A
Softball Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving
is a national holiday celebrated in the US and Canada. (The Canadian
Thanksgiving takes place on the 2nd Monday, of
October). Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks to God for his provisions. The
holiday can be traced back to 1621, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is the oldest
American holiday. The holiday is usually celebrated by getting together with
friends and family and having a turkey banquet.
The
day after the major munch, the American League, WHSS, players decided to burn
off the calories from a big meal by playing a softball game. The Visiting team,
Pilgrims, had the following line-up: Gonzalez, D’Herin, Busch, Duff, Gazarek,
Edwards, Zelazny, Witmer, Ayers, Benson, Matta, Kallister and
Hawbaker. The
Home team, Indian squad, had the following players: Rivera, Hamilton, DoerBaum,
Jacobson, DeRidder, Wiltshire, Laffoon, Toro, JD Davis, Coffman, Wells and Fabian.
The
Pilgrims started off the game with a bountiful harvest. Gonzalez walked then
D’Herin, Duff, Gazarek all filled up their horn of plenty with singles. Edwards
then smashed a double, when the inning was over 4 runs had crossed the plate.
After
1 inning of play the score was Pilgrims; 4- Indians 1.
The
Indians would not stay behind in the score for too long. In the 3rd
inning they had a harvest of their own, the tribe scored three runs, the big
wampum came from Dave Doerbaum. Dave smashed a ball so deep over the left field
fence; it almost hit a Macy’s parade float. After that two run
homerun, Kirk Coffman added a triple, he scored the 3rd of the inning
when Wells singled. After
3 innings the score was Pilgrims: 5- Indians: 7.
The
Indians would add some trimmings, to their turkey dinner, in the 5th
inning. They had another monumental home run in the 5th, when Chief
Knockahoma DeRidder bent his mighty bow and shot an arrow deep over the
leftfield fence. Hamilton, Doerbaum, and Wiltshire all had hits in the
5th, to help the Indians score. After
5 innings the score was Pilgrims: 7- Indians: 11.
The
Indians wore out their moccasins running the bases in the 7th and
8th innings. They scored 5 runs in both innings, while the Pilgrims
played like turkeys and did not score a single run. After 8 innings of play,
instead of a friendly Thanksgiving meal, it looked like the Pilgrims had invited
the Indians to massacre them. The score was Pilgrims: 9- Indians: 21.
The
famished Pilgrims came to the plate in the 9th inning with the
stuffing beat out of them. To borrow a phrase, we did not feel like we landed on
Plymouth Rock, we felt like Plymouth Rock landed on us. However, after 8 innings
of dieting, the Pilgrims were ready to feast in the 9th inning. Matta
started the rally off with a single, and then after the 2nd out was
recorded, the Pilgrims ran off 10 straight hits by Hawbaker, Gonzalez,
D’Herin, Busch, Duff, Gazarek, Edwards, Zelazny, Witmer and Ayers. The Pilgrims
gobbled down 8 runs, while dining, in the 9th inning. Unfortunately,
there would be no pumpkin pie dessert for the Pilgrims. With the bases loaded,
the Indians recorded the final out of the game when Jimmy Laffoon made a nice
play on a sharply hit ground ball up the middle.
Final
Score: Pilgrims: 17- Indians: 21.
We
can all give thanks to God that we have the good health to play softball, as
seniors.
WP:
Wells
Great
fielding plays were turned in by Laffoon, Toro and Gonzalez.
Leading
hitters for the Pilgrims:
Gonzalez:
2/4 with a double and a walk.
Busch:
4/5.
Duff:
3/5.
Gazarek:
4/5.
Edwards:
4/5 with a double.
Witmer:
4/5.
Kallister:
3 / 4 with a double.
Indians’
leading hitters:
Hamilton:
5/5 with two doubles.
Dierbaum:
5/5 with two doubles and a HR.
Jacobson:
4/5 with a double.
Wiltshire:
3/5 with a triple.
Laffoon:
4/5.
Wells:
3/4.
Fabian:
3/4.
Writeup by Nick Matta
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