By DJ Dave Hoffenberg
Rock vs. DMTB
The 2021 season is finally upon us and the defending Champion’s Rock Landscaping started out where they left off last summer — with a win. Taking the first loss was a new team, Dirty Mike and The Boys (DMTB). Rock shut them down 1-2-3 in their first and then pitcher Warren “Da Bomb” Bombardier sent one deep in the woods for a 2-0 lead. Team Captain and namesake Dirty Mike Davis Jr. led off with a single but his team couldn’t get him home. They played some good “D” in the bottom, shutting Rock down 1-2-3.
DMTB cut the lead in half in the third after Troy “Cowboy” Gilbertson drove in Collin “Dizzle” Clark. Rock couldn’t get anything going and DMTB was able to tie it up in the fourth when Davis scored. Then they took the lead (3-2) in the sixth after Matt Littler sent one deep.
That woke Rock up. Chad Lonergan scored to tie it and then his team regained the lead after Captain Josh Stevens launched a two-run shot to make it a 5-3 final.
Flannels vs. FSBC
Flannels Fanatics started their season with a hard-fought battle against long time rival First Stop Base Camp (FSBC). Josh “Purple Guy” Souza led off with a triple and then scored off a two-run bomb by Nate Swahn to give Flannels a 2-0 lead. FSBC pitcher Johnny Sharpe delivered the first “Cold Beer K” of the season to Ronnie Crosby, looking.
Sharpe led off the bottom of the first with a single, which was followed by Bobby Dederer’s double. They both scored to tie it 2-2 after being driven in by Smith Donelon and Collin “Hungry Like The” Wolf, respectively. They had a chance for more but Max Elles stranded the bases loaded.
Flannels had a big second inning, scoring four runs off of RBI singles from Jim Cassineri, Brando Remick, Ronzoni Hacker and DJ Dave Hoffenberg.
FSBC had no answer except to see Rick Meinzer suffer his first ever “CBK” in his first ever at-bat. Sharpe was “Sharp” in the third, holding Flannels scoreless and delivering a rare “CBK” to Judd Washburn.
FSBC then scored three to cut the deficit to one. Jake “From State Farm” Clark-Trapana drove in Wolf and then scored himself off a nice looking sac by Chris Major. John Ralston also drove in Shawn Smith. Sharpe started piling up the “CBK’s” delivering his second one looking, this time to Scott “Scooter” Watelet in the fourth, one looking to Purple Guy in the fifth and getting Jared “Not my Favorite” Hall to go down swinging. FSBC kept that momentum going and tied it at 6-6 after Wolf jacked a solo shot.
Flannels awoke in the sixth with back-to-back singles from Crosby and Swahny. Cliff Aker subbed in for Washburn and broke that tie with a RBI single and then Scooter drove in two to give Flannels a 9-6 lead. That would be your final score but not your final “CBK” score. Sharpe delivered two more with back-to-back “CBK’s” by Hoffenberg and Hall. Sharpe’s final tally was three looking, one swinging, three foul-outs plus he had three put-outs. Best pitcher effort of the season so far but the best “CBK” would be delivered by league veteran and future Hall of Famer Ronzoni who got Shawn Smith to go down swinging to end the game.
FSBC vs. DMTB
FSBC had a huge see-saw battle in their next game against DMTB. Sharpe started the scoring, three followed and FSBC took a 4-0 early lead. Davis was able to deliver “CBK’s” to both Smiths (Shawn looking and Donelon swinging) with the latter ending the inning.
Not to be outdone, Sharpe delivered two of his own but his were bigger because they were both looking to Jordan “Little T” Tolar and Jared Dennis whose ended the inning but not before DMTB cut the lead to one (4-3).
Both teams stank in the second but Wolf and Trapana scored in the third to stretch the lead 6-3. They had a chance for more but Ed Mazzella stranded the bases loaded.
Davis and Tolar both scored to cut the deficit to one again. They traded runs in the fourth and after the fifth it was tied up 8-8. DMTB ended the inning with back-to-back “CBK’s” from Davis and Chance Passmore with the latter’s looking.
Both teams had big sixth innings, practically batting through their orders, but it was DMTB who got one more to take their first lead 13-12. Meizner tied it 13-13 in the seveth and Sharpe broke the tie with his first ever home run, although it was an assist by the outfielder for a four base error. Regardless Sharpe gave his team a 14-13 lead with the hard hit ball. We go to the bottom of the seventh and Nick Duprey scored for the tie and then Davis hits a walk-off RBI single for his team’s first win, 15-14.
It was a heart-breaking defeat for FSBC.
DMTB vs. Flannels
DMTB knocked the stuffing out of the ball while cruising to a 19-4 mercy win over Flannels. They had little highlights but lots of lowlights. They pulled Jeremy “Creeper” Rayner out of retirement and it showed in the sixth with his “CBK” looking. They also got Neighbor Larry Napolitano to walk over and join the mess and he matched Creeper but had a sweet web gem in left field. DMTB Littler shined going three for four with six RBI and three runs scored.