The Game that Almost Wasn’t – 9/20 vs. The Beestroyers

Zeb at the plate - no question in my mind he was "Player of the game" with 3 homers & 7 rbis!

When I showed up at Irving Park last Sunday—early as usual—for our game against the Beestroyers, I expected to watch some of the game between Yur’s Bar & the Pineapples; but what I found instead was a group of the Pineapples milling around, playing catch, & generally taking stock of a situation that included virtually no players from Yur’s Bar. Indeed, the 1:30 game had been a forfeit.

So what were the odds that our game would also be a forfeit? Slim, right? It was a beautiful late summer Sunday, perfect for a game of softball. Who wouldn’t want to come out on such a day? But in fact, as the time for our game drew near & the Underhanded Compliments gathered, we discovered that the Beestroyers didn’t have enough players, & weren’t sure enough would show up—in fact, they suspected strongly that they wouldn’t get the minimum eight players.

Lauren at the plate: a model of consistency & skill. 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored & 2 driven in.

Various options were discussed; we wanted to play, so at one point we agreed to a scrimmage that would involve loaning the Beestroyers a couple of our players. In addition, a player from the Syndicate had showed up very early for his 4:30 game, so the Beestroyers recruited him. & then, just as the forfeit was about to become a fait accompli, a couple of Beestroyers came to the rescue, & they had a nine-player team.

Mark at the plate: speaking of models of consistency--4 for 4 with 3 rbis!

The Beestroyers went down 1-2-3 in the top of the first, & Lauren started off the first for us with a single. Zeb—who had a monster day (& is having a monster season after 3 games!) rocked a homer to deep right field, & we were up two just like that. Matt singled, & then with one out, Bryce also hit a home run. Mark followed with a triple, but we were unable to bring him home. Still, we had a 4-0 lead after one.

Matt lamented that he had few rbi chances with all of Zeb's home runs, but he did go 2 for 3 & added a sacrifice fly the one time Zeb didn't homer!

The Beestroyers were able to answer however, as their first two batters reached base, & both ended up scoring. We were able to escape the inning without further damage though, in part because of a great catch made by Mark, ranging from his shortstop position well in to left field, to record the third out with two runners on base.

Kristina went 4 for 4 & scored 3 runs!

We really got our offense going in the bottom of the inning. Kristina, Emily H, & Rob led off with singles, the latter scoring Kristina. Nicole then drove Emily home on a fielder’s choice, & after a second out was recorded, we rallied in a big way. Zeb hit yet another 2-run homer, Matt tripled, Triffid singled him home, Bryce doubled, then Mark singled to score both Triffid & Bryce. Just like that we were up 11-2, & the Beestroyers went quietly in the top of the third.

If I could name two "Players of the game" Emily H would definitely be my choice along with Zeb - possibly her best game ever with the team. 3 for 4, 3 runs scored & an rbi! Really solid contact too!

The third turned out to be even a better inning for the Underhanded Compliments. Yours truly led off with a single, as did Kristina—& then Emily H smacked a liner to center for an rbi. Rob came through with an rbi double, & Nicole followed with a 2-run single. Lauren also singled, & then Zeb doubled to score Nicole. Matt hit a sacrifice fly to drive in another run with the inning’s first out, & then in succession, Triffid singled, Bryce doubled, & Mark singled; after a second out was recorded, yours truly came up again & drove in the ninth run with a single to center.

Nicole attacking the ball! Big 2-run single for her in the third, & a total of 3 rbis!

Having reached the run limit, we moved to the fourth inning, & the Beestroyers did score a single run. But we were back in business in the bottom of the inning as Kristina & Emily H started us off with singles, & Rob followed with an rbi double. With one out, Lauren hit a 2-run single, & then Zeb hit his third 2-run homer of the day! The amazing thing is the Beestroyers insisted on playing him at medium depth (at best) in right field, though the way those balls were crushed it wouldn’t have made much difference. Five more runs on the board & a 25-3 lead.

No matter where he bats in the order, Rob is an rbi machine! Really great addition to the club too, as he is willing & able also to play several positions in the field.

The Beestroyers did plate two runs in the fifth, but we matched that in the bottom of the inning as Bryce led off with a homer, followed by a double from Mark, who was then driven home by Emily K’s single. The Beestroyers were held scoreless in the sixth, & the game was called both for time & score. We won 27-5; you could say we "beestroyed the Beestroyers."

