Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #12

June 15, 2008 

Buzzards Show No Mercy – Beat Up Astros 17 to 2

 On a warm Sunday afternoon (low 90’s) in Sacramento, the Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards played the Commish (Barry Spiller) led Astros in front of a nice Father’s Day audience.  Playing on the nicely groomed and well-maintained McAuliffe Fields again, the Buzzards were anxious to start another winning streak.  The Buzzards sent Gregg ‘Surf Dawg’ Novotny to the mound while the Astros countered with the always-tricky Luis Hernandez. 

As the visiting team, the Astros batted first and showed they came to play when the first four batters got on base with one scoring.  But after two terrific defense plays, the early rally was shut down.  With runners on 1^st and 3^rd and no outs, a quick infield huddle was called to set the defense for a play.  When the runner on 1^st ran to 2^nd base on the next pitch, the catcher, Dennis ‘DV’ Viegas came up fast to fake a throw to 2^nd and gunned a strike to Bob ‘Woody’ Wooden at 3^rd base for the sliding tag out of a surprised Astro.  The next batter hit a grounder to short for an inning ending double play of Wuky to Cookie to Bake (6-4-3). 

The Buzzards started strong and scored 7 runs in the bottom of the 1^st inning.  DV led off by walking, stealing 2^nd base and advancing to 3^rd on the throw.  DV scored on Dan ‘Wuky’ Wukmir’s liner that hit the pitcher and bounced away toward the 3^rd base line.  Wuky stole 2^nd and ran to 3^rd on a wild pitch before scoring on Dave ‘Keppy’ Kephart’s grounder to the 2^nd baseman.  With two outs, Pete ‘Baron’ Von Zboray tripled to deep right-center field to keep the inning going.  Mike ‘Ski’ Wronski and Barry ‘Brooklyn’ Forman followed with singles to right field and steals of 2^nd base.  Barry drove in two runs with his 2-out line drive hit.  Steve ‘Cookie’ Cook then walked to put runners at 1^st and 2^nd.  Craig ‘CD’ Daniel, playing in his first baseball game since early May, hit a long double over the left fielder’s head, scoring Brooklyn and a hustling but winded Cookie to end the scoring in the 1^st inning. 

Those stubborn Astros started another rally in the 2^nd inning and with one out had loaded the bases on two hits and a walk.  The double play came in handy again to stop the Astros as Woody gloved a hot grounder at 3^rd and threw home to DV who then threw to Mike ‘Bake’ Baker at 1^st to get the runner for a good looking 5-2-3 double play. 

The Buzzards scored in the first 6 innings of the mercy rule shortened 7-inning game.  The game did last 2 hours and 45 minutes partly because the Buzzard offense pounded Astros’ pitching and put pressure on their defense each inning. 

In the 2^nd inning, Keppy doubled down the left field line with two outs.  Keppy stole 3^rd and came home on Baron’s grounder to short.  Pete’s hustle forced a quick low throw to 1^st base and kept the inning alive.  In the 3^rd inning, Barry led off with a single to left and then stole 2^nd base.  Two outs later DV knocked in Barry for the 9^th Buzzard run of the game.   

Showing no mercy in the 4^th inning, Woody hit the first pitch d-e-e-p to center field (center field wall is over 400 feet) for a double.  Surf Dawg, hitting for the first time after pitching four innings, singled to right and scored Woody.  Baron was hit by a 2-2 count fastball to load the bases.  Pete jogged down to first without rubbing his new bruise.  Ski’s single to left scored Surf Dawg and Baron.  Ski got greedy after the hit and was thrown out on a good relay to 2^nd base for the 2^nd out of the inning.  Forman followed with his third hit, a double to right, and then Cookie hit an infield single before the inning ended with the score after five, Buzzards 17 - Astros 1. 

The Astros scored an unearned run in the 6^th inning on a combination of an E-5, catcher interference and two walks.  The Astros did threaten with two runners in the 4^th, 6^th and 7^th innings, but were limited to two runs.  The Astros got 7 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks, with 3 strikeouts.  Buzzard pitching did an excellent job of shutting down the Astros. 

