Last night we played Felix & The Cats and the Outfield.

The first game was against Felix & The Cats, and it was among the most
dramatic ever played by the Ice Weasels. Initially it didn't seem like
it would be. After the first few innings, the Weasels were up 16-0. But
Felix & The Cats have a strong offense, and while it was absent in the
beginning, it quickly made itself known. In a single inning they scored 10
runs, putting them within striking distance. They slowly chipped away at the
Weasels' lead, and the Weasels' offense slowed down. Although the Ice
Weasels scored 16 runs in the first three innings, in the second half of the
game we only scored 3. The intensity through the later innings was high --
both teams cheered or groaned at every play. Through some excellent playing,
the Weasels were able to maintain the lead and narrowly win, 19-18.
Everyone played very well, both offensively and defensively. Amy pitched
another great game, and Aimee made a couple close plays at first base. This
was a very important game against a very tough team, and the Ice Weasels
came out on top. It was a hard fought victory.

The first half of this double header was dramatic. The second half of the
double header was even more dramatic. The Ice Weasels have faced the
Outfield a number of times over the course of our history. On December 9,
1999, in the first game the Ice Weasels ever played, the Outfield defeated
us 20-5. In that inaugural season, the Outfield defeated us in both games
that we faced them. They were in our league again that summer, again
defeating us twice (including one heartbreaking 18-17 defeat). And the first
time we faced them this winter, they defeated us once again. Going into
this game we had an 0-5 record against them. To make things even more
interesting, they were the only team with a better record than us in our
league. In order to win the league, we would have to beat them. Having just
defeated Felix & The Cats, we knew that we were playing well. But the
Outfield is a very tough team -- on average, they have defeated the Ice
Weasels by 10 points. After a few innings of play, it was evident that both
teams were playing their best. The score remained very low. After getting 4
runs early on, the Ice Weasels offense slowed down. Fortunately, so did that
of the Outfield. Going into the final inning, the score was tied, 7-7. The
Ice Weasels came to bat and managed to add two runs, giving them the lead.
Time was up, but the Outfield had one more chance to bat. They scored one
run, putting them within a single run of tying the game. With runners on
base, Cory caught a fly ball to shallow right field that ended the game
-- 9-8, Ice Weasel victory. The cheering was amazing, and the Ice Weasels
could hardly believe that we had finally defeated the Outfield. There were
too many crucial hits and defensive plays to single anyone out for their
excellence. It was a team effort, and the team played incredibly.

Some of us stuck around to watch the Stingers play the Outfield (the
final game of the night). Our victories this evening put us in a tie for
first place with the Outfield. However, the tie is broken by runs scored
and runs allowed, which puts the Outfield in first place. We knew that
the Outfield had to lose another game in order for us to get first
place. Last night they played the Stingers, and next week they play
Protrader and Felix & The Cats. We figured that Felix had the best
chance of beating them. However, in a surprising show of strength, the
Stingers defeated them 20-5, putting us in first place!

We have only one game remaining in the season. Next week we face the
Stingers. Historically we have a winning record against them, but we
know better than to take things for granted. And if they can beat the
Outfield by 15 points, we have to worry about them. But, if we win our
game next week, we get first place in the league.

Given that, let's all try to show up for practice on Sunday at 3:30pm at
the IBM Fields. The weather looks like it'll be okay for practice.
Also, try to come out to batting practice on Tuesday evening at 7:30pm at
Putt Putt Golf & Games. Let's finish up this season with a solid victory
against the Stingers.

Thanks for playing last night, everyone. And thank you, Nathan Lynch,
for taking photographs (which are now posted on the web page). The web
page is up to date with all games played to date (both our games, and our
opponents' games).

I'll see you at practice on Sunday. Great job last night!

--
Mitch Harding 512-838-0445 (t/l 678-0445)
hardingm@... http://www.mitcharf.com/
AIX Kernel Support & Serviceability Building 905, Office 4E-003

"Though I am not naturally honest, I am so sometimes by chance."
- Autolycus (in Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale")