“An athlete's greatest glory lies not in never falling, but in rising every time he falls.” (Norm Van Brocklin)

The long delay since the Zeppelins’ last game on August 12 found the team with a few cobwebs that had to be worked out.  The DCFS team practiced during the layoff, and it showed.

DCFS got on the board quickly and managed to score in every inning except the fifth, when LED got them three-up, three-down.  They took the lead from the start and LED could not catch them.

The Zeppelins didn’t get a hit until the second inning when Gary Beadle hit a shot to right field.  Eddie James followed with another shot to right which pushed Gary to third.  Both were left stranded and LED didn’t get another hit until five batters later in the third inning.  With two away Chelsea Harris hit a single to left field but was also left stranded.  In the fourth, Corey Dorsa hit a single to right center and a few bats later Gary hit a double which put both he and Corey into scoring position.  But it wasn’t meant to be as both men were left stranded again.

It wasn’t until the top of the sixth that LED managed to get on the board.  Chelsea started the rally with a single to left center, followed by a single from Russell Richardson.  Corey then hit a double which scored Chelsea and put Russell on third.  Jayson then hit a single to left which scored Russell.  Devin Harrison then hit a sacrifice fly to score Corey.  The Zeppelins had put three on the board but were still trailing.

The team struggled a bit defensively except for Chelsea who made several outs, including two spectacular ones, at second base.  She played so well that the opposing dugout cheered their defenders to “get that second base girl out since she’s been putting us out.” Katie Richardson also made a great play at third but when she threw the ball to hubby Russell, who missed it at first, she reminded him that he needed to “come up with it next time.”

After sitting out the first inning awaiting his turn in rotation to the outfield, Jayson grabbed a cold one from Anne Villa’s ice chest and announced that he had just had his “Superman juice” and was ready to play.  The powers obviously did not include flying (or maybe he needed the cape to go along with the juice) because he didn’t manage to stop the homer that flew about 30 feet over his head.  Out of nowhere DCFS recruited a ringer for the playoffs who sent three over the fence, including the one that sailed past Jayson.  A little fishy….

Gary summed it up best when he said, “I know we lost, but I had a lot of fun.”

The Zeppelins have to wait until next year to wallow in the fun again.  Thanks to all the players and fans who supported the team all season long.

Many thanks to all who stepped up to the plate for LED.

Singles:  Russell, Corey, Jayson, Devin, Gary, Eddie, Eric, Katie, Chelsea (2)
Doubles:  Gary and Corey
RBIs:  Corey, Jayson and Devin

PLAYERS:  Anne Villa (Undersecretary), Chelsea Harris (Louisiana Job Connection), Corey Dorsa (SEC), Devin Harrison (Business Development), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives) Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Katie Richardson (Russell’s wife), Russell Richardson (Business Development) and Rachelle Kilgo (Business Intelligence).

FANS:  Paula Bryars, Mills Richardson (Russell’s son), and Chelsea’s beau Brandon.

“When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.” (Walter Payton)

Records were broken in LED’s stunning upset victory over the Department of Children and Family Services last night at Perkins Road Park in the final game of the regular season.  DCFS won the league championship in 2012, was the league runner up in 2013, and had an 8-0 record last season, outscoring their opponents by 56 runs.  This was a tough opponent and the only thing to be said is that the Zeppelins played GREAT!

Rising to the challenge, the Zeppelins made it happen by getting 33 hits (record) and putting up a combined team batting average of .733 (record).  LED even batted around the order plus some in three separate innings (record), putting up 16 runs in the process (record). 

Jayson Newell led the offense, going 5 for 5 on the night (record).  After last night’s performance, Jayson ended regular season play with a team high .724 batting average on 21 hits in 29 at-bats.  Four other players hit 4 for 5 last night, and the remaining Zeppelins all went 3 for 5.  Not a single player batted less than .600 (record).  And to top that off, every Zeppelin had at least one RBI (record); both Corey Dorsa and Gary Beadle tallied three RBI’s each. 

The matchup was a rainout makeup game from earlier in the season that had left LED up 1-0 after the top of the first inning when the sky opened up and drenched everyone.   Last night’s game picked up in the bottom of the first with DCFS at bat, and they proceeded to score an early run to tie the game at 1-1.

At the top of the second the LED bats went wild, sending all nine players to the plate, three even getting to bat a second time in the inning.  The Zeppelins scored seven runs on twelve hits before ending the inning.  DCFS then tacked on one more run in the bottom of the second, leaving the score with LED up 8-2.

Neither team scored in the third, but the LED bats got hot again at the top of the fourth.  The Zeppelins again batted the entire lineup plus one, scoring five more runs on seven hits.  DCFS could not answer at the bottom of the inning.  The Zeppelins then tacked on another run in the fifth, and DCFS did the same, putting the score at 14-3.  LED had a few more hot bats in the top of the sixth, adding two more runs to put the score out of reach at 16-3, where it remained for the duration. 

As the Zeppelin batters continued to find the gaps and “hit it where they ain’t,” the defense put on a show of its own.  LED was at a disadvantage because the team had to play without a catcher and with only three outfielders due to the fact that only two lady Zeppelins were available for the night.  Despite the disadvantage, the defense shut down any offensive attack DCFS tried to put up.

From the mound, Eddie James was particularly elated at having kept the ball inside the park the entire game.  This is quite a feat with a team that usually hits a few over every game.  Several traveled to the fence, but the LED fielders caught them all.  There was not a single error in the outfield, manned in rotation by Jayson, Gary, Corey and Russell Richardson.  Corey and Russell both brought in short flies they had to scoop on the run, and all of the outfielders had to catch at least one long fly near the fence.  Gary brought in four flies from center field, and Jayson, Corey and Russell all snagged two flies a piece.

The infield looked sharp as well.  Paige Ovens put out three batters unassisted and assisted in another four from second base.  Chelsea Harris put out one unassisted and assisted in three from third base.  Eric Burton put out three unassisted, including a leaping line drive catch, and assisted in another two from shortstop.  Russell put one out unassisted and assisted in another at first base, and David Carter assisted in two outs in his rotation at first base.  Miraculously Eddie had no balls hit directly to him at pitcher, but he stopped more than one run from scoring by covering home on throws in from the field.

Ultimately, the game was the best performance of the Zeppelin team as a whole since the inception of the team in 2011. 

On a final note, Eddie had a tough time with the opponents taking out their frustrations on him at the shellacking they were getting.  One of the men threw a late elbow into Eddie’s chest as he crossed first base.  He was knocked to the ground twice with players obstructing the bases and baselines.  And the DCFS third basewoman had a serious issue with his three-code system to assist outfielders with positioning based on the batter.  Apparently she mistook the codename “light” to mean Eddie was personally calling her a weak player.  The entire game she kept repeating “I’m just a lightweight here.” It wasn’t the only misunderstanding during the game, but it was definitely the funniest.

With the win LED ended the season 3-4-1 and may be headed to the playoffs.  The final playoff list will be out as soon as the rest of the teams finish making up all of their rainout games.

 Many thanks to all who stepped up to the plate for LED.

