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06/16/2024 11:40 PMWeek Six of the Deep River Horseshoe League proved to be a challenge, as eight substitutes were needed but only five were available. The league gained two new prospective members, thanks to some last-minute recruiting efforts.
Braves’ Mike Zanelli Jr. put on a scoring clinic and posted some historic statistics. The Braves scored 350 points and soundly defeating Joe Heery's Rangers by over 110 points. What was expected to be a close match between Zanelli and Heery only lasted for the first game, as Zanelli beat Heery 35 - 33.
From then on, the scoring floodgates opened, as Warren Bellows, who had his season best series (112 points with 27 ringers) was the second highest for the "B" players. Matt Valentin (who also had his season best series with 82 points and 15 ringers) contributed to Zanelli’s historic night. Over the last three games, Valentin scored 121 points, 34 ringers, and 11 doubles. His last game is considered statistically one of the best in league history: 53 points, 17 ringers, six doubles. His 156-point, 45 ringer, 14 doubles series set league season highs in all six statistical categories. The Braves swept the Rangers and increased their first-place lead to 4-1/2 games.
Kris Toohey's Cardinals were looking to rebound from their last match loss to the Angels, as they took on Butch Carotenuto's Dodgers, who had also lost to the Braves in their last match. While Toohey, the league's leading scorer, was having an off night in scoring by his standards, Kris Casey (Clinton) was having his best series of the season (95 points, 22 ringers, three doubles).
However, it was the Dodgers’ scoring duo of Vinny Jonynas and Dennis Allen who took control of the match, winning their first four games before the Cardinals got their first and only win. Jonynas’s 107-point series was the third best for the "B" players, and Allen’s 107 series was the night's top "C" scorer. The Dodgers won 5-1 and moved into second place.
An hour before the start of the match, it was looking like the Tigers might have to forfeit, since they only had one player available. Sheryl Serviss wasn't feeling well but managed to make it, and the Tigers were the benefit of one of the new recruits in Kyle Sunderland (Cheshire). They took on Chip Goodrich's Diamondbacks, who were forced to play with just two players. Once the match was over and the average and handicap for Sunderland was calculated, the Tigers had won all six games. With the sweep, the Tigers climbed from last to 11th place in the standings.
Frank Rausch substituted for Cubs’ Cody Layton, and Ronnie Carotenuto subbed for Reds’ Dennis Goodrich. The Cubs started fast behind Rausch and Jeremy Davis winning the first four games. They ended the night having defeated the Reds 5-1. Davis set a personal best series of 124 points, 33 ringers, three doubles to lead all "B" players. The points and ringers are league season highs for the "B" division, and with that score he took over as the "B" division scoring leader.
Another match where the results were a surprise was one in which Bob Cifaldi's Mets won 5-1 over Bill Beckwith's Red Sox. This match featured the brothers Beckwith and Cifaldi facing off against each other. Last year, it was Cifaldi who took home the bragging rights. However, Beckwith’s 134-point series was the second best for the "A" players.
After their defeat of the Cardinals in their last match, Tony Cutone's Angels were looking for a repeat performance, as they took on the second place Yankees. Each team had a substitute - Bill Black for the Yankees and Pete Perkins for the Angels. The first game ended in a tie, thanks to Angels’ Kyle Wilson’s four points in the last box. In game two, the Angels used their handicap for a two-point win and then went on to win the next three games. The Angels won 4.5 -1.5 and moved into second place.
Mike Didomizio's Rockies had their third tie game in two weeks, as they went up against Mike Zanelli Sr's Giants. In addition to the tie game, the match also featured three games decided by one point, all won by the Rockies. Two of them were thanks to Didomizio's heroic scoring in the last box. Zanelli’s 133-point series was the third best of the night.
John Durinick's Orioles won 4-2 over John Hutra's Marlins, and it bumped the Marlins from third to fifth place in the standings. Peter Furmonavicius’s 88 point series was the second leading "C" scorer, as the White Sox were defeated by the Pirates 4-2.
In Week Seven, the possibility of rain threatened to cancel play, but an hour into the matches, the skies darkened, the breeze turned chilly, and peoples’ phones were alerting them to possible thunderstorms within the hour. Fortunately, there were only a few sprinkles.
The Braves are in first place for the sixth straight week. Nobody thought it would be possible that Zanelli Jr. could match his record scoring of Week Six, as his Braves took on Cutone's Angels, who have climbed up from seventh to third place in the standings. However, after three games, Zanelli had scored 105 points, which was two more than he did in Week Six, so everyone was watching his last game to see what his final score would be. He finished the night with 134 points, 38 ringers, and 11 doubles and was the third highest scorer for the "A" division players.
Braves’ Valentin continued the scoring with his season best series of 87 points. Ted Dubay of the Angels tried to keep up the scoring pace of the Braves. His 108 point series was his season best, and he had two 30 point games which led to the Angels’ only wins. Dubay was the third leading scorer for "B" division players. The Braves scored 314 points in the third time they have topped 300 points per game this season. The Braves won 4-2, and the Angels remain in third place.
The second place Dodgers went up against the fourth place Yankees. They won the first three games, using their handicap for a win in game two, and they squeezed out a one-point win in game three. The "Dodger Duo" of Jonynas and Allen had games of 38 points and 34 points, respectively, both league season highs for the "B" and "C" divisions. Allen’s 102 point series was the leading "C" player score. Yankees’ Todd Nuhn's 128 point series was his season best. The Dodgers won 5-1.
Cardinals’ Toohey rebounded from his season low score in Week Six to once again lead all scorers with a season best 149 point series, as the Cardinals soundly defeated the Rangers 5-1. With his performance, he regained the lead as the league's top scorer for "A" division.
The "A" player has the choice of the shoes the team will use for the match. Some "B" and "C" players have difficulty adjusting to the shoes. Such was the case in the Pirates vs. Giants match. Pirates’ Skip Robinson changed shoes in the second game to accommodate his "B" player Anthony Malerba, and it paid big dividends, as Malerba had four games in the 20s and ended the night with a season best 91 points, 23 ringers, four doubles.
Zanelli Sr.’s Giants were having their troubles scoring, as the Pirates won the first four games before Zanelli finally found his stroke and tossed a 45 point game for the Giants’ lone win. Zanelli finished the night with a 133 point series and was the third high scorer for the "A" players. The Pirates scored 294 points and won 5-1.
One of the keys to a good score is to not have an open box. The average number of opens for a team is 33. The White Sox and the Diamondbacks only had 20 and 17, respectively.
In addition, both teams scored on over 64% of their tosses. White Sox’s Furmonavicius had a 33 point game, making the top three for the league's season highs for "C" players. In addition, his 93 point series was the second highest for "C" division. The White Sox won 4-2.
The Cubs defeated the Orioles 4-2 on the strength of Davis's 109 point series. He was the top "B" scorer for the night. He also took over the league scoring lead for the "B" division. Cubs’ Layton's season best 112 point series contributed to the 4-2 win over the Orioles. The Cubs moved into fourth place.
Beckwith's Red Sox rebounded from a Week Six 5-1 loss to the Mets with a resounding 4-2 win over the Marlins. Beckwith had a 40 point and 41 point game. This was the sixth time he has had games of 40 or more points this season - the most by any player. Beckwith posted a 144 point series for the night and was the second leading scorer.
Pudge Goodrich's Reds won 4-2 over Cifaldi's Mets. Goodrich had a season best 118 point series. Serviss's Tigers defeated Didomizio's Rockies 4-2. Serviss had her season best series - 124 points, 29 ringers, and five doubles.