CRCBL All League Team Announced

Aces Place 4 on All-League Team

The Cal Ripken League announced its 2016 All-League team this week. Two Aces were named to the first and second team and two Aces were named to the honorable mention.

First Team:

Chesdin Harrington (University of Virginia) was named to the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball Leagues All-League First team. Chesdin excelled at the top of the Aces rotation posting a 1.45 ERA in 31 innings pitched over 7 appearances, 5 of which were starts. His 31 innings was second on the team while his ERA was staff best. Chesdin was also selected to the 2016 South All-Star team for his first half performance.

Second Team:

Cade Sorrells (Lipscomb University) was named to the Cal Ripken Collegiate Leagues All-League second team. The first basemen was a mainstay in the Aces line-up predominately in the 3rd position playing first base and as the designated hitter. Cade compiled a .322 batting average with 8 extra base hits over 115 plate appearances. Cade was selected as the starting first basemen for the South All-Star team and named the game’s Most Outstanding Player after a stellar performance going 2-2 with a walk, run scored and RBI.

Below is the full All-League Team:

1st Team

C: Andy Mocahbee – Braves
1B: Vinny Esposito – Big Train
2B: Clayton Daniel – Big Train
3B: Kyle Datres – Redbirds
SS: Utah Jones – Redbirds
OF: Evan Alderman – Braves
OF: Matt Pita – Giants
OF: Cody Brown – Big Train
OF: Zach Racusin – Tbolts
UTL: Marty Costes – Redbirds
DH: Jordan Sergent – Riverdogs
P: Chesdin Harrington – Aces
P: Hunter Parsons – Redbirds
P: Johnny York – Big Train
P: Matt Chanin – Giants
P: Sean Barry – Big Train
Closer: Mike Rescigno – Redbirds

2nd Team:

C: Trey Martinez – Giants
1B: Cade Sorrells – Aces
2B: Grayland Fowler – Tbolts
3B: Alan Smoot – Big Train
SS: Jake Mueller – Redbirds
OF: Logan Farrar – Big Train
OF: Cameron Simmons – Redbirds
OF: Mason Koppens – Express
UTL: Justin Morris – Big Train
UTL: Marques Inman – Grays
DH: Bryce Only – Dodgers
DH: Nick Egli – Giants
P: Jacob Erickson – Grays
P: Chih – Yuan Lai – Tbolts
P: John Murphy – Big Train
P: Jacob Christian – Riverdogs
P: Mark Curtis – Redbirds
P: Joey Sullivan – Redbirds
C: Dom Morabito – Braves

Honorable Mention:

Pitchers

William Brown – Thunderbolts
Reid Frazier – Braves
Patrick Finklestein – Aces
Alex Deise – Thunderbolts
Jared Price – Thunderbolts
Cole Aker – Redbirds

Infielders

Tyler Galazin – Express
Pat Causa – Giants
Nate Favero – Riverdogs
Jason Reyes – Express
Allan Mocahbee – Braves
Max McDougald – Riverdogs

Catchers

Tyler Thomas – Grays
Nick Cieri – Thunderbolts
Peyton Isaacson – Giants
Manny Pazos – Redbirds

Outfielders

Liam McArthur – Aces
Kyle Baker – Express
Ron Farley – Dodgers
Tate Shaw – Giants
Brian Bauk – Dodgers

Aces Fall to Herndon in 1st Round of Playoffs

The season came to a somewhat disappointing end for the Alexandria Aces as they dropped the one game play in contest to the Herndon Braves by a score of 6-5. The three seeded Aces were unable to maintain a one run lead as the Braves, who led for most of the game, were able to use timely hitting and pitching to defeat an Alexandria team that had beaten them four of the five regular season meetings. With the Braves victory they will face the Baltimore Redbirds in the semi-finals.

The game got off to a rocky start for the Aces as Chesdin Harrington (UVA) relinquished four runs in the first inning. The Aces were able to plate runs in both the first and second innings against the Braves starter Reid Frazier. Frazier was shaky with command but limited the Aces damage, only allowing a single hit in three innings of work. Tyler Morder (Seton Hill) came in to relieve Harrington and worked a phenomenal five innings surrendering just one hit.

