Hitmen, Rain Wash Away Raisin’ Arizona

by Ice, July 26, 2009, 1:14 pm

It’s an interesting feeling when you are driving to your softball game and the sun is shining brightly while the clouds are letting loose a deluge. On the one hand, you get the feeling that the weather may pass quickly and you might get to play. On the other hand, you wonder if your car is going to be washed into the Potomac before you can make it to the field.

Well, fortunately, for us, the weather did clear (temporarily, as we would find out) by the time most of us made it down to the Mall. Our reward? A matchup against Raisin’ Arizona – the squad that had throttled us in our season opener a year ago and gone on to finish third in the end of season tournament.

But, we are a different team than we were the last time we played them. In fact, we were a different team than the last time we played anybody, as the game saw the return of long-lost Hitmen Kbeast and Freckles. Nice to see you again, ladies! Remember us? Just in case you’ve forgotten, KB, this game isn’t played with a big red kickball.

After a getting a late start because of the weather, we began the game on a high note as Lil Bow Wow smacked a homer. Things got better from there as Detroit’s Finest, InsuranceClaim and others followed with knocks, and we built an early lead. Though the game got a little dicey later, after we let a few balls get over/under/around us, the early hits proved to be enough to hold off the cacti until a second monsoon came through and sent us scrambling for the bar. A four inning victory? We’ll take it!

Posted in Game reports, Home page, Uncategorized

Submit or read comments

Hitmen Soil New Jerseys with Loss

by Ice, July 21, 2009, 10:31 pm

Remember last week? The thrilling last inning comeback? The celebration after a clutch hit brought home the winning run? Well, the National Mall was again the scene of such a CSL contest on Thursday… Unfortunately for the Hitmen, however, we were on the other end of the score this week in our game against the Naughty Fingers. Call it bad luck, call it payback, call it a choke job. Whatever you call it, it was disappointing.

But, I’ll try to focus on the positive…

The game marked the debut of our 2009 Hitmen jerseys (thanks, Evil Twin!) so, for once, we actually looked like a team instead of a rag tag band of randos. The game also marked the season debut of veteran Hitwoman Deke, who was back from New York City to hold down the catcher position.

Spurred by these developments, we played pretty solid ball for six and a half innings. Timely — if unspectacular — hitting and relatively solid defense (especially by Hitmen standards) gave us a 12-7 lead going into the bottom of the seventh — a minor miracle considering that we had started the game shorthanded when offensive stalwarts Bow Wow and Kinger went MIA after going in search of beer… er, I mean, Gatorade. (Fortunately they returned by the third inning with thirst-quenching beverages in tow.) Indeed, things were looking positive for quite awhile.

Sadly, however, it just wasn’t meant to be. In the bottom of the seventh, the ‘Fingers rallied. A string of base hits followed by a homer spelled the Hitmen’s demise. While we wished it wasn’t so, the scorecard (a.k.a. the chicken scratch in the back of Knitts’s LSAT review book) didn’t lie. We had been bested.

Fortunately, however, we’re not a crew who worries too much about such things. Rather than dwell on the defeat, most of the traditional post-game meal at MBP was spent heckling Gabs about her new favorite nickname. “Punky Brewster” no more!

Posted in Game reports, Home page, Rants & Raves, Uncategorized

Submit or read comments

The Hitmen celebrate after their late inning rally secured a win over We Got The Runs.
The Hitmen celebrate after their late inning rally secured a win over We Got The Runs

Last inning rally lifts Hitmen

by Ice, July 10, 2009, 12:05 am

The weather was beautiful and the beverages were cold (thanks, Murry). It was a picture perfect CSL evening on the Mall. But, for six and a half innings the Hitmen threatened to ruin it… by sucking… out loud. Indeed, for the most of the game, we couldn’t do much of anything right. Whether it was overthrows and miscues in the field, or popups at the plate, or even locating the Washington Monument (sorry Gabby) we were pretty hopeless. Tonight’s opponent, We Got the Runs, took advantage, and carried a 10-6 lead into the final inning.

However, these aren’t your grandmother’s Hitmen. In a startling display of mettle and guts, the hometown NINE (not ten because some usually reliable “teammates” decided to go to the beach with their kickball buddies instead of supporting the cause — I’m looking at you, KB) rose to the occasion. It was a sight to behold.

Leading off the bottom of the seventh, Lil Bow smacked a hit off of the pitcher’s shin and Knitts drove him in with a solid knock to left. Two more hits by BigStick and Insurance Claim closed the deficit to one. And then, up stepped Kolly with a runner on third… As the band cued up the dramatic music (no really, there was a band on the stage out behind left field) our weary third basemen dug into the box (40 hour work weeks are a bitch, eh, big fella?). After taking a few pitches and fouling off another, he launched a drive to left, over the outstretched arms of the Runs’ left fielder.

Game over, suckers. Hitmen win.

Posted in Game reports, Home page, Rants & Raves, Uncategorized

Submit or read comments