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Hasta La Pasta!!

By Ryan Alford, 08/12/20, 2:00PM CDT

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Week 7 in the books means week 3 of intra-division play has come and gone.  Some teams have heated up with the summer, while others have wilted under the sun’s rays. Here is how the sun-drenched little Piggies played on August 9th.

IRONPIGS – 10 vs. INDIANS – 1

Like any other Sunday this season, the friendly confines of a Shalom League softball field found Tommy “2 Guns” Apligian to be one of the first to arrive.  The hits for the Pigs were no different as he started the day with a first pitch swinging double, followed by a Pigs walk and a Cova hit to get the scoring going the Piggies way.  Add on a Smallwood double and a Peter Hustle Sac fly, and the Pigs take the defensive side of the ball up 2-0.

The bottom (bottom) of the first to the bottom (bottom) of the second was nothing doing by either team. Ol’ Cbass kicked off the third with a BB, paired with four straight hits highlighted by a Mr. 21 “two for the price of one” McRibbie sandwich on a “Ho-Hum” double bag special. Smalls peppered another stat riser on his BDay weekend that helped push the lead to 6-0.

Tommy still perfect at the plate thus far, stood on first as he waited for someone to get a hit.  Up stepped Cova “Rojo Rojo”to the challenge, as he belted a signature “Hasta La Pasta-Lasagna” 2 run dinger to complete the scoring in the fifth inning.   Fast-forward to the top of the seventh inning, and yet another hit for Bday boy Smalls, brought home 2 more. Little Piggies.  The offensive production for the Piggies finished up the morning with 10 runs on the dreaded sun in the batter’s eye, Field 5.   

While hitless in the game, Brink made sure to bring some leather to the fields to flash time and time again against the hard-hitting Indians. T.K.’s bullet shot was not fast enough for a leaping, stretched out arm of the IRONPIGS’ defensive web gem artist, Sean Brinkman, as he stole a hit and a rally starter for the Indian’s slugger.  Sprinkle in a couple more defensive plays from the likes of Tommy 2 Guns perfect positioning and reads on the ball, Peter “Speeder Hustle” with shoe string grabs on a dead sprint, Mr. 21 keeping hitters off balance, and Leo Cova making all the plays at first and then some with an NBA player’s wingspan, and of course the honorable mention, sun in batter’s eye = Field 5 proved to be the recipe to hold an opposing team to 5 hits and 1 run scored.

Beasley arrived at the fields towards the end of game 1.  Nursing his knee and cheering on his teammates is of the reasons this 2020 Pigs team has so much chemistry.

KNIGHTS – 6 vs. IRONPIGS - 22

Captain Greenberg got the Knights off to a fast start on field 1 with a 5 hole single.  Hit after hit followed the Captain’s lead.  Josh Forniglia, and Kelly Stites had singles of their own, but Dub Clark had the  exclamation point, base-clearing triple to dead center to punch to the Piggies’ D in the mouth.  When the Knights' first inning hits parade finished, the Pigs were in a 4-0 hole.

 

Tommy 2 Guns was finally retired at the plate in his first at bat against Captain Greenberg after going perfect in game 1.  Scott "Mr. 21" Lawrence decided to see a pitch, swing and take a Sunday Stroll 4-bagger to the dugout putting the Bacon Boys on the board with a solo job to LCF.  Cova “Rojo Rojo” was patient at the plate taking a walk and Smalls, still on a sugar high from birthday cake, had his 4th hit on the day.  The solid D of the Knights held the Piggies to only 1 run in the first by retiring Brothers Hogan for the final two outs of the inning. ADV-Knights 4-1.

 

The Knights’ lineup of pepper smashers tormented the Pigs again in the second inning as the Knights kept the pressure on the Pigs.  Brinkman came up with another web gem, stealing another bullet shot on the day, this time by Witherspoon.  The play gave the Pigs D some confidence and Mr. 21 dealt the Pigs out of the inning having given up only 1 run.

 

The bottom (bottom) of two and Greenberg was serving up a dish of a whole lotta nada enchilada. The Pigs only mustered one hit in the inning by the aforementioned Brinkman.  Onward and forward, to the 3rd inning, and the Pigs finally got what they needed on the defensive side of the ball, getting the goose egg.  Tommy 2 Guns smoked a double to start the hitting in the third, and Cova cleaned up with another Rojo special, “Hasta La Pasta-Linguine” two run, no doubter.  After that hit the Bacon Boys’ confidence soared.  The Pigs offense had hits from, Peter Hustle, Smalls, Papa Hogan, JZ, Brink, 2 Guns, Mr. 21 Lawrence.  This was all end capped with another signature Rojo Rojo “Hasta La Pasta-Fettuccine” blast that finalized the scoring in the 3rd at 13 runs.  

 

The Knights rallied a bit in the fifth with some hits, but the rally was snuffed out after one run.  The Offense wanted to play Piggyball again in the 5th as Brink brought his hit stick to the plate for a single, followed by Pigs’ hitters 1-6 reaching base.  With the score 19-6, Teddy Hogan carried an 0-7 albatross to the plate as he stepped in for the at bat.  With a his bro, Peter, on second and Smalls on first, Teddy swung for the fences.  His fly ball carried with the batter friendly wind of field 1, and just like that, the ball was gone.  The field couldn’t hold the Hogan hit; a walk-off run rule Jimmy Jack for the young man. 

 

A total team victory as everyone had a hit and a run scored!!

Birthday shout out to Smalls - 6-8 – Dbl, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored