McLEAN RAIDERS SECOND IN AAABA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Third place Clark Griffith League team triumphs over competition

MCLEAN, Va. August 15—The McLean Raiders, went from third place in the Clark Griffith League to second-place in the All-American Amateur Baseball Association National Tournament.

Not bad for a team in its first year in wooden bat summer collegiate baseball. 

“The tournament was an excellent opportunity for our ball club,” said manager Tim Brown.  “The players did an outstanding job in representing both themselves and the league and I could not be more proud of them.”

The McLean Raiders, one of the newest franchises in the premier Clark Griffith League, triumphed this season by making it to the Championship Game in the 63rd AAABA National Tournament in Johnstown, Pa.  The Clark Griffith League in the past typically sent its league winner to the competition. The Raiders were the first team to represent the AAABA since 2004.

The AAABA Tournament is a prestigious event that includes some of the top wooden bat collegiate teams from across the nation.  The Clark Griffith League is a charter member of the AAABA and has won 10 AAABA Tournament championships, including five in a six-year stretch from 1997-2002.

The Raiders (24-17 in the Clark Griffith League) competed with just 15 players in the tournament, and entered the Championship Game against Bethesda with just 12 men on the roster.  The AAABA Tournament allows each team a roster of 20 men under the age of 21, making the Raiders feat all the more impressive.  The Raiders roster shrank over the course of the tournament due to players having to return home or to school. 

That the Raiders succeeded in their first season with a small roster in the AAABA National Tournament is a testament to the talent and strength of the players in the Clark Griffith League.  The Raiders’ tremendous success in the AAABA National Tournament shows that the Clark Griffith League is one of the top three summer leagues in the nation.

What makes the Raiders feat even more amazing is that they played 27 innings of baseball in less than 24 hours from August 11-12.    

McLean won in the Altoona Regional before defeating Cleveland in the Tournament opener, 7-6.  On August 7, the team defeated the Maryland Orioles of Baltimore—the champions of the Cal Ripken League—by a score of 6-5.

The next day, the Raiders eliminated New Orleans, a team favored to win the tournament.  McLean won, 5-2 with lots of help from the arm of Kevin DiManna.  He held New Orleans to just eight hits, when the New Orleans team had 21 runs in the game before.

Just hours after defeating New Orleans, the Raiders were schedule to take on the only other undefeated team in the tournament—Philadelphia.  The Raiders went on to defeat Philadelphia on Friday, after a rain delay suspended the game on Thursday.  The game as called on Thursday, with Philadelphia leading 5-3 in the top of the fourth inning.  The Raiders secured the victory on the sweet swing of Kevin Watkins, who hit a walk-off home run to win 9-8.

In order to advance, the Raiders had to play a team from the losers bracket.  On Saturday, August 11, McLean faced off against Baltimore, and lost 9-3.

They again faced off against New Orleans to determine who would advance to the Championship Game.  The Senators defeated New Orleans, and thirty minutes later were competing for the AAABA title against Baltimore.  The Raiders lost to Baltimore in the title round, 6-0.  

Kevin Watkins, Ty Boyles, Robbie Shields and Jason Kitchen were all excellent batters for the Raiders in the Tournament.  Nick Schreiber, Eric Alessio, Kevin DiManna and Kyle Breese were strong pitchers for McLean.   

The McLean Raiders have found plenty of success this season, going undefeated in the Opening week and staying above .500 all season.  Several Raiders players represented the club in the 2007 Joe Branzell All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.  Right-handed pitcher Eric Alessio, catcher John Ferrick, right-handed pitcher Kevin Moreland, outfielder Kelly Muir and infielder Robbie Shields participated in the All-Star Game.  Ryan Metzroth represented the Raiders in the Home Run Derby as well.

Robbie Shields and Ryan Metzroth have also been awarded Player of the Week by the Clark Griffith League this season.  Robbie Shields won the honor in Week 1 and Ryan Metzroth won the title in Week 6.  Shields leads the team in batting average with .311 and has 9 home runs and 24 RBI.  Metzroth is batting .281 with 5 home runs and 25 RBI.      

The Clark Griffith League is proud of the success of the McLean Raiders in its opening season. 

For more information, go to www.McLeanRaiders.com or www.ClarkGriffithBaseball.com.

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For further information, go to www.ClarkGriffithBaseball.com or contact the public relations intern, Kristin Pratt, at (703) 401-6416 or pratt.kristin@gmail.com.