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Game 7: Mid-Season Myposian Match-Up
HardBallers eye the 0.500 mark against a struggling opponent
June 6, 2007
By Andrew Wolan / BWCS
Score Box
Mypos Sheep Tuppers |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
X |
X |
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7 |
X |
3 |
The HardBallers |
12 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
X |
X |
|
19 |
23 |
3 |
|
 |
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Jonathan and Pierre look-on from first as the Mypos pitcher makes his delivery. (Wolan)
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Game Summary
After Mother Nature denied the team a chance to hit the 0.500 mark before the mid-season break, the HardBallers look to try again in Game 7. Once again, Mother Nature threatened the game with rainy weather, but unlike the previous game, all she could muster together were some passing sprinkles before game time. And the HardBallers could not have scheduled a more ideal opponent to try and hit the milestone as they were set to square off against the Mypos Sheep Tuppers (MST). The Tuppers have been plagued with roster issues and today’s match-up was no exception, as the Tuppers were forced to play short-handed with only 8 players.
Just like in game 5, the MSTs would have to play with only 3 outfielders while the HardBallers would provide a “courtesy” non-fielding catcher. To make matters worse, only one female player showed-up for the MSTs, which means the team would have a “ghost” female batter that would yield an automatic out at that spot in their line-up.
With MSTs troubles, the HardBallers had no trouble taking control of the game. In fact, they did so early on by taking a commanding 12-2 lead after one. In that opening inning, the Hardballers sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 12 runs off of 11 hits. Austin got the inning off to a commanding start by hitting a 2-run ITP HR. The Tuppers’ offense tried to get something going through-out the game, but every time they seemed to get something going, their rally would be thwarted by the “ghost batter” out, limiting the amount of runs they could rack together.
While the HardBaller’s offense had no trouble in run production, Coach Corbett took advantage of matters to conduct a “starter/reliever” pitching experiment on defense. Nicole started the game and pitched 3 strong innings, who then handed the ball over to A-WOL. The move was made because the MSTs were starting to draw walks off her pitching. A-WOL pitched for the remainder of the game.
A scary moment for the HardBallers occurred in the fifth. While fielding a ground ball between first and second, the ball took an awkward hop and hit Lindsey on the right knee. “I could feel my knee cap going up” noted Lindey and she walked around the infield to shake-off the pain. She remained in the game after that incident. An update on her medical condition was not available after the game.
In the end, the Tuppers’ roster disadvantage proved fatal as the HardBallers easily cruised to their third win of the season, 19-7, as the game was called after 5 innings due to the “mercy rule”. This win also allowed the HBs to hit the magical 0.500 mark for the first time this season.
Highlights
John: 4 for 4 (2B) with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
Austin: 3 for 4 (ITP HR) with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.
Kenny: 3 for 3 (2B, 3B, SAC) with 3 RBIs and 1 run scored. Also outran a force-out attempt at 2nd base in the first.
A-WOL: first team save of the season.
Webgem: A line-drive snag at short by Kenny in the 3rd.
Questionable behavior: A-WOL’s passionate hug of the third base bag after hitting a RBI triple in the 2nd.
Mypos? Isn't that were Balki Bartokomous from "Perfect Strangers" was from?
Game Photos & Audio Clips |
HBs' Player Stats from the Game |
Scorebook |
Corbett's Post Game Analysis
Andy Wolan is a reporter and photographer for BWCS. This story was not subject to the approval of the league or its clubs.
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