2015 Pikesville
Men's Softball League
2015 PLAYOFFS
Week #17 -- August 2, 2015
Highlights submitted thus far by Kings, Bombers, Outlaws, LOFT
Round 1
Northwest Regional Park
Field 1:
Umpire- Reggie Grant
Round 1: Sky & Sky Inc. (5) 11 (WP-Jeff Harris 13-8) Northwest Corridor (4)
4 (LP-Howard Goldberg 6-7)
Highlights pending.
Northwest Regional Park
Field 2:
Umpire- Mark Radom
Round 1:
Outlaws (7) 9 (WP- Larry Newman 3-11)
Nationwide Bombers (2) 4 (LP-Gershon
Yakobovitch 4-2)
The Outlaws ageless, Larry Newman, pitched a great game today and aided by some great Outlaw defense, beat the Bombers 9-4 in game 1. Manager, Dave Woods made the play of the game, backhanding a hot smash hit down the 3rd base line by speedy Bomber’s pitcher, Gershon Yakobovitch and threw him out from his knees. The Bombers had men on base all day but couldn’t get any timely hits off Newman.
It's playoff time, as we got
totally awesome action on field 2. The underdog, #7 seed Outlaws, take on
the heavy favorite #2 Bombers looking for the upset. In Las Vegas the
Outlaws were facing 100-1 odds. Larry Newman toes the rubber for the
Outlaws. In the top of the 1st, the Outlaws draw first blood, as Reggie
Molock leads it off with a single, to get the Outlaws out the blocks on the
good foot. Rookie of the year, Martiez Reed bangs a double into the gap.
Theo Battle draws a walk to juice the bases for David Woods. Woods hit a
deep pop up, for an RBI sac fly to give the Outlaws a 1-0 lead. The Bombers
get 2 in the bottom of the frame to go up 2-1. Both teams put up a doughnut
in the 2nd inning.
In the top of the 3rd, Reggie Molock draws a one
out walk. Martiez Reed draws a walk. David Woods drives a shot into left,
for a 2 RBI double, scoring Molock, and Reed, and giving the Outlaws a 3-2
lead. The Bombers answer the call, matching with 2 of their own, and
regaining the lead back 4-3. The Outlaws keep the bats cracking, in the top
of the 4th, as William Giles sends a bomb to the fence, for a lead off
double. Hector Medina get into the hit parade, with a single, advancing
Giles to third. Chas West sends a deep pop up in the center to earn an RBI
sac fly scoring Giles, and knotting it up at 4. Darnell Maxwell steps into
the box, with the baby Maxwells in the bleachers, and draws a 1 out walk.
Maurice Scott walks to load em up for Larry Newman. Newman who has been
clutch all year long with big hits, once again delivers, an RBI single
scoring Medina, and giving the Outlaws a 5-4 lead.
In the top of the
5th, the Outlaws pad their lead with 2 more. Theo Battle singles. David
Woods walks. Tony Wiggs facing his former team, smokes an RBI single into
right center, scoring Battle. William Giles gets his second hit of the game,
with an RBI single, plating Woods. In the 6th, Larry Newman leads it off
with a single. 2 batters later, Martiez Reed, goes big fly with an inside
the park 2 run HR, scoring Maxwell who ran for Nemo. Great Uncle Nemo
pitching a fabulous game keeps the Bombers off the board for the last 4
innings, also backed by great defense, with track stars in the outfield, and
a few web gems here and there by the infield. Outlaws get their first
franchise playoff victory 9-4, and move on to face the 2014 champion Kings
in round 2.
Outlaws Hitting Stars:
Reggie Molock 1-3 BB, 2R
Martiez Reed 2-3 2B, HR, BB, 2R, 2RBI
Theo
Battle 1-3 BB, R
David Woods 1-2 2B, SAC, BB, R, 3RBI
William Giles
2-3 2B, BB, R, RBI
Larry Newman 2-3 R, RBI
Northwest Regional Park
Field 3:
Umpire- Scott Snyder
Round 1: LOFT (6) 6 (WP-John Reichert 5-8)
Natty O's (3) 1 (LP-RJ Seabeck 14-9)
L.O.F.T. looked to come out strong in round 1 of the
playoffs. They had a few close matchups against the Natty O’s in the regular
season, but were unable to come out on top. In this contest L.O.F.T. was able to
take the lead in the top of the 1st inning after receiving a RBI single. Behind
the excellent pitching of RJ, the Natty O’s were able to keep L.O.F.T. from
scoring anymore runs in the first inning as they stranded the bases loaded.
L.O.F.T. came out in the bottom of the 1st and held the Natty O’s scoreless.
