Hammers Erupt for 26 Runs In Comeback Win Over Manet

LeBREQUE FIELD, HN - The McInnis Carpentry softball team stormed back from an early 11 run deficit to beat the Manet 26-14 Monday night in Houghs Neck.

Down 12-1 after 2 innings, the Hammers got back in the game with a four-run 3rd.

Sal Buonopane took over on the hill in the 3rd inning. In some of the finest relief work seen in years he pitched 6-hit, two run ball for the remaining 5 innings.

"It was a hell of a performance," said GM Tom Fratolillo "These kids were knocking the ball all over the park... it seems like they could do no wrong in those first two innings. They way it was going I thought we would'nt make it through 5 innings. Sal came in and it was basically lights out. He gave us a chance and then the bats took over."

It was the largest margin the Hammers have overcome in team history.

"Things looked rough early", said M.C. firstbaseman John Martin "They had us on the ropes for sure... but as they say it's not over 'til the fat lady sings!"

In the fourth the M.C. club erupted with 8 runs to tie the game and took the lead by scoring 6 in their next at-bat. A young and talented Manet squad couldn't recover from the Hammers big 21-2 run.

Billy Wysocki hit for the cycle while Scott Logan hit his 5th HR of the year. Greg Harper banged out four hits to up his team-leading average to .647. Once again, every starter in the lineup had a hit.

With the win the Hammers improve to 11-3 on the season and face Local 103 on Thursday night at LeBreque.

NOTES:

Bill Wysocki is the first M.C. player to hit for the cycle this season... John Gray made his first career start at catcher due to a shoulder injury, he's scheduled for an MRI on Saturday.... Lef Fielder Mark Free showcased his versatility once again, starting in the 6th different position for the Hammers this season.... several Hammers players have reported sorness due to the increase in games (and old age) this month... Sal Buonopane improved his record to 4-2 this season... Local enters this Thursday's contest against the Hammers with 1-15 all time record... M.C. affilliate True Wheels won two on Sunday to improve to 6-4 on the season, Neal Plant is hitting .705.

Click on image to enlarge.

Updated Stats

Courtesy of Mr. Smith

O' Mercy, M.C. Blasts Half Door For Double-Header Sweep

O'ROURKE FIELD, W. QUINCY - The McInnis Carpentry softball team pounded the Half Door 19-0 & 26-1 to complete a double header sweep at O'Rourke Field Friday night in B.S.S.S.L action.

The Hammers have never lost at O'Rourke Field (11-0) and improved to 12-0 against the Half Door since the '02 season.

It was trouble from the start for the Half Door as the Hammers built a 9-0 lead after two innings in game one. Steve McInnis had a monster night, going 4-4 with 3 HR's and 8 RBI. "I'm feeling well and seeing the ball great", said McInnis "I don't know what it is... every time we play these guys I have a big night. Wish we could play them 20 times a year!" McInnis has a career .720 avg. with 10 HR & 32 RBI's against the H.D. Club.

The Carpentry offense was on fire as every starter had at least two hits. McInnis, Scott Logan, Sal Buonopane, Mike Aupperlee, John Gray and John Martin all homered as they outscored the overmatched Half Door 45-1 in both games.

Mike Aupperlee made his debut on the mound and made the most of it, pitching a one-hit shut out in game one. In game two, he picked up his second win with a one-run 5 hit performance.

In game two it was more of the same. Chris Smith went 3-4 with 3 RBI & while John Southern torched his former team with a 3-hit night as well. Sal Buonopane connected for his 2nd homer of the season to make it 12-1 after three innings.

In the fourth, Scott Logan crushed a 1-1 pitch to deep left that nearly cleared the trees for his team-leading 6th HR of the year. "I got all of that one," said Logan "Thank god it hit a branch... it would've put a hole in something or someone."

With the wins the club improves to 10-3 on the season and trail only Flanagans (7-2) in the standings.

