Empty Pitcher Split Garners 2nd Seed for Season 6 Tourney

OBI finished the 10-4 and in second place for Season 6. We will face the winner of 1st round action between Diamondback Pools and BMW (big guess on who will take this one ;~) ) January 8th in the Season 6 Tourney.

The two weeks off for the 2014 Holidaze!!! will be both a blessing and a,,, well, umm, an opportunity. The blessing comes in the form of time off to heal. Several OBI players are dealing with injuries that are limiting their effectiveness. This is also an opportunity for those who need a New Year's Resolution to choose to begin improving their skill sets... LOL

Yes, yes, yes,,, it seems whenever we have an extended break, our bats and gloves take a few extra games to get back on track... Thus, for one, I am planning to put in some time exercising and may even contact Steven for some BP (yes, that does tell you how much I want to make a good showing to start 2015 LOL)...

Game 1 this week, OBI jumped out early and held a 12-3 lead after 5 innings. Empty Pitchers plated 4 in each of the final two innings. The last out of the 7th was made with the tying run on base.

Late arrivals John and Spillane faired well in the 11 & 12 spots in the order going 3-4 with a SF. Fill in Rod (a Senior Major Plus player with Arizona Elite) played good defense and was 2-3.

The fast start was due to those bats plus a quick start in the first as Matt and Clint singled and moved up one base on Paul's "Sacrifice Bunt". Michael singled them in and moved to third on Steven's double. These two scored on consecutive hits by Jayse and Nuta.

In the fourth, Larry scored from second on John's Sac Fly to Center. Larry returned the favor driving in a fifth inning run with a Sac Fly of his own.

Game 2 was a very quiet affair on the OBI side of the ball. Falling behind by 5 after the top of the first, it took 4 innings to score our first runs. Down 4-10 at that point, we were able to muster only 1 additional run and the final of 5-12 seemed closer than we really were.

Stats for 2014 and Season 6 will be available soon. And 2013-2014 stats will be posted after Jan. 8th...

Wishing all OBIers and their families the best during the Holidaze!!! May you all enjoy the season and have safe travels.

Split City Returns for the Holidaze!

9-3 One Bad Inning came out rather flat after a holiday/weather induced 3-week vacation. 7-5 Diamondback Pools / CADCON scored early and often jumping out to an 11-2 lead after 3 innings. The OBI Defense came to the rescue and held DBack Pools to 10 runs over the final 10 innings of the night. The OBI Offense awoke just enough from our slumber to score 15 over the same spand and take Game 2 9-7.

Game 1 loss (8-14) was pretty quiet on the offensive side of the ball by OBI standards. Matt, Steve, and Spillane accounted for half of our base runners with 8 hits and a walk. The remaining 8 in the lineup had just 9 hits.

Our defense gave a few extra outs away, however, the reason for the seasonal generosity was shared by Dback Pools making the gifts about as equal as it gets. The coolness of the evening did seem to help the ball fly a bit better as the night wore on.

And speaking of ball flight,,, the new Dudley balls will be in and ready for use at Victory Lane around the first of the year. The mush-ball era comes to a close once again. Soooo Happy I am...

Game 2 started quickly as Juan R. lifted a Big Fly to RC field scoring both Michael and Spillane. The lead remained 3-0 till the top of the third. Jayse, Michael, and Spillane singled ahead of run scoring hits by Juan R. and John (currently with the top batting average in Season 6).

John, Paul and Larry's 6th inning hits pushed the lead to 7-3 but DBack Pools would not go away and pushed across two of their own. In the top of the 7th, Michael's RBI Triple to the right field corner turned out to be huge insurance run-wise. OBI owned a 4 run lead after Spillane's single scored Michael, and the Defense closed down the rally in the bottom of the 7th ending the threat and holding on for the 9-7 final.

Again, the top of the order was huge as the top 5 in the order reached base 14 times in 20 plate appearances. The last 6 in the order reached 6 times... 

Notes:

• Juan R. once again filled in well with a 5-7, 7 RBI, 2 Double and a Home Run on his stat line.
• The outfield played admirably, being short-handed, against a quality opponent.
• The infield played well enough to make most of the plays and not give the game away.
• With two important players missing, the team rallied to earn the split.
• John has taken the lead in Batting Average and Steve retains his On Base Pct lead.
• OBI needs more consistency at the plate.
• OBI needs one win to earn a bye in the Season 6 Playoffs.
• The Holidaze are always fun and stressful.

Best Pre-Game Speech Ever !!!