Gold Country Buzzards

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #19

August 8, 2010

Buzzards swat Sultans, 14-0

The Buzzards gathered up late at Rusch Park in Citrus Heights for a 2 o’clock game against the Sultans. Highway 80 was clogged with cars coming down the hill from Hot August Nights, so a number of Buzzards got caught in traffic and arrived close to game time. The Buzzards had not played at Rusch Park in a couple of seasons and a couple of Buzzards had never played on this field. The field was in good shape and the weather was nice at 85° with a gentle breeze. The Sultans have won one game, against the Astros in mid-season, and should be easy prey for the Buzzards.

On the mound for the visiting Sultans was right-hander John “Motor Mouth” Lenzi #21. The Buzzards sent their southpaw ace, Dave “Keppie” Kephart #21 to the bump. The Buzzards jumped on the score board first with a couple of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Dan “Wookie” Wukmir led off the game with a sharp single into right-center field. With one out, Wookie stole second and moved to third on a passed ball. Batting next, Charles “CJ” Jackson blasted the ball over the left field fence for a two-run home run to take an early lead. In the second inning with one out, Barry “Brooklyn” Forman hit a looping single into short left-center. Brooklyn stole second before Mark “Ronnie” Wronski hit a 1-2 pitch into the right-center field gap for a run scoring double for the only run in that inning.

With Keppie pitching a gem in facing only 12 batters through the first four innings including six strikeouts, the Buzzards continued to pressure the Sultan defense with good solid hits. The Gold Country gang scored three more runs in their half of the fourth inning. Bob “Woodie” Wooden started the inning with a hard single to left field. Woodie stole second base before CJ launched another deep blast into left-center field. This one hit near the top of the fence to stay in the park for a long run scoring double.

With Mike “Bake” Baker at the plate, CJ stole third base before tagging up on Bake’s sacrifice fly-out to right field. With two outs, Pete “Baron” Von Zboray singled to right-center. The Baron stole second base and moved to third on Barry’s infield hit to the left side. Ronnie then hit a sharp grounder to the third baseman. After nice glove work, the fielder threw off line allowing Ronnie to get to first and score Pete from third. After four the score was 6-0 Buzzards.

The Buzzards added three more runs in the fifth inning. Jim “Wags” Wagner led off with a smash down the left field line for a long single and alertly moved to second when the throw got away in the infield. With Wookie batting, Wags advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on the catcher’s wild throw. Wook then walked on five pitches. Dave Everingham, batting next, singled to center. Woodie followed with an RBI hit to right field. With one out, Bake singled to center to knock in the third run. Now 9-zip after five.

Keppie came out after the fifth inning and Woodie took the hill for the Buzzards. Both pitchers shut down the Sultans, while the Buzzards scored some more. In the bottom of the sixth, the ‘no mercy’ Buzzards scored five more times. Ronnie opened the inning with a line drive to right field for a hit. Scott “Donut” Reeves walked to put two runners on. Wags got his third hit of the day with a single to right field driving in Ronnie. With one out and runners at the corners, Everingham’s grounder back to the pitcher resulted in a score as a hustlin’ Donut rounded third and beat the throw home from first base. Next, Woodie got to first on a misplay by the shortstop.

With CJ coming to the plate, all of the outfielders backed-up deep, almost to the fence. It didn’t matter; CJ smashed another ball deep in the left-center field gap to score two runs with his second double and third extra base hit of the game. Wow! Bake followed CJ’s double with one of his own with a line drive double to right field to score the 14th and final run.

The Sultans were controlled by Buzzard pitching (7 strikeouts) and defense (3 double-plays). The game ended after seven innings with the 10-run mercy rule. In five innings of work, Keppie faced the minimum 15 batters with one hit and one walk wiped out by double-plays in the first and fifth innings. Kep threw 54 pitches (37 strikes & 17 balls) in winning his eighth game of the Buzzard season. Woodie threw 22 pitches (16 strikes & 6 balls) in facing eight Sultans giving up no runs on three hits with one strikeout.

The offense looked good as the bats pounded out 18 hits. The multi-hit group for this game was: Barry-2, Bake-3, CJ-3, Ronnie-2, Wag-3, and Woodie-2. The ribbies were knocked in by: Bake-3, Dave, Ronnie-2, Wags, Woodie, and Charles Jackson with 5 loud RBI’s.

The team is playing well as the season draws to a close with two games remaining on the schedule and the playoffs looming. With the Dragons losing to the Reds at Lembi Field, the Buzzards now lead by two games for the final playoff spot with a 12-7 record.

