With our pals at SQWISH, we chatted about sports outside the gender binary as a part of Renison’s Public Lecture Series.

GAME RECAPS

As Rachel Small dug her foot in the batter’s box awaiting the call of “Let’s Make Baseball”, the player who started the season with the first ever at-bat in league history was the very same who tilted us into our inaugural playoffs.  On a muggy and wet evening that was perfectly suited to the gilled-guppies, the Trout went to work quickly in hopes of sinking the Hustle’s chances at a #1 hit.  Peter Demakos at short stop and Robyn Letson and Alex Brant at first base acquitted themselves in fine fashion with shimmering plays that sparkled more brightly than the iridescent scales of a sea of their namesakes migrating up a river.  And it was indeed a deep pool of water that got the Hustle doing The Swim.  Down by a score of 16-2, the dancing divas relied on the long-ball to bring some smoothness to the dance floor.  Natalia Saavedra, Andrew Norton, and Craig Fortier combined for six home runs and the Hustle played some groovy defence thanks to a heads up play at first by Jenny Chan, an excellent couple of plays by Katie German and Yogi Acharya in the middle infield and some heads up back up by Rocio Velasquez and Jo Jefferson. But just as Richard, Andrew, and Craig all stopped short of home in their attempts to expand the score, the come from behind was also cut short and the Trout swam into the Championship game.

In the second game of the evening, the Mastodons stomped out to an early lead thanks to some excellent team play that saw the mammoth mammoths play small ball advancing runners on singles and doubles and topping out with 14 runs in the first three innings.  This was highlighted by some key hits by Jennifer Mussell, Matt Poggi, Karen Campbell and Annelies Cooper that provided fodder on the basepaths for some timely hits off the bats of Terrance Luscombe, Ryan Hayes, and Noah Adams. The Ballsheviks, however, sought to bring equalization to the game and sparked too large rallies that tied the game at 18.  In the top half of the final inning, the loveable mammals were stopped by a militant defense and the Ballsheviks were able to squeak out a Soviet-style victory thanks to a 4 runs batted in night for Gita Madan and a timely home run from Andy Smith – who also made a stellar catch between short-stop and left field to end the inning.  The Ballsheviks move to the eastern front to take on the Trout in the finals as the Mastodons head to the early game to stomp out some hits against the super fly Hustle.

See player stats here

MILESTONES

FIRSTS & Seconds

Doubles
Kate Uffelman (1) – Rouge River

Merle Davis (2) – Rouge River

 

ODDITIES

ALL TIME PLAYERS LIST (REACH 50 CAREER AT-BATS!!!)

Robin Smillie (Credit) (53), Jennifer Mussel (Don) (52), Andy Smith (Rouge) (51), and Jessica Duarte (Don) (50) become the 49th, 50th, 51st, and 52nd players in league history to record at least 50 at-bats and qualify as an all-time player in league history!!!!

IF YOU HAVE AN AT-BAT, 50/50 YOU’LL SCORE

Sarah Naumes (Credit) who has subbed on three different teams has scored 7 times in 14 at bats – the most productive rate in the entire league for a player with 10+ at-bats.

BALL IN CUP CHAMPION

Alex Brant (Credit) is the inaugural “Ball-In-Cup” champion and is also tied for 44th in league history with 28 career singles!

CYCLING CLUB

Yogi Acharya (Humber) with speed and persistence and Umar Saeed (Rouge) with power and a smooth glide each hit for the cycle (a single, double, triple, home run in the same game) with Umar Saeed powering up one more time for a second triple!!

 

GAME RECAPS

The first regular season in Field of Dreamer’s history came to an end on a cool night under the Bellwoods lights. The people who began the season as a motley crew of outcasts on the diamonds of the city streamed onto the SkyDome field like seasoned pros.  They pulled bases from the bags and set up the field, they spread throughout the field playing catch, stretching and taking some swings, they dusted their jerseys and adjusted their caps and set out to finish this historic season – all of them with an eye on next week’s playoffs.

The early evening tilt featured the Hustle & Trout in a preview of the first ever post-season game in Field of Dreamer’s history. The Trout glistened in their powder blues as the Hustle shined in their flashy yellows as Niloofar Golkar dug in for the first at-bat, a base-hit to left field.  The fish were flying from the onset of the game and Niloo’s hit was followed by a series of swats that had the Trout sucking air through their gills as they rounded the bases!  The Hustle were in for a tough game as they reeled back on their dancing shoes and teetered to a 10-3 deficit.  The brilliant plays by the lovable Trout was contrasted to the flip flopping on the dance floor of the Hustle. Notably, Craig Fortier took a couple tumbles in the batter’s box and it seemed that perhaps the Hustle were going to spend the rest of the dance as wallflowers to the formidable fish.  The crowd of fans (mostly Don and Rouge River players) found it hard to watch the game as the gleamed at the newly minted “Ball-In-Cup” champion, Alex Brant stationed at first base.

