Another softball season is behind me tonight.
It seems as though we’ve had rain almost daily since early May – I’ll take it any summer month over the drought that some forecasters were predicting for us again this summer – and that means a lot of our softball games have been rained out. … Well, this week the parks and rec department decided it was time to make ‘em up.
So we played four games in three days. We played the first three games in a span of 22 hours over two nights.
We won game one easily Tuesday night, and I contributed by going 2-for-3 at the plate – two singles, a walk and a flyout to left, while scoring all three times I reached base – and playing third base.
Game two was quite a bit more entertaining. We couldn’t get our bats going and found ourselves down 14-2 after the early innings. They got their bats going, for sure, with a couple home runs including one shot that shattered the window of a storage building about 50 feet beyond the center field fence – on the fly. … But then we came back and eventually took a 21-17 lead. We held the opponent for one inning, but in the next inning they came out by slapping a couple hot shots my way, and I failed to handle them. Our center fielder dropped a routine fly ball, too. In a blink, our lead was gone, and the other guys closed it out with a walk-off.
By the time we showed up at the ballpark for the third game last night, most of us were sore and not exactly excited to play. We’re all in our mid 30s and older, after all. … We lost the game and it was our worst offensive effort of the season as we managed only a few hits and scored just one run. The game also snapped my streak of hitting safely in every game this season – a streak I think probably extended into early last season as well if I had kept better track.
We played that third game so fast that we finished it 20 minutes ahead of our time limit. We started taking the field to play another inning when the umpire made us aware we had played a regulation game but had time left over and invited us to keep playing if we wanted. Without skipping a beat, we shrugged and turned back toward the dugout, telling the umpire we were done. It was a hilarious scene.
We concluded the week’s games tonight with an easy win and saw a return to form with our bats. I had two hits including a nice ground ball up the middle that I stretched into a double and then a fly ball to left field that the fielder misplayed, allowing it to fall over his head.
So that’s that. My team will keep playing with more games next week and the playoffs the week after that. But, with Kates and I taking the girls for some vacation time next week, my season is done.
I’m putting away my equipment bag and will wait to see what the possibility of another season brings next spring.
Showing posts with label city softball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label city softball. Show all posts
6.18.2015
5.27.2015
Softball Game 3: Two in a row
Another softball game tonight. Another solid win.
We scored eight runs in the second inning, and continued adding insurance runs throughout the game that helped us win in 18-13.
I walked and scored from my first two trips to the plate. During my third at-bat I hit a line drive over the shortstop for a nice single and later scored. … Unfortunately, I ended our team’s night on offense when I popped a foul ball behind the plate that landed in the catcher’s glove for the third out of the inning. The pitch came in fat and I was thinking about poking it into the gap in left field before I started my swing rather than keeping my eyes on the ball and making solid contact.
In the field, I got a lot of action at third base. The first batted ball of the night came my way and I gloved it to throw the runner out at first base. Soon after, I lost track of the number of balls that came to me and the shortstop. The other team’s batters were pulling nearly every pitch, and they certainly made it fun for me to play defense tonight.
We scored eight runs in the second inning, and continued adding insurance runs throughout the game that helped us win in 18-13.
I walked and scored from my first two trips to the plate. During my third at-bat I hit a line drive over the shortstop for a nice single and later scored. … Unfortunately, I ended our team’s night on offense when I popped a foul ball behind the plate that landed in the catcher’s glove for the third out of the inning. The pitch came in fat and I was thinking about poking it into the gap in left field before I started my swing rather than keeping my eyes on the ball and making solid contact.
In the field, I got a lot of action at third base. The first batted ball of the night came my way and I gloved it to throw the runner out at first base. Soon after, I lost track of the number of balls that came to me and the shortstop. The other team’s batters were pulling nearly every pitch, and they certainly made it fun for me to play defense tonight.
5.18.2015
Softball Game 2: Three and out
It appeared as though our team was in for a long night when we showed up at the ballpark tonight.
The game being played before ours was running 40 minutes behind. Our guys warmed up, stretched and were still sitting behind the dugout when the teams scheduled to play the game after ours began arriving. On top of that, after weeks of temperatures squarely in the 70s, we’ve reverted to late fall-like temperatures this week and were in the 50s tonight. It was cold waiting on that sideline.
We finally took the field 45 minutes after our game was supposed to start. But we made quick work of it.
We scored 11 in the first and went quietly in the second inning after giving up three runs on defense. But then we dispelled any fears of being a one-inning offense (see: Game 1 of the season) and put up seven more runs in the third inning. The margin was 18-3, and the rules say that after three innings of play that qualifies as a win. Game over.
I played another good game at third base, which included snatching up grounders and getting assists on the last two outs of the game.
I was more proud of my hitting tonight – a 2-for-3 night at the plate. My first at-bat ended with me slapping a hard grounder through the hole on the left side. When the next batter hit a ball to a gap in the outfield, I sprinted from first to home, sliding in just under the catcher’s attempt to tag me. It was classic.
But it seems I pull the ball 99 percent of the time I make contact, and the shortstop knew better. So when I stepped to the plate for my second at-bat, he plugged the hole. Sure enough, I slapped the first good pitch right to him and he threw me out.
I got smart on my third at-bat, though. The shortstop parked himself in the hole again, but I managed to shoot a pitch back over his head and got a clean double out of it when the ball rolled into the outfield gap. I scored again, too.
Good game, good game.
The game being played before ours was running 40 minutes behind. Our guys warmed up, stretched and were still sitting behind the dugout when the teams scheduled to play the game after ours began arriving. On top of that, after weeks of temperatures squarely in the 70s, we’ve reverted to late fall-like temperatures this week and were in the 50s tonight. It was cold waiting on that sideline.
We finally took the field 45 minutes after our game was supposed to start. But we made quick work of it.
We scored 11 in the first and went quietly in the second inning after giving up three runs on defense. But then we dispelled any fears of being a one-inning offense (see: Game 1 of the season) and put up seven more runs in the third inning. The margin was 18-3, and the rules say that after three innings of play that qualifies as a win. Game over.
I played another good game at third base, which included snatching up grounders and getting assists on the last two outs of the game.
I was more proud of my hitting tonight – a 2-for-3 night at the plate. My first at-bat ended with me slapping a hard grounder through the hole on the left side. When the next batter hit a ball to a gap in the outfield, I sprinted from first to home, sliding in just under the catcher’s attempt to tag me. It was classic.
But it seems I pull the ball 99 percent of the time I make contact, and the shortstop knew better. So when I stepped to the plate for my second at-bat, he plugged the hole. Sure enough, I slapped the first good pitch right to him and he threw me out.
I got smart on my third at-bat, though. The shortstop parked himself in the hole again, but I managed to shoot a pitch back over his head and got a clean double out of it when the ball rolled into the outfield gap. I scored again, too.
Good game, good game.
5.12.2015
Back in the softball life again
It’s a new season and I’m playing
for a different team, but I’ve still got some softball left in me.
Last season was a blur.
And it shows in the fact my last post about last season was last May.
As the season continued, it was apparent our team was in its twilight as we
struggled to stay competitive, let alone keep the team together because a lot of
our guys were bailing – admirably so – to coach their kids’ T-ball teams. A
couple of our key guys also changed jobs and moved away midseason.
The last game of which I
have any recollection was a mid-June game that didn’t even go in the books. A
storm of Armageddon-like predictions had been brewing that afternoon, but we
all headed to the ballpark anyway, hoping to squeeze in that night’s game. We got
the game started, and our team was spraying balls all over the field, piling on
runs in the process. We thought our offense was finally waking up from its
early season slumber. I was on-deck when a lightning bolt struck in the
distance, and that was all we played that night. The rest of the season –
though fun – was a disappointment in the win column and we didn't come close to matching our championship level of the previous seasons.
So, as this spring approached,
I was prepared for playing with a different kind of team than we’d had during
previous years, but I figured we’d keep some of our core guys and been just fine.
I also had hoped, like some of my teammates, that I might be coaching Phoebe, too,
but she had no interest in playing organized ball this year. … And then, after
a racquetball game with Coach in early April, I asked when our season was
starting and received the bad news. We didn’t have enough guys to field a team
this summer. The team was officially disbanding.
So I was a free agent.
Which lasted no more than a few days. The leader of my-now-former-team’s arch-rival
in the league – the team we battled on multiple occasions, including intense
playoff games in two consecutive years, one of which should have ended with an amazing triple play –
heard of our team’s
break-up. He reached out to me and another one of my former teammates – a great
player, by the way, who would be the first player I’d pick off my old team if I
was starting a new one – to let us know he had a couple roster spots open for
us if we wanted them.
Both of us accepted and we
were on the field with our new team tonight.
I got the started at third base and, of course, got the
first ball hit my way. It was a hot shot a couple steps to my left. I got to it
and stabbed it, but the runner was far enough down the line that it wasn’t
worth attempting the throw to first. … We got that runner later when we caught
him in a rundown between third and home plate, and I got the assist on the out.
I also should note that a funny thing happened as we were
starting the game. The lights covering the left side of the field went out, so
we played the first inning with the field only partially lit, including a
mostly dark left field. As the left fielder noted, it was a good thing we were
playing with a yellow ball.
In the bottom of the first inning, our bats got rolling. I
batted in the seventh spot and got to the plate with a couple runners on and
one out. The first pitch I saw was right in my wheelhouse, I swung and smacked
it for a line drive single through the hole on the left side. … The next batter
hit a ball into the outfield that allowed me to go from first to home, sliding
in just ahead of a tag at the plate. It was awesome.