NOTES:

John Southern combined to go 6-8 on the night... Scott Logan's game two HR was estimated at 499 ft.... John Gray homered, but failed to clear the left field wall... John Martin went 4-4 with a pair of HR's.... Greg Harper continued his torrid hitting and leads the team in hitting.... Bill Wysocki struck out swinging for the first time since 1988 (NQHS).... Mike Aupperlee improves to 9-0 against his former team.

Carpentry Holds On For 13-10 Win Over VFW

LeBREQUE FIELD, HN - It wasnt pretty, but under the circumstances the Hammers will take it.

Missing several startes a depleted McInnis Carpentry club was able to play well enough for the victory over the VFW, barely.

The bats picked up just where they left off from their 22 run outing against the Manet earlier in the week, racing out a 9-0 lead after two innings.

The last time the two clubs met the Hammers trounced VFW 22-8 in 5 innings. Once again the black & orange had ideas of another quick win. But those thoughts were quickly dispelled as a gritty VFW fought back, capitilizing on some sloppy Hammer defense for the second half of the game.

Robbie Glenn's RBI double brought the Germantown based club within 5 runs in the fourth inning. Paul Fidlers two-run single in the next inning had the Hammers on their heels as the lead shrunk to 3.

Lead by Bill Wysocki (3-4), John Martin (2-4, 3 RBI's), Mark Free (2-3, 2 RBI) & Tom Fratolillo (3-4, RBI, Triple) the Hammers were able to answer with four runs to extend the lead.

The runs turned out to be big as the VFW came back again to match McInnis Carpentry with four of their own in the bottom of the inning. The comeback fell short in the seventh though as the VFW went quietly with three fly ball outs.

"You can't take any team in this league lightly", said M.C. infielder Mark Free "We got a little too comfortable with the early lead. But we are a veteran team and nobody panicked. It's not a pretty win but it's a win, and that the bottom line."


NOTES:

Chris Smith is the proud father of baby Alex, congratulations to both him & his wife... Sal Buonopane picked up the win to improve to 3-2 on the season... Steve McInnis went 3-4 with a double.... the Hammers will play the Half Door in a rare double header at O'Rourke next Friday night.... the Hammers improve to 8-3 with the win.

Manet No Match For M.C.

LeBREQUE FIELD - A young but talented Manet team was no match for a veteran Hammers club hungry for another win. McInnis Carpentry (formerly known as the Manet) jumped all over the new team for a 5 inning 22-8 victory.

"They got some good players on that team" said M.C. thirdbaseman Scott Logan "They're gonna be a hell of a squad if they can keep it together for a few more years... I would'nt be surprised if they made a little noise this season as well."

The entire M.C. line-up hit, and hit well against the first year team. John Gray, Greg Harper, Steve Yocco, Logan and Mark Free all had big nights.

The Hammers led 5-0 after their first at bat but the Manet came back with 4 in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to one. Unfortunately for them it was as close as they would come.

The M.C. club poured it on after that with home runs by Logan, Sal Buonopane, Tom Fratolillo and never looked back.

Steve McInnis pitched well and recieved solid defense behind him to pick up the victory and improve to 5-1.

With the win the Hammers complete the first half of the season at 7-3 to remain in second place behind Flanagans (9-1).

M.C. Topples Flanagans 10-6

LeBREQUE FIELD, HN - The winning streak continues against Flanagans... during the regular season anyways.

The McInnis Carpentry softball team edged Flanagans 10-6 Monday night to snap a two game losing streak and improve to 6-3 on the season.

Flanagans, the 6 time defending League Champions, have dropped 5 straight regular season contests to the Hammers but have beat them when it counts... the Championship.

The John Cascarano led squad swept the M.C. club in the finals the past two seasons. "They're a good team," said Cascarano "Our big bats misfired tonight. We just can't seem to hit them with the same energy during the regular season."

"The win is nice", said Hammers owner Steve McInnis "We have been struggling a bit lately and needed this. Would I trade it in to beat them in the finals? Hell yes!!"

The Black and Orange jumped out to a 6-1 lead through the first three innings behind big hits from John Gray, Bill Wysocki, Scott Logan and Greg Harper.

