To better understand our local rules and enhance player safety, we are periodically highlighting one of our local rules.
8.2 Reverse Directions. Runners going between first and second, second and third, or third and the commitment line may reverse direction only once in moving from one base to another if a play is being made on that runner. If a violation of this rule is observed by the opposing team and observed by the umpire, an OUT call will be made. A throwing action by a fielder is a play whether or not the throw is made (fake throw). If the ball is alive and becomes loose, a new play commences for the purpose of reversing direction. A runner from third base who crosses the commitment line must continue to the scoring line and may not return to third base. A violation of this rule results in a player being called out.
The game today at Pine started a bit misty before giving way to overcast. The spirit of both teams was upbeat throughout. With Lil leading Nucci's, it doesn't matter if you with or against her, win or lose, the game will be pleasant for both sides.
Nucci's scored the first two runs of the game in the 1st inning. From there, TPP wasted no time to answer. They had 5 in the 1st, and scored in each of the first six innings. After five, they led 18-3. Nucci's responded well with five runs in the sixth to close the gap to 18-8. Neither team added much more after that.
Nucci's was led by a 4/4 Ronie Lewis, newcomer Kevin Davidge's 3/4 that included a well hit home run, and a 4/4 from Elizabeth Bailey. All of her hits were solid despite TPP thinking each time that we knew where she would hit the next one.
The TPP attack was very balanced. The 12 batters had 31 hits in seven innings. All had at least one hit. 11 of them had two or more, and 7 had three or more. Each of the first 8 hitters scored two or more runs.
It is noteworthy that after a slow 2-5 start to the season, TPP has a record now of 18-0-1 in the last 19 games.
TPP thanks Ed Strong for subbing. He hit well and had a "strong" game at first base.
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On this cool, blustery day, both teams were short-handed and both managers were creative in their efforts to field complete teams. It was a pitcher’s duel to some extent as evidenced by the low score albeit in a seven-inning game.
VPS contributed to the low score turning several double plays. Low score aside, there was certainly some action from the plate.
For the Draft, Naci Watt, Steve Newberg and [new to our league] and sub Jerry Smith both hit 3/3. Linda Wolf hit 2/2.
For VPS, the scoring was highlighted by Rick Shaw hitting 3/3 with a home run. Jeff Shneider, Donato Domaguin and Dan Smith hit 2/3.
From the DR, thanks go out to Jerry Smith for subbing. From VPS, special thanks go out to Tom Benacka and Rich Keefer for subbing as they had just finished playing in the early game and then played for VPS in the second game of the day.
Thursday opened drizzly and cool prior to the early game between Gaspar and the Plotkin Group at Alga 2, and a complete game did not seem like a certainty. But the rain stopped as batting practice commenced at around 7:45. Both teams came in depleted with Gaspar fielding 11 and the Groupies 10. Plotkin was able to obtain a sub (Kathy O’Neal), but subs were few and far between since all ten teams were playing. So each team on offense provided a catcher to the team in the field.
The Gaspar visitors jumped out with a two-run first, and never relinquished the lead. Ahhh, if it were that easy. After a scoreless second for both teams, Gaspar added runs in each of the next four innings, and finally built a comfortable 16-6 lead after six which they carried into the bottom of the seventh. But then scorekeeper Christine reminded the team that no lead is safe for Gaspar, and the main goal of the game is to keep the fans excited (“fan” in this case). So in the bottom of the seventh, Gaspar implemented their Keystone Kop defense, giving up eight to hold onto a tenuous 16-14 lead. Surprisingly able to shake off the seventh inning jitters, Gaspar settled down to score five in the eighth and one more in the ninth to lead 22-14. Plotkin’s single run in the bottom of the ninth ended things quietly for a 22-15 final score.
Plotkin was led by Pat Driscoll, Oscar Lara, and Rich Keefer who all went 4 for 5. But their highlight was a line drive that went over the glove of the Gaspar left-center fielder and rolled to the fence. That turned out to be Steve Wagner’s first home run of his NCSS career. Given his fast feet, the fact that this was only his first home run was a big surprise in itself. Congrats, Steve!
Gaspar put on an offensive clinic (emphasis on the first syllable). Brian Turner was 5 for 5, and Dave Ash was 3 for 3, including a HR, plus a walk and a sacrifice fly. Leigh Peterson dazzled the scorekeeper going 5 for 6, while Guy McCord was 4 for 5, and Angel Torres was 3 for 4 plus a sacrifice fly.
Thanks to Rick Shaw for umpiring before playing in his own game that followed.
