After some early evening fireworks, the main event took place Monday night as the “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars took on the “Bernie Williams” Division All-Stars. Enemies turned into allies for this game, as the divisions fought for bragging rights and in celebration of another successful season. You couldn’t tell this was an exhibition game just by watching; both teams played hard and put on a show for all of those who came out to watch and support the players.
First and foremost, congratulations to all of those who were nominated to play in this game, including those who were unable to attend. Their names have been listed below. The efforts of these men and women, as well as the rest of their teammates, are what drive this league. Congratulations to these best of best. These players owned our leaderboards and displayed their immense talents week in and week out. They mixed skill with consistency, adding intrigue to each and every matchup.
As for the game, the “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars took control of the game early and would never relinquish their stranglehold. Both teams scored a run in the 1st, but the “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars would burst out with 5 runs in both the 2nd and 4th innings. The “Bernie Williams” Division All-Stars, meanwhile, were only able to muster up 1 additional run in that time. They would, however, plate 4 runs in the next inning to get back into the game, but this was answered immediately with 4 more runs from the “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars, putting their opponent right back in a big hole. The “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars would cap off their scoring with an additional 4 runs in the 7th, jumping their total to 19 in the game. The “Bernie Williams” Division All-Stars had no quit in them, but just could not get anything going. They would tack on 1 run in the 7th and 8th innings, bringing there total at 8 on the night.
The big bats of the homerun derby certainly carried over. There was no shortage of the long ball in this game. Homerun derby participants Ryan Arcadia of Green Rock Insects, Jude Bracken of Louise & Jerry’s, Justin Flayer of Onieals Tribe, Pete Kennelly of Riverfront Carwash Ballbusters, and Rob Lennon of McSwiggans Pub all went yard for the “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars. Pete Kennelly was clearly feeling it on this night, as he belted 3 bombs after winning the homerun derby. Rob Lennon started the show early with a solo shot in the 1st, while Ryan Arcadia may have had the loudest swing, smacking a clutch, two-out grand slam in the 2nd. Rob Lennon added a double in the 5th to end the game 2 for 4. Pete Kennelly started the 4th with a solo shot of his own and reproduced that success at the plate in the 5th and 7th innings as well. His 2nd inning single, combined with those 3 homeruns, made him 4 for 4 on the night with 4 RBI’s. Following his two singles, Justin Flayer capped off a 4 run 5th inning with his 2 run home run. He finished the game 3 for 4. Jude Bracken padded his already large lead in the 7th inning with a 3-run bomb, complimenting his stellar pitching performance that mostly shut down the strong lineup that he was put up against. He went 3 for 4 in the game, just a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Much to his chagrin, homerun derby runner-up Angel Romano of Louise & Jerry’s seemed unable to get a good pitch to hit, settling for 3 walks in addition to a deep fly out instead. He was still able to get himself 2 RBI's with those timely walks, though, and crossed the plate himself two more times for his team.
Just because they weren’t in the homerun derby didn’t mean others were excluded from the fun. Jake Chavis of Slingers was able to knock out a solo homerun in the 1st for the “Bernie Williams” Division All-Stars. A 9th inning single would leave him 2 for 4 on the night. Teammate Jason Cieri of Willie McBride’s also would not be outdone at the plate. He went 3 for 3 with a single and two homeruns, including a grand slam in the 5th that briefly brought his team back to life. He accounted for 6 of his team’s 8 runs. Other notable hitting performances came from Kyle Hanson of Here For Beer, Jamie O’Regan of Thundercats 2.0, and Holly Seidewand of Mongo Nation for the “Bernie Williams” Division All-Stars and Brianna Bejian of Riverfront Carwash Ballbusters and Erika Lesher of Louise & Jerry’s for the “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars, all of whom batted .500 or better.
Both teams played excellent defense, as expected, and limited their errors. Both teams were forced to earn their runs. The “Bernie Williams” Division All-Stars hit well, but the “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars took it to a whole new level. As a team, both sides batted over .300, but the “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars batted nearly .500. They also utilized the lack of a homerun limit better, beating their opponent in long balls 7 to 3. Those 7 homeruns accounted for 14 of their 19 runs. In all, the “Nomar Garciappara” Division All-Stars asserted their dominance over the “Bernie Williams” Division All-Stars by a score of 19-8 in an exciting game that celebrated fun and competition. Congratulations to all of the participants on excellent seasons both as individuals and with their respective teams, and congratulations for a great final game of the season. Good luck next year!
Tag(s): Home '15 Coed Spring League
