Clash of the Bright Ones: Orange Falters in Season Final

There are those glorious summer games where everyone on your team is hitting beautiful line drives through gaps in the outfield, a continuous wave of orange rounds the bases amidst the sounds of congratulatory high fives and the ssssnap of celebratory PBRs opening. Every ball the other team hits falls gracefully into orange gloves. And then, of course, there are games like last Thursday night’s…

The Unnatural Selection had a rough outing against Team Awesome Thursday night at Groff Field. A team that just a week before The Selection beat 26-4 came out for blood with a strong offensive attack that the Unnaturals were unable to respond to. Perhaps it was the three cases of beer on the Unnatural bench or maybe it was because the night of the game, July 15th, is simply an unlucky day for Darwinites. It was, afterall, on that same day in 1883 when young Darwin’s mother passed away.

The Unnaturals and Team Awesome were tied 6-6 after four innings, but the fourth inning would be the last time the Unnaturals scored on Thursday. Team Awesome went on to double their score. As with any game, this one had its shining moments for The Orange— There was Jeff’s refusal to stop running until he reached home on that single he hit. There was Tim’s amazing catch in left field. And there was Eric’s fine performance at 1st base and his dominance at the plate where he went 4 for 4 earning himself the MVP trophy.

With this loss out of their system, the Unnaturals start their championship run next Thursday.

Darwin's Army Slays Dragons after Epic Battle

The first poster for the
new "Get Unnatural" campaign

A sopping wet scorebook never lies and last night’s scorebook documents an epic slug-fest between The Selection and the long-time Amherst League Dragon Ball club. After three innings last night the score was 17-6 with the Dragons dominating a slow to get started Unnatural line-up. The Unnatural Selection bats launched into motion at the start of the 4th inning and went on to score 17 runs in that inning alone. This is just one run shy of the Major League Baseball Record for the most runs scored in an inning which was set by the Chicago White Stockings against the Detroit Wolverines in 1883. The fiery Dragons battled back scoring a few more in their half of the fourth to bring the score to 23-20. Each ball team added a couple more in the 5th and the Unnaturals secured a strong lead in the top of the 6th with another 9 runs. The time was 10:15pm and the game was called for fear the lights would go out, which they did at 10:22pm. The score was 34-22. Old Greg was added to the disabled list last night when he sprained his ankle trying to get back to second. Fortunately, this gives him more time to contribute to his work as the posterboy for Unnatural Selection Softball. All the Unnaturals contributed to the rally that secured the win-- Dhruv hit two homeruns, and Dave, who took home the MVP trophy, hit a couple HR and some triples. The Unnatural Selection face Team Awesome this evening at beautiful Groff Park in the last game of the regular season.

Defensive Showdown Results in Most Boring Lowest Scoring Game in Amherst Adult Softball History

Watching the Unnatural Selection take on the Truculent Turkeys last Thursday evening was like taking a course in the fundamentals of fielding. The defense was so dominant that neither The Selection or the Poultry Powerhouse were able to score many runs. Both teams had several opportunities and left many players stranded on the base paths, but it would be the Turkeys that managed to waddle the most players around the bases. In a league where it is typical for the run totals to be in the double digits the final score of 3-1 was a rarity. The Unnaturals held the Turkeys to their lowest run total of the season and if they meet the Turkeys in the upcoming playoffs the Unnaturals hope that their offense can do the rest of the work. Tonight the Unnaturals take on the Dragons under the lights at Fort River #1, although an Unnatural Selection and Dragons face-off on the schedule typically results in a rainstorm or freak power outage preventing the game...

Fashion Designers Appalled by Color Scheme at Kiwanis

Despite being blinded by the vibrant neon green of Team Awesome, The bright orange Unnatural Selection had a strong offensive performance on the hottest night of the season at Kiwanis Field. Although Jeff appears to have skipped town with the MVP trophy and it was not handed out, each of the Unnaturals made a strong case for why they deserved to be the MVP for the evening:

Mary Alice--The leadoff batter had two single, two doubles and 4 RBI.

Amanda-A few singles and zero hits to the noggin.

Dave-A single, a double, and always reliable shortstopping.

Ted-hit two doubles and a homerun, also had a single-handed double play proving once again why, as Dhruv put so eloquently on another fine evening, "There is only one Bone, and we all know who that is".

Relena-Definitely won 'muddiest player of the game', sacrificing her body to get to the bases and to the ball, played a strong second base with 2 doubles, a single and a RBI.

