by Pete

The Beat shows late foot to Other Guys in 19-6 blowout Beatniks take over game with 5-run 4th; Austin stymies OG offense in middle innings to enable comeback

There’s something about the number 6.

It’s been a lucky number for The Beat the past 2 games, not only because it’s all the runs they have allowed their opponents in convincing wins. Both the Loose Cannons and Other Guys jumped out to early leads scoring 6 early runs by the 2nd inning to take the lead. And each time, the boys in gray shut the other side down in the middle innings, then clawed back before turning it on.

After struggling on offense for much of the spring, the entire Metro Tournament and the first 2 games of the summer, The Beat has once again shown that it can be an offensive juggernaut that converts scoring opportunities in bunches. Nevertheless, the final score was deceptive as it was a competitive contest for most of the afternoon before the Beatniks romped in the bottom of the 6th before the blues called time.

In improving to 3-1 for the summer, The Beat moved from a 3-way tie into a 2-way one with Finnegan’s A+B, who they face next Saturday following the Labor Day bye.

Good pitching, sharp defense and timely hitting = wins
One of the keys to the 3 o’clock game at windy Jackson #1 was the mound performance of Kevin (Special K) Austin, who allowed no earned runs in the game and retired 10 straight batters from the 2nd through 5th innings allowing The Beat batters to scratch back. John Rohaley broke the string with a single to lead off the 6th, but Jacq (the Rock) Wilson helped Kev get the next 3 outs with 2 sliding catches in right.

2003 Summer Standings Team W L PCT Pts GB The BEAT 3 1 .750 6 – Finnegan's 3 1 .750 6 – The Other Guys 2 2 .500 4 1 Loose Cannons 2 2 .500 4 1 Solid Smack 0 4 .000 0 3

Most importantly, Kev held longtime Beat killers Ken Sommer, Dave Tilbor and Marv Florence to only 1 hit—a harmless single by Florence—in 9 trips to the plate. Jacq, playing right field like a defensive back, was instrumental to 3 of those outs, using his speed to snare sinking liners by the three opposite-field hitters.

Donnell (Big Daddy) Moody gave The Beat breathing room in the 4th with an opposite field moon shot that bounced off the trees in deep right for a 2-run triple and made it 9-6. Donnell went 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Jacque (The Jet) Wilson completed a successful comeback from a cracked kneecap with a 3 for 3 day at EP that included a 2-run homer and 4 RBIs. Greg (Luki) Lukoski also went 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs.

Getting down again early
The Other Guys capitalized on 2 Beat errors in the top of the 1st and scored 5 unearned runs with an early outburst reminiscent of the Spring 2001 game that all but ended The Beat’s pennant hopes. In those days, 5 runs would have been enough for the OGs to take control with the mastery of Ron Hamilton and Dave Powell on the mound. Rookie Doke Steinberg looked worthy of his predecessors over the first 3 innings holding the Beatniks to 4 runs and stranding runners in scoring position in each frame as he and Austin looked poised to settle into a pitchers duel in the middle frames.

Holding on to a tenuous 6-4 OGs’ lead after Austin had retired the side in order in the top of the 4th, Steinberg allowed a hit to Mark Briscoe who aggressively took advantage of a slow charge by the rover to stretch a single into a sliding double. Jacque got his 2nd of 3 hits putting runners at 1st and 3rd. After Luki plated Briscoe with a sacrifice fly, Kev singled and Jacq drove him in with a base hit up the middle to tie the score.

Following a fielder’s choice grounder by Mike (Butz) Buttafuso, Mark (MSG) St. Georges hit a grounder to the right of shortstop Ken Sommer that should have been the 3rd out, but it bounced off the side of his glove as he trailed the ball toward 2nd base. Austin scored the go ahead run before Donnell uncoiled on a 1-1 pitch that he later said he “just missed.” The flyball got up in the swirling late afternoon wind, over the outstretched glove of Dave Tilbor in right and up against the fence. Two runs scored to stretch the Beat lead to 9-6.

The Other Guys went down quickly in the 5th and the Beat appeared ready to do the same when with 2 outs and Armando Lopez on first following an error, Jacque tomahawked a signature rising line drive over the head of left fielder Bill Pair. As the ball rolled deep into foul territory on Jackson #2, Wilson limped around the bases, still faster than most mortals, with Mondo ahead of him for a 2-run round tripper and an 11-6 Beat lead.

In the bottom of the 6th, The Beat hit parade started at the top of the order with 3 straight singles. RBI hits by MSG, Lopez, Briscoe, Jacque and Luki and a sac fly by Austin capped the scoring before the home plate umpire called time.

Mid-Summer leader board
With the Beatniks facing a 1st place showdown next week against Finnegan’s, the team appeared to be hitting on all cylinders. Recovering from a shaky 1-1 start, the defense gelled behind Kev and the offense rocked in the 2 games following the bye on August 9, particularly in the late innings.

Sporting a .600 summer batting mark, the cottonmouth king MSG continued his torrid hitting from the spring, cruising in the break with an overall 2003 team leading .641 average, an .826 on base percentage, 25 hits and 24 runs. Jacq Wilson leads the team in batting at .667 this summer and is 2nd behind MSG with a .688 OBP. Jim (The Thrill) Colletto, normally another summertime slugger, continued to pace the team in RBIs with 9 (20 for all of 2003). Big Jim is 2nd in hitting at .615 and 2nd in slugging percentage at .846.

Big Daddy and Mark Briscoe are tied for the summer lead in extra base hits with 4 and Briscoe is 1st in slugging at a 1.000 clip. Butz leads the team in runs scored with 9 and is hitting .600 after moving into the #2 spot in the lineup after Jacque Wilson went down to injury. Jacque has made an impressive comeback since returning at EP going 5 for 5 with a home run and 5 RBIs. He should be ready to return to the outfield down the stretch. The Beat is batting .523 as a team this summer with a .723 slugging percentage, almost 200 points higher than the spring.

Austin has been masterful on the hill, pitching to a 5.48 summer ERA and a 9-2 win/loss record and 4.70 ERA for the year. He's currently riding a career best 10 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run and has allowed walks in only 1 of 4 games this summer.

The boys in gray are poised for a big second half of the summer season. Having lost a heartbreaker in the C-league title game this spring, The Beat is bound and determined to go all the way this time.

See the scoresheet in pdf (313k) or
On The BEAT News Archive

---

Please send your comments to: TheBeat@Sonic.net