2008 SF Mariners: 9-17 / 8-13 (5th/6)

2008 SF MARINER VARSITY
POWERADE PERFORMANCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

May 22-24: Tony Urbaniak: 2-5 (.400 AVG), 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 RBI
May 26-31: Josh Gutschow: 1-0, 7 IP, 4/28 (.143 AVG), 0 R, 11 K/3 BB
June 2-7: Jamin Chilsen: 2-3, (.667) AVG, 2 RBI
June 9-14: Kevin Swiatczak: 0-1, 7 IP, 3/29 (.103 AVG), 5 R (4 ER), 13 K/3BB
June 16-21: Josh Gutschow: 1-0, 7.1 IP, 8/34 (.235 OPP AVG), 4 R (2 ER);
                       5-12 (.417 AVG), 1-2B, 1 SAC, 2 BB, 1 RBI
June 23-28: Tony Urbaniak: 7-11 (.636 AVG), 5-2B's, 2 HR, 8 BB, 14 RBI
June 30-July 5: Jimmy Kuras: 4-8 (.500 AVG), 1-R, 1-3B, 4 BB, 5 RBI
July 7-12: - none -
July 14-19: Justin Ferry: 7-15 (.467 AVG), 3-R, HBP, RBI, 3 SB

Game Over
7/22- The M's had high hopes of pulling off a first round upset in the WIAA Regionals, but it just wasn't meant to be as the final score favored the Cudahy Packers 11-1. Too many early, middle, and late miscues were to blame.

M'S SINK THE ALL-WOODLAND CONFERENCE!!!!
The St. Francis Mariner baseball coaching staff couldn't be more proud of these athletes, seeing their hard work and dedication pay off:
David Ceranowski: 2nd team Southern Division Pitcher
Jamin Chilsen: 2nd team All-Woodland Conference DH/1st team Southern Division DH
Josh Gutschow: 2nd team All-Woodland Conference Outfielder/1st team Southern Div. OF
Jimmy Kuras: Honorable mention All District, 1st team All-Woodland Conference Infielder/1st team Southern Div. Infielder
Tony Schmidt: All-Academic Woodland Conference Team
Kevin Swiatczak: 2nd team Southern Division Outfield
Tony Urbaniak: Honorable mention All District, 1st team All-Woodland Conference Catcher/1st team Southern Div. Catcher

Disappointing finish to Season One
7/17 (Game 1)- St. Francis comes once again into the first game of a double header flat and not ready to win a game, as they drop the game 6-11 to Greenfield. Stranding 13 base runners, along with giving up 13 walks (1 HBP), and committing 2 errors didn't help the cause. As the temperatures have been going up this past week, so has the bat of Justin Ferry...and today was no exception, going 2-4 today. Another hot bat as of lately has been that of junior SS Jimmy Kuras, going 3-4 today, including one triple. As we continue the "hot as of late" theme, it would be ignorant not to mention the LIGHTS OUT pitching of junior reliever Josh Kucaj, throwing only one pitch (which equated to one full inning pitched), and sparking a 7-2-1-3 triple play in the bottom of the 6th inning!
7/17 (Game 2)- Not only did the Mariners battle the Hustlin' Hawks of Greenfield, but also time. With 1 out, down 2 runs, bases loaded and Josh Kucaj up to bat, the game had to be called due to darkness. As unfortunate as that is, stranding 10 runners, 3 errors, walking 7 batters & 1 HBP, the M's could've closed out the game much sooner. It's undetermined whether the last inning will be made up or not. Complete focus must be directed on cleaning up their game and taking care of business in if the Mariners look to pull off the upset on Tuesday, as they travel to Sheridan Park and battle the cross-town rival Packers in WIAA Regional action.

Comin together and winning with class!
7/15 (Game 1)- Coming into a huge double header at Greendale, the Mariners come into the first game unprepared, dropping the game 10-3. Junior relief pitcher Josh Kucaj came up big on the mound to stop the bleeding.
7/15 (Game 2)- After coming together for the 2nd game, the M's played near flawless baseball to win the 2nd game by a score of 6-5. Led by the stellar arm of RHP David Ceranowski, limiting the Panthers to only 5 runs, 8 hits, 8 K's / 2 BB's. In the top of the 5th with the game tied at 5 a piece senior Jamin Chilsen clutched up big, driving in Josh Gutschow for the eventual winning run. With Greendale runners at 1st and 3rd with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, left fielder Justin Ferry came up HUGE taking away a tying shot in left center to take care of the game.

Gut-Schweep!!!
7/14- In a little under a week since last playing a game, due to rain outs and umpire absences, the Mariners went to St. Thomas More looking to sweep the series against the Cavaliers, the first time in many years the Mariners would have completed a 3-game sweep. Thanks to a brilliant pitching effort by Josh Gutschow, only yielding 1 run off of 3 hits, the Mariners defeated the Cavaliers by a score of 5-1. If pitching a gem wasn't enough, Gutschow also contributed with a 2x4 effort at the plate with 1 RBI. Freshmen Mike McGeary pitched going 2x4 at the plate with 1 RBI and 2 SB, as well as Justin Ferry with a 2x3 effort, scoring 2 runs and stealing 3 bases. The M's go into tomorrow facing a crucial double header at Greendale, 3pm first pitch.

