Two-Game Special: 6/10 vs. PC Load Letters & 6/15 vs. Indy Team #6

Matt in action against PC Load Letters - also a

High softball season is upon us! Not only are the Underhanded Compliments playing every week in the Irving Park Summer League, we’re also involved in big pick-up games & are looking forward to fielding a squad for the Friends of Doernbecher Softball Tournament next month. Meanwhile, yours truly is playing with my over-55 Boomer PDX League team & enjoying taking the field on both sides of the ball.

Triffid pitching against PC Load Letters - player of the game based on her fine pitching, not to mention a 2-run homer!

But between one thing & another & all this softball, I seem to have missed posting about our June 10th game versus PC Load Letters. It was another successful outing for the Underhanded Compliments, & we started off strong, as the first seven batters all reached base safely, & 6 of them scored. Gustav led off with a double, & Lauren followed with a base on balls; Matt then singled to score Gustav, while Colin doubled home Lauren. Matt scored on Emily K’s rbi single, Bryce doubled to drive in Emily, then Nicole walked. With one out, Triffid hit a sacrifice fly to score Bryce, & we were up 6-zip before PC Load Letters had batted—then shut them down in a three-up, three-down inning.

Bryce: 3 doubles against PC Load Letters

We added a run in the second as Steven led off with a single, & Kristina followed with a single that actually scored Steven from first! There was some creative outfield play by the opposition, but Steven also showed off his speed. PC Load Letters opened their scoring in the second with a single, a triple & a sacrifice fly, but we answered with two of our own in the third as Matt & Colin began the inning with back-to-back home runs. The bottom of the third was noteworthy for a creative double play. There was a lead off single by friend of the Compliments Katie L (from the Huevos Grandes team), & then with one out, Colin initiated a double play that went shortstop to first, with Mark then firing to Emily K at third to record the final out.

Cameron rocking the fright wig behind the plate vs. PC Load Letters

We added three runs in the fourth as Mark & Triffid hit back-to-back one out singles, & then with two outs, Cameron singled to send them both home. PC Load Letters answered with one in the bottom half as they strung together 3 two-out hits, & after 4 we led 12-3. We pushed it to 14-3 in the tops of the fifth in a two-out rally of our own, as Matt singled, Colin drove him in with a double, then Emily K followed with an rbi single.  PC Load Letters went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Emily K has had a fine season both hitting

Yours truly led off the sixth with an infield single, & Triffid then smacked one on a line to center field for a two-run home run! We allowed 2 runs in the bottom half, but held a comfortable 16-5 lead, which we pushed to 18-5 as Gustav led off with a double & with two out, Colin smashed a 2-run homer. Emily K & Bryce followed with hits, but that was the end of the scoring. PC Load Letters went quietly in the bottom of the 7th. Triffid was named player of the game, & deservedly so, because her pitching was as always deadly accurate. She, in combination with Cameron behind the plate, had the opposition guessing wrong all evening.

Colin on second base after another extra base hit! He's been crushing the ball this summer.

Our game against the Indy Team was a contrast to that easy win. Although the Indy Team entered the game 0 & 2, it was worth noting that both losses had been close & that they’d scored a lot of runs. In fact, they came out charging in the top of the first as after one out their next four hitters reached on three singles & a misplay. With two outs, three more hitters reached on two walks & a single, & they sent 10 players to the plate before we finally set them down—the result: we were trailing 4-0! I believe we were all a bit startled not only to be down, but then to only manage one hit of our own in the bottom of the first—a single by Matt—though it’s true that Lauren was robbed of a sure single as their third baseman barely snagged a line drive that was ticketed for left field. In fact, more of the ball was out of his glove than in it, but he managed to hold on. The Indy team then added a fifth run in the top of the second, & we were down by five.

