Orange Blows Ninth Inning

One thing about senior softball. Roughly half the players either have hearing aids, or need them. Or what registers in their ears doesn't make it to their brain. Or. Or. You get the picture.

So now picture this: The City of Walnut Creek in their wisdom had some kind of loud generator or equipment going on for some project behind the Field 4 home dugout for at least a few of the middle innings today. And then when it finally let up, there was a guy with a leaf blower. It's confusing enough for the manager when all 17 on the roster show up, and add that in and I was having an out of body experience. Which is my case might actually be a good thing.

Nonetheless, and putting aside a very bad bottom of the ninth when we needed but one run to win the game, we had a very entertaining match with the Purple group that ended in a 20-20 tie. There were eight lead changes with no one ever having more than a three run lead throughout and then one tie, which we saved for the end. There were tense moments and an obligatory argument, but in a way it was senior ball at its finest - a very close game with a few walks, a few great plays, couple of strikeouts, and a few cannon shots and hot liners.

Steve Rousso saved one inning with a great running catch in center field. Dan Halyard fielded a one hopper at third and threw a one hopper to second to Jeff Waters who scooped it neatly. Nick Lauria caught a pop up behind the plate to end the sixth, always a challenge. And Mike Byrnes made perhaps our play of the day when he snagged a grounder up the middle, stepped on second and tossed a strike to first for a double play in the seventh.

We hit a few long balls. Leo Kay started off the bottom of the first with a booming homer to left. Rick Evans, Waters, Michael Callahan, and Vic Santini all tripled. Callahan and Helen Kostoff have yet to make an out in the young season (no jinx). Almost everyone had a hit and 12 of our 17 had at least one RBI. 

But the inspirational player of the game was our man of the mound Mike Howard. An errant throw from one of our infielders caught him square in the back of the neck when his back was turned, and he went down. Hard. Pic attached. But Mike is tough as nails and a couple of innings later he returned and finished up the last few innings. If only we could have given him a victory.