They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I was going to embed the Red box score from yesterday's slugfest betweeen Red and Gray, which we won 40-30 in perhaps one of the highest Creaker games in history.
Alas, I can't figure it out or it is not possible to embed it here. So I will have to list the multitudes of heroic hitting performed by our team yesterday (below).
First - the game summary. In the top of the first inning Paul Lisi made two incredible catches to rob Rich Brown and Lamont LT Thompson on balls to the LC gap, and Gray held us to two runs on a Randy Crase home run. This enabled Gray to build a 10-3 lead after two, as we were up to our usual early game defensive high jinks. But then we stormed back with a seven run third to tie it and shut down Gray No Matter in the bottom half. In the up and down game we seemed to take control as we turned it up to a 20-12 lead after six, and feeling a little too comfortable. But Gray had other ideas and their fine lineup produced the second comeback inning in the bottom of the seventh - eight runs after holding us in check in the top half. We took a small lead going into the ninth, and then just exploded. Batting around nearly twice, we broke it open with a 15 run open inning, highlighted by a Mark Pitzlin grand slam among other great hits. But you have to give Gray credit - they didn't lie down and they responded with an eight run bottom of the ninth, and the outcome wasn't certain until Larry Fogli made a nifty running catch in right field to end it.
Believe it or not but the high scoring game had some defensive highlights as well. In the middle innings we held Gray to two runs in four innings. In the fourth alone, Brown and LT robbed two different hitters that hit line shot base hits at Rich and he fired to Rover LT covering second to get force outs. And LT had to short hop one of the hurried throws and twist to the side to corral the other. He also made a stop on another play to get all the outs in that inning. Brown was everywhere, as he also threw out a guy who dared to challenge him going to third on a hit in the fifth. This also went through LT to Howard Davis covering third. And late in the game we turned a Tony Gorgone to LT to first double play.
But this game was all about hitting and here are the stats:
1. I guess we will keep Pitzlin. He merely went six for seven with four doubles, two home runs, including the grand salami, and 13 RBIs. Yes that is not a misprint: 13 RBIs.
2. A new nickname was born: "Seven for Seven Kevin" for Kevin Kane, whom Gray couldn't keep off base or from scoring as he scored on each hit, including a deep home run to the left center gap.
3. Unfortunately "Seven for Seven Randy" doesn't really have the same ring, yet Crase also accomplished the feat. He also hit a home run, and drove in seven in the two hole, and scored every time. 7 for 7 with 7 and 7?
4. I didn't do too badly, 6 for 6. I spoiled my admission to the 7 & 7 club with a walk. I don't have their pop but I managed 4 RBIs and three runs, which is another lucky 7.
5. Rich Brown kept repeating to everyone that a "walk is a hit". We took it to heart as we earned 11 altogether, and he avoided swinging at bad pitches to claim 3 BBs himself. I guess they were walking him to get to Pitzlin. Rich scored five times, and drove in two - another 7.
6. Larry Fogli amassed four hits as he continued his consistent hitting.
7. Bob Muegge was 3-5, drove in the tying run in the catchup third, and kick started our 15 run open inning with a nice slice single down the right field line. He also pitched the whole game for the second straight week, although his ERA suffered in the slugfest.
8. LT probably hit the furthest but was robbed once by Paul Lisi in the first, and then Gray was playing him so deep that two more of his blasts were caught, once again by Lisi in the fifth and once by Barry Gronenberg, who was standing nearly in the bushes in right field in the ninth as if he knew that's where it was coming. And it was. If not for that last out in the top of the ninth we might still be batting. LT still managed three hits and a couple of RBIs.
9. Gorgone, Davis, and Coach Larry Rafferty all contributed hits, runs, and RBIs as everyone on the team notched at least one in all those categories. "Holy Moly" Tony in particular had a huge hit - his double in the catchup third drove in runs five and six, and he scored the tying run.
We were luckily spared the worst of the heat wave, which ended Monday, in the afternoon game, but we were all ready to get to the showers by the end. First we had a celebratory beverage after the game - post game beer never tasted better!
