by Pete

The Beat Wins 3-2 Nail Biter Over Other Guys Boys in gray win “war of attrition”, back solid Austin effort with air-tight defense; OGs hail Jacq Wilson as speedy right fielder foils multiple rallies; total team effort on defense ekes out tense 1-run win.

Stopping by on his way over to coach 3rd in the bottom of the 7th inning with The Beat clinging to a 3-2 lead, Other Guys veteran Marv Florence needled the Beat bench that “regardless of the outcome today, you’ve got to say it doesn’t matter who we pitch against you guys.” Indeed, OGs emergency pitcher Dave Powell did his best impersonation of ailing ace Ron Hamilton in holding The Beat to only 3 runs on 9 hits, but the limited offensive output was just enough to raise the Beatnik record to 2-0 for the young summer season.

Following a summer of seesaw slugfests bracketed by bookend regular season games against the Loose Cannons, The Beat settled into a nerve-wracking defensive game in which it never trailed. For the second consecutive contest—the Other Guys won a 13-3 blowout in the spring—the Beatniks were held to only 3 runs by its longtime nemesis. Having allowed 21 unearned runs in the previous 2 tilts versus the Cereal Breeders and Cannons, The Beat committed only 1 error against the OGs and made a number of dazzling defensive plays at just the right time.

Another game ball to the pitcher
Beat starter Kevin (Special K) Austin went the distance and joined absent veteran Dennis (OB) O’Brien in winning the 2nd game ball for a pitcher in as many weeks, but owed a lot to his defense. Austin matched Powell by scattering 9 hits—along with 3 walks—in holding the Other Guys to only 2 runs. The OGs left 12 men on base including a bases loaded jam in the 3rd inning and 2 on in 3 other frames. Decked out in his ever-present Raiders’ cap, Jacq (The Rock) Wilson was spectacular in right field, making 3 sliding, shoestring grabs of sinking liners, including the final out of the game with a runner on. After the latest of several Wilson catches, a frustrated OG player was overheard saying “we can’t get anything past ‘Rod Woodson’ in right field.” On this day, a defensive backfield mentality was necessary to win a pitchers’ duel.

In addition to the above-mentioned standout performances, nearly everyone chipped in with web gem highlights. Left- and right-centerfielders Steve Hinkebein and Jacque Wilson ran down several deep flies apiece in a tough wind to join Jacq in forming a steel curtain in the outfield. Anchored at 3rd base after playing 3 different positions in the Loose Cannons game, Mark (MSG) St. Georges made 2 big plays on hard smashes to neutralize rallies in the 1st and last innings. With the score narrowed to 3-2 in the 6th, Catcher Javier Urdiales kept his focus to catch a troublesome pop foul with 1 out and runners on 1st & 3rd after the runner obstructed his path to the ball. Shortstop Henry Maltez and 2nd baseman Brian Arcuri solidified the middle of the infield.

Runs at a premium
In the top of the 1st, The Beat got its first taste of how difficult it would be to score at Moscone #1 on August 3. Jacq and Kevin reached base to lead off the inning with Jacq advancing to 3rd base on an errant outfield throw. MSG plated Jacq the Rock with a sacrifice fly to left center, but 1 run was all The Beat got as they left the bases loaded. Jim (the Thrill) Colletto and Hinkebein just missed getting all of long fly balls that might have blown the game open.

The aptly named Other Guys, playing with a hastily assembled squad made up of representatives of at least 5 C- and DD-league teams, tied the score in the home half of the opening frame. With 2-out, Dave Powell singled home the shortstop Matt Rei before the dangerous Daryl Sayres flied out to Jacq Wilson (who else?) to end the threat with runners on 1st and 2nd.

The Beat made it 2-1 in the top of the 2nd, but threatened for more. With Mike (Butts) Buttafuso and Arcuri at 1st and 2nd, Maltez scorched a liner into the gap that should have cleared the bases. At the last moment, however, the left-center fielder Ed Lee made a miraculous diving catch to rob Henry of extra bases. Jacq’s RBI double to right put runners at 2nd and 3rd, but Austin hit a sizzling line drive right at the 2nd baseman Florence for the final out. Special K then went out and retired the Other Guys in order.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Austin wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam by getting Sayres to ground out to Brian to end the inning. For the 2nd time, Kev followed the game plan by leaving Beat-killer Marv Florence standing in the on-deck circle with multiple runners aboard.

In the top of the 4th, Maltez drove in Javier from 2nd base to make it 3-1, but Powell got Jacq to ground sharply to short, leaving 2 more Beat runners stranded. Both teams went down quietly until the bottom of the 6th when the Other Guys mounted another threat.

Sayres led off with a single but was forced at 2nd by Henry on the front end of a close double play attempt. Austin walked Lee to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1 out before Jay Katz (wasn’t he a burly guy with a pony tail?—oh never mind) drove in Florence to close the OGs’ deficit to 3-2. As the bleachers started to buzz with anticipation, Special K squashed the uprising by getting the number 10 batter and interim manager Joel Weiner to pop out to Javier and finally Rodney Brooks to sky to Jacque in right center.

In the top of the 7th, Powell again frustrated The Beat by setting them down in order for the 2nd consecutive inning. This set the stage for the OGs final stand against the Beatniks and Austin.

The pesky 1st baseman Dave Backus, another longtime Beat-killer, lined one of his patented opposite-field golf shots that appeared as if it would fall in for a leadoff single. However, the fleet Jacq Wilson slid into the gap at the last moment to snatch the ball out of the air before it could fall. With the heart of the OG order coming up, Rei singled, but MSG snared John Rohaley’s sharp grounder to 3rd and just got the lead runner at 2nd base for the 2nd out. Dave Powell then followed with another sinking liner into the Bermuda Triangle where Jacq Wilson once again slid to grab the final out to seal a hard-fought 3-2 Beat victory. The Beat had dodged a bullet and moved to the top of the C-6 standings for at least 2 weeks as the boys in gray receive a much-needed bye on August 10.

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On The BEAT News Archive

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