Singles:  Jayson (5), Paige (3), Russell (4), Corey (4), Eddie (3), Gary (4), Eric (2), Chelsea (3), David (2)

Doubles:  Eric, David

RBIs:  Paige, Jayson, Russell, Corey (3), Eddie, Gary (3), Eric (2), Chelsea (2), David

NOTE:  At the top of the first LED had singles by Ashley Falcon, Devin Harrison, Jayson and Russell (who drove in the RBI).

PLAYERS:  Chelsea Harris (Louisiana Job Connection), Corey Dorsa (SEC), David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives) Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Paige Ovens (Business Development), and Russell Richardson (Business Development).

FANS:  Rick Ward, Leigh Anne Burton and precious daughter Sophie (who kept waving to her dad), Katie Richardson (who drove straight to the field from the airport but not in time to take the field) and son Mills, Lori Melancon was there snapping more pictures, and Matthew Wattigny was snapping pictures as well as he was testing his new camera. 

Check out the LED Softball Blog at http://ledsoftball.blogspot.com/ for news of the Zeppelins’ past games.  Below are some amazing action shots taken by Matthew Wattigny at last night’s game.  Check out Eddie’s expression as he approaches his nemesis at third base!

 

“It's a round ball and a round bat, and you got to hit it square.” (Pete Rose)

The Zeppelins played tough against a strong Baton Rouge Police Department team last night at Perkins Road Park.  Coming into the game, LED knew that the BRPD team had outscored their opponents in five games this season by 30 runs, and had four players who were solid homerun hitters throughout the season.  But LED played strong defense and kept the game close, in the end losing by only one run at 9-8.

The Zeppelins put up 11 players who provided 23 hits and a combined team batting average of .590.  At the plate Russell Richardson went 4-4 with 2 RBIs, Matthew Wattigny went 3-3, and Jayson Newell and Ashley Falcon both went 3-4, both plating RBIs. 

LED struck first and struck hard at the top of the first inning.  Consecutive singles by Jayson, Corey Dorsa, Ashley, Eddie James, and Russell plated three runners.  Katie Richardson then put up a sacrifice grounder to plate another, and Chelsea Harris tacked on a sacrifice fly to left to plate a fifth run.  BRPD was held to no runs at the bottom of the first by the work of Eddie on the mound and Chelsea at 3^rd base.

The Zeppelins then added another two runs in the top of the second on a double by Korey Patty, followed by a single from Matthew, a single by Jayson which drove in Korey and a single by Ashley which drove in Matthew.  BRPD was able to score a run in the bottom of the inning, putting the score at 7-1.

At the top of the third with consecutive singles by Russell, Katie, and Chelsea, the stage was set for Gary Beadle to drive in Russell with a single to the outfield.  LED was now up 8-1 but would not score again the rest of the game.  That was when the BRPD homerun hitters’ bats got hot.  With two runners on base a BRPD batter sent one over the center field fence, bringing the score to 8-4.  Then again in the bottom of the fourth BRPD tacked on another five runs with a few hits followed by another homer.  Neither team scored after this.

On defense the LED outfield was challenged more than ever this season, and they rose to the task.  Gary, Jayson and Korey combined for six outs on deep fly balls, and Katie kept the runners honest by getting two line drives quickly in to the infield. 

The infield was busy as well as Eric Burton put out three unassisted, and assisted in another four at shortstop.  Russell put out three unassisted, and assisted in another three at first base.  Eddie snagged two flies from the mound, threw two out at first, and put a runner out at home on a fielder’s choice from Chelsea at third.  Ashley put out three at second base with the help of Eric.

On a final note, a few LED players were lamenting that there was no beer in the dugout, but others pointed out that it was undoubtedly a good thing since the parking lot was filled with police cars.

Many thanks to all who stepped up to the plate for LED.

Hits:  Jayson (3), Corey (2), Ashley (3), Eddie (2), Russell (4), Katie, Chelsea, Gary, Eric (2), Matthew (3)

Doubles:  Korey

RBIs:  Ashley, Chelsea, Eddie, Gary, Jayson, Katie, Russell (2).

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Louisiana Job Connection), Corey Dorsa (SEC), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives) Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Katie Richardson (Russell’s wife), Korey Patty (Lead Development), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), and Russell Richardson (Business Development).

FANS:  Mills Richardson - Mills was extremely helpful as the team batboy for the Zeppelins and warm-up catcher for both teams. 

 

 

Zeppelins Bring Down The House – Again!

LED put up a massive offensive attack against the House of Representatives “Hurricanes” last night at Perkins Road Park.  With only eight Zeppelins in the lineup the team scored 15 runs on 25 hits, and put together a combined team batting average of .625.

Corey Dorsa and Eddie James both turned in 4 for 5 performances at the plate, and five other Zeppelins went 3 for 5.  Eddie had two singles, a double and a triple, scored three times and drove in four runs.  Corey had four singles, scored four times, and drove in two runs.  Ashley Falcon had a single and two doubles, scored twice, and set a Zeppelin record with five RBIs.  Russell Richardson had two singles and a double and drove in two runs.

LED put up a strong defense as well against the 12 Hurricane batters they faced.  Eddie put out 10 Hurricanes from the mound, including three strike outs.  Russell assisted in seven put outs from first base, Jayson Newell had six from shortstop, and Paige Ovens added five more from second base.

Corey made a great play in center field, throwing out a runner at second base from the ground.  And Korey “The Original” Patty’s fly ball catch in deep right field at the top of the seventh with LED up 15 – 7, ended any Hurricane hope of a comeback.

But the defensive play of the game was turned in by Ashley and Chelsea Harris.  The top Hurricane hitter came up to bat and surprised everyone by going across field from the left side of the plate, putting the ball well over Ashley’s head in left field.  Ashley gave chase on the ball as the batter was crossing second base.  She hurled a monster throw from deep left field in to Chelsea at third base, and Chelsea snagged the throw and made the tag just in front of the bag.  His coach at third tried to ease his hurt feelings and told him, “What can you do, it was a perfect throw.”

Finally, while Ashley and Coach Linda Regira were discussing the brain eating amoeba found in the Donaldsonville water supply, Eddie indicated that he had read that, thought about Regira, and said that it “explained a lot.”  Not sure where he was going with that.  And, with the exception of the small boy in the stands who Jason made cry, a great time was had by all.

The Zeppelins take on the Baton Rouge Police Department next Wednesday at Perkins Road Park.  LED should definitely get “lawyered up” for this game because, as league rumor has it, the police games are shrouded in controversy.

Many thanks to all who stepped up to the plate for LED.

Hits:  Paige (3), Jayson (3), Corey (4), Ashley, Eddie (2), Russell (2), Korey (3), Chelsea (2)

Doubles:  Jayson, Ashley (2), Eddie, Russell

Triple:  Eddie

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Louisiana Job Connection), Corey Dorsa (SEC), Eddie James (Business Development), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Korey Patty (Lead Development), Paige Ovens (Business Development), and Russell Richardson (Business Development).

FANS:  Lori Melancon arrived to take pictures of the game.

 

“Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” (Ted Williams)

The Zeppelins faced off against DOTD last night at Perkins Road Park to play what was a tight, lead-trading match until the two teams were tied 5-5 going into the final inning.

