HOMESTEAD RANCHERS - homesteadranchers

The current summer 2012 schedule has 45 games on the books.  We may be adding several additional games over the next week. The Ranchers will also play in a season ending tournament from July 31 through August 5.

You can see the current schedule and field locations in the Schedule box on the home page.

The scheduling for the Ranchers' 2012 summer season is in full swing.  We are playing 31 games in the Chicago Suburban Baseball Leage and are working to schedule another 15-20 games.  The goal is to have a final schedule that gives us 45-50 games, starting the first full week of June and continuing through August 28.  The team will also play in at least one post season tournament.

The Ranchers are looking to fill selected roster spots, including pitching, infielding and outfielding.  Given the number of games to be played, the team will dress about 12 pitchers and about 18 position players.  This number of players combined with the number of games will allow the team to divide the playing time fairly equally so that all of the players get substantial experience over the summer.

Players interested in the Ranchers should contact Coach Harang or Don Rupert, the team's GM, soon.

Coming off an excellent 2011 summer in which the Ranchers competed in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League, the Northern Illinois Baseball League and the Skyscrapers Baseball League, the 2012 season will bring some changes.  The Ranchers have been admitted as a full member to the Chicago Suburban Baseball League and will play the majority of its games in that league.  The CSBL has 10 full member teams, divided into two divisions.  The Ranchers will play in the North Division against teams from Addison, Crystal Lake, Lombard, and Oswego for the Division crown.  The team will also play cross-division games against the South Division teams from Beecher, Crestwood, Lexington, Oak Forest, and Westmont.  The schedule will have four games against each team in the North Division and 3 games against each team in the South Division, for a total of 31 league games.  Present plans are to play an additional 9 to 12 games against other teams.  Finally, as a full member of the CSBL, the Ranchers will be able to participate in the League playoffs and in the American Amateur Baseball Congress and National Amateur Baseball Federation tournaments.

The managers voted to elevate the Homestead Ranchers from Associate Membership to Full Membership. The Ranchers will compete in the North Division and the Lexington Snipes will be moved to the South Division. This year, each team will play 31 games in the CSBL: four games against its division opponentsw and three games against teams in the other division.

The following is a summary of the Ranchers' 2011 summer statistics for 29 games for which complete statistics are available.  The data compares the Ranchers hitting and pitching against a compilation of all opponents.

Oak Lawn, Ill. - The Homestead Ranchers collegiate summer baseball team lost to the Chicago Clout in the Skyscrapers Baseball League championship game by a 6-1 score.  The game started out as a big question when the team arrived at the field to find a power outage throughout Oak Lawn, Illinois, that put the field lights and scoreboard out of commission.  However, power came on after about an hour and the game started close to the schedule.  In the first inning, the visiting Ranchers got 3 hits and 1 run thanks to a lead-off single by Jeremy Tirado, followed by Corey Lasky’s single through short.  A fielder’s choice by Mitch Glasser resulted in Lasky taking second while Tirado was thrown out at third.  Graham Wolff then hit a line drive single over second to bring Laksy home.  After those three hits, the Ranchers were only able to get 2 more in the remaining eight innings, a single in the top of the fifth by Brad Martin and another in the top of the ninth by Chris Krupee.  The Clout’s pitcher, a former AA level pitcher in the Colorado Rockies organization, proceeded to strike out 9 Ranchers, while walking one and hitting two, and did not allow a Ranchers’ base runner past second for the remainder of the game.

Oak Lawn, Ill. - The Ranchers earned a spot in the Skyscrapers Baseball League championship game with a thrilling 3-0 win over the Windy City Yankees at Pacetti Field.  The Ranchers went into the game needing a win to secure a place in the final game and didn’t disappoint the fans who made the drive through Chicago’s heavy rush hour traffic.

Thanks to a single by Corey Lasky, an RBI triple by Cory Stonelake and Graham Wolff’s RBI double in the bottom of the first, the Ranchers jumped out to a 2-0 lead and appeared to be ready to cruise to a win.  However, the Yankees pitcher settled down and held the Ranchers to no runs and only an infield single by Chris Kruppe through the sixth inning.  In the bottom of the seventh, Ross Donnan led off and got hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Davide Harris’ line drive single through the hole between first and second for the Ranchers’ third and final run.  On the night, Ranchers’ hitters got 5 hits (3 singles, 1 double and 1 triple), walked 3 times and struck out 3 times. 

On defense, the Ranchers played an error-free game, with a number of highlight reel plays.  In the top of the fifth, right fielder Lasky snagged a hard hit one hopper and threw a strike to first to get the batter.  In the eighth, Kruppe made spectacular diving catch on a sinking line drive to center field.  With the wind knocked out of him and being unable to breathe, Kruppe turned the catch into a double play by firing to second base and getting the runner who had gone to third when the ball was hit.  Catcher David Baskin’s throw to third to get the first out on an attempted steal in the top of the ninth put a huge damper on what the Yankees thought was the start of a rally. 

The Ranchers pitching put on another display of player versatility.  Catcher/first baseman Donnan got start and went 4 innings of one hit (an infield single), no run ball.  He then switched places with starting catcher Tyler Chamberlain-Simon, who threw 3 innings of no hit, no run ball.  Infielder Teddy Heiser entered the game in the eighth and pitched two innings of 3 up 3 down, closing out the game on a called strike three.  For the game, the Ranchers’ pitchers gave up 3 singles, walked 2 and struck out 7.  Final Score:  Ranchers 3 – Yankees 0.

Midlothian, Ill. - Behind strong pitching and timely hitting, the Homestead Ranchers defeated the Chicago Titans by 5-1 in the second game of the Skyscrapers Baseball League round robin championship series.  The Ranchers stand 1-1 in the series.

Kyle Cassidy got the start for the Ranchers and threw 5 solid innings, scattering 5 singles and allowing only 1 run.  Noah Lieberman came in to pitch in the bottom of the sixth and held the Titans hitless and scoreless over the last 4 frames, while striking out 4.  After the Titans scored one run in the bottom of the first, they were able to get only one runner to third in the rest of the game, thanks to the excellent pitching and outstanding defense by the entire team.

Oak Lawn, Ill. -  In their opening game in the Skyscrapers Baseball League tournament, the Ranchers were pitted against the Chicago Clout in what was expected to be a close contest.  During the regular season, the Ranchers were 2-1 against the Clout, winning the two games by 6-4 and 7-6 and losing one by 6-4.  The game lived up to expectations.

Matt Rupert got the start on the mound for the Ranchers and held the Clout scoreless through three innings.  In the bottom of the fourth, the Clout plated one run and repeated that in the bottom of the fifth for a 2-2 tie game.  With Clout runners on first and third in the bottom of the sixth, Rupert got a fly out to left field on a nice running catch by Chris Kruppe for the last out of the inning, with the score remaining 2-2.  The Ranchers were unable to score in the top of the seventh and, in the bottom of that inning, Zach Klein relieved Rupert (6 innings, 6 strike outs, 1 walk).  Klein got a strike out to end the inning, stranding a Clout runner on third.  After seven, the score remained 2-2.

In the top of the eighth  and two outs, Tilson got a single through shortstop and immediately stole second base.  Glasser’s infield single advanced Tilson to third and Glasser then stole second.  Cory Stonelake worked the pitcher to a 2-2 count and drove a liner just inside the right field line that went to the fence for a triple, scoring Tilson and Glasser.  Ross Donnan followed with a line drive over short bringing Stonelake home.  In that inning, the Ranchers scored 3 runs to pad the lead to 5-2.  The bottom of the eighth saw Klein again strand a Clout runner at third when the last batter rolled one to Graham Wolff at short for an easy force out at second, leaving the score at 5-2 Ranchers.

The Ranchers were unable to score in the top of the ninth.  In the bottom of that inning, the Clout’s lead-off batter grounded out, third to first.  The next batter got a ground ball single through second, followed by a line drive single over short.  The Clout’s fourth batter of the inning got on base on a catcher interference call by way of a late swing that was made after the ball had clearly passed the batter.  With the bases loaded, the Clout’s number 4 hitter put one over left center into the parking lot for a walk-off grand slam.  Final Score:  Ranchers 5 – Clout 6.

The format and schedule for the Skyscrapers Baseball League tournament has been modified.  The tournament will be a round robin series, with the two teams having the best record then playing for the championship.  Each team will play 3 games leading up to the championship.

The Ranchers first game will be against the Chicago Clout on Wednesday, July 27, at 7.30 pm at Pacetti Field.  The second game will be against the Chicago Titans on Thursday, July 28, at at 7.30 pm at Howie Minas Field.  The third game will be on Friday, July 29, at 7.30 pm at Pacetti Field against the Windy City Yankees. 

The championship game will be played on Saturday, July 30, at 7 pm at Pacetti Field.

The rain dates are Saturday, July 30 at 1 pm and 4 pm at Pacetti Field and Sunday, July 31, at 2 pm at St. Laurence High School.

The Ranchers Summer Collegiate Baseball team upended the Oswego Cats of the Chicago Suburban Baseball League in a thrilling Friday evening contest by a final score of 4-3.  Because the double header scheduled as the next game was cancelled due to weather, this game was the last 2011 regular summer season game for the team. The Ranchers bats were exceptional, getting 9 hits off of the Cats pitching.  Corey Lasky and Tyler Chamberlain-Simon contributed doubles, and Mitch Glasser and Graham Wolff provided two singles each.  In the first inning, singles by Charlie Tilson and Glasser and Brad Martin's sacrifice fly led to one run. In the top of the second, Wolff led off with a single, followed by walks to Chris Kruppe and Chamberlain-Simon and a 2-RBI single by Harris to make the score 3-0.  The lead increased to 4-0 in the top of the fifth on Chamberlain-Simon’s lead-off double, a single by Teddy Heiser to advance Chamberlain-Simon to third and Lasky’s sac fly to center.  In the bottom of the fifth, the Cats got on the board with 3 runs courtesy of an error, walk and two hits.  The teams then played 0-0 ball over the final four innings.  The Ranchers pitching on the night was another committee experiment, with none of the regular pitchers seeing action.  Infielders Heiser, Harris, and Glasser, outfielders Tilson and Martin, and catcher Chamberlain-Simon shared the 9 inning duties. The pitching crew held the Cats to 6 hits while collecting 7 strikeouts.

