MURPHY'S DOMINATES HOT MOVIES, IMPROVES TO 8-0

Being at the top isn't easy.

One week after dispatching a very good Pasquale's team behind a 27-11, five-inning drubbing in Game One and an 11-10, walk-off victory in Game Two on the strength of Andrew Graham's two-out, eighth-inning single to remain undefeated through six games, the Murphy's softball team found itself in a position it had not been in some time (if ever) at this point of the season: first place.

But the 2012 squad isn't one that's satisfied with the designation of being in first place or undefeated through three weeks of play.

It's a group that has a collective goal of bringing home a Lower Bucks Softball League championship in dominating fashion and utilizing that championship run as a catalyst for a deep run in the 2012 Trentonian Tournament in August.

Murphy's passed their first test as the team to beat without much turbulence, pounding out 40 runs on 50 hits in a pair of convincing victories over Hot Movies at Levittown's Queen Anne Park.

Kevin Maloney and Mike Simpson each had a homer, two hits and drove in three runs in the 20-7, Game One victory. Colin Tosti put the 12-run rule into effect with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning -- Murphy's fourth mercy-rule victory of the season.

Game Two featured a 30-hit onslaught highlighted by a grand slam and six RBIs from Matt "Hollywood" Harker and homers from Simpson and Maloney en route to a convincing 21-9 victory to improve to 8-0 for the first time in program history.

Wasting little time to get to work, Murphy's pushed nine runs across the plate in the bottom of the second inning to race out to a commanding 9-0 lead. Joe Faust Jr. ignited the inning with a single and advanced to third on Colin Tosti's RBI single. Josh Yeager plated Faust Jr. with a single and T.J. Coles followed with an RBI double to score Tosti.

Sean Walker drove in both Yeager and Coles with another double and advanced to third on Evan Christie's single. Both Walker and Christie came across on Harker's single and Jim Trochak kept the inning alive with a single to right to put runners on first and third for Maloney.

Delivering an early offensive contribution to compensate for the subpar day he'd have in the outfield, Maloney smoked a first-pitch offering into the woods in left field for a three-run shot. It was, shamefully, his first legitimate home run since he was 12-years old.

Murphy's pushed two runs across in the fourth on Simpson's two-run blast to straightaway center field, added a pair of runs in the fifth and put an early ending to the game with a six-run sixth that was capped by Tosti's two-run, walk-off single.

Harker and Faust Jr. led the 20-hit attack with three hits apiece and Trochak, Maloney, Tosti, Simpson and Christie each added a pair of hits.

Trochak improved to 7-0 on the season with the victory, allowing just 10 hits -- amazingly none of which were extra-base hits.

      Mike Simpson went 5-for-6 with two homers, six RBIs and six runs to
help Murphy's improve to 8-0 on the season.

Game Two picked right up where the first game left off as Murphy's used eight hits and a walk to shock Hot Movies with an eight-run second inning. Harker's grand slam -- his eighth round-tripper of the season -- highlighted the frame.

Simpson followed his cousin's bomb with a two-run homer during a three-run third inning and Maloney ripped a two-run shot in the fourth to cap Murphy's three-homer limit for the game.

Shawn Walker had an RBI single and Ed Gurt and Dan Rosar each added sacrifice flies during a three-run fifth.

Up 16-3 through 5 1/2 innings, Murphy's looked poised to end yet another game via the mercy rule. Perhaps Hot Movies found some life or perhaps the boys in black let off the pedal a bit, but Hot Movies gained a little bit of momentum by scoring six straight over the fifth and sixth innings to pull within seven runs, 16-9.

After Murphy's first two batters went down in order to lead off the seventh, the door looked like it would be left open a crack for Hot Movies to stage a miracle comeback. But Simpson got yet another two-out rally started with a single. Five batters and five singles later, Murphy's had added five key insurance runs to completely quash any comeback hopes for Hot Movies.

Harker went 4-for-5 with a homer, a double and six RBIs in Game Two, Simpson went 3-for-3 with four runs and three RBIs and Rosar was a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs. Walker went 3-for-4 with four runs and Maloney went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.

Both Graham and Maloney hit round-trippers following the team using up its three allotted homers and will share pink shirt duties this Sunday.

The pair of wins allowed Murphy's to remain as the lone undefeated team in the seven-team LBSL league -- three of which are co-ed. Murphy's will look to continue it's torrid start to the season Sunday when they take on the defending champions, Schaffers (5-3) at Truman High School at 9 a.m.

GAME ONE

Hot Movies (2-5)              000         511         X_9  10 0

Murphy’s (7-0)                 090         226         X_19 20 0

2B— M: Faust Jr. 2, Coles, Walker. HR— M: Maloney, Simpson. RBI— M: Tosti 4, Maloney 3, Simpson 3, Harker 2, Faust Jr. 2, Walker 2, Trochak, Yeager, Coles.

WP— Trochak (7-0). LP— Wayne.

