May 19, 2022
Playoffs will start on Wednesday June 8 with 4 games being played on Wednesday June 8 and Thursday June 9. We will play two games on A starting at 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm each day and two games on C starting at 5:15 pm and 7:15 pm. Following the first two days, the games will move to evening times and be played each day including over the weekend until we have a champion which could be 7 straight days. Of course, every team may not play every day but it could happen to one team in the Joe Lawler Double Elimination Playoff Bracket.
Tuesday May 17 saw a full slate of four games at Nutile as the second half of the regular season got into full swing. In the first game of the night, the Diamondbacks visited the Cardinals in what turned out to be a pitcher’s duel that went down to the final out. The Red Sox entered the night with a three game losing streak and sent 12 year old Sam Pandolfo to the mound to try to right the ship against the Orioles. The red hot Athletics, winners of five straight and the regular season champ / playoff #1 seed if the season ended prior to tonight, visited the Dodgers on the cozy B diamond. Games on B have not yielded many home runs so far this season . . . until tonight! And the night cap featured old foes the Padres and the White Sox on C under the lights.
Athletics at Dodgers:
Seeking to avenge their lone loss of the season to the Dodgers, the A’s started quickly in the top of the first when Damon Ramonos and Daniel Driscoll were brought home on a Max Brown single.
The Dodgers struck back quickly in the bottom of the frame with four runs when Darin Shaw, Charlie Ihrig, Rami Flummerfelt, Kaden Flummerfelt scored after a hit batter and a two out double by Daniel Jaffe to the left center field gap. The Dodgers tacked on five more runs in the second inning when Parker Tammaro, Shaw, Ihrig and Rami were plated on hits by Kaden and Colby Spence.
The A’s closed the gap with some fireworks in the third inning when Shane Doherty deposited a 3-2 fastball to the picnic area of the snack shack (no injuries!) for a three run homer, scoring Romanos and BZ who had singled and doubled, respectively. The Dodgers countered with 7 more runs in their 3rd and 4th innings, punctuated by home runs into C Field by Shaw and Rami, scoring , among others, Thomas Lentine and JP Hood.
Final score: Dodgers 18, Athletics 6.
Red Sox at Orioles:
The Red Sox hit their way out of a 3 game losing streak, with a 16-2 win over the Orioles on Tuesday night.
The game started out as a scoreless battle after one inning, with Gus Toomey and Sam Pandolfo both pitching effectively and holding their opponents at bay in the first inning.
With three players on the shelf due to illness, the Sox then used their 8 player lineup to strike early and often. Pandolfo reached base in all 5 of his at bats, while Harry Condon, Jack Silberhorn, and Richie Masterpol got on base 4 times each in their 5 at bats. Jovic Stachelski, Max Wilcken, Grady Sullivan, and Nicky Ulbrict-Puopolo also reached base multiple times in the game. The big blows for the Sox were a two run double by Masterpol in the fourth, a two run triple by Pandolfo in the fourth, and a two run single by Silberhorn in the sixth.
There were still plenty of highlights for the Orioles as well. Gus Toomey, Noah Biel, River Maclin, Owen Katz, Carlos Nouel, and Will Usera all reached base in the game. Highlighting the defense, Jack Usera made several nifty plays in the field, catcher Ben Adams threw out multiple base runners from behind the dish, while shortstop Brendan Carson and center fielder Gus Toomey both turned in web gems worthy of Sportscenter highlights.
With runners on second and third and one out in the sixth, Carson made an incredible play on a looping line drive off the bat of Nicky Ulbricht-Puopolo, ranging from his shortstop position to shallow left field for the robbery. On the very next pitch, Richie Masterpol drilled one towards the left center gap, and a hard charging Gus Toomey robbed him of extra bases, diving to full extension to secure the third out. Toomey and Sean Garrity also worked hard on the mound.
For the Red Sox, Sam Pandolfo needed only 44 pitches to get through three very effective innings of no-hit baseball with 7 strikeouts. He gave way to Max Wilcken who pitched two excellent innings, before Grady Sullivan came in and closed the door to secure the Red Sox victory.
Padres at White Sox:
Nathan Wan toed the rubber for the White Sox and walked the first two Padres he faced, James Marshall and Leo LaMont. Brendan Kutylo knocked in Marshall on a fielder’s choice to shortstop to give the Padres a 1-0 lead through the first half inning.
Padres ace Jack Lennon retired the White Sox without a run in the bottom of the first before the Padres got working again in the second. Paulo Caggioni started the rally with a single followed by a Ben Saurman single and a one out 2-run double by James Chayters. Marshall doubled in Chayters two batters later but, on the play, the White Sox were able to get a Billy Byrne to William Fiorentino to Leo Gannon relay in time to catch Lamont at the plate. The Padres had a 4-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Wan would help himself with a triple to right field. He would come around to score on the play due to an error to bring the score to 4-1.
In the last of the third, the White Sox would rally. Fiorentino, Ben Ragosa and Adrian Lupien all drew one out walks to load the bases. Leo Gannon would reach on an error which scored one run. Evan Wilson, Wan and Dylan Murtie drew bases loaded walks to put the White Sox ahead 5-4. Dylan Sala would then drive in 2 runs with a single to right field to give the White Sox a 7-4 lead.
Wan cruised through innings 3-5 without giving up a run. And the White Sox would add insurance runs in the last of the 5th thanks to Leo D’Agostino, Sala and Billy Byrne walks setting the table for 2 run RBI hits from Fiorentino and Ragosa.
Dylan Sala would close the game for the White Sox in the 6th. For the Padres, Michael McCarthy and LaMont came in in relief of Lennon. The final was 12-5, White Sox.