Disaster in Blackburn

There are two games to report today between the Mighty A's of Blackburn and the Blackburn Ball Bangers. First, before the report, a serious message of well-being goes out to the Ball Bangers' third baseman (Derek?). The third baseman was seriously cut across the wrist during last night's game on an innocent looking play at third base. He was rushed to a medical clinic, and we hope for his speedy recovery. (Initial reports have indicated that there should be no nerve damage and the bleeding was limited.)

The second game between the A's and Ball Bangers was called due to the fact that the Ball Bangers no longer had enough players to continue. Their injury forced the stoppage of play in the 4th inning with the A's holding a solid 6-0 game. Will Lowe had started a gem, and Eric "Pedro" Sanchez had hit a dinger. Unfortunately, their performances will not be recognized as the game never became official. The BMFL will have to review its constitution to see if the game can be replayed, or that the game is defaulted to the A's.

The first game was a well fought battle. With a final score of 5-1, the A's never got to put away the Ball Bangers. The A's started the game really aggressive on the base pads. Speedster Dave Millette was able to use his legs to wheel quickly around the bases on some defensive miscues by the Ball Bangers. Dave managed to score before the 2nd batter was finished at the plate, despite only receiving a single himself.

Despite the poor denfensive start, the Ball Bangers were able to keep the A's bats quiet through most of the night. Without aggressive base running later on in the game, the A's may have struggled to even reach five runs. The A's have earned nearly 8 runs per game this season, and a commendable performance was rendered by Derek Dumond. Derek managed to hold off the A's heavy lumber during his first start of the season. Derek pitched a solid 5 innings.

The A's now prepare for the annual Blackburn tournament. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend or report on this tournament as I will be in Toronto for a prep course. I'm sure the A's will do fine and hopefully they can improve on last year's performance.