It's On, Like Donkey Kong

Following last week's playoff elimination, some Pitchers poured themselves a pitcher, while others threw themselves into other pursuits. So, congratulations to Damian!

The blood, sweat, tears and quarters that he poured into Jeremy's Donkey Kong machine over the course of the season finally paid off - his initials are stored in the machine at No. 5, beside his team-leading score of 57,700.

My His mother will be so proud.

To Be the Man, You Have to Beat the Man

And on Saturday, the Empty Pitchers lost to him.

The Pitchers were bounced in the third round of the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year, losing a 7-4 match to Ruben's Angels. If nothing else, the Pitchers present on that fateful day should find solace in knowing they at least played a well-contested game on a beautiful, unseasonably warm day.

The visiting Angels - who won the fall-season pennant race from 2007-09, back-to-back league championships in '07 and '08, and fell just short in the finals a year ago - jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first, quickly posting 2 runs on a number of hard-hit balls. With no outs, the Pitchers looked karma straight in the face, and capitalized on Angels' base-running blunders, picking off two runners trying for extra bases in a single play and thankfully managing to get out of the inning a batter later, before the game got away.

The Pitchers would load the bases in the bottom of the first, and Sam would nearly kill himself attempting to score from second in the bottom of the second, but the team was unable to break through and score their first run until the third inning, at which point they found themselves jn a 6-1 hole. After blanking the Angels in the fifth and sixth, the Pitchers were down just two runs entering the seventh, but unable to muster a rally.

They've carried the team all season, and Greg and Alex didn't disappoint with the pressure on. Greg held his ground on the mound, and helped his cause with a team-leading 4-for-4 day at the plate. Alex also stayed in stellar batting form, contributing three hits.

The Pitchers certainly had their offensive chances (besides leaving the bases loaded in the first, they also left them loaded in the fourth and fifth), and stranded an unseemly 15 ducks on base over the course of the game. Don't get too down though, we'll get 'em next season.



Next game: The games don't count, but the stats do. We'll play the NY Dirt Dogs again on Saturday, at 2 p.m.

Playoffs: Round 3

Round 3 Box Score - Ruben's Angels11/13/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
RA     2  1  2  1  0  0  1   7
EP     0  0  1  1  2  0  0   4

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI BB  AVG* 'On the Day'
John SS    4  1  1   1  0  .700  (1-3, sac)
Tara C     4  0  0   1  0  .000  (0-3, sac)
Greg P     4  1  4   0  0  .800  (4-4) 
Alicia 2B  4  0  2   1  1  .625  (2-2, walk, sac)
Alex 3B    4  0  3   1  0  .700  (3-4)
Stacey 1B  4  0  1   0  0  .300  (1-4)
Felix CF   4  0  1   0  0  .333  (1-4)
Nicole RF  2  0  1   0  0  .143  (1-2)
  Lisa     2  0  0   0  0  .167  (0-2)
Sam LF     4  1  2   0  0  .500  (2-4)
Damian RCF 3  1  2   0  0  .667  (2-3)

2B - John (2); OTF - Felix (1)

* Playoff stats separate from regular season

Pitchers Mostly Business in Early Rounds

The Pitchers are through the opening rounds of the playoffs and looking ahead to a third-round matchup against Ruben's Angels, and, a potential championship matchup against the winner of Sub & Heroes versus the Dragons.

A well-balanced offensive attack from the Pitchers in Round 1 resulted in an easy 7-2 win over the Remainders. Much to the consternation of their opponent's tight-jeans bedecked, hipster pitcher, the Pitchers showed incredible discipline at the plate, refusing to chase any garbage he tossed their way.

From top-to-bottom of the lineup, every Pitcher reached base and the run scoring was scattered throughout the order. After banking two runs in the first, the Pitchers broke the game open with a four-run second, featuring hits from Sam, Lisa, Matt, John, Alicia and Greg. In fact, two-out hits were the source of all the Pitchers' run production over the course of Game 1.

