To better understand our local rules and enhance player safety, we are periodically highlighting one of our local rules.
2.4 Alternate First Base. The alternate first base is offset three feet into foul territory from first base. The alternate first base must be used upon any infield hit (regardless if there is a play made at first or not). A runner touching the wrong base will be called out. This is automatic (not subject to an appeal). If the batter/runner runs between or outside the two first bases, he/she is NOT automatically out however he/she must return to the ALTERNATE first base before a play to first base is made. Use of the alternate first base is not required if the ball is hit to the outfield, regardless of whether or not the ball first touches the infield or an infielder.
A cool and overcast spring day did not damper the spirits of the Hennessey’s Hens as they scored runs in every inning except the 4th en route to a 22-11 victory over a severely depleted Pizza Port Brewery squad.
The Hens jumped out to a quick 7-0 after two innings and never looked back. PPB tried to match the run production, but by the 8th inning trailed 17-7. A three run 8th inning by the visitors prevented the flip and a long solo homerun to center by Dan Frye rounded out the Brew Crew’s scoring.
The Hens were paced by several players having big games. Dario Santana had five hits with one being a round tripper and scored three runs. Jim Goertzen also homered as part of his four hit game and scored three times for the victors. Keith Richards added three hits as well. Phil Kay collected three hits and scored three runs. Mark Pedote playing his last game before off to Hawaii for some quick R&R before heading back to Minnesota, had three hits and if not for a good catch by Cord Cameron in the outfield may have hit for the cycle in his final at bat.
Pitchers Johnnie Martinez and sub Bob Baptista did a good job keeping the Brew Crew from coming back and were supported by some fine defense from Steve Doan, Dario, Jim and Phil.
The Brew Crew was led by Phil McCabe with 4 hits, manager Mark Lehman with 3 hits, sub Jerry Galiley with 3 hits, and Craig Wheatcroft with 5 hits including a round tripper. Craig (who is a commissioner by the way) also made the defensive play of the day when he turned a ground ball to shortstop into a three base at bat for Dario Santana. Let this be a reminder that if you throw your glove at the ball and make contact, it is an additional two bases in addition to the base gained. Hennessey’s thanks all of our commissioners for any help they can give us.
Hennessey’s thanks Bob Baptista for volunteering to pitch for them on short notice. Jerry Galiley and Cord Cameron subbed for PPB who was missing 8 players for this one. The Hens provided two defensive players to get PPB to 12 in the field.
Both managers would like to thank super umpire Al Cabacungan for taking time out of his schedule to do his usual excellent calling of the game.
In a tale of two game halves, That Pizza Place survived a late rally by Gaspar to hang on for a closer-than-expected 22-18 win in the early game at Alga Norte.
TPP brought their hot bats from the outset and looked poised to rack up a commanding victory by taking a 15-2 lead after 4 innings. At that point, Gaspar scorekeeper Christine glanced at her scorebook and as her eyes began to glare red, she launched into a mid-game motivational speech, complete with expletives (i.e., there was no “honey” in her voice), to light some gas under Gaspar.
Gaspar responded to the tongue-lashing by scoring 16 runs in their last 5 innings to close the gap to 4 runs, making TPP sweat until the last out was recorded on a tough fly ball to center field.
For Gaspar, Bocai was 4 for 4, Dave Ash was 4 for 5 with a home run and 4 RBIs, Guy McCord was 3 for 4 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs, Greg Lorton was 3 for 4 (including a rare pulled line drive single to left center), Dave Bosque was 2 for 3 plus a walk, and Jerry Galiley rounded out Gaspar’s home run derby by hitting the team’s 4th homer of the day. Skip Moyer pitched ably in the injured Ken Thompson’s absence, and Joe Dimambro, Leigh Peterson, Dave Ash and Guy McCord all made nice plays in the field to keep the game close.
For the 2nd game in a row, every TPP batter had at least 1 hit. Johnny Brand went 5 for 5 with 5 runs scored, Mike Brower was 2 for 2 with 3 walks and 4 runs scored, Tom Carney was 4 for 4 with 6 RBIs, Dennis Rayford was 4 for 5 with a triple, homer and 6 RBIs, and John McDaniels was 4 for 4 with 2 RBIs. Ken Auerbach finished the game despite suffering a 4th inning hamstring pull, and sub David Bentley filled in well for TPP in the outfield and at the plate.
The teams thank Bob Baptista for umpiring and keeping the flow of the game moving to finish on time.
