Muckrakers stay hot

CONCORD - The weather may have cooled off on Thursday from a recent heat wave to hit the Bay Area, but it couldn't cool off the red-hot Muckrakers.

The Muckrakers beat the first place Guys 9-6 to win their fourth consecutive game.

The surging Muckrakers (5-4) played perhaps their best defensive game of the season which was highlighted by some clutch hitting in the sixth inning.

After the Guys rallied to score three runs in the top of the inning to tie the game 6-6, the Muckrakers responded with three runs of their own. With two outs Dave Alcorn (3 for 4) stepped up to the plate and calmly singled to score pinch-runner Chris Wagnon at a close play at the plate for the go-ahead run. Then Reed Johnson singled to plate Luke Abbott and Alcorn.

The top of the seventh proved to be just as dramatic for the Men of Muck. It looked like the Guys were set to have a rally of their own having ducks on the pond with just one out. The Guys' No. 5 hitter hit a chopper to first baseman Abbott who decided to go home to Brian Kroll to record the second out. Then it was noticed that the Guys' batter came up lame out of the batters' box, so Kroll threw the ball back to Abbott to complete the game-ending double-play. That's 3-2-3 for those scoring at home.

The game looked as it was going to be a slug fest out of the gates. The Guys scored three runs to start the first, and the Muckrakers answered by batting around in the bottom half of the frame plating six runs highlighted by Chris White's two-run triple.

Then it was defense and more defense. White pitched a great game in place of Dave Taxier and was supported with some nice glove work from Alcorn at third base, Matt Knauff (3 for 3) who made a nice diving catch in left-center field and Wagnon, who caught several lasers in right field.

The second-place Muckrakers will try and stay hot next week against Nine Mugs and a Pitcher.