Shrimp Fry Together

Ann Arbor, MI – In a week without six of their top players, the Shrimp Fried Rice needed the best out of every remaining player to stay undefeated against one of the top teams in the league.  With another solid game from shortstop-outfielder Jeff McVeigh and newcomer Pat Tokarski, the Shrimp held off the Ann Arbor Adventure Club in an 8-5 victory at Veterans Park Friday night.  Tokarski’s two doubles knocked in two runs, solidifying the heart of the Shrimp lineup that was missing four of its opening day guy starters, while McVeigh continued to key the offense from the leadoff position.  McVeigh was 4 for 4 with a double, scoring three runs.

The Shrimp were shorthanded for a variety of reasons.  Two Shrimps, Anna DeJesus and Josh McCaman, remained celebrating their impending nuptials out-of-state, while Casey Rucinski had the sudden urge to see the Treasure State and took off in the middle of the night for Montana.  Three others, Brad Baden, Eric Mutro, and Justin Hetherman were called into duty in Toronto for the G-20 summit’s riots.  Luckily, they were able to return to the States, as their car was not one of the five police cars lit on fire by anarchists.  At least five of them should be set to play after the holiday weekend.

While the Adventure Club provided some of the better defense the Shrimp Fried Rice had seen all year, the Shrimps hampered themselves by attempting to kick line drives at certain Adventure players in an apparent side wager between the players.  Said interim manager Paul Nelson, “None of us were able to collect the $60,000 bounty for nailing a certain annoying opponent in the head.  Luckily we’ll probably see them in the playoffs.”

Knowing the offense would struggle to put up the fifteen to twenty runs the Shrimps had put up the rest of the month, pitchers Manda McAllister and Mary McVeigh tightened down to limit the Adventure Club to only five runs in seven innings.  McVeigh entered the game in the third with a 4-3 lead and pitched four masterful innings for her second straight save.  The Adventure Club knocked McAllister around a bit in the top of the first, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead.  However, she settled down to pick up another win, her league-leading fifth on the season.

Up next for the Shrimp Fried Rice is the gigantic matchup with their once-great rivals, the Kickball Kangaroos at Veterans Park field 3.  This is the first game against the Kangaroos since this happened:

Opening pitch is scheduled for 9:15pm.

Ann Arbor, MI – After two games without giving up an extra base hit, the Shrimp Fried Rice let in four, including a third inning home run that cut the lead to one.  However, with five of their own, including a round-tripper of their own, the Shrimp squeaked out a 14-9 win over The Ticklers to remain undefeated.  In a game filled with bobbled catches, base-running errors, and plenty of runners left on base, the dynamic Shrimp offense still scored 3, 4, and 5 runs in the first three innings.  Outfielder Josh Olkowski knocked in five, including a bases-loaded triple in the second.

Due to the tardiness of a few Tickler players, the game started late, almost disallowing a sixth inning from happening.  Kirk the umpire warned the Shrimp that if they could keep the bottom of the fifth going longer than three minutes, there would be no time to start the sixth.  However, outs by Josh McCaman, Lindsay Caldwell, and Olkowski, the first time any of them failed to reach base, gave The Ticklers one last chance.  With a two out bunt and another infield single, The Ticklers started to rally before a pop fly to the shortstop clinched the game for the Shrimp.

Shortstop-outfielder Jeff McVeigh returned to his leadoff spot after a one game absence with a 3 for 4 outing, including a double.  Leftfielder-secondbase Anna DeJesus dropped back in the lineup behind him and scored three runs, despite being limited by a strained quad muscle.  After the game, the trainer said DeJesus would be held out for a couple weeks and return against the Shrimp great rival, the Kickball Kangaroos.  The trainer, Lizzie Neilson, told media, “She’s probably just a wimp, but considering I don’t have the proper medical equipment to diagnose it in the middle of a city park, sitting her through the Fourth of July weekend seems like the right move.”

The bottom of the lineup provided a boost for the Shrimp for the third consecutive week.  First baseman-shortstop Justin Hetherman booted a line drive over the outfield for a stand-up inside the park home run, his first of the season.  Infielder Karen Mandarino tripled in the fourth, knocking in a run before scoring herself to give the Shrimp a five run cushion.  Mandarino, who spends the off-season training with Lance Armstrong’s Team RadioShack cycling team, claimed, “when I saw their outfielders creep in to the edge of the infield, it became a question of whether I would end up on third or try for the score.  If [third base coach Josh] McCaman had let me, I know it would have been a home run.”

Up next for the Shrimp Fried Rice is a matchup with the other top Community team, the Ann Arbor Adventure Club, Friday at Veterans Park field 3.  Opening pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm.

Ann Arbor, MI – Batting through the lineup in both the second and fifth innings, the Shrimp Fried Rice won their second straight mercy-shortened game in their first game at Virginia park.  The Shrimp improved to 3-0 in their inaugural season with the 15-2 win in six innings.  Amanda McAllister pitched the first three innings without giving up a run and re-entered to pitch the last two after Karen Mandarino struggled to find the strike zone in the fourth.  Stressed player-manager Justin Hetherman, “That’s the great thing about having an ace like Manders—no matter the situation, we feel comfortable with her carrying the staff until Panel returns to give us our one-two punch back.”

With the absence of regular leadoff Jeff McVeigh, the Shrimp called on outfielder Anna DeJesus to kickstart their offense and she didn’t disappoint.  DeJesus scored three runs on four singles, pushing her batting average over .700 for the season.  Batting tenth for the Shrimp Fried Rice, Hetherman came back from his one game gambling suspension absence to kick two triples, knocking in four runs.  McAllister helped her own cause at the plate, picking up two hits and a run.

Shortstop-outfielder Brad Baden added a double, giving the Shrimp three extra base hits, stretching their league leading total to 22 in just three games.  In the field, the Shrimp have only allowed three extra base hits, all in the season opener against Jiminy Kick It.  McAllister opined, “Our aggressiveness on the basepaths is the difference in so many games.  That and everyone can catch.  Well except Eric.”

The crowd for the Shrimp took on an international flavor, as hundreds of Chinese tourists made the trip back to the states just for the big weekend game.  Jayme Smith, an American ex-pat living in China, proclaimed, “The Shrimp games are all the best kickball players in China talk about.  The only thing I miss about America is watching great kickball teams like them.  Well that and pizza—it’s so hard to get a good slice over there.”  The crowd was a bit smaller than normal, but still kept the Shrimp among the league leaders.

Friday, the Shrimp head back to Veterans Park to take on the Ticklers.  First pitch is scheduled for 6:15 at field 2.