By Dave Hoffenberg
Killington Deli vs. Garlic McGraths
This season has not been kind to the Killington Deli and they find themselves in unfamiliar territory. After back-to-back second place finishes, half way through this season they only have one win.
This past week, they faced the number one team: Garlic McGraths — a fact that doesn’t make it easy to be optimistic for a win. But, shutting them down 1-2-3 in the first helps. Especially when they got the lead-off batter Ezrah Lemeiux, a good hitter, to “Cold Beer K.” The Deli could not manage any hits to start so it was a scoreless first. G.M. put runners on the corners but Jamie Rameau hit into an inning-ending double-play. Nothing doing with the Deli as they went down 1-2-3. It was a defensive showdown all around since G.M. could only muster one hit in the third. Runs were at a premium but “CBK’s” were not. The Deli, for the second straight inning, went down 1-2-3 with one of those outs being the dreadful strikeout looking by Nathan Brady Crain.
G.M. finally woke up the bats in the fourth inning and managed to do it with two outs. Cliff Melendy walked and then Zach “Cookie” Cook made them pay, blasting a home run. Josh Tarleton went back-to-back with Cook to make it 3-0. Things were staying the same for the Deli and that was not a good thing. For the third straight inning now, they went 1-2-3 and this time it was Jimbo Cassineri with a “CBK.” G.M. made it 4-0 when Denel Mcintire drove in pitcher Bob Pauly. The Deli finally got on the board in the fifth and had a two-out rally of their own. Chris “Alfie” Alf grounded out to start the inning and then Steve “Killer” Kent and Keith “One Year Contract” Lazarczyk both got on base. Phil O’Brien flew out and the Deli managed to load the bases for Matt “Ajax” Anderson. With nervous beads of sweat dripping off his forehead, he connected for a big two-run double to cut the lead in half. They had a chance to tie it or take the lead with two runners on base but Crain stranded them with his second “CBK.”
The wheels fell off the defensive wagon for the Deli in the sixth when G.M. exploded for seven runs with no outs. Jeremy Prior had a big bases clearing triple for three of those. G.M. loaded the bases again that inning but the newly acquired Owen “Ohhhwhhhennn” Murphy suffered a “CBK” and Melendy popped up. The Deli went back to their 1-2-3 ways with Nick Melotti suffering the “CBK” this time. Rameau drove in Cook in the seventh to make it 12-2 and The Deli could only answer with one measly hit. Anderson said the game was “Pretty F’en Pathetic.”
Killington Resort vs. Outback Wolfpack
Killington Resort and the Outback Wolfpack had a battle last week — for one inning. The Outback got on the board first when Steve “Wheels” O’Neil showing off his new body and new speed raced home. They had a chance for more but Forrest Baker stranded two runners with an inning ending “CBK.” K.R. answered with four runs and that was as close as the game got. K.R. shelled pitcher O’Neil for 20 runs in the second inning while batting through the order two times. Everyone scored twice in the inning except for Manager Matt Kinsman who got two of the outs. But kudos to him because someone had to. O’Neil added another run in the third inning but K.R. added 7. Jenny Porter scored in the fourth but that was all she wrote and the umpire called the game early because he saw no way that the Outback was coming back from 31-3 down. This was a record-setting blowout since K.R. only got up three times.
Clearly Moguls vs. Max Team
Clearly Moguls and Max Team played a doubleheader in Bridgewater that was reminiscent of “Slap Shot.” C.M. got on the board first with two runs. Jeremy “Jackie Blue” Livesey took to the mound and gave up one run to Collin Wolfe for a 2-1 C.M. first inning lead. DJ Dave Hoffenberg drove in Tom “The Hitman” Gilligan to cushion the lead and Ronzoni Hacker and Angel Shannon drove in the rest to make it 6-1. Hacker regained his mound spot and send Livesey back to first. Hacker shut down Max Team 1-2-3 with a “CBK.” Livesey was “En Fuego” in this series and led off the third with a double and eventually scored to make it 7-1. Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the third but it was C.M. with the more spectacular defense with Gilligan’s back-to-back web gems. The first one he was running and diving backwards and the second he was running and diving forewards. He added another web gem in the fifth with a snow cone catch. Judd Washburn blasted a home run and Livesey drove in a run to make it 9-1.
Max Team had some sweet “D” in the sixth when catcher Xavier Van Den Boogaard gunned down Hacker at first but it was second baseman Jake Nelson covering first. Brando Remick suffered a “CBK” that inning as well. What goes around, comes around because C.M. turned a double play the very next inning on Boogaard. Washburn had a nice looking sac in the seventh and Livesey and Shannon both drove in runs to make it 13-1. Max Team managed two hits but started and ended the inning with “CBK’s” to Dan Boute and Sam Budusky, respectively. Hacker only gave up three hits with three “CBK’s” and a walk.
On to the second game, Max Team started the first going down 1-2-3 with Budusky ending the inning with a “CBK” just like he ended the previous game. Shannon put C.M. on the board with a solo home run. Max Team gained their first ever lead on C.M. in the second when Johnny Sharpe drove in two runs. It was short lived since C.M. batted through their order in the bottom of that inning and exploded for eight runs. Brett “Grunt” Regimbald accounted for four of those. Max Team had no answer the rest of the way, managing only five hits with one “CBK” by Tyler Lysakowski. C.M. added six more runs to take it with a 15-2 mercy win. Gilligan was a big force in that driving in four of those with a monster home run, a double and a knock down in the dirt. Shannon was also a key component, turning a game ending double-play but suffering a very rare not one, but two “CBK’s.”
SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, June 29
- Garlic McGraths vs. Outback 5:50 p.m. at Killington
- Killington Deli vs. Clearly Moguls 7 p.m. at Killington
- Max Team vs. Killington Resort 5:50 and 7 p.m. Bridgewater
Post game party at Outback Pizza 8-11 p.m.
Wednesday, July 6
- Killington Resort vs. Killington Deli 5:50 p.m. at KIllington
- Max Team vs. Outback 7 p.m. at Killington
- Clearly Moguls vs. Garlic McGraths 5:50 and 7 p.m. at Bridgewater
Post game party at the Clear River Tavern 8-11 p.m.
STANDINGS
1) TIE: Garlic McGrath’s 7-1
1) Clearly Moguls 7-1
3) Killington Resort 6-2
4) Max Team 2-7
5) Killington Deli 1-6
6) Outback Wolf Pack 1-7
