PBC Invitational Tournament

Three of the four teams remaining are from the PBC expansion acquisition.

PBC League Table
as of June 17, 2010

RECENT RESULTS
7/11. Essex 9, Greenwood 5
6/22. Concord Park 8, Barrington 4
6/17. Lake Wampaug 6, Murrayfield&Grant 5 (10)
6/12. Auburn Station 11, Dorchester Heights 2

Koontz delivers walk-off winner in extra inning thriller

Lake Wampaug gets revenge against rival club, climbs back to .500 with 10^th inning homer

For eight innings, everything went perfectly for the Lake Wampaug Marauders.

Their offense, while not necessarily overpowering, did everything right in producing scoring opportunities and making the most of them. Walks, sacrifices, stolen bases and timely hits gave Lake Wampaug starter Zachary Hulowitz a slim but sufficient cushion early on. Other than a bases loaded jam in the second, Hulowitz cruised through the Red Barons lineup without hardly breaking a sweat, forbidding any Red Barons from even reaching third base. When Urban Koontz homered in the 6th, and James Howard Jones singled in Chuck Thurman in the 7th, it seemed the 4-0 lead would be insurmountable given the Hulowitz unhittable stuff. Inning after inning he induced easy ground outs and harmless pop ups with his deceptive slider and maddening change up. Entering the ninth with the four run lead, he had allowed a mere four hits and was poised for the first complete game shutout in PBC history. The Red Barons refused to go down easily however, and put runners on the corners with only one out. On a sharply hit ground ball to shortstop Chuck Thurman, Vinnie Knox courageously made a dash for home. After the force at second, a poor throw to the plate thwarted a chance at a game ending double play and Hulowitz’s hopes of completing the ever elusive shutout. Yet the Red Barons were not satisfied with their one run. The next two batters reached, forcing in another run to cut the lead in half.

Still with two outs, and two men on, Clifton Lloyd Harris came to the plate representing the go-ahead run. Manager Dewey Long, determined to give his ace the chance to close out the game, left Hulowitz in to record the final out. But Harris had other plans, launching a shocking three-run homerun deep over the right-centerfield wall. All within a span of twenty mins, the shutout, the lead, and seemingly the game had been lost. Hulowitz finished off the next batter, and trudged back to the dugout, visibly heartbroken at his 9th inning collapse.

Deflated but not defeated, the Marauders rallied their strength in the bottom of the ninth. After pinch hitter Van Sandt popped up to lead off the inning, the dangerous Jacob Watterson walked to give the Marauders some much needed life. Watterson promptly stole second to put himself in scoring position, but Chuck Thurman flew out harmlessly to bring Lake Wampaug to their final out. Unwilling to taste yet another stinging defeat at the hands of the Red Barons, left fielder James Howard Jones settled in, and drilled a 1-2 fastball in the gap for a double, scoring a racing Watterson and notching the score at five. George Gutierrez drove the very next pitch deep into the right field corner where it looked to have a chance to drop for the game winner, but outfielder Harley Littleton made an astonishing leaping catch to save the game and keep the score tied.

After Troy Shornick labored through a wild but scoreless top of the 10th, the Marauders put their first man on in the bottom half. The swift George Dorf came on to pinch run, hoping that speed would once again bring the Lake Wampaug Marauders a much needed run. But excitement made a turn for despair as Dorf was swiftly throw out trying to steal second, and Sal Chalmers hit a lazy pop up on the first pitch for a quick two outs. That’s when Urban Koontz, tired and determined not to walk away losers once again, fished an 0-2 curveball and launched it just within the left-field foul pole for the walk-off winner, his second homerun of the game. Koontz could hardly round the bases as the Lake Wampaug faithful stormed the field, carrying Koontz the final 90 feet to home plate.

“It’s the best feeling in the world. I wasn’t necessarily lookin’ to put one out, but the way I put the ball on the low and outside pitch, I just managed to hook it over. I don’t think it’d hit me until I was back in the dugout.” Urban Koontz has now homered in three straight games, and has a total of four on the young season.

