Lords and Ladies 2012 Season Ends in Heartbreak

Coming together for the final time in the 2012 OPGSPA season, the Lords and Ladies took the field against the rival Turtles for the OPGSPA playoffs consolation bracket final.

The Lords and Ladies went down quietly in the top of the first, with Jeremy striking out for the first time this season ending the inning. In the second, more of the same, with the team shut out despite loading the bases with one out.
 
The bats seemed to come alive in the third, with Chris leading off with a single, and advancing to second on Tim's single. Pete followed with a single of his own, and Jeremy knocked Chris in with a sacrifice fly to right. Stumpy came up two batters later and hit a sac fly of his own, making the score 4-2 for the Turtles at the time.

The Turtles then scored three more in the bottom of the third to take a 7-2 lead. All seemed lost, but the resilient Lords and Ladies were just getting warmed up (literally... for some reason, it got a lot warmer as the game went on, and the sun almost came out!)

Kate scored from first on a double by Chris in the top of the fourth, and the Lords and Ladies were well on their way to chipping away at the Turtles seemingly insurmountable lead.

After holding the Turtles to a doughnut (mmm... doughnuts) in the bottom of the fourth, the Lords and Ladies finally came alive to the tune of 4 runs in the top of the fifth. Pete and Jeremy lead off with a single each, then Rob, long-lost former team member Josh and Brian followed with singles to score the four-spot.

With the help of a brilliant 1-3-4 double play (Chris to Stumpy to Kate), the Lords and Ladies held the Turtles to a single run in the bottom of the fifth, making the score 8-7 going into the penultimate (or so we thought) inning. Five straight singles to open the top of the sixth, a sac fly by Stumpy, a double by Rob and a single by Josh plated 5 runs for the visitors, shooting them out to a 12-8 lead.

The Turtles seemed surprised by that offensive output, and that spurned their bats to action. Dinking and dunking their way through their line up, the Turtles responded with 6 runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to take a two run lead into the seventh.

Going into their last at-bat (seemingly...), the Lords and Ladies were pumped. Taking a horribly replicated musical cue from Jeremy about this being "the final countdown", the Lords and Ladies girded their loins and tied the game up with singles each by Chris, Pete, Jeremy, Denise and a sacrifice fly by Stumpy. All they needed was stellar defense to hold the Turtles in the bottom half of the inning.

And hold them they did! The Lords and Ladies allowed a couple hits, but in the end, no runs to end the seventh in a tie!

After a brief discussion about the tie breaking rules of the OPGSPA, the two teams decided that since it was still light out (barely), and no one was waiting to play, they should just play the eighth and see how it turns out!

Sadly, the Lords and Ladies put out barely a whimper in the top of the eighth, with a lone single by Josh, his fifth of the day.

Hoping for more of the same, the defense bravely took the field in the bottom of the eighth. The Lords and Ladies retired the lead off batter, then allowed two straight hits, putting runners on second and third. A long fly ball, an amazing catch by Bobby, and the runner tagged at third. Season over.

BOXSCORE

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	TOTAL
L & L	0	0	2	1	4	5	2	0	14
TURTLES	4	0	3	0	1	6	0	1	15

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Stumpy - 1 for 2, 3 sac flies, 5 RBI
Josh - 5 for 5, 5 singles, 3 RBI
Jeremy - 3 for 4, 3 singles, a sacrifice fly and a couple nice catches in centrefield.
Pete - 4 for 5 with four singles.

That's it for the 2012 Lords and Ladies softball season. Stay tuned to this blog in the near future for some posts including a season recap, and lots of game photos.
 
Stay safe, and stay healthy this off-season. See you in May!

Lords and Ladies Hang on to Win Nailbiter

It was cold. Probably not as cold as it'll be next week when the Lords and Ladies play again, but it was cold. Luckily, the ambient temperature was not affecting the team's bats! The Lords and Ladies put up 5 runs in each of the first two innings, and that was enough to pull out a playoff win versus Class IV Power, 10-7.

The game was not without controversy though, as rule and tie-breaking procedures were misunderstood, causing a little animosity between the two teams. In the end, it all didn't matter, as the league runner stepped in to clear up all the fuss.

Game Highlights

• Jeremy, gunning down a runner at the plate, assisted in no small part by Meaghan who made an unbelievable catch.
• Mike replicating that feat later in the game, this time from centrefield.
• The offensive performance in the first two innings.

