Team Re-Entry Softball Box Scores for Fall 2011

In the first game of the fall season, Re-Entry faced an undersubscribed Beast Mode squad that consisted at first of seven players and then of eight players. One might have thought that Re-Entry could take advantage and muster some big innings against a three man outfield. But, due to a superb Beast Mode defense on the left side and inconsistent Re-Entry bats, the game remained close for the entire seven innings. A line drive shot by Rob down the right field line for a home run and a towering home run over the left fielder's head by A.J. to lead off the second provided the first three Re-Entry runs. The only sustained offense by Re-entry took place in the 4th inning and plated four runs, resulting in a five run lead. (Another notable Re-Entry offensive line was a 3 for 3 game by Howie consisting of a single, double and triple). But, in the fifth inning, Beast Mode began chipping away at the Re-Entry lead. A two run outburst by Re-Entry in the final frame provided the necessary breathing room, and Re-Entry walked away with a 9--6 victory.

Solid Re-Entry defense ensured that the Re-Entry offense would suffice. The web gem of the game is difficult to award as there were a number of deserving candidates. For example, a difficult 2--3 putout initiated by Carena ended a Beast Mode threat in the 4th inning. Re-Entry tied a team record with three double plays. The first was 3 (unassisted)--6, with a perfect throw by Erica to Howie and a tag play for the out. The initial tag was not decisive, but the runner overran second base leading to a second tag, which completed the double play. The second was a 6--4--3 double play (not so common in our league), with a perfect pivot by Omar at second base to complete the twin killing. The third was a 6 (unassisted)--3 double play, with the throw to first base arriving just in time to end the inning. The last web gem of the game occurred on a single to left field in the bottom of the 7th inning. A.J. threw a perfect strike to Eddie at third base, catching the runner off guard as she inadvertently had drifted off third base. That out, which ended the game, was critical as the tying Beast Mode run was due up at the plate. All in all, a well-earned victory that was truly a team effort.

The game started auspiciously for the Re-Entry Team, playing against one of the pre-season favorites to make the playoffs. After Howie got stranded at second after a leadoff double, the Tremendous Turtles jumped to a 3--0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on the strength of a massive three-run home run by their leading hitter. Entering the top of the third inning, Re-Entry was still behind 3--1. However, the Re-Entry bats began to pick up steam. A triple down the right field line by Howie drove in two runs, and then later in the inning a number of poor defensive plays by the Turtles infielders let in three more runs. By the end of the top half of the third, Re-Entry had seized a 7--3 advantage. At that point the Re-Entry defense took over. Howie snagged a line drive at short and doubled up the runner at first to end the third inning. In the top of the fourth inning, the Re-Entry bats continued to get hot and pushed five more runs across. The two web gems of the game took place in the fourth inning. A.J. dove to his left to snare a line drive taking a hit away from the batter. And with the Turtles threatening with two outs, Laurie made the play of the game with a short hop pickup of a low line drive from the second base position, turning a very difficult play into a simple 4--3 putout. That basically iced the game. The defenses on both sides played solidly from that point on, and there were a few quick 1--2--3 innings along the way. Final score: a convincing 12--3 win by Re-Entry to claim sole possession of first place in the division.

After a victory against the Tremendous Turtles in the first game of a doubleheader, Re-Entry turned its attention to the nightcap. The intended opponents (Tree Sluggers) had vanished, and thus the schedule was modified. We faced a Dark Lettuce squad, who jumped to a 2--0 lead in the first inning following Eddie's first Rochambeau victory of the season. With the bases loaded, Re-Entry escaped further damage with an inning ending double play on a line drive to Howie followed by a putout at third base by Kaila. That makes five double plays for the season including at least one in each of the first three games!

But, this game was all about the Re-Entry offense. The fireworks started immediately with the first Re-Entry batters, with back to back home runs by Howie and A.J. of the men's lineup, and by the time the inning ended Re-Entry had plated ten runs before the third out, thereby invoking the ten-run rule. With some assistance from a below average Dark Lettuce defense and the hot Re-Entry bats, a number of team records were tied or established. A new team record for runs was established--45, eclipsing the previous record of 44 that was set in the Spring 2007 season (you can look that up!). A record of three 10 run innings was tied, and the outright record was barely missed when Re-Entry scored only nine runs in the fifth inning. As for individual hitting, Rob had a game for the ages which included four home runs and a triple. The team hit seven home runs (with no defensive miscues), although the final home run by Kaila was in doubt when A.J. stumbled between second and third (almost resulting in a collision of the two baserunners). However, A.J. recovered just in time and both A.J. and Kaila crossed the plate just ahead of the throw home.

