2000 Season

Sportsplex Roundrobin May 21st Albuquerque NM

The Lizzards started off the 2000 season in dramatic fashion, taking third place at a round robin tournament held at the Sportsplex in Albuquerque. Even more impressive is the fact that most of the lizzards partied until the morning hours at a bachelor party and made it to the first game on only a couple of hours of sleep. The first game was against the Woodworkers who are the number one ranked class B team in New Mexico and ranked 5th nationally. Although heavily outmatched we played a good game. We were up 10 to 0 at one point, it helped that we were granted 10 runs prior to the game beginning. We didn't want the runs, but they made us take them. We ended up losing 31 to 24. We played Team connection in our second game, a class D team from Albuquerque. It was a close game throughout, but we just couldn't pull it outat the end, losing by two runs. We played Team connection again to decide who would play the Woodworkers in the championship (Oh, did I fail to mention that there were only three teams). Although we ended up losing by ten points it was a close game most of the way. The lack of sleep seemed to catch up to us, as everyone appeared to be a few steps slower by the end of this game.Although we didn't win a game I would have to say that the Lizzards looked pretty good for our first outing of the year. All the lizzards played well and there were several higlights worth noting: Dave, Andrew, and Vidal all going yard in the first game; Jobba's diving catch; Jobba throwing up at home plate; Greg falling down and crawling to third base; Miguel trying to slide at second base; and last but certainly not least Mario getting a little fresh with one of the opposing players on second base.

Memorial Day Mushball Tournament

Santa Rosa, NM May 27th, 28th, and 29th

Forty-three teams showed up to what was supposed to be a softball tournament, but turned out to be a mushball tournament. Someone must have decided to save money and buy the balls at a yard sale. A good number of teams were upset about that because this tournament attracts most of it's teams due to the no homerun limit, but the use of these yard sale balls really limited the home runs that were hit. The lizzards began the tourney on a good note beating an Espanola team 6 to 5 behind the base hitting of Vidal Trujillo, Mario Chavez, John Maestas, and a homerun by Mike Neeley. The joy of victory was short lived as we then had to play the Woodworkers (AKA Droopy's). The same team we played the previous weekend only this time we were not granted 10 points. The game was never close and we ended up losing 21 to 2. Due to the loss we ended up having to play at 8:00 Sunday Morning, which isn't good for a team like the Lizzards who don't believe in going home until the bar is closed. Most everyone stumbled their way out of bed and made it to the game against JR's Roofing. The Lizzards stormed out to a 7 to 4 lead, but JR's came back to lead 11 to 7. The Lizzards rallied in the 6th and 7th innings to cut the lead to one, but a double play ended the rally in the bottom of the seventh. It was a dissapointing tournament, but as always the Lizzards held their heads high even in defeat and of course drank an awful lot of beer. Critical errors on defense and on the base paths led to the demise of the Lizzards. These things will need to be straightened out in the future, but for now we'll drink some beer and talk about what could've been and hope that city league begins sometime before the end of the summer.

Tourney Highlights:
Homeruns by Vidal Trujillo, Mike Neeley, and Dave Chavez; Marty drinking a whole keg by himself; John's consistent hitting and hustle

CITY LEAGUE

Prior to the season beginning we got a little bit of bad news and good news. The bad news is that Flounders is suspended for 8 games for voicing his opinions last year. On the brighter side of things the good news is that they didn't suspend him for the whole year and he will be back to help us out during the second half of the season.

Began the city league season on Wednesday June 14th against the Rockies who have won the city league title for the last 5 years. The Lizzards played them tough losing by only two runs. The Lizzards had the tying runs on base in the bottom of the 7th inning but a base running error ended the game. On Friday June 16th the Lizzards rebounded with a big win over TA. There was a 30 pack on the line and the Lizzards must have been thirsty as they played a tough game. Solid defense and good hitting by most everyone led to the 16 to 6 victory. On Monday June 19th, the Lizzards made it two in a row beating Farmers Electric by a score of 9 to 6. Everyone must have had a rough weekend because all the Lizzards seemed to be a little sluggish. The defense pulled through when it counted and Miguel and Andrew made big contributions with their bats, both going 3 for 3. On Wednesday June 21st the Lizzards had a doubleheader. In the first game the Lizzards made it three wins in a row rolling to a 16 to 1 win over Wackenhut. Leading the Lizzards to victory were Dave, Andrew, and Chaz. All going 3 for 3 at the plate. The Lizzards played the Rockies in the second game. What was a close game throughout turned into a blowout in the 7th inning and the Lizzards ended up losing 21 to 6. John and Romie did well both hitting homeruns. As usual the Lizzards excelled in the beer drinking department emptying out several coolers during the doubleheader. On Thursday June 22nd the Lizzards showed up eager to redeem themselves and rolled to a huge win over TA. The Lizzards stormed out to a 10 to 0 first inning lead and never looked back winning 17 to 1. Every Lizzard made key contributions on defense and at the plate. After two weeks the Lizzards are 4 and 2 and in second place.On Monday June 26th the Lizzards rolled to a 15 to 5 victory over Farmers to run their record to 5 and 2. Two more games were scheduled for this week but got rained out. On July 5th the Lizzards faced TA. The Lizzards opened up a 14 point lead. TA was able to cut the lead to 6 but the Lizzards held off the late inning rally and pulled out a 21 to 13 victory. Dave, Andrew, and Mike all hit homeruns and Miguel went 4 for 4 at the plate to help the Lizzards pull out the victory. On July 7th the Lizzards went up against Farmers. The Lizzards held the lead the whole game but Farmers used a barrage of homeruns to make the game interesting. In the end the Lizzards were able to hold on for a 16 to 15 victory. On July 10th the Lizzards went up against Wackenhut, behind a 15 run first inning and homeruns by Mike and Gene the Lizzards cruised to a 25 to 10 victory. Also contributing were Chaz, Delano, John, and Andrew all hitting the ball well. On Wednseday July 12th the Lizzards went up against the Rockies. The Rockies stroked the ball the well, unfortunately the Lizzarrds couldn't find their sticks, the end result was a 14 to 4 loss. While the Lizzards didn't have no offense there were some brilliant defensive plays made by Andrew, Delano, and Dave. On Friday July 14th the Lizzards looked to get back on the winning side of things facing TA. Led by a homerun by Dave and excellent base-hitting by Miguel and Andrew the Lizzards went into the late innings with a 15 to 10 lead. Unfortunately the defense couldn't hold up making a few clutch mistakes and TA came back to pull out a 16 to 15 victory. Despite the loss the Lizzards are to be commended for their post game activities. There was some serious old school Lizzard rowdiness taking place after this game. These Lizzards (you know who are) all are to be commended for their efforts in letting everyone know that the Lizzards are still the loudest, rowdiest, drunk hecklers around. On Monday July 17th, the Lizzards were beat by Farmers Electric 17 to 10. Playing well for the Lizzards was Mango who hit 3 for 3 on the night. On Tuesday July 18th the Lizzards looked to end a 3 game skid against Wackenhut. The Lizzards cruised to an easy victory over the guys from the Pinta to run their record to 9 and 5. In the second game of a doubleheader the Lizzards faced the Rockies. The Lizzards for the first time in a long time had their whole team present for a game and it made a difference. The Rockies stormed out to a 10 to 0 lead but from there the Lizzards buckled down and played some good ball. The Lizzards edged their way back into the game with some tough D and good sticks and were able to take a 2 run lead into the 7th inning. The Rockies responded with 6 runs in the 7th to take a 4 point lead but the Lizzards mounted yet another rally only to fall short by one run. The final score was 17 to 16. Leading the Lizzards were Romie and Mike, both hitting homeruns. Also having good games on offense and defense were Jobba,Chaz Delano, and Miguel. On Wednseday July 19th the lizzards went up against Wackenhut in their final regular season game. Everybody hit the ball well and the Lizzards cruised to a 29 to 21 victory to finish the season 10 and 6. The highlight of the game was Mango's catch and force out at first base to end the game.

