January 13 and 25: B League board meets to elect a new president, Larry Bunton, and discuss plans for the 2022 season.
February 17: First B and C League practices at Krieg.
February 21: Second practice. The February 24 practice is cancelled due to cold, wet weather.
February 28, Opening Day: George Brindley, Tim Bruton, Dave Jaffe, Joe Dayoc, Scott Sovereen, and Eric Stimmel make their B League debuts. Tim hits the season’s first homerun, an inside-the-parker, in Blue’s 11-9 victory over Gray in the first game. Green defeats Maroon 20-11. Orange holds off Purple’s rally in the bottom of the buffet to win 12-11, in a game that sees the season’s first controversy over rules interpretation (to wit, whether a runner who overruns a base has to tag that base when retreating to a previous base, this after Scott Wright makes a tremendous catch in right field). (Consensus: he does.) Gold defeats Red 14-8. Dave Melber hits three triples in two games and is the early front-runner for 2022 MVP.
March 3: Peter Sundquist, Mike Garrison, and George Romo hit inside-the-park homeruns in Purple’s 15-2 victory over Gold. Tim Bruton hits a three-run inside-the-parker for Gray, which falls to Maroon 13-8. Orange whips Red 17-2 and Blue defeats Green 14-11.
March 7: Games are cancelled due to cold temperature and wet field.
March 10: Red records its first victory of the season, 12-10 over Gray. Green tops Purple 14-12. There is controversy in the Blue-Orange game over whether to count a run scoring from third on a fly ball ahead of the third out being recorded by doubling up a runner who left first without tagging; yes, this run counts, but it ultimately made no difference, as Blue won 15-12 to improve to 3-0 on the season. Gregory Bied in his first game of the season legs out a three-run inside-the-park homerun in Gold’s 14-9 win over Maroon.
March 14: Red scores 11 times in the top of the buffet inning to hand Blue its first loss of the season, 22-17. Following the day’s first game, there is a moving on-field ceremony for Doak Thomas. Doak’s wife Linda and granddaughter Ava Stuart are presented with Doak’s plaque for the Texas Senior Softball Hall of Fame. In the 11:30 game, Purple scores 19 of a possible 20 runs and defeats Maroon 19-17. Mercenary Jack Spellman hits inside-the-park homeruns in consecutive innings in Green’s 18-8 win over Gold at 12:30. In the final game, after a double-flip-flop, Orange scores nine times in its buffet inning to take a 16-14 lead, but Gray in its delayed last five-run inning puts across three runs to walk off a 17-16 victory.
March 17: Gary Coyle, playing as a mercenary, hits the season’s first over-the-fence homerun for Green, which scores a run in the bottom of the buffet inning to break a 15-15 tie with Gray and improve to 4-1 on the session. Carl Gallagher, picked up by Orange, hits an over-the-fence homer in the 11:30 game; the teams double-flip-flop after Gold bats in the top of the fifth, and Orange wins 15-9. Blue defeats Maroon 14-11 in the 12:30 game to remain tied for first with Green. At 1:30, Red leaves the winning run on third base in the bottom of the buffet inning; Purple scores ten times with two out in the season’s first extra inning, with Scott Wright and Carl Gallagher legging out three-run inside-the-park homeruns; the teams flip-flop and Purple wins 25-15.
March 21: Light rain and no-shows force cancellation of the day’s games.
March 24: Orange defeats Purple 19-13. Gold scores five times in each of its four at bats, Jack McDermott contributing an inside-the-park homerun in the third, and turns three double plays in a 20-15 win over Red. Green and Maroon enter the buffet tied 16-16; Green scores twice in the top half and shuts out Maroon in the bottom of the frame to win 18-16. Blue tops Gray 15-11.
March 28: Maroon leaves the winning run on third in the bottom of the buffet; Gray scores six times in the top of the extra inning and wins 24-19; Don Solberg hits an inside-the-park homer for Gray. Blue scores five runs in each of the first three innings, then five more in the fifth in its 23-12 win over Green. Trailing 17-16, Orange scores seven times in the top of the buffet, holds Red to one in the bottom half, and wins 23-18; Scott Wright legs out an inside-the-park homerun for Orange. Purple scores five times in each of the first three frames, holds off Gold’s late charge, and wins 17-13. Gary Coyle knocks an over-the-fence homerun for Gray.
March 31: B League receives the sad news of the passing of Mike Davis, a universally admired player and good guy. Red defeats Green 16-8. Mike Velaney hits a three-run inside-the-park homerun for Purple, which edges Gray 16-15 on Mike Garrison’s walk-off RBI hit in the bottom of the buffet. Gold scores 19 of a possible 20 runs over the first four innings, double flip-flops Blue, and wins 19-9; George Brindley legs out an inside-the-park homerun for Blue. Orange defeats Maroon 14-9.
