While the wind was blowing, at least it was dry for week three of the softball season. I don’t remember having three weeks in a row last year at any point so at least we’ve got that going for us, right?
Let’s get to the action
On field one it was Fogel vs. Kamrass
Micah for the winners:
Team Kamrass edged Team Fogel 12-11 in a hard fought and well played game by both teams. Inspired by the rousing pregame pep talk from their captain, Team Kamrass started off hot at the plate and in the field. For the second fame in a row, every member of the team contributed at the plate. Jordan Skinner hit a ball over the head of Jeremy Fogel. Michael Margolis had a big knock. And Super James Swan swiped home for a steal for the first time this season.
Fink pitched a great game and played strong defense as well. Team Fogel came back to make it a one run game with two outs and runners in scoring position, but Fink was able to get the final out to seal the game.
Team Kamrass remains undefeated and is ready for the biggest rivalry in sports with it’s upcoming game against Team Solomon.
and Roger for team Fogel:
TEAM KAMRASS 12
TEAM FOGEL 11
you might want to check the score with Micah’s report……
In a nip and tuck battle, TEAM KAMRASS withstood a bottom of the 7th inning rally, to leave the tying run on third base, and win 12-11.
Both teams had their chances and in the end, it was the victorious TEAM KAMRASS, that made one more play than TEAM FOGEL.
After the visitors took a 6-0 lead heading to the bottom of the 2nd inning, TEAM FOGEL kept coming back, but was never able to take the lead.
“Tough one to lose, ” said captain JEREMY FOGEL. “We left a lot of runs out there,” he added.
OTHER QUOTES AFTER THE GAME……
“Damn, I look like an old man out there. I’ve got to pick my game up if I can and try to help this team out,” ROGER ROSENTHAL said, nearly in tears afterward. “I need to focus more out there.”
COREY NORRIS, who settled down on the mound after the 2nd inning, added, “Roger, just go up there and hit the damn ball. You shouldn’t be thinking too much. Just hit the damn ball!”
MATT MILLER, resident basketball coach, gave some advice. “We’ll be ok. Look, I saw the UC basketball team have some bad times only to bounce back and I think we can do the same thing on this team.”
Finally, STEVE “SHORTY” ADAMS, promised the team that if they won their next game, he would take them out on the town. Wonder where he would take them?
On Field 2 Team Lefton vs. Team Wagner:
The Hebrew Hammer for the victors
“I’m Speechless. I am without speech.”
Anton Loon before the 1st inning kicked off “The wind is blowing in pretty hard. I think it’s going to be a low scoring game, like 4-3.”
Team Lefton got off to a slow start with the bats this time around, which is to be expected when facing Howie Schwartz. Team Wagner took an early 1st inning lead, 2-0, but Team Lefton was able to tie it up in the 2nd after a bloop triple by Ryan Baum and two consecutive RBI by Marc Simons and Matt Leader.
Team Wagner quickly got on the board again and held a 3-2 lead all the way until the bottom of the 6th. After the first two hitters grounded out, Peter Brownell doubled. Sam Castellini singled, and Anton Loon came up and laced a single past the 2nd basemen to tie the game at 3-3.
After holding Team Wagner scoreless again in the top of the 7th, Team Lefton had a chance for a walk off victory. Marc Simons hit a 1-out double and with 2 outs. Bob Pelberg came up huge with the game winning knock, scoring Simons from 2nd. The 4-3 final score proved that Anton Loon is indeed an oracle.
It was a great defensive effort by both clubs. For Team Lefton the play of the game was when Matt Leader fielded the ball, stepped on 3rd for the force out and threw across the diamond beating the runner at 1st for a nice double play.
On field 3 we had Team Stu vs. Team Z
Ken Groh for Team Z
Game Update: Team Zawatsky 20 Team Solomon 10
The Sun Field made it a little tougher on the defense today. Ryan Marcus had a 2 RBI double to start the scoring in the 1st. Captain Steve drove him in and Eli Zawatsky hit his first triple of the year to knock in his father. Then Greg Harris capped off the five-run 1st with a nice hit. Solomon scored one in the 1st and two more in the second to cut the lead to 5-3 after 2. The Captain drove in a run to extend the lead but Solomon stormed back with 4 runs to take a 7-6 lead. Eric Zied led of the inning with a single and with two outs Mike Rothstein started the rally as Team Z had 5 straight hits that led to 5 runs scoring and an 11-7 lead. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 4th Harry Meisner hit a 400-foot bomb to dead center nearly clearing the parking lot. After the game, Ken Groh retrieved the homerun ball and Harry autographed it for him. With the score 11-9, Will “the Thrill” Coleman and Eric Zied had hits and scored on singles from Stu Solomon and Mike Rothstein. Mike had another nickname for Will as the Thrill is not only when he hits and fields but his baserunning is magical at times. In the 6th Ryan, Steve, Eli and Will all got hits to start the party and Greg Harris’s double cleared the bases to put the nail in the coffin. The final 20-10. My team needs lessons on how to keep the “book” but I believe the Captain Steve Zawatsky had 5 hits, Ken Groh had 4 hits and scored 4 runs. Rothstein, Pat Feldman, Ryan Marcus, Eli Zawatsky, Will and Greg all had 3 hits to pace the offense and the defense made enough plays to keep us in the game. Ken Groh wanted to point out after giving up the longest JCC Homerun of the year, he struck out Harry his next at bat with some help from his captain!
