by O.B.

UPBEAT OPENER! Pierce Street Manor, July 30, 1988

The boys of summer came out to play, and did they play. After a seven week break, The Beat came out of the gate slow but showed signs of teamwork like they had never shown before, coming from behind to take the summer opener 9-4 against Pierce Street Manor.

Pierce Street led off the game with back to back singles off Beat pitcher Dennis O'Brien. O.B. walked the bases loaded then forced an infield pop-up. The next batter hit a comebacker to O'Brien who went to second looking for two to end the inning. Shortstop Kevin Austin made the pivot but firstbaseman Tim Hesselgren stretched too early and the ball tipped off of his glove as two runs scored. Austin ended the inning with an easy 6-3 getting a piece of all three first inning outs for the third time this year.

The Beat came up looking for a big first-inning but their punchless bats sent them down 1-2-3. O'Brien ran into more trouble in the second walking three batters in the inning. But The Beat showed what tight defense can do and managed to get out of this one with the bases loaded and no runs scored.

They came back in the bottom of the second looking to make a geme of it. John Palmer roped a ball to the second baseman who couldn't hold on. Dan "The Man" Ullmann singled followed by Willie Doyle's second triple of the year scoring Ullmann and Palmer. Michael Harvey followed that up with a ground shot to the first baseman that scored Doyle giving The Beat a 3-2 lead.

Pierce Street bounced back in the third and really went to work on O'Brien. After getting the first batter to pop out, O.B. walked the next two then gave up back to back singles. Luckily for The Beat, Eric Meyer had a career day on defense. Meyer picked up a bases loaded single in short centerfield and threw a bullet to catcher Roy Nelson gunning down the runner by five feet. O'Brien continued to have control problems giving up another walk and single, but the play by Meyer seemed to put the fire back into The Beat and Pierce Street was held to just two runs.

The Beat came back in the bottom of the inning with back to back singles by Nelson and O'Brien. Nelson advanced to third on a popup to right and Jim Harvey sacrificed him in to tie the game.

O'Brien was taken out in the top of the fourth and Hesselgren was brought in to pitch his first game. Amazingly, O'Brien gave up only two earned runs and four total runs on seven hits and six walks in his three innings of work. Hasselgren wowwed the crowd with four scoreless innings giving up only three hits and no walks. Now it was up to The Beat's offense to come around.

Hasselgren doubled in the fourth and scored on Willie Doyle's double two batters later. Willie not only got the game-winner for that shot but ended up three for three with three RBIs on the day and came a four-bagger short of hitting for the cycle. The Beat went down 1-2-3 in the fifth on three easy pop flies but came back in the sixth. Jimbo Harvey and Eric Meyer led off with back to back singles with John Palmer coming up. He took advantage of the situation with a two-run shot over the right fielder. But the tall Balboa Park grass slowed the ball and helped the fielders hold Palmer at third on what would be an easy homer in most parks. Hesselgren sacrificed Palmer in for run number eight. Steve Bruckman reached first on the third-baseman's error for the second time of the day and was advanced by Doyle's single. Michael Harvey grounded into a 4-6 fielder's choice but managed to get Steve in for the ninth run. All this time, Hesselgren and The Beat defense led by Meyer's acrobatic play held their opponents in check. Pierce Street had one last chance. The lead-off batter reached base on a shot to Jimbo at third. Jim made a back-handed stab but overthrew first-baseman Peter Wenner advancing the runner to second. The next batter hit a liner to left that was scooped up by Palmer. The runner at second, expecting the ball to drop, was doubled off by a mile. All that was left was one last out and Hesselgren took care of that one with a swinging strike three to end the game.

This game showed that The Beat members have confidence in thamselves as a team. They know that if some players have a bad day there will be others there to pick up the slack. And most of all, they know that this team, a team that went winless in 1987, may be a serious contender in 1988.

View The BEAT's 1988 Batting Statistics

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