Surf Dawg pitched four solid innings in getting his 5^th win of the season.  Gregg threw 71 pitches (45 strikes & 26 balls) giving up 1 unearned run on 6 hits and 2 walks.  Surf Dawg faced 18 Astros, striking out one and picking off another - the lead off batter in the 4^th on a good move to 1^st base and a nice tag by Bake.  Keppy picked up the save by pitching 3 innings of 1 hit ball.  Dave faced 16 Astros and threw 63 pitches (38 strikes & 25 balls).  His pitching line was 1 run (unearned) on 1 hit and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts.  Our sweaty hats are off to Surf Dawg and Keppy for dealin’-it to those feisty Astros. 

The Buzzard bats were smokin’ hot this Father’s Day.  The Buzzards had 21 hits resulting in 17 runs.  The multi-hit club this week includes Baron, Cookie, DV, Surf Dawg, Woody and Wuky with 2 hits.  Ski and Brooklyn each had 3 hits.  Mark hit well in front of his wife and friends and also had 4 RBIs.  The defensive play of the game goes to Woody, playing 3^rd base in the 2^nd inning, ran after a short foul pop-up near the dugout and slid into the fence trying to snag the ball.  The Buzzards now have a modest 2 game win streak. 

Buzzard Note #1: The scorekeeper’s double knee surgery was a success on Wednesday.  Diane will be on the disabled list for a few weeks.  She can straighten out her legs and she walked a little bit without any pain from the knees, both for the first time in many years.  There was plenty of pain when she walked, but it was from the muscles around the knees, not the knee joints.  She got home Saturday evening from Kaiser-Roseville.  She is looking forward to life with new wheels.  

Buzzard Note #2: The last victory assured the Buzzards of the best record for the All-Star break, so that means the Buzzards’ manager gets to coach the American League team on July 9.  This may entice Bob ‘Skipper’ Whitacre enough to fly down from Washington to manage the team. 

Buzzard Note #3: Cold drinks and munchies after the game up the road at the Colfax Ball Park.   

 

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #13

June 22, 2008 

Buzzards Beat Yankees 6 to 3

 In a contest between the first place Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards (11-1) and the last place Yankees (0-11), the expected outcome was a Buzzards’ blowout.  However, on a warm day (low 90s) in Colfax, the visiting Yankees got outstanding pitching from Craig Parker and they played well to make the game close during the 9-inning, 2 hr. and 45 min. game. 

The Buzzards’ offense was ineffective much of the game as Parker mixed up his pitches and speeds in holding the Buzzards down.  Buzzards were in scoring position in 7 of the 9 innings, but only scored in the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th frames.  The Buzzards scored 6 runs on 14 hits.  Parker #20 gave up no walks and he only had two 3-ball counts during the entire well-pitched game. 

The Buzzards threatened in the 1^st and 2^nd innings, but couldn’t score due to a running blunder in the 1^st and two infield pop-ups to end the 2^nd inning.  The Buzzards finally broke through in the bottom of the 4^th with 2 runs.  Dennis ‘DV’ Viegas led off with a double to left.  Dan ‘Wuky’ Wukmir hit a twisting, short fly ball single to right-center field that landed between the spinning shortstop, Scottie Hensley, and the charging centerfielder and held DV at 2^nd base.  After DV and Wuky pulled-off the double steal, Bob ‘Woody’ Wooden hit a wicked line drive down the left field line for a double and knocked in the first 2 runs. 

In the 5^th inning, Barry ‘Brooklyn’ Forman hit a one-out double d-e-e-p off the left-center field fence.  Pete ‘Baron’ Von Zboray followed with another d-e-e-p drive to the left-center field fence scoring Barry - leaving the score after 5 innings at 3-0. 

The Buzzards scored the last 3 runs in the 6^th.  Wuky started it off with a hard liner past the right fielder for a triple.  Woody hit a grounder to the 3^rd baseman playing deep, who was distracted by Wuky hopping up and down the base line, and then threw wildly to 1^st base for an error.  On the next pitch Woody took off for 2^nd base.  Wuky with a good lead from 3^rd base broke for home on the throw from the catcher.  The 2^nd baseman cut-off the throw thinking he could shoot down the oldest Ol’ Buzzard at home plate.  On a close play, Wuky avoided the tag with a hard hook-slide to the outside of the plate, stealing home for the 4^th run of the game while Woody moved into scoring position by stealing 2^nd base. 

