2025 PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #16

Final Score: Chicago 14 – Motor City 4

Win: Bowden Francis 9-1 (2.47)
Loss: Paul Blackburn 5-6 (5.40)
Save: Ryan Yarbrough #2

Final Score: Chicago 3 – Motor City 2 (10 Innings)

Win: Porter Hodge 1-1 (1.73)
Loss: Kyle Freeland 0-2 (4.15)

Final Score: Chicago 5 – Motor City 3

Win: Bryce Miller 8-4 (2.01)
Loss: David Festa 2-7 (6.75)
Save: Aroldis Chapman #21

Final Score: Chicago 4 – Motor City 3 (11 Innings)

Win: Ryan Yarbrough 4-1 (1.88)
Loss: Beau Brieske 2-6 (5.34)

Pitching was equally impressive for Chicago, as Bowden Francis notched his ninth and tenth wins, and Bryce Miller struck out 12 in a gritty 5-3 win. The bullpen held strong in tight spots, with Ryan Yarbrough and Aroldis Chapman closing out close contests. The Mobsters twice walked off Motor City in extra innings, including a dramatic 10th-inning homer by Wallner and an 11th-inning rally sparked by Riley Greene’s speed and hustle.

Despite the lopsided series, Motor City showed resilience, salvaging the finale with a 5-4 win behind Paul Blackburn’s strong start and timely hitting from Jo Adell and Rhys Hoskins. The Muscle also pushed Chicago to the brink in multiple extra-inning games, capitalizing on defensive miscues and late rallies.

A major storyline emerged with injuries to Dylan Moore and Matt Wallner, both placed on the 10-day IL after a collision, potentially impacting Chicago’s depth moving forward. Hunter Brown’s electric start—recording his first nine outs via strikeout—was another highlight, even in defeat.

Overall, the Mobsters’ combination of explosive offense, deep pitching, and late-game heroics proved too much for Motor City, reinforcing Chicago’s status as a championship contender while the Muscle look to regroup for the remainder of the season.

Royce Lewis had a big week with 10 hits, 6 of which were for extra bases (3 2B & 3 HR). Titusville stays on the road next week as they head to Dallas for a divisional matchup. Gainesville heads over to Corktown.

New acquisition Jared Koenig is thrown straight into the fire with a start against Coconut Creek. A good start to the series for Fremont as Elly de la Cruz leads off Fremont with a homer. Coconut Creek ties it in the third when Josh H. Smith’s two-out double brings in Ivan Herrera. The Crushers go on top in the fourth with more two-out clutchness, as Willi Castro singles and steals and is brought home on a Yainer Diaz single.

Schwellenbach is under pressure in the fifth after a leadoff triple, but shuts down the side after. A walk and steal by Shohei Ohtani in the sixth leads to the tying run after Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s RBI single. Anthony Santander ends Koenig’s day in the 8th with a solo shot to put CCC up 3-2. The Crushers look to put the game away with runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out, but a fly out to Mike Yastrzemski and subsequent throw-out of Matt Olson at home keeps the margin at one. Shohei Ohtani leads off the bottom of the ninth with a HR and Fremont gets the score even at 3-3 and sends the game to extra innings.

CCC goes three-up three-down in the tenth, then Nolan Gorman ends the tension with walk-off HR in the tenth to win it for Fremont. Final score 4-3 Fremont in the 10th.

W: Sean Reid-Foley (5-1)
L: Cade Smith (6-2)

HR: CCC- Anthony Santander (24); FRE- Elly de la Cruz (17), Shohei Ohtani (28), Nolan Gorman (13)

Fremont’s other new acquisition, Osvaldo Bido, gets the nod as the opener and gives up the opening run after a single and steal by Brandon Marsh is followed by an RBI double from Matt Olson. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubles and Byron Buxton singles him home in the bottom of the first to tie it at 1-1. A Josh Rojas RBI single and David Hensley squeeze bunt brings in two more for the Cannons in the second.

Brandon Marsh leads off the third with a double off of bulk pitcher Kumar Rocker, and comes home on an Anthony Santander single. Fremont gets the run back in the bottom of the inning with Shohei Ohtani’s single and steal followed by another RBI single from Byron Buxton. In the sixth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s RBI single gives Fremont the 5-2 lead.

Coconut Creek responds immediately in the top of the seventh with two runs. In the top of the eighth, the Crushers threaten with runners on 2nd and 3rd. A grounder to Elly de la Cruz leads to a throwing error at home plate and CCC ties the game at 5 each. Neither side does much in regulation thereafter, and we go to extra innings. Both teams do little in the tenth.

With two outs and a runner on second in the top of the eleventh, Sean Reid-Foley comes in and walks the bases full. A grounder to Nolan Gorman looks to end the inning, but another throwing error costs the Cannons as two runs score. Reid-Foley is stunned, and gives up a three-run homer on the next pitch to Matt Olson and the Crushers take a huge 10-5 lead. David Robertson sets the Cannons down in order and CCC wins 10-5 in the eleventh off of six unearned runs. Olson finishes with a 4-RBI day.

