By Tim Shoe Sullivan

Mother Nature dropped a monsoon on Moore Barn Memorial Monday night as Co-Ed Softball resumed play following a week off for the holiday.

The Sloppy Swats (3-1) were leading Team BAMF (1-4) three to one in the second inning when the heavens opened and it started pouring to beat the band. Umpire Barry Fecteau, making his 2016 debut behind the plate, ordered both teams off the field in the hope that the sudden deluge would cease.

“The radar showed no rain in the near future, so it was nip and tuck for a spell,” Fecteau said.

Indeed, the rain subsided after a 10-minute delay and the game again got underway.

Team Briggs, Ashlands, Morgan, and Friends’s left-fielder Erin Laffe noted, “For ten minutes there, it
really was coming down. I looked out to my right and swear I saw Noah drifting by in an ark on the highway.”

In the top of the second, the Swats pounded the ball all over the park. They scored eight runs on nine hits to take a commanding 11-1 lead. BAMF was slippin’ and slidin’ everywhere as Brady Spees, Rachel Graves, Evan Volm, Tracy Mixa, Matt Barden, Nate Pezewski, Nicole Spees, winning pitcher Pat Scheele and Hillary Trebiatowski each came up with hits. Scheele and Hillary both smacked doubles while Nate Pezewski chipped in with a three-run homer.

The highlight of the rally was Rachel Graves’ long flyball to right. Kimberley Brockman, BAMF’s right-fielder, got totally turned around and almost dropped the umbrella she was holding.

“I was thinking about catching that ball in my umbrella but I wasn’t sure if it would count,” Brockman said.

The Sloppy Swats pounded out 25 hits and won the game, 19-3, in five innings. Pat Scheele of the Swats held BAMF to seven hits and got some great defense from Jen Eggleston at first base. Rachel Graves paced the Swats with four hits while Brady Spees, Evan Volm, Tracy Mixa, Matt Barden, Nate Pezewski and Scheele each contributed three apiece.

Morgan Edwardson had two hits for the Bammers while Graham Edwardson and Corey Blake socked doubles.

SLOPPY SWATS STATS: Brady Spees: triple, double, single; Rachel Graves: three singles, double; Evan Volm: double, two singles; Tracy Mixa: two doubles, single; Matt Barden: single, two doubles; Nate Pezewski: two singles, 3-run homer in 2nd; Nicole Spees: single; Pat Scheele: two doubles, single; Hillary Trebiatowski: two doubles. TEAM BAMF STATS: Graham Edwardson: double; Brad Ashland: single; Danita Briggs: walk, single; Corey Blake: double; Morgan Edwardson: two singles; Kimberley Brockman: single, run scored.

TIME OF GAME: 58 minutes.

In the second game, under much better weather conditions, Airport Bar remained unbeaten (4-0) by dropping Shoe Crew (1-3), 10-6.

The game marked the announcing debut of Marie Glodowski, who manned the microphone in the bleachers and was hilarious.

Airport Bar only outhit the Crew, 16 to 15, but the winners got an outstanding effort at the plate from right-fielder Sue Gruba.

Sue was three for three with a single and two doubles and knocked in an amazing six runs.

“It’s a tossup for Game MVP between Sue Gruba and Josh Swan,” Airport’s Kyle Krieger said. “Sue was fantastic, but Josh pulled a hammy running to second and had to pitch the final two innings.”

Airport scored two in the first when Adam Lee doubled, Tyler Mader and Stephanie Jackson singled and Sue Gruba plated a pair with her single. Gruba drove in three more runners in the third when she doubled following singles by Meg Lee, Tyler Mader, and James Marthaler. Hits by Marthaler, Gruba, Josh Swan, and Kyle Krieger accounted for three more runs in the fifth for Airport.

The big guns for the Shoe Crew were Max Delap, Andy Horst and Kyle Norwood with three hits each.

“I give them credit; they came up with the big hits at the right time. And, by the way, I thought that umpire (Barry Fecteau) did a fine job behind the plate,” Norwood said.

AIRPORT BAR STATS: Adam Lee: double, single; Meg Lee: single; Tyler Mader: three singles; Stephanie Jackson: single; James Marthaler: two singles; Sue Gruba: single, two doubles, six rbis; Josh Swan: two singles, pitching “save”; Kyle Krieger: two singles; Kelsey Holderman: walk. SHOE CREW STATS: Max Delap: three singles; Melissa Dombrowski: single; Andy Horst: double, two singles; Sam Stuard: single; Kyle Norwood: double, two singles; Tammy King: single, walk; Jared Shilka: single; Tinker Bell: single; Kara Polley: single.

TIME OF GAME: 52 minutes.

MONDAY CO-ED STANDINGS: Airport Bar: 4-0. Sloppy Swats: 3-1. I’d Hit That: 1-2. Shoe Crew: 1-3. Team BAMF: 1-4.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE: Monday, June 13: 5:45: Airport Bar vs Sloppy Swats. 6:45: I’d Hit That vs Shoe Crew. Bye: Team BAMF.