Tournament results: 2 wins, 2 losses  Tied for 5th place

Saint Nicholas entered the annual post-season tournament with a 13-9 regular season record which earned the team the #4 seed in the tournament. The team opened the tournament with wins over Jesus the Divine Word and First Lutheran. Then, in the winner's bracket semi-finals, the team lost a close game to #1 seed (and eventual tournament champion) Dunkirk Baptist. Now in the loser's bracket, Saint Nicholas ran up against a hot Grace Brethren team and dropped another close game. The team finished the tournament with a 2-2 record, good for a tie for 5th place in the tournament. 

Jesus the Divine Word (JDW) came into the tournament as the 13th and lowest seed in the tournament. They sure did not look like the lowest seed at all when they blitzed Saint Nicholas for 5 runs in the top of the first inning Friday night. Saint Nicholas answered quickly in the bottom of the first. With two outs, Keith Williams reached first on an error. Chad Mooney followed with a single. Then, Andrew Wood, Sean Smith, and Jim Walls hit three consecutive RBI singles and Saint Nicholas was back in the game, trailing just 5-3 after one inning. JDW picked up 2 more runs in the top of the second to stretch their lead to 7-3. Austin Wood led off the bottom of the second with a single. One out later, Bryan Mullins and Dominic Soto singled to load the bases. Dave Hickin's single scored Austin and Bryan. Matt Taby walked to reload the bases. Keith Williams singled home Dominic and Dave to tie the game. Chad Mooney's ground out scored Matt to put Saint Nicholas in front. Andrew Wood followed with a single to score Keith and Saint Nicholas had a 9-7 lead after two innings. JDW picked up 1 run in the top of the third to make the score 9-8. Saint Nicholas did not score in the bottom of the third nor did JDW in the top of the fourth. Dominic Soto and Dave Hickin had one-out singles in the bottom of the fourth. After the second out, Keith Williams again reached base on an error. Chad Mooney smacked a bases-loaded single that scored Dominic and Dave. Andrew Wood drew a walk to load the bases again. Then, Sean Smith ripped a double to the fence to clear the bases and give Saint Nicholas a 14-8 lead after 4 innings. JDW did not score in the top of the fifth. Matt Hickin singled and later scored when JDW's third baseman threw wildly trying to get Bryan Mullins at first. That put Saint Nicholas up 15-8. JDW got one run back in the top of the sixth to make the score 15-9. Dave Hickin singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth. One out later, Keith Williams and Chad Mooney singled to load the bases. Andrew Wood doubled home Dave and Keith. Sean Smith singled to score Chad and send Andrew to third. Jim Walls followed with a sacrifice fly to score Andrew and end the game via the ten-run rule. Saint Nicholas won 19-9.

The first game Saturday was against First Lutheran, the #12 seed. First Lutheran had upset #5 seed Our Lady Star of the Sea in extra innings the night before. They definitely had another upset on their mind as First Lutheran exploded for 6 runs in the top of the first. Again, Saint Nicholas responded quickly. Austin Owens walked and Andrew Dangin singled to start the bottom of the first. After a hard lineout, Chad Mooney singled to load the bases. Andrew Wood's sacrifice fly scored Austin and put Saint Nicholas on the board. Sean Smith then singled to score Andrew Dangin and Chad. Keith Williams and Jim Walls singled to load the bases again. Jerry Wood walked to force home Sean and Saint Nicholas had cut First Lutheran's lead to 6-4 after one inning. First Lutheran scored 1 run in the top of the second to increase their lead to 7-4. In the bottom of the second, Austin Owens drew a two-out walk and scored on Andrew Dangin's double to make the score 7-5. First Lutheran added another run in the top of the third to again go up by three, 8-5. Saint Nicholas got that run back in the bottom of the third when Andrew Wood doubled with one out and scored on Sean Smith's single. The score after three inning was First Lutheran 8, Saint Nicholas 6. First Lutheran did not score in the top of the fourth. Jerry Wood, Dave Hickin, and Tom Blatt singled to load the bases to start the bottom of the fourth. Austin Owens and Andrew Dangin hit one-out singles to score Jerry and Dave to tie the game and keep the bases loaded. Matt Taby followed with a single to score Tom and Austin and put Saint Nicholas in the lead. Chad Mooney and Andrew Wood hit RBI singles to score Andrew Dangin and Matt. Sean Smith knocked in Chad with a sacrifice fly and Saint Nicholas held a 13-8 lead. First Lutheran did not score in the top of the fifth. Jerry Wood singled and Dave Hickin walked to start the bottom of the fifth. One out later, Nick Demme singled home Jerry. Austin Owens followed with a single to score Dave. Then, Andrew Dangin launched a long shot to center field that cleared the fence for a three-run homer. Those 3 runs gave Saint Nicholas a ten run lead in the bottom of the fifth. For the second game in a row, Saint Nicholas won by the ten run rule, this time 18-8.