Ted Heiser

Midlothian, IlL. -  After an early season 5-4 lost to the Illinois Jayhawks, the Ranchers baseball team had their eyes set on the rematch.  The game pitted two evenly matched teams and was a pitchers’ duel, with the Ranchers coming out on top by a score of 4-2.  The Ranchers used a pitch-by-committee approach to preserve arms for the final week of the regular season.  Matt Rupert got the start and went 2 innings of no run ball.  Drew Ambioan threw the third, fourth and fifth innings, allowing one hit and no runs.  Mitch Glasser relieved Ambioan for the next two innings, with one unearned run scored by the Jayhawks.  Cory Stonelake pitched a no run eighth inning and Tyler Chamberlain-Simon closed out the ninth, giving up one run in his first appearance on the mound for the Ranchers.  On the night, Ranchers’ pitching recorded 7 strikeouts, while allowing 5 hits and 3 walks.  At the plate, the Ranchers were equally effective.  Chris Kruppe and Ross Donnan got doubles and Stonelake, Glasser, Corey Lasky, Davide Harris and David Stillerman were credited with singles.  With the score tied 0-0 going into the bottom of the third, Graham Wolff led off with a walk and advanced to third on Krupee’s double.  With two out, Stillerman beat out an infield single to third, scoring Wolff.  In the bottom of the fourth, Lasky reached first on a grounder through the middle, advanced to second on Charlie Tilson’s sacrifice bunt and scored thanks to Stonelake’s line drive single into right center.  The score remained 2-0 in favor of the Ranchers until the Jayhawks plated a run in the top of the seventh.  In the bottom of that inning, Tilson walked, stole second and then advanced to third on Stonelake’s ground out to second base.  Teddy Heiser, batting for Glasser, walked and stole second.  With runners on second and third and Chamberlain-Simon at the plate, the Jayhawks pitcher threw one into the dirt that got by the catcher.  Tilson flew to home and the catcher’s throw back to the pitcher for the tag was off target, with the ball going half-way down the first base line.  The pitcher attempted to get the ball, leaving home plate unprotected, and Heiser scored for the second run of the inning.  In all, the Ranchers got 7 hits and 5 walks, but struck out 8 times.  Final Score:  Ranchers 4 – Jayhawks 2.

Paul Sciortino

Waukegan, Ill, - Coming off a one run loss and a one run victory, the Ranchers’ baseball team was at Bowen Park to play the Crestwood Panthers in a Northern Illinois Baseball League showdown.  Going into the game, the Ranchers were 2-1 against the Panthers.  For the first 7 innings, the game was a pitching duel between Kyle Cassidy of the Ranchers and Clay Manering of the Panthers.  The Panthers were the first to put a run up when they got a double and 3 singles in the top of the third.  After a 3 strikeout top of the fourth, the Panthers touched Cassidy for their second run in the fifth.  The Ranchers finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Tyler Chamberlain-Simon got on base on a shortstop error and Paul Sciortino coaxed a walk.  Clayton Culler then hit a liner into left, scoring Chamerlain-Simon.  In the bottom of the seventh, the Ranchers tied the game on singles by Cory Stonelake and David Stillerman, followed by Chamberlain-Simon’s fielder’s choice to advance Stonelake and Andrew Touhy’s drive into right that resulted in an error, scoring Stonelake.  In the top of the eighth, the Panthers’ lead-off hitter reached base on a catcher’s interference call and their next batter parked one over dead center field for 2 runs scored.  The Ranchers got a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the eighth but could not bring him across.  In the top of the ninth, the Panthers threatened with runners on first and second and one out, but a laser by catcher Chamberlain-Simon to Touhy at third caught a runner trying to steal.  A fly ball to shallow left ended the Panthers’ threat. Now for the excitement.  In the bottom of the ninth, the Ranchers’ second batter, Stillerman walked, followed by a ground out for the second out in the inning.  With two down, Touhy walked, to put runners on first and second.  Sciortino stepped to the plate and worked the Panthers’ pitcher, Manering, to a full count. On Manering’s next pitch to Sciortino (which was Manering’s 165th pitch of the night), Sciortino hit a drive down the right field line.  The right fielder made a diving try for the ball and deflected it into the right field corner.  Stillerman and Touhy scored to tie the game as Sciortino sprinted to third for a triple.  The Panthers’ fielder fired the ball to third trying to nail Sciortino but the ball got past the third baseman and Sciortino then motored home for the winning run. On the night, Cassidy threw 7 innings (106 pitches), striking out 5, walking 1 and giving up 8 hits and 2 earned runs.  Reliever Drew Ambioan pitched the 8th and 9th and picked up the win. The Ranchers batters struck out 12 times, walked 7 times and collected 8 hits, with Mitch Glasser getting a single and a double, Stonelake adding 2 singles and Corey Lasky and Brad Martin contributing a single each to go with Sciortino’s 3 RBI triple. The Ranchers now stand at 9 wins, 2 losses in games played in the Northern Illinois Baseball League (with 2 forfeits by opposing teams not included in the win/loss record).  Overall, the Ranchers are 15-9 in games played and 17-9, including the no-show forfeits.

