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Yankees, Marlins, and Orioles Top 300 Points in Week Eight of Horseshoe

In what was a wild Week Eight in the Deep River Horseshoe League, several key moments took place. The Yankees shocked the first-place Braves, the Yankees, Marlins, Orioles, and Diamondbacks all won 5-1, and the Yankees, Marlins, and Orioles all scored over 300 points.

Yankees’ Todd Nuhn (Killingworth) had a season best 130-point series and was the top scorer for the night, as his team shocked the first place place Braves by winning 5-1. The Yankees won the first five games before the Braves were able to salvage a win. Yankees’ Deb Scully and Damin Roberts’ ringers in the last box of game three earned them a two-point win. In game five, Nuhn and Roberts each tossed a 32-point game for their fifth win.

The buzz that the Braves were down 5-0 and would get bumped from first place quickly spread throughout the pits. Roberts’ 113 point series was the third highest for "B" players. The Yankees scored 310 points, 75 ringers, and 10 doubles. The Braves also had a good scoring night with 294 points, 68 ringers, and seven doubles. With the win, the Yankees are now in fourth place, and the Braves saw their three-and-a-half game lead shrink to one-half game.

With the Braves’ lead in jeopardy, Butch Carotenuto's second place Dodgers needed to take advantage of Joe Heery's last place Rangers. The Rangers put up a fight by winning games one and four behind the scoring of Heery and Jim Weselcouch, but it was Vinny Jonynas who carried the Dodgers to a 4-2 win. His 124 points, 26 ringers, four double series was the top "B" scorer, while Heery's 127 point series was the second highest score among "A" division players. The Dodgers are only one-half game out of first place.

Cody Layton's Cubs vs. John Hutra's Marlins was expected to be a close match in the battle for fourth place in the standings. However, the Marlins jumped out to take the lead in the fourth box of game one and were in the lead until the start of game five. The key to the Marlins’ four straight wins was Howie Fisher, whose 102 point series was the top "C" scorer.

Cubs’ Jeremy Davis led the team to their lone win in game five. Davis’s 116 point series was the second leading score for the "B" division. Marlins’ Frank Rausch, who subbed for Hutra, Mark Goodale, and Fisher all scored at least 100 points. The Marlins were the top scoring team for the night with 323 points, 75 ringers, and 15 doubles. The Marlins won 5-1 and now are in third place.

John Durinick's Orioles outscored Mike Didomizio's Rockies by an average of 12 points in each of the first four games, as the Rockies struggled to score. However, Durinick and Didomizio in their head-to-head matchup did manage to have quite a duel. Didomizio’s 126 point series was the third leading "A" score, while Durinick had a season best 124 points, 33 ringer, five doubles series. Orioles' John O'Brien had the third leading "C" score with a 78 point series. The Orioles scored 301 points, 66 ringers, and seven doubles and won 5-1.

Of the 54 games played, there were only two games decided by one point, and both were in the Pirates vs. Diamondbacks match. In game two, it was Diamondbacks’ Chip Goodrich's double in the last box for the win, and in game five, with the match tied in the 11th box, the Diamondbacks outscored the Pirates 3-1 (the Pirates were getting one point of handicap).

Pirates’ Anthony Malerba had a season best 109 point, 26 ringer, five double series, which included his season best game of 34 points, 10 ringers, three doubles. The final team scores were also decided by one point (Pirates 247, Diamondbacks 246), but the Diamondbacks won the match 5-1.

There were two games where the fathers went against their sons. Those matches were Red Sox’s Bill Beckwith vs. his son Mike of the Reds, and Mets’ Keith Toohey against his son Kris of the Cardinals. While Bill's 125 points was the top score in the Red Sox vs. Reds match, the Reds won 4-2. In the Cardinals vs. Mets, you can say Dad taught him well - in game one Kris scored a season best of 46 points. He was the top scorer in this match, and the teams split the six games.

Frank Durinick substituted for Tigers’ Sheryl Serviss, as they took on Mike Zanelli Sr.'s Giants. The Tigers won 4-2 and continue to inch their way up the standings. They have gone from last to ninth place in three weeks.

Peter Furmonavicius continues to be the surprise player for Brady Miller's White Sox. Since joining the team as a replacement player in week four, he has averaged 83 points and has been one of the "C" players’ top three scorers each week. Last week, his 92 point series was the second best for "C" division. The White Sox played the Angels, who are led by Ted Dubay. Dubay has been averaging over 100 points for the past few weeks. The teams split their six games.