SOUTH BRUNSWICK WHITE SOX BASEBALL


SoxWire Archives 2001
2001 PREVIEW: A FEW BRIGHT SPOTS DESPITE SEASON OF DISAPPOINTMENT The 2000 season finally ended for the South Brunswick White Sox when they were swept by the Mets on Sunday. The Sox finished the year at 4-13, well behind their playoff making 8-11 pace of 1999, but when you realize that they picked up three victories by forfeit last year (as compared to one this season) it doesn’t seem all that bad. Here are a few more reasons to look forward to next year. On the mound: Rick Ochocki transformed from an emergency relief specialist into a workhorse, throwing a whopping XX innings this year. Baffling opposing hitters with an array of offspeed pitches, Ochocki proved that he is a capable starter. Rookies Joe Pring and Kyle Anderson showed signs of being forces to be reckoned with. They both battled control problems, but also flashed formidable fastballs. If these two can add a little polish in the off season, they will -- along with veteran Chris Van Hise and Ochocki -- make a solid rotation for the 2001 season. In the field: The Sox seem to have found a solid combination in their United Nations outfield of Apostolos "Paul" Kamaranpoulos, Eliazar "Ricky" Riccardo, and Dan "Chainlink" Skelton. These three started all but XX games in the outfield together this year, combining for only XX errors all year. Riccardo and Kamaranopolos both cover a lot of territory, and what Skelton lacks in range, he makes up for with sure hands. What he reaches, he catches. Throw in Riccardo's arm -- one of the strongest in the division -- and you have a defensive presence. The Sox are also set at the corners with Ken Bruck flashing the leather at third, and John Kuhn making the picks at first. The only defensive limitations seem to be in the middle infield where no member of their infield by committee stepped up as a proven starter. However, there are reasons to be hopeful. Both Kyle Anderson and Pete Hityan had promising days at shortstop, and once an every-day shortstop is found, veteran Mike Rothman will find a home at second base providing a solid, consistence prescence up the middle. At the plate: Several Sox stepped it up this year, but none more so than Dan Skelton. A career good-field/no-hit specialist, Skelton had a breakout season. Showing no signs that his collision with an outfield fence last season did any permanent damage, Skelton flirted with .300 all year falling a single base hit shy. His final batting average of .288 was a good 50 points higher than his previous best. Skelton also posted career-high totals in hits, runs and RBIs. In the future: Proven Sox veterans Jim Pagano, Wayne Maindelle and Dave Steele are returning to the team. These three would add a great deal of pop at the plate and some needed assistance on defense and the mound. Throw in the usual cast of rookies, and the Sox have a quality mix that should make some noise in 2001.

OPENING DAY POSTPONED APRIL 8: METUECHEN, NJ - For the second year in a row, the White Sox opening day was rained out. The game versus the Metuechn Bulls will be made up at a later date. The Sox first game of the year will now be the contest against the Belmar Brewers on April 22nd.

FURIOUS FINISH BRINGS VICTORY APRIL 22: SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ- The White Sox spent most of opening day behind by at least two runs, but a late-inning hitting spree led to John Kuhn's walk-off single capping a five-run ninth and a 14-13 victory. Dave Steele started on the mound in his return to the White Sox and looked good despite a shaky start. The leadoff batter for the visiting Brewers drew a walk and the next batter homered to left putting the Sox in a hole right form the start. The Brewers scored five in the first, but Steele settled in after that and held them scoreless over the next four. The Sox managed to scrape out a few runs and trailed 5-3 when Chris Van Hise took over for Steele. Van Hise also looked strong limiting the Brewers to two runs in his two innings of work before giving way to Rick Ochocki. When the Sox came to bat in the eighth inning they were down 12-7, but RBI hits from ____ and _____ brought them within 12-9. The Brewers scored a single run in the top of the ninth and set up the dramitic finish. Joe Pring led off for the Sox and reached first on a ground ball that the Brewer shortstop booted. Kyle Anderson followed with _______ and then ______ _____ed. [Sorry, but I need a peek at the book to put in all the details.] Sox Hilights: Despite giving up 13 runs, the Sox defense actully looke strong. Greg Skavron made a handful of nice plays at short, and even started a 6-4-3 double play. Monty Forthun was solid behind the plate, and several positions were handled by committee without incident.

ASTROS BATTER SOX INTO SUBMISSION APRIL 29: ELIZABETH, NJ - Despite a quick start that saw the Sox plate four first inning runs, and 10 in the first four innings, the Sox lost to the Astros today by a final score of 21-11. It was the first mercy-rule game of the season for the Sox who gave up the decisive 21st run in the bottom of the eight inning. Early leads were lost due to walks and errors in the field and the fact that the Sox scored only one run over the last four innings.