“Winning a softball game isn't just a victory, it's a symphony of hits and hustle, where every swing writes a chapter in the book of triumph, leaving the final score to echo the sweet melody of ascendancy."
Pizza Port Brewing and Worden Williams, two fierce first-division rivals, clashed at Calavera Park today. What seemed like a typical showdown in the first four innings, with PPB holding a narrow 9-8 lead, transformed into a runaway victory for WW. They erupted for fifteen runs in the final five innings, while holding PPB to just one, sealing a commanding 23-9 win. The Dubs, living up to their reputation from the previous game, once again unleashed an onslaught, crossing the twenty-run mark and keeping their opponent to single digits.
Despite both teams being reduced to eleven players each, WW's top nine batters, boasting a collective .770 batting average, proved insurmountable. Stellar performances by Robert Tahimic (4/5, 3 RBIs) and birthday boy Bob Porter (5/5, 4 runs, 5 RBIs), who shrugged off the effects of a previous game's head knock, fueled the Dubs' offense with impressive home runs.
Bob Buscher (4/5, 4 runs, 3 RBIs) shone on both the mound and at bat, shutting down PPB over the final five innings.
Defensively, it was Dan Fry who came up with two gems in the outfield to keep Buscher’s shutout string alive. Wait, what? Doesn’t Fry play for PPB? Indeed he does, but he was playing right field since both teams were down a player.
A quiet hitting day for PPB saw notable performances from Dave Ward, Rich Lavacot, Craig Wheatcroft, and the versatile Dan Fry, each notching three hits.
With today's game marking the end of the third round of play, one more round remains in this season's competition.
What a week. After laying an egg on Tuesday, the Hens from Hennessey’s recovered and scratched out a 19-16 win over the CBI Innkeepers.
CBI led by their murder’s row lineup ambushed the Hens in the top of the first inning by scoring 5 runs without recording a single out. But the Hens did not stay (egg) shell shocked for long and collected 4 runs of their own in the home half. After a scoreless second frame from both teams, the Innkeeper’s bombers came up again in the top of the third and pounded out 5 more runs. But the Hens jumped back into the fray in the bottom of the same stanza with 4 runs to trail by only two, 10-8. Hen pitchers Johnnie Martinez and Harry Peacock silenced the Innkeepers with shutout fourth and fifth innings. In the meantime, Hennessey’s added 3 in the fourth and four in the fifth to take a lead they would not relinquish at 15-10. The Innkeepers arose from their slumber in the sixth with two runs, which Hennessey’s answered in kind in the bottom half. The Hens scratched a single run in the seventh and eighth innings, while CBI added 3 of their own in the top of the eighth. CBI made it interesting in the ninth with a solo round tripper from Sherre Lovick to straight away centerfield. But it was not enough as Dario Santana snagged a liner from the bat of Rod Johnson to put the finishing touch on a very competitive game, 19-16.
CBI’s top of the order was relentless. Dan Hacker and Larry Wadalavage had three hits. All hard hit. Gene Smith, Randy Agadoni and Daniel Malchow each dented the game ball with four hits each. Randy also added his own homerun blast to right field.
For the Hens, Keith Richards had three hits and scored four runs. Dave Grull, Dario Santana, Steve Doan and Joe Uribe also collected three hits. Joe added a homerun as part of his day’s work. Phil Kay also lined a four bagger to centerfield as part of his 2 hit day. But the hit of the day was a two run single from Johnnie Martinez that rolled to the fence. Now if Johnnie was moderately more mobile, a homerun was in play. But the single worked too. Happy the spouse was there to witness it.
CBI would like to thank Jimmy Smyth for subbing today and helping out at rover.
Both teams want to thank UIC Al Cabacungun for his masterful job making all the calls.
"That rug really tied the room together, did it not?" —Jeff Bridges as The Dude in The Big Lebowski
Although the sky was overcast, it was raining hits for Worden Williams at Alga 3 this morning. In what could best be described as their best offensive showing of the year, the Dubs defeated second place Carlsbad Inn 26-8. Down to eleven players, the first eight WW batters pounded the ball at an impressive .825 clip and collectively, all eleven players hit .711. Four batters went 5/5 led by David Hartzog’s two home runs and eight RBIs and Oscar Delgado’s first 5/5 day. This game was indeed a barrage and certainly not a sloppy defensive effort by CBI. The hits just kept coming.
Bob Buscher took the mound for vacationing Bob Baptista and held CBI to four runs in the first, one in the sixth and three in the eighth. The infield trio of Bob Loperena at shortstop, Dan Griffin at Rover, and Lloyd Thorne at second played a pivotal role in fending off CBI's offense.
