Standings Update

Breaking News from FAS League Office:

Scitor Corporation has been removed from the Corporate Coed Softball League. As a result, all games played by Scitor have been purged from the schedule.

What this means for us is that we are now 7-9 on the season, with a chance to have a .500 record with two wins on Tuesday. It also means that barring an upset by Cooley over Veris Consulting, we have a very good chance at finishing in 4th place.

Not bad for a first year team with far fewer employees to draw from than most others in the league.

JL Sluggers vs. ALPA Flyers

After a satisfying victory, the Sluggers let themselves relax a little too much at the start of the second game. Mystified by the "spinner" being pitched by ALPA, they swung at too many bad pitches and got in a hole early on in the game. Much like the first inning, the Sluggers failed to score first as ALPA took a 1-0 lead to begin the game. Unfortunately, after Law Dawg reached to lead things off for the Sluggers, the next six batters were retired in a row. Facing a 2-0 deficit, it appeared that the Sluggers just needed to get things in gear offensively. Yet, ALPA jumped out to a 6-0 lead after scoring four runs in the top of the third, putting the Sluggers in an even deeper hole. To lead off the bottom of the third inning, New Guy singled before being replaced by Downtown as a courtesy runner. After being moved around the basepath by Squirt, Downtown faced a situation where he was on third base and also the on-deck batter. Thankfully, Law Dawg singled in Downtown just in time for him to take his turn at bat, and in doing so, cut the the lead to 6-1. Downtown would get another workout in the fourth inning, as he replaced Wicked Hittah who had reached second base safely. Downtown scored on a close play at the plate as Greased Lightning knocked in the second run of the game for the Sluggers, and later scored himself, making it a 7-3 ballgame in favor of ALPA.

Despite a night that had been filled with spectacular defensive plays by the Sluggers, the fifth inning of game 2 was the nail in the coffin. ALPA managed to string together six more runs, increasing their lead to 13-3. The Sluggers didn't quit though, as Squirt, Law Dawg, and Downtown each scored again in the bottom of the inning, but the Sluggers still trailed 13-6. After a scoreless top of the sixth inning, the Sluggers came to bat one last time in the bottom of the sixth, adding another run, this time scored by Ringer. It was too little too late however, as ALPA's big fifth inning was too much to overcome in the late stages of game.

Not to be overlooked in the loss were some stellar defensive efforts from the Sluggers. On one play, Law Dawg charged a slow ground ball down the third base line, picked it up and made an off-balance throw to first base, beating the runner by half a step and drawing praise from Greased Lightning who thought he was watching his beloved A-Rod for a second, before realizing that the throw resulted in an out and didn't end up in the first row of the bleachers. Another fantastic play was made by Walk Me, as she pounced on a slow dribbler out in front of the plate and fired a strong throw to first base for the out. Walk Me also had some nice catches throughout the game with plays occurring at home plate, but none matched the smoothness of her fielding gem to first base. Also worth mentioning was the diving effort given by Downtown on a bloop single in which he almost caught the ball and nearly broke New Guy's ankles at the same time. New Guy also made some fine defensive plays at shortstop, a rarity for a left-hander, including snaring a line drive to end a bases loaded threat early in the game. At the plate, the most consistent hitter in the game was Plan B, who crushed one ball into the left-center gap and produced several other hard hit balls in the game.

Overall it was a tough loss for the Sluggers, but it was certainly made easier knowing that they had at least taken one game in the doubleheader. Next week, the Sluggers make their season finale against the IRI Mariners, and hope to end the season on a winning note. Next week also marks the return of the fabled hitting giant known as Fluffy to the squad. He will be returning after spending the last few weeks locked in a bunker, studying for the bar exam.

Pictured: Walk Me makes a great play to get the runner at first in what at first appeared to be an infield single.

JL Sluggers @ ALPA Flyers

With a game time temperature of right around 90 degrees, it looked like it was going to be another long evening under the sun at Baron Cameron Park. Greased Lightning took the mound again, making his fourth consecutive start for the Sluggers, while Walk Me started again behind home plate. It was a bruised and battered infield for the Sluggers with ailing New Guy battling a sore knee at shortstop, and Wicked Hittah playing first base in his return from a torn hamstring. At third Law Dawg anchored the hot corner, and Plan B started her first game at second base. The outfield for the Sluggers was all about the speed. With Nebraska playing left field and Downtown in left center, there were very few balls that weren't tracked down almost immediately, which was key in limiting ALPA to singles. In right field, Ringer and Squirt combined to prevent any balls from getting past them and kept ALPA at bay.

ALPA struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but the Sluggers responded quickly scoring the next six runs of the game. While the Sluggers hit well at the plate, the real story of the game was their defense. New Guy and Plan B combined for several putouts up the middle making life easy for Greased Lighnting and the rest of the Sluggers defense.

With the score still 6-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, ALPA was able to put the pressure on the Sluggers as they scored three runs, cutting the deficit to just two runs heading into the last inning. Yet the Sluggers were determined to pull out the victory. Feeling the lead slip away, the team rallied for three more runs in the top of the seventh inning, giving them a 9-4 cushion heading into the last half inning. After two quick outs, ALPA was able to score one more time, but the Sluggers shut the door when New Guy snared a sharply hit line drive from the shortstop position and fired to first for the final out. The final score of 9-5 gave the Sluggers their seventh win of the season, against the same team that had beaten them 18-3 earlier in the year. Manager Wicked Hittah praised his team after the game, saying that strong defense and good communication really helped them stay in control of the game. "That may have been our cleanest game of the season. We were a well-oiled machine."

The game also marked the end of a season long losing streak for Sluggers SuperFan, Nancy Bussey, as the team won their first game of the season with her in attendance.

Pictured: New Guy tosses to Plan B for one of their many outs up the middle on defense in the game.