Buzzard Note #1: Team party is this Saturday, August 14, at the Colbert’s at 1 pm. Bring a side dish or dessert and what you want to drink. Swim trunks are encouraged to try out the new pool. The directions are: Hwy 49 to Lone Star (turn right from LOP/or left from Hwy 80 - depending on which direction you’re coming from); Lone Star will run into the Auburn Valley Golf Course, stay to the left on to Bell Road; take the first right onto Country Club Estates Lane; Country Club will become Big Hill Road; continue on through the gates (will be open); go up the hill on Big Hill Road (dirt road) you will not see any houses for ½ mile; first house on the right is the Colbert’s place (gate will be open), park inside or on the side of the road. Don and Emily’s phone numbers are: (hm) 916-543-0926, (cell) 916-813-8980. Address is 7055 Big Hill Road.

Buzzard Note #2: The final two games of the 2010 regular season will be played at Colfax High. The game times may shift to 11 am. Watch for the game time announcement later this week. We play the Astros this Sunday and the tough Reds on August 22. The playoffs start on August 29 with a single-elimination game. It appears we will be matched up with the top-seeded Valley Cats. After the Labor Day weekend, the playoffs continue on September 12 with a best of three championship series. A double-header is scheduled for September 12 and the third, if necessary, game is planned for the following Sunday, September 19. We are going all the way, so please mark your calendars for these important team dates.

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #18

August 1, 2010

Buzzards defeat Coyotes on radio, 10-1

The annual radio game was upon us. The later start time at 3:30 pm and playing at James Field in Auburn was to accommodate KAHI. The station’s earlier broadcast of the Oakland A’s at the Chicago White Sox game preceded the Buzzards’ game versus the Coyotes. With the radio play-by-play announcer, Dave Rosenthal, setting up the radio broadcast equipment in the stands behind home plate and with extra fans gathering for the game plus radios tuned to 950 AM in the stands and in the dugouts made for a little excitement, certainly something different and special. The game was delayed for a few minutes while KAHI worked out the remote broadcast kinks. The radio station experienced the dreaded sound of ‘dead air’ for a few moments, so we waited while Dave and the station ‘fixed it’.

The field was in good shape, thanks to a small (Pete & Kep) work party on Saturday, and the weather was good at 90°, making the setting ideal for the third annual KAHI radio game, plus there was Gold Country braggin’ rights for the year at stack. The 10-7 Buzzards needed to keep winning for a shot at the playoffs, while the 4-13 Coyotes wanted to clip the Buzzards’ wings.

Both teams used their ace pitchers for this game. The visiting Coyotes sent hard throwing (45 year old) righty, Terry “Caveman” Kelley #22 to the mound to face the harder throwing southpaw, Dave “Keppie” Kephart #21.

The Buzzards scored first in the bottom of the second inning. Fred “Freddie” O’Donoghue started off the inning with a deep double. Dan “Wookie” Wukmir got the bunt sign and sacrificed Freddie to third on a good bunt for a close play at first base. Next, Pete “Baron” Von Zboray hit a hard grounder to short that bounced past the glove into left field driving in the run for an early 1-0 lead.

Caveman Kelley was throwing well with three strikeouts and a double play in the first three innings, while Keppie was perfect with nine up and nine down, five strikeouts, three grounders to short and an infield pop-up. The Ol’ Buzzards did score two runs in the fourth inning. Taylor “Welzy” Welz led off with a line drive single to left-center field. Batting next, Bob “Woodie” Wooden’s infield pop-up landed untouched but Welzy was forced at second on the play. Woodie then stole second base and scored on Dave Everingham’s 0-2 pitch, line drive base hit into center field. With one out, CJ then blasted a double to right-center field scoring Dave from second for a 3-0 lead.

The Buzzard pitching and defense continued to shut down the pesky Coyots and held them scoreless until the last inning. Meanwhile, the Buzzards scored three more in their half of the sixth inning. Donnie “Redondo” Colbert led off with a hard single up the middle on a 1-2 count fastball. Scott “Donut” Reeves, the game’s starting catcher, got the bunt sign from coach Taylor and laid down a good one. The pitcher fielded the ball and then threw wildly to first base putting runners at second and third. Batting next, Welzy drove the next pitch into right- center field for another single scoring both runners. T-Welz hustled around the bases on the throw home that got away and when the play ended he was at third base. Next, Woody smacked the ball thru the infield to score the third run. The score after six was 6-0 Buzzards.

