Ladies and Gentlemen! What a night! Sunday, September 10th, we came together as a church and celebrated the opportunity to pit our small but incredibly talented core of kindergarten through 3rd graders against a wily group of experienced but, dare I say, long in tooth, adults in the first of two games of the night.
At 6pm we were underway with the kids taking the plate to “kick” us off! After some slight confusion about whether to kick and then run or just run, our kids and their coaches, Julie and Sherry, came together and put on a real show! The adults came out completely flat footed as our youngsters ran rough shod all over them for a full inning. Run after run was scored, leaving the adults with an insurmountable mountain to climb. A series of comical errors left the adults deep in the hole after the first inning at 7-0. Shane led off this travesty with an easy out at first that never was, due to an almost basketball like toss to the first basemen that had so much backspin on it that it is a wonder it didn’t wind up in the parking lot. After that the errors kept piling on with Rian missing a couple easy tag outs as the kids proved either too short or too fast or both. Even Pastor Rick found it rough going, despite showing up with his hat on backwards; a clear indicator to the crowd that he meant business. Unfortunately, he should have closed up shop because business was terrible.
Finally, the adults had an opportunity at the plate as the kids took to the field. Although the adults gave it their absolute best efforts and had some great kicks, the kids iron defense shut them down before they even got going. Fast thinking by Josiah at the pitcher’s mound put two adults out at first before they had barely begun! Finally, after circling up the wagons, Coach Shane was able to fire his team up to a single run that was hard earned but well deserved.
Overall, our first game was very one sided thanks to the incredible team play and supreme coaching skills on display by our K-3rd graders with the final score being 7-1!
Our second game of the night was more of a show as the adults, fueled by hot dogs and Cheetos, finally found some energy to put together a real display of kicking and fielding skills! The adults took the field in the bottom of the first and absolutely mopped the floor defensively. Highlighting their newfound defensive prowess was one of many highlights of the night, a throw-out at home plate by Shane as he channeled his inner White Goodman from the movie Dodgeball. This left the kids bereft of any runs to start the game.
Keeping the momentum going, the adults set a strong kicking lineup that had the kids on their heels right away with some big legs coming from Rian and David. Carrying the team on their backs along with some Flash movie stunt double moves by Sarah and Rick around the plates put the adults in a commanding lead 5-0.
The situation seemed dire for our kids. However, under the expert coaching from Carlie, Dean and Hannah, these kids were down but far from out. They immediately began a comeback with more than a handful of them getting on base. However, things fizzled thanks in large part to the adults continuing to play some absolute shut down defense! We ended the inning with the adults still up 5-3.
The next inning though really saw the adults feeling the stomach pains of stuffing down some dogs and chips as they came up empty. Thankfully, no one got sick and we ended the inning as we began it. 5 to 3.
The kids took the plate for what would be an incredible inning. Through strong team play and positive attitude they really came together to put on a complete performance! Going up 8-5, they showed the adults that you should never underestimate 12-year-olds!
However, the adults showed that they may be old, but they still had it in the next inning with Shane coaching his team to a comeback. I am not sure what they spiked their antacids with, but they put the hot dog heartburn away and clawed their way back to the lead through multiple great plays! A series of crafty veteran plays and double runs put them ahead 10-8 by the end of the inning.
Well folks, it was getting late by this point and started to appear that some of the kids were up past their bedtime as their energy started to wane. They were beginning to realize that these adults weren’t just going to fold for them. It was time to really dig deep. They took the plate and began the trek to come back. It was hard work, but the kids put together some fantastic plays that had the bases loaded more than a couple of times. Combining outstanding team effort with a few let downs and errors on the adult team, the kids came out of the inning with a newfound energy to go with the lead of 12-10!
Finally, we come to the last inning of the night. The adults slogging their way to the plate. Would they be able to dig deep and take home the trophy or would it be a replay of 2022 with the kids once again proving that they own this game? Let’s find out…
The adults started strong with a couple of easy balls into the infield that the kids found difficult to contend with. Before long the bases were loaded. The adults had them right where they wanted them when Sam was able to run home, leaving the score 12-11. The kids were on the brink. However, over the next five minutes they found their second wind as Nicholas caught a fly ball that bounced off his face, both arms and his chest before he finally caught it. This forced the adults to scramble back to their bases with them narrowly avoiding being caught out. It was the first out of the inning. In the next play the adults loaded the bases. They seemed poised to bring home the trophy.
What happened next can only be described as legendary! The pitch came in, it was a soft kick that ran out to the pitcher’s mound. In a moment of clarity, Nathan turned and got the out directly behind him at 2nd. Meanwhile, the adults had a runner heading for home in what would be a tying run, sending us to extra innings! Would they get there? Not if the kids had anything to say about it! As the runner could taste impending victory, our second basemen threw an absolute rocket at them. The whole crowd held it’s collective breath in anticipation.
I have heard it said that “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball”, but there was no chance here.
The ball made solid contact and our umpire, Tim, pronounced the final judgement of the night.
“OUT!”
The crowd cheered! The kids yelled. High fives all around! Hands were shook! Fist bumps were given! What a night folks! Just when you think you have seen it all, the kids show you something new in our first double play!
Final score 12-11 kids.
On a beautiful night, the adults experienced the pain of loss, but the pride and privilege of seeing their kids outperform them again. What an amazing sight!
We want to thank all of our outstanding fans for coming and cheering them on and a special thank you to our cooks, Brenden and Lance!
We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
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