L.O.F.T. went down quickly in the top of the 2nd and the Natty O’s were able to
tie the score 1-1 after 2. In the top of the 3rd L.O.F.T. was able to plate 2
runs highlighted by an RBI double. The Natty O’s 3rd baseman was not thrilled
with the fair ball call by the Umpire. After taking his frustrations out vocally
and physically, by kicking the 3rd base bag multiple times, L.O.F.T. waived
their Harry Potter wands and the umpire ejected the 3rd baseman from the game.
The score remained 3-1 until the top of the 5th inning when L.O.F.T. was able to
plate 3 more runs to take a 6-1 lead. From there Reichert remained locked in on
the mound and did not allow the Natty O’s to score anymore runs, giving L.O.F.T.
the victory 6-1.
Northwest Regional Park
Field 4:
Umpire-
Jeff Kurland
Round 1: Kings (1) 14 (WP-Shilo Merwitz 8-1)
Thunderbirds (8) 2 (LP-John Kerzner 4-10)
#1 seeded Kings were matched up against #8 Thunderbirds in
the PMSL 2015 Playoffs Round 1. Shilo Merwitz drew the pitching assignment for
the Kings vs. Birds John Kerzner. The game was tight early on with the Kings
maintaining just a 5-2 lead after 4 1/2 innings. The Kings bats awoke though for
6 runs in b-5th and 3 runs in b-6th to end the contest in 6 innings 14-2.
In b-1st, Kenny Salzman tripled with 1 out. Shilo Merwitz hit a SF giving
Kings 1-0 lead. Kings added to lead in b-2nd. Alan Varhaftik 2B, Brad Millison 1
out RBI 1B, and 2 outs 1B's by Steve Levy and Brett Eisenberg (RBI) had the
Kings ahead 3-0.
In t-3rd Nick Perehinic's 2 out RBI 1B scored Jeff
Kapper with the 1st run for Thunderbirds. Kings got that run back in b-3rd on 2B
by Shilo Merwitz and RBI 1B by Jan Katzen making Kings lead 4-1. In b-4th, 1B by
Millison, Glenn Savage reached on infield error, and Steve Levy RBI 1B added to
Kings lead 5-1.
In t-5th, with 1 out John Kerzner doubled and Casey
Montag singled (RBI) getting Thunderbirds within 5-2. However the Kings bats
came to life in b-5th with 4 hits and 3 walks, producing 6 runs. RBI's came from
Kenny Salzman (RBI 1B), Alan Varhaftik (SF), Justin Cohen (RBI 1B), and Brad
Millison (2 RBI 1B). 4 more 1B's in b-6th led to 3 runs with the 1B by Alan
Varhaftik giving Kings game ending 12 run lead 14-2.
Thunderbirds offensive leaders in Round 1:
Mike Peddicord (2-3)
Casey Montag (2-2,1 RBI)
Kings offensive leaders in Round 1:
Koby Sarubin (2-4,2 R,2B)
Kenny Salzman (2-3,3 R,1 RBI,3B,W)
Shilo Merwitz
(1-1,2 R,2 RBI,2B,W,2 SF)
Jan Katzen (2-3,1 R,2 RBI,W)
Alan Varhaftik
(2-3,1 R,2 RBI,2B,SF)
Brad Millison (3-3,3 R,3 RBI)
Steve Levy (2-2,1
RBI,W)
Brett Eisenberg (2-3,1 RBI)
Kings game notes:
►Kings won their
11th straight PMSL Playoffs Round 1 game. Their last Round 1 loss was August
8, 2004 vs. Sky, a 15-2, 5 inning loss.
►Kings improved their lifetime Round 1 record to
21-6 (.778)
►The
Kings were without the services of SS Zac Stavish and OF Mike Mittleman.
►Matt
Friedman made his Kings Playoffs debut.
►Koby
Sarubin returned to the line-up after suffering a mouth injury last week in
batting practice.
►Justin
Cohen was playing in just his 3rd Kings Playoff game. His last Playoffs game
was during the 2010 Championship season.
Round 2
Northwest Regional Park
Field 1:
Umpire- Reggie Grant
Round 2: LOFT (6) 8 (WP-Bob Mallonee ) Sky & Sky Inc. (5)
6 (LP-Jeff Harris 13-9)
Highlights pending.
