Zeppelins met DCFS team for first time

By Eddie James (Interim Coach and Ace Reporter)

The Zeppelins faced the mighty DCFS team on Wednesday evening.  The DCFSers were the 2012 league champs.  They also went undefeated in the regular season in 2013, but lost in the championship game.  They came into Wednesday undefeated this season as well, and unfortunately for the Zeps, DCFS left that way as well.

Our Zeppelins knew they would have a battle against such a fierce opponent, but still bravely took the field undaunted by the odds.  They were, however, handicapped by the suspicious absence of their Coach Linda Regira, AND new ace starting pitcher, Rick Ward, who (allegedly) had a client in town and was unavailable to face DCFS murderer’s row of hitters.  As a result, Eddie James drug his “go-to” (and only) pitch, the knuckleball, out of storage, with decidedly mixed results. 

Things got off to a promising start, with the Zeps facing the minimum in 3-up-3-down 1^st inning.  The next inning was quite different, yielding 9 hits, and “allowing” their line-up to hit for the cycle in the inning:  5 singles, 1 double, 2 triples, and a 3-run homer.   4 additional runs in the 3^rd , 3 more  in the 4^th before another goose egg in the fifth. 

The bottom of the 6^th was one of the most exciting innings of the season on defense.  Two singles led off the inning before another scorching triple that David Carter (volunteer coach, as needed player---and boy, did we need him!) fielded on the run and rifled to Eric Burton, who then threw a perfect relay to the plate allowing the second runner to be tagged out on a real bang-bang play.  The next batter flied out for the second out, followed by a single that scored the final runner.  The next batter lined a single to the outfield, but the runner on first was erased on yet another outfield assist throw-out at third base that ended with a masterful tag by Chelsea Harris.

 

DCFS managed 28 hits, and there weren’t any cheap ones:  15 singles, 7 doubles, 5 triples, and 1 HR.  Steven Grissom volunteered to leave his normal post playing first base to play right field for last two innings.  With all the running the outfielders were doing during the middle innings, everyone found this quite strange---until it was revealed that he had missed his aerobics class twice this week.  Evidently, he  felt he would undoubtedly be able to get his target heart rate up sufficiently chasing the knuckleballs that DCFS was consistently converting into lasers. 

DCFS was almost as good on defense as they were at the plate, but the Zeppelins still managed 16 hits, led by Steven Grissom who went 3 for 3 with a double, Eric Burton who went 2 for 2 with a double and a run scored, and Russell Richardson who hit the first legitimate triple the Zeps have had in the last two seasons.  The 4 ladies led us again, going a combined 6 for 12 with Chelsea and Lauren Stuart both getting two hits.  The hitting was quite spread out, with 11 of the 12 Zeps hitting their way on base at least once.  RBI’s came from Gary Beadle, David Carter, Chelsea Harris, and Eddie James.

Once the dust settled, DCFS had managed 16 runs, with the Zeppelins plating just 4.  Making things worse was that Devin Harrison was lost to a hamstring injury and is at least temporarily on the DL.

On the brighter side, the 3 toughest teams on our schedule are now past.  Those teams were a combined 21-3 in the regular season last year, and we managed a win against one of them.  Season record is now 3-2, with three games remaining until the playoffs.

Department of Education is up next week

 

Singles:  Chelsea (2), Steven (2), Lauren (2), Eddie, Paige, Devin, Stephanie, Eric, Michael,

Doubles:  Steven, Eric, David

Triple:  Russell

RBI’s:  Chelsea, Eddie, Gary, David

Many thanks to all who STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE for LED.

PLAYERS:  Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Devin Harrison (Business Development), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Michael Pernici (Lead Development), Paige Ovens, Lauren Stuart, and David Carter (Business Development), Russell Richardson (Business Development), Stephanie Reed Hartman (Small Business), Steven Grissom (Deputy Secretary).

FANS:  Sorry, but as I was on the mound, I neglected to record all the supporters we had in the stands, which was many, but sincere thanks to Alicia Ardoin for keeping us all hydrated.

 

Zeppelins Bring Down The House

In a nail biter at Perkins Road Park last night the Zeppelins defeated the House of Representatives 7-6, moving to 3-1 for the season.  It was quite a wild ride with the lead going back and forth, until the dramatic finish in the bottom of the 7^th left LED still up by one run.