WIAA Summer Baseball Tournament - South Milwaukee Sectional
All regional games are Tues. July 22
(#1) Oak Creek vs. (#8) St. Thomas More, 5:30 @ Abenschein Park
(#4) Greendale  vs. (#5) Greenfield, 5:00 @ Greendale HS
(#2) Cudahy vs. (#7) St. Francis, 5:00 @ Sheridan Park
(#3) Franklin vs. (#6) South Milwaukee, 5:30 @ Franklin HS

Comin back flat
7/9- A week after having their last game, the Mariners come out absolutely flat and get humiliated by Greendale in a 2-12 loss at home. The defense yielded 4 errors, coupled with 8 walks and 3 hit by pitches by the pitching staff, and merely 2 hits by the St. Francis offense...making it virtually impossible to beat anybody. SF must come ready to play and bounce back as they host a twinbill against Greenfield tomorrow, 3:00 @ MATC.

BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!
7/2- In a sunny then cloudy then rainy then sunny then cloudy Wednesday afternoon, the Mariners earned a 6-0 victory over a good Brown Deer baseball club to give Coaches Karas & Jelacic a great birthday present, but more importantly, a great reward to themselves for much hard work. Junior pitcher David Ceranowski pitched an almost flawless 6 innings earning the victory, with senior lefty Kevin Swiatczak coming in to seal the deal. Ceranowski and Jimmy Kuras led the offensive attack, each earning two hits, coupled with 3 RBI's from Kuras. Junior Josh Kucaj went 0-1, but was no stranger to the base paths, due to 2 walks and 1 hit by pitch. After a much needed vacation and rest, the Mariners will look to sweep the St. Thomas More Cavaliers on Monday.

7/1- Cudahy 5, St. Francis 1

Monday sweep gets swept out from under us
6/30 (Game 1)- Coming into a key twinbill vs. Woodland Conference for Whitnall, the M's pounded out 15 hits and racked up 13 runs to win the game 13-6. Hot bats in the game were led by Jamin Chilsen going 3-3 with a double and Tony Urbaniak staying hot with a 4 for 4 game, including a double, triple, and 4 RBI's. Starting pitcher Josh Gutschow held the Falcons at bay, going six strong innings, yielding only 7 hits and 6 runs. David Ceranowski came in and pitched lights out to close the game.
6/30 (Game 2)- In looking to sweep the twin set of games the Mariners fell just short, going extra innings in a 11-10 loss. With Whitnall being up 7-1 going into the bottom of the 5th, the game appeared to be well in doubt, but the Mariners battled back with a 6 run 5th inning.
Southern division play resumes tomorrow with a big game versus the Cudahy Packers, 5:00pm at Sheridan Park.

Congratulations to Tony Urbaniak on his writeup in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel!

Bringing it all together!
6/26- After a quick regrouping session, the M's went out and brought it all together with solid pitching, fielding, hitting, attitudes, and enthusiasm, earning a 15-4 victory. Junior RHP David Ceranowski pitched a solid 7 IP CG yielding only 4 runs (3 earned), along with 5 K's and 4 BB's. The entire Mariner battery is to credit offensively, pounding out 19 hits, led by Tony Urbaniak's (estimated) 337 foot 3 run-homerun over the left field fence. Senior Jamin Chilsen had a day at the plate going 4x4 with 2 RBI's. Solid play and great enthusiasm looks to make a comeback tomorrow, as the Mariners travel to Rainbow Park for a 5:30 non-conference battle against the Popes of Pius.

Havin a major league fill of errors
6/24- In playing a full 9 inning game against the Hustlin' Hawks of Greenfield, despite pounding 14 hits, the Mariners committed several costly errors to fall short in a 8-7 loss in 9 innings. Pitchers Kevin Swiatczak, Mike McGeary, and Josh Gutschow did all they could to keep Greenfield at bay, along with Kevin Swiatczak going 3x3 with a clutch RBI to tie the game in the 8th inning, Tony Urbaniak going 2x3 with two big doubles/rbi's, and Josh Gutschow with a 2x4 day with a booming triple. Coming off of a much needed day off on Wednesday, the Mariners will look to get back on the winning track at Wauwatosa West on Thursday.

A big THANK YOU goes out to Curt Ewart, SFHS Class of '87 and baseball standout, for generously donating 3 dozen game baseballs to the Mariner baseball program!!!

Disheartening Doubleheader
6/23- The Mariners dropped 2 games to cross-town rival Cudahy Packers, both scores being 11-1. The Packers amassed 26 walks in 2 games total. SF looks to turn their luck around tomorrow in another Southern Division contest against Greenfield, 5:00 @ MATC.

