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Thursday, February 20th
Carlsbad Inn 20 Worden Williams 15
Carlsbad Inn 20 Worden Williams 15
Carlsbad Inn 20 Worden Williams 15
The Carlsbad Inncontinents (senior softball) hosted the short-handed Worden Williams Barristers at beautiful if bumpy Calavera 2 on Thursday. Fortunately, Calavera 2 is one of the closest fields to the restrooms which was a real asset for the Inncontinents. With two of the top three teams in the league, the game promised to be exciting, and it did not disappoint.
The Barristers jumped out early with three in the first and three in the second and led 6-1 going into the bottom of the second. The Inncontinents rallied in the second and third to lead 9-7 after three. Then the game turned into a seesaw competition, with WW tying it after four, trailing by one after five, and leading by one after six. Trailing 12-11 going into the bottom of the seventh, CBI cleared its collective heads and scored five to lead 16-12. But in the top of the eighth, WW pulled to within one, but CBI added four more for a 20-15 lead after eight. The Barristers were not able to muster any runs in the ninth and the game ended 20-15.
For the Barristers, Bob Buscher went for his usual 5 for 5. David Hartzog went 4 for 5, and Karl Stern and Bill Mead went 3 for 4. John Symanski went 3 for 5.
For the Inncontinents, everyone got at least one hit. Kevin Lynch led the effort going 3 for 3 plus a walk. Two of his hits were homers that are still believed to be rolling down Glasgow Drive, and he was subsequently fined $14.00. Randy Agadoni and Jim Goertzen also had perfect days at the plate each going 4 for 4. Joe Uribe, Mike Murphy, and Hammerin’ Hank Erin Spoden each went 3 for 4. Mark Remas was 2 for 3 plus a sacrifice fly.
Thanks to Leigh Peterson for umpiring a mostly (?) controversy-free game at the plate and to Ken Thompson for umpiring the bases.
The Draft 15 Gaspar 4
Carlsbad Inn 20 Worden Williams 15
Carlsbad Inn 20 Worden Williams 15
On a picture perfect day at Alga Norte, solid defense and timely hitting was the name of the game for The Draft Dodgers. Jumping out of the gate, 9 out of the first 10 batters reached base, with 5 scoring. Gaspar answered right back with 3 runs; but thereafter were limited to 1 more run, which was in the 4th.
The Dodgers plated 2 more in the 3rd, 5 in the 4th, 2 in the 6th, and their 15th run in the 7th. Gaspar hitters were held in check by excellent infield defense, and the outfield did a good job keeping most of the runners from advancing. Many batters tested new Gasparian Phil Urbina with hard shots to the hot corner, and he held his own including a great stab of a bullet off the bat of Bob Tompkins.
Margo Jacobo for The Draft, and Steve Berry for Gaspar, were both steady in pitching complete games.
The Gaspar lineup was led by Cord Cameron (2/4, home run, RBI); Mgr. Barry Stangl (2/4, 2 RBIs); Paul Thomas and Tony Coppin (both 3/4); and Gene Smith (1/3, RBI).
The Dodgers were spearheaded by Jeff Schneider (4/4, RBI); Bob Tompkins and Gene LaChimia (both 3/4, 2 RBIs); Steve Doan (2/4, 3 RBIs); super-sub Andy Balas (3/3, RBI); Kristen Mildebrand (2/4, RBI); and Mike Berry (3/4). And special kudos to catcher Jerry Nuanez for his 2 RBIs.
The Draft wishes to thank Andy Balas, and Gaspar wishes to thank Tony Coppin for subbing, and both teams wish to thank Jimmie Martin managing balls and strikes.
Nucci's 9 Plotkin Group 5
Carlsbad Police Assoc 21 Village Pie Shop 7
Carlsbad Police Assoc 21 Village Pie Shop 7
In times of darkness and turmoil, I find it useful to consult the great philosophizer Yogi Berra for a dose of wisdom and hope. The first one “Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical.” Humm, not feeling it. Maybe “When you score more runs than the other side, most times that’s a good thing*” YEAH BABY, that’s it! And so it was that the Burgundy Powderpuffs survived ANOTHER low scoring affair against their Grey-clad Nemesis with a combination of great pitching, solid defense, and juuuuuuuuust enough timely hitting to run their record to 7-1 as we near the finish of the first round of games.
As has been the recent trend, Nucci’s scoring is feast or famine (mostly the latter). PG put up a two-spot in the 1st inning, and Nucci’s lulled their opponent into a false sense of security with a solid three innings of goose eggs. The fourth inning saw a veritable offensive explosion with PG plating one run and Nucci’s finally waking up to put a fiver on the board. Now we’re talking! In the sixth, Nucci’s put together another rally to add four more runs. Things stayed the same until the top of the ninth when PG made some noise with two runs in and had two baserunners on when the rally fizzled. The Nuccian’s collectively dropped to their knees and uttered a sigh of relief. Nucci’s pitching – handled by the two-headed monsters Dave Surh and Lil Keehan – kept the Purple People Eaters in good stead.
