No Do Over, Rovers - Raiders 24-13

Even though Don Ott had another one of those games (4-4, three run homer, five RBIs total, great leaping, juggling catch), there were contributions up and down the Raider lineup as we moved into sole possession of first place with a convincing 24-13 thumping of the Rovers.

Ott set the tone in the first. The Rovers drew first blood, getting multiple two out runs and four total. We answered: Ott's home run was the big blow but we totaled seven hits with no outs when the fifth run scored. In the second inning, it was more of the same - we started with three hits and a bases loaded walk, and only a great throw home robbed us of having a five run inning.

In mean time, the Raider defense putt on a clinic. Gidget Blaquera robbed the leadoff hitter in the first, Mike Mooney had his once a game diving catch in the second, Ott made the leaping, juggling catch in the third, and Todd Evans made a great stop in the fourth to get the third out. All this meant we took a 9-5 lead into the fifth, and then we proceeded to score five in three straight innings to put the game away.

Gino Ilacqua kept the tough Rover lineup mostly in check and then Ray Oducayen came in for a two inning save, including getting one strikeout.

Leadoff/Manager Jay Sankey was 4-4, Barry Walter and Jeff Kravin were 3-3 with a walk, Ilacqua was 3-3, and Todd Evans (two doubles) and Oducayen were 3-4. Jim Dietrich was 2-2 plus a sac fly. Everyone scored at least one run, all but two drove in at least one run.

ND Pitcher's Duel, Orange Peels Maroon 10-6

It was a tight low scoring game and Orange was up just 6-2 after four innings. Mike Elmore came in and shut down the bottom of the Maroon order in the first of his middle two innings relieving our starter/closer Mike Howard. He returned to the bench and I said ah but next inning you have to face the top of their lineup! So how about this - I will give you...let's see $5 if you can shut down the top of the Maroon lineup. He gave me a nervous laugh.

So what does he do? He gets Tom Occhiogrosso and John Banker LOOKING at third strikes. The two of them together probably hit about .850. Quite an accomplishment! But now - I am nervous. Do I even have any cash? How will I pay for the groceries? Alas, Skip Spragens singled and a defensive lapse and Maroon let me off the hook by producing a nice three run rally to keep the game close and saving me embarassment.

In other defensive news, the middle of our infield produced at least three double plays that probably had more to do with the final outcome than anything else. Tony Gorgone to Helen Kostoff to first a couple of times and once when Mike Byrnes provided the pivot for Gorgone. I asked the team how many DPs we made after the game and no one could remember exactly so we decided there were 17. You can do the math.

In the meantime, Orange didn't hit all that well but did get some clutch hits when we needed them. Steve Rousso was responsible for many of them. He went 4-4 and he and Vic Santini had two out knocks (Rousso's a double) for RBIs in the first inning as we took a 2-1 lead. Rousso added a single for an RBI in the third and a two run double in the fifth.

Santini had three hits. Michael Callahan seemed to be slumping but somehow still went 2-3 with a walk. Leo Kay, Gorgone, Byrnes, Kostoff, Nick Lauria, Elmo, and yours truly each had two hits. Kay made the catch of the day with a dive in shallow right center. Lauria made a great stop on a hot shot at second base in the fifth. Santini took away a hit in left field on a blast headed his way.

Mike Howard quietly had a solid game, allowing but four runs in his seven innings. With pitching like we had today, it's no wonder we have a winning record!

Raiders Step On The Gas, 18-12 over Warriors

Raiders, start your engines! Sputter sputter. That's how we started today. We spotted the Warriors four runs in the first on a series of bloopers and bleeders, and answered with: 0 runs. It looked like it was going to be a long, hot day.

But after holding off the opposition in the second and third, we erupted for three in the third and five in the fourth to take our first lead at 9-5. Mike Smith had a booming double in the third and Chris Hernandez had a very sweet slicing opposite field triple in the fourth. In the mean time we stepped up the defense. Todd Evans made a great stop on an Anthony Paschal liner and threw out the speedster in the fourth.

Mike Mooney was the Game MVP. He made a running catch and a diving catch in the fifth to keep the Warriors from catching up. He also was 3-3 with two doubles and shared the game RBI lead with Gino Ilacqua and Jim Dietrich, the last two batters in the lineup. It's a good sign when the bottom of the order produces runs. Of note, Dietrich had two RBIs ON A GROUNDOUT in the third.

The Warriors never quit and had a five run sixth to get within a run, but the bottom of the order came through again in the seventh with a five spot. Hernandez shut the door with three shutout innings at the end of the game (including a swinging strikeout) and the outcome was not in doubt. Evans helped by turning an 11U-3 double play in the eighth.

Jay Sankey, Evans, Mooney, and Smith had three hits and most of the others had two and everyone had at least a single hit.

Walkoff in Danville, Crows over Knights 22-21

The Crows scored a season high 22 runs and on a two run Barry Walter gapper (counted as a triple but would have been an homer), dented the Knights armor with a 22-21 thriller. It was just what the doctor ordered for the struggling team.

The Knights were missing Tony Camilo but then we didn't have Anthony Paschal or Lamont Thompson in our lineup so the playing field was level if not tilted their way. The game had it all - 11 lead changes and a tie - that has to be some kind of record.

