A Rejuvenated David Aguilera walks it off again for Buccos

David Aguilar was feeling good when he strode to the plate with runners on first and third with two out and the Dodgers clinging to a stunning coming-back-from-way-behind 14-12 lead over the Buccos on Thursday in an LA County Senior Softball League. David had just gotten arthroscopic surgery on his arthritic knees over the Thanksgiving break and had even offered to be a designated runner before the game with that new spring in his step.

The Dodgers had intentionally walked the previous batter, putting the winning run on at first to get to David, a decision made by one of the players and not manager George Cliffords, who seemed distressed about it in the dugout. The Dodgers had also brought the right center fielder in, presumably to try for the force-out at second.

“I was just confident I was going to hit it,” said David who is boasting an OBP of over .900 on the season. “I’ve been hitting well, and I just felt good.”

Which he demonstrated by lining a shot over that shallow right-center fielder, scoring both runners, and giving the Buccos the 15-14 walk-off, David visibly celebrating as he trotted down to first.

“For the first time ever, I raised my hands over my head,” said David, a former Cal State Fullerton outfielder who had coached high school sports for decades before his retirement.

It was the second week in a row David had driven in the winning run in the final frame ahead of a decision about an intentional walk. Last week, Hollywood Stars manager Frank Alfonso strongly urged his pitcher to walk David with the winning run in scoring position. This advice was scorned much to the pitcher’s sorrow.

The Buccos had cruised into the final inning with a 12-4 lead before the wheels fell off the juggernaut. The Dodgers seemed to change their approach and lined hit after hit, mostly up the middle, finding holes in the Bucco defense. A couple of errant throws added to the misery, and just like that, the Dodgers had scored 10 runs in the unlimited inning, most of them with two outs.

“That’s never happened before on any team I’ve ever coached and I’ve been doing this for 33 years,” Cliffords said.

“Your pitching with those knuckleballs made a big difference – I don’t know any pitcher who threw the knuckler the way you did,” Clifford said of Bucco pitcher Bill Tarrant. “So I told everybody that inning to go up and just try to take the ball up the middle.”

This was a game where the advantage would go to whichever team had the final at-bat, Cliffords said. “I didn’t want to walk (Aguilar),” he said, blaming an infielder for usurping that decision. “I didn’t want to put the winning run on.”

Tarrant was helped considerably by his defense. Mike Pivarnick made the play of the game – if not the season – when he back-pedaled furiously on a fly ball to deep center by Dodger shortstop Ernie Lueras, reaching way back to make the catch before tumbling to the ground head over heels.

“Did he make that catch? I didn’t see it,” Mike the umpire asked Bucco catcher Sy Badener. “ I think he did,” Sy told him. (Ed. note: Pivarnick made the catch.)

Pivarnick himself didn’t know that he caught the ball. “All I remember is going back and suddenly I’m on my back and my neck is kind of hurting. I saw my teammates rushing to me and I told them ‘get the ball! Throw it in!’ And they’re like ‘You’ve got the ball.’

Eric Badener led the offense on a 4 for 4 night, scoring the tying run from third on David’s melodramatic hit. That was set up when he smartly raced from first to third on a long sacrifice fly to right-center. “I had been thinking the whole game about trying to hit a homer, but that at-bat I just wanted to hit it somewhere and got that one-hopper through the infield,” Eric said.

David Aguilar was 3 for 4 and Tarrant 3 for 3. Ernie Garcia (2 for 3) knocked in two runs with a double in the first. The Buccos got another strong performance from the bottom half of the lineup which went 12 for 19 for a .641 OBP – better than the top five’s .631 OBP - to lead a balanced attack.

The Buccos are now 4-2-1 and tied for third place in the standings with the Softball Junkies. Next up is the Balboa Rockies who at 4-3 are in a tie for 4^th place. That contest will be at 4 pm on Basin #1.

The undefeated Killebrews remain atop the standings followed by Smoke and Mirrors.