Balcom-Miller traded to Boston

On Tuesday, just prior to the September 1 roster deadline, the Colorado Rockies acquired RHP Manny Delcarmen from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for former Ghost, and last season’s Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year Chris Balcom-Miller.

Balcom-Miller will stay in the South Atlantic League with the Red Sox affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina. He had been with the Asheville Tourists, who he started 19 games for this season, and compiled a record of 6-7 with a 3.31 ERA. He walked just 19 batters in 108.2 innings, and held opponents to a .214 batting average. The right-hander was the South Atlantic League’s Pitcher of the Week for the period from June 28- July 6.

“We pick up a nice future asset, a guy we liked in the draft a lot last year and probably should have taken,’’ Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein told the Boston Globe. “We let him sit on the board a little too long. He’s gone out and really performed. We had some recent looks from some scouts. We like his stuff and we like his projectability.”

The 22-year old was selected by the Rockies in the sixth round of the 2009 draft out of West Valley College in California. He went 4-0 with a 1.58 ERA in 11 starts with the Ghosts. He allowed just 37 hits in 57 innings, while walking only 10 and striking out 60.

Before this season, Baseball America had Balcom-Miller ranked as the 16^th best prospect in the Rockies minor league system.

Casteel named Player of the Week

Ghosts catcher Ryan Casteel finished the month of August on a tear, and it resulted with him being recognized as the Pioneer LeagueÕs Player of the Week for the week of August 23-29. Casteel had 22 at bats in that span, and hit .545 with a homer and 8 RBI. Five of Casteel's 12 hits were for extra bases, and he only struck out twice.

Casteel's week capped off a month of August when the 19-year old hit .394 (26x66) with two home runs and 10 runs batted in. He had two extra base hits combined in June and July, in August, he had nine, including his first two professional home runs.

The 19-year old from Cleveland, Tennessee was drafted by the Rockies in the 17th round out of Cleveland State College. Entering Wednesday's doubleheader in Orem, he has appeared in 35 games, and is hitting .345 (49x142) with two homers and 16 RBI. He has been clutch this season with a .341 batting average with runners in scoring position.

He becomes the second Ghosts recognized by the Pioneer League this season. Albert Campos was named the league's Pitcher of the week during the period from August 9-15.

Ogren Park at Allegiance Field

Ghosts lose in Helena, Powers promoted,Gibson activated, and other notes

The Ghosts lost the finale in Helena last night 12-2. It was close early on, but the Ghosts started hit 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, all of those at bats came when the game was in reach, so they had a chance, but Helena took advantage seemingly of all its chances.

Two brights for the Ghosts last night were Ryan Casteel and Will Swanner. Casteel went 3-for-4, and Swanner had two hits, including his first pro homer in the second inning.

Here are some other notes going into tonight's series opener in Missoula:

• RHP Trevor Gibson was activated from the disabled list. He has been rehabbing from an elbow injury.

• Catcher Josh Powers was promoted to Tri City in the Northwest League after the game last night. He is the second Ghosts catcher to be promoted this season.

• Speaking of catcher, Swanner will start behind home plate for the first time this season. Ryan Casteel will DH.

First pitch tonight is 7:15. It will be the same on tomorrow night, and Sunday's game will start at 5:15. All times are mountain.

Helena's Kindrick Legion Field

Ortega, Roberts lead Ghosts to win in Helena

Rafael Ortega drove in four runs, and had three base hits for the second straight as the Casper Ghosts defeated the Helena Brewers 8-6 in game three of a four game series at Kindrick Field.

Ricardo Ferrer made his second start of the season, and the Brewers took an early lead against him, as they scored a run on a wild pitch to take a 1-0 lead. They had runners at the corners with one out, but Carlos George grounded into a double play to end the inning.

In the third, the Ghosts came back to take the lead. Corey Dickerson was hit by a pitch, with one out, and after Brett Tanos flew out to left, Blake McDade homered on the first pitch from Austin Ross to give the Ghosts a 2-1 lead, but it wouldn’t last long.

Helena answered in the bottom of the inning with two run as Cody Hawn homered to right with Robbie Garvey on base to make the score 3-2 Brewers.

It would remain 3-2 until the sixth when the Ghosts would strike back. Austin Ross left the game after throwing five innings, striking out 10. He was replaced by Rob Currie. With Will Swanner on at first with two away, Yafistel Roja singled to get him over to second base. Then Jeff Squier loaded the bases with an infield single. That brought up Rafael Ortega who cleared the bases to give the Ghosts a 5-3 lead, but once again, the lead wouldn’t last long.

Kyle Hancock walked the bases loaded with two out, and Gerald Ogrinc tied the game with a 2-run single.

Both teams traded zeroes in the seventh, but the Ghosts grabbed the lead in the eighth. Michael Ramirez walked with one out, then Roja singled him to third. The Ghosts took the lead on a bunt single by Squier, and Ortega drove in Roja with a double, and Squier scored on the play after an error on the rightfielder John Dishon to make the score 8-5 Casper.

The Brewers added a run in the bottom of the eighth to get within two, but that was the closest they got.

Kenneth Roberts picked up his third win of the season. He allowed one run in 3 1/3 innings.

Will Swanner had two hits in his professional debut.

The Ghosts and Brewers will play the finale of the four game series on Thursday night. First pitch is set for 7:05.

Ghosts win wild game in Helena

The Casper Ghosts scored 10 runs in the first four inning on Tuesday night to take a 10-2 lead against the Helena Brewers, but they slowly allowed Helena to comeback and tie the game at 10 in the 8th sending the game to extra innings. The Ghosts would win the game 11-10 in eleven innings, their first win in extra innings in five tries.

