Softball Returns!

Admit it. You missed the blow-by-blow descriptions of my exploits during the church league softball season. You often wondered just what my batting average was. You spent hours dwelling on whether I made any plays at the plate. And, somehow, the whole season passed and you got none of that.

Never fear, though. Fall ball is here! After a rainout last Monday, Off Road Tire headed back to the field today. However, that was not without incident as well.

It rained quite a bit last Monday, but it hadn't rained since. But around 4:30 this afternoon, the skies darkened and as time crept to 6:00 (our start time was 6:30) the lightning intensified and the rains came. It seemed like there was no way that we could get the game in.

However, around 6:20, the skies stopped dropping precipitation and while the sun never completely came out, the field did dry quickly and so, just a few minutes after our scheduled start, we played ball for the first time this season.

I came up in the second inning with a couple of runners on and laced a solid smash to left. It wasn't enough to score anyone, but it loaded the bases with nobody out. The next batter hit into a sacrifice double play (a sac fly, which scored the guy from third, but the runner on second was doubled off), but the following batter moved me to second. I was there when Matt roped a solid shot to the outfield, which had third base coach Kevin waving me home.

Now, when I get waved home, I expect that the coach knows this is not a speed demon he is dealing with. When I get waved home, I expect all four outfielders have run into each other and the ball is sitting in the outfield. This was not the case tonight, however. As I make the turn around third, the pitcher is setting up in front of home and calling for the ball, which he gets as I approach the plate.

Sliding is really not an option. The pitcher and the catcher are both there, plus the fact that, with my sliding technique, I'd have wound up short of the plate. So I was able to dodge them in the basepath and touch home before they could get me.

Second time up, there are runners at second and third when I stroke another solid single, this time right up the middle. Both guys come around to score and I stay at first.

This came back to haunt me in just a minute as Brian laces one out between the outfielders. I churn around second, lumber to third to see Kevin waving me in again. I keep moving (if you can call it that) and score just steps ahead of Brian, who was on my tail the whole way. I looked at him and said, "You could have at least given me a push!"

Ben replaced me at catcher soon after that, so my line read 2-2, 2 runs, 2 RBI. And two very sore legs for tomorrow!