Saint Nicholas's "reward" for defeating First Lutheran was a match-up with #1 seed Dunkirk Baptist. The game got off to a slow start with neither team scoring in the first inning. Sean Smith's double scored Chad Mooney and Andrew Wood in the top of the second to give Saint Nicholas a 2-0 lead. Dunkirk answered with 1 run in the bottom of the second to cut the lead in half to 2-1. Matt Taby got a two-out single to score Bryan Mullins in the top of the third to increase the lead to 3-1. Dunkirk did not score in the bottom of the third nor did Saint Nicholas in the top of the fourth. Dunkirk scored 4 runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-3 lead. Neither team scored in the fifth inning. Saint Nicholas again failed to score in the top of the sixth. Dunkirk added 2 insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to stretch their lead to 7-3. That was the final score as Saint Nicholas came up scoreless in the top of the seventh.

The loss dropped Saint Nicholas into the loser's bracket to face 9th seeded Grace Brethren. After losing their first game of the day, Grace Brethren got on a roll and won two straight games coming into this one. Grace Brethren struck quickly scoring twice in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Saint Nicholas did not score in the bottom of the first. Neither team scored in the second inning. Grace Brethren doubled their lead to 4-0 with 2 runs in the top of the third. Saint Nicholas again went scoreless in the bottom of the third as did Grace Brethren in the top of the fourth. Chad Mooney drove in Austin Owens with two outs in the bottom of the fourth to finally put Saint Nicholas on the board, trailing 4-1. Grace Brethren got that run back in the top of the fifth to push their lead to 5-1. Jerry Wood drove in Jim Walls in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-2. Grace Brethren answered with 4 runs in the top of the sixth to build a 9-2 lead. Austin Owens knocked in Matt Hickin and Chad Mooney knocked in Tom Blatt to crawl to within five runs, 9-4 in the bottom of the sixth. That was the final score as neither team scored in the seventh inning. 

Sixteen players played for Saint Nicholas during the tournament and all sixteen scored at least one run. Chad Mooney led the team with 6 runs scored. Dave Hickin, Austin Owens, and Andrew Wood scored 5 runs each. Keith Williams scored 4 runs and Andrew Dangin scored 3 runs. Sean Smith had an outstanding tournament with a team high 11 RBIs. Chad Mooney and Andrew Wood each had 6 RBIs. Andrew Dangin had 5 RBIs and Austin Owens and Matt Taby each had 3 RBIs.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and rained out this double-header. Without enough time to make-up the games before the tournament, the season ended with Saint Nicholas achieving a 13-9 record and securing 4th place in the regular season.

W 4 - 3

W 18 - 11

Friendship United Methodist and Saint Nicholas have a very long history of playing close games and, most of the time, splitting the doubleheader. In fact, Saint Nicholas's very first doubleheader was against Friendship UMC in 1994. This year's doubleheader between the two teams fit the long established pattern except for one thing. Saint Nicholas pulled out two come-from-behind wins, 4-3 and 18-11.

Saint Nicholas was "on the road" for game one and did not score in the top of the first inning. Friendship scored once in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Chad Mooney reached second base on an error to start to top of the second. One out later, Keith Williams singled home Chad to tie the game at 1-1. Friendship did not score in the bottom of the second inning. Neither team scored in the third inning nor in the fourth inning. With one out in the top of the fifth, Jim Walls reached second on an error. Jerry Wood promptly followed with a single to score Jim and put Saint Nicholas in front 2-1. Friendship bounced back immediately with 2 runs in the bottom of the fifth to go back in front, 3-2. Neither team scored in the sixth inning. Josh Smith drew a one out walk in the top of the seventh. After a second out, Andrew Wood reached first on an error and Keith Williams walked to load the bases. Jim Walls ripped a single to score Josh and Andrew and put Saint Nicholas back into the lead, 4-3. Friendship got a runner to third in the bottom of the seventh, but could not score him. Saint Nicholas survived with a hard fought 4-3 win.

Friendship wasted no time getting started in game two. They jumped in front quickly with 4 runs in the top of the first. Austin Owens doubled to lead off the bottom of the first and Dave Hickin singled him to third. Josh Smith followed with a single to score Austin. Unfortunately, that was the only run Saint Nicholas would get and they trailed after one inning, 4-1. Friendship did not score in the top of the second. Jim Walls walked to start the bottom of the second. Singles by Jerry Wood and Austin Wood loaded the bases. Matt Hickin singled in Jim and kept the bases loaded. Nick Demme's ground ball got booted by the third baseman allowing Jerry to score and kept the bases loaded. Dominic Soto's single scored Austin to tie the game. Austin Owens singled home Matt to put Saint Nicholas in front. Dave Hickin's fly ball to left was dropped allowing Nick to score and kept the bases loaded. Josh Smith walked to force home Dominic. Chad Mooney's ground ball forced Dave at third, but scored Austin. Andrew Wood walked to load the bases yet again. Keith Williams walked to score Josh and, yes, the bases were still loaded. Then, Jim Walls singled to score Chad and Andrew. Jerry Wood singled and, would you believe it, the bases were loaded yet again. Austin Wood singled to score Keith and Jim. Jerry scored on Matt Hickin's ground out and Austin scored when Nick Demme again reached base on an error. When the dust settled, Saint Nicholas had scored 14 runs in the bottom of the second and held a 15-4 lead. Neither team scored in the third inning (guess the bottom of the second had tired everybody out!!). Friendship had a big top of the fourth, scoring 6 runs and significantly lowering their deficit to 15-10. Jim Walls and Jerry Wood hit one-out singles in the bottom of the fourth. Austin Wood reached base on a botched fielder's choice to load the bases. Bryan Mullins's ground out scored Josh and pushed Saint Nicholas's lead to 16-10. Friendship did not score in the top of the fifth. Dominic Soto scored on Chad Mooney's single to increase Saint Nicholas's lead to 17-10 after five innings. Friendship scored 1 run in the top of the sixth to make the score 17-11. With storm clouds quickly moving in, Keith Williams doubled to start the bottom of the sixth. Jim Walls followed with a double to score Keith. Austin Wood singled Jim to third. Then, as Bryan Mullins batted and with a downpour on the doorstep, the game was called. The final score was Saint Nicholas 18, Friendship UMC 11.

