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Anders Dominates as Henry Powers Royals' Sweep

By Larry Lachman, 08/04/20, 12:45AM CDT

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What a contrast from a week ago…

The Royals’ quest to sweep a doubleheader for the first time this season got off to a great start on Sunday with a 12 – 11 come-from-behind victory over Samsel’s Yard Goats at Spirit Park in Allen.  TSSL Player of the WeekMax Henry, blasted two homeruns, accounting for eight of the Royals’ 12 runs, and the Royals welcomed Reese Leonard in his first game as the Royals’ starting shortstop and permanent replacement for the venerable, Matt Ruckel.

Brian Criswell’s inside-the-park homerun and Sheldon Fulton’s 2-run double enabled the Royals to take a 3 – 0 lead in the top of the first. 

The Yard Goats used two big innings – a 5-run first and a 4-run fourth – to score 9 of their 11 runs, as the Royals had no answer for Tony Martin, who went a perfect 4 – 4, and scored three of the Yard Goats’ runs.  Other than those two innings, Royals’ pitcher, Mike Anders, turned in a dominant pitching performance – yielding only four runs over the course of 12 innings – the rest of the day. 

It didn’t take long for Leonard to make his presence known.  In the bottom of the fourth, with four runs in, the bases loaded, and only one out, Leonard short-hopped a hard smash headed up the middle, and turned the 6–3 double play to end the threat and the inning. 

The Royals chipped away at the Yard Goats lead, scoring one in the second, three in the third, and two in the fourth, as the two teams headed to the top of the sixth all knotted up at nine apiece.

Final

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

Royals

3

1

3

2

0

3

0

12

18

Yard Goats

5

0

0

4

0

2

0

11

20

 

Criswell and Leonard singled to begin the sixth and stood at first and second when Henry strolled to the plate.  Henry did not see a hittable pitch in his first plate appearance in the top of the first with a runner on base.  He went yard in the top of the third when the Yard Goats pitched to him as he led off the inning.  But now  here in the sixth, with the game tied – a walk would load the bases, and put two runners in scoring position with nobody out; the Yard Goats had to pitch to the Royals’ slugger.

As Henry whipped his bat through the strike zone and barreled a 2 – 1 pitch from former Royal, Roy White, the softball soared through the cloudless sky.  Henry took a moment to admire his work, clutched his bat in his hands and held a follow-through pose for a split second, and then shifted his eyes toward the morning sky, tracking the orbit of his blast.  Moments later, he broke into a trot, peering at his exuberant, cheering teammates in the third-base dugout.  12 – 9.

The Yard Goats scratched across two runs in the bottom of the frame, and had the bases loaded with only one out, when Anders did his best Houdini impersonation, inducing a popup and then a ground out as the Royals clung to a 12 – 11 lead heading to the top of the seventh.  After the Royals went scoreless in the top of the frame, Anders delivered in the clutch again by retiring the Yard Goats with the tying run at first, and the winning run at the plate to end the game.

Game 1 Offensive Stars

Max Henry  2 – 2, 3 Runs, 5 RBI, BB, SF, 2 HRs, GWRBI
Sheldon Fulton  
4 – 4, 1 Run, 3 RBI, 3 2B
Brian Criswell 3 – 3, 3 Runs, 1 RBI, BB,
HR
Mike Anders  
3 – 4, 1 Run, 1 RBI, 2B
Reese Leonard  2 – 4, 3 Runs
Robert Garcia  2 – 4, 1 Run

In the nightcap, Anders picked up where he left off in the first game, and turned in a masterpiece, outdueling Knights’ ace, Scott Greenberg, as the Royals defeated Greenberg’s Knights 8 – 2 in a low scoring affair on field 3.  The Knights jumped out to a quick 1 – 0 lead in the top of the first, but saw their only real threat end when Leonard turned his second 6–3 double play of the day.  Anders held the Knights scoreless for the next five innings, and scattered eight hits over seven dominant innings for the victory over a hot-hitting Knights team that had just scored 13 runs in their previous game.

The Royals turned over the lineup in the bottom of the first as they plated five runs, and never looked back.  Leonard’s RBI double, and Anders’ and Asher Feltman’s RBI singles keyed the offensive eruption after Spencer Manz and Criswell singled to lead off the inning.

Henry continued his big day with three more hits, including an RBI single in the second, and a 2-run double in the fourth.  The Royals scored 20 runs in their doubleheader sweep, with Henry accounting for 12 of them.

 Final

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

 Knights

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

2

8

 Royals

5

1

0

2

0

0

x

8

17

 

Anders took an 8 – 1 lead into the seventh inning, and – other giving up a no-doubt-about-it, solo shot to former Royal, Joshua Forniglia – was able to keep the Knights off balance the entire game.  Anders helped his cause by contributing with the leather and the bat, too, as he snared multiple sharp grounders and line drives up the middle to keep the Yard Goats and Knights at bay throughout the day.  And, oh, by the way, he went 6 – 7 at the plate, too.

The Royals proudly dedicated their resounding double header sweep to Matt Ruckel, who was in attendance, cheering the Royals on.

Game 2 Offensive Stars

Brian Criswell 4 – 4, 3 Runs, 2B
Mike Anders  3 – 3, 1 RBI
Max Henry  3 – 4, 4 RBI, 2B
Reese Leonard  2 – 3, 2 Runs, 1 RBI, BB
Spencer Manz  2 – 4, 1 Run, 2B

Anders Dominates as Henry Powers Royals’ Sweep