It was a glorious day in Central Park as the Hounds headed over to Heckscher Field to close out the regular season. The league re-arranged the schedule so that in the final week of the season, teams with similar records were facing off with one another. That was a much welcome change as we were somewhat tired of pounding our opponents into submission. In the opposing dugout was the first-place, sole undefeated team remaining in the league, I'd Hit That.
In Game 1, Margaret took the ball and she delivered her usual ace performance. She closed down IHT in a scoreless top of the first. Next, we were up to bat, and Jason T. led off the game with a walk. Cindy followed with a single, and Iain drove them both in with a double. Dave had an RBI triple in the inning as well, and we were off to a good start. Let's give credit to IHT, they were actually a pretty solid ballclub. They fought back with two in the 2nd, then MikePa answered with a two-run homer. That made the score 5-2 and IHT would never get closer. We played brilliant defense, looking like a well-oiled machine out there. Margaret continued to throw strikes, so much so that the umpires were even singing her praises. We also exposed the weak spots in IHT's defense, and capitalized on their mistakes. They tacked on a meaningless run in the final inning before we closed the game out. Final Score: Hounds 9, I'd Hit That 4.
For Game 2, we came up to bat first. MikePa led off with a triple, and George drove him in on a 6-3. Camille then stroked a single before Iain stepped up and hit a 2-run homer. Wink took the ball looking to build on his previous outing, and he was effective, keeping the ball in the strike zone for the most part, and putting us in a position to win the game. IHT did have a big inning in the top of the first, but that was not entirely the Winkster's doing. We did have some defensive slip-ups which gave IHT extra outs and kept the inning going. We would tie the game in the 3rd, with the top of the order again doing most of the damage. After a quiet 4th, the game was tied 7-7 entering the top of the 5th. Diana led off the inning, and she calmly hit a clutch single to left. The dugout was going nuts and everyone was on the edge of their seats as we all knew how important this game was for us. MikePa followed with a single, and next the Captain drew a walk which drove in the go-ahead run. We were primed for a big inning, and that's exactly what happened. Iain, Dave, Jason C, and Push each had RBIs, with the highlight of the inning being Dave tagging up and scoring on a weak flare that was caught on the lip of the left field grass. Nice hustle, big fella. With that, we were up 12-7, and Margaret came in to relieve Wink who was in line for his 2nd victory of the season. There was little doubt that she would close the door, and for the last out, the ball fittingly passed through the Cy Young winner's(Margaret) and the MVP's(Iain) hands before settling into Dave's glove to close out the game. Final Score: Hounds 12, I'd Hit That 7.
Lots of good news after these games, as sweeping I'd Hit That means that we have finished the season in first place and have clinched a first round playoff bye. So no Gotham City until August 21st which will be the championship round. I am told it will be a double-elimination style tournament. We head into the playoffs playing our best ball of the season and I am confident we can progress very far. Please keep in mind that while we have been fortunate in not having any rain-outs so far, rain could still delay the August 21 championship round so please try to keep the following weekends open as well for now just in case. We are going to need our full-stregth squad to win this thing. Onward to Glory, Hounds.
ALL-STAR GAME
It would be a long day of softball for some Hounds as Iain, Cindy, Amy, Dave and The Cap took part in the first annual Gotham City All-Star Game. Teams were split up with no particular rhyme or reason, but that hardly mattered, although there was some inevitable pre-game drama. Certain teams didn't want to be paired up with others, but after cooler heads prevailed, a fun and harmonious time was had by all. The Hounds were part of the West All-Stars and we were in full-force as Jason C, MikePa, Diana, Push, and Camille all stayed to support their teammates and provide some much-needed libations. As the refreshments were plentiful, exact details of the game are cloudy, but both 7-inning games were well-played, low scoring affairs. Amy was starting pitcher of the 2nd game, and she did quite well, holding the East All-Stars to only one run. The East and West All-Stars would split the two games, and afterwards everyone was softballed-out and ready to call it a day.
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