(April 10, 2023 – Coppell, TX) A lot of guys who play the game will talk to you about the “Baseball Gods.” Do they exist? One only has to play the game to know if that’s true. Some days the game is just nice to you. Other days? Well, like Mother Nature, there’s always a friendly (or non-friendly) reminder that you are just mortal.
That realization showed up in the form of the Dallas Cardinals on Monday night, where the Spirits (42+) squad sat quietly and watched as the birds put up 9 runs before the ghosts scrambled for a run in the game’s final frame to break the ice on a 9 to 1 loss in NTABL Masters (42+) League action.
The two teams seem to trade off the top seed in the league, however the Cardinals currently own the relationship and the rivalry. The Spirits mustered just 3 hits on the night, and just 2 off of starter and victor, Troy Key. Key has leveraged some ownership of the Spirits himself in recent games.
For the Cardinals, Joe Lowry, Jerry Anderson, and Brent Smerczynski each finished the night with two hits each. Anderson and Smerczynski (yes, Smerczynski, aka Greased Lightning) also added a stolen bag, run scored, and run batted in. For the Spirits, Kirk Sipila, Travis Hitzeman, and Lester Bedford were the only three players to hit safely, with Sipila also adding a base on balls. Bedford scored the only run for the Spirits.
The Cardinals scored in each of the first four innings, adding a single run in the first and third inning, while adding 4 runs in the second, and 2 more in the fourth. They picked up their ninth and final run in the sixth before turning to Chris Cec to close the game defensively, who eventually yielded the only Spirits run to break up the shutout.
The Spirits return to action next Monday night when they face off against the Rattling Dodgers. Fans can click here for schedule details.
Five Star Ford Players of the Game
Kirk Sipila (1-2, BB)
Travis Hitzeman (1-3)
Lester Bedford (1-2, R)