DOTD started off the top of the first by scoring one run on a solo homer by their pitcher.  The LED defense cracked down and got out of the inning leaving them with runners stranded on second and third.  LED was unable to plate a runner at the bottom of the inning, and left Paige Ovens and Jayson Newell stranded on base.

At the top of the second DOTD plated another runner to bring their lead to 2-0.  LED answered back by scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning.  Eddie James started the rally with a single to the right side of the field.  Gary Beadle then produced his own single to deep right, which Eddie stretched into a two base advance, landing on third.   Chelsea Harris hit a hard line drive into left center which plated Eddie.  Eric Burton then hit into a fielder’s choice ending in Chelsea being out at second but pushing Gary on to third as a setup for the next hit.  David Carter then hit a single to plate Gary before the inning ended deadlocked 2-2.

DOTD then tacked on two more runs in the top of the third with the same four-man combination they would come to rely on later in the game.  The Zeppelins answered back with a run in the bottom of the third. Paige led off with a single to the left side and Jayson legged out a single to the right side.  Corey followed up with a single to load the bases.  Ashley hit a fly that backed up the shortstop toward the outfield, allowing Paige to tag up and score, and narrowing the DOTD lead 4-3.

The Zeppelins held DOTD to no runs in the top of the fourth, while coming back to add two more runs in the bottom of the inning.  Gary led off with a single to right field followed by a single from Chelsea to left field.  Eric again hit into a fielder’s choice leaving Chelsea out at second but pushing Gary to third for a score on the next hit.  Matthew hit a fly to the second baseman who then made a bad throw trying to nail a runner not tagging up.  This allowed Gary to score and Matthew to get the RBI.  David then got up and hit another great shot to the right side, plating Eric, and putting the Z’s up 5-4.

DOTD answered with another run at the top of the fifth with the same quartet of guys.  LED was unable to answer at the bottom so the inning ended with the score tied again at 5-5.  Neither team scored in the sixth, so the game went into the final inning to determine the winner.

Having gotten back to the top of their lineup, DOTD then brought up the same quartet of guys and coaxed a few LED miscues to plate all four, putting the game out of reach at 9-5. 

The Zeppelins have nothing to feel bad about and everything to feel good about because for the second game this season they have had to play at a disadvantage.  The other teams only fielded two women (one behind the plate), which means LED’s coed team is in effect playing against a mostly all-male opponent.   The fact that the team can hang in these odds is a testament to the strength of LED’s female players.  GEAUX GIRLS!

Next week LED will face the House of Representatives, and our old friend/former co-worker/homerun hitter Daniel Waguespack, on Wednesday at 6:00 at Perkins Road Park. 

Hits:  Chelsea (2), Corey, David (2), Eddie, Eric (2), Gary (2), Jayson (2), Paige (2) and Russell (2).

Doubles:  Ashley

RBIs:  Ashley, Chelsea, David (2) and Matthew

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Paige Ovens (Business Development), and Russell Richardson (Business Development).

FANS:  The Zeppelins had two LSU athletes in the dugout for the game pulling for them.  Ashley’s little sister Alayna plays softball for LSU (as did their other sister Allison), and Ashley’s roommate Hannah Robinson played tennis at LSU with Ashley’s cousin Megan Falcon (LSU’s only three-time singles All-American and the highest ranked NCAA seeded player in the history of LSU tennis). 

Hannah has an even longer family history with LSU sports.  Her grandfather is former Tigers football standout Johnny Robinson, who starred in LSU's 1958 national championship team and went on to play professionally for the Kansas City Chiefs.  Her great-grandfather is former LSU men's tennis coach W.T. "Dub" Robinson, for whom the Tigers' tennis stadium is named. 

After the Zeppelins game ended the three girls got out on the field and participated in some fast pitch action.  Unfortunately for Corey who was playing catcher for them with no equipment, he was smacked in the neck by a foul tip on a 65 mile-per-hour pitch from Alayna.  If you see him today ask to see the bruise!  The group then decided they would continue play without a catcher. 

“It ain't braggin' if you can back it up.” (Dizzy Dean)

Well nobody is bragging, but the Zeppelins have put their first season win in the books.

It was a team effort as the Zeppelins faced the Wildlife & Fisheries team at Perkins Road Park last night. LED played strong defense and put up strong numbers at the plate.  W&F was truly a class act, and it was a pleasure to play ball against a team so evenly matched with LED in both ability and love for the game.  There was not one controversial call even though their coach IS a lawyer.

Paige Ovens lead the offense with a 3 for 3 performance.  Eddie James and Gary Beadle both went 2 for 2, and Ashley Falcon, Russell Richardson, Eddie James, Chelsea Harris and Matthew Wattigny all knocked in RBIs in their at-bats.  Ashley and Russell both hit doubles on the night as well.  And rookie player Rachelle Kilgo, a library intern in Business Intelligence, made a solid debut at catcher.

The “Wildlifers” started off the top of the first inning by scoring two runs.  Eddie ended their scoring drive by striking out their veteran player known as the “Godfather.”  The Zeppelins answered in high fashion in the bottom of the first by plating five runs.  Paige started off the inning with a single and moved to second on a Jayson Newell single.  Corey Dorsa reached safely but a fielder’s choice getting Jayson at second left runners on first and third for Ashley.  Her single to right field scored Paige and put runners at first and third for Russell.  His double to right center drove in both Corey and Ashley.  Eddie then singled to score Russell.  Gary then singled up the middle to move Eddy to third, and Chelsea singled to send Eddie home.  LED was now up 5-2 on the “Wildlifers.”

Solid defense by both teams left the score unchanged after the second inning.  The “Wildlifers” then came back to score two more in the top of the third from their same four-man starting lineup which left LED with only a one run cushion. 

LED then scored again in the bottom of the fourth when Eddie led off with a single to right followed by a single from Gary, which Eddie stretched for two bases to end up on third.  A few bats later Matthew put one beyond the right side of the infield to score Eddie.  Third base coach William “Rounding 3^rd” Day saw a chance for Gary to score as well so he sent him on.  Gary unfortunately had to watch the throw in as he was put out 9-6-2 at the plate.  He could have been safe if he had only knocked their female catcher off of the plate, but he was too much of a gentleman to do such a thing.  LED now had a two run lead.

The Zeppelins held strong on defense not allowing any runs until the top of the sixth.  Their team speedster named “Slow” on his jersey got up and hit a line drive to the outfield for a double.  Their long-ball hitter then hit a single up the middle to put runners at first and third.  The next batter, their female catcher, hit a shot out to left center, scoring a run.  But Gary was in left center and he quickly threw the runner out going to second.  If he had just piled into her on the play at home earlier…….. The “Godfather” then got a ton of ribbing from his team for hitting a shot which had him safe at first, at the cost of getting his female teammate out at second by a fielder’s choice which Paige tossed to Eric. 

The next out left LED up by only a single run, but it was enough as the Zeppelins mowed the “Wildlifers” three up, three down in the top of the seventh.  Eric threw out the leadoff batter at first, and Eddie scampered for grounders on the next two batters, putting them both out at first.

A great time was had by all and everyone is looking forward to another win this week.  LED will face DOTD on Wednesday at 6:30 at Perkins Road Park. 

