White pulled off a Golden State Warrior-like game today at Heather Farm 5.
With stingy defense, pretty pitching and timely offense, we pretty much had our way with Gray for seven and a half innings, building an 18-3 lead. At that point, they just wanted to go home and/or get to the post game beverages. But we pulled out our sloppy turnover defense for their last ups, and they made the final score a respectable 18-11.
We were never worried - we really shouldn't have flip-flopped since we were the home team. Which meant that if they had tied or gone ahead, we would have had two chances to win the game.
As it was, the last batter hit a come-backer to Howard Davis at the mound, and even though at first he wanted to get a non-existent runner going to second, he was able to put everyone out of their collect misery with the elusive third out.
Davis (aka Superman in some corners of Creakerville) was one of the heroes of the game in all facets. On one play SS Mike Saindon went deep into the 5-6 hole and had to throw falling backward to second to get a force out. The throw short hopped Davis covering, and he collected it as if it were routine. He also had a great turn on a 6-11-3 double play from Clay Kallam at short. Among Howard's hits was a double into the left field gap that plated two runs in the fifth, our only five run frame.
There were many hitting heroes, but the top of the list was the top of the order, Tom Meyer. He went 4-4 with a double and a homer; Helen Kostoff, on first, had to run for her life ahead of the speedy Meyer on his home run. His double would have been a home run as well, if it weren't for the fact that run #5 in the fifth scored from second on the hit.
Paul Lisi went 3-4 and had the game winning RBI on the second hit of the game as we never trailed; Meyer scored all the way from first on the double (get it?). Following that, Mike Saindon had the bomb of the game, a two run blast to right center that scored Lisi. We added four singles, and the four run inning set the tone for the rest of the game. Mike Guerrero and Bruce Spenser were perfect with three hits and a walk each, and in addition to Lisi and Davis, Dave Rose had a three hit game.
The field was littered with Gray matter fallen victim to our defense. Barry Gronenberg knocked down a smash going by the screen at the mound in the first, and turned it into an easy out. Kallam made a hot shot line drive look routine up the middle to end the first. In the second, Gronenberg repeated the play from the first, and then Lisi and Coach Neil Henry made running catches to end that inning.
There were two candidates for play of the game. In the sixth, Lisi ran far into center from left center to snag a fly ball. In the interest of full disclosure, I was out that inning and wandering off somewhere, so I didn't actually see it, but I heard the Whoops generating from our team.
The other play was illustrative of not only great physical ability, but the great value of talking to each other in the field and anticipating the play. With bases loaded, Saindon called out that on a grounder we should go second to home, and right on cue, when it came to him, he flipped it to Kallam covering, and Clay flung it home where Kostoff stood waiting for it. The runner from third, assuming the throw would go to first was lollygagging toward home - importantly he was just past the commit line. He was out by thirty feet and another Gray rally was squelched.
Finally, enough can't be said about Gronenberg's pitching. He had Gray off balance the entire game; they have some pretty fair hitters, and he held them to two runs in seven innings as we built our lead. Davis came in to mop up, and the score doesn't show it because of our defensive lapses, but he pitched well also.
I won't say anything more about that last inning, mostly because then I would have to talk about my error...let's just say Steve Kerr would be beating our heads in over turnovers!
Bring on the Teal - next week the early battle for a piece of first place!
With stingy defense, pretty pitching and timely offense, we pretty much had our way with Gray for seven and a half innings, building an 18-3 lead. At that point, they just wanted to go home and/or get to the post game beverages. But we pulled out our sloppy turnover defense for their last ups, and they made the final score a respectable 18-11.
We were never worried - we really shouldn't have flip-flopped since we were the home team. Which meant that if they had tied or gone ahead, we would have had two chances to win the game.
As it was, the last batter hit a come-backer to Howard Davis at the mound, and even though at first he wanted to get a non-existent runner going to second, he was able to put everyone out of their collect misery with the elusive third out.
Davis (aka Superman in some corners of Creakerville) was one of the heroes of the game in all facets. On one play SS Mike Saindon went deep into the 5-6 hole and had to throw falling backward to second to get a force out. The throw short hopped Davis covering, and he collected it as if it were routine. He also had a great turn on a 6-11-3 double play from Clay Kallam at short. Among Howard's hits was a double into the left field gap that plated two runs in the fifth, our only five run frame.
There were many hitting heroes, but the top of the list was the top of the order, Tom Meyer. He went 4-4 with a double and a homer; Helen Kostoff, on first, had to run for her life ahead of the speedy Meyer on his home run. His double would have been a home run as well, if it weren't for the fact that run #5 in the fifth scored from second on the hit.
Paul Lisi went 3-4 and had the game winning RBI on the second hit of the game as we never trailed; Meyer scored all the way from first on the double (get it?). Following that, Mike Saindon had the bomb of the game, a two run blast to right center that scored Lisi. We added four singles, and the four run inning set the tone for the rest of the game. Mike Guerrero and Bruce Spenser were perfect with three hits and a walk each, and in addition to Lisi and Davis, Dave Rose had a three hit game.
The field was littered with Gray matter fallen victim to our defense. Barry Gronenberg knocked down a smash going by the screen at the mound in the first, and turned it into an easy out. Kallam made a hot shot line drive look routine up the middle to end the first. In the second, Gronenberg repeated the play from the first, and then Lisi and Coach Neil Henry made running catches to end that inning.
There were two candidates for play of the game. In the sixth, Lisi ran far into center from left center to snag a fly ball. In the interest of full disclosure, I was out that inning and wandering off somewhere, so I didn't actually see it, but I heard the Whoops generating from our team.
The other play was illustrative of not only great physical ability, but the great value of talking to each other in the field and anticipating the play. With bases loaded, Saindon called out that on a grounder we should go second to home, and right on cue, when it came to him, he flipped it to Kallam covering, and Clay flung it home where Kostoff stood waiting for it. The runner from third, assuming the throw would go to first was lollygagging toward home - importantly he was just past the commit line. He was out by thirty feet and another Gray rally was squelched.
Finally, enough can't be said about Gronenberg's pitching. He had Gray off balance the entire game; they have some pretty fair hitters, and he held them to two runs in seven innings as we built our lead. Davis came in to mop up, and the score doesn't show it because of our defensive lapses, but he pitched well also.
I won't say anything more about that last inning, mostly because then I would have to talk about my error...let's just say Steve Kerr would be beating our heads in over turnovers!
Bring on the Teal - next week the early battle for a piece of first place!
