FXFowle Series Goes To A Third Game

A two-game sweep narrowly slipped through the grasp of the combined Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton softball team, last night, as they lost Game 1 to FXFowle 8-7 in extra innings before taking Game 2 in five official innings, 9-2.

PCF/HH took an early 4-0 lead after one and extended it to 5-0 through three innings before faltering on the defensive end and allowing 6 runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Black and Red knotted the game in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Sagastume (scoring J. Strong) and had a chance at the lead when Carl Pearson tripled with two outs in the seventh. The team scored their go-ahead run in the top of the eighth, on an RBI single by Juan Monahan that scored Addie Rodriguez. But, with 1 out, FXFowle wouldn't be denied as they hit consecutive base hits and scored their game-tying and game-winning runs on a double by third baseman Greg Epstein.

Seeking revenge, and not content to allow their season to set with the evening sun, PCF/HH fired right back in Game 2. After a scoreless first, The Black and Red chalked up 2 runs in the second and 5 runs in the third on a tired FXFowle team. With the game official after four innings and a 7-0 score, darkness began to creep in on both teams, as each exchanged 2 runs apiece before the game was called.

Pearson, the leadoff hitter and right fielder, led his team offensively and made a number of key outs in the field. Pearson finished the first two games 5-for-6 with a double, a triple, and 3 runs scored. Rodriguez went 3-for-5 on the night including 2 doubles, 1 sacrifice fly, 2 RBI, and 4 runs scored. Sagastume also went 3-for-5, contributing 2 triples, 1 sac fly, 5 RBI, and 1 run. Monahan, who was battered up a bit from the mound, made his usual solid contribution from the plate with 5 hits on 7 at-bats. Monahan doubled, drove in 2 runs and scored 2 of his own. Representing the league's women players very respectfully was Shadie Wiland, who was 3-for-5 with 1 run scored.

The 9-2 victory sets up a win-or-go-home Game 3 for PCF/HH. Game time is 5:30 p.m. at Central Park's Hecksher Field 1, on Thursday.

The combined team of SOM/Swanke/Cooper wrapped up their quarterfinal series against Polshek Partnership last night, advancing to the semifinals, where they will take on back-to-back champions Gensler starting tomorrow. SSC swept their series with 3-1 and 6-4 victories.

PCF/HH Opens Playoffs Againt FXFowle Today

The Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton softball team split its final two games of the regular season to finish in fifth place, good for their fourth-consecutive playoff appearance after years of troubled seasons that ended prematurely. They will face FxFowle in a best-of-three quarterfinal series — a formidable opponent who didn't see the full force of a shorthanded PCF/HH team when they met earlier this season. FxFowle won that game 10-3 and was also the team that bounced The Black and Red from the playoffs in the 2008 semifinals. FxFowle went on to lose to eventual back-to-back champions Gensler in the finals.

On August 10, PCF/HH won a very hard-fought 5-4 victory oer The Philips Group to bounce them from playoff contention. TPG took an early 2-0 lead on a 2-run home run, but PCF/HH knotted the game up in the second on a 2 RBI triple by Carlos Sagastume, who drove in Juan Monahan and Yusuke Okabayashi. Both teams exchanged a pair of runs again in the sixth, with J. Strong and Monahan coming across the plate. Entering the bottom of the seventh, small ball won the day as Carl Pearson singled to get on and advanced to second on a base hit by Mark Maljanian. Eron Ashley played the part of the willing sacrificial lamb, as he intentionally flew out to center field to advance Pearson to third. Strong singled Pearson in for the winning run.

Things weren't as pleasant for The Black and Red on August 17, their final regular-season game against Gensler. In all, the team was held to 5 hits as Pearson and Monahan scored the lone runs in a 13-2 mercy rout. Monahan and Sagastume were credited with the runs batted in.

The loss to Gensler should serve as a slice of humble pie for the team, as they prepare for what will undoubtedly be a very tough road in the playoffs. After the quarterfinal series against FxFowle, the winner will play first-place HMA/RAMSA, a 9-1 team that outscored their opponents 110-29 on the year. The winner of the other S.L.A.M. quarterfinal will face second-seed Gensler.