Hits:  Paige (3), Jayson, Corey (2), Ashley, Russell, Eddie (2), Gary (2), Chelsea, Matt, and Eric.
Doubles:  Ashley, Russell

RBIs:  Ashley, Russell (2), Eddie, Chelsea, and Matthew

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Paige Ovens (Business Development), Rachelle Kilgo (Business Intelligence), Russell Richardson (Business Development), and Steven Grissom (Secretary).  Will Day (Business Development) coached 3^rd base.

FANS:  Chelsea’s boyfriend Brandon, Jayson Newell’s wife Beth, and Eric Burton’s wife Leigh Ann and their beautiful daughter Sophie.

“Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is.” (Vince Lombardi)

And nobody wanted to win more than the Zeppelins last night at Burbank Soccer Complex as LED took on the Department of Environmental Quality.  LED played hard as nails until the final out of the game and so did DEQ.

Defense was strong on both sides with the scoring coming largely from hitters finding the gaps. 

DEQ jumped quickly on the board scoring two runs at the top of the first, but the Zeppelins quickly countered with two of their own in the bottom of the first.  With two outs, Ashley Falcon started a rally with a single, followed by singles from Corey Dorsa and Russell Richardson.  Eddie James then knocked a ball to the outfield to score both Ashley and Corey.

DEQ put up two more runs in the second while LED was unable to plate a runner.  While holding DEQ down in the third, the Zeppelins chipped away again at the lead by scoring another run.  Eric Burton started off the inning by legging out an infield single.  Paige then hit a long single to left center to move Eric to scoring position.  A few bats later Ashley knocked one into the outfield to score Eric.  This put the score at 4-3.

In the fourth, DEQ put another run on the scoreboard while LED was unable to score, leaving the Zeppelins down by two.  LED held DEQ to no runs in the fifth, and then went on a scoring frenzy at the bottom of the inning.  With two outs Eric started the rally by knocking out another single. Korey Patty then added a single of his own followed by a Paige Ovens double which plated Eric.  Steven G. then shocked them all by placing one into deep left field from the left side of the plate.  His double allowed Korey and Paige to score.  Ashley then got up and knocked one to deep center field plating Steven G.  These four runs put LED up 7-5.

The lead was short-lived as DEQ scored three runs on three successive doubles and a single in the top of the sixth.  DEQ was now up 8-7 and neither team would put up any more runs for the remainder of the game.  In the final analysis Ashley and Eric both went 3 for 3, and Paige, Eddie and Korey all got two hits on the night.

In a final note Steven “Bahamas” Baham kept insisting that his phone’s autocorrect is the reason his uniform shirt reads “Bahamas.” 

LED will face both the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and DOTD next week as rainout makeup season has begun.  Days/locations/times will be forthcoming.

Hits:  Paige (2), Ashley (2), Corey, Russell, Eddie (2), Gary, Matthew, Steve B., Eric (3), Korey (2)

Doubles:  Paige, Ashley, Steven G.

RBIs:  Ashley (2), Steven G. (2), Eddie (2), Paige

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Korey Patty (Lead Development), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Paige Ovens (Business Development), Russell Richardson (Business Development), Steve Baham (Business Incentives), and Steven Grissom (Secretary).  Will Day (Business Development) coached 3^rd base.

FANS:  Mills Richardson (Russell’s son), Susan Bigner (Business Incentives) and her daughter Katie, Steve Baham’s wife Rachel, Joe Coussan (Communication & Marketing).

 

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose; sometimes it rains. (Edward Fant “Bull” Durham)

And sometimes you tie.

After nine long innings and the waning of visibility at the Burbank Soccer Complex last night, the Zeppelins and the Department of Insurance “Regulators” were still neck and neck with no end in sight.  Everyone agreed it was too dark to start inning ten, so the 5-5 tie was recorded in the books.

It was touch and go for a while when it looked like the Zeppelins would have to play without a fourth woman because of last minute field changes.  Coach Linda Regira jokingly suggested that Russell Richardson’s young son Mills would have to play catcher for LED.  Mills, the consummate ball player, decided he was going to somehow convince his parents to FINALLY let him get on the field with the team.  But just before the game started Stephanie Hartman made it out to the field, much to Mills’ dismay.  And later during the game when a ball came in to Stephanie at catcher from the outfield to stop a runner scoring from third, Mills could be heard grumbling, “Man, that coulda been me!”

At the top of the first inning the Regulators exploded with four runs on five hits and a few LED miscues.  LED was unable to put up a score in the bottom of the first, but did have hits from Eddie James and Ashley Falcon, who at that point stretched her 6^th at bat as a Zeppelin to a 6^th hit.

The Zeppelins then cracked down hard on defense, shutting the Regulators out for the remainder of regulation play.  LED tacked on one run in the second, another in the third, and two more in the seventh to end regulation tied at 4-4.  Both teams would go on to score another run each in the eighth, and no one scored in the ninth. 

There were some stellar moments on defense including a third inning double play from the trio of Eddie, Russell, and Chelsea Harris.  With runners on first and second, Eddie pitched a short-hopper from the mound to Russell at first to get the batter, and Russell sent it cross-field to Chelsea who tagged the runner heading to third.  Eric Burton played a solid shortstop, teaming up with Ashley, Russell and the outfield to put out eight Regulators.

The middle outfield manned by rotating fielders Jayson Newell, Michael Pernici, Steve Baham and Corey Dorsa teamed up to wreak havoc on the long hitters.  And not to be outdone by her male fielders, Katie Richardson made a game-saving play in overtime to put a runner out at third from left field when the bases were loaded.  The Regulators tried to argue that their runner crossed the plate before the out, but since it was a force-out the run did not count.

Eddie also did another of his “All Eddie” innings where he caught two flies and struck out a third batter to retire the side unassisted in the top of the fifth.  Eddie lead the team in put out assists with 12 from the mound, while pitching nine full innings and helping cover home plate.  That’s why they call him “Steady” Eddie.

Ashley showed her power when she caught a hard hit grounder at second and turned to toss the ball to Russell before she realized how fast the Regulator batter was running down the baseline.  She pulled her arm back into another gear and rifled him out at first.  She assisted in five additional put outs at second during the course of the game.  Chelsea also showed some arm when she threw out one of their quicker runners at first on a grounder to third.  With that play she decided her dad might consent to get her a birthday present after all.

LED had some solid production on offense as well.  Katie, Corey, Chelsea and Steve all drove in RBIs.  Michael scored once driven in by Steve, Steve scored once driven in by Chelsea, Katie scored once driven in by Corey, and Jayson scored twice, driven in both times by Katie (once in the fourth and again in the eighth)!  Corey led the hitting going 4-4 followed by Jayson and Katie who both went 3-4.  LED ran up 22 hits on the night.

LED will face the Department of Environmental Quality next Wednesday at a location to be determined based on weather, field conditions and availability (the kickballers are back at it again).  First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.

Hits:  Chelsea (2), Eddie, Russell, Ashley, Jayson (3), Eric (2), Katie (3), Michael, Steve (2), Corey (4), Stephanie (2). 

