Gold Country Buzzards

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #3

April 19, 2009

 Buzzards Defeat The Patriots In Woodland, 4 to 1

 On the first hot day of the 2009 season, the Buzzards found themselves getting up extra early on Sunday for the longest road trip of the year.  The double-header in Woodland against the always tough California Patriots started at 10 o’clock at Lee Field.  The baseball veteran Patriots are a good bunch of ol’ geezers, that according to coach Jim Hall, the average age is 62 years old.  In comparison the average age for the Ol’ Buzzards is 52.   

As former NABA champs, the Patriots are used to winning, but this season they have started with a hard schedule.  They have faced three tough teams in their first three games, losing to the Dragons 13-7 and the Valley Cats 14-13 before facing the Buzzards in the third game.  So they really wanted to clip the Buzzards’ wings in at least one of the games today.  Playing on one of the top baseball fields in the Sacramento region with temperatures heading for the mid-90’s and next to the local cemetery - hopefully not needing it - the two game battle was on.  The pitching match-up in game one was southpaw Dave “Keppy” Kephart #21 throwing for the Gold Country Buzzards and Dave Ryan #12 starting the game on the mound for the California Patriots.

The Buzzards scored first with a run in the top of the first inning on a two out walk to Bob “Woody” Wooden, who then stole second base, before Jim “Milli” Milligan hit a 0-1 pitch to deep right-center for the run scoring double.  The first inning though had a couple of bad omens.  The umpire’s strike zone for a batter was going to be a challenge, two Buzzards struck out looking in the inning, and after singling to left on an 0-2 pitch, Dan “Wookie” Wukmir jammed his left thumb - enough to come out of the game at shortstop four innings later – by running and then sliding head first into a ‘what were you thinking’ tag out at second base.  It was confirmed later that he was not thinking, which does sound like a Sacramento County employee. 

The Buzzards did not score again until the sixth inning.  By that time the score was tied at one run each.  The Patriots had scored their only run of the game, as it turns out later, also for the day in the fifth inning.  The scoring threat started with a one out dribbler half way down the line that third baseman Mike “Bake” Baker raced in and tried to scoop up the rolling ball with his bare hand resulting in the second Pats hit of the game.  After the next batter got on base with a bobbled ground ball, their lead-off hitter smacked one up the middle to score the runner from second base.  The next batter, Jimbo Hill, battled Keppy by fouling off three pitches before walking to load the bases.  The next batter, one of the toughest outs in the league, Lanny Ropke, hit the first pitch sharply to Bob “Woody” Wooden at shortstop for an easy force out at second base to end the inning.

The Buzzards scored three runs in the top of the sixth.  Wookie led off the inning by reaching out for one of those ‘way outside’ strikes and beat out a bobbled ground ball to third.  Woody followed with a line drive single to left putting runners at first and second.  Milli, batting in the clean-up spot for the first time this season, knocked in his second ribbie of the game with a single to left field scoring Wookie.  Gary “Stoney” Stonebrook’s one-out single to left scored Woody from third and Taylor “Welzy” Welz, running for Milli, scored easily from second base.  The inning ended on a nice over-the-shoulder catch of a Keppy flare to left by the shortstop, and long time baseball coach at El Dorado High, Fritz Reynolds. Pitching held both teams to a total of 13 hits.  The Buzzards scored their four runs with eight hits and three walks, while the Pats defense also helped by surprisingly committing six errors.  The Patriots got their lone run on five hits and three walks with two Buzzard infield errors.  There were nine Buzzard strikeouts today; four caught looking at very questionable strikes. 

Ol’ rubber arm Keppy struck out 11 Patriots and controlled the game for 9 innings.  He threw 144 pitches, 99 for strikes and 45 balls, giving up one unearned run in pitching a five-hitter.  Excellent job by Keppy in frustrating those Patriots all game long.  The Buzzard defense looked good in making the other 16 outs of the game.  There were 12 ground ball outs with one nice 6-4-3 double play (Woody to Cookie to Stoney) in the ninth inning; three fly ball outs – two in the sixth to Welzy in center and Pete “Baron” Von Zboray in right field, and one more nice catch by the Baron in right to end the eighth inning with two runners in scoring position; and one hot liner to Stoney playing first base to open the fifth.  Three of the ground outs were sharp come-backers to Keppy, fielding his position well, for some easy looking 1-3 put outs.  With Keppy throwing lots of hard stuff, the left fielder, Barry “Brooklyn” Forman, was bored with no action coming his way. 

Offensively the Buzzards had runners in every inning and in scoring position in five of those innings.  With only eight hits, there is not much to brag about.  Only six Buzzards got hits with Milli and Stoney getting two each.  The Buzzards are always happy with a win, but we would like to see more hits.  3 – 0 is a good start to the season. 

Game one of the double bill was completed in 2 hours and 40 minutes.  The umps gave the teams 30 minutes to eat and get ready for a 1:10 start time for game two. 

Buzzard Note #1: The Patriots thankfully took the first base dugout for today, which meant they had to chase the fouls balls that went into the cemetery.  Some Buzzards in the past have felt it is kind of creepy to walk over graves in long steel cleats getting foul balls. 

Buzzard Note #2: A circling group of soaring Buzzards is called a Kettle.