Robert-Another strong pitching performance, snagged lots of balls up the middle and made a double play, 2 doubles, 2 singles, 2 RBI.

Leah-Strong debut at third, 3 singles, rounded the bases 3 times.

James-3 singles, two RBI, and several great catches in left field.

Dhruv-2 Doubles, a triple, 2 RBI.

Greg-2 doubles, 2 singles, 2 RBI, called Amanda off a ball she would have caught in right, and then missed it.

Iz-Unnatural debut, line-drive up the middle, scored in his first at bat.

The final score of the game was 26-4.

On Thursday night the Unnaturals will take on the Truculent Turkeys, the toughest team in the league. The Turkeys, undefeated until last week, are showing signs of weakness. They fell to Danco Modern last week. The Unnaturals hope to hand the Turkeys another loss on what is sure to be a game that is high in temperature as well as excitement.

Bold Base-Running Breaks Balmers

The Unnatural Selection played at Fort River #3 on Thursday night against the Ben Gay Balmers. The game marked the return of Ted from his 4 game suspension for betting on games, but also marked the loss of Joe for his multi-game suspension for pitching a spitball in his last outing. The game started out looking like an easy win for the Unnaturals, who were up 12-2 after 5 innings played. But by the 6th inning, the soothing medicated ointments utilized by the Balmers had warmed up their joints as well as their bats and they launched a 6th inning rally that brought the score to 12-6. The Balmer defense also began to buckle down and put an end to the Orange onslaught. Although the Unnaturals were kept scoreless in their last two ups, a series of excellent defensive plays late in the game put an end to the Balmer comeback and secured another W for The Selection. Some memorable final inning defensive plays were Dhruv’s juggling of a long fly ball before coming up with a triumphant barehanded catch and the relay from Greg to James to veteran catcher Amy at home plate for the game-ending tag out. The final score of the game was 12-8. It was the aggressive and gutsy base-running by the Unnaturals early on in the game that ultimately handed Orange the win. Jeff, who is especially known for his aggressive base-running style, fancy footwork, and uncanny flexibility was awarded the MVP for always keeping the Balmers guessing when he was on the base paths as well as playing a tight defense at shortstop that included catching a scorcher to end the first inning and keep the Balmers scoreless in their first at bat.

Justice Always Wins! Except when it Loses.

The Flash's Speed and Superman's
Strength are No Match for the
Unnaturals'...ummm.. Unnaturalness?

Unnatural Selection took on the Justice League for the 2nd time this season at Fort River #2 on Tuesday night. Cheered on by their dedicated fans and a row of uneaten hotdogs, Darwin’s Darlings took a couple innings to warm up, but then began an offensive attack that the young Justice League squad was unable to respond to. Every member of the Unnatural army got on base except for the team bloggist who appears to have entered her mid-season slump. Dhruv carried home the MVP trophy for his excellent playing his first time in centerfield and for another strong hitting performance since he became a master of the line-drive. Final score was 20-4 Unnaturals over Justice.

Oozers Run out of Batteries for their Boombox, Unnatural Bats keep the Rhythm Going....

As is typical of an Unnatural Selection---Primordial Ooze match up, Sunday night’s game at Kiwanis field was exciting till the final out with an intensity index so high that it was only exceeded by the humidity. James started off the Unnaturals on the right foot with a single and was driven in by Dave, who in turn made it home off a single by Laura. The Mighty Ooze answered back with two of their own in the bottom of the first. A series of singles in the second inning would garner the Unnaturals three more, but the Ooze wasted no time to respond with four runs in the bottom of the inning. The Unnatural offense was held to one run in the next two innings while the Oozers scored six to bring the score to 12-6 with the Ooze on top. The Unnaturals cut the Ooze lead in half in the 5th inning by scoring three runs while briefly shutting down the Ooze offense and then in the 6th inning the Unnaturals began a late game rally. Laura got the game-tying hit when she drove in Amanda and Dave off a nicely placed single and her hit was immediately followed by a three-run homerun by a very soiled Greg that gave the Unnaturals the go-ahead runs. The Selection tallied three more runs in the inning for a 9 run rally that brought the score to 18-12. The Unnaturals would not score again after the rally in the 6th but managed to hold the Ooze to only one run in the bottom of the 6th and to three in the bottom of the seventh. Megan’s game-ending catch of a shallow flyball Oozing into centerfield ended the game and handed the Ooze only their second loss of the season. The Ooze lacked their boombox this game and without having “Brickhouse”, “Squirrels” or “Vertigo” blaring from their bench the Oozers may have let the incessant Unnatural cheering get to them. If the Unnaturals face the Oozers armed with their usual soundtrack in the playoffs they should be prepared for another tough game. Final Score: 18-16 U.S.

