Ottawa Softball Playoffs Post Game, SBW FallBall vs Champs Night

October 2,  SBW rolls into the postseason for RA fall ball with Champions night. With the Bee-Atches suspended, it moved SBW into the number 1 spot for Tuesday nights. The biggest challenge for the Buds would be a lot of missing players, with Justyn with a Y, Rhys, Marley and Pageau being unable to make this special friday night championship game as well as the loss of Durwin and Daniel who would be playing for their Sunday night team. Down half their starting lineup the Buds looked to the depth of their spares, getting in some of the 3-pitch tournament buds in Kevin and Loretta, regular spares spares Rufus and Kim H and new first time Buds, Chris and Danielle. SBW also made its final game of the year to run a full coed team with a set batting line up (6 Guys, 6 Girls playing 5 and 5) on the field. New Bud Loretta was more than up to the challenge taking the spot of a guy.

It was a true fall ball game being a cool 8 degrees with a breezy north eastern wind and losing the sun very quickly ment the game would be played under the flood lights. SBW squared off against Thursday night champs RA Dickey in a Box, featuring Kevin’s Brother and some lesser known FO’s. Captain Eric Delisle would start things off strong with a leadoff triple, but not being shown up, Loretta followed it up with a triple of her own. Clean up Kevin came in to finish it up with a straight away center homer run given SBW a quick 3-0 lead.  Bottom of the second Dickey in a box manage to ties things up with a 3 run home run of their own, making it 3-3 after 2.  Top of the third SBW  would come back starting with singles from Loretta and Kevin. SBW guest score keep Sam B, gave Kevin the red light for the fence to load up the bases and that decision would prove to be a wise as Shawn W, would step up to the plate and park a ball deep right field for his first out of park home run / grand slam with SBW. Unaware he hit it over, he needed first base coach Eric Delisle to tell him to walk it off. SBW would take a 9 – 3 leed going into the bottom of the 3.  The opposition would mount a comeback rally with their own grand slam and closing out with a 7 run inning. Notable moment, when Captain Eric Delisle dropped the ball trying to cover first base for Loretta W off an nice defensive stop that could have got them out of the inning, minimizing the damage. With a chance for redemption in the top of the fourth, your captain Eric Delisle came back right away to lead off the top of the fourth with a single, followed by Loretta taking a walk it set up Kevin to answer his brother’s chirp by placing a 3 run homer deep center field. Shawn W, hot off his grand slam managed to use his wheels and leg out an in-park home run, to keep the gap growing. SBW would end up with 6 runs putting them ahead by 5, giving them an ample cushion to close out the bottom of the fourth and take the game!

Game 2,  followed immediately and against a familiar adversary with Durwin’s Sunday team the Vigiants. Having a bye to the second round, they were cold but eager to play. The game would start off right where SBW left off with Eric and Loretta getting on base for Kevin to clean up with a 3 run homer, giving SBW a quick 3 – 0 lead out of the gate. The Vigiants would answer back with back with 2 runs, but a notable play from the very cold Marie-Eve Paquet, who was able to limit the damage making a nice catch at home for an out to stop additional runs. In the top of the

second SBW manage to produce a run with getting Chris to score after his nice double. The Vigiants would answer back with 2 more runs tying the game at 4. Both teams shut the doors defensively making it a very tight game, where every swing counted. Even with two umpires questionable calls came down with Shawn making an acrobatic juggling “catch” in left field and Chris getting called out on a tag at second base. Some other notable defensive plays from the game were Loretta and Eric finally managing to make the play at first without dropping the ball (but missing the out). Chris and Krystle swapping short and 3B  would lead to Krystle making the out as short, but the next time they tried the same trick (Krystle was at 2nd and it was a lefty) they were left only to have the ball go through Krystle and three outfielders before it was able to be stopped and fielded in.

SBW went into the bottom of the 4th with the game tied at 4s, with the best result they could manage being a tie and the special tie breaker. First up for the Vigiants was Billy, who had played with the men’s frolic team in the Men’s vs Women’s match up. It was well known that Billy could easily win the game with one swing of the bat, after going 1-1- in the count and Daniel’s chirping to give them 4 straight walks, Captain Eric Delisle pointed to first base, giving Billy the base. And with the gamble, SBW managed to get the next three batters out with Chris making an almost diving catch behind second base to end the game tied at 4.

This would trigger a the somewhat odd tie breaker of sudden death home run competition. Each team would select one batter for one swing, the first team to get a home run without the other team hitting a home run would advance. With the home team going first the Vigiants sent up a tall lanky kid with ball pants and after watching a dozen of pitches, he took his pitch deep center field over the fence.  SBW, would send up Kevin, who had already hit three over the fence that night to answer. After watching a dozen of pitches, Kevin tried to pull a lower inside pitch up over the fence, but sadly only managed a hard line drive to the fence.

It was a very bittersweet way to end a great year of ball for SBW, but it saw a lot Suds a lot of new Buds and a lot of Ball.

Lineup

BATTING LINE UP