Kyle Cassidy

College All-Stars Selected

Ross Donnan

Waukegan, Ill. -  After a disappointing mid-week when they were unable to play two games because the opposing teams failed to show up at Bowen Park, the Ranchers finally took to the field on a balmy Friday evening to face the Chicago Clout of the Skyscrapers League.  Timely hitting and a bull pen pitching outing gave the Ranchers a 6-4 come from behind victory.  Corey Lasky and Tyler Chamberlain-Simon led the hitting with two singles each, Chris Kruppe and Mitch Glaser added a single apiece and Andrew Touhy and Ross Donnan each connected with a double.  Chamberlain-Simon, Kruppe, Tough and Glasser were credited with RBIs.  The Ranchers were down 3-0 going into the bottom of the fourth when the team put up 5 runs on 4 hits, 1 walk and 1 Clout fielding error.  The final run came in the bottom of the eighth when Chamberlain-Simon got on base by taking one for the team and scoring on Touhy’s double.  On the mound, Noah Lieberman, Zach Klein, Kyle Cassidy, Matt Rupert and Drew Ambioan combined to hold the Clout to 4 hits, while striking out 7.  Klein got the win after 3 innings of 1 hit ball and Ambioan got the save.  Cassidy faced 6 batters in 2 innings and struck out the side in the top of the sixth.  Final Score: Ranchers 6 – Clout 4.

Andrew Touhy

Matt Rupert

Columbus, Ohio - On July 3, 2011, Buckeye State Baseball announced that Rancher players Graham Wolff, infielder at Wittenberg University, and Matt Rupert, pitcher at Wittenberg, were named to the third team of the Division III All Buckeye State Baseball team.  The selection was made from players at all of the D-III schools located in Ohio.   In their spring seasons at Wittenberg, Wolff was a first team all conference selection and Rupert was a second team all conference selection in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

Graham Wolff

Mitch Glasser

Lexington, Ill. -  The Ranchers were on the road again for a double header against the Lexington Snipes and these games tested the endurance of the players.  After making the 130 mile drive, the team arrived at the field to find 95 degrees in the shade and a 108 degree heat index.  Because of the 4th of July holiday weekend, the Ranchers were shorthanded, playing with only 9 players in each game.  The first game highlighted timely hitting and good pitching.  At the plate, the Ranchers collected 13 hits, with Mitch Glasser getting 2 singles and a double, Graham Wolff providing a single and a double, David Stillerman contributing 2 singles and 2 RBIs.  Bob Cook added a double, and Andrew Touhy, Tyler Chamberlain-Simon, Corey Stonelake, Clayton Culler and Chris Harang each got singles.  Noah Lieberman was pressed into service in the outfield and made an excellent running catch of a line drive; he also walked twice and was credited with 1 RBI.  Matt Rupert got the call to start and threw 6 effective innings while striking out 5 and allowing 3 earned runs.  Ryan Windt made his first relief appearance as a Rancher and closed out the game with a ground ball and two strike outs.  Final Score:  Ranchers 10 – Snipes 5.

In the second game, the Ranchers bats went to sleep and the team collected only 2 hits.  Cook got a deep home run over the right field fence and into the neighboring front yard and Corey Stonelake hit a single.  The Snipes got 7 hits, including  home run and a double, to put 8 runs on the board.  Final Score: Ranchers 1 – Snipes 8

David Stillerman

Kyle Cassidy

Oak Lawn, Ill. -  After playing in the lightening and rain the night before, the Ranchers were in Oak Lawn to face the Chicago Clout in a Skyscrapers’ League contest.  In the bottom of the first, the Clout put 2 runs on the board by a walk, triple and sacrifice fly.  In the top of the second, the Ranchers scored one thanks to back to back walks to Ross Donnan and Charlie Tilson, followed by an RBI single by Christian Rivera.  The Clout added another run in the bottom of the fourth on a home run.  Coming into the top of the seventh, the Ranchers were down 3 to 1, but scored 3 runs, thanks to singles by Donnan and Graham Wolff, Rivera taking one for the team, a sacrifice fly by Clayton Culler and a 2 RBI single by Corey Lasky.  Unfortunately, the lead was short lived because in the bottom of the eighth, the Clout added two more runs.  On the night, Donnan had a double and single, to lead the hitters, with 5 players getting a single each.  Kyle Cassidy went the distance for the Ranchers, striking out 9 over 8 innings, while allowing 6 hits and 2 walks.  Final Score:  Clout 6 – Ranchers 4.

Clayton Culler

Christian Rivera

Midlothian, Ill. - The Homestead Ranchers took to the road for a non-conference game against the Park Ridge Indians played at Howie Minas Field in Midlothian.  Before the first pitch, there was some concern that a storm forming over Lake Michigan would make its way inland and disrupt the game, but the sky cleared and the game got underway on time.  As the visitors, the Ranchers did nothing in the top of the first going three up and three down.  In the bottom of the first, the Indians put 3 runs on the board, via three singles coupled with 3 walks and a hit batter.  In the bottom of the third, the Indians plated 2 more runs for a 5-0 lead.  Through 5 innings, the Ranchers bats were cold, collecting only 3 hits, singles by Graham Wolff and David Stillerman and a double by Christian Rivera, while striking out 6 times.  On the night, the Ranchers did not advance a runner past second base.  During the top of the fifth, the storm that was not supposed to be showed up with spectacular a lightening display and a torrential downpour and after the Ranchers completed their at bat in the top of the fifth, the game was called because of rain with a final score of 5-0.  After this loss, the Ranchers stand at 11 wins, 7 losses for the season.

