Sorry not much time for writeups.

Bob Rush runs into trouble in the 2nd giving up 2 runs on 3 hits with an RBI single by Pee Wee Butts. That will end Rush’s night when facing somebody like Maddux.

Bottom of the 6th with 2 out, Ron Hunt rips a double and Felipe Alou bangs a shot to his son in RF, Moises Alou, to knock in Hunt.

In the bottom of the 7th New Westminster gets to Maddux knocking him around for 5 runs on a 1 out walk to Dihigo to get things started.

With the score 5 – 2 for the Bellies, they manage to score one more in the 8th to go on to a 6 – 2 victory.

Fort Worth scores 2 in the 3rd off of a Hunter Pence double and Frank Chance SF. New Westminster gets one back in the bottom of the 3rd.
Martin Dihigo ties it up on the 5th with an RBI single. Top of the 8th Hunter Pence comes through with an RBI triple and scored on a single by Willie Keeler to wrap up the game. Fort Worth wins 4 – 2.

Tesreau pitches a 5 hit shutout and Charlie Root goes 5 innings and takes the loss when New West scores a 3 – 0 victory.

This is a pitcher’s duel until the 7th when Johnny Bassler manages a SF scoring pinch runner Carlos Beltran. In the 8th with one run in and runners at 1st and 3rd Craig Kimbrel comes in but he can not hold down the Bellies as they get 3 hits off of Kimbrel to score 3 more runs to go on to a 4 – 0 victory

Another pitchers duel until the top of the 5th when the Cats get to Rush for a couple of runs and one off of reliever Eddie Watt for a 3 – 0 lead. After being shut out for 23 innings the Cats put up home runs by Keith Hernandez, Hunter Pence and Home Run Baker to score 9 runs.
The Bellies manage to score 6 runs off of Verlander in the 8th and 9th but it is not enough in a 9 – 6 victory for the Cats.

For the fourth game of six Fort Worth gets off to the lead in the top of the 2nd on a homer by Felipe’s son. In the 4th inning the Bellies stop flopping and come to life with a 3 run inning off of Maddux.
Jack Clark leads off with a single which is near impossible because 7 and 11 are the only hits, and a 0 changes to 7 so that must be the hit.
Willie Mays comes into run. With Fred Clarke at the plate, Willie tries to steal 2nd but catcher Harry Danning picks up a throwing error and Mays goes to 3rd. Fred Clarke grounds to Pee Wee Butts who gets Mays in a rundown and Mays makes it back to 3rd and Fred just keeps on running and ends up at 2nd on a FC. Now up comes Jimmy Wynn and he smacks a triple past Keeler scoring 2 runs. After a flyout, Ferris Fain hits a SF scoring Wynn for a 3 – 1 lead. Top of the 5th and the Cats come back and Harry Danning squiggles a single and Pee Wee Butts comes up miserable and gets HBP. Robbie Thompson lays down a bunt for a nice SAC. Hunter Pence hits a SF scoring Banning. With Pee Wee on 2nd Frank Chance hits a single to tie up the game.
With the game tied in the bottom of the 10th in comes Craig Kimbrel to shutdown the Bellies once again. Roy Campanella leads off with a single. He steals 2nd. Campanella on 2nd now with 2 out and Willie Mays at the plate hits a single to Pence and Campanella scores the winning run for a 4 – 3 Bellies victory.