Flanagans scored four in the fourth to make it a one run game. Steve Yocco's two run triple in the sixth pushed the lead to 10-4 and the Hammers held on for the win.

O'Rourke Game In Two Weeks, You Know What That Means....

...Johnny is going DEEP!

A Day in the Life of Hammers outfielder John Gray on gameday at O'Rourke Field

5:00 Shakes off the cobwebs and gets out of bed
5:02 lets out blistering fart and takes 90 second piss on his hands - farts 5 more times
5:05 drinks 3 raw eggs Rocky Balboa style and opens the fridge
5:07 take out leftovers from the Quincy Jade platter for 3 he picked up last night
5:16 takes a dump
5:22 sings Van Halen in the shower
5:24 shaves and leaves his goatee
5:28 takes 35 vicious cuts with his bat naked in front of the mirror - screams out loud "Johnny is going deep tonight!!"
5:30 pulls onto Washington St. with Led Zeppelin blaring- cuts three people off- gives the finger to all three people
5:45 pulls into Clean Harbors Headquarters - blocks in supervisor
5:46 walks into wharehouse and calls supervisor a homo for the the first time time today and 350th time this month
5:48 takes a shit - leaves door open and yells at anyone who walks by
5:58 stuffs wharehouse worker in a locker and pisses on him
6:05 is given assignment to take oldest rack truck in the fleet to pick up barrells for an oil spill in R.I. - tells supervisor to F-off
6:12 cuts off 10 people driving down Rt. 1 - gives finger to all of them.
7:05 pulls into Dunkin Donuts orders two french crullers & a great one.. reads Herald from front to back
8:05 Leaves truck at job site, tells field techs (laborers) to hurry up and load his truck, has a big game tonight.
8:08 takes dump at job site bathroom
8:30 goes back to truck, reads golf digest.
9:15 Truck is loaded, tells laborers to F off and that "Johnny's going deep tonight!"
10:03 goes to nearby driving range. Hits two jumbo buckets of balls.
11:00 pulls into Sports Authority... checks out latests clubs and golf apparel
12:15 devours large steak & cheese from Jimmy's House of Pizza.
12:30 parks work truck outside house, takes nap
1:45 wakes up, takes a shit - uses wifes US Weekley to wipe his ass
1:50 pulls onto Washington St. with Ozzy blaring- cuts three people off- gives the finger to all three people
2:03 pulls into Clean Harbors Headquarters - leaves truck running in middle of lot
2:04 walks into wharehouse and calls supervisor a homo and signs out... leaves yelling "Johnny is going deep tonight
!!"
2:45 takes dip at parents house above ground pool
3:45 eats two Bubba Burgers, takes off
3:48 calls T. Fratt, leaves message calling him a pussy
4:05 arrives home parks truck on front lawn
4:15 gets naked and takes 25 swings in front of mirror- announcing "Johnny is going deep tonight"
4:48 mows lawn
5:30 arrives at field
5:32 T.Fratt walks by and Johnny cuts him off and says "Is Johnny hitting leadoff?"
5:36 tells Logan that if Johnny played all 20 games at O'Rourke, his numbers would look like this: .875 44 HR's 87 RBI's
5:40 tells John Southern "Hey Pussy, I don't wear batting gloves because they are for pussies, like your boyfriend T.Fratt"
5:42 batting practice: Johnny hits 22 pitches over the trees in left: 11 fair - 11 foul - all pulled
5:56 Johnny sees name in lineup - calls T.Fratt a pussy for batting him 6th
5:58 Johnny demands to bat leadoff
6:00 announces that "Johnny is going deep tonight"
6:10 scoreless first - Johnny tells T. Fratt it must be his defense
6:25 while waiting in on-deck circle, tells Mike Cedrone "Johnny is going deep tonight"
6:27 Johnny tells umpire & catcher he's going deep tonight
6:30 Johnny hits bomb off trees in left - coasts into second - almost gets thrown out
6:31 tells shortstop and second baseman that he "didn't get all of it"
7:00 Johnny ropes a rocket to third - third baseman takes all day and still turns a double play
7:02 Johnny is tired and is happy he it into a doubleplay - he did not want to run the bases anymore
7:19 Johnny hits 300 ft pop-up to pitcher after crushing 4 foul home runs- calls pitcher, catcher and ump pussies
7:43 7th inning - Johnny is exhausted - yells from left field, calls McInnis a pussy and tells him to just throw strikes- Johnny wants to get home
8:00 Knocks John Southern off the bench - calls him a homo singles hitter and leaves
8:05 cuts off 4 drivers on the way home - gives the finger to everyone near
8:20 arrives at Quincy Jade
8:30 sits down and digs into his poo-poo platter for 3
9:00 parks truck on the front lawn - jumps in jacuzzi
9:15 walks around house naked and screams "who saw the bomb I hit tonite???"
9:30 wakes up whole neighborhood
9:45 takes 35 swings naked and orders porn
9:55 pulls out bucket of KFC and gets ready for movie
10:15 Johnny passes out on couch

