Pburg erupts for 5 in seventh to top Montgomery

The forecast said sun and mid 50s and it felt like 85 compared to the last few weeks. The 20 mph winds still made for an interesting and sometimes unpleasant atmosphere in Skillman, New Jersey. Nick McAuliffe took the hill for Pburg to face Machado from Montgomery. Unlike Pburg's Machado, Montgomery's pitcher's name really is Machado. Pburg struck first and took command of the early portion of the game with 4 runs in the second. Diefensingles led off the inning with his first of three one baggers on the day. Pburg failed to hit the ball out of the infield in a bizarre inning that would net the Liners 4 runs. Two sac bunts, a couple walks, three errors, and the shortest sac fly in the history of organized baseball put Pburg up 4-0. The aforementioned sac fly was a pop up hit by Sean Morro to medium deep second base. With speedy MADE MAN Raymond Stem on third and the wind taking the second basemen away from the plate, Farmer Ray put his head down and sprinted home just ahead of the throw by the stunned second basemen. Nicky Mac was cruising on the mound until a wacky 3rd inning led to 3 Montgomery runs. With some well placed bloops, walks, and some sloppy defense, Montgomery crawled right back in the game. After Danny Mac's double in the top of the fifth extended the lead, thehe defense, bloop, and bleeder bug bit Nicky Mac again in the bottom of the fifth. Much of the same weirdness led to three more Montgomery runs to stake them to a 6-5 lead. With only 3 outs remaining, Pburg sent up the middle of their lineup. Back to back to back singles by Jack Stags, Big Boy Billy, and Diefensingles tied the game at 6. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Farmer Ray was asked to bunt for a third time in the game. In an ironic plot twist (is it really irony, this writer is out of his element with the lack of numbers around) Ray's inability to get a bunt down was very beneficial to the Liners. On a 1-2 count the MADE MAN crushed a double over the left fielder's head to put the Garnet and Gray squad up 8 -6. A clutch 2 out 2 RBI single by The Man, The Myth, The Morro put Pburg up 10-6. Not to be forgotten in this game is that Tyler Laman came into a 6-5 game, faced 6 batters, allowed one walk, no hits, and two strikeouts to keep Pburg in the game. The Lamanator picked up his first career win when Montgomery's Ryan smashed a line drive into the glove of a leaping (non P.O.) Alec Ricker at third base. Immediately following the game Ricker credited all of his burpee box jumps with giving him the ability to make the game ending snag. Pburg is now 1-1 and looks forward to their date with the rowdy formidable Vikings from Glen Gardner on Saturday.