New pitcher Mark Giannotto channels Arnie Applebaum.
Silver Spring, Md. | Plagued by sub-par fielding, weak hitting and other self-inflicted wounds, Express fell to National Press Club, 19-4, and was blanked by Gazette, 6-0, Saturday. The sweep effectively eliminates the 20-Minutemen from MMSL playoff contention.
The day’s game conditions affected play early and often. Sarah Joestl was forced to leave the first game after swallowing airborne dirt and all morning, sunglasses were a must to block debris. “Since when do we play in Oklahoma?” Aimee Goodwin said. “Those fields were ‘Grapes of Wrath’-worthy dust bowls! White T-shirts are the best.”
The highlight of the day came from Mark Giannotto, who pitched for the first time this season and displayed solid reflexes, snagging a line-drive shot up the middle against Gazette. “Considering the hurricane force winds, I thought Mark did heck of a job in his pitching debut,” Andy Bonior said.
In Game 1, after jumping out to a 1-0 lead, things crumbled for the 20-MM. NPC coupled smart baserunning with a steady diet of hard-hit balls to jump out to a 9-1 lead. Chip Porter’s 3-run homer in the 4th cut the deficit to five, but a 10-run Big Blue inning killed any chances for a comeback by Express.
In Game 2, the bats stayed quiet as the Green Machine found their old form and put together smart fielding and solid situational hitting in the win. “Those guys are pretty much my favorite team in the league,” Clinton Yates said. “If you’re going to get shut out, that’s the team you want it to happen against.”
In all, the mental mistakes made the day feel like one from Express squads of yesteryear. “When an opposing player nearly gets a homerun on a slow-rolling ball past the shortstop, you pretty much know it’s not your day,” Dustin Weaver said.
The two losses drop Express into the Capitalview/Homewood division cellar heading into an off-week.
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