Chefs Upend Punchless Hammers 11-6

LeBREQUE FIELD, HN- Like Whitey Bulger the McInnis Carpentry softball offense has gone into hiding... and no one has the answer to where it went or if it's ever coming back.

For the second straight game the Hammers failed to reach double digits in runs scored. Friday night against their arch rival the Chefs, they couldn't string together hits to mount any kind of a threat.

Things looked good early as the Bill Wysocky doubled in Greg Harper for a 1-0 lead. After an RBI hit by John Gray, Tom Fratolillo followed with a two run shot to center field for the 4-0 lead.

The lead held until the bottom of the third. The Chefs, who capitalized on six Hammers errors, scored six to take a 9-4 lead. The black and orange plated two in the fith inning to cut the lead to 11-6 with hits by Gray (3-4, 2 RBI) and Fratolillo (2-4, 2 RBI).

In the sixth, with two on and no outs the Hammers appeared ready for a big inning. The rally was cut down when Chefs thirdbaseman Fred Regan turned a double play. The double play was the second of the game and fifth the Hammers have hit into during their recent 1-3 stretch.

"We just arent getting any breaks," said GM/OF Fratolillo "As a team we are struggling a bit... guys are putting good swings on the ball at times. We've seen a lot of hot shots directly at infielders or liners to the outfield that just dont get down. I'm not worried though, this is a great lineup that has produced for years... we will get through it."

With the loss the Hammers have dropped two straight regular season games for the first time in team history. Things don't get any easier as they face undefeated powerhouse and six time defending champion Flanagans on Monday night.

Notes:

The Hammers fielded a depleted lineup against the Chefs, missing regulars Scott Logan, Mike Aupperlee, Mark Free and Chris Smith.... Mike Berry has hit safely in his last three games.... John Gray is hitting .545 (6-11) over the last three games.... Mike Cedrone went on a packy run during the 2nd inning... Steve McInnis made his second start at 3B... The Half Door players remaining from the early game brawled each other during the 4th inning of the M.C./Chefs game.... Neal Plant is hitting .602 for M.C. affilliate True Wheels.

Updated Stats

Power Outage Strikes Again, Rags Drop Carpentry 14-8

LeBREQUE FIELD, HN - The bats were quiet again as the Rags stunned the Hammers with an 8 run 6th inning for the 14-8 win.

The Hammers, as they did last week in the 7-5 loss to the Morrell Club, controlled much of the action throughout the game. Leading 4-0 and 6-2 they couldnt put a resiliant Rags team away.

Scott Logan's 4-4 performance was one of the few bright spots for the black & orange. Steve Yocco and Greg Harper each had two hits a piece as well.

"We had a lot of great swings on the ball tonight", said GM Tom Fratolillo "Softball can be a funny game sometimes. The difference between a blowout win or a loss can be a matter of inches. Most of the ball we hit tonight were right at defenders. They made the plays. They're a good team."