CLOVIS CUSTOM CLASSIC JUNE 23RD, 24TH, 25TH

The Lizzards went to Clovis and came home with a decent showing, placing 4th in the 18 team class E tournament. The Lizzards went into the tourney on Friday night knowing it was very important to win the first game, but a lack of run production and several key errors led to a first game defeat at the hands of the Damn Dawgs, 13 to 9. Due to the loss the Lizzards were faced with the reality that in order to get back in the running they were gonna have to play a lot of games on Saturday. The Lizzards prepared for what they knew was going to be a long day by going back to the motel and drinking beer all night. On Saturday the Lizzards woke up and drank more beer and then travelled to Portales to face the Diamond Cutters. The Lizzards cruised to a 22 to 3 victory behind a first inning barrage of 16 runs. The Lizzards followed that up with a tough 20 to 15 win over the Scorpions. Tough defense and good sticks by everyone helped the Lizzards pull out this win. The Lizzards got a couple of hours off to eat and replenish all the beer that was sweat out in the hot Portales sun. Later that night the Lizzards faced the Outlaws and were able to pull out an 18 to 13 victory. Next up were the Damn Dawgs who had handed the Lizzards their earlier loss. Not to be denied the Lizzards cruised to a 20 to 10 victory. The Lizzards headed back to Clovis for a 2:15 a.m game against Fearless. Everyone seemed to be a little wore out as the run production, and hustle on defense that got the Lizzards to this point seemed to be lacking. As a result Fearless used a 7 run first inning to beat the Lizzards 15 to 3. Although dissapointed in the outcome the Lizzards took comfort in the fact that on this day they probably played more games, drank more beer, and had more fun than anyone in Curry County. Hell, the Lizzards even had something to show for their efforts, a fourth place trophy and some towels.

Tourney Highlights:

Brilliant catches by Mario, Miguel, Delano, and John; Flounders belly flop at second base; Mango batting .1000 (1 for 1) and making a Pete Rose like dive at third base; Dave, Andrew, and Chaz all going 4 for 5 against the Scorpions with Andrew and Dave both scoring 4 runs; Mike (honky tonk man) Neeley's two in the park homeruns against the Scorpions; Chaz, Jobba, Mario, and Andrew all hitting above .650 for the tourney; Marty's homerun, it may have been an out but it looked pretty; Rowdiest Lizzard award goes to a Lizzardette, Mario's wife Janea who put down a lot of Coronitas and raised a lot of hell.

FOURTH OF JULY FIRECRACKER TOURNAMENT, SANTA ROSA NEW MEXICO

The Lizzards had a somewhat dissapointing outing in this tourney posting a 1 and 2 record with the two losses coming by a total of 3 points. In the first game the Lizzards went up against the Wrecking crew, a scrappy bunch of smack talkers from Albuquerque. The Wrecking Crew stormed out to an 8 point lead but the Lizzards never gave up and came back to position themselves for a chance to win it but a 7th inning rally fell a little short. The Lizzards lost the game 17 to 15. In their second game the Lizzards went up against Loaded. The Lizzards used tough defense and a sixth inning rally to pull out a 7 to 4 victory. On Sunday the Lizzards had to play at 8:00 a.m. against the Weekend Warriors. As usual most everyone shut down the bar on Saturday night. A few guys must have had a few too many as they chose to sleep in rather then get up at the crack of dawn to play ball. Playing without several starters the Lizzards that did show up played hard and damn near pulled off the early morning win. The Lizzards had the lead the entire game until a sixth innng home run put the Warriors ahead. In the end the Lizzards couldn't pull out the victory losing 13 to 12. It was a well played game by all the Lizzards, the difference was the inability to put some runs on the board in the sixth and seventh innings. While dissapointed the Lizzards handled the exit from the tournament in typical Lizzards fashion. They found some shade, drank some beers, had a barbeque, went swimming at blue hole to sober up a little, and then drank some more beer.

Tourney Highlights:

Vidal going 4 for 4 against the Wrecking Crew; Lurch going 3 for 3 against Loaded; John running face first into the fence to make a catch against the Weekend Warriors.

DAN HERRERA MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT JULY 29TH, AND 30

This tournament as usual was the highlight of the summer. The Lizzards Loaded up an RV, and a couple of trucks with a lot of beer, whiskey, and food and headed out to Springer NM for the 5th Annual Dan Herrera Memorial Tournament. The Lizzards started off the tourney against a tough group of juvenile delinquents from the Boys School. An extremely hungover group of Lizzards kind of took these boys for granted thinking it would be an easy game, but these kids showed that they could play some ball and even though the Lizzards pulled out the five point win it wasn't an easy one. The Lizzards showed up later in the day to play Victor's team, but the yearly hurricane hit Springer and the game was postponed till Sunday. On Sunday the Lizzards woke up at the crack of dawn after a night of beer, fajitas, and tequila and headed to the field to take on Victor's team. On an extremely muddy field the Lizzards put forth a good team effort to pull out an eight point victory and secure a spot in the winners bracket championship. The Lizzards faced Coors Light but never really got things going losing by 10 runs. Later on in the day the Lizzards had one more chance to get into the championship facing High Heat. High Heat came out hitting homeruns and stormed to an eight point lead. The Lizzards didn't give up, and thanks to some good base-hitting stormed back to take a 4 point lead in the 5th inning. Both teams continued scoring runs and the game came down to the wire. The Lizzards went into the 7th down 23 to 21 but were not able to come up with any runs. High Heat went into the championship and rolled Coors Light twice to win the first place trophy.

Although a little upset over not making it to the championship the Lizzards had a lot of fun and other than a run in with the game warden, and a couple of injuries, this weekend will go down as one of best ever. The Lizzards came home very satisfied with their performance on and off the field, and were also very proud of their third place trophy because it had just the right amount of girth. More important than anything else the Lizzards contributed to a good cause to help keep the memory of our good buddy Dan alive. We all love and miss you Dan, and thanks for the rain again this weekend. Your tournament wouldn't be the same without it.

