Real Chili
Nine Lose Nail Biter on Walk-Off HR
Patchwork
Davis Crew Nipped By Ringer-fortified Prostar
With
advance scouting reports warning of shady, back-room acquisitions of several
barrel-chested softballers by the once inept Prostar and only four regulars
donning jerseys for Friday night’s game, Real Chili knew it would have an
uphill battle against its league rival, even though it had beaten Prostar
handily just two weeks ago. But with
the help of a few key pickups, the Boys of the Bean were able to rally from an
early deficit to take the match into extra innings, only to be devastated by a
2-run Ruthian blast by one of Prostar’s aforementioned ringers in the bottom of
the seventh to break a 8-8 deadlock.
The game
began inauspiciously as several inopportune no-shows forced interim Davis
manager Old Hoss Brubaker to rearrange the lineup – already somewhat ad hoc in
the absence of four key Davis players (Manager Pianolegs Hanley, The Bub, Slash
McLeod, and Erik “Doc” Voight) on a barnstorming tour out east – at the
eleventh hour. After going down 1-2-3
in the top half of the first, Davis hurler Ryan “Cy” Miller surrendered a
two-run blast to Ringer #3.
Real Chili
came back with a run in the third, when Matt “Rube” Christel laced an RBI
single to center scoring Chris “Broph” Brophey. But Prostar answered with 3 more runs to run the score to 5-1.
Both teams
put up zeroes in the fourth, when Davis’s defense was aided in large part to
shortstop Eric “Honus” Kent’s 6-3 double play.
Kent’s flashy glovework throughout the game reminded many an onlooker of
Buddy “Bam Bam” Biancalana’s nifty defense for the 1980s Royals.
In the top
of the fifth, with chances for a comeback waning, Real Chili’s offense erupted
for six runs. Leadoff hitter Nick
“Lefty” Meyers began the scoring deluge with a single. With one out, Christel, John “Chief” Marek,
and Miller strung together three singles, making it 5-2 and loading the bases
for Kent. Kent then hit the first grand
slam in franchise history, a dramatic liner in the gap in left center that went
all the way to the wall, giving Davis a 6-5 lead. Not to be outdone, trade-deadline acquisition Russ followed with
an encore round-tripper against his former team, making it 7-5.
But in the
bottom of the fifth, Prostar countered with a 3-spot to wrest the lead
back. Real Chili needed a run to knot
the seesaw affair up in the top of the sixth.
With one out, Old Hoss Brubaker tripled off the wall in left center and
with two outs scored on Marek’s clutch base hit to left. Although Davis could not muster any more
magic that inning, they held their counterparts scoreless in the bottom of the
frame, sending the game into extra innings.
A double by
Kent – who missed the cycle by a triple – and a walk by waiver acquisition
Steve, making his softball debut, in the top of the seventh were in vain as
Lefty Meyers’s lined shot to center was somehow corralled by a non-ringer
Prostar outfielder. In the home half of
the seventh, with one on, Ringer #3 dashed RCD’s hopes by sending one of Miller’s
patented changeups where no man could catch it, lest it be a man whose car
window was open driving on Hwy. 41.
The loss
was disheartening to the Real Chili crew, but interim manager Hoss Brubaker
said they had nothing to be ashamed of.
“Defensively, I think we had one of our better games all year,” he
said. “Miller pitched well, only
walking one while striking out 5, and we had some timely hitting late in the
game. It’s never good to have a couple
people not show up, but we had some able replacements who kept us in the
game.” San Francisco Giants shortstop
Deivi Cruz agreed. “The Real Chili,
they play good, heet good, field good, they some key hit, play good, they just
keep play, you know, peetch, field, heet good.”
Davis hopes
to rebound from the loss next week, when it takes on O.B.’s at 9:00 next
Friday.
|
Player |
Pos. |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO/FO |
|
|
Nick
Meyers |
1B |
5 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
|
Old Hoss
Brubaker |
RF |
4 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
Matt
Christel |
2B-LF |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
John
Marek |
3B |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
Ryan
Miller |
P |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Eric Kent |
SS |
4 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Russ |
CF |
4 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
Chris
Brophey |
LF-2B |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
Steve |
C |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
Totals |
|
36 |
8 |
15 |
8 |
1 |
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2B: Kent,
Russ 2 |
|
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|
3B:
Brubaker |
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|
|
Pitcher |
IP |
BB |
K |
R |
RA |
|
|
|
|
Ryan
Miller |
7 |
1 |
6 |
10 |
12.86 |
|
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|
Conditions:
68 degrees, clear |
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Attendance:
0 |
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Umpire:
Oldie McHugestrikezone |
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|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
Final |
|
Real
Chili Davis |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
|
Prostar |
2 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
10 |
**Game
review and box score courtesy of Old Hoss Brubaker**