Softball Team
CUMC Softball: Fellowship on the Field
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME SOFTBALL?!!
Our CUMC Softball team has come to a close for the 2011 season, but we are already thinking about next season and looking for players! This is a co-ed team, ages 16 and up sponsored by the United Methodist Men. It's a slow-pitch league with games starting in early May and the schedule running through July. As an expansion team last year our CUMC squad surprised some of the competition and finished with a winning record! More important than any score, however, is the fellowship the league promotes and all the fun we have. So if you're interested, grab your bat and glove and contact Jason Heavener! jwheavener@yahoo.com
Click Here for the 2011 Softball Game Schedule.
At the end of each Season, Jason puts a lot of thought and effort into the Annual Softball Awards! To download the past two season award winners, just click on the links below.
Click Here for the 2011 Softball Awards
Click Here for the 2010 Softball Awards
2011 Season Highlights:
07/28/11
In our final game of the 2011 season our CUMC team played host to the team from Sanctuary Methodist and hoped to end the year on a positive note. With Sanctuary short a player CUMC’s Joe Loscalzo agreed to lend a hand and play second base. This one started out as a pitchers duel with both teams combining for only six hits over the first three innings. Taking a 3 – 2 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning and with our offense not producing the way we hoped it would we had to rely on our defense if we were going to pull this one out. Up until that point we had played a sound game defensively however the final two frames saw us unravel a bit with a few missed plays, dropped balls, bobbled grounders with a couple of overthrows sprinkled in for fun. What began as a close, tight game ended with Sanctuary scoring 7 runs in the final two innings and we lost by a score of 9 – 4. Once again Scott Blissman led the way going 2 – 3 and scoring half of the teams runs. Centerfielder Josh Embree also went 2 – 3 and scored a run and third baseman Dan Lawrence added two hits as well. First baseman Jason Heavener, leftfielder Dave Knapp and second baseman Kristi Weatherwax each recorded hits with Kristi scoring the final run. Battery-mates Eric Chelton and Miki Chelton played another great game in the field and each also reached base safely although they were left stranded on the basepaths. Rightfielder Chad Hussein and shortfielder Sean Weatherwax both put the ball in play during each plate appearance the stingy defense from Sanctuary kept them from reaching first each time. For the record Joe Loscalzo went 2 – 2 with a walk and scored two runs for our opponents and just to add insult to injury he also tagged out our runner at second base to end the game and our season. As of right now our team is still deciding on whether or not to extend Joe’s contract with CUMC. Stayed tuned.
07/19/11
Our CUMC squad took the field last night against a very good team from First Baptist and came out on the losing end of an extremely lopsided loss that could not have been pretty to watch. Our offense sputtered. Our defense looked shaky. All in all it was not our best game. The final score was 22 – 7 but it could have been much, much worse were it not for the five run limit per inning. After scoring a run in the top of the first inning the Baptists went on a tear which saw them score 8 straight runs over two frames before we could record our first out. After that there was no looking back. Offensively we were led by centerfielder Scott Blissman who went 2 – 3 including a two-run homerun, and both short-stop Dan Lawrence and third baseman Jason Heavener each went 2- 3 with a double and a solo homerun. Utility man Rich Clowser scored two runs in three at-bats and catcher Miki Chelton, outfielder Sean Weatherwax and second baseman Kristi Weatherwax each hit their way on base safely. Right fielder Kathy Ellis added another run after reaching base on a fielder’s choice. Unfortunately pitcher Eric Chelton, firstbaseman John Nase and short fielder Nari Clowser were each held off the scoresheet in this one.