GAME TWO

Murphy’s (8-0)                 083         230         5_21 30 0

Hot Movies (2-6)              002         124         0_9  18  0

2B— M: Harker, Maloney, Faust Jr., Coles, Simpson; HM: Eric, Kevin, Keith, Darrell. 3B— HM: Darrell. HR— M: ; HM: Darrell. RBI— M: Harker 6, Walker 3, Simpson 3, Maloney 2, Christie 2, Rosar 2, Trochak, Graham, Gurt.

WP— Trochak (8-0). LP— Bryan.

MURPHY'S BATS STAY HOT, POUNDS WLTP TWICE

IMPROVES TO 4-0, SHOWDOWN WITH PASQUALES UP NEXT

The Murphy's softball team's torrid start to the 2012 campaign continued in an emphatic was Sunday morning as they eased past WLTP by a comfortable margin twice at Edgewood Elementary.

Jim Trochak went 4-for-4 with three runs and turned in another fine outing on the mound in a 17-8 victory in Game One and Kevin Maloney went 3-for-3 - finishing a single shy of the cycle - with three RBIs as a part of a 21-hit attack in a 15-7 victory in Game Two.

Perhaps feeling the rust from the Easter break, Murphy's didn't get their offense on track until the third inning of the first game. Sean Walker led off the frame with a single an came around to score on Trochak's RBI single. Andrew Graham got a 3-for-3 first game - and a 6-for-7, five-RBI day - started by driving in Trochak for one of three RBIs.

It was just a sign of the things that were to come as Murphy's used 10 hits - only one of which was an extra-base hit - to push across nine runs in the fourth inning. Mike Simpson led off the inning with a single and Marc Rossi, T.J. Coles, Colin Tosti and Josh Yeager followed suite before Eddie "The Cat" Gurt struck out. Gurt's shameful act will cost him a case of beer at the end of the season party.

Walker, who was 4-for-5 on the day, followed with a single and Matt "Hollywood" Harker followed with a sacrifice fly. Trochak, Maloney and Andrew all followed with singles before Joe Faust Jr. put an emphatic stamp on the inning with a two-run triple.

Not satisfied with the back-breaking inning, Murphy's added an insurance run in the sixth on Gurt's sacrifice fly an added four key insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning.

Jim Trochak's efforts at the plate and on the
mound helped Murphy's to a pair of convincing
wins over WLTP.

Riding the wave of momentum it closed Game One out with, Murphy's pushed nine runs across in the first three innings of Game Two to jump out to a commanding 9-3 lead.

Maloney tripled and scored on Graham's single in the first inning and Graham came around to score on Marc Rossi's two-out single. Coles led off the second with a triple to right-center field and scored on Yeager's RBI single. Evan Christie plated Yeager on a sacrifice fly and Gurt scored on an error.

Murphy's struck for three runs in the fifth inning, a frame sparked by Faust Jr.'s double. Tosti followed with an RBI single and scored on Rossi's smashed double. Rossi came home two batters later on Yeager's RBI single. Yeager went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in Game Two.

Any thoughts WLTP had of staging a comeback were quashed during a three-run bottom of the sixth inning. Walker laced a one-out single and Trochak poked a two-out single to right-center. Maloney, in an extremely rare moment of power, bombed a three-run homer to straightaway center field. The homer helped compensate for coming up short on a catch earlier in the ball game.

First-place Murphy's will take on Pasquales (3-1) Sunday morning at 9 at the Lower Field at Fallsington Elementary.

LINE SCORES

GAME ONE

Murphy’s (3-0)                   000         291         4_17 20 0

WLTP (1-2)                        311         010         2_8 15 0

2B— W: Guz. 3B— M: Faust Jr.; W: Gehris, Paul, Guz. RBI— M: Faust Jr. 3, Graham 3, Coles 2, Walker 2, Harker, Trochak, Simpson, Rossi, Yeager, Gurt.

WP— Trochak (3-0). LP— Gerard (1-2).

GAME TWO

WLTP (1-3)                        300         400         0_  7 13 0

Murphy’s (4-0)                   234         033         X_15 21 0

2B— M: Maloney, Rossi, Faust Jr.. 3B— W: Paul, Guz; M: Maloney, Coles. HR— W: Dan, Gerard; M: Maloney. RBI— M: Maloney 3, Yeager 3, Graham 2, Tosti 2, Rossi 2, Christie, Faust Jr..

WP— Jim (4-0). LP— Gerard (1-3).

2012 MURPHY'S LBSL SOFTBALL TEAM

Back row (L to R): Sean Walker, Matt Harker, Andrew Graham, Mike Simpson, 

Jim Trochak, Marc Rossi, Ed Gurt, Dan Rosar and Josh Yeager. 

Second row (L to R): Kevin Maloney, Colin Tosti, Joe Faust Jr., Evan Christie 

and Joe Faust Sr. Missing: Dave Rossi.

MURPHY'S ROLLS TO A PAIR OF WINS IN OPENER

Pounds Hooters twice behind 50-hit, 41-run onslaught

Now that's a way to get a season with championship aspirations started.

In what may be the best incarnation in the program's eight-year history, Murphy's opened the 2012 spring season with a pair of resounding 12-run rule, five-inning victories over Hooters.