Emily K put on exclamation point on the proceedings with an rbi single in the fifth inning

The next three games are all against teams ahead of us in the standings: 9/27 vs. The Pineapples, who are also 2-1, though one of those wins was the forfeit by Yur’s Bar (which also means they’ve allowed fewer runs), then 10/4 & 10/11 against the two currently undefeated teams, dickbat.biz & the Syndicate. Of course, one of those teams will have a loss after 9/27, because they’re facing off against each other in the 10:30 game!

Triffid was 2 for 4 batting clean up, with 3 runs scored & 2 driven in; & pitched a great game as always!

Next week: 9/27 vs. The Pineapples!

Not Quite: 9/13/15 vs Yurs Bar

Triffid had a great game recording four strikeouts & no walks (as usual!) She was named Player of the Day - with Emily K at third base

Sunday September 13th was an ideal day for a softball game: warm & sunny, & a summer feeling in the air; & the Underhanded Compliments & Yurs Bar (AKA Up Yurs) played a rollicking softball game indeed, going to extra innings, Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end of a 19-18 score.

We got off to a solid start in the first inning, as Zeb, Lauren, & Matt led off with consecutive singles, & then Rob followed with a 2-run double, & Emily K added on with a 2-run single. Unfortunately, we were unable to add on, & Yurs scored 3 runs in answer in the bottom of the inning. We were playing as the visiting team, & that may have been a crucial factor in this tight game.

Rob also had a big game going 3 for 5 with two doubles, a triple &  6 rbis!

Mark led off the second with a home run, then with one out, Kristina & Zeb each singled. Following a second out, Matt singled home Kristina & Rob doubled in Zeb & Matt. Yurs only scored one in the bottom of the inning, & after two we led 8-4.

Kristina had a big hit in the second

Unfortunately, we were unable to score in the third, & Yurs scored in the bottom of the third to go up 9-8. But we answered in the top of the fourth: With one out, Zeb smashed a homer to right, then Lauren walked & Matt followed with a 2-run homer. We had a two-run lead! Admittedly, in slow pitch softball two runs are practically nothing.

Huge day for Zeb: 5 for 5, 4 runs scored, including 2 homers & a triple!

The lead was indeed short-lived as Yurs again put up 5 runs in the bottom of the fourth to go back on top 16-11. We got one back in the top of the fifth; with two outs, Triffid tripled & Mark sent her home with a double. & we were finally able to hold Yurs scoreless in the bottom of the inning!

Emily K was 2 for 4 plus a walk, including a homer & 4 rbis!

The sixth was our big inning. With one out, Zeb hit his second home run, Lauren & Matt singled, & Rob hit a 2-run triple. Emily K then rocked a 2-run home run to left center, & we’d taken a 17-16 lead! & we held Yurs scoreless again in the bottom of the sixth!

In the top of the seventh, Mark led off with a single—his fourth hit on the day—& after two outs were recorded, Zeb tripled to right. We had a two-run lead going into the bottom of the seventh.

Mark had a big 4 for 4 game, including a homer & a double.

Yurs put its first two runners on, but then a base running blunder by them & a great, heads up play by Triffid & Zeb led to a double play. There was a runner on second with two outs, & we had a 2-run lead.

Lauren was 2 for 4 plus a walk, with three runs scored

Sad to say, the next Yurs batter smashed a ball into the left center field gap. Lauren made a valiant attempt to track it down, but when the dust cleared, the ball went to the fence for a 2-run inside the park homer. The next batter flied out to Rob, but the game was tied at 18.

It’s unusual for Underdog Sports league games to go to extra innings because the games are run on a tight schedule. However, our game was the final game of the day, & so we went to the eighth inning. We went down quietly in the top of the inning—our only base runner was Emily K, who worked a 2-out walk.

Matt on the move! 4 for 5 including a homer, 4 runs scored & 4 rbis

The leadoff batter for Yurs doubled, & then we recorded an out. But the next Yurs batter absolutely crushed a ball to deep right field—actually, more like left field on Field #2. Emily H had zero chance of getting to the ball, which would have been a home run, but of course once the runner on second scored, the game was over.

It was a tough loss. While we’ve been scoring a lot of runs, we’ve been surrendering a lot so far this fall as well. But one thing for sure: this is no fault of Triffid, who really pitched a great game & was let down by the defense on several occasions. Triffid recorded 4 strikeouts without a walk (the latter almost goes without saying), & was named player of the day.

