Livermore Barbers Clipped

Kapsch started this one out slow, but came on hard to prove to the Livermore Barber Shop that we own them, at least so far in the first year we have been playing each other. We are 3-0-1 against them.

In the top of the third LBS led 5-0. The game was teetering on the edge. One more scoreless inning, and a few more runs by LBS, and we could have real trouble. But the top of the lineup got unhinged the second time through, and consecutive singles by Bo, B (4-4), Cage (3-3, 4 RBIs), and Gregg followed a walk to lead off to JT, and we were in business. There was a little league triple or home run in there somewhere, and by the end of the inning we were tied at 5.

Then the key moment came in the top of the fourth. Dave dove to snare a line drive in the 3-4 hole, and fired quickly to B at second, and a first and second rally turned into a bases empty frame. No runs scored.

We followed that with perhaps the biggest rally of the year. We batted around plus five and plated 11 runs. The big hits were a Cage bases loaded triple, and Bert followed that with a bomb into the trees in left. We weren't done yet, and D started a new rally with a single and hits by DJ, JT, and Tom produced the final three runs.

Livermore didn't quit though and answered with nine runs. But our onslaught continued anew (we scored all 22 runs in three innings) and we answered back with another six. The highlight of this inning was one of the hardest balls D has hit all year. It was a line shot to the fence in RC and D actually made it to second base! We batted until time ran out - Tom actually had a walk-off walk to end the game. Final score 22-14.

Defensive highlights included a great catch at the fence by Cage on a twisting turning fly.

All the others involved Pauly. He backhanded a short hop to get an out in the second. He then took a hot shot off his body in the fourth - the ball skittered into foul ground, B hustled after it, and fired back to Pauly, who had the presence of mind to get back to the bag, and we had a runner out trying to take the extra base. Finally in the fifth, he made a Third base unassisted to home double play that stopped the bleeding. Who knows how many more Livermore would have scored?

Speaking of walk-off walks.

I didn't have a chance to note this because I have missed games and been out of town. But Tom made a note after one of our wins a couple weeks ago that I may have accomplished something no one else in the history of rec league softball has.

Let's face it - I have had one of the worst years ever this year. Who knows if I will regain my former weak-ass but consistent hitting - it may just be age catching up to me. Be that as it may, I came up with about thirty seconds left when we were up 20-11 against M.A.R.A. I was 0-3, a line out to first and two ground outs to the pitcher. He just knew I would take pitches to try to milk and possibly run out the clock. So he immediately pointed to first to walk me intentionally.

Now you could say that's respect. But if you look closely, what was he doing? He was walking me intentionally not because he was afraid I would get a hit, but that I would not swing. In other words he walked me to get me to not not swing.

It may have been a first. In all time. Thank you very much.

Milestones:

8/6:
Coop    1600 ab (#1)
Bert      10 gw (#9)
Bo        20 2b (#21)
JT         50 h (#40)

8/13:
Bert      250 rbi (#9)

8/27
Cage     130 bb (#3)
JT         10 bb (#27)

Mission Not Accomplished

An individual Conehead game for the ages was wasted Monday night as we fell to Mission Church I (where are II and III, etc.?), 17-16.

Chauncey hit a grand slam on his way to a 4-4 eight RBI night as he single-handedly tried to carry us to victory. He hit three slicing line drives to right center and a bomb nearly to field six in left center.

He had half of our RBIs. His slam narrowed the margin to 7-6 after we gifted the Church seven runs in the first on walks and errors. When we came through with a Conehead inning (the minimum ten run variety)in the fourth, we were looking pretty good with a 16-12 lead. But the Missionaries must have had god on their side. They answered with five to take the narrow one run lead. We loaded the bases with one out in the last inning, but on a fluky dribbler a double play ended our last chance.

Gene made a couple of nice grabs in LF on knuckle ball fly outs. Johnny made a great pickup of a ball in the 5-6 hole. Leadoff Lefty was the only Head with three hits besides Chauncey, although Heffe coaxed three walks and had a bloop hit to post a perfect 1.000 OBP.

Milestones:
8/26:
Heffe           120 bb (#3)

As far as the Orinda playoffs. We came, we routed the Warhogs twice as we should, but fell short twice to the Old Scouts mostly because we were missing several of our best players. One of these years we will go into the Orinda playoffs with our full squad, I hope. We would at least be more in the mix.