Where to begin?  So many exciting things happened it is difficult to find a starting point.  The top of the 1^st will have to do.

Chelsea “Welsee” Harris started a hitting streak with a single up the middle, followed by a Jayson Newell double.  With runners at second and third, Paige “Dottie” Ovens drove a double into the gap, tallying the RBI as Chelsea scored.  A few bats later, on a Gary “Wild Thing” Beadle single, Jayson turned on the gas and scored from second base.  Danielle Clapinski followed up with a single of her own and logged an RBI when Paige scored.  The Zeppelins were up 3-0.

In the top of the 2^nd the Zeppelins struck again. The stage was set by consecutive singles from Devin Harrison and Rick “ROI” Ward, and a fielder’s choice from Michael Pernici which moved Devin and Rick into scoring position. Steven Grissom knocked out a single to score Devin and bring the Zeppelins up 4-0.

On defense, LED had two complete sets of 5-men squads so the defense swapped out each inning.  The “odd squad” had Will “He Hate Me” Marshall in right field, Gary in right center, Eddie James in left center, Eric Burton at shortstop and Steven at first.  The “even squad” had Jayson in right field, Russell Richardson in right center, Gary at left center, Michael at shortstop and Devin at first.  Paige played second base, Chelsea played third base, Stephanie Harrison played left field and Danielle Clapinski played catcher.  Rick pitched for both squads for 6 of the 7 innings.

The squads held the House scoreless in the first two innings.  With a runner on first base, Michael put up the first double play on a grounder near second base where he touched second and threw the batter out to Devin at first.

In the bottom of the 3^rd the House finally answered back, scoring 3 runs, and then passed the Zeppelins in the bottom of the 4^th with a 3-run homer from – you guessed it – Daniel Waguespack.  Can LED rehire him in Fiscal?

A little down (6-4), but definitely not out, the Zeppelin defense rallied back starting with a spectacular diving catch in left center by Russell to end the inning.  Color announcer Will “Rounding 3^rd” Day labeled the play as “a jackknife with a clean entrance” and awarded it “a 2.8 degree of difficulty.”  Russell’s son Mills, who was in the dugout offering dad sage advice, was ecstatic with the performance.

With bases loaded and unable to score in the top of the 5^th, the Zeppelins had to dig deep to avoid defeat.  In the top of the 6^th Steven led off with a single to left center.  Eddie followed with a double to left center.  Jayson then added a single to load the bases.  Russell tapped out a single, scoring both Steven and Eddie.  Gary followed up with a single to left center, scoring Jayson.  Russell somehow got caught in a rundown between second and third.  After realizing he was fully trapped, he just laid out along the baseline waiting to get tagged out and end the inning.  Mills thought this was hilarious, and so did the LED fans in the stands.  Russell’s wife Katie could be heard saying something about an old man.  But the damage had already been done.  LED was now up 7-6.

At the bottom of the 6^th, Russell made a leaping catch in right center to get the first out.  Will labeled it “a full plié with a pirouette.”  It certainly wasn’t smooth like Baryshnikov, but it was exciting to watch.  The next batter foolishly hit the ball to Gary in left center and he immediately threw the batter out at first, showing off the Wild Thing “gun.”  The third batter went down easily on a play by Michael at shortstop.

It was still neck and neck going into the final inning.  LED was unable to score in the top of the 7^th and still had to face the meat of the House lineup.  Daniel started out the bottom of the 7^th with a blazing line drive to Gary, who contained the ball and held Daniel to a single.  The next batter hit a line drive toward Gary, who had to make a running catch.  Gary then whipped the ball to first, catching Daniel off the base, to complete the double play.  Will called this one the “encore gun.”

The Zeppelins still needed a final out to clinch the win.  The third batter popped up out of bounds toward the first base dugout.  Danielle darted from catcher but was unable to get to it.  Will reported that she “simply refused to layout.”  On the next pitch the batter popped up again, this time right over his head.  Danielle snagged this one to end the game and ensure the win.

