After a chaotic pre-game, Dan Rish settled in on the field and as a model for the Washout's new uniforms.
It's 11:30 AM at Cowen Park, and chaos reigns. With an hour until scheduled first pitch, there is an ultimate frisbee game (replete with cones and jerseys - a sign of officialness) sprawled across the field. The holes for the fence posts have been filled in. A homeless man sits at home plate, angrily eating (and punching) pizza. The radar gun is missing. The commissioner is losing his cool. "Wabi-sabi", says Jeremy Salvo. It's just a little messed up, and that's alright. It's perfectly the way things should be. And so it is. The philosophy of the day. Wabi-sabi.
In Which the Washout find a Philosophy
DAN RISH, West Coast Washout
West Coast Washout 21 || ISO Pale 6
A move back to the leadoff and a refined approach got Max Melendez out of his slump at the plate.
With their ace on the mound in Max Melendez, the Washout are not supposed to be in trouble. Yet here is winless ISO Pale, battling back from an early hole. With a “two-outs, who cares” attitude, they pull back to 4-3 after first inning deficit. The deficit swells to 7-3, and they just keep pace. They’ve walked 8 times after two innings, and it’s 7-6. Unfortunately for them, the floodgates then start to leak. Jeremy Salvo records a Little League homer to make it 9-6, and then death by a thousand cuts (or 5 singles and two walks) occurs. Jamey Stephens comes in in relief for Shane Huddlehuff, but by now there is no coming back. Melendez is done walking folks, and the rout is on. The Washout recorded two homers on the game, from Melendez and Conor Roberson.
West Coast Washout 12 || ISO Pale 8 Kevin Tsuchida took over the game two, hitting two homeruns out of the two hole.
Again, ISO came back from an early hole, with Scott Macgowen pounding a two run homer to center in the second, knotting the game at 2-2. The Washout worked out of a jam that inning to prevent further damage, with Conor Roberson making a key bang-bang put-out at third off an assist from the pitcher, Daniel Rish. Kevin Tsuchida was the answer for the Washout, as he powered the Washout offense throughout. After singles in the first and second, Tsuchida homered to right in the fourth inning, and came back an inning later with a matching bomb to left. Those homers provided half the runs in the Washout building an 8-2 lead. With the lead at 8-2, the Washout went cute, sending Andrew Winter to the mound to close the game and get some reps. Winter was rusty, walking three batters, none on deep counts.
Marquee Matchup: Rish vs Par.
Sensing the failure of the experiment, the Washout moved to return Rish to the hill. ISO manager Otto Par blocked the move, citing a seldom-noticed clause limiting re-entry to pitchers who have sat out at least six batters. In the moment of need, the Washout turned the ball over to Conor Roberson, hoping for an out while waiting for the blockade on Rish to expire. That out came ever so close with a 3-2 pitch to Macgowan, but the inning went back over to Rish with none out, and the tying run on first. It’s 8-5. Things are definitely messed up for the Washout. A strikeout. Scott Huddlehuff singles. 8-6. A lineout to Melendez! They’ll get out of it after all!
“No,” says Otto Par. He doubles. Given the green light to chance it, Macgowan rounds third, ball in pursuit. Rish has the ball - can make a play…and misses! Chaos! A tie!
Tsuchida living his #bestlife.
The Washout come up in the bottom of the inning, get two walks, a Tsuchida single, and two pop-outs. Otto Par is one out away from sending the game to extras. With two outs and the bases juiced, Rish takes 1-1 pitch and parks it in the cheap seats of left field, and the Washout escape. For them, Wabi-sabi indeed.
50% still plenty of Juice against Hang and Bang
GABE SHOWALTER, 100% Real Juice
League batting average leader Duncan Robinson tries to avoid to the ball after yet another hit.
100% Real Juice 11 || Hang and Bang 1 (F/5)
This was a tight game early with both teams stranding runners and making key pitches and clutch defensive plays to get out of innings. Juice manufactured a run in the bottom of the first with league leading hitter Duncan Robinson coming around to score after a lead-off walk thanks to Sam LaCroix's sac fly and a Matt Guindon fielders choice. Hang and Bang quickly answered in the top of the 2nd with three consecutive hits-singles by Alex and Greg Nyssen and a double by Jonathan Stevens-to push a run across.
Jonathan Stevens faking somebody out, probably.
