PBC Mid-season Rankings

Brian R. Weathers, Senior Analyst

1. Murrayfield & Grant (5-1)

This team could very well be 3-3, or worse, but they’ve found ways to pull off victory after victory in the most improbable of circumstances. Simply put, MG never gives in, and that’s a sign of a true competitor. Right now they are the team to beat, yet it remains to be seen how ace G.H. Henderson’s injury will affect the squad down the stretch.

2. Auburn Station (4-1)

The Railroaders pulled off two close victories on the road with 9th inning rallies. This is an offense that thrives on the long ball (17 in 5 games) but can find other ways to score when it needs to. Phinaeus Yarborough is make a case for league MVP with 2 homeruns and 9 RBI to date. Petey Deedhams (2-0, 2.67 ERA) has also been a pleasant surprise in the rotation.

3. Lake Wampaug (4-2)

After a rough start in which the Marauders lost each of their first two games by a single run, Lake Wampaug has been the most consistent team in the PBC, winning four straight. The offense isn’t overpowering, but survives with speed and small ball. James Howard Jones leads the team with a .583 batting average, and Troy Shornick (2-0, 2.37 ERA) has had one of the best first halves of any starter in the PBC.

4. Greenwood (2-3)

Despite the losing record, Greenwood has been in every game they’ve played this season, except perhaps their 9-5 loss to Essex. They have a tough schedule down the stretch with games against Concord Park, Lake Wampaug and Auburn Station, but they certainly have the tools to win. Look for them to up the ante in search of a potential playoff spot.

5. Concord Park (2-1)

Concord Park is a difficult team to judge due to their light schedule to date. They’ve played well so far, beating Lake Wampaug and coming within 2 outs of topping Auburn Station. Americus Hammond has also been very good. However, their light hitting offense raises questions as to whether they can continue to contend with the big bats in the rest of the league.

6. Dorchester Heights (1-3)

Dorchester Heights’ record should by all means stand at 3-1 right now, not 1-3, but they’ve shown an inability to hang on to big leads. They blew a 13-7 lead in the 9th to Greenwood, and let an early 7-0 lead evaporate against Murrayfield and Grant. Still, their juggernaut offense is still a force to be reckoned with, and Webb Slater is among homerun leaders with (7). If their pitching can find a way to seal the deal, the Athletic Club will be a very dangerous team.

7. Essex (1-4)

Originally picked to be a playoff contender, Essex find themselves at the bottom of the pile with virtually no playoff hopes after four consecutive losses. Three of the losses took extra innings, while the fourth was also decided in the final frame. Look for Essex to make some trades to shake up their somewhat one-dimensional offense.

8. Barrington (1-5)

The good news is Barrington finally won their first game, an extra-inning show down versus Essex in which Bubba Logan followed a failed suicide squeeze attempt with a walk-off two-run shot. The bad news is it took them six tries to get that first victory. The offense can’t capitalize and the pitching has been abysmal. Barrington must pick up another win or else they risk getting bumped down to division two.

For second straight night, Railroaders score three in final frame en route to victory

Auburn Station 6, Essex 3

Essex lead-off man Hal Kinnaird started the contest with a bang, delivering the very pitch from Station hurler Petey Deedhams over the left field seats in the bottom of the 1st to give his team a 1-0 lead. But both pitchers would buckle down after the early mistake, taking the one run contest into the fifth.

Anthony Peel was especially impressive, as he held the powerful Railroaders hitless through four, and retired 11 of the first 12 batters faced.

The no-hitter would not last all night. In the top of the 5th Phinaeus Yarborough connected with a 1-0 fastball for an opposite field homerun, knotting the game at one. Then in the 6th, Gustave Kraeger doubled just out of reach of a diving Cassius Sizemore with two out, and Fieldon Ray Vine followed with a homerun to right that appeared to just skim the glove of Emerson Shaft as he attempted make the catch at the wall. It was Vine’s team-leading 5th homerun of the year.

But Essex wasn’t finished yet, as Henry Nemoy answered with a deafening two-run shot of his own in the bottom of the 7th to tie the game at three.

Both hurlers entered the ninth evenly matched. Deedhams had allowed 9 total baserunners, but was able to induce several threat ending double plays. Anthony Peel had surrendered a mere three hits, although all went for extra bases.

Then much to the dismay of Peel and the rest of the Admirals, the Railroader offense finally came to life. Gustave Kraeger doubled just past a diving Emerson Shaft, and Fieldon Ray Vine followed with a single. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Phinaeus Yarborough delivered a line drive base hit to center field, giving Auburn Station a 4-3 lead. After a well-executed bunt from Sigfried Crewe, Peabody Dawson ripped a double into left-center, scoring Vine and Yarborough to increase the lead to three. Sean Venture came on to finish the frame without further damage being done, but the Admirals now trailed 6-3.

