. Hunt sports a 1.43 ERA, having pitched 6.1 innings.

Former Bobcat in College World Series

2011-06-12T10:47:00.001-05:00

A former Bobcat will participate in the 2011 College World Series later this month.

Andrew Harris, a junior reserve infielder at third, short and second and sometimes a pinch-runner and pinch-hitter for the Vanderbilt Commodores, will join the Nashville university in its first-ever appearance in the NCAA title series. The Commodores will face North Carolina June 18-29 in Omaha, Neb., site of the College World Series.

Harris played for Marion two years ago. With the Commodores this spring, Harris played in 12 games, scoring 2 runs and posting a perfect fielding percentage.

"Harris...was a clutch player and a real 'gamer'," said Bobcats General Manager Gordon Guess, an alumnus of Vanderbilt. "His agressiveness caused some injuries, however, but he survived well."

Coverage of the College World Series will be carried on ESPN.

Vollenweider earns 3rd save in win

2011-06-12T10:28:00.000-05:00

Josh Anders gave up only 2 earned runs
in six innings, but failed to get the win.

BY CHRIS HARDESTY
Bobcat closer Matt Vollenweider is getting good at protecting late leads handed to him by his teammates.

Such was once again the case Saturday night at Gordon Blue Guess Field when he nailed down his third save of the season helping his team to a 7-5 come-from-behind win over their archrival Tradewater Pirates.

For the second consecutive game, the Bobcats (5-2) and 1.5 ahead of the Pirates, claimed a lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, moving ahead 7-5 and not about to let it slip away.

"I just went out there trying to get ground balls," Vollenweider said about the top of the ninth when he sat the Pirates down in order.

Going back to his save Friday night against Fulton, five of the impressive closer's six outs have come via the strikeout.

While not getting caught up in numbers, the Chattahoochee Valley Community College (Phenix City, Ala.) player believes things will take care of themselves if he simply executes his pitches.

"If you play the game right, score books don't matter," he said.

A rocky first inning by Marion starter Josh Anders made another comeback necessary as two hits coupled with a pair of walks gave the visitors a 2-0 lead.

After Bobcat leadoff hitter Josh Johnson was thrown out at second base trying to stretch a Pirate fielding error into two bases, Tradewater still did not prevent the home team from getting one of those tallys back. One batter later, Cody Schmitt was hit by a pitch, Cody Kottich then walked and cleanup batter Caleb Eickoff reached via a hit batsman to load the bases with still only one away. Schmitt scored on a wild pitch making it 2-1.

Meanwhile, Anders settled down, allowing no more runs and only two hits before he departed after the sixth with his team still very much in the game.

The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth when Kottich scored on an RBI-single by right fielder Desmond Roberts, knotting the contest at 2-all.

A combined eight walks issued by the Pirate pitching staff hurt their cause Saturday night with one of them being of the leadoff variety to Cameron Chesnut in the sixth inning. A scorching RBI-double by Joseph Xavier followed and the hosts had claimed their first lead of the night at 3-2. Another RBI-double by Kottich, who reached base four times, followed, scoring Xavier and Jake Hirniak for a 5-2 advantage.

Marion could have done even more damage that frame since they stranded the bases loaded, but nevertheless, they had turned the momentum their way.

Leading by that same score heading into the visitor's half of the eighth, Bobcat reliever Daniel Szathmary entered to work for the second straight night.

After a leadoff walk to DH Tony Becerra, Szathmary looked like he might get out of the jam fanning the next two Tradewater batters. Unfortunately, Becerra came across to score thanks to an RBI-single by Brock Bontrager making it 5-3. Another RBI-single by third baseman Tyler McDonald knotted the contest at 5-all and the Bobcats' three-run advantage had fallen by the wayside.

Pirate reliever Nick McCowin seemed poised to send the game to the ninth still tied getting Johnson and Schmitt on ground ball outs in the bottom half of the eighth. But a two-out walk to Kottich would start a rally for the home team. A double from Eickoff brought the hot-hitting Roberts to the dish. He capped a 3-for-5 night off in grand fashion, smashing a sharp RBI-double to center to plate both of them for the final margin.

Marion skipper Kyle Medley had a simple explanation in describing his squad's second straight comeback win.

"You've gotta get 27 outs," he said.

With all 24 players on the Bobcat roster consisting of junior college players, the 5-2 beginning to the season pleases him all the much more.

"Their fighting for their baseball lives," he said, describing their approach on wanting to impress a four-year school in order to continue playing at the college level.

With at least a split tonight at Dawson Springs, the Bobcats will continue their early streak of not having lost a series since play began on June 3.

