Most of the bad blood I was worried about was gone by the time we met on the field. I went over to their side before the game and greeted a happy and smiling Mel as we exchanged lineup cards.
“How are ya today Magee?” He asked as he shook my hand
“Guarded in my optimism coach…I’m just hoping we can get through this one without you trying something …..ILLEGAL AS HELL”
That broke the ice and we had a good laugh and I even spoke to a few of their players and swapped some smiles with them. I think everything was pretty much chilled out.
Sometimes you have to do that as a coach. Try to smooth the waters with the other side…..other times as a coach you let the water boil. It just depends on the situation.
As I said a few posts ago….I wasn’t too worried about these guys. Our team was angry enough. If we were playing Jody I would have been throwing gas on that fire. Different situation here. I actually did try to chill things down before the game with everybody from both sides.
The only thing though that still hadn’t chilled out was …..the Verdugo BATS!!!!
Workman led off with a single.
Turner doubled him to third.
Evans picked up an infield single that loaded the bases.
Canale doubled in two.
Fielder squeezed in Evans making it 3-0.
Hagge came up and went DEEEEEP….a two run shot.
It’s 5-0 Verdugo after six batters…..
It ended after six innings due to the mercy rule: Verdugo 14 North Hollywood 4
We never trailed in this one…..
Josh Canale may have Picked up an infield single with his blazing speed to end our scoreless second inning.
Maybe. I can only go by what the scorebook says. And Nancy was handling it that day. And I have always trusted her judgement. All it says is “6-3″…..but written across the top in capital letters she did add in the letters “BFC”….
I will leave it up to you, the reader of this post ….to interpret what exactly that acronym just might stand for ….
Dave Fielder walked and scored for us in the second inning. He also mowed down another guy trying to steal on him at third back in the first inning.
Lance Evans went yard again. His fourth of the season in the fourth inning.
This is the only time I’ve ever seen “ejected” in our scorebook when I just can’t remember what happened. Thunder was launched in the bottom of the fourth. We were on the field. Something went down…I can’t remember. Anybody remember ? Thunder?
All I know is this….anytime a Verdugo player or coach gets ejected …..Verdugo is always justified in their actions!!!! We really need no explanations!!!!
Vo threw a great game. Giving up three hits and only ONE earned run. 97 pitches. It was Vo’s fourth victory of the season for us.
Leading 7-3 in the top of the fifth…Brendan Cowsill led-off with a walk and eventually scored on Ivan Moreno’s base hit. Moreno eventually scored on Robb Turners groundout, making it 9-3 Verdugo.
The top of the sixth we continued to dominate. Lance Evans drove home two runs and Bull followed up with a double of his own that drove in two more.
Evans led the offense with three hits and three RBI and Bull doubled twice and drove in four.
Yves Brancheau rounded out the offense with a base hit as well.
I cannot remember either what field this game was played at. It was a very cool field. We had never played there before and never did again. Mel arranged for the field as this was their “home game” against us….but it was not played at North Hollywood High.
I will eventually remember and try to update here when I do.
We didn’t sweep Lancaster-North as I had hoped….but we swept North Hollywood as I anticipated so we came through this “four-game mini-season at 3-1.
I really wanted to go into the double-header against Glendale at 11-1….
But 10-2 ???
I was happy.
Blazing Speed!!!!
verdugo288 