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.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Week 3: Pitchers vs. Excelerators
Game 6 Box Score
9/25/2010
Game 5 Box Score
9/25/2010
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 5PLAYER 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 02B - Greg (5)
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
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.
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
Game 3 Box Score
9/18/2010
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 6PLAYER 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 02B - Damian (1), Greg (3,4), Nick (1)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
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!
See everyone at the corner of Market and Monroe for this week's games!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
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.
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
Game 1 Box Score
9/11/2010
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 6PLAYER 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 .6672B - 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)
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)
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