The Seaborne Stealers stamped themselves as championship contenders in Bob Owens Slow Pitch Softball League after thumping the National Guard Hummers, 26-15, in a mercy ruled five innings contest at the D.C. Canegata ballpark. The former champions have contended in recent years but have not dominated like they did in the past. However, this season, a retooled Stealers squad looks ready to soar back to the top of the league.
Batting first, the Hummers scored five runs on a two-run homerun by Deshawn Brown, a two-run double by Kai Schjang and an RBI Single off the bat of Roman Cruz. The Stealers were equal to the task as they answered with five runs to knot the game at five after one inning. The Stealers scored on a two-run Jose Robles homerun and a three-run blast by Steve Simmonds.
After the Hummers failed to score in the top of the second, the Stealers plated five more runs for a 10-5 lead on RBI singles by Sam Ramos and Robles and two Hummers errors.
The Hummers closed in on the lead at, 10-9, with four runs in the top of the third on Stanley Jones’ two-run homer and a couple of unearned runs on Stealers miscues. The Stealers, however, responded mightily in the bottom of the inning with nine runs on a three-run single by Raymond Cintron, a two-run homerun by Simmonds, an RBI single by Angel Torres, a bases-loaded walk drawn by Robles, and a Hummers error. The score was now 19-9 after four innings.
A five-run fourth inning on a three-run homerun by Brown and a two-run shot by Colin Williams helped the Hummers close to within five at 19-14, but that would be as close as they would get. The Stealers, looking like the champs of old, erupted for seven more runs in the bottom of the inning on a grand slam by Enrique Soto, a two-run shot by Simmonds and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Ronald Schjang to just about put the game on ice
Needing to score two runs to avoid the 10-run mercy rule being enforced, the Hummers could only muster one and the game was called.
Simmonds led the Stealers assault with three home runs and seven RBIs, Robles was 3 for 3 with a homerun and four RBIs, and Soto was 3 for 4 with a homerun and four RBIs.
For the Hummers, Brown was 2 for 3 with two homeruns and five RBIs, Williams went 3 for 3 with a homerun, and K. Schjang was 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
In the night’s other games, the Lumberjacks beat Anchor Dive, 16-13, and Set It Off trounced Colianni Enforcers, 19-9.
