Final Comments on 2015 Season

It has been another great season of Railroader Baseball in Fulton.  Many thrills and chills throughout the 40 game regular season and the post season playoffs.  The entire team this year contained some of the best players we've seen, especially at the plate. A team .280 batting average was the highest recorded in any year, edging out 2012’s .279 average.  Most noteworthy was the long ball, 38% of the total league homeruns, 28 of 74, came off the Railroaders bats. In the field and on the mound also contributed to an excellent season.

New friendships have been made between players, parents and fans. We wish all players the best success in their future endeavors in school and career.

Now is the time and here is place for your comments on the 2015 Season. Thanks to everyone who join us at the Yard or on TeamLine in supporting  the Railroaders.

Semifinal Round Two – Game One

The Railroaders begin their Post Season Playoff run tonight at the Yard in a best of three series against the Miners.  Games two and three (if needed) will be in Madisonville.  The Bombers and Hoppers will also begin their round two series in Hopkinsville.

The Miners won the 2nd seed position by beating the Railroaders of 6 of 10 games in the regular season.  Both teams are pretty well matched up on paper when looking a total season stats, however the Miners have edged past the Railroaders in stats for the 10 games head-to-head, reflecting the 6-4 Madisonville record against Fulton.

The Miners have been hot of late winning their last 6 games of the season and 9 of their last 10 games.  If the Railroaders are going to advance to the Championship Round Three, they are going to have to unload their Big Guns for tonight and the weekend.

Both teams have rested a day and should be ready to go. The Playoff Title is up for grabs and time for final 2015 contests to begin.  Hope you can make it to the Yard, should be exciting.  See you there or online TeamLine. “Fire it Up!”

Post Season Playoffs loom before final Home game

Little Jayce helps press box during rain delay

The unfortunate loss last night precludes any chance the Railroaders had to take the season pennant. Hats off the to the Bombers who were able to sit at home last night and win their first regular season OVL title. 

Where’s that leave the Railroaders?  They must fight to beat the Hoppers tonight at the Yard and hope the Bombers take out the Miners in Madisonville at the same time.  Question is, will the Bombers play a good enough or slack off knowing they are already set as the #1 seed for Post-Season play. 

The Miners need only to tie season records with the Railroaders to gain the #2 spot for the playoffs. That leaves the Railroaders in #3 seed. In the last 5 seasons (including pre-OVL play) the Railroaders have secured the #2 mark to finish the season.  That distinction is in jeopardy tonight.

The #2 seed in the playoffs is significant for home field advantage in Round Two.  The second round Best of Three series will start with a game at #3 seed’s home field.  The second and third (if needed) games will be played at the #2 seed’s home park. In the first 4 years of the OVL the Railroaders have won the Post-Season Playoff title twice from the #2 position. Only the Hoppers have taken the post-season award one time starting from the #3 spot.

We’ll find out tonight at the Yard if the Fulton can take care of half the solution while monitoring the other half in Madisonville, and cheer for the Railroaders and Bombers to win.

We hope everyone can make the game for the final regular season home game in 2015.  Our new TeamLine commentator; Jayce will be there with a couple of uplifting thoughts I'm sure, to urge the Railroaders towards a victory.  See you at the Yard or online TeamLine.

Oilers and Railroaders tonight

Although the rain has come through the Yard this morning, the heat of the afternoon will dry things out for the Railroaders and Oilers for tonight’s game. With two games left, the task before the Railroaders is simple. Winning today and tomorrow ensures Fulton at least the second standing for the regular season.

Tomorrow the Railroaders will finish the season at home with the Hoppers and the Miners will host the Bombers to complete the regular season. If the Railroaders win their final two and the Miners beat the Bombers, Fulton will take the regular season pennant.  The Railroaders and Miners would tie with the same 26-14 record and are also tied with the first tiebreaker with a head-to-head 5-5 record.  However, the second tiebreaker would come into play with the Railroaders taking the title having scored 53 runs against the Bombers who have scored 43 against the Railroaders.