There were no real web gems to report, as the outcome of the game was a foregone conclusion by the end of the second inning. Nevertheless, the defense did make the highlight real in the seventh inning by its poor management of a rundouwn situation between second and third. After a number of poor throws and decisions (no names mentioned), the runner made it all the way home (on what started out as a single) for the final Dark Lettuce run, as the final rays of sunshine were expiring.

After a quick three outs in the top of the first inning, Re-Entry batters quickly struck for six runs in the bottom of the first inning. A three run home run by Rob and a two-run home run by Eddie quickly established the Re-Entry lead. However, the Tree Sluggers cut the deficit in half in the top of the second inning, due to some seeing eye ground balls and an errant throw from A.J. in center field to Omar at 3rd base, which struck the runner attempting to take an extra base. Re-Entry struck back for four runs in the bottom half of the inning, and the defense stood tall in the top of the 3rd when A.J. had a second chance to cut down the runner attempting to take an extra base. This time, the throw by A.J. to Omar was right on the money (earning the top web gem of the game), and the agressive base running by the Tree Sluggers backfired. That play ended the top of the 3rd inning with no damage done. At that point, a number of the Tree Sluggers had to depart, and with their team depleted they were forced to retire early. The game was then called, and with the final 10--3 victory, Re-Entry remained in first place as the only undefeated team in the division.

Playing against a depleted Theta Chi lineup, Re-Entry took full advantage of the left-center and right-center field gaps inherent in a three-person outfield. With a triple by A.J. and a home run by Rob in the first inning, Re-Entry jumped out to a quick 4--0 lead. A seven run second inning added to the lead and Re-Entry never looked back. By the time the fourth and fifth inning rolled around, the Re-Entry bats were in full throttle. The distaff side of the lineup led by Laurie, Pauline and Carena contributed solid hits to keep the rallys going. A home run by Omar to the deepest part of the ballpark in center field started the rally, followed a couple of batters later with a home run line drive down the right field line by Howie. In the 5th inning, Eddie finally broke out of his power slump with a home run into the right-center field gap, and a few batters later Omar went yard a second time. By the time Andy tripled and scored on the overthrow, Re-Entry had a 19 run lead.

All four Theta Chi runs came on solo home runs in different innings. Indeed, each home run was a mighty blast, with one of home runs scattering the soccer players in deep left field. Apart from the home runs, Theta Chi was stymied by a very solid Re-Entry defense that made few errors. The web gem of the game came on a high pop up that fell between the third baseman and the left fielder for a single. The runner on first rounded second and attempted to take third on the play. With the third baseman Omar in short left field, Howie alertly covered third base (after initially chasing the pop fly). The throw from Omar to Howie was right on the money, and a quick tag of the runner put a dent in a possible Theta Chi rally. One other noteworthy defensive gem was made by Rob who cleanly fielded a short hop throw from Omar at third base to end the third inning.

Once the fifth inning ended, Theta Chi lost one of their players, falling one below the minimum allowed in a game. Nevertheless, they insisted on playing on until a massive three run home run by A.J. in the top of the 6th inning convinced them that there was no point in continuing. The game was officially concluded as a five inning game. With the 22--4 victory, Re-Entry officially cliches first place in Division I Softball and a ticket to the playoffs.

The final game of the regular season was declared a forfeit when King Ponggg failed to show up. With that, Re-Entry completed its third straight undefeated regular season.

The Tremendous Turtles were also declared winner of their game by forfeit, so the two teams took the opportunity to stage an exhibition match. The game was played under usual match conditions. Re-Entry quickly jumped to a 7--0 lead in the top of the first inning and then coasted to a 20--9 victory, in a game that was ended in the middle of the final inning due to darkness. The big blows of the game were three-run home runs by Rob and A.J. and a triple by Kaila over the left fielder's head. Both Pauline and Laurie showed off their outfielding skills in left field, much to the consternation of the Turtles who thought they could find some holes in the Re-Entry defense.