Eleven of the 13 Saint Nicholas batters scored runs in the doubleheader and twelve of the 13 batters had RBIs. Jim Walls had a very good doubleheader going 4 for 6 with a walk, a double, a team high 3 runs scored, and a team high 5 RBIs, not to mention the clutch two-out, two RBI, game-winning single in the top of the seventh of game one. Jerry Wood also had 4 hits going 4 for 5 with 2 walks, 2 runs scored, and 1 RBI. Dominic Soto, Keith Williams, and Austin Wood each had 3 hits. Saint Nicholas players scoring 2 runs were Chad Mooney, Austin Owens, Josh Smith, Dominic Soto, Keith Williams, Andrew Wood, Austin Wood, and Jerry Wood. Those with 2 RBIs were Matt Hickin, Chad Mooney, Josh Smith, Keith Williams, and Austin Wood.

Game 1: L 5 - 17

Game 2: L 8 - 9

On paper, Saint Nicholas was a slight favorite over Calvert County Baptist (CCB) in this doubleheader. CCB showed why the games are played on the field and not on paper as they swept the doubleheader from Saint Nicholas, 17-5 and 9-8. The two losses dropped Saint Nicholas's record to 11-9.

Saint Nicholas got off to a slow start in game one, failing to score in the top of the first. CCB picked up 2 runs in the bottom of the first to jump in front, 2-0. Andrew Wood walked to start the top of the second. One out later, Dave Hickin singled and Matt Hickin walked to load the bases. Nick Demme reached on an error that allowed Andrew and Dave to score to tie the game. Tom Blatt singled home Matt to put Saint Nicholas in front. Nick scored on Bryan Mullins's sacrifice fly and Saint Nicholas had a 4-2 lead. The lead didn't last very long. CCB responded with 7 runs in the bottom of the second and retook the lead 9-4. Austin Owens walked to start the top of the third and scored on Matt Taby's hit to make the score 9-5. But, that was the last run Saint Nicholas would score. CCB went scoreless in the bottom of the third and then put up 8 runs in the bottom of the fourth to cruise to the 17-5 win.

CCB's bats continued to be hot in game two as they scored 3 runs in the top of the first to grab a quick 3-0 lead. With one out in the bottom of the first, Jerry Wood walked, Matt Taby singled, and Keith Williams walked to load the bases. Andrew Wood's sacrifice fly scored Jerry and pulled Saint Nicholas closer, 3-1. CCB continued to pound the ball, picking up 4 more runs in the top of the second to pull out to a 7-1 lead. Dave Hickin walked and went to third when Nick Demme reached on an error. Dave scored on Tom Blatt's single to make the score 7-2 after two innings. CCB did not score in the top of the third. Austin Owens singled to lead off the top of the third and moved up a base each time on consecutive fly outs. Keith Williams's two-out single scored Austin. Andrew Wood then reached base on an error. Austin Wood also reached on an error which allowed Keith to score. Dave Hickin followed with a single to score Andrew and suddenly Saint Nicholas was within two runs, down 7-5. CCB scored 1 run in the top of the fourth to extend their lead to 8-5. Saint Nicholas went scoreless in the bottom of the fourth as did CCB in the top of the fifth. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Jerry Wood reached on an error. Matt Taby singled and Keith Williams walked to load the bases. Andrew Wood singled home Jerry and Matt to bring Saint Nicholas within one run, 8-7. CCB did not score in the top of the sixth. Nick Demme and Tom Blatt singled to start the bottom of the sixth. Two outs later, Austin Owens singled home Nick to tie the game at 12-12. CCB did not score in the top of the seventh. Saint Nicholas loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh, but could not score. CCB pushed across 1 run in the top of the eight to go in front, 9-8. Saint Nicholas loaded the bases in the bottom of the eight, but again could not score and CCB escaped with a 9-8 win.

Matt Taby had a good doubleheader going 5 for 6 with a double, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI. Tom Blatt was 4 for 6 with a walk and 2 RBIs. Nick Demme, Dave Hickin, Austin Owens, Andrew Wood, and Jerry Wood each scored 2 runs for Saint Nicholas.

Game 1: W 9 - 6

Game 2: W 13 - 12

Saint Nicholas and New Life Church came into this doubleheader with very similar records so two close games were expected. The two teams did not disappoint. Both games were back and forth affairs with both teams holding leads in both games. In the end, Saint Nicholas emerged with two wins, 9-6 and 13-12. The two wins pushed Saint Nicholas's record to 11-7.

