Wegs 3, SHS 0

In a game that we really don't want to elaborate too much on, a week after we beat the only undefeated team in our league, they got the upper hand on us in the last inning of play.

Long story short, Matt Wegerer showed up half-way through the game. And guess what, we lost. Shocker.

Thanks Matt. Please don't come to a game, again.

Adversity Rears Its Ugly Head, Only To Be Bitten Off

When they took the field on a sweltering July day in July, the Kansas City softball Slayers found themselves looking down the barrel of a loaded shotgun. Missing two players due to lack of female participation, these Slayballers would have to face the wolves of NK, ravenous and drooling from an early season loss to SHS and looking for payback.

Forced to play a ramshackle version of CYA softball due to the short side, pitcher Neil Getzlow was also forced to cover second, while Tug and Ali Westerholter took the SS and third side of the infield. Brooke Goetz, in her inagural appearance with the squadron, was inserted at first, even after admitting, "I don't think I've caught a ball in 10 years." The black clouds were gathering for SHS. They were gathering quickly.

But on this day, no loss would come. For mere moments into the game, the team turned its first double play of the season when Neil grabbed a short grounder back to the mound, flipped it over to Tug who rifled it to Brooke. Two up, two down. Quite an auspicious beginning for the makeshift Slayers.

Then, NK simply folded under the pressure.

The SHS bats were hot. Everyone hit the pants off of it. Brooke, Ali, Neil, Seth, Tug, Kelly, Craig, Jerome, [INSERT YOUR NAME HERE] -- everyone contributed. Special kudos go out to our first two Homers of the season: Ben knocked one off the fence and out of the park, while Paula belted a long fly to left center that allowed her to -- huffingly -- touch all the bags. To add to NK's plight: both dingers came in the same inning.

The long a short of it is this: SHS 13, NK 6.

Neil Getzlow, coming off his worst pitching outing of the season, having walked four, had this to say. "Did I suck? Yes. Did we? No. Now get your cameras out of my face!"

(When told that there were no cameras, and indeed, no reporters asking him questions, Neil just wandered off into the woods.)

SLAYER BITS:
- Fill in players were especially handy -- Kelly and Brooke made the win possible
- Slayers have won 3 straight, 4 if you include the forfeit win, which we do
– SOM™ - Ben Coldwell, for his batting, his dandy play at first, and his height
– Charley Hustle Award™ - Heath Kennedy, for his slide into 2nd and subsequent headfirst dive into third.

There's no "I" in "B-E-A-P"... but there is one in "W-I-N"

"My momma always said it would be tough... and boy was she right." That was the only thing Gentle Ben had to say after SHS' last-inning win over in-town rival Barkley Evergreen & Partners. Well, he also mentioned something about 'where his bitches at,' but that's not important. What IS important, is that SHS is now riding a two-game (or three, if you count astericks) winning steak thanks to, well, basically EVERYONE on the team.

"There were no individual outstanding players tonight," exclaimed an exhausted Carrie "That's Right Biotch" Cardwell, "we stuck together as a team, got the bad calls as a team and kicked their f#@$ing ass as a team tonight... that's why they lost. Losers."

Carrie was right. The pre-game ritual of batting practice will definitely continue now that SHS has rattled off two outstanding wins... one against BR and the other against the previously undefeated BEAP.

That doesn't mean it wasn't a tough game, however. Tuesday's game definitely pushed the limits of what was achievable for the SHS crew. It was a battle back and forth the entire game, not so much a pitchers duel, in fact, quite the opposite. With literally two minutes to go in the game, good ol' Bill called for one more inning. SHS, nursing a three-run lead, relapsed into the olden days and allowed BEAP to jump ahead by three runs, 16-13. All this after an outstanding 2-out rally in the bottom of the 5th inning.

It wasn't looking good for team SHS going into the bottom half of the 6th, but after the instructions "take a deep breath, you sons-o-bitches," from Coacherson, the team responded with, yet, another 2-out rally to beat BEAP, 17-16.

Amazing. BEAP was stunned, and then promptly left the field (with tails tucked). SHS, on the other hand, stuck around and finished off the more-than-usual amount of beer that Tug and "Three-Bruises-on-one-play" Paula provided. A special guest, Rand "I can talk shit with the best of them" Mikulecky, was there to cheer on the team... or was it to give Neil an extremely hard time? Who knows, who cares, we won!