By Dave Hoffenberg
Runs were at a premium in the First Stop vs. Rock Warriors battle of the undefeated. FS started with a RBI single by Jake “From State Farm” Clark-Trapana. Rock got that run back plus two more after Josh Stevens scored and he,Warren Bombardier and Greg DuPrey hit RBI singles for a 3-1 lead. The woes continued for FS as they could only muster up one hit in the fourth but Bombardier scored to make it 4-1 and then FS went down 1-2-3 in the fifth. FS woke up the bats in the sixth and scored two runs to cut the deficit to one. Rock could not get any insurance runs as they went down 1-2-3 in the bottom. Bombardier started out “en fuego” in the seventh as he delivered “Cold Beer K’s” to Ed Mazzella and Scooter Watelet but Joey Gaspar, on loan from Sushi, broke that up with a double. Johnny Sharpe hit a single to move the tying run to third. Bombardier was frazzled as he walked the next batter to load the bases with two outs but got his hot form back by delivering the biggest “CBK” of the season, to Justin Aker, for the third out. Every out that inning was a “CBK” delivered by Bombardier. Rock hands FS its first loss, 4-3.
Rock had a doubleheader that night and immediately faced Sushi Yoshi. 5-3 after one inning is as close as this game got. Rock won 24-3.
First Stop rebounded in their next game against Rivershed, although it didn’t start out great. Johnny Sharpe popped up for the first out and then pitcher Ronzoni Hacker delivered “CBK’s” to Joe Brown and Shawn “Neon Guy” Smith. RS took a 2-0 lead after Evan “Big Poppa” Anderson and Tall Tom Gilligan scored. The inning did see Will “The Thrill” Burdick suffer a rare “CBKK.” That was the only lead RS would see and the only runs scored the rest of the game. Ronzoni’s solid start fizzled in the second inning with FS scoring seven. Joe “You can’t Spell Krugz Without a K” Kruglak led off RS’s second by whiffing for a “CBK”. RS saw Jeremy Prior for Hire go down with a “CBK” in the 1-2-3 fifth. RS shined on “D” in the third with sliding web-gem catch off the ground by Tall Tom and combo web-gem by Luke Carey and Kruglak. FS took a 13-2 mercy win.
RS had a doubleheader that night and immediately faced Rock. Again RS got on the board first, this time with three runs. Rock answered with five for a 5-3 lead. Just like in the last game, that’s as close as things got. Kruglak suffered his second “CBK” of the night and his team couldn’t score. Rock added four but Ronzoni was able to end the onslaught with a “CBK” to Kevin Duprey. Burdick drove in Nate Mispel in the third to cut the deficit to five and then RS played great “D” by holding Rock scoreless in the bottom. In the fourth, RS had hope after Tall Tom and Washburn reached base. Unfortunately they were stranded there after both Jimbo Cassineri and Kruglak suffered “CBKs.” Rock had a ginormous fourth inning, scoring twelve runs to blow the game wide open, 21-4. That inning saw Jordan “JT” Tolar with two home runs which led to five RBI and Chad Lonergan with a grand slam. Rock added two in the fifth off a rare inside-the-park home run by Craig “Pasty” Brothers. Lonergan tried for an inside-the-park but was thrown out at the plate by Anderson to Cassineri to Brando Remick. RS got a couple on in the sixth but stranded them there with “CBK’s” by Mispel and Tall Tom. Inside-the-park’s were contagious after Tolar added one to his already stellar game resume. The odds of Brothers and Tolar getting one in the same game is astronomical. Not RS’ finest moments on “D.” RS were able to get two runs in the seventh — one off a much needed hit by Kruglak and the other off a sac fly by Carey but the game ended with a “CBK” by Ronzoni to fall 24-6. Warren “Fueled by Cheetos” Bombardier was like Popeye with spinach. He found his super power food which propelled him to 3 for 5 hitting while delivering six “CBKs.”
Chasin’ Tail had a doubleheader and first bashed Sushi 21-0 while holding them to three hits. CT had multi-run home runs by Duane Laughlin, Patrick Bowen, Dakota Booska and Jamison Evans. Next, the team battled Rock in what is the game of the year so far. After a 6-1 first inning with CT leading, Rock chipped away to cut the deficit 6-5 into bottom of the fourth. CT had a four-run inning to stretch the lead back to five, 10-5.
Rock answered with four in the fifth to cut the deficit, 10-9. CT got one insurance run, 11-9. Rock scored one in the sixth but Evans hit a two-run shot for a 13-10 lead into the seventh.
Rock’s Bombardier and Laughlin (on loan from CT) both scored with one out. Laughlin almost single-handedly beat CT, his actual team.
Booska threw Zach Hines out at first on a grounder to third for the second out. That advanced the tying run, Alex Keefe to third. CT walked Collin “Dizzle” Clark, who’d been hot all night, to get to Mikey Davis. That plan worked perfectly after Mikey flew out to end the game and his team’s unbeaten streak.
Upcoming Games
July 6 Library Field on River Road
- 5:50 p.m. Sushi Yoshi vs First Stop
- 7:00 p.m. Chasin’ Tail vs Rock Warriors
July 11 Library Field on River Road
- 5:50 p.m. Sushi Yoshi vs Rock Warriors
- 7:00 p.m. Rivershed vs Chasin’ Tail
July 13 Library Field on River Road
- 5:50 p.m. Rock Warriors vs First Stop
- 7:00 p.m. Chasin’ Tail vs Sushi Yoshi
Standings
1. TIE: First Stop 4-1
2. Rock Warriors 4-1
3. Chasin’ Tail 3-1
4. Rivershed Sluggers 1-5
5. Sushi Yoshi 0-4