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By Monique Danziger May 14, 2007: The Alliance to Save Energy Killer Watts met the WWF Fighting Pandas, led by former Alliance intern Tobias Swope, yesterday in their 5th game of the season. The first inning was quiet, save the badly-miked, cloying cacophony of live-music spectacle taking place directly behind the game field at the World War II Memorial. Under the audial assault of an unpleasantly loud female vocalists’ tremolo players from both teams failed to do much of anything save cover their ears and bemoan the invention of the PA system. As luck would have it, the distractingly awful concert was a mere warm-up for a later event and at the top of the 2d the airspace returned to the rightful province of hoots, hollers and the occasional pop and fizz of a beer can. The Watts wasted no time striking bat to ball with Emily Curley, Aaron Cowper and Cory Wagner all rounding the bases to put 3 runs on the board. In the next 5 innings the Watts defied the laws of gravity and space-as well as certain DC-zoning restrictions-to turn the outfield into a black hole from which no Panda-drive could escape, thanks to the tireless efforts of Watts’ outfielders Justin Fishel, Zach Lauritzen, Matte Elkins and Holly Seelhoff. Meanwhile, shortstop Aaron Cowper, Sean Garcia and Emily Curley (3rd), Aarthi Murty and Kelly Guhanick (2d), Cory Wagner (1st) and Pitcher David Mann handily managed a mix of rollicking grounders and at’em drives to keep the bases mostly empty and the Panda’s turns at-bat quick and scoreless. It would be 5 innings before the Pandas put a run on the board. Meanwhile, the Watts’ supplemented their 3-run lead in the 4th with Lauritzen batting a homerun to bring himself, Curley and Fishel home to put the Watts’ 6-0. The endangered Pandas had no answer at the close of the 4th where, depending upon the color of your jersey things were about to became decidedly worse/awesome. For those in the claret-colored, handsomely customized jerseys, what happened next was indefatigably wonderful. Top of the 5th, Watts blitzed the Panda defense loading the bases only to empty them several times over until the Pandas invoked the Mercy Rule ( a team may not score more than 10 runs in 1 inning) truncating the blatant pandahandling and returning the Watts’ to the field. The Pandas would manage 3 runs at the end of that stunning 5th inning and then another 2 in their last at-bat in the 7th. The Watts, in turn, brought in another 4 runs in the 6th and 3 in their last-at bat. Thus the Watts won their 5th game of the season 23-5, making them 3-1 with 2 more teams to meet before they reach the halfway point (and play everyone again). Next week the Watts will play the National Farmland Preservation Trust Aggies. A special thanks goes out to Aarthi Murty, who has graced the Watts’ pitcher’s mound, tended 1st, 2d and 3rd base, sprinted about in the outfield as well as helped an oft muddled, mistaken or maddened Manager figure out how to manage her team. Ms. Murty is off to Pittsburgh to pursue fortune and glory. Her move is DC and the Watts’ loss and Pittsburgh’s significant gain. She will be missed and we wish her the best of luck. Thanks again to everyone who played, cheered us on (surprise guest Nils Petermann!) and wished us luck! See you next week. |
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