Greg pitched outstanding in his second career start, walking none, going above and beyond in taking the ball through the early innings of Round 2, proving himself as clutch a big-game Pitcher as ever.

Round 2 saw the Pitchers take a 4-1 win from Fontana's Bar. Late-arrival/malcontent David took the mound in the third inning of the game -- promptly messing with management's head by walking the first batter he faced (a girl! who would go on to score Fontana's only run!) -- but soon put aside any discord over last weekend's post-game spread to focus on extending his personal-best unbeaten pitching streak. Luckily, David Being David resulted in another W for the Pitchers.

In spite of all the pre-game scouting on the part of Fontana's, the bar team didn't have any answer to perfect offensive AND defensive games from the left side of the infield: John (4-4, run scored) and Alex (3-for-3, RBI). The Pitchers scored all of their runs in the third -- on hits from John, Alicia, Greg, Alex and Stacey -- and held on tight defensively to secure the win.



Next game: Be at the field for 11:15 a.m. this Saturday. If we win, we've got a break and then play again in the 2:30 p.m. championship. Either way, plan on Jeremy's afterward...

Playoffs: Rounds 1 & 2

Round 2 Box Score - Fontana's Bar
11/6/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
FB     0  1  0  0  0  0  0   1
EP     0  0  4  0  0  0  X   4

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG* 'On the Day'
John SS    4  1  4   0   0  .857  (6-7)
Alicia 2B  4  1  2   0   0  .500  (3-6, walk) 
Greg P     3  1  2   1   0  .667  (4-6) 
  David    2  0  0   0   0  .000  (0-2)
Nicole RF  2  0  0   0   1  .000  (0-5, walk) 
  Lisa     1  0  0   0   0  .250  (1-4)
Alex 3B    3  1  3   1   0  .667  (4-6)
Stacey 1B  3  0  1   1   0  .333  (2-6)
Felix CF   2  0  0   0   0  .400  (2-5)
  Sam      1  0  0   0   0  .500  (2-4)
Rachel C   3  0  1   1   0  .600  (3-5, walk)
Matt RCF   2  0  0   0   0  .250  (1-4)
Brian LF   3  0  0   0   0  .200  (1-5)

2B - Greg (2,3)

Round 1 Box Score - Remainders
11/6/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
RE     0  0  2  0  0  0  0   2
EP     2  4  1  0  0  0  X   7
PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
John SS    3  1  2   1   0
Alicia EH  3  1  1   1   1    
Greg P     3  0  2   1   0   
Nicole 2B  3  0  0   0   0   
Alex 3B    3  0  1   1   0
Stacey 1B  3  1  1   1   0 
Felix CF   3  1  2   0   1 
Rachel RF  3  0  2   1   0
Sam LF     3  1  2   0   0
Lisa C     3  0  1   0   1
Matt RCF   2  1  1   1   0
Brian EH   2  1  1   0   0   

2B - Felix (1), Greg (1), John (1), Sam (1)
* Playoff stats separate from regular season

Pitchers Primed for Playoff Run

The Empty Pitchers at last found the cure to their traditional hungover, Halloween-time losses -- a Sunday morning match up against the league's cellar-dwelling Remainders.

In a preview of their first-round playoff match up, the Pitchers took two from the Remainders, rolling by mercy rule in Game 1, 11-0, and by a final of 8-5 in Game 2. Both games ran only 4 innings, due in equal parts to the ump's and the Remainders' laissez-faire attitude in keeping track of the inning.

Back-to-back triples from David and Nicole to start the early game were a harbinger of doom for the Remainders, as the extra base hits helped the Pitchers jump out to a 3-0 lead. A slew of six straight singles from the middle of the order pushed another handful of runs across in the third, and the Remainders knew they were not long for this world.

With the colder weather here and much of the team breaking out the pants, the blowout did give the Pitchers a much-needed opportunity to practice their sliding. Horrendously ugly slides were in abundance at every base at the Oval on Sunday; thankfully, only minor injuries (the kind that can be walked off on the way to Jeremy's), were sustained.

