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June 29, 2006
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June 29, 2006 |
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sports Bulldogs win two, lose one Anyone lucky enough to be at Gaunt Park Tuesday, June 20, witnessed what could have been the most exciting Bulldog game in two years. The home team started the game by giving up 6 runs to the Patterson Park Raiders in the first inning, setting the Bulldogs up to trail for 6 innings. The boys never gave up, battling back to score in every inning but the first and fifth. Jamie Kitzmiller, in his first ever Bulldog pitching performance, came in the game in the third inning and pitched well for five innings. He and the Bulldogs’ other pitchers were helped by some remarkable defensive plays, including fly balls caught on the run in the first and second by Conor Stratton in center and a run from short stop to short center by Alexis Onfroy-Curley to catch a fly and get his team out of the fifth inning. The real excitement came in the bottom of the seventh with the Bulldogs down 14–13 and the top of the lineup coming to the plate. Onfroy-Curley started the rally with a blast to center where his speed allowed him to tie the game on a wild pitch. Stratton followed with a single. The final blow was dealt by Kitzmiller who hit a powerhouse inside-the-park homer into deep center, sending Stratton in with the winning run. A rainout on Thursday, June 22, delayed the next game until Saturday when the Bulldogs faced Westwood at home. Starting pitcher Lucas Donnell allowed only nine batters to the plate in the first three innings, striking out the side in the third. His perfect game was spoiled in the fourth inning when a fielding error got a man on base and Westwood went on to score 3 runs, followed by another run in the fifth. The Bulldogs had a breakout inning in the third when nine of 10 batters scored. Brandon Semler hit a great single, driving in a run and then moving around the bases on wild pitches. Jarrett Moon hit a 2 RBI double and Kitzmiller, Ben Clonch and Chris Johnson also got singles. The game ended in the fifth inning with a 12–4 run rule victory for the Bulldogs. Sunday the Bulldogs faced their Cedarville rivals. Good pitching by Cedarville limited YS to three hits and 2 runs. Jacob Kepler played well at first base and got his first hit, a single in the third. The defensive highlight was a hard line drive caught at third by Tarren Finch to stop a double and end the inning. The Cedarville offense was productive, scoring 4 in the first two innings but then coming on strong in the fourth and scoring 6 runs, giving the opponents a run rule victory of 10–2. Minor League — week 3 The third full week of minor league play was full of close and exciting games. The Pirates now lead the league with a record of 6–1 after a pair of wins. Their fourth straight win came on Monday, June 19, when they survived a late game rally by the Indians to squeeze out an 18–17 victory. It was the Pirates’ second one-run victory over the Indians in as many days. The bats were hot for both of these well-matched teams. The Pirates opened a slim first-inning lead with scores from their first six batters after the Indians had already scored five in their half of the first. Then the Pirates’ bats pounded out 10 additional runs in the second and third innings, while holding the Indians scoreless until the top of the fourth when the Indians added 5 runs of their own. The Indians’ rally continued in the fifth with 7 more runs, falling just short of tying the game. The Pirates rookies looked like anything but, as Joey Plumer, Rebecca Kleinen, Devon Perry, Nate Gillman-Baggett and Angela Allen all chipped in by scoring at least one run and adding a combined 8 RBI’s. Veterans Aaron Sherwood and Aaron Harshaw-Reporter each went three for three at the plate and scored 3 runs, with another 3 RBI’s between them. Adrianne Beer not only played superb infield defense, but scored 2 runs on three hits and drove in two more. Veteran William Evans added 2 runs on two hits and showed off his skills at catcher, with one put out on a foul ball and two other near misses. Alexander Sutton scored one run and had 2 RBI’s on his perfect three for three, while Brianna Ayers and Sharde’ Scott each had two hits and scored a run. Fielding Lewis, Nathan Hardman and Rachele Orme led the Indians scoring with 3 runs each, all with perfect three for three appearances at the plate with one of Rachele’s runs from the game’s only home run. Brother Theron Orme added 2 runs of his own off two hits, while Maya and Jacob Hardman, Adam Green, Hayden Orme, Fisher Lewis and Sam Butler each added a run in one of the best played games so far this season for both teams. The much improved Dragons won a close contest as well, 6–5 over the Reds on Wednesday, June 21. Teran Pergram helped out by getting an unassisted double play, while Jake Savage made the game-winning out with an outfield catch to end chances of a Reds final inning rally. The Indians rebounded and were victorious over the rapidly improving Yankees in Saturday’s first game 12–10. The second game of the day’s double header was a rematch of the league leading Pirates and Dragons. This was another closely played match, but in the end, the Pirates came from behind to pull off a 9–8 victory on Isaiah Taylor’s game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth. For the latest results of all the games and standings, along with any schedule updates, visit the minor league Web site at www.hometeamsonline.com/baseball Seadogs best Forest Ridge The Yellow Springs Seadogs opened their season with a loss to Clinton County (results of that meet will be posted later) followed by a decisive win over Forest Ridge. When the Fairborn pool closed their lanes this year, Yellow Springs welcomed their swimmers. The result was increased strength in all age groups. The Seadogs are looking forward to a fun and successful season. • Girls, Yellow Springs, 237, Forest
Ridge, 103 Results of the June 20 meet for the girls events
are as follows: Julian Roberts, 2nd, 25 breaststroke, 3rd, 25 butterfly. Morgan Massie, 1st, 25 backstroke, 100 individual medley, 2nd, 50 freestyle; Rachele Orme, 1st, 25 freestyle, 2nd, 25 butterfly, 25 breaststroke; Mychael Roberts, 1st, 25 butterfly, 2nd, 25 backstroke, 3rd, 25 freestyle; Danielle Williamson, 1st, 25 breaststroke; Rachel Meyer 3rd, 50 freestyle; Michaela Roe, 3rd, 25 breaststroke; Massie, Meyer, Roberts, Orme, 1st, 100 medley relay, 100 free relay. Erica Chick, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 50 backstroke; Megan Carlson, 1st, 100 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 50 butterfly; Jade Turner, 1st, 50 breaststroke, 2nd, 100 individual medley, 3rd, 50 backstroke; Katie Triplett, 2nd, 50 freestyle, 3rd, 50 breaststroke; Mary Lewis; 2nd, 50 backstroke; Chick, Turner, Carlson, Lewis, 1st, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay. Elizabeth Malone, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 50 freestyle; Jordan Reynolds, 1st, 50 backstroke, 2nd, 50 butterfly; Taylor Massie, 1st, 50 breaststroke, 2nd, 100 freestyle, 100 individual medley; Barbara Jewell, 2nd, 50 backstroke, 3rd, individual medley; Rachel Biggs, 3rd, 50 backstroke; Reynolds, Massie, Malone, Jewell, 1st, 200 medley relay; Malone, Massie, Marlee Layh, Jewell, 1st, 200 medley relay. Betsy Scarberry, 1st, 50 butterfly, 2nd, 100 freestyle, 100 individual medley; Natalie Sanders, 1st, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 50 breaststroke, 3rd, 100 individual medley; Sarah Brown, 1st, 50 backstroke, 3rd, 50 freestyle; Sydney Reynolds, 2nd, 50 butterfly, 50 freestyle, 3rd, 100 freestyle; Miriam Barcus, 3rd, 50 backstroke; Olivia Dixon, 3rd, 50 freestyle; Brown, Reynolds, Sanders, Scarberry, 1st, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay. Results for the boys’ events are as follows:
Theron Orme, 1st, 25 butterfly, 25 freestyle, 2nd, 25 breaststroke; Aman Ngqakayi, 1st, 25 backstroke, 25 breaststroke, 3rd, 25 butterfly; Nathan Gillman-Baggett, 2nd, 25 butterfly, 25 backstroke, 25 freestyle; Jason Brown, 3rd, 25 backstroke; Hayden Orme, 3rd, 25 breaststroke; Gillman-Baggett, T. Orme, A. Ngqakayi, H. Orme, 1st, 100 medley relay, 100 free relay. 9–1 Matt Pettit, 1st, 50 freestyle, 25 butterfly, 100 individual medley; Eli Biggs, 1st, 25 backstroke, 25 breaststroke; Ian Chick, 1st, 25 freestyle, 3rd, 25 backstroke; Fielding Lewis, 2nd, 25 breaststroke, 25 freestyle; Hudson Grant, 3rd, 25 breaststroke, 25 freestyle; Chris Brown, 3rd, 100 individual medley; Pettit, Brown, Anderson, Biggs, 1st, 100 medley relay, 100 free relay. Jesse Jewell, 1st, 50 butterfly, 100 individual medley, 2nd, 100 freestyle; Nkosi Ngqakayi, 2nd, 50 breaststroke; Jason Clark, 3rd, 50 breaststroke. Sam Lovering, 1st, 50 breaststroke, 2nd, 100 individual medley, 3rd, 100 freestyle; Eric Olsen, 2nd, 50 backstroke; Tyler Qualls, 3rd, 50 backstroke, 50 freestyle. Dan Gummel, 1st, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly; Tim Powderly, 1st. 50 breaststroke, 2nd, 100 individual medley, 3rd, 50 butterfly; Malcolm Thomas, 3rd, 50 backstroke; Zane Reichert, 3rd, 50 breaststroke. T-ball’s new rule: last one in, wins It’s here! It’s here! It’s finally here! Summer! Warm, warm, sunny, dusty, baseball summer. Bright butter yellow sunburn suntan sunscreen summer! The soft air blowing in sweetly singing, leaf rustling gusts as gentle as a toddler’s kiss. And with summer comes t-ball and our t-ball kids — our surprising, ever-delighting, often mysterious, usually wondrous, and frequently querying t-ball kids. Like Steffi Cooper, 6, with whom I’ve been in conversation three summers now about our end-of-the-evening t-ball “race” to the outfield — we line up (more or less: our t-ball “lines” look more like mobius strips, or DNA’s double helixes) on the third baseline and then race out to the right field fence (which they’ve not put up this year, which they’ve removed this year, which they’ve denied us the pleasure of this year — and why? Where oh where is our brilliant orange, soft as silk, waving-and-flapping-in-the-breeze, plastic wraparound outfield fence?! Where?! And why have they taken it away? Why!? Who can tell me why!?) Anyway, Steffi has been perplexed, and frankly quite dismayed, by our “races.” Two summers ago she was prostrate in grief, lying flat on her belly in the thick rich green grass of right field after everyone else had run home, our dear darling child weeping softly, refusing to get up or come in off the field. “What’s the matter, my dear?” I asked. And it was the race that was breaking her heart, she said: “Someone always loses.” So in an attempt to avoid further heartbreak, we’ve stopped calling our final run to that brilliant, dayglo orange, right field fence — Oh where oh where is that fence?! Our shiny, floppy, sweet-as-sweet-potato pie, blindingly orange, outfield fence?! — a race. We are now simply calling it a “run.” So last Friday night, my chest puffing out, I approached Steffi. “Did you see? We’re not calling it a race anymore? And all because of you?!” I beamed, certain she would appreciate my largesse, certain she’d shower me with gratitude, but no. Instead she lifted her face to me, looking as serious as a surgeon about to wield her scalpel, and asked, “But did you tell them the rule?” “Rule? What rule?” “That the person who comes in last, wins.” Oh. Oh. I didn’t know about the rule. But, hey, this is the Perry League. A children’s program. For their pleasure and enjoyment, and so this summer we’ve added “the rule”: we line the kids up and tell them: “The one who comes in last, wins. Okay?” Okay. And so we set them off: “T-tall players, take your marks! Get set! Go!” And they explode at the whistle, flooding the diamond with their little boy and girl bodies, looking brilliant in their gold Perry League t-shirts, being fantastic and phenomenal as they run full tilt, every single one of them hell bent for leather. Every single one of them except Emma Romohr, 8, that is. This child was moving so slowly you’d think she was marching through a 10-foot-thick wall of molasses. She was moving in slo-ohh motion, each step an eternity, but her smiling, radiant happiness was so powerful, such a -monumental and magnetic force, that I was sucked right in. “What are you doing?” I asked. Her little sister, Christa, 4, was miles ahead, already to the diamond. Her “Speedy Gonzalez” brother, Eric, he’s 6, had already crossed the finished line and was already preparing to go home. “I’m going to win,” Emma said, answering my question, her dark eyes firing laser beams of wicked joy my way. “What!?” I asked, not getting it. Next to me was Hasan Jones. He’s 5. He was not in this race to not race. He was simply tired and said so: “I’m tired. I’m going to walk.” I took his hand. We walked, two great warriors coming in off the battlefield. Meranda Pelzl, 7, circled us once, twice, three times, her spunkiness, her vivacity, her wide-eyed willfulness reminding me of the hilarious, fiery Tinker Bell (played with such panache by Ludivine Sagnier) in the 2003 film version of Peter Pan. “I’m going to be last,” Emma said, trying to explain it to me, but I still didn’t get it. “The one who comes in last…?” she added, raising her eyebrows, letting the sentence trail off. “Oh!” I said, finally getting it. “The one who comes in last, wins.” “Yes, yes, yes,” Emma said as we continued our leisurely stroll in off the diamond. And that’s the Perry League, Yellow Springs’s t-ball program, a non-competitive beginner’s baseball program for girls and boys ages 2–9. We eagerly welcome every child regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, sex or sexual preference. And we’re out there at Gaunt Park every Friday night from 6:30–8 p.m. So why don’t you sashay on out and give us a look. We’d love to have you, we really would.
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