Cameron toes the rubber against the Indy team while Emily K takes her stance at third base

In fact, things were starting to look a little desperate, as our first two hitters in the second were both put out on fly balls to left field. But Nicole got things going with a solid single, & yours truly followed with a single up the middle. Jessica then singled to drive in Nicole, Mark singled to drive in Rob who was running for me, & Steven, Kristina & Cameron all followed with rbi singles. After two the game was 5-5, & we began to feel as though order had been restored! In fact, thanks to a fine double play started by Colin, we set the Indy team down in order in the third, & then went to work in the bottom of the inning.

Colin has also had a great season in the field at shortstop!

Lauren led off with a walk, & with one out, Colin drove a deep opposite field shot for a two-run homer. Emily K & Rob followed with singles, & with two outs (Emily being erased on a fielder’s choice), yours truly singled home Rob.

Lauren at the plate against PC Load Letters

But as their previous games suggested, the Indy team could score runs. They plated two in the top of the fourth, with Colin making a fine play on a line drive to record the third out & keep them from tying the game or taking the lead.

Nicole at second, Kristina in the outfield; solid defense & hitting from both of them in both games!

The bottom of the fourth was really our inning however. With one out, Kristina singled, & then with two outs, we mounted a big rally. Emily H stroked an rbi single, & singles by Gustav & Lauren loaded the bases for Matt, who then unloaded them with a deep bomb to center for a grand slam! Colin followed with a deep home run of his own, & like that we were up 14-7.

Gustav at the plate - solid hitting all year & solid defensive play at various positions!

Still the Indy team battled back with a two out rally of their own in the top of the sixth. Gustav made a fine catch in left, battling a tough sun, to record the first out, & Matt made a really fine running catch in center to get the second. But then a walk & consecutive singles brought a run home before Nicole made a nice snag of a grounder to end the threat.

Rob behind the plate against the Indy team - the newest "Handy" had a solid 2 for 3 debut with an rbi & 2 runs scored!

We kept the pressure on in the 6th. Yours truly led off with another single up the middle, & then with one out, Mark blasted a 2-run home run. After a second out was recorded, Kristina singled (going 3 for 3), Cameron tripled, Emily H singled him home, & Gustav finished the scoring with a triple of his own to score Emily. We were up 18-8.

Emily H in the outfield, Mark at first against the Indy team. Emily had two hits & a walk, while Mark had a single & 2-run homer!

The Indy team didn’t quit. In fact they added three runs in the 6th, & our good defense saved us from the score being closer—Colin made two fine plays, as did Lauren in right field. When it was over, we’d prevailed 18-11 in what was by far our most competitive game of the summer so far!

Jessica behind the plate against the Indy team--another fine performance with 2 hits, including the first rbi against the Indy squad.

Next week: June 24th vs. The Performance Enhancers!

Lauren made a fine play in right to squelch the Indy team's 6th inning rally

Easy Living: 6/3 Summer League Opener vs CLEAR

The Underhanded Compliments, Summer 2015 edition! Front row: Kristina, Matt, Lauren, John, Triffid, Bryce; second row: Nicole, Steven, Jessica, Emily K, Colin, Gustav, Mark, Emily H, Cameron; missing: Hayden & Robert

Wednesday June 3rd was a day teeming with ominous clouds—not a promising outlook for an evening softball game. But though teammates checked in from various locations around Portland reporting steady rain throughout the day, things stayed dry over on the north/northeast borderline where both Irving Park & I are to be found—dry, that is, until I decided to walk over to the park a bit after 5:00 p.m. In fact, I walked in a steady drizzle, pausing at times to check the Underdog website & various weather sites for any relevant news. But I when I reached Irving, the Underdog sign was up, & the teams playing the 6:00 p.m. game were ready to play. The drizzle stopped, & our 7:30 game would take place as scheduled.

Indeed, our final Spring League playoff game this past Sunday & our Summer League opener were quite a study in contrasts. The Sunday game was played under a hot sun that could easily have been transported from July; the Summer League opener under skies that easily could have time traveled from April. The playoff game was tense, hard fought, even chippy; the Summer League opener was so laid back that it had the feeling of a game played at a picnic.