We’ll hope to get back on the winning side on 9/20 (today, actually!) against the Beestroyers!


Next Week: The Beestroyers!

Fall Opener – 8/23/15 vs All My Subs

Opening Day Line-up!: L-R: Emily K: 3B; Kristina: OF; Derek: OF; Triffid: P; Zeb: 1B; Cameron: C; Matt: OF; Justin: OF; John: 2B; Mark: SS

As we approached the opening game of fall season, not only were the Underhanded Compliments about to play All My Subs…for a while it looked as though we ourselves could have used that for a team name (or at least a sort of sub-title.) In fact, up until a few days before the game, it looked like five of our full-time players in addition to all three subs who’d signed on would be unavailable for the first game! That left us with only seven players.

We launched into a recruiting campaign, & were able to find 3 more subs; then it turned out one of the players who thought she’d miss the game was available after all, so going into Sunday, we seemed to have eleven. But one of the subs had to bail out because of a work situation, so as it turned out, we played the game with exactly ten players.

Zeb's first inning homer

All My Subs opened the scoring with one run in the top of the first, but we answered back loud & clear. In fact, after one out was recorded, Zeb, in his return to the team after taking the summer off, blasted a long home run to right field, & Matt, Emily K, & Mark followed with consecutive doubles to increase the lead to 3-1. After the second out was recorded, Triffid began a string of six batters getting hits with a double of her own to drive in Mark. Justin, who was one of the new subs & who finished the day 4 for 4 with an rbi & 2 runs scored, lined a single, then Cameron doubled, Kristina & Derek (our other new sub, who had a great day both at the plate & in the field) singled, & Zeb doubled to end the scoring. We’d sent 13 batters to the plate & scored 8 runs.

Mark went 4 for 5 with 3 runs scored & 2 rbis

However, All My Subs is an experienced team filled with capable players, & they scored five runs themselves in the top of the second to cut the lead to 8-6. But we kept up the attack during our turn at bat. Emily K, Mark & yours truly started the inning off with singles, & then Triffid hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Mark. Justin followed with a single & Cameron drove in another run on a fielder’s choice. Kristina & Derek again had back-to-back base hits & Zeb then smoked a 2-run triple—he had three legs of the cycle in the second inning! Emily K & Mark followed with singles, which brought us to the 9-run maximum.

Big game for Emily K: 4 for 4 including a double & triple; also a walk, 3 runs scored, 3 rbis, & her usual strong play at third base

We led 17-6, & that seemed like a safe enough lead. Also, through 2 innings we’d been able to score almost at will, so we were looking forward to a romp. All My Subs had other plans however, & followed our 9-run maximum with one of their own in the top of the third! Now the score was 17-15, & anyone’s game.

Cameron checked in with 2 for 4, including a triple, & 4 rbis!

Yours truly led off the bottom of the third with a base hit, then with one out Justin also singled. Cameron followed by crushing a ball to center for a two-run triple, though he was thrown out at the plate trying for four—& that was the end of the scoring.

We held All My Subs scoreless in the fourth, & Derek led off the bottom half with yet another base hit. She went 4 for 5 on the day, scored 2 runs, drove in 2 more, & played a solid game in the outfield. After two were out, Emily K (who also had a big day at the plate) hit an rbi triple.

Great debut with the Underhanded Compliments for Derek!

Things remained tight from here on out, & All My Subs actually took the lead, 21-20 in the top of the sixth. But Kristina & Derek once more packed a one-two punch as each singled to start the inning. With one out, Matt doubled Emily walked, & Mark singled. Yours truly followed with an rbi fielder’s choice, & we had a 23-21 lead. All My Subs managed one base hit in the top of the seventh, but the other three batters made outs & the game was ours.

Kristina had a great 3 for 4 day!

Matt was named player of the game as he made some great plays in center field & also went 3 for 5 with two doubles. Obviously there were a number of other worthy candidates as well!

Matt was player of the game based on both great hitting & great fielding!

This Sunday will be another tough match-up: versus The Syndicate!


UPDATE: The game against The Syndicate was rained out, & Underdog is taking Labor Day weekend off. Our next scheduled game is September 13th vs. Yurs Bar. There may or may not be a new blog post in the interim.

