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Alex Radon anchored a terrific Monarchs starting rotation in 2011.
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Photo Credit: Stan Moyer
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9/7/11 Toledo, Ohio---
The Monarchs swept the AAABA Regional to punctuate another successful season in the Great Lakes League. Lake Erie finished the season 28-26, and got outstanding performances from several members of the team, including Great Lakes League Pitcher of the Year Alex Radon (Toledo).
Radon earned First-Team Great Lakes League honors, and was joined by Second-Team representatives Donny Duschinsky (Southern Illinois) and Pat Hirschberg (Nebraska). Hirschberg led the team with a .331 batting average, and Duschinsky was close behind with a .309 average. The pair also hit a home run and contributed 19 and 18 RBIs, respectively.
The Monarchs had four hitters with a .300 or better batting average, including Alex Davison (Bowling Green) and Hank LaRue (Middle Tennessee State). Lake Erie also had one of the best pitching staffs in the league in 2011. The team posted a 4.05 ERA, anchored by Radon’s 0.81 ERA in eight appearances. Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) started five games in seven appearances and posted a 1.36 ERA as well. Eric Vaughan (Ashland) converted five saves for the Monarchs. He also struck out 20 batters in 24.1 innings pitched.
Tyler Scott (Toledo) and Johnny Walter (Penn State) joined Radon and Kinley as key pieces to the Monarchs’ starting rotation. Scott posted a 2.15 ERA on his way to three wins in six starts. He struck out 27 batters and walked just 12 in 37.2 innings of work. Walter also earned three wins and recorded a 2.54 ERA in 39 innings. He was second on the team with 29 strikeouts in eight appearances, including five starts.
One of the Monarchs’ biggest surprises this season was pitcher Logan McAnallen (Michigan), who pitched the first no-hitter in team history in Alaska before the regular season began, and was one out away from his second of the season against the Grand Lake Mariners on July 25. He finished the year with three wins and a 3.80 ERA.
Alaska
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Logan McAnallen tossed a no-hitter on the team's trip to Alaska to begin the season.
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Photo Credit: Stan Moyer
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The Monarchs made a trip to Alaska this season for a nine-game schedule against four teams from the Alaska Baseball League. Lake Erie won five of its first six games of the road trip, and finished 5-4 before returning home for the regular season. In the five games the Monarchs won, they outscored their opponents 32-12.
The Monarchs played two games against the Anchorage Bucs, three against the Kenai Peninsula Oilers, a single contest against the Matsu Miners, and finished the trip with a three-game set versus the Alaska Goldpanners. The trip included nine games in nine days, but the team also found some time to enjoy the beautiful Alaskan scenery with a fishing trip and team hike.
It was the Monarchs’ fourth trip to Alaska since 2004. The biggest on-field highlight of the trip was McAnallen’s no-hitter against the Matsu Miners on June 11. The freshman hurler went the distance in just 111 pitches and struck out 12 batters en route to the first no-hitter in Monarchs history. Lake Erie won the game 2-0, getting timely hitting from LaRue and Duschinsky when the team needed an offensive boost.
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Pat Hirschberg led all Monarchs batters with a .331 batting average in the regular season.
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Photo Credit: Stan Moyer
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Regular Season
The Monarchs quickly jumped into their regular season schedule after returning home from Alaska. They dropped their home opener to the Lima Locos, but got short break due to bad weather that caused the team’s next four games to be postponed.
Lake Erie would go on to split the next 12 games of the season 6-6, but hit a rocky stretch in the next six games, dropping each contest to league opponents. The Monarchs carried momentum into the all-star break, however, going 4-2 in their next six. From that point forward, it was a dead sprint toward the postseason.
The team kept its momentum after the break, winning six of its next eight contests. They pulled closer post-season contention, led by some outstanding pitching. Four of the six wins during that stretch were decided by one run in low-scoring affairs.
Injuries and the strain of a strenuous schedule proved to be too much for the Monarchs to get over the hump, however. Losses to the Lima Locos and Licking County Settlers at the end of the season pushed the Monarchs out of contention for a playoff berth.
AAABA Regional Tournament
The Monarchs swept the AAABA Regional to punctuate another successful season in the Great Lakes League. Lake Erie finished the season 28-26, and got outstanding performances from several members of the team, including Great Lakes League Pitcher of the Year Alex Radon (Toledo).
Radon earned First-Team Great Lakes League honors, and was joined by Second-Team representatives Donny Duschinsky (Southern Illinois) and Pat Hirschberg (Nebraska). Hirschberg led the team with a .331 batting average, and Duschinsky was close behind with a .309 average. The pair also hit a home run and contributed 19 and 18 RBIs, respectively.
The Monarchs had four hitters with a .300 or better batting average, including Alex Davison (Bowling Green) and Hank LaRue (Middle Tennessee State). Lake Erie also had one of the best pitching staffs in the league in 2011. The team posted a 4.05 ERA, anchored by Radon’s 0.81 ERA in eight appearances. Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) started five games in seven appearances and posted a 1.36 ERA as well. Eric Vaughan (Ashland) converted five saves for the Monarchs. He also struck out 20 batters in 24.1 innings pitched.
Tyler Scott (Toledo) and Johnny Walter (Penn State) joined Radon and Kinley as key pieces to the Monarchs’ starting rotation. Scott posted a 2.15 ERA on his way to three wins in six starts. He struck out 27 batters and walked just 12 in 37.2 innings of work. Walter also earned three wins and recorded a 2.54 ERA in 39 innings. He was second on the team with 29 strikeouts in eight appearances, including five starts.
One of the Monarchs’ biggest surprises this season was pitcher Logan McAnallen (Michigan), who pitched the first no-hitter in team history in Alaska before the regular season began, and was one out away from his second of the season against the Grand Lake Mariners on July 25. He finished the year with three wins and a 3.80 ERA.
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