Gold Country Buzzards

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #2

Game: April 10, 2011

Buzzards clipped in bottom of ninth, 6-5

Game two of the new baseball season was played on a nice Spring afternoon at Antelope High. The Free Agents were the home team and massed early with 17 players, while the Buzzards slowly circled on Antelope with 11 players. The always tough Free Agents also added one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the region, Greg Lichtenberger, to their squad for this season. That gives the Free Agents three NABA all-star pitchers on their staff with Don Rogers and Tim Burkett. Right-hander Greg #24 took the mound as the starting pitcher. The Gold Country Buzzards countered with their ace lefty, Jim “Moxey” Steiger #13.

The Buzzards were not bothered by the smoke coming off the ball as flame throwing, former Buzzard, Lichtenberger faced lead-off batter, Taylor “Welzy” Welz. On a 1-2 hard sinker, Welzy laced a double down the left field line. T-Welz later moved to third on a groundout. With two outs, clean-up hitter, Tony “Bear” Brashear, knocked in the game’s first run with a sharp single to left field.

In the second inning, the Buzzards scored again. Pete “Baron” Von Zboray belted a 2-0 fastball over the left fielder’s head on to the warning track for a double. Two outs later, the pitcher, Moxey, smacked a 1-0 pitch through the infield into right field for a run-scoring single making the score 2-zip Buzzards.

While Steigey was mowing ‘em down 1-2-3, the Buzzards put another run on the score board in the third inning. Welzy led-off with another well-hit double to left field on a 0-2 pitch. After moving to third on a groundout to the right side, Welzy scored when Scott “Donut” Reeves hit a liner into right field for the run scoring single. After three innings, the Buzzards were up 3-0.

The Gold Country boys scored one run in the fourth inning on another two-out base hit. With two down the catcher, Jim “Milli” Milligan, scorched a 1-2 sinker into deep left field for a double. The next batter, Donnie “Redondo” Colbert blasted a 2-0 pitch into a long double to left easily scoring the run. The score after four was 4-0 Buzzards.

The Free Agents put one on the score board in the bottom of the fifth inning. Two walks, an infield error on a tough play and a base hit scored the lone run. The Buzzards changed pitchers in the sixth, putting Mark “Weed” Fowler #11 on the hill. Moxey was still pitching well, but this early in the season, the team is careful with these ol’ arms.

The Free Agents are a good hitting team and Weed found out on the first pitch to their pitcher, Don Rogers, as he hit the fastball high and deep - with wind assistance - way over the left-center field fence for a solo homer and the only run in the inning. After six innings, the score was now 4-2 Buzzards.

In the fifth inning the Free Agents changed pitchers, bringing in the fidgety and fast-paced righty, Don “Sidewinder” Rogers #21. The team continued to get on base, but the Buzzards stranded Weeder at second after a nice 0-2 hit to left in the fifth. In the sixth, Bear was left on second base after his lead-off; line drive sizzler hit the fence in left for a stand-up double. Another two feet higher and that ball is outta here. Damn, but what a quick laser-beam shot that was. Nice hittin’ today Tony.

The Free Agents added three runs in their half of the seventh inning to take the lead. A bases loaded, two-out double by Rogers ‘Hornsby’ put the FA’s ahead 5-4.

The Ol’ Buzzards fought back with a two-out run to tie the score in the top of the eighth. With one out, Dan “Wookie” Wukmir got the only Buzzard walk of the game. Wookie advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Bear followed with an infield bouncer, fielded deep up the middle by shortstop, Mike “Motor Mouth” Wilson. His rushed throw forced the first baseman to field a tough hop in the stretch position. Wook rounding third base saw the low throw from big Mike and hustled home with the tying run.

The Buzzards threatened in the ninth, but the game was tied 5-5 entering the bottom of the last inning. The first batter struck-out on seven pitches. Next, a hard grounder up the middle put a runner on first. Another Fowler strikeout on four pitches was out number two; however, the runner stole second base and was now in scoring position. The next batter was the red hot Rogers and he was intentionally walked. During the four wide pitches, the runner on second base took off for third. He would have been nailed at third, but the intentional high & wide throw was rushed as the runner took off and it ticked off the glove of the jumping catcher allowing the runner to advance. With runners at the corners and a 0 for 4 lefty-batter coming to the plate and no time left, the prospects of a tie game loomed. However, the next pitch was pulled hard near first base and the ball took a wicked hop before bouncing over the outstretched back-handed glove of the Baron for the game winning hit for the celebrating Free Agents. Ouch, tough loss.

This was a good game with a lousy ending. The defense performed well but the three errors proved costly. The defense did shine with many nice plays and tough outs. One was the great catch of a scalded hooking sinker to left field by Weeder to open the game. And the third inning ‘wow’ basket-catch by Mike “Bake” Baker in foul territory, covering lots of ground running toward the dugout fence, before low-catching the ball. Also noteworthy was the terrific relay play in the seventh inning. Scottie ran down the double by Rogers in left field and threw to Welzy in shallow left field. T-Welz then threw a strike to Bake playing third base and put a quick tag on the sliding runner for a key out in the seventh. Again all pop-ups were caught including a tough back-hand by Fowler in the eighth. Mark jumped off the mound and ran into foul territory near the Free Agent dugout to make a fabulous catch on the run.

The pitching was strong and certainly good enough to win. The ump seemed to be squeezing the Buzzard pitchers. And that terrible call in the eighth on the pop-up at the plate. The batter hit the ball high and straight up. As the ball was coming down on the first base side of the batter’s box, the hitter was clearly out of the batter’s box and directly interfering with the play as he stayed in the way of Weed, who called the easy catch, preventing the grab. A ‘no call’ by either knuckle-headed and confused blue was unbelievable, but sadly true.

Steigey started his second game for the Buzzards and looked impressive in five innings. He retired the first nine batters - in order - before giving up a single to open the fourth. Jim threw 87 pitches (51 strikes & 36 balls) while striking out four and walking two with two hits and no earned runs. Weed threw 75 pitches in four innings of work (37 strikes & 28 balls) giving up eight hits with three walks and striking out six with two earned runs.

The offense was on a remarkable run early in the game with eight hits in four innings and clutch RBI hits knocked in the single runner in scoring position in four consecutive innings. The hit club for the game included Donut, Milli, Moxey, Redondo and Weed with the Baron and Welzy getting two hits and Tony went 3 for 4. Single ribbies were knocked in by Donut, Moxey and Redondo while Tony knocked in two big runs. Of the 12 Buzzard hits, six were doubles.

The Buzzards won the first game of the season against the Dragons in the bottom of the ninth inning and have now lost to the Free Agents in the bottom of the ninth in the second game. The developing pattern is good quality competition in a tough league. Next Sunday, we will be traveling to Elk Grove to play the Valley Cats at Bradshaw Christian High. The Greg Vaughn Field is one of the nicest we get to play on. The Valley Cats had the best record last season with only three losses and were the top seed going into the 2010 playoffs. They had the misfortune of running into the Buzzards in the first round of the NABA playoffs and lost. The Valley Cats will be another team gearing up to play the Gold Country Buzzards like the last two. Be ready and bring your hittin’ stick.

Buzzard Note #1: The upcoming Buzzard schedule includes this Sunday, April 17, against the Valley Cats at James Field, Auburn.

Buzzard Note #2: The following Sunday, April 24, is Easter and no game. The next week on May 1, we play a double-header against the Gold Country Miners at Colfax High.