Today's playoff series opener is a double-header, meaning one team could pack it up for good in 2009 should they fail to perform. Game 1 begins at 5:30 p.m. on Central Park's Great Lawn, Field 3. Game 2 starts immediately after Game 1, with a 7 p.m. permit time.

PCF/HH Scores 35 Runs in Pair of Wins

The combined team from Pei Cobb Freed and Partners/Hart Howerton showed the S.L.A.M. league that when given the opportunity, they can score like the best of them. The Black and Red followed up a narrow 8-5 loss to SOM/Swanke/Cooper on July July 28 with back-to-back wins last week -- a 17-4 victory in six innings over Ronnette Riley/Davis Brody Bond and an 18-0 blowout through five innings against Gruzen Samton on Thursday.

RR/DBB showed some tenacity, putting up the first 2 runs of the game to take a brief 2-0 lead into the bottom of the first, but PCF/HH bounced back with 4 runs to take a 4-2 lead after the first that they would never relinquish. Against GSA, The Black and Red started off slow, with 1 run apiece over the first two innings, but began to put the game away after taking an 8-0 lead in the third.

While Mark Maljanian and Juan Monahan made tremendous contributions from the plate, Dwidson Metayer must be recognized for batting 1.000 on the week: a perfect 6-for-6 from the seventh spot in the lineup. When the bottom of your lineup comes through the way The Black and Red's has, it creates a multi-headed monster that most teams cannot control.

The following is a break down of all player stats from last week:

Carl Pearson: 4-for-5 with 1 double and 2 runs scored
Mike Copeland: 3-for-4 with 1 triple, 2 runs scored and 1 RBI
Mark Maljanian: 6-for-8 with 3 doubles, 5 runs scored and 5 RBI
Yusuke Okabayashi: 1-for-3 with 1 walk and 2 runs scored
Carlos Sagastume: 3-for-5 with 2 walks, 1 double, 5 runs scored, 1 sacrifice fly and 2 RBI
J. Strong: 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI
Juan Monahan: 6-for-8 with 1 double, 2 triples, 1 home run, 4 runs scored and 7 RBI
Ron Rainone: 4-for-8 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 4 runs scored and 4 RBI
Dwidson Metayer: 6-for-6 with 1 walk, 5 runs scored and 3 RBI
Tony Rodriguez: 4-for-5 with 2 doubles, 1 run and 2 RBI
Brian Ferry: 2-for-2 with 1 double, 1 run scored and 3 RBI
Cate Foster: 3-for-6 with 1 walk, 1 double, 2 runs scored and 4 RBI

PCF/HH gears up again today to face The Philips Group (5-4) at 7 p.m. on Central Park's Great Lawn, Field 4. The two wins improved PCF/HH's record to 6-3, good for fifth place in the 12-team S.L.A.M. League.

Getting Back On The Right Track

It's been an interesting and, at times, difficult couple of weeks to start off the summer for the Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton softball team, but the group pulled themselves together and got back on the winning side last Thursday. The Black and Red were led by outfielder Eron Ashley, who smoked two home runs and 3 RBI en route to a 5-3 victory over Mitchell Giurgola Architects.

After suffering their second consecutive loss to FXFowle, a one-sided 11-3 affair on June 29, and witnessing the team's league-leading fifth rainout on July 2, the team came to Hecksher Ballfields with a purpose. Only they would have to dig deep and fight hard to get back on track.

PCF/HH took a 1-0 lead on Ashley's solo shot in the bottom of the first. MGA quickly tied things up with their own home run in the top of the second. The game slowed down in the third and fourth, as the defenses tightened with a tie score and PCF/HH failed to plate their base runners in the bottom of the fourth.

Finally in the top of the fifth, much to The Black and Red's dismay, MGA was the first team to rediscover their bats, as a two-run home run put the home team down 3-1. Third baseman Ron Rainone (1-for-2) came to the rescue with a 2 RBI single, the team's third consecutive hit, to score Yusuke Okabayashi (1-for-2, 1 walk) and Carlos Sagastume (2-for-3, 1 double) to again tie the game at 3-all.

