I SAID " IT'S A DRAW " VARMINT!

HURTIN' UNITS VS. DODGE CITY ROUNDERS.

Dodge City Rounders roll in to Tottenham
for a game against Hurtin' Units.

Game # 15 - July 20th, 2015

Hurtin' Units Tie- 17-17

Team Record 9-5-1

Keogh Park- For the first time this season the Dodge City Rounders and the Hurtin' Units will play a regular season game. The DC Rounders were seen disembarking at the Tottenham train station on Sunday evening. Some of the onlookers said that the Rounders looked tired after a long 1 game road trip (you probably don't get much sleep on the train with the whistle blowing, the clackidy clack of the wheels and huge puffs of black smoke coming through the windows). The Hurtin' Units can only hope that this is true about the tired team, with all the heavy hitters on this Rounders team.  

The Hurtin' Units and the Dodge City Rounders did play each other once this year, but it wasn't in the regular season. The two teams had a showdown at the HTKP tournament, and the DCRs would defeat the Units by a score of 9-4. The Hurtin' Units did not have a very good HTKP tournament, but of the 3 round robin games they did play, the Dodge City game was definitely the closest and best played.

Hurtin' Units will be in Dodge City on September 1st.  YIKES!!!

The weather for this game was hot (not as hot as Dodge City or the desert or Tottenham the past Saturday) with temperatures hovering around  28 degrees feeling like 32 degrees with the humidity(7:00pm game night), mixed sun and cloud skies and a 15km breeze.

At game time the Hurtin' Units had 12 players dressed in their home uniforms, warming up to take on the monstrous bats of the Dodge City Rounders. Former Dodge City Captain, and now Hurtin' Units slugger, Al F. was revved up to take on this former team. Al F. was quoted as saying "the faces have changed, but the team name is still the same" a truer statement we have never heard. Thanks for the quote Al.

When a powerhouse team, like the Rounders, rolls in to town there is a buzz throughout the entire region, even as far out as the town of Beeton. The stands at Keogh Park will be filled to watch the Hurtin' Units and the Dodge City Rounders scratch and claw at the mosquitoes as they get biten. And there will also be a few people there to watch the game. 

The Rounders have a monstrous batting lineup and at least 2 gunslingers who can take their opponents down with a single shot. To get in to gunfight with these guys could result huge losses. The Hurtin' Units will need to pull out the big guns for this game. The Hurtin' Units are the Home team in this game. Roman

(of Gilead) was the umpire on the evening.

Susie Smith,  Dodge Ctiy Womens League. 

The Dodge City Rounders are currently on a 2 game road trip, playing last Thursday night in Beerbrosville against the Beer Bros, squeaking out a 10-8 win. The second game of their trip is up against your hometown Hurtin' Units, which promises to be a real barn burner (no barns will be harmed during this game). The Rounders will then board the team steam train named Blain and head back to Dodge City for a tilt with Tiny Timmy and the Tap Masters. Speaking of the Tap Masters, I had the opportunity to sub for the Tappers last Wednesday night and I had a decent game. I really like to get out and sub every once and a while, I try to work on some things and hopefully bring what I worked on, back to the Units in the form of a better game. I encourage Units players to play as a sub from time to time, hopefully to improve their game. 

Armed and Dangerous

Prior to this game, I was looking through the Tottenham Gazette, in the sports section, at the standings for the T.O.T league. The Hurtin' Units were sitting in 5th position with a record of 9-5-0 and the Dodge City Rounders were in 6th position with a record of 7-5-2. The Hurtin' Units have dropped in the runs for column, last week the Units were first, but this week they have dropped to 4th. There are now 3 teams with more runs for than the Hurtin' Units, but all 3 teams have games in hand on the Units.

Al Fry opens new post retirement  business. 

The Beer Bros. lead the league, (16 games played) with 238 runs scored, in second are the Sliders (15 games played) with 237 runs for and just behind them (16 games played) coming up the rear are the Master Batters with 234 runs scored. The Hurtin' Units have played 14 games and have 230 runs scored. The past two games hurt the Units in the runs for column, with only 9 runs against Tap Masters and 4 runs against the Master Batters. The runs for statistic is a nice little piece of information, but the stat that really matters is the win or tie column.

ALL TIED UP!

Hurtin Units and Dodge City fit to be tied.

I would venture a wager, that in the last five games, I have not walked a total of 3 batters (I do remember an intentional walk), so why is it that I no coulda finda da plate lasta night. Was it the week long layoff? Was it the humidity (I do think the humidity played a part in this game, especially the hitting) or was it just a bad start? Whatever it was, the walks played a part in this game. All 3, first inning, walks would all come around to score. OUCH!!

I said " it's a draw" varmint.

In the top of the 1st inning, the DCRs would send 10 batters to the plate, I would walk Winston, Brett and Dwayne and all 3 would came around to score. The Rounders would score 6 runs in the inning, highlighted by a 2 run homerun by Beechy. In the bottom of the inning, I would be the lead off batter and would work Tito (yes, Tito is back from Italy) for a walk. Darrell would also get on base and both of us would come around to score on a double hit by Scotty. 

Stewie takes shelter from the awesome hitting.

In the 2nd inning, both teams would score a single run each. Todd would hit a homerun (10th) over the left field fence. 

In the top of the 3rd inning, the Units shut down the Rounders on 5 batters. In the home half of the inning, the Units would score 5 runs before an out, and then a 6th run before the inning ended. Darrell hit a 2 run homerun to highlight the inning.

In the top of the 4th inning, the Rounders awesome power showed up again, when Lahey hit a 3 run homerun and the Rounders scored 4 more total runs. In the bottom, the Units would match the 4 runs scored in the top of the inning, and keep pace with the Rounders. After 4 complete innings of play, Hurtin' Units 13, the Dodge City Rounders 11.

I brought rope for the tying.

In the top of the 5th inning, the Rounders would do it again...Jerry M. would hit a 3 run homerun and the Rounders would take the lead again. In the bottom of inning, the Units would score a single run to tie the game at 14-14. 

Going in to the 6th inning, the score was tied 14-14, the Dodge City Rounders would send up 7 batters, Dwayne, Goose and Dave would all come in to score. The Rounders would once again take the lead. In the bottom of the inning, the home town Units would send six quick guns to the plate, but could only manage to get Dave and Darrell around to score.

Units had a chance to end it in the 7th inning. 

Going in to the 7th inning, the DCRs would lead by a score of 17-16 with the top guns (talk to me Goose) coming up to bat. Beechy was the lead off batter and hit back to me at pitcher, over to first for the out. The next batter, Lahey popped out, Brett would get on with a single and Dwayne would strike out (watching) to end the inning.  

In the home half of the 7th inning, the Units down by a run, the lead off batter would be Todd. Todd would hit a lead off double, sliding in to second base with shorts on and scrapping up his left leg (limestone surface is such a rough bitch). The next batter was Al, he hit a single, but couldn't move Todd to third, Vince would hit a single, Todd would advance to third, Al was forced out at second. Dave Mil would hit a sack fly to LCF, Todd would tag and come home. Game Tied!! Bill would fly out and that was the ball game. This was a fun game. 

A homerun in each of the first 5 innings. 

This was a great game, filled with lead changes, great hitting, walks, solid defense and 5 homeruns which were responsible for 11 runs scored in the game. The Units defense was very good again. Dave Mc. turned a fantastic double play to end a Rounders rally, Todd threw to guys out at home plate, the outfield was busy keeping the Rounders honest. Great Game Units...UNITS UNTAMED!!