Gold Gives Blue the Blues, 18-16

In a tense and competitive game on the artificial turf of Heather 1, Gold may have given themselves a Curse with five runs to open up. After building up a 13-6 lead, Blue made a mighty comeback in the fourth inning to tie it up. But they couldn't overcome Gold's five run seventh. Defense and pitching took over in the final two scoreless innings, and Gold prevailed 18-16. 

Gold's lineup at the top put the pressure on by scoring all 18 runs in four frames. Rob Katzer led the way with a 4-4 day including a three run bomb in the first and a two run triple in the fifth. He finished with six RBIs.

Steve Mastronarde was right behind him, also 4-4 with a triple and four RBIs. Gary Namanny set the table for them also 4-4 and he was joined by Hugh Vasquez (4-5), Bob Fulgham (3-4 plus BB), and Tom Gonzales, also 3-4 .

Namanny made several dashes to rob Blue players of hits in LC. Katzer in RC had a couple as well. But the play of the day was a towering fly to left in the third that was carrying over Mastronarde's head in the bright high sun, when he threw his glove (hand) up and snatched it out of the sky. Then he fired a strike to SS Vasquez, who threw a strike home and Gold had an innning ending double play on the tag up.

A lot of good teams in the league this season, so this was just a win in round one, not a definitive statement. I tip my hat to Blue, they are a talented bunch.

Two Pair, Seven Triplets, and Bam! Gold over Red, 20-7

My mom played mahjong in her little circle when I was growing up. I had no idea what was going on, but they were always saying stuff like "Crak, Bam, Dots, Mahjong!" I was clueless but they were very excited about those tiles.

Today, it was Two Pair, Seven Trips and Bam! Team Gold smoked Cardinal Red 20-7.

Two pair - Any spokt reader in the last year or so had to endure Steve Mastronarde's lectures about playing the sun at Heather - "It's simple," he'd say, "just wear about four sets of welder's goggles over your sunglasses and the ball remains in sight" (paraphrasing here).

Well, in the top of the seventh, Maestro made an incredible catch for the third out in the bright sun in left field to squelch a Red rally and keep them to just four runs through seven innings. He kept his head high considering all the lenses over his eyes. At the time we had just scored our fourth inning of four or more to go up 20-2.

Seven triplets - Gold had seven players with three hits: Bob Fulgham, Garry Namanny, Steve Alvarez, Jeff Mertens, Curt Wade, the Maestro, and yours truly. The seven to ten hitters (the last four in the list) went 12-12. And Hugh Vazquez, Rob Katzer, Tom Gonzales, and Steve "Bedrock" Bedrick (who hit a gapper between the two center fielders!) had two each.

It's not like we were hitting the ball out of the park. In the first inning Vazquez, Fulgham, Namanny, Alvarez, Gonzales, Mertens, Wade, and the Maestro, sandwiched singles around a forceout in the middle to get our first five runs. In the third it was more of the same, but Maestro ended the rally with a double this time (I became the leadoff hitter my first two times up behind him). In the fifth, Gonzales and Wade knocked in the last three with back to back doubles.

We hit .714 as a team, and the only things that may have been better than our offense were our pitching and defense. Gonzales and Bedrock served up, mixing up short and deep in and out and high and low to keep the Red hitters off balance (I think they had but one walk) and the defense behind them was just about impeccable.

Mertens had a couple of innings - he played 2B most of the game, and one inning he snagged a hard grounder to his right, and also a line drive headed to right. Vazquez made a leaping catch and corraled a couple of hot shots, but in his inning out, Mertens filled in and made two great plays, one a lineout he climbed high for and another a running catch on a pop up. In Merten's great inning at 2B, Kravin also snaggged a high line drive at first to make a perfect 3 for 3 Jeff inning, and snagged a couple of one hop errant throws off the turf.

Namanny made his usual assortment of running catches in LC, and threw out a runner at 2B on a 'single'. Alvarez made a tough catch in RF as well.

Overall it was about as close to perfection as a Creaker game for old men can possibly be. I can't wait to see if we can repeat this over and over.

Gold Glides to a win over Orange, 25-17

What a perfect day for the opening of the Creaker season at Rudgear Park! About 65 degrees and sunny as can be with a slight breeze.

Still, both teams had a little rust from the long winter. 

Gold jumped out to a 4-0 lead (narrowly avoiding the Curse of the First), scoring all the runs with two outs. Back-to-back doubles by Curt Wade (two runs) and Tom Gonzales (one) got us going and Steve Mastronarde finished up the rally with a single.

Orange answered with two two run innings and eventually took a 10-9 lead after four. But consecutive five run innings while Steve Bedrick and the defense allowed just two put the Oranges on their heels and they never really recovered from the 19-12 deficit and came up short at 25-17.

Stan Bielecki at rover (on grounders) and LC Gary Namanny (running catches) each made two early plays to keep Orange's rallies from getting out of hand. Joy Dardin also made a great catch on a pop up in the second inning.

But the get dirty play of the game was yours truly stretching to all 5'7" and scooping an errant throw in the eighth inning and poking my toe back to catch the corner of the bag before the runner arrived. Momma always said I have big feet. Or was that a big mouth? You'll never know and I'll never tell.

Gold didn't quite hit on all cylinders, but quite a few players had good games. Everyone had at least one hit. Bob Fulgham was 4-4, scoring three times. Wade did one better, 4-4 with four runs and two doubles. Steve Alvarez was 3-4 and led the way with five RBIs. Namanny was 2-3, including a double and unselfishly took a walk with the bases loaded that put us ahead to stay in the fifth. Rob Katzer had only one hit, but it was a bases loaded, bases clearing double to give us the five run inning after Namanny's walk. Gonzales, Mastronarde, and rookie Doug Carlson (in his Creaker debut) all added three hits.

A good start!