Our opponent was CLEAR, a company team like many in the Irving Park Weeknight Summer League; last summer we knew them as the PECI Killer Watts. Playing as the visiting team, we opened the scoring in the first inning, as Gustav led off with a double & took third on a bad throw from the outfield. With one out, Matt doubled to score Gustav, & Bryce followed with a triple to send Matt home. Emily K followed with yet another triple to drive in Bryce, & then with two outs, Colin doubled to plate Emily K. The scoring ended when yours truly singled down the third base line to score Colin, & we led 5-0. CLEAR strung together three singles to lead off the bottom of the first & score a run, but Colin, Gustav & Mark combined on a double play to take away their momentum, & immediately following that the third out was recorded on another grounder to Colin at shortstop.

We failed to score in the second despite lead off hits by Jessica & Mark, & CLEAR did plate a run in the bottom of the second to make it 5-2. Emily K observed after the inning that we were “playing their game, & we need to play ours,” which I thought was right on. That changed in the third, as with one out Gustav walked, Lauren singled & due to some poor play on their infield sent Gustav home & reached third herself; Matt then scored Lauren with a sacrifice fly, Bryce followed with a triple, Emily K hit a booming double to score Bryce, Nicole lined a single over third to send Emily K home, Colin singled, & yours truly singled to send Nicole home. Just like that it was 10-2. Then in the fourth, Jessica collected her second hit of the day, Mark singled, & Steven followed with a base hit to score Jessica.

In the bottom of the fourth their lead-off batter tripled & scored on a fielder’s choice. Following an out, CLEAR mustered another single & had a little rally going, but Colin made a fine stop on a grounder & threw to Emily K at third (who made a fine snag of the throw) to cut down the lead runner, & the next batter grounded back to Triffid at pitcher to end the inning.

The fifth was yet another big inning for us. Gustav led off with a single & took second on the throw; Lauren singled Gustav home, then Matt hit a 2-run home run. Bryce tripled (his third of the day!), & Emily K scored him with a sacrifice fly. Following another out, Colin doubled, & yours truly drove him in with a single, followed by back-to-back singles by Triffid & Jessica to score the 6th run of the inning, & just like that it was 17-3. Although the first two CLEAR batters singled in the bottom of the fifth, a double play started by Triffid, who threw to Jessica at second, who then made the turn took away any steam they had, & the game was called after 5 innings due to time.

On the official Underdog website the score is given as 14-4, which is wrong, but since only runs allowed count in the Underdog standings, no great harm is done by that. The actual final was 17-4.

Really a fun game all around. Four players went 3 for 3 (Bryce, Colin, Jessica & yours truly), while Emily K & Gustav went 2 for 2 with a sacrifice fly & a walk respectively. Although we had a big line-up for the opener, everyone had a chance to play a lot.

We’ll probably need to focus a bit more against some of our upcoming opponents, but it was fun to have some “Easy Living” following the tough playoff game.

Sorry there are no photos this week except the team photo. The light wasn’t great, & I was having too much fun to get the camera out! But we do have the team photo, which I especially like, & as a bonus, we also have a little Miles Davis for your listening pleasure.

Next week: 6/10 game vs. PC LOad Letters (& yes, that O really is capitalized!)

Almost… Semi-Finals vs. The Syndicate 5/31

Still smiling after the game! Front row: Cameron, Lauren, Triffid, Hayden; Second row: Kristina, Emily K, Nicole, John, Zeb, Bryce, Emily H; Third row: Gustav, hiding behind Emily K (though you can see his shoulder); Mark, Tyler, Colin, Jessica

The final day of May came on Sunday & brought with it the final day of the Underdog Irving Park spring softball season. The schedule called for us to play The Syndicate at 1:30, with the other semi-final matching Basic Pitches & BAM, with the winners playing in a 4:30 final. It was a beautiful day & just about perfect for softball.

We’d played a close game against The Syndicate earlier in the season, as they won 13-12 with a 2-run comeback in the bottom of the 7th. They are a formidable team, but we also knew we had a shot.

