Week #9 -- June 10, 2012

Highlights submitted thus far by Kings, Stingers, Thunderbirds, Sky, NWC

Northwest Regional Park Field 1:    Umpire- Reggie Grant
Game 1: Sky & Sky Inc. 20 (WP-Jeff Harris 7-2) Stingers 5 (LP- Tom Paulshock 2-5)  5 Innings

Stingers opened the day with Tom Paulshock taking the mound first. Sky took advantage of Paulshock's early morning struggles jumping out to a 6-0 lead. After two and a half innings of play it would turn to out to be a 14-0. However, the Stingers did try to get back into the game with singles from the bottom of their line-up and Paulshock helping out his own cause with an rbi single to get the Stingers on the board by scoring Beverly. Serkes would continue his hit streak with a solid single to drive in Friedman followed a few batter later by Randall driving in Serkes as the Stingers would make it 14-3 game after three innings of play. After a quick t-4th holding Sky to only one additional run, the Stingers would again work back into the game with rbi singles from Binkowski and Friedman to make it a 15-5 game, but it would be the most the Stingers could do in the early game as Sky took the first game 20-5 through 5.

Steve Truitt and David Kowitz showed patience at the plate to draw consecutive walks to start the game. Vanlandingham drove in the first two runs of the game with a double, and Pat Wilcox followed that with a triple. Bloom walked, and after an infield error, Poulton tripled to center knocking in the 6th run of the first inning. Jeff Harris held the Stingers scoreless in the first, and then Sky proceeded to knock in 3 more runs after Truitt once again led off the inning with a walk. Consecutive hits by Elliot Blank, Vanlandingham, Wilcox and Andy Bloom led to 3 more runs. Harris shut down the Stingers in the 2nd, and Sky tacked on 5 more in the third, highlighted by a Wilcox triple. The Stingers got 3 unearned runs in the 3rd, and the score was 14-3 after the 3rd inning. Sky scored one more in the 4th, and the Stingers followed with 2 of their own, making it 15-5 after 4. Sky exploded for 5 more in the 5th and held the Stingers scoreless to win 20-5.

Offensive leaders for Sky:
Andrew Vanlandingham: 4-4, 2B, 3RBI, 4R
Pat Wilcox: 3-4, 2 3B, 4RBI, 2R
Shaun Poulton: 3-4, 3B, 4RBI
David Kowitz: 2-4, BB, RBI, R

Game 2:  Sky & Sky Inc. 16 (WP-Jeff Harris 8-2) Stingers 5 (LP- Larry Newman 4-5)  5 Innings

In the night cap, things were a little different as Newman had his pitches working well and Harris continued on to keep both squad off the board. However, it would be Sky to take a 7-0 lead after 3 innings of play. In the top of the fourth, Mike Randall used some frustration on a previous pitch to tag the left field fence for a rbi double, but it would be the only run the Stingers would manufacture as Sky took the day from the Stingers.

Pat Wilcox continued where his left off in the first game. He had two more triples, but his most memorable hit was a walk-off grand slam. Sky and Sky only needed one run to end the game in the 5th, but Wilcox ended it in style, delivering a shot over the RF fence. His finished the day going 6-8 with 4 triples, HR, 12 RBI and 4 runs scored. Jeff Harris allowed just a single run in the 4th inning, and Sky and Sky won 16-1.

Offensive leaders for Sky:
Pat Wilcox: 3-4, HR (Grand Slam), 2 3B, 8RBI, 2R
Steve Truitt: 3-4, 3R
Andrew Vanlandingham: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2R
Andy Bloom: 2-3, 2B, RBI, R
Mark Lester: 2-3, 2RBI, 2R
Jeff Sacks: 2-3, 2B, R

Northwest Regional Park Field 2:    Umpire- Ray Huster
Game 1: Kings 9 (WP-Mike Herr 8-3)  Natty O's 0 (LP- RJ Seabeck 4-11) 

The Kings behind starter Mike Herr shut out the Natty O's in the opening game 9-0. Both teams had 10 hits, but the Kings out-walked the O's 6-0 and played better defensively. Both teams left many runners on base with 11 LOB for the Natty O's and 10 for the Kings.

In b-1st, Shilo Merwitz drew a 2 out walk and scored on Alan Varhaftik's RBI 2B. In b-2nd, Jared Levine's RBI 1B and Mike Herr's RBI groundout put the Kings lead at 3-0. In b-3rd, the first 5 Kings hitters reached on 3 singles and 2 walks. With 2 runs already in for the inning and the bases loaded, Glenn Savage hit a SF to the second baseman an following a walk to Tyler Witt, Brad Millison hit a SF to RCF, giving the Kings a 7-0 lead. The Kings added unearned runs in b-4th and b-5th to build a 9-0 lead. Herr allowed 2 singles in t-7th, but the Natty O's were unable to score. For the game, the O's did not get a runner to 3rd base.

Natty O's multiple hit players in game 1:
RJ Seabeck (2-3)
Gary Bosley (2-3)

Kings multiple hit players in game 1:
Koby Sarubin (3-4,1 R)
Alan Varhaftik (2-4,1 R,2 RBI,2B,reached on error)
Jared Levine (2-2,2 RBI,W)

Game 2:  Kings 5 (WP-Mike Herr 9-3)  Natty O's 3 (LP- RJ Seabeck 4-12) 

Alan Varhaftik's RBI 3B in t-7th broke a 3-3 tie and the Kings took the nightcap over the Natty O's 5-3. Mike Herr again matched up with RJ Seabeck in the 2nd game of the doubleheader. Again the teams produced an identical 10 hits, but the walk total was closer with the Kings out-walking the O's 3-0.

