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05/22/2023 11:15 AMAfter Week Three, the Yankees now stand alone in first place with a two-game lead in the Deep River Horseshoe League, as most of the other teams underwent a shuffle in the standings. The Braves and Orioles both came away with 5-1 wins. Sunshine and warm temperatures did little to improve scoring for the week, as the average team score of 247 points matched week one. Five “A” players failed to toss a double, which is the most since 2019.
The bright spot for Todd Nuhn’s Yankees was the return of Keith Toohey from his bands concert tour in Florida. Expectations were that he would be rusty, but that was not the case as he tossed a very respectable 71/12 series. Angels’ Tony Cutone as well as Todd struggled to score – neither broke the century mark and they were two of six “A” players to have double-digit opens. Keith Toohey was the only player to toss his average. The Yankees grabbed a 4-2 win with a stat line of 246/42/3, with the Angels’ stat line being 228/46/4.
For the second week in a row, Kris Toohey’s Cardinals have been in some very close scoring matches. Four of their six matches against Frank Rausch’s White Sox were decided by four points or less. Ironically, all went in favor of the Sox. In game 4, the Cards were up one going into the last box but opened to lose by two points. Uncle Bob Beckwith of the White Sox gave nephew Mike Beckwith another lesson, as he continues to be in the top three scorers for “C” division with a 72 series. Vinny Jonynas had two clean games and his 110 series was the top “B” scorer. Kris’s 135/37/4 series was his season best. The Sox won 4-2 to take over fourth place, knocking the Cardinals from second to fifth. The stat line for the White Sox was 264/51/1, and for the Cards it was 261/58/7.
Last week, Royals’ John Sciacca started his first game with five ringers in his first six boxes on his way to a 45 game. This week, he started game 1 with eight ringers in his first six boxes, including three doubles, but only managed nine points the rest of the game. Bill Beckwith of the Red Sox said before the game that his substandard scoring has been a result of his lack of follow-through on his toss.
In game 1 against Sciacca, Bill Beckwith matched him with eight ringers in the first six boxes and he finished with a double to give the Sox a two-point win as both Royals opened in the 12th. Bill Beckwith ended with a season-high game of 48pts, 15 ringers and five doubles. In game 2, the Sox had a chance to win in the 12th but Bill Beckwith opened and the Royals won by two.
Bill Beckwith’s 137/38/10 series was the second highest for the week for “A” division. The Royals lead the league in scoring, in part due to John Hutra having another week where he topped the century mark (103 series). Steve Dingle subbed for Royals’ Kyle Wilson and tossed above his average. The Royals took a 4-2 victory to claim second place. Their season stat line is 876/194/29.
Bob Cifaldi’s Mets were coming off a sweep last week, and Heery’s Rangers were looking for another winning week. Cifaldi was one of the “A” players to suffer double digit opens and double digit 1s. Heery put together a season-high series (143/36/6) to take the night’s scoring honors for “A” players. In game 2, the Rangers held a three-point lead going into the 12th, but Cifaldi tossed a double and Damin tossed a ringer to seal the win. The Rangers won 4-2 to reach the .500 mark, while the Mets fell to sixth place. Stat lines were 279/59/6 for the Rangers and 249/56/6 for the Mets.
Before the match, Giants’ Mike Zanelli Sr. was asked if he was feeling it tonight. He responded by saying that he would know after he tosses the first two or so shoes in the match. At the end of the night, he said he was off. A 131/30/2 series would be welcomed by almost all “A” players. For the second week in a row, Sheryl Serviss’s Tigers were involved in all game with a two-point handicap, and like last week four of the six favored the Tigers.
In game 3, (B/C) the Tigers held a six-point leading going into the 12th box. The Giants scored five and Matt Valentin, subbing for Sue Feaster, tossed a one. The scratch score turned out to be Tigers 25, Giants 23, but the two-point handicap went to the Giants to make it a tie.
Game 6 was also a B/C game. The Tigers held a five-point lead going into the 12th, and the Giants score three with Valentin tossing one. This time, the Tigers won by one. Mike Mercier upped his personal best score of last week with a 28/7 game. Mike Zanelli Sr. had three clean games and Serviss had two. The Giants prevailed 4.5 -1.5 and are in third place.
After looking at the scoresheet for game 1 between Skip Robinson’s Pirates and Pudge Goodrich’s Reds, it seemed like it musrt’ve been a practice game (Skip 8 -1s and 1 ringer; Pudge 5 opens and 2-1s). The Reds managed to win by two. Of the “A” players, Robinson has the fewest open boxes but has the most 1s (averaging 17/game).
The Reds won the first four games and Goodrich had no opens the rest of the night (three clean games). Scott Allen was the difference for the Reds – his 108/26/4 series was the second leading “B” scorer and was his best since week 14 of 2021. In game 5, (only 1-point of handicap favoring the Reds) the Pirates held a four-point lead going into the 12th. They tossed three and the Reds tossed five to lose by one. Pirates’ Deb Scully’s 71 series was the second best “C” division score. The Reds claimed a 4-2 victory and are tied with the Pirates for eighth place.
Rockies’ Mike Didomizio said before the match that he would be making up for his poor performance from last week, but again he failed to hit the century mark. A shift in shoes didn’t help and he tried tossing a turn before realizing it was a lost cause. Cubs’ Cody Layton (123/29/0 series) matched his season-high of last year, but this series had no doubles, which is a first. The Rockies earned their second win in game 3. The scratch score was tied but the handicap favored the Rockies. Game 5 saw the Cubs toss a four in the 12th to the Rockies’ one, and the Cubs won by two. The Cubs ended the night with a 4-2 victory.
With the exception of game 5, it was all the Braves as Mike Zanelli Jr. and Anthony Malerba were among the top three scores for the “A” and “B” respectively in the 5-1 win over Butch Carotenuto’s Dodgers. Mike’s 136/37/7 series was the third leading scorer, and Anthony’s 103/27/3 was the third highest. His 12 ringers in a game are a league season-high.
Dennis Allen’s Orioles easily defeated Mark Goodale’s Marlins 5-1. Apart from the Orioles’ Paul Chrystal, both teams struggled to score. Paul’s 85/15/2 series was the top “C” scorer for the evening.
The 50/50 winner for the week was Gary Haney. He won the first number and then when he drew the second number, it was his.