07/05/11
It was easily the hottest night of the season so far when we took the field to play Lansdale Methodist Tuesday night. Standing with only five players in the dugout just minutes after the game was suppose to start we began to mull over our options when suddenly a stream of maroon shirts come in from the parking lot. Still short a player we grabbed Gary “I’m just here to sell water” Morgan from the stands (flip-flops and all), found him a glove and threw him into the field. Now we had ten. With Kathy Ellis on the mound and Chad Hussein behind the plate, we took the field and promptly spotted them a five run lead in the top of the first inning. Coming into the bottom of the third it wasn’t looking good, we were down 5 – 0 and we had mustered all of two hits and couldn’t get a base runner past first. All of that changed quickly. Outfielder Nari Clowser led us off, then second baseman Gary Morgan doubled, then short fielder Scott Blissman doubled, left fielder Dave Knapp singled, and center fielder Josh Embree doubled. Then it was first baseman Rich Clowser, right fielder Aimee Heavener and short stop Dan Lawrence all hitting singles as we tied the game with five runs. Then our defense came on strong as we held the Lansdale team without a run for the next three innings. Holding a one-run lead in the top of the 7th and final inning we were poised to take the “W”. Unfortunately it was not to be. After a couple of seeing-eye singles Lansdale tied the score and with two outs and runners on first and second a routine ground ball went right through the wickets of third baseman Jason Heavener, a-la Bill Buckner, and although no one scored on the play it set the tone for a disastrous end to the inning as we allowed our opponents to cross the plate a total of four times to make it 9 – 6. Coming to the plate for our final appearance we failed to score a run and that was the game. After it was over we tried to reach coach Jason Heavener for a comment however we were told that in order to escape the ire of his teammates he had elected to leave early and literally kicked himself all the way home.
06/21/11
As the saying goes, tomorrow’s another day. After taking a sound drubbing from the Bethel Hill squad on Monday night, the CUMC team took to the field one night later looking for their second win of the season. Coach Heavener took the night off and gave Eric another shot at managing. With the lineup thoroughly shuffled the team responded emphatically with a commanding 16-8 victory over Sanctuary UMC.
Miki Chelton and Becky Ellis set the table for the middle of our line up getting on base seven times collectively. Our 3-5 hitters Scott, Dan, and Sean took advantage of having runners in scoring position and drove in 6 runs.
But the offense didn’t stop there, the second half of our lineup was lead by Rich Clowser and Dave Knapp each reaching base safely in every at bat and driving in 3 runs. Kristi W singled in the third inning and was able to score from first with some heads up base running after a triple from Eric.
John Nase and Nari Clowser were back in action tonight and each reached base safely 2 times. Chad Hussein legged out two infield signals with one leading to a run scored.
Bill Corne who is used to playing for the CUMC squad helped the Sanctuary team out because they were short. Bill responded by going 3 for 4 and ignited a late game rally that cut the score in half, but at that point the CUMC lead was too much for them to overcome.
Reached for comment after the game Coach Heavener was asked of his impressions of his interim manager and he likened it to the 2008 Phillies great players can win despite their manager.
06/20/11
Our CUMC team took the field last night against the power-packed team from Bethel Hill and this one seemed to get away from us before it even started. Failing to score a run in either of the first two innings we found ourselves trailing 10 – 0 when we came up to bat in the third inning. But our bats wouldn’t be silent forever. Leading off the third inning first baseman Rich Clowser singled followed by Eric Chelton, Sean Weatherwax, Joe Loscalzo, Bill Corne and Dan Lawrence. With one out and two runs scored third baseman Jason Heavener hit a double to score two more and then center fielder Scott Blissman dropped in a single to score our max of five runs. Just like that we had cut their lead in half. The full comeback however was never quite within our grasp as Bethel Hill pounded us for 8 more runs before finally taking their foot off the gas. We managed only two more runs and ended up on the losing end of an 18 – 7 drubbing. Defensively short stop Becky Ellis had another superb game and added two singles as well. Short-fielder Kristie Weatherwax and catcher Chad Hussein were kept off the score sheet in this one by the stingy defense of Bethel Hill however each played a great game in the field. Our offensive star was Bill Corne who went 4 – 4, scored a run and drove in an RBI.
06/16/11
Coach Heavener was unable to coach the CUMC squad tonight and closed his eyes and stuck it on the lineup card and selected Eric to manage the team tonight. With new found responsibility the interim manager used his expert statistician to set a line up for the team. The result was a very hard fought game between CUMC and the Baptist team. In fact with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th inning Dave Knapp cracked a double to left that plated two runs to tie the game. The teams decided to play one more inning which was even more exciting than the one before. The Baptist team lead off the inning with five quick runs. The CUMC squad responded with two runs of their own and ended the game with the tying run at the plate with Eric lining out to left. The Baptist squad was short handed this evening and our own Kathy volunteered to join their team. She responded by reaching base 5 times and scoring 2 runs. The CUMC squad was lead tonight by Scott who was 4 for 5 and Josh who was perfect at the plate going 5 for 5. Tonight saw the debut of Rich Clowser who reached base 3 times and scored two runs. Dave Knapp returned from Russia with Glove and did a great job setting the table for the team. We saw several highlight reel quality catches, unfortunately they were by the Baptist defense holding both Dan and Sean hitless with great catch after great catch. Kristi reached base 3 times and because of aggressive base running and scored twice. Becky made several great plays at short stop and also chipped in two runs for our team. Not to be outdone, Miki scored three runs and reached base 4 times. When asked about his decision to let Eric coach Coach Heavener likened it to Charlie Manuel letting the Phanatic coach a game.
