Approaching the Rudgear field, I see a bunch of players in Green shirts having BP on the first base side. I don't recognize any of them in the distance. Am I dreaming? Did the Placement Committee swap my whole team out and they didn't tell me? I knew I should have been nicer to those guys.
Of course, being a senior, it doesn't immediately dawn on me that we are in fact the home team today, and oh I know those guys over on the other side. I don't have to check into the home just yet.
This is, of course, because whoever is in charge of such things procured new jerseys for my team, and they are exactly the same shade of green. And by the way, I believe Green/Gray, the opponent, is actually Green/White and we are Green/Yellow.
And I am still not sure if we are Forest Green, Dark Green, or if we are actually the New Oakland A's playing Creaker ball.
There was one new player on the Good Guys' side. One JD Dills, whom many of you know. JD had hip replacement and this was his 2025 debut. All he did was go 3-3 plus a SF, including a two run double that put us ahead to stay at 18-17 in the eighth inning. Welcome JD, have the game ball! Oh and he made a nice catch in right field.
Dark Green has this pattern in many games: Take a lead, sit on it, and then let the opposition get a catch up inning and then panic to the win or at times a loss. Today, after giving up four in the first, we scored in every inning in the first five while shutting down Green/Gray/White in three straight innings. We felt pretty confident at 14-6 through six. The bottom of their lineup coming up in the top of the seventh. Being generous, we let them load the bases with no outs, and then let the top of the lineup drive them all in plus more and suddenly it was 14-13. Then we had our first scoreless inning and gave up four more in the eighth. Now we're behind 17-15! Will it be a repeat of last week? Not so, said Dick Stanley, Robert Douza and yours truly. Three straight hits, one run, and all set up for our hero, JD. He plants one of his patented line drives into right field, and it takes a Rudgear Hop right turn with the spin he has on it, and its off to the races. Two runs and when his courtesy runner later scored, we had a two run lead going into the ninth and the hammer.
Douza made sure we did not have to use the hammer as he got routine grounders and flies from the very talented heart of the Green/Gray order, and it was over at 19-17.
Defensive highlights: Michael Callahan had a game's worth in one inning, the sixth, two shots over his head that he tracked down. Bill Jeha made a couple of great stops in the 5-6 hole. Douza snagged a hot shot in his innings off the mound at the hot corner.
Jeha matched Douza at 4-4, and had two doubles and tied Dills with a team high four RBIs. Leo Kay, Stanley, and Heffe joined Dills with three hits apiece. Frank Cappa had only one hit but it was a gapper and he hustled to second with a double. Of note - Helen had a rough day but drove in three runs on fielder's choices as she hustled down to first to avoid a double play.
So you're welcome, Green Gray, we have given up 7 run and 11 run innings in the two games we have played. I hope we won't be so generous if we meet in the playoffs.
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