Saint Nicholas went scoreless in the top of the first inning of game one. New Life started much better, picking up 3 runs in the bottom of the first to grab a 3-0 lead. Jim Walls singled to start the top of the second. Jerry Wood walked and Dave Hickin singled to load the bases. Austin Wood singled to score Jim. Jerry was forced out at home on Matt Hickin's ground ball and the bases stayed loaded. Bryan Mullins worked the New Life pitcher for a walk to bring home Dave. Austin Owens followed with a single to score Austin Wood and Matt and give Saint Nicholas the lead. One out later, Josh Smith singled home Bryan and Saint Nicholas held a 5-3 lead. New Life got 1 run back in the bottom of the second to pull within one run, 5-4. Saint Nicholas did not score in the top of the third. New Life scored twice in the bottom of the third to regain the lead, 6-5. With Austin Wood on first and two outs in the top of the fourth, Bryan Mullins earned another walk to put runners on first and second. Austin Owens doubled to score Austin Wood and tie the game at 6-6. New Life failed to score in the bottom of the fourth. Neither team scored in the fifth inning. Jerry Wood walked to lead off the top of the sixth. Dave Hickin followed with a single. Dave was forced at second by Andrew wood. Jerry advanced to third on the play. Matt Hickin followed with a ground ball to the pitcher. Austin was forced at second, but Matt's hustle to first prevented the double play. That allowed Jerry to score to put Saint Nicholas in front, 7-6. New Life did not score in the bottom of the sixth. Austin Owens and Matt Taby singled to start the top of the seventh. Josh Smith's ground ball to first moved the runners to second and third. Sean Smith followed with a single to score both Austin and Matt to push Saint Nicholas's lead to 9-6. New Life did not score in the bottom of the seventh and Saint Nicholas held on for the 9-6 win. 

New Life failed to score in the top of the first of game two. Austin Owens doubled to start the bottom of the first. Matt Taby promptly singled to score Austin and put Saint Nicholas in the lead. Josh Smith and Sean Smith singled to load the bases. Andrew Wood's single scored Matt. Jim Walls's single scored Josh and Sean and moved Andrew to third. Jerry Wood's sacrifice fly scored Andrew. Jim moved to third on the play and then scored on Dave Hickin's ground ball. When the dust settled, Saint Nicholas held a 6-0 lead after one inning. New Life got 2 runs back in the top of the second to cut their deficit to 6-2. Saint Nicholas failed to score in the bottom of the second. New Life picked up another run in the top of the third to narrow the gap further to 6-3. Austin Owens doubled and scored on Sean Smith's two-out single to get that run back an push the lead to 7-3. Neither team scored in the fourth inning. New Life exploded for 7 runs in the top of the fifth and took a 10-7 lead. Saint Nicholas went scoreless in the bottom of the fifth. New Life scored 1 run in the top of the sixth to push their lead to 11-7. Josh Smith singled and Sean Smith reached on an error to start the bottom of the sixth. Andrew Wood doubled home both Josh and Sean. Jim Walls singled Andrew to third. Jerry Wood's single scored Andrew and moved Jim to third. Dave Hickin's sacrifice fly scored Jim to tie the game. Austin Wood singled Jerry to third. Then, just like the first game, Matt Hickin hit a ground ball and hustled to first to beat the double play and, again, Jerry scored the go-ahead run. Saint Nicholas held a 12-11 lead after six innings. New Life scored quickly in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 12-12. Matt Taby doubled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Josh Smith followed with a single to score Matt and give Saint Nicholas a 13-12 walk-off win. This was Saint Nicholas's sixth one-run win of the year and the second walk-off win.

Austin Owens had a very good day going 5 for 6 with 2 walks, 3 doubles, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBIs. Josh Smith also had 5 hits, scoring 2 runs with 2 RBIs. Matt Taby and Jim Walls both scored 3 runs. Sean Smith contributed 3 RBIs. Matt Hickin may not have had a great day stat-wise, but without his hustle beating out those double play balls in both games, it is quite likely Saint Nicholas would not have won either game.

Game 1: L 6 - 10

Game 2: L 6 - 10

After a week off for the All-Star game, Saint Nicholas returned to action against First Baptist. Because Jesus the Divine Word forfeited the week before the All-Star game, Saint Nicholas wound up with a three week layoff. It showed. The team lacked energy on a hot, muggy afternoon. First Baptist did not display much more energy, but they did play a bit better and emerged with a pair of 10-6 victories.

