First base coach Bob Cook knew the Parrotheads would need a little insurance to beat Lavin Brothers during their first round playoff game and speedster Jason Claffey was the perfect player to make it happen.
“I told Jason to run as hard as he could to get to third base if Brandon Palmer hit a single and he did,” Cook said. Palmer cracked a single to right field and Claffey got on his horse making a head-first slid into third base ahead of the throw.
“I knew I was going to get there. It just ended up being a little closer than what I expected,” said Claffey with the front of his jersey caked in dirt.
The Parrotheads were ahead of Lavin Brothers, 12-10, in the top of the 7th inning when Claffey made his iconic dash around the bases. He later scored and another run was plated when Lavin Brothers initially muffed a force out at second. Sure enough, Lavin Brothers scored two runs in the last half of the 7th before Parrotheads pitcher Justin Palmer retired the side.
The final score was 14-12 and many Parrothead players contributed to the tally including left fielder Adrian Alford, who made diving catches, hit his fifth inside the park homerun and just did it all. The Palmer brothers also had an impact along with Cook, who collected a few singles and a few RBIs.
The Parrotheads were comfortably on top 11-2 before Lavin Brothers scored three runs in the bottom of the 4rth inning to close the gap to 11-5. But the Parrotheads were never in jeopardy of losing this game and made sure they made the plays in the field when they had to.
“This was a great game for us,” said Justin Palmer, who threw another complete game and struck out three batters. “Everybody contributed. We had a good feeling if we showed up and played the way we are capable of, we could win this game.”
The momentum didn’t carry over in the two subsequent losses versus Navy Yard and Meat House. The Parrotheads were locked in a 1-1 game with Navy Yard going into the third inning before the three-time Dover Co-Rec League champions blew it open with a 15-1 victory. Meat House then beat the Parrotheads, 13-2, to officially oust them from the tournament.
Overall, the Parrotheads under Justin Palmer finished 6-17, which was five times better than they finished as the Beacons the previous two seasons where they only record three wins. Cook, who finished his 10th season as a softballer, says he is already planning on playing again next season with his teammates because he believes they now have the right core to build on this season’s success.
“We accomplished a lot for our first season together and I think we can accomplish much more if we stay together,” he said.
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