Both pitchers are pitching a helluva game until top of the 6th when
Hank Severeid gets on with an error to Martin Dihigo, first in 44 games.
Rusty Greer and Pete Runnels get on base with an infield hit and a walk. Moises Alou comes through with a 2 run single for a 2 – 0 lead.
Bottom of the 6th and Chick Stahl hits a single and goes third on when Martin Dihigo hits hard single. Fred Clarke then hits SF to make it 2 – 1. Top of the 7th and Home Run Baker walks. Tesreau then throws a 2 base WP and Hank Severeid brings him home with a SF. Cats go up 3 – 1. Bottom of the 9th and Kaat pitching a whale of a game but here comes trouble. Fred Clarke hits a single. In comes Isringhausen and Willie Mays comes in to run and Jimmy Wynn swings and misses but Willie steals 2nd base. Wynn flys out. Here comes Kimbrel. Off to the bench and in comes light hitting Harry Lord and he bangs a double scoring Willie. Johnny Bassler comes in to pinch hit for Campy and hits a double tieing the game at 3 – 3. Game goes to the bottom of the 13th with Jack Clark walking and Craig Stammen pitching. Billy Werber comes in to run and steals 2nd and Beltran grounds out and Werber to 3rd. Dihigo coming up but Stammen IBB walks Dihigo to get to Mays.
Mays hits a 3 run home run to end the game and series.

FINAL Blues 5 Whales 2

FINAL Whales 6 Blues 2

FINAL Blues 7 Whales 2

FINAL Whales 7 Blues 1

FINAL Blues 7 Whales 0

FINAL Whales 5 Blues 4

The Detroit Deloreans, sitting 7 games out of 1st place, travel to Nags Head hoping to make a late season push for the top of the N.L. East.

Top 1 – Didn’t take long for the Deloreans to get on the board. Joe Cronin leads off the game with a base hit. Following a Lajoie ground out, Ripper Collins pounds a Ryan fastball over the right centerfield fence for his 40th homerun of the season and a 2-0 Detroit lead.

The pitchers then take over, preventing any scoring until the top of the 8th. Dave Giusti on for the Sox. Cronin and Lajoie back to back singles put runners at the corners. Giusti uncorks a wild pitch allowing Cronin to score. Collins follows with an RBI single and the Deloreans’ lead is doubled to 4-0.

That was all the scoring Sallee would need. He tosses a complete game, 4 hit shutout, to win his 16th game of the season. Ripper Collins went 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs, Joe Cronin had a pair of hits and runs for Detroit. Ryne Sandberg collected 2 of the 4 Sox hits off of Sallee.

DET 4 8 0
NAG 0 4 0
WP – Sallee (16-7)
LP – Ryan (4-12)

Top 2 – Babe Herman opens the inning with a solo homerun (#13) for a 1-0 Detroit lead.

Bottom 2 – Sox finally score … a HOJO walk, and singles by Jeter and Hamels, put Nags Head on the board. Following a Sandberg single that loads the bases, Von Hayes’s SAC fly scores Jeter for the 2-1 lead. Jimmie Foxx loads the bases with 2 outs, but Morgan gets Dawson to strike out and strand the runners.

Bottom 8 – Sox add some insurance with a 2 out Mike Marshall pinch hit single. 4-1 Sox.

Cordero comes on for Nags Head in the 9th, and despite allowing a Roy White solo homerun (#4), he earns save #25. Cole Hamels had one of his best performances of the year, going 7 and allowing only a run on 3 hits. Morgan was a little wild, issuing 7 walks. HOJO had 3 of those walks and he scored 2 of the Sox runs.

DET 2 4 0
NAG 4 7 0
WP – Hamels (9-9)
LP – Morgan (13-8)
S – Cordero (25)

Top 4 – After exchanging zeroes over the first 3 innings, Detroit strikes first when Ripper Collins leads off the 4th with a solo homerun (#41) 1-0.

Top 6 – Rendon SAC fly scores Lajoie to put Detroit up 2-0

Top 7 – Sam Rice singles, steals second, and scores on a Berra RBI single

Top 8 – Another Collins solo homerun (#42) greets Dan Quisneberry for a 4-0 Detroit lead. Rendon then singles, steals his 13th base of the season, and scores on a Rice RBI single. Berra knocks in Rice with another single and the Deloreans have broken it open 6-0

Top 9 – Back to back doubles by Collins and Herman close out the scoring 7-0

All Detroit in this one, led by Ripper Collins’ 4 hit, 2 homerun, 2 double day. Rice and Berra each added a pair of hits. Vaughn dominated the Sox batters, tossing 8 shutout innings while allowing only 2 hits to earn his 15th victory of the season.