Zeb: big home run to open the scoring, & a big double in the 7th!

In fact we opened the scoring as Zeb hit a long home run in the top of the first, but The Syndicate came back in the bottom of the inning to score three. However, with one out in the top of the second, Colin doubled, & yours truly followed with a single to score him. Triffid then blasted a drive to center; the outfield had been playing in, & it turned into a clean 2-run homer. Mark then tripled, & Nicole drove him in on a fielder’s choice ground ball. Although The Syndicate scored one in the bottom half on a double & single, Colin initiated a fine double play to end the inning, & we led 5-4.

Lauren: two solid hits & a run batted in

We were held scoreless in the top of the 3rd, & then in the bottom of the third, after the first two batters were out, The Syndicate strung together a triple, single & double to score 2 runs & take a 6-5 lead. But we weren’t daunted. In the fourth with one out, Emily K singled, & then after the second out was recorded Colin doubled & yours truly followed again with a two-run single. We had the lead once again—& we held The Syndicate scoreless in the bottom of the 4th!

Emily K: big hits in the 4th & 7th!

Yours truly: 2 for 3 with 3 rbis - I will take that.

Hayden had yet another big hit!

The 5th looked to be our inning. Mark led off with a single, & Hayden followed with a base hit. Cameron then singled to drive in two runs, & Emily H followed with our fourth consecutive hit. After two outs were recorded, Lauren singled to load the bases, & then Bryce hit a 2-run double. We had a lead of 11-6.

Emily H had a 2 for 3 day & finished the season swinging a hot bat!

Mark: another great game at the plate & in the field - 3 for 3.

Bryce had another great day: double, triple, 3 rbis

Sadly, the bottom of the inning belonged to The Syndicate. There were lots of clean, powerful hits, & also some errors on our part. Still, it should be noted that both Colin & Bryce made great plays to record outs, or it could have been worse. When the dust had settled, The Syndicate had scored 7 runs to take a 13-11 lead.

Triffid's home run (obviously not pictured here) was a huge blow in our second inning rally, & a 2 for 3 day overall!

We got one run back in the top of the 5th when Colin hit a booming home run to left center. Triffid & Mark tried to keep the rally going with 2-out hits, but we weren’t able to get them across. Then The Syndicate rallied for 6 more in the bottom of the inning to lead 19-12 going into the 7th.

Colin: major power as evidenced by his 6th inning homer. Also a 3 for 3 day

There isn’t any quit in the Underhanded Compliments, however. Cameron led off the inning with a double, then with one out Gustav singled & Zeb doubled to drive Cameron in. Lauren drove in Gustav on a ground ball out, then Bryce tripled to score Zeb. Emily K singled to send Bryce home, & with two outs we had the tying run on deck in the person of Colin, but it was not to be. The final out was recorded, & The Syndicate took the game 19-16.

Gustav had a big hit in the 7th & had a great season overall, despite playing through an injury

To recap the rest: Basic Pitches defeated BAM soundly in their semi-final 19-5, & then dominated The Syndicate in the finals 22-6. We finished in third place (of 9 teams) for the season with a record of 5-3-1, which is a strong finish indeed. It was a fun season, & most of the team got together at Old Town Brewing Company afterwards for pizza & cold beverages!

Final Standings

Great season! Really proud of this team.

 
Later this week: Summer League begins!


 
Some of the photos in this post were taken by Jessica & Mark. Thanks!

Playoffs Begin! 5/17 vs. Huevos Grandes

Underhanded Compliments take the field at Unthank Park

Sunday May 17th was one of the most beautiful days of the Portland spring—& this has been a season replete with beautiful days; not a single rainout in the Underdog Spring League, at least for the Underhanded Compliments. Quite a contrast to last season.

Also in contrast to last season, the team entered the playoffs as a high seed: number three, whereas last year we were middle of the pack, & bowed out after a single game in which we were soundly defeated by BAM.  But there was one similarity between the quarterfinal rounds of 2014 & 2015—both were held at Unthank Park as opposed to Irving.

