Number One! One over Three 17-13

Team One came out of the starting blocks today by hitting for a cycle. Single by Chip Sharpe, double by Paul Lisi, a home run over the left fielder's head courtesy of Charlie Pastor, and Art Miner bombed a triple. Everyone after that hit a crisp line drive - the only out made the rest of the frame was a line shot that found grass by Neil Henry, but unfortunately, Three got a force at second.When Art Oller walked and Bob Shipway singled, we had our five runs.

We spent the rest of the game fighting off the Curse of the First. In the second, Team Three came roaring back to knot it up at five each.We added on with two in the fourth and one in the fifth and another five spot in the sixth. In the mean time our pitchers were holding the powerful Three lineup at bay. We looked good at 13-5 going into the bottom of the sixth but Three chipped away with eight runs while we zeroed out in the next two and a half innings. They finally had tied it up. But in the ninth, yours truly singled to start a four run rally, and when Sharpe, Lisi, and Bill Warren came up with run scoring hits, we had a four run lead. Good Defense and Bob Muegge's pitching shut down Team Three in the bottom of the ninth, and that was all she wrote.

Team One had some fine defense (and pitching, by Muegge, Sharpe and Warren), and that may have made the difference. Shipway took a hot shot up the middle and turned it into an 11U-3 double play. Lisi showed the range that makes him one of the league's best outfielders in the third with two running catches. Julia Gillette made a huge running catch in right in the seventh. Chewy Little handled a hot shot in the hole at shortstop and got a force on the lead runner at third. Miner and Pastor combined for one of those outfield forces at second when Miner came up throwing and zinged it to Pastor who barely made it to the bag in time.

The play of the day runner up made the manager look really good. In Henry's single inning behind the dish, he came springing out and lunging to catch a little popup up the first base line in foul ground. Thanks, Neil! Right man, right time, right place.

The actual play of the day was a throw on a hit to the outfield. Mark "I never stop running" Pitzlin rounded third and made for home. The ball was tossed to Little, who fired an absolute bullet to Muegge at home and it nailed Pitzlin by two steps.

Warren paced us with four hits. Sharpe, Pastor and Miner had three. Heffe had a 2-2 plus a walk day in returning from injury. Mike Natali hit a couple of laser shots.

Pastor led the way with four RBIs. Of note was that we had three Ks, in a rarity in softball we had more strikeouts than walks. Maybe we should strike out more often!