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.
Showing posts with label post season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post season. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Finals Begin Today
Defending 2007 champions Gensler will play FXFowle today in the start of the 2008 S.L.A.M. Finals.
According to the league website, the teams will attempt to play a Game 1/Game 2 double header today, meaning the hottest team may come away with the S.L.A.M. championship tonight. The games begin at 5:30 p.m. on Central Park's Great Lawn Field 4.
If necessary, the finals will be concluded using Hecksher Field 4 tomorrow (5:30 p.m.) and/or the same field and time on Thursday.
According to the league website, the teams will attempt to play a Game 1/Game 2 double header today, meaning the hottest team may come away with the S.L.A.M. championship tonight. The games begin at 5:30 p.m. on Central Park's Great Lawn Field 4.
If necessary, the finals will be concluded using Hecksher Field 4 tomorrow (5:30 p.m.) and/or the same field and time on Thursday.
Great Monday Means Nothing on Tuesday
An inspiring two-thirds of Game 1 wasn't enough to keep FXFowle from sweeping Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton in a best-of-three semifinal last week, advancing FXF to face the defending 2007 champs Gensler. The loss left the PCF/HH team with a bitter taste in their mouths.
PCF/HH mounted a solid 11-7 lead through four and a half innings on August 25 before a controversial call and game postponement took the wind out of the Black and Red's sails. The controversial call came when the head umpire postponed the game without allowing the home team to get the final at-bats of the night. With the sun setting, FXF (the visiting team in Game 1) was allowed to bat in dusk conditions and register their seventh run of the game. Rather than allow the home team to have the same advantage for the bottom half of the inning, the head ump made a judgment call by postponing the game, to be concluded before the start of Game 2 the following day.
August 25 had been a banner day for PCF/HH bats and the team was rollicking from their offensive showing. Every batter in the lineup reached base successfully at least once and scoring no fewer than 2 runs per inning during the four the team batted in. Three players — left fielder Doug Chu, pitcher Juan Monahan, and third baseman Ron Rainone — were a perfect 1.000 from the plate, each going 3-for-3, scoring a total of 3 runs and driving in a combined 5 runs. Eron Ashley was 2-for-3 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. Steven Peterson, Carl Pearson, and Carlos Sagastume went 2-for-4 with a combined 4 runs scored and 4 RBI. Jen Hagan was 1-for-3 with 1 run scored and Leslie Cacciapaglia remained hot, going 1-for-2 with a run scored and 1 RBI.
Picking up the conclusion of Game 1, and playing Game 2, couldn't have gone worse for the Black and Red. In addition to missing slugger J. Strong for both games, PCF/HH lost Chu and Ashley to availability conflicts. This forced manager Brian Ferry to press into service Dwidson Metayer and Mike Copeland — both were still recovering from injuries. To make matters worse, the ace pitcher and red-hot batter Monahan got a late jump on the afternoon because of deadlines, and the team was forced to finish Game 1 without him. Ferry was left to pitch in the wake of Monahan's absence, with occasional batting practice as the only experience under his belt. PCF/HH registered just 2 hits in the three innings remaining to be played in Game 1. While the defense got through six full innings with the score still to their advantage 11-7, Ferry experienced location issues with his pitching and the defense couldn't come up with the plays to bail him out. The manager took the loss, surrendering 8 hits and 5 runs while walking 2 in two innings pitched.
The shock of a 12-11 loss, in the face of such dominance the night before, did much to shake the confidence of the Red and Black. FXFowle jumped out to an early 5-1 lead after one inning and had mounted an 8-3 lead before the midpoint of the game. FXF's road to the finals appeared to be paved as they took a 10-3 lead in the fifth. But PCF/HH showed that they weren't just going to roll over when Peterson (2-for-4 in Game 2) singled in Ferry (1-for-1 in Game 2) for a run in the top of the seventh.
In spite of the scoring depression PCF/HH experienced in Game 2, there were still standout performances by individual players. Pearson was 3-for-4 batting from the No. 2 spot, contributing a double, a triple (that turned into a run-scored on a wild throw to third base), 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Yusuke Okabayashi went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI and Copeland went 2-for-3. William Work and Hagan also contributed 1 hit apiece in the Game 2 loss.
When all the frustration settles, members of the 2008 PCF/HH team will look back upon a difficult season when a number of players learned to shoulder new burdens and a crop of S.L.A.M. sluggers honed their skills. Pearson led the team in batting average and on-base percentage for a regular starter, with and average an OBP of .682. With zero walks, Pearson was swinging whether he was coming or going. Sagastume produced the most extra-base hits with 7 on the regular season and, accordingly, led the team with a .957 slugging percentage.