W: Mason Miller (4-3)
L: Robert Suarez (6-2)

HR: CCC- Matt Olson (16); FRE- none

The Crushers get to Skubal early with a two-run HR from Matt Olson in the top of the first. Webb also has a rough first inning as a walk and HBP and his own throwing error leads to Fremont’s first run. Webb loads the bases in the second, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singles in two to put Fremont ahead 3-2. Webb loads the bases again in the fifth with his second hit batsman, and Mike Yastrzemski makes him pay dearly with a grand slam and Fremont goes up 7-2.

Derek Law comes in for CCC in the sixth and gets tossed after hitting Ohtani with a pitch. The Cannons bring one in off of a Carlos Correa RBI single. The second HBP of the inning sees Michel Otanez also ejected. Yastrzemski sees his second bases-loaded at-bat in as many innings, but strikes out this time. A Shohei Ohtani RBI single in the seventh and a Carlos Correa solo HR in the eighth increases the lead to 10-2, which would be the final score.

W: Tarik Skubal (11-2)
L: Logan Webb (16-3)

HR: CCC- Matt Olson (17); FRE- Carlos Correa (8), Mike Yastrzemski (13)

Fremont gets runners in scoring position in the first and second innings, but it wouldn’t be until the third inning that they would get on the board. A Josh H. Smith throwing error with two outs proves costly as it sets up a Teoscar Hernandez 3-run HR. A Joey Bart solo HR in the fourth extends the lead to 4-0.

Brandon Nimmo finally gets the Crushers going in the fifth with a solo HR. A two-run HR from Anthony Santander in the following inning cuts the Fremont lead to 4-2. Coconut Creek gets two more on, but Fremont sticks with Ober and he gets the next two batters to strike out. A leadoff triple from Elly de la Cruz is wasted by Fremont in the bottom half of the inning.

Nico Hoerner tries for his own leadoff triple in the seventh but is gunned down by Austin Hays. A leadoff double from Jose Iglesias in the bottom of the seventh sets up an RBI single from Carlos Correa, who advances to second on the throw. Teoscar Hernandez singles him in and Fremont extends the lead to 6-3. Ober gives up a leadoff walk in the ninth, then Edwin Uceta comes in and gets the next three batters out for the save. Fremont wins 6-3. Ober strikes out 12 in 8.1 IP.

W: Bailey Ober (9-4)
L: Blake Snell (6-4)
S: Edwin Uceta (12)

HR: CCC- Anthony Santander (25), Brandon Nimmo (12); FRE- Teoscar Hernandez (2), Joey Bart (4)

Coconut Creek starts off with two straight singles against Carlos Rodon in the first but he bounces back to strike out the side. Shohei Ohtani walks and steals in the bottom of the inning but is stranded. CCC gets another runner in scoring position in the second but is denied. Alec Bohm leads off the fourth with a double but the Crushers can’t bring him in. Fremont gets its first base hit with two outs in the fifth, but we go to the sixth still scoreless.

A Matt Olson double gives the Crushers another chance with a runner in scoring position, but they come up empty again. Shohei Ohtani leads off the bottom of the sixth with a solo HR for the game’s first run and Fremont leads 1-0. It looked like the Cannons could add to the lead after Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s double, but they can’t get it done.

A walk and infield single with no outs in the eighth puts runners on 2nd and 1st in the eighth for Coconut Creek. Fremont elects to stick with Rodon, and he gets a lineout and a double play to end the threat. The Crushers threaten again in the ninth, as Rodon gives up two walks right away and gets pulled. Sean Reid-Foley comes in and gets a fly out and two ground outs, and Fremont wins the pitchers’ duel 1-0. Both starters struck out 10.

W: Carlos Rodon (9-7)
L: Hunter Greene (5-8)
S: Sean Reid-Foley (5)

HR: CCC- none; FRE- Shohei Ohtani (29)

Carlos Correa gets the scoring started with a solo HR in the bottom of the second. The Cannons get two on with no outs in the fourth but are thwarted. Correa triples in the sixth and is replaced by pinch-runner Dairon Blanco. The move pays off with Byron Buxton’s sac fly giving Fremont the 2-0 lead.

Nico Hoerner’s two out double in the eighth gives Coconut Creek a chance, and Teoscar Hernandez drops the third out leading to a Crusher run. Jared Koenig gets pinch-hitter Yainer Diaz to fly out to end the threat. Fremont gets two on in the bottom of the inning but can’t score the insurance run. Matt Olson gets a one-out double in the ninth, but Robert Suarez gets the last two batters and Fremont wins 2-1.

W: Kumar Rocker (2-0)
L: Edward Cabrera (5-3)
S: Robert Suarez (3)

HR: CCC- none; FRE- Carlos Correa (9)