Spaceballs Temper the Bootleggers

Thursday saw an “Original 8” matchup between a pair of MA Patriot veterans and longtime rivals. With a tight race for the top spot in the division at stake, Gone to Plaid took the field with purpose against a seasoned foe.

With a final score of 4-1, it came down to the stronger defense. The Assholes were nearly impeccable in the field, playing with the class and level-headedness of an experienced squad.

The outfield was rock solid, letting not a single fly drop. Pete and Colin at first base were steel traps through the match, keeping everything close and not giving up free passes. Many of those throws came from home plate as the Bootleggers proved themselves to be excellent bunters.

"Brow made some really strong, clutch throws to first,” said Colin. “I was worried he'd throw out his shoulder (again), but then I remembered all the steroids and HGH he took during his recovery. Thank God WAKA doesn't have drug testing!"

Brow’s performance on the field, along with a 2 for 2 day at the plate with two runs and an RBI earned him the Game MVP (entirely on merit, no pity award this season). As always, though, the catcher was humble:

“That might have been the best game we've had in awhile. Everyone brought their A game: a big catch by Rob, Chris had a fantastic shot and we saw some great crying… from the pitcher when I incorrectly told Radio to bat.”

As Madden said, however, if you don’t put any points on the board, you’ll have a hard time winning the game. While the defense was sparkling, the Spaceballs, again, proved themselves to have the mettle to squeeze runs out of the tightest of defenses.

They plated their first run in the opening frame with a triple by Big. But the fireworks came out in the fourth with an extended rally that started with Nancy’s second walk of the season. When asked about her capacity for working deep counts and ability to lay off those outside pitches she said:

“I've been quite lucky getting into the pitcher's head lately. Last year, the pitcher couldn't find the strike zone and threw meatballs, last week I walked; and this week I walked on a rare kickball full count. I guess patience really is a virtue.”

Nancy would eventually come around to score on a double by Brennan. Chris continued his recent hot streak, lacing a single scoring on Matty’s single a few at-bats later.

It proved to be one of the tightest games of Gone to Plaid’s season thus far and leaves them in excellent position to finish the season strong.

With the victory, Gone to Plaid continue their season-long undefeated streak while the Bootleggers suffered only their second loss of the season. Both teams look to be strong contenders in the playoffs this season.

And now: My favorite picture of the season...

Thanks Matty!