Peninsula begins second half with win over Edenton
Pilots move above .500 for first time this season, take first place lead in 2nd half

July 1, 2008

HAMPTON, Va. - Peninsula moved above the .500 mark for the first time this summer with a 3-2 win over Edenton on Tuesday evening at War Memorial Stadium.  The victory gave the Pilots a share of first place in the second half North Division standings, tying Petersburg, which also picked up a win on Tuesday.

Peninsula, which struggled during the first two weeks of the season, started the summer with a 1-7 record.  The Pilots have gone 16-7 since then and have won eight of their last 11 games.

The Pilots scored first in the bottom of the third inning as third baseman Brad Winter (Kent State), who finished 2-for-3, and right fielder Chris Baker (Old Dominion) singled and doubled, respectively, to lead off the inning.  With nobody out, first baseman Greg Rohan (Kent State) hit a fly ball to right field, scoring Winter from third base.

Edenton tied the score at 1-1 in the visiting half of the sixth inning when Jacob Robbins drew a one-out walk and stole second base.  The left fielder then scored on a single by first baseman Doug Kroll.

Peninsula right fielder Anthony Gallas (Kent State) hit his team-leading fifth home run of the summer to left field in the seventh, giving the Pilots a 2-1 advantage.

The Steamers answered in the top of the eighth inning when third baseman Ryan Millica hit a two-out single through the right side, scoring R.J. Harris to again tie the score at 2-2.

The Pilots used another late-inning rally to score the eventual winning run in the bottom of the eighth as second baseman Matt Payton (Western Kentucky) scored on a passed ball by Edenton hurler Joe Key.

Peninsula returns to War Memorial Stadium on Friday, July 4 against Edenton for Tribute to Armed Forces Night and again on Saturday, July 5 versus Outer Banks with postgame fireworks presented by Chevrolet, as well as a Pilots mini-bat giveaway.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 5:30 p.m.

Former Pilot OF John Bowker makes historic MLB debut
Becomes 1st San Francisco Giant to homer in each of his 1st two ML games

April 14, 2008

2002 Pilots right fielder John Bowker powered his way into the baseball record books by homering in each of his first two Major League games.  He becomes the 3rd former Pilot to make his way to the Big Leagues.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA-- When Giants rookie John Bowker strode to the plate Saturday afternoon to take his 1st ever Major League time at-bat (at AT&T Park in San Francisco) his team was in need of an offensive spark.  The 4-6 start for the San Francisco Giants, marked largely by offensive ineptitude, led to the decision to call up the 24 year old former Peninsula Pilot.  He promptly singled off of St. Louis Cardinals starter, and fellow Coastal Plain League alum, Todd Wellemeyer ('99 Thomasville HiToms).  By the end of the sixth inning he had led his new teammates in chasing Wellemeyer from the mound courtesy of a thunderous three-run homer into the San Francisco Bay (his third at-bat in the Majors).  He finished the day 2-3 with a single, a homer and 3 RBI in a game that his team squandered a 5-run lead on the way to dropping an 8-7 decision to the Cards.

The next day, Sunday, he delivered an historic encore by becoming the first player in Giants history to homer in each of his first two games when (in the 4th inning) he launched a two-run blast into the right field arcade off of Cardinals starter Joel Pinero.  He added an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to lead the home team to a 7-4 win, their 5th of the season.

In just two games of work as a member of the Giants, Bowker has tallied a line of 4-6 (.667 BA), 2 HR and 7 RBI. The 7 runs driven in puts him in second in that category among Giants players behind catcher Bengie Molina, who had played in eleven of the team's 13 games as of the end of play Sunday night.

In 2002, Bowker battled through an injury plagued season as a part-time right fielder in Hampton collecting 11 hits in 55 at-bats following his freshman season at Long Beach State University.  With his call-up from AAA Fresno, the Pilots now have more active alumni in the Major Leagues than any other CPL franchise.  Bowker joins Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and Texas Rangers pitcher Josh Rupe as former Pilots now competing in the 'Show.'