METS EXPLODE IN 6TH--BEAT SOX MAY 6: SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - One bad inning--that's all it took for the Sox to lose a competitve contest. Good pitching and defense had kept the Sox in the game with the Mets for four innings. Despite retiring the first two Mets' batters in the fifth, the Sox managed to give up four runs in the fifth, and then came the sixth in which the Mets plated seven runs. The Sox did battle back to make it interesting, but never got with three runs again. Sox Hilights: Ricardo hit the Sox' first home run of the season, a solo shot well over the centerfield fence; Chris Van Hise doubled; Joe Pring had a pinch hit single in the ninth. The Sox' defense turned in several sparkling efforts including a great snatch and throw by Jim Pagano; an 8-4-6 (Ricardo-Kyle Anderson-Greg Scavron) relay to kill a sure Met double to the gap; and Van Hise's pickoff of a napping Mets base runner. Right fielder, Dan Skelton pulled in a career-high four put outs.

SOX SPLIT WITH CUBS MAY 20: EDISON, NJ - The White Sox played two of their best games of the season today, winning one and losing the other when their last inning rally fell just short. Game One: In the first game of the scheduled double header against the Edison Cubs, Dave Steele threw the Sox' first complete game of the season, scattering 11 hits over seven innings work and limiting the Cubs to 7 runs. The Sox' defense stood up well behind Steele committing only one error that did not factor into the scoring. Steele helped himself out at the plate as well, going 3-4 with two doubles and a stolen base. Game One Hilights: Kyle Anderson stole 3 bases and scored 2 runs, both on passed balls. Joining Dave Steele with multi-hit games were Greg Scavron, Ken Bruck and Rick Ochocki. On defense, shortstop Greg Scavron made a leaping, over the shoulder snag of a line drive. Game Two: The second game was much more closely contested. The score was tied at 2 after going into the bottom of the second where the Sox plated four runs. The Cubs then scored 2 runs each in the tops of the third and fourth innings to take a 6-4 lead. Each team scored a single run in each of their next five turns at bat, leading to a 9-8 White Sox lead after six. Having thrown 6 solid innings, starter Chris Van Hise went to the mound looking for the Sox' second straight complete game victory. Unfortunately, the Cubs came alive in the top of the seventh, scoring 5 times. The damage could have been worse, but Rick Ochocki put out the fire by retiring the last two batters. In the bottom of the seventh, the Sox also showed signs of life. Kyle Anderson led off with a walk and promptly stole both second and third bases -- the third time of the day he had accomplished this. Anderson scored on a groundball out by Greg Scavron. Ricardo then singled and stole second, Chris Van Hise walked bringing the tying run to the plate. After a flyball out to right, Ricardo scored and Van Hise moved to third when John Kuhn singled. The rally came up short, however, when the final batter was induced to ground out to short. Game Two Hilights: Leadoff man, Kyle Anderson went 2-3 with a home run, and finished the day with 5 stolen bases. Joining Anderson with multi-hit games were DHs Ricardo, Ken Bruck, first baseman John Kuhn, and right fielder Dan Skelton who had 2 doubles and 3 RBIs in the contest. On defense, third baseman Mike Rothman collided with the fence while making a diving catch of a foul pop up.

VAN HISE SHUTS DOWN BULLS BATS JUNE 3: MONMOUTH JUNCTION, NJ - The White Sox combined their sixth straight double-digit scoring effort with a remarkable pitching performace from veteran Chris Van Hise to shut out the Bulls 10-0. Van Hise threw an 85-pitch complete game. Over seven innings -- the mercy rule was envoked when rightfielder Dan Skelton's pop up fell in to bring in the Sox' tenth run in the bottom of the seventh -- Van Hise allowed only one hit and five base runners. He allowed two walks and struck out three. At the plate, the Sox made the most of their seven hits by taking advantage of six Bulls errors (four in the first inning when the Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead) and 11 walks. Sox Hilights: John Kuhn and Monty Forthun both came through with clutch, two-out base hits to drive in two runs each; Ricardo made a running back-handed catch to rob a Bull batter of a sure double; Chris Van Hise's final line on the day was 7 innings pitched, 0 runs, 1 hit, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, and the win.

GIANT DEFENSE RULES THE DAY JUNE 10: BRIDGEWATER, NJ - For the second straight game, the White Sox pitched well and played solid defense. Unfortunately, this was not enough to beat the Giants who played even better "D" and managed to nudge seven runs across the plate to defeat the Sox 7-4. Dave Steele went six innings and looked good despite being victimized by a two-out, bases-loaded triple in the second inning in which the Giants plated four runs. After the second, Steele retired ten of the next eleven hitters before tiring in the sixth. Chris Van Hise pitched the final two innings allowing a lone, unearned run. The Sox defense looked good again despite playing at least two different men at every position except shortstop and third. Three errors were comitted, but only one of these figured in the scoring. The Sox' bats were anything but quiet, but the Giants seemed to have extra men on the field as almost every well-hit ball found someone's glove. Sox Hilights: Monty Forthun doubled in the seventh and scored on Ricardo's second home run of the year ; Ricardo collected an assist by throwing out a Giant's runner at second; both Dave Steele and Chris Van Hise picked runners off first base.

