Friday, May 15

The Three G’s Shut the Trap on the Bears, 5-3

Wilkinson – After pouncing on the Bankers for three runs like a mother grizzly hunting a Pacific salmon, the SPN Bears fell victim to poaching by SBS who collected all five hits and runs in the fourth inning and then held on for the victory.  The win was particularly satisfying for SBS as a different cast of characters stepped up to the plate to help keep the team perfect on the season.

            The Bears roared out of the gates with two unearned runs on Xander’s two-out double.  Meanwhile, the only way SBS saw the base paths was when they crossed them to take the field and when Thomas Hodgkins and Jake Angell walked in the second and third respectively.  Drew A. made a diving grab of a Hayden Owen line drive in the first (can someone send the tape to Sportscenter?) and Luca pitched more strikes than the teamsters facing wage cuts and lay-offs in a recession – stifling any attempt at an SBS rally.

Fortunately, great pitching by Chris Mitchell and stellar defense kept the Bears from reaching base again until the fourth.  Jon Vickers at short and Hayden Owen in center acted like human flypaper as they ranged out of position to make key outs and limit the Bears’ trips to the plate.  The battery of Mitchell and Matt Gilboy did the rest, recording three strike outs while Mitchell’s cousins stewed on the sideline.  In the fourth, Luca gained the upper hand over his relative as he singled and then scored the team’s third run on a base hit by Jacob.  But again, defense saved SBS as Hodgkins sprinted to his right to grab a soft liner in left and Vickers continued to be Eli’s nemesis as he scooped up the second of two hard grounders by the Bear and stepped on second for the force out and only one run in. 

The bottom frame meant bad news for the Bears.  J-Stick got things started with a solo homer, his third dinger on the young season.  After Andrew Roberts legged out a single and Mitchell and Kilmartin walked, Hodgkins fought off a two strike pitch and grounded it to the right side, scoring Roberts for the Bankers’ second run of the game.  Matt Gilboy, hotter than the equatorial midday sun, notched his first RBI on the season with his third hit in two games.  Once Mitchell crossed the plate, the score stood tied at three. 

            Normally, “three G’s” would be a nice sum to put in your SBS bank account but, on this day, it would be the moniker for three new Banker heroes – Gilboy, Grant and Guignard.  Gilboy’s RBI had left runners at the corners.  Lefty Joseph Grant then lined a single to right field scoring Kilmartin with what proved to be the winning run.  Christian Guignard followed with a strong single of his own to score Gilboy.  For each player, it was their first RBI with the bat on the season - coming at an opportune time and under pressure.

            Like a wounded animal, these Bears would not go down quietly.  In the fifth, James and Patrick reached base around two flyball outs that were grabbed by Mitchell and Vickers.  With the runners at the corners and the go ahead run at the plate, Mitchell bared down struck out a batter for the final out.  In the sixth, after stepping out of a nearby phone booth, J-Vick transformed into K-Vick.  Luca reached on his third single of the game but Vickers promptly struck out the side to end any threat of a come back while earning his first save on the season.

            Interleague play continues for SBS as they face the SPN Royals on Sunday.