In Game 2, as is the team's custom, the Pitchers' lineup suddenly had hot and cold pockets. Luckily, even in shorts, lead-off man John remained on fire at the plate and in the field. He went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored. Sam, Felix and Damian also had perfect games at the plate, while Alex shook off his Cabbage Night fun to contribute 4 RBIs.

The 2010 Team Photo

Week 7: Pitchers vs. Remainders

Game 14 Box Score
11/2/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
EP     3  2  2  1  X  X  X   8
RE     0  1  2  2  X  X  X   5

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
John SS    3  3  3   0   0  .633 (4-5)
Alicia 2B  3  1  0   1   1  .455 (0-1, walk, sac)
Alex 3B    3  1  1   1   0  .667 (2-3, 2 sac)
Tara RF    3  0  1   1   0  .429 (2-4)
Matt P     3  0  0   0   1  .250 (1-4, walk)
Stacey 1B  3  0  2   0   0  .387 (3-5)
Sam SS     3  2  3   1   0  .500 (4-6)
Lisa EH    3  0  1   0   0  .273 (2-5, walk)
Felix LF   3  0  3   2   0  .630 (5-6)
Nicole C   2  0  0   0   0  .304 (2-5)
  Julie    1  0  0   0   0  .426 (1-3)
David RCF  3  0  0   0   0  .500 (2-6)
Damian CF  2  2  2   0   0  .552 (4-5)

2B - Alex (5), Felix (5), John (3,4), Sam (5)

Game 13 Box Score
11/2/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
RE     0  0  0  0  0  X  X    0
EP     3  3  5  0  X  X  X   11
PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
David P    3  1  2   1   0   
Nicole EH  3  1  2   1   0   
Felix 3B   3  2  2   1   0   
Stacey 1B  2  1  1   1   0
  Tara     1  0  1   0   0
Sam LF     3  1  1   1   0 
Lisa RF    3  1  1   0   1 
Damian CF  3  2  2   1   0
Rachel C   2  0  2   1   0
Matt RCF   2  1  1   1   1
Julie 2B   2  0  1   1   1
John SS    2  1  1   1   0
Alex DH    2  0  1   1   0   
2B - David (3), Felix (4); 3B - David (1), Nicole (1)

Week 6: Pick-up Pitchers vs. Louis's Team

Pinch-Manager Alex gathered together a melting pot of Empty Pitchers (5) and non-Pitchers (3 + a pair of recognizance-gathering scrubs from Fontana's) and came away with a key pair of wins in late October, keeping the Pitchers in the hunt for the regular-season crown.

Game 1 was a decisive 14-2 blowout, before the ump cried, "Mercy," at the close of the fourth inning. John, Alex and Stacey all had perfect games at the plate, while Greg batted in a redonkulous 5 runners.

Apparently tired of padding their stats in the coach's absence, the Pitchers took their foot off the gas in Game 2, eking out a 4-2 win. John completed his amazing 8-for-8 day in the lead-off spot, and the bottom of the Pitchers' order put down their beverages in the fourth to thankfully string together a handful of hits and score three more runs.

Much thanks to Katie, Luis and Cisco for coming out!

Game 12 Box Score
10/24/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
EP     1  0  0  3  0  0  X   4
LT     1  1  0  0  0  0  X   2

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
John SS    4  1  4   1   0  .600 (8-8)
Stacey 1B  4  0  1   0   0  .304 (4-7)
Greg LF    4  0  3   1   0  .676 (6-8)
Alex 3B    4  0  1   0   0  .645 (4-7)
Luis P     3  0  2   0   0  .400 (2-5, sac)
Cisco RF   3  0  0   0   0  .167 (1-6)
Katie 2B   3  1  1   0   0  .428 (3-7)
Steve CF   3  1  1   0   0  .400 (2-5, walk)
TJ RCF     2  1  1   2   1   500 (2-4, 2 walks)
Lisa C     3  0  1   0   0  .250 (3-6)

