http://fentonsports.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!612C9CBA8A21DAF6!201.entry
Other teams in the league are Gap Finders (week 1 opponent), Nationals (week 2 opponent) and Robinson (week 3 opponent).
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Beaver Times 2009 Edition 11
It's fallball time, right in the heart of summer. The second season started this week and the Beavers found themselves playing at a new venue, Fenton City Park. After being shut out of the Webster Blackburn league on Wed and Thur nights, the Beavers broadened their search for a league and found Fenton.
The first game was delayed slightly due to a tractor trailer jackknifed and a professional women's soccer game getting out just before game time. Both teams had late arriving players - few were able to warm up before the Beavers took the field for game 1. Jake was a last minute scratch, so the lineup and fielding had to be juggled to find a second baseman.
Our opposition was the Gap Finders and they came up first and started shooting liners to the outfield. Maybe they knew something about our team, maybe they knew something we didn't, they were abusing our outfielders. Sonoma was tested early and often. A few getting down in rightfield around him. Dupper was tested in left with a deep fly that he gave up on early, but it stayed in the park. We are playing with 300ft fences, so there is some serious room out there. When it was all done, we were down 3-0 early.
The Beavers came up with Belle leading things off. He continued his hot hitting and lined a double to center. Rake tried to do to them what they did to us by lifting a fly ball to right. It was caught easily, but Belle was able to tag and get to third. Mobilly hit a sac fly and the Beavers were on the board.
In the second, Keith was able to limit the Gap Finders hits and allowed only 1 run. This time the infield was tested a little and Sabo, playing out of position at short, could not come up with a ball cleanly to lead to a run. The Beavers threatened in the 2nd. Santo, back on the team for the first time in a few years, led off with a single, Sabo singled, Keith walked - bases loaded, no one out. Gee, back for his first game of 2009, pulled a grounder to 3rd (actually if you have see Gee hit, that was like going to the opposite field for him). The third baseman stepped on third for first out, then threw home to get Santo tagged out at the plate. A smart, huge, play for them. A rally killer for the Beavs.
The Beavers defense locked down in the 3rd with Keith throwing 3 harmless flyballs. The score was 4-1 badguys going into the bottom of the third. Belle singled, Rake singled, Mobilly tripled to right center scoring two. Dupper lifted a fly ball to score Mobill (another sac). Beavers had tied the game up at 4.
That was short lived as the Gap Finders started abusing our OF again. Liners shot past them, fly balls got over their head and when throwing the ball in nary a one hit the cut off. The Gap Finders were able to score 3 more times. The Beavers were flat, the OF was having a rough game, the sun was setting and it was going to get harder to see balls in the air.
The Beavers flatness carried over to the plate as the Beavers could not move Keith around the bases after his leadoff single. 7-4 Gap Finders
About this time Kid showed up and something changed. The defense looked better, players seemed to awaken. Not sure if it was Kid catching for an inning or just the players having shook the cobwebs. Either way, another scoreless frame for the Gap Finders. Kid was inserted into the lineup in the 11 spot and led off the 5th. He lined a triple to right. Belle singled him in, Rake singled, Mobilly singled then Dupper lifted a high fly ball to left center. It kept carrying, and carrying and carrying just out of the reach of the outfielder and over the wall for the first HR of the fall for the Beavers. A three run shot, the Beavers had taken the lead with a 5 run inning. To cap off the inning both Keith and Gee were called out looking at strike 3. A rare feat in slow pitch softball. But due to the rules at Fenton where a 3' high pitch is legal, they were frozen at the plate.
Gap Finders were able to score one in the 6th and the Beavers went quietly in their half as well. Low lights of the 6th included a DP hit into by Jimmy-D and Kid striking out. What was going on?
It was all that was needed though as the Gap Finders were not able to score their runner from second in the 7th and the Beavers pulled off the come from behind victory 9-8.
Beaver of the game has to go to Dupper with his clutch 3-run HR. But honorable mention to Belle with a 3-3 and Mobilly with a 2-2 with 4 RBI, a triple and a double.
Game two started about 5 minutes later. This time with the Beavers playing the role of visitor. The lone run in the 1st was a shot to right center by Mobilly for his first HR in the fall. Kid posted to the team before the season that if anyone hits a solo HR that they should be charged with beer duty for the following week. There are only 3 over-the-fence HR allowed per team/per game, so we want to maximize the effectiveness of each. While asking them to pony up for bee the next week may get a little expensive for the HR hitters, I liked the idea and have implemented a version of the penalty. Once everyone on the team has had their week of beer duty there will be two weeks of the season left. One of those games, the responsibility of bringing beer will go to the player with the most solo shots. The other game the responsibility will go to the player with the most Ks (includes foul outs). Back to the game.
The Beavers looked solid in the first inning in the field in game two. A lone hit, but no runs scored. Only problem was that the Beavers went down 1-2-3 in the 2nd so it was a slim 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the second.
Open the Beaver Dams here.
Remember the statement above about our OF being a little "off" on this night. It continued. Now with the sun setting, it was hard to pick up the flight of the ball, and the Gap Finders took advantage. Again, balls shooting past outfielders, outfielders taking bad routes to try to catch fly balls, balls going over their heads, missing cut offs. It all happened again, this time to the tune of 7 runs. I wouldn't say that we have the best defensive OF in the league, but this was an uncharacteristically poor night. It happens.
But wait, the Beavers found out how to play the changing sky as well and started roaring back. Sonoma launched a solo HR. And when I say launched, I mean destroyed. I believe there was even a Monica Seles type grunt to punctuate it. Mobilly was both proud and jealous. Kid walked with two outs and then came four straight hits; Belle a triple, Rake a single, Mobilly a single, Dupper a double then rounded the bases on a series of errors. The inning ended with another K - this time by Santo - looking. But the score was tied 7-7.
Kid was fed up with the outfield play and asked to be moved from SS to OF. The switch was made and Santo went back to 3rd, Sabo to short, Kid to LC Belle to RC, Mobilly to RF. I would like to say that those moves changed things. But they didn't. One ball got under Kid's glove along with more balls to the OF eluding our fielders. 3 more runs - and a pissed off Kid.
Belle, who has nothing if he doesn't have bad timing, decided to get on Kid about his "cure" for the OF. The first mini-fight almost broke out in the dugout. Something was obviously eating at Kid, more than just the shotty defense. But, Belle about pushed him over the edge. Was the edge that the Beavers needed to take over the game?
Not exactly. Beavers threw up a goose egg in the 4th and allowed another 3 runs in the home half. Now down 6 it was catch up time. Kid walked again in the 5th (with no Big John at the game, someone had to take multiple walks), Belle singled him to 2nd, Rake hit into another force out - replacing Belle on the bases, but beating out the throw to first. Mobilly continued his hot hitting with a single driving in Kid. Then Dupper lined one to the wall. Rake scored and Mobilly was right behind him. Only problem is that Dupper got tagged out at third before Mobilly could touch home plate. No run, three outs. Beavers cut the deficit to 4.
That was temporary though. The Gap Finders started crushing the ball even more. Now launching some over the fence. Another 5-spot for the bad guys. This one was getting out of hand. Beavers kept trying for the second straight comeback in the 6th. Santo singled, Sabo walked, Sonoma hit his second HR of the game to score three. It was not enough though. The game was called due to time at the end of the 6th. Final score Gap Finders 20, Beavers 12.
We sat around and drank the two remaining beers and watched as Belle and Kid tried to find a middle ground. Beaver of the game goes to Sonoma for his two bombs. This time he just edged out Mobilly's perfect 3-3 and Dupper's 2 doubles.
Next games are Aug 26 at 8:30 & 9:30. Same field. The keyboard will be handed off to another Beaver for the next two weeks as Rake will be missing the games. The show will go on...
The first game was delayed slightly due to a tractor trailer jackknifed and a professional women's soccer game getting out just before game time. Both teams had late arriving players - few were able to warm up before the Beavers took the field for game 1. Jake was a last minute scratch, so the lineup and fielding had to be juggled to find a second baseman.
Our opposition was the Gap Finders and they came up first and started shooting liners to the outfield. Maybe they knew something about our team, maybe they knew something we didn't, they were abusing our outfielders. Sonoma was tested early and often. A few getting down in rightfield around him. Dupper was tested in left with a deep fly that he gave up on early, but it stayed in the park. We are playing with 300ft fences, so there is some serious room out there. When it was all done, we were down 3-0 early.
The Beavers came up with Belle leading things off. He continued his hot hitting and lined a double to center. Rake tried to do to them what they did to us by lifting a fly ball to right. It was caught easily, but Belle was able to tag and get to third. Mobilly hit a sac fly and the Beavers were on the board.
In the second, Keith was able to limit the Gap Finders hits and allowed only 1 run. This time the infield was tested a little and Sabo, playing out of position at short, could not come up with a ball cleanly to lead to a run. The Beavers threatened in the 2nd. Santo, back on the team for the first time in a few years, led off with a single, Sabo singled, Keith walked - bases loaded, no one out. Gee, back for his first game of 2009, pulled a grounder to 3rd (actually if you have see Gee hit, that was like going to the opposite field for him). The third baseman stepped on third for first out, then threw home to get Santo tagged out at the plate. A smart, huge, play for them. A rally killer for the Beavs.