April 4: The league is stunned and saddened by the news that Texas Senior Softball Hall of Famer Dave Melber has passed away over the weekend. Dave played for Orange on March 31 and got hits in his final two at bats. Blue scores ten runs in the extra inning and defeats Orange 23-14, taking over first place with a 7-2 record. Maroon battles hard, but comes up short versus Gold, which wins 18-14. Gray scores 19 of a possible 20 runs over the first four innings, double flip-flops Red, and wins 19-4. Gary Kubenka makes his B League debut for Purple and knocks a double to the fence and an over-the-fence homerun in his first two at bats. Chris Villareal (for Purple) and Daniel Baladez (for Green) make their season debuts, and Rick Kahn (for Green) his pitching debut in a game Purple wins 20-19 with two runs in the bottom of the buffet.
April 7: Gold edges Green 14-13 and moves into a tie for third place with Orange, which falls to Gray 16-10. Purple continues to hammer the ball, posting three five-run innings in a double-flip-flop 16-5 win versus Maroon. Mike Garrison hits the day’s only homerun, an inside-the-parker for Purple. Red is again trounced, falling to first-place Blue 15-5.
April 11: Lisa McDermott, with Blue trailing 11-1 in the bottom of the third in a game the league leaders eventually lose to Maroon (1-9 entering the contest) 17-7, asks the eternal question: “I left the house early for this?” Purple scores eight times in the top of the buffet inning and defeats Red 23-15. In the 12:30 and 1:30 games, the visiting teams both flip-flop for the buffet and win despite the home teams scoring five times in their at bats, Gray defeating Green 16-12 and Gold defeating Orange 17-13.
April 14: Red defeats Maroon 12-11 on Ken Brown’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the buffet; it is Red’s first home victory of the season. Purple’s rally in the top of the buffet falls short, and Blue wins 18-17. Orange defeats Green 11-9; Gray defeats Gold 16-12.
April 18: All four games are decided by one run. Tied 9-9 entering the buffet, Maroon scores five times in the top of the inning, holds Green to four in the bottom half, and wins 14-13. Blue defeats Gray 16-15 on Gary Bowles’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the buffet. Red defeats Gold 15-14; Orange defeats Purple 13-12.
April 21: Robert Daniels hits a three-run over-the-fence homerun and Red builds a 12-6 lead through the top of the fifth, but Orange gets a run in the bottom of that inning, then rallies for six runs in the buffet, winning 13-12 on Ray Pilgrim’s two-run walk-off single. David Ferley goes 5 for 5 with two inside-the-park homeruns and drives in eight runs in Maroon’s 20-14 win over Gray. Purple holds Gold to two runs in the top of the buffet and wins 16-15. Blue defeats Green 18-11.
April 25: Games are rained out.
April 28: Low attendance, with a number of players playing at the tourney in Grapevine, Texas. Following an ill-advised flip-flop, Maroon allows Gold eight runs in the buffet, is unable to score in its half, and falls 19-15. David Ferley for the second game in a row knocks a pair of inside-the-park homers for Maroon. Eddie Murillo singles home ghost runner Chris Rolig from second in the bottom of the extra inning as Red edges Gray 13-12. Gary Grissam joins Blue team, which defeats Orange 11-10, Orange’s four-run rally in the top of the buffet falling just short. Green defeats Purple 17-16, holding Purple to four runs in the top of the buffet after a double flip-flopp.
May 2: Gary Coyle belts a two-run over-the-fence homerun in Purple’s 16-9 win over Maroon. Anthony Galindo lines a three-run homer over the fence in left in Green’s 13-12 victory versus Gold. Blue thumps Red 18-5 and improves to 13-3. Gray defeats Orange 16-7.
May 5: Dale Fugate goes 5 for 5, in his last at bat delivering a two-run single and a walk-off 11-10 victory for Gold over Orange. Gray batters go 25 for 36 (.694) in a 17-15 win versus Green. Purple scores five times in four of its five at bats in a 22-15 win over Red. Blue defeats Maroon 14-9.
May 9: Blue scores 24 of a possible 25 runs before flip-flopping in a 24-16 win over Purple, clinching at least a tie for the Session 1 title. Maroon rallies from 6-0 and 10-3 deficits and defeats Red 13-11. Orange beats Green 19-8; Gray tops Gold 13-6.
May 12: Maroon goes ahead 17-13 with six runs in the top of the buffet, but Green rallies for five in the bottom half and wins 18-17 on Tom Kelm’s two-out walk-off RBI single. Gray defeats Blue 16-11, ending Blue’s seven-game winning streak. Purple shuts out Orange over the final three innings, scores five times in the top of the buffet, and wins 14-11. Mark Dolan and Terry Watts leg out inside-the-park homeruns in Red’s 19-11 win over Gold.
May 16: Green’s Anthony Galindo and Gray’s Tom Brownfield each homers over the fence in a losing cause, Green dropping a 16-5 decision to Blue, which clinches the Session 1 title, and Gray fallilng 13-8 to Maroon. Tom is on the winning end when he plays as a mercenary for Orange versus Red and draws a bases-loaded walk-off walk in the bottom of the buffet for a 16-15 victory. Mark Dolan hits two inside-the-park homeruns for Red. Gold defeats Purple 14-11.