05/31/11
It was a hot one last night but that didn’t keep our players at home. With a full squad on hand (14 players to be exact) our CUMC team took the field against an even bigger lineup from Lansdale Methodist. We started off well bringing nine batters to the plate in the top of the first inning and scoring three runs on three hits including a triple from Dan Lawrence and closed the inning by holding our opponents to just one run. It was more of the same in the top of the second with eight batters recording five hits and three more runs however the bottom of the second inning was a little different as the offense from Lansdale Methodist gained traction and scored five quick runs to tie it at six. After that Lansdale never looked back scoring five runs in the third and fifth innings. Still there was no quit in our team and we tried our best to climb back into the game by scoring two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings but our comeback effort fell short as we lost 16 – 10. The offensive player of the game was outfielder Josh Embree who had three hits including a double, scored two runs and had three RBI’s. Utility man Joe Loscalzo and third baseman Bill Corne each had two hits and two RBI’s, outfielders Scott Blissman and Sean Weatherwax and pitcher Eric Chelton all had two hits with Eric adding two runs as well. Outfielder Geoff Slick had a big game scoring two runs with an on-base percentage of 100% in four plate appearances however he was only credited with one hit thanks to the keen eye of our expert scorekeeper Stacey David. Although they were held hitless this game Nari Clowser, first baseman John Nase, second baseman Kristi Weatherwax and catcher Chad Hussein all spent time on the base paths with John adding a run in the fifth inning. The big story of the night though was the return of our all-star shortstop Becky Ellis who had to make some adjustments from the highly competitive college game she’s grown accustomed to this year to come back and play at our level. It didn’t take long though as she single handedly ended our opponent’s fourth inning by recording all three outs.
05/24/11
Our CUMC softball team took the field on a beautiful evening against a solid Grace Methodist team. Our defense did their best against a talented lineup but in the end we came out on the losing end of a well played 11 – 8 loss. In a game that saw so much lineup juggling that you would have thought the circus was in town - it was tough to get into our rhythm and our offense sputtered as a result. We started off well in the bottom of the first inning with seven of our first eight batters reaching base safely including a double by centerfielder Scott Blissman and a two-run homerun by shortstop Dan Lawrence. Unfortunately after putting up three runs in the first we couldn’t put another run across until the bottom of the fifth inning. Offensively we were led by first baseman Geoff Slick who went 3 – 4 with three runs scored, Scott Blissman who went 3 – 4 with three doubles and two runs scored and Dan Lawrence who also went 3 – 4 with two runs scored. Also getting into the action were shortfielder Chad Hussein and third baseman Jason Heavener who each had two hits, and leftfielder Sean Weatherwax, second baseman Kristi Weatherwax, pitcher Eric Chelton each had a hit apiece. Although they weren’t technically credited with hits Deb Scott, Aimee Heavener and Nari Clowser all reached base safely but were left stranded. Catcher Miki Chelton was able to join us in the fourth inning and although she was held without a hit she was instrumental in our late inning rallies, and team morale, as we managed five runs in the last two frames. There was also a surprise appearance by Kathy Ellis who was pressed into action briefly. Could this possibly signal a return to the lineup by the powerful Ellis family? We can only hope.
