By DJ Dave Hoffenberg
The season is just under way but there is already a “Game of the Year” candidate that will be tough to beat. Rookie team OmyaRamas gave the champs, Clearly Moguls, all they could handle. We also had our first extra inning game of the season. C.M. started out swinging and put six runs on the board in the top of the first. Four of those were from back-to-back home runs by the “Bash Brothers,” Angel Shannon (three run) and Judd Washburn (solo). Somehow, the team was able to coax Will “Why Won’t You Guys Let Me Retire” Burdick out of retirement to play and he did well with two runs scored and two RBI. Jeremy “Jackie Blue” Livesey took to the mound in place of Ron “Lawn Mower Man” Hacker and shut the O.R. down 1-2-3 with his team turning a double-play. C.M. put another six runs on the board in the second and it was deja vu with the “Bash Brothers” driving in four of those. Shannon’s three-run shot came on an assist by O.R. left fielder as he knocked it over the fence with his glove. Washburn’s solo homer was clean over the fence, and what a blast it was because that ball landed in the river. It was more of the same for O.R. in the second as they were held scoreless, but were able to get a few runners on base. Jackie Blue recorded his first K of the season when he struck out Pat Heaton. This one was rare because it was a “Cold Milk K.”
O.R. turned on the defense in the third, shutting down the bottom of the C.M. order 1-2-3. C.M. returned the favor and shut down O.R. 1-2-3 as well. Burdick drove in Washburn in the fourth for a 13-0 lead. O.R. finally woke up their bats and scored for the first time all season. It was a big inning for them as they hit through their order, scoring seven runs to only trail by six. C.M. was taken to the “Max” in this inning with Max Pockette and Max “Down Under” Rowe combining for five of those runs. Rowe’s was a three-run, inside-the-park home run. Brando Remick drove in two runs in the fifth to stretch the lead 15-7 but the inning also saw “DJ” Dave Hoffenberg suffer a “Cold Beer K.” C.M. kept O.R. off the scoreboard in the fifth mostly due to a web-gem catch by Neil “I’m Back” Giberti who scooped the ball low, just off the ground. Jackie Blue hit into a double-play in the sixth, but “Tall” Tom Gilligan blasted a home run to center field for a 16-7 lead. Rowe drove in another in the bottom of the sixth and Taylor Smith had one as well, to put the lead back to seven, 16-9. The seventh inning for C.M. was mostly all “CBK’” as Russell “The Love Muscle” Dalglish and “DJ” Dave Hoffenerg each suffered one to keep the score the same. With their backs against the wall, O.R. exploded in the bottom of the seventh for seven runs. Lucky seven as they say. They hit right through their order and tied it up 16-16 and put a scare into C.M. As light was fading, was Clearly Moguls as well? That answer would be “No.” C.M. ended as they began with almost hitting through their order and putting seven runs on the board. C.M. was almost at their limit in home runs since this league has a five max per team per game rule. Shannon took full advantage and took C.M. to their max with his second of the game, this driving in two. Tucker Zink came up big towards the end of the inning with a bases clearing three-run triple. Did the OmyaRamas have any more magic left in them? That answer would also be “No,” as they went down 1-2-3 with Tyrell Johnson ending the game with a “Cold Milk K.” It was a huge improvement for O.R. since their last game — they lost 33-0. Jackie Blue recovered from a two-error seventh inning to seal yet another win for the league’s most winning pitcher.
Max Team picked up their first win of the season with a 13-3 mercy win over Outback Pizza. Mike Bouffard scored three times and blasted his first home run of the season. Carl Greeley scored three times and drove in some runs, as well. Dan Boute suffered a “CBK,” his first of the season. Outback Pizza struggled to field a team which led to them struggling all game. Scott “Scooter” Watalet, Matt “Ajax” Anderson and Siobhan “Staying Hot” Chase all scored for their team but unfortunately, nobody else did. Dylan “D Money” Johnson went down swinging for a “CBK.”
The Wobbly Barn stayed win-less with two more defeats to lead the league in the loss column. In their first game, they were blasted 17-5 by McGrath’s Sushi.The first inning saw M.S. jump out to a 3-0 lead with all three runs driven in by Nate Mispel. The other Nate was not so lucky as Nate “Cookie” Cook suffered a “CBK.” The Wobbly started out hot like their meatballs, knocking the ball around to load the bases. Chris Kielbiowski hit a bases-clearing triple to tie the score 3-3. M.S. hit right through their order in the second, scoring six runs for a 9-3 lead. The Wobbly got cold, like their drinks, in the second, going down 1-2-3. Nothing doing for M.S. in the third but Zach “Wait For It” Steinhart drove in a run to cut his team’s deficit to Dolly Parton’s 9-5. M.S. hit the ball all around in the fourth for five runs and a 14-5 lead. The Wobbly was only able to muster up one more run over the next two innings, with Kielbiowski scoring again, but in the end it was another loss.
Their next game was a Powdr battle with the Killington Resort team taking on the rookie Wobbly Barn team. The Resort showed why they’re known as the “Beast” as they roared to a 21-6 win. The Wobbly could not score until the fourth inning but the Resort scored in every inning.
Standings:
First: (Tie) Clearly Moguls 2-0
McGrath’s Sushi 2-0
Killington Resort 2-0
Second: Max Team 1-1
Third: Outback Pizza 1-2
Fourth: OmyaRamas 0-2
Fifth: Wobbly Barn 0-3*
Schedule:
Monday, June 12
McGrath’s Sushi vs Wobbly Barn @ Killington 5:50 p.m.
Clearly Moguls vs McGrath’s Sushi @ Killington 7 p.m.
Bi-week: Killington Resort, Max Team, Outback Pizza, OmyaRamas
Wednesday, June 14
Wobbly Barn vs Max Team @ Killington 5:50 p.m.
Max Team vs Killington Resort @ Killington 7 p.m.
Outback Pizza vs Clearly Moguls @ Bridgewater 5:50 p.m.
McGrath’s Sushi vs Outback Pizza @ Bridgewater 7 p.m.