The Champ(s)! – 8/3 vs. The Therminators

The Champs! L-R: Cameron, Emily K, Kristina, Nicole, Matt, Gustav, Triffid, Steven, Mark, John, Emily H, Lauren, Bryce

Monday August 3rd brought the Underhanded Compliments to the game we’d all been waiting for: the Summer League Championship final versus the Therminators. The game was a rematch of last year’s title game, in which we’d defeated the Therminators 20-4 to take the 2014 title. So here we were again, defending champs, with a record of 8-0, trying to finish off a perfect season!

We’d dominated the Therminators in a game earlier this season, winning 28-3; but I suspected they were going to prove to be stiffer competition in this game. Indeed, they came out hitting, racking up two singles in the first three batters, & scoring two runs on a 2-out triple.

Cameron played a really inspired game both at bat & in the field

But we were able to answer in the bottom of the first. Gustav, playing his final game with the Underhanded Compliments, led off with a walk, & Lauren & Matt followed with  singles, the latter scoring Gustav. Bryce then hit a 2-run triple, & Emily K came through with a sacrifice fly to center to send Bryce home. Mark singled, then after the second out was recorded (with Mark taking second on a grounder), yours truly doubled to drive him in. We led 5-2.

Triffid had a great season pitching, with a 6-0 record!

But the Therminators were far from done. Their lead-off hitter singled, & with one out the next batter drew a walk; this was followed by yet another 2-run triple! But we were able to strand that runner on third base & maintain a narrow lead.

Steven at short, Gustav in left: great games by both!

Steven led off the bottom of the second with a single, & with one out, Cameron hit a hustle double to put runners on second & third. Kristina followed with an rbi infield single (aided by a really heads up deke from Cameron at second that delayed the shortstop’s throw to first). After the second out was recorded, Lauren drew a walk & Matt came through with a clutch 2-out, 2-run single to increase our lead to 8-4.

Kristina made a fine catch in right & had an rbi single!

The Therminators were not quitting, however. Their lead-off batter singled, & with one out, another single put runners on the corners. Kristina made a fine catch on a fly ball to right field that followed, but it was deep enough to score the runner on third. Fortunately, Steven was able to make a fine running catch from his shortstop position on a pop up to shallow left to end the rally.

Emily H had a big clutch rbi single in the 4th!

We were held scoreless in the bottom of the inning, & despite loading the bases in the top of the fourth, the Therminators also failed to score. In our half of the fourth the first two batters made outs, but Steven came through with a triple, & then Emily H lined a clutch rbi single to the outfield. Cameron doubled again, but we were unable to score further. We held the Therminators scoreless in the top of the fifth, & then Gustav led off by drawing another base on balls. Lauren singled, but both Gustav & Lauren were retired going for the extra base. Matt came through with a 2-out double, however, & Bryce sent him home with a triple. Going into the top of the sixth we led 10-5.

Bryce in center & Nicole at second reacting to a ball in play. Nicole had another solid game in the field, & Bryce was tremendous as always!

Gustav made a couple of fine plays in left field in the sixth, but the Therminators were able to score a run; the inning was brought to a close on a truly heads up & skillful play by Emily K on a slow grounder to third. Still, we were able to answer during our at bats. Mark led off with a double, & with one out yours truly singled to score him. After the second out was recorded, Steven tripled to drive in yet another run, & we led 12-6.

Emily K played her usual great game at third & had a big rbi in the first

Going into the seventh, it looked like we had the game in hand. Their lead off batter hit a pop up to Emily K, & while the next batter tripled, we were able to record the second out on a routine fly to left.

It was at this point that all hell broke loose—2 outs & one on, with a 6 run lead….what could go wrong? In fact, the next six Therminators batters all reached base on a series of hits & errors, & suddenly the score was 12-11 us with the tying run on second & the go ahead run on first. Their batter made hard contact, sending a drive to left—but Gustav was able to run it down, & with that, the title was ours! How appropriate that Gustav recorded the final out for us in his final game, & on a fine play at that.

The winning bracket!

It was a great season. We finished 9-0, to improve our 2-year record in the Irving Summer Weeknight League to 17-0-1, with back-to-back championships. We outscored our opponents this season 178 to 69, & we put up a team slash line (batting average/on base percentage/slugging percentage) of .627/.637/1.043. Most importantly, however, the team had a lot of fun, always supported each other, & created a great atmosphere. So proud of these folks!

Final standings & a nice write-up by Underdog Sports

We’ll be on hiatus for a bit until we start up Fall League on August 23rd!

