Gold Country Buzzards

Gold Country Ol' Buzzards Game Report #5

Game: April 26, 2015

Ol' Buzzards pounce on young Miners, 12-8

In the ol' days, a Gold Country match-up of the Miners and the Buzzards usually meant the Buzzards returned home with clipped wings or a singed tail. The Buzzies would play well, but the Miners would prevail. They won the 38+ division and were a hard to beat team in the Buzzards' early years. However, the Buzzards gained the upper hand in the rivalry recently and have not lost to the Miners since 2009. This season, the Buzzards will be playing the Miners twice, but in previous years the teams have met usually just annually. Since 2010, that annual Gold Country match has been broadcast live on radio station KAHI.

With temperatures comfortably in the high 60s for the 2 o'clock game at James Field, the visiting Miners' starting pitcher was their new righty, Brett 'Jester' McCourt #2. On the mound for the Buzzards was the crafty right-hander, Rick 'Salmo' Salmeri #6.

The game started 15 minutes late due to the previous MSBL game delayed by 40 minutes due to the wet field conditions caused by that rare weather phenomenon called rain. Johnny V, the Miners' catcher, started the game with a walk. After stealing second on a close play, he advanced to third on an infield ground-out. The clean-up batter then hit a tough grounder that was fielded cleanly and thrown out on a close play by a strong throw from short. And a base dancing, Johnny V, was left stranded at third.

That was pretty much the theme of the game as the Miners got 15 hits in the eight-inning affair, and stranded 11 runners as the Buzzards came up with sparkling defense in many two-out and runners-on situations. The Gold Country ol' boys made the plays and left many younger boys on the base paths as the third-out was registered. The Buzzards jumped on the scoreboard first with three runs in their first at-bat. Kevin 'Flash' Krantz opened the inning with a walk on five pitches. Before pitching to the next batter, Jester, used his rusty pick-off move to try to get Flash at first. The quick throw missed its target and bounced away from the first baseman. Flash advanced to second quickly, but sprained one of his wheels back at first base. Dan 'Wookie' Wukmir then walked on a long nine-pitch at-bat. Next, Dave 'Evy' Everingham got to first on an infield error. A potential double play throw was mishandled by the second baseman as a hustlin' Wook was sliding into the bag as he was trying to make the play.

With the bases loaded on the dropped ball, the team's RBI leader, Mark 'Thunder' Weathers, came to the plate and walked on a full-count to push in Flash with the first run of the game. Batting next, Pete 'Baron' Von Zboray bounced into a fielder's choice to score Wookie. With one out, Tom 'Tomahawk' Keatley got to first base via an error by Alton 'Alice' Cooper at third. Jim 'Milli' Milligan followed with a smash into left-field for a single to score Evy. The inning ended with the bases full of Buzzards, but the Miners made the plays to shut the inning down with just three runs scored.

The Miners stormed back with two two-out runs to make the game close. The key play was ruled a two-run error, but was noteworthy for its efforts. Mike 'Mickey' Wilson, playing right-field, charged a sinking liner and dove to get the ball into his glove. However, in the side-ways roll-over, the ball came out of the leather and was lying right behind Mickey. In the haste to make a throw to the charging second baseman for the relay throw, Mickey, still on his ass in high clover, launched an air mail delivery to no-man's land toward the opponent's dugout. Almost a great play, but two runs scored and the batter, Jester, was especially thankful because the score was now 3-2 Buzzards.

The Buzzards tacked on one run in the second dig. Flash ripped a single to right on a 2-2 pitch as the lead-off hitter. Flash stole second before Evy walked on a 3-2 count with one out. After a fielder's choice, the Baron was at the plate with two-outs and runners at the corners. On a wild pitch, Flash, got a good jump and zipped across the plate from third for a vital run. The Baron then took a six-pitch pass to first base before the inning ended with the score 4-2 Buzzards.

In the third inning, the clutch Buzzards put another crooked number in the score book with all three runs scoring with two outs. A sizzlin' Milli started it off with a lead-off blast deep down the left-field line for a stand-up double. Up next, Kelly 'Cagey' Garcia took advantage of Jester 'just missing' again for a base-on-balls. Later with two outs and two on, Wookie fought off a 3-2 curve-ball and punched a base hit into right-center to score Cagey from second. Evy followed that with a scorcher down the left-field line to score Mickey from second. Not to be out-done, the clean-up hitter, Thunder, pulverized the Diamond brand-name on the ball and showed-off his now patented, screaming liner into right-center field, for a hit to drive in Wook and make the score 7-2 in favor of the Buzzies.