“It’s probably the best ball game I’ve ever played in, for sure,” added a still ecstatic Koontz. With the victory, the Marauders climb back to .500 for the first time this season, and find themselves advancing to the second round of the PBC invitational.

“This one was big, we needed this one real bad,” said skipper Dewey Long, as his fellow Marauders doused him in celebratory beer.

PBC League Table
as of June 17, 2010

RECENT RESULTS
6/17. Lake Wampaug 6, Murrayfield&Grant 5 (10)
6/12. Auburn Station 11, Dorchester Heights 2
6/5. Lake Wampaug 15, Barrington 3
6/4. Concord Park 2, Lake Wampaug 1

PBC Invitational Tournament

Half of the first round has been played, with Auburn Station looking hotter than ever with an 11-3 rout over the Atheltic Club. Lake Wampaug tasted revenge as they upset the favorite Murrayfield & Grant at the grounds. The untested Essex Admirals will take on the Greenwood Robins, and the Barrington Buzzards return to their previous home in Branford to host the powerful Concord Park Nine.

Railroaders Run Through Athletic Club, Into First Place Tie

Auburn Station 11 Dorchester Heights 2

The Auburn Station Railroaders, playing in front of their hometown fans for the first time this year, got everything they needed and more to topple the rival Dorchester Heights Athletic Club. Petey Deedhams carved up opposing hitters as he pitched a complete game, striking out eight while allowing only two runs.

Meanwhile, the Auburn Station sluggers struck hard and early, handing Deedhams an 8-0 lead by the end of the 4th inning. Peabody Dawson delivered a decisive three-run shot in the fourth, part of an explosive six running onslaught against the Athletic Club’s shell-shocked starter Grizzly Vance. Vance couldn’t seem to find a groove throughout the game and struggled mightily against the top four hitters in the Railroader lineup, who went a combined 11 for 18 with seven runs scored and eight driven in. Skip Higgins proved to be a key rally starter, reaching base four out of five at bats and scoring three times.

The Railroaders are now 2-0 with victories Greenwood and Dorchester Heights, and find themselves in a tie for first place with Murrayfield & Grant.

“This was a terrific game, all around,” said Auburn Station skipper Byron Clout, “and you love to see such a gutsy performance from one of your young kids. This was Petey’s first appearance this year, and he had to face a tough, hard hitting team. That really shows what a great job he was able to do, to limit them to only two runs. I’m damn proud of him, I’m proud of the whole team. Hopefully we can go out there and kick Murrayfield’s butts next week so we can claim first place for ourselves.”

PBC Invitational Tournament

Commissioner Rene DuBois drew the tournament selection bids for the PBC Invitational Tournament in mid-June in front of a small crowd at Brandford Commons. Brandford’s franchise, the Bears, re-located to nearby Barrington at the start of the season after sly ownership maneuvering, many in Branford are hopeful that the tournament leads to another franchise in Branford.

Marauders Bruise Buzzards in Battle of the Cellar Dwellers

Lake Wampaug 15 Barrington 3

One night after George Gutierrez challenged his team to up the offensive ante, Lake Wampaug responded with a deafening roar in a 15-3 shelling of the Barrington Buzzards.

The Marauders unleashed a dazzling barrage of firepower with five homeruns, including a two-run shot by Urban Koontz that capped an explosive seven-run eighth against Buzzards reliever Timothy Rose. Ryan Vickers, George Gutierezz, Troy Shornick and George Dorf also contributed long balls in the victory.

Wampaug’s Shornick was dominant while going the distance, striking out 10 and retiring 13 straight through the middle innings. The hard throwing righty was one out away from recording the best start of PBC play so far when Warner Harris connected for a two-run homerun that looked to bounce off the top of the left field wall. After Oliver Smoot singled, Shornick struck out Bill Swan on three pitches for the complete game victory. The Marauders now have a team ERA of 3.00, second only to Concord Park.

Barrington, while originally predicted by some to be a top contender in this year’s play, must find a way to turn their season around, and fast. Buzzards pitchers have allowed a staggering 35 runs over just 3 games, and find themselves winless at 0-3.