MURPHY'S DEALT FIRST SETBACK, REBOUNDS IN A BIG WAY IN GAME TWO

Something had to give.

The Murphy's softball team entered its showdown with the Not So Athletics Sunday morning with a flawless 10-0 mark while the veteran Not So Athletics had managed to split with their opponents every single week through the first five weeks of the season.

The future will prove whether it's a good thing or a bad thing but it was Murphy's hopes of an undefeated season that came to an end behind a 12-11 loss in Game One. The Boys in Black rebounded in a major way by pounding out 18 hits and three homers en route to an 18-12, five-inning win in Game Two.

Even despite the initial setback, Murphy's enters Week Seven with a comfortable four-game lead in the Lower South standings and the head-to-head advantage over Schaffers and Pasquales, both 7-5. Murphy's will see the other 7-5 club, Sillies, this Sunday at 9 a.m. at Edgewood Elementary.

Game One had all the makings of another victory as Murphy's used a five-run third to stake an early 6-2 lead. Matt "Hollywood" Harker doubled him Dan Rosar and both Harker and Evan "Pinky" Christie scored on Jim Trochak's two-run single. Kevin Maloney knocked in Trochak with an RBI double and Maloney came around to score on Andrew Graham's RBI double.

Murphy's struck for a solo run in the fourth on Eddie "Big Cat" Gurt's sacrifice fly and jumped out to a commanding 11-3 lead behind a four-run fifth. Trochak doubled home Christie with a double - his third hit of the day - and Maloney knocked in Trochak with a single, also his third hit of the day.

Graham's RBI single plated Maloney - also his third hit of the day - and came around to score on Colin Tosti's double.

But that would be where the boys in blacks positive mojo came to a half. The Not So Athletics pushed across seven runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull within a run, 11-10. The Not So Athletics did rack up eight hits in the inning but the damage shouldn't have been quite as bad as it was.

With one out and the bases loaded, Mike lifted a fly ball to left field. Graham caught the ball, came up and fired to second base where he clearly caught Zies two feet off of the bag for what should have been the third out of the inning.

Instead, the umpire - visibly still feeling the effects from a late Saturday night - inexplicably was looking at home instead of second base, did not see the tag and called the runner at second base safe. The out at second proved to be a two-run swing as Ed wouldn't have crossed home plate by the time the out was made at second and Zies scored another run on an ensuing single.

The Not So Athletics went ahead with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and Murphy's missed a golden opportunity to go ahead with the top of the lineup coming up in the top of the seventh.

Andrew Graham went 3-for-5 with three runs, two RBIs
a double and three walks to help Murphy's improve
to 11-1 on the season.

But as they've done time and time again this season, Murphy's responded to the adversity by unleashing a pounding in Game Two.

Mike Simpson, Josh "Jager Bomb" Yaeger and Tosti each homered and Trochak chipped in three hits for the second straight game as Murphy's jumped out to a monster lead early and finished off the Not So Athletics with Graham's walk-off walk with no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the bounce-back win was that Murphy's scored 11 of its 18 runs with two outs.

Seething from the setback, Murphy's pushed across six runs in the bottom of the first inning. Harker and Trochak led off with singles and Maloney followed with a single to score Harker. Tosti, who finished with five RBIs for the game, plated Trochak with a single

Simpson followed with a smashed-shot to deep left center field and raced around for his fifth homer of the season that plated Maloney and Tosti. Yaeger followed with a solo homer - his first of the season. It was the first time Murphy's had back-to-back homers on the season.

But it was in the second inning that Murphy's showed the attribute that's been the most impressive in what's been a downright dominating start to the season.

Christie ripped a single to left-center to leadoff the inning. After consecutive outs, Maloney kept the inning alive with a single and Graham followed with a walk. Tosti singled home Maloney and Simpson knocked in both Graham and Tosti with a single. Yaeger followed with an RBI single, Sean Walker followed with a single and T.J. Coles plated both Simpson and Yaeger with a two-run double.

Tosti's three-run homer in the third inning - his first round-tripper of the season - allowed Murphy's to open up a 17-0 lead.

Up 17-6 entering the bottom of the fifth, Harker and Trochak led off with singles. Maloney was intentionally walked and Graham walked on three pitches for Murphy's fifth mercy-rule victory of the season.

Props to Dave Rossi for making the trip down from Boston to give a depleted Mothers Day squad some much-needed depth and to Joe "Tommy Bahama" Faust Sr. for his continued stewardship of the squad.

Murphy's will look to get back to their dominant ways Sunday against Sillies when it will welcome Joe Faust Jr. back from a two-week, globetrotting hiatus.

GAME ONE

Murphy’s (10-1)             105         140         0_ 11 19 0

Not So Athletics (6-5)    110         172         X_12 19 0

2B— M: Trochak 2, Harker, Maloney, Graham, Tosti, Walker; NSA: Kenny. 3B— NSA: Darren. RBI— M: Trochak 3, Maloney 2, Tosti 2, Harker, Graham, Simpson, Gurt.

