OSLOPRETENDERS
P1 Takes Two from Royals, Still Undefeated (5-0)
P1 Wins Duel 6-5
Game 4: P1 vs Royals, Rommen Field, Wed. May 13, 2015
Two strong pitching performances kept this game close all the way, as each team logged only 3 hits. The superior P-defense proved to be a major factor in the victory; SP Darren and the P-defense recorded 14 outs in a row at one point, including four 1-2-3 innings. Darren got 3 Ks and allowed just one free pass.
The Royals’ Ty held Pretender batters to just 3 hits, striking out 3 in the process but yielding 8 walks.
Highlights:
Only Luis, Kelly and Terje recorded a hit… Leif drew two walks and scored twice… 3B Matt made a terrific, all-out diving snag in the hole, bounced up and fired to 1st to steal a single away, along with two other 5-3 assists… Glenn’s surprise cameo appearance was critical as his defense at 2B (3 assists) and base-running savvy were huge. In the 6th inning, Glenn bolted from second base and steamed home to score what proved to be the winning run on a 2-RBI groundout by Leif! … Luis’ bloop bat-end single in the 3rd scored Leif… LF Martinius and Terje each drove in a run with groundouts in the 2nd to take the lead… SS Leif had two infield assists, and in the 7th took the mound to close out the contest by inducing two harmless groundouts for the save.
P1 Outlasts Royals in Cold, Soggy Win, 9-6
Game 5: P1 vs Royals, Rud Field, Sat. May 16, 2015
Enduring miserable playing conditions, P1 emerged victorious behind Matt’s 6-K complete game. Matt pressed on through a relentless cold drizzle as every soaked player attempted to stay warm and maintain focus. After battling through a 36-pitch first inning, Matt found his rhythm and reeled off 3 consecutive short innings and gave up just 6 runs total (5 earned) to keep the Pretenders in the game against Japanese teenager Yujiro’s tough pitching.
Royal batters drew 9 walks in total but collected just 5 hits in the rain-shortened, 6-inning contest.
Offensively, the Pretenders caught up to the early deficit with Leif’s towering home run over the left fielder in the 1st, followed by second-inning singles by Luis and Gary to knot the score at 2-2. P-bats took a 4-2 lead in the 4th with Jean Carlos and Martinius reaching on errors, and singles by Gary and Darren. In the 5th, Leif started a 3-run rally with a single, and reached 3rd on Matt’s ROE. From there, Leif faked a steal with Yujiro staring at him and induced a balk to score. Jean Carlos walked and advanced on the wild pitch that Matt scored on, then Martinius lined a hard single through the hole to drive in JC. In the 6th, Kelly, Matt and JC each singled for two more insurance runs.
Highlights:
Gary Maloy volunteered to stay on after P2’s narrow defeat to fill in as our 9th player. Playing 1B ably, Gary produced two key singles for 3 RBIs… Glenn later substituted in and hit a long fly to RF for a hit… Catcher Kelly nailed a runner at first base with a snap throw to end the 3rd inning... Jean Carlos twisted his ankle at fist base in beating out a grounder. We all hope for a speedy recovery!