The Rags (5-2) tied it at 6 in the 5th and then put it away in the 6th with their big inning.
"We might not be the flashiest team or the best hitting team but we come ready to play each night", said Rags capt. Jose Diaz "You fall asleep against us, we'll get you."

With the loss the Hammers drop to 5-2.

Notes:

Tom Fratolillo's consecutive at bat hitting streak ended at 8.... the loss drops M.C.'s all-time record to 102-38.... the team failed to reach double digits in runs scored for the second time in three games... the Hammers committed three errors in the Rags eight run sixth inning... M.C. takes on the Chefs on Friday night at LeBreque

Hammers vs. Hofbrau Rained Out

Tonights game against the Hofbrau has been canceled due to heavy rains. A make up date has not yet been announced.

Hammers Bounce Back With Late Inning Thunder, Down Local 17-7

LeBREQUE FIELD, HN- It took a few innings but the McInnis Carpentry finally found their missing offense just in time to avoid losing back to back games for the first time in their regular season history.

Having scored a total of five runs in last weeks loss to the Morrell club the Hammers offense sputtered once again against Local 103.

Trailing 5-4 in the 5th inning, Tom Fratolillo's (3-3, 2 RBI) two out, bases empty single to center field started a string of six straight hits which plated 6 runs to give the Hammers a 10-5 lead.

In the top of the seventh, the Black and Orange put it away by scoring 5 runs behind Scott Logan's (2-4, 5 RBI) two-run homer, a triple by Mike Berry and RBI hits by John Martin (2-5, 3 RBI) and Mark Free (2-3, 2 RBI).

"It was a good win for us", said Hammers outfielder Steve Yocco "The bats went silent there for a stretch, a stretch that we're not accustomed to, but we have veteran players on this team. There's no panic."

Steve McInnis picked up his third win of the season, pitching 7 solid innings.

With the win the black and orange improve to 5-1 on the season.


Notes:

The Hammers are 2-0 with their orange alternate uniforms.... Tom Fratolillo has eight straight hits spanning 3 games... starting pitcher Steve McInnis improved to 3-0 with the win, but was also fined for uniform violations.... Scott Logan proclaimed "I am the King of all Kings." at the post game press conference.... Mike Cedrone was due to make his 3rd plate appearance of the year in the seventh inning.... the M.C. Club improved to 15-1 against Local 103 since the '02 season... there was a 15 minute delay at the start of the game due to Thunderstorms

Morrell Club Hands M.C. First Loss

LeBREQUE FIELD, HN - The bats went silent once again against old rival the Morrell Club (formerly Louies, Hofbrau II) last night.

The vaunted McInnis Carpentry offense, having outscored its opponents 82-32 going into last nights contest, could only muster 5 runs in a 7-5 loss, their first of the year.

McInnis Carpentry controlled much of the action, holding a 5-2 lead going into the 6th inning, getting hits from John Southern, Bill Wysocki and Tom Fratolillo.

Led by Jim Fidler, Brian Clifford and Matt Fratolillo the other "M.C." club rallied for 5 runs to take a 7-5 lead. "We've been scuffling a bit out of the gate", said Morrell Club Left-Fielder Rob Kane. "But this is a big win for us and will hopefully get us going in a positive direction."

The Black & Orange were unable to answer in the 7th and dropped to 4-1 on the season.

The Morrell Club, last years regular season champion, have won three in a row against the Hammers and now own a 7-5 record since the '04 season.

"They're a tough club" said M.C. outfielder John Gray "They seem to have our number. But, you score 5 runs in a game you cant expect to beat anyone. If we dont get our (expletive deleted) together quick it's gonna be a long summer."

The Hammers have little time to rest as they take on a strong Local 103 team Friday night.

Notes:

Sal Buonopane lowered his ERA despite the loss.... Mike Berry has reached base safley in the last 3 games.... Tom Fratolillo is 5-5 in the last two games.... McInnis Carpentry is 14-1 against Local 103 since the '02 season and has eliminated them from the playoffs the past two seasons... Chris Smith reported minor soreness in his knee but should return to the lineup tonight.