Sports: Cheeseballs lead Red Hook Softball

MiniBar, the Record Shop, B61, and the Wobblies are also off to strong starts this season.

On June 8, there were two high-powered matchups, including B61 taking on the Record Shop. The game began with a great diving play at first by Jacob “Juice” Juice, though B61 did take the lead on an infield hit by Shawn “Sho Nuff” Andrew. In the bottom of the inning, Chris made a leaping catch at short for B61, but Brault tied the game with an infield hit of his own, and the Record Shop took the lead on a three-run homer later in the inning. The Record Shop took a 7-3 lead and tacked on two more in both the fifth and sixth. A homer by Joe “Exotic” in the seventh cut it to 11-4, but the Record Shop won 11-4 to improve to 6-2, while B61 dropped to 5-3.

Also on June 8, the teams with the top two records in the league matched up as the Cheeseballs took on MiniBar. The Cheeseballs got off to a good start with three runs in the first and got MiniBar off the board in the bottom of the inning. After one inning, Dave Colonna of the Cheeseballs said, “I’m feeling good today.” He then lined a pair of singles as the Cheeseballs batted around in the second. Kat made it 4-0 with an RBI single, MiniBar walked in a run, and then a three-run triple made it 8-0. By the end of the inning; it was 15-0. They added a two-run homer in the third and won 17-0 to improve to 7-1, while MiniBar fell to 6-2.

On June 11, Piscina took on Union Grounds in a matchup between the two newest members of the RHSL. Union Grounds got off to a 5-1 lead as Chris “Zams” hit a three-run home run in the top of the second. In the bottom of the inning, he caught a fly ball in center and doubled off a runner at second. Union grounds led 13-9 in the bottom of the seventh, and Piscina cut it to 13-10 and had runners on first and second, but a fly out ended the game. The 13-10 victory made Union Grounds 2-6, while Piscina fell to 0-8.

Also on June 11, the RHSL’s oldest rivals played each other, as Bait & Tackle took on the Wobblies. The Wobblies jumped out to an early lead on a solo homer by Jeff “Pickles”. The game was close throughout and was tied 4-4 in the sixth, but Bait loaded the bases, and Bob hit a go-ahead two-run double. A two-run single extended Bait’s lead to 8-4. The Wobblies loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but Bait turned a 5-5-3 double play to get out of the jam and win in dramatic fashion. Bait improved to 3-5 while the Wobblies fell to 3-5.

On June 15, B61 took on Union Grounds. The game was a low-scoring one as both teams pitched well and made some great defensive plays. B61 got off to an early lead and never looked back in a 6-1 victory. Kate Morelli of B61 said, “Union Grounds really has been improving this season. Just since our first matchup with them, they’ve focused and leveled up.” The win made B61 6-3, while Union grounds fell to 2-7.

On June 18, there was a triple header as Piscina took on Bait & Tackle in the first game of the night. The game was a tight one throughout, and Bait led 6-5 going into the seventh. In the top of the seventh, Piscina strung together clutch hits and broke through for five runs. They held Bait off the board in the bottom of the inning for a dramatic first win in the RHSL. They improved to 1-8 while Bait fell to 3-6.

“It was so fun,” said Natalie Shook, Piscina’s manager. “Jesse Arlan had some crazy catches, and so did Wes Rozen. Elliot Bueler had a pretty nice hit. Such a good game! We are all so happy to be in the league.”

Also on June 18, Record Shop took on MiniBar. It was another close one, but the Record Shop came up with clutch hits and timely plays in the field, which made the difference. Isaac hit a grand slam, and Joel “Tumbleweed” Kern hit a solo homer for the Record Shop. The game also included the first ejection of the RHSL as Joe “Fish” was tossed after throwing a ball over the fence. Record Shop won 8-6 to improve to 7-2, while MiniBar fell to 6-3.

In the final game of the night on June 18, the Wobblies took on the first-place Cheeseballs. The Wobblies dominated from the start and kept taking on runs thanks to a few clutch hits from Willis Espinal. In the field, Ashley Berton made a few stellar plays at first to prevent the Cheeseballs from rallying. The Wobblies won 17-3 to improve to 4-5, while the Cheeseballs fell to 7-2. The loss snapped the Cheeseballs seven-game winning streak.

On June 25, the RHSL was back in action as B61 took on the Wobblies. B61 got off to a 2-0 lead on a two-run single by Shawn Andrew, but the Wobblies came right in the bottom of the first to tie it. B61 went back ahead 4-2 and turned a double play and made a diving catch to keep the Wobblies off the board. The score remained 4-2 going into the bottom of the seventh. Jeff “Pickles” hit a leadoff triple, and Willis Espinal followed with an RBI double to cut the lead to 4-3. After a groundout and a flyout, the Wobblies got an infield hit, but Kate Morelli made a nice play at the plate to tag out the runner trying to score from second and secure a 4-3 victory for B61. B61 improved to 7-3, while the Wobblies fell to 4-6.

Also on June 25, Bait & Tackle took on the Record Shop, and it was another low-scoring matchup with great defense. Bob pitched very well for Bait, and though the Record Shop scored one in the first, the score remained 1-0 heading into the fourth. Bait came up with some clutch hits and led 5-3 heading into the sixth. With two out and a runner on first, Bait’s third baseman made a great running over-the-shoulder catch on a blooper down the line. In the seventh, Bob got the Record Shop to ground out, and then hit two consecutive pop-outs to end the game. The 5-3 victory made Bait 4-6, while the Record Shop fell to 7-3.

On June 29, Bait & Tackle took on first-place Cheeseballs. Bait got off to a strong start as Tom Gibbons crushed a two-run homer. However, the Cheeseballs used their speed to come back and take a 5-3 lead in the fourth. They got strong pitching and made a couple of nice plays in the field to prevent Bait from making a rally. They held on to win 5-3 and improved to 8-2, while Bait fell to 4-7.

Also on June 29, MiniBar took on the Wobblies in a back-and-forth game. MiniBar jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but an RBI single by Ari, a two-run single by Joe, and an RBI single by Chris Tsanos put the Wobblies back in front 5-3 in the top of the third. In the bottom of the inning, MiniBar responded immediately and scored five of their own, including a clutch two-run double. After the third, the pitching settled down, and Mike prevented the Wobblies from rallying late. MiniBar won 9-6 to improve to 7-3, while the Wobblies fell to 4-7.

The RHSL season is past the halfway point, and the Cheeseballs are still leading the way. After going through a losing streak, MiniBar got back on track with a win in their last game, and the Record Shop and B61 have also played well. Additionally, newcomers to the RHSL Union Grounds and Piscina have shown improvement throughout this season.