The Threes Are Wild for Donovan Ferguson in 8-7 Victory

Donovan Ferguson went 3 for 3 with 3 runs batted in while scoring 3 runs to ignite his Jackson Dealerships Coach Pitch Baseball team to victory in the fourth round of post-season tournament play.

Jackson finished the regular season with a 7-9 record, but this was good enough to earn them the #2 seed from the West Division, as well as a first round bye. They lost their first game in the double-elimination tournament to the Little Schoolhouse, 18-6, before bouncing back with victories over D to Z (13-6) and Lorenz (8-7).

Donovan also brought his glove with him to this game. He had 3 putouts and 3 assists from his shortstop position, with the key play coming in the top of the second inning as Jackson pulled off the triple play trifecta. Lorenz's first 2 batters reached safely by hitting singles into left field, bringing up Wyatt Webb. Webb hit a line drive that looked as if it was heading into center field, and both runners took off. Sam Perry, playing the pitcher position, would have no part in conceding the hit, and he snagged the hard hit liner for out number 1. Perry wheeled and fired the ball to first baseman Jacob Spitz, who caught the throw and stepped on first to double up Kayden Rice for out number 2. In the meantime, Donovan Ferguson called for the ball and raced for second when he noticed that Daniel Rayner, who had occupied second base, had not returned to the bag. Rayner sprinted back towards second as first baseman Spitz fired the ball towards Donovan. The southpaw's throw sailed towards the right field side of the bag, and Donovan stretched with all of his might to catch ball while keeping his right foot on the bag. He caught the ball just before Rayner reached second, completely the rare, but exciting, triple play!

It was nice to see the umpire get into very good position to make the call. He was right on top of the play, and I believe he made the correct call. Nobody argued, either, and I doubt there would have been any argument had he ruled the runner safe. It was a very close bang-bang play, but as I said, I believe he made the right call. As it turned out, the play probably ended up being the difference between a win and a loss since the score ended up being a 1 run contest.

Ferguson Tandem Come Up Big in First Round of Tournament Play

Damien and Donovan Ferguson both played huge roles in FBC's first round Kids Pitch Post-Season Tournament baseball game, a game which ended on a walk off base hit by Drake Jeffries, scoring Trevor Edwards from second base with the winning run in a thrilling 4-3 victory over the power-packed Kiwanis club. The victory officially is the team's sixth in a row, leaving them with an overall record of 10-7.

Donovan Ferguson made the defensive play of the game in the top of the first inning, a game which featured several defensive gems. Donovan was playing right center field when the powerful Elijah Schlabach came to the plate with nobody on and 2 outs. Elijah turned on a fastball from Drake Jeffries that rocketed into right field. Donovan, who has been practicing fly balls lately with his brothers and dad, got a really good jump on the ball. He ran to his left, getting his glove on the ball, and he just missed making a spectacular shoestring catch. Schlabach raced toards second base, but even his speed was no match for what followed. Suddenly, and seemingly possessed by the spirit of the great Hall of Famer and right fielder with a cannon of an arm for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Roberto Clemente, Donovan picked up the ball, turned and fired a strike all the way on a line into second base where his older brother, Damien Ferguson, stood, waiting to catch the missile. The ball arrived so quickly and it was launched so perfectly that the play was anticlimactic. It wasn't even close. Schlabach was easily out as Damien tagged the oncoming runner, whose look of stunned disbelief told the whole story.

Damien Ferguson took the momentum with him into the bottom of the first inning. sending a full count fastball over the head of the shortstop for a single. Damien then stole second and third base with Drake Jeffries at the plate. Damien's nifty base running put FBC ahead 1-0. Damien did not run into an out, but instead, he held at third when the ball hit by Jeffries was fielded by the pitcher. Schlabach threw to first to nip Jeffries for the second out of the inning, and when Damien saw the throw going into first base, he raced for home. The return throw home actually beat Damien to the plate, but Damien made a great slide, avoiding the tag for the first run of the game.

The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth inning when Kiwanis took a 1 run lead. Trevor Edwards was on the mound, having come in to pitch in the top of the third. Edwards found himself getting into trouble as he walked leadoff batter Clayton Hirsch. Preston Hayes lined out to left center fielder Drake Jeffries for out number 1, and Drake's throw back into first base almost doubled off Hirsch. Hirsch then reached third safely on a stolen base and a throwing error by catcher Skyler Hood. Elijah Schlabach walked and stole second, putting runners at second and third. Cayden Collings singled into center field to plate Hirsch as Schlabach was held up at third base, putting runners at the corner. Nathan Ray followed with a walk to load the bases. Time was asked for and granted, and Damien Ferguson was brought in from shortstop to relieve Edwards with the bases loaded, 1 out and the game on the line. And then came a brief moment of controversy.

