Mike Kiruncyk's double keyed a nine-run uprising in the bottom of the sixth inning to propel the Cardinals to a 13-5 victory over the Zug Island Lugnuts, who had entered the inning with a 5-4 lead in the opener at Novi for both teams. The Cards had eight hits and three walks in the inning off starter-loser Dennis MacDonald and reliever Roger Rushford -- and the bases were still loaded with two outs when the game was called on a time limit.
The top of the 14-man batting order did most of the damage for the Zuglugs, with Wally Frontera, Gad Holland, and Glenn Therrien going a combined 6-for-8 with a walk and five runs. Holland was 2-for-2 with two singles, a walk, three runs and an RBI. Therrrien had two singles, a double, an RBI and a run.
The 'Nuts scored twice in the opening inning off Eddie Harmon and two more off him in the third, including an RBI single from newcomer Gus Morris. Steve Lezotte shut down the Zug Islanders the next two innings.
John Lollio's sacrifice fly dropped in left for an error keyed the four-unearned-run comeback by the Cardinals in the fourth, then the Lugnuts pushed across a tie-breaking run in the sixth off winner Earl LaFontaine on a single by Therrien after Holland walked, took second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball.
The Zuglugs lineup featured five new players: Therrien, Morris, Chris Miller, Dave Pichan, and Neil Belgiano.
There were no high-fives or post-game handshakes, but the crowded dugouts didn't help with social distancing concerns as the Covid 19 shortened 16-game season opened up in high 80-degree temperatures.
The Red Sox worked seven walks off Glenn Therrien the first two innings and also benefitted from a pair of errors for a quick 6-1 lead and rolled to a 14-4 triumph over the Zug Island Lugnuts. Larry Paladino pitched the final 4 1/3 and gave up eight runs -- but seven were unearned, including six in the fourth inning when there were four errors.
Tom Richards got the Lugnuts to hit lots of ground balls on the infield to pick up the pitching victory for the Red Sox, 2-0. Jim Bauer had two hits and a walk, Chaz Quatrine had two hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly, Mike Lane had two hits, a walk and scored four runs in the 11-hit Red Sox attack.
Gus Morris had an RBI single in the opening inning for the Zuglugs off Richards and the Zuglugs scored three times in the sixth off Manager Gerry Garcial. Ira Strickstein was hit by a pitch to lead off. Dennis MacDonald and Gregg Housey followed with singles. Larry McCuen's ground out scored a run, then Wally Frontera and Gad Holland each drove in a run with a single as the 'Nuts fell to 0-2.
The Zug Island Lugnuts overcame a 10-3 deficit with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth (and final) inning, thanks mostly to wildness by Cardinals pitchers, to finish in a 10-10 tie in their 62+ game at Madison. The 'Nuts sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning off Earl LaFontaine, Steve Lezotte, and Eddie Harmon before Harmon, who had started the game, came in for the final out -- a bases-loaded, two out line-drive to center-fielder Donnie Hill to end the game in a time-limit.
The inning started with a single by leadoff man Gad Holland. Switalski doubled him to third, pinch hitter Roger Rushford walked to load the bases, then the merry-go-round began. John Schipani walked to force in the first run. Larry Paladino was hit by a pitch for the second. Then Gregg Housey and Dennis MacDonald each walked to force in runs. Another scored as Ira Strickstein was hit by a pitch. Don Dillon's fielder's choice grounder knocked in another, then, after Neil Belgiano walked, a walk to Holland plated run seven of the inning.
The top three batters in the Lugnuts order, Holland, Switalski and Tom Izzo, got seven of the team's nine hits and those three spots accounted for half the team's runs. The 'Nuts scored twice in the first, both unearned, and once in the second.
There were a few infield hits for the Cardinals that helped them accummulate their runs. They scored three in each of the first two innings and four in the fifth, with a couple tough throws to first missing runners by a step or pulling the first baseman off the bag, but ruled infield hits. Zuglugs' starter MacDonald pitched all five innings and gave up 12 hits and walked eight. Cards pitchers walked nine and hit two.
Dennis MacDonald pitched a complete game, two-hitter and his Zug Island Lugnuts teammates took advantage of Red Sox errors to win 6-0 at Hazel Park. Both Sox hits came in the first inning, one an infield hit by Jeff Buller with one out and the other a bloop single by Chaz Quatrine that followed. The Red Sox didn't get a hit the rest of the way, but they did get five walks against MacDonald, who struck out five. He also contributed with the bat, gettting an RBI with a forceout in the three-run first off Tom Richards and singling off him in the two-run sixth. Five of the Lugnuts runs were unearned.
Gad Holland led off the Zuglugs first inning with a double, took third on a passed ball and scored on Mark Switalski's ground out. Two errors, two singles and a walk followed to produce two more runs and a throwing error on Gus Morris' grounder gave the 'Nuts an unearned run in the third. Their two-run sixth began with Switalski's leadoff bloop hit. Glenn Therrien sacrificed him to second but the ball was dropped and both runners were safe, setting up the RBI hit by MacDonald.
It was the Lugnuts' first victory of the season. They had been coming off a 10-10 tie with the Cardinals.
The Nationals pulled away from their 5-3 lead after three innings with the help of a slew of errors and lots of bloop hits to crush the Zug Island Lugnuts 16-3 in their 62+ game at Flat Rock.
Mark Switalski made his first start on the mound for the Lugnuts and gave up a pair of unearned runs in the second inning and three runs in the third, mostly due to shaky defense for a Zug Island team missing key players. Larry Paladino pitched the final three innings and gave up a pair of unearned runs in the fourth, four earned in the fifth -- mostly due to shallow fly balls -- and five unearned in the sixth.
Mark Henderson and Ed Klieman pitched for the Nationals and totaled seven strikeouts. The first Lugnuts run came on a single by Tom Izzo after Gad Holland singled and moved up on an error. Neil Belgiano reached on an infield hit in the third and was erased on a forceout off the bat of Wally Frontera, followed by a single by the hot-hitting Holland and Glenn Therrien's two-run double.
The Nationals pounded out 17 singles among their 18 hits, many of them scratch infield hits or Texas Leaguers. Officially the Lugnuts made four errors, but there were other misplays that led to big Nats innings. Zug Island's first three catchers all were absent and that prompted Manager Dennis MacDonald to catch. He had been coming off a two-hit, complete game shutout pitching victory in the previous game.
Leadoff batter Ed Kleiman had three walks, a single and scored three runs while the next batter in the order, Willie Boyd, was on base three times with a walk and two singles and scored two runs as the Nationals outlasted the Zug Island Lugnuts 7-3 behind the pitching of Gary Parsons and seventh-inning relief from Mark Henderson in their 62+ game at Bishop Foley.
Kleiman and Boyd each walked off Larry Paladino to begin the game and both scored. The Nats added a run in the third after Kleiman led off with a walk. Another Nats run scored in the fourth after a single by Jim Cuthrell and a couple errors. The Nationals added a run in the sixth and two insurance runs in the seventh.
A walk by Gus Morris, followed by a Dennis MacDonald double and Paladino ground out gave the Lugnuts a run in the fifth. They got another in the sixth on a Neil Belgiano hit after Larry McCuen singled and Don Dillon was safe on an error. A Lugnuts rally in the bottom of the seventh fell short after a MacDonald line hit scored Glenn Therrien in a rally that ended when Paladino hit into a double-play against Henderson.
Bob Tar capped a five-run rally in the seventh inning with an RBI single to drive in what proved to be the winning run for the Cardinals in their 9-8 victory over the Zug Island Lugnuts -- who they had tied 10-10 in their previous outing. The decision made a winner out of the second Cardinals pitcher, Ed Harmon, while Dennis MacDonald went all the way to take the loss for the Lugnuts.
John Lollio's popup was dropped to open the inning and then MacDonald walked Steve Lezotte and Earl LaFontaine. Jerry Cockrell hit into a force to send across the first run and Harmon singled in the next. An infield error on Curt Sylvester's grounder put him on base as the third run scored. That was followed by a Dan Moore walk, then Randy Root was hit by a pitch to tie the game in front of Tar's decisive at-bat. Harmon set down the Zuglugs in order in the bottom of the inning.
Mike Kirunchyk started for the Cardinals and gave up five runs in the first inning and three more in the third, with Harmon coming on in the fourth. MacDonald had three RBIs for the Zug Islanders, including two with a first-inning double. He gave up just five hits but walked seven. He struck out six and had his second complete game.
A pair of Zug Island errors in the third inning, the second coming with two outs and the bases loaded, helped the Nationals break open a close game with a five-run outburst en route to a 15-1 drubbing of the Lugnuts in their 62+ game Saturday at Kyte Monroe.
It was a 1-1 game to that point for starting pitcher Dennis MacDonald, but then, down 6-1, the Zuglugs gave up three more runs in the fourth (one unearned) and that brought veteran Roger Rushford on to pitch in the fifth and the Nats just kept on rolling with four more runs, then added two off him in the sixth.
The top three batters in the Nationals' order -- Ed Kleiman, Mike Carter and Gary Parsons -- accounted for eight hits (two doubles), three walks, a sacrifice fly, and nine runs scored. Second baseman John Bosch, 80+ years of age and batting at the bottom of the order, was 2-for-4 with his courtesy runner scoring twice.
