B-West 7.7.19

[tommyC]

Game 1 – Palz at Hambinos
The Palz were new to the B-West division and wasted no time getting acquainted. 3 walks, 2 singles and a timely 2-run double from Frank Byrne added up to a cool 4 runs in the top of the first. They added 2 more in the second, thanks to a pair of doubles from Jordan Cohen and Pete Herbert, and then another 2 in the third thanks to Byrne’s RBI double.
Hambinos finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Bob Gower sacrificed himself. But then Palz just kept on coming, playing smallball in the fourth to score 2 more and using a double from Dave Nakonieczny to plate 1 more in the sixth. Looking to put the game away, they kept piling on in the seventh. Cohen and Herbert each doubled in the inning as 6 runners would score, leaving Hambinos in a 17-1 hole.
Spencer Slutsky doubled in 2 runs for Hambinos in the bottom half, but he’d be stranded on base as the game ended.
Final Score: Palz 17 Hambinos 3
Player of the Game: Pete Herbert went 3 for 4 with a sac fly, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs and a Run Scored.

Game 2 – Hambinos at Jackhammers
The Hambinos struggled in game one, but their seventh inning offense carried over to game two, as Joe Pizzola doubled in 2 runs in the top of the first. Two innings later, Tom Finn doubled to knot the score at 2 for the Jackhammers.
In the fifth, it took 3 singles, a walk and a costly error, but the Hambinos jumped out to another lead, 5-2. In the seventh, they’d add onto that lead, plating 6 runs in all. Spencer Slutsky’s 2-run bomb got things going, and then back-to-back doubles from Mike Mulvihill and Matt Lyke finished the job.
Looking to come back from an 11-2 deficit in the bottom of the seventh, the Jackhammers managed to put the first three batters on base. A sac fly, a single and a walk would follow, leaving them down just 6 with two men on and only one out…but a fielder’s choice and a pop out would seal their fate.
Finals Score: Hambinos 11 Jackhammers 5
Player of the Game: Spencer Slutsky went 2 for 3 plus a walk with a homerun, 3 RBIs and 3 Runs scored.

Game 3 – SCLSU Mud Dogs at Jackhammers
The Jackhammers offense may have layed dormant for game one, but they sure got it going early in game 2. 3 straight singles led off the bottom of the first before Tom Lydon’s 2-run double. Later, Don Lange would clear the bases with a double of his own, and he’d be knocked in himself on Bill Moore’s double. To cap off the 11-run inning, Tom Lydon doubled in 2 more, his second of the inning.
The Mud Dogs got some back in the third, using a pair of RBI doubles from Kavit Solanki and Matt Figueroa to score 4 and pull within a touchdown. Fast forward to the fifth and a 2-run triple from Solanki and a 2-run bomb from Figueroa would help nudge the Mud Dogs into the lead, 12-11.
The Jackhammers retook the lead in the fifth, scoring 3 in all, 2 of which came on Bill Moore’s RBI triple.
The seesaw battle continued as the Mud Dogs once again retook the lead in the sixth, using B2B2B doubles from Matt Figueroa, Sam Matos and Tony Figueroa III, plus a triple from Brian Figueroa to score 5 more, taking the 17-14 lead.
The Jackhammers pulled to within 1 in the bottom half before Jason Figueroa led off the seventh with a triple. He’d score one batter later, providing just a little bit of breathing space for his squad. In the bottom half, Kevin Rosini singled, bringing the tying run to the plate…but two popouts would follow and the comeback would fall short.
Final Score: SCLSU Mud Dogs 18 Jackhammers 16
Player of the Game: Matt Figueroa went 4 for 4 with 2 doubles, a homerun, 5 RBIs and 2 Runs Scored.

Game 4 – SCLSU Mud Dogs at Isotopes
Things were quiet to start this one. 3 singles led to 1 Isotope run in the second, and then 3 walks led to 2 runs for the Mud Dogs in the third.
Things started to get interesting in the fourth. Down 2-1, the Isotopes used a trio of doubles from Trevor Lane, Howard Miller and Dan Wilson to take the 5-2 lead. In the top of the fifth, the Dogs punched right back, playing some small ball to take the 6-5 lead.
But that lead was short-lived, as in the bottom of the fifth, the Isotopes capitalized on a double from Lane and a bomb from Dan Riggiero to retake the lead, 8-6. Then in the sixth, doubles by Frank Pirrone and Howard Miller padded the score to 11-6.
Sam Matos led off the top of the seventh for the Dogs with a single, but that was all the offense they could get going.
Final Score: Isotopes 11 SCLSU Mud Dogs 6
Player of the Game: Dan Ruggiero went 2 for 3 with a homerun, 3 RBIs and a Run scored.