May 19: Carl Gallagher plays his final B League games before relocating from Austin back to Pennsylvania, hitting an inside-the-park homerun as a mercenary in Green’s 19-11 win over Red, then scoring the winning run on Larry Bunton’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the buffet inning in Blue’s 14-13 win over Gold. Tom Brownfield hits his second over-the-fence homerun in as many games for Gray, in a 16-14 win over Purple. Maroon’s six-run rally in the top of the buffet comes up short; Orange wins 13-12.
May 23: Final games of Session 1. Session champion Blue defeats Orange 14-13 on a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the buffet by winning pitcher Gary Bowles. Gray scores five times in each of its four at bats, then flip-flops in a 20-11 win over Red, which gets an over-the-fence homerun from Jose Gonzalez. Maroon defeats Gold 20-11; Green defeats Purple 19-16.
Final standings – Session One:
|
W/L Streak |
W |
L |
Win % |
Games Behind: |
Runs For: |
Runs Allowed: |
Run Differential: |
|
|
Blue |
W3 |
18 |
4 |
.818 |
— |
337 |
273 |
+64 |
|
Purple |
L3 |
12 |
10 |
.545 |
6 |
357 |
316 |
+41 |
|
Gray |
W2 |
12 |
10 |
.545 |
6 |
323 |
282 |
+41 |
|
Orange |
L1 |
10 |
12 |
.455 |
8 |
286 |
308 |
-22 |
|
Gold |
L2 |
10 |
12 |
.455 |
8 |
308 |
332 |
-24 |
|
Green |
W2 |
7 |
15 |
.318 |
11 |
294 |
321 |
-27 |
|
Maroon |
W1 |
7 |
15 |
.318 |
11 |
270 |
360 |
-90 |
|
Red |
L3 |
7 |
15 |
.318 |
11 |
270 |
360 |
-90 |
|
Home W/L |
Visitor W/L |
Walk-off Wins |
Extra-inning W/L |
Flip-flop W/L |
1-run games W/L |
|
|
Blue |
9-3 |
9-1 |
3 |
1-0 |
5-2 |
5-0 |
|
Purple |
6-5 |
6-5 |
2 |
1-0 |
3-2 |
3-3 |
|
Gray |
6-5 |
6-5 |
1 |
1-1 |
5-2 |
1-4 |
|
Orange |
6-5 |
6-5 |
2 |
0-1 |
4-2 |
4-4 |
|
Gold |
6-5 |
4-7 |
1 |
0-0 |
3-5 |
2-4 |
|
Green |
5-8 |
5-4 |
2 |
0-0 |
3-4 |
4-3 |
|
Maroon |
2-9 |
5-6 |
0 |
0-1 |
1-2 |
1-3 |
|
Red |
4-7 |
3-8 |
2 |
1-1 |
2-7 |
3-2 |
May 26: First games of Session 2. Anthony Galindo comes up big in the buffet innings of the 11:30 and 12:30 games. In the former, his walk-off hit over the outfielders’ heads scores the winning run from third with none out as Green tops Gold 15-14. At 12:30, playing as a mercenary for Blue, Anthony throws out Jack Spellman tagging from third to preserve a tie in the bottom of the buffet after Red had rallied for four runs; Blue scores three times in the extra inning and wins 16-13. Tom Brownfield hits two over-the-fence homeruns in Gray’s 17-11 victory over Orange in the 10:30 game.
June 2: Teams are shorthanded due to a tourney in Waco; Scott Wright plays in all three games and hits an inside-the-park homerun in each. Jose Gonzalez hits an over-the-fence homerun in Red’s 15-8 win over Purple. Maroon defeats Blue 16-12, and Gray edges Green 10-9.
June 6: Peter Sundquist is involved in walk-off victories in the day’s first two games: he scores the winning run in Green’s 16-15 victory over Orange, scoring from first on a three-run single by Jim McAnelly, Jim’s fourth hit in as many at bats; Peter singles in David Ferley in the bottom of the buffet of the second game as Gold walks off a 15-14 victory versus Gray. Red scores five times in the top of the buffet and shuts out Maroon in the bottom half to win 13-10.
June 9: Scott Wright, playing as a mercenary, starts a double play at second base, moves to right field and ends the top of the buffet by making a running catch, then delivers a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the frame for an 18-17 Blue victory over Gray. Orange scores 19 of a possible 20 runs in four at bats and defeats Purple 19-12. Green defeats Maroon 14-11.
June 13: Entering the buffet inning tied 14-14, Maroon and Gray each score eight times, sending the 12:30 game into an extra inning. Maroon is unable to score in its half, and Gray wins 23-22, Tim Bruton singling home the winning run with his fifth hit of the game. In the first game, Mike Garrison triples and Larry Fiorentino singles him home in the bottom of the buffet as Purple walks off an 11-10 win over Gold. Red scores seven times in the top of the buffet of the second game, but it’s not enough, Orange prevailing 18-12.
