(July 7, 2025 – Carrollton, TX) Playing away from the cozy confines of their sweet home at Cowboy Field in Coppell, the Spirits (45+) found themselves caught in a storm—literally and figuratively—courtesy of the Hurricanes on Monday night.
A cocktail of rancid defense and a red-hot Hurricanes offense created a storm too strong for the Spirits to bear at McInnish Park in Carrollton. Despite a late attempt at a comeback, a rising front of belief and grit—cleverly disguised as falling atmospheric pressure and humidity—rolled in from the Hurricanes dugout, proving too much for the ghosts to handle as they dropped a tight one, 8 to 7, in NTABL Masters (45+) Division play.
Kirk Sipila tried to play hero but unfortunately couldn’t carry the team on his back. Sipila finished 2-for-3 with a triple, 2 runs scored, and 5 runs batted in but it wasn’t enough as the remainder of the team was only able to squander the remaining 5 hits. Eric McPherson finished 1-for-1 with 2 walks, a run scored, and a stolen base, and Kevin Simmons added a single, walk, and run scored to provide the generic remainder of the Spirits offensive box score.
Team skipper, Shawn Lee, who left the game in the first inning with a leg injury wasn’t terribly jovial regarding his team’s efforts. “We simply didn’t show up ready to play,” Lee griped following the contest. “Not sure if it was the idea that the game was a layout or what, but our efforts were soft and the enthusiasm just failed to exist. Any team in this league can win on any given day, and we’ve learned that numerous times in the playoffs and in championship games. I can only hope there’s a lesson learned here but I’m not very hopeful.”
The Spirits added 5 errors in the field, 5 that were counted anyway, and that combined with a Hurricanes team that finished the game with 3 extra base hits out of 11 hits on the night was too much for the team to handle. The team was able to put the game in reach in the sixth but it was just too little too late.
The Hurricanes scored first after Vince Parello singled with two outs and was able to score after Ben Northcutt hit a long single down the left field line. Northcut advanced to second on the throw home but was stranded after Simmons, the Spirits starting pitcher, was able to get Jim Crombie to fly out.
The score remained the same until the top half of the third when the Hurricanes added 3 more runs when Adam Althouse drew a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then moved to third when Raul Ponce grounded out. Astolfo Parra singled him home and then scored after Cameron Newell hit a triple to the left centerfield gap. Newell later scored when Parello grounded out and the Hurricanes had a 4 to 0 lead heading into the bottom of the third.
It seemed the Spirits had signs of life as the squad was able to tie the game after Mike Sopocy walked but was later caught stealing. Earl German drew a walk and moved to third when Stacy Scott singled. David Tipton lost a battle of strikes and with two outs McPherson drew a walk to load them. Enter Sipila, who took a 2-2 fastball to the left centerfield gap for a triple to score 3 and give the Spirits some signs of life. Sipila was able to score on a wild pitch to tie the game before Travis Hitzeman flew out to close the third.
The Hurricanes continued their offensive effort in the fifth inning after Johnny Sanchez doubled and moved to third when Ponce grounded out. An RBI single by Parra gave the ‘Canes the lead and then the Spirits allowed for the inning to stay alive and well after Newell reached on an error and the runners were able to advance on another error. Parra scored on a wild pitch before Parello walked, and despite being able to strike out Northcutt, the Spirits woes continued after Newell was able to cross the dish following another wild pitch. Mike O’Hornett then doubled home Parello to give the Hurricanes an 8 to 4 lead as the momentum clearly favored their dugout.
The Spirits made an effort to make it a game in the bottom half of the sixth and with time running out based on the league’s two-hour limit. Tipton drew a walk off Crombie, who replaced Newell in the fourth, and Tipton was able to advance on a wild pitch before McPherson drew a walk to load put two on with nobody out. Tipton took third on a passed ball and McPherson was able to swipe second before Sipila played hero a second time with a single that scored both runners and cut the lead to, 8 to 6. Hitzeman flew out and Dale Baird struck out before Simmons kept hope alive with a single to score Sipla and to cut the lead to, 8 to 7. That would be the final, however, as Crombie was able to get Cliff Brade to fly out to center to end the game.
“The box score doesn’t show how poorly we played,” Lee continued. “Hats off to the Hurricanes for wanting to get a win. It showed and that was the result. If you add up the passed balls, errors in the field, and missed attempts at the plate, it was a perfect recipe for a loss. Decent effort to try to get back into it, but if we show up ready to play, none of this happens.”
The Spirits will have a chance to get back into the win column following their first loss of the season as they host the Knights in the regular season finale next Monday night at Cowboy Field. Fans can click here for schedule details or instructions on downloading the iScore Central app to listen to the game live.
Five Star Ford Players of the Game
Kirk Sipila (2-3, 3B, 2 R, 5 RBI)
Eric McPherson (1-1, 2 BB, 2 R, SB)
Kevin Simmons (1-2, BB, RBI; 3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, K)