LOFT Playoffs notes:
►The
2 playoff wins moved L.O.F.T.’s all time playoff record to 5-8
►L.O.F.T.
is 1-0 all time against the Kings in week 2 (Round 3 or 4) of the playoffs
Northwest Regional Park
Field 2:
Umpire- Mark Radom
Round
2: Nationwide Bombers (2) 13 (WP- Jason Gardner 1-0)
Thunderbirds (8) 0 (LP-John Kerzner 4-11) 6 Innings
In game 2, no one was sure who would pitch because 2 of the Bombers pitchers were away but catcher, Jason Gardner stepped up and asked for the ball and threw a shutout as the Bombers advanced past the other red team- the Thunderbirds 13-0 (5 innings). The Bombers will play the Outlaws next week.
Northwest Regional Park
Field 3:
Umpire- Scott Snyder
Round 2: Natty O's (3) 18 (WP-RJ Seabeck 15-9) Northwest
Corridor
(4) 6 (LP-Howard Goldberg 6-8) 6 Innings
Highlights pending.
Northwest Regional Park
Field 4:
Umpire-
Jeff Kurland
Round 2: Kings (1) 6 (WP-Mike Herr 12-3)
Outlaws (7) 5 (LP-Larry Newman 3-12)
The
#1 Kings did come into Round 2 of PMSL Playoffs expecting to meet #7 Outlaws.
However the Outlaws pulled an upset in Round 1 defeating the #2 Nationwide
Bombers. The pitching match-up featured 2 20+ year veterans of PMSL-- Kings Mike
Herr vs. Outlaws Larry Newman. The 2 had been teammates on the Kings 1993 and
1996 Championship teams. Outlaws battled back from early 5-1 deficit with 3 runs
in t-6th and 1 run in t-7th to tie score 5-5. In b-7th, pinch hitter Matt
Friedman singled home Brad Millison to give the Kings a 6-5 thrilling win.
Reggie Molock started game for Outlaws in t-1st on an infield hit. A 1 out
1B by Theo Battle and RBI SF by David Woods had Outlaws leading 1-0. In b-1st,
consecutive 1 out 1B's by Kenny Salzman, Shilo Merwitz, and Jan Katzen (RBI) got
the Kings even. An overthrow on Katzen's hit scored Merwitz and subsequent 3B by
Alan Varhaftik (RBI) and SF by Justin Cohen put Kings in lead 4-1. Outlaws left
runners in scoring position in 2nd and 3rd innings, but Kings were unable to add
to their lead thru the early frames.
In b-4th, Alan Varhaftik hit a HR
over the head of the Outlaws RF. Kings maintained 5-1 lead thru 5 innings. In
t-6th, Molock reached to lead off inning on an infield error. Martiez Reed drew
the only Outlaws walk in the game. Theo Battle tripled past Kings RF Brett
Eisenberg, scoring Molock and Reed. The relay throw from Eisenberg to Kings 2B
Kenny Salzman to Kings C Glenn Savage looked in time to tag out Battle, but the
throw was mishandled at the plate and Battle scored narrowing the Kings lead
5-4. Outlaws still had 0 outs, but Kings starter Mike Herr was able to retire
the next 2 hitters on flyouts to LF, and following a 2 out 1B by William Giles,
was able to get the final out of the inning on another flyout to LF. Kings were
unable to score in b-6th, so they carried just a 1 run 5-4 lead into the 7th
inning.
In t-7th, Chas West singled to lead off. Following a flyout to
RF, Maurice Scott singled to CF, with West advancing over to 3rd base. Outlaws
had no pinch hitters, so Larry Newman came to the plate with runners on the
corner and just 1 out, with the tying run at 3rd base. Newman was clutch as he
delivered an infield RBI 1B to the hole at SS. Reggie Molock then followed with
a deep flyout to LCF, with Scott and courtesy runner Darnell Maxwell moving up
to 2nd and 3rd base and now 2 outs. With 1st base open, the Kings considered
walking Outlaws phenom rookie Martiez Reed. Reed had homered over the RF fence
off Kings pitcher Mike Herr in the teams' Regular Season match-up on May 10,
2015. The Kings decided to go after Reed and he was retired on a flyout to RF.
In b-7th, Brad Millison led off the inning with a 1B into CF. Glenn Savage
hit a sinking liner to LCF that just fell outside the reach of Outlaws LCF
Reggie Molock, Millison getting to 2nd base and Savage at 1st base on the hit.
Steve Levy lined out hard to 2B William Giles. Brett Eisenberg lined out to LF
Reed. With pitcher Mike Herr due up, the Kings sent Matt Friedman to the plate
as a pinch hitter. Friedman swung at the 1st pitch from Larry Newman and his
hard grounder hit the lip of the infield in front of the SS, the ball skipping
into CF. Millison was able to score from 2nd base with the winning run. Final
score Kings 6 Outlaws 5.