June 16: Scott Wright could have scored the fifth run of the fifth inning of the 10:30 game with nine seconds left on the clock, but holds at third and lets time expire before scoring on George Romo’s hit, thus denying a sixth inning to Maroon; instead, the game proceeds to the buffet, and Orange wins 17-10. Gold turns an unusual 2u., 2-3 double play when a bases-loaded pop between the pitcher and catcher is not called an infield fly; the ball rolls back to catcher Miller Hill, who turns the twin killing, a key play in Gold’s 14-9 win over Blue. Red defeats Green 17-7, in a game that ends in a double flip-flop. The day ends with four teams tied for first with 3-2 records.
June 20: Green scores three runs in the bottom of the buffet to edge Purple 12-11. Tom Brownfield hits an over-the-fence homerun in Gray’s 14-2 win over Red. Orange whips Blue 18-5. The day’s three winning teams finish the day tied for first place with 4-2 records.
June 23: Ralph Villela, Jr. makes his B League debut, filling in at shortstop and leading Red team to a 19-13 win over Blue. Maroon walks off a 14-13 win over Purple with a run in the bottom of the buffet. Gold scores seven times in the top of the buffet to take a 15-13 lead over Green; Green scores a run and has runners on the corners with two out, but Mike Hill scoops up a hard grounder up the middlel and tags second for the game-ending force out.
June 27: Two more walk-off victories. Trailing Green 19-12 entering the bottom of the buffet, Gray scores eight times without making an out to win 20-19, Tim Bruton driving in the winning run after refusing a bases-loading walk. Gold scores twice in the bottom of the buffet to edge Orange 13-12, ending Orange’s four-game winning streak. At 12:30, Purple defeats Blue for the first time this season, 13-9; new player Richard Battle debuts with Blue.
June 30: With the Picayune on hiatus (editor-in-chief Spellman on vacation), Billy Hill reports Billy Hill going “6 for 5 with 4 stolen bases and 4 triples and 4 HRs and two doubles.” Gold defeats Gray 18-12 following a dispute between managers Miller Hill and Tom Kelm over whether Gray can pick to 11 players. Maroon defeats Red 15-8, and Blue defeats Purple 21-11.
July 4: Happy 246th birthday, U.S.A. No games.
July 7: Orange scores 18 of a possible 20 runs over the first four innings and defeats Purple 18-14. Gray edges Blue 8-7, and Green tops Maroon 11-9.
July 11: On the hottest day of the year, with the temperature surpassing 100 degrees during the 12:30 game, the visiting teams win all three games, the home teams cursed by the presence of Jack Spellman. Purple tops Goldl 14-11, Orange defeats Red 13-6, and Gray scores 11 times in the top of the buffet before flip-flopping in a 17-13 win over Maroon.
July 14: PARD uses the Krieg fields for a girls’ fast-pitch tourney; B League games are cancelled.
July 18: Home teams win all three games. Purple defeats Green 13-5 in the opener, with Larry Fiorentino and Tom Brownfield hitting over-the-fence homeruns. Tom homers again in the second game, inside the park, as do Don Solberg and, for Red, George Brindley in Gray’s 11-10 victory. Orange defeats Blue 15-4 in the third game and remains half a game behind Gray in the Session 2 race.
July 21: Blue gets four inside-the-park homeruns – by Denny Malloy, Tom Kelm, Jack McDermott, and Richard Battle – in a 19-11 win over Red. Frank Delmonte makes his first appearance of the season and goes 1 for 3 as a mercenary for Red. Purple defeats Maroon 15-8 in a double flip-flop. Gold and Green score in every half-inning of the 12:30 game, Gold prevailing 17-16 on Tom Mecredy’s two-run walk-off single in the bottom of the buffet.
July 25: Gray and Orange both win – Gray gets inside-the-park homeruns by Tom Kelm and Rick Jensen and defeats Green 17-9; Orange tops Gold 18-10 – and Gray remains in first place for the session by half a game ahead of Orange. Richard Battle hits an inside-the-park homerun in Blue’s 9-7 victory over Maroon.
July 28: Don Solberg knocks a triple, a double, and two singles, driving in runs with each of his four hits, a total of seven RBI, as Gray defeats Gold 19-9 to remain in first place. Mike Velaney covers his jersey with Krieg dirt while making a pair of great defensive plays in Purple’s 16-5 win over Blue. Despite drawing 11 walks in the game, Red falls to Maroon 12-11 and is dropped into last place for the session.
August 1: Led by Mike Velaney (5 for 5 with a double, a triple, and five RBI), Purple scores four times in the bottom of the buffet to tie, once more in the bottom of the extra inning to edge Orange 20-19, extending its winning streak to five. Gold rallies for four runs in the bottom of the buffet and nips Red 16-15 on Johnny Lee’s walk-off RBI single. Green scores five times in the top of the extra inning and tops Maroon 20-18. Buddy Gaswint goes 5 for 5 with two doubles, an over-the-fence homerun, and eight RBI for Maroon.
