Starting off a season with a loss is never an easy thing to bounce back from, but that is exactly what the Missiles needed to do this past Tuesday evening up at Harlem River Park. Facing off against VB, the Missiles were locked and loaded for their second game.
Again the visiting team, the Missiles lead off the game batting and produced some quick runs. Jeff Young, making his 2011 season debut, started the Missiles off by working a deep count, and eventually, a walk. Mike Pappas followed him in the order and belted a rope to third base, which was simply too much to handle, advancing Young to second. Joe “The Guarino” Guarino, also making his return to the line-up for the new season, belted a double to the outfield, scoring Young for an RBI and getting Pappas to third. Stacey Zelek continued the rallying, bringing in the last RBI of the inning, as the Missiles headed notched a quick two runs to get on the board.
Following a solid offensive start, The Guarino, with battery mate Courtney Ryder, then took the mound for the Missiles and prepared to regain his 2010 form. VB’s players had lively bats, but the Missiles defense held strong. Eric Sveum made his first start at third base, and he proved to be the anchor of the defense, recording a Missiles record five put outs in a single game, including the first ever Missiles unassisted triple play. Behind his solid play there, the Missiles “D” held up very solidly over the game. Ben Therrien returned to the diamond, taking one for the team while playing out of position at first base. Young, Zelek, and Pappas were joined by Rachel Nathanson in the outfield, effectively covering one of the largest fields in the city. Also to be noted, Jackie Kollmar, a much talked about rookie prospect, made a very solid showing at second base, handling everything hit her way.
The game was an extremely evenly matched game, with both teams going back and forth each inning trying to top one another. Following a monster third inning from Young, Pappas, and Therrien, Ryder kick-started a rally in the fourth inning, demonstrating the lethality of a balanced line-up. Again, though the Missiles continued to produce runs, VB chipped away throughout the game as well, producing what amounted to a tie heading into the top of the seventh inning. Starting with Zelek and Therrien, the Missiles pulled ahead, and stayed ahead, by three runs through timely hitting from Sveum and Cutrone. With the game on the line, and the Missiles up by three runs in the bottom of the seventh, The Guarino and the rest of the Missiles D, complete with circus (re: incredible) catches by Young and Sveum, locked down VB, emerging with their first win of the season by a score of 12-9.