Quality defense in the field helped PCF/HH keep their opponents off the scoreboard in the final two innings, including a pair of fielder's choice outs made at second base in the seventh, and Ashley gave his team their second lead of the night and an insurance run with his two-run blast in the sixth, scoring Carl Pearson (2-for-3). J. Strong contributed a steadfast 3-for-3 from the plate but wasn't able to factor into the line score through no fault of his own. Strong reached base with two outs in both the first and fourth innings.

The win not only puts momentum back on the side of The Black and Red, but it improves the team's 2009 record to 4-2. This places the team in playoff contention at fifth place. The top six teams qualify for the postseason.

It isn't too early for PCF/HH to start thinking about what it will take for them to make the playoffs, as only three scheduled games remain in the regular season. Rainouts against Gruzen Samton and Gensler have yet to be rescheduled. If those games aren't rescheduled, then the final three matches of the season will weigh heavily on PCF/HH's playoff hopes. If they are rescheduled, there's a chance the permits will need to come from the league's reserves for the playoffs, meaning The Black and Red will need to take on a killer mentality in the event that the early rounds will need to become a one-and-done series.

For now, rescheduled games not withstanding, PCF/HH takes the field again on Tuesday, July 28, against a formidable SOM/Swanke/Cooper team. Game time is 5:30 p.m. on Central Park's North Meadow Field 11.

HMA/RAMSA Narrowly Defeats PCF/HH

Forgive The Black and Red Report for the lack of an update last week, but players and management were still grinding their teeth over the first loss of the season. Despite the fact that the game didn't end in victory for Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton, the matchup did live up to all the hype that both teams produced the week before.

It proved to be a very evenly-matched game, in both strengths and weaknesses. Both teams stranded some runners, both committed a few errors, and both showed character by not losing composure.

PCF/HH opened the game with a 1-0 lead and had runners in scoring position with one out, but Holzman Moss/Robert A.M. Stern pitcher David Solomon worked his way out of trouble, eliciting a pop out and strike out to limit the damage. His team came back in the bottom of the first with 2 runs, and another in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 lead.

Mike Copeland (2-for-4) and Eron Ashley (4-for-4) scored on a sac fly by Mark Maljanian (2-for-3) and a base hit by Juan Monahan (1-for-4) to knot the game in the top of the third. But HMA/RAMSA bounced right back with 3 more runs in the bottom of the inning to grab a 6-3 lead.

Determination was the story for The Black and Red in the heart of this game, as they continued to chip away at the Orange Crush, tacking on 1 run in the fourth and holding HMA/RAMSA in the bottom of the inning. Maljanian and Ashley scored in the top of the fifth to once again tie the game, this time at 6-6. But as was the case earlier in the game, PCF/HH stranded two more base runners and missed the chance to take their second lead of the game.

A clear opportunity for victory wouldn't come again, as HMA/RAMSA once again responded to the threats by PCF/HH by adding 2 runs in the bottom of the fifth to take an 8-6 lead. A scoreless sixth paved the way for a final comeback attempt and, with one out, Ashley reached base for his fourth time of the game. But with Maljanian running for him and Monahan at the plate, HMA/RAMSA turned a game-ending double play to seal our fate.

PCF/HH has the opportunity to start a new winning streak tonight, as they face another tough opponent in FXFowle during a rare prime time matchup. Game time is 7 p.m. on Central Park's Great Lawn, Field 3.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Mother Nature has shown some mercy on our opponents, sparing them a shower of extra-base hits by showering them with rain instead. The last two games on the Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton schedule have been rained out and there's a 40 percent threat of additional rain for our game against one of the S.L.A.M. league's hottest teams, Holzman Moss/Robert A. M. Stern Architects, on Monday.

Even if the rain stops on Monday, a chance of cancellation will occur if the Central Park fields have not have sufficient time to drain from the weekend before. If the game is played, it will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Great Lawn, Field 3.

