By Ted Waddell
LIBERTY — July 6, 2004 – What are you going to say if you lose by 16 runs?
Probably not a whole lot.
But it’s a good idea to keep a stiff upper lip and plan for your next baseball game.
In last Thursday’s Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League game against the dominant Minisink Warriors, the host Catskill Cougars got roundly ripped, 17-1, in a game mercifully shortened by the 10-run rule after five innings.
In the top of the second, Minisink sent two runners across the plate.
At their turn at bat in the second, the Cougars scored their lone run of the game as Troy Kirchner ran home from third on a hit by Chris Kornfield with the bases loaded.
It was Kornfield’s first hit of the season.
Then the Warriors slammed the door of the Cougars’ paws. Minisink scored seven runs in the third, added four runs in the fourth and to top it off, recorded four more in the fifth.
Before it was all over, a gully washing cloudburst cleared the field, sending the players, umpires and fans dashing for cover.
A few minutes later, the sudden storm cleared and the umpires called for play to resume. Play then continued until the aforementioned 10-run rule was enforced.
Rob Silva started on the mound for the Cougars, but was relieved with the bases loaded in the third inning.
Corey Van Kueren and Troy Kirchner finished up the pitching duties.
Mike Collins and Joe Hillman anchored the mound for the Warriors.
“It was a good game,” Minisink Coach Dave Hillman said. “They’ve got a nice club here in the Catskill Cougars…good kids who played hard, played fair and played clean.
“Our kids hit the ball well, ran the bases nice, were tough on defense and the pitching was good all the way around,” he added.
As the game started to slip away like mercury through a crack in an old floor, Catskill Coach Tom Pazzalia yelled out from the dugout, “It’s getting worse out there by the minute!”
After the game, he said, “It was a good game, but unfortunately I didn’t like the outcome.”
Pazzalia noted that one aspect of the game has spelled trouble for the Cougars throughout the season.
“Once again the big inning hurt us when they scored seven runs on a couple of errors, a bunt and a walk,” he said. “The big inning has been hurting us all year.”