Unthank Park (named for civil rights activist Dr. Denorval Unthank) is a pretty spot on North Shaver Avenue. In addition to basketball courts & a playground, the tree-lined area has a Little League baseball diamond. In contrast to a standard softball field, the infield is grass, not dirt. However, the mound has been flattened, so that at least is more softball-like. While the park overall is kept up quite nicely, the outfield is a bit of a hazard. In fact, we had to have cones around a deep, potentially ankle-breaking hole in right field!

Zeb at 3B, Colin at short, & Matt in LF - really good defensive game for all three!

Our opponent in the quarterfinals was Huevos Grandes, a team we beat on opening day. Huevos Grandes is a great bunch of folks, & we looked forward to a fun game—we were not disappointed! In fact, it was one of the best games I’ve seen played in Underdog softball, especially in terms of defensive play. Both teams made a number of fine plays in the field, denying what looked to be sure base hits.

As a result, it was a low scoring affair. After both teams went scoreless in the first (helped on our side by a fine play by Bryce cutting down a runner trying to advance to third on a first inning single), Huevos broke the tie with a home run in the second. Two batters later a Huevos player sent a shot into the left center gap that looked like certain extra bases, & possibly a second homer, but Matt made a great play to run it down for the second out.

Mark had a great day at the plate!

Underhanded Compliments tied the score in the bottom of the third. With one out, Mark doubled, & then with two outs, Cameron singled him home. While it was a low scoring contest, we did have good two-out hitting, & Mark & Cameron both deserve to be mentioned as playing crucial roles, adding some serious pop toward the bottom of the line-up.

There was no more scoring until the fifth. Huevos threatened in the third with a two-out triple, but they were unable to cash in the run. Also noteworthy is a play Colin made on a line drive in the fourth to rob the Huevos of a hit.

Colin at the plate - his 5th inning triple was huge

In the bottom of the fifth, with two out, Colin tripled, & yours truly sent a solid line drive over shortstop to send him home—one of my prouder moments of the season. That put us up 2-1, but we were unable to add any more runs—& then Huevos answered in the top of the 6th with yet another home run to tie the score.

Hayden had a huge base hit in the 6th!

Going into the bottom of the 6th we had the bottom of the line-up coming up. However, we’d shuffled the line-up for this game to put some of our dangerous hitters lower in the order, & it paid dividends. Mark led off the inning with a single, & Hayden followed with a base hit. Cameron doubled to drive Mark in & put us back in the lead, & then Emily H followed with a single to plate Hayden. Back at the top of the order, Matt doubled to score Cameron, & then with one out, Harrison hit a solid 2-run single to put us up 7-2.

Harrison came up with the huge 2-run single in our 6th inning rally

Huevos Grandes did score in the top of the 7th on yet another home run, but that was the only hit of the inning, & we held on to take a 7-3 win.

Matt had a big double in the 6th & a great play in left field; that's Cameron on third, who also had a big game; Zeb coaching third

This coming Sunday we will face even stiffer competition as we play The Syndicate—the league’s defending champion—in the semi-finals. If we get by The Syndicate (to whom we lost by a single run in the regular season), we would play the winner of Basic Pitches versus BAM. It looks to be an exciting day!

Next week: Season recap & the beginning of Summer League!

A Tale of Two Games: 4/26 vs Pitches Be Crazy & 5/3 vs All My Subs

Lauren in her first at bat back with the team - a line drive base hit & Player of the Game! Lauren is already 4 for 6 after two games.

I’ve fallen behind on game recaps, so today’s post is a “twofer”; & these two games are a study in contrasts in many ways.

Our final April game was an evening match-up against Pitches Be Crazy, with a 6:00 p.m. start time. Through much of the preceding week rain had been predicted for Sunday, & though the forecast gradually looked more promising, the day was gloomy & overcast, with occasional bouts of light showers.

