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Temple Shalom Softball League

Captain's Corner

Goats Sweep in Week 5

By John Miller 10/12/2025, 7:00pm CDT

The Yard Goats finally played to their potential on Sunday. Hallelujah! Game 1 against the Frozen Pizza saw the Goats break out the big sticks. A two run single from Dustin Bone and 3 run homer from Jon Simonson got the party started in the first. A two run homer by Darius Wu in the second, gave the Goats a 7-1 lead after 3. 3 more in the 4th and 5 in the fifth thanks to solo shots from Darius Wu and Joe Calvano as well as RBI singles from Troy Knudsen, Jon Simonson and John Miller gave the Goats a 15-1 lead looking at a run rule. The Pizzas scored 5 thanks to some sloppy fielding from the Goats to extend the game. 5 more in the sixth moved the eventual margin to 20-7.

Game 2 was against the Cesario Hammerheads who opened with 3. A Calvano double knocked in one. A Troy Knudsen single brought in 2 followed by a two run dinger from Jon Simonson. With a harsh sun shining in everyone’s eyes except the catcher, good defense suffered. With the Hammerheads leading 9-8 heading to the bottom of the 4th, Ashley Mort hit a sac fly and Joe Calavno hit a two run homer to give the Goats an 11-9 lead. In the 6th and final inning, the Hammerheads scored 3 to tie it at 12. With a runner on first, Mort hit a ground ball deep in the hole. The shortstop fielded it but threw the ball into right field as the speedy Troy Knudsen scored all the way from first for a 13-12 Yard Goat sweep!

Hitting stars were abundant as Jon Simonson and Joe Calvano both went 6-7. Jon had a double, 3 homers, 5 runs and 8 RBI’s. Joe had two doubles, 3 homers, 6 runs and 7 RBI’s. Darius Wu went 5-7 with two dingers, John Miller 4-7 and Ashley Mort, Dustin Bone, Jonathan Braun, Franklin Fernandez and Robbie Franklin all went 3-6 in a total team effort.

Yard Goats Split

By John Miller 10/12/2025, 7:00pm CDT

The Yard Goats came into Sunday on a modest two game winning streak trying to get back in the playoff race. Game 1 was against Reese’s Spartanburgers. A leadoff home run by Ashley Mort (first of the season), started the scoring. Joe Calvano added a solo shot. Junior Nieves hit a two run double followed by a single from Jonathan Braun. 5-1 Goats! 5 more in the second, came from a grand slam by Darius Wu and Calvano’s second solo shot. Mort’s second home run of the season and game was a 3 run blast as the Goat’s built a 14-1 lead after 3. Defensive breakdowns in the 4th gave the Burgers 7 to keep the game going. Time did run out in the 5th as the Goats triumphed 15-10.

Game 2 was against the Chiefs. A two run homer by Wu and an RBI single from Doc Watson, gave the Goats an early 3-0 lead. A bases loaded single from Wu knocked in two in the third to increase the lead to 5-1. The Chiefs scored 3 in the bottom of the third before the wheels fell off in the 4th for the Goat defense as the Chiefs scored 6 more to lead 10-5. The Goats could only scratch out one more run, as they went down 10-6.

Batting stars were Joe Calvano 4-6 with 2 doubles and two homers, Darius Wu 3-5, 2 homers and 8 ribbies. Ashley Mort went 3-4 with 2 homers and two walks. Doc Watson went 3-4 with 2 walks in a subbing role. Jonathan Braun was 3-5 and Jon Simonson 3-6. With playoff hopes on life support, the Goats continue on next week.

Yard Goat Offense Continues to Struggle

By John Miller 10/04/2025, 9:15pm CDT

The Yard Goats dropped two on Sunday as the hitting woes continued. Game 1 against the Disco Turkeys saw the Goats coast to a 3-0 lead after 3 full innings. The Turkey bats awoke in the 4th with a 4 spot. A Junior Nieves solo home run tied it at 4. 4 more by the Turkeys in the 5th finished the scoring as the Goats succumbed 8-4.

Game 2 was against the Blue Rocks. Doubles by Darius Wu and Joe Calvano followed by a Troy Knudsen single produced 2 in the first. In the fourth, singles by Joe Calvano and Dustin Bone were followed by a Troy Knudsen home run which tied the game at 5. After the Rocks scored 3 in the 5th, the Goats responded with 2 in the 6th thanks to singles by Wu, Bone and Knudsen followed by a fielder’s choice from Nieves. In the 7th, the Goats left the tying run on 3rd going down to defeat 8-7.

Hitting was lead by Darius Wu 4-6, Troy Knudsen 4-6 with a home run and Dustin Bone 3-4 with two walks.

