In what has to the tensest Ottawa softball game to date, Suds, Buds and Windmills came off with an important victory, officially cementing the strength and character of the team. Some of you may remember that last year, the team was its own worst enemy in many games, including in the pivotal championship series, but their 10-3 victory against the highly-touted Pitch Please, showed the maturity and experience they garnered over the last season and first two games of this season.
The score remained tight for first few innings as each team played sharp defense, but finally with the help of Brent’s first huge hit, a monstrous double, the team cushioned their lead. Pitch Please seemed to threatened to erase the nearly perfect game in the top of the sixth inning but with base-loaded, Eric and company shut down the team in fashion and style, limiting their opponents to only 2 more runs. Suds added to their lead with a rally in the sixth and closed off the seventh quickly and smoothly for what has to be the most rewarding and hard-fought win this season.
Eric continues to shine both defensively and as a pitcher; he will be key to keeping emotions in check if the team’s emotions ever get out of hand with his stoicism and leadership. He truly deserve to be player of the game after helping end rallies and making those simple but important outs, whether by strikeouts or by fielding grounders and making those tosses to first or second. A pitcher is nothing without his team backing him up and once again, Suds, Buds and Windmills were there to make those important throws, catches and ultimately outs. Carlos had the defensive play of the game with a tremendous effort, pulling a momentum killing double play.
Despite the 10-3 score, the deceiving score doesn’t indicate how one mistake can change the ebb and flow of the game. Pitch Please was a strong team, including its second pitcher who gave trouble to many of our hitters, but in spite of their tough defense and pitching, Suds, Buds and Windmills were parallel with their own strong defense and pitching effort. As a result, patience was crucial in waiting for a rally to come together for our third victory of the season. It’s easy to get nervous or frustrated sometimes, but those words are not synonymous with the 2015 version of the Ottawa softball Suds, Buds and Windmills.
Check back next week for another Ottawa softball postgame from the RA Centre softball league.