Graham Wolff

Cory Stonelake

Chicago Height, Ill. -  Coming off their worst defeat of the 2011 season at the hands of the Crestwood Panthers, the Ranchers travelled to Prairie State College for a twin bill against the same Panthers team. The first game saw timely hitting and excellent base running by the Ranchers.  Mitch Glasser had 2 singles, 3 stolen bases and scored 3 times.  Corey Stonelake hit 3 line drive singles, resulting in 2 RBIs.  Bob Cook and Clayton Culler also had 2 RBIs each.  Graham Wolff gathered 2 singles and had 2 stolen bases.  Matt Rupert had another excellent outing on the mound with a complete game victory.  He got 8 strike outs, coupled with 4 walks and one hit batsman, and held the hard hitting Panthers to 3 hits and one unearned run.  On the season, Rupert has pitched 30 innings, getting 35 strikeouts, with opposing teams scoring only 2 runs, both of which were unearned.  Final score: Ranchers 6 – Panthers 1.

Matt Rupert

The second game was a continuation of the first.  The Ranchers’ bats stayed hot.  Stonelake led the hitting with 2 doubles and a single.  Cook, Chris Kruppe and Teddy Heiser provided 2 singles each, with David Stillerman and Ross Donnan contributing one single apiece.  Stonelake, Cook, Kruppe, Stillerman, Donnan and Andrew Touhy were credited with 1 RBI each.  Kyle Cassidy got the start and went 5 strong innings, allowing 2 hits and 3 earned runs while picking up 3 strikeouts for the victory.  Stonelake got the save with 2 effective innings of 1 hit ball and 3 strikeouts.  Final score: Ranchers 6 – Panthers 3. After these two wins, the Ranchers sport an 8-2 record in the Northern Illinois Baseball League and 11-6 overall.

 Kyle Cassidy 

Ted Heiser

Waukegan, Ill.  Coming off a close 3-2 loss to the Lombard Orioles of the Chicago Suburban Baseball League, the Ranchers took on the Crestwood Panthers who sported a 6-0 record in the Northern Illinois Baseball League.  The Panthers jumped on Ranchers’ pitching in the second inning, scoring two runs and continued the onslaught by adding 6 more runs in the fourth and 4 in the seventh.  The Ranchers’ lone tally came in the bottom of the sixth, when Teddy Heiser singled and came home on an RBI single by Andrew Touhy.  Touhy, Jeremy Tirado and Brad Martin each collected two singles apiece and Clayton Culler added one.  Final score:  Panthers 12 – Ranchers 1.

Andrew Andrew Touhy

Bob Cook

Lombard, Ill. - After suffering a lengthy trip to Lombard, made difficult due to the many traffic lights that were not operating as a result of a severe storm, the Ranchers also suffered a tough loss to the Lombard Orioles on a night that featured the Ranchers leading in nearly every offensive category but the final score.  The Ranchers tagged Oriole pitching for 10 hits, including a single and 2 RBI double by Bob Cook and a pair of singles by Corey Lasky.  The hitters were patient at the plate again, striking out only 3 times while walking 3 times and getting hit by a pitched ball once.  Unfortunately, the team stranded 11 runners, including 7 in scoring position.  The Ranchers pitchers were able to gather 7 strikeouts of Oriole batters, with three walks.  Through 4 1/2 complete innings, the Ranchers held a 2-0 lead, after collecting the 2 runs in the top of the third.  In the bottom of the fifth, the Orioles were able to plate 3 runs on a pair of doubles and a home run to end the night’s scoring.  Bob Cook was again very effective on the mound, pitching 4 innings of one hit ball, while striking out 7 and walking 2 and allowing 0 runs.  Final score:  Orioles 3 – Ranchers 2.

This game marked the fourth one run loss for the Ranchers this year.  So far this season, the Ranchers have outscored their opponents 82-37.

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Matt Rupert

Chicago Heights, Ill. - On Father’s Day, the Ranchers travelled to Prairie State College for a double header against the Chicago Panthers.  The first game saw Matt Rupert provide another excellent pitching performance in a 5 inning shut-out that was shortened by the mercy rule.  He faced 19 batters, allowed 3 ground ball singles (two of which were in-field hits), no walks, and one hit batsman, while striking out 7.  Apart from one grounder that was just out of the shortstop’s reach, no other Panther hit the ball into the outfield.  At the plate, the Ranchers seemed stymied by the Panthers’ pitchers, collecting 5 singles, with 2 by Brad Martin, and 1 double by Corey Stonelake.  However, the Ranchers were helped by 6 walks, 2 hit batsman, and 2 fielding errors enabling the team to plate 11 runs.  Final score: Ranchers 11 – Panthers 0.

Corey Lasky

 In the second game, the Ranchers’ bats came alive, resulting in a 13-3 victory in another mercy rule shortened game.  The team collected 12 hits, with Cory Lasky getting a triple and a single for 3 RBIs, Davide Harris hitting 2 singles and Bob Cook and Charlie Tilson each slamming a double to the center field fence.  Tilson’s line drive bomb resulted in 2 RBIs.  The Ranchers also walked 6 times and one batter was hit by a pitched ball.  The highlight inning came in the bottom of the fourth, when the Ranchers put 16 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs on 8 hits.  Noah Lieberman (2 innings), Bob Cook (3 innings) and Mitch Glasser (1 inning) split the mound time, with Cook getting the win while allowing 3 hits and 1 run.  This win runs the Ranchers’ win streak to 5 games and the team’s record now stands at 9 wins – 4 losses.