August 4: Carl Gallagher stops by Krieg 3, but leaves before being drafted to play in the 12:30 game. Gray scores six times in the top of the buffet and defeats Maroon 18-16, extending its winning streak to six games; Trey Wall hits an inside-the-park homerun for Maroon. Jack McDermott hits an inside-the-park homer for Blue, which defeats Green 12-9 and improves to 5-0 versus Green on the season. At 12:30, Red and Orange play with nine players each, Terry Watts umpiring solo, and Larry Bunton catching the first two innings before the teams provide each other catchers in a game Red wins 17-13, defeating Orange for the first time this season. Rex Horvath hits two inside-the-parkers for Orange; Peter Sundquist and Ken Brown lead off the bottom of the second with back-to-back inside-the-park homers for Red.
August 8: Purple defeats Gray 10-9 on Mike Velaney’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the buffet, snapping first-place Gray’s six-game winning streak while extending their own winning streak to six. Gold scores seven times after the teams flip-flop for the buffet and put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but shortstop George Brindley grabs Johnny Lee’s liner up the middle for the final out to preserve Blue’s 15-14 victory. Tony Garcia legs out an inside-the-park homerun in Green’s 17-8 thumping of Red.
August 11: Visiting teams score at least two runs in every inning and win all three of the day’s games, which see no homeruns. Purple extends its winning streak to seven games with a 19-6 win over Orange. Gold defeats Maroon 20-12. Jose Gonzalez escapes an epic rundown between first and second base in the fourth inning as Red upsets Gray 22-18, Gray’s lead for the session cut to a game and a half over Purple.
August 15: Green defeats Gold 9-7 in the 10:30 game, a dispute over a play at first base not affecting the outcome: Daniel Baladez was pulled into foul territory by the throw from third baseman Rick Jensen and tagged the inside, “red” bag; batter-runner Hal Darman was ultimately called safe and a run credited to Gold. At 11:30, Orange scores eight times in the top of the buffet inning to seal a 21-11 win over Gray, whose Session lead is cut to just half a game over Purple, which scores five runs in each of its last three at bats versus Maroon at 12:30 and wins 18-11. Following the 11:30 game, Gray’s Tom Kelm and Ray Pilgrim get into a yelling and shoving dispute, for which they both subsequently apologize.
August 18: Buddy Gaswint’s three-run over-the-fence homerun caps Maroon’s four-run rally in the top of the buffet, which comes up a run short, Blue prevailing 12-11. Red battles to a 10-10 tie through three innings in the second game, but Purple scores eight unanswered runs over the final two frames to win 18-10 and draw into a tie for first place for the session with idle Gray. Ten mercenaries stick around to play in the heat of the 12:30 game, won by Orange over Gold 17-8.
August 22: The three session-leading teams all win convincingly, scoring five runs in a combined 12 out of 14 five-run innings, with two flip-flops: David Kruse (inside the park) and Tom Brownfield (over-the-fence grand slam) both homer in Gray’s 20-9 win over Gold; Orange defeats Green by the same score; and Purple defeats Blue 28-18.
August 25: Final games of Session Two. Green, bolstered by Rick Jensen’s pre-game Saint Crispin’s speech (“Do you want to tell your great-grandkids you were substandard or average?”), defeats Maroon 17-11 in a game briefly delayed in the top of the fifth inning when PARD activates the sprinkler behind the pitcher’s mound. Mercenaries Denny Malloy and George Brindley hit inside-the-park homeruns in the game. At 11:30, Gray clinches the Session Two pennant with a 19-11 victory versus Blue, finishing half a game ahead of Purple and one game ahead of Orange, both of which are idle. At 12:30, Gold defeats Red 17-12 in the final game of the session.
