The Archers competed in their third tournament of the year last weekend. The Indy Bonanza took place at North Central High School in Indianapolis, IN from June 3 through 5. It was hosted by the five-time reigning Beep Baseball World Series Champions, the Indy Thunder. Other teams attending this year were: Atlanta Chaos, Austin Blackhawks, Chicago Comets, Cleveland Scrappers, Indy Edge, Indy Thunder, and New Jersey Titans.
The tournament was split into two brackets: Bracket A consisted of the Archers, Thunder, Chaos, and Comets and Bracket B had the Edge, Blackhawks, Scrappers, and Titans.
Players in attendance for the Archers were Kim Blumenthal, Kyle Borah, Chad Dillon, Rich Krussel, Leul McChesney, Demetris Morrow, and Josh Sisson. This was also the first tournament with newly acquired pitcher and Beep Baseball Hall of Famer, Jonny Walker, who was added to the roster to lend his expertise to help the development of the program, the players, and our volunteers. He will be with the Archers at tournaments for the rest of the season through the World Series. Not making the trip were Henry Allen, Sean Borah, Jon Clemons, Ethan Johnston, and Liam McCoy.
The Archers first game was against their Illinois cross state rival, the Chicago Comets. The Comets and pitcher Chad Perry came out on fire and put up nine runs in the first few innings. The Archers put balls into play, but struggled to score early in the game. The Archers put up a fight, but the Comets kept their foot on the gas and took the game. Final: Comets 17, Archers 11
The Archers then faced reigning champs the Indy Thunder in the second game of the afternoon. This was a great defensive battle and Archer Rich Krussel and Thunder James Michaels stole the show. Krussel had 11 put outs and Michaels had seven. This game featured two all-time great pitchers in Walker and Thunder pitcher Jared Woodard. The Archers couldn’t get a lot of balls deep in the field, thus limiting their chances to score. The defending champs are still a great team. Final: Thunder 9, Archers 5
The last game of the afternoon was against the Atlanta Chaos who, earlier in the year in Athens, GA, beat the Archers in a late comeback. The Archers were able to put up runs early and keep adding throughout the game. Kyle Borah had a great game offensively going four for five. Final: Archers 10, Chaos 6
The Archers finished in their bracket 1-2. Chaos were 2-1. Followed by the Thunder 2-1 and Comets 1-2. Since the Archers lost head to head against the Comets, they played for 7th place the next morning.
The 7th place game was against the New Jersey Titans. The Titans were a small rival last year, besting the Archers in their two meetings. This game went a bit differently. The Archers took the lead early and kept it throughout the game with Morrow scoring three runs and Borah, Dillon, Krussel, and Sisson all scoring two. Final: Archers 11, Titans 4
Ultimately, the Archers finished the tournament 2-2 getting two victories against teams that have beaten them in the past. This is the last major tournament before the World Series in Beaumont, TX at the end of July. The Archers have one more tournament in Champaign, IL, the second weekend of July. That tournament will also be the tournament with the most Archers in attendance, including off season acquisition Ethan Johnston. Johnston is considered a top 20 talent in the entire league, so adding him to the formula should give the Archers a boost.
Thank you again to all of our Sponsors who help the Archers compete in these tournaments: Lighthouse for the Blind – St. Louis, Ameren IL, Mascoutah Noon and Evening Lions, Pemobil, and all our individual donors.
MindsEye is a proud United Way Safety Net Agency.