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.

Game 2: Gettin' the Lead Out

I think this may have been the best game that we have ever played. Pitching, defense, and hitting were all executed quite well.

Both of the pitchers (Matt and Andrew) did a fantastic a job throwing strikes and forcing the opposing team to put the ball in play. When the ball was put in play, the defense did its job, almost to perfection. As far as the offense was concerned, we just kept putting the ball in play, and when we were on base we were aggressive and smart (not going for too much when we didn't have to). Josh got back on track with his customary trip around the bases on a smash to the fence in right center, but most of our hits were just clean singles or doubles. It was just a fun game all around.

Once again, we had a good turnout. I would like to especially thank all of the wives who made the extra effort to bring the kiddos out to the park for the game even though it was a later start time. I can't speak for the other guys, but I know I enjoy having my family joining in the fun.

Game 1: Tough Loss

I am going to try to keep these summaries shorter than in the past, but we'll see how that goes. It should be easier for this game, since it was two weeks ago.

As the title of the post indicates, this was one we probably should have won. Our hitting started off pretty well, as it has the couple of seasons, but we were a little rusty on the defensive side and that allowed the game to get away from us. A couple of missed grounders, a missed catch, and a horrendously off target throw from left field put us on the wrong side of an 11-18 loss.

On the bright side, we had a good turnout both on the field and in the stands. I hope that trend continues, at least for the games that aren't too late in the evening.

Not Quite Sure

I am not quite sure what motivated me to try to resurrect this blog at this time. I don't know if it is because of our win last night, or the renewed excitement that is being exhibited by the guys on the team. Maybe it is because we have two full teams now and that in and of itself is exciting because that means more guys are getting to hang out and at least start building relationships with other men in the church.

Whatever the reason, I am enjoying this season and because of that I am going to give this blog another shot. Anybody on the team interested in being a regular contributor, just let me know. I would like to see if we can make this a team effort, just like our win last night.