Additional links:
Bowker homers in MLB debut (video courtesy of MLB.com)
Bowker's dream debut continues with three run homer in game 2 (video courtesy of MLB.com)
Two games, two homers for Giants John Bowker (San Jose Mercury News article)
Bowker, Linecum star in Giants win - Rookie homers for second straight win, starter strikes out 11 (By Rick Eymer / Special to MLB.com)
Bowker has dream debut in Majors - Outfielder singles in 1st Big League at bat, then homers (By Rick Eymer / Special to MLB.com)

War Memorial renaissance to continue with addition of new scoreboard, video center and sound system
April. 04, 2008

The new score center features a 36' x 9' 10-inning scoreboard with MPH readout, a 19' x 9.5' LED message center capable of video playback, backlit sponsor panels and a decorate truss with clock and stadium name.

HAMPTON, VA-- The Peninsula Pilots have finalized plans to install a new state-of-the-art scoreboard at Peninsula War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, VA this season.  After nearly eighteen months of proposal review, planning, design, sales and marketing for the privately financed initiative, Daktronics (a Brookings, SD company) was selected as the supplier for the $400,000 project.  The structure will include a 36' long 10-inning LED scoreboard with a speed-of-pitch display, a 19' LED color video / message center, backlit sponsor panels, a 5' analog clock and a decorate steel truss framing the stadium name.  Construction is set to begin immediately and the project's completion is slated for mid-May, in time for an unveiling at the 2008 USCAA National Championships hosted by the Northrop Grumman NN Apprentice School.  MORE...

Pilots caretaker Henry Morgan named 2008 Bud Metheny Award recipient by Old Dominion University
Dec. 14, 2007 - Story as written on odusports.com

Morgan joins his friend, the late Warren Spivey, as one of two local baseball men with CPL ties to receive award.

NORFOLK, VA-- Local Peninsula businessman Henry Morgan, who has devoted much of his life and resources to area youth baseball activities, will be honored as the 31st recipient of the Bud Metheny Award at the GTI Systems, Inc. "Meet the Stars" banquet, Friday Jan. 25th at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside as part of the annual Greenwich Kitchens/ODU Baseball Clinic weekend. The banquet begins with a social at 6:30, followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m.

Baseball Hall of Famer and award winning sportscaster Joe Morgan of the Cincinnati Reds will be the keynote speaker and clinician.

Tickets for the banquet are $60, and on sale at the Old Dominion Athletic Ticket Office in the Athletic Administration Building (683-5484). The Greenwich Kitchens Baseball Clinic will be held Saturday, Jan. 26 with one session, beginning at 9 a.m. Tickets for the clinic are $5.  MORE...

 

John Bowker added to San Francisco Giants 40-man roster
Nov. 20, 2007

Bowker, who collected 11 hits in 18 games as a member of the 2002 Pilots, becomes the 3rd former player to make a Major League roster.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA-- 2002 right fielder John Bowker (Long Beach State) has parlayed a breakout season in the AA Eastern League, 22 homeruns and 90 RBI for the Connecticut Defenders, into a spot on the San Francisco Giants 40-man roster.  When the Giants purchased his contract from the AA Defenders, Bowker immediately became a candidate to assume the left fielder's job vacated by home run king* Barry Bonds.  Under a cloud of controversy, Bonds was not offered arbitration by the Giants, effectively ending his 15-year run as the starter in left. 

Bowker will be invited to Major League spring training and thrust into an open competition for the starter's job with Rajai Davis, Dave Roberts, Fred Lewis, Nate Sheirholtz and whomever else the Giants invite to camp.  The 'worst-case-scenario' for Bowker appears to be starting left fielder for AAA Fresno.

He becomes the third former Peninsula Pilot to make his way onto a Major League 40-man roster, following RHP Josh Rupe (Texas Rangers - '01 Pilots) and 3B Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals - '03 Pilots).  In 2002, Bowker fought through an injury plagued season as a part-time right fielder in Hampton collecting 11 hits in 55 at-bats following his freshman season at Long Beach State University.  MORE...