Today in the CBO
News and Notes - Reports from around the Commonwealth
by Nat Wright-Kowalski
14 August 2297 - BL: Party Boys Prevail, 7-6, Over The Slog
Brian Masterson was instrumental in his team's 7-6 triumph over the The Slog Ghouls. The second baseman went 3 for 6 with 3 singles. He drove in 4 runs and scored once for the Nordhagen Beach Party Boys. Casey Diehl was the winner. Over 6 innings, he allowed 5 runs on 9 hits, with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. The win gives Nordhagen Beach a season record of 30-27.
With Nordhagen Beach leading 5-3 in the top of the fifth, Masterson hit a 2-run single off The Slog hurler Gary Estate. It was the 100th hit of the season for Masterson and put his team ahead, 7-3.
"We're not content beat The Slog," Masterson said. "We still need to come out firing next week and earn ourselves a playoff spot."
Easy Town swept Finch Farm to move within a game of the Party Boys. Still, Nordhagen Beach showed a fighting spirit since the midway point of the season, winning their fifth straight series and 13 of their last 16 games.
The Assaultrons visit Nordhagen Beach next weekend for a playoff-caliber matchup. Easy Town needs to win two of three to force a fourth game that would be played also in Nordhagen Beach. If the Assaultrons sweep, they would represent the Brotherhood League as the wildcard team. Should the Boys win two of three or sweep, they would be the wildcard representative.
Other Scores:
Finch Farm 10 at Easy Town 11
The radstorm could not dampen the enthusiasm of Easy Town fans at Easy Town Field as they continue to battle for a spot in the CBO playoffs.
The inspired effort of Finch Farm right fielder Matt Basile was not enough to prevent a loss, 11-10, to the Easy Town Assaultrons. Basile was 3 for 4 with a home run, a double, and 2 walks, while scoring 3 times and driving in 2. Easy Town reliever Chris Salazar was the winner. His record is now 3-0. The losing pitcher was Good Company Schiller. Thomas Seefar converted his 1st save in 1 tries.
Matt Stoops, who is tied for 3rd in the BL with a .380 batting average, aided the Easy Town cause with a run-scoring walk in the bottom of the fifth. For the game, the shortstop went 1 for 3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch.
With the win, the Assaultrons have entered into a two-way battle for the BL wildcard spot with Nordhagen Beach with three to play. Easy Town travels to Nordhagen Beach next weekend.
Finch Farm, the 2296 BL champions, will not be in the playoffs in 2297 after being swept.
Salem 6 at County Crossing 1
Behind a fine performance from Pistol Schmidt, the Salem Witch Hats knocked off the County Crossing Bloodbugs, 6-1. Schmidt was 4 for 4 with a home run, 2 doubles, and a walk. He scored 3 runs for the Witch Hats. The last-place Witch Hats improved to 26-31.
Schmidt had a key at-bat for Salem early in the game. With the bases empty, he hit a solo home run. It was his 6th home run of the season and gave Salem an early 1-0 lead.
Salem is now in a three-way tie for fourth place with the Bloodbugs and Finch Farm.
14 August 2297 - Fogcrawler's Hit Streak Soars to 20 Games
Nobody has been able to shut down Nordhagen Beach Party Boys left fielder Michael Fogcrawler in recent days. The The Slog Ghouls fared no better than the rest.
Today at Tarberry Field Forever, Fogcrawler picked up 2 hits in 3 at-bats en route to a 7-6 Party Boys victory. It stretched his hitting string to 20 consecutive games.
Michael Fogcrawler hit an RBI double in the 1st, hit an RBI double in the 2nd, walked in the 4th, grounded out in the 5th and walked in the 8th.
On the year Fogcrawler is hitting .379 with 91 hits, 19 home runs, 60 RBIs, .425 OBP and has scored 46 runs.
14 August 2297 - IL: Shroud Get Important Win in Playoff Race
The Fort Hagen Silver Shroud topped the Sunshine Tidings Chemists by the score of 8-5, with the largest share of the credit going to third baseman Micah Morals. Morals went 4 for 5 with a home run, a double, and 2 singles. He scored 2 times and drove in 4 for the Silver Shroud. Reliever Kevin Marsh picked up the win. His record improves to 1-0. Bill Sarnacki took the loss. Curtis Thriceshot picked up the save for Fort Hagen, his 14th of the year.
Jim Tiller, who leads the IL in doubles with 25, helped out the Fort Hagen cause in the top of the seventh inning with a run-scoring double. For the game, the first baseman went 2-5 with a double.
"I just tried to see the ball and put a good swing on it," said Morals.
At 28-29, the Silver Shroud find themselves in third place in the Institute League, jut one game back of the Chemists in the Institute League wildcard race.
With the loss by Sunshine Tidings, the Lexington Synths have clinched the Institute League title without yet having played today.
Other Scores:
Starlight 8 at Concord 7, 11 inn.
In the 8-7 Starlight win over Concord, the impact of Skinny Danner was substantial. Danner, who is tied for 7th in the IL in bases on balls with 26, was 2 for 5 with a home run and a walk. He drove in 2 runs and scored once. Starlight now sits at 27-30, while Concord falls to 27-30.