Up next for the Zeppelins is the Department of Children and Family Services.  DCFS is one of the strongest teams in the league, so all the fan support available is needed.  The game is set for 6:00 on Wednesday, July 30, at Perkins Road Park.

Singles:  Eric (3), Gary (2), Devin (2), Rick (2), Steven (2), Chelsea, Jayson, Russell, Danielle, Stephanie, Will Marshall.

Doubles: Eddie, Jayson, Paige

RBI’s:  Russell (2), Gary (2), Paige, Danielle

Many thanks to all who STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE for LED.

PLAYERS:  Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Danielle Clapinski (Legal), Devin Harrison (Business Development), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Michael Pernici (Lead Development), Paige Ovens (Business Development), Rick Ward (Business Development), Russell Richardson (Business Development), Stephanie Reed Hartman (Small Business), Steven Grissom (Deputy Secretary), Will Marshall (International).

FANS:  The fans played a big role in helping the team pull off the win.  Alicia Ardoin, Susan Bigner and her puppy Tinkerbell, and Christian Pennington (who arrived late, saw how many players were in the dugout, and decided to be a fan) were representing LED.  Additional fans included Paige’s mom Sue Ovens, Russell’s wife Katie, son Mills and daughter Libby, Chelsea’s beau Brandon Dufrene, Rick’s wife Nancy, Eric’s wife Leigh Ann, and Will Marshall’s dog Sugar.  Paige’s fiancé David Carter coached first and Anne Villa sent the drinks with Russell.  And Rick lugged the equipment bag off the field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DHH Couldn’t Dodge the LED Bullet

Defense was the key in last night’s 5-1 victory over the DHH Dodgers at Independence Park.  The win elevates LED to .667 for the season – the best start yet.  Conditions at the field were brutal with all the rain lately, but the game had to go on.  There was a three foot wide swath of standing water along the first base line, so the bag had to be moved in four feet (closer to second).  This changed not only the location of the right foul line but also the location of the first baseman.  There was also standing water and mud at shortstop and the conditions made base running tricky for both teams.

From second base, Paige “Dottie” Ovens put out six DHH batters, four with throws to first, one a fielder’s choice to second and one by snagging a line drive.  From the mound, Rick “ROI” Ward threw out three batters at first and snagged a fly.  From third base, Jayson Newell threw out four batters at first.  Eric Burton even managed to throw out a runner at first and participate in an out at second from the swamp at shortstop.

Lauren Stuart Illing, Eddie James, and Gary Beadle all snagged flies in the outfield in dramatic fashion.  Third base coach Will “Rounding 3^rd” Day added color commentary to his long list of softball skills by detailing the live action (does that mean he is a 7-tool player?).  He described Lauren’s perfect “3-point touchdown stance” she brought out to catch her fly.  He also described Eddie’s diving catch as being a “double roll with a half pike” and said “he nailed the landing!”  Gary’s catch required a sprint to just behind second base with a Willy Mays bucket catch.

But the king of outs participation was none other than Steven “The Diva” Grissom who participated in 10 putouts at first and added number 11 unassisted.  Steven added a dramatic play when he refused to let a potential overthrow pass, leaping and snagging the ball in his outstretched glove, and landing directly on the bag just before the runner arrived.  Matthew Wattigny also had two putouts at his turn on first base. 

And the icing on the defense cake was the pop-up caught behind the plate by Zeppelin newcomer Stephanie Reed Hartman.  She did a great job in her first outing with the team.

Steven and Jayson led the offense in scoring.  Steven went 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs and Jayson (safely in the #3 spot in the lineup) went 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs, scoring once.  Paige and Eddie both went 2 for 3 and scored twice.  Eric, Gary, Lawles Bourque, and Christian Pennington all had singles, but Christian stretched his out to a double on an overthrow to first.  Matthew and Christian both hit solid line drives to first that would have been in the gap had the first base been on the real line.  Sadly, Lauren drew the unlucky #4 spot and couldn’t get a hit after her strong performances at the plate in the last two games.  What is it about that #4 spot?

Finally, Lawles predicted he will be naming his first son Eric Gary Lawles Bourque and that he will be a car salesman!  If you want to know what it means, ask a Zeppelin.

