B League Picayune
Often in error, never in doubt.
Volume 6, Issue 39 – for August 26, 2024
President Anthony Galindo checks in with a roster update:
Gary Kubenka is returning from a long absence and has been assigned to the Orange Team since he carpools with Spike Davidson and the other players from the SA/NB area. [File photo of Gary from 2022 – only one I could find, sorry for the poor quality.]
Games of Monday August 26:
10:00 a.m., Red (7-7) at Green (9-5):
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFET FINAL Red 5 1 0 0 0 0 6 Green 5 5 2 0 5 X 17 Pitchers: Red – Gil Delossantos (innings 1-2) and Eddy Murillo(3-end); Green – Tommy Deleon. Mercenary: Green – Scott Wright. Umpires: home plate – Jeff Stone and Tom Kelm; bases – Mike Velaney and Larry Young. Perfect at the plate: Red – Gil Delossantos (3 for 3 with a triple); Green – Tommy Deleon (3 for 3 with a walk) and Mike Hill and Scott Wright (both 4 for 4).
Dave Berra’s weather report: 85 degrees (Heat Index 92); 70% humidity. Slight breeze out of the southeast. Nice summer morning. Green played with their big boy pants on.
Both teams scored five times while making two outs in the first, Red on five singles, Morgan Witthoft’s double, Gil Delossantos’s triple, and a sacrifice fly by Adam Reddell, Green on Ralph Villela’s lead-off double, five singles, and two walks. After that, though, Tommy Deleon turned off the spigot, allowing Red just one run on eight singles over the final five innings, generally keeping the ball in the infield – for the game, Green outfielders caught three flies, while the infield recorded 13 outs, Ralph Villela starting a 6-4-3 double play to end the top of the third inning.
Green did not stop hitting, adding another five runs off Gil in the second inning, on five singles, two more walks, and Mike Garrison’s sacrifice fly. Eddy Murillo took over on the mound for Red in the third and had a little bit better success, holding Green to two runs on five singles and a walk in the third and keeping them off the board in the fourth. In the third Eddie turned an L-1, 1-3 double play on Ralph Villela’s liner back to the box after Scott Wright had led off with a single. The next five batters reached before Eddy made a nice play on Jack Crosley’s grounder back to the box for the third out. In the fourth Eddy got both Phil Stanch and Jim McAnelly to hit two-strike fouls to open the inning. Scott Wright singled, but Ralph Villela hit into a force out.
Eddy made another good fielding play to start the bottom of the fifth, retiring Jack McDermott on a grounder up the middle, but seven of the next batters reached base and Green put across five more runs. Mike Hill and Tommy Deleon completed perfect days at the plate with singles, Mike Garrison knocked an RBI double, and Scott Wright completed his 4-for-4 day with a single that drove in Phil Stanch with the fifth run.
Green led by 11 entering the buffet. Boo Resnick singled with one out, but Tommy Deleon got Donald Drummer to ground into a 6-4 force and Bobby Miller to line to Scott Wright in right-center to end the game. Final score: Green 17, Red 6, Green clinching at least a tie for the Session 3 championship.
11:00 a.m., Purple (9-6) at Blue (8-6):
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFET EXTRA FINAL Purple 4 0 0 5 3 0 0 12 Blue 5 3 3 0 0 1 1 13 Pitchers: Purple – Jeff Stone; Blue – Joe Bernal. Mercenaries: Blue – Anthony Galindo (entered for Steve Sandall after the top of the first inning). Umpires: home – Jack Crosley; bases – Mike Garrison. Perfect at the plate: Purple – Clint Fletcher and Mike Velaney (both 4 for 4); Blue – Richard Battle (1 for 1 with two walks) and Jerry Mylius (3 for 3). Home run: Tim Coles (over the fence, his sixth of the season).
Dave Berra’s weather report: Partly cloudy; 90 degrees (Heat Index 98); 54% humidity. Breezier than game 1; very playable. Best game of the day. Shades of Little League World Series.
What Dave said – this was a hard-fought, well-played game. Purple jumped to a quick lead, scoring four times in the top of the first, the last two on Tim Coles’s over-the-fence rocket of a home run to left-center, but Blue responded with five runs in the home half, all scored after two were out. Anthony Galindo, who’d entered the game in place of Steve Sandall after Steve tweaked a leg muscle in the top half, knocked a double to set up George Brindley to drive in the first two runs with a single. Joe Bernal’s single and a walk to Richard Battle loaded the bases, and Terry Thompson and Dale Fugate delivered run-scoring singles to put Blue ahead by a run.
Tim Coles’s two-run homer capped Purple’s four-run outburst in the top of the first. Here’s a file photo of Tim in Blue, from days of yore.
Joe Bernal held Purple scoreless in both the second and third, working around two singles in the second and three in the third, stranding all five runs. Blue scored three times on four hits in each of its halves, once again all the scoring taking place after two were out – in the second on Jeff Fisher’s single, Anthony Galindo’s RBI double, and George Romo’s two-run single; in the third on two-out knocks by Billy Hill, Jerry Mylius, and Pat Scott.
