OSLOPRETENDERS
Pretenders Bash their Way into NM Final
Rommen Field, Oslo, Sat. Aug. 8, 2015
by Dario
With two convincing wins in Round 2 of the NorgesMesterskap tournament, the Pretenders regained their old magic to reach the final in September. Leif Petter Sandvik and Luis Lara were the winning pitchers, both hurling impressive complete games and getting offensive support from the entire P-lineup.
Leif admitted to feeling uneasy before the contest but then proceeded to dominate the Rangers, winning 12-2. Luis Manolo, relaxed and confident and grooving to the salsa beats, dismissed Alna by a final score of 18-5.
Outstanding outfielders, solid overall defense
P-outfielders were exceptional on defense and also led the batting attack from the #6, #8 and #9 slots. Emerging stars RF Martinius and CF Nate both had banner days at the plate. Nate crushed a single and three long doubles to show off for his wife, and Martinius smacked 6 hits including an RBI double, all well-struck, with his parents looking on. Not to be outdone, LF Erik J went 4 for 4 in Game 2 and made a terrific, fully extended diving catch in deep left-center, while Nate and Martinius each made nice running OF grabs. LF Pierlo won the style contest, however, with two exciting sliding catches.
Leif, playing shortstop, also made a fantastic over-the-shoulder diving grab to save a run. Catcher Terje gunned down one potential base-thief and tagged out a runner at home. 2B Anders converted every fielding chance, while Darren made the team’s only error of the day but otherwise played solid defense at SS and 3B. Kelly was reliable at 1B as always.
With the two wins in Round 2 of the NM, the Pretenders secured the top seed in the championship series – to be played in mid-September against the Rangers. More details to come (once the stats book is recreated).