Outlaws Round
2 offensive leaders:
Martiez Reed (1-3,1 R,2B,W)
Theo
Battle (2-3,1 R,2 RBI,3B)
Kings Round 2
offensive leaders:
Shilo Merwitz (2-3,1 R)
Alan Varhaftik
(2-3,2 R,2 RBI,3B,HR)
Matt Friedman (1-1,1 RBI, GWRBI)
Kings
Round 2 notes:
►Kings improved their lifetime Round 2 record to
20-7 (.741)
►Kings advance to the Round 3 winner's bracket game for the
10th time in the past 11 seasons. Their 9 year streak was broken last season by
the Nationwide Bombers. In 27 seasons, the Kings have made it to the 3rd Round
Winner's bracket game a league record 14 times.
►Kings starter Mike Herr was making just his
3rd career Round 2 start. His previous starts in Round 2 were in 1991 and 2013.
►Kings Round 2 starters Chuck Grant 10 (2002,
2005-2012,2014), Steve Levy 5 (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998), Larry Newman 3 (1993,
1995, 1996), Mike Herr 3 (1991, 2013,2015), Dan Frignito 2 (2003, 2004), Jeff
Goldstein 2 (2000, 2001), Ted Winner 1 (1999), Mark Friedman 1 (1988).
►Kings lifetime are 17-9 (.654) in Round 3 Playoffs, including an impressive
10-3
(.769) Round 3 record out of the winner's bracket.
Northwest Regional Park
Field 1:
Umpire- Reggie Grant
Round 3: Nationwide Bombers (2) 11
(WP- Tzvi Friedman 12-6)
Outlaws (7) 5 (LP-Larry Newman 3-13)
The Bombers won both games on
Sunday to advance to the championship round against the top rated Kings. The
Bombers will have to sweep the Kings to gain the title.
In game 1, the Outlaws
gave the Bombers all they could handle until the Bombers, behind ace pitcher
Tzvi Friedman,
slammed the door for the 11-5 victory.
The Outlaws led 2-0 in
the top of the 3rd but the Bombers took the lead for good in the bottom of the
3rd, 6-2. Tzvi and Uri drew back to back walks and after Resnick flew out,
Gershon Y hit an infield single to load the bases.
Yoyo Strauss's 2 run single tied
it at 2-2 and Ben Gutman's single gave the Bombers a 3-2 lead. Loeb smoked a 2
run triple and the 6th run scored on Flamm's grounder that was booted for an
error.
The Outlaws who play with class and determination cut the lead to 6-4 in the 4th
but the Bombers pulled away on another error and Gardner's 2 run single, Uri's Sac
fly and Gershon's RBI single.
Northwest Regional Park
Field 3:
Umpire- Scott Snyder
Round 3: Kings (1) 8 (WP-Mike Herr 13-3) LOFT (6) 4
(LP-John Reichert 5-9)
LOFT (6) was playing in the PMSL Winner's Bracket Finals for the 1st time in
their team's history. Matched up against the 2014 PMSL Tournament Champions and
2015 PMSL Regular Season Champions Kings (1), LOFT stayed close but the Kings
came away with the victory 8-4.
In b-2nd, 1 out singles by Shilo Merwitz
and Jan Katzen preceded clutch 2 out 2 RBI 2B by Justin Cohen. In t-2nd, with 2
outs on none on, Jon Stacey singled thru the infield. Andy Peksa hit a sinking
line drive into RF that just eluded the glove of Kings RF Mike Mittleman. Stacey
kept running and scored all the way from 1st base on the 1B. In b-2nd, Mittleman
and Brett Eisenberg hit 1 out singles. With 2 outs, Kenny Salzman hit an RBI 1B
scoring Mittleman and Eisenberg then scored as the throw to the plate went out
of play. The Kings lead after 2 innings was 4-1.
In b-3rd, Jan Katzen
singled and with 1 out Cohen singled. Zac Stavish hit SF to LF scoring Katzen.
Glenn Savage hit RBI 1B to score Cohen. Mittleman walked and Eisenberg singled
to load bases with 2 outs. Mike Herr blooped a single into CF, scoring Savage
and Mittleman, putting the Kings ahead 8-1.
In t-4th, Nick Serkes
singled, moved up to 2nd base on fielder's choice groundout, and scored on
Stacey's 2 out RBI 1B. LOFT starter John Reichert kept Kings off scoreboard in
4th and 5th innings and Kings held 8-2 lead after 5 innings.
