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On Sunday the Newtown Sandy
Hooks met the Bridgeport Orators officially for the first time
on the palatial lawns of McLaughlin Vineyard in Sandy Hook for
a two game set. The two clubs had scrimmaged on a couple of occasions
earlier in the season as the newfound Orators were attempting
to acclimate themselves to the vintage game. Since that time
the talented Bridgeporter's stood the old-game on it's ear with
the shocking upset of the Boston Colonials in the first round
of the Pittsfield Tournament on Memorial Day weekend but, in
subsequent weeks the Orators have found little to cheer about.
The Sandy Hooks, on the other hand, have experienced an up and
down season while showing great promise in the field and at the
bat bringing a five win and eight loss record into Sunday's match.
On this day, the Hooks and the
Orators offered the accumulated cranks the spectacle of watching
the always entertaining Dieckman twins joust in the initial '1867'
match of the day. As Orator captain 'Howitzer' Lungariello prepared
his club for battle, 'Shutta' Shaw took his ringside position
as referee as the pugilistic Dieckman's, 'BB' for the Sandy Hook's
and 'Chief' Dieckman for the Bridgeports, snarled at each other
from either side of the pitcher's box.
The Orators took first shot at the Sandy Hook Dieckman in
inning number one teeing-off on a half dozen bullets aimed at
tri-sacker 'Moose' Margolus who had everything to do to catch
his breath before reacting to another blast bounding off the
irregular vineyard turf. Margolus survived the inning but the
Sandy Hooks did not as the Orators rung-up six aces before the
Hooks knew what had hit them. The Bridgeport Dieckman took no
prisoners in the bottom of the first holding the impatient Hooks
to a single, unfulfilling run.
The match see-sawed back and forth with the Orators maintaining
control and determination through the next hour and a half of
battle never letting the Newtown nine draw closer than within
three runs of tying the match. The Dieckman's continued to antagonize
each other at every opportunity by taunting, intentionally pitching
at each other, stealing bases, and making a general nuisance
of themselves while displaying a evident lack of decorum that
siblings are known to pleasure in. In spite of that fact, the
match remained close and competitive with the sure-handed Bridgeports
seeming to cruise to the eventual win. With the score set at
a somewhat comfortable 11 to 5 margin for the Orators, the Sandy
Hooks plated four in the sixth, thanks to doubles by Norwich
and Wheat, and aggressive baserunning tactics to pull within
of 11 to 9 of the Orators. The visitors added a run in the top
of the seventh to extend the tally to 12 to 9 Orators.
The Sandy Hooks came to bat
in the bottom of the seventh (last inning) to face 'PK' Wehmann,
a hurler of high regard, and immediately teed-off on his effort
with Pernerewski, Dieckman and Norwich reaching base with a covey
of singles to load the sacks for one of the most feared hitters
in vintage ball to take his place at the line. 'Pops' Pendergist,
who was no stranger to similar situations having punctuated a
couple of earlier matches this season with awe inspiring blasts
that put the local nine in ultimate control, stepped to the dish
to test his metal against the Bridgeport closer. As Wehmann unfurled
his hurl 'Pops' quickly coiled and released a day's worth of
pent-up oomph that shot the flaccid sphere to the deepest reaches
of the yard for a bases clearing four run homer that sealed the
match for the Sandy Hooks and sent the distressed Orators to
examine their shoe tops.
What might have been a satisfying 12 to 9 victory for the
Orators suddenly became a crushing 12 to 13 defeat for the disappointed
Orators.
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