BY SPARKY CHALMERS
MONSEY, NY: When BEIT squares off against their fiercest rival usually the pre-game hype reaches Ali V. Frazier. Of course I’m referring to USCG, and typically both sides bring everything and the kitchen sink. But caught in the middle of travel season, the more vulnerable Bombers took the field with nine players, one shy of a full team—and won 9-6.
With the victory, BEIT moved into a tie for first place and held a team that averages 16 runs a game to a season-low 6. The defensive effort started on the mound as pitcher Ian Gold stymied opposing hitters with a career-high of five strikeouts. All night USCG hitters basically watched the ball dance across the plate and tried to straighten out the hurler’s best stuff.
The Bomber pitcher was backed up again by terrific games from the defense. Even with missing one position player on defense, the Bombers made USCG earn every run. Hard hit balls were tracked down by shortstop Michael Barbara and deposited at 80 mph into the glove of sure-handed Steve Sartori. Fly balls, line-drives, and lollipops alike, were tracked down by “Boombox” Award recipient Andrew Gilfillan, James Heine, and Ashlee Bradbury—who were missing an outfielder and had to cover even more territory than usual.
Gilfillan was awarded the silver necklace for his speed and hustle in the outfield. On three separate occasions Gilfillan’s hustle brought him into a mud bath, and while his skin is now smooth and clear, he sacrificed his body for the shorthanded team. The inspiration rubbed off and Janine Lucas made her third pop-up out in as many games (and yelled “Three!” while making the catch) at the plate.
“I felt like I could play on either side of the plate, and get strikes when I needed them,” Gold said. “It’s a great feeling knowing if I mix things up the defense will get the outs. We’ve been successful for some time, it’s what we expect.”
The Bombers dodged kite-flying families and gate climbing kids to hold USCG and their dangerous top-of-the-order to one run in the top of the 1st inning. The two heavyweight teams would exchange big hits and runs until the bottom of the 5th inning when BEIT gave up 3 runs and looked uphill at a 3-6 score.
Gold led off the inning with his second homer of the game, and Barbara would cement his passion for back-to-back yaya (homeruns). Kim Lovato rode the momentum and hit a ball through the left side of the infield and then hustled around the bases on clutch hitting by Sartori and Heine. When Lovato crossed the plate, she tied the game 6-6, setting up two perfect defensive innings and a bottom of the 6th that featured the Bombers at their clutch best.
Andrew Gilfillan led off with a single and was eventually driven in by Barbara, who was advanced by Lovato, who was driven in by Sartori, who was advanced by Heine while scoring Barbara.
Confusing?
It was for USCG because they saw their lead, and first-place standing, crumble. The heavy favorite now was in the dire position of scoring three runs against this stingy arrangement. No deal—the Bomber defense wrapped up their dominant present by doubling off a runner on second and converting on a fly-ball to center.
“I was Bradcurious to see how we’d play shorthanded,” Ashlee Bradmerry said while dodging autograph requests from pre-pubescent fans. “We needed to be patient; there was no need to Bradhurry. It was my first time in the rivalry game, and just hearing about past losses made me Bradfurious.”
More spectacular is the fact that once again the Bombers had to piece together a defensive arrangement just minutes before the game. The long awaited return of left-fielder Andrew Gilfillan was a shot of confidence for the 3-person outfield. And even Nicole Sam strapped on her riot gear and held down the hot corner.
“They actually threatened to tether me to third base,” Sam said. “I usually play in the outfield, and I’ve got too much of a face to be that close to the ball coming off the bat. Pearson is lucky nothing happened, if USCG derailed my modeling career I would have been rich.”
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