MCSN: June 4, 2016

Oh Thank Heaven For Season 11

Week 1 Recap

By Rob Tong

Fri, Jun 24, 2016

The sun was out for opening day Opening Day this year started the second decade of Moody Softball. If only cars lasted that long.

8am game

The season opener featured the Power vs the Liberties. The Power's Rob Tong was joined by his son Ethan to form the second-ever father-son duo in the league. "Makes me feel old," the elder Tong deadpanned. "But it was also a moment I've been looking forward to. I guess that means I've been looking forward to feeling old."

The elder Tong, used to galloping in the outfield, also started the season as pitcher for the first time, which probably also makes him feel old.

Old or not, the Power lived up to its name—at least for the first game. The team powered up 22 runs on 32 hits while holding the David Cho-less Liberties to just three hits in a 22-0 win.

"Every Power hitter...no pun intended...got a hit," Rob Tong noted. "Won't happen every game but we'll take it for today."

9am game

The Dugout Donuts from Edgewater Baptist Church rejoined the fun this year to face the familiar Caravan. The Donuts started off glazed over (maybe it was the pre-game donuts), holding a soft 5-3 lead after three innings but showed they were not a piece of cake when they outscored the undermanned Caravan 10-2 the rest of the way.

"Tim Verduin looked more like a hockey goalie with his shot blockage at shortstop," said his wife (and team manager) Mandy Verduin.

Tim showed he wasn't just a defensive shortstop, cranking a home run over the fence and going 4-for-4 with 4 RBI.

Caravan, due to a shortage of league players that left them with only eight rostered players to start the season, used subs to avoid forfeit but the Donuts offense took advantage of their undermanned defense (which also made some uncharacteristic errors) to run away with a 15-5 win. Mandy Verduin was in such a good mood that she did some dance moves while on the mound as pitcher, much to the chagrin of Caravan's Sam Baturoni.

"I'll have to bleach my eyes now," said Baturoni, who also led Caravan with three RBI.

It wasn't all custard and sprinkles for the Donuts, though.

"Joey Rosado's walk up song was Barbie Girl because he did not comply with an email deadline," Mandy Verduin said.

Caravan's Steve Borgstrom made a beautful sliding catch of a Donut line drive but it was not enough to stave off the Donut party.

10am game

The Donuts were perhaps on a sugar high when they faced off against the Ospreys in game two of the Donuts' double-header. The Ospreys outhit and outscored the Donuts for a 14-10 win.

The two teams flashed good defense, exchanging just one run over each of the first two innings to leave the score 2-2. The Ospreys put up a five-spot in the third inning and the Donuts came up empty in their half of the inning. The Ospreys were blanked in the top of the fourth inning and the Donuts ate (snicker, snicker) away at their lead with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to trail 7-4.

“I'll have to bleach my eyes now.”

- Caravan's Sam Baturoni on watching Donuts' Mandy Verduin dance moves on the field.

The Ospreys got those two runs back in the top of the fifth but the Donuts scored three more in the bottom of the inning to close the gap to 9-7. But the Ospreys tacked on another five-spot in the sixth and the Donuts could only muster three more runs the rest of the way.

"We did not earn our sprinkles this game," Mandy said.

It wasn't for lack of the long ball. Tim Verduin mashed two more balls over the fence, and Randy Baab hit one himself. Yet the rest of the Donut offense went flat...odd, given that the Ospreys were also undermanned.

"I was really worried at the start of the game as we were playing 4 men down and had only one substitute, leaving our team roster [for the game] at eight," Osprey manager Dan Cameron said. "My team really pulled it together and we were able to pull out the win, even being down people. Andy Decker really shined in this game with his first home run. And even though it was an in-the-park home run, it really boosted his moral and ours. John Fraats also did really well going 4-for-5."

11am game

Fresh off their big win over the Donuts, the Ospreys hoped to avoid a letdown as they faced the Viceroys in the second game of the Ospreys' double-header.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," the slogan goes. And so the Donuts' Derek Familara subbed in for the Ospreys, who had every player get at least three hits for the first time in league history, as well as every player score at least two runs for the first time in league history, and every player notch at least one RBI (not a league-first...sorry, can't be too greedy) in a 25-11 win over the Viceroys.

The Viceroys (from Moody's Crossroads and Veritas TMC Communities) did pretty well themselves, pounding out 22 hits, with all but two players getting at least one hit.

The Ospreys picked up where they left off against the Donuts, scoring a five-spot in the first, but the Viceroys were not impressed, putting up a five-spot of their own in the bottom half. But the Ospreys kept attacking, outscoring the Viceroys 7-1 over the next three innings to lead 12-6. After the Viceroys tacked on three more in the bottom of the fifth to make it 12-9, the Ospreys flew away with a 12-run seventh to put the game out of reach.

"I became even more worried before the start of this game than the last game, as Rob McMahon also had to leave and we were now playing Josh Fraats' team and so he had to leave," Cameron said. "Thankfully, Pastor Michael Best showed up and the Donuts, despite our win over them, graciously gave Derek Familiara to help us reach our eight-man minimum."

(We'll forgive the unintentional bending of the rules, since Best is not a registered player this year.)

"Again my team really showed up and helped us pull out a 25-11 win," Cameron explained. "Andy Decker, riding off of the energy from his HR in the last game, hit another in-the-park home run, bringing in two RBI."

The Viceroys themselves were full of energy throughout the game, and they really cheered one another on! Hopefully they'll be cheering a win soon.

Looking ahead

Next week promises more intriguing matchups. First, the Power face the powerful Donuts in an 8am showdown. The 9am game delivers a rematch of the Power against the Liberties. The mighty Ospreys challenge the Liberties in the 10am game. And the final game next week matches the Caravan against the Viceroys.

Who ya got? Check back next week to find out what happened.