DET 7 10 1
NAG 0 2 0
WP – Vaughn (15-7)
LP – Mussina (13-9)

Top 6 – Jim Palmer was cruising through the 1st 5 2/3 innings until the Detroit bats finally delivered. After retiring the first 2 batters in the 6th, Lajoie doubles, for the 58th time this season. The Sox decide to intentionally walk Ripper Collins to face Babe Herman. Herman delivers with a base hit to right scoring Lajoie. Rendon follows with a bases clearing double to put Detroit in front 3-0

Top 7 – Zane Smith on in relief of Palmer. He doesn’t retire a batter as Rice, Berra, Reynolds, and Cronin single and Smith leaves the game with Nags Head down 5-0. Detroit scores 2 more in the inning to extend the lead to 7-0

Bottom 9 – After 17 straight shutout innings, Nags Head finally scores. HOJO delivers a one out solo shot off (#9) off Joe Smith.

Detroit pitching once again silences the Sox bats. Reynolds goes 8 shut out innings, allowing only a pair of hits while striking out 10.

DET 7 10 0
NAG 1 4 0
WP – Reynolds (12-8)
LP – Palmer (7-7)

Bottom 1 – HOJO picks off where he left off in game 4, clubbing a solo home run (#10) to put the Sox up 1-0

Top 6 – The Deloreans’ bats slumbered for awhile … but it couldn’t last forever … Herman and Rendon start the inning with singles, Klein walks to load the bases. Andujar gets Sam Rice to fly out for the 1st out. Norm Charlton comes in to face the leftie Yogi Berra. Berra delivers a 2 run single, scoring Herman and Rendon. Klein scores on a Sallee SAC fly to put Detroit in front 3-1. (I should have pinch hit for Andujar in the bottom of the 5th with McCarver on 3rd and 2 out … but he had a shutout, which is RARE for him, so I kept him in)

Bottom 6 – Juan Samuel leads off the inning with a solo homerun (5), reducing the Detroit lead to 3-2

Bottom 8 – Sox rally … Von Hayes pinch hits to lead off the inning and draws a walk. Derek Jeter singles to put runners at the corners. With 2 out, Jimmie Fox lines a double to center, scoring Hayes and Jeter to put Nags Head in front 4-3

Cordero survives a Ripper Collins double to earn his 26th save.

DET 3 9 0
NAG 4 6 2
WP – Giusti (6-4)
LP – Aker (5-5)
S – Cordero (26)

With projected Deloreans starter Cy Morgan still tired from his previous start, Charlie Hough takes the mound for his LEG debut and the Sox get to him right out of the gate. Juan Samuel leads off the Nags Head first with a triple and he scores on a Von Hayes ground ball – 1-0 Sox.

Top 4 – Ripper Collins smacks his 4th homerun of the series, this one a 2 run shot, to put Detroit in front 2-1.

Bottom 4 – Eddie Taubensee picks up his first LEG RBI, with a SAC fly that scores Stanton to tie the game 2-2.

Top 9 – Yogi Berra’s 2 out RBI single scores Rendon to put Detroit up 3-2. Jack Aker comes in to toss a shutout 9th to pick up his 15th save and preserve the Detroit win.

Charlie Hough overcomes the shaky start to have a strong debut against an anemic Sox offense. Hough goes 8, allows 2 runs on 4 hits. He walked 4 and struck out 4.

DET 3 6 0
NAG 2 5 1
WP – Hough (1-0)
LP – Street (4-5)
S – Aker (15)

Top 1 – Ripper Collins’ 5th homerun of the series puts Detroit up 2-0 early

Bottom 2 – 3 straight singles by Stanton, HOJO, and Winfield load the bases with no outs. Jeter follows with the 4th straight single to score 2 and tie the game.