Yard Goats Split again with Minimal Offense

By John Miller 09/21/2025, 8:30pm CDT

The Yard Goats came into Sunday’s game having scored 29 runs on 39 hits the previous week. Today, the production was 9 runs on 14 hits against the Stites and Stutz teams. Somehow, the results of a split were the same both weeks.

Game 1 against Kelly’s Sounds, Ashley Mort had a double, Darius Wu a single and Joe Calvano two doubles, a total of 4 hits. Aided by 4 walks and 1 error, the Goats scratched out 4 runs to win 4-2. Wow!

I figured that we had saved all of our hitting for game 2 against the Storm. Down 9-1 entering the last inning, two run homers from Darius Wu and Troy Knudsen closed the eventual margin to a 11-5 loss.

Where hitting stars were abundant the previous week, this week, not so much. Darius Wu paced the attack with a 4-6 day which included two doubles, a homer, a run and 4 RBI’s. Jon Simonson went 3-5 with a double. The captain is scratching his head as to how to summons the lusty hitting team from September 14 to next week’s games.

Yard Goats Drop 2 Week 1

By John Miller 09/15/2025, 7:45pm CDT

A new season, a new team and a fresh start for 16 teams in the fall league. The Yard Goats opened the season against Zak and Turbo’s Bathtub Donkeys. The Donkeys opened the game with a 3 spot. The Goats responded in the 2nd on singles by Wilfredo Nieves, Jonathan Braun, John Miller and Rick Halperin before a 3 run dinger by Joe Calvano gave the Goats a 6-3 lead. A Nieves triple in the third netted one more and a two run homer by Dustin Bone gave the Goats a 9-6 lead after 5. The Goat offense stopped there as they could only generate a walk over the last two innings. The Donkeys scored two in the 6th and the bottom of the order came through for them in a big way in the 7th as they had several singles to score 4 and top the Goats 12-9.

Game 2 against JJ’s Trash Pandas had Jeremy Pease with a two run single in the first. After 3 innings, the Pandas were in command 8-2. A solo blast by Darius Wu in the 4th closed it to 8-3 before the Pandas added two more in the fifth. A two run single by Troy Knudsen and a 3 run Wu homer made it very interesting at 10-8. The Goats scored 1 in the 7th and had the tie run at third but couldn’t push it across as they fell 10-9, spotting the field a two game lead after one week.

Darius Wu was the Goat star with 6-6, two doubles, two homers, 4 runs and 4 RBI’s. Jeremy Pease was 3-5 and Wilfredo Nieves and Jonathan Braun 3-6. The Goats will regroup and be ready to roll next week.

Yard Goats Dig The Long Ball

By John Miller 09/15/2025, 7:45pm CDT

The Yard Goats played two thrillers on Sunday. Greenberg’s Tin Caps had a 9-0 lead after 2 ½ innings when the Goats started their comeback to tie it at 9. Big hits were RBI singles from Rick Halperin, Ashley Mort, Darius Wu and Jonathan Braun. Joe Calvano hit a 3 run blast and Dustin Bone had a solo blast. Calvano added a solo homer in the fifth to tie it at 10. The Tin Caps added two more in the sixth and the Goats had one more chance. Doubles by Jr Nieves and Jonathan Braun scored one and with two outs, John Miller singled home the tying run to send it to extras. After a scoreless top, Darius Wu parked the game winner over the left field fence for walk off 13-12 Yard Goat victory.

Game 2 was against Clint’s Tailgaters. The Goats fell behind again 10-3 despite a two run dinger from Calvano and solo blast from Jon Simonson. 6 runs in the third resulted from 3 more homers, a grand salami from Calvano (his fourth) and solo blasts from DBone and Junior Nieves. 6 more runs in the fifth resulted from Calvano’s fifth homer of the day, a two run double from Simonson and an RBI single from Jr. Going into the bottom of the last inning, the Goats held a 16-14 lead. With two out, BY parked a 3 run blast over the left field fence to dash the Goat hopes for a sweep 17-16.

Lots of hitting stars for the Goats today led by Joe Calvano 5-7 with 5 home runs, 5 runs and a whopping 13 RBI’s. Jonathan Braun was 6-6 with 2 doubles. Rick Halperin, the timeless wonder, was 4-5, scoring 3 runs and turning over the lineup. Junior Nieves was 4-6 with a double and homer. Dustin Bone was 3-6 with 2 home runs, Darius Wu was 5-7 with a double and walk off home run and Jon Simonson also had a double and home run. The Yard Goats really flexed their power today with 10 home runs to serve notice to the league.