Matt Miller, the league leader in wins, the holder of the league’s fourth best ERA started for the Brewers, and he allowed a first inning run, but the Ghosts blew the game open in the second. Six consecutive batters singled, and all 6 scored to make it 7-0.

Helena would add a couple of runs in the bottom of the inning to get on the board, but again, the Ghosts went back to work with three runs in the fourth. The first came on Rafael Ortega’s fifth homer of the season, and later in the inning Robert De La Cruz doubled in two runs to make it 10-2.

In the bottom of the fourth with a run in, Cody Hawn doubled in two runs to cut the lead to 10-5, and they brought the lead down to four after an error in the sixth.
The Brewers rallied in the seventh with two outs and scored two runs to make it a 10-8 game, and they tied it in the 8th on a 2-run homer by Brandon Sizemore.

That sent the game to extra innings, and both teams traded zeroes in the tenth, but that changed in the eleventh.

With one out, Ryan Casteel reached first when second baseman Shea Vucinich dropped a pop up. Jeff Squier was brought off the bench as a pinch runner. He stole second, and he scored on a close play at the plate after a Yafistel Roja single.

Taylor Reid threw a scoreless ninth for his first save of the season.

The Ghosts earn a split of the first two games of the series against Helena. The two teams will play game three on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:05.

Campos throws gem, but Brewers win late

Albert Campos took a shutout into the eighth inning Monday night in Helena, but the Brewers rallied against him in the 8th inning, to beat the Ghosts 3-2 at Kindrick Field in the first game of a 4-game series.

Campos went eight innings for the second straight start, but he allowed three runs in the eighth, the last two coming on a 2-run homer by Cody Hawn, his league best 10th of the season, and was tagged with his third loss of the season. He struck out nine hitters, most by any Ghosts pitcher this season.

Jordan Ballard had two hits for the Ghosts, a double in the fourth inning, which helped setup the Ghosts first run, and a solo homer, his second of the season, in the sixth.

In the fourth, Blake McDade singled with one out, and got to third on Ballard's double. He scored on a ground out by Juan Crousset.

Jimmy Nelson picked up the win for Helena, he threw three scoreless innings, and retired the last nine batters he faced.

The Ghosts and Brewers will play the second game of their 4-game series on Tuesday night as Tyler Gagnon will take the hill for the Ghosts against righty Matt Miller. Both pitchers are among the top 10 in the Pioneer League in ERA, and Miller leads the league in wins with six, Gagnon has four.

Campos named Pitcher of the Week

On August 11, Ghosts pitcher Albert Campos threw eight scoreless innings in the Ghosts 3-0 win at Idaho Falls, and that was enough for Campos to be named the Pioneer League's Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 9-15. He is the first Ghost to be honored in 2010.

Wednesday night, Campos allowed just five base runners, giving up four hits, and one walk, while striking out six. The win was Campos’ first win since July 3 against Orem.

Campos, 19, is 2-2 on the season and leads all active pitchers with a 2.33 ERA. He has allowed just 14 earned runs in 54 innings, and is walking less than two batters per nine innings, and he has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his ten starts in 2010.

The righty from Caguas, Venezulea is vying to become the third Ghosts pitcher to be named the Pioneer League’s Pitcher of the Year in the last four seasons. Jhoulys Chacin won the award in 2007, while Chris Balcom-Miller was given the honor in 2009.

Centene Stadium now and then

Last night I mentioned the changes to Centene Stadium since last season, the most noticeable on the field is down the right field line as show below.

This season

Last season

Last season, there was a line dirt would've extended had there been dirt there, and it was acutally considered to be out of play. You could not catch a ball in that area.

Woods promoted to Asheville

After last night's win over Great Falls, the Rockies promoted Ghosts closer Coty Woods to Asheville in the South Atlantic League.

Woods was in his second year with the Ghosts after saving two games with the Ghosts last season. This season he is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA, and three saves. He struck out 14 batters in 12.1 innings.

He is the second Ghost to be promoted to Asheville this season, along with Anthony Aguilera last week, and he's the third Ghosts to be promoted.

Ghosts beat Billings; Pull into second place

Despite blowing an early 4-0 lead, the Casper defeated the Billings Mustangs in game two of a four game series 7-5, to climb into a tie for second place in the South division.

In the bottom of the first, the Ghosts would load the bases with nobody out. Brett Tanos drove in two runs with a double, Blake McDade would drive a run in on a ground out, and Ryan Casteel singled in Tanos to make the score 4-0 Ghosts.

Billings would score two runs in the third with the help of a couple of errors, and they would tie it in the 3rd after and RBI double by Yorman Rodriguez and and RBI single by Donald Lutz.

Casper would come right back and answer with two runs in the bottom of the third. It started with a leadoff single by Corey Dickerson. He got to third on a single by Tanos. Dickerson scored on an RBI single by McDade, which got Tanos to third, and Tanos scored on a fielder’s choice. The Ghosts would add another run in the fourth after an RBI single by Rafael Oretega to make it 7-4.

Billings would score a run in the 8th to make it 7-5, but Juan Perez threw a 1-2-3 9th to pick up the save.

The Ghosts 1-5 hitters combined to go 10-for-20, with all five going 2-for-4. The Ghosts are 4-1 so far on the seven game homestand, and have won the first two against Billings.

