Bell and Summers Provide Power, Monte Effective in Win

On a clear and cool Sunday night, play resumed in the Charlie Brown lot to commence the holiday weekend. In impressive fashion, Rob Rubenstein led his squad in a tight 6-4 victory, picking up the win and save. Rubenstein took a slumping Dan Bell with his first pick and rounded out his team with Dan Breslauer, Tom Monte and Juice Summers. Opposing them was Jake Rainwater, Dylan Kessler, Pat Bell, Tom Marks and Jeff Feldman.


The game was already being anticipated as one of the best match ups ever seen and the game certainly did not disappoint. Dylan Kessler took the mound in the first and would recieve his wake up call a little earlier than expected. After inducing an easy come backer from Monte, Kessler walked Rubenstein on some close pitches to bring up a slumping D. Bell who had previously sat in the 4th of July Bell Residence Classic. Kessler got cute and floated a slider right down the middle which D. Bell crushed into the street in left center to give his team a quick 2-0 lead.


Kessler did not take too kindly to the Bell home run and led off the bottom of the 1st with a double off Rubenstein. After a Pat Bell walk, Rainwater came up with a chance to get some of the runs back. On a 3-2 fastball, Rainwater timed it but got a little under the ball, skying the ball a mile high before D. Bell sat under it in the outfield for a loud out. After walking Marks, Rubenstein sat down Feldman with some nasty stuff.


Rainwater started the second by getting Monte to fly out to Feldman. Rainwater then walked Rubenstein but got D. Bell to chase an outside slider to avoid any further trouble. D. Bell took the mound in the second and looked sharp retiring Kessler and brother P. Bell, making a spectacular one handed grab behind the mound for the latter out.


It was Feldmans turn on the mound in the top of the third and after walking Breslauer, Feldman came back by getting Summers on a grounder and struck out Monte. Breslauer pitched the bottom of the third and after giving up a lead off double to Rainwater, quickly worked Marks and Feldman to keep the game 2-0.


Making his wiffle debut, Pat Bell took the mound facing the heart of the order. Rubenstein smacked a single to left bringing up Dan Bell. D. Bell crushed a pitch that was about to land in the same place as his first home run. Kessler ran back into the middle of the street and made a Willie Mays like catch to rob Bell of a 2 run homer. Fans were calling Kessler's play one of the top web gems of the year. Pat looked like he was going to escape the inning with no damage but Breslauer walked bring up Summers. On a 3-2 pitch, Summers lifted a big fly to left that no one would be catching to make it a 5-0 game.


Monte took the hill in the bottom of the 4th and pitched the quickest inning of the game, getting Kessler to ground out and got some defensive help from Breslauer when he caught a Pat Bell opposite field poke, snaring it off the ground as he lost his balance.


The shutout would not be broken until the bottom of the 5th with Rubenstein on the mound. Rainwater took the first pitch of the inning and ripped a line drive that reached the street to put his team on the board. Pat Bell came up later in the inning with runners on first and second with one out and delivered a clutch double to center field that made it a 5-2 game. However an anxious Rainwater came up, and swung at three curveballs that were in the dirt and struck out to end the threat.

Rainwater again walked Rubenstein to start the inning but got D. Bell to sky a pop up to the mound. Rainwater however missed a gimme double play by bouncing the ball before it hit the chair. He then retired Breslauer on a screwball that nailed the outside corner. D. Bell would pitch the bottom of the sixth and had some control problems walking two batters in the inning but already struck out one for the first out. Facing his brother Pat, D. Bell got Pat to strike out swinging on a full count to keep his team up 3 runs.

Feldman took the mound in the top of the 7th and ran into early trouble. Summers ripped a single down the line. After Monte grounded out, Rubenstein reached base and D. Bell doubled a run home to make it a 6-2 game. Feldman was able to retire Breslauer on a hard grounder to third that Rainwater was able to handle.

The bottom of the 7th began with a Rainwater single off Breslauer. Marks then popped up to get a quick 1st out for Breslauer who then all of a sudden lost control. Breslauer walked Feldman on 5 pitches and fell behind Kessler before he lifted one to the opposite field. D. Bell, with a cig in his hand, ran to make a one handed catch but couldn't as the ball dropped scoring a run to make it a 6-3 game. Pat Bell would walk to load the bases and then Breslauer walked Rainwater to make it a 6-4 game. With the cracks slowly forming in Breslauer's ball, Marks gift wrapped him a life preserve swinging at a 4-0 pitch popping it up to D. Bell to end the inning.

They would have a chance in the bottom of the 8th of Monte but again Rainwater and his team failed in the clutch. Feldman struck out to start the inning putting the team in a hole. Kessler and P. Bell reached base before Rainwater swung at a 2-1 inside changeup and grounded out weakly to Monte to end the threat and more or less, the game. Rainwater threw his hat in frustration, knowing that that was his teams last chance to get back in this game.

Rubenstein would pitch the bottom of the ninth and after walking Marks to start the inning, Rubenstein would come back and strikeout Feldman and Kessler to end the game, picking up his 1st save in an impressive 6-4 victory.

Rubenstein: 6
Rainwater: 4

Box Score
W: Rob Rubenstein (1-1)
L: Dylan Kessler (2-1)
S: Rob Rubenstein (1)
HR: D. Bell (1), Summers (1), Rainwater 1(4)
RBI: D. Bell 3(4), Summers (3), Rainwater 2(14), Kessler 1(11), P. Bell (1)