By DJ Dave Hoffenberg
It was an exciting week of softball. One team stayed undefeated with the most thrilling win in league history and another stayed winless by choking away what could have been a thrilling victory. Both of the losers in those two games blew big leads. The first loser at least rebounded with a close win in their next game. The rest of league won in blowout fashion.
Chinese Gourmet (CG) took on Rock Landscaping and it was an exciting game to watch. Rock started the scoring with a two-run homer by Big Kev Duprey. They continued to score in the third, fourth and sixth, building a 9-0 lead. CG put runners on base in every inning through the fifth, but stranded them every time. They finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer by Matt Lorman. Rock added another home run in the seventh by pitcher Warren “Blasting Bombs” Bombardier. CG faced a 10-1 deficit in the bottom of the seventh. They made it 10-5 after loading the bases for Nick “Hebrew Hammer” Davis’ grand slam. John Gatto walked, Dalton Hotchkiss hit a routine fly out but a wild overthrow moved Gatto to third and he eventually scored. Troy “Cowboy” Gilbertson knocked in a run and scored himself to cut the deficit to 10-8. Lorman had a chance for more glory but struck out looking for a big second out. Rock had multiple chances to get the third out but those went away after Joe Doherty’s amazing walk-off grand slam to win the game 12-10.
It’s the first walk-off grand slam in league history.
Rock rebounded in their next game with an 11-10 victory over Defend Title Fantastically (DTF) in a see-saw affair. DTF had substitute pitcher Joey Massores in and he delivered his first ever Cold Beer K (CBK) to Tommy Bowen. Rock put two on the board and had a chance for more, but shortstop Angel Shannon ended that with a sweet web gem after he fell going back for a ball, but caught it right where he lay. Shannon and Massores gave DTF the 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first. Rock’s Colby Raymond tied it in the second with a solo shot and Kyle Hova and Bombardier’s home runs in the third gave Rock the 5-3 lead. Massores struck again, this time with a two run blast to tie it 5-5. The defense went away from DTF in the fourth when Rock hit through their order scoring five runs and added another in the fifth to take a commanding 11-5 lead. Masssores sent Big Kev back to the bench with a CBK.
DTF had no answer, going down 1-2-3 in the fourth and suffering two CBK’s in the fifth after Jackie Blue Livesey started the inning with one looking and DJ Dave ended it with a foul out. DTF had a big sixth inning getting all but one of those runs back after Massores and Nate Swahn’s two and three-run home runs, respectively. DTF could not get that one run and suffered the loss ending the game going down 1-2-3.
First Stop Board Barn (FSBB), seeking their first win, started their at-bat with a CBK by pitcher and team captain Johnny “Not So” Sharpe. He ended the inning with a ground out, but that means his team hit through their order. That feat gave them a 6-0 lead. Karrtel answered with two in the first but also saw Evan “Not Anderson” Johnson suffer a CBK, looking. FSBB did nothing in their second at-bat except see a CBK by Kyle “Famous” Amos. Karrtel quickly tied things up in the bottom but also saw Johnson suffer his second CBK. FSBB stranded two in the third and Karrtel added two to give them an 8-6 lead. FSBB got one back in the fourth but Karrtel got one in the fifth to keep their lead at two, 9-7. The Smiths made their mark on the stat sheet in the late innings. Karrtel’s Mike “Pickle King” Smith suffered a CBK in the sixth and FSBB’s Smith Donelan started the seventh with his first ever league homer to cut the deficit in half.
That unfortunately is where the game ended after Max “Down Under” Rowe ended the game with a CBK, while stranding a runner at first.
CG remained undefeated with a 16-5 blowout victory over Karrtel. Rock crushed FSBB 20-6. DTF kept FSBB winless with a 15-2 win that featured many spectacular feats.
The Bash Bros, Taylor and Tucker Zink, each got robbed of home runs with diving over the fence catches by Max Elles and Chris Major, respectively. DTF hit the five home run limit after one by “Tall Tom” Gilligan, a grand slam by Massores, back-to-back from Taylor and Brett “Ronzoni Who” Regimbald and another by Massores. They could have had two more but suffered homer outs by Swany and Judd Washburn. Massores picked up the win, pitching a four hitter and delivering three CBKs. He started with two back-to-back foul outs to Sharpe and Bobby Dederer and caught Garrick Fredericks looking. Regimbald earned the save pitching a four hitter and delivering three CBKs as well, although his were a bit more impressive. He was launching the ball 40 feet in the air which sent Wyatt Mosher down swinging and caught Forrest Baker looking, back-to-back. He also got Dederer to foul out again.
DTF suffered none.
Standings
1) Chinese Gourmet 4-0
2) Rock Landscaping 3-2
TIE: Defend Title Fantastically 3-2
4) Karrtel 2-2
5) First Stop Board Barn 0-6
Schedule
(All games played at Killington Library Field)
Wed. July 22
5:45 p.m. First Stop Board Barn vs Karrtel
7:05 p.m. Rock Landscaping vs Chinese Gourmet
Mon. July 27
5:45 p.m. Defend Title Fantastically (DTF) vs Chinese Gourmet
7:05 p.m. Rock Landscaping vs DTF
Tues. July 28
5:45 p.m. Chinese Gourmet vs Karrtel
7:05 p.m. Chinese Gourmet vs First Stop Board Barn
Wed. July 29
5:45 p.m. DTF vs Karrtel
7:05 p.m. Chinese Gourmet vs Rock Landscaping