Greg ‘Young’un’ Lichtenberger hit a two-out single to drive in Woody and the 3^rd run of the inning.  Mike ‘Bake’ Baker followed with his first hit of the game moving Greg to 2^nd base.  Mark ‘Ski’ Wronski hit a long drive to left field that bounced high over the fence for a ground-rule double scoring Young’un, but it held Bake at 3^rd and both runners got stranded on a Craig Parker induced infield pop-up to end the inning and make the score at the end of 6 innings: Buzzards 6, Yankees 1.

Buzzard pitching held the Yanks to 3 runs.  The pitching plan was to have 3 Buzzards throw 3 innings each.  Greg ‘Surf Dawg’ Novotny started and mowed down the Yankees in the first 3 innings.  He faced 12 batters giving up 2 hits with no walks and 3 strikeouts in throwing 41 pitches (26 strikes & 15 balls).  Dave ‘Keppy’ Kephart pitched the next 3 innings.  Keppy was a little wild today – maybe the higher elevation in Colfax – and walked four Yankees.  Keppy faced 13 batters giving up only one hit and one run with 3 strikeouts in throwing 65 pitches (33 strikes & 32 balls) during the 4^th thru 6^th innings.  Keppy (6-1) gets the win ‘cause the Buzzards finally scored in the 4^th and took the lead for good in defeating those pesky Yankees. 

Young’un pitched the final 3 innings.  The Kid made several Yankee batters look bad in getting 6 of the 9 outs with strikeouts.  The 3 others were infield outs to the right side. The Yankees scored 2 runs in the top of the 9^th on 3 hits and a walk.  The Kid gave up 5 hits and 1 walk in between the K’s in the last 3 innings of the game.  Greg threw 56 pitches (42 strikes & 14 balls) in facing 15 Yanks. 

Overall, a good game for the Buzzards.  The Yankees played tough in limiting the Buzzards’ high-octane attack.  The game’s multi-hit club includes DV, Woody, Wuky and Young’un with 2 hits each.  The Buzzards’ line score: 6 runs on 14 hits, no walks and 1 error.  The Yankees’ line score: 3 runs on 8 hits, 5 walks and 2 errors. 

Buzzard Note #1:  All-Star votes are due to Kelley this Sunday.  Remember, each Buzzard can cast 5 votes. 

Buzzard Note #2:  Profile sheets will be handed-out on Sunday to be filled-out.  The information is needed for the web site, roster update and especially for the upcoming radio game on August 3rd against the Valley Dogs. 

Buzzard Note #3:  Sunday’s game is at the Patriots’ home field, Lee Field, in Woodland at 2 pm.  Car-pooling is encouraged.  Cold drinks and munchies will be available after the game.     

 

 

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #14

June 29, 2008 

Buzzards Defeat Patriots 13 to 3

 The Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards traveled to Woodland to face the California Patriots in an inter-league game with a friendly rivalry going.  On a hot (93 degree), muggy and smoky Sunday, the scheduling wizard put the old guys together at Lee Field for a 2 pm start.  Lee Field is a good venue for a game, but chasing foul balls into the cemetery across the street was a little different.  Walking over and amongst the gravestones with cleats seemed a little creepy.  No night games here, please.  It didn’t seem to bother some Buzzards later, who were drinking beer in the cemetery after the game and lounging on the grass in the shade amongst the gravestones.  It is just mind over matter, if you don’t mind, it don’t matter. 

The Buzzards were expecting a tough and close game since the Patriots are historically one of the better teams in the over 48 league with several outstanding players and a team that usually does well in national tournaments.  The pitching match-ups were the cagey veteran, Irv Scott #15, for the Patriots with the Buzzards countering with the young kid, Greg Lichtenberger #9. 

The visiting Buzzards started the game strong by sending 10 batters to the plate in the 1^st inning.  Dennis ‘DV’ Viegas led off with a full count walk, then stole 2^nd base on the first pitch and took 3^rd on the catcher’s overthrow.  Dan ‘Wuky’ Wukmir knocked in the first Buzzard run with a scratch infield hit, then later stole 2^nd base.  Two outs later, Greg ‘Young’un’ Lichtenberger reached base on a deep grounder to the 3^rd baseman.  His rushed throw was off-line for an error putting Young’un at 1^st and Wuky at 3^rd.  Greg stole 2^nd before Craig ‘CD’ Daniel singled to left field scoring Wuky.  CD then stole 2^nd before Pete ‘Baron’ Von Zboray reached 1^st base on the third Patriots error of the inning (E6 on the rushed, bad throw to 1^st). 

Mark ‘Ski’ Wronski kept the inning alive with a line drive single to left field and drove in CD for the fourth run of the inning.  Barry ‘Brooklyn’ Forman, batting next, took one for the team when he was hit by a 1-0 count inside fastball that barely winged his left kneecap.  Another inch inside and Barry would have needed a runner for a long time.  This was a nice start by batting around and scoring four runs to put pressure on the stunned Patriots.  The three 1^st inning errors were very un-Patriot like.  They settled down and committed only one more error during the rest of the game. 

The top of the order led off the 2^nd inning.  DV hit a bloop single to right.  Wuky followed with a blast over the centerfielder’s head to the fence for a triple scoring DV.  One out later, Mike ‘Bake’ Baker knocked in run number six with a hit to left-center field. 

By the bottom of the 4^th inning, Lichtenberger was still mowing ‘em down and throwing no-hit ball with two outs (he did hit a batter with a fastball in the 2^nd), when Lanny Ropke #25, normally a strong hitter and pushing each fielder back a few steps, hit a dribbler up the 3^rd baseline.  Ski charged the ball and made his typical strong throw, but Lanny beat it out for their first hit.  Young’un pitched a terrific 5 innings, giving up only three hits to a good hitting California Patriots team. 

The Buzzards scored again in the 5^th inning.  Singles by Young’un and Craig ‘CD’ Daniel, plus a throwing error by the Patriots shortstop along with RBI ground balls by Jim ‘Wags’ Wagner and Brooklyn pushed two runs across to take an 8-0 lead. 

In the 6^th inning, the no mercy Buzzards banged out five more runs.  Dave ‘mmMumbles’ Kelley started it off with a nice line drive single to right field.  DV singled and then Wuky followed with a looping single to right for his 4^th hit of the game driving in mmMumbles.  Bake then walked to load the bases.  Young’un doubled to left-center field driving in three runs.  CD then singled to left for his 4^th hit of the game and drove in Greg for the 13^th and last Buzzard run. 

The Buzzards changed pitchers in the 6^th inning and sent Gregg ‘Surf Dawg’ Novotny to the mound.  Surf Dawg quickly disposed of the Patriots in the 6^th, but in the 7^th, the first two batters singled followed by two walks.  A couple of fielder’s choices later and the Patriots had scored 3 runs, and were on the verge of ending the Buzzards chance to end this game early with the 10-run mercy rule – after 7 innings.  With two runners on, Surf Dawg got the batter to pop up to 1^st base to end the game.  Final score: Buzzards 13 and Patriots 3.  Good game. 

The Buzzard pitchers dealt pretty well with the humid-heat, only losing 5 pounds each in sweat.  Lichtenberger faced 19 Patriots and threw 66 pitches (49 strikes & 17 balls).  He gave up three hits, no walks, one hit batter and had 8 strikeouts.  Novotny faced 11 batters throwing 39 pitches (22 strikes & 17 balls) giving up 3 runs on 3 hits with 2 walks and 1 strikeout. 

The defensive highlight of the game came early.  The last two outs of the 1^st inning were hit to the Baron in right field.  The first one, a high fly ball in the sun seemed hard enough, but Pete topped that with a nice running catch of a sinking line drive by snagging the ball below his knees for the 3^rd out. 

The defensive lowlight occurred in the 5^th inning when Young’un - who’s maybe too young to understand why not - reached out with his pitching hand in trying to stop a high hopping, hot bouncer up the middle.  Of course the ball hits his hand, glancing off towards short.  Then with Greg shaking his hand and winching in pain, he says he’s fine to continue pitching.  The next batter singled and that put two runners on before a ground ball to Ski at 3^rd for a force-out ended the inning and Greg’s pitching for the day. 

The offensive highlights were the four-hit games by both CD and Wuky.  Half of the team’s 16 hits were from their hot bats.  The multi-hit group also included DV, Kelley and Young’un with 2 hits each. 

Another good Buzzard game and win.  The line score was Buzzards 13 runs on 16 hits, 2 walks and 0 errors.  The Patriots had 3 runs on 6 hits with 2 walks and 4 errors. 

Buzzard Note #1: It’s good to have Wags back.  He looked a little rusty at the plate, but he got an RBI and played some outfield and 3^rd base (?), diving for a ground ball. 

Buzzard Note #2:  The All Star slots for the American League first place Buzzards are 5 players and a player/manager.  The following players were selected by their teammates to represent the Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards in the NABA All Star game next week: Baker, Kephart, Novotny, Viegas, Von Zboray, Wooden and Wukmir.  Baron’s pulled quad muscle will prevent him from playing.  The game is next Wednesday, July 9, at Playfields Park in Davis at 7 pm.    Surf Dawg will be the player/manager.  The National League won last year’s game led by MVP, Danny Harvey, of the Dragons. 

Buzzard Note #3:  Scorekeeper Diane is recovering nicely from the double knee replacement surgery.  She is walking around with her walker and slowly climbing the stairs this week, all excellent signs that she will enjoy pain-free walking with her new bionic knees once the legs recover from the surgery.  

Buzzard Note #4: The Buzzards at 13-1 lead the second place Reds (10-4) by 3 games.  The National League is bunched up with 4 teams within 1½ games of each other.  The Patriots with the loss are now ½ game out of first place behind the Dragons and Free Agents.  The Buzzard team batting average has been higher, but at .399 at the July 4^th break, that is terrific.  The team pitching ERA is excellent at 2.69, especially with the Buzzards averaging 10 runs per game.  Keep it up.  We still have the hot months of July and August ahead of us.  

 

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #15

July 13, 2008  

Buzzards Hang-on To Beat Reds 2 – 1

After the July 4^th holiday break, in an American League showdown game between the first place Buzzards and the second place Reds, pitching ruled the day and made for a very close game as the Buzzards hung-on to win 2 – 1 in a quick two hours and ten minutes.  The defense did pick a poor day to play sloppy with five errors, but with superb pitching and just enough offense, the Buzzards prevailed.  

The defending NABA Champion Reds sent Robert ‘Pony Tail’ Stormont to the mound.  Gold Country countered with its newest Buzzard, Gary ‘Stoney’ Stonebrook for the first 5 innings and finished the 9-inning game with Dave ‘Keppy’ Kephart.  

Pitching did rule the day, as both sides were tough on the batters with 20 strikeouts of the game’s 54 total outs.  For total game offense, there were 13 hits and only 2 walks with one hit batter in this pitching duel in Colfax.  

Stormont of the Reds pitched a masterful game, keeping the Buzzards off-balance by mixing up his pitches and speeds and hitting the corners (in the umpire’s mind only).  Robert gave up 2 runs on 8 hits with 1 walk on 105 pitches (75 strikes & 30 balls).  Most days that kind of game gets him a win, but not today against the Ol’ Buzzards.  

The Buzzards were the visiting team on the schedule.  Go figure.  The Buzzards scored one run in the 1^st and 6^th innings.  Robert was effective in limiting the Buzzards high-octane offense to only two other innings with runners in scoring position.  The Reds actually had more scoring opportunities.  The ready Reds collected  5 hits, 1 walk and 1 hit batter to go along with the five errors.  They put runners in scoring position in five innings, but only scored in the 9^th.  Terrific pitching by Stoney and Keppy was the key to this win.  

In the top of the 1^st inning with 2 outs and a 1-2 count, Bob ‘Woody’ Wooden started it off with a double to left-center field.  Mike ‘Bake’ Baker followed with a line drive single to right driving in the first run.  In the 2^nd through the 5^th innings, 12 Buzzards in a row stepped up to bat and made an out.  There were 4 fly balls to the outfield, 3 ground balls and 2 pop-ups to the infield, 2 K’s, and one of several Dan ‘Wuky’ Wukmir base running outs.  This one was a lead off single in the 4^th inning to right field that he tried to stretch into a double.  Luv the hustle, hate the out.  Fined by the scorekeeper.  

By the start of the 6^th inning, 13 consecutive Buzzards had made outs when Mark ‘Ski’ Wronski stepped to the plate.  Ski looked bad when swinging and missing at strike one, but he nailed the next pitch to deep left-center field for a big wake-up double.  Jim ‘Wags’ Wagner hit a one-out looping single to right advancing Mark to 3^rd base.  Wags stole 2^nd base before Dennis ‘DV’ Viegas hit a sacrifice fly in foul territory to the left fielder allowing Ski to tag up and score with a huge run and the last Buzzard run of the day.  