Final Standings – Session Two:
|
W/L Streak |
W |
L |
Win % |
Games Behind: |
Runs For: |
Runs Allowed: |
Run Differential: |
|
|
Gray |
W2 |
13 |
6 |
.684 |
— |
294 |
250 |
+44 |
|
Purple |
W10 |
12 |
6 |
.667 |
.5 |
264 |
220 |
-44 |
|
Orange |
W3 |
11 |
6 |
.647 |
1 |
270 |
305 |
+65 |
|
Gold |
W1 |
9 |
9 |
.500 |
3.5 |
237 |
254 |
-17 |
|
Green |
W1 |
9 |
9 |
.500 |
3.5 |
228 |
245 |
-17 |
|
Blue |
L2 |
8 |
10 |
.444 |
4.5 |
216 |
259 |
-43 |
|
Red |
L2 |
6 |
12 |
.333 |
6.5 |
221 |
255 |
-34 |
|
Maroon |
L6 |
4 |
14 |
.222 |
8.5 |
226 |
268 |
-42 |
|
Home W/L |
Visitor W/L |
Walk-off Wins |
Extra-inning W/L |
Flip-flop W/L |
1-run games W/L |
|
|
Grey |
7-2 |
6-4 |
2 |
1-0 |
4-0 |
5-3 |
|
Purple |
8-3 |
4-3 |
3 |
1-0 |
4-3 |
3-2 |
|
Orange |
6-2 |
5-4 |
0 |
0-1 |
4-1 |
0-3 |
|
Gold |
5-3 |
4-6 |
4 |
0-0 |
2-2 |
5-3 |
|
Green |
6-3 |
3-6 |
3 |
1-0 |
0-1 |
3-4 |
|
Blue |
4-3 |
4-7 |
1 |
1-0 |
2-7 |
3-1 |
|
Red |
3-6 |
3-6 |
0 |
0-1 |
3-2 |
0-3 |
|
Maroon |
3-8 |
1-6 |
1 |
0-2 |
0-3 |
2-2 |
August 29: Session Three opens. Orange defeats Red 14-6; Purple defeats Gold 15-2; and Green defeats Blue 19-10.
September 1 and 8: Games are cancelled due to wet conditions at Krieg 3.
September 12: Roster change: Green’s Larry Regallo ended his season early; Ray Pilgrim was moved from Gray to Green in order for Green to have a pitcher on its roster. All three visiting teams win. At 10:30, Purple scores 12 unanswered runs over the final three innings and defeats Maroon 18-9, extending its winning streak to 12 games. Larry Fiorentino, after going 0 for his first 4 at bats, hits a three-run inside-the-park homerun for Purple. At 11:30, Blue outscores Red 12-2 over the final four innings, even without batting in the buffet due to flip-flop, and wins 17-6. And Gray, with Tim Bruton hitting an inside-the-park homerun, defeats Orange 16-10 at 12:30.
September 15: Roster updates: Joe Casas joins Red team, and Alvin Gauna joins Gold. Gregory Bied rejoins Gold after being away all summer. Jim Maloy returns to B League; he played as a mercenary today, then was assigned to Maroon. Jake Varela joined the league, played as a mercenary today, then was also assigned to Maroon. In the 10:30 game, the teams flip-flop in the top of the buffet after Orange scores five runs and goes ahead 19-9; Gold then scores nine times in the bottom half and get the tying run to second on a single by Alvin Gauna (4 for 4 with a walk in his B League debut) before running out of outs, Orange prevailing 19-18. Gray defeats Green 16-9 in the second game, with a double flip-flop. At 12:30, with the help of new player Joe Casas and mercenaries Jake Varela and Anthony Galindo, Red comes within a run of ending Purple’s winning streak. A pinch-running mistake in the top of the buffet costs Red an out and at least one run; Purple rallies for the needed three in the bottom half to win 18-17, pushing its winning streak to 13 games. Larry Fiorentino and Don Solberg hit inside-the-park homeruns for Purple.
September 19: Larry Fiorentino’s single in the bottom of the buffet scores Alvin Gauna (6 for 6 in B League in two games) for a walk-off 11-10 win for Purple over Blue in the 10:30 game, Purple extending its winning streak to 14 games. Red scores eight times in the top of the buffet and defeats Maroon 19-13, winning its first game of the session. Buddy Gaswint hits an over-the-fence homerun for Maroon. At 12:30 Peter Sundquist makes his first B League pitching appearance and hurls Green to an 18-8 victory over Orange, allowing only three runs over the final five innings.
September 22: Red double flip-flops Gold and wins 17-9 at 10:30. Orange scores five times in the bottom of the buffet at 11:30, but the rally comes up one run short, Purple winning its 15th consecutive game, 15-14. Jack McDermott hits an inside-the-park homerun in Blue’s 14-7 win over Gray.
September 26: Green defeats Blue 15-7 at 10:30. Matt Martin makes his B League debut as a mercenary for Gray team at 11:30 and goes 2 for 3 in a 17-16 win over Maroon, Gray scoring five times in the bottom of the buffet to walk off the victory. Purple overcomes a 10-4 deficit and extends its winning streak to 16 games with a 13-10 win over Gold at 12:30. The two teams turn two double plays each, three of them originating on outfield fly balls.
September 29: Matt Martin is assigned to Orange team. Gray ends Purple’s 16-game winning streak with a 13-12, walk-off victory. Mercenary George Brindley hits an inside-the-park homerun for Gray and, pinch-running for Jack Crosley, scores the winning run from first on Jack Adams’ hit to right-center that Jeff Fisher narrowly misses making a diving catch of. At 11:30, Green defeats Red 16-13, Red’s seven-run rally in the buffet, including a three-run inside-the-park homerun by Ken Brown, making it close. At 12:30, Maroon snaps its nine-game losing streak with a 22-9 victory over Gold.