Wally Frontera had two of the Lugnuts' six hits and he scored the team's lone run in the fifth when his single was followed by singles off the bats of Tom Izzo and Gregg Housey.
Mark Henderson pitched a strong complete game for the Nationals with hardly any balls leaving the infield. He put the 'Nuts down 1-2-3 in the first, second, sixth and seventh innings and had two singles, two walks, and two runs to boot.
Jess Monticello singled home Ken Barnowski in the bottom of the sixth inning, moved up on a wild pitch, and scored the tying run on an errant throw to third as the Tigers hung on for an 8-8 tie with the Zug Island Lugnuts in their 62+ game at Madison High.
The Tigers had taken a 6-2 lead with the help of an unearned run in the fourth and three more unearned in the fifth off pitcher Dennis MacDonald. But the Lugnuts, who hadn't scored since the two-run first off Steve Kosuda, tied things up in the top of the sixth with six runs against Monticello that included walks to Larry McCuen, Glenn Therrien, MacDonald and John Schipani, plus singles by Carl Hubble, Gad Holland, Mark Switalski and Gus Morris, whose hit was a two-run blooper that tied the score 6-6 and brought Joe Fioroni in relief. He promptly issued the walks to Macdonald and Schipani, which pushed across the lead run 7-6, then hit Tom Izzo with a pitch for an 8-6 Zuglug lead.
But the 'Nuts, with time forcing the sixth to be the last inning, couldn't hang on for their second win and instead got their second tie. Barnowski opened with a walk, took second on a passed ball and scored on Monticello's one-out hit. When Glenn Roland grounded out pitcher to first for the second out, Monticello tried for third and the throw was high, allowing him to score the tying run.
Holland, Morris, Gregg Housey and Hubble all got two hits apiece for the Zug Islanders and Morris had three RBI to lead the 12-hit attack. It was the first game of a double-header for the Tigers, with temperatures hitting 90 degrees, as they prepared to play the first-place Nationals.
What can be said about the Zug Island Lugnuts' 19-1 loss to the Nationals in their 62+ game Thursday night at Hazel Park? Larry Paladino couldn't find the plate in the first inning as the Lugnuts' starting pitcher, walking five, as the Nationals took a 3-0 lead. Nobody could catch the ball lin the next two innings and it soon became a 13-0 game, with Glenn Therrien coming in to pitch the fourth -- and then it was a 19-0 game -- with the Zuglugs "battling back" with a run in the fourth off Mark Henderson, who walked Wally Frontera and Gad Holland, then gave up a single to Therrien.
The Nationals coasted to an 11-0 record -- with a 4-for-4 showing against the 'Nuts, who have played the first-place team four times in the last six games. No wonder the Zug Islanders only have won one game (but two ties, whoopee).
Afterwards the Nats had a team meeting to talk about the playoffs. For some reason they're confident enough to be one of the four teams eligible in the five-team 62 division.
The Lugnuts have a double-header Saturday at Novi and for some reason it's not against the Nationals. It's against the Red Sox in a battle to escape last place.
Mark Switalski got his second pitching start of the year and threw a complete-game three-hitter and the Zug Island Lugnuts jumped on Chaz Quatrine for three runs in the first inning in their 4-1 victory in the first game of their 62+ double-header at Novi.
The three-run inning began with Gad Holland's leadoff walk. Switalski got an infield hit and then Gus Morris singled in a run with one out. A single by Dennis MacDonald scored the next run and then Tom Izzo followed with another RBI hit. Glenn Therrien gave the Lugnuts an insurance run in the third with a two-out RBI single that scored Don Dillon who had led off the inning with a walk.
The Red Sox' lone run came in the first inning on a fielder's choice grounder by No. 3 batter Quatrine after a bunt single by Mike Lane and a walk to Gerry Garcia.
Dennis MacDonald endured a four-run Red Sox third inning in which he walked three, gave up one hit and had three errors behind him but his Zug Island Lugnuts teammates came back from a 4-2 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the inning as the teams battled to a 4-4 tie. It was MacDonald's third no-decision tie of a complete game this season.
The bad inning started with Bruce Terras' leadoff walk, followed by a walk to ex-Lugnut Ted Houghtaling. Two wild pitches pushed across the first run, then another wild pitch while Mike Lane batted plated a second run. He added an RBI single and moved up on a pitcher throwing error, then scored on Gerry Garcia's ground out. Chaz Quatrine, who walked with one out, later added the fourth run by scoring on a Lawrence Mortimore fly to right that was missed for an error.
As usual, the top part of the Lugnuts order did the offensive damage for them. In the first inning Gad Holland led off with an infield hit off Tom Richards. Mark Switalski singled and Gus Morris loaded the bases with a bunt hit, setting the stage for Tom Izzo's clutch two-out, two-run single.
