Sorry gang, I was too tired to do a writeup last night. 5 games in 7 days was quite a stretch. The Hounds won the first 3 contests, but dropped the last 2, including a 6-3 loss to the Electrons last night at Winnemac Park. The Hounds are now 9-5 on the year.
Keith Richardson (#17, P/1B) pitched 5 innings for the Hounds, singled twice, scored twice, and possibly got a concussion with a brutal collision with the second baseman from the Trons on a play at first base. Nolan Bielinski (#4, C) scored the only other run for the Hounds. Stephen Correa Jr. (#20, 2B), Tony Correa (#13, C/3B), and Brian Hearns (#30, 3B/1B) each drove in a run. Hearns also threw a perfect final inning for the visiting Hounds, 3 Electrons up, 3 Electrons down, and Tony Correa had his first legit Tony Smash double of the year.
The Hounds infield had quite a few plays today, with an unusually high number of putouts at the bag at the top of the diamond (second). Stephen Correa Jr. returned to the team from his trip to California with a great game at second base with 3 putouts at second (1 on a caught steal with the assist to Bielinski) and 5 assists (including two tough plays from the grass on slow rollers). Matthew Steffens (#5, SS) had 4 putouts at second and 3 assists (including 1 to Correa Jr. at second on a ball deep in the hole, fooling Chris Reehoff the runner who thought it was going to get through), and Correa Jr. and Steffens combined with Matt Burch (#6, 1B/EH) for an inning ending 6-4-3 double play. Richardson also stabbed a couple tough shots back at the mound for assists.
But the Hounds were tired, sore, and relatively shorthanded today. Matt Hansen (#26, RF) made an appearance in right field for the first out of the game allowing the Hounds to preserve the spot for Tim Riggenbach (#8, RF) who was hustling to the game from the train. Hansen played despite multiple pro wrestling injuries (he later was hugging a tree because it was the only way he could feel semi-comfortable with the pain). Hearns played third base for the first time as a Hound in the first inning (and in warmups showed he has the strongest arm of any third baseman the Hounds have ever had), and Burch played first base for that initial inning despite a throwing arm that was basically unusable post pitching on Sunday.
It is clear that the Hounds need their three days of rest to recover before getting back to it this weekend.
Weekend games: Saturday 6/18 – Yankees – 9:30 am – Winnemac Sunday 6/19 – Red Sox – 12:15 pm – Taft HS