|
DATE |
FIELD |
OPPONENT |
RESULT |
|
Thursday, May 28 |
Field 2 (turf) |
Whitehead BioHazards |
|
|
Thursday, June 4 |
Field 7 |
Mashdown |
|
|
Thursday, June 11 |
Field 9 |
Blood-Sucking Contractors |
|
|
Thursday, June 18 |
Field 9 |
PHB |
Rainout |
|
Thursday, June 25 |
Field 7 |
Killer T's |
|
|
Thursday, July 9 |
Field 2 (turf) |
Whitehead BioHazards |
|
|
Thursday, July 16 |
Field 9 |
Mashdown |
|
|
Thursday, July 23 |
Field 7 |
Atom Smashers |
Rainout |
|
Thursday, July 30 |
Field 7 |
PHB (double-header) |
|
|
Thursday, August 6 |
Field 2 (turf) |
Killer T's (5:30pm) |
|
|
Field 7 |
Blood-Sucking Contractors (~7:00pm) |
Thursday
May 28 versus the Whitehead BioHazardsOpening Day went splendidly for the Clipper faithful, who more than compensated for being one player short of the softball-mandated 10 players. In a way, Zeke hit for the cycle--a ground-rule double into the bushes would have easily been a homerun had the bushes not been there. As it was, he singled, tripled and doubled twice. Will had a couple of hits and found great range playing second base, covering first base when Stan fielded grounders.
The BioHazards featured a resourceful second-baseman of their own, a woman perhaps more schooled in the ways of soccer than softball who deftly stopped screaming grounders with her feet.
Clipper pitcher Lisa inadvertently also managed to block several balls with her body, one of which caromed towards Robert at shortstop who executed a Gumby-like stretch to reach second base and force a runner.
The three Clipper outfielders showed great chronology in the sixth inning, with 1-2-3 putouts by Eric (center), Greg (left) and Zeke (right). Eric, Nelson and Greg each hit homeruns, no Clipper was without a hit, and the team managed to score in every inning.
The Clippers closed with one of Alice's patented cheers: "Rah, rah, they are dazzlers, three cheers for the BioHazards!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BioHazards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers 24, BioHazards 9
On the eve of President Clinton's visit to MIT, thirteen helpful Clippers did a good job of beating down the basepaths to smooth the landing for the President's helicopter the next day on Briggs Field.
The Clippers scored 16 runs in the first two innings and coasted to a win with three more runs and primo defense. Dwayne picked up right where he left off last year and homered in his first at-bat of the season -- the rest of the damage was done with an astonishing number of singles.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mashdowns |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers 19, Mashdowns 6
After the latest thrashing of their opponents, the Clippers found themselves pondering that age-old softball question, "Why are we winning?" This unaccustomed but pleasant question yielded several theories: 1) the team tightened its defense and now knows when to hold the ball, 2) the law of averages finally and mercifully kicked in, 3) Dwayne, 4) limited refreshments on the field this year.
In any case, the Clippers had a feast against the Blood-Sucking Contractors, who could barely eke out a hit much less blood. Barry got back into the swing of things going 5-for-5. Dan had three long singles, Dave homered and tripled, Nelson and Zeke each homered twice. Zeke's second homerun was a grand slam which capped off a 12-run seventh inning.
On a cool and cloudy evening, punctuated by a special Zen moment when some robed Tai Chi practioners jogged silently around the backstop, the Clippers welcomed back Omar and Manuel to the team. The two combined to go 5-for-7, and Will, Lisa, Alice and Eric showed patience by drawing 7 walks among them. Frank only missed a homerun to keep him from hitting for the cycle, Neal singled and walked as did Ben, and Dwayne homered and doubled twice.
The Clippers are now 3-0 and have scored 78 runs in their first three games. Confident, yes; cocky, no -- the team knows that "mercurial" can refer to movement going up -- or down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B-S Contractors |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers 35, Blood-Sucking Contractors 2
After three relatively easy victories, the Clippers shared a 3-0 record and the division lead with the Killer T's. It took extra innings to do it, but the Clippers emerged victorious after one of their closest and most exciting games in team history.
Things looked a bit grim after the first two innings found the Clippers down 7-2, but then the offense kicked in with a series of two-out rallies, scoring four in the third (starting with a solo homer by Dave), three in the fourth and six in the fifth, which was capped by a team-wide hitting for the cycle -- a single by Nelson, a double by Gretchen in her first game in 2 years, a triple by Barry and a home run by Zeke, who leads the team with a batting average at .875 and is tied for most home runs (three) with Nelson and Dave.
The Clippers clung to a 15-15 lead after six but got five more in the top of the seventh to make it 20-15 with three outs to go. However, as with the Red Sox, no lead was safe -- the Clippers coughed up five in the seventh when the Killer T's staged a two-out rally of their own, resulting in a 20-20 tie after regulation. However, the Clippers got three more in the top of the eighth (RBIs by Greg, Omar and Neal) and held the Killer T's scoreless in the bottom of the inning for the win. The victors' heartfelt cheer: "Killer T's! Killer T's! Playing them is sure no breeze!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Killer Ts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers 23, Killer Ts 20
Just weeks before her nuptials, Clipper Captain Alice symbolically put an end to her "single life" by hitting a double and then her first-ever homerun, a seeing-eye beauty that rolled far into right field in the fifth inning.
