Summer Kickball
I never did summarize our season. once again I'll try to be brief.
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It looks like there will be enough teams for a Fall season this year, so we're hoping to do well and make some post-season noise again.
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- Week 1: We had a fought-out 1-0 win. My attempt to have 14 players bat in 12 spots was a good idea in theory but bad in practice. So, I decided that for the rest of the season, we'd bat the entire lineup, even if all 16 players were to show up. I went 0 for 2.
- Week 2: We played a team we might have played in the past and won another close game, 5-3. I was 2 for 2 and brought home what proved to be the game-winning run.
- Week 3: Our opponent was a team we beat handily in the spring playoffs. We had a six-run lead going into the last inning and our usually-good defense broke down and the other team tied the game. Fortunately, we had last at-bats and won with just two batters batting; the first took second on a fielding error and scored when our next batter singled. I went 1 for 2.
- Week 4: After playing three close games, this game was never in doubt when we ran out to a 12-0 lead early en route to a 19-2 win. I tried to do everything I could not to run up the score (even imploring teammates to stop bunting after the second inning), but it was hard when the opposing team commited numerous defensive errors, walked batters, and gave up a grand slam. I only had the minimum 10 players and no backup pitchers available, so that i couldn't even throw my alternate pitcher. For the game, I was 2 for 2 with a walk and 3 runs scored. Nine of our ten players either scored a run or had an RBI.
- Week 5: Our doubleheader week. We had a fan this week when someone from my Catholic Singles group wanted to come see the team play. \\ For game one, we played our favorite rivals whom we've only beaten once over the past few years. For 5½ innings, neither team scored until the bottom of our lineup got three consecutive base hits to load the bases. Our next batter had a nice infield single that brought home the first run of the game. Two more runs came in on a fielder's choice. That proved the be the final score (3-0). I went 1 for 2 with a run. \\ Our second game featured what we later learned was another undefeated team. We opened the game with 4 runs and led 8-4 early before they battled back to tie the game at eight. Down to our last inning due to the time limit, our first three batters got hits and eventually scored. We held them scoreless to win, 11-8, and finish the season undefeated with the #1 seed. I was 0 for 2.
- Playoffs: With our same fan from last week supporting us, we opened up the playoffs with the same team from week #3. This time, however, there was no drama as we won 6-0. After scoring one run early, we added the insurance later on in the game. I was 0 for 2 with an RBI-sacrifice bunt. \\ For the semifinals, we had a rematch againt our favorite rivals. I was concerned they'd want to avenge their loss to use, especially since they had their regular pitcher available. Unfortunately, we were our own worst enemy as we played poorly to start the game and trailed 6-0 before we even got to bat. We did score a few runs to make the score a more respectable 8-3, but we got knocked out off the playoffs in a bit of an upset. Hats off to them though; they capitalized on our miscues. I was 1 for 2 with a run and an RBI. \\ I stayed for the championship, and our favorite rivals lost by a run after they had a bad inning where their 6-3 lead quickly became an 8-6 deficit. Still, they played well and had their always-present class and sportsmanship.
It looks like there will be enough teams for a Fall season this year, so we're hoping to do well and make some post-season noise again.
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