2B - John (2), Steve (1), TJ (1)

Game 11 Box Score
10/24/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
LT     0  1  0  1  X  X  X    2
EP     2  7  5  0  X  X  X   14
PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
John SS    4  3  4   2   0   
Katie 2B   4  2  2   1   0
Greg LF    4  3  3   5   0
Alex 3B    3  1  3   3   0 
Luis P     3  0  0   1   0 
Cisco RF   3  1  1   0   0
Stacey 1B  3  1  3   1   0
Steve CF   2  1  1   0   1
TJ RCF     2  1  1   0   1
Lisa C     3  1  2   1   0
2B - Alex (3,4), Greg (7,8), John (1), Stacey (1)

Pitchers Defeat Bite-less Dirt Dogs

After 72 frantic (and ultimately fruitless) hours searching for a fourth girl, the Empty Pitchers wound up taking two humdrum games from the NY Dirt Dogs by scores of 10-5 and 8-2.

A hot bottom third of the order plus lead-off man Felix generated half of the Pitchers' runs in Game 1. Felix's second inning, two-out double scored two key runs, giving the Pitchers some breathing room with a 3-0 lead - a score that stood until the top of the sixth.

Fatigued by a late Saturday night of Donkey Kong play on the Wii, Game 1 starter Damian struggled to find the strike zone. But that was about the only drama of the game. Even though the Dirt Dogs managed to push five runs across in the sixth and seventh innings, Damian was able to dig deep and stem the damage. (In retrospect, probably reserving his strength to reclaim the team-leading score on Jeremy's Donkey Kong machine that evening.)

Felix and Nick had three hits each in the early game, and Sam's second double of the game was at the heart of the Pitchers' seven-hit, five-run scoring flurry in the top half of the seventh. Smooth-talking Sam, who handily found a willing woman from the early game to play with the Pitchers, can also take some credit for ringer Dana's 3-for-4 game.

In Game 2, Greg got the ball after raising his hand and volunteering to make his Pitchers pitching debut. He coolly blanked the Dirt Dogs through the first five innings and maintained his composure - even after giving up a solid single to the woeful Dirt Dog who had been unable to put the ball in play in his first five at-bats.

The Pitchers continued scoring their runs in bunches, breaking the game open with four runs in both the third and fourth innings. Felix continued his tear at the top of the order, going 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs, and a balanced attack from the Pitchers' entire lineup ensured there weren't any easy innings for the Dirt Dogs.



Next game: Bye week next weekend and then it's a doubleheader against the win-less "Team Louis" on Sunday, Oct. 24 at 12:30 p.m.

Week 5: Pitchers vs. NY Dirt Dogs

Game 10 Box Score
10/9/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
DD     0  0  0  0  0  2  X   2
EP     0  0  4  4  0  X  X   8

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
Felix LF   3  2  3   2   0  .571 (6-8)
Alicia 2B  3  1  2   1   0  .435 (3-5, 2 walks)
Alex 3B    3  1  1   2   0  .696 (3-7)
Dana 1B    3  0  2   1   0  .714 (5-7)
Greg P     3  0  1   1   0  .654 (3-7)
Julie RF   3  0  1   1   0  .444 (3-6)
Sam SS     3  0  1   0   0  .458 (3-7)
Lisa C     3  0  0   0   0  .182 (0-8)
Nick CF    3  2  2   0   0  .647 (5-7)
Damian RCF 2  2  2   0   0  .500 (4-6)

2B - Felix (3), Nick (3), Sam (4)
OTF - Nick (1)

Game 9 Box Score
10/9/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
EP     1  2  0  0  0  2  5   10
DD     0  0  0  0  0  3  2   5
PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
Felix SS   5  1  3   2   0   
Lisa RF    5  0  0   0   0
Alex 3B    4  0  2   0   0
Dana 1B    4  1  3   0   0 
Greg CF    4  1  2   1   0
Julie C    4  2  2   0   1
Sam RCF    4  2  2   2   0
Alicia 2B  4  0  1   1   2
Nick LF    4  2  3   2   0
Damian P   4  1  2   2   0
2B - Damian (1), Felix (2), Sam (2,3)
OTF - Damian (1)

Pitchers Take Two By Any Means Necessary

Julian's Team put up little resistance on Saturday, losing Game 1 by forfeit, and falling 8-2 to the Pitchers in Game 2.

