Asheville took the day off to heal up.

The Dust Devils went down again to Salem. This time 4-3. Katz took the loss and he is standing at 1-1. Bret Berglund hit the solo home run in the second inning.  The team had 6 hits but Salem had twice as many. A couple of errrors were some more mental lapses that need some concentration and focus.  The POB goes to Berglund for his hitting and consistent play in the field.

The Tourists lost to Greenville again 8-1. It added to the slump.  Daniel Carte hit his 10th home run in the 5th inning. Zach Simons was struggling most of the game and he stands 5-9 for the season.  We can only hope that things will look up in Charleston.

The Dust Devils were looking pretty good and got a couple of runs in the 7th and took the lead. However Salem came back with 4 runs and the final score was 5-2. This extended the streak to 2. Santiago took the loss though he pitched 6 innings with 6 strike outs. Baumgardner had to be saved by Jarrett. The POB goes to Mayora for his home run and then his fielding error was rather questionable. Two more games to redeem ourselves.

If the team is winning the streaks are never long enough and if you are losing they are never short enough. Greenville took the Alums 5-4 but the lead changed hands five times during the game.  It was no walk away. Daniel Carte had his ninth home run. We can expect this losing streak to end. The team is aggressive and getting hungry for a change.

The Dust Devils had their winning streak snapped at four with a 10-1 loss to Salem. Kreidermacher was the loser breaking even at 2-2. The 3 errors had to hurt and since Salem took the lead in the 3rd and never looked back. I am sure there were some mental anguish and that can make a difference. The first five lead off batters are nearing .300 so with some shift in circumstances I am sure there is going to be another winning streak started. Let’s begin with the next game. I’m giving Matt Repec the POB  he continues to play consistently  and he  makes  a contribution for every game.

Asheville had a terrible first inning with Greenville by having 7 runs score.  Playing catch-up is never fun and the game was over before much was accomplished.  Asheville lost 11-5. If that 1st inning could have been erased it would have been a pretty tight game.

Out in western Oregon the Dust Devils took the Volcanoes to the 11th inning before they surrendered 5-4. It took almost as many pitchers as fielders to win the game.  The Dust Devils ran out eight before the game was over.  The POB has to go to Anthony Jackson who had a fantastic game and finally came through with his first home run.  He really seems to be the rallying force on the 2006 team. He motivates, performs, and executes. They are still a game behind Boise but they are pushing hard.

Augusta put another one on Asheville with a 3-2 score. This mean that the Alums are five games behind the leader Augusta.  The game was actually pretty much up for grabs until the 8th inning when both Cuadrado and Carte struck out and that was pretty much the game.

The Dust Devils swept the series with Spokane with a score of 3-2.  The pitching has been outstanding during this series and this game was no exception.  It started with Rodriquez pitching 5 innings and getting 6 strike outs. With Freeman, Jarrett, and Delgado finishing things off. The fielding was solid for the most part. Repec continues to be a dependable player to hit or field when things get tough. The POB is going to Michael McKenry who handles his pitchers well but he does all right with a bat. In this game he ran bases with the best of them. He is proving to be a very valuable player.

It w as a real battle bewteen Augusta and Asheville since they are both at the top of the division. Asheville was outlasted by 4-3.  It was decided in the 10th inning.

The Dust Devils turned the big guns on Spokane and shut them out 2-0. With Weiser and Lindsay there was very few hits for Spokane.  With some aggressiveness on the part of Antonhy Jackson we scored and then Beglund came across. The Spokane manager provided the drama by stealing second base and taking an early shower. The POB has to go to Lindsay who is obviously out of his league and will no doubt be moving on.  He said he needed to stop giving away walks and he gave only one in this game.

Augusta came to town and Asheville lost 10-6.  They were playing catchup during the whole game. It was a loss for Simons

On the other hand the Dust Devils turned things around and gave Spokane a 10-4 shellacking. The bats had a very different tone to them since leaving Idaho. It was the first win for Santiago.  Strickland had a very good turn at home plate as well as Josh Banda with a home run. The POB goes to Geoff Strickland with his 3 RBIs.

Asheville left West Virginia with a 5-3 victory and  was only 2 games behind the leader in the division. Paulk, Cuadrado, Bechtel, and Van Kooten all figured in the win.

The Dust Devils left Idaho gladly after another defeat of 1-7. The losing streak is at 5 and they are going into a three game series with Spokane. Kraedermacher has moved 2-1. I guess the bus driver would get the POB just getting them on the road out of town.  They are going to bounce back this weekend and be at the top of the division again.

Asheville had a double header with West Virginia Power and split them. They lost the first 1-5 and won the second 9-5. In the second game the Alums were at their best.  Especially my man, Van Kooten, led things off with some support from Bechtel and Cuadrado.  One more game with the Power and then they are home for the weekend.

Idaho is becoming  a poor place to hang out. The Dust Devil have strung out six losses now with a 9-5 surrender.  They had six hits – they just could not push anyone across to score.  Mayora had another throwing error and it was not the first. Sullivan has lost three and no wins.  He faced 24 batters in 6 innings and had 5 hits and 3 strike outs. Bumgardener had 3 strike outs as well. I have decided that Bumgardener has the POB. There is no particular reason I just like his looks.  He is going to get better

Asheville was rained out again and should have a double header with West Virginia Power tonight.

It was a dark and stormy night in Boise when the Dust Devils extended their losing streak to three.  The pitching has reached a plateau or maybe a slippery slope. It was a 6-3 loss but the Hawks had a 5-2 lead in the first 3 innings. There were a few lapses and mental mistakes but the future looks bright.  It is just a matter of time until the pitching and fielding are clicking in the same game.  I have to give Matt Repec the POB for his first professional home run and I hope it is just the beginning on a long career of hitting home runs.