The Re-Entry offense started slowly, mustering only one run in the first two innings. Meanwhile, the Re-Entry defense kept Cori Gunz in check. A lined shot to third baseman Omar was turned into an inning ending double play, when the Cori Gunz runner strayed too far off first base. In the second inning, a potential Cori Gunz rally was squashed. With runners on first and second, a ground ball to Howie at short started an unusual double play. Howie flipped the ball to Laurie at second base for the first out, while the runner from second kept on running home. The throw to Laura at the plate was late, but Laura then threw back to first, after noticing that the runner had rounded the bag and was caught in no man's land. Rob applied the tag completing the inning ending double play. When Re-Entry scored three runs in the third inning, mostly on small ball, Re-Entry clung to a 4--1 lead.

The Re-Entry bats finally came alive in the top of the 4th inning. A.J. led it off with a line drive shot down the left field line that just eluded the left fielder, resulting in a solo home run. But the really big hits were to follow. With two people on base, Erica hit a long drive over the left-center fielder's head, and when the dust settled, Erica had 2 RBIs and a stand-up triple. Andy followed with a massive drive over the center fielder's head for a two-run home run, and suddenly Re-Entry was up by eight runs. The lead did not last. In the bottom of the 4th inning, a number of errant plays in the infield prolonged the inning, and Cori Gunz took full advantage with a two-out three-run home run to close the gap again to three runs. With Re-Entry going down quickly in the top of the 5th inning, it looked like the momentum had swung in favor of Cori Gunz. However, with a couple of people on base, Laurie made the defensive play of the game, spearing a sinking line drive to left field to end the inning and the Cori Gunz threat. That play earns the web gem of the game, and swung the momentum back to Re-Entry. A four run sixth inning by Re-Entry was jump-started by A.J.'s second solo home run of the game. Later that inning, good situational hitting by Andy and Howie with two outs to drive in the final two runs finally gave Re-Entry a comfortable seven run lead. The defense held firm in the 6th inning, and closed the game out in the bottom of the seventh allowing two innocuous runs, to claim the 13--8 victory.

In the Championship game, Beast Mode was a very different team from the one we defeated 9--6 in the first game of the season. They beefed up their lineup with some heavy hitters and skilled women, and their team skill was on display with outstanding hitting and defense. Before Re-Entry even got started, they posted four runs on the board, and sported a 9--1 lead after an inning and a half. In the bottom of second inning, Re-Entry made some noise with their bats. Omar started us off with a home run, and Eddie continued the power surge with a home run, although that result was momentarily in doubt when a superb throw from the cutoff woman at second base nearly nailed Eddie at the plate. Only a head first slide to avoid the tag followed by a desperate reach back to the plate with his hand resulted in a "safe" call by the umpires (despite the loud protestations of the Beast Mode players). After two innings, the score was 9--5, and there was a glimmer of hope that Re-Entry would make a game of it.

Unfortunately, the Re-Entry defense and offense was not up to its usual standards. After a few miscues in the field, the Beast Mode lead was up to eight runs again, and with no sustained offense there were no late heroic comebacks left in the tank. Eddie repeated his second inning drama with a nearly identical replay, scoring on a second home run that required an even more impressive slide around the catcher who received the throw while blocking the plate. A good offensive showing by Howie (3--4 with a triple, double and single) and Andy pushed across a few more runs, but that was about it. A double by Rob in the late innings led to a second and third situation with two outs, but Re-Entry was just unable to push across that tenth run. Meanwhile, powered by a number of tape-measure home runs to the deepest parts of the outfield, Beast Mode built up a eleven run lead, with runs in every inning save the last.

Despite some shaky defensive plays in the early part of the game, there were a few web gems to report. In the top of the fifth, with two outs and Beast Mode threatening another big inning with a runner on second, Andy in center field retrieved a single and came up throwing, with a strike to the plate to nail the runner from second trying to score. At the catching position, Laura received the throw and was in perfect position to tag the runner and end the inning. In the top of the 6th inning, with one out and runners on first and second, Howie made a backhand snag of a sinking line drive, then wheeled and threw a strike to A.J. at second base for the inning ending double play. Finally, in the 7th inning, Re-Entry held Beast Mode scoreless, but it was too little too late. Eleven runs was too much to overcome, and Re-Entry went down quietly in the bottom of the 7th to end their hopes of a championship season.

The Re-Entry team tips their caps to Beast Mode for their stellar play. What can you say about a team that knocks off two undefeated teams in the playoffs and makes it look easy? Nevertheless, Re-Entry can be proud of a third straight undefeated season that included a win over the fall 2011 champions. Having added three stellar women to the roster can only bode well when Re-Entry makes another run for the championship T-shirts in spring 2012.

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Link to the Fall 2011 Re-Entry Coed Softball team web page