Ghosts win on Dickeron's walk-off

Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth with a runner on base, Ghosts manager Tony Diaz elected to go to his bench. Corey Dickerson, who leads the team in homers and RBI was available to pinch hit, so Diaz inserted him into the game. Dickerson rewarded him with a 2-run walkoff home run, as the Ghosts defeated the Billings Mustangs 5-4 in the first game of a 4-game series.

Billings would take the lead in the second against Alejandro Barraza. Yorman Rodriguez led off with a single, and would get to second on a walk by Donald Lutz. Juan Duran would bunt them up a base, and they would score on a 2-run double by Sean Conner to make it 2-0 Billings.

Casper would get a run back in the bottom half of the inning. Ryan Casteel singled with one out, he was erased when David Kandilas hit into a fielders choice. Kandilas would score on an RBI double by Jeff Squier.

The Ghosts would climb within a run when Robert De La Cruz hit his second home run of the season in the fourth, and they would tie it in the sixth.

Jordan Ballard led off with a single, he would get to third on a single by Casteel, who would get thrown out trying to get to second base. Ballard would score on a wild pitch.

The Mustangs would regain the lead in the seventh on an RBI single by Yorman Rodriguez, and the score would remain 4-3 going into the ninth.

Squier walked with one out, after Dickerson was put in the game he would steal second. Then Dickerson’s homer sent the Ghosts home a winner.

They are now 12-14 on the season. Billings drops to 13-13.

Ghosts squeeze out win vs Voyagers

Rafael Ortega slid under the tag of catcher Rob Vaughn on a suicide squeeze by David Kandilas in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Ghosts a 6-5 win over the Great Falls Voyagers at Mike Lansing Field.

Tyler Gagnon’s league leading 1.80 ERA stayed the same as he allowed 1 run over five innings, but he got a no decision despite leaving the game with the lead.

Casper grabbed an early lead in the second inning. Corey Dickerson led off the inning with a single. He scored on an RBI double by Kandilas, who would score on an RBI single by Ryan Casteel with two outs to give the Ghosts a 2-0 lead.
Great Falls would get on the board with a run in the third. Dusty Harvard led off the inning with a triple, and would score on an RBI single by Ryan Lee. The Ghosts got that run back in the bottom of the inning when Ortega led off with a triple, and was driven in with two outs on a Blake McDade single.

Corey Dickerson’s RBI double in the fifth made it 4-1 Ghosts, but in the seventh Great Falls would battle back with the help of some shaky Ghosts defense.

They would score four unearned runs in the inning as the Ghosts committed three errors. The tying and go ahead runs would score on a 2-run single by Kyle Davis. That gave them a 5-4 lead.

The Ghosts would tie the game in the eighth after the first two batters of the inning reached base, and in the ninth they would win it.

Ortega led off the inning with a walk, he got to second on a sac bunt by Brett Tanos. Dickerson was walked intentionally, and McDade singled to shallow left field to load the bases. That setup Kandilas who was able to execute the squeeze bunt to win the game for the Ghosts.

The Ghosts are now 11-13 on the season, and they’ll go for the sweep Friday night against the Voyagers. First pitch is set for 7:05.

Ghosts pull out a win against Voyagers

Rafael Ortega’s 3-hit, 3-stolen base night paced the Casper Ghosts to a 4-3 win over the Great Falls Voyagers in game one of a three game series at Mike Lansing Field.

Great Falls got the scoring started in the fourth inning. Ross Wilson led off the inning with a triple off of Albert Campos. He would score on a sacrifice fly by Andy Wilkins to make it 1-0 Voyagers. That was the only run that Campos allowed in six innings of work.

The Ghosts would come back and put up three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. It started with a single by Ryan Casteel. He got to second when Ryan Casteel reached on an error, and would score on a sacrifice bunt by Francisco Sosa after Sosa reached on an error by Ryan Wilson. The Ghosts would take the lead after Jose Rivera grounded into a double play. With nobody on and 2 outs, Yafistel Roja reached on an infield single. He would get to second when Thomas Royse threw a pickoff throw away. The Ghosts grabbed a 3-1 lead on an RBI single by Ortega.

In the seventh Steve Junker entered the game in relief of Campos. He allowed a leadoff double to Randall Thorpe, then Ryan Lee walked to give them runners and second and third with nobody out. Kyle Davis bunted into a fielders choice for the first out, and Dusty Harvard struck out looking, but Wilson singled in Lee to make it 3-2 and Wilkins singled in Davis to tie the game at 3. Clinton McKinney would then enter the game and get out of the jam.

The game would remain tied in the bottom of the eight, but it wouldn’t be tied for long. Ortega started the inning with a single, his third stolen base of the game got him to second, and he would score on an RBI single by Brett Tanos. McKinney would pitch the eight, and Juan Perez worked around a couple of singles in the ninth to strike out the side for his third save of the season.

The Ghosts are now 10-13 on the season, and will continue the series with Great Falls on Thursday night. First pitch is set for 7:05.

The storm clouds were brewin'

It looked a little ugly early in the afternoon in Orem, but somehow Brent Brown Ballpark was spared. All we got was a light drizzle.

Owlz shut down Ghosts

The Orem Owlz held the Casper Ghosts to a season-low 5 hits in their 5-1 win in game one of a three game series at Brent Brown Ballpark.

The teams traded zeroes until the third. Hampton Tignor led off the inning with a single to right, then Andrew Heid did the same to give them runners at first and second with nobody out. Travis Witherspoon struck out looking for the first out, but Thomas Nichols doubled down the left field line to score Tignor to make it 1-0 Owlz, and it gave them runners at 2nd and 3rd. After that Nick Farnsworth hit a line drive right at Jeff Squier, which could’ve resulted in a double play, but Squier dropped the ball, and that allowed Heid and Nichols to score to make it 3-0 Orem.