First Baptist got out of the starting blocks fast, scoring 6 runs in the top of the first of game one. Saint Nicholas did not score in the bottom of the first inning. First Baptist did not score in the top of the second. With one out in the bottom of the second, Chad Mooney singled and went to third on Sean Smith's double. Jim Walls's sacrifice fly scored Chad to put Saint Nicholas on the board, trailing 6-1. First Baptist did not score in the top of the third. With one out in the bottom of the third, Tom Blatt singled and went to third on Matt Taby's double. Jerry Wood's sacrifice fly scored Tom. Josh Smith followed with a double to score Matt and cut the deficit to 6-3. Neither team scored in the fourth inning. First Baptist scored once in the top of the fifth to push their lead to 7-3. Austin Wood singled to start the bottom of the fifth. One out later, Nick Demme walked. Tom Blatt singled home Austin. After Matt Taby's groundball forced Tom at second, Jerry Wood singled home Nick. Josh Smith followed with a hit to score Matt and Saint Nicholas was back in the ball game trailing just 7-6. Neither team scored in the sixth inning. First Baptist scored 3 insurance runs in the top of the seventh to open up a 10-6 lead. Saint Nicholas could not score in the bottom of the seventh and First Baptist picked up a 10-6 win. 

Saint Nicholas did not score in the top of the first inning of game two. First Baptist got another fast start, this time scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the first to grab a 5-0 lead. Saint Nicholas did not score in the top of the second. First Baptist added 2 runs in the bottom of the second to extend their lead to 7-0. Austin Owens led off the top of the third with a single. Two outs later, Matt Taby, Josh Smith, Andrew Wood, and Chad Mooney banged out four consecutive singles scoring 3 runs and cutting the First Baptist lead to 7-3. First Baptist did not score in the bottom of the third. With Austin Wood on second and Austin Owens on first with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Tom Blatt singled home Austin Wood. After Matt Taby walked, Josh Smith singled in Austin Owens to bring Saint Nicholas to within two runs, 7-5. First Baptist answered quickly with 2 runs in the bottom of the fourth to push their lead back to four runs, 9-5. Chad Mooney reached on an error to start the top of the fifth and scored on Jim Walls's sacrifice fly to make the scored 9-6. But, that was the last run Saint Nicholas would score. First Baptist picked up one last run in the bottom of the sixth to duplicate the first game's score, 10-6. 

Josh Smith had a good doubleheader going 5 for 7 with a double, 1 run scored, and 4 RBIs. Tom Blatt also was 5 for 7 with a walk, 1 run scored, and 2 RBIs. Chad Mooney picked up 4 hits. Sean Smith, Austin Owens, and Austin Wood each had 3 hits. Matt Taby led the team with 3 runs scored. Chad Mooney, Austin Owens, and Austin Wood each scored twice.

Game 1: W 7 - 0 (forfeit)

Game 2: W 7 - 0 (forfeit)

Unfortunately, Jesus the Divine Word did not have enough people to field a team on June 24 and forfeited both games of the doubleheader to Saint Nicholas. The two wins pushed Saint Nicholas's record to 9-5 and into a three-way tie for second place in the league.

Game 1: L  1 - 16

Game 2: L  6 - 13

Saint Nicholas matched up with league-leading Dunkirk Baptist and ran into a buzzsaw. Dunkirk played just like a first place team should and rolled to a 16-1, 13-6 sweep of the doubleheader over Saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas went scoreless in the top of the first inning of game one. Dunkirk got 2 runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Andrew Wood and Chad Mooney singled to start the top of the second. Andrew was forced out on Sean Smith's groundball leaving Chad on second and Sean on first. Jerry Wood followed with an RBI single to drive in Chad and narrow the gap to 2-1. Unfortunately for Saint Nicholas, that run turned out to be the only run the team could score in the game. Dunkirk had no such offensive drought. They added 2 runs in the second, 1 run in the third, and exploded for 11 runs in the bottom of the fourth. The game ended early due to the run rule. Dunkirk 16, Saint Nicholas 1.

Dunkirk scored a quick 6 runs in the top of the first of game two to jump in front 6-0. Andrew Dangin and Dave Hickin reached base to start the bottom of the first and both eventually scored to make the score 6-2. Neither team scored in the second inning. Dunkirk tacked on 3 more runs in the top of the third to stretch their lead to 9-2. Saint Nicholas did not score in the bottom of the third. Neither team scored in the fourth inning. Dunkirk picked up 2 more runs in the top of the fifth to increase their lead to 11-2. Saint Nicholas's first six batters reached base in the bottom of the fifth. The first four scored, cutting Dunkirk's lead to 11-6. But, that was as close as the score would get. Dunkirk added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh to close out a 13-6 win. 

Saint Nicholas did not light up the scoresheet with batting statistics in this doubleheader. Chad Mooney was the only Saint Nicholas player to score 2 runs. Andrew Dangin, Dave Hickin, Sean Smith, Austin Wood, and Jerry Wood scored the other runs for Saint Nicholas.

Game 1:  W 13 - 9

Game 2:  W 9 - 8

After a less than stellar performance against Grace Brethren, the Saint Nicholas softball team had a big task ahead of it as it took on its next opponent, Emmanuel Church. Emmanuel and Saint Nicholas entered the June 10 doubleheader with identical 5-3 records. Saint Nicholas emerged from the two tightly contested games with a pair of victories, 13-9 and 9-8. The wins pushed Saint Nicholas's record to 7-3 and into a tie for third in the league standings. The one run win in game two was also Saint Nicholas's fifth one run win of the year!!

