The Loose Spokes ball team fell short of its championship goal as they dropped a 5-0 decision to the Watermark team in the season finale. The offense, which had been so potent in the previous game against Watermark, struggled mightily. The Spokes could muster only 4 hits in the contest after garnering 31 in the previous game. The Spokes wasted an excellent pitching performance by crafty lefthander Mike Gillis as he allowed only 9 hits and 5 runs (2 earned) to hard-hitting Watermark team. The Spokes got only a second inning single by Bill Boonstra, a third inning single by Paul Miller, a sixth inning infield single by Paul Bogdans, and a seventh inning double by Scott McNeil. Only three other Spokes hitters reached base, on an error and two walks, while only 10 hitters for Watermark reached base in the game, on an error and their nine hits. The defense and pitching sparkled for both teams throughout the contest as Watermark led just 2-0 after five innings. They were able to tally 3 unearned runs in the sixth on the only two Spokes’ errors to get some breathing room and the final 5-0 score. It was disappointing to the Spokes players to not achieve their championship goal but they are certainly proud of their fine 7-3 final record for the Summer season, the best record since the 1995 championship year when they went 8-2. The week off between games and the absence of leading hitter Gabe Purdy seemed to rob the Spokes of the momentum they had going during the 3-game winning streak to get to the season finale, but that certainly takes nothing away from the fine Watermark team and their great effort on the season, going 9-1. The Spokes will now prepare for their first Fall season since 1998 which has everyone excited. The Spokes will be playing on Monday nights.

In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, it looked like “déjà vu all over again” as the Watermark team scored 10 runs in the top of the first inning before the Loose Spokes team had come to bat. But unlike that prior contest where Watermark scored 13 times and the Spokes failed to respond, this time the Spokes responded in a big way by scoring 13 runs over the first three innings while allowing Watermark to score just 3 times over that span to forge a 13-13 tie after three. The Spokes then shut down the Watermark team in the next two innings while posting a 4-run fifth to take a 17-13 lead. Watermark showed resilience by tying the contest in the top of the sixth but the Spokes showed their true grit character by immediately responding with a 6-run bottom of the sixth. The Spokes then weathered a 3-run homer in the top of the seventh to post a huge 23-20 victory. The win was the Spokes 7th of the season, a total not reached by the team since the 1995 season when the team won the co-championship with an 8-2 mark. The 2008 squad has an opportunity to match that accomplishment with a win in the final game against Watermark on July 10th. There were many hitting heroes for the Spokes as the team put up a season high 31 hits in the game (the 23 runs scored were also a season high). Leading the way was Bill Boonstra who had 4 hits, including a mammoth homerun off the top of a light standard in right-center field, and 4 RBIs. Zach Volovlek and Gabe Purdy each added 4 hits and 3 runs scored. Jon Olger had a second consecutive 3-hit game, and 3 RBIs for the Spokes while Patrick Ippel and Paul Miller both had 3-hit games also. Trae Edwards, Paul Bogdans, Scott McNeil, and Roger Lubbers all had 2 hits in the game. It was a great team effort by the Spokes, showing the resiliency to rally from the early double-digit deficit. A very gritty performance was turned in by Gabe Purdy also as he played through the pain of bad shoulder that will need surgery in the near future, and will in fact sideline him for the finale. It will take another Herculean effort in the finale for the Spokes to get the win and the co-championship but the team is brimming with confidence right now as they beat Watermark for the first time in history after 4 previous defeats over the past two seasons and they’re sure to leave it all on the field July 10th. The game is scheduled for a 6:15PM start at Hofma Park field.

The anticipated tight contest between the Loose Spokes ball team and the Ace Ventura & the Softball Detectives team never materialized as the Spokes scored 6 times in the top of the first inning and never trailed in a 14-2 victory. The Spokes scored 4 of the first inning runs with two outs as Coach Tom Seekman had a two-run double; Paul Miller followed with an RBI triple and Jon Olger capped the rally with a run-scoring single. The Spokes scored 3 times in the third, one of which came with two outs and then added 5 more two-out runs in the fifth to put the icing on the cake, highlighted by Paul Miller’s two-run single, Jon Olger’s two-run double and Brian Atkinson’s RBI single. In the game, 10 of the 14 Spokes runs were scored with two-outs. The Spokes were led offensively by Paul Miller and Jon Olger who each had 3 hits and 4 RBIs. Bill Boonstra also added 3 hits while Paul Bogdans and Trae Edwards had 2 hits apiece. Jon Olger also turned in some outstanding plays at thirdbase as the Spokes played airtight defense. Pitcher Brian Atkinson returned to mound after a week away and allowed only 2 runs and 7 hits to a very good hitting team. The victory moved the Spokes record to 6-2 on the season and set up the first of two must win games with the first-place undefeated Watermark team. The Spokes play their final two games against the Watermark team to end the season and must win both contests to tie them for the league championship. The first is scheduled for 6:15PM at the Hollow.

The Loose Spokes ball club moved its record to 5-2 with an 11-4 victory over the R. Wagenmaker Contractor team. The victory allowed the Spokes to sweep the three-game season series with the Wagenmaker team by an aggregate score of 46-12 and to also keep their title aspirations alive as well. In a game with many firsts, the victory marked the first time since the 2002 season that the Spokes achieved 5 wins in a season. The Spokes were led offensively by Gabe Purdy, who had 3 hits, including a homer, 2 RBIs, and 3 runs scored; and Bill Boonstra with 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Zach Volovlek had 3 hits including a triple and 3 runs scored and Justin Hacker had 2 hits including a double and 2 RBIs. Coach Tom Seekman chipped in with 2 hits and Trae Edwards added an inside the park homerun and 2 RBIs. Mike Gillis twirled the victory allowing only 4 runs while scattering 11 hits in his first pitching appearance for the Spokes since the 2005 season. Gillis pitched 4 seasons for the Spokes from 2002-2005, replacing the legendary Glenn Van Woerkom who pitched the first 9 seasons of the Spokes existence, and Gillis was a team member since the 1998 campaign, spanning 8 seasons. The Spokes will be looking to continue their title run and sweep the season series with the Ace Ventura & the Softball Detectives team in the next game, scheduled for a 7:15PM start at Hofma Park field. The Spokes have eked out a pair of 1-run victories in the prior two games so another tight contest is expected in this next one.

The first-place Watermark team stayed undefeated by outslugging the Loose Spokes team, 17-15. Both teams reached the homerun limit of 5 by mid-game, but the Watermark team was more consistent on offense overall. The Spokes fell behind early in the game but then put up an 8-run third inning, 7 scoring with two outs, to go in front, 9-7. The Watermark team scored a run in the third and put up a 6-run fourth to reclaim a 14-9 lead, only to see the Spokes chip away with a 3-run fifth to pull within 14-12. The teams went scoreless until Watermark tallied 3 two-out runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend their lead to 17-12. This would prove to be huge as the Spokes rallied for 3 in the top of the seventh but fell short, 17-15. The Spokes hitting attack was led by Gabe Purdy with 4 hits including 2 homers and 4 RBIs, while scoring 4 runs. Zach Volovlek added 3 hits with a homer, while scoring 3 runs. Bill Boonstra had 2 hits with a homer and 4 RBIs, while Patrick Ippel also had 2 hits. Jon Olger also homered in the contest for the Spokes.  The Spokes still have an outside chance of claiming the championship but they must win their final 4 games including 2 with Watermark to do so. They will look to start the run with the third game of the season versus the R. Wagenmaker Contractor team, scheduled for 6:15PM at Mercury Park field. The Spokes have beaten the Wagenmaker team twice already this season and will look to sweep the season series.