It took nearly as long for Julian's fragmented 8-person squad to gather at the Coleman Oval (48 minutes past scheduled game time), as it did for the Pitchers' bats to finally get hot and put Game 2 out of reach.

Scoring was few and too far between through the first three innings for the Pitchers. It wasn't until Lisa noted that the Pitchers were playing to the level of their woeful opponent that something finally clicked and the Pitchers pulled it together.

A two-walk, four-hit fourth inning featured a key two-run double from David and a two-out single from Alex that scored another pair of runs. Julian's turtleneck-bedecked pitcher couldn't hide from the Pitchers' offensive onslaught, with both Alex (two doubles, 3 RBIs) and Sam (2 runs, an RBI, 2 nice outfield catches) having three-hit days. Tara, as always, was a force to be reckoned with as well, going 2-for-3 at the plate.



Next game: A pivotal match up against the NY Dirt Dogs happens this Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Be on the watch for Damian's return to the Oval, after serving a one-game suspension for insubordination.

Week 4: Pitchers vs. No Shows

Game 8 Box Score
10/2/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
EP     0  1  1  5  0  1  0   8
NS     0  1  0  0  0  0  1   2

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
David P    5  1  1   2   0  .563  (1-5)
Stacey 1B  3  1  0   0   1  .200  (0-3, walk)
Alex 3B    4  0  3   3   0  .813  (3-3, sac)
Rachel RF  2  0  0   1   0  .250  (0-1, sac)
  Nicole   2  0  0   0   1  .250  (0-1, walk)
Nick LF    4  1  2   0   0  .600  (2-4)
Julie C    2  0  1   0   1  .333  (1-1, walk)
  Lisa RF  2  0  0   0   0  .286  (0-2)
Felix SS   4  1  1   0   0  .429  (1-4)
Tara 2B    3  1  2   0   0  .400  (2-3)
  Alicia   2  0  1   0   1  .333  (1-1, walk)
Matt LF    3  1  1   1   1  .200  (2-6)
Sam RCF    4  2  3   1   0  .471  (3-4)

2B - Alex (1,2), Dave (2)

Game 7 Box Score
10/2/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
NS     F  O  R  F  E  I  T   X
EP     -  -  -  -  -  -  -   X

Team of No-Names Steal One from Pitchers

The Empty Pitchers couldn't seal the deal on a sweep for the second week in a row. In Game 1, the Pitchers were able to hang on for a 5-4 win, but were just a little too late with their 7th inning comeback in Game 2, falling by the same 5-4 score.

In the early game, the Pitchers were down 3-0 early, before the consumption of performance-enhancing Gatorade gel got Greg back to his old form (albeit briefly) - he lead off the second inning with a double, moved to third on a grounder from Lisa, and scored on an RBI single from the surging Alex (5 hits on the day).

The Pitchers jumped out to a brief lead in the fourth, when a stream of singles from Felix, David, Julie, Lisa and Alex pushed another three runs across. The bottom of the order got into the offensive mix as well, with 6th-inning singles from Brian, John and Felix producing the eventual game-winning run.

In the late game, things got off to a promising start, with lead-off hitter Damian making his way home in the first and the Pitchers again scoring their runs in bunches with a three-run third (two-out RBI hits from Alicia, Greg and Nicole).

But emotions and errors ran high in the home half of the fourth, with the Pitchers giving up two runs and the lead. The Excelerators (dubbed such as two of their 10 players were in so-named t-shirted attire), gave the Pitchers a taste of their own medicine, pushing the winning run across in the sixth.

