FAIRHAVEN — The Rose Alley Isotopes just crushed the Wrecking Crew by 11 in the first half of Tuesday night’s double-header. The team slugged beers and had a jolly time in between games after watching Yim slam three homers and drive in seven in the 19-8 trouncing. KMP rolled in and the Topes jumped out to an early 7-1 lead.
Then tragedy struck.
After homering in his first at-bat, Yim knocked a single and advanced to third on a double by Dave Gags, but on the way to third he came up limp with a pain in his ankle. He needed a pinch runner and limped back to the bench in pain after the inning. Coach Jon Darling was hoping it was just a rolled ankle.
“He was hurting for sure. He said he popped his Achilles tendon,” Darling said. “He was still limping hard a few days later. He’s in rough shape and is probably going to have to be examined by a doctor. His return at any point this season is extremely doubtful.”
The Topes are going to have to step it up without Yim, who leads the team by a wide margin in every offensive category, including homers (15), RBIs (56), doubles (15), batting average (.744) and on-base percentage (.722).
Rose Alley went on to lose to KMP, 14-13, despite a spirited 5-run, last-inning comeback that fell just short when Darling lined out to the pitcher with the tying run on third base. KMP scored 10 runs in the fourth inning and the Topes just couldn’t muster enough offense to get a win.
Rose Alley jumped right back in action Wednesday against the three-time defending champion Bulldogs. The Topes jumped out to a 7-5 lead but the Bulldogs pulled away, scoring multiple times in the fourth, fifth and sixth for a 12-7 victory.
Several Topes had big weeks at the plate, lead by lefty right-fielder Kurt Homer, who hit .909 (10-for-11). Kenny Jacobsen (9-for-12, three doubles, four RBIs), Matt Biltcliffe (6-for-11, HR, double, five RBIs), and Darling (6-for-10, BB, double, three RBIs) paced the offensive without Yim, who was 6-for-6 with four homers and nine RBIs before injuring himself.
The two losses put the Topes at 19-5 for the season, holding a slight edge over KMP and the Bulldogs in the race for the top seed in the playoffs. Both teams have eight losses.
QUICK HITS
Tuesday’s game against KMP had more the just Yim’s injury. Outfielder Chris Desmarais was a little shaken after running into the left-field fence going for a ball and Homer cut his knee up sliding to knock down a ball in right. … What’s Tubesteak been doing on his summer vacation? Playing for the Topes, of course. The smooth righty was 3-for-4 on Wednesday in a guest appearance. … Mike Rocha made his return from the DL this week after cutting himself trying to separate frozen veggie burger patties with a steak knife after drinking heavily. He reached base safely in all three games, including a 3-for-4 game against KMP. … Livesey has need been kind to the Topes in the past three years. Not including playoffs, the Topes are 5-8 there since the start of the 2007 season after Wednesday’s loss. … The Isotopes are not walking as often as last season. In 2008, the team averaged 1.8 free passes per game compared to this year’s 1.4 … The Isotopes can clinch home field throughout the playoffs by winning their next four games, starting Monday against the Outlaws in Westport at 6 p.m. before hosting the Outlaws Tuesday at Cushman Park for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
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