Twins earn mid mini seed in split

By Taylor Phillips & Joe Calvano 05/29/2025, 4:30am CDT

The Twins showed plenty of fight and showcased some impressive offensive moments as they closed out the regular season with a Week 13 split.

Game 1: Twins vs Roth's Indians- Looking to avenge an early season loss to the Tribe, the Twins didn't wait around long to strike in this one. Taylor Phillips led off with a double and would score on a RBI double from Dustin Bone. With Bone now in scoring position, Twins pitcher Justin Howard unleashed a nuke of a HR that cut through the stiff wind on Field 4. In the second, Ray Darragh led off with a single and Karlos Rodriguez drew a walk to put ducks on the pond for Dwayne Henson. Henson stepped up and smoked a double to the LF fence to drive in a run. After a Phillips sacrifice fly plated another run, Joe Calvano laced an RBI double to make it consecutive 3-run innings for the Twins. Jumping to the 4th, the Twins were ready to put the Tribe away for good, erupting for seven runs in an inning that featured a 2-RBI double from Junior Nieves, an RBI single from Phillips and an inside the park Grand Slam from Calvano. The Tribe scratched across a few runs late, but ultimately the Twins claimed a 13-8 victory. Full Game: https://youtu.be/2_l8-wUC2oY

Game 2: Twins vs Strull's Yankees- After falling behind 2-0 going into the home half of the first, the Twins were able to load the bases but couldn't scratch a run across. Moving to the bottom of the fourth trailing 3-0, Super Sub Ari Loiben led off the inning with a walk and would score on a sacrifice fly from Justin Howard. Later in the game, Karlos Rodriguez scorched an RBI double and Loiben plated Henson on a sacrifice fly. Unfortunately for the Twins, Strull's squad erupted for 9 runs over the last two innings to hand the Twins a 12-3 loss. Full Game: https://youtu.be/kE_KqqyRQR4

POW:

Justin Howard: 1-2. Into the wind HR on field 4, 3 RBI, SF , 2 bb. Settling in nicely from the mound in mid season form anchoring our defense with his kick saves on balls up the middle getting the assist on a much needed double play ball. 

Ray Darragh: Perfect for the day 5-5, 2 Runs, played 3 different positions today and all year was the epitome of a team player. Doing everything that was asked of him well and playing hurt most of the time while hustling on every play. 

Dwayne Henson: 2-3, 2B, bb, RBI, 3 Runs. Filling the stat sheet up for his best weekend of the year, helping turn the line up over when we needed it most. 

Shout out to a hard fought year with a lot of ups and downs and tough breaks we endured throughout the season. The amount of fight and grit displayed while continuing to have a great attitude after an 0-6 start is much appreciated by this captain.  Twins will look to take those intangible traits and use them to emerge from the mini playoffs and continue on a Championship run. 

 

Murphy Powers Royals to Stunning Memorial Day Doubleheader Sweep to Clinch Playoff Bye

By Larry Lachman 05/28/2025, 8:30am CDT

Mariners Limp Into Minis

By John Miller 05/25/2025, 8:15pm CDT

Final week of the regular season and the Mariners were seeking a spark to ignite a post season run. It was not to be on this very windy Sunday as the Mariners fell to the Athletics 10-7 and the Rangers 19-12.

19 runs for the day was a success for the Mariners. Michael Bourque led the way with 5-6, two triples, 2 runs and 6 RBI’s. Tim Kaminski, Kevin Knox and John Miller all went 4-6. Jon Simonson had his first home run of the season and Tim Kaminski also added a dinger. On to the Minis!

Mariners Split One Run Squeakers

By John Miller 05/25/2025, 7:45pm CDT

Finally! Beautiful weather on a Sunday morning! Game 1 the Mariners visited the Orioles on field 2. A two run Kevin Knox double started the scoring. A Jackson Stites triple scored one in the 3rd. After 4 innings, the O’s held a 6-5 lead. In the fifth, Michael and Cameron Bourque and Steve Gadol all singled to load them up for a two run single from Jackson Stites followed by a Michael Wallner single and sac fly from Tim Kaminski. After six it was all knotted at 14 as time ran out so we headed to extras. The Mariners could only manage one hit and failed to score. The O’s scored one to walk it off 15-14.

Game 2 was against the league best Yankees coming in with a sparkling record of 18-3. The Yankees held a 6-5 heading to the bottom of the fifth. Singles from Jackson Stites and Michael Wallner followed by a walk to Tim Kaminski loaded them for Jeremy Pease who hit a sac fly. Kevin Knox followed with an RBI single to give the Mariners a 7-6 lead. A scoreless sixth brought the Yankees up with one last chance in the 7th but went down scoreless to give the Mariners the win at 7-6.

