Storm rains down runs on Rebels

The opener strategy worked so well against the A’s that Storm tried it again against the Rebels. It was less effective this time, as the Rebels scored five in the first and didn’t hit any solo home runs or home run outs. Storm was only able to respond with three runs. The Rebels ran out of steam after the fist, however, and they were unable to score another in the 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th innings. This was helped out by some solid defense, including a catch on a hard line drive at 3^rd by Rene, and a nice 3^rd to 1^st double-play. Storm did not have trouble scoring runs in those innings. They scored four in the 2^nd which included the first of Lance’s two three-run home runs in the game. In the 3^rd Storm scored 13 runs including Lance’s second three run home run of the day and a home run by Joey.

In the 4^th and 5^th Storm tried to slow things down as they went base to base, and Lance, who had hit two home runs earlier, switched and batted from the left side. This led to less than favorable results with an awkward strikeout that included an awkward foul ball, a swing and a miss, and a ball that hit the front of the mat."thanks to an illegal pitch that wasn't called"

Storm scored seven more in the 5^th while going base to base.

Notable Boxscores:

Lance – 3/5, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 runs, strikeout. Notable for both the good and the bad!

Rene – 4/4, triple, double, 2 runs, RBI

Joey – 3/3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs

Bob – 4/4, 2 doubles, 2 runs

Al – 4/4, 3 RBI, 3 runs

Greg – 4/4, 2 runs, RBI

Jeff – 4/5, 2 runs, 2 RBI

Kevin – 3/4, double, 3 runs, RBI             

Mike – 3/4, 2 runs, RBI

HR's: Joey, Lance (2)

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Rebels	5	0	0	0	0	3	x	8
Storm	3	4	13	0	7	x	x	27

Storm staunches Rebel onslaught

The first game of the doubleheader must have warmed up the Storm bats, because they started strong. A leadoff double was followed by a pair of singles, which was followed by a three-run dinger by Rene who was thrilled that Joey didn’t clear the bases in front of him. Four batters later Craig launched another three-run home run into the trees. Storm definitely started strong, but they needed to in this game because the Rebels weren’t going to lie down that easily. They were unable to score in the first, but after holding Storm to two runs in the top of the 2^nd, they put up six of their own and it was clear this was going to be a battle.

Storm struggled in the top of the 3^rd and 4^th only plating one run total, which allowed the Rebels to gain the advantage after a 6 run 3^rd inning. Rebels led 14-10 going into the top of the 5^th.

With shades of the playoffs coming back, Storm had the choice to roll over and let the Rebels run over them, or to take a stand. Jeff led off the 5^th with a double, sneaking into 2^nd when he saw the throw wasn’t going to 2^nd. Duran singled him home and then Joey launched a two-run homer. Rene then launched yet another solo home run, but it might be good he did as Storm struggled for the rest of the inning and didn’t score another run.

Up 14-12 going into the bottom of the 5^th, Storm wanted to stop the Rebels in their tracks, but the Rebels had more firepower in their bats and put up a 5 spot to retake the lead. Storm would not give up. After giving up the lead twice, they found enough firepower to push the Rebels back and scored seven runs in the top of the 6^th. These runs were produced by seven consecutive singles to start the inning, and another clutch single later in the inning.

Storm finally put up a solid wall of defense in the 6^th and kept the Rebels off the board. Storm knew that a four run lead was probably not enough, and they continued to put pressure on the Rebels. Storm kept finding cracks in the Rebels defense with eight hits in the seventh leading to eight more runs. Now they had a comfortable 12 run lead going into the bottom of the 7^th. The Rebels tried to mount one more offensive strike, but it was staunched by a double play by Joey. Even had they kept hitting they likely would have run out of time.

Highlights:

It seems that an umpire calling for a courtesy runner for Dave has lit a fire in him. He hit a double for the second consecutive game. Dave’s doubles seem to have lit a fire in Brian, as he also hit a double. With these two moving so swiftly, Storm might be able to spread out their courtesy runners.

Notable Boxscores:

Rene: 3/4, 2 HR, 3 runs, 5 RBI

Joey: 3/5, HR, 2 runs, 4 RBI

Jeff: 4/5, 3 doubles, 3 runs, 2 RBI

Craig: 2/4, HR, 2 runs, 3 RBI

Duran: 3/4, 2 runs, 4 RBI

Dave: 3/4, 3 runs, 3 RBI

Kenny: 3/4, 3 runs, 3 RBI

Bob: 4/4, 2 runs

Kevin: 3/4, 2 runs, 2 RBI

HR's: Joey, Craig, Rene (2)

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Storm	7	2	1	0	4	7	8	29
Rebels	0	6	6	0	5	0	0	17

Rebels default to the Storm

Rebels couldn't get enough players to come out and play on the first nice day/night of the season. Unfortunate!

Storm storms back...but a little late

Storm started fairly well scoring three runs in the first inning. Then…they forgot to hit. Maybe the lower scores during the tournament had nothing to do with the soft white balls. Storm doesn’t seem to like soft balls or hard balls any more. Storm did not score a run in the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, or 5^th innings. That’s right. Four consecutive innings of scoreless ball.

Then, in the 6^th , Storm remembered that hitting and scoring is more fun. So they put up three runs. But they still trailed by 4 going into the bottom of the 7^th. With two out and runners on 2^nd and 3rd, Jeff lined a double over 3^rd base to bring the score to within two. Duran then hit a two run homer and Storm had tied the ballgame. With the potential winning run at the plate, the Rebels elected to walk Joey, which ended up being the right decision as Storm was unable to get the winning run across the plate. It was a great comeback. If only storm hadn’t waited until the 6^th inning to do serious damage.

