SECOND HALF BEGINS
The second half of the 2019 season began this Sunday with a perfect sunny evening that pushed a cool breeze from Lake Ontario over the field. Trinity Bellwoods’ finest frizbee players were playing some down temp deep house and the Field of Dreamers flooded the field in anticipation for the dog days of summer.
In the early match, the Don River Don of the Dead were hoping to call like their namesakes (The Zombies) to the other dugout “What’s your name? Who’s your daddy? Is he rich like me?” while the Credit River Care Bears were just really trying to give a quick moral lesson within their 11 minutes + commercial break. In the late match, the Garrison Creek Glimmer we preparing to explore the deep spaces of the cosmos while the Humber River Haze were trying to explore the deep sounds of Jimi Hendrix’s seminal album “Are You Experienced?”
If you wanna know the results…
READ MORE TO FIND OUT!
Photo Credit: Victoria Barnett 🙂
CREDIT RIVER CARE BEARS @ DON RIVER DON OF THE DEAD
By Craig Fortier, Credit River Care Bears
In the anticipated rematch between the burly bears and the zumba-dancing zombies, Don and Credit greeted each other at home plate to begin what would be a game filled with pomp and circumstances.
From the onset, the Care Bears were dropping their paws in the honey jar. Sparked by Love-a-Lot Bear’s (aka Laura Pin) return to the lineup and All Heart Bear’s (aka Alie Hermanutz) delicious cookies, it was clear that the Zombies had yet to bear-proof their campsite. The Care Bears burst rainbows all over the field – perhaps still joyous from their hosting of Pride 2019 at the Ball Park! Daydream Bear (aka Victoria Barnett) and Bedtime Bear (aka Michelle Kidd) played the yin to each other’s yang as Victoria was a spark plug on offence while Michelle locked down the defence.
Some large bear paws clubbed hit after hit and the loveable ursus snuck out to a 15-0 lead. But the Zombies being already dead, were not going to be left for dead 2. Instead, they regrouped, re-chanted, and then came out in the 4th inning with a renewed zeal. Perhaps no Don player exhibited this more than Rachel Small who single handedly created havoc for the Care Bears on defence with three fine plays at short to end the 4th.
The dead also came out this time to swarm and they had a full roster of bodies to strengthen their horde. Rocio Velasquez and T.Vega were out for brains early getting on base in front of some excellent swats from Nhu Hophan, Tyler Chartrand, Joseph Bautista, and Jo Jefferson. Ryan Roantree made some excellent plays at third base and Rachele Gottardi, Leah Silverman, and Peter Demakos scampered around the base paths with a lightness that is only reserved for the ghostly beings from the crypt. The Dead started to spread and they recouped 10 runs in 2 innings narrowing the gap.
But on this cool night, the Care Bears would make it to the safe house where they could regroup and live to see another day.
Final score Credit River 17 – Don River 10.
GARRISON CREEK GLIMMER @ HUMBER RIVER HAZE
By Annelies Cooper, Garrison Creek Glimmer
With the afterglow of the Care Bear countdown victory lingering in the SkyDome air, a murkiness began to change over the Trinity Bellwoods horizon. A cloudy fog settled overthe home team dugout as the Humber River Haze took to the diamond. Coming off a big win during pride week, their confidence filled the diamond like cigarette smoke in a piano bar in 1954. But across the diamond, a gentle twinkle began to flicker as the Garrison Creek Glimmer practiced their swings. Having come off a one-point loss, their light flickered like a shy but hopeful wink in the night’s sky.
The Haze sought to yet again daze the shimmer of the Glimmer as both teams took to the diamond conjuring full rosters and atmospheric energy. Garrison Creek trickled into the game with a steady stream of early hits and runs. Not to be outshone, the misty Haze came back with big hits from Adam Dirks, Sarah Peek, and Umar Saeed leading the blurry charge. But some of those big hits off the bats of the Haze met the gloves of outfielders extraordinaire Devin Clancy and Ryan Hayes as the Glimmer sparkled with the lead after the first inning at 4-2.
In the middle innings, the Glimmer fell to confusion and befuddlement as the powerful Haze scored back to back five-run innings thanks to RBIs from Run master Nav Sidhu, dingers off of Robin Smilie’s bat, and blazing speed care of the smokin’ Brianna Greaves. Alex Brant brought the blur with steady defensive plays at 1st base but Tumble Scamp Devin Clancy brought out the gymnastics with a graceful somersault roll over Alex as they raced to the base and nearly collided.
As the dust unsettled, the game took a turn. The Glimmer sparkled a little brighter as rookie Kari Pederson made her first ever tour to second base! Then third! Then home! Danielle Benton kept those runs coming along with Luke Fox, Colin Hastings, and Krysta Williams thanks in part to Johann Juarez bringing his signature run-every-chance-you-get ethos to the whole Creek crew.
“The universe balances itself” said Annelies at first base to arch-rival Hazer Niloofar “big hits to the badlands” Golkar, as a soaring star from Ryan Hayes was caught by the heroic Haze outfielders defence. These words became all too true as Glimmer caught up with their own back-to-back 5-run innings, holding off the Humber team, while seeing a rematch of Devin Clancy and Alex Brant, this time with Brant taking the base at 3rd as the tumble scamp fumbled.
