Rock Starrs battle Talk of the Town in first round of playoffs

Comp league playoffs under way

Heading into the first round of the comp league playoffs Monday, August 3, one team came to mind as a serious threat to the ranks.
The Talk of the Town is considered a squad that has the potential to turn the post season upside down.
Despite a 4-12 record, the Talk can put together seven solid innings and has the potential to beat the best and all of the rest.
Monday night, the Talk put a scare in the Rock Starrs, nearly living up to all of the hype.
The Talk built a 2-0 lead after two innings and added another run in the third when Jocelyn Wallace dropped a single in shallow right and Connor McGuire wheeled home to score.
Rock Starrs third baseman Michael Blunck took matters into his own hands though, to turn the next three outs in a row. Blunck pulled down a line drive and threw to first for a double play and then scooped up a grounder and tossed to first to close out the Talk offense.
The Rock Starrs offense poses a unique challenge for teams as several of the hitters bat left-handed. For the unprepared, this means a lot of base hits dropping in shallow right.
The Talk was far from unprepared though, as their defense shifted accordingly with shortstop Patrick Cashion dropping into shallow right and third baseman Conner McGuire sliding over to short.
 The plan worked like clockwork through the opening innings as the Talk defense handcuffed the Rock Starrs hitters.
Meanwhile, the Rock Starrs defense, aside from Blunck, struggled in the field as their typically sure-handed fielders bobbled routine balls and missed cut-offs to give up runs.
Tim Callinan exploited the Rock Starrs mishaps to turn a single into a two-error-assisted triple and then scored on an infield single by Dave McGuire.
Erik Ervin drove in another Talk run with a sac fly RBI and the Talk was sitting on a 5-0 lead.
The Rock Starrs gathered themselves for a three-run strike in the bottom of the fourth inning. Katherine Long led off with a single and Josh Schumacher drove her home with a double to left. Heather Biery tapped a sac hit RBI and Jerry Heal drove an RBI single to the only spot of open grass in right field to pull the Rock Starrs to within one.
The Talk responded in the top of the fifth inning loading the bases for Callinan. Callinan delivered with a two RBI double and Colleen Farrell drove in a run with an infield single to rebuild the Talk’s five-run lead.
Feeling the heat of a Talk upset, or spurned by the arrival of the ever-growing Wright family, the Rock Starrs bats came alive in the bottom of the fifth. In fact the Starrs bats were so hot that even Heal, a man who either homers or singles, stretched for a double.
Jeff Banford and Amy Shellenberger opened with singles. Katherine Long scored Banford with a base hit and Chicago leaguer Pat Dezell drove Shellenberger home with a double.
The Talk defense temporarily crumbled under the mounting pressure of the Rock Starrs offense as misplays, and base path collisions, allowed three more runs to score. Heal then doubled to score another run, giving the Rock Starrs a 9-8 lead.
Brent Laney and Dave Seymour combined for a couple of base hits for the Talk to tie the game 9-9 but the Starrs charged back in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring three runs on hits by Blunck, Andrea Schultz and Jay Misare.
Down 12-9 in the top of the seventh the Talk was all but done. With the Starrs defense cleared of all their early game mishaps, the game looked to end with a whimper.
Blunck turned another routine ground ball to turn away the Talk’s lead-off hitter, but Callinan struck again with a double to shallow left center to bring hope back to the Talk side.
Farrell singled and Frank Magri walked, pushing the first Talk run in. Blunck scooped up another ground ball for the second out of the inning but before the door closed on the Talk comeback, Laney stepped up to crush a clutch two RBI base hit tying the game 12-12 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
The Talk defense turned away the Starrs’ lead off hitter but Laci Wright connected for a base hit, reaching second with Banford at the plate.
Banford is one of the aforementioned lefty hitters and the Talk defense shifted accordingly to shut him down. Instead, Banford exploited the strategy, stroking a ground ball up the middle and Wright was waved home for the game-winning run.