A tense moment arose in the sixth inning when Phil Heinz's line drive struck Bob Porter in the head. Despite the scare, Porter, known as "Crash," displayed his resilience by quickly recovering and returning to his position in left-center field with an ice bag tucked under his cap. Porter then showcased his recovery with an over-the-shoulder catch of a long fly ball hit by Bill Codner in the ninth inning.
For CBI, it just wasn’t their day, having started with eleven players and losing one to injury midway through the game. We have all experienced those games more than once in senior ball. Manager Randy Agadoni had himself a day at the plate, however, going 4/4 with a home run and four RBIs. Rod Johnson, leading off, was 3/4.
Big Al C, renowned for his flawless umpiring, ensured fair play both at home and on the bases. Thanks, Al, for your consistent and reliable officiating.
Under cloudy cool skies, Gaspar hosted The Draft at Calavera. Gaspar showed up with 14 of their 15 rostered players, while a severely depleted Draft fielded ten of their own plus two subs. They were missing several of their most highly rated players but benefited with two subs who made significant contributions to the game.
Before the game, Gaspar scorekeeper and manager-behind-the-scenes Christine Peterson announced that her throat was sore from yelling at the team last Thursday as well as her husband over the weekend, and that they had better not cause her more damage to her vocal cords. Gaspar took this under advisement, but promptly gave up three runs in the top of the first to the Draft. They were able to stanch the bleeding, and then scored three of their own in the bottom of the first and then two in the second to take a 5-3 lead. It stayed that way until the top of the fourth when The Draft tied the game. But at this point, Gaspar found their footing scoring four in the fourth, five in the fifth and two more in the sixth to lead 16-5.
The Draft scored once in the top of the eighth, but the game flipped. The Draft never gave up, scoring three more before succumbing with a pair of line-drive outs to the pitcher and third baseman that could have easily been run-scoring hits. Final score 16-9 Gaspar.
Dave Frantz led The Draft going 4 for 4, while Steve Sexton, Walt Webber, and supersub Joel Kudren went 3 for 4. Thanks to Craig Wheatcroft for subbing as an intimidating presence at shortstop.
For Gaspar, Brian Turner was 4 for 4 with three doubles and a single. Dave Ash, Dave Bosque, and Skip Moyer were 3 for 3, and returning star Angel Torres was 2 for 2 plus a walk. Tom Benacka was 3 for 4 and Bocai was 2 for 3.
Hard to believe that this is the same PG team that lost their last three games while giving up 58 total runs, but the defense today really dominated NU by holding them to only nine runs, never more than two in any inning. Rich Keefer's lock-down pitching, three double plays and several outstanding catches in the outfield blunted potential rallies by NU. PG scored in every inning except the 2nd and cruised to a convincing 19 to 9 victory.
Both teams came into the game short-handed with PG missing five players and NU missing three. The two subs from the pizza teams were both crucial additions with John Symanski hitting two homers and four RBIs for PG and Mark Riserbato going 4 for 4 with a home run for NU.
PG had strong hitting throughout the lineup with every player getting a hit and scoring at least one run. Leading the way was Oscar Castillo and Cathy McDonald going 5 for 5. Steve Newberg was 4 for 5 with 4 RBIs and Oscar Lara was 4 for 5 with 3 RBIs. Rich Keefer, Michael J and Steve Wagner each chipped in three hits.
For NU, in addition to Mark noted above, Robert Kroger was 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs and David Bentley also going 3 for 4.
Thanks to Jimmy Smyth for doing a fine job umping the game.
Bye Teams: That Pizza Place
Pizza Port Brewery
On a cloudy, cool day at Alga the two teams scorched the field with several really good hits. After batting practice we got around to the game. Off to a fast start both teams scored three in the first inning. Then it remained neck and neck right to the end. Hennessey’s remained a run or two behind until the 9th when they scored three runs to pull within one run. Then another fine fielding play by Dan Smith put the game to bed. There were several great plays by infielders on both sides. It was those fine plays that kept the score down. There was also some good hitting.
For Hennessey’s Keith Richard was 4 for 4, probably for the 20th time and Joe Uribe had a HR.
For VPS, Larry Weinberger said farewell with a 4 for 4 game, and 4 runs scored. Dan Smith also went 4 for 4. Dave Ward, our sub for a day, started us off with a screaming line drive home run into the RC field gap. He wound up 3 for 4 along with Roger Tesi, and Jeff Payton.
Thanks to Dave Ward for subbing and Jonathon Brand for an excellent umpiring job.
Standings are posted after all scores have been received (in a timely manner)
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