To start the second inning, the first batted ball – a hard
bouncer – came to me again. I gloved it cleanly and threw from my knees, a
couple steps off the third base line, to get the runner at first base. Another
pretty awesome turn, I must say.
And that was pretty much the end of the highlight reel.
By then the ballpark lights had returned to normal. And all
the balls coming off our opponent’s bats seemed to find holes in the field. I
muffed a couple ground balls, too.
In my second trip to the plate, I took a two-out walk. The
next batter hit a hard ground ball to the left side, and I took off on contact.
As I was rounding second, the throw to first got past the baseman, and I rolled
to home and scored standing up. … In my third and last at-bat, I hit a soft
grounder down the third base line and was thrown out.
We lost the game 20-11. … But it sure was fun to be playing
again.
5.17.2014
Week in review
So here's how my week rounded out after Tuesday night's softball game ...
Wednesday, I headed a couple hours south for my monthly meeting with leadership cohort. Our theme for the day was empowering. We took the True Colors test (I've taken it before, and I'm still a gold ...) and played out associated activities that somewhat humorously illustrated our personality types. Always a good time.
We heard from a young man who grew up as the son of a third-generation grocery store proprieter, and when the family grocer had to close a few years ago -- the result of a new Super Walmart in town -- the young man, who had earned his college degree and become a youth worker, had the brilliant idea to turn the building into a youth center. He saw a need for it in the community, forged partnerships with the schools and businesses to garner support, and remodeled the store into a first-class facility with meeting rooms, a computer lab, kitchen and a common area. In fact, our meeting place Thursday was the remodeled facility. The transformation and perseverance is a great story.
We also took a tour of the city's historic library and heard from its director. She shared with us the story of an $8.5 million estate gift that was recently left to the library and how the library is using the money strategically to implement programs and enhance the library's services.
We spent the morning with him as he biked through a park -- part of his daily fitness regimen -- before grabbing lunch at an upscale Italian restaurant and spending the afternoon at his office complex.
We rode with him from place to place, of course, in his Porsche.
It started out well. Our bats were hot early and I had a good night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a walk, a couple RBIs and a run scored. On the defensive side, I was stationed at third base and made a couple putouts, including a catch of a foul ball at the dugout fence.
My most memorable play of the night, though, took place late in the game with runners on first and second on a ground ball hit to me. I scooped up the ball and then headed for third base in a foot race with the runner heading from second to third. I dove for him just in front of the base and was sure -- as were my teammates -- I put the tag on his torso, but the umpire called the runner safe. ... In the process of trying to make the tag and sliding on the dirt, I also skinned my knee up pretty good. It looks like I took a cheese shredder to my knee cap and shin. Man, it hurts.
We held a 9-2 lead after three innings. ... Then it all fell apart. The opponent had a monster inning in the fourth and we never recovered. We lost the game by 12 runs.
The 9/11 museum opened Thursday in New York. Chills again traveled through my body and all of the emotions and memories of that day came rushing back as I watched new coverage about the opening this week.
Add the destination to my bucket list.
Time magazine posted this timelapse video of the construction.
Tasked with bringing a treat after their lunch, I picked up some popsicles and headed to the local park to meet her class. I had barely stepped out of my car when Phoebe spotted me and was pulling me into a game of tag with her friends.
We played tag. We played duck-duck-goose. We played more tag. We ate the popsicles -- which also involved me helping several of Phoebe's little friends open the popsicle packaging and stick in the straws in their juice boxes. Then we played more tag until one of the teacher's blew her whistle to signal the picnic was over.
I said my goodbye to Phoebe and headed back to my office.
Today was wonderful for the simple fact that we spent the majority of it outside. I hung out with the girls on the deck while they shared a bowl of Cheerios. Later, Faye went inside and Phoebe stayed with me on the deck to color.
Now Kates and I are watching "The Vow" on TV. A good movie I liked more the second time.
Wednesday, I headed a couple hours south for my monthly meeting with leadership cohort. Our theme for the day was empowering. We took the True Colors test (I've taken it before, and I'm still a gold ...) and played out associated activities that somewhat humorously illustrated our personality types. Always a good time.
We heard from a young man who grew up as the son of a third-generation grocery store proprieter, and when the family grocer had to close a few years ago -- the result of a new Super Walmart in town -- the young man, who had earned his college degree and become a youth worker, had the brilliant idea to turn the building into a youth center. He saw a need for it in the community, forged partnerships with the schools and businesses to garner support, and remodeled the store into a first-class facility with meeting rooms, a computer lab, kitchen and a common area. In fact, our meeting place Thursday was the remodeled facility. The transformation and perseverance is a great story.
We also took a tour of the city's historic library and heard from its director. She shared with us the story of an $8.5 million estate gift that was recently left to the library and how the library is using the money strategically to implement programs and enhance the library's services.
* * *
Thursday, the university photographer and I headed to Kansas City to interview an alumnus for the cover story of our fall magazine. The subject is the founder and CEO of a corporate strategy firm.We spent the morning with him as he biked through a park -- part of his daily fitness regimen -- before grabbing lunch at an upscale Italian restaurant and spending the afternoon at his office complex.
We rode with him from place to place, of course, in his Porsche.
* * *
Thursday night, I played softball.It started out well. Our bats were hot early and I had a good night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a walk, a couple RBIs and a run scored. On the defensive side, I was stationed at third base and made a couple putouts, including a catch of a foul ball at the dugout fence.
My most memorable play of the night, though, took place late in the game with runners on first and second on a ground ball hit to me. I scooped up the ball and then headed for third base in a foot race with the runner heading from second to third. I dove for him just in front of the base and was sure -- as were my teammates -- I put the tag on his torso, but the umpire called the runner safe. ... In the process of trying to make the tag and sliding on the dirt, I also skinned my knee up pretty good. It looks like I took a cheese shredder to my knee cap and shin. Man, it hurts.
We held a 9-2 lead after three innings. ... Then it all fell apart. The opponent had a monster inning in the fourth and we never recovered. We lost the game by 12 runs.
* * *
The 9/11 museum opened Thursday in New York. Chills again traveled through my body and all of the emotions and memories of that day came rushing back as I watched new coverage about the opening this week.
Add the destination to my bucket list.
Time magazine posted this timelapse video of the construction.
* * *
Friday, I returned to my office after two days away. But I cut out during the lunch break and joined Phoebe at her kindergarten picnic.Tasked with bringing a treat after their lunch, I picked up some popsicles and headed to the local park to meet her class. I had barely stepped out of my car when Phoebe spotted me and was pulling me into a game of tag with her friends.
We played tag. We played duck-duck-goose. We played more tag. We ate the popsicles -- which also involved me helping several of Phoebe's little friends open the popsicle packaging and stick in the straws in their juice boxes. Then we played more tag until one of the teacher's blew her whistle to signal the picnic was over.
I said my goodbye to Phoebe and headed back to my office.
* * *
Here's a review from Paste ...
I was settling back at my desk Friday afternoon when I caught a tweet saying Ingrid Michaelson had taken the stage at the Hangout Music Festival and her show was available to watch through a live internet feed.
Sweet.
I clicked the link, watched an advertise and -- bam -- I was in. I watched her entire set -- a splendid mix of new songs and old ones -- and it was awesome.
Ingrid Michaelson has a large and devoted following alone, but what made her set work at Hangout is how many of her songs the masses knew without realizing it: songs like “Everybody Wants to Love” and “Be OK” are so accessible and pervasive in TV and commercials, even the casual observer on a blanket in the back could have his or her moment to jump up and knowingly shout the words. It was a buoyant, fun set, and Michaelson made plenty of jokes about the “pretty girls in bikinis” getting in trouble for sitting on shoulders to see the show. The high point of the performance was “Afterlife,” a track from Michaelson’s latest release Lights Out. She guided the audience into a momentus sing-along, making for a more upbeat experience than I’d expected from a singer-songwriter.
* * *
Today was wonderful for the simple fact that we spent the majority of it outside. I hung out with the girls on the deck while they shared a bowl of Cheerios. Later, Faye went inside and Phoebe stayed with me on the deck to color.
Now Kates and I are watching "The Vow" on TV. A good movie I liked more the second time.
5.13.2014
Let the games begin
So I played my first softball game of the summer tonight.
We won 19-11, finally beating our nemesis who we've battled for the regular season titles and knocked us out of the playoffs the last two seasons. With the win the team is now 1-1 on the season. ... I missed the first game last Tuesday, which we lost, and our Thursday game was rained out.
That's the good news.
The bad news is I could not have played worse, in my opinion.
I walked in my first at-bat. Then fouled out. Flied out. Grounded out. And flied out again.
In the field I was stationed at second base tonight, and booted the first ball hit to me in the second inning. Luckily the guys picked me up with a double play to get us out of the inning with no harm done, and I played decent defense the rest of the night.
Kates brought the girls to the game tonight. The girls had a ball jumping around and playing in the dirt with the other kids, while Kates talked to the other moms.
The downside of all of us going to the game, though, was that we sacrificed our opportunity to catch the opening showing of the annual summer movie series on the university campus. Which -- I called it before it was announced -- was "Frozen," the sing-a-long version.
Man, I would have loved the experience of watching that movie in the performing arts center and hearing all the kids singing those songs at the top of their lungs.
Even in the summer, "Frozen" still rules.
Check this video I stumbled on the other day: If "Frozen" were a horror movie ...
We won 19-11, finally beating our nemesis who we've battled for the regular season titles and knocked us out of the playoffs the last two seasons. With the win the team is now 1-1 on the season. ... I missed the first game last Tuesday, which we lost, and our Thursday game was rained out.
That's the good news.
The bad news is I could not have played worse, in my opinion.
I walked in my first at-bat. Then fouled out. Flied out. Grounded out. And flied out again.
In the field I was stationed at second base tonight, and booted the first ball hit to me in the second inning. Luckily the guys picked me up with a double play to get us out of the inning with no harm done, and I played decent defense the rest of the night.
Kates brought the girls to the game tonight. The girls had a ball jumping around and playing in the dirt with the other kids, while Kates talked to the other moms.
The downside of all of us going to the game, though, was that we sacrificed our opportunity to catch the opening showing of the annual summer movie series on the university campus. Which -- I called it before it was announced -- was "Frozen," the sing-a-long version.
Man, I would have loved the experience of watching that movie in the performing arts center and hearing all the kids singing those songs at the top of their lungs.
Even in the summer, "Frozen" still rules.
Check this video I stumbled on the other day: If "Frozen" were a horror movie ...
7.14.2013
End game
Days have passed and the ending still stings. Tonight, as we were dropping off our respective kids at our church for Vacation Bible School, three of the guys and I gathered and were rehashing it once more.
Our softball season came to an end Thursday night in the semifinal round of the playoffs. Had we won, we would have played a doubleheader, with the championship game as the nightcap.
It wasn't meant to be.
It wasn't meant to be.
We lost the game 15-12, but the final score doesn't begin to tell the tale of the epic battle, which played out similarly to our quarterfinal game. Except, this time, we were on the losing side this time.
For starters, Coach moved me to second base for the night. I wasn't thrilled about it and would have much rather been at my usual shortstop position, but I'm a team player. As it turned out, I didn't touch the ball on defense, but there were a few pivotal plays down the stretch that involved ground balls toward the shortstop. I can't help but wonder whether the outcome might have been different if I was playing there. Maybe not ...
We put up one run in the top of the first inning to take an early lead. My first at-bat came in the second inning, and it ended with a strikeout when I whiffed at a pitch to end the inning. It was my first-ever strikeout in my two years of playing in the city league.
Then the floodgates opened for the other team as they scored 10 runs over the next two innings. There were multiple at-bats that resulted in line drives to the outfield, with the ball taking a hard bounce and traveling over the head of the outfielder trying to glove it. On three occasions the ball bounced over the fielder's head. The ground is so hard and dry right now from a lack of rain that it was causing the ball to do funny things all night. And our outfielders - arguably the best in the league - were baffled.
Oh, but we came back. We scored eight runs in the top of the fourth to get within one run. Then, we came back with three more to tie the game and take the lead, 12-10, in the fifth.
And I finally found my hitting stroke. In the fourth, I came up with two outs and the bases loaded. I stroked a line drive over the shortstop that rolled to the outfield fence and cleared the bases to keep the inning going. In the fifth inning, I did it again. I scored both times, too.
The excitement ended there, though. We held the opponent to one run in the bottom of the fifth. But they came back with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Our batters went down in order in the top of the seventh and that was the game.
It was fun while it lasted. ... And I'm already looking forward to next year.
It was fun while it lasted. ... And I'm already looking forward to next year.
7.09.2013
Winning ways
Hooooooolyyyy cow.
That’s all I can say after tonight’s softball game.
While I was enjoying some Fun at Summerfest, our team lost the regular season finale. We finished the season with a 5-7 record and got the eighth and lowest seed in the playoffs.
Last Tuesday night, our team opened the playoffs and played the kind of ball we’re capable of playing. The guys won the game 18-3 in 3½ innings on the strength of a nine-run first inning and some awesome defense.
And that meant we moved on to face the No. 1 seed tonight in the quarterfinal round.
We played a 6 o’clock game. The temperature app on my phone said it was 95 degrees outside and it felt like 104. The game was a battle and we gave it everything we had tonight. My legs were Jell-O when it was over.
But the good news? Here’s the line score …
But then our bats came alive. In the top of the fourth inning, we found some holes, got on the board and caught a few breaks in the form of dropped balls that let us back into the game. We did it again in the fifth inning. And when our opponent scored a run in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead, we matched it in the top of the sixth. In our final at-bats, a dropped fly ball in right field helped us score the go-ahead runs.
I wish I could say I contributed to the offense, but my hitting woes continue. I went 0-for-3 tonight. I hit fly balls to left field in my first and final at-bats. In my second at-bat I slapped a line drive that was just low enough for the shortstop to make a nice catch on it.
At the same time our bats warmed up, our defense clicked, too. I found my grip on the ball and notched several putouts, including the start of a double play.
If we could get through the bottom of the seventh, the game was ours. We got the first out on a strikeout, but then we gave up a walk and a couple singles that loaded the bases.
Midway through the game, I moved up in the infield, off the edge of the dirt to a position in front of the basepaths. The move paid off in a big way when the fifth batter of the final inning hit a laser line drive toward the middle. I reached to my left and snagged it for the second out. Huge. Had it got through, it would have been a game-changer.
The next batter hit a towering fly ball and our slugging center fielder caught it for the final out.
There was great celebration on the field. And now it all comes down to Thursday night.
That’s all I can say after tonight’s softball game.
While I was enjoying some Fun at Summerfest, our team lost the regular season finale. We finished the season with a 5-7 record and got the eighth and lowest seed in the playoffs.
Last Tuesday night, our team opened the playoffs and played the kind of ball we’re capable of playing. The guys won the game 18-3 in 3½ innings on the strength of a nine-run first inning and some awesome defense.
And that meant we moved on to face the No. 1 seed tonight in the quarterfinal round.
We played a 6 o’clock game. The temperature app on my phone said it was 95 degrees outside and it felt like 104. The game was a battle and we gave it everything we had tonight. My legs were Jell-O when it was over.
But the good news? Here’s the line score …
Us 000 431 3 - 11That’s right, we were behind 7-0. Our defense faltered in the third inning. We booted ground balls. … And I suddenly lost my ability to grip the ball at shortstop. On two consecutive plays, I fielded ground balls cleanly, but couldn’t get a grip on the ball and threw it away both times. On the second play, I went into a slide and soaked up a ground ball hit to my right – it was beautiful – but when I popped up to throw out the lead runner for a force at third base, the ball sailed over the third baseman.
Them 016 010 0 – 8
But then our bats came alive. In the top of the fourth inning, we found some holes, got on the board and caught a few breaks in the form of dropped balls that let us back into the game. We did it again in the fifth inning. And when our opponent scored a run in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead, we matched it in the top of the sixth. In our final at-bats, a dropped fly ball in right field helped us score the go-ahead runs.
I wish I could say I contributed to the offense, but my hitting woes continue. I went 0-for-3 tonight. I hit fly balls to left field in my first and final at-bats. In my second at-bat I slapped a line drive that was just low enough for the shortstop to make a nice catch on it.
At the same time our bats warmed up, our defense clicked, too. I found my grip on the ball and notched several putouts, including the start of a double play.
If we could get through the bottom of the seventh, the game was ours. We got the first out on a strikeout, but then we gave up a walk and a couple singles that loaded the bases.
Midway through the game, I moved up in the infield, off the edge of the dirt to a position in front of the basepaths. The move paid off in a big way when the fifth batter of the final inning hit a laser line drive toward the middle. I reached to my left and snagged it for the second out. Huge. Had it got through, it would have been a game-changer.
The next batter hit a towering fly ball and our slugging center fielder caught it for the final out.
There was great celebration on the field. And now it all comes down to Thursday night.
6.11.2013
In a rut
Whoah, I’m in a rut. I’ve lost my fire.
Since finishing my degree this spring I seem to have lost much of my mojo to do anything productive during my downtime other than watch TV and play video games. I suppose eventually I’ll get to the projects I said I was going to resume, but right now it’s not happening. My inspiration is lacking.
I remain productive in my day job, but the added stress of my graduate work is gone. There’s a void and I can’t seem to figure out how to fill it.
I was rolling at such a high speed throughout the winter and spring, pushing out graduate papers, conducting research and compiling my portfolio. And then, all of a sudden, it was over.
In the run up to the final presentation, I kidded that this might happen. But it really did – now that’s over, I truly don’t know what to do with myself.
I’m the guy who always seems to have his next move planned. I’m not used to this feeling.
The same can be said for our softball team. For being the defending league champions, we are not playing like it this season.
We’ve been plagued by inconsistency. Caused by forfeits, injuries and rainouts. Last week, both of our games were canceled by rain, prompting Coach to send a text to our team, instructing us to start building an ark with our bats – a few extra cubits in height to accommodate indoor batting practice – and use the cows to fashion leathered gloves.
And those rainouts came in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Our bats went silent – one of the guys said we were “Royals-ing it,” pre-George Brett at hitting coach. Our defense was average, but when the opponents placed balls in the holes, the runs stacked up and we lost a couple of those game by 10 runs.
I’m not hitting well, either. Most of my at-bats lately end with me shooting line drives straight to the shortstop that are caught for outs. Or towering fly balls caught by the outfielders.
Ah, but the losing streak ended tonight, in the second game of a doubleheader. We frustrated the opponent with our patience at the plate, racking up base runners on walks, and some timely pops that knocked in the runs.
Better yet, we did it with an out-of-the box defensive setup. With only nine players tonight, we put four guys in the outfield and three in the infield. I shifted between the second baseman’s spot and the shortstop position, depending on the batter.
I went 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored in the win. I didn’t swing my bat to get those two walks, prompting the opposing catcher to snarl at me after the second walk, “Geez, why do you even bring a bat to the plate!?”
We frustrated the other side so much that a couple of their players refused to shake our hands after the game.
Hopefully, we’ve turned the corner. The playoffs are coming and since we’re out of contention for the regular season title, we’ll be aiming for the tournament title.
