Baseball, Meet Ruaidhri Murphy

IAN LENEHAN Sunday 23rd May - "I'll put money that Ruaidhri's next to do it", Eoin predicted after Pat's 3-run home run against the Mariners. So the Black Sox were hardly surprised when in fact Ruairdhri was the next to hit a home run. It was actually the manner that it was done - a first inning Grand Slam - combined with his final line for the game that has people talking.

Murphy had threatened the long ball on a number of occasions before, and despite being only 16 years of age he obviously had the power to do it. The first inning against the Trojans started off with three straight walks. Placed in the cleanup spot, Murphy hit a towering fly ball just over the left field fence, clearing the bases. Two home runs in two games for the Black Sox after never having hit one before. Surely you cant better that or can you? In his next at bat, Ruairdhri defied the odds by going yard again, this time a 3-run in the park home run. Two for two with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. Some line - that would only get better.

Ruairdhri's next at bat resulted in a walk, and at a play at second base, he injured his wrist. Reluctant to come out of the game, as this would have left the Sox a man down, he played on. Next time up, with the bases loaded he surprised everybody with a bunt single, driving in another run. At the end of 6 innings (game called due to the Mercy Rule) Ruairdhri had gone 3 for 3 with two walks and an incredible 10 RBIs. Anyway, enough about him.

The Black Sox had a comfortable 15 run lead going into the fifth, enough to invoke the mercy rule that would have ended the game after five. Stand in Trojan John Dillon had other ideas though, and he got the Trojans going with an in the parker of his own. Dillon lead the Trojans on their comeback but it could only produce a total of 6 runs in the game. The Sox managed to haul in 21, enough to call the game after six.

The Black Sox head to Belfast after a strong 21-6 victory to play two games against the Wolves with a 4-3 record and hope to finish their road trip at a smart 6-3.

KEVIN DILLON - Ruadhrai Murphy announced his presence in Irish Baseball today with a blast and in the process added another chapter to Black Sox history.  The first 3
Sox hitters reached base in the first inning and Ruadhrai, batting clean up,
blasted his and the Sox first ever grand slam.  In his second at bat he
showed his speed with an 'In the Park' home run on a ball hit to deep centre
and padded his RBI tally to 7.  His final line for the day, 3 for 3, 10 RBI's, 2 home runs and 2 walks.
The other eight guys on the team showed up too, they got 11 runs and a solid
pitching outing for a final score of 21- 6.
The Sox moved to 4 and 3 on the season before making an important trip to
Belfast.

KEVIN DILLON - Little good can come from a game when you're on the wrong end of a 15-7 score line; I know because I looked and couldn't find it.

The Black Sox spent their season opener constantly chasing a game that looked to be getting away from them early, it was 4-0 after one, but at least made it interesting by closing to 7-6 at the midway point. The feeling then was that the Sox could go on and win it, at least until everything went pear shaped in the next frame. Suddenly the Sox were chasing again, this time a more formidable 13-6.

A sudden downpour sent both teams to their respective dugouts; the Panthers huddled in a tent while the tent less Sox shared a smoke and an umbrella. Amazingly, when play resumed, most of the hard men Panthers chose to play with their jackets on, perhaps fearing the wrath of whoever washes their uniforms!

The Sox gambled that the now wet conditions would aid them with their side coming to bat and so made a last gasp challenge. A leadoff double and passed ball leading to an infield RBI single was the highlight of the last two innings, but an out and a questionable (the writer is being generous) call at first stopped the rally. They still loaded them up but only managed to close the gap by one run. After that the Sox went down weakly to hand the Panthers a win and the advantage to the team that finished one place above them in 2003.

About 30 minutes later and after some much needed field maintenance we continued the game. Mike, as always, mixed it up superbly. And as is now common our defence was solid. The problem in this game was going to be scoring runs. The 'Canes are full of top quality players and errors are few and far between. For the second game they produced an unseen before lefty who knew how to gas it up.

The 'Canes scored an early run and it stayed 1-0 till the top of the 7^th. Mike gave up two hits and Jason decided to try to stop this momentum and brought Eoin back in. Eoin got through the inning but not before 2 runs had scored. It was now or never for the Sox and we went down in order to end the game.

A disappointing end to the day, but we should all be proud of our performances. After all how many times will we concede only 3 runs in two games and split a double header to the Hurricanes?

Next up is the Spartans, who now share the same number of losses as the Hurricanes. Needless to say they were pretty happy when we ended the unbeaten run by the 'Canes. Now it's time for us to show them just how we did it!!

