Submitting on behalf of Arachnids Manager Jim Edelman who was unable to attend due to the passing of his (Centenarian) Mother, the morning of May 13. Jim, my condolences to you and your entire family. May her memory be eternal!
The defending 62+ League Champion Arachnids squared off against the previous two-time Champion Yankees this past Monday. For the Yankees, crafty pitcher John Weber was on the bump, and for the Arachnids, fresh back from Florida, Wayne Nicholsen.
In the top of the first, the Spiders wasted no time getting things going. Leadoff hitter, Stefan Koutsakis ripped a line-drive into LCF. Next batter, Ken Wellington hit a slow grounder to 3B for a 5-3 put-out, advancing Koutsakis to 2B. Darryl Duncan followed with a single to left scoring Koutsakis. TJ Scorsone followed with another single to LF; the Spiders were set up for a big inning. However, crafty John Weber got Lee Madsen to ground into a 6-4 FC, followed by a Joe Parker fly out to RF. Damage limited to 1 run. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Nicholsen picked up where he left off last year, retiring the Yankees 1-2-3.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning, with the Spiders leading 1-0, the Yankees threatened to at least tie the game. After a Jim McQuade 5-3 out, Tony Nardacci, singled, stole 2nd, Ron Massaroni flied out to RF. With 2-out, Nardacci stole 3rd base. Nicholsen then got John Cortese to fly out to LF. Arachnids hold a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the 3rd inning, after Ed Draves drew a walk, Koutsakis followed with a single to right-center. With runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs the Spiders were poised for a big inning with the number 2-3-4 hitters due up. Weber was able to get Wellington to fly out to RF for the first out. Duncan followed with a FC to 3rd base. Post stepped on 3rd to get Draves but the throw to first was not in time to get Duncan. During the throw to 1B, Koutsakis rounded 2B and made it to 3B with 2-outs. Scorsone then followed with a ground ball between SS and 3B for a single to LF scoring Koutsakis. Weber then got Madsen to pop up to second baseman for the 3rd out.
The Yankees got a run back in the bottom of the 4th inning. Tim Brown led off with a double to RF. Ron Smaka popped up to 2B for the first out. McQuade hit into a 6-5 FC getting Brown at third base. McQuade advanced to 2B on a PB. With 2-out, Nardacci ripped a 2-out single to CF scoring McQuade. Nardacci immediately stole 2B and represented the tying run. However, Nicholsen was able to get Massaroni to hit into a 5-3 ground out to end the inning.
The game remained 2-1 until the top of the 7th inning. With Weber still going strong for the Yankees, Madsen and Parker got things going again with consecutive singles for the Spiders. Terry McCarthy followed with a prefect SAC bunt down the first base line to advance the runners. With the infield in, Tom King ripped a line drive over the head of the shortstop into LCF scoring Madsen and Parker giving the Arachnids a 4-1 lead. After King stole 2B, Weber was able to get both Nicholsen and John Reel to hit into 5-3 groundouts.
In the bottom of the 7th, the Yankees proved the game is not over until the final out. Nardacci, who already was 2 for 2, lead off with a 4-3 ground out. Next up, Massaroni reached 1B on an E-5 and promptly stole 2B. Cortese then hit a grounder back to Nicholsen who checked Massaroni back to 2B and threw Cortese out at 1B for out #2. A wild pitch advanced Massaroni to 3B. Next batter Steve VanGelder walked, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs. Nicholsen raised the white flag as he had reached his limit. Scorsone came in to relieve Nicholsen. Cerone greeted Scorsone with an RBI-single to score Massaroni for the Yankees second run. A wild pitch advanced the runners to 2B and 3B. Scorsone was able to record the final out by way of a strikeout and preserve another gem spun by Nicholsen, 2R, 1ER, 4H, 2W over 6 2/3 innings. Another great, well-played game between the Arachnids and Yankees, the first of many this year.
Final Game Line: Arachnids 4-8-3, Yankees 2-5-2.
-- Edited by spakids03 on Thursday 16th of May 2024 01:01:44 PM
-- Edited by spakids03 on Thursday 16th of May 2024 04:24:34 PM
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Stefan K.
Arachnids 62 / Twins 55 / PFRS All-Stars 45
Jim - Stefan writes that your Mom died. I'm sorry to see it. That she lived to be one-hundred plus speaks highly of her strengths and of the care that emanates from her to all of you and then back again. My condolences to you, Dave and your family.
So sorry to hear of the passing of your Mom, Jim. Wow, living to the ripe age of 100 is no simple feat. You and the family were blessed to have her for so long. Lots of people would love to have their Mom with them for so long. My prayers go out to you and your family in this time of grief. May all of the great memories sustain you for many years to come.