05/19/11
05/12/11
05/03/2011
The 2011 CUMC softball season started off with a thud, literally, on a cloudy night against the team from Bethel Hill. The first batter of the game shot a line drive right back at our pitcher Eric Chelton that hit him squarely on the side of his calf. The ball then dribbled into the infield and was promptly misplayed thus beginning a comedy of errors that would become the theme of this game. After giving up four runs in the top of the first inning we got two back quickly on a two-run homerun by Dan Lawrence that also scored Scott Blissman who had just doubled. After that however, our bats fell silent. While Bethel Hill seemed to parade around the bases each inning our squad could only muster six hits and fell by a score of 17 – 3. Regulars John Nase and Aimee Heavener played admirably in our losing effort while third baseman Jason Heavener seemed to be particularly rusty recording more errors than at-bats (ouch!). Losing by a score of 12 - 3 in the top of the fourth inning several players gathered on the sidelines to pray for rain while others looked to the sky for a miracle, neither was delivered. Instead the good Lord believed what we really needed was another Chelton as Miki came strolling in from right field to the sound of cheers from the home team. This however proved to be too little too late (no that’s not a height joke). Some positive news to take away from the game was the number of new faces we had in the field. Making their CUMC debut last night was Sean and Kristi Weatherwax, Scott Blissman, Deb Scott, Ken Day and Nari Clowser. Despite the score we all had a great time and a lot of fun! Next game: Thursday, May 12th.
Click Here to download the 2010 Softball Season Highlights.
Our CUMC Softball team has come to a close for the 2011 season, but we are already thinking about next season and looking for players! This is a co-ed team, ages 16 and up sponsored by the United Methodist Men. It's a slow-pitch league with games starting in early May and the schedule running through July. As an expansion team last year our CUMC squad surprised some of the competition and finished with a winning record! More important than any score, however, is the fellowship the league promotes and all the fun we have. So if you're interested, grab your bat and glove and contact Jason Heavener! jwheavener@yahoo.com
Click Here for the 2011 Softball Game Schedule.
At the end of each Season, Jason puts a lot of thought and effort into the Annual Softball Awards! To download the past two season award winners, just click on the links below.
Click Here for the 2011 Softball Awards
Click Here for the 2010 Softball Awards
2011 Season Highlights:
07/28/11
In our final game of the 2011 season our CUMC team played host to the team from Sanctuary Methodist and hoped to end the year on a positive note. With Sanctuary short a player CUMC’s Joe Loscalzo agreed to lend a hand and play second base. This one started out as a pitchers duel with both teams combining for only six hits over the first three innings. Taking a 3 – 2 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning and with our offense not producing the way we hoped it would we had to rely on our defense if we were going to pull this one out. Up until that point we had played a sound game defensively however the final two frames saw us unravel a bit with a few missed plays, dropped balls, bobbled grounders with a couple of overthrows sprinkled in for fun. What began as a close, tight game ended with Sanctuary scoring 7 runs in the final two innings and we lost by a score of 9 – 4. Once again Scott Blissman led the way going 2 – 3 and scoring half of the teams runs. Centerfielder Josh Embree also went 2 – 3 and scored a run and third baseman Dan Lawrence added two hits as well. First baseman Jason Heavener, leftfielder Dave Knapp and second baseman Kristi Weatherwax each recorded hits with Kristi scoring the final run. Battery-mates Eric Chelton and Miki Chelton played another great game in the field and each also reached base safely although they were left stranded on the basepaths. Rightfielder Chad Hussein and shortfielder Sean Weatherwax both put the ball in play during each plate appearance the stingy defense from Sanctuary kept them from reaching first each time. For the record Joe Loscalzo went 2 – 2 with a walk and scored two runs for our opponents and just to add insult to injury he also tagged out our runner at second base to end the game and our season. As of right now our team is still deciding on whether or not to extend Joe’s contract with CUMC. Stayed tuned.
07/19/11
Our CUMC squad took the field last night against a very good team from First Baptist and came out on the losing end of an extremely lopsided loss that could not have been pretty to watch. Our offense sputtered. Our defense looked shaky. All in all it was not our best game. The final score was 22 – 7 but it could have been much, much worse were it not for the five run limit per inning. After scoring a run in the top of the first inning the Baptists went on a tear which saw them score 8 straight runs over two frames before we could record our first out. After that there was no looking back. Offensively we were led by centerfielder Scott Blissman who went 2 – 3 including a two-run homerun, and both short-stop Dan Lawrence and third baseman Jason Heavener each went 2- 3 with a double and a solo homerun. Utility man Rich Clowser scored two runs in three at-bats and catcher Miki Chelton, outfielder Sean Weatherwax and second baseman Kristi Weatherwax each hit their way on base safely. Right fielder Kathy Ellis added another run after reaching base on a fielder’s choice. Unfortunately pitcher Eric Chelton, firstbaseman John Nase and short fielder Nari Clowser were each held off the scoresheet in this one.
