What a Team! Raiders Sweep to Double Championship, 23-19!

The season couldn't have ended more appropriately. Our MVP and League Batting Champion and spiritual leader Don Ott dove flat out to grab a grounder headed to center field, and flipped it to the stalwart rover Todd Evans standing on second base, to get the force and third out, and thus we swept the Playoffs (2-0) and the season series against the Rovers (5-0), and of course we had already won the League Championship (10-5).

We always knew it was the Rovers that stood in our way for the sweep, even though we seemed to own them throughout the season. They lost eight games total, and five were to us. They even took a lead in the top of the seventh. As was our MO most of the season, we started fast (leads of 7-1 and 12-5), let the opposition creep back, and even take a lead at 16-15, but then the Relentless Raiders, never say die, rallied in the bottom of the seventh to take back the lead we would not give away, and came out on top 23-19.

Before I get to the individual performances and highlights, I just want to say that playing on this team this season was like a novel or a movie that you love and can't wait until the next chapter or scene, such  that when it is over, you are a little sad, because there is no more to he had. Maybe we will be lucky and next season many of us will end up playing together; but sadly, the nature of the senior softball leagues is that you can't keep a team together from year to year.

Defensive highlights, besides the game ending force out: Jay Sankey and Mike Mooney with their usual assortment of running catches in the first (both) and the fourth (Sankey). But the best ones were Mike Smith coming up big on two hard liners that could easily been misjudged in the eighth, when the game was definitely on the line.

On the infield, Heffe lumbered over into foul territory to nab a floater off the dangerous bat of Dan Burbank in the first. There was a double play in the fourth when Rover Evans stepped on second and had to hurry and fire a throw to first, and Heffe dug it out.

On the offensive side, the true marker of the team was that nine players had either two or three RBIs. Barry Walter led the way with a 4-4 game including a two run triple in the seventh, which turned out to be the game winning RBI. Mooney also had a triple among his 3-3 plus a walk game. He had to be the MVP of the post-season - all he did was end the year with ten straight hits. Joining him with three hits were Ott with all doubles, because, really who can stop him, the steady Sankey, and Steve Brown and Don Devencenzi. In the eighth, when the Rovers had again closed within a run, Mooney led off with a walk, Devencenzi doubled, and Heffe, M Smith, and Gino Ilacqua all singled to pad the lead back to three runs going into the ninth. Bottom of the order hits, we win.

Just to round it out, we must mention Pitcher Chili Hernandez, who got several of the toughest Rover hitters to pop up or ground into easy outs. And let's not forget the irrepressible Gordon Smith, who although he didn't have his greatest game, practically carried us in a couple of wins. And Jim Dietrich, ever steady behind the plate, who it seemed like all of his hits were clutch hits all year. Everyone on the team had at least one hit, except for the missing Gidget Blaquera, who did not heroically come straight from the airport to join the festivities. I'm still mad at her for that (kidding - I hope you won your tournament).

All in all it was just a typical Raider win, only this was for the penultimate Championship of 2024. Great job boys (and girl)! See ya next year!