Bobcats beat rivals, keep sole possession of 1st

2011-06-11T23:32:00.003-05:00

Marion's Caleb Eickhoff reaches for the catcher's throw to
2nd on a stolen base attempt early in the game Saturday.

The Bobcats retained sole possession of first place Saturday with a 7-5 win over Tradewater. Marion (5-2) moved two games ahead of Tradewater (3-4) with another come-from-behind win. The game was the first meeting of the year between the rivals.

Daniel Szathmary picked up his second win and Matt Vollenweider earned his third save of the season.

Marion also picked up a half-game on both second-place Owensboro (3-3) and last-place Fulton (2-4). Saturday's Oilers-Railroaders game was postponed due to rain and lightning. The game will be rescheduled at a later date.

Click here for box score.

Anders to throw against rival Pirates

2011-06-11T07:15:00.000-05:00

Josh Anders (1-0) will be looking for his second win in as many starts for the Bobcats when he takes to the mound tonight against rival Tradewater. In seven innings pitched in two appearances, Anders has yet to give up an earned run.

The Pirates come to Guess Field for the first time in 2011. The game is set to start at 7:05 p.m. Fredonia Valley Bank is the promotional sponsor, offering keychain lights to contest winners.

Bobcats mount comeback for best start in history

2011-06-11T07:10:00.002-05:00

BY CHRIS HARDESTY
Just as everyone needs a little help from time to time, Bobcats starting pitcher Tripp Jolly got some in the form of his bullpen after not being as sharp as he would have liked Friday night against the Fulton Railroaders at Gordon Blue Guess Field.

Jolly left on the short end of a 5-1 deficit after 5.1 innings, but the quartet of Garret Hunt, Stephen Glaze, Daniel Szathmary and Matt Vollenweider combined for no runs, only two hits and five strikeouts as the Bobcats rallied for a 6-5 win to split the two-game series.

The Bobcats (4-2) are currently alone in first place a half-game ahead of the Tradewater Pirates, who come to town tonight.

After setting the Railroaders (2-4) down in order in the first inning, Jolly ran into trouble in the second, allowing four runs, three hits and an error. And for the second consecutive night, the Bobcats had dug themselves an early hole.

But entering the bottom of the fourth with a 5-0 lead, Fulton starting southpaw Skylar Cobb began to also have problems.

Bobcats designated hitter Cody Schmitt and first baseman Cody Kottich walked to begin the frame, ending Cobb's streak of setting down seven consecutive batters. One batter later, third baseman Caleb Eickoff was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with no outs. Schmitt came around to score on an error and Kottich scored on a wild pitch and the hosts were back in contention trailing 5-2.

Railroad reliever Brice Smallwood spelled Cobb in the fifth, but failed to fare any better. He hit two batters to begin the frame, plunking leadoff hitter Desmond Roberts and Schmitt. After a walk and an error, both came around to score, closing the gap to 5-4.

After Jolly departed in the sixth, Hunt, who pitched for Marshall County High School and currently with Rend Lake Community College in Illinois, came in to retire the only batter he faced, keeping the deficit at one.

As stranding 13 runners came back to haunt the Bobcats in a defeat Thursday night, the Railroaders stranded that same number in last night's setback, preventing them from sweeping the series.
Glaze worked a scoreless seventh and Szathmary came in and did the same in the eighth to keep the contest tight in the late innings.

Bobcat outfielder Cameron Chesnut led off the eighth with a single followed by another single from pinch-hitter Landon Weitekamp.

Chesnut scored on a sacrifice fly from Jake Hirniak, knotting the score at 5-all with one out. After a ground out to third, Roberts reached on a throwing error from the Railroader first baseman that resulted when the pitcher did not cover first base early enough. Weitekamp scored the winning run on the miscue to keep his team in first place.

Vollenweider fanned the side in the Railroader ninth to get the save. The win went to Szathnary.

"We knew in the fourth inning we were going to win," Bobcat skipper Kyle Medley said after the game.

While glad to be off to the best start in the four-year existence of the franchise, the Bobcat coach also believes they could still be undefeated at this early juncture.

"I told them I was proud of them," the manager said when asked what he told his squad after the comeback win.

He also praised assistant coach Dave Gilbert for doing a good job in forcing the issue with aggressiveness during the game.

"Coach Gilbert has done a good job in keeping us real aggressive," he said.

Bobcats rally down 5-0 to win

2011-06-10T22:14:00.002-05:00

Marion mounted a comeback Friday down 5-0 in the fourth to score the first home win of 2011, downing Fulton 6-5. The win moved the Bobcats to 4-2, the team's best start in its four years of existence. The win also kept Marion in first place, the latest the team has retained at least a share of first.