Tourney Highlights:

-Lurch's three run homer
-Mark coming out of retirement to make 3 spectacular diving catches against Victor's team
-Delano going 4 for 4 against High Heat
-Gene and Marty's consistent hitting for the entire tourney
-Jobba (the pop up Queen) Sena's over the shoulder snow cone catch in the outfield and a face saving catch at pitcher.
-Dave, Delano, and Gene's in the park homeruns
-Mario turning an error into a double play
-Delano, Marty, and Ponyboy turning a double play
-Mark, Jobba, and Lurch making the all tourney team


Off the field highlights:
-Miguel (Gilligan) Trujillo catching a possible state record carp with his bare hands. It was about 10 pounds, 36 inches long, and most importantly had an estimated girth of about 40 inches.
-Mango's birthday dip into Springer Lake
-The return of John C., lets hope that we don't see him again for a long time
-A surprise appearance by Pony Boy
-1 keg, Many 30 packs, 2 fifths of Jack, 2 fifths of Tequila, and a bottle of wine.
-Sour Mash unplugged
-Flounders, Schmoo Dawg, John C., and Mango trying to skate on mud
-There were several Lizzards up for this award, but there is one that stood out amongst all the Lizzards. The drunkest Lizzard award winner will remain anonymous but I am sure all the Lizzards know who he is. Just to mention a few of his accomplishments; he head butted a bumper, tried to destroy Mango's tent, body slammed a chair into bits and pieces, and lost his melon for a little while in the game Sunday morning. All the Lizzards are very proud of this individual for going above and beyond the call of duty to earn this distinguished honor.

Labor Day Classic

The Lizzards did well in this 18 team tournament. In their first game of the tourney the Lizzards were down four going into the final inning, but some clutch hitting led them to a come from behind victory. Miguel Trujillo came through with the game winning hit. In their second game the Lizzards were in control the whole game but almost gave up the lead in the seventh inning. A great catch by Mario Chavez sealed the game. On Sunday the Lizzards just could not get things going as they lost both their games to end up in sixth place. Tourney highlights; Dave Chavez getting beaned in the head and then hitting a home run; Gene Chacons consistent play at the plate and in the field; Miguel T.'s game winning hit; Mario C's game winning catch; Romie's homerun.

Edward Romo tourney

This was a 5 team tourney to raise money for Edward Romo, a young man struggling with leukemia. It was more for fun and to raise money and hardly anyone took it very serious. The tourney consisted of 3 mens teams, a co-ed team, and a womens team. Adding to the intrigue of this tourney was the fact that the weekend temperature averaged about 25 degrees. Some pretty wacky things took place in this tourney such as; most everyone playing their games with a beer in their hand, playing by baseball rules at times, playing defense with gloves on the wrong hand, batting from the opposite side of the plate. The tourney came down to the Lizzards playing the womens team to see who would be declared champions. The game turned out to be the longest game in softball history as it lasted 2 hours. The women started off with a 15 point lead and the Lizzards batted left handed and played with their gloves on the wrong hand. The lizzards were able to come back and get in the game but the Ladies wanted it and would not be denied the title as they beat the Lizzards behind Clarisse Velasquez's hitting and Rita Trujillos defense at second base. It was a lot of fun and for a good cause. The people who participated showed a lot of balls just to be outside on two of the coldest days of the year. The most competitive aspect of the tourney was the battle to see who could hit the most homeruns. The final tally; Vidal 5 , Dave 4 , John 3 , Marty 1 , Jobba 1 (Jobba finally got out of the p*&#^ box); Other highlights:
Mario C.'s double swing hit; John trying to run over the catcher (it was a girl by the way);Marty stealing home from second base to beat the Rockies;
Mario T having a football flashback and running over Shadow

Season Summary

The Lizzards had as much fun as ever, and had an overall pretty good season. We took home a couple of trophies, finished over .500, and had more fun than anyone doing it. This summer also marked the end of an era as Rita's Lounge will be shutting down after this year. The Lizzards will live on but things are going to change drastically. We're gonna have to find a new sponsor, we're no longer gonna get free beer when we win, and we no longer have a place that we can call our second home. We may be lost for a while but I'm sure the Lizzards will figure out a way to adapt to their new environment.

2001 season
Santa Rosa Memorial Day Tournament, May 26th, 27th and 28th

The Lizzards had a rough start to the 2001 season as they went two and out in this 38 team tournament. In the first game the Lizzards faced the Hackers out of Las Vegas NM. Things looked good in the first inning as the Lizzards scored 4 quick runs and had the bases loaded with no outs. 2 straight infield hits one of them a double play stopped the Lizzards from further capitalizing on the situation. The Hackers responded with some tough base hitting and jumped out to a big lead. The Lizzards were able to stay in striking distance but fell short in the end. The final score 17 to 11. After a long afternoon in the sun the Lizzards faced the Devils from Espanola at 10:00 Saturday Evening. The Lizzards didn't show much in the first 3 innings and saw themselves down 10 to 1. In the bottom of the 4th inning the Lizzards showed some life scoring 6 runs to cut the lead to 10 to 7, but that was short lived as things fell apart defensively in the top part of the fifth inning. The Devils scored 11 runs with a number of those coming as a result of defensive errors made by the Lizzards. The Lizzards would have one more chance to keep the game alive in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the lead proved to be too much as the game was stopped on the 10 run rule. This tourney marked the first time the Lizzards went two and out in a tourney since the 1999 season.

City League

6-9-06 The Lizzards began City League playing the Rockies. It was a rough game offensively for the Lizzards as they just couldn't put any runs on the board. The game was stopped on the 10 run rule after 5 innings. Final score 12 to O.

6-11-01: Lizzards got their first city league victory and first victory over all with a 19 to 9 victory over Wackenhut. The Lizzards scored 8 runs in the first inning and never looked back, the game was stopped on the 10 run rule in the 5th inning. It was a good team effort as almost every Lizzard had a good day at the plate. Mario C., Mario T., and Romie were all perfect at the plate. Mario T. (Modzilla) hit his first career homerun. Also hitting homeruns were Dave and Luciano.

6-13-01: The Lizzards went scoreless for the first 5 innings against the Mudcats, and ended up down 12 to 0. They were able to stay in the game and make it somewhat interesting as they scored 8 runs in the last two innings. The final score 13 to 8. Luciano, Mario C, and Gene hit the ball well.

6-18-01: Lizzards got a big city league victory as they defeated the previously undefeated TA Mudcats 15 to 5. The Lizzards were up 9 to 5 going into the top of the 5th inning at which time they rallied for 6 runs to push the lead to 10. The Mudcats had last bats but the Lizzards held up on defense ending the game on the 10 run rule in the bottom of the fifth. Everyone hit the ball well and played good defense on this night. Dave went 4 for 4 with a homerun and 5 RBIs, Gene went 2 for 2, Luciano went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs, and Andrew had 3 RBIs on 2 hits.

6-27-01: Lizzards played farely well defensively but didnt hit the ball consistently as they lost 12 to 7 to the Rockies. Marty had an excellent game for the Lizzards as he went 3 for 3 with his first homerun of the year.