After the no-hitter was broken by Dave “Dink ‘em” Kelley in the fourth inning by his ‘wounded duck’ into short left field, the Coyots were then getting runners on base in every inning. Solid defense and tough pitching was preventing the other Gold Country team from breaking thru with a run.

The Coyotes changed pitchers in the seventh inning and Tom “Usually Lucky (with the girls)” Luck #16 took the bump for the team. The Buzzards kept up the pressure and pushed across another run in the inning. The Baron hit a two-out single to left and then stole second base. Batting next, Keppie smoked a double to right-center to score Pete from second. Von Zboray, the token non-citizen on the team (Dutch birth), stole his first base of the season with a hard head-first belly flop. The cloud of dust, a dramatic safe signal by the base ump and a slowly standing-up Baron would have made for great TV; however, this was a radio game.

The ‘no mercy’ Buzzards added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. With one out, Donut walked. Batting next, Mark “Ronnie” Wronski hit a nice line drive into right-center field putting runners at the corners. Welzy then singled into center field driving in Scottie with Mark moving to third. After a fielder’s choice and second out, the newest Buzzard, Everingham, singled to center to drive in Ronnie. CJ then hit a towering pop-up on the left side of the infield. Norm Tucker, the Coyot third baseman, appeared to have it, but he dove to his left at the last second as the ball hit the ground and Woodie scored the third run for a 10-0 lead.

Los Coyotes did not give up and scored a run in the top of the ninth inning. On the mound for the Buzzards was Donut making his Buzzard pitching debut. Caveman Kelley started the inning with a single up the middle. Terry moved to second on a wild pitch then stole third base within a few pitches and was now dancing around at bag. A pitch in the dirt got away and rolled to the backstop allowing the speedy Kelley (not to be confused with brother Dave) to score the lone run. Then after a line shot to Dave at shortstop for out number one, the next two batters walked. The defense then held with another good hustlin’ catch, this time by Woodie with a running shoe-top catch playing first base, and then the game ended with a terrific back-hand catch by a running Baron in traffic in right field, making that tough catch look easy.

Good game with tough pitching and solid defense (no errors). The 12 hits were good too. That Coyotes’ pitching was tough. The Buzzards were swinging good bats the last two games. And had just come off two games in a row against top divisional teams while facing their ace pitcher and knocked out 18 or more hits in each game. But not against Caveman Kelley, who gave up seven hits in seven innings of work with no walks and four K’s, while the Buzzards scored six runs in those seven innings, some with the help of three errors. Lucky pitched the last two innings giving up four runs on five hits and one walk with one strikeout.

Buzzard pitching was superb. Keppie pitched a strong game facing 33 Coyotes in eight innings, throwing 121 pitches (70 strikes & 51 balls) giving up seven hits and six walks but with no runs scored. Kep made the last out in the eighth inning with a close play at the plate. With Coyot Norm at third base and dancing up and down the line, Keppie threw a wild pitch. Norm charged home while Freddie quickly tracked down the ball at the backstop and threw to a sliding Kephart at home plate. Kep slid on the third base side of home right before Norm’s feet-first slide got to the plate and effectively blocked it from the hard sliding Tucker. The throw was on the money and Keppie made the tag for the out. Wow, great play, but weren’t those sharp steel cleats that Norm was flashing on the slide.

In the ninth, Scottie “I can play everything” Reeves took the mound and was now showing he can. Donut started the game behind the plate and was now finishing up the game on the mound throwing to the plate. Donut threw 25 pitches (14 strikes & 11 balls) in facing six batters giving up one run on two hits with two walks.

The offense was good enough to win. The last four runs were scored on hits with two outs – excellent. The 12 hits were spread among eight Buzzards. The only multi-hit players this game were Woodie -2 and Welzy -3. The RBI’s were knocked in by the Baron, CJ -2, Dave -2, Keppie, Welzy -3 and Woodie. Good game guys.

This was a good game to have broadcast on the radio. Dave Rosenthal of KAHI said the station loved doing the game and expect to be back next August to do it again. Only a few early cuss words by Barry and Woodie, on swinging misses at the plate, were heard. Quick story. Before Barry led-off the third inning, Coach Wook told him two things: #1 no f-word and #2 no throwing of the bat. Then, on the first pitch he takes his big swing and misses followed quickly by a loud F-word. Then, on the second pitch he swings and misses sending the bat flying off a good 15 feet toward the backstop on the first base side. What can ya do?

The next two games are a soft spot in the schedule with the Sultans and the Astros the next two Sundays. We then finish with the Reds at home. Our record is 11-7 and we are now in 4th place by ourselves. The Dragons lost last week to the Valley Cats and are now 10-8. We need to keep winning and lock up this playoff spot.