Since finishing my degree this spring I seem to have lost much of my mojo to do anything productive during my downtime other than watch TV and play video games. I suppose eventually I’ll get to the projects I said I was going to resume, but right now it’s not happening. My inspiration is lacking.
I remain productive in my day job, but the added stress of my graduate work is gone. There’s a void and I can’t seem to figure out how to fill it.
I was rolling at such a high speed throughout the winter and spring, pushing out graduate papers, conducting research and compiling my portfolio. And then, all of a sudden, it was over.
In the run up to the final presentation, I kidded that this might happen. But it really did – now that’s over, I truly don’t know what to do with myself.
I’m the guy who always seems to have his next move planned. I’m not used to this feeling.
* * *
The same can be said for our softball team. For being the defending league champions, we are not playing like it this season.
We’ve been plagued by inconsistency. Caused by forfeits, injuries and rainouts. Last week, both of our games were canceled by rain, prompting Coach to send a text to our team, instructing us to start building an ark with our bats – a few extra cubits in height to accommodate indoor batting practice – and use the cows to fashion leathered gloves.
And those rainouts came in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Our bats went silent – one of the guys said we were “Royals-ing it,” pre-George Brett at hitting coach. Our defense was average, but when the opponents placed balls in the holes, the runs stacked up and we lost a couple of those game by 10 runs.
I’m not hitting well, either. Most of my at-bats lately end with me shooting line drives straight to the shortstop that are caught for outs. Or towering fly balls caught by the outfielders.
Ah, but the losing streak ended tonight, in the second game of a doubleheader. We frustrated the opponent with our patience at the plate, racking up base runners on walks, and some timely pops that knocked in the runs.
Better yet, we did it with an out-of-the box defensive setup. With only nine players tonight, we put four guys in the outfield and three in the infield. I shifted between the second baseman’s spot and the shortstop position, depending on the batter.
I went 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored in the win. I didn’t swing my bat to get those two walks, prompting the opposing catcher to snarl at me after the second walk, “Geez, why do you even bring a bat to the plate!?”
We frustrated the other side so much that a couple of their players refused to shake our hands after the game.
Hopefully, we’ve turned the corner. The playoffs are coming and since we’re out of contention for the regular season title, we’ll be aiming for the tournament title.
5.23.2013
Maybe it's the hat
We gave away our softball game tonight.
We played poor defense the first inning and gave up six or seven runs. To the other team’s credit, it was not all on our defense – they were hitting the ball solidly, too. … Like we always do, our team pulled together and chipped away at their lead. But we continued to give up a run or two in the successive innings and could never fully catch up.
Finally, in the second-to-last inning we put together a string of hits and closed within three runs of the lead. … And in our last inning of at-bats we put some more runners on and managed to score one addition run. I hit a ground ball down the third baseline, but the third baseman made a play on it and threw the lead runner out at second base. The tying run came to the plate with me on first base and two down, but he popped out to first base to end the game.
Doh.
So this week’s game ended up being a repeat of last week. We lost a game tonight that we could have and should have won with a little better play, and we won by forfeit Tuesday night because our opponent couldn’t find enough players – which is funny because our team also was struggling to find players for Tuesday night’s game. Most of the guys on our team are educators with young kids, which doesn’t always make it easy to play softball considering all the school activities happening at this time of year.
Our record sits at 3-2. Or – taking out wins by forfeit – 1-2 in games we’ve actually played. We’re 3-0 on Tuesday nights and 0-2 on Thursday nights.
I continue to be proud of my defensive play. The move to shortstop and the new shoes are working out. … Like a lot of our guys tonight, I misplayed a couple balls in the first inning that I should have had, but I pulled it together and fielded several ground balls the rest of the night. After a good second inning, the guys nicknamed me “Hoover” – because I was sucking up ground balls. We put up the first out in the second on a ground ball hit to my right; I fielded it near the edge of the infield and threw to first base on my back knee, and our 6-foot-tall first baseman pulled off a top-notch stretch to catch the ball while keeping his foot on the bag. Then I got the third out of the inning by fielding a ground ball cleanly and tossing it to second for a force out.
I caught several fly balls, too, which I’d shag all night if I had to choose ground balls or fly balls. In our opponent’s final at-bats, with two outs and runners stationed on the bases and them threatening to increase their lead, the batter hit a bloop down the third base line. The ball was over the third baseman’s head enough that he wouldn't get to it and shallow enough that the left fielder wouldn’t get to it, but I tracked it all the way and chased it down at the foul line. It was clutch.
Any true baseball – or in this case softball – fan knows we’re an extremely superstitious breed. In our minds, the right pair of socks or the way we step onto the field can determine a good night or a bad night.
Last Thursday night, I credited my new shoes. Tonight, I credit my hat position for my good defensive play. … During the first inning I had my hat pulled low over my forehead, partly to block out the setting sun, which was creating some wicked glare and shadows down the third base line. But when I came out for the second inning, I nudged my hat up and tilted the bill upward instead of covering my forehead. It worked, because I played well from then on.
Now I need to figure out the trick to finding my batting stroke, which hasn’t been great thus far in the season. I was 1-for-4 tonight with a flyout to right in my first at-bat and a liner out to the shortstop in my second turn. Finally, I swatted a solid line drive to left field during my third at-bat for a clean single before hitting the grounder to third in my fourth and final at-bat.
I know I can do better. … Maybe I should try wearing my hat backward during at-bats.
We played poor defense the first inning and gave up six or seven runs. To the other team’s credit, it was not all on our defense – they were hitting the ball solidly, too. … Like we always do, our team pulled together and chipped away at their lead. But we continued to give up a run or two in the successive innings and could never fully catch up.
Finally, in the second-to-last inning we put together a string of hits and closed within three runs of the lead. … And in our last inning of at-bats we put some more runners on and managed to score one addition run. I hit a ground ball down the third baseline, but the third baseman made a play on it and threw the lead runner out at second base. The tying run came to the plate with me on first base and two down, but he popped out to first base to end the game.
Doh.
So this week’s game ended up being a repeat of last week. We lost a game tonight that we could have and should have won with a little better play, and we won by forfeit Tuesday night because our opponent couldn’t find enough players – which is funny because our team also was struggling to find players for Tuesday night’s game. Most of the guys on our team are educators with young kids, which doesn’t always make it easy to play softball considering all the school activities happening at this time of year.
Our record sits at 3-2. Or – taking out wins by forfeit – 1-2 in games we’ve actually played. We’re 3-0 on Tuesday nights and 0-2 on Thursday nights.
I continue to be proud of my defensive play. The move to shortstop and the new shoes are working out. … Like a lot of our guys tonight, I misplayed a couple balls in the first inning that I should have had, but I pulled it together and fielded several ground balls the rest of the night. After a good second inning, the guys nicknamed me “Hoover” – because I was sucking up ground balls. We put up the first out in the second on a ground ball hit to my right; I fielded it near the edge of the infield and threw to first base on my back knee, and our 6-foot-tall first baseman pulled off a top-notch stretch to catch the ball while keeping his foot on the bag. Then I got the third out of the inning by fielding a ground ball cleanly and tossing it to second for a force out.
I caught several fly balls, too, which I’d shag all night if I had to choose ground balls or fly balls. In our opponent’s final at-bats, with two outs and runners stationed on the bases and them threatening to increase their lead, the batter hit a bloop down the third base line. The ball was over the third baseman’s head enough that he wouldn't get to it and shallow enough that the left fielder wouldn’t get to it, but I tracked it all the way and chased it down at the foul line. It was clutch.
Any true baseball – or in this case softball – fan knows we’re an extremely superstitious breed. In our minds, the right pair of socks or the way we step onto the field can determine a good night or a bad night.
Last Thursday night, I credited my new shoes. Tonight, I credit my hat position for my good defensive play. … During the first inning I had my hat pulled low over my forehead, partly to block out the setting sun, which was creating some wicked glare and shadows down the third base line. But when I came out for the second inning, I nudged my hat up and tilted the bill upward instead of covering my forehead. It worked, because I played well from then on.
Now I need to figure out the trick to finding my batting stroke, which hasn’t been great thus far in the season. I was 1-for-4 tonight with a flyout to right in my first at-bat and a liner out to the shortstop in my second turn. Finally, I swatted a solid line drive to left field during my third at-bat for a clean single before hitting the grounder to third in my fourth and final at-bat.
I know I can do better. … Maybe I should try wearing my hat backward during at-bats.
5.16.2013
It's gotta be the shoes
Oh, summer, we’re rolling now …
Since I officially finished my graduate work and concluded my school year a couple weeks ago, I've been relishing my new freedom and the ability to enjoy life’s pleasures when I come home from work at night – instead of being tied down by 60 pages of reading and a research paper.
Kates and I have been taking the girls for walks on the campus almost nightly, and I’ve enjoyed returning one of my favorite past times – working in our yard and shaping the landscape.
Monday night, me and some of the guys on our softball team got together for some practice. Then, I came home, mowed the lawn and worked on one of our gardens until it was too dark for me to see. Tuesday night, our softball game was canceled because the team we were supposed to play couldn’t field a full team. So we got the win by a forfeit, and I spent that night working in the yard again.
Between our summer living in that wretched duplex and being too busy with school work the last two summers, I haven’t spent this much time working in – and enjoying – our yard since we lived in K-Town. I’m lovin’ it.
Tonight, I finally returned to the ball diamond, and what a relief it was.
You see, since I made my return to softball last summer, I’ve played in good ‘ol tennis shoes. My favorite metal cleats I wore for playing baseball in K-Town were no good. Illegal. … I hadn’t taken the chance to purchase a new pair of softball cleats, and my playing suffered because of it last season. I was always slipping on the basepaths, and it was difficult to gain my footing when fielding ground balls and making good throws to the bases.