DISAPPOINTMENT REIGNS JUNE 17: WALL, NJ - Torrential rains caused the postponement of the much anticipated match between the White Sox and the Belmar Brewers. Sox Hilights: Catcher/DH Ken Bruck was the only White Sox player to attend the highly successful pre-game barbeque at rightfileder Dan Skelton's beach house.



Ken Bruck and Teammates Celebrate His Home Run

SOX BATTER JAYS JUNE 24: SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - The Whites Sox bats came to life and Chris Van Hise dominated the Jays as the White Sox rolled to a 14-1 win over the first-place Blue Jays and into the division lead. Van Hise threw his second one-hitter of the year, and was supported by multi-hit games from seven of his teammates including home runs from Monty Forthun, Jim Pagano and Ken Bruck. The Sox scored early and often, and were held without a run in only the third and sixth innings. Sox Hilights: Third baseman Jim Pagano caught fire going 3-4 with a home run and 3 RBI. DH Ken Bruck collected 4 RBIs with a double and a home run. Catcher Monty Forthun homered to leadoff the second inning in which the Sox scored four times. Ricardo flashed the leather in center, stole two bases and picked up three hits. Also recording multi-hit games were: shortstop Greg Scavron, left fielder Kyle Anderson, and DH Andy Takacs.



Rick Ochocki Tags Out a Would-be Base Stealer to End the Game

WHAT ARE YOU DOING...ABOVE 500? JUNE 24: EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - It wasn't pretty, but the White Sox survived their first ever wood-bat-only game and defeated the Rangers 12-9 to move above .500. This is the latest into a season that the White Sox have had a winning record in at least five years. With ace pitcher Chris Van Hise resting a sore arm, Rick Ochocki got the start, and responded with his best performance to date. Ochocki scattered nine hits over seven innings to earn the win. Van Hise came in to get the final six outs and the save. The high level of defensive play exhibited by the Sox over the past month fell off a bit, with a couple of dropped flies, but Ochocki battled through the toughest spots and gave his offense a chance to pull out the victory. Despite predictions that wooden bats would lead to low scores, the White Sox plated 12 runs with 13 hits. Their cause was aided by seven Ranger errors and a multitude of passed balls and wild pitches. The Sox used a couple of big innings to pull away from the Rangers, scoring 4 runs in the third and 5 more in the sixth thanks to clutch, two-out, RBI base hits from Monty Forthun, Scott Sievert, Dan Skelton, and Jim Howlett. Sox Hilights: Center fielder Ricardo hit a two-run, inside-the-park home run in the third. DH Ken Bruck hit his first triple of the season. Jim Howlett went 2-4 with a stolen base.
RED SOX RUN WHITE SOX RAGGED JULY 8: HIGHTSTOWN, NJ - It wasn't pretty. The Hightsown Red Sox stole 18 total bases while beating the White Sox 16-6 in a mercy-rule-shortened contest. A second solid start by Rick Ochocki, along with yet another strong defensive effort, was wasted when the White Sox bats managed to plate a mere six runs. Sox Hilights: Kyle Anderson had two hits and two stolen bases. Center fielder Ricardo went 2-3 with two doubles and a RBI. Shortstop Gregg Scavron had a two-run double. Third baseman Jim Pagano stayed hot, going 2-3 with a couple of RBIs.
SOX SPLIT WITH JAYS, STAY IN FIRST JULY 15: SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - The White Sox and Blue Jays split a double header today with the Sox taking the first game 17-2, and the Jays winning the second contest 12-4. GAME ONE: VAN HISE AND HOWLETT TAKE CHARGE Starting Pitcher Chris Van Hise continued his dominance over the Blue Jays and left fielder Jim Howlett exploded at the plate to lead the Sox to victory. After tossing a one-hitter against the Jays on June 24th, Van Hise limited them to only 4 hits and two runs over seven innings today. It wasn't all that easy, however, as Van Hise had to work out of a first-inning jam of his own making. After hitting the Jays' leadoff man with the first pitch of the game, Van Hise walked the next man and then hit the number three hitter. Shortstop Gregg Scavron helped stem the tide by picking up the clean-up hitter's ground ball for a 6u-3 double play. Van Hise then walked another man before finally escaping the inninng by striking out the next batter. Howlett, who came into the game with a total of 5 hits and 4 RBIs on the season, went 3-3 with a double and a whopping 5 RBIs. The game was called on account of the mercy rule after the Sox scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning -- culminated by a bases-loaded single by right fielder Dan Skelton -- to take a fifteen run lead. Game One Hilights: Designated hitter Ken Bruck had two hits and four RBIs. Center fielder Ricardo drove in two runs. Shortstop Gregg Scavron collected two hits and a RBI. Third baseman Jim Pagano managed to score four runs without swinging a bat; he walked four times on 17 pitches. GAME TWO: JAYS SLOW SOX BATS The Blue Jays finally managed to quiet