7-2-01: The Lizzards went up by as many as 11 runs and were able to hold off a late rally by GCCF to hold onto a 18 to 11 victory. Leading the Lizzards to victory were Dave C. 3 for 3 with 1 walk 1 HR. Gene Chacon 3 for 4 1 HR.


7-6-01: The Lizzards went into a scheduled double-header against the Mudcats and Rockies knowing that a sweep would create a three way tie for first place in the league standings. The Lizzards started the night off in grand fashion scoring 7 1st inning runs against the Rockies. The Lizzards would only score 2 runs over the next 4 innings allowing the Rockies to get back into the game. The Lizzards added 5 runs in the 6th inning and 1 run in the top of the 7th to go into the bottom of the seventh with a 14 to 12 lead. Ernie Romero of the Rockies would start the bottom of the seventh with a solo homerun to make the score 14 to 13, but the Lizzards defense held on for the win. In the second game of the doubleheader the Lizzards would jump out to a 4 to 0 lead and later on holding on to a 10 to 6 lead would see the Mudcats make a rally fueled by some errors by the Lizzards to tie the game at 10 to 10. The Lizzards would score 4 more runs in the bottom of the 6th inning and would hold off another Mudcat rally for the final 14 to 13 victory. The game was highlighted by a 6th inning fight between Delano Chavez of the Lizzards and Tony Moncayo of the Mudcats. The two had been exchanging words throughout the game until they finally faced off in between the 5th and 6th innings. Moncayo started the altercation by going at Delano and pushing him, Chavez responded with a blow to Moncayos face. The two wrestled for a little while until players from both teams were able to break them apart. Both players were ejected and the city league director contemplated calling a double forfeit, which did not make much sense to either team. Both teams argued that the fight was not grounds for a double forfeit as it was between the two players with no other team members getting involved except to break the fight up. The game was eventually allowed to continue. Most of the lizzards hit the ball really well in both games led by Luciano 8 for 10 w/ 4 runs, Dave 6 for 7 w/ 8 rbis, John 7 for 8 w/ 6 runs, and Gib 2 for 2 w/ 2 rbis.

7-9-01: The Lizzards were lucky just to get enough guys to take the field, and then the guys who did show up to play had trouble in the early innings as the Lizzards saw themselves go down by as much as 15 points. A homerun by Jobba helped the Lizzards avoid the 15 run rule in the 4th inning. In the 5th inning the Lizzards woke up and made a big rally, trimming the deficit to 11 runs but a base running error killed any chance the Lizzards had of making the game interesting. The final score 19 to 8.

7-11-01: The Lizzards had their best offensive output of the year scoring 28 runs on their way to a 28 to 13 victory over GCCF. Leading the way was Marty 4 for 4 1 sacrifice 1 homerun 4 rbi and 4 runs scored.

7-16-01: What is it with Mondays???? The Lizzards continue to have trouble playing on Mondays as they came out really sluggish only scoring 1 run through the first 4 innings against the Rockies. Going into the bottom of the fifth inning the Lizzards were down 13 to 1 and were facing a possible ten run rule, but with their backs against the wall they were able to score 3 runs to keep the game alive. The Lizzards finally woke up and outscored the Rockies 8 to 4 in the 6th and 7th innings but the lead would prove to be too much to overcome as the Lizzards lost 17 to 12. Mario, Delano, and Luciano hit the ball well all going 3 for 4 at the plate. Dave had a good game defensively in the outfield with a couple of great catches and a throw out at home plate

7-18-01: GCCF showed up to play ball on this night giving the Lizzards a run for their money. The Lizzards saw themselves clinging to a 10 to 9 lead going into the bottom half of the 6th inning. With the pressure on the Lizzards were able to put together a 2 out 4 run rally in the bottom of the 6th and then held on defensively for the final 14 to 9 victory. Leading the Lizzards to victory were Dave (4 for 4 3 runs 3 rbi) Marty (3 for 4 2 runs 3 rbi) Andrew (3 for 4 3 runs) and Vidal (2 for 4 2 runs 2 rbi).

7-23-01 Lizzards started off strong scoring 8 runs in the first inning, but they allowed the Rockies back into the game and could not put runs on the board when it counted losing 17 to 15.

7-27-01:
The Lizzards started off strong against the Mudcats with 9 runs in the first inning. The runs came as a result of a 3 run homerun by Dave, a grand slam by Jobba, and a 2 run homerun by Lurch. The Mudcats responded with 7 runs of their own in the top of the 2nd inning. With the Lizzards up to bat in the bottom of the 2nd the rain came and the game was called off.

7-30-01 to 8-2-01 City League Tourney: The Lizzards began the City League Tourney facing the Rockies. The Lizzards started off well in the first inning with a 2 out 7 run rally with most of the damage being done by a 3 run homerun by Jobba. They scored 2 runs in the second and 2 in the third. The Rockies were also scoring runs and going in to the top of the fourth inning it was a good game with the score Lizzards 11 Rockies 7. At this time the Lizzards exploded for 18 runs led by Andrew Sena with an in the park homerun and Dave C with two homeruns. The Lizzards held up defensively in the bottom of the 4th inning and the game was called on the 15 run rule. Final score 29 to 7. The Lizzards faced GCCF in the winners bracket championship. GCCF was fired up as they had won their first game of the year the previous night upsetting the #1 seeded Mudcats. It was a tight game for the first two innings but the Lizzards exploded for 9 3rd inning runs to distance themselves from GCCF ending up with a 21 to 10 victory. The Lizzards would then face the Rockies in the championship game, the first in Lizzard history. The Lizzards had the advantage as the Rockies would have to beat them twice. The first five innings were something to see as the lead changed hands several times. Going into the bottom of the 5th the Lizzards saw themselves down 18 to 16. Marty and Chaz would start the inning with two outs. Mario and Jobba reached base on singles. Gene Chacon followed with a pretty hit that looked like it was going to fall in the gap but Lee Ray Harrison made what could be considered the play of the year as he laid out to make a sensational diving catch robbing Gene of an extra base hit and killing any momentum the Lizzards had going. Had Harrison not made the catch both Lizzard baserunners would have scored to tie the game up and Gene would have more than likely been at 3rd base, instead the inning was over. The Rockies seized the momentum and the Lizzards were not able to make the plays to get it back as the Rockies tallied 9 more runs in the last two inning. The Lizzards only had 2 hits in the final two innings and no runs. The final score 27 to 16. In the if game the Rockies continued to hit the ball well and the Lizzards were not able to make enough plays on offense or defense to keep pace. The game was called on the 10 run rule in the 5th inning, the final score 18 to 6. All the Lizzards played hard, it wasn’t a lack of effort and intensity that led to their demise it was a result of some defensive mistakes, the inability to score runs at the end of the first game and throughout the second game, some good hitting by the Rockies, and several great defensive plays by the Rockies. The Lizzards held their heads high in defeat and although dissappointed in the outcome they were happy to have taken the field of battle together for another year, and were proud of their second place trophy even though it had a women on it.