Unnaturals Exceed Terminal Velocity on Thursday Night—Team Physicists are Baffled

On Thursday night the Unnatural Selection and Terminal Velocity faced off for the first time. Terminal Velocity is a new team this season, however, many of their players are former members of the Chegs, a team made up primarily of chemical engineers that played in the Amherst League last season. The Unnaturals took the field first and with Laura in her first game on the mound since her Alaskan expedition retired the first three Velocity batters. In their first at bat the Unnatural sent four players around the diamond. The Velocity answered back with 6 runs of their own in the top of the second. The game was close until the fourth inning when The Selection scored seven runs giving them a lead that the Velocity would be unable to recover from despite putting several players on base, hitting some long balls, and having an incomprehensible algorithm for determining batting order. The Unnaturals had several solid defensive plays in the field including a tag out at home by Leah to end the game when a Velocity player attempted to stretch a triple into a homerun. The MVP award, which was handed out by a retired 1st grade teacher in the stands, went to Relena, a rookie Unnatural who played second base like a veteran and produced three singles, a double and 4 RBI on offense. The final score of the game was 23-10. Hopefully the Unnaturals can continue their hitting streak for Sunday’s game against the Primordial Ooze.

Damage Dealt by Barrage of Unnatural bats requires more than Spare Parts to Repair

Fans trade Unnatural
Selection Apparel

As if in repentance to the softball gods for their lackluster performance in their previous outing, the Unnaturals opened up Tuesday night’s game against the Spare Parts with a flurry of hits that scored 9 runs in the first inning. A lesser team may have eased up at that point, but the Unnaturals who have a lot of first-hand experience in how a seemingly insurmountable lead in Amherst League Softball can be devoured quicker than you can shotgun a PBR, kept the pressure on. The Selection scored another 9 runs in the third inning, and added 6 more through the next 4 innings. The Spare Parts were held to only 5 runs on the night and didn’t score after the 3rd inning. “Would you say the Unnaturals had a plethora of hits?” asked an unidentified gentleman in the stands. “Yes, they had a plethora” agreed his friend although it was unclear if he understood the meaning of the word. Unnaturals over the Spare Parts: 25-5.

Danco Modern Leaves Unnaturals in Need of Reupholstering

The Unnatural Selection fell to Danco Modern on Thursday night in their roughest loss of the season. Danco Modern showed once again why they are a leader in Scandinavian furniture sales and a force to be reckoned with in the Amherst Softball League. The Moderns played a flawless defense anchored by their shortstop, while the Unnaturals had one of their more blunderful games of the season in the field and had difficulty filling up the bases on offense. Danco Modern, formerly Charlies, has always been a nemesis of the Unnaturals, knocking the Unnaturals out of the playoffs a couple years in a row. The teams won't meet again in the regular season, but likely will face each other in the playoffs when the Unnaturals look forward to finally putting the retail giant out of business. Tonight the Unnaturals play Spare Parts at 6:15 at Fort River 1. Bring your sunglasses....

Unnaturals Finish off Season Sweep of Coyotes

Despite lacking some estrogen Tuesday night which forced the Unnaturals to play with only 9 players in the field and an automatic out every 10th batter, the Selection churned out a fine performance and beat the Coyotes for the third time this season. The Orange came out firing and scored 5 runs in the first inning off a series of hard hit singles. The Coyotes started fighting back in the third inning and scored a couple runs in most of the last few innings, but it wasn't enough to keep up with the Orange offense. Ted and Tim both logged triples and Joe hit a homerun. Another highlight of Tuesdays game was the reemergence of Eric. Although he did not come bearing pizza this time, he played an excellent catcher snagging a particularly tricky foul ball for a key out. Greg took home the MVP trophy presumably for his unorthodox fielding style in the outfield. The Unnaturals beat the Coyotes 14-8 (or maybe 14-6, the scorebook is cryptic). Thursday night the Unnaturals play Danco Modern at Fort River #2 at 6:15. The Unnaturals beat Danco 10-5 in their last match-up, holding the furniture retailers scoreless through the last 5 innings.

Unnaturals Quench Radicals Despite 7th inning Shit Show

The Unnatural bats were relentless Tuesday night when they faced off against the Valley Radicals at Fort River 2. Inning after inning the Unnaturals shutdown the Radical’s offense and consistently kept the Orange running around the bases...