RBIs:  Katie (2), Steve, Corey, Chelsea

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Katie Richardson (Russell’s wife),  Michael Pernici (Lead Development), Russell Richardson (Business Development), Stephanie Hartman (Small Business Services), and Steve Baham (Business Incentives).

FANS:  Mills Richardson (Russell’s son), Crawford Pernici (Michael’s son), Leigh Ann and Sophie Burton (Eric’s wife and daughter), and Brandon (Chelsea’s boyfriend) and their two dogs.

“You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.” (Yogi Berra)

It was obvious that a bit of rust had settled in on the Zeppelin players since last season as they took on Culture Recreation and Tourism last night at Perkins Road Park.  LED struggled to stop the CRT batters early, putting the win just out of reach by game’s end despite the rally of the LED bats.  But the 2015 season opener showed promise of good things to come.

A few players didn’t let a little rust stand in their way.  Jayson (J-MONEY) Newell (pronounced Jiminy by some) and newcomer Ashley Falcon both turned in stellar performances on the night.  Jayson took turns at left center and at shortstop, turning in seven outs from the two positions.  He also tacked on two hits and added two RBIs in the bottom of the third. 

Ashley, a former LED student worker in Disaster Recovery and Business Incentives and current Civil Service employee, went four for four at the plate with two doubles in the number five batting spot.  She added two RBIs when she sailed one over the center fielder’s head and made him chase it nearly to the fence.   And on defense she flashed her gun by throwing in a ball from deep left field to third, stopping the CRT runners in their tracks.

Eddie turned in another of his outstanding performances on the mound, pitching all seven innings and putting a runner out at home with the bases loaded (unassisted, because there was no LED catcher).  He also threw four players out at first with his trademark underhand throw.

The rust seemed not to impact offense as LED put up 24 hits, all nine batters hit safely on the night, and the Zeppelins plated eight runners.  Ashley, Russell Richardson and Matthew Wattigny all went four for four while Chelsea Harris went three for five.  Jayson, Eddie, Paige Ovens, David Carter and newcomer Corey Dorsa all turned in two hits each – an excellent offensive showing for the first game of the season.

Determined to make his mark on the game, Corey made a spectacular slide at home in the bottom of the sixth after stretching extra bases at every turn.  He stretched his single to second while Ashley was caught in a rundown between second and third.  He then stretched two more bags to score from second on a single by Matthew, who stretched his own single to second as Corey scored.  Corey left only about two pounds of skin at the plate, so if you see him today you might notice a limp.

Not trying to make a mark on any player, Russell inadvertently whizzed a throw in to third hitting CRT player Danny Belanger in the middle of the back.  Danny was fine, just shaken up a bit, and he surely sports some string marks today as evidence.  Eventually he felt safe enough to enter the game again and got to the plate, hitting one to Jayson at shortstop.  Jayson fired a bullet to first just missing Danny’s head by inches.  Danny was out, and thankfully didn’t have to be a base runner again before the game ended.

With all of the rust entirely obliterated, the Zeppelins look poised to have a winning season moving forward.  Playoff fever is already in the air.  However, LED first has to face the mighty Department of Children and Family Services team next Wednesday at Perkins Road Park.  First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.

Singles:  Chelsea (3), Eddie (2), Paige (2), Russell (4), Ashley (2), Jayson (2), Corey (2), Matthew (4), David (2).

Double: Ashley (2)

RBIs:  Russell (1), Jayson (2), Ashley (2), Eddie (1), Corey (1), Matthew (1)

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

PLAYERS:  Ashley Falcon (Civil Service), Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Corey Dorsa (SEC), David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Eddie James (Business Development), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Matthew Wattigny (FastStart), Paige Ovens (Business Development), and Russell Richardson (Business Development).

FANS:  Brandon (Chelsea’s boyfriend) and their faithful dog.

Lucy’s Top 7 Reasons for Making Errors:

• I was having my quiet time!
• I think there were toxic substances coming from my glove, and they made me dizzy.
• When the sun reflects off the bright yellow dandelions, I can't see the ball.
• I waited for the ball to stop before I picked it up because it was having a good time, and I didn't want to disturb it.
• No problem, I missed it, but the ground caught it! Nice catch, ground! You're doing a good job!
• Watching your graceful movements on the pitcher's mound lulled me to sleep!
• I'm too feminine for this game!

Lab Rats End Zeppelins Playoff Run

The Zeppelins season ended on a game that spanned two nights and was finally finished in near darkness.  In the first round of the playoffs LED was set to face off with the State Police Crime Lab “Lab Rats.”  After one inning of play on Tuesday the teams were driven off the field by the crazed Kickballers who demanded all three fields at the park.  The teams agreed to meet again on Thursday to resume play.  At the end of that first inning the score was tied 4-4.

LED fielded 13 players and tallied 20 hits, including two doubles and a triple last night.  But despite such a strong offensive performance, it wasn’t enough to overcome the work of the Rat homerun hitters.

Picking up the game at the top of the second inning last night Chelsea “Wellsee” Harris led off with a line drive to left for a single.  With one out, Jayson Newell knocked a single up the middle to put runners at first and second.  With two away, Gary pulled out a double to right center but Chelsea was thrown out at the plate when third base coach Will “Rounding 3^rd” Day decided to test the right centerfielder’s arm.  Unfortunately, her arm was fine.

The Rats took an early lead at the bottom of the second when as their first four batters crossed the plate, aided by a 2-run homer.  The Zeppelins then shut them down with solid defense at first and third bases to end the inning.

At the top of the third the Zeppelins got on the scoreboard starting with a Steven Grissom single up the middle.  Lauren Stuart then moved Steven to second with an infield single.  Eric Burton followed with another single to move Steven to third, and Stephanie Hartman’s single up the middle gave her the first Zeppelin RBI as Steven crossed the plate.

Back on defense at the bottom of the third Eric made an ESPN-worthy grab at shortstop, making a huge vertical leap to snag a hard-hit line drive.  Then, with two outs and a runner on base, one of the Rat homerun hitters knocked a short one to right field which resulted in another score.

Trailing 5-1 the Zeppelins rallied at the top of the fourth and picked up two more runs.  Leadoff batter Christian Pennington, in borrowed cleats and sans Zeppelin jersey (he is moving and everything is packed away), hit a pop up in front of the first baseman down the line.  The Rat dove for the ball just as Christian reached the same spot.  After the crash Christian got up and continued on the make it to first safely.  Offered a pinch runner he waved it away insisting that he was fine.  Fine he appeared to be as he motored from first to home on a David Carter triple over the right fielder’s head.  David then crossed the plate as well when Chelsea hit a sacrifice grounder to the shortstop, who had to make a running catch which left him no play for home.  By the end of the inning Christian benched himself due to the injury to his arm he could now feel once the adrenalin had subsided.

In the bottom of the fourth the Zeppelins dug deep and held the Rats scoreless.  The Rats second homerun hitter knocked a blazing line drive between first and second but was shocked to find he was out as Paige “Dottie” Ovens nabbed it on the run.  Paige then threw the next batter out at first and the final out came from Steven at first base unassisted.

Neither team was able to score in the fifth inning.  On defense, Rick “ROI” Ward struck out the first batter.  After a single by the next Rat batter, Chelsea turned a double play to end the inning when she snagged a hard-hit line drive at third and hummed it to first, catching the Rat runner off the bag.

