Game Day Gazette
October 8, 2026
Well, it was nice to have at least one cool day before the heat returned this morning! Gray is proving to a be a juggernaut with a decisive win extending their current winning streak to four games. Blue had their highest scoring output of the season as they thumped the short-handed Red squad (drawing five players for today’s game).
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Game 1: Gray (1-0-0) vs. Orange (0-1-0) 8:30 a.m. 10/08/26 |
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1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gray |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
5 |
18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Orange |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
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Starting pitchers-Gray- Raul DeLeon; Orange-Terry Thompson |
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Mercenaries: Gray- Jack Spellman, Patrick Schmidt and Raul DeLeon |
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Orange-Ken Brown, Paul Rubin, Donnie Janac, John Flowers and Bobby Hawthorne |
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Home Plate Umpire-Johnny Neville and Lucky Hoffman on the bases |
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First & Second Inning Recap:
Gray- interesting game as Gray grabbed an early lead and held it throughout until they blew it open with back-to-back five run innings to wrap up the game. Lynn Simpson grounded ck to P Terry Thompson to open the game. Mike Carroll worked a walk and moved to 2B on Scott Wright’s line single to left. Gary Coyle went down on strikes, but Louie Caputo rocketed a double to center to drive in the first two runs of the contest. 2nd – Larry Coons and Art Monzingo led off the 2nd with back-to-back singles. Raul DeLeon grounded sharply to Adam Gordon at short and he flipped to Jack Adams at 2B for the first out. I don’t recall the details but somehow Raul ended up on 3B after a series of erratic throws and drops. Larry was able to score on the play to get Gray on the board. Jack Spellman followed with a hard grounder to Jax, and he scrambled to make the play and get Jack at 1B. Raul was able to come across with the 2nd run on the play. Patrick and Lynn produced back-to-back singles but Terry was able to get Mike to ground into a fielder’s choice to limit Gray to only two runs in the frame.
Orange- Jack Adams bounced out to 3B to open the inning. Terry Thompson slapped a single to left. Adam Gordon went down swinging for the 2nd out. Steve Kendig singled up the middle, but P Raul DeLeon got Bubba Barnett to ground out to 1B to close out the frame. 2nd– Barry McRee flew out to left to start the 2nd inning. Ken Brown smoked a ball to center for a double and came around to score on Paul Rubin’s ground single to right center. Donnie Janac flew out to center for the 2nd out. John Flowers rolled a single through the right side and Bobby Hawthorne drove in the 2nd run with an infield single. Jack Adams smacked another hit up the middle to bring in John with the 3rd run. Terry grounded out to 3B to end the inning.
End of 2nd Score: Gray 4 Orange 3
3rd Inning Recap:
Gray- Scott led off the 3rd with a sharp single to right. Gary followed with a double to left to put runners on 2B and 3B. Louie drove in the first run with a single to center. Jeff slapped another hit to center to drive in the 2nd run. Larry ground into a fielder’s choice (4-6) for the 1st out. Art popped out to 2B for the 2nd out and Raul hit a deep flyball to right center that Donnie tracked down for the final out.
Orange– Adam went down swinging to open the inning. Steve lined a ball up the middle that skipped past the center fielder for a double. Bubba slapped a single up the middle and 3B coach Bruce Barnett gave courtesy runner John Flowers the green light to head home. Unfortunately, the throw from the outfield and relay by Jack S. beat John to the plate for the 2nd out, Barry hit a comebacker to Raul for the final out of the scoreless 3rd inning.
End of 3rd Score: Gray 6 Orange 3
Fourth Inning Recap:
Gray– scored two runs for the 4th consecutive inning as Gray was unable to put away the opponent. Jack and Patrick led off with back-to-back singles. Lynn reached on an infield single to load the bases with nobody out. Mike ground into a fielder’s choice to drive in the 1st run. Scott hit a deep flyball to Donnie in right center to drive in the 2nd run before Gary bounced out to short to retire the side.
Orange– down by five with the mercenaries due up, it looked like a golden opportunity to get back in the game, but it was not meant to be. Ken hit a crisp single to center to open the frame. Paul went down swinging for the 1st out. Donnie fouled out as Ken waited patiently on 1B for a chance to unleash that world champion speed. John popped out to 2B to end the disappointing frame for the Orangemen,
End of 4th Score: Gray 8 Orange 3
Fifth Inning Recap:
Gray– the Gray hitters regained the form they showed in Monday’s beat down of Green as they posted a five spot to extend their lead to eight runs. Louie and Jeff led off with back-to-back singles before Larry popped out to short for the 1st out. Art singled to right center and Louie tried to make it home on the hit but was throw out (11-4-2) at the plate for the 2nd out. Raul followed with a triple to right center that drove in two runs for Gray. Jack drew a walk and Patrick ripped a single to center to bring in the 3rd run. Lynn singled to left to drive in Raul with the 4th run. Mike drilled a ball to center between Paul and John for an RBI double as Gray finished off the five-run inning.