After our season opener last week, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore.
So today, I headed to our local sporting goods store on my lunch break, on a mission to purchase a pair of softball cleats. On my way into the store, I met a co-worker who was walking out with a new pair of shoes.
“How’s the selection?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Not great.”
Great.
Inside the store, I went to the shoe section and began scanning the wall display for softball cleats. They had soccer. Baseball. Track and field. I wasn’t seeing softball and began to have a sinking feeling. … But a store employee stepped in, asked if I needed help and saved the day.
She showed me a sweet-looking black pair of Nike cleats. They were the only pair the store had in stock, and I figured they were going to cost me 70, 80 bucks for sure. The high cost of shoes has never made sense to me. Bracing, I asked how much the cleats would cost me.
“These are 40,” she said.
“Great! I’ll take ‘em!”
And I was on my way.
Tonight, I took my spot at shortstop and the infield dirt under my new cleats never felt better. I had traction. I had quickness in my step. I knew this was going to be a fun game.
In the second inning, I made my mark. The first batter of the inning laced a hard ground ball slightly to my right side. I got in front of it, but my momentum carried me backward to the edge of the outfield grass. Like vintage Cal Ripken, I leaned on my back leg, tossed the ball with ease to first base and made the out. One down.
Then, I fielded a ground ball from the second batter. And the third batter, too. I fielded both balls cleanly and turned both of them into easy outs. Two down, three down. I retired the side from shortstop.
I was greeted with a round of high-fives and smiles when I returned to the dugout. “That was kind of like Groundhog Day,” a teammate’s dad said to me from the stands.
After our at-bats, we returned to the field and the guys started cracking one-liners. “We’ll stay here, you go out and take this one,” one of them said.
The first batter of the third inning flied out, but the second batter hit another ball my way. This time, I got low to snatch up the ball and threw from my knees, getting the runner just in time. I put out four of five batters.
I credit the shoes.
In the meantime, our offense was running smoothly and we had mounted a good lead. A key to our team’s success is making the pitcher throw good pitches and a balance of timely hitting. Thanks to a string of walks in the first inning, we put seven runs on the board early.
I went 1-for-2 on the night. I walked and scored in that first inning. Later, I grounded out and then grounded a ball through the gap between the shortstop and second base for a single.
We kept adding to our lead but a couple defensive miscues here and there allowed the other team to stay in the game. … And we wanted to win this game badly. We were playing our rival – the team that knocked us from the playoffs last year in the semifinal round (on that triple play that wasn’t called) and the team that we’ll no doubt meet in the playoffs again this year.
In the last inning, they put together a string of solid hits that got through holes in the infield and dropped in the gaps of the outfield. They hit a couple hard ground balls to my left that I should have grabbed, but couldn’t. I got the tip of my glove on one, but it skipped past me, and I dove for another but couldn’t reach it.
Before we knew it, the game was tied. And then their winning run was crossing the plate. It was over.
It was a fun game. We’ll get them next time.
Since I officially finished my graduate work and concluded my school year a couple weeks ago, I've been relishing my new freedom and the ability to enjoy life’s pleasures when I come home from work at night – instead of being tied down by 60 pages of reading and a research paper.
Kates and I have been taking the girls for walks on the campus almost nightly, and I’ve enjoyed returning one of my favorite past times – working in our yard and shaping the landscape.
Monday night, me and some of the guys on our softball team got together for some practice. Then, I came home, mowed the lawn and worked on one of our gardens until it was too dark for me to see. Tuesday night, our softball game was canceled because the team we were supposed to play couldn’t field a full team. So we got the win by a forfeit, and I spent that night working in the yard again.
Between our summer living in that wretched duplex and being too busy with school work the last two summers, I haven’t spent this much time working in – and enjoying – our yard since we lived in K-Town. I’m lovin’ it.
Tonight, I finally returned to the ball diamond, and what a relief it was.
You see, since I made my return to softball last summer, I’ve played in good ‘ol tennis shoes. My favorite metal cleats I wore for playing baseball in K-Town were no good. Illegal. … I hadn’t taken the chance to purchase a new pair of softball cleats, and my playing suffered because of it last season. I was always slipping on the basepaths, and it was difficult to gain my footing when fielding ground balls and making good throws to the bases.
After our season opener last week, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore.
So today, I headed to our local sporting goods store on my lunch break, on a mission to purchase a pair of softball cleats. On my way into the store, I met a co-worker who was walking out with a new pair of shoes.
“How’s the selection?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Not great.”
Great.
Inside the store, I went to the shoe section and began scanning the wall display for softball cleats. They had soccer. Baseball. Track and field. I wasn’t seeing softball and began to have a sinking feeling. … But a store employee stepped in, asked if I needed help and saved the day.
She showed me a sweet-looking black pair of Nike cleats. They were the only pair the store had in stock, and I figured they were going to cost me 70, 80 bucks for sure. The high cost of shoes has never made sense to me. Bracing, I asked how much the cleats would cost me.
“These are 40,” she said.
“Great! I’ll take ‘em!”
And I was on my way.
Tonight, I took my spot at shortstop and the infield dirt under my new cleats never felt better. I had traction. I had quickness in my step. I knew this was going to be a fun game.
In the second inning, I made my mark. The first batter of the inning laced a hard ground ball slightly to my right side. I got in front of it, but my momentum carried me backward to the edge of the outfield grass. Like vintage Cal Ripken, I leaned on my back leg, tossed the ball with ease to first base and made the out. One down.
Then, I fielded a ground ball from the second batter. And the third batter, too. I fielded both balls cleanly and turned both of them into easy outs. Two down, three down. I retired the side from shortstop.
I was greeted with a round of high-fives and smiles when I returned to the dugout. “That was kind of like Groundhog Day,” a teammate’s dad said to me from the stands.
After our at-bats, we returned to the field and the guys started cracking one-liners. “We’ll stay here, you go out and take this one,” one of them said.
The first batter of the third inning flied out, but the second batter hit another ball my way. This time, I got low to snatch up the ball and threw from my knees, getting the runner just in time. I put out four of five batters.
I credit the shoes.
In the meantime, our offense was running smoothly and we had mounted a good lead. A key to our team’s success is making the pitcher throw good pitches and a balance of timely hitting. Thanks to a string of walks in the first inning, we put seven runs on the board early.
I went 1-for-2 on the night. I walked and scored in that first inning. Later, I grounded out and then grounded a ball through the gap between the shortstop and second base for a single.
We kept adding to our lead but a couple defensive miscues here and there allowed the other team to stay in the game. … And we wanted to win this game badly. We were playing our rival – the team that knocked us from the playoffs last year in the semifinal round (on that triple play that wasn’t called) and the team that we’ll no doubt meet in the playoffs again this year.
In the last inning, they put together a string of solid hits that got through holes in the infield and dropped in the gaps of the outfield. They hit a couple hard ground balls to my left that I should have grabbed, but couldn’t. I got the tip of my glove on one, but it skipped past me, and I dove for another but couldn’t reach it.
Before we knew it, the game was tied. And then their winning run was crossing the plate. It was over.
It was a fun game. We’ll get them next time.
5.07.2013
Let the games begin
So I played my first softball game of the summer tonight. Let the summer officially begin.
The weather was perfect. Sunny with temperatures in the 60s. Our wives gabbed while our kids played around the bleachers. And us guys played ball.
I love how a team of guys, working in a myriad of professions within a 45-mile radius, can gel and play together for an eight-week season, go their separate ways for the next 9.5 months and then come together as team again, picking up right where they left off.
I love how a team of guys, working in a myriad of professions within a 45-mile radius, can gel and play together for an eight-week season, go their separate ways for the next 9.5 months and then come together as team again, picking up right where they left off.
After all, we're the defending league champions.
So tonight, my position assignment was shortstop. Last year, you may recall, I was regularly stationed at third base, but our regular shortstop from last year opted out of playing this year, leaving the spot open for me.
It took a few innings for me to knock off the offseason rust. I notched an out by catching a fly ball in shallow left field, but I botched the first three ground balls hit my way. The last one I took square off my knee cap. ... Yep, that's going to make things interesting when I try to get out of bed tomorrow morning.
But, I walked it off as the pitcher stalled for a few minutes, and I stayed in the game.
I then fielded cleanly the next three ground balls to be hit my way, throwing to first and getting the putouts on all three.
At the plate, I had a 2-for-3 night with two singles. We won the game 10-9, though the game never felt that close from our team's standpoint. We play good defense, we're patient at the plate and we're cool under pressure.
Ah, yes. The summer has begun.
7.05.2012
The party's over
So my first year in The ‘Ville’s city softball league ended like this.
With a win in our last game a couple weeks ago and a loss by another team, we took the regular season league championship. We ended the regular season with a 9-3 record and a seven-game winning streak.
We were on a roll.
Tuesday night, the playoffs began.
Before our game, our team was presented with the regular season championship trophy.
And the team photo will be appearing in the local newspaper due to hit doorsteps any day.
In the opening round, we set our minds to play small ball and work the counts to get on base. We played near flawless defense. And it worked.
We won the game 19-10. Eight in a row.
I went 2-for-3 with a walk. Both of my hits were line drives to the left side on 3-2 counts.
My only downfall was the fact that I wasn’t wearing spikes. I have a pair of metal spikes from my baseball days, but those are illegal in softball. So I’ve gotten by all season in tennis shoes and it never affected me … But now that we’re in a drought, the infield dirt is as dry as an Arizona desert.