Buzzard Note #1: We will get CD copies of the radio game in a couple of weeks. KAHI is the radio home of the Oakland A’s and the Raiders in the Gold Country. They are also the radio home of the Gold Country Buzzards.

Buzzard Note #2: Donnie and Emily Colbert have invited the Buzzards to their home in Auburn for a BBQ and to show off their new pool. The afternoon swim party is set for Saturday, August 14th at 1 o’clock. The Colbert’s will provide the meats (burgers, dogs/links). Bring a side dish or dessert and what you want to drink. The address is 7055 Big Hill Road in Auburn. Phone numbers are (hm) 916-543-0926 and (cell) 916-813-8980. Directions will be attached separately. Donnie’s other team, the MSBL Braves, are also invited.

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #17

July 25, 2010

Buzzards swoop in late to defeat Dragons

On another warm summer day, the Buzzards gathered at Antelope High for a battle with their recent nemesis, the Dragons. The 10 o’clock start time and the breeze kept the temperature down for this hot game with playoff implications. The 9-7 Buzzards needed to beat the 10-6 Dragons for the fourth and last spot in the playoffs.

Before the regular game, the teams needed to complete the game from June 13th when the umpire crashed from the heat in the top of the ninth inning with the Dragons ahead 6-2. It took four batters, but the Dragons got three outs and the official victory that was already included in the season record.

The task now for the Ol’ Buzzards was to beat the Dragons without their ace pitcher. The Dragons went with Jeff “High Socks” Hansen #11 who had beaten the Buzzards earlier this season. The Buzzards started Taylor “High Socks’ Welzy” Welz #4 on the mound.

The visiting Buzzards manufactured a run in the top of the first when Welzy, leading off, hit the first pitch hard on the ground to third, which got bobbled by the third baseman, allowing T-Welz to reach first base on the error. Welzy then stole second and advanced to third on a grounder to the pitcher. High Socks then scored on a ground ball to the right side to take a 1-0 lead.

The Dragons jumped on the scoreboard with five runs in their half of the inning. A lead-off walk followed by six base hits was a huge lift for the Dragons. The Dragons were swinging the bat well and smacked several shots down the third base line - just fair - for extra base hits plus a few flares just out of reach of the defense. At this point Welzy was still throwing strikes with good pace, but five runs had scored and there were runners at the corners and no outs.

It was not looking good, when the Dragons got greedy and sent the runner from first on a 1-2 count to draw a throw going to second and send the runner from third to home. The next pitch was a strike for an out and the throw to second base was cut-off by the shortstop, Dave “Smooth” Everingham, and he zipped it back to the catcher, Scott “Donut” Reeves to tag the runner at home for the second out of a different kind of double-play. T-Welz struck out the next batter on four pitches to end the inning.

The Buzzards have been swinging some hot sticks lately, so the 5-1 early score did not faze them. Scoring two runs in the top of the second showed this was going to be a high scoring battle. Mike “Bake” Baker started the inning with a base-on-balls. Running for Bake was Charles “CJ” Jackson. Batting next, Dan “Wookie” Wukmir, waited for CJ to steal second base before looping a hit into center field. With runners at first and third, Wookie stole second base on the first pitch. Pete “Baron” Von Zboray followed with a flare to short left field, near the foul line with several hard charging Dragons converging, but the ball landed for a single scoring CJ. The throw from the fielder got away and an alert Wook scored from third for the second run.

Not going away and facing a new pitcher, Fred “Freddie” O’Donoghue #26, the Dragons matched the scoring with two of their own in the bottom of the inning. With a two-out single and two extra base hits, the Dragons quickly scored to make the score 7-3 after two innings. The last double was the killer hit for two runs and came after a 1-2 count (should have been called strike three) pitch. Those hurt.

Welzy started off the third inning with a sharp single to left field on the first pitch. After stealing the next bag on the first pitch, he scored one out later when Everingham hit a bouncer thru the right side for a single and the lone run this inning. The Buzzards kept chipping away at the lead and scored two more in the next inning. With one out Don “Redondo” Colbert hit a big-swing dribbler down the first base line that was picked up by the pitcher. In a close play at first base, Redondo dove head-first and with a large cloud of dust in the air the umpire yelled safe. Good call & good hustle.