Bobcats starter Tripp Jolly gave up all five Railroader runs through 5.1 innings pitched, but Marion's offense and pitching staff got Jolly off the hook for the loss in his first start. Daniel Szathmary (1-0) earned the win despite facing only one batter, and Matt Vollenwieder earned his second save of the year by closing the door in the ninth.

The bullpen for the Bobcats has given up only three earned runs in 18.1 innings, a collective 1.47 ERA.

Marion is 3-1 against Fulton (2-4) this year, guaranteeing the best head-to-head record with the Railroaders since the Bobcats were born in 2008.

Click here for box score.

Owensboro 6, Tradewater 5
By the same score as the Marion-Fulton game, the Pirates went down to the Oilers, leaving Marion in sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley League. Owensboro had to come from behind in the bottom of the ninth down 5-2, but a walk-off single scoring two runs gave former Bobcat manager Steve Fowler and his team a .500 record at 3-3. The Pirates' record is also even at 3-3, sharing second place with Owensboro.

Sixth starter gets ball against Fulton

2011-06-10T06:00:00.019-05:00

Tripp Jolly will pitch in his first game for the Bobcats Friday, getting the ball to start the second and final game of the Fulton series. Jolly, a right-hander from Monticello, Miss., will face the Railroaders looking to earn a win and a split in the home opening series. He is the sixth Bobcat pitcher to make a start in as many games.

Just-a-Burg'r in Marion will be hosting the night's promotions with a coupon for a free drink to everyone in the crowd if a Fulton batter selected before the game strikes out.

As with all Friday games, children will be invited to run the bases after the contest.

Marion drops home-opener 7-3

2011-06-10T00:44:00.000-05:00

The Bobcats fell to 3-2 by dropping their home opener Thursday 7-3 against Fulton. By the fortune of a Tradewater loss, however, Marion remained in a first-place tie with the Pirates.

Fulton managed all of their runs against Marion starter Zach Hall (0-1), sending 4 runs home in the fifth inning. However, the Bobcats' bullpen remained strong, with Kyle Tokunaga throwing two scoreless innings to close the game. The bullpen has allowed only 3 earned runs in 14.2 innings.

The Railroaders jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with runs scored on a wild pitch and double steal. After another score in the third, Rob Hogenkamp contributed a 3-run double two innings later to run the score to 6-1. Nick Duff added the last Fulton run on a single in the same inning.

Marion scored its first run on a passed ball in the fourth after blowing a bases-loaded opportunity the inning before. With runners on every station and no outs in the third, Caleb Eickhoff hit into a double play that started with a force out at the plate. Joey Xavier ended the inning with a fly to center, leaving two runners in scoring position. Despite another no-out double play to start the seventh, the Bobcats managed to chase Fulton starter Steven Dooley (1-1) with a second run.

The Bobcats added their final run in the ninth on a bases loaded walk with one out. With the bags still full, the tying run came to the plate in the next two batters, but Fulton reliever Tate Glasscock was able to end the game with back-to-back strikeouts, leaving all three Marion runners stranded.

Click here for box score of the game.

Owensboro 5, Tradewater 4
Owensboro (2-3) moved to within a game of first place by edging Tradewater (3-2) Thursday 5-4. It was the Oilers first win in three tries against the Pirates this year.

Bobcats look for win on Opening Night

2011-06-09T05:30:00.001-05:00

Zach Hall, the second of two left-handed starters for Marion (3-1), will make his first appearance tonight. At Parkland College in Champaign, Ill. this spring, Hall featured three pitches he used to goes after batters.

Stout Law Office and Marion Fire Department will be offering special promotions during the game. The Marion law office will sponsor Shirt Off Your Back Night, which will take place during every Thursday home game. Bobcat players will wear the sponsor’s shirts on the corresponding Thursday night. At the end of the night, the players will personally give their shirts to 26 special fans.

Meantime, the fire department will sponsor another new promotion for every home game, Strike Out Guy of the Night. A player from the opposing team will be chosen by Bobcats staff and his name will be announced to the fans. If/when this player is fanned by a Bobcat pitcher, everyone in the stands will receive a prize. Fans will receive a prize for only one of the chosen player’s strikeouts regardless of the number of times he strikes out.

First pitch for Opening Night is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Gordon Blue Guess Field at Marion-Crittenden County Park. The game can be followed pitch-by-pitch by signing up for GameChanger. There is no cost to follow action through the app.

Offensive explosion downs Oilers

2011-06-08T22:27:00.002-05:00

Marion's offense exploded Wednesday at Owensboro, splitting the two-game series with the Oilers thanks to a 13-3 win. The Bobcats scored multiple runs in four innings, including a five-run fifth in which 11 batters came to the plate.