8-0 going into the last week was pretty sweet but left a bitter aftertaste after the playoffs.

Thanks to those who did show up and give their all. A special thanks to Chris for clearing his schedule for the weekend and giving us a shot.

Catchup Milestones:
8/5:
Joe               500 g (#2)
Sting            450 rbi (#7)
Haze            400 ab (#20)
Chauncey     50 ab (#41)

8/10 Game 1:
Gene            1152 ab (#6)
Haze            250 h (#19)
David          50 ab (#42)

8/10 Game 2:
Larry          150 bb (#2)
Joe              450 rbi (#8)
Sting           250 g (#11)

8/11:
Chopper     700 ab (#15)

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun

The Scarlet Express didn't miss a beat, rolling to a twin killing today. In the Opener, we squeezed by Orange 9-8 in a thriller, and then ended the drama early in the second game, sinking the Navy 18-8.

If the games just had one inning, Chip Sharpe was hands down MVP. He started at Rover and made two fantastic plays to almost single handedly keep Orange off the board in the first. Then he led off the bottom of the first with a home run.

In the second, our defense once again rose to the occasion.  Mike Nichols made a great catch on a pop up in front of home plate. Then we nailed a runner at home for third out - RF Charlie Uhlman to P Ray Aguilera to C Nichols.

Defense and pitching won this game as Aguilera held Orange under 10 runs aided by our stout defense. Included was a swinging strikeout of one of the best Orange hitters.

The rest, on offense was largely provided by Bob Carver. Carver drove in nearly half our runs with a two run triple and a two run single. Gerry Dasey was a perfect 3-3, and that included a literal 'walk-off' walk as time ran out when he took ball four in the bottom of the sixth.

In the day cap, the game was close at 7-6 through three. But we broke it open with a five spot in the top of the fourth. Aguilera (3-3) had the big blow, a two run single to start the scoring that inning. In the sixth we again plated five and that put it away. Carver and Paul Lisi had two run singles in that frame.

For the day, Aguilera was 4-4, Carver was 5-5, and Dasey was 5-6. Gary Booth and Lisi had triples, and Aguilera and Gary Namanny had a pair of doubles each.

Who will be the hero next week?

Triples Allee, Scarlet 18-17 over Purple

There is a story that most of us know in the Lore of Baseball. It has the Babe, the one and only Babe Ruth, pointing out to center field and calling his own home run in Chicago in the 1932 World Series. Now, it may or may not be true, but our own Gerry Dasey today called his own number to end the game.

It was the bottom of the ninth. In a close battle with the undermanned Purple team we had finally taken a lead in the top of the ninth, but not a very safe one at 18-16. Purple had the hammer. They quickly loaded the bases and got the first run in on a ground out. With one out all they needed was a medium deep fly to tie, and a hit or two to win. Gerry called for a double play ball to him. Sure enough, the batter obliged and hit a two hopper right to him, and hard enough that all Gerry had to do was field it cleanly, step on second and take his time with a good throw to first. He turned it to perfection.

Purple deserved to win this game. They outhit us, and out-hustled us, and played better ball all around.

We started out hot, scoring five in the first before an out was tallied. Then we went cold and Purple scored the next nine runs. From there it was seesaw through the eighth, with five lead changes and four ties. Every time we scored, they pulled back into it. Finally it was 15-16 Purple going into the ninth. Hits by Paul Lisi and Gary Namanny, a triple by Dasey, and a ground out by Tony Gorgone gave us the two run lead that ultimately was all we needed.

The triple by Dasey was one of eight we hit on the day, the highlight of our otherwise lower than usual output. Lisi, Art Miner, Namanny (2), Dasey (2), Charlie Uhlman, and Gary Booth formed the Triples Brigade and that pretty much carried us to victory.

The pitching and defense was solid as usual. Until Dasey's game ender, there were just a couple of highlights. Helen Kostoff took a bad hop sharp grounder and turned it into a force out at second. Likewise one of the first baseman took a similar bad hop grounder and actually threw accurately to second base to get the lead runner. Chip Sharpe came quickly off the mound to get an out on one of those impossible dribblers. Mike Nichols made a nice catch on one of those slicing knucklers in right field.

Namanny as usual led the way with four hits. Lisi, Miner, Dasey and Gorgone all had three.

It showed our character to win a game when we didn't hit our best and we were basically outplayed. A little luck never hurts. Here's to it continuing in the playoffs!