In the third, Switalski and Glenn Therrien opened the inning with walks and, after a wild pitch, Morris singled both home, greeting reliever Quatrine.
MacDonald struck out eight but gave up six hits and six walks. It was the second game of a double-header, with the 'Nuts taking the opener of the 62+ matchup 4-1 at Novi.
The Cardinals overcame a 6-3 deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday night at Ford Field with a four-run rally off starter Dennis MacDonald for a 7-6 victory in their 62+ showdown. The winning run scored on a bases-loaded fly ball to right field by Curt Sylvester for the first out, but an errant throw to the infield allowed Steve Lezotte to score from third -- when he originally would have stayed put.
Mike Kirunchyk led off the inning with a double to right that got in the lights. Rick Wheeler walked and MacDonald hit John Lollio in the back to load the bases. An infield hit over the bag at third by Lezotte scored the first run; Bob Tar was hit by a pitch to score the second; then, after a conference on the mound with plans to come home to cut off the tying run, Rick Woodcock's grounder to third was bobbled for an error to knot the score. Then came Sylvester's shallow fly ball and subsequent error to bump the Cards' second-place record to 7-4-1 and knock the fourth-place Lugnuts to 2-8-3 as the season winds down.
The Cardinals fell behind 6-0 early. The 'Nuts scored a run in the first on a single by Glenn Therrien after Gad Holland walked, took second on Mark Switalski's ground out, and third on a wild pitch. Gregg Housey hit a sacrifice fly in the Zug Islanders' second inning, scoring Dave Pichan who had opened with a line single and moved up on an infield hit by Tom Izzo and an infield error.
Zug Island put a four-inning third together off Cards starter Ed Harmon as Ira Strickstein, Holland, Switalski, Therrien, Gus Morris, MacDonald, Gerry Druzinski all singled and Don Dillon had a fielder's choice. But the Cardinals got three runs back in the bottomof the third. Sylvester, Harmon and Dan Moore opened with singles, with Moore's hit driving in the first run. A ground out, walk by Randy Root scored the second and, after a walk to Kevin Leggert, Donnie Hill's fielder's choice grounder plated the third -- and the rally ended when he was hit in the foot running to second on a grounder by Kirunchyk, who came in to pitch to open the fourth and was the winning pitcher.
The Tigers balanced attack produced runs up and down the order as they collected 10 hits -- but it was Zug Island Lugnut errors that gave them their runs in a 9-5 victory at Hazel Park in their 62+ game, which came after they had lost to the Red Sox in the first game of their double-header.
They scored two unearned runs in the second inning, two in the fourth, three in the fifth, and two in the sixth -- all off Mark Switalski, who was getting ground balls when he needed to, but they were either bobbled or there were bad throws.
The Lugnuts scored a run in the third off Steve Kosuda and he gave way to a relief pitcher in the fifth and was responsible for three of the four runs Zug Island scored in that inning.
John Schipani had two hits and three RBI for the Lugnuts, who only had six hits and left just two on base. The Tigers stranded 10, so they were always threatening.
The Tigers took advantage of two Zug Island errors in the second inning to score four unearned runs, then capitalized on their three errors in the sixth to score five more unearned runs in an 11-4 victory at Hazel Park.
It was a two-out, bases-loaded error that plated three runs in the second inning that gave the Tigers a 5-1 lead and all the runs they needed. They also scored lone runs in the first and third. The first five Tigers who batted in the sixth all scored thanks to two outfield errors and one on the infield, giving pitcher Dennis MacDonald another tough loss that couldn't be blamed on his pitching.
The Lugnuts got lone runs in the first, fourth, sixth and seventh innings. Gad Holland, Gus Morris and John Schipani each had two hits for the 'Nuts.
As was the case all season, the Zug Island Lugnuts defense, or lack thereof, was the difference as they closed the season with a 15-8 loss to the Tigers in their 62+ matchup at Hazel Park. Nine of the Tigers runs were unearned: two in the three-run third and all four in the fourth off starter Mark Switalski, and three of the four in the fifth off Glenn Therrien. Roger Rushford and Larry Paladino pitched the sixth.
Bob Escamilla was on base four times for the Tigers, getting hit by a pitch and three singles. Gene Baratta and Glenn Roland walked three times each and Joe Fioroni and Jim Losinski twice each as the Tigers totaled 15 walks to go with their nine hits.
The Lugnuts, who finished tied with the Red Sox for last in the 62+ division with a 2-11-3 record, got a two-run triple from Dennis MacDonald in the three-run fourth. He also hit a double in the five-run sixth, which included a two-run single by Dave Pichan and a double by Therrien off reliever Greg McGlone. Steve Kosuda started for the Tigers and worked four innings for the victory.