Friday, June 22, 2012

Bullets' Ego and Stats Buoyed up by Rubin Museum

The DC Bullets looked forward to a chance to redeem themselves against New York magazine on Thursday, but a change in the magazine's working hours prevented their squad from making it to North Meadow #2 by game time. Fortunately, the great crew at the Rubin Museum stepped in on short notice to provide the Bullets an opponent. The Bullets put an emphatic halt to their three-game losing skid, pummeling the Museum staff 26-1.

Firstly, a huge thanks to the Rubin team for coming out on short notice and in arid conditions. They're a fun bunch, as we got to find out when several of them came to the bar with us after the game, and their team's still fairly new. Once they figure out who their regulars are going to be and what those players' strengths will be, I'm sure they're going to be a much more competitive team. Good luck, Rubin!

In the first, Rubin put immediate pressure on the Bullets, grounding and flaring a series of hits just beyond the reach of a DC fielder. With the bases loaded and two outs, Larry Ganem seemed to work out of the inning scorelessly when he induced a routine groundball to second, but Joel Press buckled under the pressure, bobbled the ball, and denied Larry (and co-pitcher Pat Brosseau) a shutout. (I have to give Joel a hard time about it; he had a monster game at the plate.) Larry retired the next batter, and the Bullets went to work making up the early deficit.

Vince Letterio and Mike Lorah started DC up with back-to-back singles, and Andrew Arnold put the team in the lead, banging a triple over the left fielder's head. DC never trailed again. In fact, twelve batters later, when John Choi, the last hitter in the lineup, grounded a two-run single into left, only one Bullet batter had been retired, and DC opted to enact the mercy rule - going back into the field without making a third (or second) out. Kevin Schwoer added in RBI hit, Joel Press clubbed a bases-loaded triple, and Larry, Pat, Dan Bertoldi and Blake Kobashigawa provided tack-on run-scoring hits.

After Rubin's scoreless second, DC's turn at bat went much the same. Vince singled and Mike drilled a two-run  bomb to dead center. Andrew, Kevin and Nel Yomtov singled to the bases. Sal Cipriano popped out to shallow center, and Christine Napolitano cashed in a run with a fielder's choice grounder. With two outs ... well, there never was a third out. The next eight hitters reached safely, mostly station-to-station run-scoring singles, and after John's single, the Bullets again opted for mercy.

The third went quietly, with Rubin scoreless and DC tallying only a single run. Vince hustled out a double and sprinted home on Mike's liner to left center. Andrew singled, Kevin grounded to third, where Mike was forced, and Nel singled, loading the bases for Sal. The Captain launched a high pop-up to the shortstop, who, backpeddling, missed the ball. However, he recovered quickly and threw home to force Andrew at the plate. The pitcher, covering, then threw across to second base to force an inattentive Nel, who'd not run from first base, for an inning-ending double-play.

DC added three more in the fourth. CNap lined a single to left, and Joel demolished the first pitch he saw, launching it to deepest left field for a two-run homer. After Larry's pop-up, Neil lined a hit to left center, moved up on Allison Klein's similar line drive single, and came home on Dan's fielder's choice for the final run of the afternoon. Pat added a double, but Blake and John grounded out to end the inning and, as it turned out, the game. With the Rubin team getting to the field almost forty minutes after scheduled game time and the 7:00 permit holders ready and waiting, the Bullets/Rubin contest was limited to just four innings.

7-4 (2-2 NYMSL), the Bullets have a full slate of games next week. On Monday, at Hecksher Field #2, they'll meet Left/Right for the first time ever. Then it's Scientific American on Thursday at North Meadow #2 and the first meeting of 2012 with reigning New York Media Softball League champions Wall St. Journal on Saturday at North Meadow #7.

Bullet Box:
LF Vince Letterio - 3-3, 3 R, double
3B Mike Lorah - 3-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, home run
LF Andrew Arnold - 3-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, triple
3B/SS Kevin Schower - 2-3, 2 R, RBI
SS Nel Yomtov - 3-3, R
1B Sal Cipriano - 2-3, R
SCF Christine Napolitano - 1-3, 2 R, RBI
2B Joel Press - 3-3, 3 R, 6 RBI, triple, home run
P Larry Ganem - 2-3, 2 R, RBI
CF Neil Hiremath - 3-3, 3 R, RBI
2B/RF Allison Klein - 2-3, 2 R, RBI
C Dan Bertoldi - 2-3, 2 R, 3 RBI
P Pat Brosseau - 3-3, R, 2 RBI
RF/CF Blake Kobashigawa - 2-3, 2 RBI
RF John Choi - 2-3, 3 RBI

Also, thanks again to Danielle Yannetta and Andrew Marino for joining the Rubin Museum roster for the evening.

3B Andrew Marino - 1-2
C Danielle Yannetta - 0-2

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