Top 3 – Roy White’s RBI single puts Detroit back in front 3-2

Bottom 3 – Jimmie Foxx’s solo homerun (#25) ties the game at 3

Top 5 – Rendon RBI double and the Deloreans are up again 4-3

Top 7 – White SAC fly scores Lajoie for the 5-3 lead. Collins scores on a Klein ground out and Detroit is up 6-3

Bottom 7 – A Ryne Sandberg solo homerun (#9) cuts the Deloreans lead to 6-4

Top 8 – Lajoie’s 2 out, 2 run double extends Detroit’s lead to 8-4

Bottom 9 – Jeter singles and Hoiles walks to start the inning. Detroit goes to the pen and Aker comes on to face Sox pinch hitter Ellis Valentine. Valentine’s 1st LEG hit is a doozy, a 3run homerun to bring Nags Head to within a run, with still no one out and the top of the lineup coming up. Ryne Sandberg singles, and that’s all for Aker. On comes the leftie Jim Brewer. Von Hayes reaches on a fielders choice, for the inning’s first out. Brewer strikes out Foxx for the second out. Stanton’s drive to right is tracked down by Pafko, the rally falls short, and Detroit holds on for the victory.

Rendon, Lajoie, Fothergill, and Berra each had 3 hits for Detroit, Collins and Lajoie each scored 3 times.

DET 8 16 0
NAG 7 12 1
WP – Vaughn (16-7)
LP – Hamels (9-10)

CMC got off on the right foot and had J.Key scratching his head after 3 innings of play. In the 1st, H.Clift and M.Ott singled and scored on a two out double by B.Leonard. Two innings later CMC had the bases loaded with no outs and managed a run on a groundball double play. The Cougars manager was a little disappointed at this outcome, but a smile came to his face a batter later. “GIBSON ’32 drives one down the left field line … if it stays fair … and it’s … gone!…home run for GIBSON ’32 … and two runs scored…COUGARS 5, CAVALIERS 0.” J.Key stood and scratched his head as Gibson rounded the bases. VIR got two of those runs back in the 4th when K.McReynolds crushed a 2-run blast to center and made it 5-3 in the 6th on an RBI single from F.Robinson. C.Carroll took over for CMC in the 7th and kept VIR at bay. But in the 8th he got into trouble. After a walk to F.Frisch, and a 1-out single by D.Murphy, Carroll beaned K.McReynolds (in retaliation for the homer I’m sure) to load the bases. Not wanting an altercation, CMC’s manager replaced Carroll with E.Kinder. That move worked great,…for VIR. F.Robinson lofted a 3-run triple to LF and VIR suddenly led 6-5. Whitney would double Robinson home and score on an A.Rosen single as VIR erupted for 5 runs in the 8th and surprised CMC with a come-back 8-5 win. F.Robinson’s 2 hits and 4 RBI highlighted VIR’s win.

VIR had a hard time figuring out CMC’s pitching as they were only able to scratch out 3 hits. One of those hits, A.Rosen’s 2-out RBI single, put VIR on the board in the 1st with a 1-0 lead. It stayed that way till the 3rd, when CMC showed VIR how to make the best of a 2-out situation. After a double play started the inning, G.Grantham singled, H.Clift doubled him home, M.Ott doubled him in, and J.Mize singled Ott in for a 3-1 CMC lead. And that’s what you do when you have two outs. The teams would trade runs in the 7th but VIR could never solve the Cougars’ pitching. It was just too good.

Another good very good pitching performance from the Cougars. Washburn went all the way in scattering 5 hits and walking only one over 9 innings. G.Templeton was the only Cavalier batter to have any success against Washburn as he managed 2 hits in 3 trips to the plate. While Washburn was baffling the VIR batters, the Cougars decided to concentrate their energy on one inning,…and once again show their skill in scoring with two outs. J.Fregosi led off the 6th inning of a scoreless game by doubling off the CF wall. That was followed by two quick outs and it appeared the Cougars would strand Fregosi at second. But that’s not what the baseball gods had in mind. J.Mize looped one to RF and Fregosi scampered home as Mize went to 2nd on the throw. J.Bautista then creamed one over F.Robinson’s head for an RBI double and C.Meyers completed the trifecta by driving in Bautista with a RBI single. Once again, a lesson in 2-out scoring. Well, it was all Washburn from there on out as he continued to put goose eggs on the board on his way to the shut-out. Fregosi and Bautista led the Climax offense with 2 hits apiece.