Andrew Edwards (1-0) earned the win in his first start for the Bobcats, striking out five and allowing two runs. Josh Anders and Todd Brazell, who each earned wins in starts for Marion, combined for three innings of shut-out ball. Brazell struck out five in two innings of work. Matthew Vollenweider threw a perfect inning, striking out two, to end the game.

Bobcats pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts.

Marion tallied 12 hits, and Caleb Eickhoff went 3-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI to lead four Bobcat batters with multiple hits—Taylor Banks, Josh Johnson and Cody Scmitt, each with two. Taylor Banks, the hottest hitter in the league through four games, was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. The catcher also scored 2 runs and had a stolen base.

Only six of Marion's 13 runs were earned, but all four Fulton pitchers were scored upon.

Marion (3-1) last scored as many runs in a 16-13 loss to Owensboro on July 22, 2010. It was the biggest win for the Bobcats and most runs scored in a winning effort since a 20-8 victory over Tradewater on June 28, 2010.

With Wednesday's loss, Owensboro fell to 1-3 under former Bobcat manager Steve Fowler.

Click here for box score.

Tradewater 16, Fulton 3
The Pirates (3-1) had a 9-run second inning en route to a 16-3 win over Fulton (1-3), keeping pace with Marion for a share of first place early in the Ohio Valley League.

Bobcats look to even Oilers series

2011-06-08T06:00:00.007-05:00

Gilbertsville, Ky. native Andrew Edwards has been tapped to make his first start of the year today. Edwards and the Bobcats will travel to Owensboro looking to rebound from their first loss of the year on Tuesday, a 3-2 loss to the Oilers, a team coached by Marion's former manager, Steve Fowler. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

At Rend Lake College, Edwards was 3-3 in eight games this spring for the Illinois school. The righty sported a 3.22 ERA and struck out nearly a batter an inning, fanning 49 in 50.1 innings.

The game can be followed pitch-by-pitch by signing up for GameChanger. There is no cost to follow action through the app.

Former manager hands Marion first loss

2011-06-07T22:29:00.003-05:00

Former Bobcat manager Steve Fowler got the best of his old club Tuesday with the kind of baseball he loves—small ball. The 3-2 win for Owensboro (1-2) was its first of the year, coming in Fowler's first game against the team he managed for its first three years of play. Marion manager Kyle Medley played under Fowler in the team's first year, 2008.

Tuesday's loss was the first for Marion (2-1) and occurred in walk-off fashion on an error. The Bobcats had held the Oilers even at 2-2 after tying the game in the top of the sixth, but in the ninth, Owensboro's Davey Murphy reached on a one-out single and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt, Fowler's trademark style while with Marion. Exchanging the second out for a runner on second base paid off for the Oilers when Bobcats left fielder Cameron Chestnut misplayed a fly ball, allowing Murphy to score from second and end the game.

Each team committed two errors, but Marion's were more costly, allowing two of the three runs scored by Owensboro. Though the winning score was one of those two unearned runs, Kyle Tokunaga (0-1) was saddled with the loss after spelling starter Garrett Hunt in the seventh and pitching two hitless innings until Murphy's single in the last frame. Hunt pitched well in his first start, allowing only four hits in six innings of work. One of the two runs he allowed was unearned.

Austin Clay, who closed the game for Owensboro, evened his record at 1-1 with the win. He held Marion scoreless in 3.2 innings after the Bobcats evened the game against an old nemesis, Joe Devine. Devine gave up only three hits in 5.1 innings, but his two earned runs left him with a no-decision.

Marion's batters, who had managed seven runs and double-digit hits in their first two games, managed only four hits against the Oilers pitchers. Taylor Banks had one of those hits, extending his season-opening hitting streak to three games and moving him to 7-for-11 on the year. Tyler Bailey, Landon Weitekamp and Chestnut accounted for the other hits, all singles.

Weitekamp pushed both Marion runs across the plate, tying the game each time. In the second, he scored Chestnut on a sacrifice fly and pulled the Bobcats even again in the sixth when his single sent Chestnut home for the second time.

Marion had five stolen bases, and though the defense was the Bobcats' Achilles heel on Tuesday, the infield turned three double plays.

Click here for box score.

Fulton 8, Tradewater 6
Fulton (1-2) struck for three runs in the top of the 13th inning to earn its first win of the season and send Tradewater (2-1) to the loss column for the first time in 2011. The Pirates loss allowed Marion to retain a share of first place after losing its first game.