Hitting was led by our 3 POW candidates. Jackson Stites went 5-7 with a triple, 4 runs and 5 RBI’s. Jeremy Pease went 4-5 with a walk, sac, 3 runs and 2 ribbies. Steve Gadol was 3-5, two runs and an RBI.

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lugnuts week 2

game 1 tarpons vs lugnuts 14-10 loss

game 2 dragons vs lugnuts too much to not enough

We scored more runs in either game than all of last week combined.  Sadly it was not enough to pull off a win.  Super Subs Matt Ruckel, Mike Glosier, and Rodney McClure were great additions to help fill in some missing nuts.  Brian Smallz stepped up big time and slid into the leadoff spot and showed he as what it takes to continue to lead the team at the plate going 4-6 with 4 runs scored on the day.  Darius Wu was on fire with 4 homers and a triple/shalom inside the park homerun while going 6-6.  Freddy Baerez showed real athleticism by playing 4 different positions on the day and flashed his speed in the outfield.  John Braun smashed a double in game one.  Chris peterson hit for extra bases in both games with a double and a triple helping sky rocket his slugging percentage and earn a POW nomination.  And last but not least everyones favorite 11 who falls to the 12th Jeremy Turbo Golden went 2-4 and played through injury after getting hit by a wild throw to first in his first at bat.  Not the result we wanted but the awesome attitudes of Freddy B. and John B. kept the dugout upbeat and ready for the next challenge.

Around the Pond

The Ducks had a tough day at the park, but have several bright spots to build upon.

Game 1 vs Carvers 66ers.

Sub Kyzer Hoover played well all day long, and he performed admirably in the first game.  Any ball hit in his direction was gobbled up and his offense came through in the clutch.  Jacob Stites showed his speed in the outfield, making play after play, while Kelly Stites got on base with every opportunity he had.  The Ducks fought from behind to take a late lead heading into the final frame.  

Game 2 vs Banta's Blue Rocks

For reasons that baffle Banta still, someone decided to send him home on a hit to Kelly Stites in right field.  After watching the younger Stites flex his defensive chops in game 1, Kelly decided to show he still has the skills by throwing out Banta at home.  The Ducks outfield defense continued to be a strong suit of the team with Rohit Gulhati showing plenty of range in left field, making plays both on the line and in the gap.  David Fiorello toughed out back pain to play solid defense at SS.  Oh, and Justin Reed hit a Grand Slam.  The heat definitely got to this Duck towards the end of the game, as I had to enlist the much younger Jacob Stites to keep the positive voices going while I tried to cool down.

LUGNUTS WEEK 1

Blue Rocks vs Lugnuts

10-4 loss field 2.

Everyone's favorite team fell short this week to the Blue rocks.  Although we lost we did have a few shining moments.   Star handicapping goomba David Shaw was 3-3 with half the teams Rbi in the contest.  Fast Fingers Freddy was a wall at third making people question if Brumley is still the best glove in the league.  Brian Smallz was an inspiration as he lead off the 6th with hustle and later scored our first run of the season.    Johnathon Braun showed his versatility when he rotated positions mid inning to move from outfield to first base and later hit a seed in the 6th inning.  Doug "Iron Man" Wolff was pulled into the baseline by a throw from Chuck Knoblauch causing him to get trucked by the quick hustling blue rock.  Doug would later come up to the plate and blast the ball deep into the wind about 285' showing everyone that he is the not a man that gives up easy.  Chris Peterson let everyone know that the lugnuts won't be shut out as he hit an RBI sac fly to give the good guys their first run of the season.  Jeremy Turbo Golden lead off the top of the first to spark a rally that led to 3 runs in the inning.    

Game 2 66ers VS lugnuts

14-4 Loss

I would like to say that this game was a lot of back and forth but that just wont be true.  Two runs by each team in the first and then a go ahead run in the 2nd left the lugnuts feeling like they had righted the ship.  Good defense by the 66ers and the lugnuts hitting ATOM balls the rest of the game lead to the 66ers running away with a victory.   

Lets turn the page and see some of the silver lining from the game.  Sean Greeley lead the team in hitting going 3-3 with a double.

Jose Baho worked a walk, hit a double, and fielded 1.000 for the day.

Darius Wu hit 1.000 with 2 sacs and did Wu like things in LCF.

Jason Niswonger did not get his 1st baseman killed this game.

Smallz hit a triple to lead off the 2nd inning and showed great hustle.  That hustle later lead to a sac fly by Chris Peterson.

Braun made the best defensive play of the day on any field, yes better than tishindorf robbing the home run, as he came charging in with a fully body extension to catch a short hit pop up.

Travis Olander stepped up and played a great 1st base.

 Next week...WE WIN TWO!!!!!