Every time VIR has a pitcher become player of the week eligible by throwing a 1-hit shut-out, someone else tosses a no-hitter. Wonder who it will be this week. L.Gomez did the honors for VIR. A CG 1-hit shut-out. J.Bautistas’ bingle was the only blemish on Gomez’ day. Meanwhile, VIR teed off on CMC for 12 hits and 9 runs. Big bats for the Cavaliers were, F.Robinson and A.Rosen with 3 hits each and H.Heilmann and K.McReynolds going deep while driving in 2 RBI each.

R.Waddell got off to a shaky start in this game. Right off the bat, two singles and an A.Rosen double put VIR up 2-0 with no outs in the game. A fly out, walk and another single loaded the bases with 1 out. Waddell stepped off the mound, glanced around, and suddenly remembered where he was, Two batters later,…end of inning,…no more runs. From there on out, Waddell buckled down and only allowed 2 meaningless singles to VIR. Waddell didn’t get any help from his offense until J.Fregosi pulled a surprising 2 out steal of home in the 5th to make the score 2-1 VIR. CMC pulled ahead in the 6th when G.Grantham stepped to the plate, “It’s a shot down the line to right … near the foul pole … and it’s … long gone!…a three-run homer for GRANTHAM ’24 … GRANTHAM ’24 will touch all the bases
…and he’s sure taking his time … he’s greeted at home plate … congratulations all around
COUGARS 4, CAVALIERS 2.” With Waddell continuing his domination of VIR batters, J.MIze led off the CMC top of the 9th with a homer to right. Then, just because he could, J.Fregosi added to his very good day,…”The pitch … it’s corked to left field … on the fly … hey, this may go! … and it does!…touch ’em all, FREGOSI ’64 … a two-run shot…COUGARS 7, CAVALIERS 2.” Fregosi finished 2-4 with a homer, 2 RBI and a steal of home. M.Ott was also 2-4 and G.Grantham and J.Mize provided the long ball.

A J.Gibson RBI single in the 1st was good start for CMC. But, VIR followed suit in the 3rd with an A.Trammell RBI single and the game was tied 1-1 after 3. It stayed that way going into the 9th as both pitchers settled in and kept the game scoreless over the next 5 innings. Several times, both teams had runners in scoring position only to see a good defensive play end the threat. But in the top of the 9th,…”J. BAUTISTA ’11 facing R. BETANCOURT ’09, T 9th, No Outs, Bases Empty, Tied 1-1 …The offering to BAUTISTA ’11 … it’s hit deep to ROBINSON ’69 … over his head…say good-bye to this one…it’s gone! … home run for BAUTISTA ’11…BAUTISTA ’11 will touch them all … and he’s sure taking his time…COUGARS 2, CAVALIERS 1.” That would be the game winner as E.Plunk notched his 19th save for CMC.

Down in the series 4-2, VIR needed a win to look respectable. Climax ended any hope of that happening by taking the air out of VIR with a 4-run 2nd inning outburst. And who was in the middle of it? You guessed it. J.Fregosi. With 1 out in the 2nd, J.Bautista tripled and scored on a single from J.Mize. G.Grantham singled and when J.Mendez ripped a single to CF, Climax had the sacks full. After V.Mungo closed his eyes and swung at strike 3, J.Fregosi grabbed his bat and stepped into the box. “The runners take their lead … the pitch … shot like a rocket to left center…HEILMANN ’18’s racing back … and he won’t get it … one run scores … two runs score…MENDEZ ’21 will score …FREGOSI’64’s trying for three … the throw … not in time!…three-run triple for FREGOSI ’64
COUGARS 4, CAVALIERS 0.” And there you have the game in a nutshell. VIE would get runs on a A.Trammell homer and a WP, but it would not be enough.