The Rangers overcame an 11-run inning by the Grays by scoring 14 in the 7th inning to defeat the Grays 21-15.

It was a cool, overcast day at EMLL when the 3-0-1 Sand Crabs took on the 1-3 Orioles.  The Crabs were fresh off a disappointing performance the week before, still chapped in the nether-regions like after walking around in a swimsuit for far too long chasing your kids at a water park, while the Orioles had an extra week to bask in the glory of their last victory due the Memorial Day holiday and a timely by-week.    Starting pitchers were Mike Wallace, for the home Sand Crabs, and crafty veteran Steve Waugh for the visiting O’s.

Missing from the Crabs lineup today was right hander Randy Gaber, who was called up to Poughkeepsie to play for the parent club (the Land Crabs) for the last two weeks, where he was enjoying a rather large cup of coffee, and Jim Pliner and Randy Olivares, who were across-town in the American Family Senior open, the former caddying for the latter.  The Crabs also welcomed back Mike Schoonveld, who spent the last few weeks across the big pond hitting a much smaller but more challenging white ball.

The Orioles were kept on the down-low for their first two frames, while the Sand Crabs grabbed 4, highlighted by RBI singles by Wallace and 3b Jake Kas, who knocked in leadoff hitter and hat-haver Chris “Lil’ Slugger” McGill and OF Steve Hill respectively in the first.  Tim McInernay doubled and was knocked in by OF Jason Himebauch in the home second.  Himebauch advanced to second on a ground out by OF Barry Davis, and to third on a single by Ward “Havoc” Paxton and was then driven home by OF Dewey Walz.

The winged orangemen mounted a threat in the top of the third when 1b/2b Harry Salas had their first hit and was poised to score from second on a double by leadoff hitter John Kuehl, after advancing on a fielders choice by Steve Hirshfeld.  However, Crabs left fielder McGill had other ideas as he fielded the sharply hit double down the line and fired a strike to Sand Crabs backstop Brian Buol, who fielded the one-hopper and tagged the would-be scorer.  4-0 Crabs

The Crabs snuck in one more in the bottom of four when 2b/SS/P Troy Galston took a walk after the first two batsmen were retired.  He was promptly knocked in by Wallace with a double. 5-0 Sandies.

In the 5^th, the O’s catcher Ely Torres launched a booming fly to deep left field, but the ball was deftly tracked down by left fielder Dewey Walz, on a fantastic over-the-shoulder web-gem, caught where a warning track would be.  When reached for comment, Walz said, “I am just happy to be here, and hope I can help the ballclub”, he went on to say, “Oh, and my wife saw that catch, so she thinks, I am pretty good right now”, with a gleam in his eye.  Enriched by this defensive wonderment, the Sand Crabs tacked on 7 in their half of the inning, on hits by Walz, McGill, Hill, Wallace, and Himebauch, and a Kas ROE.

Schoonveld came in to relieve Wallace in the 6^th, and in this inning reaped the benefits of the Crabs second double play of the day, and hushed the birds in the 7^th.

The Crabs grabbed 3 in the 6^th off reliever Torres to bring the total to 15, with Wallace driving in 2 of those, bringing his daily ribeye total to 5.

That was it for run scoring on the day, as Torres put the kibosh on the Crabs, and Crabs reliever Galston returned the favor, aided by a running grab by Davis, snaring a sinking liner from the hot-hitting Venezuelan-born Salas for the second out of the 9^th, and appropriately finishing when Wallace vacuumed in a rope from Hirshfeld to bring the game to a close on an unassisted play at third.

Wallace pitched another gem to get the W, going 5 and allowing only 5 hits, one walk, while fanning 5.

Salas and Hirshfeld led the Orioles with two hits each, while Wallace led the Crabs with 4 hits, including a double.  Himebauch added 3 knocks for the crustaceans, and Paxton and Hill got a couple as well.

Following the game, the Crabs repurposed their claws for opening a Schlitz or two* at Slice’s, while trolling their teammates who couldn’t make it today.  And by the way, there was no Schlitz shortage today.  Things are looking up.