It goes like this: Don't give yourself the curse of the first against the Big Red Machine (and take a 5-0 lead). It will only wake us up.
After three innings, we trailed 8-2. We helped Maroon out by hitting into two double plays, on nice plays by the Maroon defense. Apparently Steve Alvarez can't deal with the pressure of a 0-0 game in the top of the first with the lead run on third with one out. He hit into one of them then. All he did the rest of the game was single, homer, triple, and homer with five RBIs. I was sure he was going to pull up lame at second base on his last blast over the right center fielder's head - he only needed the double for the cycle.
They started mowing down the weeds in the field across the street at about the point we were down 8-2. A dust cloud rose. It had a definite Red tinge to it. We kept inching closer and closer to Maroon as our offense woke up and so did our D. Bob Muegge started inducing popups and ground outs out of the Maroon bats. The score went to 5-10, then 10-12, and finally we tied it at the end of the sixth, 15-15. After that Maroon had no chance as we poured on five more in the seventh and eighth, and six in the 9th. They hit a couple of line drives right at our infielders when they tried in desperation to come back in the bottom of the ninth from a by now 31-17 deficit, but they went straight into Bill Dewlaney's and Howard Davis' gloves, and that's how it goes when you have the curse.
The Red team hit .710 AS A TEAM. There were big hits all along the way. Mel Burman followed Brian Black's umpteenth double (Brian has never had a single in Senior ball, he just doesn't stop) with a two run single to bring us within striking distance at 8-5 in the fourth. George Sayatavich did his road runner imitation with one out in the fifth. You can't shackle Geo when he is running the bases...BEEP BEEP. He had to cause controversy by just nipping the inside of the third base bag as he rounded when the errant throw came in from the outfield. But he won't stop, can't stop.
Alvarez got his first four bagger to lead off the sixth. But the biggest hit of the game came later that inning, when Howard Davis stepped up to a two out two on situation. They call him the 'little guy', but he hits big at the right time. He hit a laser line drive that froze the left center fielder, and then was over his head, and Howard rounded the bases to give us our first and not last lead of the game. The next inning Alvarez got a two run triple to ensure a five run inning (when he subsequently scored on Black's single). In the eighth it was more of the same, as back to back triples by Bob Eddy and Davis highlighted another five run outburst. Bob twice was down 0-2 and took low pitches into the gaps. I'm afraid I put the dagger in their heart with my lead off solo shot in the ninth. A lefty who hits the opposite way loves Field 4, you get it spinning into foul territory down the left field line and it just rolls and rolls and rolls, with nothing stopping it from reaching Field 5 down the way. Later that inning, after yet another Alvarez HR, Muegge provided the comic relief by taking a backward K. He was already thinking about how he was going to get Maroon out in the bottom of the 9th, so he could get to his lunch up at the golf clubhouse. And so he did.
Five hits from Kravin (triple and HR), four and a walk from Black (three extra base hits) and Eddy (triple), four from Alvarez (triple and two HRs), Davis (triple and HR), Sayatovich (double and HR), and Burman (double). Everyone got into the act, Herb Moessing had a clutch two run, two out single to close out the eighth.
Defense was led by Muegge keeping the bats in check. Mike Fragoso saved our bacon with
a huge play in the hole in to finish off the bottom of the fifth with bases loaded. Mike also started a 6-4-3 double play in the third.
We were missing Bruce Baily who showed up to cheer us on after having cataract surgery recently. We sang a round of "Won't you come home Bruce Baily?" to celebrate the win - now Bruce can find his way home!
After three innings, we trailed 8-2. We helped Maroon out by hitting into two double plays, on nice plays by the Maroon defense. Apparently Steve Alvarez can't deal with the pressure of a 0-0 game in the top of the first with the lead run on third with one out. He hit into one of them then. All he did the rest of the game was single, homer, triple, and homer with five RBIs. I was sure he was going to pull up lame at second base on his last blast over the right center fielder's head - he only needed the double for the cycle.
They started mowing down the weeds in the field across the street at about the point we were down 8-2. A dust cloud rose. It had a definite Red tinge to it. We kept inching closer and closer to Maroon as our offense woke up and so did our D. Bob Muegge started inducing popups and ground outs out of the Maroon bats. The score went to 5-10, then 10-12, and finally we tied it at the end of the sixth, 15-15. After that Maroon had no chance as we poured on five more in the seventh and eighth, and six in the 9th. They hit a couple of line drives right at our infielders when they tried in desperation to come back in the bottom of the ninth from a by now 31-17 deficit, but they went straight into Bill Dewlaney's and Howard Davis' gloves, and that's how it goes when you have the curse.
The Red team hit .710 AS A TEAM. There were big hits all along the way. Mel Burman followed Brian Black's umpteenth double (Brian has never had a single in Senior ball, he just doesn't stop) with a two run single to bring us within striking distance at 8-5 in the fourth. George Sayatavich did his road runner imitation with one out in the fifth. You can't shackle Geo when he is running the bases...BEEP BEEP. He had to cause controversy by just nipping the inside of the third base bag as he rounded when the errant throw came in from the outfield. But he won't stop, can't stop.
Alvarez got his first four bagger to lead off the sixth. But the biggest hit of the game came later that inning, when Howard Davis stepped up to a two out two on situation. They call him the 'little guy', but he hits big at the right time. He hit a laser line drive that froze the left center fielder, and then was over his head, and Howard rounded the bases to give us our first and not last lead of the game. The next inning Alvarez got a two run triple to ensure a five run inning (when he subsequently scored on Black's single). In the eighth it was more of the same, as back to back triples by Bob Eddy and Davis highlighted another five run outburst. Bob twice was down 0-2 and took low pitches into the gaps. I'm afraid I put the dagger in their heart with my lead off solo shot in the ninth. A lefty who hits the opposite way loves Field 4, you get it spinning into foul territory down the left field line and it just rolls and rolls and rolls, with nothing stopping it from reaching Field 5 down the way. Later that inning, after yet another Alvarez HR, Muegge provided the comic relief by taking a backward K. He was already thinking about how he was going to get Maroon out in the bottom of the 9th, so he could get to his lunch up at the golf clubhouse. And so he did.
Five hits from Kravin (triple and HR), four and a walk from Black (three extra base hits) and Eddy (triple), four from Alvarez (triple and two HRs), Davis (triple and HR), Sayatovich (double and HR), and Burman (double). Everyone got into the act, Herb Moessing had a clutch two run, two out single to close out the eighth.
Defense was led by Muegge keeping the bats in check. Mike Fragoso saved our bacon with
a huge play in the hole in to finish off the bottom of the fifth with bases loaded. Mike also started a 6-4-3 double play in the third.
We were missing Bruce Baily who showed up to cheer us on after having cataract surgery recently. We sang a round of "Won't you come home Bruce Baily?" to celebrate the win - now Bruce can find his way home!
No comments:
Post a Comment