In t-6th,
consecutive leadoff singles by Mark Winkel, Brad Verbovsky, Ken Kreyling, and
Nick Serkes (RBI) got the Kings lead down to 8-3 with the bases loaded and 0
outs. Kings starter Mike Herr was able to escape further damage as a result of 2
infield popouts to SS and groundout to end the LOFT rally. LOFT again threatened
in t-7th, loading bases with 1 out on 1B by Andy Peksa, BB to Josh Vaeth, and
pinch hit 1B by Pete Sclafini. Mark Winkel hit a liner up the middle, but Herr
was able to deflect the ball into his body and throw Winkel out at 1st base. A
run did score on the groundout. Another groundout then ended the game with the
Kings winning 8-4.
LOFT Round 3 offensive
leaders:
Brad Verbovsky (2-4)
Ken Kreyling (2-3)
Nick
Serkes (2-3,1 R,1 RBI)
Jon Stacey (2-3,1 R,1 RBI)
Andy Peksa (2-3,1 RBI)
Kings Round 3 offensive leaders
Jan Katzen (2-4,2 R)
Justin Cohen (3-4,1 R,2 RBI,2B)
Mike Mittleman (1-2,2
R,W)
Brett Eisenberg (2-3,1 R)
Northwest Regional Park
Field 4:
Umpire-
Jeff Kurland
Round 3: Sky & Sky Inc. (5) 13 (WP-Jeff Harris 14-9)
Natty O's (3) 12 (WP-RJ Seabeck 15-10) 8 Innings
Highlights pending.
Round 4
Northwest Regional Park
Field 1:
Umpire- Reggie Grant
Round 4: Nationwide Bombers (2) 13
(WP- Tzvi Friedman 13-6)
Sky & Sky Inc. (5) 1 (WP-Jeff Harris 14-10)
6 Innings
In game 2, the bombers beat s
tired undermanned team Sky and Sky , 13-1(6 innings). Sky was tired because
their game vs the Natty O's went into extra innings and played with 9 because
Rotts had a bad leg.
The bombers showed no mercy and trounced their long time rival and their ace
pitcher, Jeff Harris. The only run Sky scored was on a miscues by the Bombers
OF. Otherwise, Tzvi Freidman pitched a gem backed by a string defense.David
Flamm and Chaim Finkelstein made strong plays to preserve the victory .
The Bombers jumped to a 2-0 lead in the 1st. Gershon reached on an error and
Yoyo hit s bad hop double. Ben G hit another smash for a 2 run single . This was
all the runs the Bombers would need. Sky got one back on a tree base error in
the 3rd but the Bombers showed determination and grit by scoring 4 more in the
3rd. Resnick doubled, and Gershon followed with an RBI single. Ben's triple
played Yoyo and Loeb brought home Ben with a sac fly to the cf fence.
The Bombers put the game away in the 5th by tacking in 4 more .Resnick scorched
another double to lead off and Gershon knocked him home with s single . Yoyo's
infield single brought up clutch hitter Ben G who hit another 2 run single .
Flamm's double made it 10-1.
The Bombers ended Sky's season by scoring 3 more in the 6th. Tzvi and Uri hit
back to back singles and Resnick's 3rd hit of the game ( an RBI single) brought
home the 11th run. Gershon's RBI double , his 6th hit of the day and the 8th
time he reached base , a double made it 12-1 and after Sky untentionally waked
Yoyo, Ben hit a bases loaded single.
Northwest Regional Park
Field 3:
Umpire- Scott Snyder
Round 4: Kings (1) 11 (WP-Mike Herr 14-3) LOFT (6) 4
(LP-John Reichert 5-10)
The unique set-up of the PMSL Playoffs format had the
Winner's bracket winner vs. the lowest seed in the Loser's bracket. This
resulted in the 2 teams from the Winner's bracket game playing again in Round 4.
In a sloppy defensive game that had 12 errors, the score remained tied 9-9 after
6 innings. LOFT took advantage of infield errors in t-7th to take 10-9 lead. In
b-7th, with bases loaded and 1 out, Brett Eisenberg delivered a 2 RBI 1B into CF
giving the Kings an 11-10 walk off win.
In t-1st, Mark Winkel led off
game with 1B. Following 2 flyouts, 1 of which Winkel was able to advance to 2nd
base, Nick Serkes hit RBI 1B giving LOFT early 1-0 lead. The lead was shortlived
as Kenny Salzman led off b-1st with HR down the RF line. With 2 outs, singles by
Alan Varhaftik and Justin Cohen preceded 2 RBI 2B by Zac Stavish and RBI 1B by
Glenn Savage giving Kings lead after 1 inning 4-1.