The Beavers defense locked down in the 3rd with Keith throwing 3 harmless flyballs. The score was 4-1 badguys going into the bottom of the third. Belle singled, Rake singled, Mobilly tripled to right center scoring two. Dupper lifted a fly ball to score Mobill (another sac). Beavers had tied the game up at 4.
That was short lived as the Gap Finders started abusing our OF again. Liners shot past them, fly balls got over their head and when throwing the ball in nary a one hit the cut off. The Gap Finders were able to score 3 more times. The Beavers were flat, the OF was having a rough game, the sun was setting and it was going to get harder to see balls in the air.
The Beavers flatness carried over to the plate as the Beavers could not move Keith around the bases after his leadoff single. 7-4 Gap Finders
About this time Kid showed up and something changed. The defense looked better, players seemed to awaken. Not sure if it was Kid catching for an inning or just the players having shook the cobwebs. Either way, another scoreless frame for the Gap Finders. Kid was inserted into the lineup in the 11 spot and led off the 5th. He lined a triple to right. Belle singled him in, Rake singled, Mobilly singled then Dupper lifted a high fly ball to left center. It kept carrying, and carrying and carrying just out of the reach of the outfielder and over the wall for the first HR of the fall for the Beavers. A three run shot, the Beavers had taken the lead with a 5 run inning. To cap off the inning both Keith and Gee were called out looking at strike 3. A rare feat in slow pitch softball. But due to the rules at Fenton where a 3' high pitch is legal, they were frozen at the plate.
Gap Finders were able to score one in the 6th and the Beavers went quietly in their half as well. Low lights of the 6th included a DP hit into by Jimmy-D and Kid striking out. What was going on?
It was all that was needed though as the Gap Finders were not able to score their runner from second in the 7th and the Beavers pulled off the come from behind victory 9-8.
Beaver of the game has to go to Dupper with his clutch 3-run HR. But honorable mention to Belle with a 3-3 and Mobilly with a 2-2 with 4 RBI, a triple and a double.
Game two started about 5 minutes later. This time with the Beavers playing the role of visitor. The lone run in the 1st was a shot to right center by Mobilly for his first HR in the fall. Kid posted to the team before the season that if anyone hits a solo HR that they should be charged with beer duty for the following week. There are only 3 over-the-fence HR allowed per team/per game, so we want to maximize the effectiveness of each. While asking them to pony up for bee the next week may get a little expensive for the HR hitters, I liked the idea and have implemented a version of the penalty. Once everyone on the team has had their week of beer duty there will be two weeks of the season left. One of those games, the responsibility of bringing beer will go to the player with the most solo shots. The other game the responsibility will go to the player with the most Ks (includes foul outs). Back to the game.
The Beavers looked solid in the first inning in the field in game two. A lone hit, but no runs scored. Only problem was that the Beavers went down 1-2-3 in the 2nd so it was a slim 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the second.
Open the Beaver Dams here.
Remember the statement above about our OF being a little "off" on this night. It continued. Now with the sun setting, it was hard to pick up the flight of the ball, and the Gap Finders took advantage. Again, balls shooting past outfielders, outfielders taking bad routes to try to catch fly balls, balls going over their heads, missing cut offs. It all happened again, this time to the tune of 7 runs. I wouldn't say that we have the best defensive OF in the league, but this was an uncharacteristically poor night. It happens.
But wait, the Beavers found out how to play the changing sky as well and started roaring back. Sonoma launched a solo HR. And when I say launched, I mean destroyed. I believe there was even a Monica Seles type grunt to punctuate it. Mobilly was both proud and jealous. Kid walked with two outs and then came four straight hits; Belle a triple, Rake a single, Mobilly a single, Dupper a double then rounded the bases on a series of errors. The inning ended with another K - this time by Santo - looking. But the score was tied 7-7.
Kid was fed up with the outfield play and asked to be moved from SS to OF. The switch was made and Santo went back to 3rd, Sabo to short, Kid to LC Belle to RC, Mobilly to RF. I would like to say that those moves changed things. But they didn't. One ball got under Kid's glove along with more balls to the OF eluding our fielders. 3 more runs - and a pissed off Kid.
Belle, who has nothing if he doesn't have bad timing, decided to get on Kid about his "cure" for the OF. The first mini-fight almost broke out in the dugout. Something was obviously eating at Kid, more than just the shotty defense. But, Belle about pushed him over the edge. Was the edge that the Beavers needed to take over the game?
