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By Bob Loblaw, Voice Staff Writer
June 11, 2007
LOS ANGELES, CA. — After a controversial first week of action, the Marauders looked like a team on a mission in their second game against the Annenberg All-Stars.
First baseman August Cockroft was locked-in the entire game, going 4-4 and hitting for the cycle, while collecting three RBI. Asked if he knew that the cycle was on the line during his last at-bat, Cockroft responded, "I was just trying to stay focused, get a nice inside-out swing on the ball and do the best for my team. Arr!" Teammate Kevin Chan certainly knew what was at stake as he motioned to Cockroft to head home from the sidelines, jumping and yelling "You just hit for the cycle!""I could definitely feel the intensity coming from the team. They were going to be damn sure they didn't give away a win," said manager Neil Teixeira. The pirate-clad crew certainly exhibited a palpable aura of determination and could be heard yelling "Arr!" in unison throughout the game.
It was that determination, and a growing confidence in themselves, which propelled the Marauders to a 7-6 victory over the Annenberg All-Stars and their first win of the young season.
After the game Rachael Caldwell noted that "every time someone would yell 'Arr!' the entire team would spontaneously join in and keep it going. It was really fun and I think it intimidated the opposing team."
If it did intimidate the All-Stars, they did their best not to show it. The seasoned team, which has played in the USC Summer Softball league in previous years, scrapped together their fair share of hits and a respectable six runs.
Trailing by one run in the bottom of the sixth inning, the All-Stars had a runner on second with two outs. However, the final out of the inning was made when Teixeira, playing up on the batter, blocked a slowly-hit infield grounder and made the throw to first from his knees. "All I kept thinking was 'don't sail the ball over first base.' Luckily, August is money in the bank."
In fact, great defensive plays were in abundance for the Marauders. Third baseman Jared Laux made an incredible, leaning dive for a ball smoked up the line and stole what surely would have been a extra-base hit. "It was a SportsCenter grab," said teammate Patty Trinidad. Newcomer Allison Adamovic was no slouch at shortstop either, spearing a line drive that would have buzzed her ear. For a player that came fresh off the bench, she made it look easy.
A huge, four-run, fifth inning for the Marauders ended up being the difference in the game. That inning alone saw three-quarters of the 12-person line-up come to the plate. At one point the Marauders had five consecutive hits before giving up an out.
A new defensive strategy, cooked up the day of the game, also played an important part in the team's victory. The skipper gave credit to Shawn Matsumoto and Andrew Burnop for helping develop the unique alignment, but asked that this reporter not reveal the exact positioning of the players. On whether or not it worked exactly as planned the team was mum, but you could read a sense of satisfaction on eveyone's faces.
Teixeira was pleased, but determined to stay focused saying, "I couldn't be happier with the team's progression and improvement from one week to the next. We've still got a way to go before we're ready to take on the heavy hitters in our division and the big boys in the tournament. But it feels really great to get off the schneid and get that first 'W'."
Stats from Monday, June 11th --- Annenberg All-Stars vs. MAPP Marauders
| Name | Batt. % | Slug. % | At-Bats | Hits | 1B | 2B | 3B | HRs | K | RBI | Runs |
| Adamovic | 0.500 | 1.000 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Barosy | 0.250 | 0.250 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Caldwell | 0.250 | 0.250 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Chan | 1.000 | 1.000 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cockroft | 1.000 | 2.500 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Gebelein | 0.667 | 0.667 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Laux | 1.000 | 1.750 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Matsumoto | 0.333 | 0.333 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| McKenna | 0.667 | 0.667 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quon | 0.000 | 0.000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Teixeira | 1.000 | 1.000 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Trinidad | 0.667 | 0.667 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