It was a notable highlight in a game in which the Clippers once again dominated, despite a 15 run performance by the Whitehead BioHazards that knocked pitcher Neal out of the game. In the top of the fifth inning one of the Hazards clobbered one of the longest homeruns witnessed in MIT Summer Softball -- it cleared handily the hedge that lines the artifical turf and landed somewhere on the track field far beyond. Neal departed immediately and reliever Alice got a quick two outs to prevent further damage.
The Clippers scored in every inning with an offensive attack that included additional homeruns by Zeke and Neal, a triple by Todd, and 4-for-4 or 3-for-3 performances by Will, Zeke, Nelson, Manuel and Dan. Omar scored twice without benefit of a hit, Gretchen scored three times on two walks and a double, Ben singled and scored twice, and Lisa, Eric, Stan, Frank and Greg mixed in a productive combination of walks, sacrifices, hits and RBIs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BioHazards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers 30, BioHazards 15
The Clippers lost their first game of the season against the hard-hitting, good-fielding, all-male Mashdown.
The good guys and gals never really recovered after giving up 9 runs in the first inning, but they fault the outburst more on the strength of their opponents rather than deficiencies in their own play.
The highlights by the Clippers included a remarkable 7th inning grab of a slow, deep groundball by Zeke at third and his subsequent rifleshot strike thrown to Todd at first for the final out. Seconds later, Zeke led off the Clipper half of the inning with a huge homerun. Earlier in the game -- which was accompanied by a droning chant from a Mashdown Aussie: "Loin Droive! Loin Droive!" -- centerfielder Neal initiated a relay to shortstop Nelson who then fired a loin droive to catcher Alice and nailed a Mashdown at the plate.
The Clippers participated in some dramatic baserunning of their own -- Dwayne taking third and later scoring after a single and sluggish infield reactions by the Mashdown -- and Eric, who homered earlier in the game, was tagged out in a dramatic sliding play at the plate which produced an impressive bloody war wound on his shin.
Todd also made a great snag of a hard-hit liner at first, and thanks to his height contributed to several close outs. Dwayne made a gazelle-like snow-cone grab of a deep fly ball to center, and Nelson did his best Willie Mays imitation to snag a deep pop-up over his shoulder with his back to the plate.
Yeah, the Clippers lost, but, boy, did they look good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mashdown |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mashdown 20, Clippers 10
Thursday July 30 versus PHB (doubleheader)
In a pattern painfully similar to past years, the Clippers are seeing their great start to the season get lost in a second-half swoon. However, the team still remains a contender for the playoffs with a 5-3 record.
In the first game, against another strong all-male team, the Clippers lost it all in one bad inning. The Clippers led 14-6 after 4 innings, but then the PHB defense kicked in simultaneously with its offense, limiting the Clippers to just 1 more run and putting 8 runs on the board in the 5th inning and 2 more in the 6th inning.
Omar did everything right as a leadoff hitter, going 1-for-1 with three walks and scoring 3 times. Robert and Barry hit doubles and singles and RBIs, and Gretchen had a key bases-loaded single in the 7-run Clipper 3rd inning which drove in two runs. Neal singled, sacrificed, scored, and drove in two runs. Frank went three-for-three, Manuel drove in a run, Greg reached base twice, and Zeke made a remarkable slide to score a run, tagging both home-plates (a second plate had been added to avoid a puddle in the original batter's box).
In both games, the Clippers made some stellar plays, particularly perfect outfield throws by Barry, Greg and Neal to nail runners twice at third and at the plate. But the team also developed butterfingers on several pop-ups and grounders and couldn't quite get the job done.
In the second game, a five-inning affair due to the late hour, the Clippers lost 16-9 despite multiple-hit games by Zeke, Frank and Greg (each 2-for-3), Will (3-for-3, two RBIs), Neal, Barry and Omar (all 2-for-2, RBI by Omar). Nelson and Stephanie also had hits as did RBI-producers Robert and Gretchen.
Next week's requirement: Serious Game Faces.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PHB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PHB |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
PHB 16, Clippers 15
PHB 16, Clippers 9
The Clippers had their hopes for the playoffs brutally smashed during their season finale two-team doubleheader. With the team decimated by injury, attrition, conflicts, vacations and honeymoons, the 10 Clippers mounted a valiant effort in Game 1 against a team they had beaten in a thriller earlier in the season, but were soundly beaten.
In the first game, the Killer T's featured some spectacular defense, particularly their left-fielder who was fast, athletic and robbed several Clipper players of multiple-base hits.
Zeke led the Clippers hitting effort with a single, double and huge homerun, with Lisa and Neal going 2-for-3 in the six-inning mercy-rule-shortened game.
The Clipper defense had some weak moments, but wasn't without great grabs by Zeke at short, Neal in center, Dan at second, Greg in right, and Todd at short. The infield survived a shift when catcher Gretchen moved to first, first baseman Frank took over at the mound and pitcher Lisa moved to catcher after getting nailed in the wrist by a smash back to the mound.
Also, Eric had a timely RBI on a groundout, Gretchen singled and drove in a run.
The Clippers lost the second game due to a forfeit, since they only had 8 players. By then, the team was dispirited, tired, and Barry pulled a hamstring. Plus it was pretty dark. The two teams played a few innings anyway, which the usually hapless Blood-Sucking Contractors dominated and thus boosted their self-esteem, always a good thing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Killer Ts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
BS Contractors |
|
|
|
Clippers |
|
|
First game: Killer Ts 23, Clippers 7
Second game: BS Contractors win due to forfeit