Not exactly. Beavers threw up a goose egg in the 4th and allowed another 3 runs in the home half. Now down 6 it was catch up time. Kid walked again in the 5th (with no Big John at the game, someone had to take multiple walks), Belle singled him to 2nd, Rake hit into another force out - replacing Belle on the bases, but beating out the throw to first. Mobilly continued his hot hitting with a single driving in Kid. Then Dupper lined one to the wall. Rake scored and Mobilly was right behind him. Only problem is that Dupper got tagged out at third before Mobilly could touch home plate. No run, three outs. Beavers cut the deficit to 4.
That was temporary though. The Gap Finders started crushing the ball even more. Now launching some over the fence. Another 5-spot for the bad guys. This one was getting out of hand. Beavers kept trying for the second straight comeback in the 6th. Santo singled, Sabo walked, Sonoma hit his second HR of the game to score three. It was not enough though. The game was called due to time at the end of the 6th. Final score Gap Finders 20, Beavers 12.
We sat around and drank the two remaining beers and watched as Belle and Kid tried to find a middle ground. Beaver of the game goes to Sonoma for his two bombs. This time he just edged out Mobilly's perfect 3-3 and Dupper's 2 doubles.
Next games are Aug 26 at 8:30 & 9:30. Same field. The keyboard will be handed off to another Beaver for the next two weeks as Rake will be missing the games. The show will go on...
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Second Season - Week 1 Preview
With the summer season behind us and a secondplace finish not sitting well on the taste buds, the Beavers embark upon a new season and a new league. Over the years the Beavers have played at Kirkwood, Webster, Crestwood, Manchester, Brentwood and Clayton. Fenton will be a first for the team.
Playing along the beautiful Meremac River in Fenton, the Beavers will be found on field #1 in the competitive league. Playing again on Wednesday nights, and again in doubleheaders. This league has a fence. Which I am sure is a blessing and a curse. We already have requests on raising/lowering said fence to accommodate our power. We'll see how it all plays out. Kid offered up the challenge that anyone who hits a solo HR should have to buy beer the next game as only 3 HR are allowed over the fence.
Since the schedules are not posted yet, I know nothing about the competition. So, we will go into this one blind. Hopefully it will be posted for week two. We do know this, we are playing at 6:30 and 7:30. We also know that there are some new faces for the Beavers...well, not new...but new in 2009.
Making his first appearance this season is a member of the original Beavers team, Shawn "Gee" Hagan. He claims he has not his a softball since last year. Last time we checked he only had one good eye. We'll see what we get from the veteran. The other addition to the roster for fall '09 is another Beaver from the past; Ron "Santo" Harrington. Scouts say that he has been on fire in his Thursday night summer league. Climbing his way up the order as his hits mount. To make room for these two guys the Richmond brothers have decided to be on the reserve (sub) list for the fall. Sorry to see those guys go. Will need many hits and lots of bitching to fill their shoes.
PLAY BALL
Playing along the beautiful Meremac River in Fenton, the Beavers will be found on field #1 in the competitive league. Playing again on Wednesday nights, and again in doubleheaders. This league has a fence. Which I am sure is a blessing and a curse. We already have requests on raising/lowering said fence to accommodate our power. We'll see how it all plays out. Kid offered up the challenge that anyone who hits a solo HR should have to buy beer the next game as only 3 HR are allowed over the fence.
Since the schedules are not posted yet, I know nothing about the competition. So, we will go into this one blind. Hopefully it will be posted for week two. We do know this, we are playing at 6:30 and 7:30. We also know that there are some new faces for the Beavers...well, not new...but new in 2009.
Making his first appearance this season is a member of the original Beavers team, Shawn "Gee" Hagan. He claims he has not his a softball since last year. Last time we checked he only had one good eye. We'll see what we get from the veteran. The other addition to the roster for fall '09 is another Beaver from the past; Ron "Santo" Harrington. Scouts say that he has been on fire in his Thursday night summer league. Climbing his way up the order as his hits mount. To make room for these two guys the Richmond brothers have decided to be on the reserve (sub) list for the fall. Sorry to see those guys go. Will need many hits and lots of bitching to fill their shoes.
PLAY BALL
Monday, August 17, 2009
Meet Your Beavers - Chris Sabo 2.0
Let's just say that Sabo is the polite version of Chris' nicknames. With a last name like Smuda and a group of sophomoric Beavers, you can guess where the names go as the beer flows. But Sabo is a good name for our thirdbaseman. Where it lacks in originality (let's see, his name is Chris and he plays 3rd base...hmmm), it scores high in accuracy. Actually, I don't know if that is true. I really can't recall much about Chris Sabo except for his rec-specs and that he had some pop in his bat. I don't recall if he was known for his glove work.