Petey Deedhams entered the 9th and induced two weak ground balls and a lazy pop fly to secure the 6-3 win, his second complete game victory this season.

Essex ready to end skid against Auburn Station

The Essex Admirals entered the PBC season with expectations of playoff contention, and appeared to confirm the hype when they easily topped the Greenwood Robins 9-5 in their first game.

But a rough road schedule was quite unfriendly to the Admirals, as theys found themselves losers of 3 games within 4 days, all of them going extra innings.
“To be honest, I feel those were all games we could have won. Should have won.” Said right fielder Emerson Shaft. “I think the entire squad feels that. We could be 4-0 right now, on top of the league. To lose three straight in extra innings is frustrating as all hell.”

Instead Essex find themselves 1-3 with their backs to the wall. They face a tough Auburn Station team next, followed by a double header against Concord Park at the end of the week. The opposing teams are 2nd and 3rd in the standings, respectively. Finally the Admirals meet up against another hard-luck 1-3 team, the Dorchester Heights Athletic Club.

“We’re pretty much in a do or die situation the rest of the season,” said skipper Lou Trammell. “It’ll be a challenge, but I think we have the talent to pull it off.”

“We have to beat Auburn [Station] tonight,” added Shaft. “Losing is simply not an option.”

Anthony Peel is set to take the mound for the Admirals. He will be opposed by righty Petey Deedhams.

Amateur Players, Franchises Look to Make Big Name

Double Elimination Tournament Gives Teams a Shot at the Big Leagues

Sheriffs Arrest Hilltoppers, 11-7

The Lonelyville Sheriffs sent the Twin Hills Hilltoppers packing as Ed Stackhouse cleared the bases with a walk-off grand slam to begin the tournament. Down 7-3 in the 5th, Twin Hills led a strong comeback with doubles by Sniffy Winfield, Omar Quick, and Fargo Quayle to tie the game for the Hilltoppers. Garrett Powell (0-1, 6.0 IP, 3 K, 6 BB) walked the first two of the seventh and gave up a hit to load the bases before Stackhouse’s base-clearing bomb. Aloysius Christ (1-0, 2 IP, 2 K, 0 ER) picked up the win. Bruce Banero of Lonelyville gave up 7 ER over 5 innings to take a no-decision. Gus Spooner of Twin Hills picked up his first round-tripper, a two run shot in the first.

O’Shea Locks Down Court, Faulker Advances 6-3

Veteran Cecil O’Shea (7 IP, 2 K, 1 BB) gave up 3 runs off 8 hits as the Faulker Elks toppled the Piney’s Court Pilgrims 6-3 in the evening game. Faulkner’s Curtis Keith hit his first home run, and Captain Q. Ives went 3-for-3 as the Elks handled the Pilgrims over seven. Yoshi Iwamura (7 IP, 6 ER, 2 K) took the loss. Faulkner faces the Lonelyville Sheriffs in Round 2, as Piney’s Court and Twin Hills face each other in the first elimination game of the tournament.

Hawthorne Raids Oxford-North, 7-5

A warning-track double in the second by Hawthorne’s Popeye Shultz with the bases loaded left the Raiders with a 4-0 lead into the fourth. In the bottom frames, a string of hits including doubles by Seth Stroud, Quintin Everrett, Honus Sanders, and Cobb Truman tied the game back at four heading into the fifth. Moments later, a solo blast by Zeke Linn, followed by a two run shot by Willie Astor put the Raiders once again out of reach. Despite a run scoring single by Sanders (3-4, 2 2B) in the bottom of the sixth, the Colonels failed to capitalize in the seventh with two men on and no outs. Rookie Rupert Starling (1-0, 6.0 IP, 3 K, 3 BB) surprised many in the crowd by keeping his act together into the late innings, while hot prospect Andrew Davis (0-1) gave up 10 hits and one walk in the outing. Hawthrone’s Jeffrey O’Doule (1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER) picked up the save. He will start against the winner of Cider Creek and Quobbins Beach. Oxford-North looks to Starter Tiger Blithe to save them from elimination.

Quobbins Beach-Cider Creek Postponed

What seemed to be a passing storm drenched play in the second inning in the final game of the first round. Quobbins’ Spudd Forrester looked shaky but solid as the Bicycle Repairmen held a 1-0 lead as the rains set in and umpires called the game. There has yet to be word on whether the game will continue as planned, or if the teams will start fresh at a later date.

