2019 CCJBL Tournament

Tournament time is here again, CCJBL fans!!! Let's get to the recaps of all the great action!

July 1, 2019

#3 Lanark Beavers vs #6 Savanna Indians, Eastland H.S.

Savanna looked primed to pull off an early upset when they took a 2-0 lead in the first on an Aaron Boone two-run single. But the Beavers answered back in the second inning when Eric McNair knocked a Robin Roberts fastball over the fence to tie the game!

Things remained deadlocked into the fifth. Savanna had sent reliever Claude Jonnard to the bump and with one out Frankie Chance singled and quickly swiped second base. Moises Alou lined a clutch single into left. Chance scored for a 3-2 Lanark lead. 

Meanwhile Amos Rusie was cruising after giving up those two first inning runs. He allowed one walk to the Indians Boone in the top of the sixth but that was all he would allow. He got the victory with a complete game! 

Final score: Lanark 3, Savanna 2

Lanark performance highlights

Rusie W, 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 K

Chance 2-3, R, 2B, SB

Alou 1-3, RBI 

Tinker 1-2, R, 3B

McNair 2-2, R, RBI, HR

Savanna performance highlights

Roberts 4 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 2 K

Jonnard L, 1 IP, ER, 2 H, K

Ausmus 2-3, R

Zisk 1-3, R, 2B

Boone 1-2, 2 RBI, BB

Floyd 2-2

#4 Chadwick Silver Streaks vs #5 Milledgeville Missiles, Handel Park

Milledgeville struck first in the opening frame when Joey Votto drive home Max Carey. They scored again in the fifth when Cody Bellinger doubled Carey home for a 2-0 lead. 

Their pitching staff made that lead stick. Davey Boswell hurled four scoreless and Bobby Johnson threw two more without giving up a run to give the visiting Missiles the upset victory! 

Milledgeville performance highlights

Boswell W, I 4 IP, 0 R, 3 H, K

Johnson S, 2 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, K

Carey 1-2, 2 R, 3 SB

Bellinger 1-3, RBI, 2B

Votto 2-2, RBI, BB

Chadwick performance highlights

Haines L, 4 2/3, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Tepera 1 1/3, 0 R, BB

Robinson 1-3

Davis 1-3

July 3, 2019

#5 Milledgeville Missiles vs #1 Shannon Eagles, Lions Park

Three innings went by with no score in this contest. The Missiles Todd Worrell was matching Shannon's Eddie Cicotte strike for strike. Max Carey, who spearheaded Milledgeville's opening round victory, led off the fourth with a single against Cicotte. He stole second against the cannon arm of Gary Carter. Then with one out he scored on a Cody Bellinger single. 

That was all the support Worrell would require. The Missiles hurler has had an up-and-down season but he dominated the heavily favored Eagles on this day, throwing a complete game shutout. He allowed just two hits and struck out seven. 

Ladies and gentleman, we have a Cinderella in the league championship game!

Final score: Milledgeville 1, Shannon 0

Milledgeville performance highlights

Worrell W, 6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 K

Carey 1-3, R, SB

Bellinger 1-3, RBI

Shannon performance highlights

Cicotte K, 6 IP, ER, 3 H, 6 K

Dunston 2-3

#3 Lanark Beavers vs #2 Mt. Carroll Hawks, Point Rock Park

Mt. Carroll pounded the visiting Beavers on their way to earning a championship game berth. They scored four unearned runs against Lanark's Billy Lee in the second. They added three more scores the next two innings against reliever Dallas Keuchel. Meanwhile Josh Smith cruised on the hill, throwing a complete game shutout. He added a three-run homer to boot! 

Final score: Mt. Carroll 7, Lanark 0

Mt. Carroll performance highlights

Smith W, 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 K. 1-3, R, 3 RBI, HR 

Baker 1-2, 2 R, BB

Jackson 1-2, R, 2 RBI, HR

Murphy 1-1, R, 2 BB

Thomas 1-3, R

DeShields 0-1, R, RBI, BB 

Lanark performance highlights

Lee L, 4 R, 0 ER, 3 H, BB, K

Keuchel 2 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 3 K

Rusie 1 IP, H, BB, K

Chance 1-1, 2 BB, SB, CS

Tinker 1-2

Championship. July 6, 2019

#5 Milledgeville Missiles vs #2 Mt. Carroll Hawks, Handel Park

Beautiful Handel Park was, as always, the scene for the CCJBL league championship game! Who would prevail? The underdog Missiles? They had shut out three of their last four opponents! Or the favored Hawks, who bludgeoned Lanark in the semi-finals?

To make a long story short.... the Hawks. Milledgeville's pitching collapsed after two weeks of dominating performances. Willie Wells led the bottom of the first off with a home run for a 1-0 lead. Then Mt. Carroll's bats exploded in the third. They scored nine times against Todd Worrell and Bobby Johnson, highlighted by another long dinger by Wells, a two-run shot this time. 

Meanwhile Ricky Vaughn and Don Drysdale were rolling over the Missiles offense. They allowed just two hits and no runs in a combined shutout. Milledgeville's unlikely run to the tourney championship fell far short in the finale. Congrats to the Hawks!!!

Final score: Mt. Carroll 10, Milledgeville 0

Mt. Carroll performance highlights

Vaughn W, 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Drysdale 2 IP, 0 R, K

Wells 3-3, 3 R, 3 RBI, SB, 2 HR

Baker 2-3, R, RBI, 2 B

Cruz 1-3, R, 2 RBI 

Thomas 2-3, R, RBI, 2 2B

Kelly 1-2, R, 2 RBI

Milledgeville performance highlights

Boswell L, 2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, K

Worrell 0 IP, 5 ER, 2 H, 3 BB

Johnson 3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 K

Dihigo 1-2

Federowicz 1-2