The Reds were the home team and scored their run in the 9^th inning.  A lead off base hit started the last inning.  The runner advanced on a pass ball before Keppy struck out their clean-up hitter, then a misplayed ball on a hard shot at 1^st base scored the unearned run.  With a runner on, Keppy got big Louie, Lou Valdez, to pop-up weakly to the pitcher.  Then the last batter, who had gotten on base in three previous at-bats, struck-out on Keppy heat to end the game.  Final score: Buzzards 2 and Reds 1.    

Buzzard pitching was excellent.  Stonebrook showed why teams hate to face him.  He is tough to hit with his mix of pitches and good speed.  DV, behind the plate, didn’t have to move his glove much ‘cause Stoney was hittin’ his spots.  Gary gave up no runs on 2 hits with 1 walk, a hit batter and 6 strikeouts while facing 18 Reds and throwing 73 pitches (48 strikes & 25 balls).  Kephart started the 6^th inning and was equally effect at mowing down the Reds.  No Reds scare here.  Keppy faced 17 batters giving up 1 unearned run on 3 hits with no walks and 5 strikeouts.  Ol’ Lefty threw 58 pitches, 43 for strikes and 15 balls.  Great job guys.  

There were some outstanding Buzzard defensive plays also.  In the bottom of the 2^nd with one out and runners at 1^st and 2^nd, Wags playing left field charged a line drive and made an excellent catch and then alertly threw to 2^nd base to double up the runner, before he could get back, to end the inning.  In the 7^th inning, Ray ‘Powder Keg’ Henry playing right field made a similar aggressive, outstanding catch of a sinking hard line drive, with runners at 3^rd and 1^st, to end the inning.  Keppy had just struck out the previous batter for a big second out in that 7^th inning.  In the 8^th inning, Barry ‘Brooklyn’ Forman ran a long way to track down a deep fly ball to center field to end that inning.  

The Buzzards still aren’t sure why Wuky ran into 3 and almost 4 outs during the game.  He obviously misses that cute regular scorekeeper, Diane.  Wuky was severely spanked when he got home, and as a fine must bring beer to the remainder of the games.  Being on base is good, getting out on base is very bad.  

The multi-hit club was pretty small this week with only 8 Buzzard hits.  Bake and Wuky each got two hits for half of the team total.  Next week we need more offense, this game was too close for some of the ol’ weak hearts on this team.  The good news is that the Buzzards are now 14 – 1.  

Buzzard Notes #1: It was good to see Ray Henry back.  He didn’t look too rusty out there.  Huge catch in the 7^th inning.  

Buzzard Note #2: The All-Stars represented the Buzzards very well.  The evening was extra hot and smokey in Davis and most games in the area were cancelled because of the air and weather, but not the NABA.  Gregg ‘Surf Dawg’ Novotny pitched a scoreless first two innings and got the win.  DV caught the whole game and had a hot bat in going 4 for 4 in winning the MVP award.  

Buzzard Note #3: An end of season team party will be at Wagner’s house on August 10.  Try to be on your best behavior this year.  Details in Jim’s e-mail.  

Buzzard Note #4: Fill out those personal bios for the upcoming radio game.  Give them to Dave Kelley or e-mail them to buzzardhardball@yahoo.com.  

Buzzard Note #5: Cold drinks and munchies after the next game at Rusch Park.  Game time is 10 am against the Yankees.    

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #16 

July 20, 2008   

Buzzards Stomp The Yankees 13 to 1

On a beautiful mild Sunday morning in July, the Buzzards got early wake-up calls for an away game at Rusch Park in Citrus Heights.  By game time at 10 am, 10 Buzzards were ready for the American League contest with the last place Yankees (1-14).  The Yankees consisting of four Hensleys, Craig Parker and four other guys, have given the Buzzards trouble in the recent past with their pitching ace, Parker, keeping us off-balance with his variety of pitches.  Our last game with the Yankees was four weeks ago on June 22 and the Buzzards beat the Yanks in a close game 6 - 3.  

The Yankees sent their ace again, #20 Parker, to the mound to try and clip the Buzzards’ wings.  The Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards sent #22 Bob ‘Woody’ Wooden to the mound to shut down those Yankees.  

