Top Moments of 2009
Jordan Brink (Central HS, 2011), proved to be one of the Blaze's toughest outs in 2009. The three-year member is now starting at Fresno State, along with four other Blaze players.
15 – Rich throws CG win over Arizona Clash; Blaze advance
On Sunday night at the NorCal Invitational in Stockton, the Blaze turned to Andrew Rich for help. Needing a win to advance to the playoff round, Rich threw a complete game in the Blaze's 5-3 win to vault the Blaze into the Championship Round that would take place the following day at UOP.
14 – Bishop first Blaze player to play all nine positions in one game
Buchanan High (and soon-to-be Cal Bear) Brett Bishop became the first player in Blaze history to play nine positions in one game. The Blaze cruised to a 16-7 win behind Bishop's two triples.
13 – Herrera tames NorCal Juniors in 9-1 win at FCC
A summer heat wave of 109 degrees nor the big-hitters of NorCal Baseball stopped Chris Herrera from putting up a dominating performance at Fresno City College. The former Kingsburg Viking threw 5 innings and recorded 5 K's in the 9-1 heatwave.
12 – Johnny Karch masterful in relief in Paso Robles
An 8-1 lead quickly turned sour, but Johnny Karch, little-known at the time, came in to shut down the hot-hitting and well-coached Paso team. Karch pitched 3.1 innings of no-hit relief (6 K's) to finish the game and earn the win in the Blaze's 10-8 victory.
11 – Silva, Chambas shut down Watsonville for CV World Series title
Two hours before, Watsonville beat the Blaze Gold and ace Eric Karch as Pepperdine University watched two aces go against each other. Blaze Red felt they needed to avenge the defeat for the Gold Team. Sean Silva threw 6 innings and Robert Chambas pitched a scoreless 7th for the save as the Blaze won their 4th straight Central Valley World Series title.
10 – Fukuda goes 12-16 (.750) with 16 RBI in four games
Nobody was hotter than Braden Fukuda at the 12th annual Paso Robles 4th of July Firecracker Tournament. In four games, Fukuda blasted 12 hits and knocked in 16.
Game 01: 3-3, 4 RBI (17-2 win vs. Porterville HS)
Game 02: 3-5, 4 RBI (22-2 win vs. Mt. Whitney HS)
Game 03: 3-3, 4 RBI (8-3 win vs. Bakersfield Knights)
Game 04: 3-5, 4 RBI (15-1 win vs. Monache HS)
09 – Kinder to Karch to Gonzales: 8-6-5 DP closes out 6-5 win
Up 6-5 in the bottom of the 7th, Jack Karraker was brought into the game needing two outs to preserve the victory over the always hot-hitting Visalia Lightning. With a man on 2nd, Karraker induced a fly ball to deep center. Left-handed centerfielder Kevin Kinder ranged far to his left and caught a deep fly with his backhand. He then fired a strike to shortstop Eric Karch who relayed a bullet to Jesse Gonzales for the game ending 8-6-5 double play.
08 – Turner blasts ball 450-feet on fenceless field
Although Isaiah Turner had eight homeruns on the summer, it was a triple that made the most noise of the summer. Playing in the Central California Classic on the JV field at Washington Union HS, Turner pounded a ball that hit the bottom of the fence (on the fly). However, this fence was not a homefun fence, rather, it was a chain link fence approximately 450-feet away the served as the right field line for the neighboring Varsity Softball field.
07 – Barger’s 2-out, 2 RBI single beats San Diego Gamers in playoffs
Down 4-2 in the bottom of the 6th to one of the better travel programs in California, Bryce Barger came up big in the semifinal game of the NorCal Invitational. With 2-outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, the Blaze had cut the lead to 4-3. Barger then came up and delivered one of the biggest hits of the year, a single up the middle that scored two and pushed the Blaze into the title game of the 24-team tournament.
