June 26, 2009 — It was a battle of cellar dwellers Thursday night in the Governmental and Industrial Coed Softball League as the Juan Luis Hospital Injectables faced off against the Public Works Pavers, in the regular season's final game to determine who would finish out of last place.
Both teams started well in the first inning, at the Renholdt Jackson Sport Complex, plating five runs apiece, but after that it was all Injectables as their ace pitcher, Dennis Brow, settled down and did not allow the Pavers another run beyond the first inning.
Playing to avoid finishing in last place for the Injectables was a classic case of how far the mighty have fallen. For years, the Injectables were among the league’s elite and also a past champion. But the team of health care professionals have struggle in recent years to stay on the top shelf.
Batting first, the Injectables wasted no time in getting on the board in the top of the first inning. They erupted for five runs on a two-run home run by Brow, a two-run double by Roger Moore and an RBI single by Guido Schjang to take the early lead.
The Pavers, however, were equal to the task in the bottom of the inning as they also put five across to knot the game at five after one inning of play. The Pavers scored five runs on an RBI single by pitcher Angel Soto and a plethora of Injectables errors.
The Injectables took a 8-5 lead in the top of the second inning, scoring three runs on a solo home run off the bat of Raymond Cintron, an RBI double by Rashawn Foster and a Pavers error. It was a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the contest as Brow went to work on the Pavers batters in the bottom of the inning for an easy 1-2-3 inning — he would hold them scoreless the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, his offense would add three more runs in the top of the third inning on a sac fly by Cintron and two Pavers errors to lead 11-5 after three completed innings.
They would complete the scoring for the game in the top of the fifth inning, plating one run on Moore’s RBI single for a 12-5 victory and a fifth place finish that kept their streak of never finishing last in the league intact.
Brow after a rough start settled down to earn the victory on the mound while Soto got the loss for the Pavers. Top batters for the Injectables were Moore, 3 for 4 with three RBIs, Brow, 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs and Cintron, 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs. For the Pavers, Soto was 1 for 3 with one RBI and Carmelo Torres was 2 for 2.
After the game, the Injectables squad shamelessly celebrated their second to last finish on the pitcher’s mound with shouts of "Fifth! Fifth!" while each player showed five fingers on each hand.