David and Alex, playing in their ninth and tenth games of the weekend, showed no signs of softball fatigue, with David maintaining his perfect pitching record and Alex wielding a hot bat, seemingly getting stronger as the innings went on. In fact, both players are giving Greg a run for his perennial batting title - Alex's average currently sits atop the Pitchers' stats, at a hefty .769 (10-13), with David (8-11) in third place with a .727 average. With two more games played, Greg (14-19) lurks in between the duo, sporting a .737 average.



Next game: The Pitchers take on another new team Saturday, Oct. 2, in a 12:30 p.m. matchup at the Oval.

Week 3: Pitchers vs. Excelerators

Game 6 Box Score
9/25/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
EP     1  0  3  0  0  0  0   4
EX     1  1  0  2  0  1  X   5

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
Damian P   4  1  3   0   0  .444  (4-5)
Julie RCF  4  0  2   0   0  .308  (3-7)
Alex 3B    4  1  2   1   0  .769  (5-7)
Alicia 2B  4  1  2   1   0  .316  (2-6, walk)
Greg CF    3  0  2   1   0  .737  (3-6)
Nicole C   3  0  1   1   1  .278  (3-5, walk)
David 2B   3  0  2   0   0  .727  (3-6)
Lisa RF    3  0  0   0   0  .333  (1-6)
Brian LF   3  0  0   0   0  .273  (0-5)
John SS    3  1  1   0   0  .412  (2-6)
  Felix 1B -  -  -   -   -  .500  (2-4)

2B - Greg (6)

Game 5 Box Score
9/25/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
EX     2  1  0  0  0  0  1   4
EP     0  1  3  1  0  0  X   5
PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB
Felix 1B   4  0  2   1   0
Alicia 2B  3  1  0   0   1
David P    3  1  1   0   0
Julie C    3  0  1   0   0
Greg CF    3  2  1   1   0
Lisa RF    3  0  1   1   0
Alex 3B    3  0  3   2   0
Nicole RCF 3  0  2   0   0
Brian LF   2  1  0   0   0
  Damian   1  0  1   0   0
John SS    3  0  1   0   0
2B - Greg (5)

Pitchers Grind Out Split with Sub & Heroes

On another beautiful fall day, the Pitchers split a doubleheader with Sub & Heroes, winning an epic Game 1 by the final of 6-5, and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in an even epic-er 6-5 Game 2 loss.

Game 1 got off to a good start - singles from Sam and Matt, followed by RBI singles from Tara and Greg, led to two runs in the first. After briefly relinquishing the lead in the top of the fourth, Damian produced the first of his three RBIs on the day, driving in Greg, and hits by Nick and Alicia brought Damian home. Greg scored again in the 6th, after hitting a lead-off double, but it took the Pitchers another two innings to put the Heroes away for good.

As the teams duked it out in extra frames, there were plenty of nifty defensive plays to be found. Playing catcher, Rachel pulled an errant throw out of the air, allowing the Pitchers to take down a Hero caught in the basepath at home, and Greg's "laser beam" throw home in the sixth nailed down a Hero trying to tag up and score from third.

Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, like clockwork, a lead-off double from Greg and another single from Damian drove in that elusive winning run. So perhaps it should have resounded as a more ominous sign when Greg grounded into a routine 6-3 groundout in the second inning of Game 2, bringing to an end his perfect 10-for-10 start to the 2010 season.

Greg hitting to the left side seemed to shake the entire equilibrium of the Coleman Oval to its Chinatown core. The Pitchers stood their ground, largely due to the smooth fielding and steady hands of John at short, and on the mound, Matt blanking the Heroes through five straight innings. Greg's one single of the game was a huge one, driving in both Alicia and Nick in the fourth, and Rachel drove in John on the sixth, as the Pitchers managed to scrape just enough runs together to be up entering the bottom of the seventh.

A series of inopportune errors in the last frame did the Pitchers in, culminating in a cruel bounce off the backstop (on a throw to the plate) that allowed two runs to score. Just like Steve Wiebe, we'll bounce back from this.



