Bardo comeback sinks Armena

 

But the start was all Armena.

 

A five-run first marred by Bardo errors and timely Royals hits looked to be just what the doctor ordered for a young team. The key being a bases-loaded triple by Lee Palmer to deflate the “Boys in Black.” The Royals then added four more in the third to take a 9-2 lead.

 

Pitcher Clark Banack for Armena was wild, walking six and hitting two batters in 3 1/3 innings. Armena went to the veteran well again and it proved costly as 0-3 pitcher Jason Buzzell looked to try and get Armena out of the fourth inning unscathed.

 

Two errors later the A’s had driven in two runs, and then Bardo’s Ryan Stauffer rode Buzzell off the mound with a 2-RBI rip single that skipped all the way to the fence after getting past centre fielder Steve Bergstrom in the fifth. Stauffer called it a triple after the game – his first in many years, he said.

 

Armena tried to shut things off with their ace Joel Boettger, but his arm was too tired from two recent days of work. A hit batsman and a couple walks completed the Bardo comeback and gave them a 12-9 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. Adam Johnson came in to mop up in the seventh and got out of it unscathed to give Armena a shot. A grunting strike out had the several fans in attendance in stitches.

 

“I don’t care what you say,” said Bardo’s Craig Neufield. “When he was grunting that was kind of intimidating.”

 

But Armena couldn’t rally as Bardo’s Ryan Oleson straightened his ways following a scary line drive off his leg in the fourth inning. It seemed to be the turning point as Oleson never allowed another hit the rest of the game, including six straight outs in the sixth and seventh.

 

The loss was devastating to an Armena team that sported the youngest lineup in the league. No player was over the age of 30, and many bright spots were seen during the year. But a 5-10 record was still pitiful – although other teams in the league seem to be respecting them now. Buzzell almost broke down as he went to pay the umpires and thanked Bardo for letting Armena use their diamond as a home field.

 

“I’m choked up about this season ending, and how I let the team down on the mound this year,” Buzzell said. “I had so much fun playing ball again and all these kids made it fun to show up every day.”

 

The team is planning a team gathering in mid-August. It also selected its all-star picks and it appears Joel Boettger, Jason Buzzelland Adam Johnson were chosen. However, if Boettger goes as a pitcher and Johnson is out of town for a wedding, two other candidates could be selected.

 

“Compared to last year this was way better,” said local Armenan and first baseman Josh “Flapjack” Lyseng. “We actually played baseball rather than just hope not to get killed.”