That would be the only run for H&B in Game 1 as Adam Brickett settled in and put together another solid performance in his first year as a full time starter. The Juice bats got going in the bottom of the 3rd with Brickett's first homer of the year and didn't stop until a Tim Haggerty 2-run homer (his second of the game) ended the game in 5 innings. Haggerty led the way for the Juice with three hits and 6 RBI in all.
100% Real Juice 17 || Hang and Bang 6 (F/5)
This was the game that kept Juice captain Gabe Showalter up the night before, knowing that he'd be playing without the newly added extra defender due to LaCroix's early departure. He also did not know what he'd get on the mound with his usual arsenal MIA. Duncan Robinson and Matt Guindon played hot potato with the starting assignment, finally landing on Guindon after Robinson conveniently found himself with a scorebook issue that needed his attention after the top of the 1st.
Matt Guindon filled in admirably, limiting Hang and Bang until the bats could get going for the Juice.
Guindon quickly had everyone wondering why he hadn't seen the mound earlier as he cruised through three innings unscathed. After a couple runs in the top of the 1st built a 2-0 lead through three, Juice appeared to break the game open with a 5-run 4th inning behind five walks and three hits that stretched the lead to 7-0. H&B quickly bounced back to tighten the game up again with a 4-run inning of their own in the bottom of the 4th. Alex (solo) and Jonathan Stevens (3-run) swatted a pair of dingers to help H&B live up to the name.
Alex "The True Throwback" Arkfeld connected for his first home run of the year.
With H&B starter Jonathan Stevens wearing down, Juice took advantage and truly broke the game open with a 10-run top of the 5th. Despite some mid-inning coaching from Nyssen that helped Stevens mix in some nasty pitches, Juice was patient as usual and used a string of walks and hits, including a Guindon 3-run homer, to put the game into mercy-rule territory.
Rookies Split a Double Slugfest
COMMANDER BRANDON WILLIAMS, Mighty Knucks
Mighty Knucks 25 || Bilabial Stops 8
The Knucks patiently took their walks and then swung the heavy plastic to win their first game in franchise history.
Kevin Ryan found himself on the hill in his first career start for the Knucks. Kevin had some issues the first time through the order, walking three guys while giving up a hit. Nick Usoff continued his hot hitting and connected on a double to help the Stops jump out to a commanding 5-0 lead in the top of the first.
In the bottom of the first the Knucks offense alternated between walks and singles for nine straight batters to take a 6-5 lead. Starter Usoff continued to have command issues, conceding 5 consecutive walks from a patient Knucks offense. Brandon Williams doubled into left center to put the Knucks up 12-5 and chase Usoff after only one out. Reliever Vadnais quickly mopped up the damage and got the Stops back up to hit with a score of 14-5.
Kevin Ryan dug in and got two quick outs, including his first strikeout of the game, but soon after Usoff put a ball into orbit for a 3-run homerun. Skirting around another walk the Knucks got out of the inning with a strikeout looking.
Fresh out of the box.
With the chants of Knucks, Knucks, Knucks from the crowd the home team plated another 11 runs in the bottom of the second inning. Alex Hatch caught and hit his first homerun to opposite field before pulling a double down the line later in the inning. Tanner Jump, playing injured, laced a double down the line and cleared the bases for another extra base hit on the young season. Chad Kebba made his debut and battled off pitches all game, picked up a few base hits on 2 strike counts to keep the momentum going.
Alex Hatch launching his first home run in his league debut.
After another long sit, Kevin came out in the 3rd and put up his best inning, surrendering zero with only 8 pitches. Jaris Beasley got an assist as he threw out a runner trying to get to third, and Mighty Knucks secured their first franchise victory, 25-8. With the new jerseys, the team looked good on the field and put together a team effort.
Bilabial Stops 9 || Mighty Knucks 1
After getting pummeled in the first game of their doubleheader, it looked as if the Knucks might hand the Stops another beat-down. In the top of the 1st, the Knucks loaded the bases in their first three at-bats, but Stops starting pitcher Ed Brown managed to work his way out of the jam via a strikeout and a double-play that scored what would be the Knuck's only run of the game.
In the bottom of the 1st, the Bilabials took a 2-1 lead on a couple of walks and two base hits. A pair of runs would be all the offense the Stops would need, courtesy of Brown's lights-out pitching from the 2nd inning onward.
Despite eight walks and one base hit, the Knucks put up goose eggs in their remaining five innings at the plate. Brown escaped two more bases-loaded situations in the 4th and 5th innings, thanks in large part to strikeouts and sterling defensive support from fleet-of-feet Usoff in the outfield.
