The Outlaws defied one of the prime rules of senior rec softball, which in Walnut Creek we call Curse of the First. That is, if the visitors score five runs in the first inning, they are supposed to then blow the lead and lose the game.
The Outlaws defied that law and kept just enough ahead to nip the Raiders 15-12 to tighten up the race for first place with two games left.
It's not that the Raiders played badly, we just had three innings that we allowed 14 total runs, including four in the crucial ninth. We had chipped away and taken our first lead at 12-11 going into the ninth but we did not answer their four in the bottom half.
We had some good defense to keep the Outlaws off the board in five scoreless innings. Gidget Blaquera and Mike Mooney made great running catches. Todd Evans made several stops: liners, long throws to first, and the relay on an out at home from Jay Sankey to Evans to Jim Dietrich. Gino Ilacqua snagged a line shot at the mound, and turned it into a double play on the runner at first. Steve Brown made a great stop on a hot shot at first base, and Don Ott dove into the 5-6 hole to get a force out at second base.
The hitting just wasn't up to our usual stuff, which ultimately is what cost us. But Ott was 3-3 with a double and a home run and a sac fly and four RBIs. Evans hit a triple and drove in three. Ilacqua and Sankey also had three hits and everyone in the lineup had at least one; it just wasn't enough.
We will try to lay our claim to the pennant again next week.
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