Orange– down by eight, Orange battled back with a five-run frame of their own to stay in this one. Bobby and Jax started the frame with back-to-back singles. Both runners scored on Terry’s booming triple to left center. He scored as Adam reached on an infield single. Steve kept the rally going with another infield hit. Bubba cracked a single down the right field line to bring in both runners. Barry hit into a fielder’s choice for the 2nd out. But Ken came through with another shot up the middle to bring in Steve with the 5th run.
End of 5th Score: Gray 13 Orange 8
Sixth “Open” Inning Recap:
Gray– with Orange now within striking distance, the Gray hitters went to work and scored five big runs without making an out in the buffet. Scott led off with a double that was just out of the reach of a hard charging John Flowers in center. Gary singled through the 5/6 hole to bring Scotty in with the 1st run. Louie capped off a perfect 4-4 day at the plate with another hard single up the middle. Jeff singled and Larry followed with a two-run double as Gray kept pouring it on. Art smashed a ringing single to right center to drive in two more runs and give Gray a ten-run cushion. At this point, the teams flip flopped and Orange came in for their final at bat.
Orange– Paul led off the open inning with an infield single but was forced out at 2B on Donnie’s grounder to 3B. John singled to right, but Bobby hit into a fielder’s choice with Scott getting the force at 3B for the 2nd out. Jack singled to extend the inning but Terry hit a comebacker to Raul for the final out as Gray picked up their 4th straight win.
Final Score: Gray 18 Orange 8
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Game 2: Red (1-0-0) vs. Blue (0-0-0) 9:30 a.m. 10/08/26 |
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1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
Total |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Red |
0 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
X |
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Blue |
4 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
X |
X |
17 |
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Starting pitchers- Red- Terry Thompson; Blue- Raul DeLeon |
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Mercenaries-Red- Jack Spellman, Terry Thompson, Gary Coyle, Art Monzingo and Jeff Broussard |
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Blue-Scott Wright |
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Home Plate Umpire- Jack Adams and Barry McRee on the bases |
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First & Second Inning Recap:
Red– with only six of their regulars available for this one, Red had to pick up five mercenaries for the game. With Tommy DeLeon sidelined, Raul DeLeon took over on the mound and looked sharp in the early going. Bobby Hawthorne lined out to Tim Coles at 3B to open the tilt. Patrick Schmidt trying to go to the opposite field grounded out to Tim as his strong throw to 1B beat Patrick by a step. John Flowers and Ken Brown followed with back-to-back singles to mount Red’s first offensive threat of the game. Mike Mordecai singled to right to load the bases, but Raul was able to retire Morris Carter on a comebacker to close out the scoreless 1st inning. 2nd– the mercenaries had a little more success as Jack Spellman led off the inning with a clean single to right. Terry Thompson drew a walk and Gary Coyle followed with a base hit to left. Jack scored easily on the play, but Terry was thrown out trying to score with Lucky Hoffman making a nice catch on the throw from 2B to get the 1st out. Art Monzingo flew out to Scott Wright in center for the 2nd out. Jeff Broussard continued to rake as he singled up the middle, but Raul got Bobby to sky one to center for the final out.
Blue-remarkably, Blue only had to draw one player for this one (Scott Wright) and the core was more than up to the task as they pounded out eleven hit and scored nine runs in the first two innings. Mike Hill patiently worked a walk to open the frame. Donnie Janac lashed a single to center to keep the train moving. Tim Coles grounded a hard single to left center to drive in the first run. Raul DeLeon laced a single to right to score Donnie with the 2nd run. Henry Flores fouled out for the 1st out of the inning. Danny Baladez belted one to center for a two-run double and Blue was off to the races. Dave Berra flew out to CF for the 2nd out, but Johnny Neville reached on an infield single to extend the inning. Lucky Hoffman went down swinging for the final out. 2nd– Chris Hurst opened the 2nd inning by grounding out to short. Alex Valles found the gap in right center for a booming triple to ignite the Blue attack. He scored on Scott Wright’s single for the first run. Mike and Donnie followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases with only one out. Tim crushed a towering drive to straight-away center for a two-run double. Raul was retired on a grounder to 2B as Donnie scored from 3B. Henry completed the five-run frame with a single to left as Blue took a commanding lead in this one.
End of 2nd Score: Blue 9 Red 1
Third Inning Recap:
Red- Raul continued to thwart the Red batters and hurled a shutout inning in the 3rd. Patrick singled to lead off the frame but was forced out at 2B on John’s grounder to Henry. Ken continued to swing a hot bat as he drilled one past Tim Coles at 3B for a single. Mike bounced into a fielder’s choice at 2B for the 2nd out. Morris struck out to end the frame.
Blue- picking up where they left off in their last at bat, the first three batters reached to load the bases with nobody out. Danny, Dave and Johnny all produced base hits to open the inning. Lucky fouled out for the first out. Chris followed with a sinking liner to center that John misplayed into a double as all three runners scored on the play. P Terry stemmed the bleeding to get Alex and Scott on groundballs to 2B Jack Spellman to keep Blue’s lead at eleven (11) runs.