Up next for the Zeppelins is the House of Representatives and the mighty bat of Daniel Waguespack.  LED defeated the House in a scrimmage earlier in the year but it will still be a tough game.  The game is set for Tuesday, July 22.

Singles:  Steven (3) Eddie (2), Paige (2), Jayson (2), Rick (2), Eric, Gary, Lawles.

Double: Christian

RBI’s:  Jayson (3), Steven (2).

Many thanks to all who STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE for LED.

PLAYERS:  Christian Pennington (Business Incentives), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Lauren Stuart Illing (Business Development), Lawles Bourque (FastStart), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Paige Ovens (Business Development), Rick Ward (Business Development), Stephanie Reed Hartman (Small Business), Steven Grissom (Deputy Secretary).

FANS:  David Carter assisted the Zeppelins by coaching first base.  Shane Illing (Lauren’s husband), Nancy Ward (Rick’s wife) and Beth Newell (Jayson’s wife) all came out to watch the game and support the team.  Anne Villa sent the water and Powerade to the field again with Eddie.  Christian (bless him) lugged the equipment bag after the game.

 

 

 

 

 

Designing Women Prove Too Saucy For DOTD

It was definitely ladies night at Independence Park last night as the Zeppelin women poured it on against the DOTD-Design team.  In a 7-3 victory, the ladies put together two double plays, nine hits, four RBIs and two runs scored.

Chelsea “Welsee” Harris went 4 for 4, turned in a base-saving textbook slide at third, scored once and turned a double play in the top of the seventh by snagging a line drive at third and humming it to Paige “Dottie” Ovens at second to catch the runner before he could get back to the bag.

Paige went 2 for 4, batted in 2 RBIs and turned in a double play in the top of the sixth, snagging a line drive at second and catching the runner off the base at first.  Lauren Stuart Illing went 2 for 3 and scored while pinch running for Coach Linda Regira.  She also snagged 2 flies in left field, setting a ladies’ outfield performance record.  Linda went 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs.

Eddie James led the men going 2 for 4 with the only double of the night, scoring once and tallying 3 RBIs.  David Carter, Rick “ROI” Ward, Eric Burton and Will “He Hate Me” Marshall all went 2 for 3 at the plate.  David and Rick both scored once and Will (the team speed demon) scored twice.  Will also attempted to slide at second but the ball got there just ahead of him.  Another record for the Zeppelins – two slides in one game!  Will also snagged two flies in the outfield.

Rick turned in an awesome performance on the mound, giving DOTD batters fits at the plate.  His high arching spinners dropped right into the strike zone but the Design batters couldn’t get their timing right.  More than one Designer was seen throwing down a bat in frustration.  He capped of the night by striking out one of the DOTD men in the top of the seventh for out number three and the victory.

Jason Newell had a bit of a struggle at the plate and couldn’t get a break from the plate, although he did get seriously robbed on a hard line drive between right and right center.  We’ll have to chalk it up to the curse of the number four spot in the lineup.  Russell Richardson got the spot in the last game and was hurt in the second inning, whereas Jayson went 3 for 4 in the number six spot.  Gary Beedle asked to be moved down in the order after feeling the curse last season.  In the number seven spot last game he went 3 for 3 and scored twice.  Who will step up to the plate and volunteer for the number four spot next week?

Up next for the Zeppelins is the Department of Insurance.  LED defeated the “Regulators” in a close match that was won in the bottom of the seventh last season.  Game date, time and location TBD.

Singles:  Chelsea (4), Eddie (2), Paige (2), Lauren (2), Rick (2), David (2), Eric (2), Will (2), Linda (1).

Double: Eddie

RBI’s:  Eddie (3), Paige (2), Linda (2).

Many thanks to all who STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE for LED.

PLAYERS:  Chelsea Harris (Communication & Marketing), David Carter (BRAC Liaison) Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Lauren Stuart Illing (Business Development), Linda Regira (Policy & Planning), Paige Ovens (Business Development), Rick Ward (Business Development), Will Marshall (International)

FANS:  Dennis Barbier (Linda’s SO), Barrett Barbier (Linda’s grandson), and Chelsea’s significant other Brandon.  William brought puppy Sugar who barked mightily for the team.  Anne Villa sent an ice chest with water and Power Aid to keep the team hydrated.