It is possible for the Railroaders to tie with the Miners in second place. Should that occur the Miners would take second having beaten the Railroaders 6-4 head-to-head during the season. The Railroaders magic number to secure the second seed is 2, any combination of 2 Railroader wins and/or Miners losses.

Tight race no doubt and the action at the Yard for tonight and tomorrow will be intense.  If you’re in the area we hope you can make it to both games as the Railroaders dash towards the finish line.  Time to “Fire it Up” and go into the Post Season on a high note.  See you at the Yard or online TeamLine.

Home stretch run begins with Hoppers

Heading into the final season stretch with 4 games left, the 22-14 Railroaders find themselves wedged between the 1st place Bombers and 3rd place Miners. The Post-Season Playoff seeding is becoming clearer with each game played.

The 24-12 Bombers are trying to hold on with a 2 game lead, and have 4 games remaining to play. Should the Railroaders catch and tie the records with the Bombers, the Railroaders would win the first seed. How? The first tiebreaker would be best head-to-head record, and after last night’s Railroader defeat of the Bombers that stands and ends at 5-5. The second tiebreaker is total runs scored between the two teams, the Railroaders with 53 to the Bombers 43 runs. 

The 20-15 Miners aren’t out of the mix either. They are only 1½ games behind the Railroaders and have their best chance in taking the 2nd seed from the Railroaders.  If these two tie in the standings, the Miners win out with a better 6-4 record against the Railroaders.  With 5 games left the Miners have a long shot to catch the Bombers, and the teams meet tonight for the first of two games remaining together.

For the Railroaders to take the regular season pennant the task is simple, keep winning and hope the Bombers drop 2 or more games of 4 remaining.  The Railroaders play a doubleheader tonight with the 14-20 Hoppers who still have 6 games left to play. The Railroaders will finish their final two games at home on Monday against the Oilers and Tuesday with the Hoppers one more time. Then everyone head to the Post-Season Playoff Championship rounds.

The Railroader bats have been hot lately in winning 6 of their last 7 games, the only loss coming from final inning errors on the defense.  If the boys can play well in the field, the Railroaders have a reasonable chance (with help) to take 1st seed.  Focus on that and we at least should secure the 2nd seed soon.

First game tonight is at 5 pm, each game scheduled for 7 innings.  It will be hot both on and off the field.  See you at the Yard or online Teamline.

Must win scenario

With the loss to the Miners last night, the Railroaders must win their final 5 games to even have a chance at the regular season title. The quest begins tonight in Dubois County as they play the #1 Bombers who they trail by 3 games. They would also need help from Miners, Oilers and Hoppers to take out the Bombers a couple of games in order to tie up the first spot in the standings.  Should all this occur, the Railroaders and Bombers would also be tied Head-to-Head, and a tie breaking game might occur (the OVL will have to make that call.

Meanwhile, the Miners victory over the Railroaders last night has them in good position only a game behind the Railroaders and could to unseat Fulton's 2nd place standing.  Should the two teams tie for 2nd, the Miners would take the second seed with a now 6-4 record head-to-head with the Railroaders. So the Railroaders must win to keep ahead of the Miners if they want to secure 2nd place.

After tonight's most important game in Dubois, the Railroaders will have 4 games left, 3 with the Hoppers (2 on Friday and one next Tuesday), and one game with the Oilers on Monday.  For now, we wait for the results in today contest.

Pennant Race heats up with the Hoppers

The Railroaders are firing up to make their sprint in the final quarter of the season winning two straight games over the Miners and Bombers.  The victory over DC last night moved Fulton into second place and picked up a game on the Bombers who are now 2½ games in the lead.  The Miners, who were idle Saturday, take the third spot now just a ½ game behind the Railroaders.  The Railroaders will see the Bombers and Miners just one more time each at their houses before post season playoffs begin. 

With 9 games left in the regular season, there are still plenty of games remaining for the Railroaders to move ahead on.  Tonight the race for season pennant continues at the Yard with Hoptown Hoppers coming to town.  The fourth place Hoppers split a doubleheader with the fifth place Oilers last night.  Hoptown is 8 games out of first and 5½ games behind the Railroaders, but they should not be taken lightly. 

