Four teams met Monday evening, each hoping to advance further into the co-ed softball playoffs.
The Clinton Recreation and Parks Adult Co-ed Softball league began playoff action, with NGNL, Splittin Gaps, Diamond Dynasty and Thrown Together kicking off the start. The league’s first place team Bat and Boujee earned a first-round bye following an undefeated regular season (7-0). The playoffs are a double-elimination style format.
NGNL finished the regular season 4-4, which edged out Splittin Gaps and Diamond Dynasty to earn them the second seed, while the Dynasty and Gaps both received the third and fourth seeds, respectively. Thrown Together received the final seed, following a last-place finish.
NGNL offensive
firepower on display
In the first matchup, NGNL and Thrown Together faced off.
In the top of the first inning, Thrown Together took the early lead, playing with urgency. In the first at-bat, Micah Moyle was walked and then advanced to second after a single base hit by Josh Smith. Shane Batts walked up to the plate and nailed a double that brought Moyle home to make it 1-0. Destiny Smith hit an RBI (run batted in) single to get Josh home to make it 2-0 and then 3-0, thanks to Chris Seile’s RBI. NGNL stopped the early run there to send it to the bottom of the first.
The second seed wasn’t scoreless for long. After NGNL’s Eric Stoddard and Dani Harrison made it on base, Dustin Edge hit a ground shot to left field to being Woo Lamb (baserunner for Stoddard) home to make it 3-1. Thrown Together was able to keep the lead at the end of the first.
Top of the second, the defense for NGNL held Thrown Together scoreless before going on a run of their own at the bottom of the inning. First, Andrew Johnston got on base with a triple, followed by Kendra Simmons on a single base hit. Tyler Williams brought home a run with an RBI to make it 3-2. Dawson Batts, Lamb, Harrison and Edge all hit RBIs of their own to help NGNL build a 6-3 lead. In his second at-bat of the inning, Johnston hit a home run to bring in an additional run to make the score 8-3. Thrown Together allowed three more runs before getting out of the inning down 11-3.
In the third inning, both sides added additional runs, as a single RBI by Thrown Together’s Hunter Jackson and NGNL’s Harrison double RBI brought the score to 13-4 heading into the fourth.
With time against them, Thrown Together put together its best offensive showing since the first inning. Following a single base hit by Kevin Faircloth and Seile, Garrette Garcia brought in Faircloth to cut NGNL’s lead to eight. With the bases loaded, Moyle nailed a double RBI to bring in two runs to make the score 13-7.
But NGNL did not falter. At the bottom of the fourth, two straight home runs immediately restored the eight-run lead for NGNL. Batts nailed an RBI to bring a runner home, followed by two more RBIs, ultimately giving the hitting side a 20-7 lead.
Thrown Together was able to get two more runs at the top of the fifth inning, thanks to Seile and Faircloth, but it was too late as NGNL recorded three outs to win 20-9 and advance.
Splittin creates a
gap in the fourth.
In the final game of the first round, Splittin Gaps and Diamond Dynasty matched up against each other.
The Gaps batted first, taking an early 3-0 lead thanks to Zachery Norris hitting a three-run homer. After Karis Antigo walked to first, Jeffrey Jacobs brought her home with a two-run home run to make the score 5-0 before turning the ball over to Diamond Dynasty.
The Dynasty were unable to put a run up in the first two innings, with only Zack Upton making it to first before being stranded. Splittin Gaps picked up where they left off in the top of the second, with two RBIs from Logan Carter and Norris to take a 8-0 commanding lead. The Gaps picked up two additional runs to end their side of the inning up 10-0.
Heading into the third, the offense kept clicking for the Gaps, as four more runs came in to make it 14-0. But the Diamond Dynasty didn’t go down without swinging.
At the bottom of the inning, Tyler Johnson hit a single to get a base runner on first. After a walk, Tori Johnson hit a single to move Tyler to third. At his at bat, Upton nailed a double to bring two runners in, and the score was 14-2. After Austin Spell hit a single, Cam Moore brought in Johnson and Upton to cut the Gaps’ lead to 10. With the bases loaded, the Gaps gave up a walk, adding another run for Diamond Dynasty. Another run came in from a single RBI from Bryan Rupert, and then a sacrifice fly brought Moore in from third base to cut the deficit to 14-7.
Sensing the momentum swing, in the fourth inning, the Splittin Gaps racked up three straight runs thanks to Jacobs (who baseran for a teammate on his second score) and Alex Evans reaching home plate. Canaan Bell hit a double RBI that added two runs to make it 19-7. A sacrifice fly brought one more run in before a deep shot to center field gave Norris another home run to give the Gaps a 21-7 lead.
The Dynasty was only able to add one more run, an inside-the-park homer from Tyler, as the Gaps held on to win 21-8.
The wins for NGNL and Splittin Gaps sent them to the winners bracket, while Diamond Dynasty and Thrown Together will both have one last chance to keep their playoffs alive. The top two teams in the regular season will face off as NGNL draws Bat and Boujee on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., while Diamond Dynasty and Thrown Together play in a loser-goe-home elimination game at 7:30 p.m. Both games will take place at Royal Lane Park.