06 – Herrera dominates Sonoma County in 1-0 shutout
Besides Eric Karch's no-hitter (see #2 below) and Sean Silva's mastery over NorCal (see #1 below), nobody threw better during the team's 78-game season than Chris Herrera did at UOP's field in the NorCal Invitational. Playing against a team that would win the 1st annual Wood Bat Championships a few weeks later, Herrera dominated the game with first-pitch strikes and a devastating breaking ball. The 0-0 tie was broken in the 7th when Seth Batty scored on Brett Bishop's RBI fielder's choice. Herrera allowed just four hits and K'd five in the win.
05 – Blaze Gold wins back-to-back-to-back games to win Cen California Classic
In a perfect way to end the summer, the "young" Blaze players took home the Central California Classic Championship with three straight wins on Sunday of the tournament. After a 13-3 win over the Central Valley Bulldogs early in the day, the Gold team pulled out a 5-4 thriller over the Visalia Lightning (with Jackson Glines getting the win and Johnny Karch gathering the save) to advance to the title. Zack Coy threw six innings (9 K’s) as the Blaze overcame a 4-0 deficit to win 9-7. Michael Gilleland (see #4 below) and Glines finished co-MVP’s for the tournament.
04 – Gilleland catches 36 innings in two days to lead Blaze to title
Without anyone else to catch, Michael Gilleland turned in his finest performance of the summer by catching 5 straight games and 36 straight innings to help the Blaze Gold capture the Central California Classic title. Gilleland finished 4-16 (.250) in the tournament, but his toughness, leadership, and durability in the mid-summer heat endeared him to his coaches and teammates.
03 – Down 11-1, Blaze score 10 runs in bottom of 7th vs. NorCal Juniors
In what would be an almost improbable comeback even in a fantasy world, the Blaze scored a mind-boggling 10 runs in the bottom of the 7th at Fresno City College’s Euless Park; the game ended in an 11-11 tie. Down 11-1 and coming to bat in the bottom of the 7th, the Blaze seemingly were playing for pride. But a 2-out, 2-RBI single by Jake Alvarez scored Jack Karraker and pinch-runner John Kruger to top off the 10 straight, final inning runs in a miracle finish. The inning played out the following way:
Player At-bat
Jack Karraker Hit-by-pitch (Score currently 11-1)
Mike Gilleland Walk
Kyle Novak Reached on error (Karraker, Gilleland score; 11-3)
Alvarez Double
Cody White Walk
Jordan Brink Groundout to first (Novak scores; 11-4)
Jackson Glines Single (Alvarez, White score; 11-6)
Jesse Gonzales Groundout to pitcher
Alan Sandoval Reached on error
Nate Dalena Single
Jack Karraker Single (Glines scores; 11-7)
Mike Gilleland Walk (Sandoval scores; 11-8)
Kyle Novak Walk (Dalena scores; 11-9)
Jake Alvarez Single (Karraker, Kruger scores; 11-11)
Cody White Groundout to first
TOTALS: 5 hits, 4 walks, 1 HBP, and 10 runs
02 – Eric Karch throws first 7-inning no-hitter in Blaze history
At the 1st annual Wood Bat Championships at St. Mary’s College, Eric Karch turned in one of the greatest pitching performances in Blaze history. He dominated the O’Keiki Knights with a thrilling 1-0, 7-inning no-hitter. The big righthander stayed under 80 pitches and controlled both sides which allowed him to strike out 9 hitters. Amazingly, Karch got stronger as the game progressed, he struck out 6 of the last 7 hitters he faced, including 3 straight K’s in a 1-2-3 final inning. The Blaze won the game 1-0.
01 – Silva pitches 1-0 shutout at St. Mary’s College vs. NorCal Seniors
Eric Karch’s no-hitter was undoubtedly amazing, but just one day before, Sean Silva pitched what may go down as the top Blaze pitching performance ever. Facing nationally-known NorCal at St. Mary’s College, Silva started off the game shaky, allowing a walk to Arizona State centerfielder-to-be Andrew Aplin. However, Silva got out of the inning unscathed and dominated the rest of the way against an NCAA Division I lineup. Silva did not allow a hit until the 5th inning. He worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the 6th (when NorCal put down two bunts for base-hits), and ended the game with one of his nine strikeouts in the 7th. Silva’s 1-0 shutout of NorCal was a dominating performance against a powerful opponent in a high-profile tournament: thus, justification for the top Blaze moment of 2009.