In t-2nd, with 2 outs
and 0 on, Andy Peksa singled, Josh Vaeth reached on an infield error, and Pete
Sclafini hit RBI 1B into RCF. The throw to the plate to attempt to get Peksa
went out of play and Vaeth scored narrowing Kings lead 4-3. In b-2nd, With 1
out, Brett Eisenberg doubled, Kenny Salzman singled (RBI), Shilo Merwitz
singled, and Jan Katzen hit RBI SF to RF building Kings lead 6-3. In b-3rd,
Cohen singled and Stavish doubled (RBI) extending Kings lead 7-3.
Things
fell apart for Kings in t-4th. LOFT loaded bases with 1 out on walk to Logan
Malane, fielder's choice Mike Randall, and Andy Peksa 1B. Josh Vaeth hit 2 RBI
1B and following another fielder's choice, pinch hiter Skyler Dickinson hit 2
RBI 1B to tie game. On the play, the throw from the outfield went out of play
and another run scored putting LOFT ahead. Mark Winkel hit SF to then put LOFT
ahead 9-7.
With LOFT still ahead 9-7 after 4 innings, Kings Mike Herr
came in from the bullpen. Herr was able to hold LOFT off the board in t-5th. In
b-5th, Kings took advantage of 2 infield errors and walk to load bases with 0
outs. Steve Levy RBI 1B and Mike Mittleman RBI fielder's choice groundout tied
score 9-9. Neither team was able to score in the 6th inning.
In t-7th,
infield errors allowed the go ahead run to come across for LOFT 10-9. Still with
runners on 1st and 2nd base with 0 outs, Kings were able to escape further
damage on 2 groundouts and infield popup. In b-7th, Stavish reached to leadoff
inning on infield error. Glenn Savage drew walk. Steve Levy flew out to RF, with
Stavish tagging up and advancing to 3rd base. The throw towards 3rd base was
high and allowed Savage to move up to 2nd base. LOFT walked Mike Mittleman
intentionally, electing to go after Brett Eisenberg with the bases loaded and 1
out. Eisenberg came thru for the Kings with a clutch linedrive 1B into LCF, with
both Stavish and Savage scoring on the play, giving the Kings an 11-10 walk off
win.
LOFT Round 4 offensive leaders:
Andy Peksa (2-3,2 R)
Josh Vaeth (1-3,2 R,2 RBI,K,ROE)
Pete Sclafini (1-3,2
R,1 RBI,ROE)
Skyler Dickinson (1-2,1 R,2 RBI,ROE)
Kings Round 4 offensive leaders:
Kenny Salzman (3-3,2 R,2 RBI,HR)
Alan Varhaftik (2-4,1 R)
Justin Cohen
(2-4,3 R,ROE)
Zac Stavish (2-4,3 R,3 RBI,2 2B,2 ROE)
Glenn Savage (1-1,1
R,1 RBI,3 W)
Brett Eisenberg (2-4,1 R,2 RBI,2B)
Kings
Round 4 notes:
►The last time the Kings had a walk off win
in Round 4 of the Playoffs was in 2005, a Playoff win vs. Sky & Sky Inc. that
led to the PMSL Tournament Championship. The Kings opponent in the 2005
Championship was Eastern Savings Bank, now known as the Nationwide Bombers. On
that August 14, 2005 day, the Kings trailed Sky 10-6 entering the b-7th, but
scored 5 runs in b-7th to win in dramatic fashion 11-10. Dan Frignito was the
hero that day with an inside-the-park grandslam homerun to win it for the Kings.
Ironically, it was a day that the Kings had met the same opponent earlier in the
day in Round 3.
The summary of the 2005 Round 4 game is reported here.
►Outfielders
Koby Sarubin and Brad Millison, along with catcher Matt Friedman were away for
the Semi-Finals. They are all expected back for the League Championship Game on
Sunday.
►Kings
Developmental roster players Sam Aydukovic (Owings Mills HS 2016) and Brandon
Schuster (Owings Mills HS 2018) were in attendence.
►Outfielder Troy
Hendricks remains on the disabled list (foot surgery) and will not be activated
for Sunday.
►Outfielder Mike
Mittleman made his Kings Playoffs debut.
►Round 4 was the 100th
Kings Playoffs game for outfielder Alan Varhaftik.
Round 5 -- Championship Game
Northwest Regional Park
Field 3:
Umpires- Scott Snyder (home plate), Reggie Grant (bases)
Round 4: Kings (1) 10 (WP-Mike Herr 15-3) Nationwide
Bombers (2) 9
(LP-Tzvi Friedman 13-7)
9 Innings
It was the Kings against the Nationwide Bombers in the 2015
Pikesville Men's Softball League Championship. This was a rematch of the 2005
PMSL Finals (
2005 Playoffs Late Rounds ) when the Bombers were known as Eastern Savings
Bank. Today's 2015 Championship Game was a thriller. The lead changed hands
several times. It was the Kings coming away with the PMSL Tournament
Championship on Glenn Savage's 1 out bases loaded single in bottom of the 9th
inning giving the Kings a 10-9 win.