PCF/HH has held a perfect 3-0 record thus far in the season, outscoring their opponents 31-16 in those games. HMA/RAMSA's record is equally impressive at 5-1. They have dominated their opponents, outscoring them 66-17.

If played, Monday's game will certainly be one to see.

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Also, if you have time, check out the tongue-in-cheek, WWF-style call out we gave to HMA/RAMSA on the S.L.A.M. Blog. I came up with the idea early Thursday and it was that much more fitting, a few hours later, when David Solomon quoted Rick Flair in his team's game recap.

Slugfest Keeps PCF/HH Perfect

The Black and Red remained the only undefeated team in the S.L.A.M. League, last week, after extending their perfect record to 3-0 with a thorough 16-6 victory over Polshek Partnership at Central Park's Hecksher Field 1, on Thursday.

J. Strong was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored; Cate Foster went 3-for-4 with 1 RBI; and pitcher Juan Monahan led the way for Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, 2 runs, and 7 RBI. Carlos Sagastume (2-for-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI) and Mike Copeland (1-for-1, 3 walks, 3 runs, 2 RBI) also homered for PCF/HH

Monahan and Yusuke Okabayashi (1-for-2) hit consecutive 2-RBI doubles in the first and Copeland's 2-run home run extended the lead to 6-2 in the second. PCF/HH extended their lead to 8-2 before the end of the inning on an RBI triple by Mark Maljanian (2-for-3, 1 walk, 3 runs scored), who currently leads the team in extra-base hits with 4.

The Black and Red jumped out of the gate in the third, extending the lead to 10-2 off a double by Sagastume, an RBI triple by Dwidson Metayer (1-for-2) and an RBI single by Foster. But Polshek showed they weren't going to go down easily in the bottom of the inning, as centerfielder Loren Supp hammered a 3-run home run that landed in the batter's box of the opposite field — part of a 4-run inning for the home team.

Seeing the lead narrowed to 10-6 did nothing to shake PCF/HH, as the team added 2 runs in the fourth, 1 in the fifth, and 3 more in the sixth, while surrendering only 4 total hits to their opponent over the final three innings.

The loss bumped Polshek's record to 1-2.

Weather permitting, The Black and Red will look to extend their streak tomorrow evening against an always-tough FXFowle team. At 3-1, FXFowle has outscored their opponents 26-10 in their first four games of the year. Game time is 5:30 p.m. on Central Park's North Meadow, Field 11.

Timely Hitting Leads PCF/HH Past PEA

Pitcher Juan Monahan (2-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 run scored) tripled in the tying run in the bottom of the fifth and left fielder Carlos Sagastume (2-for-2, 2 RBI, 1 sacrifice fly) drove in the winning run with an RBI single as Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton pulled off a rainy come-from-behind win against Perkins Eastman Architects at Central Park's Hecksher, Field 1, last night. The win over previously-undefeated PEA leaves the Black and Red as the only remaining undefeated team in the S.L.A.M. league.

Neither team played error-free softball, but it was timely hitting by both teams that made last night's match an exciting one to watch. After holding PEA scoreless at the top of the first, home team PCF/HH put together four straight hits, followed by Sagastume's sacrifice fly to left and another hit by third baseman Ron Rainone (2-for-3), before finishing the inning up 3-0.

Next it was Perkins Eastman's turn, rolling out four consecutive hits with two outs, including a 2-run triple by their right-centerfielder, to knot the game at 3-apiece. Monahan and company prevented further damage by getting PEA's left-centerfielder to fly out with the bases loaded. But PEA kept the momentum rolling their way, tacking on another 2 runs (over a span of four more hits with two outs) to take a 5-3 lead.

But after a scoreless fourth, with time becoming an issue, the top of the order for PCF/HH gutted out a series of hits to make their comeback. Mike Copeland (2-for-3) singled, but was forced out with Mark Maljanian's fielder's choice. Maljanian (2-for-3, 2 runs) scored as catcher Yusuke Okabayashi (2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 run) singled in the next at-bat. Like Copeland before him, Okabayashi was forced out on J. Strong's fielder's choice, but the Black and Red catcher would get his revenge as a courtesy runner for Strong (1-for-3, 2 runs). Down 5-4 with two outs in the fifth, Okabayashi blazed a trail around the bases to score on Monahan's RBI triple to tie the game 5-5, before Sagastume would play the hero singling in Monahan from third.

