NPC Softball

The National Press Club returned to the MMSL playoffs in spectacular fashion, scoring six runs in the first and five in the second en route to a 13-2 pasting of Team Video, including five strikeouts (four swinging) by Ryan Donmoyer. NPC had its first six batters reach base, and a series of Team errors gave Big Blue extra outs in a reversal of the first game between the clubs. Frank Fuhrig, Clay Kaufman, Dana Brown and Jonathan Salant played a flawless infield, and Ken Giglio’s snag of a smash line drive to left field cut short any hope of a Team Video comeback.

A playoff berth in hand, NPC didn’t let up in game 2, defeating AP, 15-3 in six innings. NPC jumped off to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, scoring nine runs in the last two innings to win by the slaughter rule. Keiron Greenhalgh made his season debut with a pinch-hit single, and virtually the same lineup, offensively and defensively, held AP in check. Sarahanne Driggs turned a terrific double play with runners on first and third and one out, and then combined with Kaufman, who went deep into the hole at shortstop, for a force at second to kill another rally.

More details will be posted on the press club softball blog next week.

Playoff seedings will be posted later at mediasoftball.net. But this much is certain: We’re in with a 9-5 record.