After my first hit, the ensuing batter hit a ball to the outfield that should have advanced me from first to third, but I slipped on the dirt around second base. I caught myself and stumbled back to the bag safely, but my confidence in my running game was shaken.
I started the game in the DH role with an opportunity to play the field later. After my slip, however, I opted to stay in the dugout. It was best for the team.
Like I said, it worked. We won.
We rode into tonight’s 6 o’clock semifinal game knowing that a win would put us in the championship game at 8 o’clock.
We batted first and plated four runs in the top inning. But the other team came right back with five runs of their own. We didn’t play good defense and botched a few balls that should have been outs. Getting the start at my usual third base tonight, I cleanly fielded a hot shot, but then made a bad throw to first base.
Nerves.
It was that kind of a game.
Tight. Intense. And all of it in the 99-degree heat of the evening. Seriously.
I turned in a 2-for-4 night at the plate. My second hit was a beauty – a line drive that dropped deep in the left field gap. But the combination of dry dirt and my worn out tennis shoes slowed me again. Had I been wearing spikes, I’d like to think I could have stretched it into a double.
Every time we took a lead, they’d come right back.
We were plagued by played poor defense. The same kind of defense that played a big part in all of our losses.
And then an unfortunate call.
We hit the field for the bottom half of the second-to-last inning knotted in a tie.
They loaded the bases with no outs.
Then, a deep fly ball to left field. It looked as though it was a goner. A grand slam.
But our 6-foot 5-inch left fielder timed his jump perfectly and caught the ball just as it was crossing over the fence.
As all of the other runners tried to advance, he launched a perfect throw to the shortstop for the cutoff.
The shortstop fired to home.
Our catcher caught the ball and put down the tag for the second out.
In the meantime, the runner on second was barreling toward me at third base.
Our catcher saw it and fired the ball toward me.
I made the catch and put down the tag.
Triple play!
Our guys erupted and started to run off the field.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuut the umpire called the runner safe.
I’ve been playing the sequence over and over in my head. I keep seeing myself catching the throw and putting down the tag for the out. Nothing else.
That runner who was called safe at third scored the go-ahead run for the other team on the ensuing batter’s single.
We went 1-2-3 in the top half of the final inning. And that was it.
Game over. We lost 16-15.
Season over.
A shocker and heartbreaker at the same time.
It will be a tough one to get over. … But who am I kidding? It was a heckuva season, and I had a blast.
I have one goal for the off season: Purchase a good pair of rubber spikes.
With a win in our last game a couple weeks ago and a loss by another team, we took the regular season league championship. We ended the regular season with a 9-3 record and a seven-game winning streak.
We were on a roll.
Tuesday night, the playoffs began.
Before our game, our team was presented with the regular season championship trophy.
And the team photo will be appearing in the local newspaper due to hit doorsteps any day.
In the opening round, we set our minds to play small ball and work the counts to get on base. We played near flawless defense. And it worked.
We won the game 19-10. Eight in a row.
I went 2-for-3 with a walk. Both of my hits were line drives to the left side on 3-2 counts.
My only downfall was the fact that I wasn’t wearing spikes. I have a pair of metal spikes from my baseball days, but those are illegal in softball. So I’ve gotten by all season in tennis shoes and it never affected me … But now that we’re in a drought, the infield dirt is as dry as an Arizona desert.
After my first hit, the ensuing batter hit a ball to the outfield that should have advanced me from first to third, but I slipped on the dirt around second base. I caught myself and stumbled back to the bag safely, but my confidence in my running game was shaken.
I started the game in the DH role with an opportunity to play the field later. After my slip, however, I opted to stay in the dugout. It was best for the team.
Like I said, it worked. We won.
* * *
We rode into tonight’s 6 o’clock semifinal game knowing that a win would put us in the championship game at 8 o’clock.
We batted first and plated four runs in the top inning. But the other team came right back with five runs of their own. We didn’t play good defense and botched a few balls that should have been outs. Getting the start at my usual third base tonight, I cleanly fielded a hot shot, but then made a bad throw to first base.
Nerves.
It was that kind of a game.
Tight. Intense. And all of it in the 99-degree heat of the evening. Seriously.
I turned in a 2-for-4 night at the plate. My second hit was a beauty – a line drive that dropped deep in the left field gap. But the combination of dry dirt and my worn out tennis shoes slowed me again. Had I been wearing spikes, I’d like to think I could have stretched it into a double.
Every time we took a lead, they’d come right back.
We were plagued by played poor defense. The same kind of defense that played a big part in all of our losses.
And then an unfortunate call.
We hit the field for the bottom half of the second-to-last inning knotted in a tie.
They loaded the bases with no outs.
Then, a deep fly ball to left field. It looked as though it was a goner. A grand slam.
But our 6-foot 5-inch left fielder timed his jump perfectly and caught the ball just as it was crossing over the fence.
As all of the other runners tried to advance, he launched a perfect throw to the shortstop for the cutoff.
The shortstop fired to home.
Our catcher caught the ball and put down the tag for the second out.
In the meantime, the runner on second was barreling toward me at third base.
Our catcher saw it and fired the ball toward me.
I made the catch and put down the tag.
Triple play!
Our guys erupted and started to run off the field.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuut the umpire called the runner safe.
I’ve been playing the sequence over and over in my head. I keep seeing myself catching the throw and putting down the tag for the out. Nothing else.
That runner who was called safe at third scored the go-ahead run for the other team on the ensuing batter’s single.
We went 1-2-3 in the top half of the final inning. And that was it.
Game over. We lost 16-15.
Season over.
A shocker and heartbreaker at the same time.
It will be a tough one to get over. … But who am I kidding? It was a heckuva season, and I had a blast.
I have one goal for the off season: Purchase a good pair of rubber spikes.
6.22.2012
Winning
My softball team’s regular season ended tonight. With another win.
I contributed with a 3-for-3 night at the plate, including a double. I notched an RBI on each of my hits and eventually scored all three times.
We ended our season with a record of 9-3 and clinched at least a tie for the league championship. In the games we lost, our defense was awful and our powerful offense couldn’t make up the difference. … But in the games we won, we played nearly flawless. In fact, every game we won was cut short by our team by mounting the maximum 15-run lead.
Now we wait for the rest of the teams in the league to finish their seasons so we can see how the standings shake out and get our seeding for the playoffs.
To celebrate, I brought home Mocha Moo-Lates for Kates and I and a dish of vanilla ice cream -- with sprinkles -- for Phoebe.
We proceeded to have one of our epic dance parties in the kitchen, brought to you tonight by The Allman Brothers’ “Jessica.” … Phoebe giggled as she copied my dancing -- stomping feet, waving hands, shaking head and all. She also danced while holding onto the 14 balloons that came home with us from a baby shower for Faye yesterday with my work colleagues.
It was a classic scene I hope I won't soon forget. If only I had video of it.
I contributed with a 3-for-3 night at the plate, including a double. I notched an RBI on each of my hits and eventually scored all three times.
We ended our season with a record of 9-3 and clinched at least a tie for the league championship. In the games we lost, our defense was awful and our powerful offense couldn’t make up the difference. … But in the games we won, we played nearly flawless. In fact, every game we won was cut short by our team by mounting the maximum 15-run lead.
Now we wait for the rest of the teams in the league to finish their seasons so we can see how the standings shake out and get our seeding for the playoffs.
To celebrate, I brought home Mocha Moo-Lates for Kates and I and a dish of vanilla ice cream -- with sprinkles -- for Phoebe.
We proceeded to have one of our epic dance parties in the kitchen, brought to you tonight by The Allman Brothers’ “Jessica.” … Phoebe giggled as she copied my dancing -- stomping feet, waving hands, shaking head and all. She also danced while holding onto the 14 balloons that came home with us from a baby shower for Faye yesterday with my work colleagues.
It was a classic scene I hope I won't soon forget. If only I had video of it.
6.01.2012
Fun with friends
Beginning where I left off on my previous post …
Ray, Leah and their 2-year-old, Audrey arrived Wednesday afternoon for their first-ever visit to The ‘Ville. And it was good.
Once they were settled, we loaded the kids in their strollers and hoped to take a walking tour of the university campus. There were some dark clouds looming, but I remained optimitistic we could complete a tour before the rains came.
We traveled about a quarter of the way down our block as the clouds darkened in the west. Then some thunder rumbled nearby.
“Retreat! Retreat!” Leah shouted, and we promptly turned around the strollers to return to our house.
We had barely stepped inside when the sky let loose with rain, though it only lasted a few minutes.
Wednesday night, after the kids were in bed, we got a 10 o’clock craving for ice cream. So I was dispatched to the local Dairy Queen with a set of Blizzard orders.
At the Dairy Queen, the lights were on and cars were still in the parking lot. We’re good to go, I thought. … Then I sat in the drive-thru for five minutes only to have a girl come on the speaker to say, “Uh, we’re closed.”
Grrr.
So, I headed to the Sonic across the street, called Kates and took orders for Blasts instead. I waited another 10 minutes for someone to take my order there.
By the time, I returned home, the craving was all but gone.
Thursday morning, we took Faye to the hospital for her one-week checkup.
All went well and she remains a healthy little girl, although her birth weight was down to 6 pounds, 8 ounces. So we have an assignment this week to get her back to her birth weight and have her checked again next week.
Back at the house, Leah had taken Phoebe and Audrey for some play time in our back yard. They were playing in the sandbox when it began raining again.
Leah shouted, “Let’s dance in the rain!”
“Well, my mom’s going to be mad,” Phoebe replied.
“Let’s dance some more!” Leah shouted.
We hit Pagliai’s, a favorite local pizza joint, for lunch Thursday and then a garage sale.
