The Avengers played against a tired Berskhire Museum team, who were playing GD-A in game two of their double header. Thanks to some pick-ups earlier in the day, the Avengers were able to fill their line-ups and not resort to their emergency female players for the first time this season. With the outfielder handicap taken care of, the batting order was shuffled to increase run yield. The Avenger defense kept the Museum’s offense to one run in the first two innings, while the GD-A scoring machine netted a season-high matching 15-run rally in the second, yielding a 19-1 advantage after 2 innings. The Avengers cruised to a 28-16 win as they improved to their record to 2-2.

Special K, Vinny and Linda make their debute.  (Wandrei)

For the third game in a row, the starting line-up for the Avengers contained some new faces. Before game 5, the Avengers picked-up Kristine “Special K” Madigan. (AKA “Mad Mad Madigan”.) Kristine has experience playing as an outfielder and catcher in a competitive fast pitch softball league. Wolan hopes she’ll feel at home in the outfield, but plans to utilize her catching experience until Becky Wandrei, the team’s catcher, returns from the DL.

Also new to the line-up was Raymond “Vinny” Velez. Vinny, a Brooklyn, NY native, is an experienced veteran of the sport. His addition adds a slugger to the line-up while adding some remarkable hustle on both offense and defense. Velez filled for Mr. T, who was unable to play due to a renting dilemma.

Making her first start tonight was Linda L. Linda was aquied by te Avengers earlier this week, but was unable to play until tonight. Though her past playing experiences are unknown, Rick Palma’s scouting report indicates that she has a descent bat and some good infielding abilities. Wolan plans on using Linda at second to fill for Anahid, who is on the DL.

Finally, John Bielski swung on down to sit the bench. With the way the bench has been emptying this season, an extra hand is always welcomed.

A weakness of the Avenger offensive game has been the inability to score runs in the early innings. To address this matter, team manager Andy Wolan and slugger Ryan Molloy redid the line-up to better increase the team’s ability to score runs early in the game.

Rick Palma was moved into the leadoff spot due to his ability to slap-in extra base hits. Molloy and Jason were moved to the number 3 and 5 spots, respectively, to take better advantage of there hot bats. Mr. T, Jim Read and Wolan was moved to the bottom to have a better chance of scoring due to the top of the order.

The Avenger defense came on strong early in the game, shutting out the Museum in the first and limiting them to one run in the second, thanks in part to some poor base running by the Museum. The Avenger scoring machine began producing runs right at the get go, producing 4 runs in the first inning. This marked the first time this season that the Avengers were able to score in the first inning of a game.

In the second, the GD-A scoring machine was put into overdrive, as the Avengers rallied, scoring 15 runs in the second. This rally matched the previous team record of 15 set in game 3. The rally took advantage of inexperience Berkshire Museum outfield, which was mixed at best.

With a 19-1 advantage over Berkshire Museum, the bench, though limited in size, was given the opportunity to play. The Avenger defensive was allowed to shuffle their position around to allow some of the starters to take an inning off. This resulted in some interesting plays, such as Bielski’s stop of a bullet line drive to short, and Vinny’s hustle and bustle to cover multiple field positions in an inning. In an assuming equipment failure, Bielski, a righty, was stuck with a lefty glove in the outfield during the 5th.

Wolan, game ball in hand, runs a victory lap around the outfield. (Wolan)

The Museum took advantage of the shuffling to score 6 runs in the third, 4 in the fourth and 5 in the fifth. The GD-A offense responded, but with limited yield, netting 2 runs in the third and 3 in the fourth. With the bases loaded in the fifth, Jason batted in Lisa Read to score the fourth run of the inning. The mercy rule was enacted, and the Avengers were awarded their second win of the season, cruising to a 28-16 victory over the Berkshire Museum. The Avengers improve their record to 2-2 on the season. Wolan celebrated the victory with a lap around the outfield with the game ball.

Andy Wolan is a reporter for MLSB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Softball or its clubs.