The Buzzards adjusted early to Parker’s pitching and the umpire’s strike zone and jumped on the Yankees with four quick runs.  Dan ‘Wuky’ Wukmir started it off with a single up the middle.  He stole 2^nd before Woody struck out but advanced to 1^st base on the passed ball and sending Wuky to 3^rd.  Dennis ‘DV’ Viegas running for the pitcher, Woody, stole 2^nd base.  Mark ‘Ski’ Wronski then hit a 2-strike single to center field scoring the first two runs.  Greg ‘The Kid’ Lichtenberger followed with a blast up the left-center field gap for a double scoring Ski.  Greg, showing off those Young’un legs, stole 3^rd base and scored the fourth run on a sacrifice fly to center by Gary ‘Stoney’ Stonebrook.  Pete ‘Baron’ Von Zboray followed with a drive over the head of the left fielder for a stand up double, but was left stranded.  

The first Yankee hitter started by battling Woody in a 9-pitch at-bat.  After 5 foul balls Hensley #1 walked.  That was Woody’s only walk of the game.  After DV showed off his range and arm at 2^nd base with a nice play and throw to get the lead runner at 2^nd, Hensley #2 struck out swinging.  Hensley #3, Scottie, knocked in the run with a single to left for the first and only Yankee run of the day.  

The Buzzard 2^nd inning started with Barry ‘Brooklyn’ Forman hitting a deep double to right field.  After advancing on a ground out, Barry scored on a sac fly to center field by DV.  Next, Wuky pulled an inside pitch and hit a hot grounder off the 1^st baseman’s ankle for an error and a bruise.  With a cussing 1^st baseman, Wuky immediately left and stole 2^nd.  Woody then doubled down the left field line scoring Wuky for the second run of the inning.  After 2 innings, the score was Buzzards 6 and Yankees 1.  

The Buzzards scored two more in the 4^th inning.  Dave ‘mmMumbles’ Kelley hit the first pitch for a line drive double to left.  Jim ‘Wags’ Wagner running for the catcher, Kelley, scored on a single by DV up the middle.  One out later Woody singled to left.  Wuky running for Woody stole 2^nd base before The Kid hit a looper into short left field scoring DV for an 8 to 1 lead.

By the 4^th inning, Woody was still mowing down the Yankees.  Scott Hensley started the inning with a hard sinking liner to left field.  Barry initially charged the ball and then wisely let it drop in front of him for a single, only to have it take a strange bounce and almost skip past him.  With semi-Kat like reflexes, Brooklyn knocked the ball down keeping the runner at 1^st and hit the turf on his ol’ fanny at the same time.  Good play to keep the runner from advancing, and allow the next play to become a double play.  Parker hit a ground ball deep in the hole at short that Wuky backhanded and threw a long strike to DV at 2^nd base.  DV, with a quick release and strong throw to Stoney at 1^st, gunned down the runner for a good-looking 6-4-3 double play.  Woody struck out the next batter to end the inning and begin his streak of five consecutive strikeouts.  

The Buzzards scored in 5 of the 7 innings.  In the 5^th, they scored four more to take a commanding lead.  Baron started it off with a first pitch single to left.  Wags followed with an attempted bunt and got some Yankee razing, so he hit the next pitch for a line drive single to right field.  Barry, not wasting any time, hit the next pitch deep to right-center field for a long single with Wags holding up to see if it was a catchable fly ball.  The ball landed out of the reach of the running center fielder scoring Baron.  With two outs and runners at 1^st and 2^nd, Wuky pulled a 2-2 pitch down the right field line, landing fair by a few inches, and getting past the outfielder, Hensley #4.  Good relays made the play close (Hensley to Hensley to Hensley to Odon), but Wuky slid in with a triple scoring a hustling Wags and Young’un.  Woody followed with a 2-2 count line drive single to left field driving in Wuky for a 12-1 lead in the 5^th inning.  

The Buzzards scored one more run in the 6^th.  Stoney doubled on a deep drive to center field.  One out later, Wags knocks in Gary with a line drive hit to left field ending the scoring at 13 runs.  The 10-run mercy rule kicked in after the 7^th inning.  

