SPH, in the Diamond they Dominate
Mood:
happy
Now Playing: We are the Champions
Topic: Pastoral Year '04 - '05
SPH CARDINAL BASEBALL & LADY CARDINAL SOFTBALL 2A TAPPS STATE CHAMPIONS!On May 14, 2005 both SPH ball clubs proved their superior quality as they completed a sweep of state titles from the diamond. The boys started the day that would end with a fire engine ride through town with a 3-0 win over The Woodlands Christian Academy, and the girls capped off the day with an excessively dramatic win over long time rivals Sacred Heart of Hallettsville. (Yep, the very schools that are fifteen minutes apart, reside in the same diocese, and also met in the Volleyball State Finals for the last two years.) Both games ended with much excitement. They baseball game ended when a TWCA batter hit a line drive right down the middle and the SPH sophomore 2nd baseman making the grab. This may sound routine, but it is what happened exactly at the moment the ball was caught, because the shortstop was also running down the ball neither of the two seeing the other one until the last possible moment and the shortstop took a dive but hit the 2nd baseman in the gut flipping him over onto his back next to the bag. The second baseman disentangled his left arm from the two-man pile and was shocked to see that he had held on to the ball during his theme park-like ride. He raised the glove, still in total shock, to show the umpire that the ball remained nestled in his glove like a baby in a carriage.
The softball game went rather uneventful aside from a two-run first inning to put SPH, the defending champions, ahead. Then in the final inning, things seemed to come unraveled for the Cardinals who committed two of their six errors in this inning and allowed three runs to put the Indianettes up 4 – 3. A pitching change helped retire the side of the inning but the damage was done and now the Lady Cardinals (who had beat the Indians both time during the regular season, one of which was a ten-run-ruled game) found themselves as the bottom of a hole from which they had find a way out. Sacred Heart entered the field with huge smiles on their faces seemingly to have fun now. St. Paul was to start the inning at the bottom of their line-up. With the first batter came the first out and brought Sacred Heart two outs away from stealing the title. The second batter just beat the throw to first, and did her patented jump for joy as the umpire signaled her safe. Now the excitement started to build for the Lady Cardinals. They had someone on base, but still had to remain poised so to get the run necessary to send the game into extra innings or the two runs necessary to win it in seven. SPH was now at the top of their line up with their only left-handed batter and quickest runner, a girl who routinely stole her way to third. After a few pitches she slapped one into shallow right field and was off to the races when the leftfielder bobbled and dropped the ball. Both runners were rounding third as the throw was made and triumphantly crossed home as the catcher caught the ball well out of reach of the runners. The sea of red that were previously nervous were now on their feet screaming for they all knew what these two runs meant...the game was over, with the score 5 - 4, and the Lady Cardinals completed the dream of having both the baseball and softball teams on top together.
The fire engine ride was now waiting for both victorious teams back in Shiner and would loudly and proudly sing the praises of the returning champions even if it was at 10:00 pm and the “roads needed to be rolled back out.” Below are pictures of the champions as they returned home.
Posted by Big Mike
at 12:01 AM CDT
I made it to the College World Series to the Baylor-t.u. game where the Baylor Bears ran out of time. Overall I had a good time even though the t.u. went away happy and the fact that there were 15 high school girls oogling over these two College age boys and not watching any of the game. Evidently, this is like going to the mall for Omaha teens. Their parents buy these books of general admission tickets and set the kids loose on Rosenblatt Stadium to get them out of the house.
quizzical
cheeky
caffeinated