Our Sabo is. He has shored up the left side of the infield with impressive plays week in and week out. It's a good thing too, putting Rake at third has its drawbacks defensively and putting Kid at third left shortstop as a question mark.
Sabo is only in his second year with the Beavers. He saw two championships in his first two leagues with the team. I guess you could say that defense IS the key. But, that is not where this Sabo stops. At the time of publishing this blog Sabo is also leading the team in average. OK, OK his average has dropped about 100 points over the last few weeks, but still, leading the team by a healthy margin.
Sabo, I don't know if it is hour commute to softball that gets you ready to play, or getting pissed at those Beavers trying to get other variations of Smuda to stick as your nickname that fires you up. What ever it is, don't let it stop. As deep as Dupper plays, we can't afford to have grounders going through 3rd anymore.
Our Sabo is. He has shored up the left side of the infield with impressive plays week in and week out. It's a good thing too, putting Rake at third has its drawbacks defensively and putting Kid at third left shortstop as a question mark.
Sabo is only in his second year with the Beavers. He saw two championships in his first two leagues with the team. I guess you could say that defense IS the key. But, that is not where this Sabo stops. At the time of publishing this blog Sabo is also leading the team in average. OK, OK his average has dropped about 100 points over the last few weeks, but still, leading the team by a healthy margin.
Sabo, I don't know if it is hour commute to softball that gets you ready to play, or getting pissed at those Beavers trying to get other variations of Smuda to stick as your nickname that fires you up. What ever it is, don't let it stop. As deep as Dupper plays, we can't afford to have grounders going through 3rd anymore.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Summer 2009 Stats
As can be somewhat made out from the fuzzy image above, the leaders for the summer of 2009 are quite well distributed. Is this because we have a well-rounded team? Or because not one player stepped up like happens so often to run away with the hitting leadership and an early edge on the 2009 MVB.
Let's take a quick look at what did transpire.
Sabo led the team in AVG and OBP. Hitting right around .650 is a good season. He tailed off a bit over the last few games but still led the team in hitting by 100 pts. He is a singles hitter with only about 12% of his hits going for extra bases.
Sonoma led the team in HR, but did not hit one after game #8. He also shared the lead in RBI with our cleanup hitter, Big John. Wonder if Johnie Walker could have taken the RBI leadership without that one game of 5 walks?
Newcomer, Jake, led the team in triples with his inside-out swing. Kid led in doubles. Kid also continued his impressive SLG with nearly 1/2 of his hits going for extra bases. However Kid's average was about 200 points below his average and that hurt him in SLG this year as Sonoma's 7 HR powered him to the top of that category.
Rake took advantage of hitting second in the lineup most of the year and scored 31 runs. His average slipped fast and dropped over 100 points over the last 5 weeks. Ending up near his career average of .530.
Dupper kept up his reputation as being the Sac King. He led the team with 4, though Keith's 2 in the playoffs gave him a run for the title. Dupper also struggled at the dish, also hitting about 200 points lower than his typical season.
Last, and in this case also least, is Jimmy-D. I have to say I have never seen a sub-.200 average in softball. Even last year, 2-buck Chuck hit over .200. Jimmy-D showed everyone the opposite of "hit 'em where they aint" and combined that with not running some plays out and not being able to decide if he should hit right or left to come in at .169. I hope, that is the only time you will ever see anyone hit below Mario Mendoza in a softball league.
In my opinion the MVB (Most Valuable Beaver) award is still up for grabs. Will Sabo ride his 100 pt AVG lead to the coveted trophy? Will Sonoma be able to hit it over outfielders heads and add to his HR lead? Will perennial leaders step up in fall ball and take what they have claimed as theirs before? Will a new face steal the show in the fall? Games start in about 3 weeks.
Beaver Times 2009 Edition 10 - Playoffs
Week 10 of the season brought with it the final week of Clayton's Shaw Park playoffs. The Beavers had the opportunity to win the championship at Shaw for the 2nd consecutive year (out of two). The Beavers came into the playoffs in second place and dispatched of our first round opponent 13-2.
Game 1 of the night, game 2 of the summer playoffs began at 7pm against the Golden Sombreros. The Sombreros had played the Beavers tough this season. The Beavers winning one on a come from behind win and tying the other. It was not going to be a 10-run win again. The Sombreros knew how to keep the Beavers close.