With Morder on the mound the Aces continued to plug away, scoring another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Then in the sixth the Aces got their first lead of the game thanks to an RBI single from Drew Huff (Middle Tennessee State) and an RBI double from Mike Annone (Wilmington U). The Aces lead was short lived however as in the very next half inning, Zach Barron untied the game with a one out double to give the Braves the lead for good.

The Aces threatened in the seventh and eighth and even loaded the bases in the second to last frame but were unable to push the run across they needed to tie the game. They left 14 runners on base and the bats fell somewhat silent as the Aces managed only five hits.

Though the season is now officially over, the Aces, despite the early end to the season, still had a campaign to remember. Alexandria vastly improved on their record of 19-21 from last season, finishing the regular season well over .500 at 23-17. They also made the playoffs improving on last year when they missed out from the postseason. The Aces saw five players head to the All-Star game this year and had one of the best pitchers all summer season long, Chesdin Harrington.

Though the season ended earlier than expected, the Aces still showed tenacity and a grinding mentality that became the teams calling card all the way down to the seasons final strike. With the foundation built by the team this season, Alexandria will have a good foundation to recruit with come next season.

Author: Jack Milewski

July 24th Preview: Aces vs. Braves

The Alexandria Aces and the Herndon Braves will square off in a single-elimination game tonight, with the winner advancing to the Cal Ripken League semifinals. The Aces were 23-17 in the regular season and secured the #3 seed in the playoffs, earning hosting privileges for tonight’s game. The Braves earned the #6 seed by going 18-22 on the season.

The Aces scored 213 runs over the course of the regular season, good for sixth in the league. The Braves, only two runs behind with 211, were seventh. The Aces offense was remarkably consistent, scoring at least four runs in 25 of 40 games and at least ten runs an impressive eight times. The Aces lineup was stacked with offensive threats — six players who appeared in at least 29 games had batting averages over .280: AJ Spencer (Middle Tennessee State – .283), Drew Huff (Middle Tennessee State – .287), Mike Annone (Wilmington – .288), Niko Hulsizer (Morehead State – .295), Cade Sorrells (Lipscomb – .322), and Liam McArthur (Seton Hall – .331). Huff and McArthur tied for the most hits with 45, and Annone led the team in home runs (4) and RBIs (26).

Aces pitching was overall outstanding this season — the pitching staff was third in the league in wins, with 23, as well as third in strikeouts, with 310. The Aces had seven pitchers who appeared in at least six games and had ERAs lower than 4.00: Patrick Finklestein (College of Charleston – 3.63), Danny Ehrsam (SIU-Edwardsville – 3.46), Billy Lescher (UPenn – 3.34), Christian Leckert (James Madison – 2.61), Tyler Morder (Seton Hill – 2.07), Chesdin Harrington (UVA – 1.45), and Jack Hennessy (Catholic – 1.25). Micah Kaczor (Western Kentucky) led the team in strikeouts, with 33, and saves, with 3.

The Aces and Braves faced off five times in the regular season, with the Aces winning four of those contests. The victories were on June 9 (4-2), June 30 (10-5), and a July 10 doubleheader (6-3 and 2-1). The Braves won on June 19 (8-6).

Chesdin Harrington (4-1, 1.45 ERA) gets the start tonight. He not only sports the team’s second-lowest ERA, but had fantastic outings in each of his five starts, never going less than five innings or allowing more than two earned runs. Harrington faced the Braves twice. On June 19, he threw five innings and gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits before the game was suspended and concluded on July 10. He also started the regularly-scheduled game on July 10, throwing six innings of one-run, seven-hit ball. The Braves will send up Reid Frazier, who is 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA. He made two relief appearances against the Aces, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings for a win on June 19 and giving up one run in 2.0 innings for a loss on July 10.

The first pitch at Frank Mann Field is at 7 pm. Come out to cheer on the Aces as they try to extend their season and advance further into the playoffs! If you can’t make it, be sure to follow the game live on Twitter (@Alexandria_Aces) or tune into Aces Radio.

Author: Carolina Velloso

Aces Win Regular Season Finale

After dropping four consecutive games earlier this week, the Alexandria Aces are riding two straight wins into the postseason after an 11-5 victory tonight over the Vienna Riverdogs.