Next game: We take on a new team at the Oval next Sunday, in a 12:30 p.m. doubleheader.

Week 2: Pitchers vs. Sub & Heroes

Game 4 Box Score
9/18/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
EP     0  0  0  2  0  1  0   3
SH     0  0  0  0  1  1  2   4

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB  AVG 'On the Day'
John SS    3  1  1   0   0   .455 (2-6)
Alicia 2B  3  1  1   0   0   .364 (2-5, walk)
Nick LF    3  1  2   0   0   .667 (4-6)
Rachel RF  3  0  2   1   0   .286 (2-7)
Greg RCF   3  0  1   2   0   .846 (5-7)
Stacey 1B  3  0  0   0   0   .231 (1-7)
Damian CF  3  0  1   0   0   .333 (3-6)
Nicole C   3  0  1   0   0   .167 (1-6)
Sam 3B     3  0  1   0   0   .385 (2-7)
Tara EH    3  0  1   0   0   .286 (2-7)
Matt P     2  0  0   0   0   .143 (1-7)

2B - Nick (2), Sam (1)

Game 3 Box Score
9/18/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  FINAL
SH     0  0  1  2  1  1  0  0  0  5
EP     2  0  0  2  0  1  0  0  1  6
PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB 
Sam 3B     4  1  1   0   0  
Stacey 1B  4  0  1   0   0
Matt RCF   4  1  1   0   0
Tara 2B    4  0  1   1   0 
Greg CF    4  3  4   1   0
Rachel C   4  0  0   0   0
Damian P   4  1  2   3   0
Nicole RF  3  0  0   0   0
Nick LF    3  0  2   0   0
Alicia EH  2  0  1   1   1
John SS    3  0  1   0   0
2B - Damian (1), Greg (3,4), Nick (1)

Not the Only News at the Oval...

Courtesy of Stacey's reading materials from her M15 ride last week, check out the second item from that day's police blotter in the Post:


See everyone at the corner of Market and Monroe for this week's games!

Pitchers Start Season Right; A Star is Born

In a stirring start to their fourth season, the Empty Pitchers served fitting tribute to America's pastime, vanquishing the rule-mongers of Fontana's Bar in the first game, 9-2, and pulling out a stirring 6-5 comeback win in the second game.

In the early game, the Pitchers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, posting three in the first and tacking on another three in the second by playing consistent small ball and stringing together just enough singles to push runs across the plate. The team's D also looked impressive for its first game of the fall.

David proved himself to be the team's clear No. 1, blanking Fontana's over the first four innings and providing himself some offensive firepower at the plate, with a 4-for-4 game. Alex also had an impressive fall debut, going 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored.

In Game 2, with Damian on the mound and visions of last season's shutout dancing in his head, reality at the dusty Coleman Oval looked decidedly more grim. The Pitchers jumped out to an early lead, before giving up three runs in the third, and finding themselves down by a run with just two outs left in the bottom of the 7th.

With a runner on second, heavy hitter Lisa stepped to the plate. Her time in the cages had already paid off with a pair of earlier RBIs, and she did it again - hitting a perfectly-placed single up the middle, driving in David as the tying run. The crowd went wild; upon arriving at first, cool-as-a-cucumber Lisa was only interested in knowing how many outs there were.

After giving up a run in the top of the 8th, the top of the order pulled through for the Pitchers, with Felix leading off with a single, Damian breaking out of his mini-slump with a single, Julie drawing a walk and Greg Being Greg crushing a line drive to the right field fence (completing a perfect 6-for-6 day) and driving two runners in to win the game.

As exhilarating as the wins may have been, there were even greater thrills to be found post-game at Jeremy's. Besides bathroom floods that threatened the team table and pick-up games of Apples to Apples, there has been a recent installation of an old-school Donkey Kong machine at the bar. (Replacing that crap Galaga game.)

If you haven't instantly streamed "The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters," on Netflix by now, I don't know what you're waiting for.