End of 3rd Score: Blue 12 Red 1
Fourth Inning Recap:
Red– refused to quit despite trailing by a healthy margin and struck back with their own five-run inning to make a game of it, The mercenaries again led the way as Jack and Terry opened with back-to- back singles. Gary bounced into a fielder’s choice as Mike got the force at 3B for the first out. Art’s single loaded the bases, and Jeff was retired for one of the few times today on a flyball to center. Bobby sparked the rally as his sizzling grounder to 3B got past Tim for a two-run double. Patrick followed with a double in the gap between center and left center to drive in two more runs. John walked and Ken picked up his third hit in as many at bats to drive in Patrick with the 5th run of the inning.
Blue- with their lead cut in half, Blue decided to go out and just have fun and put up another five spot in the process. Mike and Donnie opened the frame with back-to-back singles. Tim ripped a single to left center to bring in the first run. The top three batters for Blue had a pretty good game as collectively they went 8-8 with nine runs scored and four runs batted in. Raul doubled to right center to drive in the 2nd run. Henry and Danny followed with back-to-back run scoring singles as Blue pushed the run total to four in the frame. Danny was also perfect at the plate along with knocking in three runs for the game. Johnny made the first out as he hit a line shot back to Terry. Lucky followed with a pop up to shallow left that fell in for a hit and brought in the 5th run.
End of 4th Score: Blue 17 Red 6
Fifth “Open” Inning Recap:
Red- chasing eleven runs, Red managed to push across a couple of runs, but it was too little too late. Mike drew a walk leading off the buffet. Morris bounced into a fielder’s choice for the 1st out. Jack completed his perfect day at the plate with a single to right. Terry drove in a run with a hard single to left to cap off his perfect day as well. Gary hit a hard grounder to short, and Mike made a nice stop on the ball and got the force at 2B for the 2nd out. Art grounded to 2B and Henry flipped to Mike for the final out to secure a big win for Blue!
Final Score: Blue 17 Red 8
ASSL C Division 5th Session Standings:
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Win |
Loss |
Ties |
Win % |
Scored |
Given up |
Diff. |
Games Behind |
|
Gray |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1.000 |
33 |
17 |
16 |
– |
|
Blue |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0.000 |
17 |
8 |
9 |
0.50 |
|
Red |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0.500 |
22 |
21 |
1 |
1.00 |
|
Green |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0.000 |
9 |
15 |
-6 |
1.50 |
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Orange |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0.000 |
12 |
32 |
-20 |
2.00 |
Gray continued their dominance in the final session and looks like the team to beat. Blue had their best game of the season so maybe they have a late run in them. Still many games to be played so let’s not give up the crown just yet!
Season-to-date Standings:
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ASSL C league 2026 Season to-date Standings |
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Win |
Loss |
Ties |
Win % |
Scored |
Given up |
Diff. |
Games Behind |
|
Gray |
29 |
17 |
2 |
0.604 |
571 |
494 |
57 |
– |
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Green |
25 |
17 |
1 |
0.581 |
538 |
438 |
68 |
2.00 |
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Orange |
22 |
22 |
1 |
0.489 |
462 |
468 |
19 |
5.00 |
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Blue |
18 |
26 |
0 |
0.409 |
403 |
502 |
-86 |
10.00 |
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Red |
16 |
28 |
0 |
0.364 |
430 |
502 |
-58 |
12.00 |
Gray extended their lead over the idle Green team to a full two games. With today’s loss and only eleven games remaining, Red is officially out of the running for the league championship. However, they still have the opportunity to play a spoiler role over the remainder of the season.
Next Games: Monday October 12, 2026
Game 1 8:30 a.m. Blue (1-0-0) vs. Green (0-1-0)
Can Blue build on Thursday’s resounding win over Red and put a dent in Green’s hopes of catching the front running Gray squad? With so many players out next week, can interim manager Jack Spellman work his magic in the player draw to give Green a chance to field a winning team?
Red will be taking on the umpiring responsibilities in this game
Game 2 9:00 a.m. Red (1-1-0) vs. Gray (2-0-0)
Can anyone stop the runaway train that is the men in Gray? Will Red embrace their spoiler role and knock off the league leaders with most of their key players away playing tournament ball next week? Who knows but all will be revealed on Monday.
Blue will be taking umpiring the late game on Monday
Orange will have a bye on Monday allowing their players to have priority in the draw.
Other News and Notes:
As noted above, there will lots of guys out next week playing tournaments in Utah and Myrtle Beach, so we need those that are in town to show up to play to avoid any possible forfeits. These are the guys that I know will be out, there may be others as well:
o Green (Tom Kelm, Tom Brownfield and Paul Rubin)
o Red (Ken Brown, Doc Hobar, Patrick Schmidt and Terry Watts)
o Orange (Jim Foelker, Bobby Miller and Terry Thompson)
o Gary (Gary Coyle and Ray Pilgrim)
o Blue (Tim Coles)
Exciting news, PARD has notified us that we will be moving back to K2 effective October 19th. This is great news for the long ball hitters but also marks a return to our old familiar surroundings. As a bonus, we will also have a working scoreboard for the first time in almost two seasons.