The Railroaders and Hoppers have met for 6 games so far with the Railroaders winning 4 of them.  That trend will need to continue tonight.  The four remaining games the Railroaders have with the Hopper will be played at the Yard also.  After tonight’s game the next meeting between the two will be this coming Friday with a doubleheader in Fulton.

The Miners will be playing the Bombers tonight also.  We’ll be keeping an eye on that outcome.  Tonight’s league results will certainly affect the positioning for the current top 3 teams in the OVL. 

We need to keep the heat on and the steam pressure high to finish off the season.  Come on out to the Yard for some Sunday night baseball with the Railroaders.  Should be another great game.  See you there or on TeamLine.

Miner Meditation

Three days the Railroaders have been idle, two rainouts and one scheduled day off, plenty of time for rest and reflection. There are eleven games remaining in the season with the Railroaders in third place, 4 games behind the Bombers and trailing the Miners by one game. 

There 2 games each left with both the Miners and Bombers, the first with the Miners is tonight at the Yard. The remaining 3 regular season games with these two teams will be on the road.  

Needless to say tonight’s game with the Miners is an important one for the Railroaders. They a have 3-5 record head-to-head with the Miners.  The same 3-5 record holds true with the Bombers, whom the Railroaders travel to DC on Saturday to play a game. It is time this weekend for the Railroaders to begin to even the score with both teams.

The task of winning the regular season will be a difficult one and requires the very best of the Railroaders.  The Bombers and Miners are not the only teams to dominate, the Railroaders must also control the remaining 7 games left with the Oilers (3 games) and Hoppers (4 games).  All but two of these 7 games will be played at the Yard in Fulton; a doubleheader in Owensboro accounts for remainder.

We’re asking everyone who can make to come out to Yard tonight and help get the Railroaders engine fired up.  See you there, or on TeamLine.

Hoppers return to the Yard tonight, maybe

After last night’s loss to the Bombers, preceded by the beat down from the Miners the night before, maybe it’s time for a little shock treatment before the Hoppers arrive for a in Fulton, weather permitting of course.

The Railroaders have dropped four of their last five games and appear to be struggling.  All four losses were with the Bombers and Miners who are clearly on the up swing heading towards the final season stretch.  In the four defeats, our opponents combine batting average was .336 with 28 RBI and scored 31 runs.  The Railroaders could only manage a .207 batting average for 8 RBI runs total, well below their overall season team average.  On base averages were .421 for the Miners and Bombers together, the Railroaders only managing a .262 OBA.
Pitching ERA has suffered as well; while the Miners and Bombers had a healthy 1.50 ERA against us, the Railroaders had a 6.09 ERA, over double their season team average of 2.67. 

Do we have the spirit for the task ahead?  With only 11 games left for the Railroaders, it’s time to get off the stick and use it to produce some offense.  Four of the 11 games left are with the Miners and Bombers, two each.  The Railroaders need to win these games to stay with the top two teams.  The five remaining game with the lower standing Hoppers and Oilers won’t be a sure thing either.  No time left to continue a slump, time for hits and more RBI.  Let’s tighten up more on defense and support the pitching to help.  Fulton is trailing 4 ½ games behind the Bombers and ½ game back of the Miners. We need to fire it up and move up.

The Hoppers are due in the Yard tonight, but the weather at this point remains questionable.  Hopefully the Railroaders will be able to play the game and get back to their winning ways. We’ll be eyeing the weather and post any new information as we get it, but as for now we’ll see you at the Yard or online TeamLine.

Monday night baseball; Railroaders and Bombers

After last night’s train wreck in Madisonville, it’s time to quickly clean up the mess and get the train back on the track.  There’s no time to dwell on the loss as the highflying Bombers are heading to Fulton for game with the Railroaders tonight in the Yard.