The Yankees threatened in the 7^th with a first pitch lead off double by Parker.  The next Yankee hit a screaming line drive to center field that was sinking and looked like a sure base hit.  However, Wags was patrolling center field, charged straight ahead at the crack of the bat, and made a head-long diving catch.  The next out was just as entertaining as a high pop-up was hit to Lichtenberger playing 1^st base.  The Kid ran near the dugout and stuck his glove out to make first contact with the ball.  The ball deflected off the glove into the air toward home plate allowing Young’un to run a few more steps and make final contact, this time by catching the ball.  Circus music was heard playing in the background. Woody struck out the last batter on four pitches, fittingly a Hensley, to end the game.  

Woody had a ‘hell of a day’.  Not only did he get 3 hits (2 singles, 1 double) and drive in 2 runs, he pitched a one run (unearned) 5 hitter to win his first game as a Buzzard pitcher.  Bob faced 27 Yankees striking out 10 while throwing 89 pitches, 66 for strikes and 23 for balls.  Woody struck out five in a row in the 4^th,  5^th and 6^th innings.  He threw only 9 pitches in the 3^rd inning; 8 pitches in the 4^th; and 11 pitches in the 5^th and 6^th  innings.  Woody was also responsible for seven consecutive outs by closing out the 6^th with a K and two infield pop-ups to the pitcher.  Terrific pitching, tough defense and good hitting (20 hits) were the recipe for win #15.  Good job Buzzards.  

It was a good hittin’ day for the Ol’ Buzzards.  The multi-hit club included 9 of the 10 Buzzards at the game.  Only the team leader in hits this season, DV, did not get 2 or more hits today against the Yankees.  In batting order they were: Wuky, Woody, Ski, Young’un, Stoney, Baron, Wags, Brooklyn and mmMumbles.  The Buzzards adjusted well to Parker’s pitching and hit the ball hard all day while collecting 20 hits.  

With vacations and other family commitments, the Buzzards were down to 10 players for this game.  Ordinarily that is not a problem unless someone gets kicked out of the game.  To remind everyone of that fact, Pete told the huddled Buzzards right before the game that we could not afford to lose players due to injury or ejection.  Not five minutes later in the top of the 1^st, DV, running for Woody, rounded 3^rd base and scored the 2^nd run on Wronski’s hit.  As DV was approaching 3^rd on the hit, the 3^rd baseman, Odon, acted like the throw was coming to 3^rd, while the ball was still rolling in the outfield.  DV did not appreciate the bush league acting performance and since Odon was standing next to the bag, DV briefly and firmly placed his elbow on Odon’s chest while dashing by to score.  The 3^rd baseman did not like the introduction and came charging toward home plate for a piece of DV.  They each called the other a series of bad names while heading toward each other along the 3^rd baseline.  Wuky, who had just scored in front of DV, grabbed Dennis and hung onto the twisting and mad DV.   Odon was grabbed by some Yankees and the two players stayed separated, so no fight this Sunday morning.  Meanwhile, Lichtenberger and an umpire get into it briefly about throwing down gloves and making threatening statements.  For a moment, it didn’t look good, and that we might be playing this game with eight Buzzards.  Because peace was quickly restored, the umpire declared a truce, and the game continued with all players.  

Buzzard Note #1: It was good to see our scorekeeper, Diane, return after 4 ½ weeks from double knee replacement surgery.  No running yet, but pain free walking does her good.   

Buzzard Note #2: It was also a treat to get a visit from Gary ‘Duke’ Hayworth.  Gary enjoyed seeing some Buzzard baseball again and hung around afterwards making us all appreciate healthy arms.  Gary has been waiting for a special doctor to look at his right shoulder since his injury in late March.  With the first appointment this week, he might know something in a couple of weeks.  Surgery seems likely, more to come from Duke.  

Buzzard Note #3: The radio game is planned for August 3 at 2 pm, which is coming soon.  If you want to advertise, contact Kelley soonest.  Bring your bio next week or send it to buzzardhardball@yahoo.com.  Blank forms will also be available before and after the next game.  Fill out your bio form, no excuses.  

Buzzard Note #4: Be sure and RSVP to Wagner regarding the team party on August 10. 

Buzzard Note #5: With this victory, we clinched the American League’s first place seeding for the playoffs.  That means we will have a bye in the first round on August 17.  The single elimination game for the American League crown will be played on August 24.  The NABA championship double-header is scheduled for September 14, and the ‘if necessary’ third game is scheduled for the following Sunday, September 21.