It’s been suggested to me that perhaps readers might like to know what roles the members of the DC Bullets play in readers’ favorite comics, so I’ve cluttered this week’s write-up with an abundance of people’s titles.
The DC Bullets were scheduled for a split squad game on Thursday, June 4th, but nasty weather during the week turned Central Park’s North Meadow into an inhospitable mud pit. Fortunately, the Bullets’ second game of the day, their second game of their New York Media League schedule, pitted them against The Daily Beast at the recycled tire-based Baruch field.
Already down 0-1 in League play, the Bullets looked to take charge of this one early. 3B Mike Lorah (4-4, 4 runs, RBI, HR) came around to score on a two-out RBI double by DH Larry “LP” (Accounting Coordinator, Editorial Administration) Vollano (3-4, run, RBI, double) to grab a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Unfortunately, the Beast team chipped together a string of base hits and pushed two runs across to seize a 2-1 lead.
In the second, RF Pat (Senior Letterer) Brosseau (2-4, 2 runs, RBI) looped a one-out triple into right field. After a line out, C Sal (also Letterer) Cipirano (2-2, run, 2 RBI) knocked his compadre home with an RBI single. CF Neil Hiremath (1-2, run, RBI), 1B Laura (Manager/Editor, Scholastic’s Firefly Book Club, friend of team) Demoreuille (3-4, 2 RBI, double), and P Larry (Manager, Editorial Admin) Ganem (3-5, RBI) wrapped singles to score Sal and Neil, spotting the Bullets a 2 run lead. In the bottom of the second, shortstop Adam (Assoc. Editor) Schlagman (0-5) and 2B Nel (Super-Soldier) Yomtov (1-3, run, RBI, BB) turned a nifty double-play to erase a lead-off runner, and Nel ended the inning with an over-the-shoulder, tumbling catch on a pop-up into shallow right field. Not bad for an old guy!
Lorah blasted a lead-off homer into the right center field gap to start the third. Two outs later, LF Vince (Director, Direct Sales) Letterio (3-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR) homered into the left center gap to double the lead, a good thing as The Daily Beast tacked on a run in the bottom of the frame, but the damage was muted when Schlagman snared a grounder up the middle, stepped on second for the force and threw across to first base to complete the double play and close out the inning. The defense is still there, even when the bat goes quiet. That’s why he’s the captain.
In the Bullets’ fourth, SCF Lauren (Doctor of Chiropractic, friend of team) Fries (2-4, run, 2 RBI) nailed a single into left field, moved to second on OF Adam (intern) Sloane’s (1-2) ground out, and came home on Demoreuille’s RBI double. The Daily Beast was again turned away by a second over-the-shoulder, running basket catch by Nel Yomtov, who treated short right field like his own personal turf.
In the fifth, Lorah, LP, Yomtov, Letterio, Brosseau, Fries and Cipriano roped seven consecutive singles with one out for four runs, and added a fifth run on Hiremath’s RBI fielder’s choice. After the Beast added a run in the bottom half of the fifth, the Bullets tacked on one more run in the sixth when Lorah scored on Letterio’s two-out single. The Beast pushed across a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth. After the Bullets came up empty in the top of the seventh, however, they had only to hold the lead to level their record.
Ace pitcher Ganem buckled down, inducing two routine fly balls to Hiremath, and a final roller to Schlagman, and the Bullets walked off with a 13-5 triumph.
The Bullets record: 3-3 (1-1 in NYML play)
Game Notes:
Come see the Bullets against last year’s NYML champion BusinessWeek on Thursday at North Meadow Field #2 in Central Park.
