Saturday, June 30—Fresh from an 8-5 victory on Staten Island Friday night, the Renegades completed a three-game sweep of the Yankees tonight with another come-from-behind victory, 6-4. In a less flattering category the Gades edged the Yanks in errors, 5-4, although the Staten Island miscues gave Hudson Valley its margin of victory. Well, as I have said often, “Any way we can.”
Staten Island opened the scoring with three runs in the fourth, batting around in the process. The Renegades scored three of their own in the fifth. The teams traded runs in the seventh, then Hudson Valley scored two in the eighth with the help of three Staten Island errors. Right fielder Charles Epperson celebrated his 22nd birthday by hitting the ground ball that the shortstop misplayed, allowing the two runs to score. Ryan Garton, whom I had not seen pitch previously, looked sharp as he threw two no-hit innings to pick up the victory. Please click here to read the game story on the Gades’ Web site.
I had rushed to the stadium after singing at 5 o’clock Mass at Holy Spirit, my Cortlandt parish, and was chatting briefly with Bob Hand when I was surprised by an announcement that “Father Kevin” was about to throw out the first pitch. Yes, indeed, standing on the mound was Father Kevin Mackin, president of Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh (a sponsor of the Renegades) and a weekend associate at Holy Spirit. Wearing civvies—black pants, white shirt—he tossed a good-looking pitch to Renegades hurler Ian Kendall, who was catching the first pitches tonight. On a less heavenly note the college also sponsored a fifth-inning contest, Catch 21 (a takeoff on the card game blackjack), in which the loser was rewarded with a whipped-cream pie in the face.
Young Thomas, a friend for several seasons, was on hand with his grandmother and they joined me for a time in the empty Interstate Battery seats. Erin, one of his teachers, stopped by and shared that Thomas, a middle-schooler, was one of her favorite students. Rounding out my list of visitors was Bill Richmond, with Big Nikon in tow.
I got to show my dancing ability (or lack of it) twice tonight, with the YMCA in the fourth inning and the Chicken Dance in the fifth.
I did not get to meet him but Jim Leyritz of the 1996 and 1999 world champion New York Yankees, was at The Dutch tonight, signing autographs and greeting fans.
The game was followed by a nice display of fireworks that lasted seven minutes and featured numerous loud boomers. The postgame celebration in the parking lot featured a couple of varieties of chips from Hal and Grant and more of the Canning pretzels. I left a bit earlier than usual because I had to get up early for Sunday Mass.
