Jonathan Green
OK, we don’t actually sell tickets, but a capacity—at times overflow—crowd watched three close and exciting SaddleBrooke Senior Softball Association (SSSA) games at the annual Memorial Day Tournament on a gorgeous holiday morning.
The event was dedicated to the memory of Rob Seguin, SSSA player, umpire, leader, friend and dedicated member who passed away last month after a long illness. He was only 52.
The tourney was sponsored by Ambient Air, Heating and Cooling and the crowd was well fed by Doug Wagers of Window Wizard assisted by John Bowser, a.k.a Bubba J’s, served by SSSA’s delightful cheerleaders.
As close to noon as play afforded, there was a Memorial Day tribute observance as players respectfully queued along the base lines. The flag was raised from half-staff to full and Taps played. Then Lady Ga Ga sang the National Anthem with a virtual Blue Angels flyover both via an audio capture of CBS’s coverage of Super Bowl 50. It was an appropriately moving and honoring ceremony.
Game 1 – Community/Coyote League: The Bubb’s Grub sponsored blue shirts, Debbie Seguin managing, lit things up in the first inning with the maximum five runs. Debbie RBI-ed the fifth run! But the BRAKEmax sponsored white shirts managed by John Reingruber scrapped their way back to take the lead 14 to 12 in the forth. Bubb’s team relit the fire in the 6th however, with another five-run inning and took the game 20 to 16. Mark Crabtree starred for the winners going 5/5 with two doubles and a triple. Rick Ervin’s 4/4 was the loser’s best performance.
Game 2 – Recreation League: A low scoring start became an apparent runaway in the third inning as the team in white, sponsored by Brookshier Pools and managed by Tim Benjamin, knocked in the maximum five to take 7 to 2 lead. The blue shirts managed by Jeff Rayner and sponsored by Caliber Collision, tied it at seven in their half of the fifth only to have the Brookshier team do that five run thing again in the bottom. The bottom line was 15 to 11 for Benjamin’s team. SSSA’s second oldest player, Jack Graef went 4/4 with a double for the winners and Dave Good hit a home run in the fifth for the losing team.
Game #3 – Competitive League: Harold Weinenger’s Canyon Community Bank blue shirted team led off with five and Doug Sweetland’s Bubba J’s in white shirts countered with four including a Len Gann boomer into the Dog Park. Then it cooled off until the sixth when the blue posted another 5-er. A comfortable 15 to 7 lead into the bottom of seven got squirmy though as the Bubba J’s got eight hits and six runs. With a man on, two outs and down now by only two the next batter (name withheld here to protect the guilty) hit a fly ball to right field—caught! End of game 15 to 13. Whew!
See ya Labor Day!