by O.B.

BEAT WINS OPENER!

The BEAT opened it's 19th season with a solid victory, beating long-time rival, Pat O'Shea's Mad Hatters, 10-3 in San Francisco C-League Softball. After a disastrous 2-5-1 spring season, the team combined solid defense with timely hitting to return to the victory column.

"The game begins with attitude," said Donnell Moody who went 3 for 4 and anchored the team emotionally. "You've got to respect each other and respect the game," added Denny "O.B." O'Brien, who pitched the best game of his C-League career. For a team starting two rookies and hoping to regain its heart, the dedication was inspiring.

In the top of the first, The BEAT pushed across a run on Mark St.Georges fielder's choice and singles by Mike Buttafuso (4 for 4), Donnell, and a sacrafice fly by Greg Lukoski. That small lead stood up, as the team's defense returned to championship form, shutting out O'Shea's with a steady outfield and drive-snaring infield.

The game was decided in the third and fourth innings, as The BEAT scored seven more runs. O.B. started the first rally with a walk followed by Kevin Austin's (3 for 4) single, a Buttafuso triple, and Donnell's RBI single.

Constant BEAT pressure broke the game open in the fourth, with singles by Mike Laffey, O.B., St.Georges, Buttafuso, Moody and Lukoski. At 8-0, and a solid defense, the game looked secure.

But this was, after all, Pat O'Shea's. Having beaten The BEAT twice (16-1 and 5-0, the only BEAT shutout), they charged back for three runs in the fifth and threatened more. But a fly ball, a strikeout (one of three by O.B.) and Lucky Luki's unassisted putout at the plate left the score at 8-3. Unlike the spring, The BEAT defense had refused to crack.

The team added a run each in the sixth and seventh while closing the door on O'Shea's. Even the end was fitting: rookie Mike Weiss snaring a sinking line drive with a shoe-string catch, capping a "wall-like" effort by outfielders Buttafuso, rookie Matt Vaughan, and acting manager Jeff Ricketts. Anne Spoon, 11th player, coached the defense from the sidelines while generally keeping the team together in Wilfred's absence.

It was a game strong enough for light moments ("Hit the snot out of it, Jeff!" a repeated cry), and occasional miscues. But it was ultimately a game of determination and respect. As the team shared slaps and hugs at the end, the comaraderie that is the essence of sport was once again present.

"When you cross that line, you dedicate yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally," O.B. had said at the start. Every rookie and every vet had done so. Given the chance to crack, to lose its focus, to yell at each other, the team held together.

More than defeating Pat O'Shea's, The BEAT had found it's soul.

The BEAT would like to welcome it's new rookies to the Summer of 1996. Matt Vaughan, Mike "Pizza Man" Weiss, and J.J. Anlicker have proven to be a perfect fit for a BEAT team that has lost numerous players to injuries and free-agency in the last year. Welcome to The BEAT, guys.

View The BEAT's 1996 Batting Statistics

See the game scoresheet in pdf (242k) or
On The BEAT News Archive