The game got off to a rocky start. Their leadoff hitter reached base and the second hitter rolled a grounder to short. Kid scooped and flipped to Jake at second. Jake made the pivot to turn the double play and the runner went in to second with his hands in the air to throw off the concentration of Jake. Jake's throw was late to 1st. The Beavers recorded one out, but it should have been two. Baserunners in slow pitch softball are not allowed to attempt to interfere with a play. The batter should have been called out due to interference. He was not...and he eventually score after another two hits. I asked the umpire after the inning why he did not call the batter out. "Listen, I don't know all of the little, in particular rules", he said. I was shocked. Isn't that his job? To know the rules! There was no winning this argument, just making a point that he blew a call. It would not be the last. Shocking!
Belle led off the Beaver half of the first with a single. Let's see, that makes 9 straight singles for Belleman. Totally embracing the leadoff position. Rake forced him at second, but scored on Big John's single. Big John would later score on a single by Mobilly. Beavers were up 2-1 after one.
The Beavers built upon their lead in the second. Once again on a parade of singles and walks. When we play on this larger field we are transformed from a power team to a punch & judy team. Might be why we struggle playing on field #6. Takes an awful lot of hits to build a decent number of runs. Rage walked, Jake singled, Sonoma singled, Belle singled (10 in a freakin' row!), Rake singled...after all of that four more runs had scored. The offense was looking good. The bats were hot.
Sombreros answered with some help from our (their) umpire. The middle of their lineup was up and Keith was pitching. The pitch rules for the league are 6' minimum arc from the ground to unlimited height. Keith was throwing lower strikes to keep the ball out of the wheel-house. Each pitch, easily amassing more than 6'. But the umpire kept calling the illegal. This gave two very good hitters another pitch or two, and they made the most of it. When the umpire was done calling "illegal pitches" and the Beavers were done "bitching" the Sombreros had scored four runs of their own. It was 6-5 Beavers after two and a half innings.
The Beavers singles hitters went to town again. Mobilly, Rage and Jake all singled and after a sacrifice fly by Keith it was another 2 runs for the home team. Unfortunately the "bitching" or the hot air was wearing down the Beavers because over the 4th and 5th innings we sent a total of 7 batters to the plate. The only one to reach...Belle. This time, it was a walk, not a single. The streak was snapped. 10 straight hits, all singles. Impressive Belle!
In the top of the 6th the Sombreros eeked across another run to cut the lead to one run. The Beavers were running on fumes. Of the past 9 hitters, only Belle's walk was not an out. Dupper started the 6th with a hit, Rake singled for the 3rd time in the game. Jake grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Dupper. The Beavers had a little bit of insurance.
To the top of the 7th went the game. Time running down. The season's clock running down on one of the two teams. The next game's opponent was sitting in the stands watching, waiting to know who they were going to play. The team sitting there was the team the Beavers destroyed back in week 1 of the season. Team USA. They had put together a great game just before the Beavers took the field to oust the #1 team, Sportsma's Park. The #4 seed was in the finals. Who would they play? The Beavers, who were holding onto a lead, or the Sombreros, coming from behind?
The Sombreros came out hitting and had a plan. The leadoff hitter reached and the second hitter lined one into right field. Big John was patrolling out there and he started off after the ball. It seemed like there was no way he was going to catch it. Somehow, someway he opened his mitt down by his left knee and the ball fell right into it. A potentially game saving catch. The momentum left the Sombreros and jumped to the Beavers. The Sombreros were deflated and didn't score. Beavers win 9-7. On to the finals.
Beaver of the game again is a tough call. Rage went 2-2. Belle 2-2 with a walk as well. But due to the importance of the catch in right. Big John takes home the award.
The finals started about 5 minutes following the first game. The Beavers decided against rolling over the lineup like they usually do since this game was for it all. Needed to get the top of the order as many ABs as possible. Another shakeup was moving Sabo up to the two-hole and Rake down to the 9-hole.
Team USA came out ready to play on this night. They ran up 6 quick runs on the Beavers in the first inning. Highlighted by a 3-base error by Belle in LC. It was a single that skipped under his glove allowing the hitter to circle the bases. Team USA either had a different roster for the finals, or they all took some Tom Emansky hitting classes over the summer. They kept dropping hits in front of the outfield and their team speed could stretch most singles into doubles. If you have been following the Beavers, you know that our outfield is good at allowing extra bases by throwing to the wrong base at times at well. It was not a good combination for this game. Team USA ran at will.
The Beavers began chomping into the 6 run deficit with 2 of their own in the first. Highlighted by a double (yes, it has been a long time since I typed that word describing a Beaver hit) by Kid. Team USA came back strong again in the 2nd with two more runs. This time aided by the umpire who refused to hustle from behind home plate to make an accurate call at 2nd base. Beavers were down 8-2.
