Flying Force are just Runnin' Fools in Disguise,,,

0-2 OBI Coach Michael Lee walked towards Field 1 this past Thursday with a bounce in his step. We were riding a 6 game losing streak and heading into a battle against a New opponent in 0-2 Flying Force.  And then there was Jeff, sitting in the dugout opposite J.R., and realization set in. Flying Force was simply Runnin' Fools renamed.

Pleasantries were exchanged and onward Matt and I marched, me cursing under my breath to no avail. We had two games to play, against a known opponent, and it was stinkin' hot on field 1 for the 6:15 game. Even when things change, they stay the same. C'est la vie (such is life for those who do not eat french toast)...

This weeks version of softball life was all about defense and timely hitting. We made the defensive plays we needed and hit just well enough to come from behind in game 1 and simply scratched and clawed our way to two victories in pitching duel fashion at 9-6 and 5-3.

Game 1 started with a Brent two-out Single driving in Nuta. Then, after The Force put up all 6 of their runs in the bottom of the 1st, Larry and Paul started some fireworks OBI-style by each Doubling. Then, Matt, Nuta, and Spillane singled to answer back and bring the score to 4-6.

After Brent's 300' Single (I mean his bat flip and HR trot looked good), Larry and JR singled as we pulled within 1 run. Tie the game we did in the top of the 4th after sickly Matt collected his second hit of the game, eventually scoring from 2B on a Deep Sac Fly by Jayse,,, to third base... Moving on,,, the score remained the same until the top of the 7th inning when OBI broke out on Singles by Jayse, Brent, Jakob,,, and, oh ya, a 2-run Triple by J.R. 

Defensively, after giving up 6 runs in the first, we held The Force scoreless in their final 6 at bats. We made the plays when we needed and Larry pitched extremely well the entire game.

Game 2 was another 7 inning affair. Again, good defense, not so good hitting (especially by the Force), and pitching were the difference in this game. After The Force put up a run in the top of the first. OBI went quietly into that dark night, 1,2,3...

OBI then put up back to back 2 spots over the next two innings and took a 4-1 lead after 3. Jayse, Michael, Larry and J.R. singled in the second. While it was Nuta and Spillane who singled and scored on Brent's double in the third inning.

The Force made it interesting scoring 2 in the top of the 5th inning. But, OBI was up to the task and pushed across a run in the bottom of the 6th. This insurance run made the difference and was the final tally of the double header, giving OBI the 5-3 win.

J.R. pitched game 2 and was as on point as Larry in game 1, giving up only 3 runs. Combined, the Lefty/Righty combo,,, errr, combined to give up only 9 runs over 14 innings. Even more impressive is the fact that over the final 13 innings, we gave up only 3 runs defensively.

This is where I bow to the pitching and defensive gods. Keep on Keepin' On !!!