The 20-9 first place Bombers are 3½ games ahead of both the 16-12 Railroaders and 15-11 Miners.  The Miners currently hold the second place spot by percentage points, but the Railroaders can retake that position and gain a game on the Bombers with a win this evening. The Miners are idle for today.

The Oilers beat the Bombers last night, breaking a 6 game DC winning streak. It was also only the second loss for the Bombers at home in League Stadium. The Bombers will likely be hot to get back on their winning ways tonight.  The Railroaders need to shake off the bad memories from last night and get their bats ready to slug it out.

Game time is 7:05 pm and TeamLine will be up 10 minutes before the hour. Big game for Railroaders as the season begins to wind down. Only 7 home games left before post-season playoffs. If you’re in the area, come on out to the Yard for a night of baseball and help support the Railroaders take on the Bombers.

July 4th game with Oilers

We Want You at the Yard!

It was just a year ago today on the 4th of July the Railroaders hosted the Oilers for a holiday game in the Yard. That victory went to the Oilers on a 4-2 score. The Railroaders don’t plan to repeat history this evening in an early start game at 5:30 pm with a concert and fireworks to follow. A big crowd is expected with free general admission for the first 300 persons attending, thanks to Fulton Tourism Commission.

Both the Railroaders (15-11) and Oilers (7-17) are rested after 2 days of non-play. The two teams have met 6 times thus far this season with the Railroaders taking 5 of the 6 games. The Oilers have struggled of late losing 6 straight games before beating the Hoppers (7-17) on Wednesday night. The Railroaders on the other hand have dropped their last 2 games to the Bombers and Miners, moving Fulton into third in the standings 6½ games ahead of the now fourth place Oilers. The first place Bombers (19-8) will host the second place Miners (14-10) in Dubois County tonight.

With only a third of the season left and 3½ games out of first, it is time for the Railroaders to get back on track for the final run. It should be a great night for baseball and celebrating the 4th of July.  Come out and enjoy an All American holiday. See you at the Yard or online TeamLine.

Hoppers & Railroaders rained out

After all the hard work and the ground crew successfully getting the field ready, a noon time 5 minute downpour was all it took to wipe out our chances for the game tonight.  The amount of water that fell along with the tears of the ground crew left standing water on the infield with no hope of drying out before game time.  The meeting between the Hoppers and Railroaders will have to wait to be rescheduled on a future date.  But "Thanks" to all those hard working souls who tried to make it happen tonight.

Railroaders off tomorrow and Home on Saturday with the Oilers for some 4th of July fireworks at the Yard.  Game time is early at 5:30 p.m. CDT.

Hoppers or Rain tonight

Last night’s rain has the ground crew already out working the field to get it ready for tonight’s game with the Hoppers. The weather forecast is questionable for the rest of day. Assuming there are no more downpours today and this evening, chances are good the Yard will be in good shape for the game.

The Railroaders have dropped 2 games in a row, one to the Miners the other to the Bombers.  The loss last night puts Fulton 3 games behind the league leading Bombers.  Although both the Railroaders and Miners are trailing by 3 games, Fulton has moved down to the third spot in the standings because of a lower win/loss percentage 

While the Bombers battle the Miners tonight in Madisonville, I believe its time for a Railroader win against the visiting Hoppers this evening.  Hoptown is a frustrated team at the moment having loss their last 6 games putting them in the basement along with the Oilers in the standings.

With 14 games left in the regular season for the Railroaders, every game is more important now.  We shouldn’t take the Hoppers lightly tonight. The Railroaders have struggled the past couple of games scoring runs and need to break that cycle tonight.  It should be good game at the Yard and hoping all the fans can make it out to support the Roaders to get them back on track.

We’ll keep an close eye on the weather to see what happens.  Assuming all goes well, see you at the Yard or on TeamLine tonight.  “Fire it Up!”

Showdown with Miners tonight

Tonight at the Yard, our second place Railroaders with a record of 15-9 will face off with the third place Miners with a record of 13-10.  Both teams are working on consecutive game winning streaks, the Railroaders with 4 straight wins and the Miners with 3 in a roll. That will continue for only one of them after tonight’s action. The Railroaders are 1½ games ahead of the Miners, so regardless of the outcome tonight, Fulton will finish the evening retaining the second place spot.

