(on feet) Robb Warren, Tim Ohm, Holly Schmidt,
Amy Walsh, Allan Runkle. (on chairs) Terry Emerson, Cheryl and Isabelle
and Samantha Kiedrowski, Richard Chen, Ellen Runkle and Susie, Hannah Runkle,
Taylor Runkle. (on butts) Scott Morgan, Sue Kientz, Ron Baalke,
Barbara Lam, and David Lim. Photo by Sam Dolinar.
A TWO-CHICK STORY
It was the best of games; it was the worst of games. It was a time of renewed confidence and a time of lingering doubt. Against a team we badly thrashed last year, the Homers passively received the Wild Turkeys' retribution until two women stepped to the fore. "It is a far, far better butt-kicking we give now than we have ever butt-kicked before," spake the heroines, as they led the Homers to a rousing come-from-behind victory over the Wild Turkeys, 12 to 11.
Homers 0 2 0 0 0 6 4 12
Wild Turkeys 2 2 1 0 0 6 0 11
Besides the softball game, the Homers staged their first wet T-shirt contest
thanks to the sprinklers in the outfield coming on around the third inning
and not stopping until the game ended. The winner: Ron Baalke, out to show
that those muscles weren't just made for hitting home runs. This game was
also the season debut for Richard, having been sidelined due to an Achilles'
injury. In fact, thanks to the first randomly selected Homer batting order,
Richard batted first, though the results (not hitting the ball out of the
infield the first two times) may not have warranted it.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Richard C 3B SS C P - 1B
David 3B RCF RCF - C RF RF
Holly 1B 1B - 3B 3B 3B 3B
Robb LF LF 1B P - P C
Tim SS SS - SS SS SS SS
Scott P P P LF LF RCF -
Ellen RF RF RF 2B - 2B 2B
Amy LCF LCF LCF - RCF LCF LCF
Ron RCF - LF 1B 1B LF LF
Barbara DH DH DH DH DH DH DH
Cheryl 2B 2B 3B RF RF - P
Allan - C C CF LCF 1B RCF
Sue - - 2B R 2B C -
The Homers had a record number of spectators and a record number of beach
chairs (11?) for them to sit in: Samantha, Isabelle, Cheryl's beau Terry
(you can blame it all on me, it don't matter to me now), Hannah, Taylor,
Susie, Brian and Aaron (Barbara and David's kids), and the first Mrs. Lim.
Afterwards, Samantha, Isabelle, Cheryl, Terry, Amy, Tim, Scott, Robb, Ellen,
Hannah, Sue, Ron, Holly, and Richard went to Crown City.
Holly and Cheryl carried the day for the Homers. After trailing through the first 5 innings thanks to rather poor hitting, the Homers tied the score in the sixth on Richard's two-run, two-out double and went ahead on David's subsequent single. Holly then crushed a huge home run over the left fielder to give the Homers a three-run lead, which they then gave back in the bottom half of the inning. With two outs in the seventh, 1 run across but still down by two, Ellen on third and Ron on second, Cheryl got a hit up the middle to score both, then scored the winning run on Allan's hit.
But the Homer women weren't done. In the bottom of the seventh, protecting a one-run lead, Cheryl, pitching, gave up a hit to lead off the inning, but then speared a low line drive up the middle and doubled the runner off first, the fourth Homer double play of the day. The next batter reached base, then when trying to advance to third on the following batter's hit, was tagged out to end the game by Holly, who had subtly blocked the base and deftly caught Tim's short-hopped, side-armed throw.
Other highlights: Tim got the Homers on the board with a lead-off home run in the second, and Ellen scored the first of her two runs that inning, reaching base both times on solid singles up the middle.
Next week's game is MONDAY, June 17, against the THz Freqs on field H2, the one on the south side of the Rose Bowl field. I think this team was a really bad fall league team last year, but nobody really knows.