Murder Hornets Win Sacramento MSBL Father/Son 2022 Central Division Tourney Title with 10-8 Victory Over Cannons
Submitted by Calvin Nickerson, Hornets manager
FIRST OFF, LET ME JUST SAY WOW!!! THIS TEAM WAS PUT TOGETHER ON ‘WORD OF MOUTH’ WITH HALF OF MY GUYS OUT OF BASEBALL AND SOME PLAYING SOFTBALL. SO, AS WE APPROACHED OUR FIRST GAME, I DIDN’T HAVE A CLUE WHAT WE HAD. WE HAD 12 GUYS ON THE ROSTER AND I HAD NO IDEA IF THEY COULD EVEN PLAY SO OUR FIRST GAME WAS A SHOWCASE FOR ME AND MY ASSISTANT DAVE NUTTER TO SEE THIS TEAM GOING FORWARD.
WE STARTED OUT FACING THE CANNONS WHO WERE THE BEST TEAM ON PAPER IN OUR DIVISION. BILLY CLOUSE (Father MVP) AND JOHN NUTTER (Son MVP) PITCHED GREAT, AS WE LED THE GAME UP THREE RUNS LATE BUT LOST, 5-3. THE NEXT DAY WE PLAYED THE CREW IN A MUST-WIN GAME OR WE WERE OUT OF ANY CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES. TRAILING 7-2 IN THE BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH WITH TWO OUTS WE SCORED EIGHT RUNS TO TAKE A 10-7 LEAD. WE THEN SCORED THREE RUNS IN THE FIFTH AND ONE IN THE SIXTH TO WIN 14-8. THE FATHER/SON DUO OF MARK AND KYLE GARVELLA BROUGHT US HOME IN THAT ONE.
WE THEN TRAVELED TO DAVIS FOR OUR SECOND GAME OF A DOUBLEHEADER. IF WE WIN, WE ARE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY MORNING. NEXT UP WERE THE ANTIQUES. WE JUMPED OUT TO A 6-2 LEAD AFTER TWO INNINGS WITH MARK GARVELLA STEALING HOME AND SEAN FRANKLIN COMING TO THE PLATE AND CRUSHING THE FIRST PITCH ABOUT 390 FEET INTO THE STREET FOR A 3-RUN HOMER. WIL BUNKLEY PITCHED A GEM IN THE FIRST FOUR INNINGS. RYAN CLOSE CAME IN AND PITCHED WELL BUT WE RAN INTO A BASES-LOADED JAM.
RITCHIE SALAZAR CAME IN AND GOT US OUT OF THAT INNING WITH GREAT PITCHING. SO NOW I HAVE TO LEAN ON JOHN NUTTER TO TAKE US HOME AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HE DID. WE TACKED ON MORE RUNS AND SOME GOOD BASE RUNNING BY OUR YOUNGEST MEMBER, LUKE BALL. WE CRUISED TO A 15-5 WIN. NOW IT’S ON TO THE REMATCH WITH THE CANNONS, WHO WE KNEW WERE GONNA START THE LEGEND GARY STONEBROOK.
WE JUMPED ON THE CANNONS EARLY, SCORING FIVE IN THE FIRST AND ONE IN THE SECOND TO TAKE A 5-3 LEAD. MIKE VARGAS RAN INTO TROUBLE IN THE FIRST AND I HAD TO ROLL THE DICE AND PUT IN MY ACE BILLY CLOUSE, WHO SAVED US FROM COLLATERAL DAMAGE. WE THEN TACKED ON FIVE MORE RUNS TO TAKE A 10-3 LEAD AFTER FIVE. I THEN HAD TO GO TO MY YOUNG ACE JOHN NUTTER, WHO PITCHED ON HEART AND PURE ADRENALINE.
IT STAYED THAT WAY UNTIL THE BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH WHEN THEY SCORED ONE AND CUT THE LEAD TO 10-4. IN THE TOP OF THE NINTH WE BOOTED THE BALL AROUND AND FOUND OURSELVES IN A BALLGAME WHILE THE CANNONS FANS WERE GOING CRAZY. WITH TWO OUTS AND THE TYING RUN ON THIRD I MADE A PITCHING CHANGE AND WENT TO MY OTHER YOUNG ACE, SPEEDSTER, AND GOLD GLOVER KYLE GARVELLA. HE CAME IN THROWING SEEDS AND GOT THE NEXT BATTER TO GROUND OUT TO FIRST FOR A 10-8 WIN.
MOST OF THE PLAYERS AND SONS WERE VALLEYCATS, WHO WERE 0-7 COMING INTO THEIR EIGHTH TOURNAMENT. IT WAS SPECIAL TO MAKE THE PLAYOFF AND SEE THE EXCITEMENT ON THESE GUYS’ FACES. IT WAS WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS.
I HAVE TO GIVE SHOUT-OUTS TO MY WHOLE TEAM AND STAFF: KYLE GARVELLA, MARK GAVELLA, WIL BUNKLEY, LUKE BANNER, MIKE VARGAS, MYLES VARGAS, BRANDON VARGAS, MVP JOHN NUTTER, MVP BILLY CLOUSE, RYAN CLOUSE, AND RITCHIE SALAZAR.
I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE BEST OUTFIELD IN THE TOURNAMENT: DESMOND “TANK” BRIDGES, SEAN “GO GET IT” FRANKLIS, JOHN “JV” VIDAL” RANDY BANNER, RON GARCIA, GORGE CORP, JON NUTTER, KIRK “LOCKDOWN” BRIDGES, JOHNNY “CRASH VLASSOPOULOS, ZACK”ZEKE” VLASSOPOULOS, DANIELLE “DANI” VLASSOPOULOS, AND KIRK FALLON.
I ESPECIALLY NEED TO THANK MY ASSISTANT COACH DAVE NUTTER AND OUR SCOREBOOK KEEPER VICKIE NUTTER. THIS WAS AN AMAZING RUN. NOW I KNOW WHAT COACH JIM VALVANO WAS TALKING ABOUT AS HIS NC STATE BASKETBALL TEAM WENT ON A RUN TO CLAIM THE TITLE.