Nucci’s offensive load was carried by the lower half of the batting order with 2 for 3 performances from Jimmy Smyth, Jack Schwartzel, Dave Surh, Kevin McAllister and Karen (Levi’s 501) Smith. Robert Tahimic and Tom Carney each chipped in two hits for the upper half of the order.
Leading hitters for PG were Keith (no not that Keith) Richards going 4 for 4 and Robert Kroger netting 3 hits and 2 ribbies. Super sub Evelyn Schwartz went 2 for 3 and made a nice grab in left field.
Both teams provided their own umpires. No fireworks ensued and a couple of close plays late in the game got resolved with the right calls ultimately being made. Kudos to both sides for playing it fair and square.
* Yogi never said this quote – I made it up. Sure sounds like something he would say though
Carlsbad Police Assoc 21 Village Pie Shop 7
Carlsbad Police Assoc 21 Village Pie Shop 7
Carlsbad Police Assoc 21 Village Pie Shop 7
"The greatest feeling in the world is to win a major (senior) league game. The second greatest feeling is to lose a major (senior) league game." - Chuck Tanner
Today, CPA had that first feeling in quite a while, putting up 21 runs and playing great defense in only allowing 7. CPA scored in 7 of 8 innings with great hitting up and down the line-up. Three players went 4 for 5 for CPA, Bob Loperena, Dan Miserany with a home run, and sub Pat Steele with two HRs. Elizabeth Bailey also pounded one over the left fielder's head for a triple (and she was 4-4 last game, which I missed!). Great pitching by Pete Zavalo kept VPS at bay for the most part. They never scored more than 2 runs in an inning as few hits got past the tight infield and the outfield kept anything from getting through the gaps. Highlights for VPS included Ruby Murphy going 4 for 4 and Sherre Lovick getting 3 hits.
Thanks to Ronnie Lewis for umping a clean game. The only blemish was Gary Fischer going down with a pulled hamstring running for home. Get better Gary!
Bye: That Pizza Place
Pizza Port Brewery
Tuesday, February 18th
Worden Williams 13 The Draft 11
Carlsbad Inn 19 That Pizza Place 9
Carlsbad Inn 19 That Pizza Place 9
A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while. Ebby Calvin LaLoosh
Gordon Recht of Worden Williams apparently has a flair for the dramatic. Having once shown his ability on the offensive side by hitting a two out, ninth inning tying grand slam home run in last season’s championship game. This time, he showcased his defensive prowess with a spectacular, backhanded, two-out catch in the ninth—snagging a tailing fly ball that would have tied the game and instead securing a thrilling 13-11 victory over The Draft.
The game was always close with DR holding a slim 7-5 lead going into the bottom of the fifth. That’s when the Dubs erupted for five runs and added three more in the seventh. Meanwhile, DR pushed across two runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth with the tying runs on base, before Recht’s game-saving catch in left field sealed the win. In addition to Recht, the outfield of Symanski, Bondshu, Hartzog and Mead were also strong throughout as was the infield, with the usual stalwarts flashing the leather.
Hitting wise, WW was led by “The Rizz”, Mark Riserbato clearing the bases with a three run home run, adding a senior league triple and driving in five runs. Bill Mead was perfect at the plate and Mike Endeman, always solid on the mound, showed extreme patience at the plate by coaxing two walks. In fact the lower part of the order; Bill, Ron, Lloyd, Mike and J V were instrumental in moving the line.
The Draft proved to be one of Worden Williams’ toughest challengers yet, with a formidable lineup and a rock-solid infield anchored by Jeff Schneider and Steve Doan up the middle. Robert Tompkins and Gene LaChimia held down the outfield slots, contributing both defensively and offensively. Doan went a perfect 5-for-5 with three RBIs, LaChimia finished 4-for-5 (his only out being the game-ending fly ball), and Jeff Payton added a strong 3-for-4 performance at the plate.
In a game full of standout performances, it was Recht’s clutch catch that ultimately stole the show, preserving a hard-fought victory for the Dubs.
Much thanks to Mike Brower for umping and Shere Lovick for subbing for the Draft
Carlsbad Inn 19 That Pizza Place 9
Carlsbad Inn 19 That Pizza Place 9
Carlsbad Inn 19 That Pizza Place 9
Under beautiful skies, the Carlsbad Inncredulities hosted the That Pizza Place Pepperonis at Alga 3. CBI came in on a five-game winning streak which started at the beginning of the season, while TPP’s season had a few more downs than ups to this point. Unfortunately for TPP, the trends continued.