The game was all tied up in the top of the 11th, until Danner delivered big-time for Starlight, stroking a dramatic run-scoring single off Bell Franklin. The game-changing hit put the Lady Killers on top, 8-7.
Lady Killers manager Tick Raid wasn't all too pleased, despite the win, telling reporters that the performance highlighted some clear areas for improvement moving forward. He refused to be more specific, however. "I'm not gonna publicize our weaknesses," he said. "That stuff stays in the clubhouse."
By snapping their double-digit losing streak, Starlight remains mathematically alive for a wildcard spot in the IL, though chances are slim. Basically, they need to sweep Abernathy and then get help from Lexington over Sunshine Tidings and Concord getting at least two of three wins over Fort Hagen.
14 August 2297 - ML: Hancocks Sweep, Clinch ML
The Minutemen League battle for the 2297 league title is over.
Led by Jumper Hayes, the Goodneighbor Hancocks downed the Warwick Mirelurks, 6-5, to sweep the Mirelurks and claim the 2297 crown. Hayes went 3 for 4 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2 for the Hancocks. John Oldsink got credit for the win, improving to 9-5. He allowed 5 runs on 10 hits in 8.2 innings. Goodneighbor has a 5-game win streak, while Warwick has lost 3 in a row.
The Hancocks took a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Facing Warwick hurler Tom Rose with two outs, Hayes hit a run-scoring single.
"We'll keep playing hard and let the chips fall where they may," said Goodneighbor manager Jeremy Whiteplate.
Other Scores:
University Point 7 at Atom 8
Atom catcher Garrett Machine made his presence felt in the 8-7 Cats triumph over the University Point Deathclaws. Machine went 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 singles. He scored 2 runs and drove in 3. The save went to Freedom Williams, his 14th this season. The win puts Atom at 23-34.
Travis Alone, who finished 5th in the ML in hits with 93 last year, aided the Atom cause with a run-scoring double in the bottom of the sixth. For the game, the right fielder was 4 for 4 with 3 doubles and a walk.
Jamaica Plain 3 at Quincy 8
Starting pitcher Ray Human pitched well enough to help the Quincy Gunners beat the Jamaica Plain Red Rockets, 8-3. The victory gives Quincy a record of 32-25.
Making an impact for the home team was Ben Pettinato. In the bottom of the fourth, the former first round draft pick had a run-scoring walk. That made the score 5-3, Gunners.
With the win, Quincy is now in a 2nd place tie with Warwick. Those two teams battle for the wildcard spot in the ML next weekend in Warwick. The winner of that series will be in the CBO playoffs, and the loser of that series will what-if their way to Christmas.
14 August 2297 - RL: Win Streak Now at 7 for T-51s
Oberland rode a decent outing from starter Matt Udder to victory over the Fairline Hill Estates Yao Guai. The final score was 8-5. Udder, now 12-2, was the winner. In 8 innings, he gave up 5 hits, while striking out 7, walking 3, and allowing 1 run. The T-51s lead the Railroad League by 12 games.
Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for Chris Milteer? The Oberland shortstop had a run-scoring double in the top of the second inning to put the T-51s on top, 1-0. For the game, Milteer had 2 doubles and 1 single in 5 at-bats.
"Winning breeds more winning, I guess," said Milteer.
Other Scores:
Shaw 11 at Diamond City 7
The 2297 season is getting uglier for Diamond City as they have now dropped 11 straight.
The Shaw HS Knuckle Punchers stopped the Diamond City Swatters, 11-7, at The Great Green Jewel. The Knuckle Punchers got a big game from Rocky Gourd, who was 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and was hit by a pitch. He scored 3 times. Shaw HS reliever Odysseus Blades picked up the win, upping his record to 2-0. Tyler Powers shouldered the loss. James Hickory earned the save, his 1st, for the Knuckle Punchers.
Shaw HS used the timely hitting of Josh Freeman to seize the win. The catcher stroked a 2-run single in the top of the eighth inning to put the Knuckle Punchers on top, 8-5. It was his only hit in 5 at-bats, but it was a game-changer.
At two games back of the Minutemen League's Jamaica Plain Red Rockets, the Swatters are likely to earn the #1 overall draft pick next weekend.
Vault 81 7 at Egret 8
Vault 81 right fielder Deer Quickwalker had a terrific game, but it still wasn't enough to get his team a win. Quickwalker went 4 for 5 with a double and 3 singles. He drove in 2 runs and scored once, even as Egret beat the Dwellers, 8-7. The win belongs to Andy Helium in relief. His record improves to 4-3. Danny Rocketman took the loss for Vault 81. Egret is now riding a 3-game win streak.
The clutch at-bat came in the bottom of the ninth inning, when Egret pinch hitter Casey Roux, facing Danny Rocketman, had a run-scoring walk. It gave the Scrappers the 8-7 win.
The Dwellers are in trouble for the RL wildcard spot but get their chance next weekend when Fairline Hill Estates visits. Vault 81 needs to sweep to earn a fourth game and a winner-takes-the-wildcard matchup.