Saint Nicholas scored a run in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead when Austin Owens singled to lead off the game and eventually scored courtesy of two Emmanuel errors. Emmanuel bounced right back with two runs in the bottom of the first to jump in front 2-1. Neither team scored in the second inning. Nick Demme and Tom Blatt singled to start the top of the third. Austin Owens walked to load the bases. After an out, Josh Smith walked to force in Nick and tie the game. Andrew Wood singled home Tom and Austin to give Saint Nicholas the lead. Chad Mooney singled to load the bases again. Jim Walls's sacrifice fly scored Josh. Jerry Wood followed with a single to score Andrew and give Saint Nicholas a 6-2 lead. Emmanuel scored twice in the bottom of the third to close to within two runs, 6-4. Nick Demme singled with one out and scored on Austin Owens's two-out triple in the top of the fourth. Matt Taby doubled home Austin. Josh Smith singled home Matt to push Saint Nicholas's lead to 9-4. Emmanuel failed to score in the bottom of the fourth. Chad Mooney singled and scored on Jim Walls's double to up Saint Nicholas's lead to 10-4 after the top of the fifth. Emmanuel got that run back in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 10-5. Saint Nicholas did not score in the top of the sixth. Emmanuel scored one more run in the bottom of the sixth to narrow the gap to 10-6. Matt Taby, Josh Smith, and Chad Mooney scored in the top of the seventh to help Saint Nicholas open up a 13-6 lead. Emmanuel scored 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn't enough. Saint Nicholas prevailed 13-9.

Emmanuel got a quick run in the top of the first of game two to grab a 1-0 lead. Matt Taby and Josh Smith singled with one out in the bottom of the first. Chad Mooney's two-out single scored Matt to tie the game at 1-1. Emmanuel struck for 3 runs in the top of the second to go in front 4-1. Saint Nicholas failed to score in the bottom of the second. Emmanuel tacked on another run in the top of the third to boost their lead to 5-1. With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Austin Owens doubled home Tom Blatt from first. Matt Taby followed with a single to score Austin. Josh Smith's hit scored Matt and suddenly Saint Nicholas trailed by just one run, 5-4. Emmanuel added to their lead with 2 runs in the top of the fourth to now lead by 7-4. Saint Nicholas did not score in the bottom of the fourth nor did Emmanuel in the top of the fifth. Cliff Price walked and Jim Felbinger singled to start the bottom of the fifth. One out later, Dominic Soto singled to load the bases. Tom Blatt singled home Cliff and Jim to pull Saint Nicholas within one run. Austin Owens followed with a double to score Dominic and tie the game at 7-7. Emmanuel went back in front 8-7 with 1 run in the top of the sixth. Andrew Wood and Chad Mooney scored in the bottom of the sixth to give Saint Nicholas its first lead of the game, 9-8. Emmanuel failed to score in the top of the seventh. Saint Nicholas escaped with the 9-8 win.

Defense certainly made a big difference in the game as Emmanuel allowed a number of base runners and extra bases with errors while Saint Nicholas played close to error-free. On top of that, Austin Owens, Matt Taby, and Jim Walls each made a diving catch that was definitely ESPN Top-Ten nominee worthy. Austin and Matt led the team with 4 runs scored each during the doubleheader. Chad Mooney added 3 runs scored. Nick Demme, Josh Smith, and Andrew Wood each scored twice.

Game 1:   W  7 - 6

Game 2:   L   0 - 10

When a team only scores a total of 7 runs in a slow-pitch softball doubleheader, that team should expect to lose both games of the doubleheader. Well, Saint Nicholas scored exactly 7 runs in the June 3 doubleheader with Grace Brethren. But, somehow, they defied the odds and split the doubleheader, winning the first game in dramatic, come-from-behind style 7-6 and losing the nightcap 10-0.

Grace Brethren struck for 3 quick runs in the top of the first of game one to take a 3-0 lead. Austin Owens and Andrew Dangin singled to start the bottom of the first. After Josh Smith's line shot was speared by the first baseman, Andrew was forced out at second to leave Austin on third and Andrew Wood on first with two outs. Chad Mooney singled home Austin and Saint Nicholas was on the board, trailing 3-1. Neither team scored in the second or third innings. Grace Brethren scored 1 run in the top of the fourth to up their lead to 4-1. Neither team scored again until the bottom of the sixth. Bryan Mullins reached base on an error and went to third on Andrew Dangin's two-out single. Matt Taby followed with a single to score Bryan and cut the deficit to 4-2. Grace Brethren picked up 2 insurance runs in the top of the seventh and led 6-2. They needed more insurance!! Chad Mooney led off the bottom of the seventh with a double. Jim Walls advanced Chad to third with a one-out single. Jerry Wood singled home Chad to make the score 6-3. Matt Hickin's ground ball forced Jerry out at second, leaving runners on the corners with two outs. Dave Hickin singled to scored Jim. Nick Demme singled to load the bases. Pinch hitter Tom Blatt singled up the middle to score Matt and pull Saint Nicholas within one run, 6-5. Austin Owens lined a single to right to score Dave and tie the game. Andrew Dangin ripped a ground ball cleanly through the hole to left to score Nick and win the game for Saint Nicholas, 7-6. 