The Inncredulities jumped out early and led 2-0 after Oscar Delgado homered as the second batter. Seven batters got seven hits and CBI led 5-0 after one inning. The Pepperonis finally got back on track in the fifth inning scoring their first run, but it was 11-1 by then. CBI led 14-1 after six when TPP got back to their normal form with three in the seventh and five in the eighth, but CBI had 19 by then and the game ended at 19-9. Incredulously, through six games the Inncredulities average score is 19.5-9.5.
For the Pepperonis, Rich Reynolds and sub Jerry Smith were both 3 for 4. Jerry hit a home run and Larry Weinberger hit two. As with other CBI opponents, TPP was cursed by hitting the ball directly at CBI fielders.
For the Inncredulities, Randy Agadoni, Kevin Lynch, and Joe Uribe each went 3 for 3 plus a walk, while Greg Lorton was 2 for 2 plus a walk. Mike Murphy was 3 for 3 without a walk. Jim Goertzen and Gerry Itkin were both 3 for 4, while Steve Sexton was 2 for 3. Oscar Delgado was a mere 2 for 4, but those two hits were a triple and the homer. Steve Sexton and Greg Lorton both homered with Greg pleading for oxygen cylinders to be part of the emergency kit (after two minutes trying to catch his breath). All CBI players got at least a hit, and the team’s .690 batting average was the highest of the season. The team hit into only 17 outs. Neither team batted around four times.
Thanks to Jerry Smith for subbing mightily for TPP, and to Jimmie Martin for umpiring and reinforcing that the first base coach/umpire should stand ten feet down the line from the base.
Gaspar 19 Carlsbad Police Assoc 19
Gaspar 19 Carlsbad Police Assoc 19
Gaspar 19 Carlsbad Police Assoc 19
"I think for me, obviously, we have to try to score more points than they do." Ben Roesthlisberger
It was a see-saw battle today between Gaspar and CPA, but ignoring Ben's advice, no one managed to score more points (runs) than the other, resulting in a 19-19 tie that frustrated both teams.
Gaspar took an early lead with 3 in the 1st and 4 in the second, but CPA passed them in the 3rd, leading 9-7 at that point and building to 14-10 after 5. Then Gaspar put up 5 and 2 in the 6th and 7th to lead 17-14. CPA then posted 5 in the 8th to lead 19-17, but gave up 2 in the top of the 9th and couldn't score in the bottom of the 9th.
There were plenty of offensive stars on both teams. Gaspar had 4 players go 4 for 5 (Oscar Castillo and Gene Smith, both with HRs, as well as Cord Cameron and Steve Berry). Rick Skidmore also had a home run. For the Police Academy, 5 players were 4-4 (Dan Miserany with an HR, Gary Fischer, Marty Topper, Craig Wheatcroft and Jerry Galiley), with Linda Wolf adding a HR.
On defense, the highlights were fewer, but Gaspar turned 4 double plays. CPA's sub Dennis O'Hern made several great catches in the outfield and even doubled up a runner at first on one of them.
In the end, it was a great day to play and there were no losers (or winners!).
Nucci's 6 Pizza Port Brewery 3
Gaspar 19 Carlsbad Police Assoc 19
Gaspar 19 Carlsbad Police Assoc 19
As the old saying goes, “In a Race to the Bottom, There is No Winner”. Well, nice in theory, but in practice, somebody has to end up on top, don’t they? The two squads that met at the Pine Ave bandbox defied all logic in compiling what has to be the lowest scoring affair for the record books of North County Geriatric Softball. When the dust settled, the Nucci’s Knuckleheads managed to end up on the right end of this snore fest.
The first inning seemed to suggest a high scoring affair. While PPB went scoreless, the Nucci squad hung up a 5-spot. However, that was followed by an offensive draught that saw them score only one more run in the seventh. Meanwhile, PPB was hanging up zeroes in all but two innings as well. The defenses for both teams did their job, with Joe Dimambro going horizontal to steal a base hit and Carlos Cevallos making an aggressive play on a line drive to center to hold runners from advancing. The hurlers – Nucci’s Lil Keehan and PPB’s Ken Thompson - muted the bats of both squads. For Nucci’s part, Al Cabacungan sported a nice bird feather in his cap which this reporter suspects caused an immediate and pervasive outbreak of avian flu, turning their bats into toothpicks.
Leading hitters for Italian Stallions were Tom Carney with two doubles (and an intentional walk!), Laurie Mills with a HR and 2 RBI’s, Carlos Cevallos with 2 RBI’s, and Jimmy Smyth going 2 for 3.
Leading hitter for PPB was Dan Menendez who had a perfect 3 for 3 day.
Both teams would like to thank Rick Shaw for umping behind the plate and Joe Raffa who managed to stay upright calling the bases.
Bye: Plotkin Group
Village Pie Shop
2025 Season Standings as of 02/20/25
Standings are posted after all scores have been received (in a timely manner)