07/05/11
It was easily the hottest night of the season so far when we took the field to play Lansdale Methodist Tuesday night. Standing with only five players in the dugout just minutes after the game was suppose to start we began to mull over our options when suddenly a stream of maroon shirts come in from the parking lot. Still short a player we grabbed Gary “I’m just here to sell water” Morgan from the stands (flip-flops and all), found him a glove and threw him into the field. Now we had ten. With Kathy Ellis on the mound and Chad Hussein behind the plate, we took the field and promptly spotted them a five run lead in the top of the first inning. Coming into the bottom of the third it wasn’t looking good, we were down 5 – 0 and we had mustered all of two hits and couldn’t get a base runner past first. All of that changed quickly. Outfielder Nari Clowser led us off, then second baseman Gary Morgan doubled, then short fielder Scott Blissman doubled, left fielder Dave Knapp singled, and center fielder Josh Embree doubled. Then it was first baseman Rich Clowser, right fielder Aimee Heavener and short stop Dan Lawrence all hitting singles as we tied the game with five runs. Then our defense came on strong as we held the Lansdale team without a run for the next three innings. Holding a one-run lead in the top of the 7th and final inning we were poised to take the “W”. Unfortunately it was not to be. After a couple of seeing-eye singles Lansdale tied the score and with two outs and runners on first and second a routine ground ball went right through the wickets of third baseman Jason Heavener, a-la Bill Buckner, and although no one scored on the play it set the tone for a disastrous end to the inning as we allowed our opponents to cross the plate a total of four times to make it 9 – 6. Coming to the plate for our final appearance we failed to score a run and that was the game. After it was over we tried to reach coach Jason Heavener for a comment however we were told that in order to escape the ire of his teammates he had elected to leave early and literally kicked himself all the way home.
06/21/11
As the saying goes, tomorrow’s another day. After taking a sound drubbing from the Bethel Hill squad on Monday night, the CUMC team took to the field one night later looking for their second win of the season. Coach Heavener took the night off and gave Eric another shot at managing. With the lineup thoroughly shuffled the team responded emphatically with a commanding 16-8 victory over Sanctuary UMC.
Miki Chelton and Becky Ellis set the table for the middle of our line up getting on base seven times collectively. Our 3-5 hitters Scott, Dan, and Sean took advantage of having runners in scoring position and drove in 6 runs.
But the offense didn’t stop there, the second half of our lineup was lead by Rich Clowser and Dave Knapp each reaching base safely in every at bat and driving in 3 runs. Kristi W singled in the third inning and was able to score from first with some heads up base running after a triple from Eric.
John Nase and Nari Clowser were back in action tonight and each reached base safely 2 times. Chad Hussein legged out two infield signals with one leading to a run scored.
Bill Corne who is used to playing for the CUMC squad helped the Sanctuary team out because they were short. Bill responded by going 3 for 4 and ignited a late game rally that cut the score in half, but at that point the CUMC lead was too much for them to overcome.
Reached for comment after the game Coach Heavener was asked of his impressions of his interim manager and he likened it to the 2008 Phillies great players can win despite their manager.
06/20/11
Our CUMC team took the field last night against the power-packed team from Bethel Hill and this one seemed to get away from us before it even started. Failing to score a run in either of the first two innings we found ourselves trailing 10 – 0 when we came up to bat in the third inning. But our bats wouldn’t be silent forever. Leading off the third inning first baseman Rich Clowser singled followed by Eric Chelton, Sean Weatherwax, Joe Loscalzo, Bill Corne and Dan Lawrence. With one out and two runs scored third baseman Jason Heavener hit a double to score two more and then center fielder Scott Blissman dropped in a single to score our max of five runs. Just like that we had cut their lead in half. The full comeback however was never quite within our grasp as Bethel Hill pounded us for 8 more runs before finally taking their foot off the gas. We managed only two more runs and ended up on the losing end of an 18 – 7 drubbing. Defensively short stop Becky Ellis had another superb game and added two singles as well. Short-fielder Kristie Weatherwax and catcher Chad Hussein were kept off the score sheet in this one by the stingy defense of Bethel Hill however each played a great game in the field. Our offensive star was Bill Corne who went 4 – 4, scored a run and drove in an RBI.
