[SANTA FE SPRINGS, CA - 6/5/04] - The
schedule said "Sun Devils", but the uniforms said "Leafs". Whatever
you call these guys, they came to play Saturday at the California
Area ISC Tournament. The team is a merger of sorts, of Sun Devil
players and a trio of aces from the Blackhawks,
Sonny Perkins and the Barker Boys,
headed up by solid hitting Troy Parker. On Saturday, it was Perkins
and Parker who played key roles in their team's perfect 3-0 day,
which included wins over two of Southern California's best, the
Bombers and Team Rainey.
The Sun Devils/Leafs opened their day
inauspiciously with a narrow 3-2 win over Clyde Bennett's 50 and
over team from Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara ace Hank Scheid turned
in a solid performance to keep things close.
In their second game, the Leafs were
locked in a pitcher's duel, with their own Sonny Perkins on the
mound, while Darren Strang, fresh off a plane from Vancouver Canada,
battled for the Bombers. Perkins took matters into his own hands,
by hitting a 2 run home run to give the Leafs the lead. Panfilo
Valdez came on in relief of Strang, as Perkins continued to hang
donuts on the scoreboard. Just for good measure, Perkins doubled
home two more runs for the final 4-0 margin of victory.
The Leaf's final game of the day was
against Team Rainey, regarded by many as the best team in Southern
California. Spud Barker took the mound for the Leafs, while Tony
Peeples had the ball for Team Rainey. Rainey got on the board first
in the bottom of the second, on a lead-off double to deep right
center, scoring on a double to right by Ralph Salcido. The Leafs
tied the score in the top of the third when Chad Landers led off
with a walk, was sacrificed to second, and scored in a double to the
left field corner by Troy Parker.
Rainey reclaimed the lead in the bottom
of the 3rd, scoring twice for a 3-1 margin. Mike Butler reached on
an infield error by Barker, was sacrificed over by Rod Rainey, and
came home on a double to right center by Chris Hunt. Hunt then
scored when Porto smashed his second double of the game to down the
left field line.
Mike Quinn trimmed the margin in the top
of the 4th with a solo home run to straight away center for the
Leafs. An infield error opened the door for the Leafs, while a
double to right center by Chad Landers set the stage for their
comeback, putting runners at second and third with two out. Troy
Parker came through again, with a flair single that fell into no
man's land in shallow center field, allowing the tying and go-ahead
runs to score. Parker was headed for second when centerfielder
Jason Porto made like a shortstop and ran him down for the final out
of the inning, but the Leafs had taken the lead for good. Peeples
gave way to Price, while Sonny Perkins came on for Barker, and both
pitched impressively in shutting down the opposition the rest of the
way.
