Storm’s Early 6-Run Surge Fizzles Out Despite 24-Hit Barrage

Broadway put on a show against Storm on Wednesday night. They hit all the right notes finding the holes in Storm’s defense. The 3rd to 5th innings were particularly impressive as they scored four in the 3rd, mercied Storm in the 4th and added another six in the 5th to take a commanding lead. 

Storm started strong. After plating the max in the first and taking an early lead, Storm bats went quiet in the second and third as they laid eggs in both innings. Storm ran into trouble on the bases in the 4th. After delivering a two RBI single, Jeff rounded the base too far and got thrown out when Broadway threw behind him. Then Duran hit a double, rounded second too far and somehow managed to dance his way around the tag to get back to the base. After someone commented that two runners getting picked off in one inning would be atrocious, Duran thought there were two outs and ran on a fly ball only to get doubled off.

Storm’s base running issues continued in the 6th as Alex got hung up between third and home. He apparently crossed the commitment line before turning around and was called out. 

Storm finally managed to stop Broadway’s parade of hits in the 6th and 7th, but it was too little too late as Storm fell 19-10.

Notable Boxscores:

Jeff - 4 for 4 with a baserunning blunder

Duran - 3 for 4-  doubled trouble on his double then got doubled off

Alex - 1 for 3 with a special K and some commitment issues

Storm also clearly felt the hole created by Rene, Bob, and Tony, three big bats at the top of the order. The loss keeps the battle with the Falcons for 2nd very tight and means Hanet can also still catch the Storm. The coveted 2nd seed will depend on the final five games. 

Line Score 

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Final
Broadway	2	1	4	6	6	0	0	19
Storm	6	0	0	2	0	1	1	10

 

No Business Like Show Business: Broadway Puts on a 20-Run Masterclass

Rene brought the lightning, launching the team’s only home run and driving in three runs alongside Joey. Five different players collected multi-hit games, helping the team cross the plate 11 times. In most recreational leagues, double-digit runs guarantee a post-game cooler celebration.

Unfortunately, the Storm’s pitching and defense encountered a catastrophic system failure. Broadway turned the game into a home run derby, hanging a staggering 20 runs on the scoreboard. Scoring six runs in both the first and fourth innings, Broadway treated the Storm's defense like a minor speed bump on their way to victory. The Storm fought valiantly till the final frame, but you simply cannot win a track meet when your opponent is running downhill with a nine-run head start.

Key Statistical Highlights for the Storm:

• Top Run Producers: Rene and Joey led the team in RBIs, driving in 3 runs each.
• Power Hitting: Rene hit the team's only home run (HR), finishing with an impressive 1.833 OPS.
• Base Hit Leaders: Duran, Joey, Brad, Shawn, and Alex each collected 2 hits during the game.

Line Score

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Storm	1	0	4	3	0	0	3	11
Broadway	6	0	2	6	1	5	X	20

The New season is underway with a bang

If you’re a fan of pitchers' duels, this game was your worst nightmare. If you’re a fan of chaos, it was a masterpiece. Storm managed to edge out Broadway with a football-esque score of 17-16 in a game that apparently only lasted seven innings because everyone ran out of breath (or balls).

The "How Did That Happen?" Highlights:

• The Inning of Doom: Broadway was cruising along until the 5th inning, where they hung a 6 on the scoreboard. Storm’s response? A casual 8-run explosion in the 6th to snatch the lead back. It wasn't so much a "rally" as it was a total defensive collapse.
• Duran, the Run-Producing Machine: Duran clearly had a dinner reservation he was trying to get to. He racked up 4 RBIs and 2 Runs on just 1 hit. We’re not sure if he’s a tactical genius or if Broadway just kept walking him until he crossed home plate.
• The "Wait, We Have a Bench?" Strategy: Broadway used 14 different players, including poor Alex, who came in at the #14 spot, He showed up, caused a little bit of trouble with an FC, and went home.