Next, Barry “Walk-off” Forman singled up the middle. Batting next, Donut appeared to beat out an infield hit and was called safe, but the appeal to the home plate ump by the Dragon’s manager resulted in a change of the call to an out. After a quick WTF discussion between Wook and the home plate ump, the game resumed with two outs and two on. Freddie then sent a flare that dropped into left field scoring Donnie and Barry making the game tighter at 7-6.

The Buzzards scored next to tie up the game in the top of the fifth. Smoothie led off the inning by fouling off four pitches before hitting a line drive single into center field. CJ singled thru the left side putting runners at first and second with no outs. Bake then got the bunt sign and placed a beauty on the ground to advance the runners. Wookie, batting next, walked on five pitches to load the bases with one out. Next, the Baron hit a drifting pop-up into the sun toward the second baseman and on the outfield grass. The field umpire did not call for the infield-fly rule because he saw the second baseman struggling as he said, with the ball in the air, that he did not see the ball. However, after a delay and as the ball was coming down, the home plate umpire called for the infield-fly rule. A moment later, the ball hit the fielder’s glove, after lunging at the ball, but the ball hit the ground. By then the runners were down the line and way out of position for the call. The ball did not roll away very far from the fielder, so the throw to second for the tag out was made, but not before Dave scored from third before the third out was made. The score was now 7-7.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Dragons fought back with a run to re-take the lead. The dreaded lead-off walk started the inning. A single, putting runners at the corners, was followed by a terrific Buzzard double-play 4-6-3 with the runner holding at third base. But a single down the right field line with two outs scored the go-ahead run. 8-7 Dragons after five.

Lots of hits and lots of pitches had now made the three-hour time limit a factor in the game. The multiple runners and a slow Dragon pitcher was adding to the slow pace of the game. There was about 20 minutes left in the time limit and this was the start of the sixth inning. With the Dragons taking their sweet-ass time between innings, the Buzzards came to bat in the top half of the sixth. With the first two batters getting out on five pitches, it took Scottie to start the rally with a hard bouncer thru the left side for a single. Donut got the steal sign and took the bag on the next pitch. Freddie then singled up the middle putting runners at first and third. Welzy, batting next, doubled to left field scoring Donut to tie the game. Bob “Woodie” Wooden followed with an infield hit that scored two runs. Welzy was hustlin’ from second base and scored the second run on the play by beating the throw from first to the plate.

Still with two outs and time still a factor, Dave then hit an RBI single to left field scoring Woodie. CJ followed with a hard grounder to short that was bobbled for an error and another run. Five runs scored after two outs and no one on base. Wow. What a great rally to take a 12-8 lead. The dragging Dragons were now on their heels, but were determined to score some more. They put two runners on in the sixth, but Freddie shut them down with a come-backer and throw to second for the force out and a nice try at a double-play and then a strikeout. The inning ended with 30-seconds left in the 3-hour time limit, so we took the field for one more inning.

Both teams did not score in the seventh, so the game ended with the Buzzards fighting back from a 5-1 and then 7-3 early deficits to beat the Dragons 12-8. Great game, you Ol’ Buzzards.

Freddie threw well and kept the batters off-balance much of the game. Danny’s father faced 29 Dragons, slaying 18 of them, while throwing 101 pitches (67 strikes & 34 balls) in six innings of work. The Dragons got nine hits and two walks plus a hit batter and struck out five times. Welzy gamely finished the first inning on a high note when everything before that seemed to go the Dragons way. He did not want to give up the mound before the second inning, but the change was made for a warmed-up Freddie. Taylor faced nine batters and threw 31 pitches (19 strikes & 12 balls). There were six hits, one walk and two strikeouts in the inning.

The Buzzard offense was strong with 18 hits. The multi-hit group for the game were Forman, Jackson, O’Donoghue and Reeves with two knocks each and Everingham and Welz with three hits. The ribbies were courtesy of Barry, Dave-3, Freddie-2, Pete-2, Welzy, and Woodie-2. The Buzzards were frisky this game with nine stolen bases to go along with two walks and executed the bunt when necessary with Baker in the fifth inning. Good overall game with good gloves and hot bats and a really exciting come-back victory.

Buzzard Note #1: The game this Sunday to be broadcast live on KAHI 950 AM has been confirmed for a 3:30 pm start time. Some still have not completed the bio. Blanks will be available before the game, but get there at 2:30 if you still need to fill one out. Remind any attending Buzzard fans to bring a radio to listen and watch the game. Since the game is live on the radio without a delay, cussing is seriously discouraged, meaning no F-bombs or any other loud cuss words. The game is being taped and copies on CD will be available in a couple of weeks.