Thursday night, I attended the final session of my latest graduate course. Three courses down, four more to go.
From class, I headed to my softball games. Games, as in two of them. A good old-fashioned doubleheader.
I went 1-for-5 in the first game. Aside from my ground ball single, the balls I hit for outs soared off my bat, but all of them were caught deep in the outfield. Although, two of my outs were RBI-sacrifice flies. So that's something.
In the second game, I sat the first two innings before coming off the bench and slapped a liner to center field that scored a run and helped us put the game away with the 15-run rule.
We’ve won five in a row, and we’re on a roll.
As of this morning, we have the house to ourselves for the first time since Faye was born. Just the four of us. It's a great feeling.
Now we have a solid week together before my parents arrive for a visit next weekend and before I return to work.
We also have gobs of laundry to do, thanks to Ray and Leah bringing us three tubs of clothes, most of which are Phoebe’s old clothes that we loaned to them for Audrey. I'm hardly looking forward to that part of the weekend.
Ray, Leah and their 2-year-old, Audrey arrived Wednesday afternoon for their first-ever visit to The ‘Ville. And it was good.
Once they were settled, we loaded the kids in their strollers and hoped to take a walking tour of the university campus. There were some dark clouds looming, but I remained optimitistic we could complete a tour before the rains came.
We traveled about a quarter of the way down our block as the clouds darkened in the west. Then some thunder rumbled nearby.
“Retreat! Retreat!” Leah shouted, and we promptly turned around the strollers to return to our house.
We had barely stepped inside when the sky let loose with rain, though it only lasted a few minutes.
* * *
Wednesday night, after the kids were in bed, we got a 10 o’clock craving for ice cream. So I was dispatched to the local Dairy Queen with a set of Blizzard orders.
At the Dairy Queen, the lights were on and cars were still in the parking lot. We’re good to go, I thought. … Then I sat in the drive-thru for five minutes only to have a girl come on the speaker to say, “Uh, we’re closed.”
Grrr.
So, I headed to the Sonic across the street, called Kates and took orders for Blasts instead. I waited another 10 minutes for someone to take my order there.
By the time, I returned home, the craving was all but gone.
* * *
Thursday morning, we took Faye to the hospital for her one-week checkup.
All went well and she remains a healthy little girl, although her birth weight was down to 6 pounds, 8 ounces. So we have an assignment this week to get her back to her birth weight and have her checked again next week.
Back at the house, Leah had taken Phoebe and Audrey for some play time in our back yard. They were playing in the sandbox when it began raining again.
Leah shouted, “Let’s dance in the rain!”
“Well, my mom’s going to be mad,” Phoebe replied.
“Let’s dance some more!” Leah shouted.
* * *
We hit Pagliai’s, a favorite local pizza joint, for lunch Thursday and then a garage sale.
Thursday night, I attended the final session of my latest graduate course. Three courses down, four more to go.
From class, I headed to my softball games. Games, as in two of them. A good old-fashioned doubleheader.
I went 1-for-5 in the first game. Aside from my ground ball single, the balls I hit for outs soared off my bat, but all of them were caught deep in the outfield. Although, two of my outs were RBI-sacrifice flies. So that's something.
In the second game, I sat the first two innings before coming off the bench and slapped a liner to center field that scored a run and helped us put the game away with the 15-run rule.
We’ve won five in a row, and we’re on a roll.
* * *
As of this morning, we have the house to ourselves for the first time since Faye was born. Just the four of us. It's a great feeling.
Now we have a solid week together before my parents arrive for a visit next weekend and before I return to work.
We also have gobs of laundry to do, thanks to Ray and Leah bringing us three tubs of clothes, most of which are Phoebe’s old clothes that we loaned to them for Audrey. I'm hardly looking forward to that part of the weekend.
5.30.2012
6 days of Faye
We are home. As a family of four.
And life is good. Very good.
Here are some happenings and observations from our first six days with Faye …
Grandma and Grandpa S. arrived late Thursday night and spent the ensuing days with us, assisting around the house, cooking meals, and playing with Phoebe. They left this morning, and we just finished cleaning and turning over The Hotel, aka Our House, for the next set of guests. Our good friends Ray, Leah and Audrey are en route from suburban Chicago and will spend the next two nights with us.
After spending most of the day at the hospital Friday with Kates and Faye, the grandparents, Phoebe and I headed back to the house mid-afternoon. I spent the remainder of it sleeping on the couch while Grandma played with Phoebe.
“I can’t wake up,” I texted to Kates at one point.
“Me, either,” she replied. “We need the sleep!” … After all, I had only one hour of sleep the night before, and Kates had only a couple more.
Around 6 p.m. Friday, Kates called me back to the hospital. The doctor had given the ok for her to be discharged. After one day. Barely 36 hours after Faye was born.
When I returned to her hospital room, Kates was packing our bags. I took them to the car. A nurse arrived to have us sign the discharge papers. She inspected our car seat, helped us put Faye into it and escorted us out of the hospital.
That was it. It was a miraculous turn of events considering the last time Kates gave birth. We could not have been happier with the way things turned out.
Faye slept wonderfully during her first night in the hospital. But the first night at home wasn’t so great.
She cried and cried as we struggled to get her to sleep. Finally, around 3 a.m., we got her calmed down, and Kates and I could rest.
I slept until nearly 11 a.m. Saturday. As I arrived in the kitchen, Kates’ mom handed me a fresh plate of pancakes, which I took straight to the dining table without breaking a stride. It was almost like a scene out of a sitcom -- me appearing zombie-like from the stairs and the mother-in-law handing me fresh pancakes right on cue. Classic.
Even after a week, Phoebe remains pretty much in love with her new sister.
Every time she sees someone else holding Faye, Phoebe wants to hold her, too.
She also likes to shower Faye in kisses. “Sissy kisses,” she calls them.
Some of the best moments continue to develop from Phoebe’s statements, thoughts and questions about this time of our lives.
The other day in the hospital, Phoebe was holding Faye and sitting in the hospital bed with Kates, when she said, “Mom, I’m not really comfortable with you being up here.” … To which, Kates gave her some extra room and muttered, “Pretty much. I’m just chump change to Phoebe now.”
At another point – while she was holding Faye – Phoebe looked at Kates and asked, “Mommy, when are you going to have another baby?” Kates laughed and said, “Let’s wait until we have this one for awhile, ok, Pheebs?”
And slowly, Phoebe – in her own little 4-year-old way – is understanding how much patience and commitment it takes to raise another child. … The other day Kates told Phoebe that she had to feed Faye, to which Phoebe replied with a big sigh, “A-gain!?”
As a gift to Phoebe, Grandma and Grandpa S. brought a copy of “Annie,” which charmed her immediately.
Already, she’s probably watched it 10 times.
That musical has resulted in a lot of fond childhood memories for me, not to mention the production Kates and I saw a few years ago. ... I'm glad Phoebe's discovering the musical now, too.
We surprised our church family by showing up with Faye at worship Sunday morning.
We were running a little late and entered the sanctuary just as our dear friend Marjean, who was filling in for our vacationing senior pastor, was giving the morning announcements.
As I carried Faye’s car seat and led the family through the back of the sanctuary, Marjean exclaimed, “Oh, and we have a new baby joining us this morning!” She offered a brief blessing and the congregation applauded.
It was a special moment. That it was initiated by Marjean made it mean even more.
Afterward, friends greeted us and offered more congratulations. But half the fun was hearing people’s reactions to us being at church, just three days after Faye’s arrival. “Nah, they won’t be there today!” one friend told us, recounting a conversation with her husband earlier that morning. But we were!
I returned to the softball diamond Tuesday night.
I went 3-for-4, including a line drive I smacked – beautifully – over the shortstop’s head into left center field for a double to lead off the game.
The best part, though, was having Phoebe and Grandpa S. at the game. It was a 9 o’clock start, but we agreed to let Phoebe stay up for the occasion. ... Lord knows she might still have been awake when I returned home anyway.
They arrived just as I was taking my opening at-bat and took a seat on the front row of the bleachers. Phoebe clapped and cheered throughout the game, shouting “Daddy!” and waving at me whenever I took the field. It was adorable.
Throughout this first week, we’ve enjoyed looking back at pictures taken when Phoebe was a baby and comparing those with the new images of Faye.
In some of the photos, it’s difficult to tell the two girls apart if you don’t know better …
The answer: That’s Phoebe on the left, and Faye on the right.
And life is good. Very good.
Here are some happenings and observations from our first six days with Faye …
* * *
Grandma and Grandpa S. arrived late Thursday night and spent the ensuing days with us, assisting around the house, cooking meals, and playing with Phoebe. They left this morning, and we just finished cleaning and turning over The Hotel, aka Our House, for the next set of guests. Our good friends Ray, Leah and Audrey are en route from suburban Chicago and will spend the next two nights with us.
After spending most of the day at the hospital Friday with Kates and Faye, the grandparents, Phoebe and I headed back to the house mid-afternoon. I spent the remainder of it sleeping on the couch while Grandma played with Phoebe.
“I can’t wake up,” I texted to Kates at one point.
“Me, either,” she replied. “We need the sleep!” … After all, I had only one hour of sleep the night before, and Kates had only a couple more.
Around 6 p.m. Friday, Kates called me back to the hospital. The doctor had given the ok for her to be discharged. After one day. Barely 36 hours after Faye was born.
When I returned to her hospital room, Kates was packing our bags. I took them to the car. A nurse arrived to have us sign the discharge papers. She inspected our car seat, helped us put Faye into it and escorted us out of the hospital.
That was it. It was a miraculous turn of events considering the last time Kates gave birth. We could not have been happier with the way things turned out.
