Around the ABL: April 21-May 4

Joe Frost

April 21: Minnesota 10, So Cal 14. Über-prospect Joe Frost is off to a blistering start. Crayon is batting .377, slugging .672, and he's gotten a hit in 14 of 15 games this season. This afternoon, he kicks off a seven-run rally in the eighth inning with a two-run home run. A few batters later, Ron Hutchins gives the Republic the lead with his first major league home run, a three-run fly down the line in right.

Rich Bussell

April 23: Ann Arbor 4, Dallas 6. Few things in baseball are as pretty as Rich Bussell's changeup—unless you're trying to hit it, that is. Texan Bussell (3-1) strikes out 15 Barn Owls over 7 2/3 innings, including striking out the side in the first, third, and sixth innings. He joins Raúl Pérez, Aurelio Ramírez, and Maurice Gould as the only pitchers to accomplish the feat.

Around the ABL: April 7-April 20

April 7: Montreal 1, Dallas 4. The Montreal Bandits, seeking their third consecutive ABL Championship, get mowed down by Rich Bussell. Bussell (1-0) strikes out nine and allows only one hit over seven shutout innings. The Texans go on to sweep the three-game series with the Bandits. The absence of Tom Becker looms large as Montreal scores only four runs in those three games.

Colin St. John

April 9: Eureka 2, Las Vegas 9. Colin St. John wastes no time silencing the skeptics. In 2012, he won the 2012 Silver Slugger Award and led his Las Vegas Jokers to the World Series. In June of 2013, he suffered a concussion and was lost for the rest of the season. At 32 years old, everyone wondered whether he would be the same player.

Well, everyone except St. John. "Imma gonna tear the cover off 'a that ball," the New Jersey native said, "You got a problem with that?"

And tear the cover off the ball he has. Today he goes 4-for-4 with a home run and three runs-batted-in. Over the next six games, he will rack up 15 hits in 26 at-bats with four home runs and 11 RBIs. And you can bet that if St. John is back, then the Jokers are back to contend for Sparky Anderson Division crown.

Blog Roundup: 2013 Season

Another season is in the books! Over the course of the 2013 Adult Baseball Season, The Dugout and the league's many team blogs produced over 100 posts (107, by my count). In case you ever feel like looking back, here is an roundup of all the blog posts on the 2013 season.

Around the ABL: World Series!

The Montreal Bandits, winners of the ABL Championship last season, blew away their opponents this season en route to a 105-57 record, best in baseball. The Eureka Hornets surprised the league by going from worst to first and reached the World Series by beating the Maple Marauders in a dramatic, extra-inning seventh game. Now the Hornets look to leave a stinger in the Bandits great season. Will it be two in a row for Montreal? Or will Eureka pull off the upset? It's the Adult Baseball League World Series!

Around the ABL: League Championship Series

Tom Becker and the mighty Montreal Bandits look to repeat as ABL Champions, but standing in their way is Steve Frend and the Seattle Sasquatch. In a rematch of last year's divisional series, the two best offenses in baseball square off. It's the Roberto Clemente League Championship Series!

In the Munson League, the Maple Marauders have power and pitching: they ran away with their division and swept the Boston Cardinals in the divisional series. The Eureka Hornets, who finished in last place in 2012, clinched a playoff berth this season on the last game of the season. The Hornets offense, led by phenom Mike Bergeron, can pile up the runs. Who will emerge victorious in the Thurmon Munson League Championship Series?

Divisional Series: Boston vs. Maple, Game Four

October 5: Maple 4, Boston 1. As in game three, the Cardinals tease their fans with hope, tying the game in the ninth before losing in extra innings.

Vic Jennings

The early innings see base runners aplenty but no scoring as each team wastes numerous opportunities.

Maple breaks through in the fifth when Vic Jennings lines a solo home run to right-center. The homer is the only run allowed by Norm Jackson: he goes seven inning and strikes out eight.

Montreal vs. Carolina

The rest of the series....

Game 3
Montreal doesn't give up a single walk, their Achilles' so far this series. Still, Carolina manages 8 hits and scores 3 runs over nine innings.

It would not be enough as Todd Blanchard would last just 2.1 innings, allowing 6 ER. Blanchard's fly ball tendencies didn't match up well against Montreal. Four of his six hits given up were extra base hits (2 HR and 2 2B). Tom Becker added his third hit in the 2nd, a three-run HR.

Carolina's bullpen would throw shut out ball the rest of the way, but the margin was too great to make up.

Montreal takes the series lead 2-1.