They would add a run in the fourth as starter Bruce Kern exited the game. Christian Bergman entered, and he allowed a triple to the first batter he faced, Rolando Gomez. He would score on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Eichelberger. Then The Owlz would take advantage of some shaky defense and load the bases, but Bergman was able to work out of the jam to keep it 4-0.

The Ghosts would get on the board in the 6th as Rafael Ortega drove his first home run of the season over the right field wall to make it 4-1, but Orem added another run in the seventh on an RBI triple by Nick Farnsworth to make it 5-1 Owlz.
The Ghosts would get runners at the corners in the seventh, but could not push across another run, and they would be set down in order in the 8th and 9th.

Casper falls to 8-12 on the season, and they are three games back of Orem and Idaho Falls for first place in the South division.
The Ghosts and Owlz will play game 2 of their series Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4:05 at Brent Brown Ballpark.

Ghosts snap losing streak with 2-1 win

The Casper Ghosts snapped their five game losing streak behind Tyler Gagnon’s six shutout inning performance in a 2-1 win over the Ogden Raptors in one hour and fifty eight minutes at Lindquist Field.

Gagnon picked up his second win of the season, and he allowed just 2 hits and walked only one batter while striking out eight.
The Ghosts were kept off the board until the third inning. Jeff Squier reached base on an infield single with one out. He was driven home on an RBI triple by Jose Rivera off the right field to give the Ghosts a 1-0 lead. Rivera scored on a sacrifice fly by Brett Tanos.

After Gagnon left the game the Raptors had a chance to put runs on the board against Clinton McKinney. Jake Lemmerman led off with a double, and then Mike Pericht struck out. After that Bobby Coyle singled, but Lemmerman was held at third to give Ogden runners at the corners with one out. Coyle tried to steal second, and the throw by Anthony Aguilera was off line, but it was cut off by Rivera who threw to third and picked off Lemmerman. Then Jonathan Garcia grounded out to third and the inning was over.

With the score 2-0 Ghosts, Coty Woods entered the game to try for his third save of the season. He retired the first two batters he faced, but then Lemmerman homered to left to make it a one run game. That brought up Pericht who leads the league in homers and RBI, and he drove a ball to deep right field, but it was run down by David Dinatale, and it preserved the Ghosts win 6-4.

The Ghosts are now 1-3 on their 7-game road trip, and they now go to Orem to play the first of three Saturday night. First pitch is set for 7:05.

Ghosts lose fifth straight game 6-4

For the second straight night, the Casper Ghosts would grab an early lead, but it wasn’t enough, as they came up short for the fifth straight game. This time it came against the Ogden Raptors as they lost 6-4 at Lindquist Field.

The Ghosts would jump ahead 3-0 early. Blake McDade homered for the first time this season with a man on and 2 outs to give the Ghosts a 2-0 lead, then in the third Ryan Casteel grounded out with the bases loaded, driving in Brett Tanos to make it 3-0 Casper.

Ogden wouldn’t stay down for long. They got a run back in the 3rd with a 2 out rally, and they would tie the game in the fourth. Jonathan Garcia homered to lead off the inning to make it 3-2, then Leon Landry later tied the game with an RBI single with 2 out.

The Ghosts would regain the lead in the 7th, as Jordan Ballard led off the inning with a solo homer, but Ogden would comeback with 2 unearned runs in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead, and they would add an insurance in the bottom of the 8th.

Shawn Tolleson struck out the side in the 9th to preserve the win for Ogden 6-4. The Raptors have now won 4 straight, while the Ghosts have lost five straight. The two teams will finish their 2-game series Friday night, as Tyler Gagnon will take the hill for the Ghosts against lefty Antonio Castillo.

Hernandez to Tri City

Ghosts infielder David Hernandez has been promoted to the Rockies affiliate in the Northwest League, the Tri City Dust Devils. He was told before last night's game in Idaho Falls, and left this morning to meet the Dust Devils at home in Pasco, Washington.

Hernandez played his college ball at Texas, and was in his second season with the Ghosts. He has played third base, second base and shortstop in Casper.

He joins a Tri City club that started strong but has dropped 4 straight and is now 8-10 on the season.

Ghosts fall in 11 at Idaho Falls

Despite grabbing a 5-0 lead, the Casper Ghosts dropped their fourth straight game, losing 6-5 in 11 innings to the Idaho Fall Chukars at Melaleuca Field.

Chukars starter Leondy Perez faced the minimum through three innings, without allowing a run, but the Ghosts would get to him in the fourth. Rafael Ortega led off the inning with a walk. He would get to third on a single by Brett Tanos. Perez would load the bases after walking Corey Dickerson, and the Ghosts would take the lead on a sacrifice fly by Blake McDade. Juan Crousset would single in Tanos to make it 2-0, then Anthony Aguilera made it 3-0 with an RBI single, which drove in Dickerson. Crousset and Aguilera scored on a triple by De La Cruz to make it 5-0 Ghosts.

After Alvin Mejias threw five scoreless innings the Chukars got to him in the sixth. After Tom Zebroski led off the inning with a ground out, the Chukars would get 4 straight singles from Travis Jones, Tim Ferguson, Justin Trapp, and Yowill Espinal, which scored Jones to make it 5-1. Mejias was lifted for Clinton McKinney. Geulin Beltre drove in a run on a ground out, and the Chukars would get within a run on a 2-run double by Murray Watts.