Team USA tacked on another run in the 3rd before the Beavers started doing their damage.
Keith (sorry, P.T.) started off the inning with a single. Jimmy-D then also singled (his first hit in 5 games) and Belle reached on a E. Sabo hit a sac fly before Kid, Big John, Dupper and Mobilly all did some damage. Beavers had scored 6 runs and were right back into the game. Only down one run.
Well, that was short lived. Back came Team USA, more singles stretched into doubles. More balls thrown into the infield by our outfield - directed to the wrong base, allowing more runners to advance. It was long, it was ugly. It was capped by another missed call. Seven more runs!
Rake singled in the bottom of the 4th and was chased around by Sonoma and plated by a P.T. sac fly. One lone run. Not enough to keep pace. The Beavers were losing their steam again.
At this point Team USA also began to come back to earth. One run in the 5th and one in the 7th. They had scored 18 runs in total. They were doing all they could to win the 14 Clayton Parks & Recreation T-Shirts. The Beavers did not score again until the bottom of the 7th.
With a record-sized crowd on hand for this season, including 3 generations from Belle's family and a non-playing Tanner it was time to pull off a little Beaver-magic. Sonoma started off the 7th with a single, Jimmy-D replaced him on the base paths with a force out. There were two quick outs, but don't say "die" yet. Belle walked, Sabo singled in Jimmy-D, Kid singled in Belle, Big John singled in Sabo. Dupper then stepped in. A grounder to the left side...fielded and Kid was forced at 3rd. Three runs in, not enough though. Beavers lost 18-12 to Team USA. Two single innings did us in. 6 in the first and 7 in the fourth could not be overcome. Beavers had to settle for 2nd place in what was once called a "church league". Congrats to Team USA for coming alive at the right time. Congrats to several teams for improving quite a bit over the past year. This league is competitive now (some of the team) and is fun to play in.
Beaver of the game goes to Kid who went 3-4 with 3 RBI. Hopefully his hot bat will carry over to fall ball.
The fall season will be played in Fenton. League will be a Wed night league again with games expected to start the first week of Sept.
Game 1 of the night, game 2 of the summer playoffs began at 7pm against the Golden Sombreros. The Sombreros had played the Beavers tough this season. The Beavers winning one on a come from behind win and tying the other. It was not going to be a 10-run win again. The Sombreros knew how to keep the Beavers close.
The game got off to a rocky start. Their leadoff hitter reached base and the second hitter rolled a grounder to short. Kid scooped and flipped to Jake at second. Jake made the pivot to turn the double play and the runner went in to second with his hands in the air to throw off the concentration of Jake. Jake's throw was late to 1st. The Beavers recorded one out, but it should have been two. Baserunners in slow pitch softball are not allowed to attempt to interfere with a play. The batter should have been called out due to interference. He was not...and he eventually score after another two hits. I asked the umpire after the inning why he did not call the batter out. "Listen, I don't know all of the little, in particular rules", he said. I was shocked. Isn't that his job? To know the rules! There was no winning this argument, just making a point that he blew a call. It would not be the last. Shocking!
Belle led off the Beaver half of the first with a single. Let's see, that makes 9 straight singles for Belleman. Totally embracing the leadoff position. Rake forced him at second, but scored on Big John's single. Big John would later score on a single by Mobilly. Beavers were up 2-1 after one.
The Beavers built upon their lead in the second. Once again on a parade of singles and walks. When we play on this larger field we are transformed from a power team to a punch & judy team. Might be why we struggle playing on field #6. Takes an awful lot of hits to build a decent number of runs. Rage walked, Jake singled, Sonoma singled, Belle singled (10 in a freakin' row!), Rake singled...after all of that four more runs had scored. The offense was looking good. The bats were hot.
Sombreros answered with some help from our (their) umpire. The middle of their lineup was up and Keith was pitching. The pitch rules for the league are 6' minimum arc from the ground to unlimited height. Keith was throwing lower strikes to keep the ball out of the wheel-house. Each pitch, easily amassing more than 6'. But the umpire kept calling the illegal. This gave two very good hitters another pitch or two, and they made the most of it. When the umpire was done calling "illegal pitches" and the Beavers were done "bitching" the Sombreros had scored four runs of their own. It was 6-5 Beavers after two and a half innings.
The Beavers singles hitters went to town again. Mobilly, Rage and Jake all singled and after a sacrifice fly by Keith it was another 2 runs for the home team. Unfortunately the "bitching" or the hot air was wearing down the Beavers because over the 4th and 5th innings we sent a total of 7 batters to the plate. The only one to reach...Belle. This time, it was a walk, not a single. The streak was snapped. 10 straight hits, all singles. Impressive Belle!
