By C.J. Wilson
Softball Times
ABILENE — The elusive achievement of perfection. It was right there on Monday, floating tantalizingly in front of the HGH Syringes’ faces like one of those dancing garden elves in “Gnomeo ‘N Juliet 3D.”
A gutsy victory over second place Pioneer Drive in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader had pushed HGH’s record to 9-0, securing their fourth championship. Now in the finale against third-place Southwest Park, the Syringes had a commanding 22-6 lead after 2 1/2 innings. About 15 more minutes, and 10-0 would be a reality.
Not so fast, my friend.
Suddenly, SWP erupted with 15 runs in the bottom of the third to pull within one run, then eventually rode that momentum to an incredible 26-25 overtime upset of the Syringes on Field #3.
“Man, what a downer,” HGH manager Nathan Sanders said. ”I mean, we’re still champs, and that’s awesome. But losing like that to those baseball pants-wearin’ Baptists really leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It’s kinda like when you eat a box of chocolates and the last one you bite into is the one filled with that toothpaste stuff. Gross.”
Despite the unhappy ending, there is plenty for the Syringes to be thrilled about. Consider:
– HGH’s 9-1 record gave it the best winning percentage in franchise history (.900) and set a record for the fewest losses in one season.
– The Syringes set new single-season records in batting average (.604), doubles (44) and home runs (30) plus established new records for runs per game (19.9) and hits per game (23.6).
– Much like Adrian Beltre, free agent third baseman Chris Churchill proved he was worth every penny by crushing 11 home runs in just 10 games — two more dingers than the previous record of nine set by Ben Gibbs the previous season. And Churchill’s total doesn’t include the two blasts he had on Monday that bounced off of the top of the outfield wall and landed back in play. (Yeah, that happened TWICE!)
– Churchill wasn’t the only stellar newcomer on the HGH roster. Far from it. Rookie outfielder Grant Abston hit a team-best .861 with six home runs and 28 RBI. Shane Buchanan fought off a foot injury to hit .632, while outfielders Matt Cope and Wesley Ballard both hit above .500 and Matt Pinson shored up the catcher position.
Add in that the Syringes did it all despite the fact that Sanders missed six games with a nagging foot injury, and it’s easy to make a case for Greatest HGH Team Ever.
“I’d say this one is definitely near the top,” said infielder Garrett Sublette, who finished with a .774 average after a red-hot start. “Shoot, we had two former ACU baseball players on the left side of our infield. If I’m only our third-best infielder, that means we must be pretty freakin’ good.”
But Sublette was nowhere to be found on Monday, as he and several other Syringes were unable to make the first game of the doubleheader vs. second-place Pioneer Drive. In fact, HGH had only nine players for this all-important game. However, nine turned out to be enough.
Four different Syringes had at least three hits led by Abston (4-for-4, 3 doubles, HR, 3 RBI) as HGH took a 7-2 lead after two innings and kept PDBC at arms’ length the rest of the way for a 17-14 win. Ballard went 3-for-4 in the No. 2 spot, while outfielder Lucas Gibbs went 2-for-4 with a homer and 4 RBI and Churchill went 2-for-4 with a homer and 5 RBI.
The hit parade continued in the second game, as three more players showed up to give HGH a full squad which scored nine runs in each of the first two innings. Another four in the third made it 22-6 HGH. But then came SWP’s big inning which cut it to 22-21. The Syringes scored three in the fourth, but SWP responded with four in the bottom half (all with two out) to tie it up as time ran out.
At that point, the one-pitch rule went into effect. And then came the irony, as the same HGH team which set a new franchise record for home runs was undone by that home run prowess.
With two runners on and one out, shortstop Brandon Stover cranked a shot over the center field fence for what normally would have been a momentum-swinging three-run home run. However, the Syringes had already hit the maximum number of home runs allowed in Church II play (three), so Stover’s impressive stroke instead went as an out. Churchill then flew out to left, and the inning ended without HGH scoring. It all ended in the bottom half, as the walk-happy SWPers used two walks and a single to load the bases then won the game on another walk with one out.
Abston had another outstanding game in defeat (5-for-5, HR, 3 RBI), while third baseman/outfielder David Pittman went 4-for-4 to finish his night 7-for-8 with 4 RBI.
Once the championship celebration ends — and it might take a while — the focus will shift to the future of HGH softball. And first and foremost on the to-do list of Highland softball executives Dickie Porche and Ben Siburt will be to find a new coach.
On Monday, legendary HGH skipper Nathan Sanders announced that he will not be returning for the Spring 2012 season so he can spend more time with his family. HGH has announced that it will conduct a nationwide search for Sanders’ replacement, though insiders say the team will likely stay in-house with coach-in-waiting Sublette taking the reins.
“Spend more time with his family? That sounds kinda fishy to me,” Stover said afterwards about Sanders, who leaves with a 46-23 coaching record and four titles. “Normally when coaches say that, it means they either want more money or they got in trouble with the law. I know Sanders has plenty of money — look at that sweet beat-up 12-year-old SUV he drives — so it must be the other reason. I imagine the real story will come out eventually.”
For now, however, the only story that matters is this: The HGH Syringes are champions once again. Somewhere up there, God is smiling.