They would tie the game in the 8th with an unearned run. Ferguson led off the inning with an infield single. He would get to second on a sacrifice bunt by Trapp. McKinney then tried to pick Ferguson off of second base, but the throw was low and went into centerfield, allowing Ferguson to get to third, and he would score when Ortega bobbled the ball in centerfield.
Idaho Falls had a chance to win the game. They loaded the bases against Juan Perez, but Perez struck out Trapp to end the inning.

After the Ghosts stranded Dickerson at second in the top of the 11th the Chukars went to work against Kenneth Roberts. Jake Kuebler led off the inning with a single, and moved up to second on a single by Cameron Monger. Tom Zebroski bunted into a fielders choice, but Jones grounded a single past McDade at first base to win the game.

With the win, the Ghosts fall to 7-10, and have now lost five straight against the Chukars after winning the first 3 meetings between the two teams. Aguilera and Tanos each had two hits for the Ghosts.

Casper continues its 7-game road trip with the first of two games in Ogden Thursday night. Albert Campos gets the start for the Ghosts against Garrett Gould. First pitch is set for 7:05.

Chukars edge Ghosts in Idaho Falls

The Casper Ghosts dropped their third straight decision 2-1 to the Idaho Falls Chukars in a quick 2 hours and 11 minutes at Melaleuca Field to fall to 7-9 on the season.

The Chukars grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Geulin Beltre hit the first pitch of the inning from Alejandro Barraza over the wall in right field to give the Chukars a 1-0 lead. It would be the only run Barraza allowed, as he threw 5 innings, allowing just the one run on four hits. He struck out six.

With Barraza out, Steve Junker would pitch the sixth for Casper. He walked the lead off man Murray Watts, who would get to third on a double by Jake Kuebler. They would add a run on a sacrifice fly by Malcolm Culver to take a 2-0 lead.

The Ghosts would cut the lead in half in the eighth. Ryan Casteel led off with a double. He moved over the third on a ground out by Jose Rivera, and he scored on a sacrifice fly by David Kandilas.

In the ninth, the Ghosts would strand the tying run at second base.

Greg Billo picks up his second win of the season. He threw five scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Chukars.
The Ghosts have now lost six of seven and four straight to the Chukars.

The two teams will play the final game of the two game series Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:15. Alvin Mejias starts for the Ghosts opposite Leondy Perez.

Ghosts fall short in series finale at Ogden

The Ghosts dropped their first series of the 2010 season on Monday night with a 7-4 loss to the Ogden Raptors in front of 2,842 fans at Linquist Field

The Raptors took the lead in the third against Albert Campos. With two outs, Chance Gillmore singled, then Jake Lemmerman reached on an error. After that Mike Pericht worked a walk, and then Jonathan Garcia made the Ghosts pay by hitting a grand slam over the wall in left field to give them a 4-0 lead.

However, before you knew it, the Ghosts had tied the game after batting around in the top of the fourth. Christhian Adames led off the inning with a walk, and would get to third on a double by Corey Dickerson. Adames would score on a wild pitch, and with one out, Dickerson would score on a single by Blake McDade. That made it 4-2 Raptors. With 2-outs, Juan Crousset would single to get McDade to second, then the Ghosts would load the bases, and the Ghost would tie the game when David Hernadez would reach on an error by the second baseman Casio Grider, but as quick as they tied, the Raptors regained the lead even quicker.

Steve Domecus would homer to left field on the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth to give the Raptors a 5-4 lead, and they would add two more in the 6th to make it 7-4.

The Ghosts would have chances in both the 7th and 8th, but could not push across another run.

The loss drops them to 5-3 on the season, and they finish the first road trip of the season at 3-2.

The Ghosts return home on Tuesday night for the first game of a seven game homestand against the Idaho Falls Chukars. Tyler Gagnon gets the start for the Ghosts opposite lefty Scott Alexander.

Ghosts break out the big bats in win over Ogden

The Casper Ghosts pounded out a season high 15 on a season high 21 hits to hammer the Ogden Raptors 15-9 to gain a split of the first two games of a three game series in front of 2,525 at Lindquist Field. The win assures the Ghosts of a winning road trip.

After the Raptors took a 1-0 lead in the first, the Ghosts bats got to work in a big way. With one out, Robert De La Cruz worked a walk, that would start a string of nine straight Ghost hitters reaching base. By the time the inning was over, the Ghosts had knocked out starter Carlos Frias, and scored six runs on seven hits, to grab a 6-1 lead. In the inning, Corey Dickerson would hit his third homer in as many games, and Brett Tanos followed him with his first. Dickerson would finish the game 3-for-6 with a homer and four RBI. He has now driven in 11 runs in the first four games of the road trip. Tanos went 3-for-4, and was a triple shy of the cycle.

The Ghosts would add two more in runs the in third, a run in the fourth to grab a 9-1 lead. Ogden would answer in the bottom of the fourth with three runs to climb within 9-4.

Both teams would trade runs in the fifth to make the score 10-5, but then the Ghosts put up four more runs in the sixth to grab control again at 14-5.

Ogden would make things a little tighter in the 8th by scoring four runs, three of them after a Ghosts error. They got homers from Jonathan Garcia and Chance Gilmore, to make the score 14-9, but the Ghosts would tack on another run in the 9th on a homer by Juan Crousset to make it 15-9, and the Raptors would not score in the bottom of the 9th.

All nine Ghosts starters had base hits, and eight of the nine had multiple hit games. Alvin Mejias picked up his first win of the season, going five innings, allowing four earned runs.