October 3: Maroon and Gold play for the second time in as many scheduled days, Maroon winning again, 16-15, the game ending with right-center fielder David Ferley throwing home to catcher Monica Ferley to cut down Ken Brown trying to score the tying run. Buddy Gaswint hits an over-the-fence homerun for Maroon. At 11:30, Blue double-flip-flops Orange and wins 15-5. George Brindley hits an inside-the-park homerun playing as a mercenary for Purple in its 21-13 win over Green at 12:30.
October 6: Orange shuts out Gray in the top of the buffet and ekes out a 10-9 victory. Gold defeats Green 16-10 for its first win of the session; the game ends with a 5u., 5-2, umpire’s call triple play when Hal Darman hits a bases-loaded grounder to third base, then peels off en route to first base, goes to the dugout, and is called out. Red double-flip-flops Blue, which scores seven runs in the buffet to narrow the score, but falls 16-13.
October 10: Purple scores 19 of 20 possible runs over the first four innings and double-flip-flops Red, which scores five times in each of its last two at bats but still falls 19-16. Purple’s Spike Davidson strikes out the side in the top of the fourth. Maroon defeat Blue 16-12, winning its third straight game and reaching .500 for the session. Larry Fiorentino, playing as a mercenary for Blue, legs out an inside-the-park homerun. Green tops Gray 12-10 in the 12:30 game. Daniel Baladez makes six putouts at first base, three on ground balls, and on the day goes 6 for 6 with a walk.
October 13: Dave Cochran makes his B League debut, playing in all three games. He pitches Orange to a 17-7 victory over Green at 10:30. At 11:30, Gold defeats Gray 18-5 in a double-flip-flop. Maroon extends its winning streak to four games with a 14-11 victory over Red.
October 17: Games are cancelled due to wet conditions at Krieg 3.
October 20: B League joins in the North American Sports Equinox with a full slate of games. Gold defeats Purple 17-14. Orange tops Red, also 17-14. John Riddle returns from a couple months away and helps Gray defeat Maroon 18-14.
October 24: Orange scores five times in each of its four at bats and whips Maroon 20-6. Richard Battle hits an inside-the-park homerun in Blue’s double-flip-flop 19-6 win over Gold. Green flip-flops Red and wins 22-18.
October 27: All three visiting teams flip-flop and win: Gold defeats Green 16-8; Gray defeats Red 17-13; and Orange defeats Blue 20-7. Bruce Barnett holds his only Burger Cookout of 2022 during and following the day’s action.
October 31: Red rallies for six runs in the bottom of the buffet and walks off a 12-11 win versus Blue to end its five-game losing streak. Buddy Gaswint hammers a three-run over-the-fence homerun, but Maroon falls to Purple 19-10. Green scores five runs in four of five innings in a 20-11 victory over Gold.
November 3: Green defeats Gray 15-8 and moves into second place for the session. Gold ends Orange’s five-game winning streak with a 15-10 victory. Donnie Janac slugs an over-the-fence homerun in Maroon’s 19-15 win over Blue.
November 7: Games are cancelled by heavy rain that falls as the teams are preparing to play.
November 10: Games are moved to Krieg field 2 due to wet conditions at field 3. Gray builds an 8-0 lead through three, holds on to edge Blue 8-7 in the 10:30 game. Green defeats Maroon 13-6 at 11:30. At 12:30, Purple defeats Orange 18-7 and clinches the Session 3 title and the season’s best overall record.
November 14: Games are cancelled due to rain.
November 17: What turns out to be the final date of the 2022 regular season is also the year’s coldest, temperature just over 50 degrees at the start of the 10:30 game, in which Maroon avoids a season sweep by Orange with an 11-6 victory. Blue scores in every inning of the 11:30 game, with three five-run outbursts, and Jack McDermott hits a three-run inside-the-park homerun in a 21-17 victory over Gold. Ken Brown hits an astericized inside-the-park grand slam (Ken’s run doesn’t count as the fifth run of the inning scored ahead of him), but Red falls to Green 17-7, which saddles Red with the worst overall record and the eight seed in the end-of-season tourney.
November 21: Games are cancelled due to rain and cold. The end-of-season banquet takes place at Mr. Catfish in the afternoon. Terry Watts inducts into the Texas Senior Softball Hall of Fame Ken Brown, Buck Gardner, Mike Hill, Rick Jensen, Jack Kelly, and Jack Spellman.