Despite the poor field conditions brought on by a constant drizzle, both shortstops were a defensive beacon for their teams. PEA's Mike Bruno made a diving catch to his right in the top of the first to deny Copeland a leadoff single. Bruno made an equally-impressive stop in the second, lunging to his left and nearly over second base, to rob Teresa Parziale (0-for-2) of what otherwise would have been a clear single to center field. For the Black and Red, Maljanian turned two double plays because of his defensive awareness; in the third catching a line drive and doubling off the runner at first base and, later in the fourth, catching another line drive and diving to tag the runner leading off at second base.

PCF/HH returns to the field against a tough Polshek Partnership team on Thursday, June 4. Game time is 5:30 p.m. at Central Park's Hecksher Field 1.

Season Starts Right With 9-5 Win

It wasn't error-free softball, but it was good enough — particularly after a long-delayed start to the season.

Nearly a month passed between the Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton scrimmage on April 13 and yesterday's season opener against Kohn Pedersen Fox, with two rainouts being rescheduled later this summer, but the 2009 PCF/HH team made the best of the cards that were dealt to them. Led by a recouperated shortstop Mark Maljanian (3-for-3 with 3 doubles, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored), The Black and Red jumped on the opportunity to start the season off on the right foot, a 9-5 win at Central Park's Great Lawn, Field 4, last night.

Maljanian, returning to the fold after an elbow injury sidelined him for the entire 2008 S.L.A.M. season, looked good in the field and scored his second run thanks to some heads-up baserunning in the bottom of the fourth inning, plating on an infield groundout.

Despite winning the coin toss to be the home team, things didn't start off well for PCF/HH, as KPF jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. The Black and Red responded quickly, tying the game in the bottom of the first. After a scoreless second, Mike Copeland helped swing the pendulum of momentum permanently in the home team's favor, smacking a bases-clearing double — part of a 5-run inning.

KPF tried to climb back into the game in the top of the fourth, with leadoff hitter Keisuke Hiei (3-for-3, 2 runs scored) advancing on a bloop single by Li-Min Ching. But centerfielder Eron Ashley (1-for-3, 2 RBI) one-hopped the ball and fired a Tomahawk to third baseman Ron Rainone (1-for-3, 1 run) for the put-out as Hiei attempted to stretch from first to third. Maljanian scored his third run in the bottom of the sixth to put PCF/HH up 9-3. KPF scored their final two runs with two out in the top of the seventh before the game was finally put away on a 6-4 fielder's choice.

Yusuke Okabayashi, serving as catcher for part of the game, was 1-for-2 with 1 RBI. Carl Pearson was 1-for-2 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Dwidson Metayer, a latecomer to the game, singled in his only plate appearance as a pinch hitter.

Note: Another recap of the game can be found on the S.L.A.M. Blog.

Season To Finally Begin Tonight (Hopefully)

It's been nearly a month since The Black and Red Report was last updated, but for good reason ... Mother Nature has wreaked havoc on the 2009 S.L.A.M. schedule. Not only has PCF/HH seen its first two games rained out, but the league has been forced to postpone as many games (six) as it has held. With the forecast looking pretty good through Wednesday, it will be an opportunity to finally catch up and get some much-needed playing time.

PCF/HH will officially open the season tonight against KPF. Game time is 7 p.m. on Central Park's Great Lawn, Field 4.

Scrimmage Today — 7 p.m.

The PCF/HH softball team will officially open the seasom today with a pre-season scrimmage against KPF on Central Park's Great Lawn, Field 4. The 7 p.m. meeting is sure to be a cold and short one, as daylight will continue to play spoiler to the S.L.A.M. schedule for another month or so.

The light-duty contest will be an important proving ground for newly-rostered players, as well as an exercise for returning veterans to stretch their muscles.

The Black and Red will open the season officially next Monday, in a 5:30 p.m. game against Perkins Eastman on Central Park's Great Lawn, Field 3. The right-side info bar now contains the first two months of PCF/HH's schedule. It will be updated accordingly when the full schedule is released.

The 2009 S.L.A.M. season kicks off today with the first game between Gensler and The Philips Group on Great Lawn, Field 3. Check out the full league schedule at www.slam-league.com/schedule.cfm and, while you're casually browsing the web, also check out the new S.L.A.M. League blog at http://slam-talk.blogspot.com/.

Meeting Paves Way For Season Opener

From the tough economy to rule changes and digital enhancements, the 2009 S.L.A.M. Manager's Meeting — held at Gensler HQ over pizzas and views of Rockefeller Center — presented a unique opportunity for managers to overhaul a number of league practices for the good of all the firms involved. Here is a recap of some of the major points discussed last week:

• The Commissioners and the Managers in attendance voted to lower the league fee to $500 per team due to the current economic issues facing all of our firms. As a result, the league will cut out the annual All Star Game T-shirts and will be drastically scaling back the end-of-the-year party, if not eliminating it completely. They will also be reducing the number of awards that are given out at the end of the season.

• Also because of costs, preseason practice permits will be limited to the first week’s 7 p.m. permits. The idea behind this is that if we have 5:30 p.m. permits, why waste them on practices/scrimmages when we can get the season rolling and possibly cut back on the number of extra permits we may need at the end of the season?

• There was an extensive discussion about the rules in the playoffs. The league is considering one of two new formats: 1) that only the top six teams make the playoffs, as most of the teams under that spot (for years) have finished far below .500; or 2) allowing eight teams to make the playoffs with the following format: a bye week for the top four seeds and a single-elimination round for seeds 5 through 8. Second week quarterfinals: bye week for seeds 1 and 2, best-of-three series for remaining teams. Semis bring the top two seeds back into the mix to face the winners of the quarters, etc.

Some managers (including myself) who supported the six-team bracket, expressed that playoffs should be a best-of-three during all rounds. Still, we agreed that we would be willing to support an eight-team bracket, but only if the lower teams were forced to play single-elimination to preserve permits for the teams who “earned” higher seeding during the regular season. A decision on which one we’ll use will be made before the season starts.

• Similarly, I introduced a discussion that all regular-season games and playoff games be considered official after five innings. Most agreed that, because we’re trying to move towards a best-of-three playoffs, there’s no reason to force teams to continue games (thereby creating unfair advantages and burning extra permits).

• Finally, it was obvious from the reactions around the conference room table that our PCF/HH blog made a big splash with the rest of the league last season. Partly in support of our efforts, S.L.A.M. webmaster Josh from The Philips Group has started a S.L.A.M. blog where managers can talk smack. They may open it up to comments from others who have to first register with the webmaster, but this is a precaution because the league doesn’t want a flood of activity on the board, as well as non-league players from the outside spamming it. In addition, not only will the scores be put up there each week but each manager will select a “player of the game” to get some props up there too. The S.L.A.M. site is already posted as a copy-paste link on the right side of this blog.

Gmail and Blogger users can post their reactions to all of this news right here on The Black and Red Report. Voice your support, concerns, and ideas. And dust off your cleats, because the 2009 S.L.A.M. season is right around the corner!

Big Decisions at S.L.A.M. Manager's Meeting

The S.L.A.M. Manager's Meeting was held last night at Gensler HQ in Rockefeller Center. Details on the entire meeting — and the many decisions that were made — will be listed here in the very near future.

In the meantime, check out one of the newest components of the S.L.A.M. media family: the S.L.A.M. Talk blog. It's a brand new feature and is still in its infancy, but it's sure to be another fun component of the Architect's League. There is also a copy-and-paste link to the blog now listed in our "Links" section along the right-hand column of this blog.

Dust off those cleats and start stretching! The 2009 S.L.A.M. season is right around the corner!