The Kings took the lead in t-2nd on a Koby Sarubin 2 out bases loaded 2 RBI 1B set up by singles by Tyler Witt, Jared Levine, and Mike Herr. Varhaftik drew a leadoff walk in t-3rd and scored on a throwing error after an infield hit by Glenn Savage to give the Kings a 3-0 lead.

In b-4th, the Natty O's produced their first run of the day with a 1B by Matt Bowden and 2 fielding errors by the Kings. RJ Seabeck held the Kings bats off the scoreboard thru the t-6th and the Kings lead remained 3-1 entering b-6th.

In b-6th, Keelan singled and Bowden hit an RBI 2B to pull the O's to within 3-2. Following a groundout and an infield error, Bowden scored the tie run on a Veditz SF to LF. In t-7th, Koby Sarubin reached on an infield hit. With 1 out, Varhaftik launched an RBI 3B to the fence in LF. Jan Katzen followed with a SF to RF to make the Kings lead 5-3. In b-7th, with 1 out Robb and Kelly singled, but a flyout and a popout ended the threat and the Kings escaped with a 5-3 win in game 2.

Natty O's offensive leaders in game 2:
Matt Bowden (2-3,2 R,1 RBI,2B)
Robb (3-3)
P. Kelly (2-3)

Kings offensive leaders in game 2:
Koby Sarubin (3-4,2 RBI)
Alan Varhaftik (1-3,2 R,1 RBI,3B,W)
Glenn Savage (2-4)

Kings game notes:
►Alan Varhaftik had the game winning RBI (GWRBI) in both ends of the doubleheader.
►Varhaftik's game 2 3B gives him the team lead at 5, in front of Arin Gelletly's 4. Varhaftik is the Kings all-time 3B leader with 59. 2nd-4th place on the list belong to Jeff Slutzker (30), Kenny Salzman (28), and Detour Dave Sandler (27)
►Brad Millison and Jared Levine made their first appearances for the 2012 Kings. Levine now has 6 career games and Millison 4.
►With a 6 game winning streak, the Kings all-time record (including Playoffs) improved to 486-243. The .667 winning percentage is the highest in 24 year franchise history. It took the Kings just 383 games over 13 years to establish the new high. The previous high of .665 was established on May 30, 1999 when the team's record was 230-116. On that day the Kings swept Snyder's Deli at Pikesville Middle School field #2. Lane Gordon won the opener 6-5 and Ted Winner won game 2 for the Kings 12-5. Gordon helped his own cause with a 2 RBI HR in game 1. It was 1 of 3 homeruns he hit for the Kings in 1999. Jeff Kurland had 2 RBI for the Kings in the nightcap. The following week the Kings dropped a doubleheader to Attman's Deli and it has taken until 2012 to set a new record for team winning percentage.

Northwest Regional Park Field 3:      Umpire- Louis Courts
Game 1: Northwest Corridor 15 (WP- Howard Goldberg 12-2)  Deuces Up 0 (LP- Bob  )   (4 Innings)

NWC and Deuces Up met for the 2nd time this season, NWC having swept the first season series. The 1st inning was a mirror image of what was to come for the rest of the game. Goldberg shut down the DU hitters in order in the top of the inning and NWC’s hitters plated 6runs off of Deuce’s Up pitcher Bob. Brad Rosenberg and Trevor Walzl had back to back rbi triples to pace the NWC offense. Goldberg cruised through the Deuces Up hitters allowing just 2 hits and zero runs in 4 innings of work. Meanwhile the offense added another 6 runs in the 2nd inning, one more in the 3rd and 2 runs in the 4th inning to earn a shortened slaughter rule game #1 win – 15-0

Hitting Highlights:
Trevor Walzl 3-3 R 3rbi 3b
Brad Rosenberg 2-3 2R 3rbi 3b 2b
Adam Silverman 2-3 3R 2rbi 2b
Scott Snyder 2-3 2R 2rbi
Jon Herbst 2-2 BB 2R 2b

Game 2: Northwest Corridor 10 (WP- Howard Goldberg 13-2)  Deuces Up 7 (LP- Rick Winepol 3-8)  

Game #2 started out pretty similar to game #1. The Deuces Up offense managed just 3 hits and zero runs off of Goldberg through 4 innings. The NWC offense started off the 1st inning with 3 runs. Scott Snyder and Adam Silverman both enjoyed rbi hits. Snyder’s was a bases loaded double. NWC added 5 more runs in the 3rd inning to take an 8-0 lead. Matt Silverman drove in 2 runs with a liner to right center and Snyder added to his rbi total with another 2rbi hit. Goldberg left the mound for back up pitcher Ted Winner and Deuces Up took advantage of some poor defense to finally score some runs. 6 Deuces Up players scored to bridge the gap and make it a 2run ballgame. Winner retired the DU hitters in the 6th without a run and Goldberg came back in the 7th inning to close out his own win.

Hitting Highlights:
Scott Snyder 3-4 2R 5rbi 2b
Howard Goldberg 3-3 BB 3R 2b
Scott Sweren 2-4 2R 2b