Strong had a phenomenal season, driving in 12 runs in 10 games played. Copeland led the team with 17 base hits during the regular season and "The Hammer" Peterson lead off the batting order this season, en route to a team-high 13 runs scored.
But there were major contributions by players who saw limited actions too. Cacciapaglia and Chu are two of the most significant. In four games played, including the playoffs, Cacciapaglia finished 5-for-9 with 4 runs scored and 3 RBI. In the same number of total games, Chu was a nearly-perfect 7-for-8 with 2 walks, 6 runs, and 1 RBI.
It all means that PCF/HH is set up for a big 2009 season.
PCF/HH mounted a solid 11-7 lead through four and a half innings on August 25 before a controversial call and game postponement took the wind out of the Black and Red's sails. The controversial call came when the head umpire postponed the game without allowing the home team to get the final at-bats of the night. With the sun setting, FXF (the visiting team in Game 1) was allowed to bat in dusk conditions and register their seventh run of the game. Rather than allow the home team to have the same advantage for the bottom half of the inning, the head ump made a judgment call by postponing the game, to be concluded before the start of Game 2 the following day.
August 25 had been a banner day for PCF/HH bats and the team was rollicking from their offensive showing. Every batter in the lineup reached base successfully at least once and scoring no fewer than 2 runs per inning during the four the team batted in. Three players — left fielder Doug Chu, pitcher Juan Monahan, and third baseman Ron Rainone — were a perfect 1.000 from the plate, each going 3-for-3, scoring a total of 3 runs and driving in a combined 5 runs. Eron Ashley was 2-for-3 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. Steven Peterson, Carl Pearson, and Carlos Sagastume went 2-for-4 with a combined 4 runs scored and 4 RBI. Jen Hagan was 1-for-3 with 1 run scored and Leslie Cacciapaglia remained hot, going 1-for-2 with a run scored and 1 RBI.
Picking up the conclusion of Game 1, and playing Game 2, couldn't have gone worse for the Black and Red. In addition to missing slugger J. Strong for both games, PCF/HH lost Chu and Ashley to availability conflicts. This forced manager Brian Ferry to press into service Dwidson Metayer and Mike Copeland — both were still recovering from injuries. To make matters worse, the ace pitcher and red-hot batter Monahan got a late jump on the afternoon because of deadlines, and the team was forced to finish Game 1 without him. Ferry was left to pitch in the wake of Monahan's absence, with occasional batting practice as the only experience under his belt. PCF/HH registered just 2 hits in the three innings remaining to be played in Game 1. While the defense got through six full innings with the score still to their advantage 11-7, Ferry experienced location issues with his pitching and the defense couldn't come up with the plays to bail him out. The manager took the loss, surrendering 8 hits and 5 runs while walking 2 in two innings pitched.
The shock of a 12-11 loss, in the face of such dominance the night before, did much to shake the confidence of the Red and Black. FXFowle jumped out to an early 5-1 lead after one inning and had mounted an 8-3 lead before the midpoint of the game. FXF's road to the finals appeared to be paved as they took a 10-3 lead in the fifth. But PCF/HH showed that they weren't just going to roll over when Peterson (2-for-4 in Game 2) singled in Ferry (1-for-1 in Game 2) for a run in the top of the seventh.
In spite of the scoring depression PCF/HH experienced in Game 2, there were still standout performances by individual players. Pearson was 3-for-4 batting from the No. 2 spot, contributing a double, a triple (that turned into a run-scored on a wild throw to third base), 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Yusuke Okabayashi went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI and Copeland went 2-for-3. William Work and Hagan also contributed 1 hit apiece in the Game 2 loss.
When all the frustration settles, members of the 2008 PCF/HH team will look back upon a difficult season when a number of players learned to shoulder new burdens and a crop of S.L.A.M. sluggers honed their skills. Pearson led the team in batting average and on-base percentage for a regular starter, with and average an OBP of .682. With zero walks, Pearson was swinging whether he was coming or going. Sagastume produced the most extra-base hits with 7 on the regular season and, accordingly, led the team with a .957 slugging percentage.
Strong had a phenomenal season, driving in 12 runs in 10 games played. Copeland led the team with 17 base hits during the regular season and "The Hammer" Peterson lead off the batting order this season, en route to a team-high 13 runs scored.
But there were major contributions by players who saw limited actions too. Cacciapaglia and Chu are two of the most significant. In four games played, including the playoffs, Cacciapaglia finished 5-for-9 with 4 runs scored and 3 RBI. In the same number of total games, Chu was a nearly-perfect 7-for-8 with 2 walks, 6 runs, and 1 RBI.