...And then James came in to pitch in the top of the 7th and it all went to hell. The Rads, who had up to that point only rounded the bases once, strung together six runs in a late-game rally aided by an Unnatural defense reminiscent of the early rag-tag Unnaturals, circa 2006. Fortunately, the 23 runs the Unnaturals had amassed provided a thick cushion against any last minute Radical attacks and the Unnaturals eventually managed to subdue the onslaught. The final score was 23-7 Unnaturals. Lindsy went home with the MVP trophy for her stellar play at third and for continuing to be a threat in the batter’s box.

On Thursday night the Unnaturals face the infamous Ooze at Kiwanis field. The Selection have not forgotten their 7-4 loss to the Ooze on Opening Day and look to even the record with Ooze Thursday night.

Unnaturals Ruffle Some Feathers but the Turkeys escape the Chopping Block in Extra Innings

The Unnaturals took on the undefeated Truculent Turkeys on Thursday night at Fort River #1. The Turkeys, who have been brutally thrashing many of the teams they have faced this season were scoreless in the first two innings as the Unnaturals played seamless defense retiring the first 6 batters in the strong Turkey lineup. In the meantime, The Selection notched one run in the score book each of the first two innings, one off of an inside-the-park homerun by Joe. The Unnaturals were up 4-2 after 5 innings and the fear was palpable in the Turkeys' high-pitched gobbles. The Turkeys tied it up in the 6th inning and the Truculent defense began to buckle down, holding the Unnaturals scoreless in the 6th. The Turkeys took the lead for the first time in the night with two more runs in the top of the seventh.

Things looked dire for the Unnaturals in the bottom of the 7th when the Turkeys got the first two batters out. With two outs and no runners on the Turkeys could smell victory and stood in the field with snoods held high. The unrelenting Unnaturals, however, began a two out rally starting with a single from Lindsy. Then in a play that immediately brought to mind the game winning bunt by that catcher in Major League who beat out the throw to first (if you haven't ever seen this movie watch it before next the next game!), Joe sprinted down the first base line to make it safely on an infield dud. Laura came up next and slapped one to the outfield to load the bases. Tim came up to the plate, and after a long and suspenseful at bat hit a hard single that drove in two runs to tie up the game. The Turkeys shutdown the Unnatural offense after that and the game went into extra innings.

The Turkeys turned on their best offense of the night and scored three runs in the top of the eighth and the Unnaturals were unable to answer back falling to the Turkeys 9-6. The Turkeys dubbed the game "the best game of the season", but the Unnaturals would like to argue that "the best game of the season" is yet to come. The Turkeys and Unnaturals face each other again in another month and it is sure to be another epic match-up. Joe went home with the game trophy for his homerun in the second and his sprint to 1st base that kept the Unnatural rally rollin'.

The Unnaturals play the Valley Radicals next Tuesday at Fort River #2 where they hope to begin a new win streak and Amanda will aim to continue her consecutive game streak of attempting to catch a ball with her head.

Unnaturals Pull Win out from Under Coyotes in the Final Inning

Had any fans been watching the Unnaturals first game back home, they would have been biting their nails. The Unnaturals took on the Coyotes and the game was much closer this time around against the wily canines. Despite the Coyotes having an automatic out in their tenth spot, the Coyotes and Unnaturals were neck and neck the entire game. The Unnaturals were down 6 – 5 going into the bottom of the 6th . Speedy outfielders, Greg and James both got hits to get on base, and then Dhruv, fresh off of a great catch in right-field hit a line drive single to left field to drive in the tying and go-ahead run making the score 7 – 6 Unnaturals. The lead would be short-lived as the Coyotes got an out and a double play to end the inning, then answered back in the top of the seventh with two runs of their own. Dave led off in the final Unnaturals at bat and hit a long ball to the fence. He was held up at third putting the Unnatural’s 60 feet away from tying up the game. The Coyotes called the first time out in Amherst Leisure Services Softball history and rearranged their fielding positions to optimize their chances of outing Dave at home. Joe came up to bat next and hit a popup just behind 3rd base that seemed a sure out for the Coyotes and a chance for the Coyotes to hold Dave at third, but perhaps it was the spin Joe applied to the ball when he hit it, or the sun’s rays thwarting one last play before tucking behind the trees, but the Coyotes dropped the ball and Dave sprinted for home in time to beat the throw and tie up the game. Fleet-of-foot Megan was up next and singled to first. Ted came up to bat and surveyed the field. Spotting a gap in right center he launched a strategically placed bullet that was destined to be the game-ending ball until a Coyote with uncanny speed intercepted it before it could find the ground. The Coyotes got another out and Greg came up to bat with two outs and the winning run on 2^nd. He hit a sharply hit ground ball which whizzed through the infield and far enough into the outfield to allow Joe to come around and cross the plate delivering the Unnatural win, 9-8. The MVP went to Dave whose clutch triple and strategic base running enabled the Unnaturals to tie up the game.
The Unnaturals continue their homestand next Tuesday when they play the new team, Team Awesome--the only team in the Amherst league that may rival the Unnaturals in the contest of 'most flamboyant team color scheme'.

