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Sluggers
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Sluggers End Up on Bottom of 19-16 Seesaw The linescore (see below) says it all about the offense in this battle royal. Each team scored runs in all but one inning and placed a crooked number on the board in all but two innings in which they scored. The Sluggers drew first blood on Noah "Cruise Missile" Cushing's no-out double that scored Tony "Skip" Vinciguerra, who had reached second on an error. The 1-0 lead wouldn't last long however, as Merrill Lynch scored nine runs in the first three innings; the Sluggers only managed one more run through the third inning, and things looked bleak. In the fourth inning, the Green and White opened the floodgates, sending 11 batters to the plate. The rally started with a reluctant walk from Brandon "Waiting For" Guttman, who led off the inning. Aaron "The Teacher" Mathieu followed with a bloop double, and they were both brought home by a frozen-rope homer from George "The Hit Man" Hart, whose shot rolled all the way to Storrow Drive--the longest home run in Slugger history, and the longest home run ever hit on the Esplanade. This record-breaking shot earned Offensive Play of the Game honors. Steve "Wheels" Baer showed off his speed by turning a bloop single into a triple. Matvey "The Russian Rocket" Nikhamin continued the no-outs onslaught with an infield single to third. The third baseman attempted catch Baer leading off third by diving to the bag, but Baer beat the tag and scored on Julie "Scotch Guard" Scotti's infield single. With four runs in, two runners on, and no outs, Matt "In The" Hunt tacked on three more with a scorching opposite-field dinger. The Sluggers had come from seven runs down to knot up the score in the fourth. The seesaw battle continued until the top of the sixth with the visiting Sluggers down to their last out. With two outs, two runs in, and the Sluggers down by three, Matt "In The" Hunt tried to keep the Sluggers in the hunt for a win with one swing of the bat, but the defense knew where to play his slashing line drive this time, squandering his attempt at three home runs on the day and squandering the Sluggers bid for a 1-0 start to the season. Flashing Leather Will "The Natural" Jamieson's diving stab of a sinking line drive was nothing short of spectacular. In the bottom of the second inning, after the Lynch Mob piled on four consecutive no-out hits to balloon their lead to 7-1, it appeared the bleeding would never stop. With a runner on first, the batter shot a sinking liner over the shortstop's head that seemed destined to keep the rally going. Jamieson immediately broke in on the hit and never gave up. Taking advantage of the rain-soaked outfield, he went into a slide and scooped up the egg in one fluid motion. The Roy Hobbs-esque feat makes Jamieson's stab a worthy winner of this week's Defensive Play of the Game. That boost to the defense allowed the rest of the team to shore up two more quick outs to get out of the inning within striking distance. Not to be out-done by the rookie from Cincinnati, Dan "Dinger" Landesman made a tremendous diving catch that brings to mind the firefighter's adage, "Stop, Drop, and Roll." His straight-out, lunging grab surely saved a home run that could have put the Sluggers away early.
Steve "Wheels" Baer also flashed some serious leather in his debut at the hot corner. Wheels caught two line drives--one a sure double down the line--without a flinch. Each catch elicited rousing cheers from the soggy bleacher bums. Bullets Off of Broadway Player of the Week See Baer's Player of the Week stats and nifty action photo here. Next Game Batting Summary
Pitching Summary
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