Pandemics vs. DOE

It was a gloomy evening for the Pandemics last night as they squared off against the Department of Energy. One of the challenging things about being in 1st place is we carry a target on our chest and all teams come out for blood. DOE did exactly that last night showing up with a strong squad, most of whom were meeting for the first time. On our side of the field, we showed with a strong team, but insufficient numbers, requiring us to take an automatic out each inning and left us a player short in the field.

Despite the odds being stacked largely against us, the Pandemics still gave DOE a good fight. By reducing a few defensive errors, getting a few of the awful calls DOE made, and having all of our players, the outcome would have been different… But the stars aligned for DOE and it led them to victory by the final score 16-17.

A few shout outs for outstanding play. Andy Briggs played the game of his life, hitting 3 homeruns and one double. Drew Smith, after changing his entire wardrobe to remove a batting curse, got his bat cranking again driving in two homeruns…It must have been the pink underwear. Rebecca Ayer not only played a terrific game, but also served as the DOE punching bag. On defense, Ayer stepped in-front of several screaming line drives to prevent the ball from getting into the outfield. In the final inning, Rebecca was rounding 3rd on her way home to tie the game up and was clobbered by a DOE player in an effort to make the tag. The tag launched Ayer into a motionless flight that brought her laying a good 5 feet from the point of impact. She is accepting “get well cards” from players around the league.

Despite these great performances, the Pandemics suffered our first loss of the season. As people say about great teams that lose right before March Madness, this loss can be a good thing if we rebound with more determination to bring the championship home. I have no doubt we can finish the season strong, we need to keep our heads up and win our final season game against HUD next week, and then rally through the playoffs! Remember we still sit tied for first place, and a win next week puts us squarely in first place as the tiebreaker is based on points, and the team we are tied with hasn’t scored as many points as we have.

Please put next Wednesday on your calendar, we need a good showing. Thanks for all your support, I will send out more details on the game next week as it develops!

GO PANDEMICS!!

HHS v. FEMA: 19 - 0!

Rebecca, Matt and Angela gearing up for another big win.

It was another big game for the Pandemics last night as they took to the field against the surging squad from FEMA. The wooden FEMA bats must have been drenched with formaldehyde as they had a difficult time getting anything going offensively. Or, the credit could be given to the outstanding Pandemics defense led by Jeff Anderson at short stop. Jeff played incredible defense throughout the game; even after suffering a pulled hamstring following a 2 run double in the early innings. In the bottom of the 6th with 2 outs, Anderson scooped up a hard hit grounder, sprinted to tag second base, and then successfully zipped the ball to 1st to record a double play…bringing us to 4 outs in one inning. It was spectacular! Joanne Chiedi, Matt Shiraki, and Ben Sasse also demonstrated golden glove defensive plays in the outfield.

On the offensive side of the game, all I need to say is Angela Glenn, Angela Glenn, and WOW, Angela Glenn. Angela elevated our team to a new level with her powerful batting demonstration. In a typical Glenn fashion, she stepped up to the plate with her sleeves rolled up, revealing her ripped biceps, triceps, and all the other muscles she has that I’ve never seen before. The pitcher mistakenly lofted her a pitch that was coated with butter…Glenn’s muscles tensed, her bat ripped, and the outfielders turned and ran…Glenn recorded her second home run of the season! At her next at bat the same thing happened, but she was held at 3rd base to allow the next batter, Coach Nelson, to hit her in. Other big bats were had by the surging Preeya Noronha who was 3 for 3 on the night, Coach Nelson with two home runs, and Rebecca Ayer who also smashed one into center field.

At the end of the game FEMA was left eating donuts. Final score PANDEMICS: 19, FEMA: 0. Can you say 8-0?

GO PANDEMICS!!

HHS Pandemics vs. Department of Interior Buffalos

The Mighty Pandemics

As the grueling work week came to a close this past Friday, the small in number but Mighty Pandemics faced off against the Department of Interior in an effort to defend their 6-0 record.

Preeya and Angela take a quick break from the action

In the first few innings, the Pandemics defense looked vulnerable allowing 4 batters to cross home plate. Then Rich McKeown, our very own Chief of Staff, descended like a defensive angel upon our game. Rich’s presence elevated our defense to a new level. Following the second inning, our defense led by Matthew Shiraki at 1st base held Interior to only 2 runs. Newcomer to the team, Mike “Wizard of Oz” Qualter, was like the Three Gorges Dam in China (the largest and most powerful dam in the world), stopping everything that came his way. He had a series of zingers that were hit his way that he calmly scooped up and tossed to Shiraki at first. Preeya Noronha also gave our defense a spark by running down and snagging a high hit foul ball to bring an inning, which could have gotten out of hand, to a close.

Bill eyes home plate as Mike looks on

In his first appearance of the season, Bill Steiger showed up a little late, blasted a few runs in with his powerful batting, and then departed merrily on his bike. It was great having Steiger back in action! The Pandemic women provided a great spark to our team, not only with their looks, but also their bats. In the final inning Preeya approached the plate with a newly developed swing and a runner on 3rd base desperate to score. Preeya stepped up and smashed the ball over the head’s of the infielders to score our final run! It was a great way to end the game making the FINAL SCORE: Pandemics: 19, DOI: 6.

Pandemic outfielders

Preeya at bat

Congratulations to the Pandemics on our win!! We still sit at the top our league at 7-0!!

Our next game is this Thursday against the Department of Homeland Security. This will be a game that counts against our record even though it is not on our calendar. We were scheduled to play DHS later in the season, but because we are ending early, we need to get all of our games made up by August 8 so we can start the playoffs. Please let me know if you are able to play on Thursday! We will be playing at the Washington Monument Field. We also have a game the following Monday, July 21, so please put that on your calendars as well.

Please put Saturday, August 23rd on your calendar for the last day of the league playoffs. This year, for the playoffs, all teams will play their first round game during a ten day period between August 11 and 23. If we…excuse me, when we win that game, we then are seeded to play in the tournament on the 23rd. On the 23rd, games will start in the morning around 10 a.m., and the winners will continue to play. The two teams that get to the championship will play 3 games that day. It will be a lot of softball, but loads of fun! Food and drinks will be provided, so please mark that day on your calendar and be ready to come out and help the Pandemics win it all!


GO PANDEMICS!!

Coach Nelson