Hitting the Wall in Slo-Pitch

Last night’s predicted rain showed up late, so we got in a game on a nice, if humid, evening.  Some people were working, or otherwise occupied, or perhaps  watching the Stanley Cup finals.  Thankfully our new guy Zac showed up, so we had 8 players. 

                As the visiting team, we started hitting, and started well.  Steve M drove a line drive to deep centre for a double.  He, Chip, and Devin came in to score that inning.  While we let in five in the bottom, in the second we held W-K to only a solo home run in the second.  After six runs each in the third, we were in a close 12-9 game.   Our bats quieted down a bit after that, with my lead-off home run in the fourth and one more run in the fifth giving us hope but not many runs.   We finished strong, tough, with four more in the top of the seventh.

                Defensively, despite their home runs, we didn’t get mercied in any inning.  (We did give up 8 runs in the seventh, an open inning, but got three outs.)  After some rain fell at the end of the inning, we called it a game.  Good timing, too, as the skies opened shortly after we got to the cars.

Extra Slo-Pitch

Last week I was worried what I would do with too many players (13 in all).  This week was the opposite.  Despite some last-minute emails and phone calls, I went to the diamond expecting only about 6 players.  Chip did show up, so we had seven.  Luckily, Ted from WMB2 got to the diamond a day early, and we had an extra yellow shirt.   Eight is enough.

                Our bats were cool like the breeze blowing in from left field, and we didn’t score a run in the first four innings.  However, Cal was on his game and our defense was solid.  We held Waterloo North to a run in the first and two in the third, blanking them in the second and fourth.  Greg led off the top of the fifth with a hit, and we batted around to score 3 runs to tie.  Again, infielders made their plays, outfielders caught the flies, and balls stayed in front of us.  At the end of nine innings we were tied at 5, and it was about 8:10 pm.  After a scoreless tenth, we hit around again for another three-spot, and held WN to one run in the bottom. 

                I emailed the league convenor after the game, since ties are unusual, and I thought that using a player from another team might be against the rules.  He said that ties should be played out if there is time, as we did.  Second, he said that there isn’t a specific rule about players belonging to a team, it is mostly a “spirit of the game” guidance.  Since we weren’t going after a ringer but avoiding default with someone who was there, everything was legitimate.  (It also means that Ted can play the rest of the season with his regular team without worry.   He hadn’t played yet this season, so I wondered if he became “property” of First.  No such luck.)

                So, with last week’s win by default, we are now a .500 team (2-2-1).   

Cooperative Slo-Pitch

Last Wednesday we had thirteen players show up for Slo-Pitch.  That is great, and will help make sure we have full teams when summer holiday season comes up.  Doug and Chip saw their first action of the season.

Just as I was about to feel the stress of juggling the defensive line-up to get us all in, we realized that Stirling had only 4 players.  (It is their third default of the season.)  So the last three players to arrive, plus Mark P (since he wasn’t wearing a yellow shirt) played with Stirling, and we got in a game.

The entire Slo-Pitch alphabet

Wednesday was the nicest night of the week for ball, and except for some bugs we enjoyed a great late evening ball game against WMB 2.

                We started the game with three runs in the top of the first – Steve M getting on, Kevin getting a triple and Devin had bringing him in with a single and later scoring.   We gave up twice that in the bottom, but got another three in the second.  Our bats were hot all game, actually.   Steve M batted in each of the eight innings, scoring four times and only getting out once.  Devin and Mark DH were perfect at the plate, with one less at bat than Steve.  In the sixth, we sent twelve batters to the plate and scored 8 runs to mercy them.  We ended up with a run for each letter of the English alphabet.  It was a closer game than I may have thought, as it ended up 35-26.