West Warwick

Titan Sports Orioles (15-1; First Place – Western Division)

            In 2007, the Orioles combined power pitching and hitting to dominate the regular season before winning the playoff championship over the Centreville Bank Red Sox.  After a one year hiatus, the Orioles seem to be on the road to another championship.  If solid pitching is one of the key ingredients to a championship run, then, the Orioles, who have the deepest pitching staff in the league this year, are primed for the playoffs.  In fact, the Orioles, who have outscored their opponents, 109-43, have spread the majority of the work around five hurlers this past spring.  Leading pitchers for the Orioles include 12 year olds Oliver Daras and Nick Morel; 11 year olds Trevor Lawton and Ray Zincone; and 10 year old Hunter Dean.  Although the Orioles have had the ability to produce a “big inning,” their pitching staff has been able to hold off their opponents in six victories which were decided by one run twice (5-4, 4-3 victories over the WW PIC Athletics) and two runs on four different occasions.  Ray Zincone, who was a starting outfielder for  Deering Middle School as a sixth grader and who is one the Rhode Island Rays top pitchers this year, has struck out 19 batters and allowed just one earned run on 8 2/3 innings pitched.  Hunter Dean has struck out 37 batters, walked five and allowed only ten earned runs in 22 2/3 innings of work.  Trevor Lawton has struck out 33 batters and allowed just seven earned runs in 18 2/3 innings.  Nick Morel has struck out 13 batters in 12 2/3 innings and Oliver Daras has struck out 24 batters and allowed only four hits in 12 1/3 innings. 

Perhaps, the best pitching performance for the Orioles came on May 8^th when Trevor Lawton, Hunter Dean, Oliver Daras, and Nick Morel combined on no hitter to defeat the Gordon Orthodontics Yankees, 6-0.  In the game the quartet struck out eight batters and walked one.  In their May 15^th 7-2 victory over the Richard’s Oil Marlins, Lawton, Dean, and Morel combined on an eleven strikeout – two hitter.  As one coach acknowledged midway through the year, “You don’t get a break when facing any Oriole pitcher.” 

While their pitching has been solid, the Oriole offense has been the most consistent “1-9” line up in the league this year.  Offensively, the Orioles have received a great year from Oliver Daras, who has literally been an “extra hitting” machine with over ten extra base hits (three doubles, four triples, three home runs, and 21 r.b.i.’s) this year.  Daras has had several multiple hit games and has launched several towering home runs in league play.  Daras, who had a game winning home run in 4-3 victory over the Athletics on May 22^nd, had two of his best hitting games (4/4, two triples, two runs, and two r.b.i.’s) in a 10-3 victory over the Red Sox and a 13-1 victory over the A’s on May 2^nd (3/4, one triple, one home run, two runs scored, and seven r.bi.’s). 

Surrounding Daras at the top of the potent Oriole line up are Ray Zincone (22/42, .524, seven extra base hits), Cullen Kirchmeyer (19/39, .487, five extra base hits, and 10 r.b.i.’s), Trevor Lawton (18/41, .439, seven extra base hits, and 18 r.b.i.’s), and Nick Morel Morel (.375, seven doubles, and 14 runs scored), During the year, each player has had several moments to shine:  Ray Zincone (4/4, one run score vs. the A’s on May 22^nd & 3/3, four runs scored vs. the A’s on May 2^nd ); Nick Morel (3/4, two runs scored, and one r.b.i. vs. the A’s on May 16^th ); Cullen Kirchmeyer (3/4, two runs, and two r.b.i.’s vs. the Dodgers on May 9^th); Trevor Lawton (3/4, one triple, two runs scored, and two r.b.i.’s vs. the A’s on May 2^nd  & 3/4, two doubles, and three runs scored vs. the Red Sox on May 22^nd). 

The Orioles’ second part of their line up has also caused their opponents problems all year long.  Twelve year old Corey Greaves (.452 obp, seven hits and five runs scored), who has seen a lot of playing time at the corners, has added additional power at the end of the Oriole line up.  Eleven year old newcomers to the Oriole line up, Tyler Coburn, Tim Fournier, Tyler McGregor have combined for six hits, ten runs, and 7 r.b.i.’s this season.  Ten year olds Billy-Rae Singpracha (.300 obp, two hits, and three runs scored) and Hunter Dean (nine hits and 9 r.b.i.’s) add talent and experience as the heavily favored Orioles gear up for the 2009 playoffs and begin their ascent to win their second playoff championship in three years.