Charlie Tilson

Waukegan, Ill. - Coming off of two impressive shutouts over the Peotone Cats, the Ranchers were at home against the Chicago Titans of the Skyscrapers League for a 9 inning contest that turned into a slugfest.  Kyle Cassidy got the nod and threw 3 2/3 solid innings.  However, the Titans bats were hot and they collected 4 runs on 6 hits.  John Spoelstra, making his first appearance as a Rancher, came in to relieve and allowed the Titans 3 runs over 2 1/3 innings.  Drew Ambioan and Bob Cook spilt an inning each and held the Titans scoreless.  On offense, the Ranchers provided timely hitting and base running.  Mitch Glasser led the way with 2 singles and 2 RBIs.  Corey Stonelake hit a double off the wall in deep center field to clear the bases and collect 3 RBIs and Bob Cook provided a line drive single into left that scored two. The highlight inning occurred in the bottom of the fourth and showed the Ranchers’ small ball abilities. David Stillerman coaxed a lead-off walk, followed by Charlie Tilson’s attempted sacrifice bunt that turned into an infield single when he beat the throw from third.  Glasser laid down a perfect bunt between the pitcher and a charging third baseman for another infield single that loaded the bases.  Cook followed with a ground ball fielder’s choice that resulted in the runner from third getting called out at the plate.  Stonelake then hit the fence in center with all three runners scoring.  On the bases, Tilson, Glasser and Cook recorded stolen bases.  For the game, the two teams had a total of 22 hits, 12 walks, and 16 strikeouts.  Final score:  Ranchers 9, Titans 7.

Kyle Cassidy 

After 11 games, the Ranchers are 7-4 and stand at 2-1 in the Skyscrapers League, 4-1 in the Northern Illinois Baseball League, 0-1 in the Chicago Suburban League, and 1-1 in non-conference play.  The Ranchers travel to Prairie State College this coming weekend for a 9 inning game against the Chicago Panthers and another 9 inning game against the Illinois Jayhawks.  Next week, the Ranchers play 3 consecutive games against tough teams in the Chicago Suburban league.
 

Matt Rupert

Chicago Heights, Ill. - After a rain-out of a scheduled Saturday double header, the Ranchers visited Prairie State College for a double header match up against the Peotone Cats of the Northern Illinois Baseball League.  The two games highlighted excellent pitching and hitting.  In the first game, Matt Rupert got the start and went 6 strong innings, scattering 4 singles, while walking 2, striking out 7, and allowing 0 runs.  Rupert got the win and Drew Ambioan finished the game the game 3 up, 3 down with one strikeout.  On the hitting front, Charlie Tilson and Bob Cook collected a single and a double each, Mitch Glasser added a double, Paul Sciorantino provided a 2 RBI single, and Tyler Chamberlain-Simon and Ross Donnan each got singles.  Final score: Ranchers 5 – Cats 0.

Noah Lieberman
 
In the second game starter Noah Lieberman was excellent, pitching a complete game.  His stats tell the story.  He faced 25 batters, gave up 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, and collected 10 strikeouts.  Going into the bottom of the seventh,  the Cats were hitless, but the lead-off batter dropped a bloop over the second baseman’s head for the Cats first and last hit of the game.   At the plate, the Ranchers got 7 singles, with 3 by Glasser and 2 by Chamberlain-Simon, accounting for 4 runs.  Final score:  Ranchers 7, Cats 0.

Paul Sciortino

Christian Rivera

Midlothian, Ill. - With a day’s rest following their victory over the Patriots, the Ranchers journeyed to Howie Minas Field in Midlothian to take on the Illinois Jayhawks in another Northern Illinios Baseball League game.  This game started as a pitchers’ duel, with the Jayhawks pitcher allowing only singles to Jeremy Tirado and Lowell Hall and a walk to Corey Stonelake over the first three innings to account for 2 runs.  Not to be impressed by that, Ranchers’ Bob Cook allowed only one single, no walks, no runs, and struck out 3 over the same 3 innings.  After a 1-2-3 up and down for the Ranchers in the top of the fourth, the Jayhawks got on the board when Stuart Haley hit a batter and surrendered a double for one run.  The Ranchers countered in the top of the fifth with singles by Ross Donnan and Graham Wolff, followed by an RBI double by Christian Rivera, giving the Ranchers a 2-1 lead. That score went into the top of the sixth, when the Ranchers put 2 more on the board with a walk to Davide Harris, an RBI triple by Bob Cook and an RBI double by Corey Stonelake.  The score then stood at Ranchers 4, Jayhawks 1.  In the bottom of the sixth, the Jayhawks got to reliever Adam McClure for 3 runs on a bunt single, followed by a fielding error and 3 consecutive singles.  The score remained tied at 4-4 until the bottom of the eighth, when a walk and a double by the Jayhawks led to 1 run.  In the top of the ninth, the Ranchers got a lead-off double from Cook who advanced to third but was unable to score the tying run. 

Drew Amboian

 ON the night, the Ranchers got 8 hits (including one triple and 3 doubles) and 5 walks, while striking out 6 times.  The Ranchers pitchers (Cook, Haley, McClure, and Drew Ambioan) gave up 10 hits, 4 walks and struck out 7.  Ambioan was tagged with the loss.

