Scores

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The Plotkin Groupies hosted Nucci’s in a warm and muggy day at Alga 3.  If the Savannah baseballers with yellow uniforms are called the Bananas, then the Nucci’s softballers with maroon jerseys have to be called the Eggplants (and eggplant parmigiana is on the Nucci’s menu).

The Eggplants (rhymes with faceplants) scored four in the top of the first and never trailed in the game, although the Groupies seemed to score each time to narrow the lead after the Eggplants tried to put in some cushion.  It wasn’t until late that the Eggplants were able to pull away with two big innings.

Joe Uribe and Robert Kroger led the Plotkin Groupies by both going 4 for 4.  Grandpa Dennis O’Hern and Dave Erwine followed with 3 for 4 days.

Dave Ash and Tom Carney both had 4 for 4 days with Tom being a homer short of the cycle for the Eggplants.  Philip Urbina was 3 for 3.  Bob “Crash” Porter went 4 for 5 and Cathy McDonald went 3 for 4.  Greg Lorton was 2 for 3 plus a walk.  Robert Tahimic was 1 for 2 but also had three walks, the third of which was a three-run RWI (“run walked in”) with bases loaded in the eighth inning that iced the win.  Ruby Murphy and Erin Spoden also went 2 for 3.  One of Ruby’s two hits was a hard-hit groundball that found its way through the infield and then continued to find its way through the outfield.  It was finally retrieved near the fence as she slowed down trotting in with a home run.  The crowd went wild.  Perennial fan Willie assured us that he did not have a heart attack.

Thanks to us for umpiring. 

It was a beautiful but humid day at Pine Ave Park. The competitive chatter began immediately between Joe and Delta pumping up their teams for a dual and the ultimate "W" in the win column.

VPS jumped out with a couple of runs in the top of the first but was immediately countered by the draft with 4 in the bottom of the inning. It was a tough defensive game from both combatants. The turning point of the game came when Joe called a timeout and summoned Delta to a huddle. What I heard was all about where lunch was going to be, what they were ordering and the type of pie for dessert. "ENUFF" exclaimed The Draft! Let's put the icing on the cak...er I mean PIE. 

The Draft bats came alive scoring another 12 through the 7th and the game flipped at that point. Barry Stengl and Steve Sexton were both 2 for 3. Raul Mateus cranked a triple. Jim Goertzen, Mike Brower, Mark Prior and Phil Kay all batted 1000, with Barry and Mike scoring 3 and 4 times respectively.

VPS batting leaders were Jerry Galiley, Kirsten Mildbrandt and Jimmie Martin coming in at 2 for 3 and Evie Schwartz batting 1000.

"Retirement: no job, no stress, no pay!"

Winning in this league depends on solid contributions from the top to the bottom of the batting order, and in Worden Williams’ 16–7 victory over the Carlsbad Police Association, that winning formula was on full display. CPA may have been flashing their badges, but the Dubs were the ones making the arrests.

With CPA chipping away at WW’s slim four-run lead going into the bottom of the eighth, three straight singles from Lloyd Thorne, Joni Wallman, and Gary Conway set the table for the top of the order to do what it’s done all season—book some RBIs. Bob Buscher and Mark Riserbato doubled up with extra-base knocks, while Kevin Lynch and Bob Loperena added singles that brought in four of its five runs and expanding the lead to nine. That late rally proved to be the handcuffs that locked up the final score at 16–7.

For most of the night, though, it was a defensive stakeout. Both sides kept the bats holstered, with scoring opportunities disappearing like suspects in the dark.

To their credit, CPA was short-handed—seven regulars off duty, replaced by two subs and two “undercover agents” borrowed from the Dubs. That forced a few officers to patrol new positions, but they still kept things competitive.  Rod Johnson was steady on the mound and perfect at the plate, while Jeff Payton and Jimmy Smyth were nearly impossible to retire, each going 3-for-4. But WW’s Mike Endeman proved to be the better arm on this beat, limiting CPA to just seven runs.

The win marked WW’s ninth straight, lifting their record to a spotless 9–0—definitely no citations there.

Much thanks to Tony Coppin and Andy Balas for suiting up and serving as CPA’s backup.

 CBI scored their first 6 runs in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game. Going into the 9th inning with PPB leading 9-7 the Brewers bats came alive scoring 11 runs lead by David Buck’s 2 singles and Ken Thompson’s 2 triples & 3 RBIs. Both had 4 hits during the game along with Commissioner Tom Benacka. Marty Topper, Dale Miller, Super Sub Steve Doan and Eugene Smith each had 3 hits with Eugene getting 2 doubles. Anthony Reynosa, Tom Redmond & Leo McFall all had 2 run scoring singles.

Leading hitters for CBI were Randy Baird 4/4 w/a homer, Dan Smith 3/4 w/a homer, Randy Agadoni & Mike Gallagher were 2/3, Jerry Smith added a homer and Commissioner Linda Wolf made the best catch of the game.

Both teams would like to thank Gene LaChima for umpiring perfectly. 

Bye: Gaspar