During the inning some of the Zeppelin ladies noticed that Michal Pernici has a pre-pitch ritual at the plate.  Why didn’t anyone notice it before?  Had he ever done it in previous games, previous seasons?  Perhaps the “Pernici Wiggle” is reserved for when his beautiful wife Margaret is in the stands with a perfect view of him from behind.  Whatever the reason, it worked, because he hammered one to right center for a single.  A team vote resulted in a resolution to memorialize the wiggle in the famous rituals list (see number 10 on the list below) and keep it in next season.

With calls to “Do it for the business plan” and with Eddie James in a rally cap, the Zeppelins narrowed the gap further in the top of the 6^th when Rick stretched a solid single into a double on an overthrow at first.  David moved him to third with an infield single, and Chelsea tallied her second RBI of the night when Rick crossed the plate on her single behind the second baseman.  The score was now 5-4.

But the Rats blew it out in the bottom of the sixth when the sun was going down and visibility was dangerously low.  With two runners on, the second Rat homerun hitter put one well over the fence in right center.  The Rats were now up 8-4.

The game ended at the top of the 7^th when, in near darkness, the batters struggled to see the pitches and no runs were scored.  The final score, including the inning from Tuesday, was 12-8.

The Zeppelins had a great (albeit Corona Punch-free) season and faced some quality opponents.  Coach Linda Regira reminded everyone that the only good news about losing last night was that the team does not have to face the Department of Children and Family Services next week.  Everyone is already looking forward to next season and will be hitting the batting cages in the upcoming months.  The LED Executive Team is encouraged to continue their emphasis on recruiting when making new hiring decisions.  And on a final note, Will emailed the players with, “I’m springing for sliding shorts for next year to all those that need them (that would be everyone) and changing my jersey from Rounding 3^rd to Sliding Home.”

Singles:  Chelsea (2), Eddie, Jayson (3), Paige, Gary, Michael, Steven (2), Lauren (2), Eric, Stephanie, Christian, David

Doubles: Gary and Rick

Triple:  David

RBI’s:  Chelsea (2), Stephanie, David

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

PLAYERS:  Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Christian Pennington (Business Incentives), David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Lauren Stuart (Business Development), Michael Pernici (Lead Development), Paige Ovens (Business Development), Rick Ward (Business Development), Stephanie Hartman (Small Business) and Steven Grissom (Deputy Secretary).

FANS:  As always, LED fans are the best in the league.  Margaret and Crawford Pernici (Michael’s wife and 8 month old son), Doug Kopp (Internal Auditor), Jennifer Berthelot equipped with camera (Communication & Marketing), Brandon (Chelsea’s boyfriend), Leigh Ann Burton (Eric’s wife), Will “Rounding 3^rd” Day (Business Development) coached third.

 

TOP TEN FAMOUS BASEBALL RITUALS

1. Joe DiMaggio would always run from the outfield and touch second base before going into the dugout.

2. New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada hits barehanded. Posada believes in the superstition that urinating on your hands help avoid calluses and hardening of your skin and regularly does it throughout the season.

3. Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs would take exactly 150 ground balls during practice. Boggs would eat a chicken before every game. When he would enter the batter’s box, he would draw the Hebrew word “chai” meaning “life” in the dirt before taking pitches.

4. David Ortiz rests his bat against his leg, spits on his right hand, and clap when preparing for the batter box.

5. Turk Wendell used to wave from the mound to the centerfielder, who would then wave back. Wendell would brush his teeth and eat four sticks of licorice between innings he was pitching. He would also crouch down every time the catcher stood up and would stand up when the catcher would crouch.

6. Red Sox Pitcher Tim Wakefield would eat a pound of spaghetti before any game he is starting.

7. Roger Clemens would soak in extremely hot water and have the hottest possible muscle liniment applied.

8. Mark McGuire would wear the same cup from his high school playing days until it was stolen.

9. Brendan Donnelly would throw away the undershirt he wore during the game if he pitched poorly.

10.  Michael Pernici would perform the world famous “Pernici Wiggle” before each pitch while at the plate.

LED “Mocked” in Round 1 playoff game vs. LSP

By Eddie James (Interim Coach and Ace Reporter)

LED qualified for the playoffs again this year and the Zeppelins found themselves seeded just behind the team from LSP, last year’s league champions.  The two teams squared off Tuesday evening in what seemed to be a fairly even match:  LED ended the regular season at 4-4, and LSP was 4-3-1. 

With LSP having a slightly better record, LED was----of course---the visiting team and thus batted first.

Unfortunately, Paige Ovens was unavailable for this game, and there was some speculation that the State Police team had been involved in the scheduling of the site visited that had her detained in Monroe until, suspiciously, 6 PM, the exact start of game time in Baton Rouge.  However, in an inspiring demonstration of the LED core value of Teamwork, Dawn Mock surprised the other Zeppelins by showing up early to the Kenilworth field to fill in for Paige as our 4^th lady player.   Claiming to have no skills, it was immediately evident that Dawn was much too modest, and she was convinced to not only fill in for Paige as our 4^th, but also at Paige’s usual spot at 2^nd base.  This allowed us to keep the remainder of the defense unchanged, instead of playing with only 9 fielders as we had feared.

Picking right up where the Zeppelins left off in their last game, the bats were hot immediately in the top of the first.  Five consecutive singles by Chelsea, Eddie, Devin, Jayson, and Lauren, and then a sixth by Russell Richardson saw the Zeps go up 4-0.  Some aggressive base running unfortunately ended the inning with a double play, but it certainly seemed like the Zeppelins had come to hit.

The bottom of the inning started great as well, with Chelsea fielding a grounder at 3^rd and firing a rocket to Devin who made a great stretch on the catch securing the out.  That was followed by a sinking liner over Eric’s head at short.  Having a flashback to when he was 16, rather than 66, Eddie dove for the catch but was not able to come up with.  The next batter singled, as did the next, scoring a run, and the next batter fouled a ball about 450 feet, followed by a fair one that cleared the fence.  A ground out finally was the second out, and Stephanie again showed why she is likely the best catcher in the league by jumping from behind the plate and snaring a foul ball for the third.

 

End of the 1^st:  LED 4 LSP 4

It was at the end of the first inning when a large gang of thugs assaulted the LSP dugout.  It didn’t take long for this gang to have the LSP team evacuate their space.  It seems the field had already been reserved for another activity, and oozing testosterone and shouting all sorts of threats and epithets, these KICK BALLEERS forced LSP from the field, and called a temporary halt to the exciting softball game that had just gotten started.

This game will be resumed in the top of the 2^nd on Thursday evening at Kenilworth Park at 6 PM.

Zeppelins and Insurance Fight Long into the Dark of Night but Finally Finish Regular Season Finale. Zeppelins Playoff Hopes Hang in the Balance....

By Eddie James (Interim Coach and Ace Reporter)

Last evening, the mighty Zeppelins faced an unending hoard of purple-shirted Department of Insurance players in the final game of the regular season for LED.

