JL Sluggers @ Cooley Godward Kronish

Staring a forfeit in the face, due to a lack of players, the Sluggers kept their cool and were saved just minutes before the first pitch. Pitcher, Squirt, fought her way through traffic and pulled into the parking lot just before game balls were exchanged. In an emergency relief situation, team photographer and official scorekeeper, Plan B, volunteered for duty and stepped in as right fielder for the Sluggers (which is why there are no photographs). Left without a scorekeeper, the original Slugger diehard, Superfan Nancy Bussey, stepped to the plate and kept score for the game. The Sluggers did their best to take it easy on Nancy, as they unfortunately were not able to score any runs for the second straight game. Cooley, on the other hand, showed no remorse, rounding the bases 20 times and exhibiting some questionable sportsmanship in the game's final inning. Nonetheless, the Sluggers stood strong and did their best to be competitive.

Hours after returning from his trip to Mexico, manager Wicked Hittah, faced an aggressive press looking for explanations to the team's 5-game losing streak.

"We didn't have our A-game tonight," Wicked Hittah said. "We had some nice plays out there defensively. Squirt made a nice grab, as did Fluffy, and Greased Lightning made a nice play on the corner. Smooth-swinging Walk Me once again made solid contact at the plate and Nebraska gave us speed in the outfield. As for myself, apparently I left my game at the border. Hopefully we can all forget about this game and come back next week."

With the roster stretched thin, the big question may be exactly who will come back next week? With the impending bar exam, the team's cleanup hitter, Fluffy, will be taking a leave of absence beginning July 11th through the end of the month. Other prior commitments leave the team dangerously thin in terms of fielding a roster, but that doesn't worry the manager.

"We had a strong turnout when signups went around. Right now we're averaging about 50% of those that signed up at each game. I know we're losing a couple of players in the next couple of weeks, but I'm confident that those who signed up will step in contribute. After all, our firm motto is "All we do is work...except when we're playing softball."

Despite another loss, the JL Sluggers have nothing to hang their heads about, nor did they. In fact, the team should be commended for its "no quit" attitude which they have brought with them to each and every game. As the casual fan in attendance will tell you, there is nothing but encouragement and optimism coming from the JL Sluggers' side. They keep working hard, knowing that eventually it will all pay off for them. Now if only they could get more players.