Bammel Has Plenty of Purple Fun In 8-6 Loss

Associated Press - Wire Feed

NCS BASEBALL FIELD - This ain't no disco. It ain't no country club either. This is the 2012 Fall church of Christ softball league. All that the Bammel softball squad and their loyal following wanted to do on Monday night was have some fun - and have fun they did. A re-shaped roster of talent, powered by a strong fan following, performed admirably to open the coed softball season while simultaneously paying tribute to another competitor in the game of life, Shelby Tate, with a sea of purple jerseys. The "Purple Crush" jumped out early with a 6-2 lead but Champions church of Christ would rally for an 8-6 victory in a well-played contest full of entertainment.

Anticipation for the start of the season was evident well before the 7:00pm game time as a mixture of old and new faces arrived early at the ball field. Veteran players included Danielle Savaria, Taylor Rathbun, Cassie Miller, Bobby and Coco Stewart, Macy Archer, Mandy Chan, Russell Wiggins and skipper Jason Dyniewski. This core of experience was complimented well by an infusion of youth and talent in the form of Caleb Sanderson, Eric Winkler, Debbie Potter, Laurie Brittain, Darrell Sheffield and the youngest player to don a Bammel softball jersey, eight-year old Collin Dyniewski, who helped dramatically reduce the average age of the team. Last but certainly not least, the coaching staff's repeated recruiting trips in the off-season paid off as the team plucked two coed softball blue-chip prospects from the church office - landing both Kay Lee Gibbs and Josh Kasinger with the help of generous booster donations, er, encouragement.

Defense is a must in coed softball and Bammel trotted out a starting lineup that included a platoon of Coco Stewart and Danielle Savaria at catcher, slick-fielding Mandy Chan at pitcher, Eric Winkler (1B), Cassie Miller (2B), Josh Kasinger (SS), Caleb Sanderson (3B), Bobby Stewart (LF), Taylor Rathbun (LC), Macy Archer (RC) and Kay Lee Gibbs (RF). Even with limited reps in Spring Training, this combination proved formidable in preventing runs for a large portion of the game. Cassie Miller was tested early in the first inning and routinely handled both groundball and line drive chances that came her way. Taylor Rathbun seemed hesitant in pre-game warm-ups but displayed his defensive mettle by repeatedly tracking down fly ball outs in the vast center field expanses of the NCS baseball field. Danielle Savaria displayed years of veteran maturity as she easily side-stepped an errant bat to make the catch on a pop foul behind home plate.

The team also turned two double-plays on the evening with SS Josh Kasinger ranging into short left field for a catch and throw to 2B Cassie Miller for the force out early, while Caleb Sanderson made a running catch in center field and turned a similar force out at 2B with another throw to Cassie. The later innings brought several defensive substitutions as Darrell Sheffield moved to 1B while Laurie Brittain and Collin Dyniewski took up spots in the outfield. Collin proved that you can measure height but not heart as he calmly knocked down a one-hop line drive into right field and relayed the ball back into the infield - holding the runner to a single.

Defense may win championships, but it takes strong swings of the bat to put points on the board. With Dennis Huff and Kent Pope currently serving out 50-game suspensions for failing multiple drug tests, Jason Dyniewski was enlisted as the emergency pitcher in a league where teams pitch to themselves. Jason provided a steady performance as evidenced by the fact that not a single strikeout occurred throughout the Bammel lineup. Though many of the swings did not result in base hits, Bammel's lineup proved that they are full of contact hitters capable of putting the ball in play. The heavy lifting on this night was carried by the 3-4-5 hitters in the lineup with Taylor Rathbun and Eric Winkler setting the table for Josh Kasinger. With an impressive display, Josh Kasinger made it clear that he doesn't need a pitch pipe or invitation from Rick McCall to get folks up on their feet and excited. Coming to the plate with runners on base in the 1st and 3rd innings, Josh unleashed opposite field laser shots to empty the base paths and account for the majority of Bammel's 6 RBI on the night. In an ironic twist, media, fans and teammates alike were singing Josh's praises after a stellar introduction to his coed rookie campaign.

Additional offensive highlights included lead-off hitter Caleb Sanderson and Taylor Rathbun going 2-3, Eric Winkler going 2-2 and several .500 batting averages for folks including Cassie Miller, Bobby Stewart, Macy Archer and Kay Lee Gibbs after going 1-2 for the evening. Collin Dyniewski did not step to the plate on opening night which certainly helped the pitchers given his small strike zone.

A final note of thanks to Russell Wiggins who was promoted to the role of bench coach and assisted greatly with dugout management during the game. Russell kept the score book and managed the lineup while allowing Jason Dyniewski to focus on executing his pitches throughout the game. We suspect Russell will get back out on the field in subsequent weeks but his willingness to help from the bench was greatly appreciated!

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If you missed the live action this week, never fear! The Bammel "Purple Crush" will take the field next week for another 7:00pm start time against an equally entertaining Spring Creek squad. Come on out to the NCS secondary campus baseball field on Monday, September 17 for a fine display of fellowship with a little athletic pursuit thrown in for good measure. You're welcome to wear purple or any other color that you like...the more the merrier!

See you at the ballpark!