The game started out great for the
Bombers with 4 straight singles to start the game by Gershon Yakobovitch, Yoyo
Strauss, Ben Gutman (RBI), and Marc Loeb (RBI). Kings starter Mike Herr was
finally able to record 2 outs, but Jason Gardner delivered a clutch 2 out 2 RBI
bloop 2B into RF. Bombers lead before Kings came to bat was 4-0. Koby Sarubin
led it off for Kings in b-1st with infield 1B. Kenny Salzman lined out hard to
Bombers pitcher Tzvi Friedman. Shilo Merwitz drew a walk and Jan Katzen hit 2
RBI 3B to RCF. Justin Cohen followed with RBI SF to pull Kings within 4-3 after
1 inning.
Both teams went 3-up-3-down in 2nd inning. In t-3rd,
Yakobovitch reached on infield error, advanced to 3rd base on Strauss 1B, and
scored on SF by Ben Gutman. In b-3rd, Mike Herr led off with 1B. With 1 out,
Salzman, Merwitz (RBI), Katzen, and Cohen (RBI) all singled to tie game 5-5.
Still with 1 out, Alan Varhaftik hit SF and Brad Millison followed with RBI 1B
putting Kings ahead 7-5.
In t-4th, Chaim Finkelstein singled with 1 out.
Dan Gutman reached on infield error. Tzvi Friedman walked to load bases.
Finkelstein scored on Josh Resnick's RBI fielder's choice groudout. With 2 on
and 2 out, Yakobovitch grounded out. The Kings failed to score in b-4th, but
held the lead 7-6.
In t-5th, Yoyo Strauss walked and Ben Gutman singled to start
inning. Marc Loeb then hit an RBI 1B scoring Strauss with the tying run 7-7.
Following an infield popout and groundout at 3rd base, Jason Gardner singled off
the foot of pitcher Mike Herr. The ball caromed to the deep infield between 1st
and 2nd base. Kings 1st baseman Shilo Merwitz picked up the ball and fired home
as courtesy runner Josh Resnick attempted to score. Kings catcher Glenn Savage
was able to apply the tag for the final out of the inning. The Kings failed to
score in b-5th, the score remaining tie 7-7.
In t-6th, Finkelstein worked
the count full and drew a leadoff walk. With 1 out Friedman singled with
Finkelstein getting to 2nd base. Resnick flew out to LF for the 2nd out.
Yakobovitch singled to LCF loading bases with 2 outs. Yoyo Strauss hit a
grounder to Kings pitcher Mike Herr, with Strauss' great speed, Herr looked home
for a forceout before deciding to throw instead to 1st base. Strauss was safe on
the fielder's choice and Bombers had the lead 8-7. In b-6th, with 2 outs and 0
on, pinch hitter Matt Friedman singled and Koby Sarubin singled. Kings sent
pinch hitter Steve Levy to the plate, but Tzvi Friedman was able to retire Levy
on a comebacker to the mound, the Bombers maintaining an 8-7 lead after 6
innings.
In t-7th, David Flamm drew a 1 out walk. Shulie Hochman followed
with a 2B to the fence in LF sending Flamm to 3rd base. With an open base, the
Kings elected to pitch to Jason Gardner and he brought home Flamm on SF to deep
RF. Bombers headed into b-7th with a 9-7 lead.
In b-7th, Shilo Merwitz
and Jan Katzen singled to start inning. Justin Cohen followed with an RBI 1B
pulling Kings to within 1 run 9-8 and advancing Katzen to 3rd base with the tie
run. Varhaftik then hit RBI 1B to tie game, with Cohen advancing to 3rd base as
the potential winning run. Still with 0 outs, a tie game 9-9 and the bases
loaded, the Bombers smartly walked Brad Millison intentionally to load bases.
With the infield and outfield drawn in and the Bombers moving one of the
outfielders into the infield as the 5th infielder, Friedman was able to retire
Savage on a flyout to LF for the 1st out of inning. Kings sent up pinch hitter
Mike Mittleman for Brett Eisenberg who was the walkoff hero 1 week ago vs. LOFT.
Mittleman hit a hard grounder to 3rd base, Bombers 3rd baseman David Flamm
stepped on the bag for the out and fired home to Marc Loeb who tagged out Cohen
for a game saving doubleplay. The game was going extra innings.
