One Bad Inning...

I want to reiterate something I said last night; in every possible way, except for the one that matters in the standings, we won that game last night. We started out the game with a very long and ultimately costly 1st inning giving up 9 runs, but thanks to some serious lockdown defense, Hammertime didn't score another run the rest of the game. And thanks to some timely hitting and perseverance, we made a very respectable comeback and lost 9-6. Everyone should feel proud of the effort.

Plays of the game:

1. Double play! Ali to Dan for the 6-3 double play. Ali fielded some hard hit balls last night (Hammertime had a lot of belly strength behind their bats), and she played some great defense. Dan also scooped up a very hard hit ball down the first base line for a nice force out to end the 4th inning.
2. The entire outfield played solid; Mark, Kendra, Dylan, and Jonanna. I have to single out Mark only because he had the most balls hit to him last night, but all four of you are like a steel curtain out there. When I stand on the mound, I don't have a single doubt that you guys have my back.
3. Top Play of the Year so far... Runner on 1st base, Hammertime hit a line drive over shortstop, and the runner on first base tried to stretch his base running to 3rd base; Mark fielded the ball in rhythm and came up throwing on the run to 3rd base where Ali, of course, is already in perfect position to catch Mark's throw. In a bang-bang play amidst a cloud of dust, Hammertime got nailed.

BOOM!

Now, on to the awards...

Iron Woman Award: Ali Brown. Ali played a pretty amazing game last night, and she did it with a huge burn on her left (glove) hand, but you couldn't tell by the way she was fielding and swinging that bat. Respect.

Player of the Game: Abbey Rhode. Abbey is one of those consistent players who comes to play each and every week. Last night, she brought her glove, her bat, and a mental toughness that fueled our comeback from a big deficit and made the game respectable. Abbey went 3 for 3 at the plate, scored twice, played some great defense with some force out plays at 2nd base, and she brings Leticia to the game every week to help us keep score and cheer us on. In every way possible, great game, Abbey.

Special thanks to Jim for filling in at shortstop last night. A little bit of a miscommunication left us unexpectedly short handed last night, Jim stepped in at the last minute and played really well. Thanks, Jim.