June 6, B61 jumped out to a 7-0 lead on MiniBar and cruised to a 17-6 victory. Across the street on Dovey Diamond, Bait & Tackle took an early 4-2 lead but the Record Shop scored seven in a row and won the game 13-5.
The Soft Ballers jumped out to a 4-1 lead after 1, before the visiting RecKids’ bats caught fire, as did the hurler firm of McDermott, Fisk and Edan who tossed 5 straight shutout frames. Manny Chevere slugged his second homer in as many games, a 3-run rocket in the 6th to put the victory on ice. Walker Waugh came off injured reserve to go 2 for 2, with two runs scored, and several outstanding put-outs in the field. Reigning League MVP Joel “Tumbleweed” Kern missed hitting for the cycle by a single.
Tom Gibbons hit a monster home run late in the contest for Bait, while Barry “The Mechanic” O’Meara – winning pitcher in the RHSL 2023 Championship Game last August – took his 1st loss of the 2024 campaign. In relief, Dallas Owens worked his patented one-step delivery to some fanfare but it was not enough for Bait who dropped to 1-6 while the Record Shop improved to 6-1.
June 10, the Record Shop recorded the first shutout of the RHSL season with a 22-0 victory over Hometown. Lars Fisk (7 scoreless in his last 3 games, now 3-0), Bobby Cole and Edan Portnoy combined for the rare shutout. They put up eight runs in the second inning and led 10-0 after two. They were also sharp defensively, turning a double play in the first and making a few running catches in the outfield to preserve the shutout.
In total, the Shop pounded six round-trippers. Michael Gately blasted a pair of them – taking over the League home runs lead with five on the season – then added a 3-run triple for a 6 RBI night. RecKids’ Coach and 2022 League MVP Juice Brault, Manny Chevere, Andreas Kohl and Kevin Murray all went deep in the lopsided affair.
Jesse Venture relieved Hometown starter Gwendolyn Groinpull, who suffered her 1st loss of 2024. The RecKids powered up their amps to 7-1, while the Chickens laid a goose-egg, dropping to 4-4 for the season.
Mitchell Rosen is waiting on deck. (Abate photo)
June 13, the Wobblies cruised to a 19-4 victory over MiniBar while B61 beat Bait & Tackle 8-6. The win keeps B61 in second place, one game ahead of the Wobblies in the standings. The battle for second place will be key as the top two teams get a bye in the playoffs.
June 20, there were three games scheduled, however Hometown didn’t have enough players and ended up forfeiting their game against Bait & Tackle. The other two games were both thrillers. On Dovey Diamond, the Record Shop and MiniBar were tied at three after six innings. In the top of the seventh, Bobby Cole led off with a triple down the line. He then used aggressive base running to draw a wide throw to third on a grounder to first and then scored the go-ahead run. With two outs and a runner on first, MiniBar got a single to right but an excellent throw cut down the tying run at third to end the game. The Record Shop was tested but came away with a 4-3 victory.
Across the street, B61 and the Wobblies were in a close one with B61 up 2-1 after 6. They added two more in the top of the seventh, including an RBI single by pitcher Shawn Andrew but the Wobblies responded with three in the bottom of the seventh to send it to extras. Each team scored one in the eighth as B61 got out of a jam in the bottom of the inning. B61 scored three runs in the top of the ninth including a home run by Andrew. There was some controversy during the bottom of the ninth as it looked like B61 had cut down a runner at the plate but the runner was called safe. B61 was very frustrated and the Wobblies tied the game but a running catch in right field sent the game to the 10th. The Wobblies loaded the bases with the score tied 8-8 in the bottom of the 10th but a pop-out ended the inning and ended the game in a tie.
June 24, B61 took on Hometown. A home run in the first gave Hometown an early lead but B61 responded with three in the bottom of the first. After their 10-inning marathon game against the Wobblies, Shawn Andrew was back on the mound for B61 and he ended up pitching five innings. He also had a bases clearing triple and two RBI singles. B61 built a 15-4 lead and ended up winning 15-7 after a three-run home run for Hometown in the bottom of the seventh. Both teams turned a double play in the game and B61 had a barehanded catch.
June 27, Bait & Tackle handily beat MiniBar 13-5 while the Wobblies ended up in another extra inning thriller and beat the Record Shop 7-6 in eight innings.