From a league prospective, the Railroaders are currently a ½ game behind the first place Bombers. The Bombers are on the road to Owensboro for a big doubleheader with the Oilers who have lost their last 4 games. The results of those games could greatly affect the standings. Meanwhile the Hoppers are off today and have dropped 5 games in the row. Both Hoppers and Oilers for 7 ½ games out of first. Still almost half the season to go, every game from now on will be important for all teams.

Back to the Railroaders and Miners for tonight.  The teams have met 6 times so far with 4 games left head-to-head.  Each team has won 3 games against each other, that tie will be broke today. Season stats show both teams match fairly even match with the Railroaders’ somewhat ahead in the numbers on offense and pitching. Head-to-head, the Miners have slight edge against the Railroaders on offense in batting average, but the Railroaders are better from the mound with about half the team ERA as the Miners.

Overall Season

Batting Stats
Team	GP	PA	OAB	Avg	Slug	OBA	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BB	SB	HBP	SO
Railroaders	24	1023	828	.279	.384	.392	231	178	34	4	15	149	112	129	24	34	159
Miners	22	917	789	.253	.327	.342	200	157	33	5	5	106	84	93	28	17	145

Pitching Stats
Team	GS	W	L	SA	BF	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	R	BB	HB	SO	IP	ER	ERA
Railroaders	24	15	9	0	926	192	152	30	4	6	93	71	24	174	214.33	59	2.48
Miners	23	13	10	7	971	217	166	38	4	9	141	114	25	132	206.33	99	4.32

Head-to-Head

Batting Stats
Team	GP	PA	OAB	Avg	Slug	OBA	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BB	SB	HBP	SO
Railroaders	6	256	213	.258	.376	.370	55	38	13	0	4	35	28	29	8	10	48
Miners	6	228	208	.264	.356	.317	55	40	12	2	1	23	16	12	10	5	37

Pitching Stats
Team	GS	W	L	SA	BF	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	R	BB	HB	SO	IP	ER	ERA
Railroaders	6	3	3	0	228	55	40	12	2	1	23	12	5	37	53.33	13	2.19
Miners	6	3	3	1	256	55	38	13	0	4	35	29	10	48	53.67	25	4.19

All this said, it’s going to be another good game tonight at the Yard between these two teams.  Come on out and watch as the Railroaders fire it up again to make their run towards a season title.  See you at the Yard or online TeamLine.

Hoppers first visit to the Yard

The Hoppers will visit the Yard tonight for the first time this season.  So far the Railroaders have confronted the Hoppers in five games all played in Hoptown, and Fulton has walked away with a 3-2 record head-to-head.  Both teams must play five more games before season’s end and all will be contested in Fulton at the Yard.

One thing is sure, the Railroaders and Hoppers have some great games.  The Hoppers have struggled the first half of the season achieving only a 7-12 record, well below .500 in win/loss percentage. The Hoppers will be fighting hard to improve and stage themselves for a downhill run in the season’s final half. They play their 20th game tonight with the Railroaders.

The Railroaders on the other hand have reached the crest, moving on with 21 games under their belt. There was no expected “slow season start” for the Railroaders as has been the history over the last five years.  No, these 2015 Railroaders have kept pace in the upper half of the standings, and their downhill run has momentum. The offense is responding when down in the in score, and come-from-behind wins and close games occur often. Of the Railroader 9 losses this season, only 2 were loss by more than 2 runs. Opponents must fight hard to overcome the Railroaders at bat.  Pitching has improved and can stand toe-to-toe with any of the teams.  Field defense has been questionable at times with errors, but they have had only 2 in the last 4 games.

