Today in the CBO
News and Notes - Reports from around the Commonwealth
by Nat Wright-Kowalski
2 July 2297 - BL: Bloodbugs Take Nail-Biter Over Party Boys in 13
Manley Nebeker helped his team muscle past the Nordhagen Beach Party Boys, 7-6, in 13 innings. In the game, the County Crossing third baseman was 2-5 with a home run, a double, and a walk. He scored 2 runs and drove in 3. County Crossing reliever Chopsticks McWilliams picked up the win, upping his record to 3-0. Kevin Badluck absorbed the loss. With the win, County Crossing raised its record to 20-18.
The Party Boys were leading 6-3 heading into the bottom of the eight. That is when County Crossing found its offense against starter Tommy Beach. Tom Mastodon led off the inning by reaching on a Tommy Talkington error, Talkington's 12th of the season to tie him for second in all of the CBO. After a walk, Beach gave up an RBI double to Nebeker and a two-run single to Biter Trout before being replaced without recording an out in the inning. Beach's final line was 7.0 innings pitched, six runs allowed, five earned rins allowed, three walks, seven strikeouts, and two home runs allowed. His ERA now climbs to 7.86 on the season.
The clutch at-bat came in the bottom of the 13th inning, when County Crossing left fielder Mastodon, facing Kevin Badluck, had a run-scoring sacrifice fly. It gave the Bloodbugs the 7-6 win.
In postgame comments, Mastodon said he was glad to contribute to an exciting win. "It feels good to beat the Party Boys. I don't know why, but they have been our sour squirrel bits. Now we know we won a series on them."
Other Scores:
Finch Farm 4 at Salem 10
The Salem Witch Hats powered past the Finch Farm Four Leafs, 10-4, at Vim! Park of Salem. Mike Laughingman was 3 for 5 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 runs and drove in 3, to lead the charge. The Witch Hats go to 14-24 with the win.
Laughingman contributed in the bottom of the second. With a runner on 2nd, he hit a run-scoring double. It was one at-bat among others that helped Salem get the win.
The Slog 10 at Easy Town 1
The The Slog Ghouls defeated the Easy Town Assaultrons, 10-1, at Easy Town Field today. Leading the charge for The Slog was shortstop Lernz Tentsleep. He was 4 for 6 with a home run, a double, and 2 singles, while adding 5 RBI and scoring once. The Slog now has a 7-game win streak.
In the top of the first, with the game still scoreless, Tentsleep hit a run-scoring single to put his team in the lead.
2 July 2297 - Schmidt Hits in 20 Consecutive Games
Pistol Schmidt, third baseman for the Salem Witch Hats, ran his consecutive-game hitting streak to 20 games with 4 hits in his club's 10-4 victory today over the Finch Farm Four Leafs at Vim! Park of Salem today.
"I don't really know why it's even happening," he said with a grin after the game. "So asking me how long I can keep it up is kind of irrelevant. It'll end when it ends."
Pistol Schmidt singled in the 2nd, struck out in the 3rd, singled in the 5th, doubled in the 7th and singled in the 8th.
A look at his season totals shows Schmidt with 4 home runs, .305 BA, .361 OBP, 16 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
2 July 2297 - IL: Chemists Deal Lady Killers 4-2 Loss in 10
Sunshine Tidings Chemists starter Tim Fusion was in a groove as he led his team to a win over the Starlight Lady Killers, 4-2. Sunshine Tidings reliever Tiny Greene was the winner. His record is now 1-3. Larry Undertaker took the loss. Sunshine Tidings has now won 3 straight, while the Lady Killers have lost 3 in a row.
Sunshine Tidings won the game in the bottom of the tenth inning. With one out and Larry Undertaker on the mound for Starlight, shortstop Chris Wickliffe hit a dramatic 2-run home run, bringing Chemists fans to their feet.
"Enjoyed this one," Wickliffe told the Sunshine Tidings Observer. "But it's back to work tomorrow."
Other Scores:
Concord 3 at Abernathy 6
The Abernathy Adamantium dealt the Concord Radstags a 6-3 loss at Tato Field. Donny Kowalski was the star on offense. He went 2 for 3 with a home run and a walk. He scored 2 runs and drove in 3. The Adamantium saw their win-loss record go to 18-20. At the same time, the Radstags fell to 20-18.
