By Tim “Shoe” Sullivan

There was one thriller and one blowout in Tuesday night’s coed softball action out at Moore Barn Memorial Park.

Central Door Solutions snapped Joe’s Bar winning streak at five with a come-from-behind 7-6 victory in the opener, and Final Score routed Papa Joe’s, 14-2 in the nightcap. The first game was a doozy as CDS proved Yogi Berra was right when he said, “The game aint over till it’s over”.

CDS had 13 hits while Joe’s could only come up with 11. Both teams are usually good for about twenty. Defense was the name of the game as neither team dented the scoreboard in the first two innings. Joe’s Bar finally broke through in the top of the third with three runs.

The rally featured singles by Rob King, Casey Bielen, Bailey Hinderman, Nicole Kirsch, and Kyle Salzman. CDS also got on the board in the third when Abby Rottier scored following base hits by Adam Lee and left-fielder Tommy Pepowski; 3-1 Joe’s after three.

The fourth and fifth innings showed no more runs as the rivals displayed some great fielding. Tommy Pepowski, Meg Lee, and Brooke Simonis all made some dazzling defensive gems for the Solutions, and Bailey Hinderman and Beke Blue flashed some fine leather for Joe’s on the Square. Joe’s still led, 3-1, after five. Then it looked like Joe’s put the game away in the top of the sixth with three more big runs.

With Beke Blue on third and Bobby Sullivan on second, Rob King unloaded a deep drive down the right-field line and scampered around all the bases for an inside-the-park three-run homer; 6-1 Joe’s.

Then CDS finally got things going in their half of the sixth by coming up with five runs to tie the game at 6-6. Here’s how it went. Meg Lee walked, Tommy Pepowski singled, and Robby Armatoski crushed a three-run homer over the fence in right. 6-4 Joe’s. Josh Swan followed with a single, Kim Schmitz doubled, and they both scored on winning pitcher Mark Leatherman’s base hit.

A new game after the sixth; 6-6. Leatherman stymied Joe’s in the top of the seventh. Then CDS came to bat in the bottom of the seventh needing one run to win. And it didn’t take long for them to get it. Adam Lee singled. Meg Lee was safe on a fielder’s choice as Adam Lee was forced at second. Then Tommy Pepowski singled which sent Meg to second. With one out, Brooke Simonis hit a grounder but Joe’s throw to first was off the mark and Meg Lee came all the way around to score the winning run. Both teams are now tied for first place with 5-2 records.

JOE’S BAR BATTING STATS: Casey Bielen: single, double, run; Bailey Hinderman: single, run; Travis Kempf: single, sac fly; Nicole Kirsch: two singles; Kyle Salzman: single; Beke Blue: scored a run; Bobby Sullivan (filling in for Casey Kedrowski): double, run; Chelsea Stenzel (race car driver): single; Rob King: single, two runs, three-run homer in sixth. CENTRAL DOOR SOLUTIONS BATTING STATS: Abby Rottier: run; Adam Lee: two singles; Meg Lee: walk, sac fly, two runs; Tommy Pepowski: four hits (double, three singles; Robby Armatoski: big three-run homer in sixth; Josh Swan: double, two singles, run; Kim Schmitz: HUGE double, run; Mark Leatherman: two singles, winning pitcher, struck out six batters. TIME OF GAME: 48 minutes.

Prior to the second game between Final Score and Papa Joe’s, the Score’s manager Bobby Sullivan approached the announcer and predicted, “We picked up Pierre Stanford for this game, and he’s leading off. Just watch. He’ll hit the first pitch over the rightfielder’s head and get an inside-the-park homer in about eight seconds.”

Well, the first pitch came in and Pierre took a mighty swing and hit the ball over the right-fielder’s head and raced around with a home run in about five seconds.

If I was the Milwaukee Brewers, I’d sign Pierre up as a pinch-runner immediately.

The Score tacked on three additional runs in the first behind Kelly Arndt’s single and doubles by Sullivan and Cody Tokarski; 4-0 after one.

Papa Joe’s never had much luck getting anything going offensively. They got runners on in the second and fourth, but double plays (Sullivan to Tokarski to Morgan Oppor) eliminated them. The only success Papa’s had came in the third when they pushed across a pair of runs.

It was singles by Dustin White and Hiroko Koashi and Matt Bauman’s triple and Jason VanDewalle’s hit that accounted for Papa’s runs. Papa’s had seven hits for the game. The Final Score picked up one run in the second when Pierre Stanford doubled and cruised home on Morgan Oppor’s RBI double.

The Score got five more in the third with the key hits being doubles by Cory Blake and Nic Dulmes and singles by Cody Tokarski and that Stanford dude again. Jim Billing’s Final Score scored three more in the fourth on singles by Kelly Arndt, Cory Blake, and Cody Tokarski mixed in with doubles from Bobby Sullivan and Nic Dulmes. Pierre Stanford came to bat in the bottom of the fifth needing a triple for the “cycle” and then went out and got it. 14-2 was your final.

PAPA JOE’S BATTING STATS: Jason VanDewalle: single, double; Lisa Brooks: walk; Laura Mattek: walk, single; Dustin White: single; Hiroko Koashi: single, run; Matt Bauman: triple, single, run. FINAL SCORE BATTING STATS: Pierre Stanford: Homer, double, single, triple, (probably still running); Morgan Oppor: single, double; Bobby Sullivan: two doubles, single; Kelly Arndt: two singles, two runs; Cory Blake: double, single, two runs; Kristin DeVogel: run; Cody Tokarski: double, two singles, run; Jazmin Soto: run; Nic Dulmes: two doubles, run; Megan Shulfer: sac fly; good deal on sod at Shulfer’s Sprinklers. TIME OF GAME: 48 minutes.

TUESDAY NIGHT “JIM BARDEN” CO-ED LEAGUE STANDINGS: Central Door Solutions: 5-2; Joe’s Bar: 5-2; Final Score: 4-3; Papa Joe’s: 0-7.