Close only counts in horseshoes and Slo-Pitch

Tuesday night saw an excellent defensive game played on Diamond 'B'. After Waterloo North had a five-run outburst in the bottom of the first, we all settled down into a low-scoring match.
We played solid defensively, with David Neufeld making a number of slick pick-ups and strong throws from shortstop, to mention only one player. John Pries also made a number of catches roving in the outfield. The pitching of Dave Frey and Cal Jutzi combined to allow only four more runs over the next seven innings, despite a gusting wind playing with the pitches.
Offensively we did well, even if we came up short. My scoresheet shows that Cam J reached base all four times at-bat, and I think that included a few runs batted in. Mark DH had the three shorter parts of the cycle, and scored each time he got on base. Cal (speedster) and Cam J showed some heads-up base running, taking an extra base when third was left uncovered by Cam's fly into short left field. Cal (the lead runner) wisely ignored my coaching instructions, and Cam followed Cal's lead by sneaking into second on the play.
In the end, we did score six runs, just short of Waterloo North's nine, but we were in the game the whole time. It was just their three-run homer in the first that made the difference. We had eleven players, which was a nice amount, even if two of the eleven were different than who I was expecting. It is quite helpful to know ahead of time with some degree of certainty who will come or not.
Next week we play Wednesday, June 24 at 7 pm, home vs Erb Street on Diamond 'B'. I am expecting Cam, Cal, Scott, Dave F, Mackenzie F, Nathan M, and Tracy K. Mark DH's brother Kendall facebooked the event, wanting to come. Mark himself, and John Pries, are not able to make it. Please let me know if you will come. I anticipate that this could be another close and competitive game.
T-shirts: We approved the design of the t-shirts that Tracy is getting for us. On the front, it will say "The Last Shall Be FIRST", and the back will have a large 1, with the st in small superscript for all of us. Since Tracy is getting these from a client in lieu of money she is owed, I think that we should each pay her $10 for our shirts, and some of the team's extra funds beyond what is needed for this year's fees could go to purchase remainders for future seasons. (Future players could then pay into the team kitty for their shirts.) It might be hard to get Tracy (who doesn't have email and so is likely not reading this) to take the money, but she deserves it. I have also not collected player fees from her, offsetting the "cost" of 5 shirts. If you have any comments on this, you can post them here on the blog or on the group page on Facebook, or email me, or talk at Wednesday's game.