Zog: Team Stats Through the 1st Half; All-Star Nominations

Hard to believe, but the 1st half of the Zog season is already behind us. We are a respectable 4-2 through our first 6 games, and are heading into the 2nd half on a high note. Below are our team stats..all I gotta say is big ups to the Huskies for helping us pad our numbers! Here are my nominations for 1st half All-Stars, feel free to nominate someone else in the comments:

Juiena - Juice has stepped up this season to deliver consistently solid pitching. Leads the team in Wins. She has also flashed the leather and her cannon for an arm in the field. Once her bat starts heating up, we could be talking about an MVP season.

Wink - The Winkster came into this season with a renewed dedication, and it has paid off for him. Leads the team in hits and RBIs. Has had a few monster games offensively.

Iain - What can we say about Mr. Clutch... He's having another MVP-type season. Leads the team in home runs and runs scored. In the field he has been lights out at 3B and more recently SS.

Amy - Amy has comeback player of the year on lockdown. Her contributions are not always visible in the scorebook, but she has hit a respectable .250 while playing solid 'D' in the field and showing good aggressiveness on the basepaths.

Mega - "Kells" has been consistently solid for us all season long. It seems like he is always driving in runs with his hits, and is right behind Wink for the team lead in RBIs.

Dave - All The Big Fella has done is get a hit every single time at bat except one. None of his hits have been cheap either, he has been absolutely pounding the ball. Leads the team with a .923 batting average.

Mike - MikePa is a new addition to our ballclub and he has fit in seamlessly. He has produced at the top of the order and has also played brilliantly in the outfield.

Push - She hasn't been around as much as we might like (we can thank Mr. Stanley for that), but Push leads all females with a .500 batting average.

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Zog: Hounds Maul The Huskies

For our 6th game of the season, the Hounds headed over to Chelsea Park on 28th street. It was another overcast, cool evening in the big city, and we were ready to shake off that ugly loss in our previous game. In the opposing dugout were the UConn Huskies, a team we have handled in the past. It was an early weekday start time, but fortunately we came ready for business.

As the away team, we came up to bat first. We were only able to produce one run, with Amy getting the RBI. Margaret took the mound making her 2nd start of the season, and as always, she pitched brilliantly. Lots of first pitch strikes and no walks. We kept the Huskies to one run through the first few innings, and were able to tack on a few of our own each inning. Going into the top of the 6th inning, we were up 8-3, and it seemed like it could possibly be a nail-biting finish.

Then we blew the game open. 10 runs were scored in that fateful 6th, with everyone in the lineup either scoring a run or driving in one. The offensive standouts for the game were many: Mike(3-5, 3RS), Mega(2-3, HR, 4 RBI), Juiena(2-3, 2 RBI), Iain(4-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI), Murph(4-5, 3RS), & Wink(3-5, HR, 5RBI). Overall, our defense was tight. Even if we did have a couple of minor miscues, they didn't cost us much, and we looked much better out there than last game. Iain continued to flash the leather, although I think I might have seen a throwing error...? (Just kidding, Iain). Murph had the web gem of the game with a nifty diving catch of a weak flare in foul territory. We added another 4 runs in the top of the 7th, and the Huskies must have been left wondering what happened. Final Score: Hounds 22, Huskies 4.

This was an important win for us. We needed to bounce back from the debacle last game, and we did in a big way. As I watched the game from the dugout, I saw a team that was hitting line drives, minimizing the damage by playing great defense, and getting solid starting pitching. If we build on this and continue to follow that winning formula, we will be unstoppable.

Zog: Hounds Lay An Egg

It was an overcast, cool Spring evening in New York. The Hounds headed over to Roosevelt Island to face Who's On First, a team we have had several encounters with in the past. Both teams knew each other well and a close game was to expected. After the pre-game pleasantries were exchanged, it was time to play ball.

As the home team, we took the field first. Margaret was making her first start of the season, and as always, her pitching gave us a strong chance to win the game. Unfortunately, the defense behind her let her down, especially in the early innings. After retiring the 1st two batters of the game on routine ground balls, we proceeded to make some very curious errors. The type of errors a team of our caliber should not be making. Before you knew it, WOF had a five-run rally to jump out to a quick 5-0 lead. We got three runs back right away in the bottom of the 1st, with Iain, Mega, and Karim getting the RBIs. 

As the game went on, we would only allow three more runs. Our defense settled down and there were some defensive highlights, including outfield assists from MikePa & Juiena. Iain continued his dazzling play at short. We really had every opportunity to take the lead. Unfortunately, we shot ourselves in the foot with bad baserunning mistakes. Except for a certain few, we also did not hit very well. In the bottom of the 7th, we got a runner on, but again were not able to string together some hits. As the game ended, we couldn't help but feel that we let one get away. Final Score: WOF 8, Hounds 5.

Let's give WOF credit, they minimized their mistakes and capitalized on ours with some timely hits. But the truth remains that our talent level is higher than theirs. We just have to elevate our focus and work on our game as a team. I know that we can get where we need to be.

Zog: Hounds Squish the Spiders

It was a crucial game for the Hounds coming off their first loss of the season in the prior game.  It was another trek to Randall’s Island, this time a balmy 88 degrees.  After introductions and welcoming the newest Hound to the squad, Lisa, the team was ready to get down to business.

Wink did his job as Lead-off getting the Hounds off to a great start, and contributed to 1 of 3 runs scored in the first inning.  In the bottom of the first, once again, Juiena took the mound in her 4^th consecutive start.  The Hounds defense was a bit shaky in the first couple of innings, but they were able to keep the damage to only 4 runs.   After the bottom of the 2^nd, the Hounds stellar defense and consistent pitching from Juiena kept the Spiders scoreless.

The offensive stars were Wink, Iain, and Dave, combined hitting .833 and generating 10 RBIs.  Murph drove in the 11^th RBI with his triple. Final Score: Hounds 11, Spiders 4.

This was a critical win for our team. Massive props to Juiena for taking over and leading us to victory. We redeemed ourselves after coughing one up on Randall's a couple of weeks ago. Now we have some momentum heading into our next game.