The less said about game two, the better. Saint Nicholas managed a total of 5 hits and 2 walks through 5 innings. None of the base runners scored. Meanwhile, Grace Brethren scored in 4 of the 5 innings, ending the game with 4 runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 10-0 win. 

Chad Mooney led the team with 4 hits in 5 at bats, a double, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI. Andrew Dangin had 3 hits in 6 trips to the plate and had the game winning, walk-off RBI hit to win game one. Austin Owens also went 3 for 6 with 1 run scored and 1 RBI. 

Game 1:    L    9 - 13

Game 2:    W   5 - 4

After leaving Hallowing Point Park very late the night before, Saint Nicholas had to bounce back and play its third doubleheader of the season early the next afternoon against Our Lady Star of the Sea (OLSS). OLSS came into the doubleheader with a stellar 4-1-1 record. Saint Nicholas's record wasn't so shabby either at 3-1. So, two good games were expected. Whether it was the late night and quick turnaround or the comedown from the euphoria of two very hard fought wins the night before or a combination of a number of things, Saint Nicholas just did not play as well as they could have against OLSS. OLSS broke a tie in the bottom of the sixth of game one to win it 13-9. The second game looked like an OLSS win until Saint Nicholas returned the favor with a comeback in the bottom of the sixth to pull out a 5-4 win and gain a split of the doubleheader.

Matt Taby singled to start the doubleheader. Austin Owens doubled and Andrew Wood walked to load the bases. Chad Mooney's ground ball forced Austin at third, but allowed Matt to score the first run of the game. Josh Smith followed with a single to score Andrew and send Chad to third. Jim Walls hit a sacrifice fly to score Chad and give Saint Nicholas a 3-0 lead. OLSS got 1 run back in the bottom of the first to close the gap to 3-1. Saint Nicholas did not scored in the top of the second or in the top of the third. Meanwhile, OLSS scored 4 runs in the bottom of the second and added 3 more runs in the bottom of the third to bolt to a 8-3 lead after 3 innings. Andrew Wood singled to start the top of the fourth. One out later, Josh Smith singled Andrew to third. Jim Walls hit his second sacrifice fly of the game to score Andrew. On the play, Josh alertly tagged up and went to second base. Keith Williams followed with a single to score Josh and close the deficit to 8-5. OLSS did not score in the bottom of the fourth. Nick Demme singled, Bryan Mullins walked, and Matt Hickin singled to load the bases to start the top of the fifth. Unfortunately, only Nick scored (on Austin Owens' sacrifice fly) and Saint Nicholas still trailed 8-6. Again, OLSS failed to score in the bottom of the fifth. Sean Smith singled and Josh Smith doubled to put runners on second and third to start the top of the sixth. Sean scored on Jim Walls' third sacrifice fly of the game. After Dave Hickin reached on an error, Jerry Wood singled home Josh to tie the game at 8-8. Two consecutive fielder's choices ended the inning and left the score tied. Aided by a couple Saint Nicholas errors, OLSS picked up 5 runs in the bottom of the sixth to seize a 13-8 lead. Matt Hickin singled with one out in the top of the seventh, but was forced at second on Matt Taby's ground ball. Matt scored when Austin Owens' single got through the legs of the left fielder. But, that was the only run Saint Nicholas could muster, resulting in a 13-9 loss.

OLSS jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first of game two. Saint Nicholas went three up, three down in the bottom of the first. OLSS picked up another run in the top of the second to go up 2-0. Saint Nicholas went three up, three down in the bottom of the second. OLSS doubled their output in the top of the third scoring 2 runs to increase their lead to 4-0. With two outs in the bottom of the third, Dave Hickin lined a sharp single to right to break up the OLSS pitcher's perfect game. Unfortunately, he was promptly stranded at first base. Neither team scored in the fourth or fifth innings. OLSS did not score in the top of the sixth. Ben Mooridian, who got his first Saint Nicholas hit in game one, reached on an error to start the bottom of the sixth. Jim Felbinger reached base when the OLSS second baseman dropped the throw to force Ben at second. Dave Hickin singled to right and Ben scored when the right fielder booted the single. Austin Wood walked to load the bases. After an out, Bryan Mullins singled home Jim and Dave. After a second out, Austin Owens smashed a double down the left field line to score Austin and Bryan. Suddenly, Saint Nicholas was in the lead, 5-4. OLSS did get one runner on base in the top of the seventh, but could not advance him past first base. Saint Nicholas escaped with a 5-4 win and a split of the doubleheader.

Austin Owens went 3 for 4 with a double, sacrifice fly, and 3 RBIs. Josh Smith was 3 for 5 with a double, 2 runs scored, and 1 RBI. Josh, Matt Taby, and Andrew Wood led the team with 2 runs scored. Jim Walls also had 3 RBIs, getting them on 3 sacrifice flies in the first game. Ben Mooridian picked up his first Saint Nicholas base hit.

Game 1:   W  21- 20

Game 2:   W   12 - 11

Saint Nicholas' opponent in the second doubleheader of the 2017 season was Battle Creek Christian. Battle Creek Christian is a team comprised of players from three different churches (Church by the Chesapeake, Crossroad Christian, and Trinity United Methodist), all of whom had teams in the league previously. Battle Creek's record coming into the doubleheader was 2-1-1 so two tough games were expected. The expectation came true. Saint Nicholas managed to pull out two 1-run, hard fought victories, 21-20 and 12-11.

