Beat News!

Vol.XXII. No. 12

July 26, 2008

Cardiac Thriller in the Opener
The Beat squeak out a close 11-10 victory over Old Clamhouse to start the summer

What better way to start off the season than with a match between the division champion Beat and wildcard Old Clamhouse? The teams did not disappoint. Call it a "nail-biter" or a "cardiac game," as manager Pete Wenner said while clutching his chest on the sidelines after the game, this one was a thriller from two teams that left everything they had on the field. But in the end, the Beat snuck away with a wipe-your-brow 11-10 victory in seven.

The teams have played close all year splitting the spring series. Clamhouse took the first game, another 1-run nail-biter, 17-16; the Beat took game two 13-11. At the halfway point in the spring there was a 4-way tie for first place in the division before the Beat pulled away by sweeping the second half to finish 8-2 as division champs. Clamhouse played just well enough to take the wildcard with a 6-4 record but faired better than the Beat in the playoffs parlaying two wins into a semi-final appearance. In the semis, the Clams lost about as badly to the same Bloom's team that downed the Beat in the first round and the Heads ended up offing Blooms for the city league C title.

The Beat followed their playoff loss with a lackluster 1-3 showing in the SWC tournament but with the summer season now under way and a beautiful, warm and sunny day in the City, the Beat is back where they excel, in league play.

Jacq Wilson (1-3, 2b, run, bb) opened the first with a grounder through short that he hustled into a two-baser. Kev (1-4) blooped a single into the gap in right center moving Jacq to third and Jim Colletto's (1-3, rbi) sac fly to left put the Beat on the board 1-0. But with two outs and only a runner on first, the Beat put on a clutch hitting clinic. D Moody (2-3, 2 runs) drilled a grounder through the right side of the infield. Brett (2-4, run, rbi), MSG (4-4, 3 runs, rbi), and Brian Greenblatt (2-4, 2 runs, rbi) all singled driving in runs. With four in and slugger Tim Smith out for most of the season, Dylan Essen (3-3, 2b, run, 5 rbi) stepped up and turned in one of the best games by a Beat player in a long time. Moonshot's first swing was a high fly that dropped just in front of the charging left fielder for a 2-run double as "White Lightning" scored all the way from first on the play. The Beat had rolled off five 2-out runs to open the game with a 6-0 lead.

Clamhouse hit the ground running in the bottom of the inning with a couple singles. With two on, Clams pitcher Guevera drove the first pitch he saw to the skin of the Jackson 2 infield on the other side of the park for a 3-run bomb instantly halving the Beat's lead. The defense shut down the threat and went back on offense with a hustle double by Jacq and a single by Jim but was unable to convert.

The bottom of the Clam order got another rally started and with no outs had runners at first and second with Beat nemesis Carlos Lopez stepping up to the plate. Carlos grounded a one-hopper back to the mound and Kev got the force at third. It was such a "bang bang" play, an alert Essen had time to whip the ball to Gunnar (0-2, rbi) at second for a rare 1-5-4 double play erasing the two lead runners and the threat.

The Beat tacked on a couple more in the third when D and MSG singled. Both runners advanced on Brian's fly to right center; MSG got in just under the tag at second to give the Beat two runners in scoring position. Dylan stepped up again with two outs and runners in scoring position and roped a single through the left side plating both and increasing the Beat lead to 8-3.

Clamhouse fought right back in the bottom of the third as two hits and an error loaded the bases with only one out. Guttierez singled in two and when the throw rolled past the Beat cutoff he made a late break for second. Kev scooped up the ball and gunned to G at second who tagged Guttierez for the second out. Then Clamhouse came with some two out lightning of their own ripping off three clutch singles to score one and load the bases for Lopez. With the count full, bases jacked, and the tying run on second, Carlos grounded to Dylan at third who took it himself to end the inning.

