Game 3: Standards Passed

I learned something this week, and it turned out to be of vital importance to this game. What I learned was that if a player is participating in another game that has run long (say a 6:15 game that has gone into extra innings) and he is scheduled to play in a 7:15 game on another field that is starting on time, the 7:15 game must, by rule, be held until that player is available to play. Thus, Luke was able to bat in his correct spot in the lineup and all was well.

This game was much closer than the final score would indicate, and we had several opportunities to lose it. Thankfully, we were able to scrape together enough runs to keep the game tied as time expired, and we gave ourselves one more inning to attempt to pull out the win.

After we settled down following the anxiety at the beginning of the game, our defense settled down as well and we had an overall good game in the field, despite some early shakiness. Thanks in part to Matt's archnemesis, Brian (only in this game, of course), we never could quite get the big inning we wanted early on in the game. As far as pitching was concerned, I think both teams were getting squeezed at the plate, but of course it was worse for our guys (what kind of manager would I be if I conceded otherwise). As it turned out, that last inning was all we needed. We were finally able to get the key hits that we were looking for earlier, and we closed out the inning with some more good defense for a hard fought 17-6 victory.

Thanks to all the friends and family that made it out to the game. One of the best parts of playing against the other WPC team was having so many people there cheering on both sides.

I would like to send out a special thanks to my mother-in-law, Maryanne, who at my request braved the heat, bugs, and craziness of taking the kids to the softball game to show her love for me. As I approach my 30th birthday, I am once again reminded how much I miss my mom, but I am continually thankful for the "extra" mom that the Lord blessed me with when Kierstyn and I got married. She (Maryanne) has always made special efforts to help soothe the pain that comes with losing your mother when you are 23, and I am so very grateful for everything she has done. Thanks, again, Mom. I love you.