In the throes of the worst losing streak in more than 2 years and just hours before game time, famed LED Zeppelins Softball Coach, Linda Regira,  was ordered to home rest by her doctors.  The emotional toll of the painfully acquired new habit of watching wins turn to losses in the final inning,  plus the near absence of offense in the last game, added to lingering and  haunting memories of the brutalization of the valiant Zeps 16-4 at the hands of the mighty DCFS, were just too much for "Coach" to bear.  

Calls to Regira's doctors went unreturned as of this writing.  Rumors abound that her sudden debilitation were the result of an addiction to deer antler velvet remain unconfirmed at this time.  Thus far, it is still unclear if, sadly, she finally managed to find a source for this highly addictive performance enhancing drug, the pursuit of which resulted in last season’s suspension.  (For further background on the 2013 scandal and subsequent suspension that involved Coach Regira and “the velvet”  see the inserted email attached). 

Interim coach Eddie James was again called on to fill in for Regira.  Inspired by last season’s solid improvement in wins and losses, James was triggered to look back through some of Linda’s entertaining game summaries where he by chance came across some of her long forgotten commentaries on the methodologies of Moneyball .  Using her concepts for guidance, he proceeded to do a thorough analysis of each player's strength and weaknesses on both offense and defense.  He tracked how often they got on base, which side of the field they hit to most often, and most importantly, he assessed the various components of their respective running speed.  Using the data that this extensive analysis produced, he applied the findings to very carefully craft a lineup strategically, and one that for example avoided putting a very fast base runner batting behind another that we will politely describe as being “noticeably less fast”.  The hope was that this approach result in more offense via extra bases, but at a minimum, hopefully one more productive than the Zeps produced the last time out in a frustrating 3-2 loss.

The game started with a coin toss since there was a disagreement about which was the home team.  Insurance won, and took the field. 

NOTE:  In 8 games, the Zeps have managed to be the home team exactly once!  Is there really a conspiracy against LED in the Commissioner's office?

NOTE 2:  Next season, suggest we tape a copy of the schedule to the inside cover of the scorebook.   2015 Goal:  Be the home team at least twice!

Before the first pitch, Coach Eddie asked the entire Zepplin team to take a knee.  What followed could well have been the most inspiring motivational speech in the annals of sport, any sport.  Though the theme was virtually identical, it put Ronald Reagan's "Win one for the Gipper (in this case, Coach Linda)"  to shame,.   This speech had it all, containing more emotional impact combined than the those by Lou Gehrig, Tim Tebow, and even the one that “went viral” this week by that Rhode Island little league coach. 

.........Or at least it would have, had it actually been delivered.  It was there, all written, well rehearsed, the timing was perfectly refined down the syllable.  Minutes before he was to deliver his this moving motivational moment, again, a speech certain to be remembered as the sports speech of the century, Eddie happened to overhear Chelsea Harris, and either Lauren Stuart or Stephanie Hartman, discussing that same little league coach's speech.  He literally got chills, the timing was going to be just perfect!   Or so it seemed, until her heard Chelsea’s reply, something about how she "didn't go in for all that rah-rah &%##$$cow excrement".  Sheepishly, he started to shove the numerous pages of speech notes into his bag, but then out of frustration tore the pages up and slammed them into the garbage can in the dugout.  Her comments still ringing in his ears, he kicked himself for being afraid that his version of "all that rah-rah &%##$$ cow excrement " would fail to inspire the rest of the Zeppelins, even excluding Chelsea, and would fall totally flat.  Still smarting, and quite ashamed, the coach took the field that day committed to doing all he could, even if in silence, to "Win One for the Gipper/Regira".

Thus the game began, as it does they all do, with the Zeppelins batting first.

Top of the 1st:

Chelsea Harris hit a crushing line drive into left field to start the game.  However, the offense drought continued as the Zeppelins were unable to get a run across.

Bottom of the 1st: 

On defense, Interim Coach James stayed with veteran starting pitcher Rick Ward to take the hill.  Although the lead-off batter managed a decent imitation of Chelsea's liner, it yielded the same results, and Rick faced only 4 batters before the defense got the third out.  

End of the 1st:  Zeps 0 Insurance 0

Top of the 2nd:

Eric Burton managed LED's only hit, but no runs were plated.  With this inning in the books, the Zeppelins had now scored runs, that is , single runs,  in only 2 of the previous nine innings.   Could only the second shutout in team history really be in the offing?

Bottom of the 2nd: 

After a ground out to start, things looked promising to keep the game a scoreless tie.  However, 2 singles and 2 defensive errors later, Insurance had sent 2 runners across the plate.  The Zeppelins were starting to dig another hole, the script seemed painfully familiar.   

End of the 2nd:  Zeps 0 Insurance 2

Top of the 3rd:

This inning also started with yet another Zeppelin ground out.  But finally, the lineup adjustments that James had made finally began to pay dividends.  Christian Penningtion, returning to the lineup after a 3 game absence (3 game absence, 3 game losing streak, hey, wait a minute!!, singled…..as did the next 5 batters in a row:  David Carter, Rick Ward, Michael Pernici, Chelsea Harris, and Eddie, and the Zeps now had a 3-2 lead, but they weren’t finished yet, not by a long shot.  With the bases loaded, Paige- the-Overachiever-Ovens (and who from this point forward should carry the nickname "Oh-Oh" )crushed a long, long drive over the centerfielder's head to clear the bases with a double.  Devin Harrison then singled Paige, sorry, “Oh-Oh” in, followed by the seventh single of the inning by Jayson Newell before the third out was finally made, but only after 11 Zeppelins had batted.

Bottom of the 3rd: 

Perhaps inspired by the offensive storm the Zeppelin's produced, in the bottom half of the inning Rick faced only 4 batters, yielding one single.  Oh, about that.  That successful batter was a gentleman who volunteered pregame that he was more 70 years old.  The Insurance coach had checked before the game to ask if we would allow him to bat right-handed, which we did.  The veteran hit a surprisingly strong ground ball behind third base, and most of us thought “Good for you, Pops!”.  Eric Burton did not feel the same way, heartlessly hustling to his right to field the ball and then making a miraculous throw to first.  As heartless and unfeeling as Eric’s play was, it had a good ending, with the seasoned vet running very and hard and just beating the throw to first (perhaps with a little assistance from first baseman Devin Harrison, who apparently DOES have a heart, and had “trouble” to get his feet down onto first in time for the put out.)

End of the 3rd:  Zeps 7 Insurance 2

Top of the 4th:

Eric Burton singled again to lead off, and was sacrificed to second on the second out by Stephanie.  Gary Beadle singled Eric home, followed by 3 more consecutive singles by Christian, David, and Rick.  Gary scored, but the bases were tragically left full when the third out was caught.   Were these runs that the Zeppelins would once again regret didn't find a way to score?

Bottom of the 4th: 

The lead-off batter grounded a ball on the infield and an errant throw allowed him to go to second.  A hot line drive looked sure to advance him, but Michael Pernici made the snatch of the day for out number one, followed by a nifty throw to Paige (”Oh-Oh”) to double up the runner.   Not to be outdone, Rick fielded the next grounder in impression fashion and ended the inning with an excellent throw to first. 