06/16/11
Coach Heavener was unable to coach the CUMC squad tonight and closed his eyes and stuck it on the lineup card and selected Eric to manage the team tonight. With new found responsibility the interim manager used his expert statistician to set a line up for the team. The result was a very hard fought game between CUMC and the Baptist team. In fact with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th inning Dave Knapp cracked a double to left that plated two runs to tie the game. The teams decided to play one more inning which was even more exciting than the one before. The Baptist team lead off the inning with five quick runs. The CUMC squad responded with two runs of their own and ended the game with the tying run at the plate with Eric lining out to left. The Baptist squad was short handed this evening and our own Kathy volunteered to join their team. She responded by reaching base 5 times and scoring 2 runs. The CUMC squad was lead tonight by Scott who was 4 for 5 and Josh who was perfect at the plate going 5 for 5. Tonight saw the debut of Rich Clowser who reached base 3 times and scored two runs. Dave Knapp returned from Russia with Glove and did a great job setting the table for the team. We saw several highlight reel quality catches, unfortunately they were by the Baptist defense holding both Dan and Sean hitless with great catch after great catch. Kristi reached base 3 times and because of aggressive base running and scored twice. Becky made several great plays at short stop and also chipped in two runs for our team. Not to be outdone, Miki scored three runs and reached base 4 times. When asked about his decision to let Eric coach Coach Heavener likened it to Charlie Manuel letting the Phanatic coach a game.
05/31/11
It was a hot one last night but that didn’t keep our players at home. With a full squad on hand (14 players to be exact) our CUMC team took the field against an even bigger lineup from Lansdale Methodist. We started off well bringing nine batters to the plate in the top of the first inning and scoring three runs on three hits including a triple from Dan Lawrence and closed the inning by holding our opponents to just one run. It was more of the same in the top of the second with eight batters recording five hits and three more runs however the bottom of the second inning was a little different as the offense from Lansdale Methodist gained traction and scored five quick runs to tie it at six. After that Lansdale never looked back scoring five runs in the third and fifth innings. Still there was no quit in our team and we tried our best to climb back into the game by scoring two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings but our comeback effort fell short as we lost 16 – 10. The offensive player of the game was outfielder Josh Embree who had three hits including a double, scored two runs and had three RBI’s. Utility man Joe Loscalzo and third baseman Bill Corne each had two hits and two RBI’s, outfielders Scott Blissman and Sean Weatherwax and pitcher Eric Chelton all had two hits with Eric adding two runs as well. Outfielder Geoff Slick had a big game scoring two runs with an on-base percentage of 100% in four plate appearances however he was only credited with one hit thanks to the keen eye of our expert scorekeeper Stacey David. Although they were held hitless this game Nari Clowser, first baseman John Nase, second baseman Kristi Weatherwax and catcher Chad Hussein all spent time on the base paths with John adding a run in the fifth inning. The big story of the night though was the return of our all-star shortstop Becky Ellis who had to make some adjustments from the highly competitive college game she’s grown accustomed to this year to come back and play at our level. It didn’t take long though as she single handedly ended our opponent’s fourth inning by recording all three outs.
05/24/11
Our CUMC softball team took the field on a beautiful evening against a solid Grace Methodist team. Our defense did their best against a talented lineup but in the end we came out on the losing end of a well played 11 – 8 loss. In a game that saw so much lineup juggling that you would have thought the circus was in town - it was tough to get into our rhythm and our offense sputtered as a result. We started off well in the bottom of the first inning with seven of our first eight batters reaching base safely including a double by centerfielder Scott Blissman and a two-run homerun by shortstop Dan Lawrence. Unfortunately after putting up three runs in the first we couldn’t put another run across until the bottom of the fifth inning. Offensively we were led by first baseman Geoff Slick who went 3 – 4 with three runs scored, Scott Blissman who went 3 – 4 with three doubles and two runs scored and Dan Lawrence who also went 3 – 4 with two runs scored. Also getting into the action were shortfielder Chad Hussein and third baseman Jason Heavener who each had two hits, and leftfielder Sean Weatherwax, second baseman Kristi Weatherwax, pitcher Eric Chelton each had a hit apiece. Although they weren’t technically credited with hits Deb Scott, Aimee Heavener and Nari Clowser all reached base safely but were left stranded. Catcher Miki Chelton was able to join us in the fourth inning and although she was held without a hit she was instrumental in our late inning rallies, and team morale, as we managed five runs in the last two frames. There was also a surprise appearance by Kathy Ellis who was pressed into action briefly. Could this possibly signal a return to the lineup by the powerful Ellis family? We can only hope.
