That Championship Season

The Ponce Winter season ended on a high-note for Team 3-C Garner with a come-from-behind 9 to 8 victory over Team 4-D Rodriquez to win the Championship. The two teams had split two games earlier in the week, with Team Rodriguez giving us our only defeat on Monday by a score of 7-4 and us beating them in a rematch on Wednesday by a score of 7-1.

The Championship game on Friday started in the main stadium with our opponents jumping out ahead in the first inning with two runs. From there the lead see-sawed back and forth. We took a 6 to 5 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when we scored three runs -- sparked by Joe Ciardi's 360 foot triple hit to the wall in right field to lead off the bottom of the 4th inning. (Joe, who severely hurt his groin on Monday morning and couldn't play in the field for the two games that day, is the player who hit one out of the ballpark for us on Thursday. Boy, were we glad he was feeling better.) In the top of the fifth inning, Team Rodriguez scored three runs -- aided in large part by a bad throwing error from centerfield by yours truly -- to pull ahead by a score of 8-6. In our half of the fifth, against the top pitcher for the other team, our lead-off batter got on base and scored on a double. Our next batter also reached base and a combination of a passed ball and a steal left the tying run on third and the lead run on second. Chris Clark -- our closing pitcher and our best hitter and player (and, I think, the best overall player in the camp) -- struck out for the second out. Joe Ciardi, a big switch-hitter batting left-handed, came to the plate with first base open. Ponce has a rule that there are no intentional walks (we all want to have the opportunity to play!) The other team did not "pitch around" Joe and instead pitched to him -- with a big shift of the fielders to the right field side. Joe proceeded to slam a hard double about 340 feet into left field to score the tying and lead runs. In the top of the sixth, and final, inning, our pitcher Chris Clark struck out the first two batters. Their third batter hit a ball into shallow right field, which our right fielder picked up and threw to first base before the batter reached there -- for the third out and victory for the good guys. We ended the week with an 8 and 1 record. I was 1 for 2 at bat (glasses on!)

Following the game there was a moving (?) awards ceremony -- where each player on the winning team was presented with a gold medal by coach Garner; and each member of the opposing team was given a silver medal by coach Rodriguez -- with team photos taken. For Chris Clark, Joe Ciardi, John Fernstrom, Mo Werner and me it was two Ponce winter championships in a row -- since all five of us were on the team that won in 2010. (I got "evacuated" out of the championship game last year by the blizzard that was approaching Washington, so I was glad to be present and active in this game.) Of the 11 players on our team only nine were left standing by the end of the game due to the accumulation of injuries during the week.

During the week, Joe Ciardi worked hard to be able to play despite hurting his leg badly on Monday -- and his hitting and fielding at third-base and catcher were outstanding and made a major difference for us. He caught the whole Championship game. John Fernstrom -- a pup, three months younger than me -- also hurt his hamstring and glute early in the week and was hobbled badly, but continued to play. He is a Hoover as a first baseman and was a very hot hitter all week (even if he couldn't get to first base on a double down the line!) At the Thursday night Awards Dessert, John was given the "Spirit of Ponce" award for our team and Joe was named the MVP -- both the absolutely right choice.

Following the game folks immediately scattered to make their way home -- with my flights to Washington (via Charlotte) carrying about 10 Ponce players back to DC.

For Team 3-C Garner, our great week was topped by the gold medal we won. "We don't play for the money, we play for the ring" -- or the cheesy medal in this case. (Many players, me included, would prefer a cheesy trophy instead -- as Elizabeth rightly says, "There's no medals in baseball.")

(If you double click on the photo I believe it expands so you can read the inscription -- and where it was made.)

I'll post final thoughts on the week tomorrow.