The Ghosts will wrap up the road trip Monday night against the Raptors. First pitch is set for 7:05. Albert Campos will get the start for the Ghosts against Garrett Gould.

The Ogden sunset

During last night's game I promised that I would post some pictures of the sunset here in Ogden, so here they are. Those are the Wasatch Mountains.

Ghosts win streak snapped in Ogden

For the fourth straight game the Casper Ghosts fell behind early, and for the fourth straight game they would comeback to take a lead, but it wasn’t enough as they would go down to the Ogden Raptors 4-3 after an error in the bottom of the ninth in front of 3,742 fans at Linquist Field to snap their three game win streak

.

The game would stay scoreless until the bottom of the fourth. Mike Pericht would lead off the inning with a double, but he was erased on a fielder’s choice. With Blake Dean at first and one down Jonathan Garcia would double to give the Raptors runners and 2^nd and 3^rd, and they would come home on a two run double by Jesse Bosnik to give Ogden a 2-0 lead.

The Ghosts would answer with a run of their own in the fifth. David Kandilas started the inning with a single, and would then steal second. He would move up to third on a ground out with two down. He would score when Jose Rivera reached base on an error by the shortstop Casio Grider. That made the score 2-1 Ogden.

Starter Greg Wilborn would be lifted after five innings, and the Ghosts jumped on reliever Raul Burgos quickly. Cristhian Adames led off the inning with a double to centerfield, then Corey Dickerson crushed a all to centerfield, but his went over the wall for a 2-run homer, his second in as many games to give the Ghosts a 3-2 lead.

That lead would be short-lived as the Raptors would tie the game in the bottom part of the inning. Nelson Gonzalez would relieve Alejandro Barraza, who allowed 2 runs in 5 innings, and allow a leadoff single to Mike Pericht. He would get to third on single by Blake Dean. They would tie the game when Jonathan Garcia bounced into a double play, so after six, the game was tied at 3.

In the ninth, the Raptors would push across the winning run against Clinton McKinney, who struck out Jonathan Garcia to lead things off. Then Jesse Bosnik would walk. He would get to third on a double by Steve Domecus. Joe Lincoln would be walked intentionally to load the bases with one down. Pedro Guerrero hit a comebacker right to McKinney, but McKinney’s throw home was overthrown, and Bosnik scored to give the Raptors a 4-3 win.

The Raptors and Ghosts will play the middle game of the three game series tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 4:05, Alvin Mejias will get the start for the Ghosts against Carlos Frias.

Welcome to Ogden

It really doesn't get any better than the view at Lindquist Field

Ghosts come from behind to sweep Idaho Falls

The Chukars put up a 4-spot in the bottom of the first to grab the lead. With one out, Yowill Espinal singled, Jake Kuebler followed with a walk. Espinal would come home on an infield single by Lane Adams. Kuebler would score on a single by Julio Aparicio, and they would add two more runs when Travis Jones would single after an error by Juan Crousset in left field. The inning would end with the Chukars leading 4-0.

The score would stay that way until the 6^th. Chukars starter Santiago Garrido was lifted after throwing 5 scoreless innings. He was replaced by Starling De La Rosa. Jose Rivera led off by reaching on an error by the first baseman Kuebler. He got to second base on a single by Rafael Ortega. After a fielder’s choice, Corey Dickerson would step up to the plate and crush a home run over the right field wall, the first of the season, to make the score 4-3.

The Ghosts had an opportunity to score the tying run in the 8^th, but Rafael Ortega was thrown out trying to tag up from third for the final out of the inning, but they came through in the ninth.

Brett Tanos started things off with a double, and he would score the tying run on a double by Blake McDade. Then Ryan Casteel would single to give the Ghosts runners at the corners with nobody out. Juan Crousset would give the Ghosts the lead with a sacrifice fly, but they weren’t done. David Kandilas would single to give the Ghosts runners at the corners with one out. Jose Rivera would give the Ghosts an insurance run with a bunt single.

The Ghosts bullpen was outstanding all night, and it continued in the ninth with Coty Woods throwing a scoreless ninth to pick up his second save. Christian Bergman and Kenneth Roberts each made their season debut’s out of the bullpen and combined to throw five scoreless innings, with each allowing just one hit and zero walks.

With the 6-4 win, the Ghosts sweep the series with the Chukars, and are now 4-1 on the season. They move on to Ogden for a 3-game series with the Raptors. First pitch for game one Saturday is set for 7:05.

Ghosts pitching leads the way in win over Idaho Falls

The Casper Ghosts used clutch hitting and outstanding pitching to beat the Idaho Falls Chukars 5-2 in front of 2,400 fans at Melaleuca Field in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The Chukars lit up the scoreboard first. In the bottom of the first, Tim Ferguson led off with a walk. He moved to second on a wild pitch, and got to third on a sacrifice bunt. He would score on a ground out by Jake Kuebler to give the Chukars a 1-0 lead.

Casper would tie the game in the third. Jeff Squier led off with a single, he then stole second, and got to third on a passed ball. He would score on a bloop single by Blake McDade with one out.

The Ghosts would grab the lead in the fourth. With one out Robert De La Cruz and David Dinatale walked, then Michael Ramirez reached on an error to load the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Corey Dickerson singled to center to drive in De La Cruz and Dinatale to give the Ghosts a 3-1 lead.