If you thought looking at the final score of PG 19 and VPS 15 that this was just a hit fest by both teams, you would be wrong. There weren't that many errors and there were several "hang a star" defensive plays that prevented numerous runs on both sides.
Both teams put up a five spot in the first inning followed by four or five runs in every other inning by PG and VPS scoring one run or three in every inning thereafter. PG took a three run lead in the 3rd inning that they never relinquished and built to a 19 to 11 lead in the 7th inning. That was the end of PG's scoring while VPS put up four runs in the 8th to partially close the gap and had two runners on in the bottom of the ninth before PG secured the final score of 19 to 15.
Pat Driscoll and Oscar Castillo were each 3 for 5 with a homer for PG. Leo McFall and Michael were both 4 for 5 and Gene Foreman and Ed Silva were both 4 for 4. Gary Soper was 3 for 5 with 5 RBIs.
VPS's leading hitters were speedy sub Al Castaneda, Delta Farrington and Donato Domaguin all 4 for 5, Jeff Payton 4 for 4, and Roger Tesi and Bill Witte each 3 for 4.
As mentioned before the scores would have been a lot higher but for some stand-out defensive gems. A VPS runner was thrown out at home by a three-person relay from the right field fence and a stretching catch of a low throw by Michiko Mischen. Lou Chartz made a running shoestring catch of a gapper in left center and Ed Silva caught two drives in deep center field. Larry Weinberger for VPS made an over the head, falling down catch of a drive to left center that would have resulted in at least two more runs.
Thanks to Roney Lewis for a great job umpiring.
"Well, it took me 17 years to get 3,000 hits in baseball, and I did it in one afternoon on the golf course." - Hank Aaron (I thought all the golfers in this league would appreciate that one)
Another nice day at the ol’ ballpark before the next deluge of rain. Carlsbad Inn battled against the Draft with CBI prevailing 18-10. The game was close through 5 innings before CBI pulled ahead with nine runs in the 6th & 7th innings. Rookie Randy Baird had a big game with two 2 run home runs to deep left field, collecting 4 RBIs. Also contributing were Tony Coppin, Gary McBride and Tom Winterbourne, all going 3 for 4.
Carlsbad Inn was led by Dale Miller (5 for 5), Daniel Malchow (4 for 4 with a double and a triple), Dan Hacker (4 for 4 plus some nice plays at short), and sub Robert Kroger (4 for 4 with 2 doubles and 4 RBIs). Also hitting well were Gene Smith (4 for 5) and Rick Skidmore (2 for 3 with a sac fly).
Great defense on both sides including a tough running catch of a sinking fly ball by Robert Kroger in CF. A Big Thanks to Robert for subbing today and to Jimmy Smythe for umpiring.
Bye Teams: Nucci's
Worden Williams
Carlsbad Inn squared off against a depleted Gaspar team today at Alga and prevailed 25-12. Missing key players due to injuries including their all star pitcher Ken Thompson, Gaspar was gamely leading through the 4th inning. CBI kicked it into high gear by scoring 18 runs over the next four innings including three 5 run innings to coast to victory.
Hitting stars for Gaspar included Tom Benacka (smacking the ball hard today including off the shin guard of pitcher Rod Johnson), Brian Turner, Dave Ash, Skip Moyer and Dave Bosque who all went 3 for 4. Leigh Petersen also hit a hard line drive to the gap in left center that traveled to the fence for a home run. Gaspar also thanks injured players, Ken and Angel, for coming our to assist, coach, and cheer on the team.
All of the Carlsbad Inn team reached base by either walk or hit today. Big hitters for CBI included Gene Smith, Daniel Malchow and Bill Codner all going 5 for 5 with both Daniel and Bill hitting roundtrippers to the fence. Also contributing were Rod Johnson, Dale Miller (back from injury), Larry Wadalavage, Dan Hacker and Randy Agadoni all going 4 for 5.
Many thanks to Phil Kay for subbing for Gaspar, Jimmy Smythe and Al Cabacungan for calling a good game behind the plate and in the field.
He's the strangest hitter in baseball. Figure him out one way and he'll kill you another. — Sandy Koufax on Roberto Clemente
As a nation we are dedicated to keeping physically fit — and parking as close to the stadium as possible. — Bill Vaughan
In the late-game showdown at Alga between Worden Williams (WW) and Nucci’s (NU), both teams showcased their offensive prowess, but it was WW who emerged victorious with a 20-16 win over NU. Seeking redemption for an earlier season defeat, WW got off to a flying start, taking a commanding 5-0 lead in the first inning. However, NU quickly leveled the score in the second inning, setting the stage for a closely contested battle until the eighth inning, with WW holding a narrow 14-13 lead. In the top of the eighth, with two outs, Lloyd Thorne and Bob Baptista ignited a rally with back-to-back singles, followed by hits from the four Bob’s and David, resulting in five runs crossing the plate to extend WW’s lead to six runs, ultimately securing a four-run victory.
