We’re back on our home field for our sixth game of the season. Our opponent is the Southwest Trojans from Washburn, Missouri. Southwest is in our district, so we’ll see them again two more times this season. Although I wasn’t around to make this schedule, the rule is we have to play our district teams twice a year at the least, one home and one away. Any other games are scheduled with any opponent from any district, as long as it’s a 2A school. So far this season, Southwest is 2-3, dropping their first three games, but winning their last two. They were predicted to finish near the bottom of the district, but they’re gaining momentum from winning two in a row on the road, so I’m wary, to say the least. Brian Leonard gets the start today, and the turnout for the game is great, with 92 fans at the game. Leonard gives up a double on the first pitch but turns things around with a strikeout and two fly outs to escape the inning. From the looks of our bats early in the game, it looks like this may be another pitcher’s duel. Leonard continues to pitch well, and the game is scoreless until the bottom of the 6th. We get two singles and an error to load the bases. Samir Shivers flies out, but it’s deep enough to score the run. Unfortunately, John Graham follows up by grounding into a 5-4-3 double play. My Bears lead 1-0 after six. Leonard pitches in the 7th and gets two outs, but I replace him with Bill Sams after he gives up a base hit. Sams rings up the next batter and we cling to our one-run lead. We go into the 8th still leading by one, and things are looking good, with two outs and a man on second. But Sams gives up a base hit down the third base line, scoring a run and tying the game up. I bring in Jim Gillespie to stop the Trojan momentum, but things start to fall apart. Gillespie gives up three straight hits, and Southwest scores three runs to go up 4-1. We go down in order in the 8th and 9th to lose it by the same score. We drop this one and are 3-3 on the year.