The Haze’s vapour kept a steady stream with Richard Peters serving major hits and big laughs as he rounded the bases. Oksar Eliashevsky, Jill Aoki-Barrett and Sarah Peek held down the infield defence, and Andy Smith hit a perfect game. At the end of the 5th inning, the teams were tied.
With the clock at 10:43 the teams squeezed out a final inning. Glimmer started out, nearly bursting with yet another 5 run rally ending save for an out off a hit by Annelies Cooper that left the Creek with a 4 run lead. Tensions were high as Humber took to the plate, but with the balance of the universe metaphor hanging in the mist, Luke Fox made an out from Catcher into the glove of Annelies Cooper at first base ending the game with sparkles and glitter glowing up over the foggy haze.
Final score Garrison 21 – Humber 17
See the game box scores here
See player stats here
See league standings here
See all-time career statistics file (updated for July 8 2019) here
MILESTONES
Credit River
Rees Nam – becomes 79th player in league history to reach 15 career singles!
Victoria Barnett– currently tied for 2nd in league with 38 at-bats this season!
Terrance Luscombe – becomes 15th player in league history to reach 90 career singles (91)!
Laura Pin– becomes 45th player in league history to reach 50 career hits (53)!
Jarl Gardner – becomes 7th player in league history to reach 225 career at-bats!
Michelle Kidd– see oddities below!
Craig Fortier– becomes 3rd player in league history to reach 150 career singles (152)!
Alie Hermanutz– currently tied for 66th on the all-time list with 13 career runs scored!
Don River
Nhu Hophan – see oddities below!
Peter Demakos – currently ranks 21st on the all-time list with 143 career at-bats!
Rachele Gottardi – currently tied for 2nd in the league with 38 at-bats this season!
Joseph Bautista- see oddities below!
Tyler Chartrand- see oddities below!
Leah Silverman – currently tied for 20th on the all-time list with 14 career doubles!
Ryan Roantree – becomes 98th player in league history to reach 11 career hits!
Rachel Small- becomes 35th player in league history to reach 50 career singles (52)!
Jo Jefferson- see oddities below!
Rocio Velasquez Guzman- becomes 19th player in league history to reach 150 career at-bats (153)!
T Vega- see oddities below!
Humber River
Adam Dirks – currently ranks 71st on the all time list with 22 career hits!
Brianna Greaves – becomes 50th player in league history to reach 75 career at-bats!
Alex Brant – currently ranks 22nd on the all-time list with 141 career at-bats (all as part of the Field of Dreamers!)
Nav Sidhu- see oddities below!
Jill Aoki-Barrett – becomes 48th player in league history to reach 35 career singles!
Robin Smillie – see oddities below!
Andy Smith- becomes 16th player in league history to reach 110 career hits (111)!
Niloofar Golkar – becomes 32nd player in league history to reach 70 career hits!
Umar Saeed – currently T-16th on the all-time list with 6 career triples!
Sarah Peek- becomes 100th player in league history to reach 5 career runs batted in!
Richard Peters- becomes 8th player in league history to reach 35 career doubles!
Oskar Eliashevsky – becomes 85th player in league history to reach 15 career hits!
Rouge River
Darren Puscas- becomes 14th player in league history to reach 70 career runs scored!
Garrison Creek
Johann Juarez – becomes 9th player in league history to reach 110 career singles (112)!
Devin Clancy – becomes 7th player in league history to reach 125 career singles!
Annelies Cooper – becomes 6th player in league history to reach 135 career singles!
Ryan Hayes – becomes 1st player in league history to reach 165 career singles (166)!
Krysta Williams- T-81st on the all-time list with 14 career singles!
Luke Fox- see oddities below!
Danielle Benton- see oddities below!
Kari Pederson – see oddities below!
Colin Hastings – becomes 2nd player in league history to reach 20 career triples (21)!
SUBS
NO SUBS THIS WEEK
ODDITIES
CLUB 54
Michelle Kidd (Credit River) has the odd statistical line of 5 singles and 4 doubles and 5 runs batted in and 4 runs scored. It is 54 – 54!
FIRSTS
Double – Nhu Hophan (1) – Don River; Kari Pederson (1) – Garrison Creek
Triples – Luke Fox (1) – Garrison Creek
JOEY BATS & ROBIN SMILES = 100+
Robin Smillie (103) (Humber River) and Joseph Bautista (102) (Don River) become the 39th and 40th players in league history to reach 100 career at bats (102)! CONGRATULATIONS DREAMERS!
50-50 DRAW
Nav Sidhu becomes the 24th player in league history to reach 50 career RBIs and the 22nd player in league history to reach 50 career runs scored ON THE SAME NIGHT!
BENTON & PEDERSON COPY SHOP
Teammates Danielle Benton (Garrison) and Kari Pederson (Garrison) currently have an eerily similar stat line with 9 hits in 17 at-bats that includes 8 singles and 1 double apiece!