05/19/11
After four straight days of rain the good Lord parted the clouds long enough for our CUMC team to get in 7 innings of softball against the team from First Baptist. The field was slick and the players got dirty but the weather was not going to beat us, we left that instead to the Baptists who came out on top 15 – 11. We got off to a slow start scoring only one run in each of the first three innings while our opponents built a strong lead. Trailing 15 – 5 in the 7th inning the rally was on. Third baseman Bill Corne started us off with his third hit of the night followed by a single from Sean Weatherwax. With two runners on Kristi Weatherwax was put aboard with a walk which loaded the bases for pitcher Eric Chelton who singled to drive in a run. With bases still loaded and one out Scott Blissman singled to score a run and then left fielder Dave Knapp hit a double driving in two more runs. Down to our last out, trailing now by six runs Geoff Slick dug in and hit a single scoring two runs but that was all we could muster. Still it was a great game that saw everyone cross the plate at least once with only one exception and he shall remain anonymous (I told Joe Loscalzo I wouldn’t mention his name). Dave Knapp had a great night with 4 hits, 2 runs scored and he drove in 3. Shortstop Dan Lawrence, Bill Corne and Eric Chelton each had 3 hits including a solo homerun by Dan and both Kristi Weatherwax and Miki Chelton scored their first runs of the season. Still sidelined by a mysterious injury that some of the players are calling a bruised ego, coach Jason Heavener was left out of the action once again and had nothing to do but pester our devoted scorekeeper Stacey David who willing sat under thundering skies to make this writeup possible.
05/12/11
It didn’t take long for our team to get back in the winning ways. On a beautiful night custom made for softball our CUMC squad came away with the “W” against a good team from Sanctuary Methodist. Leadoff hitter Dave Knapp started the fun reaching base safely on a single as did our next four hitters. The offensive explosion continued as our batters racked up a total of 15 hits through five innings of play. Leading the way was “Slugging” Scott Blissman who went 4 – 4 with three runs scored, newcomer Josh Embree who had three hits, two runs scored and three RBI’s, and Eric Chelton, Dave Knapp and Dan Lawrence who each recorded two hits. Not to be left out Joe Loscalzo and Deb Scott each added RBI’s and Sean Weatherwax scored three runs. Unfortunately two players, John Nase and Ken Day, found themselves stranded on the bases several times unable to cross the plate and add to the run tally. When asked to comment after the game both players were quick to blame the coach for their lack of production. Although they may not show up on the score sheet, short-fielder Kristi Weatherwax, catcher Chad Hussein and another newcomer Bill Corne each added to the victory with their defensive play. Not to be outdone, and always one to make an entrance, lefty Geoff Slick made his 2011 debut in style hitting a solo homerun in his only plate appearance and on the first pitch no less! Third baseman and apparent team jinx, Jason Heavener, who had to watch this one from the sidelines, was so impressed with the team’s play that he was quoted as saying that he may take the entire season off. As usual though, no one was listening.
05/03/2011
The 2011 CUMC softball season started off with a thud, literally, on a cloudy night against the team from Bethel Hill. The first batter of the game shot a line drive right back at our pitcher Eric Chelton that hit him squarely on the side of his calf. The ball then dribbled into the infield and was promptly misplayed thus beginning a comedy of errors that would become the theme of this game. After giving up four runs in the top of the first inning we got two back quickly on a two-run homerun by Dan Lawrence that also scored Scott Blissman who had just doubled. After that however, our bats fell silent. While Bethel Hill seemed to parade around the bases each inning our squad could only muster six hits and fell by a score of 17 – 3. Regulars John Nase and Aimee Heavener played admirably in our losing effort while third baseman Jason Heavener seemed to be particularly rusty recording more errors than at-bats (ouch!). Losing by a score of 12 - 3 in the top of the fourth inning several players gathered on the sidelines to pray for rain while others looked to the sky for a miracle, neither was delivered. Instead the good Lord believed what we really needed was another Chelton as Miki came strolling in from right field to the sound of cheers from the home team. This however proved to be too little too late (no that’s not a height joke). Some positive news to take away from the game was the number of new faces we had in the field. Making their CUMC debut last night was Sean and Kristi Weatherwax, Scott Blissman, Deb Scott, Ken Day and Nari Clowser. Despite the score we all had a great time and a lot of fun! Next game: Thursday, May 12th.
Click Here to download the 2010 Softball Season Highlights.