Softball+07-19-2015

=Holy Family Outlasts Chalices, 14-8=

Holy Family put up 14 runs which was too much for Community Church to overcome. The game was a close, see-saw battle through 4 innings, but then our bats went cold and Holy Family continued to add runs to create an insurmountable lead. As a team, we collected a large number of hits: 18, but also a large number of runners left on base: 12. If we could have knocked in half of those stranded runners, we would have equaled Holy Family's run total. In the 3rd, we left the bases loaded, in the 1st, 5th and 7th, we left 2 runners on base. Four of our players had 3 hits today: Matt, Will, Mark B. and Jeff. Will Bara nearly hit for the cycle, collecting a double, triple, and home run. Rookie outfielder Kahlil had our only other extra base hit, a double. Matt Nelson scored 4 runs (one as a pinch-runner) and Will lead the team in RBIs with 4. On the defensive side, our outfield caught 9 fly balls, 7 of them by Matt, which may be a single game record in Chalices history. Several of his catches were line drives where Matt was well placed to make the grab. Kahlil made a nice running catch of a line drive in shallow center. The outfield was also very busy chasing base hits by the Holy Family hitters. The opposition runners were very adept at taking extra bases when we were slow to get the ball back to the infield or made errant throws. The infield only had 4 assists today, all of them force-outs at 2nd or 3rd base. We did not throw out a single batter at first base, largely a testament to how well Holy Family hit the ball. For those wondering about the weather, there was a light sprinkle when I arrived at the field. By game time, the rain had stopped. The infield was moistened, but not muddy anywhere. The outfield had some soggy spots. Cloud cover through most of the game kept the hot sun under control and made it a comfortable temperature for a game.