So the team moves on to the consolation semi finals, against the always tough Isotopes, next Tuesday, September 25 at 4:30 on Kinsmen South.

Snow comes early this year to PARC

Team Captain Mike checks in with this week's game recap:

The Lords and Ladies with a short-handed crew, a result of scheduling conflicts with the worst professional soccer team in North America (perhaps the world), did battle in their 1^st playoff game against the RamRods last night.  In the end coming up short with a 9-6 Loss.  However, there was much to cheer about in the well played game.

Player of  the game, by a mile, Chris S, who takes over full time 3^rd base.  The Canadian born talent gave the Lords and Ladies a chance to win the game (and perhaps local fan support) with his stellar defence at 3^rd and his crucial singles bring in 2 RBIs coming in the latter half of the order.  His wife, Meaghan, not to be outdone, gave up her title to the regular season batting statistic by going 2-3 at the plate.  Earning the signal to “swing away” with the count 3-0.  Meaghan also did a wonderful job of playing 1^st base, making every catch even Diana’s blistering throws from Shortstop (without the whiplash suffered by Tim).  The couple left it all out there on the field and showed that they perform when called upon, they were ready to raise their game for the playoffs.

Other notable efforts,

• Diana who battled courageously at Short Stop.  Fighting through not 1 but 2 injuries, one to the knee, the other a minor concussion, she still managed to go 2-4 in the #2 spot.  I attribute her lone strike out to the concussion she received during her last at bat.
• Alex made a strong case to be the everyday centerfielder for next year, catching every ball in a half-mile radius around him!  His hitting was not up to his typical high standards, although I believe that he was simply too tired from running those half-marathons in the field every inning picking up all those outs!
• Erick is notable for hitting into the 5-4-3 double play of the year (perhaps our 1^st ever)!  Earning his nickname honestly “Stumpy”, Stumpy tumbled down the 1^st base line at the speed of ... well .. a stump!  Who put him batting leadoff again?  Oh yeah, that would be me...
• Not to be outdone, Rob hit into the 2^nd ever 5-4-3 double play, and I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it!  Rob ran even slower than Stumpy.  Although there may have been some interference by the bat, which jumped up and “bit” Rob in the legs, thereby reducing his velocity to less than Stumpy speed.
• Denise showed once again that she is big-league talent in Right Field, playing strong in the outfield, making a critical highlight-reel worthy catch and running down balls like a person possessed.  She had a great single, and was robbed of a second by a great play in the field.

The game was filled with great defence, good pitching, and clutch hits.  In my humble opinion, this was the game to be at!  For I am certain that the game was the most exciting professional or amateur sports match played in the Toronto area last night!

Let’s get ready for the next playoff game, where Chris M, currently on the 15-day DL, will be returning his full-time Pitching duties, and the Lords and Ladies wonder whether their key off-season acquisition, the Swiss-dynamo, Brian  “Er fliegt wie ein Vögel” (“The man who flew like a bird!”), will come back from injured reserve to lead them to the promised land, the Recreation league consolation finals!

Lords and Ladies Lose Season Finale to WTF

Despite a valiant effort, the Lords and Ladies dropped their season finale yesterday to the WTF Collective, 25-19. The game was close after the second inning, with WTF holding on to a slim 10-9 lead. But after that, the wheels fell off for the defence, and WTF scored in every inning after that for a 6 run victory. Thus end a relatively successful regular season for the Lords and Ladies, who will enter the playoffs in the recreational division, as it was meant to be. The playoff schedule will be released tomorrow, stay tuned for any announcements!

Now that the regular season is over, it’s time to review the offensive (depending on how you did) statistics for our team!

BATTING AVERAGE (min 34 plate appearances)

Chris M	.723
Pete	.700
Jeremy	.667

HITS

Chris M	34
Tim	28
Pete	28

HOME RUNS

Jeremy	5
Mike	2
Alex	1
Pete	1

RUNS BATTED IN

Jeremy	23
Chris M	19
Mike	18

STRIKEOUTS

Meaghan

10

OPS (OBP + SLG) (min 34 plate appearances)

Jeremy	2.179
Mike	1.828
Alex	1.730

WALKS

Meaghan	4
Tim	3
Rakhi	3
Mike	3

Congratulations to all our statistical leaders!

Remember, stats don’t matter in the playoffs, so let’s get out there and win this thing!

