June 1, 2008 Recap

SANTA CLARA, 6/1/08: For the 2nd consecutive week, the Achievers and HOTG dueled it out in a tense, close game in which any mistake could prove fatal. Up two games to one, but perhaps too reliant upon a potential 9th-inning eruption, Dave Wagner's club was unable to close out the series. At some point, the first ever Game 5 of the best-of-five-series era will be played.

LEBOWSKI'S LITTLE URBAN ACHIEVERS

HAMMER OF THE GODS

Bryan Bush

B-Rid

Norberto Yanez

Greg Lynas

Greg Minor

Stoph Andraesen

Dave Wagner

Tito Bernal

Skillz Davis

John Cocoles

Cav Manning

Kevin Kuzmiak

Brian Simas

Torance Matsui

Kevin Holley

Ruben Gonzalez

Rob Flores

Tim Pyle

Brandon Hamilton

After what is fast becoming too much of a regular occurence, waiting for the cricketeers to finish up (just before 11:30), Game 4 of the series kicked off---with a 1-2-3 Achiever 1st including two K's. Hammer of the Gods put up what would be their largest offensive output in their half; they took 4 groundball shots at 3B Lynas and he uncharacteristically threw two of them away. Those gifts coupled with a pair of automatic doubles by Manning and Matsui put HOTG up 4-zip. Their lead was sliced in half in the 2nd, but they got out of trouble when Bernal made the unwise decision to stretch a double into a triple after the relay throw got away---he was easily thrown out for out #3.

Bottom of the 3rd: Simas, coming off far and away his worst game of '08, drove one up the CF line that died at the fence. CF Ridley hustled to the ball but had no chance at Simas before he'd circled the bags! Later, Hamilton added a 5th-pitch bloop double that brought in two more runs. HOTG led 7-2 after 3 innings.

In the 4th, the Achievers put men on 1st and 2nd with one out and Davis up. On pitch #2 he started to swing but gave out halfway through and hit the dirt; the ball went fair and was turned into a rally-killing double play as Davis remained on his knees near home plate, with a badly pulled side muscle. He left the game and didn't return.

Fast-forward to the bottom of the 5th with HOTG now up 8-6. With a man on Pyle, not having a good offensive year in 2008, poked one to LCF. Ridley and Andraesen both converged on the ball but neither could make a play, and the ball ended up rolling past both all the way to the fence! What should have been at worst a single ended up a 2-run inside-the-parker for Pyle, the very first of his young career.

Trailing 10-6, the Achievers finally put together a big inning in the 6th. Bush started the 1-out rally by breaking his 0-for-3. His teammates simply chopped or grounded balls through the hole to keep the runners moving, and Andraesen's 2-run, 2-out line drive double proved to be the biggest whack. In the end Wagner's club would be up 11-10! But Gonzalez got it right back for HOTG in the bottom half, slicing a 2-run double off CF Ridley's extended glove.

After knotting things at 12 in the 7th, the Achievers lost a golden chance when Minor lined into a 5-3 double play as Lynas broke too hard off 1st base on contact and Holley made his counterpart pay. Despite hitting into a third Achiever double play in the 8th, Bernal drove in the go-ahead 13th run. In the bottom half, Kuzmiak led off with a solo bomb to re-tie the contest. Following a Simas groundout, Matsui doubled.

Holley would too ground out, but Gonzalez came through in the clutch with an RBI single that put HOTG back on top! The inning would end somewhat controversially when Pyle grounded one to third. It looked to all the world that he'd hit it off his foot. Not even the runners moved. But when Timbo, now on 1st, declared emphatically that the ball did NOT hit off his foot, Achiever 3B Lynas simply stepped on 3rd to force out Gonzalez (who'd advanced to 2nd on a Flores single) and end the inning.

Looking for a 2nd week of late-inning magic, both Yanez and Lynas scorched liners---into BS Kuzmiak's mitt! Minor chopped one through Holley at 3rd to keep hope alive, but Andraesen was quickly retired as HOTG took collective sighs of relief. The Achievers' simply made too many mistakes, on D and on the bases, to prevent a 5th game.

"But last time he hit into a fielder's choice at 2nd." -- Minor, after an unnamed HOTG teammate urged Hamilton to do "just like last time" prior to his 2-run bloop double.

AWARDS AND HIGHLIGHTS

For driving in a team-high 3 runs, including the game-winner, Gonzalez was named BAD ASS of the Day. Yanez' 9th-inning lineout was snagged by a leaping Kuzmiak, who was rewarded with a Gold Glove. No Small Penis was named.

Hammer of the Gods managed to win despite 4 players having only 2 hits in 5 AB. How? A team effort---Hamilton was the only player to not score, and Cocoles was the only player with no RBI. On the Achiever side, Ridley finished 3-for-6 with no RBI after his huge Game 3. Minor went 5-for-6 in his first game in a month, while the late-arriving Andraesen boosted his club going 5-for-6 with 4 RBI and runs---unfortunately picking the worst time to make his only out.

Bernal also got 4 RBI and hit the ball on a line all day, save for his double-play ball.