Purple trailed 11-4 entering the fourth, and proceeded to turn the game around, scoring eight unanswered run over the next two innings, beginning with five runs on six singles and Daniel Carvajal’s double without making an out in the fourth, and adding three more on four singles and Larry Young’s walk in the fifth. (Tom Kelm’s hit was technically a single, but it was a line drive to left that made it to the fence and drove in Jim Foelker from first – Tom had taken a runner from home.) Jeff Stone retired the side in order in the bottom of the fourth and allowed just a one-out single to Richard Battle in the fourth.
Purple led 12-11 entering the buffet, but was unable to add to its lead. Tim Coles lined out to left field to start the top half, and Mike Velaney (completing a 4-for-4 game game) and Jim Foelker followed with singles. Tom Kelm again took a runner from home, but George Romo made a good play on a grounder to his left, tagged second, and snapped a throw to first to complete a crucially important, inning-ending 6u., 6-3 double play.
Blue needed one to tie, two to win in the home half. Billy Hill led off with a single down the third-base side, and his pinch-runner took second on Jerry Mylius’s single to right-center, Jerry completing a 3-for-3 game. Richard Battle ran for Jerry. Pat Scott also singled to right-center, Billy’s pinch-runner scoring the tying run; Richard tripped rounding second, tried to continue, but fell and was put out. Jeff Stone got Jeff Fisher to hit a two-strike foul for the second out, then retired Anthony Galindo on a fly to Jim Foelker in left-center.
So it was on to extra innings – one out, one-pitch rules. Tom Kelm’s pinch-runner started on second base for Purple, but did not advance, as Joe Bernal got Larry Young to hit a pop back to the mound, then retired Gregory Bied on a two-strike foul.
Anthony Galindo started on second base for Blue in the home half. George Romo took Jeff Stone’s first pitch, just short and inside, for a walk. George Brindley then came up and smacked a clean single to left-center to bring in Anthony with the game-winning run. Final score: Blue 13, Purple 12, Blue maintaining a chance of tying Green for first place for the session.
Noon, Gray (8-6) at Orange (7-9):
1 2 3 4 5 BUFFET FINAL Gray 4 3 0 2 0 4 13 Orange 3 5 4 4 1 X 17 Pitchers: Gray – Jack Kelly; Orange – Spike Davidson. Mercenaries: Orange – Clint Fletcher and Alvin Gauna. Umpires: home – Richard Battle; bases – Pat Scott. Perfect at the plate: Gray – Ken Brown (4 for 4 with two doubles) and David Kruse (4 for 4 with a double and a triple); Orange – Spike Davidson and Fritz Hensel (both 3 for 3) and Matt Levitt (2 for 2 with a walk and a double). Home run: Doc Hobar (inside the park).
Dave Berra’s weather report: Shirtsleeve start – 91 degrees (Heat Index 99); Jacket finish – 86 degrees (Heat Index 93). Cloudy and very breezy. Storms in the area; rain-free at the park. Delightful.
Gray’s formula is for Ken Brown to get on base ahead of David Kruse, and it worked to perfection today, Gray’s 1-2 hitters both going 4 for 4 with two extra-base hits, Ken scoring four times, David delivering five RBI, but it wasn’t enough to overcome an Orange offense that scored three or more runs in each of the first four innings.
Gray won the first inning, scoring four times as seven of its first eight batters reached base, on five singles, Don Solberg’s RBI double, and a walk to Donnie Janac. Four runs were in with the bases loaded and one out, with Ken Brown, running for Johnny Lee, on third base and Mike Mordecai up. Mike lofted a fly to left fielder Doc Hobar. Ken tagged and tried for home, but was cut down by a fine 7-5-2 relay, Doc to Eddie Ortiz to Fritz Hensel.
In the home half, Orange also had seven of its first eight batters reach, but came away with only three runs, due to a baserunning out and leaving the bases loaded. Doc Hobar led off with a double to left-center, but was gunned down 8-6-5, Tommy Gillis to David Kruse to Gary Coyle, trying to stretch it into a triple. Singles by Eddie Ortiz, Rex Horvath, and Gary Kubenka (making his 2024 debut) loaded the bases, and Ray Pilgrim’s fly to left field brought in Eddie. Rex scored on Spike Davidson’s single. Fritz Hensel’s hit loaded the bases for Matt Levitt, who worked a base on balls, Gary scoring. Jim Maloy squared up on a pitch, but shortstop David Kruse made a good play to snag the liner for the third out.
Ivan Budiselic led off the second with a single, and one out later Ken Brown and David Kruse ripped doubles, David driving in Ivan (or his pinch-runner, not sure) and Ken and then scoring on Gary Coyle’s single. Gary was forced at second on Tommy Gillis’s grounder to short. Don Solberg lined a single to right field, but another good relay resulted in an out on the bases, Tommy out 9-6-5 (Jim Maloy to Rex Horvath to Eddie Ortiz) trying for third. Orange then grabbed the lead with five runs on seven singles in the home half, all of them to the left side.