It all means that PCF/HH is set up for a big 2009 season.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Top Seeds Struggle in S.L.A.M. Quarters
In a bizarre twist that fits right in with the way the 2008 season and post season has developed, No. 8 seed Kohn Pedersen Fox beat No. 1 Holzman Moss/Robert A.M. Stern Architects 8-6, last night, on North Meadow Field 11. It marks the third time in the eight-team bracket that a lower seed has eliminated a higher seed in the single-elimination quarterfinals.
Details of the game itself weren't available at the time this story was written, but KPF has FXFowle to thank for their opportunity to unseat the best team of the 2008 S.L.A.M. season. League rules stipulate that playoff-bound teams boast an above-.500 record, but because FXF beat third-place SOM/Swanke/Cooper in the final game of the regular season on Monday to clinch a post-season bid, the league pulled KPF into the playoffs to create a balanced bracket. Ironically, KPF also beat SSC by a 7-0 forfeit to finish their season just above ninth-seed Ronnette Riley/Davis Brody Bond.
HM/RAMSA was flying high for most of the season, boasting a 10-1 record. But as the start of the playoffs neared, HM/RAMSA seemed to fall into a slump, just beating our own Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton team 5-4 before losing their final game of the season by an astounding 20-7 score to RR/DBB.
This marks the second season in a row that Holzman Moss was eliminated in the quarterfinals. The team finished the 2007 regular season with a strong record and good seeding before facing PCF/HH. In that game, the two teams battled to a 3-3 tie and continued their quarterfinal into an eighth and deciding inning days later, when PCF/HH pulled the game out 7-5. Immediately following that game, the Red and Black began their semifinal match against Gensler Associates, who swept them en route to a 2007 S.L.A.M. championship over SSC.
Even Gensler — the sole remaining team from the top four — struggled earlier this week, having to make a comeback from a 2-0 deficit against Polshek Partnership for a 4-2 final.
Here's how the current standings appear, with regular season standings, winning percentage, and run ratio — runs against divided by runs for — in parenthesis. Eliminated teams are indicated with a strikethrough:
1. Holzman Moss/Robert A.M. Stern Architects (10-1, .909, 1.299)
2. The Philips Group (9-2, .818, 2.159)
3. SOM/Swanke/Cooper (7-4, .636, 1.338)
4. Gensler Associates (7-4, .636, 1.290)
7. FXFowle (5-5-1, .500, 0.925)
8. Kohn Pedersen Fox (4-5-2, .455, 1.216)
Defending champions Gensler assume the position of top seed and face a high-scoring KPF team in their best-of-three series. The first two games of that series will be played as a double-header this Monday.
The Black and Red also get to bat as the home team in their best-of-three series against an equally matched FXF team. Their series also starts on Monday, with Game 2 on Tuesday.
Details of the game itself weren't available at the time this story was written, but KPF has FXFowle to thank for their opportunity to unseat the best team of the 2008 S.L.A.M. season. League rules stipulate that playoff-bound teams boast an above-.500 record, but because FXF beat third-place SOM/Swanke/Cooper in the final game of the regular season on Monday to clinch a post-season bid, the league pulled KPF into the playoffs to create a balanced bracket. Ironically, KPF also beat SSC by a 7-0 forfeit to finish their season just above ninth-seed Ronnette Riley/Davis Brody Bond.
HM/RAMSA was flying high for most of the season, boasting a 10-1 record. But as the start of the playoffs neared, HM/RAMSA seemed to fall into a slump, just beating our own Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton team 5-4 before losing their final game of the season by an astounding 20-7 score to RR/DBB.
This marks the second season in a row that Holzman Moss was eliminated in the quarterfinals. The team finished the 2007 regular season with a strong record and good seeding before facing PCF/HH. In that game, the two teams battled to a 3-3 tie and continued their quarterfinal into an eighth and deciding inning days later, when PCF/HH pulled the game out 7-5. Immediately following that game, the Red and Black began their semifinal match against Gensler Associates, who swept them en route to a 2007 S.L.A.M. championship over SSC.
Even Gensler — the sole remaining team from the top four — struggled earlier this week, having to make a comeback from a 2-0 deficit against Polshek Partnership for a 4-2 final.
Here's how the current standings appear, with regular season standings, winning percentage, and run ratio — runs against divided by runs for — in parenthesis. Eliminated teams are indicated with a strikethrough:
4. Gensler Associates (7-4, .636, 1.290)
5. Polshek Partnership (5-5-1, .500, 1.206)
7. FXFowle (5-5-1, .500, 0.925)
8. Kohn Pedersen Fox (4-5-2, .455, 1.216)
Defending champions Gensler assume the position of top seed and face a high-scoring KPF team in their best-of-three series. The first two games of that series will be played as a double-header this Monday.
The Black and Red also get to bat as the home team in their best-of-three series against an equally matched FXF team. Their series also starts on Monday, with Game 2 on Tuesday.
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