Final Standings – Session Three:
|
W/L Streak |
W |
L |
Win % |
Games Behind: |
Runs For: |
Runs Allowed: |
Run Differential: |
|
|
Purple |
W2 |
10 |
2 |
.833 |
— |
193 |
138 |
+55 |
|
Green |
W4 |
10 |
5 |
.667 |
1.5 |
214 |
184 |
+30 |
|
Gray |
W1 |
7 |
5 |
.583 |
3 |
144 |
150 |
-6 |
|
Orange |
L3 |
6 |
7 |
.500 |
4 |
177 |
175 |
+2 |
|
Maroon |
W1 |
6 |
7 |
.462 |
4.5 |
172 |
192 |
-20 |
|
Blue |
W1 |
5 |
9 |
.357 |
6 |
178 |
177 |
+1 |
|
Gold |
L1 |
5 |
9 |
.357 |
6 |
179 |
209 |
-30 |
|
Red |
L1 |
4 |
10 |
.286 |
7 |
185 |
217 |
-32 |
|
Home W/L |
Visitor W/L |
Walk-off Wins |
Extra-inning W/L |
Flip-flop W/L |
1-run games W/L |
|
|
Purple |
6-1 |
4-1 |
2 |
0-0 |
3-0 |
3-1 |
|
Green |
3-4 |
7-1 |
0 |
0-0 |
5-3 |
0-0 |
|
Gray |
5-2 |
2-3 |
2 |
0-0 |
3-2 |
3-1 |
|
Orange |
4-2 |
3-5 |
0 |
0-0 |
3-2 |
2-1 |
|
Maroon |
4-4 |
2-3 |
0 |
0-0 |
1-3 |
1-1 |
|
Blue |
3-3 |
2-6 |
0 |
0-0 |
3-3 |
0-3 |
|
Gold |
2-4 |
3-5 |
0 |
0-0 |
2-5 |
0-2 |
|
Red |
3-4 |
1-6 |
1 |
0-0 |
3-5 |
1-1 |
Final 2022 full-season standings:
|
W |
L |
Win % |
Games Behind: |
Runs For: |
Runs Allowed: |
Run Differential: |
|
|
Purple |
34 |
19 |
.654 |
— |
814 |
674 |
+140 |
|
Gray |
32 |
21 |
.604 |
2.5 |
761 |
682 |
+79 |
|
Blue |
31 |
23 |
.574 |
4 |
731 |
709 |
+22 |
|
Orange |
30 |
23 |
.566 |
4.5 |
748 |
664 |
+84 |
|
Green |
29 |
26 |
.527 |
6.5 |
750 |
761 |
-11 |
|
Gold |
24 |
30 |
.445 |
11 |
702 |
771 |
-69 |
|
Maroon |
17 |
36 |
.321 |
17.5 |
692 |
781 |
-89 |
|
Red |
17 |
37 |
.315 |
18 |
676 |
832 |
-156 |
|
Home W/L |
Visitor W/L |
Walk-off Wins |
Extra-inning W/L |
Flip-flop W/L |
1-run games W/L |
|
|
Purple |
20-9 |
14-9 |
7 |
2-0 |
10-5 |
9-6 |
|
Gray |
18-9 |
14-12 |
5 |
2-1 |
12-4 |
9-8 |
|
Blue |
16-9 |
15-14 |
4 |
2-0 |
10-12 |
8-4 |
|
Orange |
16-9 |
14-14 |
2 |
0-2 |
11-5 |
6-8 |
|
Green |
14-15 |
15-11 |
5 |
1-0 |
8-8 |
7-7 |
|
Gold |
13-12 |
11-18 |
5 |
0-0 |
7-12 |
7-9 |
|
Maroon |
9-21 |
8-15 |
1 |
0-3 |
2-8 |
4-6 |
|
Red |
10-17 |
7-20 |
3 |
1-2 |
8-14 |
4-6 |
November 28: The first round of the end-of-season tourney begins with the day’s only blowout, first-seed Purple pummeling eighth-seed Red 18-7. Purple scores five runs in the first, second, and fourth innings, and Mike Garrison hits an inside-the-park homerun. In the second game, Green builds a 9-0 lead through the top of the third, Orange’s late rally falls short, and Green prevails 11-9. In game three, Maroon scores two runs in the top of the buffet, then holds Gray scoreless in the bottom half, third baseman Scott Wright starting a key 5u., 5-4 double play with two on and none out; Maroon wins 11-10. In the fourth and final game, Blue turns three double plays against Gold (the only team to not turn a double play; there were 15 total on the day), blanks Gold in the top of the buffet, and wins 8-7.
November 29: With the scoreboard controls not working, the teams agree to play each of the day’s games a full seven innings. In the first semifinal game, Green leaves two runners on base in every inning except the second, when they leave them loaded, for a total of 15 left on base in seven innings against Purple, which posts two five-run innings and wins 11-7 despite turning no double plays, to Green’s two. In the second semifinal game, Blue blanks Maroon over the first four innings thanks to superb defensive play, notably by shortstop George Brindley, and is ahead 10-0 before Maroon finally scores in the fifth inning. Maroon’s David Ferley makes the throw of the season, putting out Larry Bunton trying to score from second on Tommy Deleon’s single to right-center with two out in the bottom of the third.
In the season finale, Purple blanks Blue over the second, third, and fourth innings and build a 14-6 lead through five. Blue rallies for five runs in the top of the sixth inning and holds Purple scoreless in the bottom half, but manages only one run, on Dave Jaffe’s double over left-center fielder Ralph Villela, in the top of the buffet. Purple holds on to win 14-12, securing the 2022 championship tee-shirts.