Ethan Carmean came to the plate, and Damien Ferguson fell behind 2-0. He then followed with 2 quick strikes to even the count at 2-2. The batter was standing in the batter's box, and Damien did as he has been taught: He pitched the ball. Time had not been called for, and neither had it been granted. So when Damien saw the batter standing in the batter's box and not looking, Damien threw a pitch. The umpire was ready, and in fact, he was preparing to call strike 3 and ring up the batter. It was then that the third base coach (and member of the board, by the way) complained to the umpire that Damien had "quick-pitched" the batter, and that time should have been called. The umpire, who was a young teenage boy, obviously was intimidated by an adult (and member of the board, by the way), so he reversed himself and ruled the ball a "no pitch." So instead of Damien striking out the batter, which is what should have happened because a pitch is not a "no pitch" in hindsight, but can only be ruled a "no pitch" by the umpire at the time it is delivered, Damien ended up walking the batter, forcing in the go-ahead run from third base. But Damien did not let the call bother him, and he bore down, striking out Gavin Bennett on a back door, 2 seam fastball for out number 2. He then induced Brody Shook to ground out to third baseman Brayton Sparrow, who fielded the ball and stepped on third for the final out of the inning. FBC tied the score at 2 apiece when Drake Jeffries had a 2 out RBI double that drove in Michael Brown from second base. Brown had reached second after being issued a leadoff walk and stealing.

Kiwanis threatened with 2 outs in the top of the fifth inning, but they failed to score, leaving runners stranded at first and second. Damien got Preston Hayes to line out to second baseman Dalton Stephens to end the inning. FBC took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Dalton Armes led off with a single into center field, and Brayton Sparrow joined his teammate on base when he was hit by a pitch. Joseph Rader went down swinging for out number 1, bringing up Donovan "Roberto" Ferguson. Donovan fell behind no balls and 2 strikes, his second strike being a ball that just landed foul down the first base line. With 2 strikes on him, Donovan protected the plate, going with the pitch, and lining an outside corner fastball into right field for a double, scoring Armes, whose slide at home just beat the tag, putting FBC up 3-2. FBC could not muster anything more, however, and the inning ended with Donovan and Brayton stranded on base, bringing up the exciting sixth and final inning.

Drake Jeffries went back to the mound with his team clinging to a 1 run lead, and the heart of the Kiwanis order coming to the plate. Elijah Schlabach led off with a single into center field. He did not stay there long, however, as Cayden Collings' double deep into left field tied the score 3-3. Jeffries then struck out the next 3 batters as battery mate Donovan Ferguson held onto the foul tip third strike off the bat of Gavin Bennett to end the inning for Kiwanis, and bringing up the top of the batting order for FBC. Trevor Edwards was plunked hard on the helmet as Schlabach resumed pitching duties for Kiwanis, but Edwards bounced up immediately, and sprinted to first base unfazed. Damien Ferguson, who has been very good in the clutch for FBC lately, came to bat, but he fell behind 0-2. It looked as if he was going to do it again as he blasted a pitch down the third base line, but it was not meant to be this time. Nathan Ray made a great shoestring catch of the ball, robbing Damien of extra bases and another walk off hit, and momentarily saving the game for Kiwanis. This brought up Drake Jeffries. Trevor stole second to move into scoring position, and the count went full. I was suprised the Kiwanis coach did not elect to just go ahead and walk Drake at that point, but he chose not to, and Drake came through, sending the next pitch into center field as Edwards raced safely home with the winning run.

Drake Jeffries and Donovan Ferguson were awarded game balls at the conclusion of the game.

First National Bank Wins Again

The First National Bank Cal Ripken Baseball League team defeated the Police 9-3 on Monday, June 22, 2009. With the win, First National's record improved to 9-2.

