Muckrakers Mess Up Trainwreck, Storm Into Second Place

CONCORD -- Oh, my, now things are getting interesting.

The Muckrakers perhaps positioned themselves as the power to be reckoned with in D-League South with a convincing 17-6 thrashing of Trainwreck on Field 2 last Thursday.

This was a 'Raker outfit that at one point had lost three in a row and sat at 1-4. The suddenly blazing-hot Men of Muck have now run off three victories in a row, with their latest conquest coming over the team formerly in second place. Well, Yer Heroes booted Trainwreck out of its high perch and took over sole possession of the second slot, trailing only The Guys in the D-League South standings.

In this one, it was more the Muckrakers who played like an out-of-control runaway train. The Mucksters started slowly, trailing 5-2 after two innings, then rallied for four runs in the third frame, then continued on from there to throttle a team they'd lost to in the previous encounter.

The 'Rakers put it away with a seven-run outburst in the seventh inning, leaving no doubt who was the new big, bad boy on the block. Somewhere, The Guys had to be concerned.

The 'Rakers offense has been a consistent hitting machine for most of the season, but vs. Trainwreck, the defense also shared the spotlight. The Mucksters' 'D' was a little shaky early, but once it established itself, there was no turning back. Reed Johnson fielded a scorching bad-hop one-hopper at shortstop and turned it into a double play, Dave Alcorn was as steady as he goes at third base, and Jose Gomez made the plays at second base in his understated way. 'Raker rookie Scott Brama showed astonishing hop and quickness at the catcher position. Chris White made an unbelievable over-the-shoulder catch from his first base spot in short right. The outfield -- Matt Knauff, Matt McCall, Randy Striegel and Chris Wagnon -- tracked down everything hit its way. On the mound, Dave Taxier struck out some guys (perhaps aided by a certain amount of Trainwreck inebriation?).

The offense was its reliable self as the MuckMen rolled out a 27-hit attack. Perhaps the sign that all would be going the 'Rakers' way was Gomez' drive that hit off third base and went for a double in the second inning. In the third, the 'Rakers strung together six hits in scoring four times. The next big explosion came in the seventh as Los Muckeros got a triple from Brama, a double from Striegel and a homer from Alcorn in establishing total dominance of the proceedings.

Striegel (5 for 5, five RBI) enjoyed a stellar night at the plate, as did Alcorn (3 for 5, three RBI), McCall and Brama (3 for 5 each. White (4 for 5) and Johnson (3 for 5, three runs).

The 'Rakers piled up 17 runs while holding the league's second-place team to six runs. That's how the Muckrakers (4-4) do, and how they look to keep doing as they attempt to storm their way back into the postseason.

Torrid 'Rakers Drain Bay Sluggers

CONCORD -- In one of the wildest and most eventful games in all of the team's storied lore, the Muckrakers continued to shoot up the Men's D South standings by turning back the Bay Sluggers 11-8 on Field 1 last Thursday.

This one almost didn't take place at all, as the 'Rakers -- who may lead the league in rostered players vacationing out of the country -- scrambled to come up with the necessary amount of players for the 6 p.m. game. But the 'Rakers did rustle up the required number, and then some, due to some nifty -- and totally legal, the paperwork's been completed and submitted, thank you very much -- last-minute recruits to the ballclub.

And so the show was able to go on, and the Mucksters won for the second game in a row to boost their record to 3-4, but a painful and unfortunate cost was paid in the process.

One of the new recruits, Todd Johnson, slipped and fell on the basepaths in the fifth inning, suffering a separated shoulder in the process. Reed Johnson transported Todd to the hospital emergency room, and the latest report is that Todd is OK, for which the Muckrakers are very thankful, and they wish Mr. Johnson and complete and speedy recovery.

With Todd and Reed heading off to the hospital, the Muckrakers were down to eight players, the bare minimum, with which to hold off the Bay Sluggers in the last inning. And although the Sluggers put a couple men on base, the 'Rakers were able to record the final out and place a remarkable victory in their hip pocket. The Bay Sluggers found themselves dropping to 1-5 on the season.

Utilizing a patchwork lineup, the 'Rakers didn't exactly tear the cover off the ball, but they did hit consistently and well enough to score at least two runs in all but one scoreless inning. Bay Sluggers came out and tallied three times in the top of the first, but the 'Rakers came back with two of their own in the bottom half, and went on to put across three in the third and two runs each in the fourth and fifth.

Manager Chris Wagnon, continuing to tinker with the batting order, opted to go with Matt Knauff in the leadoff spot in this one. Knauff responded to the vote of confidence to go 3 for 4 with a run scored. Wagnon batted second and had a 2 for 4 night with three touches of home plate, and Dave Alcorn, Reed Johnson and Todd Johnson also had two-hit evenings.

Jose Gomez was as solid as could be at second base, and batting from the five-hole he drove in three of the 'Rakers' 11 runs.

And a healthy shout out to the recruits making their 'Raker debuts: Matt Anderson, Matt McCall and T. Johnson, and yes, the Mucksters do now lead the known universe with rostered Matts. Thanks for playing, gentlemen, we couldn't have done it without you.

Also going above and beyond was Rick Browning, who braved Bay Area rush hour traffic to make it to the game. Anyone who's battled the Caldecott Tunnel at rush hour can appreciate Browning's automotive efforts.

Thus the Men of Muck sit in third place in Men's D South, which sets up an interesting little showdown this Thursday, when the Muckinators take on second-place Trainwreck. If the Muckrakers have playoff aspirations, this ballgame might be a nice one to go and get. It's a 7:20 start, so one can assume assembling a lineup will not be as traumatic, yet ultimately victorious, as it was last week.