Tigers Trampled by STAMPEDE

Sep. 26, 2009

Smithtown's bats came alive Saturday as they took two games (16-2, 11-3) from the Levittown Tigers at Brady Park in what proved to be Team STAMPEDE's best effort so far this Fall season. The offensive fire-power, coupled with super-solid pitching, and trademark STAMPEDE defense, proved to be too much for the Tigers to handle.

With the Pounder, Nick S, toeing the rubber, the STAMPEDE squad was dialed in. Pounder set the tone with a lead-off punch out, then looked on as 2B Joltin' Joe made two solid first inning plays on well struck grounders for outs 2 & 3. Nick S. gave up only two hits in three & a third economical (48 NP) innings. He also helped himself with the leather by fielding a pop up and three balls back to the box. Up 16-1, Joltin' Joe was summoned to relieve Pounder, who now moved to right field. Joe inherited two runners, and was in a bit of a "pickle" after walking his first batter. A hot smash up the middle was smothered on a backhand by Nicky T., who scrambled to his knees & fired a sixty foot strike to first base for the 2nd out. After a second walk, a groundout, short to first, ended the game at 16-2.

The STAMPEDE bats fired up quickly right from the start in both games. Leading off, Salvatore repeatedly set the table with walks for rope after rope by Hit Man Anthony (5-5, 2B, 2 BB, 3 RBI), Matt the Bat (3 BB, 3 R), Nick the Stick (3-4, 2B, 3 BB, 4 RBI) and Sneaky J (5-6, BB, 6 RBI). The second half of the batting order showed patience & a keen batting eye, mixing numerous walks with quality at bats to run up the Tigers' pitch counts. Pounder (6 BB, 3 RBI), Chris (3 BB), Joltin' Joe (4 BB, 2 RBI), Connor S. ( 1-1, 6 BB, 2 RBI), & Bocce-Ball Nicky T., who added 2 walks, an RBI, and beat out a well-placed bunt to extend a rally.

Game two had Hit Man Anthony on the hill, for the now visiting STAMPEDE. Anthony found himself initially ahead or even in the count to the first three Tiger batters. Trying to nibble & paint the corners, Hit Man walked all three in a 24 pitch inning. Settling down, Anthony got a 4-6 FC, a strikeout, and a grounder to 1B Jason in the hole, who then led Anthony with a perfect throw to first to end the inning. Anthony was nicked for two runs in the first, and an unearned run in the second. Finding his groove, he retired his last 7 batters in a row. Over his final 2 innings (4 IP, 1 H, 53 NP) Anthony threw only 10 pitches, inducing 5 groundouts.

With the score at 11-3, Matt was called upon -- in his STAMPEDE pitching debut -- to nail down the victory. Matt meant business. 1-2-3, on five pitches sealed the STAMPEDE's second victory of the day.