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.