Squeakers Squeeze by Gray, 24-23

Henceforth The ND Oranges will be known as the Squeakers, which is short for the Creaker Squeezers, which is short for the Creaker Geezer Orange Squeezers. And that is all.

This is because three of our victories have come by squeezing (or squeaking) by to win by a single run, and today was different only in that it was a walk off win on a liner to left by Bob Staples, 24-23.

As everyone seems to be saying these days, it was a classic Creaker game. In fact it was. After a five run first highlighted by a Jeff Waters bases loaded triple, the Squeezers, er I mean the Squeakers raced to a 9-2 lead through three. In the mix was a hobbling Patrick Heide, whose knee kept him out the last couple of weeks, and who blasted a two run gapper in the second. He limped to second base, even.

Aided by some sketchy Orange D, Gray came roaring back to take a 13-10 lead after 4 1/2 and 18-16 through six. Gray scored sixteen runs in three innings!

But the Creaking Squeezers have no quit. We fought back to 20-20 going into the ninth. Gray scored two legitimate runs in the top half, and then our generous first baseman let one go over his glove to make sure we had to score at least three to tie, four to win. Singles by Michael Callahan and Rick Evans set the stage, and then after a flyout Vic Santini and Waters added singles to the rally. The coach grounded out to first to get the tying and winning runs to second and third but now there were two outs. With ice water in their veins, Helen Kostoff and Staples slashed nearly identical line drive base hits to left and that was all she wrote. I mean we squeezed the last two runs home to squeak by with a walk off.

Defensive highlights included a nice stop in the first on a one hopper headed to center by pitcher Mike Howard. There was a nifty Nick Lauria (2B) to Kostoff to first double play in the second. Staples made a great grab on a hard to judge smash to left center in the fifth. And finally, Rich Sanders caught a hard line drive at 2B in the sixth.

Mike Byrnes was a perfect 4-4. Evans joined him with four hits (4-5) that included two doubles and a team high five RBIs. Leadoff Leo Kay, Callahan, Tony Gorgone, Santini, Heffe, Kostoff, and Staples all contributed three hits.

Of special note was that there were 166 years of pitchers on the mound (Howard and Gray's Sandy Zimmerman), and both threw complete games. This is a tribute to their strength and fortitude. I wanna be like them if I ever grow up.

Wherefore Art Thou Gidget?

The Raiders did not show up for their game Tuesday, and lost badly to the Wolfpack, 29-19. And it wasn't that close. I should say sparkplug Gidget Blaquera was out and the rest of us did not pick up the slack.

The game started out well enough as Barry Walter and Mike Smith made great catches for the first two outs. But before we could get the third one, the Pack poured on five runs and never looked back. They scored five in five different innings in the rout. We could just match that once in the desperation eighth when we went in trailing 29-13. 

Manager Jay Sankey did go 5-5. Don Ott was 4-5 with a couple of doubles. Ray Oducayen hit a couple of gappers and was 3-4 and led the team with four RBIs. Steve Brown, Gino Ilacqua, and Jim Dietrich also had three hits apiece.

The Raiders have next week and the holiday week off to lick their wounds and get a fresh start in the next set of games. Gidget will be back!

Orange Juiced by Purple, 20-13

Purple's hitters executed a relentless barrage of grounders in the holes and down the lines and little flares just beyond our desperate infielders but well in front of the cones, and that was the story of the game as Purple stomped Orange 20-13.

They broke out with five in the first and a 10-3 lead through three, but Orange battled back to close to 13-12 after six and a half. When they answered with four in the bottom half of that inning, it really was mostly over.

This, when we had two double plays in the first four innings, so it could have been worse. Helen Kostoff took a hard grounder up the middle, stepped on second and fired to first in the second to shut off the faucet. It seems she does this at least once a game. In the fourth Nick Lauria grabbed a hot shot one hopper into his belly, and quickly pivoted and fired to SS Tony Gorgone, who made a quick turn to first. Jeff Waters made a couple of nice stops to get outs in the later innings and outfielders Mike Callahan and Leo Kay made some good running catches. But the play of the game came in the bottom of the seventh, when RF Dan Halyard ranged far to his right for a sinking liner and reached down backhanded and snagged the ball. It kept the purple lead at 18-13 after seven and gave us hope, but sadly we never scored again.

Lauria had the hit of the day, slashing a line drive down the left field line that found that dirt strip (field four) with the bases loaded in the fourth, and soon (well, relatively soon) they were not and Lauria stood on third base. Callahan went 4-4, and Gorgone, Steve Rousso, Waters, and Rich Sanders added three hits. Purple pitchers walked me three times, I have no idea why they were afraid of me the way I've been hitting lately, maybe someone on the team had a nightmare of me actually getting an extra base hit.

Tip of the cap to the Purple hitters up and down their lineup for finding the holes. I guess they have been doing it all season.

