Snowhawks win eighth game of the summer

Rain has thwarted a number of the snowshoe baseball games this season. On Monday, the Snowhawks returned to Snowshoe Park with a dominant win.

The Snowhawks beat the local police/fire department 16-5.

“(The local police/fire department) hit the ball hard, but they could not get over the plate,” coach Jeff Smith said. “That was kind of the story. They hit balls right at us, and we got a couple double plays to get out of situations. (They) need a little more time on snowshoes. They didn’t seem to be really fast.”

Ryan Schowalter, a part-time Snowhawk playing for the local police/fire department, scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning. A double play groundout by Chris Coniglio ended any momentum the local police/fire department had gained for themselves.

The Snowhawks were without player-manager Smith. Still, they scored more than enough runs to remain undefeated on the season.

“I broke my finger on Thursday,” Smith explained. “I caught a line drive in center field, and it hit the tip of my glove. I’m probably done for both leagues now.”

A big crowd was on hand for Monday night’s contest.

“I don’t know the final count but probably over 800,” Smith said. “I was very happy with the crowd size. They came from all over. It was a really busy night.”

Dustin Schowalter drove in a run in the bottom of the first to give the Snowhawks a 3-1 lead. They would not look back.

“This is his third game,” Smith said about Dustin. “We’re glad to have him back for the rest of August.”

In the bottom of the second, the Snowhawks scored the maximum five runs, the only inning they were able to achieve that. Derek Young hit an RBI single to shallow left. A hit off the bat of Tod Niemuth went through the shortstop’s legs for another Snowhawk run.

A drop in the outfield allowed Dustin Schowalter to go all the way to third base. That brought home another run for the Snowhawks. They led 8-1 after two innings.

“The guys did a really good job of placing balls and getting on base when we needed to,” Smith said. “For the most part, I think we were pretty much in control. The guys did an awesome job on defense.”

The local police/fire department stopped scoring runs innings two through five. They went down in order in the second and third innings and stranded two runners in the top of the fifth.

“We were kind of surprised by that to be honest with you,” Smith said. “We thought they would put more runs on the board. Just by looking at batting practice and stuff. I know they have a solid team. They just couldn’t get a lot going.”

Meanwhile, the Snowhawks scored three more times in the bottom of the fourth inning to increase their lead. Niemuth drove in one on an RBI groundout. Then, Jesse Robinson hit an RBI single to left.

With two outs, Billy Kuckahn hit an RBI single to shallow center. The Snowhawks led 11-1.

A couple of defensive gems seemed to give the local police/fire departments a boost in the fifth inning. Ryan Schowalter made a diving catch at second base. Skyler Giampa also made a running catch in center field to get an out. The Snowhawks were shut out.

“I think that gave them a little bit of confidence,” Smith said. “That’s just what they needed at that time. You get a few runs across the plate finally — it’s definitely a confidence booster. I don’t think we were all that safe. It’s very easy to get a five-run inning.”

Elisha Williams singled to get things started in the top of the sixth inning. The next two batters reached to load the bases. Coniglio redeemed himself with a two-run single to left to get the local police/fire department their first runs since the first inning. Rob Dumovich had an RBI groundout.

    Skyler Giampa of the local police/fire department hits the melon ball in the seventh inning Monday, Aug. 12 at Snowshoe Park in Lake Tomahawk. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

The local police/fire department scored another run in the top of the seventh. Will Taege hit an RBI fielder’s choice with Giampa scoring. They trailed by seven runs, the closest they would come all game.

The Snowhawks put the game away in the eighth inning. Young delivered an RBI triple to right field that scored a run. Robinson, Dustin Schowalter and Kuckahn also had RBI hits to increase the Snowhawks’ lead all the way to 16-5.

“They only had one inning, and that was going to be tough to do,” Smith said. 

The Lakeland Times and Snowhawks’ game scheduled for Monday, Aug. 5 was rained out. It is unlikely to be made up with only a few weeks left in the season.

“It takes a lot of volunteers, and some volunteers aren’t available during the week,” Smith said. “There was some talk about a charity game and gosh, I’d still like to do that for next year. If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right.”

Up next, the Snowhawks (8-0) take on WPS Local 420 on Monday, Aug. 19 right back at Snowshoe Park in Lake Tomahawk. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.

“They’re a pretty good team too, big guys,” Smith said. “They can hit the ball around.”

Brett LaBore may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].