Davide Harris

Tyler Chamberlain-Simon

Homewood, Ill. - After five games in four days, the Ranchers traveled to Homewood to take on the Beecher Muskies of the Chicago Suburban Baseball League.  Jeremy Tirado led off with a single and scored on an RBI single by Mitch Glasser.  The second inning was more of the same with Tyler Chamberlain-Simon, Clayton Culler and Tirado collecting 3 singles, leading to one run for a 2-0 Ranchers lead.  In the bottom of the third , the Muskies woke up at the plate, collecting a walk and a single, followed by a home run.  Their bats woke up again in the bottom of the fifth with a double and another home run, making the score Muskies 5, Ranchers 2.  The top of the sixth was a highlight reel for Ranchers’ batters.  Singles by Graham Wolff and Culler were followed by an error by the Muskies first baseman, allowing Teddy Heiser to get the base.  Tirado hit another single and then Mitch Glasser dropped a bomb into the next county for a home run. 

Ted Heiser

 By the time the inning ended, the Ranchers were on top 7 to 5.  Unfortunately, in the bottom of the seventh, the Muskies scored 3 more, on 2 singles and a home run to take the lead 8 to 7.  The Ranchers were unable to score after that.  On the night, Tirado led the hitting with 4 singles, with Wolff and Culler collecting 2 each.  Kyle Cassidy, Adam McClure, Stuart Haley and John Saleh split the pitching duties, with Haley taking the loss.

Ross Donnan

Waukegan, Ill. - Coming off a tough 8-7 loss to the Beecher Muskies of the Chicago Suburban Baseball League on June 7, the Ranchers returned home to play in the Northern Illinois Baseball League against the USA Patriots at Bowen Park.  Unfortunately, the 9 inning game was ended early due to lightning but it was still an official game.  The Ranchers hopped on the Patriots pitching in the first inning with David Stillerman getting a single and then scoring on a Patriots fielding error.  In the 4th inning, Bob Cook’s lead-off home run over the left field fence set the tone.  He was followed by a Mitch Glasser single and a walk to  Christian Rivera.  Ross Donnan’s RBI single and the same by Clayton Culler gave the Ranchers a 3-run inning.  Matt Rupert got the start and went 4 innings, giving up 2 infield singles, a liner over the second baseman, and a sharp grounder down the line over the bag at third.  However, his 4 strike outs, a rocket from catcher Ross Donnan to shortstop Jeremy Tirado to end an attempted steal, and an excellent double play by Tirado unassisted at second and on to first meant no runs for the Patriots.  Noah Lieberman came in as relief in the top of the 5th  and collected 2 strikeouts and a ground out to end the inning and the game.  Lieberman was credited with the win.

 
David Stillerman

To date the Ranchers are 2-0 in the Northern Illinois Baseball League, 1-1 in the Skyscrapers League, 0-1 in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League, and 1-1 in non-conference action.

Corey Stonelake

Joliet, Ill. -Playing their 4th and 5th games in 3 days, the Ranchers traveled to Joliet to meet the Joliet Dirtbags in a non-conference double header on a very hot Sunday afternoon.  In the first game, Matt Rupert got the call to start and threw 4 solid innings of one hit, no runs, no walk ball, while striking out 6 Dirtbags.  He left the game with the team leading 2-0 and was relieved by infielder/outfielder Corey Stonelake, who gave up only 1 hit while striking out 3 over the last 3 innings of the game.  Rupert was credited with the win and Stonelake got the save.  Again the Ranchers fielding was excellent with no errors on 12 fielding opportunities.  The team’s bats woke up a bit in this game, getting 8 singles and a double by Bob Cook.  Jeremy Tirado recorded an RBI single and Cory Lasky got an RBI sacrifice fly to account for the team’s scoring.

 
Cory Lasky

In the second game of the day, the Ranchers lost a 3-2 contest.  Noah Lieberman got the start and went 3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 1 hit while striking out 4.  With the game tied 2-2, infielder/catcher Ross Donnan threw 2 effective innings of relief, with one run scoring on a fielding error.  Christian Rivera closed out the game with 0 runs in the bottom of the 6th.  The Ranchers’ batters showed excellent patience at the plate, striking out only 3 times, while getting 4 walks and one hit by pitch.  However, hits were hard to come by and the team only got 4 singles plus Brad Martin’s 2-RBI double.
 
The Ranchers now stand at 3 and 2 for the season.

OAK LAWN, Ill. - The Homestead Ranchers' pitching set the table for a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Americans on Friday night. It was the second consecutive win for the Ranchers and first of the season against a member of the Skyscrapers League. 

The Americans could seem to figure out Ranchers' pitcher Bob Cook. The righty compiled five innings of perfect baseball allowing no runs, hits or walks, while striking out seven. Manager Chris Harang went with a comitee of pitchers to finish the ball game, with Matt Rupert, Kyle Cassidy, Noah Lieberman and John Saleh each throwing one inning of work. The Ranchers' pitching staff only surrendered three American hits.  

Jeremy Tirado led the Homestead offense tallying a three-hit, two RBI outing. His bases-loaded single in the seventh scored Ty Chamberlain-Simon and Corey Lasky and put the Ranchers up 4-1. 

Lowell Hall

Lowell Hall and Corey Stonelake's bats accounted for three Rancher runs. 

Kyle Cassidy was credited with the win. 