BenGay Can't Ease the Pain of Damage Dealt by the Orange Crush

The Unnatural Selection finished their roadtrip on Tuesday with a win over the BenGay Balmers. The Unnaturals wasted no time Tuesday as James ripped a triple to start of the game. It would be his first of two triples on the evening, and along with his 3 RBI and always reliable outfield it earned him the game MVP and 1.75 PBRs. The other PBRE (PBRs Earned) stats for the evening were Greg:05, Tim:0.5, Anna:0.75, Ted: 0.25, Amanda: 0.5, Dave: 0 (ouch!), Lindsy: 0.5, Megan: 0.75, Robert: 0.75, Laura: 0.25, and Dhruv: 0.75. Unfortunately, there were only 5 PBRs to go around. The game ended early when a couple of the Balmers succumbed to the Valley heat wave. Officially the Unnaturals were victorious over the Balmers 14-3, but the game continued for a couple extra off-the-record innings in which the Balmers totally destroyed the Unnaturals. After a long roadtrip, The Selection is excited about returning back home. The HMS Beagle bus will pull into Fort River #1 tomorrow to face the Coyotes for the second time this season. The Coyotes can be a strong team and although The Selection was victorious in their first match up with the Coyotes, a much closer game is expected on Thursday night.

Final Verdict: Unnaturals Beat Justice in Closing Arguments

The Unnatural Selection won what proved to be a high-intensity game against Amherst League newcomers, The Justice League, on Thursday night. Starting with a 3rd inning play in which a Justice Leaguer pulled an A-Rod-esque play when he yelled in the face of the Unnatural's 2nd basewoman attempting to make a routine catch, tension between the two teams rose. The game was close throughout with the Justice League up 6-5 after four innings. Both teams would go scoreless in the 5th and then the Unnaturals opened it up in the top of the 6th starting with a hard lead-off single by Leah in her Unnatural Selection debut. The first four Darwinites in that inning would score to give the Unnaturals a 9-6 lead. The Justice Leaguers answered back with 2 in the bottom of the 6th to make it 9-8 going into the final inning. James got on base with a single in the top of the 7th and was driven in by Amanda who attempted to stretch a triple into a homerun, but Justice was handed down in the form of a supremely executed play at the plate by the J-Leaguers. The tension was high going into the bottom of the seventh. The Unnaturals got one out against the J.L's, but then Justice Leaguer Brett (of Unnatural summer softball fame) hit a long ball to left field and was safe at third in a close play. The next out was made off a line drive with Brett still held at third. The fourth Justice Leaguer up hit a hard line drive to center field, and Megan, who had already played a superb right-center field for the Unnaturals confidently made the game-ending catch to seal the Unnatural victory 10-8, and claim the game MVP (as if her topping the 4th inning team pyriamid would not have been enough to take that title!). The Unnaturals have the last game of what has been a long road trip next Tuesday at Groff Field at 6:15 when they take on the Ben Gay Balmers, a ball club as old as their name suggests that can be a formidable team depending on who makes it out. On another note: Anna and Henry, current standouts in the Unnatural Selection's farm league system made it to part of the game. The latest scouting reports suggest these two could be seen in the Unnatural line-up as early as next season....

Spare Parts Go Home with Broken Hearts

The Unnaturals took on Spare Parts last Thursday night at Fort River 2. Robert opened up the game on the mound and gave up a home run to The Parts on the second pitch of the evening. He would settle down after that and, backed by a strong defense, hold The Parts to only one run through the next three innings. Ted came in to pitch in the fourth and allowed The Parts only one more run on the night. Offensively, the night was another batting average boost for The Unnaturals who scored 30 runs through the game. Early in the game, one of the Spare Parters tried to take out one of the Unnatural's stronger hitters, Anna, with a thrown bat to the stomach. Anna would recover from the attack and still manage to go 6 for 7 on the night with a double and three RBI. The bat-thrower would strike again later in the game, but James, making his catching debut was prepared and deftly avoided a blow to the head.