Offensively, WW’s hitters from the seventh through twelfth spots in the lineup shined, collectively batting at an impressive .625 pace, led by Lloyd Thorne's perfect 4 for 4 performance. Meanwhile, hitters in the first through sixth spots were equally formidable, boasting a .700 batting average, highlighted by home runs from Bob Buscher and Cord Cameron, who also maintained a flawless 5 for 5 at the plate.
Nucci’s also put on a strong hitting show with home runs by Kevin Davidge and Al Castenada who, for a guy his size, almost bounced one off the left field fence. Consistent hitting by Robert Kroger (5/5), Ray Sutton (4/4) and Roney Lewis (4/5 and 6 RBIs) kept the game close.
It was also a strong defensive showing by both teams despite the score but a couple of tough catches by Bob Porter kept NU from overtaking the Dubs.
Much thanks to Jim Goertzen who umped both the early and late game.
That Pizza Place and Village Pie Shoppe began their game at Alga 2 without full squads due to some combination of the early start, heavy traffic, senior memories, travel, injuries and/or March Madness. It was a well-played game in any event with TPP’s collective hitting eventually wearing down VPS for a 24-7 win.
TPP scored in each inning, and every batter had at least 1 hit and 1 RBI. The end of TPP’s batting order continued to be productive, led by Evelyn Schwartz going 4 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. Johnny Brand, Tom Carney and Gene LaChimia each contributed 5 hits, Dennis Rayford and Ken Auerbach both homered, and Mike Henderson collected a team high 6 RBIs. Another strong pitching performance by Mike Endeman and solid defense led by Mike Brower at Rover made for an uphill battle for VPS.
For VPS, Pat Steele went 3 for 4 and Larry Weinberger hit a home run to deep right field. Roger Tesi deployed his blazing speed and aerodynamic hat to leg out 2 singles on infield grounders (going 2 for 3), and Bill Witte also went 2 for 3 with merely normal human speed. In the field, Donato Domaguin made several gold glove plays on hard shots hit to 2nd base.
TPP thanks VPS for supplying a catcher, and both teams were fortunate to have 3 excellent umpires for the game – Roney Lewis, Steve Sexton and Jimmy Smyth (who stepped in for Roney after Roney left to play in his own game).
Bye Teams: Hennessey's
The Draft
It is probably fitting that this game ended in a 13 to 13 tie, given that it was a game of attrition from the outset. PPB was missing six players from their fifteen person roster and got two subs, Dave Grull and Kathy O'Neill, putting them at eleven players and borrowing a catcher from PG to get to twelve. PG was also short-handed missing five from their fifteen person roster and receiving two subs, Mark Pedote and Margo Jacobo, putting them at twelve.
PPB started out strong with one run in the 1st and five in the 2nd including a three-run homer from David Ward. They went on to score in every inning but two, taking a 13 to 6 lead into the top of the 8th inning. Meanwhile PG was held scoreless in five innings with the only scores coming in the 2nd (one run) and the 3rd (five runs). This is where the further attrition started, with PPB's 3rd baseman, Teddy Badillo, leaving the field with a painful leg cramp.
Then in the top of the 8th inning the PG bats finally came to life with a bunch of singles and a mighty blast to the fence by pitcher Gary Soper, who had to limp into 3rd base because he had taken a shot to the thigh the previous half inning. Steve Wagner followed with a single that scored Gary with the seventh and tying run. PG held PPB scoreless in the bottom of the 8th and sent the tie game to the 9th inning.
Then the attrition bug hit again. A popup behind third base by the PG leadoff hitter found the nose of the backup third baseman and the game was stopped to administer to him. This took a while and we were well past the 1030 start time of the second game, so the decision was made by the managers to call it a tie.
Hitting stars for PPB were Mark Lehman 4 for 4, Craig Wheatcroft 3 for 4 and David Ward and Joel Kudren with home runs. Steve Newberg and Leo McFall were each 4 for 4 for PG and Oscar Lara, Steve Wagner and sub Mark Pedote were each 3 for 4.
Thanks to Jim Goertzen for umping a somewhat complicated game.
Who said old people weren't tough ?!
Standings are posted after all scores have been received (in a timely manner)
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