However, in a moment of desperation, Richard Peters took Craig aside and explained that the problem was that his socks were on the wrong feet and that’s why the Hustle had gotten off to a bad start. And so it was that the player known as “bumble bee” striped down to his bare feet swapping his black and yellow striped hose onto opposite sides. The Hustle had triggered the first 8-run mercy limit and it was at this point that they began to get their footing, maxing out at 8 runs with some incredible runs by Yogi Acharya, Janine Caster, Andrew Norton, and some hands on guidance by Richard Peters.  The game quickly turned it’s tide back in favour of the Hustle, though both teams danced to the finish line with grace.  The final score of 19-12 doesn’t accurately reflect the nail-biting closeness and with another slow start against the Trout in the playoffs, the Hustle might finally lose the number spot on the Billboard charts. (Craig Fortier – Humber River)

On this same cool night in September with our Frisbee-throwing friends in the distance, the Ballsheviks hard-fought and won their last pre-playoffs coup. But they also found out, inning-by-inning, that the stomping Mastodons may be their revolutionary equals. The crowd sat at the edge of their seat not knowing the victor until the very last batter in. They witnessed some of the best-made baseball all season.

Six innings in total, riveting each in equal measure. The Ballsheviks started off hot with a 2 run lead. But the lovable giant beasts pump a lot of blood too so the game heated up even more: the Dons had a perfect 2nd inning to change their fate with 7 great hits, no outs and 5 runs, and the Ballsheviks pushed back with a back-to-back spectacle of out-of-the-park hits by Andrew Stokes and Jarl Gardner.

Then, the tide turned in the 3rd inning with a dreamy home run by Darren Puscas that brought 3 batters home, coupled with brilliant defense in the bottom of the 3rd that held back the Ballsheviks from scoring their max 5 putting the Mastodons 1 point ahead.

In the 4th a spectacular hit by Ryan Hayes sealed the fate of a third 5/5 score for the proboscideans that triggered the new and more equitable mercy rule giving the Ballsheviks the chance at catching up, which they did. But it wasn’t the rule that made the Ballsheviks turn their fate, it was their hard-hitting inning and awesome skills that scored them 7 runs putting the game at a nail-biting 16-15 score in their favour.

The 5th and 6th innings were gripping. “What’s the score?” asked a Ballshevik player. All the players looked toward their coach, Merle. “Does the score really matter, like, aren’t we here just to have fun?” replied Merle. The score was tied.

The Ballsheviks squeaked out a victory with their very last out. The last words of the night went to Jess Duarte who reassured the field her “teeth are still in” after a fielding mishap. But Ballsheviks beware, because the last words may have been prophetic: when both teams face off again in the playoffs next week, the Mastodons will show their teeth. (Jessica Duarte – Don River and Umar Saeed – Rouge River).

See the game box scores here

See player stats here

See league standings here

MILESTONES

FIRSTS & Seconds

Doubles
Niloofar Golkar (2) – Credit River

Triples
Jo Jefferson (1) – Humber River

Home Runs
Terrance Luscombe (1) – Don River (1st of season, 3rd of career, T-14th on all time list)

Runs Scored
Meghan Wright (1) – Credit River

ODDITIES

ALL TIME PLAYERS LIST (REACH 50 CAREER AT-BATS!!!)

 

Robin Smillie (Credit) (53), Jennifer Mussel (Don) (52), Andy Smith (Rouge) (51), and Jessica Duarte (Don) (50) become the 49th, 50th, 51st, and 52nd players in league history to record at least 50 at-bats and qualify as an all-time player in league history!!!!

50/50 CLUB

Robyn Letson (51) and Peter Demakos (50) become the 25th and 26th players in league history to record at least 50 hits and the first set of teammates to do so on the same night!

BALL IN CUP CHAMPION

Alex Brant (Credit) is the inaugural “Ball-In-Cup” champion and is also tied for 44th in league history with 28 career singles!

CYCLING CLUB

Yogi Acharya (Humber) with speed and persistence and Umar Saeed (Rouge) with power and a smooth glide each hit for the cycle (a single, double, triple, home run in the same game) with Umar Saeed powering up one more time for a second triple!!