HR's: Duran, Joey

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Rebels	0	3	1	4	1	0	1	10
Storm	3	0	0	0	0	3	4	10

Storm cannot withstand Rebel onslaught

All good things must come to an end, and much of the WMSPL was elated at the fact that Storm’s streak of winning both the regular season and the playoff tournament has come to an end.

It was a rough tournament for the top teams from the regular season. Of the top four regular season teams, only Storm made it to the semi-final. Rebels had knocked out Broadway in a game directly before taking on Storm. Storm had hoped that having to play back-to-back games in the heat would be a disadvantage for the Rebels, but alas, it was not so.

The game started well for Storm as they were hitting fairly well and playing solid defense. But the wheels came off a little in the 3^rd. A bobble and a look that lasted a little too long, combined with some excellent hitting by the Rebels, led to an 11 run inning (more runs than Storm had given up in the first three games of the tournament combined).

Storm still had opportunities to gain the lead, but their bats quietened and the Rebels lit it up again in the seventh, scoring eight more runs (most of which came with two outs).  Storm had the top of the order up to start the bottom of the seventh, but they had let the Rebels get too far ahead. It was another great season, but it didn’t end quite the way Storm would have hoped.

Storm holds of Rebels

Storm struggled offensively against the Rebels. The Rebels played solid defense, with three outfielders covering a lot of ground, and a couple of really nice plays at 3^rd and by their borrowed short stop. Luckily, Storm was also playing some solid defense with some great catches by Greg in right, a nice 3^rd to 1^st double-play, and near the end of the game a key catch by Lance.

It’s a good thing Storm’s defense was strong, because the offense was virtually non-existent. It wasn’t until the 6^th inning, that Storm was able to get 3 runs across in the same inning, and they were able to do it in the 6^th and 7^th to put some distance between them and the Rebels and to hold on to an 11-6 win.

Moments that Mattered:

Joey hit a 2-run home run in the 1^st.

Duran hit a 2 out RBI triple in the 7^th

Joey hit a 2 run homer in the 7^th to put the game out of reach.

  

Streak Watch:

- Duran has increased his record extra base hit streak to 33 games. He also has a 21 consecutive game RBI streak and has reached base in 131 straight.

- Joey has scored in 34 consecutive games and has hit in 131 consecutive games

- Bob has reached base in 218 consecutive games.

Notable Boxscores:

Joey ¾, 2 HR, 4 RBI

Duran – 2/4 2 triples

Al – ¾, 2 runs

HR's: Joey (2)

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Storm	2	0	1	2	0	3	3	11
Rebels	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	6

Storm washes over Rebels

 The Rebels gave Storm a good run for their money through the first three innings. Rebels came out swinging. After Storm put up 10 in the first inning, and thought they might sail to a victory, Rebels scored 5 in the top of the 2^nd, to pull within 4 runs. Storm thought they had put the Rebels down with a 7 run 2^nd, but in the top of the 3^rd, the Rebels scored 6 more including a grand slam. This brought the score to 17-12. A very close game. Then Storm kept hitting, scoring 7 more in the 3^rd, and the Rebels ran out of steam and were unable to score again. Storm shifted to base to base, but still kept finding holes and ended up scoring 41 runs.

Single Game Records:  Bob had a night for the record books. He tied the record for hits in a game (7), for doubles in a game (3), and set the record for runs in a game (7). He had a chance to break the record for hits in a game, but Dave got really sportsmanlike, and when Jeff hit a ground ball to 3^rd Dave started walking to 2^nd and actually called for the Rebels to throw the 2^nd to get him out and end the game. This happened with Bob standing in the on-deck circle with seven hits, and then sadly walking back to the dugout with no opportunity to stand alone in the record books. As it is, he is one of four Storm players to have 7 hits in a single game (Duran, Joey, and Jeff being the other three). There is also a conspiracy theory that Jeff hit a ground ball intentionally to give the Rebels the opportunity to end the game with a double play. Jeff denies this vehemently.

Cycle Watch:  In a game with 41 runs scored on 49 hits, you’d think someone would have hit for the cycle. Many players were close, but none were able to do it. Joey, Jeff, and Dave were triples short of the cycle; Bob was a home run short of the cycle (likely because Storm played most of the game +2 [it seems the team and league rules were all conspiring to diminish Bob who was in the midst of one of the greatest games in slo-pitch history!])

Home Run Productivity:  In a game with a final score such as this, it doesn’t matter, but Storm needs to be more productive with their home runs. Rebels hit one home run for four runs. Storm hit four home runs for four runs (two solos, a two-run, and a home run out).

Two Outs in One Inning:  Sometimes, when the team is hitting well, one player has a bad game, or sometimes even just a bad inning and makes two outs in a single frame. Usually this is the 1^st and 3^rd out of the inning; however, yesterday something even harder to accomplish happened. Brian actually made the 2^nd and 3^rd outs of the 2^nd inning.

                                                                                  

Notable Boxscores:  All of them. Seriously. Everyone hit well.

HR's: Joey, Jeff, Dave

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Rebels	1	5	6	0	0	x	x	12
Storm	10	7	7	10	7	x	x	41

Storm returns to form

After a disappointing loss to the A’s Sunday, Storm returned to form (sort of) against the Rebels.

Storm scored only 8 runs against the A’s but scored 8 runs or more in multiple innings against the Rebels. It was a combination of decent hitting, and generous defense by the Rebels that allowed Storm to bat around.

Defensively, Storm was good, but not as solid as they could have been. With the wide margin in score, the few mistakes didn’t matter, but in a closer game some of those plays could have made a difference.

After three games in four nights, Storm has a week off before playing the Falcons. 

HR's: Joey

Boxscore
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
Storm	5	8	3	9	1	6	x	32
Rebels	3	0	6	2	3	0	x	14