WP— Darren (6-5). LP— Trochak (10-1).

GAME TWO

Not So Athletics (6-6)       000         60X         X_ 6  12 0

Murphy’s (11-1)                683         01X         X_18 18 0

2B— NSA: Joe, Ed; M: Harker, Coles. HR— M: Tosti, Simpson, Yeager. RBI— M: Tosti 5, Simpson 4, Coles 2, D. Rossi 2, Trochak, Maloney, Graham, .

WP— Trochak (11-1). LP— Darren (6-6).

MURPHY'S GETS PAST SCHAFFERS TWICE, PUSHES RECORD TO 10-0

Whew.

It took a pair of closer-then-they-would-have-liked victories, but the Murphy's softball team improved to 10-0 on the season with a pair of wins against defending champions Schaffers at Truman High School.

Andrew Graham laced a two-run single and Jim Trochak and Colin Tosti etched added RBI singles to break a 4-all tie with a four-run bottom of the sixth inning to lift Murphy's to an 8-4 victory in Game One.

Mike Simpson homered twice and racked up seven RBIs and Eddie Gurt's RBI single proved to be the difference as Murphy's edged Schaffers, 15-14, in eight innings in a tension-packed Game Two.

Game One featured 16 hits - with Tosti's RBI double in the fifth inning as the lone extra-base hit - five of which came in the tide-turning bottom of the sixth inning. Kevin Maloney and Tosti had RBI singles in the first and T.J. Coles added a sacrifice fly as the boys in black pushed three runs across in the top of the first.

They would be held scoreless until Josh Yeager's RBI single in the fifth. Schaffer's tied the game in the top of the sixth but Trochak was able to get out of the jam by stranding runners on first and second.

Colin Tosti went 6-for-7 with three doubles, four RBIs
and three runs to help Murphy's to a pair of close victories
that helped push the team to 10-0 on the season.

Game Two personified the growth this Murphy's team has made as the season's progressed as it was probably a game they would have lost in previous years.

Up five going to the bottom of the seventh inning with the 8, 9 and 10 hitters come to the plate, Murphy's was in position to cruise to a program-record 10th straight victory. Of course, the good things in life never come easy.

After Trochak retired the first batter, the next three batters reached base on singles. Scaffer's No. 2 hitter, Vince, crushed a three-run triple to deep right field, bringing the game-tying run to the plate in the form of John.

John lifted another deep shot to right field and raced all the way around for a homer to tie the game at 14-all.

With the momentum firmly in Schaffer's possession, Murphy's came within four feet of its first defeat when Andy smashed a shot to deep left-center field. The ball landed just over a yard short of counting for a home run and instead went into the books as a ground-rule double.

Trochak would escape the jam and strand Chris on second, leaving Schaffers thisclose to dealing the hottest team in the league its first loss.

Yeager led off the eighth with a double and scored on Gurt's RBI single to right for what stood up as the game-winning run.

Again, Murphy's looked like they would record victory No. 10 in relative ease when they recorded the first two outs on two pitches. But the next three batters reached to load the bases and put the game-winning run on second base. Trochak got Vince to line out to second and Graham snared the liner as the team let out one collective sigh of relief.

Simpson went 3-for-4 with 7 RBIs and two runs in Game Two and Graham and Tosti each had three hits and combined to score five runs. Matt "Hollywood" Harker had two hits and Sean Walker drove in a run.

Eddie Gurt doubled and drove in two runs, Evan Christie doubled and scored a run - and also struck out, earning pink shirt honors next week - and Dan Rosar singled and drove in a run. Coles tripled and scored in a five-run first inning.

Simpson ripped a three-run homer in that aforementioned first inning and added a key two-run shot in the top of the seventh inning.

Christie and Gurt also did an outstanding job keeping the book in the absence of head coach Joe Faust Sr., who sources spotted in the Florida Keys on Sunday rocking sandals and an unbuttoned Tommy Bahama shirt with a pina colada in his hand.

Murphy's will look to keep its undefeated record in tact Sunday at 9 a.m. at Poplar Park when it takes on the Not So Athletics, which are 5-5 and have split its contests in each week thus far.

Game One

Schaffers (5-4)                    010         111         0_4 0 0
Murphy’s (9-0)                   300         014         X_8 16 0

2B— S: Tosti; M: Andy, Vince. RBI— M: Graham 2, Tosti 2, Trochak, Maloney, Coles, Yeager.

WP— Trochak (9-0). LP— Tom (5-4).

Game Two 

Murphy’s (10-0)                502         122         11_15 20 0

Schaffers (5-5)                    510         120         50_14 29 0

2B— M: Tosti 2, Yeager 2, Walker, Gurt, Christie, Harker; S: Andy. 3B— M: Coles; S: Chad, Vince. HR— M: Simpson 2; S: Jon. RBI— M: Simpson 7, Tosti 2, Gurt 2, Harker, Rosar, Yeager.

WP— Trochak (10-0). LP— Tom (5-5).