In his first start of the season on the mound, Jack Hennessy (Catholic University), looked tremendous. He tossed a season high five innings, surrendering just two hits and keeping the Riverdogs scoreless. He retired the last seven batters he faced over the final two and a third innings.

The Aces jumped on the Riverdogs early after two walks in a row to Kevin Heiss (University of Rhode Island) and Alex Stephens (Morehead State University). Heiss scored a batter later on a throwing error when Niko Hulsizer (Morehead State University) reached on a fielder’s choice. Heiss also scored the second run of the game in the third inning.

Alexandria scored an additional run in the fourth and fifth innings as well. Zach Cowart (Georgia Southern University) led off the fourth with a single and later came around to score on a fielding error by the third baseman. Drew Huff (Middle Tennessee State University) led off the fifth by reaching on an error and scored on a Cody Miller (Wofford College) sacrifice fly.

The Vienna bats woke up in the seventh when they scored four runs to tie the game, highlighted by a two-run double from the BYU product, Pete Nielsen.

It took just a half inning for the Aces to respond, exploding for five runs in the bottom half of the frame. Drew Bene (Stony Brook University) delivered a clutch two-RBI double to start the rally. Cowart singled for his second hit of the night, and Chris Balogh (Boston College) followed that up with a three-run bomb to right field. It was Balogh’s second long ball of the season, tying him for second most on the club.

Hulsizer led off the eighth with a double and Huff followed with a walk. With two outs in the inning, Cowart delivered a two-run double for the 10th and 11th runs of the night for the Aces.

AJ Spencer (Middle Tennessee State University) tossed a scoreless inning in his first relief appearance of the summer season. Danny Ehrsam (SIU-Edwardsville) closed out the Riverdogs, throwing the final inning and two-thirds, giving up just one hit.

Seven of the 10 Aces who recorded plate appearances notched at least one hit, with Cowart having his first three-hit game of the year.

The Aces completed the regular season tonight with a 23-17 record.  Tomorrow will be an off day before beginning the playoffs on Sunday. The opponent is still to be determined with tomorrow being final day of the regular season for some teams. The Aces are the number three seed and will host the play game at 7pm on Sunday. If you can’t make it to Frank Mann Field, action can be caught on Aces Radio or followed on Twitter at @Alexandria_Aces.

Author: Noah Reed

July 22nd Preview: Aces vs. Riverdogs

The Aces conclude their regular season with a home game against the Vienna Riverdogs tonight. The 22-17 Aces secured the #3 seeding in the playoffs with a win over the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts last night and will face the #6 seed at home on Sunday.

The 17-21 Riverdogs are in fourth place in the South division and hunting for a playoff berth. The teams will decide the season series tomorrow, as they’ve split their previous four contests.

Yesterday, the Aces pulled out a tight win to secure their playoff seeding, scoring the decisive run in the top of the ninth inning. Kevin Heiss (U. of Rhode Island) walked in the run after the Aces loaded the bases with one out. The Aces scored their first run in the top of the seventh when AJ Spencer (Middle Tennessee State) scored on a passed ball.

The star of yesterday’s game was Aces pitching: starter Evan Flanagan (U. of Rhode Island) tossed six outstanding innings of one-run, three-hit ball. Nick Pedalino (UPenn), Chesdin Harrington (U. of Virginia) and Christian Leckert (James Madison) each contributed a scoreless inning of relief.

The bats were again quiet, and the Aces have not scored more than three runs in a game in their last five contests, resulting in four straight losses before yesterday’s victory. The Aces hope to turn it around tonight against the Riverdogs and head into the postseason with offensive momentum.

Jack Hennessy (Catholic) gets his first start after appearing in nine games as a reliever. Hennessy has been one of the Aces’ best pitchers all season, recording the team’s second-lowest ERA at 1.92. He has made two relief appearances against the Riverdogs, on June 20 and June 27, giving up only one run. The Riverdogs will send up Jacob Christian, who is 1-1 with a 1.44 ERA. He has not faced the Aces.

The first pitch at Frank Mann Field is at 7 pm. Come out and enjoy our last home game of the regular season! If you can’t make it, be sure to follow the game live on Twitter (@Alexandria_Aces) or tune into Aces Radio.

Author: Carolina Velloso