Team manager/left fielder Andrew Graham roped four hits and Matt Harker led five players with three hits with a homer and a triple as Murphy's opened the season with a 21-5 victory over Hooters at "The Pit" at Maple Point Middle School.

Harker's sizzling bat carried over to the second game where he sparked a 23-hit attack by going 4-for-4 and hitting for the cycle as Murphy's rolled to a 20-8 victory.

After pounding the ball through three scrimmages, the offense was just as potent out of the gate as Murphy's pushed six runs across the plate in the top of the first inning of the first game.                                          

Harker and Jim singled and Kevin Maloney followed with an RBI double. Graham singled, Joe Faust Jr. bounced an RBI groundout to the right side of the infield and Colin Tosti, T.J. Coles and Ed Gurt followed with RBI singles.

Murphy's continued to rip the ball in the top of the second as they plated eight runs by stringing together eight singles.

Harker's two-run bomb into the woods in left field highlighted a five-run third inning. "Hollywood" capped a 3-for-4 morning with an RBI triple in the fourth.

Harker, Maloney, Tosti, Coles and Gurt each had three hits. Harker, Maloney, Faust Jr., Tosti and Gurt all drove in three runs apiece.

T.J. Coles went 5-for-5 with four runs and five RBIs

to help lead Murphy's to a pair of convincing season-opening

wins over Hooters.

Game two followed a similar script as the boys in black pounded out 23 hits and pushed 18 of its 20 runs over the final three innings en route to another 12-run rule victory.

Harker was again in the middle of the action, igniting the beatdown out of the leadoff spot. He ripped a solo homer deep into the woods in left field, his second of the day, to kick off a six-run third inning. Jim  Trochak and Maloney followed with singles, Graham walked and all three scored on Faust Jr.'s triple to deep right field.

Coles crushed a solo homer to left field to kickstart a five-run fourth that also included an RBI double from Harker. Marc Rossi, proud new poppa along with his wife Kristen to future Murphy's standout Joseph James, singled and scored in the frame. Gurt and Josh Yeager also added key singles in the inning.

Tosti, aka. Colin Quintonious, led off the fifth with a double. Sean Walker reached on an error, Coles tripled and Marc Rossi drew a walk before Dave Rossi nearly killed the opposing pitcher with a laser right back up the box.

Yeager followed with an RBI single, Harker completed the cycle with an RBI triple and with Hooters yet again facing a mercy rule defeat, Trochak was intentionally walked in the hopes of trying to set up a double play. It didn't happen. Maloney sent the next offering deep over the left-center fielder's head to put the 12-run rule into effect.

In a day in which mind-boggling numbers were commonplace, perhaps none was more impressive than Trochak pitching and the efforts both defensively and on the base paths. Trochak faced 59 batters over 10 innings without allowing an extra-base hit. Craziness. The defense committed just three errors over the two games and a number of different players parlayed their aggressiveness on the base paths into key extra bases.

Mike Simpson tripled and Evan Christie added a single to round out the morning.

The pair of convincing victories allowed Murphy's to secure sole possession of first place in the Lower-South Division of the Lower Bucks Softball League. The good guys are off next week for Easter but will be back in action on 4/15 at Edgewood Elementary against WLTP, which split its season-opener with the Sillies.

LINE SCORES

GAME ONE

Murphy’s (1-0)                   685         11X         X_21 27 0

Hooters (0-1)                      002         21X         X_5 15 0

2B— M: Maloney 2. 3B— M: Harker. HR— M: Harker. RBI— M: Harker 3, Maloney 3, Faust Jr. 3, Tosti 3, Gurt, Jim, Coles, Yaeger.

WP— Trochak (1-0). LP— Tony.

GAME TWO

Hooters (0-2)                      003         14X         X_8 14 0

Murphy’s (2-0)                   116         57X         X_20 23 0

2B— M: Harker. 3B— M: Harker, Coles, Simpson. HR— M: Harker, Coles. RBI— M: Coles 4, Harker 3, Maloney 3, Faust Jr., 3, Yaeger 2, D. Rossi, Tosti, Trochak.

WP— Trochak (2-0). LP— Mike.

MURPHY'S 2010 TRENTONIAN TOURNAMENT TEAM

Finished tied for 16th. Two walk-off victories.

                               

                                Back row (L to R) - Dave Rossi, Sean Walker, Bill Bound, Marc Rossi, 

                                           Josh Yeager and Mike Faust. Second row (L to R) - John, Kevin Maloney, 

                                          Vinny, Joe Faust Jr. and Joe Faust Sr. Missing - Adam Taylor.

2011 MURPHY'S LBSL SOFTBALL TEAM

                                 Back row (L to R): Josh Yeager, Adam Taylor, Sean Walker, Nick Bolton, 

                                            Andrew Graham, Chris Arnao, Marc Rossi and Bill Bound. Second row: 

                                            Joe Faust Sr., Evan Christie, Joe Faust Jr., Kevin Maloney and T.J. Coles. 

                                            Missing: Matt Harker, Dave Rossi and Ed Gurt.