Unofficial title game goes to team put together by Cincinnati Reds, who defeated a squad that had several Californians on the roster. Brewers Blue pitching is dominant in its final game, a 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

The workmanlike Cincinnati Reds took the unofficial Area Code team title with a 8-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Monday afternoon at Blair Field in Long Beach. The Reds, made of up players mainly from the Four Corners region plus Nevada, used seven different pitchers in a seven-inning game to dethrone a team primarily made up of players from the Southeast Region of the United States, plus seven additional players from right here in the Golden State.

Those A's players were brothers Brett and Bobby Geren (San Ramon Valley, Danville), catcher Andrew Knapp (Granite Bay), pitcher Jake Stassi (Yuba City), utility player Andrew Thurman (Orange Lutheran), outfielder Colton Keough (Tesoro, Las Flores) and pitcher Robbie Rowland (Cloverdale).

It's ironic that that the A's has seven players from California because it's the same number of players that were unavailable for Monday's title tilt, according to Area Code Baseball Director Andrew Drennen of ESPN RISE. It was readily apparent the Reds had more arms to work with as none of their pitchers faced more than four batters in any inning, whereas the A's first two hurlers threw to 27 batters, allowing seven runs, but only one earned.
The game was a microcosm of the generally poor infield defense played in Long Beach throughout the week, but the title game's outcome might have played out differently if the A's had all the players on their roster available. Rowland had thrown three solid innings earlier in the week, but his presence was missed in Monday's unofficial title game.

"The A's coaches told me afterwards (Robbie) Rowland definitely would have pitched on Monday if he was there," Drennen remarked.

As for the All-California clubs, the Milwaukee Brewers Blue and Gray squads, their final results were positive, although one team lost and the other was victorious.

The Blue squad, made up exclusively of a roster of SoCal players with the exception of first baseman Tyler Kuresa (Oakmont, Roseville), finished tied for second place with the A's in the Area Code team standings with a 3-1-1 mark. The two clubs played to an 8-8 tie last Thursday. The Brewers Blue had
taken an early 4-0 lead and a 7-3 lead after three and a half inning of play in that game. The A's, however, made a spirited comeback in the later innings, highlighted by a two-run single by Geren in the bottom of the sixth.

The Brewers Blue closed out its week and the Area Code Games on Monday evening with a 3-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. The "Blue Crew" gave up a first inning run, but their pitchers slammed the door shut after that. All week long their aces drew raves from MLB scouts and press box scribes and in
this game it was no different. Righty Peter Tago (Dana Hills, Dana Point), southpaw Henry Owens (Edison, Huntington Beach), righty Aaron Sanchez (Barstow) and righty Griffin Murphy (Redlands East Valley) all did an excellent job in their final outing.

The Blue's offensive highlights came early in the game, when first baseman Christian Yelich (Westlake, Westlake Village) scored on a RBI double by third baseman Chad Lewis (Marina, Huntington Beach). Second baseman Anthony Wolters (Rancho Buena Vista, Vista) then led off the third with a triple and scored on a groundout by outfielder Michael Lorenzen (Fullerton).

As for the Milwaukee Brewers Gray team, made up of a mixture of NorCal and SoCal players, they finished fifth in the team standings with a 2-3 won-loss record. In their final game on Sunday night, they played the Cincinnati Reds tough before falling, 1-0, in a nine-inning affair.

It was a scoreless game until the bottom of the eighth inning. With Eric Jaffe (Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland) on the hill, the Reds' Jaycob Brugman (Desert Vista, Phoenix, Ariz.) reached on a drop third strike, a huge play in the outcome of the game as the Brewers Gray fell just short in their spoiler
role. With one out, infielder Marcus Littlewood (Pine View, St. George, Utah) hit a double to score shortstop Taylor Lindsey (Desert Mountain, Scottsdale, Ariz.), who pinch ran for Brugman.

Just as they did to the Oakland A's on Monday, the Reds' pitching staff stifled the Brewers Gray's bats, striking out 11. Even though they lost, it was definitely a solid finish for a club that committed nine errors in a lopsided 13-3 loss to the Washington Nationals earlier in the event.

Area Code Tidbits

Rowland's road to the Area Code Games was highlighted earlier in the week, but he wasn't the only California player with an interesting story at the 2009 Area Code Games. Read blow for more:

*Ryon Healy and Josh Mason head the Crespi Carmelite High School pitching staff in Encino. Both were members of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Div. II championship team in 2009.

"Winning that title and ring and everything was just a rush,” said Mason.

Healy was happy to have a high school teammate and friend at the Area Code Games playing with him. "It shows how strong our baseball program is,” Healy said.  

The Celts clinched the title with a 8-1 victory over Huntington Beach and the Area Code duo contributed tremendously in the title game. Healy went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs while pitching a complete game with seven strikeouts. Mason played centerfield and also hit a home run.Mason believes he is a better outfielder, but is listed as a pitcher in the Area Code Games roster.  

*Colton Keough, an outfielder from Tesoro of Las Flores, is the son of Matt Keough, who played nine seasons in the major leagues as a pitcher. He is also the younger brother of Shane Keough, who was drafted by the Oakland A's coming out of high school and is now with the Class A Stockton Ports. His mother, Jeana, is a former Playboy Playmate of the Month back in November of 1980 under the name Jeana Tomasino and is currently appearing on the Bravo Television Network's reality television series, "The Real Housewives of Orange County.”

*The Geren brothers, who are the sons of Oakland A's skipper Bob Geren, were a rarity in being able to be chosen and play for the same Area Code team. This was the first time since 2005 when Braden and Wade Kapteyn played for the Chicago White Sox that there have been brothers playing side-by-side on the same team.  

"It's great, we have grown up always playing against each other and with each other and when were on the same team we get to encourage each other, so that's a great experience,” said Bobby.

They believe that hard work is the most important trait their dad has instilled in them when it comes to playing baseball. Along with the theme of professional connections, Mike Holmes, one of the A's coaches in Long Beach, played under Bob Geren at single-A Modesto when he was a player.

For more Area Code game updates, please visit AreaCodeBaseball.com, the ESPN RISE Baseball blog and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ACBaseballGames

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