SLAC
Annual Softball Game 2016 SLAC
Annual Softball Game 2016| BOX SCORE: | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs |
| Research |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Accelerator |
8 |
1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 4 | - | 35 |
Game Highlights
The game was held October 9 on a sunny afternoon at SLAC's Arrillaga Field.
Accelerator avenged last year's loss and evened the record to 5-5 between the
2 teams. A good omen for them was winning the bat toss -- they took home
field advantage and never looked back. Firing on all cylinders on
offense and defense, they started strong in the first inning with the first 7
batters getting hits and scoring. The top of the lineup hit very well
with the first 4 batters homering at different points in the game (Kevin
Turner, Brian Anzalone, Matt Byom and Mark Anzalone). Every Accelerator
player contributed at least 1 hit and 1 run. The 4 Anzalones (Gene + 3
sons Brian, Mark and Kevin) were a force to be reckoned with, and combined for
a staggering 12 runs. The 2 Liebelts (Steve and son Bill) batting #9 and
#10 in the lineup had similar stellar hitting and combined for 7 runs, the
most entertaining being Bill's 8th inning home run where he chased his dad
around the bases and somehow managed to avoid tripping over Steve's heels.
By contrast, Research's heavy hitters struggled throughout the game and the first 4 batters contributed a mere 2 hits. The two women on the team, Yuanyuan and Monica, outhit their spouses and little Ewan Minitti outhit his powerful dad. Ewan shadowed his dad in Center Field as Mike covered an area that seemed the size of Arizona to chase down a swarm of well-hit fly balls from Accelerator. In the infield, Research's shortstop Omar Moreno made some fantastic plays including a couple terrific slides to his backhand followed by incredible pivots while on his knees to rope hard throws to first. The hitting onslaught from Accelerator though was too much, and too often found gaps that had evaded them in the 2015 game.
Contributing to the Research hitters' frustration was a solid Accelerator defense that at times seemed flawless. Mark Anzalone, Matt Byom and Bill Liebelt anchored the outfield, while Brian Anzalone did the same for the infield at short. Matt Cramar pitched a super game and Natalie Cramar caught every throw within reach at first, including a difficult one-hop throw from 3rd base for the final out to retire Research in the 6th inning and end any hope they had to mount a comeback. Omar was at bat and hit a hard groundball straight down the 3rd base line, but Mike Woods played him close to the line and made a backhand grab followed by the throw to Natalie at first for the out. Accelerator went on to score 11 runs in the bottom of the 6th and put the game out of reach.
Members from both teams gathered at the Dutch Goose for post-game beer and
snacks. Accelerator players relished their win, while Research pondered
possibilities for 2017.
Bill Kirk MVP Award
Brian
Anzalone was awarded MVP. Brian hit for the cycle* and anchored
the Accelerator defense at shortstop.
(*single, double, triple and home
run)
Game Notes
Special thanks to scorekeeper Laurel Woods and photographer James Shaw.
Action photos from the game can be found
here.
|
Research: |
Accelerator: |
 |
| Accelerator Team Standing: Kevin Anzalone, Mark Anzalone, Brian Anzalone, Matt Byom, Mike Woods, Matt Cramar, Kevin Turner, Petr Fuchs, Bill Liebelt Kneeling: Gene Anzalone, Steve Liebelt, Natalie Cramar |
 |
| Research Team Standing: Logan Giles, Tsutomu Matsui, Ryan MacLellan, Tim Daniels, Andrei Kamalov, Howie Haber, Omar Moreno, Matt Solt Kneeling: Matt Windeler, Yuanyuan Su MacLellan, James Cryan, Mike Minitti, Ewan Minitti, Monica Moreno + Maddox Moreno, Joseph Moreno |
Drell-Richter Trophy Presentation
Bill Kirk MVP Award Winner Brian Anzalone