StayWell Sluggers
SOFTBALL
Team News Schedule Roster Statistics Directions Post-It History Repeats Itself . . . Again
Sluggers' Comeback is One Run Shy Once More; CRP 9, StayWell 8
Aug. 11, 1999GAME BOXSCORE
Player Pos AB R H BI BB K 2B 3B HR SF Teresa Murray 3b 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tony Vinciguerra 3b 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Todd Conly lf 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Peter Howe cf 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 Dan Landesman 1b 4 2 3 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 Bob LeRoy rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jason Lefferts sf 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Chris Cornell p 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Steve Baer ss 3 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Michelle Fugere 2b 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Julie Scotti c 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kay Jones sf 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals -- 37 8 16 8 0 0 2 0 2 1
Linescore 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E StayWell 0 0 0 1 0 3 4 8 16 1 CRP 2 1 3 0 3 0 x 9 13 2
Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO HR Chris Cornell 6 13 9 8 3 2 0
Loss: Cornell 1-2 GAME WRAPUP
GAME WRAPUP
On Wednesday, June 2, 1999, StayWell rallied back from a 7 to 3 deficit to CRP only to lose in the final inning 9 to 8.History repeated itself just three short weeks later. On Wednesday, June 23, the Sluggers jumped out to an early lead of 8 to 1. CRP came back to win it on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh. The final score was again 9 to 8.Seven long weeks later, history repeated itself again. The Sluggers found themselves down 6 to 0 after three innings. They looked to Dan "Dinger" Landesman to spark a rally. He did his part with a solo shot to left field.
After five frames, the Sluggers were down 9 to 1. In the sixth, Todd "The Hit God" Conly led off the inning with a double, and reached third on an error. Peter "Howe Consistent Are Ya?" drove in Conly with a hard single up the middle. Again, the Sluggers looked to Dinger to turn the tide on the undefeated Crappers. He didn't disappoint us with a two-run jack past a gangly left fielder. The score stood at 9 to 4 like a brick wall. The bottom four hitters in the Slugger order were due up in the seventh. The Slugger future looked bleak.
Steve "Wheels" Baer led off the inning with a single. Michelle "Shocked" Fugere and Julie "Scotch Guard" Scotti followed suit to stack the bases. "O" Kay Jones hits best with pressure on. With the bases juiced, no outs, and a five-run deficit staring her in the corneas, Jones took command with a hard RBI single to left. The rally had begun.
Tony "Bologna with the Meatball Eyes" Vinciguerra dropped a single in shallow center to score Fugere. Peter "Howe Far Was It?" hit a sac fly to score Jones. Dan "The Man" Landesman was told to hit a right-handed single, and he followed orders to score Tony "Skip" Vinciguerra. Suddenly the score was 9 to 8 with two outs. Sound familiar?
Bob "Otis" LeRoy hit Landesman into what appeared to be a fielder's choice, but Landesman made the best of a bad situation by spinning around the secondbasewoman and diving for the bag. Everyone on the right side of the field could see that Dinger was safe. Unfortunately "Red Man" Joe, the umpire, was behind home plate. Although he had the worst view, his view is the only one that counts. He called Landesman out of the base path, and the final out of the game was decided. The Sluggers got flushed by the Crappers by a score of 9 to 8 for the third straight time. History repeated itself . . . again.
This reporter had a chance to get a few post-game comments from Coach Tony in the locker room. "Bad calls are part of the game," Skip said. "We proved we can beat these guys. We're the only team to ever hold them to single digits, and we've done it three times. We're the only team to keep them from scoring at least one home run in a game."
"I'm proud of my ball club today. They're the best bunch of players a manager could ask for. We took advantage of everything that was under our control today. Some things--like bad calls--you just can't control, and you have to learn to live with them."
"CRP is afraid of us now. They know they won't go undefeated next season. We have their number. I'm looking forward to facing them in the new millennium."
"That's all I can say right now. I have to go buy six gallons of Bactine for my outfielders."
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Sluggers' Player of the Week for August 11 is "O" Kay Jones, who had a fantastic day at the plate Wednesday. She went 2 for 3 with a bases-loaded, rally-starting RBI in the final inning. This was only Kay's third appearance as a Slugger in '99."I've been playing for the Sluggers' AAA team, the St. Paul Swatters," Jones said in a post-game interview. "I've been working on my attitude as well as my fundamentals ever since Coach Tony sent me down to the minors. He believed in me today. I knew I could prove myself if I just took it one hit at a time, one at-bat at a time, one pitch at a time, one...oh nevermind. You just don't understand the pressure I'm under. This interview is over!"
DEFENSIVE NOTES
The Slugger infield turned their first 4-6-3 double play on Wednesday. It's a shame it was for outs 3 and 4 of the inning. Still, Michelle "Ball First, Base Second" Fugere, Steve "Wheels" Baer, and Dan "Ouch, My Elbow" Landesman should be proud of the pretty--albeit unnecessary--yet intimidating play.
The Stitches Twins, Todd "The Injury God" Conly and "Yes-Siree Bob" LeRoy were double trouble for the Crappers on Wednesday. Todd "The Ouch God" Conly was once again injured on a pop fly this week. However, this time he made the catch--a poetic, diving stab--to hold the Crappers scoreless in the sixth, and remained in the game. Todd "Bactine Boy" Conly obviously wasn't phased by his previous injuries, as he had three nice catches in left field.
Bob "I Hate These Damn Trees" LeRoy matched Sparky with three pretty catches of his own in right field.
Steve "Wheels" Baer had five putouts and one assist at short stop, and tried for a sixth putout by turning the unnecessary double play in the bottom of the sixth.
Wheels has Dan "Dinger" Landesman to thank for a few of those putouts as Dinger stretched his sore elbow at first base on his way to two putouts and three assists.
Michelle "Ball First, Base Second" Fugere and Teresa "The Terror" Murray notched a putout and an assist respectively.
FINAL GAME OF THE MILLENNIUM
The Sluggers' final challenge of the '99 season is to avenge their 14 to 10 and 17 to 15 losses to the Shriners Hospital Fez. Join them on Wednesday, August 25 as they do just that.
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