In the top of the 6th the Sombreros eeked across another run to cut the lead to one run. The Beavers were running on fumes. Of the past 9 hitters, only Belle's walk was not an out. Dupper started the 6th with a hit, Rake singled for the 3rd time in the game. Jake grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Dupper. The Beavers had a little bit of insurance.
To the top of the 7th went the game. Time running down. The season's clock running down on one of the two teams. The next game's opponent was sitting in the stands watching, waiting to know who they were going to play. The team sitting there was the team the Beavers destroyed back in week 1 of the season. Team USA. They had put together a great game just before the Beavers took the field to oust the #1 team, Sportsma's Park. The #4 seed was in the finals. Who would they play? The Beavers, who were holding onto a lead, or the Sombreros, coming from behind?
The Sombreros came out hitting and had a plan. The leadoff hitter reached and the second hitter lined one into right field. Big John was patrolling out there and he started off after the ball. It seemed like there was no way he was going to catch it. Somehow, someway he opened his mitt down by his left knee and the ball fell right into it. A potentially game saving catch. The momentum left the Sombreros and jumped to the Beavers. The Sombreros were deflated and didn't score. Beavers win 9-7. On to the finals.
Beaver of the game again is a tough call. Rage went 2-2. Belle 2-2 with a walk as well. But due to the importance of the catch in right. Big John takes home the award.
The finals started about 5 minutes following the first game. The Beavers decided against rolling over the lineup like they usually do since this game was for it all. Needed to get the top of the order as many ABs as possible. Another shakeup was moving Sabo up to the two-hole and Rake down to the 9-hole.
Team USA came out ready to play on this night. They ran up 6 quick runs on the Beavers in the first inning. Highlighted by a 3-base error by Belle in LC. It was a single that skipped under his glove allowing the hitter to circle the bases. Team USA either had a different roster for the finals, or they all took some Tom Emansky hitting classes over the summer. They kept dropping hits in front of the outfield and their team speed could stretch most singles into doubles. If you have been following the Beavers, you know that our outfield is good at allowing extra bases by throwing to the wrong base at times at well. It was not a good combination for this game. Team USA ran at will.
The Beavers began chomping into the 6 run deficit with 2 of their own in the first. Highlighted by a double (yes, it has been a long time since I typed that word describing a Beaver hit) by Kid. Team USA came back strong again in the 2nd with two more runs. This time aided by the umpire who refused to hustle from behind home plate to make an accurate call at 2nd base. Beavers were down 8-2.
Team USA tacked on another run in the 3rd before the Beavers started doing their damage.
Keith (sorry, P.T.) started off the inning with a single. Jimmy-D then also singled (his first hit in 5 games) and Belle reached on a E. Sabo hit a sac fly before Kid, Big John, Dupper and Mobilly all did some damage. Beavers had scored 6 runs and were right back into the game. Only down one run.
Well, that was short lived. Back came Team USA, more singles stretched into doubles. More balls thrown into the infield by our outfield - directed to the wrong base, allowing more runners to advance. It was long, it was ugly. It was capped by another missed call. Seven more runs!
Rake singled in the bottom of the 4th and was chased around by Sonoma and plated by a P.T. sac fly. One lone run. Not enough to keep pace. The Beavers were losing their steam again.
At this point Team USA also began to come back to earth. One run in the 5th and one in the 7th. They had scored 18 runs in total. They were doing all they could to win the 14 Clayton Parks & Recreation T-Shirts. The Beavers did not score again until the bottom of the 7th.
With a record-sized crowd on hand for this season, including 3 generations from Belle's family and a non-playing Tanner it was time to pull off a little Beaver-magic. Sonoma started off the 7th with a single, Jimmy-D replaced him on the base paths with a force out. There were two quick outs, but don't say "die" yet. Belle walked, Sabo singled in Jimmy-D, Kid singled in Belle, Big John singled in Sabo. Dupper then stepped in. A grounder to the left side...fielded and Kid was forced at 3rd. Three runs in, not enough though. Beavers lost 18-12 to Team USA. Two single innings did us in. 6 in the first and 7 in the fourth could not be overcome. Beavers had to settle for 2nd place in what was once called a "church league". Congrats to Team USA for coming alive at the right time. Congrats to several teams for improving quite a bit over the past year. This league is competitive now (some of the team) and is fun to play in.
Beaver of the game goes to Kid who went 3-4 with 3 RBI. Hopefully his hot bat will carry over to fall ball.
The fall season will be played in Fenton. League will be a Wed night league again with games expected to start the first week of Sept.
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