The Next Step – 7/29 vs. The Performance Enhancers

Post game! L-R: Nicole, Kristina, Cameron, Matt, Emily H, Bryce, Steven, Emily K, Triffid, Gustav, Mark (missing: Lauren, who had family duty, & yours truly, who was taking the photo!)

A hot summer evening with an almost full (& almost blue) moon rising in a sky gradually shifting from daylight to twilight—great setting for a softball game, & for a softball playoff game at that.

In fact, the game lived up to the great setting. Typically slow-pitch softball is a lot like some amateur jam sessions: much more fun & engaging to be a participant than a spectator. But I think the Underhanded Compliments & the Performance Enhancers put on a pretty fair show on Wednesday, at least in the eyes of the various friends, spouses, moms & grandpas who congregated to watch the game. We knew going in it wasn’t going to be an easy game, & the Performance Enhancers certainly lived up to that expectation.

Following a scoreless top of the first for the Enhancers, we were able to get on the board in the bottom of the inning. With two out, Matt & Bryce hit back-to-back doubles, & that staked us to a 1-0 lead.

Another great day for Matt: 2 for 3 including a double, & a great catch to end the game!

The top of the second began with Nicole making a nice back pedaling catch into short right center to record an out. A runner reached first, but one batter later Nicole recorded an unassisted force at second for out number two. The next batter singled however, & that was followed by an rbi double to tie the game. The following batter hit a drive to right center that was sinking fast, looking like the Performance Enhancers were going to go up by two, but Bryce made a great sliding catch to record the out & end the rally.

Emily H had a big 2-run single during our second inning rally!

The bottom of the second was big for us. With one out (& two strikes on her) Nicole hit a line drive single, & yours truly followed with an opposite field liner for a base hit. Triffid then singled to load the bases for Steven who responded in a big way with a 2-run double. Emily H. followed with a clutch 2-run single, then Cameron & Kristina each singled to load the bases for Gustav, who came through with a 2-run double. We’d scored 6 & now led 7-1—not a comfortable lead in slow-pitch, but a bit of breathing room at least.

Steven had a huge game: 3 for 3, including 2 doubles, plus 4 rbis!

Both teams were retired without scoring in the third, & the Performance Enhancers also went quietly in the top of the fourth. In the bottom half yours truly led off with another opposite field single. Triffid doubled, & then Steven singled to score Mark, who was running for me.

The top of the fifth started in fairly spectacular fashion. The outfielders were playing deep with one of their stronger hitters at the plate—& he appeared to cross up the defense by hitting a fly ball that would land uncaught in medium right-center. Nicole, however, back-pedaled into the outfield & leaped to make a great catch, recording the first out! A good thing, too, because this was the inning when the Performance Enhancers would make their run, & every out was critical. The next batter doubled & went to third on a grounder to Nicole who got the batter at first. Two outs, no problem, right? Unfortunately, the next batter singled the runner home, & the following batter hit a deep home run to cut the lead to 8-4. The very next batter hit the ball right on the nose, but Emily K was able to snag the liner, & we were out of the inning with a 4-run lead.

Bryce went 3 for 3: 2 doubles, a single & 2 rbis!

We were able to answer at least partially in our half of the fifth. With one out, Lauren lined a single, & Matt followed with a single of his own. Bryce then smashed a liner up the middle—somehow the shortstop was able to get a glove on it, & what likely would have been an extra base hit fell for a single—but Lauren was able to score. The Performance Enhancers played solid defense all game long; their shortstop & pitcher in particular seemed to catch everything headed in their direction.

Lauren at the plate! Big hit & run scored in the fifth inning

The Performance Enhancers came through with a 2-out rally in the top of the sixth. After the first two batters had been retired, they hit a single & then a run-scoring double. Emily K ended the rally, making a fine play on a slowly hit ground ball, tagging out the runner, who’d made an ill-advised dash toward third. Even with Emily K’s great arm, it’s questionable if she could have thrown out the batter, so it was a heads up play on her part.

Emily K made a couple of critical plays at third base!

Our first two batters in the bottom of the sixth made outs, so yours truly found himself at the plate with two outs & no one on. The pitcher had gotten wise to my trick of hitting to right field, so he motioned the right fielder in where she would have a chance to snag a short line drive. This gave me the notion that it might not be such a bad idea to try to hit something up the middle, & I was able to line one hard enough that the pitcher could only deflect it, & fortunately I managed to beat out the throw from short. Triffid then followed with a single, & Steven again came through in the clutch with an rbi double to increase the lead to 10-5—again, far from safe in slow-pitch, but a big step in the right direction.