Despite that, the Irving League got in the full slate of games. Playing as the visiting team against Pitches Be Crazy, we got off to a solid start with a 4-run first inning. Gustav led off with a walk, Matt singled, then Lauren in her return to the team followed with one of her usual line drive base hits to load the bases. Zeb drove in Gustav & Matt with a double, & Bryce hit a sacrifice fly to send Lauren home. Triffid finished the scoring off by plating Zeb with a solid single.

Zeb, Triffid & Colin - all had big hits in the win over Pitches Be Crazy

We didn’t score in the second or third, & Pitches Be Crazy scored single runs in both the bottom of the first & second—then they came up with a big 4-run third to take a 6-4 lead. Lauren led off the fourth for us with a single, & following a single by Bryce, she scored following a big two-out base hit by Colin. Lauren was named Player of the Game, deservedly so, & it is great to have her back in the line-up!

Pitches Be Crazy added a run in the fifth to go up 7-5, but we got one back in the sixth when Matt led off with a double; Bryce sent Matt home with a big two-out base hit.

Matt at the plate

Entering the top of the seventh we trailed 7-6. Colin led off with a single, then with one out Cameron followed up with another single to put both the tying & go ahead runs on base. Another out followed, so we were up against it—but Mark came through with a huge two-run double to give us the lead, & then yours truly singled Mark home to give us at least a little breathing room.

Not a great picture, but Nicole at second base & Mark at first with Bryce & Emily H in the outfield - great first game at second for Nicole!

Of course two runs in slow-pitch softball is almost no lead at all, so the bottom of the seventh was dramatic. With one out, Pitches Be Crazy got a runner aboard on an error. The next batter hit into a fielder’s choice. The final batter of the game hit a rocket to second base, where Nicole was filling in. Nicole, who had never played second before, had already made all the chances hit to her & played very capably—but she topped the game off by snagging this ball on a short hop & throwing to Mark for the final put-out. Definitely a great moment for the team.

Nicole at the plate

May 3rd was a much different day. One of the most beautiful so far this year with bright sun & blue sky & warm temperatures—perfect day to be outside playing softball! Our game was at noon against All My Subs, who entered the day with a 3-3 record.

Once again, we got off to a fast start. Playing as the home team, we retired All My Subs in order in the first inning, then scored 4 in our first turn at bat. Gustav led off with a single, Matt doubled, Lauren singled, then Zeb hit a sacrifice fly to get the first run in. Bryce followed with a 3-run home run to end the scoring.

But in the second, the wheels started to come off the Underhanded Compliments bus. In an inning marred with fielding errors, All My Subs scored 5 unearned runs to take the lead. However, we came back to tie in the bottom of the inning, as Mark hit a one-out single, Hayden reached on a fielder’s choice, & then with two outs yours truly & Jessica both singled. Gustav then walked with the bases loaded to drive in the run.

We took the lead in the third as Lauren singled & with one out Bryce hit his second home run. Although Harrison & Cameron singled later in the inning, we were unable to expand on our lead. There were a lot of missed opportunities.

Bryce had another big day on 5/3 - 2 homers & a triple!

All My Subs narrowed the lead with a solo home run in the top of the fourth, & then in the sixth they took the lead at 8-7. There was a big defensive play in that inning as we cut down a runner trying to score on a throw from Bryce to Matt to Cameron. As it turned out, that was large.

Emily K has been a great addition to the team!

We took the lead again in the bottom of the sixth. Zeb led off with a single, then Bryce tripled him home. Emily K got Bryce home on a sacrifice fly to center, though Bryce deserves a lot of credit on his base running on that play. Harrison followed with a single & Cameron walked, but then we were unable to take advantage once again.

In the top of the seventh All My Subs tied the game on a home run. Not to belabor the point, but there was controversy here as the player who hit the home run was a sub, & one of the better players in the league on another team. The fact is, he had a big impact on the game, but Underdog Sports has a pretty liberal regular season substitution policy. Whether we like it or not, we had plenty of chances to win this game outright anyway, & didn’t take advantage of them.

Harrison has done a great job of getting on base all season long!