 

Overall Team Stats

Batting Stats
	GP	PA	OAB	Avg	Slug	OBA	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BB	SB	HBP	SO
RAILROADERS	22	938	758	.285	.396	.396	216	166	31	4	15	138	105	116	24	32	138
HOPPERS	18	781	670	.237	.304	.340	159	127	23	5	4	81	67	89	36	16	136

Pitching Stats
	GS	W	L	SA	BF	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	R	BB	HB	SO	IP	ER	ERA
RAILROADERS	22	13	9	0	852	174	140	25	4	5	87	67	24	159	196.33	54	2.48
HOPPERS	19	7	12	2	823	184	146	25	4	9	118	106	22	105	176.00	84	4.30

The engine is fired up and the players are ready to go.  Tonight’s weather is not in question and will actually be a bit cooler than this past week has been.  We’re looking forward to another great night of baseball at the Yard with the Railroaders and Hoppers.  See you there or online TeamLine.

Bombers or Rain, which will fall from the sky?

As you can see, there’s an issue with the weather for tonight game in Fulton.  We are sure to get something but the question is when, how much and how long will it last.  The cold front is west and moving east in our direction.  Time of arrival is around 5 to 6 pm and should be completely past us by 8 pm tonight. If it’s quick to move through and doesn’t dump a lot of rain, we’ll be able to the game in. We could see a rain delay to start the game.

We are just over halfway through the season and the Railroaders are currently holding their ground in the standings. A confident, first place Dubois County Bombers team is coming to the Yard to take on the second place Railroaders who are currently 2½ games behind in the standings. The two teams have met in battle five times with the Bombers taking a 3-2 lead in the season series. Both will face off for five more games, beginning tonight.

Time for the Railroaders to move ahead in the race with 19 games left.  The third place Miners trail just 1½ games behind the Railroaders and are idle tonight. The fourth place Hoppers and last place Oilers are scheduled for today in Hoptown as both teams will fight to avoid the basement.

We’ll be keeping an eye on the weather this afternoon and will update as needed if conditions change.  But for now, we’re on for more OVL baseball tonight in Fulton.  See you (hopefully) at the Yard or online TeamLine.

Big Bomber Battle tonight

The first place Bombers were successful in beating the Railroaders the last time they flew into the Yard this past Monday.  The Railroaders have faced off with the Bombers four times so far with the Railroaders only taking one of the games.  It is time to turn that trend around tonight at the Yard.  At 2 ½ games behind the Bombers, the second place Railroaders have a chance to gain a game with a win this evening.

There was lots of rain yesterday but the field in Fulton should be dry by game time for the showdown.  The Railroaders need to man the fighters early this time and shoot down the DC planes before they extend their lead in the standings.  This will be the third visit to the Yard by the Bombers, and the Railroaders yet to get a win against them in front of the hometown Fans.  We have the Top Guns for the job, we just need to use them and eliminate the errors.

The Bombers may play in the biggest stadium in the OVL, but on the field they are just another team.  Two of the three Railroader losses with the Bombers were by a single run so it should be a close one, however I prefer blasting them out of the sky at the plate for an overwhelming victory.  We can get done and need the help of all hands, both on the field and in the stands.  Let’s man-up and shoot down some Bombers. I’ll see you at the Yard tonight or join us on TeamLine.

Team Stats

Offense	GP	PA	OAB	Avg	Slug	OBA	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BB	SB	HBP	SO
Railroaders	15	658	533	.278	.390	.394	148	115	18	3	12	98	74	83	23	25	98
Bombers	16	689	548	.248	.321	.378	136	106	24	2	4	114	87	95	28	26	86

 

Pitching	GS	W	L	SA	BF	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	R	BB	HB	SO	IP	ER	ERA
Railroaders	15	8	7	0	609	129	106	18	3	2	69	50	18	109	137.00	41	2.69
Bombers	16	11	5	2	651	141	118	16	4	3	67	64	11	112	143.33	46	2.89

UPDATE 10:45 a.m.:  I've gone to the Yard and it's looking good. The sun is beginning to pop out of the clouds that should be clearing out around noon time.  The Ground Crew is out and working the few remaining wet spots remaining, "Hats off to them."   With the temperature rising, all looks well for tonight's contest . . the game is on!