Bammel Blessed by the Tie That Binds Champions, 8-8

Associated Press - Wire Feed

NCS BASEBALL FIELD - There's a popular expression in American sports that "a tie is like kissing your sister". But hey, in the church softball league we are all brothers and sisters, right!?! Well, maybe something was lost in the application of that sports cliche but the more important matter is that there was nothing lost by either team on Monday night. The Bammel Purple Crush pieced together a gritty, determined effort to finish with an 8-8 tie against the favored Champions CoC Team #1 while bringing their record to 1-2-1 for the season. No, ties don't normally occur in softball but the game was halted due to time limitations. Besides, the draw with Champions earned both teams a valuable point in the English Premier League!

Following last week's Monday night rain out, several members of the team were unable to make the 8:00pm start time due to various conflicts. Softball regulars such as Kay Lee Gibbs, Christopher Russo, Russell Wiggins, Coco & Bobby Stewart, Kevin Ruthstrom, Taylor Rathbun and Debbie Potter were game-time scratches due to a variety of issues including injury, temporary leave, demotion to the minor leagues and elder meeting summons. In their absence, manager Jason Dyniewski made the most of the remaining abundance of talent at his disposal including Caleb Sanderson, Brent & Cordan Ballard, Macy & Robyn Archer, Josh "EyeOnIt" Kasinger, Stacey Carrasco, Danielle Savaria, Eric Winkler, Cassie Miller, Mandy Chan, Laurie Brittain and Darrell Sheffield. Management also made a key personnel move prior to the game by purchasing the minor league contract of Jared Bassett based on the recommendation of legendary softball talent scout, Audrey Bassett.

Jared Bassett's defensive reputation as a shutdown cornerback certainly preceded him on Monday night --- even though cornerback is a football position and not a softball one. Nonetheless, Jared's defensive presence in LF essentially took away one side of the field as the opposition refused to challenge Jared all night. Opposing hitters attempted to test the waters in other quadrants of the outfield but found stiff opposition from a cadre of softball sentries including Cordan Ballard (LC), Macy Archer (RC) and a platoon of Robyn Archer and Stacey Carrasco in RF. Cordan made several key catches --- including the final out with runners in scoring position to secure the tie --- while Macy displayed above average range on plays up the middle as well as backing up the RF spot.

The infield defense left equally small windows of opportunity for the opposing lineup as Eric Winkler (3B), Josh Kasinger (SS), Cassie Miller (2B), Brent Ballard (1B), Mandy Chan (P) and a catching platoon of Laurie Brittan/Danielle Savaria deftly turned play after play into outs. Cassie wasted no time displaying her famous grit while making the tag-out on a rundown between first and second base. Taking the throw from Brent Ballard, Cassie caught the ball in traffic while applying a stiff clothesline to the runner and taking a tumble in the bang-bang play at the bag --- all without dropping the ball! Caleb Sanderson (3B), Robyn Archer (2B) and Darrell Sheffield (1B) came in as defensive substitutions midway through the contest to continue the fine defensive tradition. Darrell Sheffield is already involved in contract negotiations to become the next Hoover vacuum spokesman the way he was making quick work of anything thrown his way! Overall, the team was extremely efficient on defense as the high-powered Champions offense was never able to put more than 2-3 runs on the board in any inning.

The defensive performance was needed as Bammel exploded out of the gates with a 5-run first inning but had trouble finding the offensive throttle in subsequent frames of the contest. The offensive charge was definitely a family affair as Macy & Robyn Archer led the charge with 3-for-3 nights at the plate. Brent Ballard provided middle of the order power with his own 3-for-3 night and plenty of pop into the power alleys. Josh Kasinger and Eric Winker contributed two hits apiece while Jared Bassett also displayed his prowess with the bat on the way to a 2-for-2 night in his professional Purple Crush debut. Unfortunately, the team stranded several runners over the course of the game otherwise they might have easily reached double-digits on the scoreboard. In what certainly appeared to be a golden opportunity that slipped through Bammel's fingers, Robyn Archer was thrown out trying to score from first base on an opposite-field triple by Josh Kasinger. Several scouts in attendance noted that Laurie Brittain's rapid ascension as a professional hitter continued in earnest as she proudly went 1-for-2 on the night. After the game, Laurie attributed much of her growing confidence to the countless hours that she has spent honing her swing mechanics with the renowned softball hitting guru, Darrfield Sheffell.

All in all, the team performed extremely well given the one week layoff from last Monday's rainout. Team chemistry on the field was bolstered by a throng of passionate purple fanatics in the stands armed with an array of colorful signs and an endless supply of enthusiasm. Danielle Savaria again played a key role as bench coach and handled the majority of batting lineup decisions while Jason Dyniewski worked hard to serve up a steady stream of batting practice pitches to the team. At the post-game press conference, Jason was adamant about lavishing praise upon the team for their never-say-die attitude as well as their willingness to share the spotlight among everyone on the roster. Starting from pre-game warmups and carrying all the way through to the post-game fan fellowship, the Bammel Purple Crush are bringing a new brand of excitement to the ball field!

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If you thought Monday night was exciting, you haven't seen anything yet! Be sure to mark your calendars for next Monday, October 15 when Bammel will take the field at 8:00pm looking to avenge their earlier season loss to a feisty Spring Creek squad. Following the game, fans of all ages are invited to come out on the field and run the bases to get a taste of what it's like playing under the lights. Robyn Archer will join the fans while she looks to improve upon her sprinting speed from first base to home plate. It's sure to be a real treat!

See you at the ballpark!