Bobcats to face old manager

2011-06-06T20:59:00.001-05:00

Kyle Medley will send Garrett Hunt to the hill Tuesday when Marion travels to Owensboro to face their old manager, Steve Fowler. It will be the first time Medley and the Bobcats have faced Fowler, who has also managed the Tradewater Pirates, another Ohio Valley League team.

For Hunt, it will be his first start of the year in the league. The right-hander was 1-2 with a 9.27 ERA this spring with Rend Lake College in Illinois. In 22.1 innings, he fanned 19 batters. He is a native of nearby Benton, Ky.

Medley was a relief pitcher for Fowler in Marion's inaugural season, 2008. Fowler managed the Bobcats through the 2010 season, when the team finished in a best-ever fourth place in the KIT League. Fowler joined the Oilers in 2011 season.

The game can be followed pitch-by-pitch by signing up for GameChanger. There is no cost to follow action through the app. The first pitch is slated for 7 p.m.

Marion off to best start ever

2011-06-04T22:20:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, the Bobcats did something they have never done: open the season with a 2-0 record. As was the case the night before, Marion's offense pounded out double-digits hits en route to scoring seven runs and tallying a win. Tonight, however, the long-ball made the difference in keeping Fulton at bay in a 7-4 victory.

Sure, it's only two games into a 42-game schedule, but wins at Lohaus Field over the previous three years have been difficult to come by. But early on in 2011, manager Kyle Medley appears to have his team running on all cylinders. Matching Friday's impressive season-opening win, the offense Saturday managed 10 hits, the defense again sparkled and baserunners swiped seven bases.

At the plate, Cody Kottich, Desmond Roberts and Cameron Chestnut each contributed solo home runs off Fulton starter Steven Dooley, who gave up Marion's first five runs in 4.2 innings of work. Dooley (0-1) took the loss against Todd Brazell (1-0), who struck out eight and gave up only two Fulton runs in six innings on his way to the second win for a Marion starter in as many nights.

Zach Hall came on in the seventh to relieve Brazell, but surrendered two runs on an infield hit and sacrifice fly. Hall managed to close out the inning without further damage, however. Chattahoochee Valley Community College products Daniel Szathmary and Matt Vollenweider paired to pitch the eighth and ninth, respectively, for the second night. Vollenweider earned his first save of the season, holding the Railroaders scoreless in the final frame.

Meantime, Garden City (Kans.) Community College also figured big Saturday for the Bobcats, with all three of its players—Roberts, Kottich and Brazzel—on Marion's roster instrumental in the win.

Catcher Taylor Banks had another big night with the bat, adding two hits Saturday to start the season 6-for-9. He also stole his second base of the year and pushed a run across the plate on an outfield single in the fifth. Caleb Eickhoff accounted for Marion's other runs, with 2 RBI. Eickhoff and Cody Scmitt each had two hits.

The Bobcats' pecked away at Railroader pitchers, spreading out their scores with runs in the 2nd through 7th inning. Aside from the 5th, when 2 runs were posted, each score was a single run.

Click here for box score, and follow each game play by play on GameChanger.

Medley and the Bobcats will next face their old manager, Steve Fowler, when they travel to Owensboro Wednesday.

Tradewater 9, Owensboro 8
The Pirates outlasted visiting Owensboro Saturday for a 9-8 win and a share of first place in the Ohio Valley League. Both Tradewater and Marion are 2-0 to start the year.

Southpaw gets start for Bobcats

2011-06-04T06:00:00.021-05:00

Lefty Todd Brazell of Peyton, Colo. will take the hill for the Bobcats in tonight's second and final game of the season-opening series at Fulton. Game time is 7 p.m. at Lohaus Field and can be followed on Marion's GameChanger Internet app or on Fulton's live Teamline broadcast.

Brazell, a freshman with the Garden City Community College Broncbusters, was 5-3 in 16 appearances this spring for the Kansas school. He posted a 5.92 ERA, with 56 strikeouts in 65.1 innings of work.

Brazell led his college team in pick-offs, with five of the team's 13 in 2011. He also threw one complete game in 11 starts.

Bobcats start 2011 with win

2011-06-03T23:22:00.096-05:00

It's starting to become a bit of a habit for the Bobcats.

Marion began the new season with a win Friday, defeating the Fulton Railroaders 7-1 at Lohaus Field. For the third year in a row, Marion starts the season with a perfect 1-0 record and a share of first place. Manager Kyle Medley was a closer for the Bobcats the last time the team opened with a loss. But that was four years ago, in the Marion's inaugural season. In 2011, it's a whole new ballgame.

Solid pitching. Good hitting. And flashy defense. All three were present for the Bobcats Friday.