Two out run scoring hits abounded: Howard Reeves and Pete Chrupalo in the first, Clay LeChe and Heffe in the second, Orvin Heidinger in the fifth, Charlie Pastor in the sixth. In the seventh we scored five runs with hits by Reeves, Don Devencenzi, Ed Cook, Heidinger, Don Clay (who was 3-5!), Pastor and Dave Balfour sandwiched around two sac flies.

Given our season, we were set up for just a crushing blow when the Knights took the lead a last time in the ninth or complete jubilation to get a win from the monster we created when we let Camilo put together the Knight juggernaut. Don Clay started us with his third straight single in the bottom of the ninth, and the win seemed like destiny. After a flyout, Balfour put himself on as the winning run with a single, and Walters played hero on a deep hard hit smash the left center fielder almost got to - he got a glove on it but couldn't hang on, and the fat lady sang after Balfour sprinted around the bases.

Balfour, Walter, LeChe, Reeves, and Chrupalo totaled four hits apiece, Pastor, Heidinger, and Clay added three and everyone had at least two as Devencenzi, Cook, and Heffe knocked a couple each. It was mostly singles - Walter had the only triple and there were just three doubles among 35 hits.

This was back to the Winter version of the Crows as we played solid defense as well. Chrupalo made some good stops at the hot corner and Balfour had a couple of tough catches in sundrenched left center field.

Next week we an actually get out of the cellar with a win over Leo's - let's get it!

Another ND Orange Thriller, 16-14 over Gray

An Orange win is like peeling an orange - you have to dig into the outer skin, and maybe make a mess of your hands, which can end up sticky and gooey, but in the end you get to the sweetness inside and the rest is bliss.

We played another thriller yesterday, a back and forth affair which wasn't decided until the last out in the bottom of the ninth. Orange spotted Gray a five spot (curse of the first!) after going out meekly in the top of the inning. The top of the Gray lineup is very intimidating.

We settled down and battled back with a three run fourth. A pair of two out RBI hits did the damage, a double by yours truly and a single by Bob Staples. With a five run fifth we took our first lead of the game at 9-8, the highlight being Tony Gorgone's two run double into no-man's land. You can't leave Gorgone a hole in the outfield anywhere - he will fill it.

Mike "Elmo" Elmore came in to pitch and silenced the Gray bats for two innings, which was key. He was aided by a no out fly ball/double play where the runner on first (who must had thought there were two outs?) unexpectedly took off for second base. A quick toss from LC Michael Callahan to rover Helen Kostoff to first cut him down.

In the seventh we added on four more runs. Starting pitcher Mike Howard led off the rally with his second straight hit, and again it was Gorgone who had the key two RBI knock. It looked like we were in control at 13-8, but our usual once a game defensive lapse cost us five runs as we gave Gray seven outs in the bottom of the eighth. So we entered the ninth trailing by a run at 14-13. Jeff Waters, who has been on fire, singled in the tying run and Mike Byrnes stepped to the plate. For the second time this season he split the center field gap in the ninth with the game on the line to get a game winning double.

All that was left was for starter/closer Howard to shut down the Gray one more time. He induced a one out grounder to Kostoff standing near the second base bag, and it was step on second, toss to first and game over.

Other defensive highlights included a great running catch in LC by Callahan, a great stop at 2B by Elmo (and dig out of the dirt by the first baseman) and a catch of a foul ball behind the plate by Rich Sanders (possibly the toughest catch in senior softball because of the reaction time and focus required). And Howard did get one swinging strikeout, always a treat.

Leo the Leadoff Kay led the offense by being a thorn in the Gray side with a 5-5 day including a booming double. Gorgone was 4-5 and topped the list with 4 RBIs. Vic Santini, Byrnes, Kravin (3 RBIs), and Elmo added three hits apiece.

You can never count out the Orange. It ain't over until the Juice is running down your chin.

Raiders Steal One From the Outlaws

Another game of three parts: Raiders dominated early, taking a 14-3 lead after three innings. Then Raider defensive lapses (and good Outlaw hitting) allowed the Outlaws to come all the way back and take a 20-18 lead into the eighth with all the momentum and the hammer waiting in the ninth. But the Raiders scratched across a run in the eighth and two in the ninth to take a precarious one run lead at hammer time. The Outlaws got the tying run on third and the winning run on second with one out and hot hitting John McCown up, who had already sent two balls to the right field fence. But we walked McCown to set up a force play everywhere. The next hitter fell right into the trap, and hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Don Devencenzi, who niftily stepped on the bag and tossed to catcher Jim Dietrich and it was game over.

It was truly a team game - everyone in the lineup had at least one RBI. Mike Mooney, who had a nice running catch in the first inning, led the way, going 5-5 with two doubles. Chris Hernandez joined him at 5-5 and tied for the team lead with three RBIs. Devencenzi was 4-5, and Manager Jay Sankey was 4-6 and chased down one of McCown's blasts at the fence for the catch of the game. Don Ott also drove in three runs (as did Dietrich), and ran to the left field line from his SS position to rob someone of a hit in the sixth. Finally. after Gidget Blaquera started the eighth with a nice running catch, Hernandez and Ott turned a neat 1-6-3 double play, with first baseman Steve Brown picking the throw to first out of the dirt. This held the Outlaws scoreless in the inning and set up the game winning rally in the ninth.