Takin' Care of Business
6/19 Game 1 (W 7-1)- In the first game of a Southern Division twin-bill vs. the Cavaliers of St. Thomas More, the SF bats finally woke up to produce 7 runs off of 9 hits. The battery was led by Mike McGeary (2-3), Josh Gutschow (2-4), and Josh Kucaj (2-3). Along with the battery, senior pitcher Kevin Swiatczak threw yet another gem going 6 innings and yielding only 1 run. Justin Ferry came on to secure the victory for the Mariners.
6/19 Game 2 (W 6-3)- Not being satisfied with just one win for the day, SF came back out and kept the bats alive. Senior Jamin Chilsen had a day going 3-3 with a double, and Josh Gutschow stayed hot on the day going 2-2 also with a double. Junior Justin Ferry unselfishly dropped 2 beautiful sacrifice bunts to further the effort. Junior RHP Josh Gutschow kept the Cavalier bats at bay, going the distance for SF.

6/17- New Berlin West 10 - St. Francis 4

Heartbreak City (L @ Whitnall, 9-3)
6/16- The Mariners began a 5 game road trip on a sour note, giving up a 3-3 tie going into the bottom of the 6th inning and losing to the Falcons by a score of 9-3. David Ceranowski went 2-2 and Tony Urbaniak went 2-4 with a towering home run to lead the bats for the Mariners. SF looks to bounce back against New Berlin West tomorrow.

Close, but no cigar (L vs. Pewaukee, 5-3)
6/9- The Pirates of Pewaukee hung on to secure a 5-3 win over the Mariners. Senior LHP Kevin Swiatczak pitched a gem for SF, going the distance, striking out 13 and walking 3. SF looks to bounce back on Thursday during their first twin-bill of the season at Southern Division foe Greendale.

Effortless Outing Leads to Embarassment (L @ Ike, 11-2)
6/2- After riding a 2 game win streak, the Mariners took a giant step back against the Eisenhower Lions 11-2, with only 2 earned runs given up. Costly mental/physical errors along with silenced bats killed the streak. The Mariners look to get back on track Friday as they host Pewaukee, 5:00pm at MATC-South.

We're Goin Streaking!!! (W vs. Port Washington, 10-3, 6 innings)
5/29- After winning the conference opener, it was time to take care of business and extend the win streak to two games against the Port Washington Pirates...and the Mariners did just that. Led by the hot bats of Tony Urbaniak and Josh Gutschow, Justin Ferry pitched 5 solid innings along with Gutschow to close out the game, and to a 10-3 victory. Woodland Conference play resumes Monday with a trip to Eisenhower.

Mariner Bats Wake Up! (W vs. Shorewood, 10-0, 5 innings)
5/28- In the home opener/conference opener of the young 2008 season, the Mariner bats woke up against the Shorewood Greyhounds, racking up 11 hits, led by Jamin Chilsen, Josh Gutschow, and Jimmy Kuras who all went 2-3. Junior Josh Kucaj also went 2-3, including a solo home run. Junior RHP Josh Gutschow shut Shorewood down, going 5 IP, 0 runs, 7 K's, and only 1 hit. The Mariners will look to carry this momentum tomorrow as they play host to the Port Washington Pirates at 5:00pm.

Pitching duel ends in disappointment (L @ Grafton, 2-1)
5/27- On a breezy 45 degree late May afternoon, Kevin Swiatczak took the mound in a classic pitchers duel, pitching 6 strong innings with 10 K's/5 BB's, 2 hits, and 0 earned runs, but that alone couldn't top the Black Hawks of Grafton, as the bats couldn't produce enough runs along with 4 costly errors in the field, leading to a 2-1 loss. SF begins both their Woodland Conference play tomorrow, as well as their season home opener against the rival Shorewood Greyhounds.

Givin them all we could (L @ West Bend West, 12-1, 6 innings)
5/24- In the second game at West Bend, SF found themselves faced against the defending summer baseball champions, West Bend West Spartans, and gave them all they could for 5 strong innings, when the flood gates opened in the 6th as the Spartans went on to a 12-1 victory (6 innings). Freshmen Mike McGeary made his season debut on the mound, and while there's a lot of work to be done --- there's a lot of promise in the young rookie. Next game for SF is another non-conference showdown, Tuesday @ Grafton, 5:00pm first pitch.
http://www.prepsonthenet.com/game/baseball.aspx?game=26753

Mariners fall short in season opener (L @ West Bend East, 7-3)
5/24- The Mariners opened the season at the West Bend "Tournament" against a tough WB East Suns team, cutting the lead to 4-3 after three innings, but fell short due to costly errors and silent bats to drop the opener by a score of 7-3.
http://www.prepsonthenet.com/game/baseball.aspx?game=26752

Predicted Woodland Conference-South Standings
As voted on by Woodland Conference Coaches
1. Cudahy
2. Whitnall
3. Greendale
4. St. Thomas More
5. Greenfield
6. St. Francis