Hitting the ball well throughout the tourney were Jobba (8 for 13 7 run 6 rbi 1 hr), Delano (12 for 14 9 run), Chaz (10 for 15 7 rbi), Gene (8 for 13 7 rbi), Dave (13 for 18 11 run 15 rbi 5 hr), and Luciano 13 for 18 (8 run 9 rbi).

Being that the League Director failed to name an all tourney team here are our picks.

MVP: Lee Ray Harrison - Rockies
Ernie Romero - Rockies
Vince Lucero - Rockies
Angelo Romo - Rockes
Entire Lizzard team
Nick Tire Tool Van Exel - GCCF
Gary Chavez - GCCF
Jose Arviso - GCCF

2001 Clovis Custom Classic

The Lizzards headed to little Texas to play in the Custom Classic hoping to improve on their 3rd and 4th place finishes of the previous two years. The Lizzards started off in grand fashion on Friday night as they rolled to a 17 to 5 victory over the Jaycees. The win came thanks in big part to a 10 run 4th inning and some tough defense by all the Lizzards especially the infield.of Mario C, Delano, and Miguel. On Saturday afternoon the Lizzards faced the Scorpions and got off to a miserable start from which they were not able to recover as they lost 17 to 5. As a result of the loss the Lizzards had to go to P-ville for a 6:45 pm game against Los Padillas. The Lizzards have never lost in Portales and were hoping to keep their streak alive. The Lizzards warmed up by drinking frosties in the parking lot right up until they were called by their wives to tell them that the umps and other team were waiting for them. They hightailed it to the field just in time to begin playing. The warm-ups must have paid off as they scored 8 runs in the first inning and never looked back, storming to a 26 to 10 victory. The Lizzards would then head back to Clovis and sit around doing what Lizzards do until it was time to take the field. The Lizzards would face Joint-op, a very cocky bunch of military personnel. The Lizzards were extremely fired up to begin with and the smack talking of Joint-Op only fueled the fire. The umpires had to step in to break up two altercations in the first and second inning brought on by Joint-Ops smack talking, and their 3rd basemen trying to step on one of the lizzards. The umpires would eventually make a statement by ejecting a Lizzard for celebrating a doublein the 3rd inning. The Lizzards were up 3 to 0 at that point. They would see themselves go down 4 to 3 in the fourth inning but they responded big time in the 5th and 6th inning scoring 13 runs to pull out a 16 to 8 victory. The game ended about 3:30 am and the Lizzards were faced with the harsh reality of what had to be a mistake in the making of the tourney bracket, as they had played the last game of the night and were gonna have to come back and play the first game of the next day at 8:00 am. Most of the Lizzards showed up on time and took the field. Some were still drunk, some were hungover, some were delirious, but they made it and played a good game for the first 4 innings as the game was tied 9 to 9, but the Lizzards stopped hitting the ball and La Onda continued to put runs on the board to pull out the 16 to 9 victory. As a result of the loss the Lizzards would finish the tourney in 5th place.


Tourney Highlights:
Remi getting pegged in the foot, lying in the fetal position for a little while and then getting up and limping home with Jobba yelling at him the whole time
Mario C. and Delanos highlight reel catches against the Jaycees.
Andrews diving catch against the Scorpions
Flounders performance against Joint-op (2 for 2 w/ two doubles 3 rbi and an ejection)
Mario C hitting .750 with 11 runs
Luciano, Andrew, Dave, Gene, Jobba, and Remi all hitting over .600
Lurches junkball pitching
Miguel challenging every team to try and hit it past him
Jobbas stretch and catch at first base
The consistent defensive play of Mario, Delano, Miguel, Dave, and Andrew
Daves homerun (it didnt count, but anytime you hit a homerun its a highlight no matter what the stupid rules may say)
Delano and Remis play at the plate
Tom bomb Chavez stepping in for Flounders and getting on base twice on a walk and triple.

Fourth of July Classic

The Lizzards started off playing the Bulldogs. The Lizzards saw themselves fall down by as much as 8 runs. Late in the game the Lizzards rallied and ended up with the tying run at the plate, but the Bulldawgs were able to make the play on a hard liner hit by Jobba to end the game, final score 13 to 10. The Lizzards then faced San Bar rolling to a 17 to 7 victory behind two homeruns by Vidal Trujillo and an all around display of good hitting by all the Lizzards. On Sunday morning the Lizzards played K&J. The Lizzards started off slow and K&J jumped out to a 16 to 4 lead. The Lizzards made a game of it in the fifth inning as they scored 6 runs to cut the lead to 16 to 10, but then in the top of the sixth K&J scored 8 runs on two outs sealing the lizzards fate. Final score 24 to 10. The Lizzards were able to make it into the single elimination portion of the tourney as the #8 seed. They would go against the #1 seed Undertakers. The Lizzards would score 6 runs in the bottom part of the first inning for an early 6 to 2 lead, but from there the Lizzards stopped producing runs. They were able to stay in the game due to some good defense, going into the fifth inning down 8 to 6. The turning point in the game was a two out grand slam by the Undertakers in the top of the fifth inning to make the score 12 to 6. The Lizzards were able to put two runs on the board in the sixth inning but it would not be enough as the Undertakers would pull out the victory 17 to 8.
Tourney Highlights
The all around play of Vidal Trujillo 10 for 13 8 runs 2 Homeruns and 4 rbi at the plate, and some great plays and throws in the outfield
Delanos two in the park homers against K&J
Mario T.s two power bunt singles against K&J
Dave using his face to stop a grounder
Jobbas triple against K&J during which the umps had to call timeout to give him time to finish throwing up

RED HOT SMASH TUCUMCARI NM June 22nd

Sometimes things are better left unsaid.

DANIEL HERRERA MEMORIAL TOURNEY, SANTA ROSA NM, JULY 28TH 29TH

A good showing by the Lizzards in two respects. First as hosts of the tourney. The Lizzards worked hard to give the teams a good field to play on and the umping was good considering that most of the Lizzards don't have much experience umping. Secondly, the Lizzards had a really good showing on the field as they finished in fourth place overall in the ten team field.

The Lizzards began the tourney on Saturday against the Brewers. A lack of run production resulted in a 10 point loss for the Lizzards. The Lizzards then faced the Misfits rolling to a 10 run victory behind a 3 run homer by Vidal. Late Saturday night the Lizzards went up against Coors Light. The Lizzards seemed to be having an easy time as they jumped out to a 17 to 3 lead and on two different occasions had a chance to end the game on the 15 run rule and the 10 run rule, but to Coors Lights credit they kept battling and the Lizzards went flat. Coors Light was able to take the lead 20 to 17 in the top of the 6th inning. In the bottom part of the 6th the Lizzards recaptured the lead with 5 runs to go up 22 to 20. Coors Light would go back up 24 to 22 in the top of the 7th. The Lizzards went to the bottom part of the 7th facing the reality of having to score 2 runs to tie 3 to win or else go to the toilet bowl. Delano Chavez started the inning with a ground out to short, Vidal Trujillo followed with a walk followed by a triple by Luciano Montoya to score Vidal from 1 st base. With the tying run on 3rd Dave Chavez pulled through with a single to bring Montoya in and tie the game up. Paul Sanchez followed with an infield hit which had the makings of a double play but Chavez took out the second baseman allowing Sanchez to make it to first and keep the inning alive. Andrew Sena would follow with a single to move Sanchez to second base. Dave Chavez would enter as a courtesy runner for Sanchez with Charles Garcia up to bat. Garcia would pull through with a shot down the right field line to score Chavez from 2nd base with the game winning run.

On Sunday morning the Lizzards went up against the Mudcats. After two innings the Lizzards would see themselves losing 11 to 7, but a 7 run 3rd inning allowed them to take a 14 to 11 lead and they would never look back as they rolled to 22 to 17 victory to get into the final 4. The Lizzards then faced Raton to try to get into the losers bracket championship. The Lizzards started off with a good first inning to take a 4 to 3 lead but then would go scoreless for the next four innings and saw themselves go down 9 to 4. They would score 2 runs in the 6th inning, but it would not be enough as Raton pulled out the victory, the final score 12 to 6.
Earning all Tourney honors for the Lizzards were Gib Romero and Vidal Trujillo

Tourney Highlights:
Mario's highlight snag and throw against the Mudcats
1 homerun by Dave C, 3 by Vidal
Vidal's defensive performance in the outfield throughout the tourney
The consistent hitting of Jobba, Andrew, Vidal, Lurch, and Chaz
Chaz's game winning hit against Coors Light

LABOR DAY TOURNEY

Labor Day Tournament: The 1 month layoff showed as the Lizzards looked
really sluggish in the final tournament of the softball season. The
Lizzards played very poorly in their first two games, losing both games.
Luckily there was a consolation bracket so the Lizzards had one last
shot at redemption. For 6 innings the Lizzards played poorly again as
they saw themselves go into the bottom of the 7th inning losing 14 to 2.
The Lizzards proceeded to put together one hell of a rally as they
scored 11 runs in the inning. TheLizzards had the tying run at 1st base
and the winning run at the plate, but it was not to be as Andrew
grounded out ending the Lizzards rally and their season. Mario C. hit
the ball well throughout the tourney, Dave C hit a homerun.

2003 Season
Santa Rosa Memorial Day Tournament, May 25th, 26th and 27th



The Lizzards first game of the tourney would be against K and J Auto from Tucumcari, better known as KAOS, a team the Lizzards have lost to at least once or twice a summer every summer for many years. This game would end up turning into a defensive battle as both teams had trouble putting runs on the board. The Lizzards tallied 5 runs in the 4th inning to give themselves a lead, and held off a KAOS rally in the 7th inning, pulling off on 8 to 7 victory. Sunday afternoon at 12:00 the Lizzards went up against Bar II from Albuquerque, a team loaded with players who look like they should be Professional Wrestlers or football players. The Lizzards fared well against the Goliaths for 3 innings, but the 4th and 5th innings would see Bar II get hot as they began hitting homeruns that were landing way beyond the 300 foot fence at Blue Hole Field. The game would be called after 5 innings on a 15 run rule with the score ending up 29 to 3. The loss pushed the Lizzards into the losers bracket where they would go up against Manny's Boys. The game was tight for the first 3 innings until the TV cameras showed up (they were collecting footage for a commercial to be aired to promote Santa Rosa). At this time the Lizzards seemed to take it to a whole other level as they reeled off 9 runs in the 4th inning, never looking back as they cruised to a 17 to 10 victory. As luck would have it the Lizzards would be forced to play at 8:00 the next morning. The Lizzards have never won an early morning game, and that streak would continue. The Lizzards faced the Undertakers. Things looked well early as the Lizzards scored 11 runs in the first 3 innings and led by as many as 5 runs. But the 4th and 5th innings would see the Lizzards stop scoring runs. The Undertakers took a two point lead in the 4th inning, and an 8 run 5th inning by the Undertakers would lead to the Lizzards demise as the game was called on the 10 run rule. Final Score 21 to 11. It was a very impressive showing by the Lizzards in this tourney , as they defeated two quality Class C teams on their way to a 7th place finish in the 24 team Tourney. Most of the Lizzards hit the ball well all tourney, and the Lizzards defense was impressive all weekend.

Tourney Highlights:
Mike Neeley hitting over .800
Andrew and Chaz both hitting over .600
Mike and Jobba's homeruns against the Undertakers
Vidal gunning out an Undertaker at 3rd
The consistent play of all the Lizzards on defense
The Pedoest Lizzard Award goes to D, who went above and beyond the call of duty to earn his first PLA of his career, and if this weekend is any indication of things to come it probably won't be his last.br>


Santa Rosa City League June 29th to Aug 1


5-29-02 The Lizzards began the City league season against Santa Rosa Auto Sales. The first inning was tight as niether team would put any runs on the board, but the Lizzards woke up in the second inning reeling off 13 runs in a rally that consisted of a homerun by Luciano, an in the park homerun by Dave, and triples by Marty and Mike Neeley. The Lizzards added 3 runs in the 3rd and 2 in the 4th, the game was called on the 15 run rule with the final score being 19 to 4. For the game Dave and Neeley each had 4 RBI and Luciano scored 3 runs.

5-31-02 The Lizzards went up against the Rockies looking to go 2-0 in City League. The Lizzards jumped out to a big lead thanks to a 9 run 3rd inning. The Rockies were able to get back in the game behind back to back homeruns by Ernie Romero and Lee Harrison, but the Lizzards held tough and the game was eventually called on the 10 run rule after 6 innings. Final Score 22 to 12. Leading the Lizzards were: Dave 1 Homerun, 4 RBI; Neeley 4 runs, 4 RBI; Shadow 3 for4 3 Runs; Luciano 4 for 5 3runs, 2 rbi; and Mario C 1 triple, 3 RBI.


6-5-02 The Lizzards used steady run production and stiff defense to remain undefeated in City league, defeating Farmers Electric 15 to 5. The Lizzards started off quickly with 5 runs in the first inning, and would see themselves with an 11 to 5 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning. Three Lizzards would score in the bottom of the 5th to increase the lead to 14 to 5. With two outs and the winning run at second base it would be up to Gib Romero. Gib would pull through with one of the most impressive plays of his long and storied career, a game winning RBI single as the game would be called on the 10 run rule. Leading the Lizzards to victory were: Neeley 1 HR 2RUNS and 3 RBI; Dave 2 HR 2 RUNS and 5 RBI; Luciano 3 for 3 2 RUNS 3 RBI; Eric 2 for 3 2 RUNS.

6-7-02 The Lizzards went up against the Mudcats in a battle to remain undefeated in City League Play. Things looked really good early on for the Lizzards as they would score 10 runs in the first 3 innings to take a commanding 10 to 1 lead. The Lizzards would have been up by more but Gene Chacon got so excited after hitting his first homerun of the year that he forgot to touch home plate, taking away a run and putting an end to a 6 run Lizzard rally. The Lizzards would only score 2 more runs over the next four innings. Meanwhile the Mudcats would score 15 runs over the last 4 innings, handing the Lizzards their first loss of the City League season. Playing well for the Lizzards were: Andrew Sena 3for 3 1 RUN 3 RBI; Dave Chavez 4 for 4 3 RUN 2 2B 1 RBI; Neeley 1 HR 2 RBI; Chaz 3 for 3 2 RUNS.

