(April 29, 2023 – Carrollton, TX) It was a fairly slow start for the Spirits (50+) squad this past Saturday but the team’s offense finally came up firing after being down 2 to 0 to the Mets in DFW-ABA 50 League action.
Dee Mauldin, Will Nash, and Stacy Scott helped carry the team on offense, each finishing with 3 hits on the day with Mauldin and Scott adding triples. Nash and Scott finished a perfect, 3-for-3 on the day, with Nash adding a run scored, RBI, and 2 stolen bags while Scott added 2 runs scored along with 2 runs batted in. Mauldin also added a pair of runs scored and a pair of runs batted in as the team eventually cruised to a 12 to 2 mercy rule shortened game win. Kirk Sipila went the distance, tossing 5 innings while allowing one earned run off of 5 hits while walking just one and striking out 3 Mets hitters.
After the Mets picked up a 2 to 0 lead moving into the bottom of the third, the Spirits offense finally woke up during the frigid early Saturday morning game. With temperatures in the 50s and a cool Northern wind blowing hard and straight in, the team made use of difficult short fly balls and solid base running to add 3 runs to make it 3 to 2 Spirits. Turns out, the team would never look back. After Todd Murrah grounded out to start the Spirits’ half of the inning, Scott singled and moved to second after Mauldin singled. Sipila reached on a fielder’s choice that squeezed Scott at third but Kent Fischer was able to reach on a Mets fielding error that allowed Mauldin to cross the dish. Nash followed with an RBI single to score Sipila and eventually went on to steal second base. Fischer was able to score on the throw to second to give the Spirits the lead for good before Brian Hackney flew out.
The ghosts added another pair of runs in the fourth inning when Mike Sopocy reached on a one-out walk. Murrah flew out to record the second out but for the second straight inning, the Spirits were able to produce runs with two down. Scott and Mauldin went back-to-back on triples to score Sopocy and Scott before Sipila grounded out.
Up 5 to 2 in the fifth inning, the Spirits batted around, putting up 7 runs to walk off with a mercy rule victory. Nash singled with one out to earn his third hit on the day and a double by Hackney scored him. Shawn Lee singled home Hackney and then moved to second base when Sopocy singled. An RBI double by Murrah scored Lee and a follow up RBI single by Scott scored Sopocy. Mauldin made it 7 straight hits with an RBI single to score Murrah, and the Spirits eighth straight hit in the inning was an RBI single by Sipila to score Scott. Mauldin then scored after Fischer reached on a fielder’s choice that put out Sipila at second base, but the game was over due to the league’s 10-run mercy rule.
“Not the best day for baseball, but several of the guys were hot despite the low temperatures,” Lee commented afterwards. “Nash, Scott, and Mauldin seemed not to be bothered by the cold. Great job by all three guys today to help carry our offense. The 50 squad has been rolling lately and we can only hope to keep that momentum rolling. Can’t say the defense played well. We had 6 errors today and that’s unacceptable, but for once we didn’t let them affect the outcome of the game. That was nice to see. We’ll have to clean it up when we face tougher teams but we’ll take the win and look forward to the next one.”
The team returns to action next Saturday when they get a chance to avenge an early season loss against the White Sox. First pitch is slated for 11:45AM at McInnish #10 and fans can click here for schedule details or to listen to the game live online.
WingStop Players of the Game
Will Nash (3-3, R, RBI, 2 SB)
Dee Mauldin (3-4, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI)
Stacy Scott (3-3, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI)