By Dave Hoffenberg
The third round of the winner’s bracket saw sophomore team, the OmyaRamas, versus defending champion Killington Resort. OR started strong, scoring four runs on five hits. KR got two back off a Nate Stoodley home run. The second had OR’s Ben Seamen suffer the team’s only “Cold Milk K” of the night. OR went off in the third with six runs, including a Jimmy Mee home run, for a 10-2 lead. OR added a two-run shot by James Lorman to go up 10. KR loaded the bases and Greg McClallan and Matt Kinsman each knocked in a run. KR crept closer in the fifth with three runs and then faced a 12-7 deficit. Each team only managed one more hit and McClallan had a “Cold Beer K,” so OR got the big win and earned a trip to the championship.
The first loser’s bracket elimination game was McGrath’s Sushi versus Clearly Moguls. These teams faced each other many times in the playoffs, but never this early in the loser’s bracket. MS started cold going down 1-2-3, but CM’s Brett “Mr. Pink” Regimbald blasted a two-run shot for the game’s first lead and saw Russell “The K Muscle” Dalglish suffer the game’s first “CBK.” MS saw Joe Montemurro suffer a rare “CBK” in the third. Regimbald drove in another two runs and so did “Tall” Tom Gilligan to give CM a 6-0 lead. MS finally got on the board in the fourth after “Big” Josh Tarleton jacked a two-run shot. They had a chance for more, but Montemurro ended the inning with another “CBK.” Both teams went down 1-2-3 and MS’s Ezrah Lemieux got thrown out at second by “Tall” Tom. Angel Shannon blasted an insurance run to go up four. Tarleton blasted another two-run shot and now has amounted for 80 percent of his team’s scoring. “Tall” Tom “CBK’d” in the bottom of the sixth and MS had no offense in the seventh to end their season with the 7-5 loss.
The next elimination game was between First Stop Mosher Base Camp and the Karrtel. The late great “Umpire” Franco used to say “Friends don’t let friends go to New Jersey.” FSMBC wishes they could’ve endorsed that since they lost a third of their teammates to a vacation there, and had to play with eight. Left fielder Max Rowe stepped in for pitcher Johnny Sharpe. The top of the first wasn’t too bad as the Karrtel only scored two runs on four walks. FSMBC practically batted through their order twice in the bottom, scoring eight runs on six walks by Forrest Baker. Bats were not coming off shoulders in this game. Theme music for this game would be “These Cleats were Made for Walking.” Rowe walked the first seven batters in the second – 10 overall which led to nine Karrtel runs. FSMBC answered with two runs on two walks. Rowe walked three in the third for a 15-10 Karrtel lead. He delivered a “CBK” to Nate Gilman.
Wyatt Mosher came in to relieve Rowe and Michael Smith for Baker. Smith gave up three walks in the fourth which led to two runs for FSMBC and they only faced a 15-12 deficit. Mosher calmed down with the walks but unfortunately gave up a bunch of hits and the Karrtel jumped ahead 22-13. The Karrtel added two in the sixth and all FSMBC could answer with was two “CBKs” by Chris Major and Mike “Bouff” Bouffard. The Karrtel got their first win of the season after 16 straight losses. These teams set records that nobody wants, combining for 34 walks.
The Karrtel’s reward for their first win was facing CM in a mud filled elimination game. For CM it was all about the long ball, with 12 of their 17 runs from that. Judd “Magnum” Washburn had two including a bomb to deep center; Tucker “Oh Snap, He’s Got the Power” Zink with a three-run shot and Angel “In the Outfield” Shannon with the “grand salami.” The Karrtel didn’t get many runs but their first was huge as Alexis “True Grit” King slid home, beating the tag and coming up covered in mud. It had both teams cheering for her. In the end, the win went to CM 17-4 but the Karrtel won the “CBK” battle 4-2. The Karrtel’s Nick Melotti went down looking and Luke Carey had the other. For CM it was “Tall” Tom, Hunter and “DJ” Dave Hoffenberg with two.
Semifinalists were CM versus KR. These two have quite the rivalry. It was more long ball for CM and they used up their allotted five by the fourth inning. Regimbald, “Tall” Tom (2) and Zink (3) accounted for CM’s first 12 runs. KR’s Matt Kinsman had a two -run shot to round out their first seven. CM’s “Scooter” Watalet drove in two for a 14-7 lead into the sixth. The wheels then fell off the wagon for CM. The combination of two bad errors, “Ronzoni” Hacker not finding the plate and Matt Peters jacking a three-run shot, led to 10 runs for KR, which also led to the win and a return trip to the finals. “Ronzoni” was able to deliver another “CBK” looking, this one to Kyle “Famous” Amos.
Schedule:
Wednesday, Aug. 1
Game 3 if necessary at Killington, 6 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 6
All Star Game at Killington, 6 p.m.