* * *
Faye slept wonderfully during her first night in the hospital. But the first night at home wasn’t so great.
She cried and cried as we struggled to get her to sleep. Finally, around 3 a.m., we got her calmed down, and Kates and I could rest.
I slept until nearly 11 a.m. Saturday. As I arrived in the kitchen, Kates’ mom handed me a fresh plate of pancakes, which I took straight to the dining table without breaking a stride. It was almost like a scene out of a sitcom -- me appearing zombie-like from the stairs and the mother-in-law handing me fresh pancakes right on cue. Classic.
* * *
Even after a week, Phoebe remains pretty much in love with her new sister.
Every time she sees someone else holding Faye, Phoebe wants to hold her, too.
She also likes to shower Faye in kisses. “Sissy kisses,” she calls them.
Some of the best moments continue to develop from Phoebe’s statements, thoughts and questions about this time of our lives.
The other day in the hospital, Phoebe was holding Faye and sitting in the hospital bed with Kates, when she said, “Mom, I’m not really comfortable with you being up here.” … To which, Kates gave her some extra room and muttered, “Pretty much. I’m just chump change to Phoebe now.”
At another point – while she was holding Faye – Phoebe looked at Kates and asked, “Mommy, when are you going to have another baby?” Kates laughed and said, “Let’s wait until we have this one for awhile, ok, Pheebs?”
And slowly, Phoebe – in her own little 4-year-old way – is understanding how much patience and commitment it takes to raise another child. … The other day Kates told Phoebe that she had to feed Faye, to which Phoebe replied with a big sigh, “A-gain!?”
* * *
As a gift to Phoebe, Grandma and Grandpa S. brought a copy of “Annie,” which charmed her immediately.
Already, she’s probably watched it 10 times.
That musical has resulted in a lot of fond childhood memories for me, not to mention the production Kates and I saw a few years ago. ... I'm glad Phoebe's discovering the musical now, too.
* * *
We surprised our church family by showing up with Faye at worship Sunday morning.
We were running a little late and entered the sanctuary just as our dear friend Marjean, who was filling in for our vacationing senior pastor, was giving the morning announcements.
As I carried Faye’s car seat and led the family through the back of the sanctuary, Marjean exclaimed, “Oh, and we have a new baby joining us this morning!” She offered a brief blessing and the congregation applauded.
It was a special moment. That it was initiated by Marjean made it mean even more.
Afterward, friends greeted us and offered more congratulations. But half the fun was hearing people’s reactions to us being at church, just three days after Faye’s arrival. “Nah, they won’t be there today!” one friend told us, recounting a conversation with her husband earlier that morning. But we were!
* * *
I returned to the softball diamond Tuesday night.
I went 3-for-4, including a line drive I smacked – beautifully – over the shortstop’s head into left center field for a double to lead off the game.
The best part, though, was having Phoebe and Grandpa S. at the game. It was a 9 o’clock start, but we agreed to let Phoebe stay up for the occasion. ... Lord knows she might still have been awake when I returned home anyway.
They arrived just as I was taking my opening at-bat and took a seat on the front row of the bleachers. Phoebe clapped and cheered throughout the game, shouting “Daddy!” and waving at me whenever I took the field. It was adorable.
* * *
Throughout this first week, we’ve enjoyed looking back at pictures taken when Phoebe was a baby and comparing those with the new images of Faye.
In some of the photos, it’s difficult to tell the two girls apart if you don’t know better …
The answer: That’s Phoebe on the left, and Faye on the right.
5.22.2012
Playing games
Man, I’m having fun with this softball stuff.
After our awful showing last week, our team played flawlessly tonight.
I don’t know what the final score was, but I know we won by a comfortable margin.
We hit the ball solidly and kept scoring runs. … Better yet, barely a ball got through our infield. I played a perfect third base, notching four putouts myself, including the first part of a 5-4-3 double play to end the second inning.
At the plate, I went 1-for-3. I lined out to short and then flied out to left. In my last at-bat, I singled on a liner to center field and eventually scored.
Our team got together for a practice Sunday and I think all of us could agree it jumpstarted our play tonight. I know it made a huge difference for me to get in some lengthy fielding practice and, after all of my years of facing hard-throwing baseball pitchers, I’m adjusting to the slower pace of a soft, underhand pitch.
The ball was flying off my bat during our practice Sunday. Despite my small frame, Coach says he’s impressed with my bat speed. He says I’m like Alfonso Soriano, but I play better defense.
I’ll take it, I guess.
Meanwhile, the waiting game for Baby 2 continues.
We have to keep reminding ourselves that D-Day isn’t for another five days. But we were sure she’d be here by now.
Instead the anxiety is growing. Kates is more uncomfortable by the minute.
At dinner tonight …
Phoebe’s questions are getting more inquisitive, too
Tonight, to Kates, as we drove home from my softball game ...
As Kates left for her doctor’s appointment the other day ...
Of course, we’ll always remember the classic that started it all ...
Although, seeing Phoebe’s response to every new development makes me glad we timed the arrival of her little sibling when we did. It’s fun to see her love for her little sister already developing with the way she kisses and hugs Kates’ belly. And it’s fun to witness her responses to our random baby discussions.
One of her recent memorable quotes as she played in our living room ...
When Kates returned from her appointment yesterday and reported that the baby had dropped and the doctor was able to feel its head, Phoebe responded with a high pitched ...
And on Saturday, as Phoebe was deep into another one of her pretend cooking sessions, she walked around, stirring a bowl and saying ...
This stuff never gets old. Soon, God willing, we’ll be having double the fun.
After our awful showing last week, our team played flawlessly tonight.
I don’t know what the final score was, but I know we won by a comfortable margin.
We hit the ball solidly and kept scoring runs. … Better yet, barely a ball got through our infield. I played a perfect third base, notching four putouts myself, including the first part of a 5-4-3 double play to end the second inning.
At the plate, I went 1-for-3. I lined out to short and then flied out to left. In my last at-bat, I singled on a liner to center field and eventually scored.
Our team got together for a practice Sunday and I think all of us could agree it jumpstarted our play tonight. I know it made a huge difference for me to get in some lengthy fielding practice and, after all of my years of facing hard-throwing baseball pitchers, I’m adjusting to the slower pace of a soft, underhand pitch.
The ball was flying off my bat during our practice Sunday. Despite my small frame, Coach says he’s impressed with my bat speed. He says I’m like Alfonso Soriano, but I play better defense.
I’ll take it, I guess.
* * *
Meanwhile, the waiting game for Baby 2 continues.
We have to keep reminding ourselves that D-Day isn’t for another five days. But we were sure she’d be here by now.
Instead the anxiety is growing. Kates is more uncomfortable by the minute.
At dinner tonight …
Kates, with a sigh: “I’m ready for this baby to come.”
Me: “I am so ready.”
Phoebe, with a more dramatic sigh: “Me, too. I’m super-duper 100 percent ready.”
Phoebe’s questions are getting more inquisitive, too
Tonight, to Kates, as we drove home from my softball game ...
“How will you get the baby out?”
As Kates left for her doctor’s appointment the other day ...
“Is it time for the baby to come out?!”
Of course, we’ll always remember the classic that started it all ...
“Did you eat it?”
Although, seeing Phoebe’s response to every new development makes me glad we timed the arrival of her little sibling when we did. It’s fun to see her love for her little sister already developing with the way she kisses and hugs Kates’ belly. And it’s fun to witness her responses to our random baby discussions.
One of her recent memorable quotes as she played in our living room ...
“M-O-Q-H-I! What does that spell?! Baby!”
When Kates returned from her appointment yesterday and reported that the baby had dropped and the doctor was able to feel its head, Phoebe responded with a high pitched ...
“Are you serious!?”
And on Saturday, as Phoebe was deep into another one of her pretend cooking sessions, she walked around, stirring a bowl and saying ...
“I'm just dilating stuff.”
This stuff never gets old. Soon, God willing, we’ll be having double the fun.
5.17.2012
Terri-ball
So I played my second softball game tonight.
It was our team’s fourth. I’ve missed the last two because of my Thursday evening graduate classes and Phoebe’s illness Tuesday night. … Apparently, we didn’t play well in either game and lost both by one run.
Tonight’s game didn’t start any better for us. We played terribly during the first half; we looked a lot like our opponent in Game 1.
During the first couple innings we were booting the ball all over the infield or just plain letting it bounce past us. We were down 15-0 after two innings, and we dodged the 15-run mercy rule that would have ended the game only after we managed a single run in the bottom of the third inning.
Then we came back.
By the sixth inning we closed the gap, down 19-17. I went 2-for-4 on the night, including a well-placed ground ball that traced the third base line and skipped beautifully between the bag and the third baseman to score an RBI and keep our fifth-inning rally going.
But it wasn’t enough. We lost the game and our record falls to 1-3.
It was our team’s fourth. I’ve missed the last two because of my Thursday evening graduate classes and Phoebe’s illness Tuesday night. … Apparently, we didn’t play well in either game and lost both by one run.
Tonight’s game didn’t start any better for us. We played terribly during the first half; we looked a lot like our opponent in Game 1.
During the first couple innings we were booting the ball all over the infield or just plain letting it bounce past us. We were down 15-0 after two innings, and we dodged the 15-run mercy rule that would have ended the game only after we managed a single run in the bottom of the third inning.
Then we came back.
By the sixth inning we closed the gap, down 19-17. I went 2-for-4 on the night, including a well-placed ground ball that traced the third base line and skipped beautifully between the bag and the third baseman to score an RBI and keep our fifth-inning rally going.
But it wasn’t enough. We lost the game and our record falls to 1-3.
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