Kowalski had a key at-bat for Abernathy early in the game. With runners on 1st and 3rd, he hit a 3-run home run. It was his 4th home run of the season and gave Abernathy an early 3-0 lead.
Lexington 9 at Fort Hagen 8
Getting offensive support from Swift Hendrix, the Lexington Synths topped the Fort Hagen Silver Shroud, 9-8. Hendrix was 3 for 5 with 3 singles and a walk. He scored 2 times and drove in 3 for the Synths. Picking up the save was Adam Bias, his 13th. With the win, Lexington upped its record to 20-18.
Hendrix hit a run-scoring single in the top of the second to help the Lexington cause. The single, which was hit off All Day Acosta, allowed Lexington to take a 3-2 lead.
2 July 2297 - ML: Gunners Sneak By Deathclaws, 4-3
Fans saw a dandy of a game between the Quincy Gunners and University Point Deathclaw with five of the game's seven runs scored in the 8th inning.
The Quincy Gunners did just enough to secure a victory over the University Point Deathclaws, 4-3, at The Stone House. Nobody did more than pitcher Manny McDuff. Quincy now has a record of 24-14 with the win.
Had Brian Drinkwater not delivered a key base hit in the bottom of the eighth, the outcome might have been different. Instead, with two down and a runner on 2nd, Drinkwater hit a run-scoring single. That made the score 4-3, in favor of the Gunners.
"We squandered some opportunities," said University Point manager Woody Lumpkin.
Other Scores:
Warwick 3 at Jamaica Plain 4
The Jamaica Plain Red Rockets picked up a win at Red Rockets Stadium, knocking off the Warwick Mirelurks, 4-3. Starting pitcher Will Rope played a key role in the triumph. The winner was Jamaica Plain reliever Steven Rockman, now 2-2. The loser was Tom Rose. The Red Rockets raised their record to 14-24.
Mike Van Noord was the walk-off hero for Jamaica Plain. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Red Rockets third baseman hit a dramatic run-scoring triple to send the teams home.
Atom 6 at Goodneighbor 9
The Goodneighbor Hancocks defeated the Atom Cats, 9-6. Doing his part was second baseman Jumper Hayes, who was 2 for 2 with a double, 2 walks, and was hit by a pitch, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. Matt Rodrigue, now 2-3, was credited with the win. He allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, while striking out 0 and walking 1. The Cats, now 12-26, have lost 4 in a row.
Carlos Mungo was the walk-off hero for Goodneighbor. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Hancocks catcher hit a dramatic 3-run home run to send the teams home.
2 July 2297 - RL: Jerry Tames Dwellers, 2-0
Oberland's Gerald Jerry dazzled the Graygarden Park crowd with a fine display of pitching. From the start, Jerry dominated the Vault 81 lineup en route to a sparkling 2-0 complete-game shutout. He finished with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks.
His record this season is 5-2 in 13 starts and Jerry has a 3.41 ERA.
Not only did Jerry pitch well, but he also hit a solo home run in the eight inning to help his team's offense. The home run was the first of his career and marked only his third hit of the 2297 season.
Other Scores:
Diamond City 10 at Egret 6
Wayne Lacy was instrumental in his team's 10-6 triumph over the Egret Scrappers. The right fielder went 3 for 5 with a home run and a double. He drove in 3 runs and scored once for the Diamond City Swatters. Diamond City has a 3-game win streak, while Egret has lost 3 in a row.
Diamond City used the clutch hitting of Wally Warwick to capture the win. The shortstop drilled a bases-clearing double in the top of the sixth inning to give the Swatters the lead, 9-5. For the game, Warwick had 1 single and 1 double in 5 at-bats.
Shaw 7 at Fairline Hill Estates 8
The Fairline Hill Estates Yao Guai topped the Shaw HS Knuckle Punchers, 8-7, with first baseman Nick Waterpipe playing a big role. Waterpipe went 1 for 4 with a home run and a walk, while scoring 2 times and driving in 3 for the Yao Guai in the win. Dave Crowfoot collected his 5th save. Fairline Hill Estates is now riding a 3-game win streak.
Waterpipe had a big at-bat with runners on 1st and 2nd in the bottom of the fifth inning, when he hit a 3-run home run. The Yao Guai went on to win.