On Sunday night at the NorCal Invitational in Stockton, the Blaze turned to Andrew Rich for help. Needing a win to advance to the playoff round, Rich threw a complete game in the Blaze's 5-3 win to vault the Blaze into the Championship Round that would take place the following day at UOP.
14 – Bishop first Blaze player to play all nine positions in one game
Buchanan High (and soon-to-be Cal Bear) Brett Bishop became the first player in Blaze history to play nine positions in one game. The Blaze cruised to a 16-7 win behind Bishop's two triples.
13 – Herrera tames NorCal Juniors in 9-1 win at FCC
A summer heat wave of 109 degrees nor the big-hitters of NorCal Baseball stopped Chris Herrera from putting up a dominating performance at Fresno City College. The former Kingsburg Viking threw 5 innings and recorded 5 K's in the 9-1 heatwave.
12 – Johnny Karch masterful in relief in Paso Robles
An 8-1 lead quickly turned sour, but Johnny Karch, little-known at the time, came in to shut down the hot-hitting and well-coached Paso team. Karch pitched 3.1 innings of no-hit relief (6 K's) to finish the game and earn the win in the Blaze's 10-8 victory.
11 – Silva, Chambas shut down Watsonville for CV World Series title
Two hours before, Watsonville beat the Blaze Gold and ace Eric Karch as Pepperdine University watched two aces go against each other. Blaze Red felt they needed to avenge the defeat for the Gold Team. Sean Silva threw 6 innings and Robert Chambas pitched a scoreless 7th for the save as the Blaze won their 4th straight Central Valley World Series title.
10 – Fukuda goes 12-16 (.750) with 16 RBI in four games
Nobody was hotter than Braden Fukuda at the 12th annual Paso Robles 4th of July Firecracker Tournament. In four games, Fukuda blasted 12 hits and knocked in 16.
Game 01: 3-3, 4 RBI (17-2 win vs. Porterville HS)
Game 02: 3-5, 4 RBI (22-2 win vs. Mt. Whitney HS)
Game 03: 3-3, 4 RBI (8-3 win vs. Bakersfield Knights)
Game 04: 3-5, 4 RBI (15-1 win vs. Monache HS)
09 – Kinder to Karch to Gonzales: 8-6-5 DP closes out 6-5 win
Up 6-5 in the bottom of the 7th, Jack Karraker was brought into the game needing two outs to preserve the victory over the always hot-hitting Visalia Lightning. With a man on 2nd, Karraker induced a fly ball to deep center. Left-handed centerfielder Kevin Kinder ranged far to his left and caught a deep fly with his backhand. He then fired a strike to shortstop Eric Karch who relayed a bullet to Jesse Gonzales for the game ending 8-6-5 double play.
08 – Turner blasts ball 450-feet on fenceless field
Although Isaiah Turner had eight homeruns on the summer, it was a triple that made the most noise of the summer. Playing in the Central California Classic on the JV field at Washington Union HS, Turner pounded a ball that hit the bottom of the fence (on the fly). However, this fence was not a homefun fence, rather, it was a chain link fence approximately 450-feet away the served as the right field line for the neighboring Varsity Softball field.
07 – Barger’s 2-out, 2 RBI single beats San Diego Gamers in playoffs
Down 4-2 in the bottom of the 6th to one of the better travel programs in California, Bryce Barger came up big in the semifinal game of the NorCal Invitational. With 2-outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, the Blaze had cut the lead to 4-3. Barger then came up and delivered one of the biggest hits of the year, a single up the middle that scored two and pushed the Blaze into the title game of the 24-team tournament.
06 – Herrera dominates Sonoma County in 1-0 shutout
Besides Eric Karch's no-hitter (see #2 below) and Sean Silva's mastery over NorCal (see #1 below), nobody threw better during the team's 78-game season than Chris Herrera did at UOP's field in the NorCal Invitational. Playing against a team that would win the 1st annual Wood Bat Championships a few weeks later, Herrera dominated the game with first-pitch strikes and a devastating breaking ball. The 0-0 tie was broken in the 7th when Seth Batty scored on Brett Bishop's RBI fielder's choice. Herrera allowed just four hits and K'd five in the win.
