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July 02, 2008
A Serious Heart-Stopper
After last week's dominating victory, Team Chaos took sole possession of second place in the league standings. This week would bring a rematch against third place team, the Blue Bombers. The teams played a tight game in their first meeting, with the Chaos pulling out a victory in extra innings. But, no one could have anticipated the game that took place last night.
Similar to the first meeting, the teams traded runs throughout the early innings, neither club able to build a significant lead. The back and forth battle continued as time began to wind down. With the score at 12-10 in favor of the Bombers, and less than a minute on the clock, the Chaos scrambled to take the field and get the next inning underway before time ran out. (League rules stipulate that once an inning is started, it must be completed.)
If there was ever a time for a manager to step up, and pull her team together, this was the time. Having given many key motivational speeches in her time, manager Kacy Manning briefly considered which great speech she would draw from. One of George Patton's speeches to his troops? Winston Churchill calling his nation together in a time of crisis? Knute Rockne imploring his team to win one for the Gipper? Phil Jackson's Zen approach? John Belushi's 'it's not over' speech from Animal House? Sadly, time was running short and Manning only had time to utter "go team" and run out to her position.
With less than five seconds on the clock, pitcher Cydney Moora got the first pitch across the plate for a strike - ensuring that one more inning would be played. The Bombers had no intention of going quietly and put three more runs on the board in their half of the inning. The Chaos now faced a 15-10 deficit as they came up to bat for the last time.
Demonstrating the character the team has become known for during the short inaugural softball season, the Chaos began to chip away, cutting the lead to 15-13. With two runners on base, it came down to Aimee Taublieb to earn the title of hero...or goat. Taublieb, a true Cinderella story, walked on with the team during spring training and earned a roster spot with her tremendous enthusiasm - despite her knowledge of the game being somewhat lacking.
Taublieb, whose biggest claim to fame had been coming to practice with the wrong-handed glove, looked her manager in the eye and said confidently "You can count on me coach. I know what I need to do. I'm going to score a touchdown."
As Taublieb stepped to the plate, a hush fell over the capacity crowd. Players on both teams held their collective breaths, as the first pitch soared toward the plate. With the world watching, Taublieb sent a screaming line drive up the middle. The shortstop made a diving stop and unleashed a hurried throw toward first base, knowing he had to offset Taublieb's blazing speed. While she was called out by an eyelash, both runners scored on the play - tying the game at 15!
Riding this wave of momentum, two of the next Chaos batters (Jamal Parker and Joe Lochi) ripped line drives into the outfield, putting across the the winning run! Players and fans stormed the field in celebration of what was arguably one of the most exciting finishes in sports history.
This win solidifies the Chaos position in second place and begins to set up a potential historic slugfest against the Band of Misfits for the league championship. Stay tuned to your weekly Affiliate Newsletter over the rest of the season, as Team Chaos prepares for the postseason.
Posted by Tom at July 2, 2008 01:25 AM