Devils No Test in Double Win for the Sox

EOIN O'CONNOR Saturday 19th June - The Sox comprehensively swept the Blue Devils in their double header on Saturday.  Despite being again slighty under manned they put together two solid performances and comfortably beat the Blue Devils, leaving the Sox in real contention for third place.

Game 1 saw Eoin on the hill who shut out the Blue Devils and kept them to only two hits.  Through a solid hitting, the Sox had game one over in 5 innings, with the game finishing 15-0 and called through the mercy rule.  All in all it was solid team batting which won this game.  Kevin picked up the unnamed award for being stupidly picked off 1st with bases loaded and 2 outs.. Good job KD!

Also thanks to last weeks winner, Johnny, for his great work in getting a (piece of shit - Ed.) trophy for this prestigious award!

Game 2 was pretty similar to the first. This time Ruaidhri "The Machine" Murphy made his first start. He was on a no hitter util the 6th where his inferior ability to mine showed and he gave up a couple hits and runs. Despite this the Sox still managed to win by 10+ runs giving Murphy his first "W".  Again, solid team batting including a double by Bob saw the Sox triumph.

Saturday also saw the baseball debut of "Dicko", Adam. Fair play to him for coming out when it looked we'd be short a man. Adam got thrown in the deep end but showed signs of potential managing to put the bat on the ball a few times. Could be one for the future. J

Nolan and O'Connor Power Sox To Victory

IAN LENEHAN - Sunday's game against the Mariners will be remembered for more than just the heart pounding 7-6 victory. The first ever home run hit by a member of the Black Sox came in the form of a third inning, three run shot, courtesy of "The Cat", Pat Nolan. Up until then the game had been a well paced and tidy two innings, which had produced no runs on either side.

The Black Sox started off desperately needing a morale boosting "W", having lost to the Northstars the previous week, another first in our short history. With a focused Eoin O'Connor on the mound, he displayed the type of stuff in the first five innings that earned him the Cy Young award in his debut season as a pitcher. If it hadnt been for the 80 pitches that he had thrown in National Team training only a day and a half before, he would have most likely continued in that fashion to shut down the Mariners for seven innings.

This is not the first time this season that OConnor has pitched a good game, but it is the first time that dominating pitching was complimented with a sterling defense. Balls were being caught, throws were being made, and everybodys heads seemed to be in the game.

After four innings the Black Sox led by a score of 7-0. Two base hits led off the third, and Pat Nolan was up next. The outfield was hugging the fence, unusual in the Irish league, but it did them no good. Nolan waited for his pitch, and effortlessly drove the offering over the left field fence, to give the boys in black a three run lead. Needless to say, he was greeted at the plate by his jubilant team members. The Mariners regrouped for a quick team meeting. This however, did them no good, as by the end of the fourth, four more runs had been added.

As our pitchers arm began to tire, the Mariners pulled three runs back in the sixth. The seventh was difficult to watch, and to partake in. Following another three runs, with the score at 7-6 Black Sox, OConnor left it late to brilliantly get the team out of a bases loaded jam making a backhand grab from the mound and ending the ball game with a squeamish throw to first.

Its just a pity Paul Peake is such a puff. Be-atch!

KEVIN DILLON - Forgive me if this report sounds bland, but its hard to find the words to properly describe what this writer considers to be one of the best shows ever by this Black Sox team.

Coming in needing a win, they did that, and in the process created a little bit of team history when Pat Nolan jacked one over the left field fence with two on for the first ever Black Sox home run.  Offers for the ball on e-bay please!  On its own that would be enough to make any game memorable but before and after that the Sox did everything right and sometimes in dramatic fashion.  There were many excellent plays too but two web gems stick out in my mind, Jason Nebenzahl scooping one an inch from the ground and far to his right, then making the throw to first for the 4-3 double play, and Johnny Bohan running from centre to slide under a shallow fly for another important out.  Like I said thats just two that stick but the Sox in every department played good fundamental baseball today.

Did I mention the hitting?  No easy outs today and no looking at the 3^rd strike either.  Just about every at bat resulted in a ball in play and the seven runs scored, enough for a one run win, were all scored on clutch hits.

Of course, without a good showing from your pitcher seven runs wont win you anything in this league.  Eoin OConnor brought his A game today and looked outstanding through the first six innings.  Bases loaded jams, no problem, got em out.   Had Mike Kindle not been injured and replaced by a pinch runner in the seventh he might have come in and closed this one out, but it was Eoins game to win or lose.  He made it interesting, the Mariners scored 6 late runs but with two outs, bases loaded in the bottom of the last Eoin induced a ground ball that he fielded himself and threw to first for the final out and a Black Sox victory.

Hey, I guess I found the words after all.