Daniel Ferguson, who had come into the game without striking out all season, went 1 for 3 at the plate with an RBI double, 2 runs scored and 2 strikeouts. Daniel's bat, which had performed so well with him all season, cracked late last week during batting practice, so he had to use some other bats with which he was not yet very familiar in the game. (Mom has subsequently gone Ebaying, and a new bat should arrive any day now, hopefully in time for Daniel to get used to it before the All Star tournament this coming Fourth of July weekend.) Even though Daniel struck out swinging in his first at bat, he did not let that hold him back. He immediately sprinted down the first base line as the ball was not caught by the catcher, and he made it easily onto first safely. He stole second before coming around to score on an RBI double by Payton Hartbank. Daniel also showed how valuable and "heads up" a player he is in the top of the fourth inning. Daniel had doubled home teammate Garion Smyser from second base, bringing up Payton Hartbank. Hartbank lofted a towering popup on the infield, and when the first baseman stumbled making the catch, Daniel took off for third. The first baseman's throw from his knees was late and it just eluded the third baseman's glove, but that was all Daniel needed for him to race home safely. This was even more impressive considering the heat index at the time was sweltering over 100 degrees, and yet Daniel still hustled at all times.

Daniel also pitched 2 solid innings of relief, giving up just 1 unearned run. He lowered his season ERA to 0.53.

Daniel, Damien Ferguson Selected for All Star Teams

Daniel Ferguson (12 and in black in photo at right) and Damien Ferguson (10 and in purple in photo at right) have been selected to play in the upcoming All Star baseball tournaments.

Daniel will be on the 12 and under team scheduled to compete in the Fourth of July tournament to be held in Chesterfield, MO. Damien will be on the 10 and under American Division squad which will be playing in a tournament also to be played the Fourth of July weekend in Mattoon, IL. Mom will be traveling to Missouri to be with Daniel, while I will be staying home to watch Damien play.

Both boys are quite capable of playing any position, including both pitching and catching. Daniel has played mostly at catcher this season for his Cal Ripken team, although he has seen more action at center field, shortstop and pitching here of late. Damien has played shortstop for the most part for his Kids Pitch baseball team, particularly since his younger brother, Donovan, has began to carry some of the catching duties. Damien has played the outfield on his traveling team, the Mattoon Hit Men, so he is quite confortable patroling the grass between the foul poles.

Good luck to both of you and your teams!

Godly Fathers, Godly Meditation

When the Apostle Paul was giving his instructions to Christian families in his letter to the Ephesians, he had this to say to fathers: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4 [RSV]). Nothing is so important for fathers to do than to follow this command to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, and to do so takes work. It means we will have to engage ourselves in knowing what God’s will is, which means we must study, learn and apply God’s will in our lives so that we can teach it to our children. In other words, it is going to take effort.

The role of men, particularly here in 21st century America, has been downplayed to a great extent. This is very unfortunate, for God’s word makes it quite clear that men and fathers are to be the spiritual leaders of their homes. In fact, the relationship God expects between husbands and wives is compared to that of Christ and the church, which is His bride. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:22-33 [RSV],

22. Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. 23. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior. 24. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.

25. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26. that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27. that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

28. Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, 30. because we are members of His body. 31. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32. This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church; 33. however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

God has always wanted His people to study and meditate upon His word. God told Joshua following the death of Moses in Joshua 1:8 [RSV], “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.”

May the Lord bless all the godly men who are seeking to be the spiritual heads of their families!

Damien Ferguson Has Walk-off Home Run as FBC Wins Regular Season Finale

On Tuesday, June 16, 2009, the FBC Kids Pitch Baseball club bested KC Summers 14-4. The game was a matchup of 2 teams with identical records going into the contest, so with the victory, FBC becomes the second seed in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament beginning this Thursday (tomorrow).

Damien Ferguson had a 2 out, 2 run walk-off home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to seal the victory for FBC. He now leads his team with 23 RBIs and 23 runs scored. He also is tied in home runs with 2, sharing this honor with Drake Jeffries and Dalton Stephens.

KC went down easily in the top of the first inning as pitcher Trevor Edwards struck out the side in order. Following a leadoff strikeout of Trevor Edwards, Damien Ferguson was issued a full count walk that ignited a 5 run rally in the bottom of the frame. Damien turned some nifty baserunning into the first run for FBC. He stole second base before tagging up and taking third on an infield popup caught by the second baseman. Damien came home on an RBI single hit by Dalton Stephens. Dalton Armes followed with a hit up the middle, and both runners advanced on a passed ball. Brayton Sparrow, who also is swinging the bat very well here of late, had an RBI single into left, with Armes holding at third. Sparrow stole second and Skyler Hood walked to load the bases, and Donovan Ferguson drew a 4 pitch walk to drive in Armes from third, making the score 3-0. Joseph Rader completed the 2 out rally by hitting a fly ball single into right center field that plated both Sparrow and Hood.