the White Sox bats, and scored six first-inning runs on way to a 12-4 win. After losing two games to Chris Van Hise and the mercy rule this year, the Blue Jays took advantage of three other Sox hurlers. Van Hise did pitch to one batter in the first inning to stop the bleeding, but the damage was done and the Jays built an 11-0 lead before the Sox finaly scored in the fifth inning. It should be noted that the Sox were playing without Ricardo and Gregg Scavron -- two of their top three hitters. Game Two Hilights: Designated hitter Chris Van Hise went 3-3 with a double. Third baseman Ken Bruck hit two doubles. Center fielder Kyle Anderson had two hits. Left fielder Jim Howlett finished the day 4-6 with two doubles and six RBIs. The Blue Jay's left fielder and leadoff man Tom ______ deserves special mention for playing game two despite being forced out of game one after being hit with the first pitch of the day; knocking down Monty Forthun's first-inning RBI single with the part of his body that should have been protected by a cup; and finally colliding with the Sox second basemen while being thrown out attempting to steal.
SOX WIN TWO GAMES IN 40 HOURS WOOD BATS, NIGHT GAME BRING BIG-LEAGUE FEEL TO CJMSBL JULY 27: NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - The South Brunswick White Sox returned to winning ways tonight by beating the Jersey Shore Brewers 12-7 while playing under the lights for the first time this year. The Sox jumped out to a early 2-0, and eventually scored twelve runs by plating single runs in every inning and two runs in the first, third and fifth innings. Using wooden bats, and a small-ball mentality, the Sox scored 12 runs by stealing nine bases and taking advantage of four Brewer errors. The biggest hit of the night came off the bat of DH Chris Van Hise who had a two-run double in the first. Dave Steele celebrated his return to the team by pitching a complete game, scattering nine hits and striking out 12 while walking only four. The Sox finish a perfect 2-0 in the wood bat only games. Sox Hilights: The Sox' balanced attack provided only two multi-hit games: Ricardo went 2-5 with a RBI and Kyle Anderson went 2-2 with a triple, two walks and two stolen bases. SOX SQUEAK BY RANGERS JULY 29: SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - The White Sox survived a dogfight and eventually beat the Rangers 4-3 today. It was an uphill battle all the way -- battling not only the Rangers, but also the effects of playing two games in 40 hours, the Sox fell behind in the first and fourth innings, but came back with runs of their own in the bottom of both innings. Things could have been worse, however, especially in the fourth inning. The Rangers' lead-off hitter reached base when the Sox center fielder let a sinking line drive pop out of his glove. The base runner then moved to second on a ground ball to second base. The Rangers' number-three hitter then drove starter Rick Ochocki's third pitch on a line to right where Dan Skelton made a lunging catch and eventually threw to second base from his knees. The throw was not in time to double of the base runner, but the Sox appealed that he had not retouched third base on his way back to second. The umpires ruled the base runner out, and the inning over without any scoring, but the Rangers protested this decision, and the Sox were eventually ordered back out onto the field. A two-out single from the Rangers' clean-up hitter, _______ Maragota, brought in a run, and the next batter reached on the Sox second error of the inning. Catcher, Monty Forthun, then ended the threat by throwing out Maragota attempting to steal third. The Rangers took a brief lead in the seventh inning on a lead-off walk and two base hits. The Sox threatened to tie it up in their half of the Dave Steele led off with a single and moved to third on a swinging bunt by John Kuhn and a passed ball. Steele was stranded their by his teammates who left a total of 11 runners on the day. The Sox came back in the bottom of the eighth -- led, appropriately enough, by lead-off hitter Gregg Scavron. The Sox shortstop singled to start the inning, promptly stole second, then went to third on a passed ball and tied the game by scoring when the Ranger's catcher threw the ball away in an attempt to nail Scavron at third. After Kyle Anderson flew out to right, pitcher Chris Van Hise doubled to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. One out later, left fielder Jim Howlett punched the first pitch he saw down the first-base line into right. Anderson -- running for Van Hise -- scored easily and Howlett was thrown out trying to advance to second. In the top of the ninth, Chris Van Hise shut the door on the Rangers by setting down the first three men he faced on a fly ball to center, a strike out and a ground ball to second to end the game. Sox Hilights: The Sox got multi-hit games from shortstop, Gregg Scavron -- who also had two stolen bases -- center fielder, Kyle Anderson -- including a double -- and third baseman, Jim Pagano.

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