Lords and Ladies lose, Toad Survives

Today's recap is courtesy of the Lords and Ladies' #1 animal fan, Toad!
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It was a lovely late August day here in the ravine. I had just finished my mid afternoon snack, consisting of whatever the hell toads eat, when I decided that I would wander over to the local ball diamond to take in the day's scheduled game between the Ramrods and the Lords and Ladies (the OPGSPA's favourite softball team).

The game started out very evenly matched, with the Ramrods scoring two in the top of the first inning and the Lords and Ladies responding with three of their own in the bottom half. After a scoreless second, the two teams scored two apiece in the third. After that, it went downhill for the Lords and Ladies. They allowed 3 in the fourth, 2 in the fifth, and a soul-crushing 6 in the sixth, and it appeared out of reach.

Unfortunately, during the top of the seventh, I was thrown out of the park by Tim the left fielder. Not sure why... I was just minding my own damn business! Tim moved me out behind the left field fence, and if you've ever been to Kinsmen North, you know you can't see squat from out there. I heard later that neither team scored in the seventh inning, making the final score 15-6 for the Ramrods.

Game Highlights were hard to decipher, as my perspective from about 3/4" off the ground didn't make for a great viewing angle. I seem to remember Jeremy going 3 for 3 with two doubles, Pete going 2 for 3 with two doubles, and best of all, Meaghan, rocking the sweet baseball pants and 80's vintage leg warmers having her best offensive game of the year going 2 for 2 with two singles!

Lowlights included my favourite player Stumpy getting absolutely robbed on a hot grounder that ricocheted off the short stop right to the third baseman who threw a rocket to first to nail Stumpy by a step. I also had a great view of Mike slamming up against the fence on a long fly ball. He seemed to be OK, and that made me happy.

Seeing as I'm a toad, I don't hand out MVP awards when the team loses by almost double digits.

I like this Lords and Ladies team. They seem to be having fun out there. I think I'll make the practically around the world (for a toad) trip over to PARC East next week to see them finish off the regular season on Wednesday September 5th, versus The WTF Collective, at 5:00 PM.

Lords and Ladies score versus Class IV

After losing the lowest scoring game in the history of recreational softball (you can look it up), the Lords and Ladies returned, playing for a second consecutive day, to defeat Class IV Power, 19-12.

The game began brilliantly, with lead off hitter Pete crushing an inside-the-park home run, followed by a single by Alex, then another inside-the-park home run by Jeremy. All told, the Lords and Ladies scored 10 runs in the first inning, and cruised the rest of the way.

Highlights:
Pete - 3-for-4, with 5 RBI
Jeremy - 4-for-4, 2 home runs and 4 RBI
Snowman - 3-for-3, 2 RBI

Lowlights:
Mike, who tried to stretch a triple into a home run, though in the process he did hit the ball farther than anyone else in this game.

Next game for the Lords and Ladies is Tuesday August 21, at home versus Fission Chips on Kinsmen South.

Solid Defence, Non-existant Offence

A stellar defensive showing by the Lords and Ladies in this game, including TWO twin-killings, was minorly overshadowed by the significant lack of offence, as the team lost this close game to the Turtles, 4-3.

The game started slowly for the Lords and Ladies, as they went down in order in the first inning. The second began brightly as Jeremy singled, but the shine soon came off that turd, as he was called out for leading off two pitches later. For shame!

The third inning looked promising, as the team scored one run, then loaded the bases for the clean-up hitter (Jeremy), who promptly flied out to the right-fielder to end the threat.

The Lords and Ladies scored two in the sixth, to tie it up. They allowed one in the bottom of the sixth, to allow the Turtles to re-take the lead. The top of the seventh began with vigor, as the Snowman reached on a single. Unfortunately, a 300 MPH line drive off the bat of Mike was caught stealthily by the shortstop, who doubled off Snowman at first. A single and a fielders choice later, and this one was in the books.

Pete gets the MVP in this one, going 3-for-3 with three singles.

Undeterred, the Lords and Ladies will take the field TODAY, still warm from yesterday, to prove that the bats still exist. See you all there!!

Short Bench Squeaks Out a Win Versus Isotopes

With much of the team on holidays, the Lords and Ladies made due with only nine players. The final score in this one was Lords and Ladies 18, Isotopes 16.

Any accounts of this game by people who were actually there are not only welcome, but encouraged! Email your recap to the team email address, or simply leave your memories in the comment section.