Tuesday, July 10, 2012

CHAMPS! MURPHY'S SWEEPS HARRINGTON'S PUB, SWEEPS PLAYOFFS, WINS FIRST LBSL TITLE

It was evident from the first Sunday morning in early March that the Murphy's softball team convened
for the 2012 season that it was a group that had the potential to accomplish special things.

Talent? Check. Chemistry? Check. A collective, selfless approach? Check.

But going out and winning the first division and league title in the program's eight-year history, while it was certainly a possibility, it was far from a given.

That is, until Sunday, July 8th, 2012, sometime just between 11 a.m. and noon when the vision that 16 men initially shared some five months ago came to fruition.

Murphy's continued it's torrid run through the playoffs by sweeping its third straight opponent - this time Lower North Division winner Harrington's Pub -  to secure the Lower Bucks Softball League title for the first time in program history.

The Boys in Black pasted Harrington's Pub in six innings in Game One, 22-7, behind a 29-hit onslaught and then captured the crown with a 6-4 victory in Game Two - incidentally the team's lowest scoring output by two runs in any single game this season.

Murphy's finished the season with a 23-3 (.885) overall mark and was a flawless 6-0 in the playoffs, outscoring the opposition 105-54 over that span while winning three of those games via the 12-run mercy rule.

Murphy's will look to continue their momentous season when the 2012 Trentonian Tournament gets underway Saturday August 4th and Sunday August 5th. The champs are also slated to play in the 2012 Lower Bucks Softball League tournament the following weekend.

The first of three potential titles has been claimed and the other two are certainly not out of reach. Those are stories to be written at a later date, however.

The 2012 Lower Bucks Softball League champions
Back row (L to R): Eddie Gurt, Jim Trochak, Dan Rosar, Mike Simpson,
Andrew Graham,  Marc Rossi, T.J. Coles, Sean Walker, Colin Tosti and Joe Faust Sr.
Front row (L to R): Dave Rossi, Joe Faust Jr., Kevin Maloney, Josh Yeager,
Matt Harker and Evan Christie.

Murphy's wasted little time in delivering a haymaker to Harrington's. Matt Harker and Colin Tosti led the game off with singles and Kevin Maloney doubled home Harker for the game's first run. Mike Simpson followed with a two-run single and T.J. Coles, Joe Faust Jr. and Marc Rossi each added RBI singles during the six-run inning.

Harrington's responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first but Murphy's responded with a three-run top of the second inning. Sean Walker and Tosti reached on singles, setting the table for a three-run homer from Maloney over the fence in left-center field.

Harrington's would pull to within four runs, 9-5, with a three-run bottom of the third inning. The damage could have been way worse, however. Tosti tracked down a two-out blast to straightaway center field off of Bell's bat that would have scored at least two additional runs and kept Harrington's inning very much alive.

Instead, Murphy's would tack on three key insurance runs - Harker ripped a solo homer in the fourth and Graham and Trochak delivered RBI singles in the fifth - over the next two innings before exploding for a 10-spot in the top of the sixth that decided the game and ultimately allowed Murphy's to claim the series.

Harker and Tosti led off the frame with walks and Maloney lined an RBI single between short and third that allowed Harker to score. Simpson smoked a two-run single to right and Graham followed with a single. Both would race around to score on Trochak's triple - his second of the season - to give Murphy's a commanding 17-7 advantage.

Josh Yeager, Faust Jr. and Marc Rossi chipped in with RBI singles and Harker doubled home Rossi to keep the inning alive. Harker scored on Tosti's double for the 22nd and final run - the second highest total of the playoffs and third highest offensive output of the season.

Trochak recorded 13 of the 18 outs in Game One via pop out/fly out, allowed a lone double and didn't walk a batter in another outstanding effort on the hill.

Harker went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, a homer, a double and an RBI, Simpson went 4-for-4 with two runs, four RBIs and a triple and Tosti was also 4-for-4 with three runs, an RBI and a double.

Maloney was 3-for-5 with five RBIs, three runs, a homer and a double, Faust Jr. went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run and Trochak was 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs and a triple.

Graham, Coles and Marc Rossi each added multiple hits while Yeager and Walker each drove in a run.


A total team effort propelled Murphy's to a walk-away Game One victory
that gained enough momentum for a low-scoring victory in Game Two that allowed
the  Boys in Black to walk off the field as the LBSL champions for the first time
in the program's eight-year history.

Game two followed a much different blueprint but still managed to net the same end result, which is all that mattered.

Harker led off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on Tosti's single through the right side of the infield. Coles delivered a major blow with a three-run homer to deep right-center field in the second inning and Graham tripled in Tosti for what proved to be the game-winning run in the third inning. Tosti singled home Harker, who roped a two-out double, in the fifth for a key insurance run.

Harrington's scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh and put the tying run on first base with one out. But Tosti tracked down a fly ball for out No. 2 and Harker fielded a grounder, pivoted and fired to Coles at second for the final out to secure the title.

Murphy's 11 hits in Game Two was ironically a season-low but the Boys in Black captured the title with timely hitting, by playing seal-tight defense and behind another stellar pitching performance from Trochak, who didn't yield an extra-base hit.

The tentative plan is for Murphy's to take off this week, gather for a practice next Sunday and scrimmage Murphy's other sponsored softball team - who was a little cocky after also winning their league's title - two weeks from now in preparation for making a deep run at the 2012 Trentonian Tournament title the first weekend of August.


The 2012 Murphy's softball team following a Week Two thrashing of WLTP
that proved to be the second week of a 13-week journey towards the
Lower Bucks Softball League title.

GAME ONE

Murphy’s (22-3)             630      12(10)  x_22 29 0
Harrington’s Pub (19-6) 203       020      x_ 7  14 0

2B— M: Harker, Tosti, Maloney. HP: Shawn. 3B— M: Simpson, Trochak. HR— M: Harker, Maloney. RBI— M: Maloney 5, Simpson 4, Trochak 3, Coles 2, Faust Jr. 2, Tosti, Graham, Yeager, M. Rossi, Walker.

WP— Trochak (22-3). LP— Brian C. (19-6).

GAME TWO

Harrington’s Pub (19-7) 100      010         2_4 12 0
Murphy’s (23-3)             131      010         x_6 11 0

2B— M: Harker, Tosti. 3B— M: Harker, Graham. HR— M: Coles. RBI— M: Coles 3, Tosti 2, Graham.

WP— Trochak (23-3). LP— Brian C. (19-7).

Friday, July 6, 2012

HEADING TO THE 'SHIP: MURPHY'S SWEEPS PASQUALES, FACES HARRINGTON PUB IN CHAMPIONSHIP

Two. More. Dubs.

By sweeping Pasquales - 10-9 in Game One and 18-10 in Game Two - Murphy's captured the 2012 Lower Bucks Softball League Lower South division title and advanced to the LBSL championship this Sunday against Harrington's Pub (19-5) at Bensalem's Community Park.

It was the first division title for Murphy's (21-3) in the team's eight-year history and just the second time they've advanced to the championship game. 
Marc Rossi led a day in which everyone contributed to the victories by going 4-for-5 with nine RBIs and two homers. His grand slam in the third inning of Game Two put the stamp on a decisive seven-run frame.

Murphy's fell behind 9-6 in Game One but gradually chipped away at the deficit. Colin Tosti ripped a two-run homer - his fourth of the season - to help The Boys in Black get on the board quickly. Kevin Maloney followed a double and Mike Simpson laced a two-out, two-run homer, his team-leading sixth round-tripper of the season.

T.J. Coles homered with one out in the second, Sean Walker followed with a double and scored on Rossi's single. Tosti singled and scored on Simpson's two-out single in the third as Murphy's pulled within two runs, 9-7.

Rossi plated Joe Faust Jr. with a single in the fourth and Tosti came around to score on Jim Trochak's single in the fifth as Murphy's pulled even, 9-9. Faust Jr. led off the sixth with a walk and pinch runner Evan Christie came around to score on a wild dash on Marc Rossi's sacrifice fly to the plate for the decisive run.

While the offense was gradually pecking away at the deficit, Trochak was busy spinning zeroes on the mound. The veteran right-hander retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced. Tosti made a nice sliding grab in right-center and Coles and Matt Harker combined on inning-ending double play to thwart a sixth-inning rally.

Tosti and Simpson each led the 15-hit attack with three hits apiece and Maloney and Rossi each had a pair of hits. Rossi and Simpson each drove in three runs and Tosti finished with a pair of RBIs.

Marc Rossi went 4-for-5 with nine RBIs and two homers - including a
back-breaking grand slam in Game Two - as Murphy's swept Pasquales
to capture the 2012 LBSL Lower South Division title and to set up a
showdown with Harrington's Pub Sunday morning for the 2012 LBSL title. 
Game Two followed a much different blueprint as Murphy's raced out to a 13-1 lead and never let Pasquales get back into the game.

Harker set the tone immediately with a double and scored on Tosti's single. Maloney followed with an RBI double and both Maloney and Simpson came around to score on Andrew Graham's two-run double.

Rossi launched a monster two-run homer to deep left-center field to give Murphy's a 6-0 lead through two innings. Maloney, Simpson and Graham all singled to lead off the third and Trochak reached on an RBI fielder's choice. Josh Yaeger singled and Coles worked a big two-out walk allowing Walker to bounce an RBI single through the hole between short and third.

Rossi stepped to the dish an launched a missile to straightaway center field, hitting the trees on the fly some 375-plus feet away and raced around the bases for what proved to be the coup de gras. Faust Jr. added an RBI single and Coles ripped an RBI double in the fifth.

Maloney had a sacrifice fly and Graham capped a five-RBI day with a two-run double that he came around to score on following a pair of errors.

Rossi finished Game Two by going 2-for-3 with six RBIs, two homers and two runs. Graham went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and Simpson was 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBIs. Harker, Tosti, Maloney, and Dave Rossi each had multiple hits.

This double play to end fourth inning of Game One proved to be pivotal
in Murphy's squeezing out a 10-9 victory and riding that momentum towards
a walk-away win in Game Two.
Evan Christie's graceful slide into home stood up for the game-winning run
in Murphy's 10-9 Game One victory.

The 2012 Lower Bucks Softball League Lower South Division Champs

Murphy's celebrates its first LBSL Lower South division title in the program's
eight-year history.
GAME ONE

Pasquales (14-9)               540         000         0_9 15 0
Murphy’s (20-3)                421         111         X_10 15 0

2B— P: Craig, Josh, Nolan, Ace; M: Maloney, Faust Jr., Coles, Walker. HR— M: Tosti, Simpson, Coles. RBI— M: Simpson 3, M. Rossi 3, Tosti 2, Trochak, Coles.

WP— Trochak (20-3). LP— Brian (14-9).

GAME TWO

Murphy’s (21-3)                427         020         3_18 21 0
Pasquales (14-10)            102         130         3_10 19 0

2B— M: Harker 2, Tosti, Maloney, Coles. 3B— P: Ace. HR— M: M. Rossi 2; RBI— M:  M. Rossi 6, Graham 5, Maloney 2, Simpson, Trochak, Faust Jr., Coles, Walker.

WP— Trochak (21-3). LP— Brian (14-10).