"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"
The Sluggers took the field Tuesday in front of a record crowd, including friends, co-workers, family, and dozens of sniff-happy canines. The team would like to send a big thank you to all those who came out to support them.
Game One (L 5-17)
For the eighth game in a row, the Sluggers were without their star outfielder Noodle, who was a late scratch after once again citing a contract dispute with the front office. When asked how he would be compensated for his brilliance on the field, a teammate mentioned that the Sluggers play for peanuts. Noodle, the softball prima donna that he is, insisted that peanuts weren't enough and that he needed to be compensated with Ramen instead - emphatically proclaiming that he refused to put on a Sluggers uniform until he was paid. Unwilling to negotiate with terrorists, manager Fragile was once again left without his chatterbox outfielder.
When it was time for the first pitch and only nine Sluggers were out in the field, Bruiser was quickly alerted that she was needed to fill in the vacant outfield position. Things appeared to be fine until Bruiser notified the other outfielders that she would need to be instructed on whether to move in or back up as she had no sense of depth perception.
Frankly there wasn't much action in the game. Downtown had a 2-RBI double in the 1st inning, followed by an RBI single by Legally Blonde. Downtown had another RBI in the 3rd inning and Fragile knocked in a run in the 5th. Unfortunately the opponent scored 17 runs during that same span to the Sluggers' 5.
Game One
HR: None
RBI: Downtown (3), Fragile (1)
Runs: LawDawg (2), Fragile (1), Fluffy (1), Newbie (1)
Strikeouts Pitched: None
Photo: Fluffy singles in his first at-bat
Game Two (L 0-15)
It isn't easy to get shutout in a slow-pitch softball league, but that's what happened to the Sluggers on Tuesday night. The Sluggers sent 27 batters to the plate, mustering only 5 hits and "Fluffying" 3 times. Yet for as awful as a 15 run shutout could have been, the Sluggers showed a lot of heart on the field, making a number of exciting plays.
As things started to take a turn for the worse, hot-headed shortstop Fragile, lost his cool and started throwing heat-seeking missiles which seemed to have a specific target in mind. That target was aggressive baserunners attempting to run up the score. When asked for comment, Fragile apologized, stating "I don't know what I was thinking. Those throws were all arm. If I got my legs into the throws I could have had greater velocity and accuracy. I let my team down." For the record, we will assume that Fragile meant
better accuracy would have led to throws closer to his teammates and not his opponents.
Not to be overlooked was the stunning defensive play of Newbie behind the plate. Newbie's quick-like-a-cat reflexes, allowed her to catch not only one, but two short pop-ups to record outs. In both cases she jumped up from her crouch like a jack-in-the-box to snare the foul balls. Newbie was so quick that she had to be reminded by her teammates to stay down in the crouch, as she kept standing up and blocking the shorter umpire's view. Newbie also made two tag outs at home plate, the second of which left teammates wondering if she would get back up. After having her legs taken out from under her, Newbie fell awkwardly with her shoulder and neck making first contact with the ground. As oooohs rang out from the crowd, and teammates looked on with concern, Newbie yelled from the ground, "Did I at least get the out?" She did.
Unquestionably the most memorable play of the night actually resulted in two outs for the Sluggers. After back-to-back doubles by Hot Shot and Fragile, the Sluggers had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and Fluffy coming to bat. Trailing 15-0, it was the perfect time for a rally. As Fluffy sailed a fly ball into left field, and with one of the Sluggers' fastest runners on 3rd base, it looked for certain that the Sluggers would avoid the shutout. The left center-fielder settled under the ball with his momentum going toward home plate. As he made the catch, Hot Shot darted for home plate. That's when the unexpected happened.
In one of the rarest occurences in corporate coed softball, the outfielder threw a perfect strike to home plate. The catcher caught the throw but Hot Shot was coming fast and determined to score. A child shouted from the playground, "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's super...Hot Shot?" In a tremendous display of effort, Hot Shot had soared head-first into home plate. When the cloud of dust settled, the umpire made the out call, but my money is on the umpire couldn't see the play because he had dirt in his eyes. Anyone who slides head first into home plate trailing 15-0 in the final inning, on a sacrifice fly nonetheless, deserves to be safe in my book. Although Hot Shot was
called out, she earned a lot of respect from her teammates on that play. Needless to say, Fragile was stranded on 3rd base to end the game, and the Sluggers had dropped their fifth game in a row.
The outcome may not have been what they had hoped, but when pressed by a team that clearly had no reservations about running the score, the Sluggers continued to play hard and not concede to their opponent.
Game Two
HR: None
RBI: None
Runs: None
Strikeouts Pitched: LawDawg (2)
Photos: Legally Blonde swings with all her might (...and misses),
Hot Shot dives into home plate, Hot Shot post-dust storm.
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