Buzzard Note #2: There has been a change of plans regarding a BBQ after the game. The game is now starting later, so we will skip the BBQ and just have our regular cold drinks and snacks afterwards for those that can hang around.

Buzzard Note #3: The Colbert’s have graciously invited us over to their place to show-off their new pool and have the Gold Country BBQ on the 100-acre spread in Auburn on August 14. Time and more info to come.

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #16

July 18, 2010

Buzzards kick Cats in dramatic fashion

A big home game loomed as the Buzzards arrived at Colfax High for the 2 o’clock game against the first place Valley Cats. The Cats season record is 14-1. The 8-7 Buzzards needed to beat the Whinny Cats to get to the playoffs and the V-Cats needed to keep their steam-roller moving forward, rolling up opponents, in route to the top seed in the playoffs. The day was going to be a hot 95° and so was the game.

For this game, the Valley Cats manager, Tony “TJ” Jackson brought his best including their ace, starting pitcher, Dave “Nut Case” Nutter #12. The Buzzards’ countered with their ace southpaw, Dave “Keppie” Kephart #21.

The Buzzards scored first with a run in their first at-bat. Taylor “Welzy” Welz led off with a sharp single to right-center field. With one out, Dave “Big E” Everingham hit a two-strike pitch looping into left field to put runners on second and first. Charles “CJ” Jackson followed with a line drive hit to left field knocking in Welzy from second base.

The Valley Cats are a good hitting team and they jumped on the board with five runs in the top of the second. The inning didn’t start too well with a slow roller toward third for a hit, then a looper into short right field for another hit before a double and several singles plus a walk added up to five runs.

The inning started so poorly that the first six batters reached base before an out was made. The first out was a good one though. Three runs had scored, the bases were loaded and no one was out when a hit to deep right-center scored the fourth run as the center fielder, Donnie “Redondo” Colbert chased down the ball and made a strong throw to the relay man. Welzy, playing second, took the throw on the outfield grass and threw a bullet to the catcher, Scott “Donut” Reeves, for a nice catch and tag of TJ at home for the first out. It took a while for that first out, but that play put a serious damper on their little rally. Three batters later the inning was over.

The Buzzards added a run in their half of the second inning. With one out Keppie singled to left field. After a fielder’s choice, Redondo was the runner at first with two outs. Mike “Bake” Baker then laced a 2-0 pitch into the gap in left-center field sending a hustlin’ Redondo around the bases to score the run making the score 5-2 after two.

The Whinny Cats scored again in the third inning. A lead-off single, then fielder’s choice and a base on balls followed by another single got one run. Now with runners on first and second and one out, the Cats were getting ready for another rally. The next batter hit a dangerous flare into short left field drifting toward the line and looking like a key hit. Covering lots of ground, the Buzzard shortstop, Dave, caught the ball on the run and quickly threw back to Welzy covering second base to beat the returning runner for a big double-play to end the inning.

The Buzzards then fought back with two runs in the bottom of the third. With one out, Welzy placed a pop-up behind the pitcher’s mound for an infield single. Bob “Woody” Wooden followed with a single to left. Everingham then hit a sinking liner to center field that the fielder made a nice diving catch for the second out. CJ walked before Pete “Baron” Von Zboray hit the first pitch looping into short left field and near the line for a two-run single. The score after three innings was 6-4.

After a scoreless fourth inning, the Buzzards added another run in the fifth. With one out, Woody singled to left field and then stole second base. Batting next, Big E hit a grounder to short that was bobbled and then the rushed throw was high and outside allowing Woody to come around and score to tighten the game at 6-5. The Buzzards put two runners on base in the sixth inning, but the score remained 6-5 until the top of the seventh.

The Valley Cats scored two big runs with a two-out, two-run double to give them some breathing room and make the score 8-5 after seven innings with the three-hour time limit now a factor. The annoying Whinny Cats stalled and stepped out of the batter’s box a lot to ensure there was not going to be a ninth inning.

After a slow 1-2-3 top of the eighth, the Buzzards got their chance in the bottom half of the inning needing three runs to tie the game. Everingham started the late game rally with a hard single into left. Batting next, Jackson blasted a 2-0 pitch deep over the left field fence foul! for strike one. As the ball was being tossed back in, the pitcher and catcher got together to strategize on pitching to Charles with the 2-1 count. The next pitch was a fastball and CJ sent that one into quick orbit over center field for a two-run home run. Wow, FAA and the Air Force’s Space Command are both pissed at the unplanned orbiting object.