"It was a good win for us. It's a tough place to win," Bobcats General Manager Gordon Guess said of Lohaus Field. "I think it's the best game we've had against Fulton... the best we've ever done against them."

Marion was 2-8 against the Railroaders in 2010, and have managed only eight wins in 30 games against the team all-time and only two in 14 contests at Lohaus Field.

On the mound for the Bobcats Friday, Josh Anders (1-0) pitched six innings of scoreless ball for the win, not even allowing a Fulton runner past second base. The Railroaders pushed their only run of the night by pushing run across the plate off Stephen Glaze, a side-armed hurler who came in to spell Anders o start the seventh. The run was unearned, though, coming off a Glaze error on a short grounder when his throw to first hit the runner. Chattahoochee Valley Community College products Daniel Szathmary and Matt Vollenwieder came in from the bullpen to finish the game for the Bobcats, each throwing an inning of scoreless ball.

"Our last two pitchers were dynamite," Guess said of the duo from the Phenix City, Ala. junior college.

All told, Marion's bullpen struck out six of the last nine batters it faced, including two by Glaze to close the door on Fulton's last real scoring threat of the night. Anders struck out five in his six innings of work.

At the plate, the Bobcats picked up where they left off last year, pushing across seven runs on 14 hits. Though the 2011 roster is void of any players from the previous season, the team's offense showed signs of last year's record-setting juggernaut, offering plenty of run support for the pitching staff, though it was hardly needed tonight.

Fulton starter Dylan Lynn (0-1) was the victim of Marion's offensive outburst, taking the loss off 2 runs in four innings of work.

Catcher Taylor Banks led the Bobcats offense, going 4-for-5 on the night and adding an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. Cody Schmitt contributed three hits and 2 RBI. A.J. Dokey had the only extra-base hit of the night for either team, scoring Banks in the top of the ninth. Outfielder Desmond Roberts was 0-for-3, but reached three times on a fielder's choice, walk and hit batsman.

In the field, Medley saw his team's defense sparkle, highlighted late in the game when third baseman Landon Weitekamp made a snazzy bare-handed pickup on a grounder to throw out the Fulton runner at first. Banks added his work behind the plate to defensive showing.

"He caught a helluva a defensive ballgame," Guess said. "He ran the game and did a good job. Of course, four hits doesn't hurt."

Perhaps the only blemish on the night was the 15 runners Marion left on base. It would not come back to haunt them, however, with tonight's performance from Anders and the bullpen showing little need for the extra runs.

Click here for tonight's box score.

Tradewater 8, Owensboro 3
Tradewater, winner of last year's KIT League regular season and playoff championship, started its Ohio Valley League membership with a win, putting the first tally on the scoreboard in the new league's history with a run in the first. The Pirates scattered 10 hits and took advantage of five Oiler errors to keep pace with Marion.

Former Marion and Tradewater manager Steve Fowler made his debut with the Oilers.

Bobcats open season at Fulton

2011-06-03T06:00:00.005-05:00

The Bobcats open the inaugural season of the Ohio Valley League tonight at Fulton, with new manager Kyle Medley at the helm. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. at Lohaus Field. Several special events are planned for the evening, according to the Railroaders' Web site.

Medley will send Josh Anders to the mound for Marion. Anders, a sophomore at Frank Phillips College in Texas, was 2-4 with an 8.02 ERA during his sophomore year, pitching in 11 games. The right-hander threw 42.2 innings, striking out 25.

Elsewhere in the league, the Tradewater Pirates will host the Owensboro Oilers at Riverside Park in Dawson Springs beginning at 7 p.m. Just last month, flooding from the Tradewater River put second base under as much as 6 feet of water, according to Marion General Manager Gordon Guess.

The Oilers are guided by former Bobcat manager Steve Fowler, who has also coached the Pirates. After Friday's game, he will have managed three of the four clubs in the league.

Both home teams in Friday's league action, the Railroaders and Pirates, are scheduled to broadcast their season openers on TeamLine over the Internet. Bobcat fans can access Friday's game online by clicking here. The Railroaders will also add updated box scores during home games for those fans listening online.

Bobcat fans unable to attend Friday's game can also follow it online through GameChanger. For the first time in the team's four-year history, Marion can be followed online for all games this season. To access GameChanger and sign up as a follower of the Bobcats, click on the above link.

Meet the Bobcats coming

2011-05-27T21:16:00.001-05:00

Fans will have a chance to "Meet the Bobcats" Saturday at a downtown Marion restaurant.

Manager Kyle Medley and players for the Marion Bobcats will be at Main Street Italian Grill beginning at 5 p.m., Saturday, giving fans a chance to meet the team a week before action on the field begins. Many of the players will be arriving in Marion early Saturday.