Alas, I can't figure it out or it is not possible to embed it here. So I will have to list the multitudes of heroic hitting performed by our team yesterday (below).
First - the game summary. In the top of the first inning Paul Lisi made two incredible catches to rob Rich Brown and Lamont LT Thompson on balls to the LC gap, and Gray held us to two runs on a Randy Crase home run. This enabled Gray to build a 10-3 lead after two, as we were up to our usual early game defensive high jinks. But then we stormed back with a seven run third to tie it and shut down Gray No Matter in the bottom half. In the up and down game we seemed to take control as we turned it up to a 20-12 lead after six, and feeling a little too comfortable. But Gray had other ideas and their fine lineup produced the second comeback inning in the bottom of the seventh - eight runs after holding us in check in the top half. We took a small lead going into the ninth, and then just exploded. Batting around nearly twice, we broke it open with a 15 run open inning, highlighted by a Mark Pitzlin grand slam among other great hits. But you have to give Gray credit - they didn't lie down and they responded with an eight run bottom of the ninth, and the outcome wasn't certain until Larry Fogli made a nifty running catch in right field to end it.
Believe it or not but the high scoring game had some defensive highlights as well. In the middle innings we held Gray to two runs in four innings. In the fourth alone, Brown and LT robbed two different hitters that hit line shot base hits at Rich and he fired to Rover LT covering second to get force outs. And LT had to short hop one of the hurried throws and twist to the side to corral the other. He also made a stop on another play to get all the outs in that inning. Brown was everywhere, as he also threw out a guy who dared to challenge him going to third on a hit in the fifth. This also went through LT to Howard Davis covering third. And late in the game we turned a Tony Gorgone to LT to first double play.
But this game was all about hitting and here are the stats:
1. I guess we will keep Pitzlin. He merely went six for seven with four doubles, two home runs, including the grand salami, and 13 RBIs. Yes that is not a misprint: 13 RBIs.
2. A new nickname was born: "Seven for Seven Kevin" for Kevin Kane, whom Gray couldn't keep off base or from scoring as he scored on each hit, including a deep home run to the left center gap.
3. Unfortunately "Seven for Seven Randy" doesn't really have the same ring, yet Crase also accomplished the feat. He also hit a home run, and drove in seven in the two hole, and scored every time. 7 for 7 with 7 and 7?
4. I didn't do too badly, 6 for 6. I spoiled my admission to the 7 & 7 club with a walk. I don't have their pop but I managed 4 RBIs and three runs, which is another lucky 7.
5. Rich Brown kept repeating to everyone that a "walk is a hit". We took it to heart as we earned 11 altogether, and he avoided swinging at bad pitches to claim 3 BBs himself. I guess they were walking him to get to Pitzlin. Rich scored five times, and drove in two - another 7.
6. Larry Fogli amassed four hits as he continued his consistent hitting.
7. Bob Muegge was 3-5, drove in the tying run in the catchup third, and kick started our 15 run open inning with a nice slice single down the right field line. He also pitched the whole game for the second straight week, although his ERA suffered in the slugfest.
8. LT probably hit the furthest but was robbed once by Paul Lisi in the first, and then Gray was playing him so deep that two more of his blasts were caught, once again by Lisi in the fifth and once by Barry Gronenberg, who was standing nearly in the bushes in right field in the ninth as if he knew that's where it was coming. And it was. If not for that last out in the top of the ninth we might still be batting. LT still managed three hits and a couple of RBIs.
9. Gorgone, Davis, and Coach Larry Rafferty all contributed hits, runs, and RBIs as everyone on the team notched at least one in all those categories. "Holy Moly" Tony in particular had a huge hit - his double in the catchup third drove in runs five and six, and he scored the tying run.
We were luckily spared the worst of the heat wave, which ended Monday, in the afternoon game, but we were all ready to get to the showers by the end. First we had a celebratory beverage after the game - post game beer never tasted better!
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