Firefighters “Hose” the Cops, 8-4, in charity softball game
By Tim “Shoe” Sullivan
Doug’s Sports Pub in Buena Vista was the scene on Sunday, Sept. 9 as the Hoses beat the Guns, 8-4, in the annual charity softball game.
The Hoses, a team of area firefighters, avenged a close defeat by the law enforcement squad last summer at Bukolt Park in Stevens Point. The game was something of a last-minute affair this year.
A spirited crowd was on hand at historic Moore Barn Memorial Park across from Doug’s Sports Pub to cheer on their favorite team. Under perfect weather for softball, the home team Guns took the field and the Hoses lined up along the baselines to honor the flag in center during the playing of the National Anthem. Nobody from either team was detected kneeling. Air Force veteran Duane Miskulin, representing the Guns, and vet Charlie Skibba for the Hoses, took to the pitcher’s mound and threw out the ceremonial “first pitches”.
Home plate umpire Mayor Mike Wiza called both of their pitches strikes, and the game was on.
The Hoses got off to a good start in the top of the first when outfielder Trevor Howard singled, advanced to second on a base hit by Dayton Budsberg, and came home on Frank Minervini III’s groundout. 1-0 in favor of the Firemen. The Cops tied it at 1-1 in the bottom of the first when left-fielder John Lawrynk singled and eventually scored on catcher Dave Rogers’ sacrifice fly.
Neither team could get much going in the second or third innings as pitchers Lance Lewis of the Guns and Casey Bielen of the Hoses were in command. The Hoses turned a nifty double play in the second. Mark Smallwood led off with a solid single, but he was forced out at second when shortstop Jeremiah Parker snared a grounder and flipped the ball to Ben Molnar who then fired over to Ethan Przybilski at first to complete the double play.
The Guns returned the favor in the top of the third when Trevor Howard lined out to Lewis who then threw over to first to erase Przybilski who strayed too far off the bag. The score was still 1-1 after three, and most of the Guns’ outs were long flyballs to the warning track which were hauled in by Bobby Sullivan, Minervini III, and Trevor Howard. In fact, wood bats were the choice of weapons in the skirmish, and no home runs were registered.
The Hoses went ahead, 2-1, in the top of the fourth when Frank the Third singled and was sent home by Bobby Sullivan’s base knock. The Guns got singles from captain Brent Thauer and Mike Schultz in the bottom of the fourth but they were left stranded. The Guns were totally shut down by Bielen and the Hoses’ defense in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.
The Hoses weren’t exactly exploding on offense either as they went out quickly in the fifth. Between innings, Sheriff Mike Lukas reminded the crowd that tickets were on sale for the 50-50 drawing.
The game turned in the top of the sixth inning as the visiting Hoses put up five big runs on the board. (Well, the “proverbial” board since Moore Barn Memorial doesn’t actually have a scoreboard, which is why announcer Kenny Rozak relayed the score to the fans every inning.) The Firemen’s rally consisted of Casey Bielen’s double, singles by Dayton Budsberg, Frank Minervini III, Ben Molnar, and another hit by Bielen, plus a walk to Frank III and two crucial fielding miscues by the cops. Bielen’s two-base hit was only the game’s third double (Jeff Sadlemyer and Matt McDonald rapped doubles for the losers). As the birds chirped and the fans grabbed some bratwurst and weiners from the concession stand, the Hoses held a comfy 7-1 lead after seven innings.
The Guns finally came up with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth. The key hits were singles by Mark Smallwood, Nate Shulfer, Austin Lee, and Jeff Sadlemyer’s double. 7-3 Hoses after eight.
Youngster Nate Heinz then swept the bases clean with his official broom, just like he did before every inning. Bielen said, “Nate did a great job out there, and all of the players appreciated it.”
The Hoses got their final run in their half of the ninth when Ethan Przybilski smacked the game’s only triple and scored on Trevor Howard’s RBI. When the Guns were about to bat, Sheriff Lukas announced that the drawing had raised $850 for the Vets.
The Guns made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Trailing 8-3, Matt McDonald doubled and moved to third on a single by Dave Rogers. Brent Thauer’s sacrifice fly drove in McDonald, making the score 8-4 in favor of the Hoses. Mike Schultz then singled, putting cop runners on first and second. The next two batters made outs and the Hoses escaped with a well-deserved 8-4 victory.
Doug Berry, the owner of Doug’s Sports Pub, said he was “thrilled” to host the game.
“It seemed like the crowd really got into it,” he said. “The umpires (Wiza, Jesse Higgins, and Kevin Ruder) were outstanding, and the announcer Kenny Rozak really had the fans hopping. Both teams were really competitive and some of the defensive plays were fantastic.”
Ethan Przybilski of the Hoses was named Game MVP as he was the only player with three hits. The Hoses’ 14 hits included two by Bielen, Dayton Budsberg, Minervini III, and Jeremiah Parker and one each by Trevor Howard, Bobby Sullivan, and Ben Molnar. The Guns came up with 13 hits. Jeff Sadlemyer, Brent Thauer, Mike Schultz, and Mark Smallwood connected twice while John Lawrynk, Matt McDonald, Dave Rogers, Nate Shulfer, and Austin Lee each contributed a hit.
And as Lance Lewis flew out to the warning track to end the battle, a wonderful game of softball on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a great cause was in the books.
Some of the cops and firemen went back on duty while most of the crowd went home and got ready to watch the Green Bay Packers take on the dreaded Chicago Bears at Lambeau.