The Bobcats begin their season on the road next Friday at Fulton and will open at home against the same a week later on June 9.

The best seats in the house

2011-05-27T21:11:00.000-05:00


Jim and Merle Myers visit last year with Mitch McClay.

On July 23, 2010—the Bobcats’ final regular season home game of their third campaign—a pair of super fans were honored with recognition and their very own permanently-reserved seats. And this year, you’ll probably see Jim and Merle Myers in their special seats in the home grandstand, two prime viewing spots earned through loyal support of the team and city it represents.

The Myerses dedication to the team has been immeasurable over its first four years. The husband and wife hosted 10 baseball players in their home from 2008-10. After closing their bed and breakfast in 2009, they returned to Marion for another summer of Bobcats baseball. After driving one of his own vans to transport players to away games during the Bobcats’ inaugural season, Jim donated both of his vans to the team for permanent use. And Merle has even been known to bake cookies or fried pies for the opposing team.

Holding hands while walking to the stadium and sitting in the same seats, Jim and Merle have yet to miss a home game. If you happen to see them in Seats 17 and 18 along the first base side, stop by and visit.

Field of Dreams program for youth

2011-05-26T07:00:00.003-05:00

The Marion Bobcats are in the business of building tomorrow’s baseball players.

Once again, in order to build and keep the interest of baseball in the hearts of our youngsters, we are enacting the “Field of Dreams” youth program. At the beginning of certain games, we invite youth teams to join our players as they are announced and take their field positions. Youngsters accompany the Bobcat player they share positions with and their names are announced as they take the field beside their adult counterparts for the playing of the national anthem.

If your youth team is interested in participating, e-mail gbguess@hotmail.com or call 270.965.2750. We’ll host your team, provide free admission to uniformed players and coaches and provide a memory for a youngster that will last a lifetime.

Bobcat action accessible live, from anywhere

2011-05-25T07:00:00.030-05:00

This year, in the Bobcats' fourth season, fans will be able to follow live action from anywhere through the Internet or their mobile device. GameChanger, a free Internet-based application designed specifically for baseball, allows the Bobcat faithful to keep up with the team pitch by pitch during the entire 2011 season.

Fans of GameChanger teams have full access to the team home page, which includes the roster, schedule and a snapshot of the last game and next game. In addition, the team home page displays real-time scores and inning progress for games being scored live by the GameChanger scorekeeper. As soon as the scorekeeper enters a play, perhaps a double to left field or a groundout to second, every detail of the play is instantly beamed to the GameStream and viewed by fans as a live box score, or play-by-play update online.

Once you become a fan of a team, that team's home page will become your default landing page on the GameChanger.io Web site, and live games appear in a dynamic GameStream scoreboard strip across the top of team pages. Fans on the move can keep up with the live GameStream via the mobile Web. The GameChanger mobile Web site lets fans follow live streaming play-by-play and box scores right from their phone.

And GameChanger not only instantly calculates standard box scores and season totals, but as soon as a team administrator in the press box finalizes a game, GameChanger instantly generates spray charts and player game logs.

Player logs include more than 50 full-season metrics broken down by individual games and totaled by game type. Links to pertinent box scores are also provided. Spray charts display a digital representation of all balls put in play by an individual hitter over the entire season. Spray charts can be filtered for hits, outs, fly balls, line drives and ground balls.

Find game logs and spray charts by clicking on the name of any player on the GameChanger site, from box scores to season stats to team rosters. Fans must upgrade to Premium Access to view player logs and spray charts.

Fans can sign up for GameChanger by following this link or by clicking in the upper right corner of the GameChanger Scoreboard on the Bobcats' home page.

Bobcats to play in Snappy Tomato Classic

2011-05-24T22:29:00.001-05:00

The Bobcats will face the Lexington Hustlers in the first-ever Snappy Tomato College Baseball Classic held in Elizabethtown next month.

Marion will face the Hustlers, the newest member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, for the first time ever. The game is scheduled for June 13 at 6 p.m., and is to be played at John Hardin High School in Elizabethtown. An interleague game, the outcome will not affect the Bobcats' standings in the Ohio Valley League.

The Bobcats open the 2011 season June 3 at the Fulton Railroaders. Opening Night at Gordon Blue Guess Field will be June 9, also against Fulton.

For more on the Snappy Tomato Classic, visit the Lexington Sports Examiner.

Promotional schedule offers new twists

2011-05-20T22:00:00.030-05:00

Nightly promotions at Guess Field will take on a different twist in 2011. From dollar hot dogs to winning a shirt worn by the players during the game, each home contest will offer some type of treat to loyal fans. Following is the promotional schedule with dates and an explanation of the individual promotion:

Tuesdays
$1 Hot Dog Night. The great baseball tradition will be just a dollar all night long.

