Unleavened Performance Puts Bammel Loss, 14-6, Into Perspective

Associated Press - Wire Feed

NCS BASEBALL FIELD - Perhaps the post-game watermelon cupcakes a week ago resulted in an unforeseen sugar withdrawal? Maybe it was a lack of spiritual guidance resulting from both Kay Lee Gibbs and Josh Kasinger's absence in the dugout? We may never pinpoint the exact cause but a performance so flat it rivaled unleavened bread was the downfall of the Bammel Purple Crush as they wandered into a 14-6 loss at the hands of the Champions CoC team #2 to bring Bammel's season record to 1-3-2.

Were scheduling conflicts to blame on this fateful evening? It might have been an early sign of things to come when manager Jason Dyniewski received word that multiple roster regulars would be unavailable for the Monday night contest. Several staples of the 2012 team were missing from the bench as the seconds ticked down to game-time including Cassie Miller, Josh Kasinger, Kay Lee Gibbs, Brent/Cordan/Caden Ballard, Taylor Rathbun, Darrell Sheffield and the Stewart family. Faced with a reduced supporting cast, the starting lineup leaned heavily on its remaining talent in the guise of Danielle Savaria (c), Eric Winkler (1b), Robyn Archer (2b), Russell Wiggins (ss), Christopher Russo (3b), Mandy Chan (p), Stacey Carrasco (lf), Jared Bassett (lc), Macy Archer (rc) and Laurie Brittain (rf). In addition, Caleb Sanderson represented a strong option off the bench and the mid-game arrival of Micah, Ken and Gene (friends of Hillary Wiese) provided additional flexibility as the innings wore on.

Was the lack of offensive explosion due to the early 7:00pm start time --- that broke the recent streak of 8:00pm games --- to blame? It remains unclear as to exactly why the Bammel bats suddenly went cold. Russell Wiggins continued his hot streak at the plate with a 3-for-3 night and 2 runs scored from the 2nd spot in the lineup. Eric Winkler (3rd) and Jared Bassett (6th) also made solid contributions as Eric was 3-for-3 and Jared was 2-for-3 with 1 run scored. Macy Archer and Stacey Carrasco also reached base on multiple occasions but the team had trouble sustaining any rallies to consistently put large numbers on the scoreboard. The final tally looked like a seesaw with Bammel plating 1 run in the first, 0 in the second, 1 in the third, 0 in the fourth, 2 runs in the fifth, 0 in the sixth and 2 more runs in the seventh.

Could it have been defensive adjustments made by the coaches that disrupted the ebb and flow of the Purple Crush? While it's true that a few of the fielding positions included some fresh faces, many scouts confirmed that most of the defensive woes were the result of random bad breaks. Stacey Carrasco and Jared Bassett both covered plenty of ground on fly balls only to see their efforts unrewarded as the softball squirted from their gloves at the last moment. And there was certainly nothing that could be done by the outfield on a titanic Champions home run blast that cleared the left field fence at a distance of 325 feet. Likewise, the Bammel infielders did their best to turn trouble into outs but the ball often had a mind of its own and found several flukey places to rest outside the reach of numerous gloves. Robyn Archer did muster the courage to stare down a towering fly ball at 2nd base and hold on to secure the out. On the flip side, Jason Dyniewski made his first cameo appearance at catcher for two innings and quickly proved why he has moved on to a permanent coaching position when he sprang out for a soft ground ball and promptly threw it past Eric Winkler at first-base. Fortunately, Danielle Savaria would wrest the catching reins back from Jason just in time to make a similar play albeit one with a better ending as Danielle successfully threw to first base for the out.

Was it the unavoidable low following a sugary cupcake high? Was it the untimely challenge of multiple activities vying for attention on Monday night? Could it have been an hour shift in time that wreaked havoc on the pre-game routine of so many finely conditioned athletes? Maybe.

But maybe it was a subtle reminder that there are some celebrations which take precedence over anything that happens between a pair of foul lines. Perhaps the real victory for the Purple Crush community on Monday night was a continued celebration of the fact that Audrey Bassett (wife of Jared) hit a resounding homerun just one day earlier when she was baptized at Sunday morning service! And maybe the hearts and minds of the Purple Crush faithful were thinking more about Dr. Bob, Kim, Christy, Coco and Bobby Stewart on Monday evening than softball --- safe in the knowledge that the Stewarts were on hand to celebrate the life of Dr. Bob's mother as she made her final turn around third base and headed safely home to be with her Father.

This writer is convinced that Monday night reminded us all that --- no matter what some scoreboards say --- the truly important victory celebrations often take place far away from the baseball diamond.

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It might be a little chilly next Monday night, October 29th at 7:00pm when the Purple Crush reunite for their final regular season re-match with Champions CoC team #1. There might be some ghoulish fun with Halloween just around the corner. At a minimum, the teams should bring back a child-hood favorite and re-institute the use of "ghost men" (runners) on base! Be sure to bundle up and come out to catch all the action. Who knows, you might even be treated to a few softball tricks in the process!?!

See you at the ballpark!