Spike Davidson protected the one-run lead with a scoreless top of the third, the inning ending with a 4-6-3 double play, Alvin Gauna to Rex Horvath to Ray Pilgrim. Orange then extended the lead with four runs in the bottom half, on four singles and Matt Levitt’s double.
Gray got two runs in the fourth pretty much the same way it scored in the second: Ivan Budiselic led off with a single and Ken Brown and David Kruse knocked one-out base hits, Ken taking second base on the late throw to third base trying for Ivan’s pinch-runner, both scoring on David’s single to left. But Orange trumped that with four runs in the bottom half, on four consecutive one-out singles followed by Jim Maloy’s bases-loaded triple. Jim was stranded at third, but Orange led 16-9 entering the final five-run inning.
Spike Davidson threw another scoreless inning, working around one-out singles by Johnny Lee and Jack Kelly. Orange wound up winning this inning also, though with just a single run, as Doc Hobar led off with a drive to center that gapped the outfielders, Doc sprinting around the bases for an inside-the-park homerun.
Here’s a file photo of Doc Hobar, whose inside-the-parker capped today’s strong offensive showing by Orange.
Gray was chasing eight entering the buffet, and Spike Davidson got two quick ground-ball outs to start the inning, retiring Ivan Budiselic 1-3 and Mark Dolan 4-3. That brought up the top of the order. Ken Brown ripped his second double of the game, and David Kruse brought him home with a triple to left-center. Gary Coyle, Tommy Gillis, Don Solberg, and Johnny Lee followed with singles to the left side, David, Gary, and Tommy scoring. Jack Kelly squared up on a pitch, but lined the ball to second baseman Alvin Gauna, who squeezed it for the final out. Final score: Orange 17, Gray 13, Gray eliminated from first-place contention for the session.
Standings – Session Three:
Games Runs Runs Run W/L
W L Win %: behind: for: allowed: differential: streak:
Green 10 5 .667 — 211 175 +36 W1
Blue 9 6 .600 1 194 179 +15 W1
Purple 9 7 .563 1.5 201 194 + 7 L1
Gray 8 7 .533 2 177 192 -15 L1
Orange 8 9 .471 3 214 219 – 5 W1
Red 7 8 .467 3 190 201 -11 L1
Maroon 3 12 .200 7 180 207 -27 L1
Home Visitor Walk-off Extra-inning Flip-flop 1-run games
W-L: W-L: Wins: W-L: W-L: W-L:
Green 4-4 6-1 2 0-1 4-0 2-0
Blue 5-2 4-4 2 1-0 1-1 2-3
Purple 3-5 6-2 2 1-1 1-4 2-3
Gray 4-4 4-3 1 0-0 1-3 2-0
Orange 2-6 6-3 1 0-0 4-3 2-1
Red 3-5 4-3 1 0-0 2-1 1-1
Maroon 1-6 2-6 0 0-0 1-2 0-3
2024 total victories (read across) and losses (read down):
Blue Gray Green Maroon Orange Purple Red TOTAL
Blue X 2 1 4 4 2 3 16
Gray 4 X 3 3 4 0 4 18
Green 3 2 X 4 2 4 4 19
Maroon 1 2 3 X 4 0 3 13
Orange 1 2 2 2 X 3 2 12
Purple 4 2 3 5 3 X 1 18
Red 3 2 2 1 4 4 X 16
________________________________________________________________
TOTAL: 16 12 14 19 21 13 17 112
Season home run leaders:
Tim Coles – 6
Ken Brown – 3
David Kruse – 3
Gregory Bied – 2
Tim Bruton – 2
Larry Fiorentino – 2
Clint Fletcher – 2
Pat Scott – 2
Jimmy Sneed – 2
Ralph Villela – 2
Peter Atkins – 1
David Brown – 1
Jack Crosley – 1
Jeff Fisher – 1
Anthony Galindo – 1
Buddy Gaswint – 1
Tommy Gillis – 1
Doc Hobar – 1
Rex Horvath – 1
Denny Malloy – 1
Bobby Miller – 1
Eddie Ortiz -1
David Pittard – 1
Joe Roche – 1
Paul Rubin – 1
Morgan Witthoft – 1
Schedule for Thursday August 29:
10:00 a.m.: Green (10-5) at Orange (8-9), Gray umpiring
11:00 a.m.: Gray (8-7) at Maroon (3-12), Orange umpiring
Noon: Red (7-8) at Blue (9-6), Maroon umpiring
Purple has the bye, with priority for its players out of the bucket.
Preview: The final games of Session 3. Green can clinch the session title with a victory over newly revitalized Orange at 10:00. If Orange wins, Blue can tie for the session championship with a win over Red at noon. At 11:00, one of Gray or Maroon will end its one-game losing streak and enter Session 4 on an up note. Is it possible we’re done with triple-digit heat for 2024? One thing is certain: Only time will tell.
Keggy’s Korner:
Eddy Murillo asks whether anyone found a red rubber stretch band off the fence on the visitors side. And Scott Wright left behind his glove and his brown chair.
How to clean your cap: