Dino's hands Milligan Grocery 24-2 beating

By Marvin Birchfield
STAR STAFF
mbirchfield@starhq.com

   Dino's indulged in a second-inning flurry to capture a 24-2 victory over Milligan Grocery on Wednesday night despite the absence of Jerry Rouse, who was blasted by teammates and the opposition for his lack of dedication.
   "I called up Iris Glen and they said they were not going to accept him, so he's going to have to travel down toward Knoxville now and hang out at some sewer place," said teammate Lance "Jarfly" Dugger.
   Rouse was referred to as being nothing but trash after his promises to play were made, which turned into a no-show.
   "Iris Glen Rouse didn't show up, but we still won without him, and I don't even know if there's a big enough dump truck around to haul that kind of trash off," said "Bod" Jeff Hutchins.
   Dino's grabbed a 4-1 lead in the first frame, when David Bowers smacked a double to drive in Craig Ingram.
   After Milligan scored a run in the top of the second off a sacrafice fly from Brian Hughes, bringing home Jamie Johnson, Dino's exploded to score 20 runs in the bottom of the inning.
   A two-run homer from Lance "Jarfly" Dugger started the Dino's onslaught, along with three more home runs to put the team at their limit.
   "We haven't been hitting well lately, but I'm glad we came out and opened it up, and it's about time we start coming out with it," said Dugger.
   The ball was being placed in the gaps by Dino's, as Milligan Grocery had to sit back and take their lumps.
   As far the opposing team's comments after the contest, they had harsh words for the man who is known for walking the walk and talking the talk.
   "He can talk the talk, but he can't walk the walk," said "Money" Jimmy Townsend. "I guess he'll say he needed to show up since he wasn't facing Rocky Top, but I think he was just scared."
   Herb & Metal 24
   L.A. Wire 28
   Despite probably their best performance on the year, Elizabethton Herb & Metal was shocked by a loss from L.A. Wire in a 28-24 final.
   L.A. Wire jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first inning, as it was hitting on the "Herb" all over the field, which caused them to celebrate and start partying at the plate.
   A second-inning rally from Elizabethton brought 13 runs to the plate, and a triple by Donald Wilson gave them the go-ahead run.
   Elizabethton led by one run after the third frame, but a shaken defense in the fourth produced two errors to start the inning.
   A shot down the left-field line by Robert Tipton gave L.A. Wire the lead heading into the fifth frame, with Herb & Metal on the verge of their first legitimate win on the season.
   Eddie Whitaker smacked a two-run double to score Donald Wilson for the tying run, but L.A. Wire was not to be denied in the final frame by capturing four scores.
   Smokers 9
   Miller's Plumbing 16
   Smokers didn't have much success in its double-header action, dropping two games on the night -- to the Merchants 18-13 in game one, and to Terry's Muffler in a 16-9 final.
   A 10-6 lead after the third frame was erased by the Merchants, who scored six runs to take control of the contest.
   The Merchants continued to stretch their advantage in the final frame to grab seven-run lead, with the Smokers unable to rally after receiving two home runs.
   Terry's Muffler can not only help your car cut down on the smog, but it also takes care of the Smokers running around on the field.
   It looked like the previous game that the Smokers played against the Merchants, as they had trouble scoring in the later innings.
   An early lead of 7-5 was wiped away in the second frame, when John Holder blasted a three-run homer to give Terry's Muffler the lead.
   Six more runs crossed for Terry's Muffler in the third frame, as the Smokers were sent back to the shop after not being able to produce a score in the last four innings.`