Hurtin' Units Feast on Meatballs.

 

Game # 22– August 27th, 2025

Hurtin' Units vs. The Meatballs

Hurtin' Units win 24-14

Team Record – 11-11-0

Keogh Park- Just over a week ago, on Tuesday night, the skies opened up and rain made the diamonds unplayable. On that night, the Hurtin' Units and the Meatballs were scheduled to play, but fortunately, for the Units, the game was cancelled. I say fortunately because if we had played, Ian M. might have been in the Meatballs lineup, and this game tonight might not have been so dramatic. Going into this game (August 27th), the Meatballs held top spot with the Gamblers only 2 points behind, holding a head-to-head tie breaker on their side. If the Gamblers won and the Meatballs lost, the Gamblers would win the league. Gamblers' game started at 8:00 pm, and they would be victorious in the game vs. The Master Batters by a score of 21-1.

The weather for this game against the Meatballs was cool, around 18 degrees. I remember saying that I might need a jacket.

At game time, the Units had 11 guys dressed to take on the Batters. Fabio was our only
missing player. On the other side of the diamond, the Meatballs had most of their players with no subs. The Hurtin' Units were the home team, Steve was the umpire, and Laura C. was the scorekeeper.

At the top of the 1st inning, the Meatballs came out wanting to get the early lead. They sent 7 batters to the plate, and 3 came around to score. In the bottom, the Units sent 10 batters to the plate, and 6 runs would come in to score. In the second inning, the Units' defence was solid, and the Meatballs would only score another 3 runs. In the bottom, the Units bats slowed down a little, but still scored 4 more runs. The score after 2 complete innings was 10-6 for the Units.

In the third inning, the Meatballs scored another 3 runs, and the Units went down quickly, not scoring a run. In the fourth, with the score close, the Units shut down the Meatballs, 5 batters and a single run. In the bottom, the Units bats shifted up to second gear, and when the dust settled, the Units had scored 7 runs to take the wind out of the Meatballs' sails. The score after four complete innings was 17-10 for the Units.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Meatballs went down fast and furious, 5 batters up, 2 hits, 0 runs and 3 outs. In the bottom, the Units bats remained hot, starting at the top of the order, the Units would score another 7-run inning to make the score 24-10.

As the game was coming to its conclusion, the Gambler players (who had just defeated the Master Batters) were all standing watching to see the results of this game. If the Hurtin' Units defeat the Meatballs, the Gamblers would win the league.

The sixth inning was called the open inning; the Meatballs needed 14 runs to tie and 15 runs to win, plus the home team Units had their last at bat. The conclusion was really not very dramatic; if the score had been closer, it might have been better. In the open inning, the Meatballs started great, with the first 3 batters coming around to score. Paul would get out (1), and Jens would get on and score, Tito would single, but be thrown out (2) at second on a fielder's choice, and John would be thrown out at first to end the game. The Units win by a score of 24-14, and the Gamblers win the league.

This was the final game of the regular season for the Units, finishing with an 11-11 record. This game was a good primer for the playoffs, taking on one of the league's best teams and coming out on top. Go Units!!

The next Hurtin' Units' game is the first game of the playoffs, Wednesday, September 10th, vs. Dodge City. Go UNITS!!