 The Heavy Hitters

• Bob (The Slugging Legend): With a 1.000 Average and a 2.000 Slugging Percentage, Bob was the most efficient player on the field. He turned his 2 at-bats into a single, a triple, and 3 runs scored.
• Duran (The RBI King): While he didn't have a perfect average, he made his hits count with a Home Run and a game-high 4 RBIs. He basically carried the team's scoring load.
• Joey & Stephen (The Double Trouble): Both finished with a perfect 1.000 Average and identical 1.500 Slugging stats (each had a single and a double). They were the engine of the offense.
• Tony (The Professional): 3 at-bats, 3 singles. He didn't do anything flashy, but he was the most consistent presence in the box.

Storm wins Encore Performance

Storm got the encore performance they wanted against Broadway, and they didn’t miss a beat. The defense was choreographed perfectly with a number of excellent catches in the outfield and the infield was solid. The lineup was full of bangers as the team produced a number of hits. 

Duran and Rene each doubled and Storm scored one in the opening act of the game. Broadway was able to double Storm’s output and took a 2-1 lead after one inning. Storm and Broadway each sang a chorus of Os in the second and the game remained 2-1. 

Both teams found their voices in the third and the hits started to turn into runs. Duran launched a home run and Tony nearly took out a child on the playground he launched his home run so far. Storm briefly took a 6-2 lead. But Broadway wasn’t about to throw in the towel. Ryan started with a single and Brad took a walk, which led to a 3 run homer by Tyler. A few hits later and Broadway had regained the lead 7-6. 

Kevin knocked a big double in the fourth that helped propel Storm to a five run inning capped by Duran’s second home run of the night. Storm took the lead 11-7 and kept Broadway off the scoresheet. Storm added two more in the fifth, but this time Broadway responded immediately with a single from Shawn and a triple from Gord scoring two and cutting the lead to 13-9. 

The chorus of Os was back in the sixth and Storm headed into the seventh with a four run lead. Storm managed to score one insurance run, but the inning was cut short as Jeff tried to turn a single into a double. Storm led by five going into the bottom of the seventh. More solid defense helped Storm hold on to the lead and Mills caught the last ball of the game as Storm became champions once again.

Some interesting notes about the tournament. Storm played excellent defense. With the exception of one inning in one game, Storm managed to keep mistakes from compounding like the interest on a 30 year mortgage. Instead, mistakes were kept to a minimum, and Storm picked each other up and made outs in big moments. Storm never gave up more than 11 runs in any of the six games in the playoffs. 

While the bats struggled on Saturday, scoring only 28 runs in three games. It was a different story on Sunday as Storm scored 65 runs in three games giving the team some breathing room.

The effort across the weekend was a complete team effort, with each player making a nice defensive play at some point, and everyone coming up with a key hit in one of the games. It was a nice way to win and everyone on the team should feel like they contributed to the victory.

Final Score: Storm 14 - Broadway 9

Hiccup in the plan

It was a tale as old as time as Storm faced off against Broadway. Storm has historically had trouble against Broadway and Broadway actually said they wanted to play Storm and make them take the hard route through the playoffs. Now that they had Storm in their sights, they were not going to miss their shot. 

It was an extremely tight defensive battle. A pitcher's duel that lasted just over an hour. Broadway scored only one in the first and Joey launched a two run shot in the bottom of the first. It felt like a good start, but while Broadway would continue to chip away over the next few innings, Storm's bats were like Brigadoon. They had disappeared, and Storm wouldn't even get through their entire lineup until the 4th inning putting up four consecutive goose eggs and after 6 innings, they trailed 10-3. 

But they dreamed a dream and believed they could still come back. Storm blanked Broadway in the top of the 7th. The problem was they needed 8 runs to win (as a tie would give Broadway the pool). Unfortunately, there was no encore performance for Storm's hitters. They were unable to make a comeback and are now forced to play at 3 to keep in contention.

Final Score: Broadway 10 - Storm 4

Broadway over Storm in close one

Final Score: Broadway 12 - Storm 10

Broadway gets the win

Storm and Broadway completed the trilogy on Sunday night. The game started slowly with Broadway forgetting their balls, but it was actually Storm that played the game without any balls. 

They seemed to think the max 6 was for the game not max 6 for an inning. Broadway played nearly impeccably through the first five. In the sixth, a couple of misplays made it look like Storm might mount a comeback, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly squashed and Broadway held on to a 15-8 win in a thoroughly unsatisfactory finale for Storm fans.

Final Score: Broadway 15 - Storm 8