MCSN: June 6, 2009

Opening Acts

Week 1 Recap

Wed, Jun 10, 2009

Kings' Tim Kerr (background) drives in Rob Tong (foreground) vs Carter Administration

MCSN softball season brought bats, gloves and rotating seams to Clarendon Park Saturday. Opening day action heated up early and pointed to an exciting season ahead.

First up, Inferno kept the Smithereens to a lone run and secured the first win of the 2009 season, 4-1.

Both sides showed defensive depth, turning the early slot into a defensive lover's dream. In fact, this game set a new league record for lowest combined score, edging the previous record when Crossroads beat YMYF Mustard Seeds 6-0 on June 30, 2007.

Early on, Smithereens pitcher Mat Smith kept Inferno slugger Andrew Peterson at bay, sending him back to the dugout with bases loaded. Always a cheerful giver, Peterson returned the favor and returned a hopeful Smithereens hit to deep center field back to home plate, keeping the scoreboards clear. Up one run in the 6th, the Inferno put 2 more on the board and sliced the Smithereens’ comeback hopes. Later, Inferno’s Lawrence Chang got a solid hit in his first game ever playing softball. Followed by Rob McMahon and Ed Freed, the trio put together consecutive hits to score the final run and the win.

Inferno isn’t rubbing their win in…yet…says manger Dan Coughlin. “No trash talk for now. We are the nice team.”

The Diamond Kings contended the best offense is…offense, beating the Carter Administration 14-6. The Diamond Kings came out swinging and depended on long-time MSCN pitcher extraordinaire, Gary Lockwood, to confine the Carter Administration in the batter’s box.

“After his strong pitching performance… I hereby declare that Gary Lockwood's name henceforth be changed to Gary Lockdown,” said Diamond Kings manager Rob Tong. “We flashed some uncharacteristic glimpses of good defense to back the stellar pitching,” he added.

Not all games are created equal though, according to Tong. “Our win was kind of hollow since our opponent was without President Carter and a couple of his key Cabinet members in John and Aleris Fraats,” he said.

Filling in for Carter, assistant to the manager Bill Van Tuinen also pointed to a short bench for the loss. “In Week 1, we were more like the Nixon Administration since we were without our captain. We started off slow by giving up 5 runs early and then decelerated into the final few innings.”

Putting the loss behind them, the Carter Administration is looking ahead. “After a loss like that, it’s very comforting to see the Bombers come up on the schedule,” said Van Tuinen. “I know they have some of the spare parts from last year's title team, but compared to the Diamond King's high-octane offense the Bombers look like a Ford Fiesta.”

“In week 1, we were more like the Nixon Administration since we were without our captain.”

- Carter Administration's Bill Van Tuinen on his team's performance while missing manager Chris Carter

One-sided, double-digit scores abounded Saturday as the Battalion conquered the Mt. Sinai Sluggers 14-5. The Sluggers got off to a fast start, keeping the Battalion bats silent and scoring 2 runs in the 1st inning. However, Battalion refused to surrender. “We regrouped, pulled up our bootstraps, and fought on to victory,” said Battalion manager Tim “The Colonel” Kurtz. “The Sluggers are a formidable team. However, in the end, they were just another mountain Batallion conquered.”

According to Kurtz, winning this battle will ultimately lead to winning the war…er…pennant. “This season,
Battalion will defeat all its foes…and sport massive pecs from all the ‘drop down and give me 20’s!’” he shouted.

Staying in tune to the day’s scoring rhythms and really great 90s rock, Moody & the Blowfish worked over the Bombers 12-3. The Blowfish played well behind the plate and on the field, using new recruits and seasoned veterans to their advantage. Ryan “Rookie of the Year” Dollard emerged as one to watch, and pitcher Phil “Pa” Nelson limited the Bomber lineup from the mound.
Manger Ali Stolzenbach and assistant Tyler McElhaney expect to only improve. “I'm confident we will do well this year,” said McElhaney. “Plus, we get stronger this week as several missing players from last week’s game return from extended spring training.”
Bomber manager Anthony Halpin isn’t used to losing. With two championships under his belt, this was his first loss since the last game of regular season play two years ago. “We only had nine players this week and we decided that the 11 a.m. game was too late for us, as most of us had been up all morning,” reasoned Halpin for the loss.

Like any winning-minded manager, Halpin is pointing his team to this week’s match-up. “We’re now focusing on destroying the Carter Administration so we can give them an 0-2 record and place them in the cellar of the Moody softball league” said Halpin. “Knowing [managers] Chris Carter and Bill Van Tuinen, once they get down, they never get back up.”

McElhany is also confident in this week’s game. “After some scouting last week, I believe the Diamond Kings will be a tough opponent. They are coming off of a big win over the Carter Adminstration and Rob [Tong] is hungry for a championship” he said. “I'm sure the pain of choking [in the past] still keeps him awake at night and, unfortunately for him, the Blowfish can really bring it on the field.”

With an opening day like that, there is only one thing left to say — GAME ON!