With the score now 8-7, the Baron hit a tough hopper to the shortstop, who bobbled the ball then rushed his throw sending it down the line allowing Pete to get on base. With no outs and down by one run, the coaching staff called for a bunt. Dan “Wookie” Wukmir bunted the second pitch to move Pete into scoring position with the sacrifice. Next, Keppie battled with an 0-2 count and fouled off several pitches before knocking a flat curve ball into left field for a big single, now putting runners at first and third. A grounder to short by Redondo wasn’t deep enough to score the Baron from third, but the fielder’s choice still left runners at the corners with two outs and about five minutes left of game time.

With a hot Baker stepping to the plate, the Cats’ coach, Tony called time out and against the loud advice offered by some of his teammates, he ordered an intentional walk to load the bases and put the potential winning run, Redondo, into scoring position. The next batter, Barry “Brooklyn” Forman had plenty of time to consider the situation and mentioned the ‘no pressure’ in a humorous way to Kat before stepping into the batter’s box.

The first base coach, Welzy, was told to remind Barry that he should take a pitch or two and make the tired Nutter throw a strike. So, Welzy called Barry over and gave him the instructions. Barry nodded and then Barry hit the first pitch fastball on a line into center field for the game winning hit, driving in the Baron and Redondo to go ahead 9-8 just as the clock struck five. That meant the game was over and made Barry’s single a walk-off base hit to joyously end the game. Wow, what a finish and a great game.

The Buzzard pitching against this good hitting team was excellent, while the defense was in a nice groove getting four 1-2-3 innings and the first inning should have been. Keppie faced 38 V-Cats throwing 139 pitches (80 strikes & 59 balls). A higher ratio of balls to strikes than a normal DK game. Some may question the umpire’s judgment and eye site, but management can not officially comment on the strike zone. Kep struck out two (season average is eight) and walked three (average is 2).

The Valley Cats just did a good job of clustering their hits for maximum effect. Their five-run second inning saw 8 of the 12 Cat base hits in the game. The Ol’ Buzzard defense was solid and turned two nice double-plays. Everingham’s nice runnin’ catch and throw back to nail the runner at second base to end the third inning was the first dp. In the fifth inning with a runner on first and no outs, Kep got their top hitter, catcher-Mike Lehtola #5, to hit a hot grounder to Big E at short. Dave handled the ball and tossed it to Welzy covering second, then followed by a smooth turn and throw to Baker at first base to complete the other ‘pitcher’s best friend’. Great job Buzzards.

The offense was awesome. 19 hits against the Cats’ top pitcher, Nut Case Nutter, a tough, young (45 yr old) pitcher was good news. Last time we played them, Nutter gave up eight hits, this time was better. The multi-hit group this game includes: Baker, Everingham, Forman, Jackson, Kephart, Von Zboray and Wooden with two hits each and Welz with a 3 for 4 day at the plate. The big hit of the day was the two-run blast by CJ over the center field fence. Measured by satellite photo to have traveled 473 feet! And that it followed a long foul ball (homer-distance) on the previous pitch is something ya don’t see very often. That also was the first Buzzard home run of the season and it came at a pretty good time. That home run late in the game was a nice infusion of excitement and then the huge two-run hit by Barry “Walk-off” Forman made for a fun day at the ball field.

Buzzard Note #1: Fill out the attached bio for the upcoming radio game. The announcer will read from this piece of paper when you are playing and batting during the game. You can also put down stuff like - what you want to be when you grow up. Send the form to Wookie or bring it to the game on Sunday. The game is fun, so invite your family and tell them to bring a radio to listen to the game while they watch it. The game is August 1st at 3:30 pm on James Field in Auburn.

Buzzard Note #2: The playoff chances are good. We just have to keep winning games starting with this Sunday’s tough game against our recent nemesis, the Dragons. Before the regular game starts, we will finish the ninth inning of the previous game against the Dragons on June 13 at Lembi Field. The score was 6-2 Dragons. The count was 1-0 with Pete at the plate when the umpire went down for the count with the heat. Barry is on deck, followed by Mark, Scott and Donnie, then top of the order for four runs to tie, five to win. The league said they are even going to send the same umpire to finish the game.

Gold Country Ol’ Buzzards Game Report #15 

July 11, 2010

Free Agents clip Buzzards, 9-2

On a warm Sunday morning on high ground overlooking Antelope, the Buzzards gathered at the high school field to take on the always tough Free Agents. In a crucial game for both teams, the temperature was expected to hit 100°. The team dugout had several tarps to provide shade, but without a breeze, this was going to be a good and sweaty game.