KC Summers scored 1 run in the top of the second when Hayden Birdsong singled into right center field, scoring teammate Gavin Conrad, who had reached on a hit by pitch. Conrad had moved up to second on a fielder's choice when shortstop Damien Ferguson dove to his right, gathered the ball up, and threw out Jacob Hendren at third base from his knees, taking a hit away from Reece Jones. FBC's bats came alive again in the bottom of the inning as they sent 10 batters to the plate, scoring 6 runs. Michael Brown walked and stole second and third. Trevor Edwards hit an infield single with Brown remaining at third base. Damien Ferguson walked to load the bases, and Drake Jeffries followed with an RBI walk of his own, making it 6-1 FBC. Dalton Stephens singled into left field, scoring Edwards and Ferguson. Damien challenged the left fielder's arm, and the throw to the plate was late, which allowed Jeffries to move to third and Stephens to advance to second base on the play. Dalton Armes had the second infield single of the inning as both runners held, loading the bases again. Brayton Sparrow drove a fastball hard into the ground, and the ball took a high hop, and all runners were safe as Jeffries scored the fourth run of the inning. Skyler Hood and Donovan Ferguson struck out before Joseph Rader hit his second 2 out, 2 run single into right center field to finish the scoring in the second for FBC.

Dalton Stephens took the mound in the top of the third inning, and some poor defense led to 2 unearned runs for KC Summers. Quinn Camfield and Wesley Otto both reached safely on throwing errors. Camfield was able to go all the way to third base on the bad throw from third baseman Dalton Armes, and he scored on the throwing error by second baseman Alex Platz. Otto took second as the throw eluded first baseman Trevor Edwards, whose coach (and dad) was overheard saying in the dugout, "Of all the innings I had to pick to put our shortest player at first base, I picked this inning!" Both throws were high, and most likely could have been caught by the team's other first basemen. Otto scored when Mason Thomas singled into deep right field. A good play from right fielder Michael Brown prevented the ball from going all the way to the fence, and he quickly threw the ball into the infield, holding Thomas at first. FBC responded with a single tally as Damien Ferguson's single to short drove in Michael Brown from third base. Brown reached on a hit by pitch, and he stole second and third base before coming home on the infield hit by Damien, who really hustled down the line to beat the throw.

Neither team scored in the fourth inning.

KC scored their last run of the game in the top of the fifth inning off pitcher Brayton Sparrow's throwing error, which led to an unearned run crossing the plate. Leadoff batter David Thompson popped up to Sparrow on the mound for out number 1. Quinn Camfield hit a come backer to Brayton, and his throw to first base was wild, sending Camfield to third. He then scored on Otto Wesley's double into center field. Warren Hunter struck out and Joshua Blood grounded out to end the inning, setting up Damien Ferguson's heroics in the bottom of the fifth. Both Alex Platz and Michael Brown struck out looking, bringing the top of the order. Trevor Edwards was issued a free pass. He quickly stole second base to move into scoring position. Damien Ferguson swung at the first pitch, which was a fastball low and in the dirt. Pitch 2 was a fastball that caught the inside of the plate for a called strike 2. Pitch 3 was a waste pitch that was low and away, and this time Damien did not bite, and the count moved to 1 ball and 2 strikes. Pitcher Camfield's next offering was a high fastball, but it was not high enough, and Damien got all of it, sending the ball into deep center field. Once again, as in their previous contest, the outfielders were playing very deep, and stationed about 10 feet from the fence. The ball took one bounce before hitting the center fielder, who did a really good job keeping the ball in front of him. By the time he picked up the ball Damien was rounding second base and heading for third. Damien had the green light from his third base coach, and he hit third base in stride, before turning toward home. Damien was not to be deprived this time. By the time the ball was picked up by the third baseman, Damien was crossing home plate standing up with his first career walk off home run, a 2 run shot to end the game on the 10 run mercy rule, 14-4.

Donovan Ferguson Homers in 17-14 Loss

Donovan Ferguson went 4 for 4, including a 3 run home run in the bottom of the first inning, but it was not enough as his Jackson Dealerships Coach Pitch Baseball team fell to the Mattoon Fire Department 17-14 in extra innings on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

Donovan sent a 2-1 pitch deep into left field and, with his speed, he was able to circle the bases without a play and safely reach home.

This was the final regular season game before tournament play begins this coming Thursday.

Donovan has been having a great season in Coach Pitch this year, hitting .739 with 1 home run and 27 RBIs. He has also scored 22 runs. Defensively, he has done very well, playing shortstop, first base and the pitcher position.