Summer Co-ed Softball at Alberta Park Tues/Thurs

Opening night of Underdog softball at Alberta Park introduced everyone to Mitch Attig of team Pitch Please, a player who lets his defensive skills do the talking while on the diamond. The saying "don't hit it to that guy" was heard early and often as Meat Club's batters came to the plate...it was apparent left field would be closed for the evening with Mitch roaming the outfield this night. A sure to be bloop single to left in the 2nd inning was wiped out in a flash, with a horizontal diving catch gem made by a man not too concerned about getting grass stains on his uniform.
While Meat Club made some quick hittings adjustments and eventually pulled away from Pitch Please on this sunny evening at the park, it was Mitch's all-out effort in left field that made this a memorable opening day for players and fans alike.

The 6:00pm game between team Meat Club and blitz featured the Kaitlyn Tanasse, a player whose skills at the plate were on display in this exciting battle between two quality teams. With family and friends cheering her on from the stands behind home plate, Kaitlyn stepped in the batter's box with an aggressive, "it's my night to shine" kind of determination in her eyes. She didn't disappoint all game long, with a shot into center field that led to a stand up triple and a few RBI's along the way to fill her stats in the scorebook. Meat Club pulled it out in the end 24-18 in a hard fought game, due in large part to Kaitlyn's presence at the plate on this great evening for Underdog softball.

Dan looked like a real pro out on the softball field today, leading Day Donkey to victory with some spectacular glove play. In one inning, Dan recorded back-to-back outs. First with an outstretched arm running backwards to catch a fly ball. The next batter he got dirty scooping a ball and throwing the runner out. He paced the team to a couple of shutout innings when the team needed him most. Look to see his Web Gems on ESPN later tonight!

It was a tough week for Pitch Please offensively, but team captain, Megan, led her team not only with positive energy, but with incredible defensive skill. She started off the game pitching, where they were able to record a no-run inning. Then later in the game, there was a hard hit one-hopper to second to base - I mean this thing had some heat. Megan moved quickly to her left and lunged, snagging the ball in a snocone. The force of the ball combined with the extreme physical play knocked the sunglasses off her head. That's the kind of effort we like to see out there! Nice job!

Bodybuilding.com came to play today. They may have had a tough day at the plate, but there was a special moment on offense for them in the 4th inning. After 2 tough at-bats for Randy, and his team down nearing the end of the game, he stepped up to the plate. He drove one into the gap at left center. He rounded second base, his eyes focused on third. The ball was coming into the cutoff man, the 3rd base coach signalling to hold, but Randy was having none of that. He blew threw the sign and headed for home. The throw home was on its way. Randy slid across home plate just before the throw arrived! Randy was stoke, the team was stoked, and after the game, Randy said it was for his grandmother, a baseball fan herself. What a great moment.

In tight games, you need smart defense and smart base running. Kat provided both of those for the Cascade Subcoolers tonight. She settled down on the mound after the first inning, pitching solidly the rest of the game. During one at-bat, she hit a short high ball only a few feet from the plate and took off for first. The backspin on the ball was bringing it back, possibly into foul play, but the defense tried to get the ball and throw her out, to no avail. That smart baserunning prolonged the inning and allowed the team to get a few crucial runs.

The 6:00pm featured Lisa Ash of team Homers, a player with some serious softball skills which have been on display all season long. She kick started the team's offensive onslaught from her first at bat, driving in two runs with a sweet line drive to an empty space in right field. Her base running skills were also showcased throughout the game...sliding is a term definitely in her vocabulary. The hits and RBI's continued the entire game, helping Homers put down a convincing 23-6 playoff win against team Blitz.
What made Lisa's star shine so bright at Alberta Park this evening? Was it her closely guarded pre-game meal, mental fortitude or born with ability to turn it up a notch come playoff time? Tonight was something completely different, for all of those who witnessed this fine offensive display agreed it was the hot pants that took her game to a special level on a great evening for Underdog playoff softball.

The catcher... at times an overlooked and underappreciated position in the game of softball. Appearances can be deceiving...there's much, much more to being a catcher than throwing the ball back to the pitcher and protecting an umpire from those pesky foul balls. He or she is the field general, positioning players and going to bat for the pitcher when the strike zone isn't quite to his or her liking.
David Nellis of team Homers set the tone and then some this evening, calling pitches at key times against aggressive batters and making sure the outfielders were positioned just right throughout the game. His knowledge of the game and ability to keep Mike on the straight and narrow while pitching helped propel them to a 17-12 hard fought victory and spot in the championship game on Thursday evening.