The Ranchers will take on the Upper Deck Cougars Saturday, June 4 at 7 p.m. in Oak Lawn. 

Matt Rupert

WAUKEGAN, Ill. - On a chilly night at Bowen Field near Lake Michigan in Waukegan, the Ranchers get a 10-2 victory.  The Ranchers brought their A game with stellar pitching performance from Matt Rupert, Kyle Cassidy, Noah Lieberman and John Saleh. The Ranchers pitching held the Chicago Panthers to 4 hits 1 earned run and the other run was unearned. Our pitchers were excellent for the first game of the season, recording 18 strikeouts with a 69% strike-to-ball ratio and 58% of first pitch strikes.

Jeremy Tirado

The Ranchers also brought their hitting with 12 hits. Bob Cook had 3 hits and Jeremy Tirado, Corey Stonelake, Clayton Culler each had 2 hits. Cook, Culler and Tyler Chamberlain-Simon each had well-hit doubles. Jeremy Tirado ended up with 3 RBIs. The Ranchers had excellent defense from catchers Tyler Chamberlain-Simon, Lowell Hall and David Baskin who all called an excellent game and stellar shortstop play from Jeremy Tirado. Next game Friday @ 7:30pm VS. Chicago Americans at Pacetti Field in Oak Lawn.

UPDATE - Esteban had his surgery today, all went well. He will only be able to take long walks for the next 6 weeks and they begin his rehab right after that. He is in good spirits and will be out at some of the Rancher games soon.

Esteban Abbey will be having surgery on Wednesday June 01 and will be out for the summer baseball season. He will be rehabing all summer so he can be ready in 2012 his junior year at Bethel University and Homestead Ranchers summer 2012 campaign. We here at the Homestead Ranchers are wishing Esteban best wishes on his surgery and a speedy recovery!

An all-time record six Scots have been named to the All-MIAC baseball team and Matt Parrington has been selected by his peers as the Jim Dimick MIAC Coach of the Year after guiding Macalester to its first conference championship in 61 years. The Scots finished the season tied for first with a 16-4 conference mark.

Macalester's six representatives on the all-conference squad are pitcher Alex Ingram (Sr., Chicago, Ill. / Morgan Park Academy), pitcher Eric Robinson (Sr., San Francisco, Calif. / The Urban School), center fielder Will Chen (Sr., Edina, Minn.), catcher Garrett Salzman (Jr., Glendale, Calif. / St. Francis), catcher Robert Williams (Jr., West Covina, Calif. / Northview) and second baseman Mitch Glasser (Jr., Chicago, Ill. / The Latin School).

Also, three Scots were named to the nine-member All-Defensive team after helping Mac rank first in the league in fielding percentage and double plays turned. Macalester All-Defensive team members are center fielder Chen, pitcher Robinson, and shortstop Jimmy Belfont (So., Olney, Md. / Our Lady of Good Counsel). Belfont also picks up honorable mention All-MIAC honors.

In his 12th season at Macalester, Coach Parrington led the Scots to their first MIAC playoff appearance since 2000. Despite losing three All-MIAC players to graduation and being picked eighth in the pre-season poll, the Scots led the league in fielding, were second in batting average and runs scored, and third in pitching.

Mac's representative on the MIAC's All-Sportsmanship team is pitcher Elliott Yodh (Sr., Merion, Pa. / Lower Merion).

Player Highlights:

Glasser - Two-time all-conference . . . hit a team-best .408 with four homers and a .617 slugging percentage . . .struck out just once in 129 plate appearances, that coming on the final day of the season at the MIAC tournament . . . squad's No. 3 batter hit .404 with runners in scoring position . . . missed seven league games with injured ankle so didn't qualify for MIAC batting crown . . . batted .462 (24-for-52) in league play with .692 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage.

A return to the Midwest Conference Tournament earned four Fighting Scots their first All-MWC South Division honors.

  Ross Donnan (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township), a junior communication major, was selected as a first baseman. Donnan played in all 32 games for Monmouth and led the Scots with a .348 batting average and a .561 slugging percentage. He also topped in the team with 35 RBIs, five home runs and 11 doubles.

  Caleb Ruyle (Winchester, Ill./Jacksonville Routt), a junior environmental science major, was named an all-conference third baseman. He finished the season with a .306 average after playing in all 32 games. Ruyle posted a .426 on-base percentage and led the team with 28 runs scored.

  Mitch Johnson (Ottawa, Ill./Ottawa), a junior chemistry major, made the team as an outfielder. He was second on the team with a .327 batting average and was third with 24 runs scored. Johnson tied for the team lead with 23 walks to help compile a team-best .466 on-base percentage.

  Matt Young (Cuba, Ill./Cuba), a physical education major, was the lone Scots’ senior named all-conference. The outfielder sported a .984 fielding percentage, best among season-long starters. He hit .262 this season while driving in 10 runs and scoring 14 times.

  Monmouth won seven of its first eight regular season games for its best start since 1991. The Scots finished fourth in the Midwest Conference Tournament this spring and posted an overall record of 17-15.

Ranchers,

Please don't forget we got a meeting this Sunday at AE @ 2:30pm. Also please make sure to bring your player contract with you. If you haven't send your fees in please bring that with you. 

For those of you who will be in town, there is a MANDATORY team meeting on May 22 at 2:30 pm at Academy Elite, 1832 Pickwick Avenue, Glenview Illinois 60026