Game One
As Superfan pulled into the parking lot just before 6:30pm and took her seat in the bleachers, she glanced at her watch and then back at the Sluggers dugout. "Had the game already started?" she thought to herself. It was easy to see why Superfan was confused. The game had yet to start but already the Sluggers were dripping with sweat from their heads to their toes.
In what can only be described as a catastrophic 1st inning, the Sluggers failed to record an out until their opponents had already posted 5 runs on the board. When Zuko finally did record the first out of the game on a strikeout, the momentum began to shift and the Sluggers would start to come alive.
According to an unnamed clubhouse attendant, in the early morning hours of gameday, Fluffy was visited in his sleep by the spirit known as El Gran Taco. El Gran Taco spoke to Fluffy, insisting that the only way to break his hititng slump was to return to the place most dear to his stomach; a place where with an aura (or aroma) so powerful, that all of the negative energy in his body would simply melt away into mountains of shredded
cheese, hot sauce, and USDA Grade 5 beef: Taco Bell. After his first at-bat, it appeared that Fluffy might owe El Gran Taco un mucho agradecimiento. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Fluffy tripled to score Liability and Fragile. Fluffy would score later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Zuko.
Over the next three innings, behind stellar defense from outfielder Slapshot, and middle infield defense from Liability and Bruiser, the Sluggers steadily climbed out of the hole they had dug in the 1st inning, and roared back to take a 10-9 lead heading into the 6th inning.
"WHAAAT!! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!" Zuko roared the loudest, but all of the Sluggers were thinking it. For the second time in as many innings, the umpire had made an egregious error in failing to call an out
at 2nd base. This particular missed call really hurt. Instead of recording the final out of the inning, the Sluggers were left to face the heart of their opponents lineup, with a runner in scoring position. Any base hit and the game could be lost. Sure enough, the next batter doubled, scoring two runs and giving the opponent the lead. After Fluffy was stranded at 3rd base following his second triple of the game, it appeared the game was over. But it wasn't...
"One minute" announced the umpire. Did he feel guilty about blowing the earlier call? Was he really going to let the Sluggers play another inning with only one minute left in the game? Like gazelles fleeing a hungry lion, the Sluggers swiftly took their positions, moving faster than
many had ever moved before.
After surrendering one more run in the 7th, the Sluggers trailed 13-10 heading into their final at-bats. LawDawg led off the inning with a seeing eye single, and would close the gap on a Slapshot RBI single two batters later. Unfortunately the rally would end there.
After the game, Superfan booed and hissed from the bleachers: "Are you blind ump? How could you miss that call? Can you see me? You can? Oh, then I guess you just suck!" Superfan had seen more than she could bear. A sixth straight loss for the Sluggers had her heading for her car, as parents in the vicinity whispered "earmuffs!" and hastily covered their little ones' ears as an irate Superfan cursed the umpire under her breath in passing.
Sluggers Stats
HR: None
RBI: Fluffy (4), Liability (3), Downtown (1), Fragile (1), Slapshot (1), Zuko (1)
Runs: Downtown (2), Fragile (2), Liability (2), Newbie (2), LawDawg (1), Fluffy (1), Slapshot (1)
Strikeouts Pitched: Zuko (3)
Casualties: Sir Aries (Legs)
Photos: Fluffy swings for the fences and collects one of his four hits in the game, as Fragile watches from 1st; Bruiser tallies one of her three hits in the game
Game Two
After an emotionally draining loss in Game One, the Sluggers came out flat on offense, but played easily their best defensive game of the season. On the mound, LawDawg was perfect for 1 2/3 innings before finally allowing a single. Overall, the defense played exceptionally well behind him, retiring eight of the first nine batters, with standout play from Newbie at the catcher position. Newbie grabbed multiple foul ball outs on the night, perhaps none more impressive than the small arcing bloop that she quickly spun around and snared before the ball touched the ground. After the game, Newbie commented on her gold glove play:
"Shut up! That play was sooo cray cray, right? I mean, I've gotta give mad props to Fragile for that one. Seriously. At practice, we worked on this drill that was so exactly like that! Whaddup Fragile! Woot-woot! How'd you like that D!? Suh-weet!"
Newbie wasn't the only one flashing some leather on the diamond. Liability played exceptionally well at shortstop, including turning a double at a crucial time when the Sluggers really needed an out. Slapshot continued to making diving catches in the outfield, and Bruiser made multiple plays at 2nd base. Not to be forgotten was the play of LawDawg who like Zuko before him, showed the importance of having a pitcher who could field the position, making multiple stops on comeback shots to the mound.
After trailing 1-0 after the three innings, the Sluggers rallied to tie the game in the 4th when Fragile resorted to aggressive base running techniques, likely learned from a Tom Emanski video, to more or less steal a run. The game remained deadlocked until the 6th inning when a couple of extra base hits led to two runs for the opponent. Perhaps caught off guard that the game had already reached the 7th inning, the Sluggers frantically tried to put together one last comeback, but the closest they came was a single by LawDawg.
Two grueling contests under the sun really took a toll on the Sluggers, but unfortunately they'll have little time to recover as they are back at it again on Wednesday night. With many absentees planning to attend, the Sluggers have high hopes of ending their losing streak and going after a winning record for the season.
Sluggers Stats
HR: None
RBI: Zuko (1)
Runs: Fragile (1)
Strikeouts Pitched: None
Casualties: Liability (Leg)
Photos: Squirt gets ahold of one; Slapshot singles into left field.
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