The formula that had worked 7 times previously this season, seemed to hold true on the Great Lawn #3 yet again: HMA/RAMSA put up 4 runs in the first inning (now 22 runs in the first inning of 9 games) and never looked back in a 12-0 blowout victory over Polshek. Now at 8-1 on the season , HMA/RAMSA has all but locked up a first round bye in the playoffs—assuming there isn’t a colossal meltdown in the final two games of the season.
Jon Fukutomi led off the game with a double, and was quickly brought home on a single by SCF Pete Garofalo. Eric Hofmann and Brian Barney also joined in the hit parade as the top 4 batters each got on base and scored in the first inning. After a quiet second inning on both sides, the middle of the order was at it yet again as two more runs came across to score on a Brian Barney single (and help from the defense) to extend the lead to 6-0. As impressive as the offense has been this season for HMA/RAMSA, the defense (particularly in the outfield) has been not good, but great--lockdown, mistake-free great—and this game proved to be no different in the first shutout of the season. In nine games this season, HMA/RAMSA has allowed 25 runs, and only once have they allowed more than 4 runs in any one game. More impressively (and to a certain pitcher’s delight) is the fact that only 4 times in 61 innings of softball this season has the opposition scored more than one run in the inning. But I digress.
The final dagger in this game came in the 6th inning as 10 batters came to the plate and 6 came back across to score. Final score, 12-0.
Next victim on the schedule….The Philips Group coming off a very controversial victory two week ago. I assure you, TPG, LeBron and Kobe aren’t available today (trust me, I tried). This should be quite a test for the vaunted defense/pitching as TPG is the second-highest scoring team in the SLAM league with 9.6 runs per game. Something’s gotta give.
GAME BALLS:
Pete Garofalo: 3-4 on the day with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI; not in the stat sheet were a juggling catch in the outfield and a brilliant hustle play in the 6th where he beat out a play at second base on a groundball to 3B and then continued over to third when no one was covering the bag.
Brian Barney: 2-4, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI (and just the usual brilliant play in CF)
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