Kristina came through with a single in our 6-run second inning!

In fact, we were able to retire the Performance Enhancers 3-up, 3-down in the top of the seventh—a grounder to Mark that he took unassisted to the bag; a grounder to Triffid; & then their final hitter blasted one to deep left, headed for the trees. Matt made a great running catch to record the final out, & we all could exhale!

Let's not forget Nicole (here with Kristina) - Player of the Game, great game at second base plus a crucial base hit to start the second inning rally!

We still have one more leg on the road to the summer league championship—a re-match of last summer’s title game with the Therminators, Monday August 3rd at 6:00 p.m. Can’t wait!

   
Next Week: The Championship Game!

Playoffs Begin! – 7/20 vs. CLEAR

Matt on second base following a "mere double" - what a game! Hit for the cycle with 2 homers, including two grand slams

Monday saw the opening of the Summer League playoffs, & the Underhanded Compliments entered the tourney as the number one seed. As such, we drew a match up with CLEAR, the team we’d defeated 16-4 in the first week, & also a team that failed to win all season, ending 0-6.

Once again, we had a smaller line-up, with only 11 players at the game. Following a top of the first in which CLEAR was unable to score a runner from third with one out, we started off the bottom of the first with a bang. Gustav legged out a double & Lauren singled to drive him in. Matt (who had a huge game—more on that later), followed with a single, then Mark hit a 3-run homer to put us up 4-0. Following two outs, Triffid singled, & Steven sent her home with a triple; Emily H then hit an infield single, & Cameron followed with a base hit to score Steven, & we were up 6-0 after 1 inning.

Another great game by Lauren, who seems locked in: 4 for 5 with 4 runs scored!

In the second inning CLEAR went down one-two-three, & we came up in the bottom of the second back to the top of the order. Gustav led off with a double, & with one out Matt hit a booming triple to drive Gustav in; Mark followed with a run-scoring double, Nicole hit an rbi groundout, & yours truly hit an rbi single. Triffid also singled, & Steven followed with a 3-run home run—seven runs, & we had a 13-0 lead.

Steven also hit for the cycle! 5 for 5 with 7 rbis, & a solid game at shortstop

Although CLEAR came up with a one out triple, they failed to score in the top of the third, & we were back in business. Lauren led off with a single, Matt doubled, & Mark came through with a 2-run single. After two outs were recorded, Triffid homered—a great blast to center—to put up two more runs. Steven hit a double, which was significant in that this left him a single short of the cycle, but was left stranded at second.

Nicole also had 2 hits & was probably robbed of a third by a questionable call.

CLEAR did score a handful of runs in the fourth to make the score 17-4, but we were able to answer. Cameron singled to lead off the bottom of the fourth, then with one out Gustav & Lauren singled. Matt came up with the bases loaded & needing a home run for the cycle. Right on cue, Matt hit a towering home run to left. Mark received a walk, then Nicole & yours truly followed with singles, the latter driving in a run. After the second out, Steven hit a two-run single to also complete his cycle, & we were up 24-4.

Cameron went 5 for 5 & kept the batting order moving!

CLEAR did rally for three more runs in the top of the fifth, but we came up with our biggest inning in the bottom of the inning. Cameron again led off with a single, & with one out Gustav & Lauren again singled. Having already hit for the cycle, Matt must have figured there was only one thing to do: hit a 3-run homer, which in fact he did. Mark doubled, Nicole singled, & yours truly came up with an rbi base hit. Triffid smacked a two-un double, Steven doubled to send Triffid home, & with two outs, Cameron singled to score the ninth run of the inning—the maximum allowed in Underdog leagues.

Mark also continued his great season, going 4 for 4 plus a walk: homer, 2 doubles, single & 6 rbis

By now it was nearing 9:00 p.m. & the light was fading. We had a 33-7 lead, & the game was called for light, time, & lopsided score. Triffid was named player of the game for both her hitting & pitching, & Matt was awarded player of the day for his unreal performance.

Emily H chipped in with two hits despite playing with an injury - a real gamer!

Next Wednesday we’ll face some stiffer competition: the Performance Enhancers, who played us as close as any team in the Summer League, & who destroyed PC Load Letters in the early Monday game by a score of 36-13.


NEXT WEEK: SEMIFINALS GAME!