The Beat held a modest 8-6 lead heading into the 4th but went down quietly with only a walk and then hit a rocky stretch on defense also. With the top of the Clamhouse order leading off, a single and two errors put runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Sanchez hit a deep sac fly to Jim in right who caught the ball looking into the sun then rolled off a Palmeresque throw "just a bit outside" and about 10 feet over the backstop for the Beat's third error of the inning. The bases cleared and the score was tied at 8. Next up, big man Guevera launched another bomb to deep, deep left but Jacq put on the afterburners and chased it down with an over the shoulder catch stealing away what looked to be a go-ahead home run, much to the shock and awe of the Clams bench.

Jacque (0-3, bb) reached on a walk in the 5th but with one down Brett grounded to short forcing Q. The DP attempt at first missed Brett by half a step but the blue called him out ending the inning and saddling Brett with a truly unearned beer bitching. Worse yet, the Beat had not a hit in two innings sending only 7 men to the plate while Clamhouse was on a roll racking 5 runs on 10 hits in the last two, tying the game and looking to put it away. Clamhouse put up two quick outs but a walk and a single put runners at first and second for #2 hitter Samanchek. Samanchek took the count full then pulled an inside pitch foul for an inning-ending strikeout stranding two.

The Beat got back on the board in the 6th. MSG, who quietly went 4 for 4 with 3 runs and a ribbie, led off with a single. Brian and Dylan singled giving Dylan his 5th RBI of the game. G sacrificed to right center scoring Brian and Pete (1-3, rbi) singled in Dylan to put the Beat back on top 11-8 with one and a half to play. But Clamhouse refused to give up scoring two more in the bottom of the 6th to make it 11-10. A single, double, and walk loaded the bases again for Carlos Lopez but Carlos, having one of his worst games in recent memory, popped out to Brian in right center to end the inning. Carlos finished the game 0-3 with a double play and six left on.

The Beat managed two singles but no runs in the top of the 7th and with a tenuous 11-10 lead now had to hold down the Clams' hammer that had scored seven runs in the last four innings. Add to that, Clamhouse had the top of the order coming up for the 5th time and their top four were 9 for 15.

DeLeon Jr. popped an inside pitch foul and Kev raced over to grab it for the first out. Samanchek grounded into the hole on the right side but G made a great stab and fired to Pete at first for the second out; the manager/EP was forced into the game on defense for the final two frames after Big Daddy had to leave to take care of business downtown. Sanchez grounded to short and it looked like game over, but Q, an outfielder by trade sitting in for an absent Bryan Williams, missed the hop. Now with the tying run on first, up stepped Guevera, 3-4 with a double, homer, 3 RBI and one very loud out to deep, deep center. Another double ties the game; another homer wins it. Guevera again jumped on the first pitch and popped it high to left field. Brett charged the ball and pulled it down for the final out of the game; the Beat snuck away with a hard-fought, 1-run victory to start the summer at 1-0.

This game was a battle that easily could have gone to either side but the Beat showed it's moxie when it needed to. Brett playing hurt in left field collaborated on some creative outfield shifts to take the Clamhouse hitters out of their game. The Beat hit a respectable .472 but scored in only three innings; they were outhit by the Clams and made more errors. Two keys tipped the scales in the Beat's favor as the boys in gray showed some cojones on both sides of the ball despite being stretched by the losses of Tim Smith and Bryan Williams: 1) the offense scored seven runs with two outs, four of those by Dylan Essen who took home a well-deserved game ball for his efforts, 2) the defense held up in some tough situations stranding 13 Clamhouse baserunners in 7 innings including 6 in scoring position and twice stranding the bases loaded. Way to step it up boys!

In other games, Ronin edged out over JMC with an exciting walkoff 6-5 victory when a routine fly to right field turned into a 3-run adventure. Ronin takes on Clamhouse next week while the Beat has a week off and then the two teams face off at 10am on August 9th.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
The Beat	6	0	2	0	0	3	0	11	17	6
Old Clamhouse	3	0	3	2	0	2	0	10	19	2

On The BEAT News Archive

Please send your comments to: TheBeat@Sonic.net