"Those Guys" came out roaring in the first. They showed a lot more bat strength then we saw during batting practice with batter after batter hitting the ball in the seams of our defense. Add to that a few balls that we should have handled but didn't and we only got to leave the defense when they scored 10 runs and were forced to retire. But it was only the first inning so we came to the plate with positive thoughts about our chances. Jim led off for us with a double, and Rob followed with a single. Billy Masson put us on the scoreboard with (what has become a routine) homer. John followed Billy with a single and Bob F. changed places with John on a Fielder's choice and that was the end of our first inning offense. But, we had scored 3 and went to the second inning trailing by 7 at 10 - 3.

Our defense was much tougher in the second and didn't allow any more "Those Guys" runs. Our offense wasn't the greatest either, however. Steve opened with a single. Melanie changed places with Steve on a Fielder's choice and that was all we had. So the score remained 10 - 3.

The third was more of the same for our defense. Operating efficiently. Not allowing any runs to score. But it was more of the same for our offense as well. Sharon opened the inning for us with a single, followed by a single from Rob. But second base was as far as we were going, stranding two baserunners; scoring no runs.

I'd like to say that the 4th was more of the same for our defense but it was anything but. The fourth looked very much like the first, with "Those Guys" running around the bases and "Insult'ers" trying to stop the bleeding. It was another 10-run "mercy rule" inning for their side (could be the first time we've had 2 in a single game). In the bottom of the inning Bob F. (triple) and Kathy (single) teamed to get us a run but nothing more as we felt the game slipping away, now trailing by 16 at 20 - 4.

Our defense went back to normal operation in the fifth, holding them scoreless. But our offense went back to sleep in the inning, going 3-up, 3-down, and it was back to the defense.

The sixth was another good inning for our defense, although "Those Guys" did add 2 runs to their total. When it was time to bat, Billy Masson got us started with a single and John followed Billy with his own single. Sammy doubled to score both Billy and John and we had matched their inning total but still trailed by 16 at 22 - 6.

The final inning was one that the team just wanted to end so we could start talking about what happened. They managed to score 3 more runs to get their total to 25. As far as our bats go, Melanie and Bob O. hit back-to-back singles, Jim tripled to score them both, and Rob doubled to score Jim and we had again matched their inning total but never got close to catching them. The final score was 25 - 9.

It's not clear just what happened to us in this game but, if you take away the first and fourth innings, each side scored 5 runs (in fact each side scored exactly the same number of runs in every inning except 1 and 4). Our "too frequently occurring" bad inning turned into 2 "disaster innings" in this game. But, other than those two innings, we played a competitive game (kinda like the boxer who gets knocked out in the fifth claiming that "other than that one round it was a competitive fight").

Offensively, in this game, Rob went 3 for 4 and John went 2 for 3 (a pretty short list). John did a good job pitching the entire game, while Bob O. handled the catching duties with an inning's work behind the plate from Bob F..

Special thanks to Debbie and Paul Wilkowski, our fans for this game. And a big "Thank You" to Jo Larson for handling the scoring duties (a busy night for the scorebook).

Not only did we get badly beaten in this game but we sustained a couple of injuries as well. Kathy took a shot high on the cheekbone at second and Steve pulled a calf muscle. Hopefully both Kathy and Steve are recovering well.

After the game the team hung around the cooler for a little while and then a group of players and fans headed for Palumbo's for some pizza and beer, and Rob's "announcement". A great time for all who were there.