Matt Taby reached on an error to start the first game. Andrew Dangin also reached on an error. Andrew Wood singled to load the bases. Then, Battle Creek turned a bizarre double-play to get the first two outs of the inning. Sean Smith followed with a single to score Matt and Saint Nicholas had a 1-0 lead. Battle Creek tied the game with 1 run of their own in the bottom of the first. Saint Nicholas went scoreless in the top of the second. Battle Creek picked up 4 runs in the bottom of the second to take a 5-1 lead. Saint Nicholas bounced right back. With one out, Matt Hickin picked up his first career hit in his first career at bat. Matt Taby promptly scored Matt Hickin with a triple. Andrew Dangin then singled home Matt. Andrew Wood doubled home Andrew Dangin to tie the game. After the second out, Sean Smith reached on an error and Josh Smith singled to load the bases. Keith Williams followed with a single to score Andrew and give Saint Nicholas a 6-5 lead. The lead was short lived. Battle Creek scored 5 runs in the bottom of the third to retake the lead, 10-6. Bryan Mullins led off the top of the fourth with a single. Dave Hickin reached base on an error one out later. Matt Hickin followed with his second straight single to load the bases. Matt Taby's sacrifice fly scored Bryan. Then, Andrew Dangin hit one in the gap that went for a 3-run inside-the-park home run to tie the game at 10-10. Battle Creek scored a single run in the bottom of the fourth to go back on top, 11-10. Chad Mooney and Sean Smith singled to start the top of the fifth. Josh Smith's single scored Chad to tie the game once again. After Sean was forced out at third base, Austin Wood singled to load the bases yet again. Jerry Wood's ground out scored Josh and Saint Nicholas was back in front 12-11. Again, the lead did not last long. Battle Creek scored 3 runs in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead again, this time 14-12. Dave Hickin tripled down the right field line to start the top of the sixth. Dave scored on Jim Felbinger's single. Matt Taby and Jim Walls singled to load the bases. Andrew Wood singled home Jim to tie the game. Then, Matt scored on Chad Mooney's force out to put Saint Nicholas in front yet again. Sean Smith reached on an error to reload the bases. Josh Smith doubled home Andrew and Chad to give Saint Nicholas a 17-14 lead. Battle Creek scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to close to within one run, 17-16. Jerry Wood singled to start the top of the seventh. Dominic Soto followed with his first career hit and Dave Hickin walked to load the bases. Jim Felbinger singled home Jerry. Matt Taby then singled home Dominic and Dave. A double play left Matt on second with two outs. Andrew Wood singled home Matt to give Saint Nicholas a 21-16 lead. Saint Nicholas wound up needed every single run of that lead. Battle Creek scored 4 runs, had the tieing run on second and the winning run on first before Josh Smith caught a fly ball in left field for the final out of the game. Saint Nicholas escaped with a 22-21 victory. 

Battle Creek failed to score for the first time all night in the top of the first of game two. Matt Taby and Andrew Dangin singled to start the bottom of the first. After a fly out, Chad Mooney's single scored Matt to put Saint Nicholas on the board. After a second fly out, Austin Owens ripped a double down the left field line to score Andrew and Chad. Jerry Wood reached on an error that allowed Austin to score and Saint Nicholas had jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Battle Creek quickly scored 3 runs in the top of the second to pull to within one run, 4-3. Saint Nicholas failed to score in the bottom of the second. Then, Battle Creek erupted for 6 runs in the top of the third to take a 9-4 lead. Four consecutive singles by Andrew Dangin, Andrew Wood, Chad Mooney, and Jim Walls netted 2 runs and pulled Saint Nicholas back to within three, 9-6. Battle Creek did not score in the top of the fourth. Tom Blatt and Jim Felbinger singled to start the bottom of the fourth. Tom scored on Dave Hickin's one-out single. One out later, Matt Taby singled to load the bases. Eventually, Jim, Dave, and Matt all scored to put Saint Nicholas in front 10-9. Yet again, the lead did not last long. Battle Creek scored twice in the top of the fifth to retake the lead 11-10. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Austin Owens drove in Jim Walls to tie the game. Tom Blatt followed with a single up the middle to score Austin and give Saint Nicholas a 12-11 lead. After the third out was made, the umpire announced the game was over because the time was 10:56 PM and no inning could start after 10:50 PM (park rules). So, Saint Nicholas emerged with a 12-11 win and a doubleheader sweep. 

Saint Nicholas got at least one hit from all 17 players who played in the doubleheader. In fact, nearly all 17 players reached bases multiple times. Fifteen of the 17 players scored runs. Andrew Dangin, Dave Hickin, and Austin Owens led the team with 4 runs scored. Matt Hickin, Chad Mooney, Matt Taby, and Andrew Wood scored 3 runs each. Matt Hickin had a great Saint Nicholas debut going 3 for 4 in addition to scoring 3 runs. Dominic Soto got his first Saint Nicholas hit. And, Andrew Dangin's inside-the-park home run was Saint Nicholas' first home run of the season.