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).