On the hill for the visiting Ol’ Buzzards was their ace, ol’ lefty, Dave “Keppie” Kephart #21. The Free Agents countered with their ace right-hander, Tim “Beer Belly” Burkitt #27.

The Free Agents opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The lead-off batter walked on a 3-2 count, followed by a 3-2 pitch flare to right-center field putting two runners on base. After a fly out to deep center to Jim “Redondo” Colbert with the runners holding, the next batter hit a slow chopper behind the mound that was gloved on the run by shortstop, Dave Everingham #6, then a quick throw to first for out number two with the runners advancing 90 feet. Batting next, the opposing pitcher, Beer Belly Tim (don’t let that big belly fool ya, this guy can throw and hit, but not run) then smacked a 1-2 pitch passed a diving shortstop for a two-run single.

The Buzzards ‘ran’ into some tough luck in the second inning, but scored one run to tighten the score at 2-1. Mike “Bake” Baker started it off with a hot grounder to third that was bobbled allowing a hustlin’ Bake to beat the throw to first. Coming into run for Mike was Dan “Wookie” Wukmir, the oldest Buzzard. Batting next, Everingham took a 1-1 sinker into right-center field putting runners at the corners with no outs. With Keppie at the plate, Dave got a good jump to steal second base and was running for second when Kep hit a sharp line drive to a charging right fielder. He made the catch and threw to first base making for an easy double-up situation. Wook tagged up at third and scored on the play for the run. It was going to be that kind of day for the Buzzards.

The game was 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth when the Free Agents scored three runs. The inning opened with two singles, one a dribbler just past the mound and a twisting Keppie, followed by another flare into the outfield putting two runners on. After a fly out, Kep nailed big Mike Wilson #91 on the left foot to load the bases. Ol’ Beer Belly then hit a sinking liner to center field that was misplayed allowing one run to score. The next batter drove in the other runs with a shot to left field.

The Free Agents added to their lead in the sixth, on a walk and four singles for three more runs. The Agents just kept hittin’ it where they ain’t, while the Buzzards hit the ball hard, just right at somebody, either the third baseman or the outfielders.

The Buzzards scored a run in the seventh inning. Charles “CJ” Jackson, playing catcher, led off with a double to left-center field, the only extra base hit of the game. One out later, Everingham singled to center driving in CJ for sadly the last Buzzard run of the game.

The pesky Free Agents scored one more in their half of the seventh on two walks, a single and an infield error. The Buzzards could not mount a decent counter attack all game against Beer Belly Burkitt’s crafty pitching and the solid ‘D’ the Free Agents showed.

The Buzzards put runners on in nearly every inning and could not get that key hit, but instead hit into two double plays with runners on the move, plus other hard hit outs. That’s the game sometimes. The final score of the 2½ hour game was 9-2.

Buzzard pitching deserved a better outcome. The home plate ump seemed to squeeze Keppie with two strike counts all game. Kephart threw 141 pitches (83 strikes & 58 balls) to 42 batters in seven innings of work. There were 15 hits, six walks and seven strike outs with one hit batter and four wild pitches. Not a typical DK day. Usually less hits, less walks, more strike outs, less wild pitches and more hit batters.

Mike Hayworth pitched the eighth inning and threw 14 pitches (8 strikes & 6 balls) to four batters. There were two hits, but one nice double play on a hot grounder to Taylor “Welzy” Welz playing third. Welzy waited a second for Wookie to cover second base before firing at the bag. Wook took the throw and stepped on the loose bag before throwing a strike to Pete “Baron” Von Zboray at first base. Nice play.

The Buzzard offense was anemic. You don’t win many games scoring just two runs. The Buzzards got only eight hits with two batters getting five of those hits. The multi-hit group was a small one this game with Woody -3 and Dave -2. There was one walk and two strike outs. Next game - bring your mean hittin’ stick. We need to do some damage against the Valley Cats.

Buzzard Note #1: Next game is at Colfax High at 2 pm against the first place whinny cats. The preceding 10 am game is the Coyotes vs. Astros. We couldn’t get the early game. Cold drinks and snacks after our game at the Ballpark picnic area up the hill.

Buzzard Note#2: Don’t forget the upcoming Radio Game, KAHI 950 AM, on August 1st. The game is 3 pm at James Field, Auburn with a planned BBQ after wards with the Coyotes. Player bios are required for the game’s play-by-play announcer. They information sheets will be passed out at the next game.

Buzzard Note #3: The three Buzzard reps to the NABA All Star game this year are: Welz, Wooden and Wukmir. Kephart and Baker were also top getters, but had prior commitments.