Fridays
Kids run the bases after the game.

Shirt Off Your Back Night
...will take place during every Thursday home game. Bobcat players will wear the sponsor’s shirts on the corresponding Thursday night. At the end of the night, the players will personally give their shirts to 26 special fans.
June 9 Stout Law Office
June 23 Farmers Bank & Trust Co.
June 30 Trice Hughes
July 7 Johnson’s Furniture & Appliances
July 21 TBA

Strike Out Guy of the Night
...will take place at every home game. A player from the opposing team will be chosen by Bobcats staff and his name will be announced to the fans. If/when this player is struck out by a Bobcat pitcher, everyone in the stands will receive a prize. Fans will receive a prize for only one of the chosen player’s strikeouts regardless of the number of times he strikes out.
June 9 Marion Fire Department: TBA
June 10 Just-a-Bug’r: Coupon for free drink
June 11 Fredonia Valley Bank: Keychain light
June 14 Edward Jones: Golf tees
June 15 KFC: Free drink with sandwich
June 18 Main Street Italian Grill: Free half-order of bread sticks
June 26 Airgas/Atmos Energy: First 70 fans will receive a coozy or shopping bags/pencils
June 29 Marion Café: Free drink with meal
June 30 Marion SmallMart: TBA
July 2 Bowtanical's: 10% off purchase
July 6 Main Street Italian Grill: Free half-order of bread sticks
July 8 Crittenden Health Systems: TBA
July 9 Terry L. Ford Insurance: TBA
July 12 Dairy Queen: Free piece of cake
July 13 Fifth Third Bank: TBA

2011 season shaping up

2011-03-13T19:05:00.000-05:00

The roster is more than three-quarters complete and a preliminary two-month schedule has been posted as the Bobcats prepare for the 2011 season, their first in the newly-formed Ohio Valley League.

Manager Kyle Medley still has a bit of work left in filling the roster, but the current roster boasts 10 pitchers—including three southpaws—and at least one player at all other positions. Medley said he will have the roster completed by the end of March.

Meantime, the league has released a preliminary 42-game schedule, with each of the four teams in the league playing one another 14 times. Scheduling will have teams splitting their home and road games evenly, with each squad hosting rivals for seven games and hitting the road for the other half. Opening Day is set for June 3.

Marion opens its season with a two-game series at each Fulton and Owenboro for the first four games before hosting the Roadroaders to begin a three-game home stand. The Bobcats' longest home stand will be for six games between July 6-13. Their longest road trip will be the season-opening stint.

Each team has only two double-headers scheduled—June 12 and 26—with each on a Sunday. Only one other game is slated for a Sunday—July 3. The only Monday game for all four teams will be on Independence Day, when Marion will play at the Oilers.

Rival Tradewater will first play Marion at Guess Field on June 10. The Bobcats play their final game against the Pirates at Dawson Springs on July 20.

The Ohio Valley League regular season ends on July 23 with the playoffs starting two days later. All four teams will make the playoffs, with the No. 1 seed facing No. 4 and No. 2 taking on No. 3 for a three-game series in the first round. The three-game championship series will begin on July 29.

Bullpen catcher sought

2011-02-27T07:05:00.002-06:00

The Marion Bobcats are looking for a bullpen catcher for the 2011 season. The Bobcats need someone to help warm up pitchers before and during games for the two-month season in June and July. The candidate(s) must have some catching experience in order to qualify for the position.

For further information or if you are interested in the bullpen catching position, e-mail Bobcats General Manager Gordon Guess.

League officials set 2011 season in motion

2011-01-11T19:39:00.004-06:00

From OhioValleyLeague.com
The Ohio Valley League board of directors met on Sunday and agreed on a minimum 42-game schedule for the upcoming season. The schedule is based on four league teams, leaving open dates for scheduling exhibition games with any of several regional amateur teams in places like Nashville, Tenn., Jasper, Ind., and Lexington, Ky.

Play is expected to begin June 3 and continue through July 26. There will also be a four-team playoff series—best two of three— to begin July 28 with the winners playing for the title on July 31 through Aug. 2. Each team will play a minimum 44 and maximum 48 games within the league. Most Sundays and Mondays will be open with July 4, a Monday, the exception. A final 2011 schedule is expected to be ready before Feb 1.

Efforts to bring Paducah and Mayfield into the league as teams were well received, however, organizational efforts are incomplete. Both franchises expect to work on those efforts in the interim and officially join the league for the 2012 season.