I should mention that Bryce saved further damage with a circus catch in short center to end the seventh. There were two runners on, so his catch definitely preserved the tie.

Sadly, we were unable to score in the bottom of the seventh. Though Mark led off with a single, the next three batters all grounded out to the infield. So the game ended 9-9.

Zeb before his big sixth inning base hit

To put it in perspective: we finished the regular season with a 4-2-1 record, the number 3 seed. The fact is that going into the game, the only thing that would have affected our third place standing would have been a loss. Whether we won or tied, we were still going to finish third. I didn’t see the game as one of the team’s best moments. Not only was our play not up to our usual standard, but I believe some of us—myself included—let the sub player get into our heads & take us out of the game. But I hope we learn for the experience!

Later this week: Info on the Playoffs, which begin on May 17th!

Spring Game 5 April 19 vs The Syndicate

Bryce continues his domination of the Irving Park Spring League!

An ideal April day—sunshine that looks ahead to May & June, & high blue skies. On the hillside overlooking the field, a group of people sitting on a picnic blanket playing ukulele. They are watching the game prior to ours & saying how hard it is to tell which team is winning; odd observation, because that game actually isn’t close at all.

Cameron was rocking the fright wig!

But for those on the hillside on their lawn chairs & blankets, it’s a lazy day straight out of the height of spring. & then down on the playing field, us playing a game. It’s softball after all on a beautiful day—how serious can it be?

Gustav moved to the lead-off spot & came through with a 2 for 3 day

But our game is against The Syndicate, last year’s Spring League champion. After two games in which we dominated weaker teams, we’ll be put to a test. Last season in our inaugural run in the spring league, the Syndicate beat us 28 to 5. We’re a better team now, & we enter the day in second place, a half game ahead of The Syndicate. So the relaxed sunny day fades into the background behind the tension of a contest.

Matt scoring in the first - Emily H coaching 3rd Base

Indeed, we start strong: With one out in the first, Matt doubles, Emily K singles, & Zeb singles to drive in Matt. Then Bryce smashes a 3-run homer deep to right field, & we’re on top 4-zip. But in the bottom of the inning, The Syndicate comes back to tie. Each team scores one run in the second. Jessica singles, reaches second on an error by their shortstop, & Emily H sends her home with a single. We don’t score in the 3rd, & they take a 6-5 lead on a solo home run. Both teams go scoreless in the 4th, but in the 5th we put up a three-spot to take the lead: Cameron doubles, Jessica singles, & Mark drives in Cameron with a base hit. Then with two out & two on, perhaps the highlight of the day—Hayden singles to drive in two runs! We lead 8-7. The Syndicate does score on in the bottom of the inning, but we’re holding on by one run.

Zeb at the plate!

The 6th looks to be a big inning. Emily K leads off with a single, & this is the start of a 4-run frame; triple by Bryce, then consecutive singles by Harrison, Colin, & Cameron. We go into the bottom of the 6th with a 5-run lead.

Harrison at the plate - big hit in the 6th!

Sadly, it was not to be. The Syndicate scores four in the bottom of the 6th, & we go down 1-2-3 in the top of the 7th. In the bottom of the inning, their first three batters reach, & the game is tied with none out & runners on first & third. The next batter hits a deep fly ball to left, & despite Matt’s catch & strong throw, the runner from third scores easily.

Emily K has been a hitting machine this season!

The team played with so much heart. Despite us coming out on the short end of the score, Colin is named player of the game in his return from a leg injury that had kept him out our first four games. Not only does he chip in with two hits, he played a great game in the field, starting two key double plays from his shortstop position & flagging down a foul ball behind third base! Hayden’s big hit was a joy, & Jessica had a solid 2 for 3 game. Bryce continued his onslaught on the league with a homer, triple & double, & Emily K also kept up a string of base hits—she has been an on-base machine so far this season & a great addition to the team.

Hayden's big hit was a highlight of the season!

It’s almost evening now. Everything is a bit more subdued. A game—not a serious thing, but also something that can break a heart just a little bit as the shadows lengthen on a perfect Spring day.

