Monkeys Tame Sex Panthers

Short-handed Panthers no match for Monkeys in 5 inning, 19-4 Rout

By: JMU, Staff Writer

July 27, 2010

Fullerton, California.

The Monkeys continued their winning ways in an textbook performance Tuesday night as they dispatched a depleted Sex Panthers squad that could field just nine players. “When the Panthers took the field with just 9 defenders, I knew we were going to score some runs,” stated Monkeys manager John Upton. “The question in my mind was how we were going to perform in the field.”

Given the Moneys erratic defensive play this season, Upton was justified in his concern. After scoring 6 runs in the top of the first inning, the Monkeys were able to hold their lead courtesy of some solid, error-free play in the field. Pitcher Frank Flores also performed well, scattering 10 hits over five innings.

Offensively, the Monkeys appeared to be in mid-season form. The team scored multiple runs in the each of the first four innings, and after the top of the fifth, their lead stood at 18-1. The Panthers rallied attempted to rally in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, but each time were stopped short due in large part to some overly-aggressive base running.

Michael Barnett led the way offensively for the Monkeys with a particularly impressive night at the plate. Barnett went four for four with a home run and four rbi’s. Matt Beighley also homered, and Curtis Brown, Brian Castaneda, and Daniel Quinones turned in multi-hit performances. Rookie Ryan Dorigan picked up his first hit as a Monkey.

Monkey Notes:

Utility-infielder John Maresca returned to the Monkeys lineup Tuesday night after missing the first three games of the season. Maresca went 1 for 2 on the night with a walk.

Next Game: August 3 2010. 8:00 pm, Lemon Park.. Team Yokohama at Monkeys.

Monkeys Bust Slump Against Slumpbusters

Daniel Quinones and Frank Flores lead Monkey attack in 13-8 victory

By: JMU, Staff Writer

July 13, 2010

Fullerton, California.

The Monkeys bats came to life Tuesday evening at Lemon Park, giving the team a much-needed victory and snapping a frustrating two game losing streak.

After being pummeled by the Wheelchair Bandits in the Season Opener and turning in a lackluster effort in last week’s loss to a beatable Hackers team, the Monkeys took the field Tuesday evening hungry for a victory. The team had yet another new look, with rookies Ryan Dorigan starting in right field and Bernard Chang playing first. Ruben Quinones moved across the diamond to third base, and rookie Brian Castaneda played second base.

The Monkeys set the Slumpbusters down in order in the first and second innings, plating two runs themselves in the bottom of the second. The Slumpbusters took a four-two lead in the top of the third, but the Monkeys answered back with three of their own in the bottom of that frame. The score sea-sawed back and forth throughout the middle innings before the Monkeys began to pull away. The Monkeys took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth, and held the Slumpbusters scoreless in the final two innings to take claim victory.

Frank Flores lead the way offensively for the Monkeys with a 4-4 performance, driving in four runs and raising his league-leading batting average to a gaudy .909. Daniel Quinones went three for four while driving in five runs, and Bernard Chang was a single away from hitting for the cycle in a remarkable 3-for-3 league debut. Also chipping in with three hits apiece were Ruben Quinones, Matthew Beighley, and John Upton. Brian Castaneda contributed a single and a double.

“It is too early in the season to talk about “must win” games, but we really needed to win this one,” remarked Monkeys manager John Upton. “We certainly haven’t been playing to our potential, and while the five errors we committed tonight serve as a reminder that we still have some work to do, we definitely took some steps in the right direction.”

One of those steps would appear to be putting together a consistent lineup. “I think it would be fair to say that part of the problem this season has been that we have not been able to have the same guys playing the same positions week after week,” observed Upton. “We are still working on a few things, but I suspect that the lineup you see next game (July 27) will be more or less the same lineup that we will use for the remainder of the season.” When asked if Ruben Quinones’ move to third base would be permanent, Upton indicated that this would be likely. As to other moves, Upton told the assembled media that they would have until the 27th.

Monkey Notes:

The Monkeys were without utility-infielder John Maresca and right fielder Michael Barnett, both of whom were attending the Major League baseball All-Star game. Both are expected back in the lineup on the 27^th.

Next Game: July 27 2010. 9:15 pm, Lemon Park.. Monkeys at Sex Panthers.

Monkeys Slump Continues in 25-15 Loss to Hackers

Team wastes 2HR, 6 RBI night by Pitcher Frank Flores

By: JMU, Staff Writer
July 6, 2010
Fullerton, California.

Looking to bounce back from last week’s drubbing at the hands of the Wheelchair Bandits, the Monkeys took the field Tuesday evening with a renewed sense of purpose. “That beating we took in the season opener is not the way we wanted to kick off the summer campaign,” remarked team Manager John Upton. “I think the team was still a bit drained, emotionally and physically, from the spring playoffs and we just weren’t ready to play. We had higher expectations for tonight’s game”

While the team looked better against the Hackers, the Monkeys still have some work to do to get back into playoff-contention form.

The game started out in promising fashion, with the Monkeys sending 10 men to the plate and scoring six runs in the top of the first inning, but when Hackers roared back with 8 runs of their own in the bottom of the first, several of which were directly attributable to porous Monkey defense, the team knew it would be in for a struggle.

“The Hackers are a quality organization and hit the ball well,” remarked Upton. “They might not hit with a great deal of power, but they take their walks and base hits, and if you give them extra outs in the field, as we did tonight, they will make you pay.”

The Monkeys seemed to gather themselves defensively following that shaky start and held the Hackers to just two runs over the next two innings. Offensively, the Monkeys began chipping away at the lead and after three innings, the score was knotted up at 10.

The fourth inning was the turning point in the game. The Monkeys had the opportunity to take the lead in the top of frame, but were set down in order. The failure to score seemed to unnerve them, which led to several errors in the bottom of the fourth, and by the time they trotted off the field at the end of the inning, they were looking at a seven run deficit. The Monkeys managed to score a couple of runs in the top of the fifth, but the defense did not improve and they surrendered another 8 runs in the bottom of that inning, essentially putting the game out of reach. As time expired in the middle of the sixth, the Monkeys were forced to accept their second straight defeat.

“This may sound strange coming off of a 10 run loss, but I truly believe that this was a winnable game for us,” said Upton. “We hit the ball pretty well tonight, and had we played better defensively, we would have held them to half the number of runs. We need to work on our fundamentals, make smarter plays out there in the field, and I guarantee you will be seeing different results on the scoreboard.”

Leading the way offensively for the Monkeys was pitcher Frank Flores, who smacked two line-drive three-run home runs. Daniel Quinones notched three hits and Brain Castaneda launched a three run triple down the right field line.


Monkey Notes:

The Monkeys welcomed several new players into the fold on Tuesday night. Jon Hampe, acquired off of the free agent wire, played third base and Kevin McGlensey covered second base. In addition, Brian Castaneda, who started the season with the Monkeys, played right field.

Matt Beighley and John Maresca were out of the lineup on vacation. Beighley is expected back for the July 13 game vs. the Slumpbusters, but Maresca is not expected back until the 27th.

The Monkeys announced the acquisition of utility player Ryan Dorigan, who is expected to make his Monkeys debut July 13.

Next Game: July 13, 2010. 9:15 pm, Lemon Park.. Slumpbusters at Monkeys. Pocket schedules will be made available to all fans in attendance.