6-12-02 The Lizzards scored 15 runs in the first 3 innings, jumping out to a 15 to 1 3rd inning lead. The never say die JV All Stars continued to play hard and fought their way back into the game with 14 runs in the 3rd 4th and 5th innings, forcing a tie game going into the 6th inning. The Lizzards finally woke up after 3 innings of sleepwalking, scoring 5 runs in the 6th inning, and 5 runs in the 7th. The defense tightened up as well keeping the JV All Stars from tallying any runs in the last two innings. Final Score 25 to 15. The highlight of the game was Notorious GIB making two spectacular snags at shortstop. Playing well on this night were: Andrew Sena 6 for 6 5 RUNS 2 RBI; Dave Chavez 5 for 5 1 BB 1 HR 3 RUN 4 RBI 3 2B; Neeley 4 for 5 4 RBI; Mario Chavez 4 for 5 2 RUN; Teddy Saiz 4 for 6 4 RUN 3 RBI.

6-14-02 The Lizzards took on the Misfits in a Friday Night game. The Lizzards came out hot as they scored 5 runs in the first innning, 6 in the second, and 5 in the 3rd. Meanwhile the Lizzards defense was stiff allowing only 1 run to the Misfits in the first 3 innings. The game would be called on the 15 run rule after 3 innings. Playing well were:Luciano 2 for 2 1 HR 3 RUN 3 RBI; Dave 3 for 3 1 3B 3 RUN 4 RBI; Jobba 3for 3 2 RUN 3 RBI; Neeley 1 for 11 RUN 2 RBI 1 HR 2 BB; Delano 2 for 2 2RUN; Marty 1 for 2 1 HR 2 RBI.

6-19-02 The Lizzards just could not get going offensively in this game, starting off with only 4 runs in the first 4 innings. Luckily the Lizzards were playing defense holding on to a 4 to 2 lead going into the 5th inning. The bottom of the 5th inning would see the the Lizzards finally get hot at the plate rallying for 8 runs in the fifth inning behind a 2 run in the park homerun by Dave, a 2 run triple by Shadow, and a 2 run game winning single by Mario C. The game would be called on the 10 run rule, final Score 12 to 2. There were several highlights worth noting in this game; Marty's leaping catches of Mario's rainbow throws from third base, Dave gunning out the Major at second base, and Gene's backhanded catch at catcher. Having great games at the plate were: Shadow 3 for 3 1 RUN 2 RBI; Marty 2 for 2 2 RUN; Mario C. 3 for 3 2 RUN 3 RBI; Neeley 2 for 2 1 RUN 3 RBI.

6-21-02 The Lizzards scored 7 first inning runs played some tough defense and never looked back , eventually defeating Santa Rosa Auto 14 to 2 as the game was called on the 10 run rule in the 5th innning. Leading the Lizzards to victory were: Andrew Sena 2 for 3 4 RBI, Shadow 2 for 3 2 RUN 2 RBI.

6-26-02 The Lizzards went up against the Rockies looking for a victory to remain in first place in the league standings in what turned out to be one of the best games of the city league season. Both teams tallied a lot of runs early in the game and the lead changed hands several times early on. Going into the 6th inning the Lizzards were down 18 to 14, but a grand slam by Neeley would put the Lizzards right back in it at 20 to 18 with no outs. The rally would come to quick end as three of the next 4 Lizzards batters would make outs. The Rockies scored 5 more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to increase their lead to 25 to 18. The 7th inning would see the Lizzards continue to battle as they put another strong rally together scoring 5 runs to start the inning, all without making an out. Doing most of the damage was Marty Madrid with a two run home run. Following Marty's homerun things continued to look good as Chaz and Neeley would make it on base with singles, but the momentum would quickly change as Gene Chacon hit into a double play. Mario C would come up to the plate with one more chance to keep the Lizzards a float. He hit a ball sharply in the gap between left and rover, but Ernie Romero of the Rockies made a great play to get to the ball and make the catch to end the game. Final score 25 to 23. Having good games for the Lizzards were: Luciano 4 for 5 2 RUN; Dave 2 for 4 1 BB 1 HR 3 RUN 3 RBI; Marty 3for 4 3 RUN 1 HR 2 RBI; Chaz 3 for 3 2 BB 2 RUN 2 RBI; Neeley 3 for 4 2 RUN 5 RBI 1 HR; Andrew 4 for 5 4 RUN 4 RBI;Eric 3 for 4 1 RUN 4 RBI.

7-5-02 The Lizzards took on Farmers in a make up game. The Lizzards started off hot, played tough defense and never looked back storming to a 17 to 2 victory over the Farmers. Marty Madrid and Gene Chacon led the Lizzards as both connected for homeruns.
7-12-02 The lizzards faced the Mudcats in a game to decide first place in the league standings. The game would feature some outstanding defense by both teams, it was a tight game throughout with no team leading by more than two points. Going into the bottom of the 7th inning the Lizzards saw themselves down 10 to 8. Looking for a rally the Lizzards came up big. Dave started things off with a double. Andrew followed that up with a triple, bringing the winning run to the plate in Mike Neely. Neely needed only to get something out of the infield in order to get Andrew home. He came up with something even better, a two run walk off homerun to center field.

7-17-02 The Lizzards would face Santa Rosa Auto Sales in the first game of a doubleheader. The Lizzards didn't waste time getting started in this game scoring 12 first inning runs, with most of the damage being done by a 3 run homerun by Luciano. The Lizzards were in the midst of another big rally in the 2nd inning, scoring 6 runs, when Santa Rosa Auto Sales decided to throw in the towel. Final score 18 to 1. In the second game of the doubleheader the Lizzards faced the Napa All Stars. The game was tight early on but the Lizzards eventually pulled away for a 10 run rule victory in the 6th inning, final score 18 to 8.

7-19-02 The Lizzards went up against the Rockies looking to remain in first place in league standings. It was a tight game for most of the game with neither team able to pull away. A late rally by the Rockies would lead to the Lizzards demise, final score 17 to 11.

7-22-02 The Lizzards and Rockies faced each other for the second game in a row with first place on the line. A short manned Lizzard team played well early on, but eventually errors led to the Rockies scoring a bunch of late inning runs. The game was called on the 10 run rule in the 6th inning.

7-24-02 The Farmers and Lizzards battled run for run in this game. The Lizzards were able to come up with 3 7th inning runs and the defense held on, giving the Lizzards a 12 to 9 victory.

7-26-02 The Lizzards went up against the Mudcats. The Mudcats were hoping to even up the season series at 2 and 2 and the Lizzards were looking to make it 3 and 1, and take a firm hold on 2nd place in the League standings. The game was tight throughout as both teams were playing extremely well. Going into the 7th inning the Lizzards would find themselves down by 3 runs, but the never say die Lizzards put together a 6 run rally with the majority of the damage being done by a 3 run in the park homerun by Paul Chavez. The Mudcats had one more chance in the bottom of the 7th but the Lizzards defense held tough as Mario Trujilllo fielded a well hit ball and got the force out at 3rd base for the final out.