 

Player of the game, Colin - great to have him back!

Spring Game 4 – April 12th vs Indy Team #1

Big game for Matt! 2 home runs, 2 doubles, 8 rbis. With Mitchell in Left Field in the background

The Underhanded Compliments improved to 3 & 1 on the season with a dominant performance against the Indy Team formerly known as Where My Pitches At on Sunday: 25 to 0. Hits for everyone!

It was a fun day, as several of us got together at the Free House for food & beverages before the late game (6:00 p.m. start time), & to celebrate Bryce’s birthday. It had been a bit of a nerve-wracking morning for yours truly, as several players were unavailable: Ariel, Cameron, Harrison, Hayden & Harrison all were out. But fortunately Mitchell stepped up to fill in on the men’s side, & Emily K cut short a visit in Washington to come out, so we were able to field an 11-person team: 7 men & 4 women.

A great shortstop/second base combo: Matt & Emily K; with Bryce in center. Emily went 3 for 4, while Bryce had a 4 for 4 on his birthday & a circus catch in the first inning!

Things started off well in the first inning. Matt doubled, & Emily K followed with a single. Zeb doubled in Matt, & Bryce followed with the first of two triples to drive in Emily & Zeb. Triffid got Bryce home on a groundball, so we took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the first—which was a 1-2-3 inning that included a fine running catch in short centerfield by Bryce.

We kept the pressure on in inning two with consecutive singles by Gustav, John & Emily H, the latter driving in Gustav. Emily H had a fine day at the plate: 3 for 4 with 4 rbis & 3 runs scored. With one out, Matt cleared the bases with a 3-run homer; then Zeb hit a line drive single with two outs, & Bryce sent him home with his second triple. 9-0 after two!

Zeb at the hot corner, Triffid pitching - a shutout no less. Triffid has a 3.04 ERA on the season, which is remarkable for slow-pitch; a tribute to her accurate pitching & to our overall defense

In the bottom of the second the Indy team did put a couple of runners on, but some good defensive work, especially by Triffid, kept them off the board.

The third was our big inning, as we scored the 9-run maximum with the Indy team recording only one out. The inning began with hits by Mitchell & Nicole (in her first game!), a walk to Gustav, an rbi single by John, a 2-run single by Emily H, a single for Mark, & then another 3-run homer by Matt. This was followed with hits by Emily K, Bryce & Triffid, who knocked in Bryce as run number 9 with a double to center.

Nicole at the plate. In her first game Nicole chipped in with a hit, 2 runs scored & an outfield assist!

The Indy team went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning, & we followed with a 7 run inning in the top of the fourth to end the scoring. Mitchell led off with a single, & then with one out we got consecutive singles by Gustav, John, Emily H & Mark before Matt smacked a 2-run double. Emily K, Zeb & Bryce also had hits in the inning, in which we batted around.

Gustav had to move behind the plate after tweaking his knee on a slide. We hope he's good for next game, because he is contributing a cool .787 average on the season!

The fourth & fifth innings on defense led to a couple of interesting plays. In the fourth, we cut down a player trying for two on a play from Nicole to Emily K to Zeb, while in the fifth, in an exciting play at the plate, we nailed a runner trying to stretch a triple to a homer on a throw from Emily H to Emily K to Mark to Triffid. That sealed the shutout, & the game ended after five as the Indy team invoked the mercy rule. That was Emily H’s second outfield assist of the season!

Emily K scoring one of the 25 runs!

We ended a good day with a return to the Free House for further celebration of Bryce’s birthday & the big win. As was so often the case last year, I was once again reminded of the great feeling of camaraderie, friendship & support on this team, which has made it one of the best sports experiences in my very long, albeit undistinguished sports career!

Mitchell sprinting for first; Mitchell went 3 for 4 on the game.

Our next game is this coming Sunday, 4/19 against the Syndicate, last Spring's champions. That will not be as easy as these last two match-ups!

Later this week on the blog (I hope!) first practice at Pier Park!