Idaho Falls would get a run back in the bottom part of the inning. It would start with a leadoff walk to Julio Aparicio, Anthony Howard would follow with a single. A sacrifice bunt by Tom Zebroski would give the Chukars runners at 2^nd and 3^rd with one out. COrrey Figueroa would drive in Aparicio on a ground out to make the score 3-2, but Kevin David would strike out with Howard at third to end the inning.

In the fifth, the Ghosts would extend the lead with more timely hitting. Jordan Ballard would reach on an error to start the inning. He would get to second on a single by Blake McDade. After a sacrifice bunt moved them up a base, De La Cruz would strike out for the second out of the inning. David Dinatale doubled off the top of the wall in left field to drive in both runners and that would give the Ghosts a 5-2 lead.

Tyler Gagnon started the game for the Ghosts and allowed just 1 earned run in four innings. He was relieved by Ricardo Ferrer who pitched 3 scoreless innings, retiring the first 6 batters he faced. Ferrer got out of a key bases loaded jam in the 7^th to preserve the Ghosts 5-2 lead. Ferrer would get the win, and Juan Perez would get his first professional save after pitching scoreless 8^th and 9^th innings. The Ghosts held the Chukars to just three hits.

The Ghosts will look to sweep this short 2-game series tomorrow night. Bruce Kern will start opposite Santiago Garrido. First pitch is set for 7:15.

Starting Lineups for Thursday's game

Ghosts (2-1)

1. Corey Dickerson LF

2. Brett Tanos 2B

3. Jordan Ballard 3B

4. Blake McDade 1B

5. David Kandilas CF

6. Robert De La Cruz DH

7. David Dinatale RF

8. Michael Ramirez C

9. Jeff Squier SS

Pitcher: Tyler Gagnon

Chukars (2-1)

1. Tim Ferguson CF

2. Justin Trapp SS

3. Jake Kuebler 1B

4. Murray Watts DH

5. Julio Aparicio LF

6. Anthony Howard RF

7. Tom Zebroski 2B

8. Correy Figueroa 3B

9. Kevin David C

Pitcher: Scott Alexander

Welcome to Melaleuca Field

Welcome to Melaleuca Field in Idaho Falls, ID for the Casper Ghosts first road game of 2010. Here are some pictures that I took while the Ghosts were taking batting practice from the broadcast booth. Notice the new video board down the left field line. You can listen to the game by going to ghostsbaseball.com. We'll be on the air at 7:00 mountain with the Wendy's pregame show.

Pictures from the road

We left Casper at 6 am for our first road trip of the season, which makes stops in Idaho Falls for two and Ogden for three. The drive to Idaho Falls is as scenic as it gets as we drive past the Teton Mountains in the western part of the state of Wyoming. Here are some pictures taken from the road:


This is a ski slope in Jackson, WY where we stopped for lunch

Ghosts take series opening series against Ogden

The top of the Ghosts order did its job going a combined 9-for-17 in its 9-7 win on Thursday night over the Ogden Raptors, in a rubber game of a 3-game series in front of 1,034 fans at Mike Lansing Field.

Ogden struck first in the top first as Jake Lemmerman doubled with 2 down. He would score on a Mike Pericht RBI single up the middle to give the Raptors a 1-0 lead, but it would be short lived because the Ghosts came right back and put two runs on the board in the bottom half of the inning.

Cristhian Adames got it started with a 1-out single, and Ryan Casteel reached on an error to give the Ghosts runners at first and second. Adames would score on an RBI by Jordan Ballard, and Casteel would score on a fielder’s choice to give the Ghosts a 2-1 lead.

The Raptors would stage another 2-out rally against Ghosts starter Albert Campos in the fourth. Jonathan Garcia doubled, and was brought home by Jesse Bosnik to tie the game at 2, but once again, the Ghosts would strike back with another big inning in the bottom of the fourth.

Ballard started the inning with a double, he was moved over to third on ground out. He would score when Robert De La Cruz reached on an error. De La Cruz would move up to second after a Jeff Squier walk, then Anthony Aguilera walked to load the bases. David Hernandez would pop out for out number two, but Rafael Ortega would get the job done and single in two runs to give the Ghosts a 5-2 lead.

Campos pitch five innings and allowed just 2 runs on six hits, but the bullpen faltered in the sixth.

Lemmerman led off the inning with a double. He would score on a 1-out double by Blake Dean, who would score on double by Garcia to cut the Ghosts lead to 5-4. Bosnik would walk, and then Steve Domecus would give the Raptors their third double, which scored Garcia and moved Bosnik up to third. Ogden would take the lead on a sacrifice fly by Casio Grider.

Once again, the Ghosts would answer with a four spot of their own, and grab the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth. Aguilera led off with a single, and would move to second on a passed ball, and get to third on a wild pitch. He would score on a triple by Hernandez to tie the game at 6, and the Ghosts would gain the lead when Hernandez scored on an RBI single by Rafael Ortega, who would move to third when Adames followed with a single. Ortega scored on an error, and Adames would score on a sacrifice fly to give the Ghosts a 9-6 lead.

The Raptors would add a run in the 7^th, but then Clinton McKinney came in and retired all five batters he faced, striking out the side in the 8^th. Coty Woods would pick up the save by throwing a scoreless ninth inning to give the Ghosts a 9-7 win.

Adames and Ballard each had three hits, Ortega drove in three runs. Lemmerman had three hits for the Raptors, as did Dean and Garcia.

The Ghosts hit the road for the first time in 2010 with a 5-game road trip starting tomorrow night in Idaho Falls. First pitch is set for 7:15. The Ghosts will play two in Idaho Falls, and then three in Ogden before returning home for a 7-game homestand.

