First Inning Loss, Late Rally in Season Opener

It was a beautiful day for some softball as TGT arrived at Edgeley #8 for the first official game of the season. The trees were in bloom, the jersees looked sharp, a full roster of players were present and accounted for, a full case of Silver Bullets were in the cooler. A dry field. An affable Zoo Crew in the opposing dugout. Nothing more could be asked for.

Things were looking good for us in the top of the first as co-captain, clean up hitter, and designated pitcher Matt Schwartz strode to the plate, with no outs and one run already home. No doubt some Tambourines were daring to dream that this could be a year to shake up the CCSL and make some noise. Alas, the day took a sharp turn for the worse as the at-bat ended with a weak groundout and a lead Tambo sprawled in the batter's box in obvious pain, with a dislocated kneecap (update below).

On the bright side, he did get an RBI on the play.

Lacking our fearless leader and a key middle-of-the-order hitter, we stumbled a bit in the ensuing innings. Although we got runners on base, the "big hit" eluded our bats, and despite loading the bases twice few managed to score. On the defensive side of the ball, we gave up runs in several innings but played solidly enough to stay within striking distance, getting stronger as the game went on. Brian proved a capable replacement on the mound (even improving after the Zoo asked him to move back and actually throw from the rubber) and even registered a strikeout or two.

OK, we'll admit, they might have been right.

And so it came down to the final innings. With the light fading and down by two runs, we retired the Zookeepers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth on a series of pop-ups and fly-outs, and finally got the clutch hit we had been missing to drive in the equalizer in the seventh. It was 8-8 in the bottom seventh with two outs, a runner on third and the sun completely below the horizon. Lesser teams may have wilted, may have let the final sharply hit ground ball roll into center field and decide the game. But not the Tambos -- or at least not Adam, who made a diving stop at second base, hustled to his feet, and made the throw to maintain the tie.

And there was much rejoicing.

Nice socks!

After a day that started with much promise, we didn't win - but we didn't lose either. We bucked up with our backs to the wall and batted the ball, battled to a stall. Woo!

Nice game so far, folks. Officially it is suspended and will be resumed and completed prior to our next match-up with the Zoo.

Nuh - uh. We got this.

*Photos thanks to our Russian surveillance expert and utility bench player, A.B.

Medical update: Matt's patella is no longer located on the side of his knee and has been returned to its proper position and orientation. A morphine drip ensured it didn't hurt too much during the process, and X-rays didn't reveal any additional damage. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and return to the field.

That looks *much* sexier.

Next Game: Monday, 4/21 -- Belmont #4 vs. TFI