End of the 4th:  Zeps 9 Insurance 2

Top of the 5th:

Chelsea Harris led off with her third hit in 3 at bats.  Eddie then hit a high pop-up just into foul territory behind first base.  In the base running "play of the day" Chelsea shrewdly tagged up after the catch was made and advanced to second, all while the first baseman was still congratulating himself on catching Eddie’s foul ball (which Chelsea had managed to convert into a sacrifice fly rather than just a weak out).  It appeared that Chelsea's heads up play would be for naught as the next batter flied out as well.  However, Devin Harrison came to the rescue with a double that scored Chelsea, and then went to third on another double by Jayson Newell.  Jayson was followed by 5 singles in a row by Lauren Stuart, Eric Burton, Russell Richardson, Stephanie Hartman, and Gary Beadle which scored 4 more runs.   In the inning, the Zeps plated a total of 6 more runs, all with them scoring with two out.

Bottom of the 5th: 

Perhaps feeling that he finally had a lead the even Eddie couldn't lose, Rick generously allowed Eddie to bring his knuckleball to the mound.  Eddie allowed only one single, and faced just 4 batters before the 5th came to an end.   

End of the 5th:  Zeps 15 Insurance 2

Top of the 6th:

Perhaps a bit tired from all the base running, the Zeps managed only a two-out single by Michael Pernici before the third out.

Bottom of the 6th: 

Insurance sent 4 batters to the plate, one single being the only thing stopping LED from a 3-up 3-down inning.

End of the 6th:  Zeps 15 Insurance 2

Top of the 7th:

The Zeppelin offense roared back to life in the top of the seventh.  8 consecutive singles by Eddie, Paige/”Oh-Oh”, Devin, Jayson, Lauren, Eric, Russell, Stephanie, and Gary produced another 7 runs.

Bottom of the 7th: 

Surely a 20 run lead was safe?  The last of the seventh started very well, with a ground out to pitcher as the first of the 3 outs needed to secure a victory and improve the Zeps chances to qualify for the playoffs.  The second batter slammed a long fly to center and hearts stopped for just a moment, until Gary Beadle caught it, making it look much easier than it actually was for the second out.  Just one more out to go!  But……..OH NO!..........REALLY????!!!!!...............................................the next batter grounded a ball on the infield and beat the throw to first.  Another grounder looked like the final out, but unfortunately the base runner on first came all the way around to score after multiple errant (and unwise, Coach Linda?) throws by the defense, along with one closed glove stab miss/ghost tag without the ball applied.  The batter ended up on third base once all the carnage had subsided. 

“Oh-Oh” (Paige, remember?), as she does on every play on defense, alerted everyone to the situation:  “Two outs, infield go to first”.  At this point Eddie looked at third base, and then at Stephanie.  Stephanie Hartman was playing catcher, as she has most of the season.  An awesome new addition to the Zeppelins roster this season, she is very likely the best catcher in the entire league.  She had proven that earlier in the game when she leapt onto a swinging bunt 6 feet in front of the plate and fired a missile to first to beat the runner on what should have been an infield single.   Back to the action, Eddie looked at the runner on third, then back at Stephanie.  At that moment he decided to go counter to Paige’s defense instructions about going to first, electing to throw to the plate if a groundball came his way.  He then let the Zep’s solid catcher in on his plan and said in a somewhat weighty moment: “Stephanie” getting her attention, “Make the catch”. 

A baseball movie filmed in Louisiana (due to the awesome Louisiana Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit Incentive) would surely have contained a dream ending to this game:  The batter hits a ground ball right back to Eddie, and he not only fields it cleanly, but also makes e a good throw to the plate.  A throw which Stephanie would catch, and then quickly apply a sweeping tag on the runner coming from third as he slides in trying to score, but he is short of the plate and becomes the final out.  Stephanie would have then spiked the ball, and then run to celebrate the huge victory with her teammates.  Loud dramatic music begins to play, the credits begin to roll. 

But the games are played on the field, and really, who would believe yet another hokey, formulaic Hollywood ending to a sports movie anyway? 

Of course that isn’t what happened!  Eddie threw the next pitch, the batter mashed a ringing base hit, the runner easily scored from third. 

Howeverrrrr…………..the entire team breathed a huge sigh of relief as the next batter flied out to end the game. 

Final Score:  LED Zeppelins 22   Insurance 4

All time Zeppelin records were set for runs scored:  22, and for hits:  34.  Note:  Eric Burton tied the LED record for hits in a game, going 4-4.

14 players batted and played the field,.  EVERY single player had AT LEAST TWO HITS. 

Chelsea, Jayson, Paige and Eddie had three hits each, and again, Eric had 4.

13 of the 14 players scored at least one run.  On behalf to the entire team, apologies to Stephanie Hartman, surely someone could have driven you in one of the times you were on base.  She did her part, with 3 RBI’s herself!!

6 players scored twice each:  Chelsea, Eddie, Paige “Oh-Oh” Devin, Jayson, and Lauren, and Eric led the way with 3 runs.

30 of the hits were singles, but Paige “Oh-Oh” and Devin both also had doubles.  Jayson lead all batters with 2 doubles to go along with a single.

The regular season has now ended for the Zeppelins, ending with a hard-earned 4-4 record. 

Next game?  We have no idea, and are forced to wait.  The team is hoping our season was again strong enough to qualify for the playoffs.......so stay tuned!

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

PLAYERS:  Chelsea Harris (Communications & Marketing), Christian Pennington (Business Incentives) David Carter (BRAC Liaison), Devin Harrison (Business Development), Eddie James (Business Development), Eric Burton (Business Incentives), Gary Beadle (IT), Jayson Newell (Business Development), Lauren Stuart (Business Development), Paige “Oh-Oh”  Ovens (Business Development), Rick Ward (Business Development), Russell Richardson (Business Development), Stephanie Hartman (Small Business), Michael Pernici (Lead Development).

 

FANS:  As always, LED fans are the best in the league:  Brandon (Chelsea’s boyfriend), Bat MAN Mills Richardson (Russell’s son), Shelly and Harper Harrison (Devin’s wife and daughter), Nancy Ward (Rick’s wife), Will “Rounding 3^rd” Day (Business Development) coached third, Anne Villa (Undersecretary) sent the drinks with Alicia Ardoin (Business Development), Kelsey Short (Business Development), and Susan Bigner (Business Incentives). 

SPECIAL NOTE:  Janile "Diva" Parks (Business Development) was NOT in attendance for this game.  Such an absence would normally go without comment.  Each week, more than 100 LED employees are not able to match it out to the field, no problem.  However, the two games Janile attend this season saw the Zeppelins lose the lead in the final inning, both times to teams with much less talent than our Zeppelins.  In Janile’s place this week was Susan Bigner.  The rumor on Susan is that she has been present to cheer us a total of 4 times this season.  The Zeppelin’s record in those 4 games?  4 wins, not a single loss.  Most ballplayers are superstitious, so if the Zeps do make the playoffs………

 In conclusion, even though he didn't make the game in person, very special thanks to Dennis Barbier for making a special trip, driving from Donaldsonville to LED to deliver the equipment bag, well in time for the game.   Also to Will, for lugging it from the field.  Finally, thanks also go to Sandy Granata for breaking in to Linda's office to retrieve the scorebook.