Having gotten off to a flying 6-1 start, the Hounds were back at Heckscher on a steamy Saturday afternoon to keep the winning streak going. Our opponents were a team called Brooklyn Mafia, a team run by a tempestuous young fellow who was out to cut every possible corner. We had previously known this team by another name, and in the previous season we had some testy encounters with them. Thankfully, most of the other guys that had made our encounters so nasty were no longer around. After making it clear we WOULD NOT be willing to share the shaded dugout with them, it was time to play ball.
For Game 1, Margaret took to the mound and she did not back down from the challenge. Mafia had many lefties in their lineup, for some teams this might have caused some difficulty. But not for a team as well-balanced as the Hounds. We played excellent defense and Mafia played right into our hands by hitting several easy fly balls to the outfield. They did score some runs, but we were able to match them and then some. Iain was in full Eliot Ness mode, doing damage to the Mafia by hitting 2 home runs and driving in 4. Pat also had a homer, going back-to-back with Iain in the 5th. Justin(J-Hizzle) also had a nice game, going 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs. The game was tainted by Mafia's dirty tricks, which included lineup chicanery and courtesy runners for players that were not even injured. It made them look all the more stupid when their tricks didn't work. They mounted a brief threat in the last inning before Margaret closed them out. Final Score: Hounds 9, Brooklyn Mafia 4.
For Game 2, we really put them to the sword. Amy stepped up and took the ball this time around, and she pitched very well. Mafia's hitters had no answer for her stuff, and their pitcher continued to serve up meatballs. We were happy to pounce on her, and we were scoring pretty much at will. Iain had another monster game, going 3 for 3, with a homer and 6 RBIs, giving him 10 RBIs total on the day. Dave, Wink, Alan, Claudia, and J-Hizzle all batted 1.000 in this game. Amelia made her return to the lineup by going 2 for 3 with two runs scored and making 3 nifty plays in rapid succession at third base. Before we knew it, a victory by mercy-rule became a distinct and delicious possibility. All we needed was one run to do it, and Iain stepped up to the plate with no out and the bases loaded. He proceeded to hit one of his trademark shots in the rightfield gap to send all the runners home. The league's scorebook may say 11-1, but I have it as Final Score: Hounds 14, Brooklyn Mafia 1.
With this series sweep we have officially put this "rivalry" to bed. There can't be a rivalry when one team dominates the other. Let's save "rival" status for classy teams that can actually play the game, not for opponents who only know how to run their mouths. Nice work, team.
