With the new season finally upon us, it was time to take the field and measure up against the new competition in the Yorkville league. Old Man Winter relinquished his grasp on the city unexpectedly, and the stage was set with a pristine turf field and a sunny 75 degree day. One could not have asked for a better day for the occasion. In the opposing dugout were the L'OXSTARS, representing a chain of make-up and candle stores. Needless to say, the need to beat the team from the make-up and candle store was imperative.
As the road team, we came up to bat first. L'OX pitcher was erratic to start the game and he proceeded to walk the first three batters he faced. That set the table for Iain who hit a 3-run triple. Another walk was followed by a 2-run double from new Hound Mano. We took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the first and we knew we had this team.
Juiena got the ball as starting pitcher and asserted her command early. L'OX scored one run in the 1st, but the game would never be closer. We scored another 8 in the 2nd, highlighted by home runs from Pat, JT, and rookie Jane. The game was now out of hand and it became about getting good work in and making sure nobody got hurt. Amy came in to pitch in the 3rd and put in two solid innings. Meanwhile, our offense continued to roll. Everybody scored or drove in a run, some standouts were Mike(3-4, BB, HR, 4 RS, 3 RBI), Cindy(2-3, BB, 3 RS), Iain(4-4, 4 RS, 7 RBI), Pat (3-3, BB, 2 HR, 4 RS, 5 RBI), and Amy (3-4, RS, RBI). Big props also to the two Hounds making their debuts, Mano (2-4, 2 RBI, fine outfield assist at home) and Jane (2-2, 2 BB, 2 HR, 3 RS, 3 RBI). The best moments of the game had to be both of Jane's home runs, which were not cheap by any stretch, and Pat's 2nd dinger which was a tape-measure bomb. Cap came in to pitch the last inning and struck out the last two batters to end the game. The game was over and we continued our streak of winning on Opening Day going back to the beginning of the Hounds over 3 years and about 9 seasons ago. Final Score: Hounds 26, L'OXSTARS 3.
While we should definitely be happy to start the season on an extremely positive note, we can't expect it to be this easy all the time. The L'OXSTARS, God bless 'em, were pretty terrible. We're 1-0 but the season will hopefully really start next week.
