Brew Crew beats down on Eldo

JP can still hit dingers

by Than Acuff

Dammit! I missed a good one, not that there was anything wrong with the game I covered at Gothic Field on Tuesday, June 4, but the game before it was quite the show. I only saw the final two innings, including the extra inning of the game between the Hares and the Talk of the Town and one thing I will say is, wow have we got a season on our hands.

It appeared, based on the excitement of the Talk bench, they pulled off some sort of comeback to tie the game and force it into extra innings and then won the game in the eighth inning. Some guy named Johnny hit not one but two crushing home runs, including one off the upper roof of the Wine House to earn a free 12-pack. And JP proved he’s still got it with a home run of his own.

Granted, there were some post game theatrics and there’s a letter in the paper from one of the players involved owning up to it and offering an apology to everyone for his actions.

Kudos.

But I was there for the second game of the evening at Gothic Field between the Brew Crew and the Eldo. Patrick Cashion has assembled his Eldo squad for another season of softball and his casual attitude continues to permeate through his squad as he ensures as many people as possible get to play no matter who is hot and who is not.

Unfortunately, that is not always a recipe for success but success is not always measured in runs and wins but fun (I just threw up in my mouth). Fact is, losing sucks.

Regardless, the Eldo kept their chins up as they kept taking it on the chin over seven innings losing to the Brew Crew 24-6.

Even if they had played their best game, I don’t think they could have done much to stem the tide of the Brew Crew. As has always been and will always be in coed recreational softball, a team’s success (yes, measured in runs and wins) relies almost entirely on the play of their women and it’s no exaggeration saying that, Krystal Ramsey, Heather Culley, recently returned to where she belongs Rachael Brodsky, Jill Pitt, Kari Roberts and Andrea Rybarz were a key component of the Brew Crew’s thundering win.

The two teams traded runs in the first two innings with the Huning brothers doing the scoring work for the Eldo until things turned in the third inning.

The Brew Crew paced itself in their first outburst. Pitt led off with a single, Pip Bailey doubled, Ramsey drove in a run and then Rob Houston cleared the bags with an opposite field two run home run. Brodsky then singled and also recently returned to where he belongs Adam Westlake pushed her home with a single.

Ian Baird and Ramsey combined for two more runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 9-4 Brew Crew lead and then things went from bad to worse for the Eldo as the Brew Crew scored eight more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Singles from Culley, Tyler Williams and Brodsky loaded the bases and Westlake cleared them with a grand slam inside the park home run. Roberts and Rybarz each singled and eventually scored off base hits from Gerry Heal, Baird and Ramsey and the Brew Crew were now on top 17-4.

Then things turned downright fugly for the Eldo as the Brew Crew bats turned nuclear reactor hot in the bottom of the sixth inning. Culley led it all off with a triple and then scored on an eighteen-step double by Williams. I only point out that it takes a mere 18 steps for Williams to make it from home to second base because it took the next batter Brodsky 15 steps to get from home to first base. And when I’m witnessing a blow out, I try to find other things to mention, beside myself. Chris Wiig tacked on three more Brew Crew runs with an inside the park home run and Baird put the finishing touches on the 24-6 battering with a RBI double.