The Miners bounced-back with two runs of their own in the fourth frame on two hits, two walks and a ‘sun ball’ infield error to put the score at 7-4 Buzzards.

After not scoring in the fourth off of the new Miner hurler and quirky southpaw, Mike 'Quick Pitch' Vargas #11, the Buzzards put two runs on the scoreboard in the fifth. Wookie led-off with a spinning bloop between the pitcher and the first baseman and beat it out for an infield hit. Evy's grounder to short resulted in a throwing error to the second baseman with everyone safe and Wook moving to third on the over-throw. After a fielder's choice put runners on the corners, Thunder stole second base. With both runners in scoring position, the Baron slugged an 0-2 pitch high into the right field sky. The outfielder, playing deep, misplayed the sky ball while Wook easily scored from third. With two-outs and two-on, the Mill-machine cranked out his fourth hit of the game to knock in Thunder with a smoking line-drive to center. The score after five innings of play was Buzzards 9 - Miners 4.

The Miners fought back with four runs in the sixth to make it a squeaker. The Buzzards used Salmo a little too long and the Miners started the inning with four hits mixed in with a walk before Rick was relieved. The right-handed reliever, Gregg 'Surf Dawg' Novotny #1, took the bump with no outs, three-runs scored and a runner at second via a double. The next batter hit a short infield blooper near the line halfway between home and first. Surf Dawg tried a sliding catch, but the ball found the ground for a hit.

It appeared the 'worm may be turning' with plays going the Miner's way and now runners on first and second and still nobody was out. During the pitching change, Mickey was also called in to warm-up in the bullpen and be ready for a call-up. He was replaced in left-field by Cagey.

To prove the axiom that the ball finds the new guy, the next batter, Miners' heavy hitter, Arturo 'Buster' Castillo, then ripped a sinking liner to left. Cagey got a terrific jump on the ball and after a long run, caught it at his shoe tops. Both runners, going on the 'sure-hit', also got a good jump heading toward the next base. Both runners then went scrambling back to their bases. With a chance for a double play at second, Cagey threw to the relay man, Evy, who then threw a strike to Wookie stretched out like a first baseman to nail the runner in a close play at the bag. The runner on third scored on the double play to make the score close at 9-8 Buzzards entering the home half of the sixth inning.

The Buzzards answered back with three tough runs to get a scoreboard cushion. Mickey, playing the sinking sun angle, led-off with a 'sun ball' to left-field for a base hit. Two outs later, Evy crushed a double to left-center that scored Mick. Next, Thunder with his ramblin' speed made the shortstop rush his throw for an error that put Buzzards at the corners. Thunder stole second on a signals mix-up before the Baron walked on four pitches to load the bases. Tomahawk, on the first pitch, then knocked in two runs with a sharp single to center for the final Buzzard runs of the game.

Buzzard pitching and defense held the Miners scoreless in the last two innings, and leaving two runners stranded on-base in each frame. The seventh inning ended with one minute left on the clock, so playing the eighth inning took the game out to 3 hours and 15 minutes with the final score Buzzards 12 and the Miners 8.

Buzzard pitching withstood the barrage of Miner runners on base via 15 hits and six walks plus two errors. The lead-off batters in five of the eight innings got on base with the second batter in two other frames reaching first base. The fifth was a 1-2-3 inning. Salmo got the win and faced 31 Miners while throwing 121 pitches (78 strikes & 43 balls). Rick pitched into the sixth and gave up eight runs (four earned) on 11 hits and five walks with three strike-outs. Surf Dawg earned the save with three innings of shut-down pitching. Gregg helped wiggle the Buzzards out of that jam in the sixth and faced 13 Miners in throwing 46 pitches (31 strikes & 15 balls). Novotny gave up zero runs on four hits and one walk with two strike-outs.

The Ol' Buzzard offense got the 12 runs on 13 hits with seven walks and surprisingly eight uncharacteristic Miner errors. The members of the Buzzard hit club for the game were: Cagey, Evy (2), Flash, Mickey, Tomahawk, Thunder, Wookie (2) and the Mill-machine with four (three singles & a double). The always important ribbies were knocked in by: Baron (3), Evy (2), Milli (2), Tomahawk (2), Thunder (2) and Wook. The winning total of 12 runs were scored by: Cagey, Evy (2), Flash (2), Mickey (2), Thunder (2), and Wook (3). There were 48 Buzzard at-bats in the game. 13 hits in 48 plate appearances was enough - this time.

The Buzzard D was solid with assists and put-outs spread-out amongst most of the Defenders. There were 12 assists in getting those 24 outs. The put-outs were spread out so much that there were only five put-outs at first base.