In t-8th,
Dan Gutman and Friedman singled putting runners on the corners with 0 outs. Herr
was able to retire Uri Rabinowiz on a lineout to SS for the 1st out. Still with
runners on the corners, Yakobovitch grounded to pitcher Herr who checked the
runner at 3rd base and threw to 1st base to record the 2nd out. With 2 runners
in scoring position and 2 outs, Strauss lined out to LCF. In b-8th, Koby Sarubin
singled with 1 out, but Levy and Merwitz were then retired, keeping the score
9-9.
In t-9th, with 1 out, Loeb and Flamm singled. Hochman grounded to
SS, with Kings SS Justin Cohen throwing to 3rd base for the forceout. With 2
outs, Gardner singled, but Flamm was held at 3rd base. Finkelstein grounded out
to 3rd baseman Jan Katzen to end the half inning.
In b-9th, Katzen
singled to lead off inning. Cohen grounded into a fielder's choice to SS. With 1
out, Varhaftik got a hit up the middle with Cohen going to 3rd base. Varhaftik
never stopped running and reached 2nd base just ahead of the tag for a 2B. With
the potential winning run again at 3rd base and just 1 out, Bombers were again
forced to intentionally walk Brad Millison. Savage now had a 2nd opportunity to
win the game for the Kings. This time Savage delivered as he belted a 2-1
changeup over the head of the drawn in LF, Cohen crossing the plate for the
Kings with the winning run 10-9 and PMSL Championship.
Bombers Round 5 offensive leaders:
Gershon Yakobovitch (2-5,2 R,ROE)
Yoyo Strauss (2-4,2 R,W)
Ben Gutman
(2-4,1 R,2 RBI,SF)
Marc Loeb (3-5,1 R,2 RBI)
David Flamm (2-5,1 R,W)
Jason Gardner (3-4,3 RBI,2B,SF)
Tzvi Friedman (2-3,W)
Kings Round 5 offensive leaders:
Koby Sarubin (4-5,1 R)
Shilo Merwitz (2-4,3 R,1 RBI,W)
Jan Katzen (4-5,3
R,2 RBI,3B)
Justin Cohen (2-3,1 R,3 RBI,W,SF)
Alan Varhaftik (2-4,2
RBI,2B,SF)
Mike Herr (2-3,1 R)
Kings Playoff notes:
►SS Zac Stavish was the only Playoffs
eligible player missing from the Kings line-up with a scheduled vacation. All
other 13 Kings players got an at bat in the Championship Game.
►Fate was
with the Kings as 2 starting players made heroic efforts to be in attendance for
the Championship Game. Those 2 stories will be posted tomorrow.
►Kings captured their 6th
PMSL Playoffs Championship (1993,1996,2005,2010,2014,2015) and 1st ever
back-to-back Playoff Championships in the franchise's 27 year history.
►A team of destiny, the #1 Kings had 2015
Playoffs walkoff wins as the home team in Round 2 vs. Outlaws, Round 4 vs. LOFT,
and Round 5 vs. Bombers.
Kings
Rings:
Current Players
Justin Cohen
(2010,2015)
Brett Eisenberg (2014,2015)
Matt Friedman (2015)
Arin Gelletly (2010, 2014)
Chuck Grant (1996,2005,2010,2014)
Troy
Hendricks (2005,2010,2014,2015)
Mike Herr (1993,1996,2005,2010,2014,2015)
Jan Katzen (2005,2010,2014,2015)
Steve Levy (1993,1996,2010,2014,.2015)
Shilo Merwitz (2005,2010,2014,2015)
Brad Millison (2014,2015)
Mike
Mittleman (2015)
Kenny Salzman (1996,2005,2010,2014,2015)
Koby Sarubin
(2010,2014,2015)
Glenn Savage (2014,2015)
Zac Stavish (2015)
Alan
Varhaftik (1993,1996,2005,2010,2014,2015)
Alumni
Players
Rob Barrow(2010)
Chris Blankenship (2005)
Justin Cohen (2010)
Dan Frignito (2005)
Mike Frignito (2005)
Barry
Foland (1993,1996)
Larry Getlan (1993,1996)
Joel Gordon (1993,1996)
Scott Katzen (2005,2010)
Alan Klawans (1993)
Brad Lamont (1993,1996)
Larry Newman (1993,1996)
Keegan Rettaliata (2005,2010)
Brooks Sandler
(2010)
Dave Sandler (1993,1996,2005,2010)
Dave Schwartz (1993)
Jeff
Slutzker (1993,1996,2010)
Skip Spriggs (1993)
Marc Summerfield (1996)
Brian Wolf (1993,1996)