Opening Day Pictures

I know its a little late, but here are some pictures from Opening Day:

Tony Diaz being honored by Tim Ray (center) and Casper Mayor Bill Brauer

Ogden Raptors

Both teams lined up

Susan Scheck sings the National Anthem

Alejandro Barraza's first pitch

Eliezer Mesa named MVP of the South Atlantic League All-Star Game

2 member of the 2009 Ghosts played in the All-Star game, and one was named the game's MVP. Angelys Nina went 0-for-2 for the South, but the story was Eliezer Mesa who went 3-for-5 with a double, 2 RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base.

Mesa is following up his great season with the Ghosts in 2009, with a better season in Asheville this season. He is second in the South Atlantic league in hitting with a .337 average. He is fourth in the league in total hits with 84, and his 47 runs scored are fifth best.

Last night's All-Star game ended in a 5-5 tie.

Raptors use the long ball in win over Ghosts

The Ogden Raptors used four home runs in their 9-7 win over the Casper Ghosts, to even their season opening series at a game apiece, in front of 1,247 fans at Mike Lansing Field.

The Ghosts took an early lead in the bottom of the first. Rafael Ortega tripled to lead off the inning, and he was driven home by Christhian Adames to give the Ghosts a 1-0 lead. Then Corey Dickerson singled. He stole second, moved up to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an error by the catcher Mike Pericht. However, the lead was short lived.

In the top of the 2^nd, Jesse Bosnik singled with two down to give the Raptors runners and first and second. Chris Henderson walked to load the bases. They were cleared on a grand slam by Austin King to straightaway centerfield on a full count. That gave Ogden a 4-2 lead.

They would tack on two more runs in the 3^rd when Michael Pericht hit a 2-run homer. Pericht would strike again in the 5^th by doubling in Jake Lemmerman to give Ogden a 7-2 lead, but the Ghosts struck back.

With one out in the bottom of the fifth Christhian Adames singled, which was followed by a Corey Dickerson walk. Adames scored on a base hit by Brett Tanos. Then Blake McDade brought home Dickerson and Tanos with a 2-run double to make the score 7-5. The Ghosts would get within a run when Juan Crousset would single in McDade.

Ogden added to that lead in both the 6^th and 7^th innings taking advantage of the long ball in each frame. Bosnik would homer in the in the 6^th, and Pericht would do the same in the 7^th, his second of the night, and third of the season, to make the score 9-6.

The Ghosts would score one more run in the 7^th, but it wouldn’t be enough as they fell 9-7.

Dickerson had a big night going 3-for-3 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored. Crousset also had 3 hits, McDade had two.

Pericht had another big night for Ogden going 4-for-5 with 2 homers and 4 RBI. He is 7-for-9 in the series with three homers and 7 RBI. Lemmerman had 3 hits, and Bosnik had 2.

The rubber of the opening series between the Raptors and Ghosts will be Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:05. RHP Albert Campos starts for the Ghosts opposite RHP Garret Gould.

Big seventh inning fuels Ghosts to Opening Day win

The Casper Ghosts opened the 2010 season in style with a 6-4 win over the Ogden Raptors in front of 2,018 fans at Mike Lansing Field.

In the first inning, Ogden struck first when Michael Pericht doubled off of Ghosts starter Alejandro Barraza to drive in Jake Lemmerman with 2-outs to give them a 1-0 lead. It would be the only run Barraza would allow, as he threw 5 innings allowing just the one run on 3 hits. He struck out four.

Casper would tie the game in the fifth inning. With one out, Jose Rivera walked. He would move to second on a single by Rafael Ortega. He would score from second on a fielder’s choice, as Christhian Adames was able to beat out a double play. Instead of stopping at second, Rivera took the extra base and was able to slide in under the tag of the catcher Pericht.

The Raptors would regain the lead in the seventh thanks to the bat of Pericht. He homered to straight away centerfield off of Clinton McKinney to give them a 2-1 lead.

David Dinatale started the big Ghosts seventh inning with a double. He would score on a single by Anthony Aguilera, who would move to third on a one out single by Ortega. He would then score on an error by Pericht. With 2 down and the Ghosts up 4-2 Blake McDade would double in two runs. The Ghosts would score 5 runs in the inning.

Ogden would tack on two runs in the ninth, but that was all they could muster as the Ghosts would go onto win 6-4.

Ortega led the Ghosts by going 3-for-4. Six different Ghosts scored runs.

Pericht also went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI. He also scored two runs.

Game two of the three game series will be Tuesday night at Mike Lansing Field. First pitch is set for 7:05. Right Alvin Mejias will get the start for the Ghosts against lefty Carlos Frias.

Reading the coverage- Opening Day edition

Here are some must read articles about the Casper Ghosts:

Tony Moss from the Denver Post writes about the Ghosts 10 year anniversary.

Jennifer Killmer from the Casper Star Tribune has a feature on Ghosts outfielder Corey Dickerson, who signed after being drafted by the Rockies two straight years.

Killmer also has a preview of the Ghosts season.

Welcome to the official blog of the Casper Ghosts

Welcome to the official blog of the Casper Ghosts. Over the course of the season, this blog will be the best place to get up-to-the-date information on the team. Along with giving you the latest Ghosts information, both on and off the field, we will provide links to articles written about the team, post interviews done with players, and provide photos from games and other team functions. We would like for the fans to be involved with the blog as much as possible, so please send us suggestions on what you would like to see. You can comment on this post, or you can email us at casperghostsbaseball@gmail.com. Thanks for taking the time to view this blog, and please visit often.