Finally on field 4 it was Brafman vs. Wolf
Marc and Wes with a joint recap. In a back and forth game Team Wolf won 9-8 on a walk off passed ball. In a very well played game with very few errors, this game ended in the most JCC-way possible. Tyler “Big Bad” Wolf scored when the ball got away from the catcher for the winning run in the bottom of the 7th. Captain Wes paced his team with a three-run RCF gap homer while Matt Brodof, Pete “The Straw that Stirs the Drink” Soltesz and Keith Kombrinck also helped out on offense. On defense for Team Wolf, Dan “The Stache” LaCerva made two very good plays at 2nd to keep Team Brafman off the bases. Kudos to Mike Gray for a very well pitched game for the victors.
For Team Brafman Joel “Hallelujah” Buckley had a triple as did Jamey “The Rookie” Drennan. The Mayor Todd Wasserman in his first game of the year had a double and maybe the worse slide in JCC softball history to go along with it. Big props to Eppy for pitching a complete game and for the most part controlling one of the best offenses in the league. On defense, the tag team of JZ and Griff in the outfield turned in their normal stellar play.
Team Wolf improves to 3-0 while Team Brafman is 0-3 having lost all three games by a combined 8 runs.
League Notes
I had to leave right after the game to get a Wyoming Middle School music concert and because Marc was playing on Field 4, League notes are a little lite this week. He’ll try to do better next week.
Congrats to the Lefton triplets on graduation from UC and OSU this past weekend (or OSU is this weekend).
Same goes to our own JZ who graduated from UC on Friday.
I forgot to mention this last week but at the Spring House there was an older woman clearly flirting with all of the older guys in the league. (Howie, Jerry, Gary and Eppy). When she got around to Roger she smiled and turned around and walked away.
Happy four-year anniversary to Joel Buckley and his wife. With all that Cleveland love in the house, she must be a saint.
If you live in Sycamore, there is a fundraiser for new ball fields. The kids will be able to use them.
Reminder that Jewish night at the Reds game is coming up in a couple of weeks. The Reds play the Cards and maybe for the first time in years the Reds might be better.
Let’s all say a prayer for our guy, Rabbi Yitz, who is having surgery soon. Get better soon, Yitz.
Mark Newman’s son is off to USC in the fall. I guess he REALLY wanted to get away from home.
Congrats to Jason Esterkamp on the 5th anniversary of O’Bryan’s. Way to go, Jason.
One of the funniest parts of my team this year is when Jamey Kurtzer calls Eppy, Steve. I had to look around the first time and think who the heck is Steve? Keep it up, Jamey.
As usual, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fumbled this year. I have no problem with the people that got in (except for Kate “No one knows who the heck I am if it weren’t for Stranger things” Bush, but how can someone like Kate Bush get in before Warren Zevon, the White Stripes, Bad Company, Soundgarden and Jessie and the Rippers? But this year can be salvaged if they play the classic George Michael song, “I Want Your Sex,” as the closer to the ceremony. I mean, just imagine Willie Nelson, The Spinners and Missy Elliot all trading verses of that song WHOOO SEX I’M NOT YOUR BROTHER!
The fact that the author of that song is in the Hall of Fame along with Lennon and McCartney, Bob Dylan and Chuck Berry…and yet the author of Werewolves of London, Hasten Down the Wind and Reconsider Me isn’t makes me upset, in case you didn’t pick up on that.
In Reds news this week for those of you dumb enough, like me, to have stayed up on Tuesday night, we got to see something really cool. Alexis Diaz, the best young closer in baseball, had to protect a one-run lead vs. the Padres with Fernando Tatis Jr. Manny Machado and Juan Soto coming up. Not only did he do it and make it look easy but it was one of those moments in baseball that you sit up and pay attention to. Our best vs your best, come and get it. It’s why we all love baseball and for one night it didn’t matter that the Reds stink or that it was just one win in a season that was over before it started. Just a great moment if you like sports.
Finally, in Roger news, do you think he can become the “YOU CAN DO IT” guy from The Water Boy when XU Starts football again? I picture him in the stands as Xavier plays Butler in front of 10 people and yelling this every game over and over.
See everyone next week. Let’s keep this fine weather going.