The score was 20-2 in the top of the 6th when Tim decided to put some icing on the cake with his first grandslam of the season. Dave also logged two more homeruns to bring his homerun total to 4 for the season. Although the team neglected to hand out an MVP award that night, Thursday night's MVP would have to go to Anna for literally taking one (in the gut) for the team. Tonight the Unnaturals play The Dragons, an ancient Amherst league ball team who has acquired a lot of young talent this year. The game is under the lights at Fort River #1 at 7:45.

Undercover Charlie's No Match for The Selection

Green chairs and a dog on
sale at Danco Modern

The Unnatural Selection took on the new 'Danco Modern' team last night at Fort River 3. Turns out the new 'Danco Modern' is the old 'Charlie's' team, the team that is responsible for thwarting the Unnatural's playoff runs in a at least two of the last four seasons. Danco Modern came out strong going up 5-2 after two innings. But then the Unnaturals shut it all down with a virtually flawless defense through the next 5 innings, consistent hitting, and intelligent base running. Some game highlights included the perfect execution of a pickle-out on Danco Modern's red-stockinged shortstop (an event that was clairvoyantly forecasted by Ted before the game), Laura and Tim's graceful headfirst dives after reaching the first base 'pillow', Jeff's looong hit ground rule double, and Amy's catch of that scorching line-drive. Despite, all these other remarkable plays, Amanda was awarded the MVP for wearing her glasses which resulted in one of her better defensive games (only 2 errors!). The final score was 10-5 and unlike previous matches with the players-formerly-known-as-Charlies no one left in an ambulance. The Unnatural Selection continue their roadtrip on Thursday night when they play Spare Parts at 6:15 on Fort River 2.

Unnaturals Make Coyotes Howl, PETA Cries Foul

Unnaturals wait out sand storm
at Fort River Field

Animal welfare activists are up in arms over the relentless brutality shown by the Unnatural Selection towards the Coyotes last Thursday night. "They were up by over ten runs in the fourth inning, but those Unnaturals just kept swinging their bats at those poor Coyotes" Said one PETA spokeswoman. "Especially that Mary Alice" The woman added "She went 6 for 6, and those were hard hit balls!" The Coyotes were not as defenseless as PETA made them out to be, inflicting 16 runs worth of damage over the 6 inning game. But every Unnatural player rounded the bases at least twice and had multiple hits giving them a total of 33 runs. "Did we win?" asked the Unnaturals catcher, Anna, who showed up drunk to the game.

Yes, the Unnaturals did indeed win, claiming their first victory of the season. If the Unnaturals can continue their hitting streak they should be a team to contend with this season. Tonight the Unnaturals play Danco Modern at the bumpy Fort River 3 field. Apparently, it is a rough year for selling couches and Danco Modern has decided to try their hands at softball.

Unnaturals Drown in the Ooze on Opening Day

In what has developed over the last few years into a tradition, Opening Day for the Amherst Leisure Services Adult Coed Un-umpired Softball season began with the Unnatural Selection facing the Primordial Ooze at Kiwanis Field. The freak late afternoon dust and lightning storms scared some of the Primordial players away from the fields, but by 6:30 enough had oozed out of the woods to field a full team and the 2010 summer softball season was underway. The game was close through 3 innings. The Primordial Ooze scored 1 in the first inning and the Unnaturals answered back in the second when Dave, who reached base off of a two foot dribbler, advanced to second off a single by James and was driven in by a strategically-placed sacrifice fly by the writer of this blog entry. The Ooze Punch must have been weak on Tuesday because the Oozers stayed strong through seven innings, scoring 6 more runs and shutting down the Unnatural offense. In typical Unnatural Selection fashion the Orange began a late-game rally with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, when the bottom of the line-up produced 3 runs with Laura batting in one run and Tim knocking in two. Unfortunately, the rally was quenched before The Selection could catch up with the Ooze, who took the first game 7-4. It was the first Unnatural loss to the Ooze since the Summer of 2008. The Ooze, ever the gallant winners offered up their Ooze Punch to share.

Tonight at 7:45 at Fort River 1 the Unnaturals face the Coyotes, a young and rising team in the Amherst League. The Unnaturals eked out a win over the Coyotes in a preseason scrimmage last weekend, but Darwin's Finest should take care as the Coyotes have been reported to be out for blood...Coyotes in Amherst.