Murrayfield & Grant Acquire Lincoln Brothers from Halifax Station

Ace G.H. Henderson to sit remained of regular season, despite denying any rotator cuff damage. Doctors refuse to elaborate.

Perhaps as quickly, if not at least as forcefully, as Clifton Lloyd Harris lifted a drudging Murrayfield out of the ashes in extra frames for the second week in a row, the hopes of the Murrayfield faithful fell flat as Skipper Dennis Davis Sr. announced that G.H. Henderson would not be starting in any of the Red Barons’ remaining three games. Henderson (4-1), who gave up 8 runs over 12 innings last evening seemed to be favoring his rotator cuff as the game wore on.

Murrayfield & Grant acquired the Lincoln brothers, who had both been previously pitching in the farm system for Halifax Station for two seasons. Elmo Lincoln will get the nod against Greenwood later in the week. His brother, Colt, will follow against Auburn Station.

At the time of publication, Mr. Henderson could not be reached for comment.

Dorchester Devastated

Harris, Ellington lead the comeback as M&G outlasts the Club in 12

The famed Dorchester Heights Athletic Club found themselves unraveling in the middle innings yet again as Clifton Lloyd Harris and the Murrayfield & Grant Red Barons topped the Club boys 9-8 in twelve innings.

Junior Chamberlin (8 IP, 12H, 8R, 4K, 6 BB) got off to a commanding start, leaving the Red Barons scoreless through the first four, while Webb Slater knocked in two home runs in the first three innings to put the Club up 7-0.

In the fourth, Gerald Slocumb tagged a ball over the fence to right to stretch the Club’s grip. The Club looked like they were to extend their lead further, as the next batter, Webb Slater (2-6, 2HR, 3RBI) pounded a shot to deep center. Barons star Clifton Lloyd Harris displayed world class acrobatics as he leaped over the wall to make the catch, robbing Slater of his third homerun of the day.

Harley Lyttleton (2-6, 2 2B,BB) led off the fifth with a double, only to be driven in by a monster shot by Harris himself, a two run blast to put the Barons on the board.

In the sixth, Murrayfield struck again as Arthur West Jr. and Kinsley Avery Ellington touched the plate to bring the game within striking distance 7-4. Despite the offensive surge, a solo shot from lead-off hitter Spencer Steinbeck extended the Club’s lead to 8-4.

Harris led off the top of the seventh with a single, and Junior Chamberlin walked two more to load the bases for Ellington with one out. A 2-2 high and away pitch was tagged by Ellington, with a soaring shot to left for the grand slam, and a cap to a seemingly insurmountable comeback.

In early June, the Athletic Club took an 8-4 lead over the Greenwood Robins, only to fall apart in the ninth and earn their first loss of the season. The fear began to set in that it could happen again.

In the eighth, it appeared that Dorchester’s luck had finally run out, as a single with two men on almost certainly guaranteed the go-ahead run. However, conservative base-running by Harris stranded the Barons at third.

In the bottom of the ninth, Gerald Slocumb drilled another shot, this time to deep center. But the near unbelievable acrobatics of Clifton Lloyd Harris prevented a walk-off game-winning home-run.

The game headed to extra innings.

In the top of the twelfth, reliever Jeremetrius Burnside walked Vinnie Knox, who stole second to put the go-ahead run in scoring position.

In stepped Clifton Lloyd Harris.

Harris, Murrayfield’s defensive Savior, cracked a line drive to the gap in left, as Vinnie Knox dashed toward the plate to put the visitors up 9-8 as the sun set in Dorchester.

But things weren’t over for the Athletic. With Bouchier and Slocumb on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the twelfth, scoring at least one run looked immanent. Webb Slater, who was inches away from hitting three home runs in the game, grounded to third. Bernard Pollard followed with a shot to right, moving the runners over.

The game came down to AJ Astor, only to fly out on a shallow ball to left, as the Athletic Club struggled again to close out a meaningful game.

Harris went 4 for 6 with a HR, 2B, BB, and 2 K’s, and preventing at least two runs defensively on his own merit.

Henderson, who after the game had complained of his rotator cuff, (4-1) earned the win. Burnside fell to 1-2 with the loss. Junior Chamberlin has yet to receive a decision this season, despite three starts.

Murrayfield & Grant will head to Greenwood later in the week. The Barons have their eyes on the pennant, while Greenwood struggles to stay afloat.

The Dream Continues: Wampaug Outlasts Essex

Lake Wampaug Mauraders to Face Auburn Station/Concord Park Victor in the August Final

It was a game few from Lake Wampaug would forget