Red Rover, Red Rover, Duh Raiders over Rovers, 18-16

In a competitive game between the teams at the top of the early season standings, the Raiders prevailed over the Rovers 18-16. It was (as is usually the case) a team game with many players making some early mistakes and then making up for it in the later innings as we came back to win.

Don Ott ("I don't need no ice pack") nearly hit for the cycle as he had a triple, a single and a three run homer where he took a desperate throw from the outfield square in the back. Still he played on, and made some plays at SS to help seal the deal. He had six RBIs to lead the team.

Jay Sankey, Gidget Blaquera, Todd Evans, Ray Oducayen, Don Devencenzi, Mike Smith, and Steve Brown joined Ott with three hits apiece. Oducayen got the game winning RBI on a double that put us ahead to stay at the time 15-14. He was showing off for his wife, who was in attendance with their Australian Sheepdog. To add to his day, the pitcher struck out one looking and one swinging, and held the strong Rover lineup to two runs in the last five innings.

Oducayen was aided by some outstanding plays. Ott jumped high at SS to snag a liner for the last out in the fourth. The Rovers had the bases loaded with no outs in the seventh when Devencenzi took a grounder at 3B, stepped on third and threw home to catcher Jim Dietrich for a double play, and the next batter flew out. No runs. In the eighth, Mike Mooney snagged a sinking liner in left field to keep the Rovers from scoring. The lefty second baseman gathered a backhanded hot shot at 2B, and even though he nearly tossed it into left field, Ott saved him with another great leap and we got the lead runner.

It was a fun game, there were some calls that could have gotten the players bent out of shape, but everyone just played on, and in the end as usual they evened out and everyone had a good time. Perfect morning senior softball.

Raiders Plundered by Warriors, 31-24

No excuses, but the Raiders were missing six players last Tuesday, and therefore had about that many playing out of position, and lost to the Warriors 31-24. We still gave it our best shot, and Ray Oducan performed well on the mound but the Warriors kept pounding the ball where we were not.

Still, we had plenty of offense. Todd Evans continued to tear it up, going 4-5 with a double and a triple good for eight RBIs. Leadoff Jay Sankey was perfect with 4-4 and two walks and raced to second three times for doubles. Jeff Kravin actually led the team with five hits in six ABs. Barry Walter and Mike Smith joined the party with four hits, and each had four RBIs.

Hopefully this was an aberration as we need all our players!"                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                      

Orange Squeezes by Gold, 14-13

After last week's defensive gem, Orange had a challenge to play up to its own standards. While we had more flaws today, it was a few significant highlight plays that made the difference as we topped Gold, 14-13 in a nail biter.

In the first, Helen Kostoff stopped a grounder up the middle, stepped on second and nailed the DP. When the next batter flew out to LF Michael Callahan, it kept Gold from stepping into "Curse of the First" territory, leading just 3-0.

We put up a run on a Tony Gorgone single, and then pitcher Mike Howard had his way with Gold, shutting them out the next two innings. He had a swinging strikeout in the second and a strike three looking in the third. Steve Rousso aided the cause by diving into the 5-6 hole to get the first out that inning.

In the bottom of the third, Orange put up the game's only five spot. As my mantra goes, if the bottom of the order hits, we win. Singles by Bob Staples, Mike Byrnes, Rich Sanders, and Nick Lauria started the rally, and then after a sac fly by Mike Elmore and a walk to pitcher extraordinaire Howard, the top of the order took over with singles by Leo Kay and Callahan. Rick Evans completed it with another sac fly for the fifth run.

Gold answered with four of its own, but Orange fought back with three, highlighted by Jeff Waters' run scoring double, our only extra base hit of the day. In the fifth, Gold had bases loaded with no outs, and there followed a liner to Staples in LC, and he caught the runner looking as rover Kostoff ("Get out of the way!") was off second base but 2B Gorgone had snuck in behind her and the runner was nailed for another DP. When she took the next grounder up the middle to second for the final out, we had held them down at just one run.

Consecutive hits by Callahan, Evans, Gorgone, Vic Santini, Rousso and Heffe produced a three run sixth as the teams totaled five runs each in the sixth and seventh. There was a third DP, more standard 11-4-3 from Kostoff to Waters to Heffe in the sixth, and another highlight play in the seventh. This time Waters was playing third with runners on first and second, and he slowed a hot shot off his glove to keep it nearby, where Rousso picked it up and outraced the runner going to third for the second out.

After Lauria grounded out to score the last run to give us the lead in the seventh, all that was left was to have Howard to come back in and shut the door on Gold the last two innings. When the last batter popped up to catcher Lauria (not an easy one), it was all over. He got the game ball for driving in the winning run and catching the last out.

And it was again a complete team game. We may not have the power of other teams, but we are developing heart and a knack for making the key play at the right time. All but one of us had a hit, and the one had a sac fly. No one had more than two RBIs but 11 players drove in a run. And of course we have arguably the best pitcher in the league. These things matter in softball.

We are looking forward to the next games against the powerhouse teams.