City Park - Week 1

City Park Field 1 (6pm)

Real Housewives of Greely (Maroon) vs. High Rollers (Gold): The High Rollers jumped out to an early lead, but little did they realize that the Real Housewives of Greely were just biding their time, ready to pounce when it was least expected… After scoring one run in the bottom of the 1^st inning, the High Rollers held onto their lead with great defense through the next four innings, as exemplified by Kevin “The Galvanizer” Gallant’s double play in the top of the 4^th inning. Then came the top of the 6^th inning when the Real Housewives of Greely finally decided to spring into action after Bennett “The Golden Leg” Johnson’s double scored two runs, thereby giving the Real Housewives of Greely the lead. They followed it up with a great diving catch by Logan “Putt-Putt” Rutt in the bottom of the 6^th inning to keep the High Rollers at bay before cruising through the final inning. Real Housewives of Greely win 4-2.

City Park Field 2 (6pm)

Lunchbox Violators (Daisy Yellow) vs. My Kick Gets it Done (Orange): Fresh off the spring season, the Lunchbox Violators were at it again in their patented yellow uniforms, ready to prove they are title contenders this time around. They faced a veteran but rusty squad in My Kick Gets it Done, who seemed to be searching for their identity early in this season. Two big innings was enough for the Lunchbox Violators, as they scored three runs in the top of the 3^rd inning and tree in the top of the 6^th. After the game, Captain Shannon Haggerty of My Kick Gets it Done had this to say: “Unfortunately, our kicks weren’t enough to get it done this time around. Next week, we will be focusing on defense and pitching as well. A team name like ‘My Defense Gets it Done’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it, ya know?”. Lunchbox Violators win 6-2.

City Park Field 3 (6pm)

Girls Love Big Kicks (Red) vs. Kicktease (Old Gold): What a game! This early season gem came down to the wire, and technically it still hasn’t been decided—if Kickball was like Cricket, these teams would probably still be out there. After both teams scored in the 1^st inning, they found each other tied 3-3 after the top of the 3^rd inning. So it stayed that way until bottom of the 6^th inning when Kicktease finally put a few runs on the board to take a commanding 6-3 lead. However, Girls Love Big Kicks also loves big comebacks, and they would go on to score three runs in the top of the 7^th inning to tie it up!!! The 7^th inning highlights can be seenhere (Ha Ha). Kicktease was unable to answer in the bottom of the 7^th, so the game ended in a tie. Can’t wait until the rematch in the playoffs!!! Girls Love Big Kicks and Kicktease tie 6-6.

City Park Field 4 (6pm)

Oilers SLTI (Irish Green) vs. Purple Cobras (Violet): New Names, same classic rivalry! Oilers SLTI (or Social License to Intoxicate as they were formerly known) came in to this game as the 2-time defending champs, however the Purple Cobras (aka the Left Sharks/Ballbarians) have been gunning for them over the last two seasons. Would today finally be the day? The Purple Cobras jumped on things right away by scoring fives runs in the bottom of the 1^st inning, but would it be enough? So many questions! The Oilers SLTI would turn up the defense after that first inning—they didn’t allow any runs by the Purple Cobras the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Purple Cobras hoped that their defense be able to hold and that their brand new pitcher, Bobby Jorgenson, wouldn’t let them down. By the end of the game, the rookie had proved his worth by employing a strategy of “gentle pitching”, meaning if the ball even made it to home plate, there wasn’t a lot of speed/force for a kicker to use. After holding the Oilers to only four runs, Jorgenson earned a very deserving game MVP award. Today was the day for the Purple Cobras/Left Sharks/Ballbarians!!! Purple Cobras win 5-4.

City Park Field 1 (7pm)

The Ballin Bison (Cardinal Red) vs. Balls Deep (Blue): Oftentimes in Kickball, just a few plays can make the difference. In this contest, that was exactly the case. Balls Deep tried to keep the Ballin Bison from balling too bombastically, and Blaine Mathisen’s catches definitely bettered Balls Deep’s betting chances. However, then came the top of the 5^th inning when the Ball Bison turned the tables and busted out the big legs to bonk home two solo home runs and a triple that almost turned into another home run blast!! With the Ballin Bison’s breakout performance, it’s ironic that they went balls deep more than the actual team with that boastful namesake. Ball Bison win 4-1.

City Park Field 2 (7pm)

Ballz N’ Dollz (Light Pink) vs. Where My Pitches At (Heliconia): You know that person in a race who drafts behind you and then outsprints you at the very end by a lot? Well this game was the kickball equivalent of that scenario. Going into the top of the 7^th inning, the score was 3-2, with Where My Pitches At in the lead. However, at this critical junction, Ballz N’ Dollz finally decided to sprint past Where My Pitches At by scoring eight runs in a half inning!!! Alison Fort, the Ballz N’ Dollz captain commented after the game, “To be honest, we don’t’ know where that eight run surge came from. With all the great defenses in this league, we typically have trouble scoring one run, let alone eight. All that off-season kicking practice must have paid off!” Ballz N’ Dollz win 10-4. 

City Park Field 3 (7pm)

Suck My Kick (Lime) vs. New Kicks on the Block (Kiwi Green): Fresh off their Toilet Bowl victory from last season, New Kicks on the Block had high hopes of finishing better this time around, and it seems like they might be off to a good start… The final tally showed 19 runs by New Kicks on the Block!!! Our statisticians are still crunching the numbers, but early data is telling us that they scored 3 times as many runs in this game as they scored in all of Spring 2015. The real winners were Suck My Kick though—in their first GO Kickball contest, they showed great sportsmanship by never giving up, despite the lop-sided scoreboard. Props! As New Kicks on the Block demonstrates, a little bit of hard work and experience can go a long way, as well as getting some kick-ass free agents too. New Kicks on the Block wins 19-0.

City Park Field 4 (7pm)

Too Legit to Kick (White) vs. Kickaholics (Charcoal): Now this game was definitely the game of the week!!! So many great plays, so much drama! After the bottom of the 2^nd inning, everything was tied up 2-2, and so it stayed all the way until the 8^th inning… But before we get there, let’s not forget some of the awesome plays along the way (or not so awesome depending on your perspective): Robin “Rager” Rathje’s assist on an out by Jerrad “The Man” Strand from the Kickaholics when she bounced the ball in mid-air to Strand for the easy catch. Or how Tom “The Closer” Klose from Too Legit to Kick kicked the ball so legitimately down the first base line that it bounced unexpectedly and got himself out. And who could forget how Too Legit to Kick kept the game alive in the bottom of the 7^th inning with a double play by Klose and Leah “The Brick Wall” Gulbransen. Finally in the bottom of the 8^th inning, Strand from the Kickaholics would go on to score the walk-off run with some impressive base running and solid teamwork through strategic kick placement (e.g. kick it high, and hope no one catches it.). There is a reason they call him “The Man?! Kickaholics wins 3-2.