7-31-02 The Lizzards had an easy time with the JV All Stars, cruising to an 18 to 3 victory in only 3 innings of play as the game was called on the 15 run rule. Leading the Lizzards was Dave C. with two homeruns.

8-2-02 The Lizzards took on the Misfits in the last game of City League Play. Looking to finish the season at 16 and 4 the Lizzards came out smoking, scoring 20 runs over the first 3 innings while playing solid defense. The game would be called on the 15 run rule. The Lizzards finished the regular season tied for first place with the Rockies, but the Rockies held the tiebreaker advantage.

8-4-02 The Lizzards began the City League tourney by playing Santa Rosa Auto. Santa Rosa Auto came out hot as they jumped all over the Lizzards for an 8 to 2 lead first inning lead. The joy would be shortlived as the Lizzards would outscore SR Auto 21 to 2 over the next 4 innings, leading to game being called in the fifth inning on the 10 run rule.




CUSTOM CLASSIC June 28th, 29th, 30th


The Lizzards headed to Clovis eager to do well in this tournament, a
tournament in which they have done extremely well in past years. Unfortunately things did not go as planned for the Lizzards this year. The core of the Lizzards still excelled in the beer drinking department, but as far as softball goes a strange turn of events left the Lizzards wondering what might have been. Instead of doing an in depth summary of this tourney I decided to do something different. I came up with a list of words and themes that describe this calamitous weekend. The list is in chronological order. If you were there you'll know exactly what it all means, if you weren't just read the list and try to formulate your own idea of what took place.

Beer
Pool
Hot Tub
Beer
Doghouse
A lot of Coffee
Misinterpreted bracket
Game one win
Beer
5:00 pm curfew
Winnies up someones a$#
Pool
Hot Tub
Disco with Carne
Softcore Pool Porn
The grim discovery
Exploding Beer Can
Searching for Blame
P-ville
Errors
Blind ump
Game Losing home run
Beer




FOURTH OF JULY CLASSIC SANTA ROSA NEW MEXICO JULY 6TH AND 7TH



The Lizzards fared well in this 15 team tourney finishing 7th with a 2 and 2 record. The Lizzards started off well with an 11 to 6 victory over the Reddogs. The Lizzards played some solid defense and got a 2 run homerun from Dave to aid the cause. The Lizzards then faced the Weekend bomb squad. This was a back and forth game that featured some outstanding hitting by both teams. The Lizzards went into the 6th inning with a 17 to 12 lead, but the bomb squad came up big with some good hits including a homerun to score 8 runs in the inning taking the lead at 20 to 17. During the 6th inning the umpires announced that the time limit had expired so the Lizzards would be forced to rally in their part of the inning to pull out the victory. It looked good for the Lizzards as they scored 2 runs and had the tying run on 1st base with only one out. Jobba flied out to center for the second out. Gene then came up and pulled through with a double, moving Chaz to third base. Delano would come up with a chance to tie the game, but he got under the ball, flying out to end the game. Dave, Vidal, and Neely all had homeruns in this game to lead the Lizzards. The Lizzards went into the losers bracket and would face the Napa All Stars. The Lizzards scored 5 runs in the first two innings and then went on a 3 inning drought during which only one Lizzard would reach base. The Napa All Stars kept playing hard eventually tying the game at 5 in the bottom of the 5th inning. The Lizzards finally scored a run in the 6th inning and 5 runs in the 7th with most of the damage being done by homeruns behind the bats of Neely and Vidal. Meanwhile the Lizzards held the All Stars scoreless over the remainder of the game to pull out the victory. Next the Lizzards went up against the Royals. The Royals came out in the top of the first inning and hit 3 homeruns to take a 5 to 0 lead on the Lizzards. The Lizzards responded in grand fashion scoring 8 runs in their part of the inning with the big part of that coming on back to back to back homeruns by Vidal, Dave, and Andrew. The 2nd inning would see the Lizzards hold the Royals to 2 runs while scoring 3 more to take an 11 to 7 lead into the 3rd inning. Things would get ugly in the 3rd and 4th inning as the Royals would hit 7 homeruns to outscore the Lizzards 23 to 4, which led to the game being called on the 15 run rule after 4 innings.
Tourney Highlights:
Several great defensive plays by Delano and Shadow against the Warriors
Delano gunning out a NAPA runner at home
Consistent hitting of Mario C. (.857), Neely (.769), Dave (.692), Delano (.692), Andrew (.642), and Miguel (.600)
Five Lizzards combining for 11 homeruns during the tourney. Dave (4), Vidal (3), Neeley (2), Andrew (1), Luciano (1).
No PLA will be given for this tourney. Either the Lizzards are getting old or their tolerance is getting so high that they can't afford to keep up.



DANIEL HERRERA MEMORIAL TOURNEY JULY 27TH AND 28TH

The Lizzards again hosted the annual Daniel Herrera Memorial Tourney. This years tourney would see a record turnout as 15 teams would show up. The Lizzards would play this tourney severely shortmanned. They were without 6 players, 5 of which who are usually starters. 2 were out of town, 1 was mia, 1 was hurt, 1 had a class reunion, and 1 got regulated. The Lizzards didn’t waste no time worrying about who was here or who wasn’t, they just drank some beer and pulled some guys out of the stands and took the field. In their first game the Lizzards played the Regulators. The regulators had a strong first inning with 7 runs. The Lizzards never responded only scoring 3 runs in 5 innings. The game was eventually called on the 10 run rule. The Lizzards took on the Lobos in their second game. The Lizzards jumped out to a big lead and never looked back, easily defeating the Lobos 22 to 5. Later on Saturday evening the Lizzards took on the One Tymers from Springer, a team which featured Dan’s brother and cousins. Both teams exploded for a lot of runs in this game. The One Tymers jumped out to a 13 point lead at one point in the game but homeruns by Dave, Vidal, and Lurch kept the Lizzards in the game as they were able to climb back into the game. The Lizzards cut the lead to 4 but ran out of time as the game was called on time limit. The final score was 28 to 24. The undermanned Lizzards didn’t fare too well on the field, but were able to put together a yet another fantastic tournament.

Tourney Highlights:
Homeruns by Dave C against Lobos, and One Tymers
Lurches 2 homeruns against One Tymers, one of which may have been the longest homerun hit all tourney by anyone.
Vidal’s homerun against One Tymers
Outstanding hitting by Luciano
Gene getting caught in a pickle between home and 1st base
Mario T running over the second baseman from the One Tymers
The Pedoest Lizzard award goes to the same guy who gets it for this tourney every year. Once again he went above and beyond the call of duty to earn this distinquished title. A brief run down of his hijinks; He spent more time arguing about his eyes than playing ball against the Lobos; Had to take a midafternoon power nap; took a beer shower; Choked on a jelly bean; Spent the night in the back of a red car; and was found walking down the PDL road Sunday morning shirtless with softball cleats on.