05 – Blaze Gold wins back-to-back-to-back games to win Cen California Classic
In a perfect way to end the summer, the "young" Blaze players took home the Central California Classic Championship with three straight wins on Sunday of the tournament. After a 13-3 win over the Central Valley Bulldogs early in the day, the Gold team pulled out a 5-4 thriller over the Visalia Lightning (with Jackson Glines getting the win and Johnny Karch gathering the save) to advance to the title. Zack Coy threw six innings (9 K’s) as the Blaze overcame a 4-0 deficit to win 9-7. Michael Gilleland (see #4 below) and Glines finished co-MVP’s for the tournament.
04 – Gilleland catches 36 innings in two days to lead Blaze to title
Without anyone else to catch, Michael Gilleland turned in his finest performance of the summer by catching 5 straight games and 36 straight innings to help the Blaze Gold capture the Central California Classic title. Gilleland finished 4-16 (.250) in the tournament, but his toughness, leadership, and durability in the mid-summer heat endeared him to his coaches and teammates.
03 – Down 11-1, Blaze score 10 runs in bottom of 7th vs. NorCal Juniors
In what would be an almost improbable comeback even in a fantasy world, the Blaze scored a mind-boggling 10 runs in the bottom of the 7th at Fresno City College’s Euless Park; the game ended in an 11-11 tie. Down 11-1 and coming to bat in the bottom of the 7th, the Blaze seemingly were playing for pride. But a 2-out, 2-RBI single by Jake Alvarez scored Jack Karraker and pinch-runner John Kruger to top off the 10 straight, final inning runs in a miracle finish. The inning played out the following way:
Player At-bat
Jack Karraker Hit-by-pitch (Score currently 11-1)
Mike Gilleland Walk
Kyle Novak Reached on error (Karraker, Gilleland score; 11-3)
Alvarez Double
Cody White Walk
Jordan Brink Groundout to first (Novak scores; 11-4)
Jackson Glines Single (Alvarez, White score; 11-6)
Jesse Gonzales Groundout to pitcher
Alan Sandoval Reached on error
Nate Dalena Single
Jack Karraker Single (Glines scores; 11-7)
Mike Gilleland Walk (Sandoval scores; 11-8)
Kyle Novak Walk (Dalena scores; 11-9)
Jake Alvarez Single (Karraker, Kruger scores; 11-11)
Cody White Groundout to first
TOTALS: 5 hits, 4 walks, 1 HBP, and 10 runs
02 – Eric Karch throws first 7-inning no-hitter in Blaze history
At the 1st annual Wood Bat Championships at St. Mary’s College, Eric Karch turned in one of the greatest pitching performances in Blaze history. He dominated the O’Keiki Knights with a thrilling 1-0, 7-inning no-hitter. The big righthander stayed under 80 pitches and controlled both sides which allowed him to strike out 9 hitters. Amazingly, Karch got stronger as the game progressed, he struck out 6 of the last 7 hitters he faced, including 3 straight K’s in a 1-2-3 final inning. The Blaze won the game 1-0.
01 – Silva pitches 1-0 shutout at St. Mary’s College vs. NorCal Seniors
Eric Karch’s no-hitter was undoubtedly amazing, but just one day before, Sean Silva pitched what may go down as the top Blaze pitching performance ever. Facing nationally-known NorCal at St. Mary’s College, Silva started off the game shaky, allowing a walk to Arizona State centerfielder-to-be Andrew Aplin. However, Silva got out of the inning unscathed and dominated the rest of the way against an NCAA Division I lineup. Silva did not allow a hit until the 5th inning. He worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the 6th (when NorCal put down two bunts for base-hits), and ended the game with one of his nine strikeouts in the 7th. Silva’s 1-0 shutout of NorCal was a dominating performance against a powerful opponent in a high-profile tournament: thus, justification for the top Blaze moment of 2009.