Next game: First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at the Oval, on Saturday, Sept. 18, for what is sure to be a tougher matchup against Sub & Heroes. I will be using whatever bat Lisa is using.

Week 1: Pitchers vs. Fontana's Bar

Game 2 Box Score
9/11/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
FB     0  0  0  1  0  0  2   2
EP     0  5  1  0  0  0  X   6

PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB   AVG 'On the Day'
Damian P   4  1  1   0   0   .167  (1-6)
Julie 2B   3  0  0   0   1   .167  (1-6,walk)
Greg RCF   4  1  4   2   0  1.000  (6-6)
Stacey 1B  3  0  2   0   0   .333  (2-6)
Alex 3B    3  0  2   1   0   .833  (5-6) 
Alicia C   3  0  0   0   0   .286  (2-7)
Brian LF   3  1  1   0   0   .500  (3-6)
Nicole RF  3  1  1   0   0   .167  (1-6)
John LCF   2  0  1   1   0   .600  (3-5)
David EH   1  1  1   0   0  1.000  (5-5)
Lisa EH    3  0  2   2   0   .500  (3-6)
Sam SS     3  0  1   0   0   .500  (3-6)
Felix EH   3  1  1   0   0   .500  (3-6)

2B - Greg (2), David (1)

Game 1 Box Score
9/11/2010

TEAM   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   FINAL
EP     0  1  0  0  5  1  1   8
FB     1  1  0  0  2  2  0   6
PLAYER    AB  R  H  RBI  BB   AVG
Felix SS   3  1  2   2   1   .667
Stacey 1B  3  0  0   1   0   .000 
David P    4  1  4   1   0  1.000
Alicia 2B  4  1  2   1   0   .500
Greg LF    2  2  2   0   0  1.000   
Damian CF  2  0  0   0   0   .000
Lisa C     3  0  1   1   0   .333
Alex 3B    3  1  3   2   0  1.000
Nicole RF  3  0  0   0   0   .000
Sam RCF    3  0  2   0   0   .667
Julie EH   3  1  1   0   0   .333
John LCF   3  2  2   1   0   .667
Brian EH   3  0  2   0   0   .667
2B - Felix (1) Greg (1); 3B - Greg (1)
OTF - Sam (1)

2010 Empty Pitchers Fall Schedule

Weekend games are all doubleheaders, with each game lasting about an hour, give or take. Get directions to the field.

Regular Season:

Saturday, Sept. 11 @ 12:30 p.m.
(W, 9-2, W, 6-5, against Fontana's Bar)

Saturday, Sept. 18 @ 12:30 p.m.
(W, 6-5, L, 4-3, against Sub & Heroes)

Sunday, Sept. 26 @ 12:30 p.m.
(W, 5-4, L, 5-4, against Excelerators)

Saturday, Oct. 2 @ 12:30 p.m.
(W, FORFEIT, W, 8-2, against Julian's Team)

Sunday, Oct. 10 @ 12:30 p.m.
(W, 10-5, W, 8-2, against NY Dirt Dogs)

Weekend of Oct. 16 and 17 - BYE WEEK

Sunday, Oct. 24 @ 1 p.m.
(W, 14-2, W, 4-2, against Louis's Team)

Sunday, Oct. 31 @ 10 a.m.
(W, 11-0, W, 8-3, against the Remainders)

Single-Elimination Playoffs:

Rounds 1 & 2 - Saturday, Nov. 6
Game 1 - 11:30 a.m. vs. The Remainders (W, 7-2)
Game 2 - 1 p.m. vs. Fontana's Bar (W, 4-1)

Rounds 3 & 4 - Saturday, Nov. 13
Game 3 - 11:30 a.m. vs. Ruben's Angels (L, 7-4)

League Championship (if win Game 3) - 2:30 p.m. vs. winner
of 1 p.m. Sub & Heroes vs. Dragons matchup

For-Fun if We Want to...!

Saturday, Nov. 20 @ 2 p.m.
(L, 13-9, L, ?-4, against NY Dirt Dogs)