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DRAGONSLAYERS FIGHT OFF SCRAPPY 3COM TEAM

Defeat 3Com 9-4 for second win of young season
By David Maynard

Sunnyvale...Last night I went to a fight and a softball game broke out. Fitting words for a game that started out as ordinary between two friendly rivals and deteriorated to a scrappy little battle for Silicon Valley supremacy. The Dragonslayers went into this game confident in their ability and looking to build on last week's solid play.

The game started off quite slow with both sides failing to produce so much as a wimper in the first inning. In the 2nd, 3Com broke through and jumped out to a 1-0 lead. As has been INS' style both this year and last, they exploded back for 4 runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-1 lead. Steve "How 'bout a single" Mendez started things off with, get this....a walk. John "I can handle coaching 3rd. Really!" Krejcha followed with a walk of his own and this left ducks on the pond for Loretta "The Road Runner" Tanner. She came through in fine fashion with a single that scored Mendez and Krejcha. The real surprise came when Ross "Strike out the side" Roesner lined a double to right. Using that now infamous speed, "RR" Tanner went from 1st to 3rd and set things up beautifully for a Jason "Wheels" Dominguez double that cleared the bases. These were not the only fireworks of the inning. New Dragonslayer draftee Joanna "Helen of Troy" Murray help stir up things to a boiling point when she was accused of trying to bunt her way on. The 3Com 1st baseman, obviously looking for any edge he could find, began whining about her supposed tactics and was berated by the Dragonslayer bench. I wasn't close enough to the action to hear, but "pleasantries" were exchanged and things came close to getting physical. It was all they could do to restore order and continue with the now less than friendly game. Murray was quoted after the game as saying, " If I knew it was going to cause all these problems, I wouldn't have swung." The Slayers got out of the inning alive and slowly but surely added to their lead. By the end of the 5th inning, they lead 9-2 and the outcome was all but academic.

On the mound, Roesner put on a clinic and kept the 3Com hitters off balance, never letting them get any type of rally going. After not recording a strikeout last week, he got back on track with 3 and improved his record on the season to 2-0.

Offensively, it was another team effort that lead INS to victory. Mike "The Mad Bomber" Vannucci went 2-3 with a double and yet another HR. Ross Roesner followed up a sparkling effort on the mound with 2 hits of his own. Kelley Vincent also had 2 hits and turned in a spectacular game at 3rd. Time and time again, she came up with plays that killed potential 3Com rallies. The rest of the line up all produced hits when they were needed and this was the key to victory.

This week's Star of the Game was not an easy choice but after reviewing the game and it's key moments, the choice was clear. When she came up in the 2nd inning with runners on base, the Slayers were down and needed a jump start to get things moving. She gave the team the spark it needed and that is why Loretta "The Road Runner" Tanner is this week's Star of the Game. Her single scored 2 runs, and her "sprint" from 1st to 3rd on Roesner's subsequent double, showed the true grit of the player and in turn, the team. All she could do after the game was smile and all she kept saying was, " I made it from 1st to 3rd, I made it from 1st to 3rd. Then I scored......" The Slayers were proud of her accomplishment.

There's a feeling in the air, an excitement not felt since the Miracle Mets of the summer of '69 (well, the Slayers felt this way early last season also, but that was different....). There's a buzz around town that this team is something special. Don't miss your chance to see them. The Dragonslayers next game is Tuesday, July 29th at 5:30p on field 6 against Cups and Cleavage (??). Hey, I only report this stuff............