West Coast Washout 12, The Dinger Squad 9
The West Coast Washout used nine first inning singles to build a 7-run lead which they would never relinquish. Pitching on his birthday, Washout starter Jason Matt bent but didn't break, mixing Dinger Squad walks, hits, and runs in with enough strikeouts and pop-outs to limit the Dingers to chipping away. The game had the feeling of slipping away from the Washout until a two-out double by Austin Cudworth plated Kevin Tsuchida and Andrew Winter in the fourth. Matt was fired up and in control in his last inning on the mound as he struck out the final two batters to preserve the 12-9 lead.
West Coast Washout 3, The Dinger Squad 2
Andrew Winter and Aiden Welch were both lights out. Had they pitched in opposite game, we would have almost surely seen a split. As it was, the matchup produced some fantastic action. Winter struck out 13 batters, while Welch took down 7. The score was knotted at 0-0 going into the third until Austin Cudworth led off with a single. After an out, Winter helped his own cause by walking, before Daniel Rish doubled, bringing home Cudworth. Winter and Rish scored as the result of an errant peg attempt in what was the Dinger Squad's only mistake of the day. Trailing 3-0 in the final inning, the Dinger Squad showed great poise at the plate, loading the bases via two walks and a hit. Winter responded by striking out one batter, and inducing a pop-fly. The next batter he walked, prompting captain Daniel Rish to pull Winter and insert himself at pitcher, in a decision sure to be remembered as foolish if it didn't pay off. Winter had only walked 6 in the game, but 3 of those came in the sixth. When Cody Thomson walked on a 3-1 pitch to bring the tying run 45 feet from home, the Dinger Squad let out a collective bellow of triumph. It looked like their joy might increase as a visibly shaken Rish fell behind in the count 2-1 to Welch. However, with the game on the line, Rish was vindicated in his decision-making as Welch swung through a full count riser.
Check back later in the week for players of the week.
Pitcher of the Week: Andrew Winter
Andrew led the West Coast Washout to a 3-2 victory in the first pitchers' duel in league history, striking out 13 while scattering 7 hits and 6 walks. Winter's repertoire includes a curveball which has yet to be adapted to the Wiffle game, but it was sharp enough to baffle Dinger Squad hitters. After struggling with control in his first two starts, Winter was sharp throughout. Winter was pulled one out before completing the game, and the bullpen let in the second run of the game, though it was charged to Winter. Winter flirted with the 70 mph speed limit throughout, several times skipping right past the flirting stage.
Honorable Mention: Matt Soucy (W 11-1 vs. Wiff Waff: 6IP, 3H, 4 BB, 6 K)
Defensive Player of the Week: Aidan Welch
Aidan's big plays came in the first inning, as he robbed homeruns from the West Coast Washout's Daniel Rish in consecutive at-bats. Those two plays saved somewhere around 6 runs, as a grand slam and a 3-run homerun were converted to a single sac fly. Welch's defensive stand did not stop there. He continued to nab fly balls out of the sky in the first game of the series, and then fielded his position flawlessly from the mound in game 2.
Offensive Player of the Week: Matt Soucy
The Bungalow Boys came crashing onto the scene with a bang, with Matt Soucy being a leading force at the plate. His day started off somewhat slowly, as he went 3-7 against Felix Reyes of Wiff Waff. His shortcomings were largely due in overagressiveness, and he popped out three times (a fourth was a sacrifice fly). In the second game, Matt came a home run short of the cycle, and piled up 8 RBIs while going 5-7. We salute Matt for his aggressive approach, which will pay long-term dividends if it can be refined and combined with patience.
