(August 22, 2019 – Dallas, TX) The Dallas Spirits sat and watched as another huge inning played out in front of them leading to a “wind-out-of-your-sails” type of loss. This time it was Modoc’s turn and a six-run third following a 2-run first made it yet another easy win for them as they coasted over the Spirits (35+) squad by a score of 10 to 4 at Reverchon Park.
The Spirits had more fielding errors than runs and for a team that once stood atop of the NTABL Veterans League standings, the squad standing on the field during this game was only a shell of those who stood proudly just two seasons ago.
Eric McPherson and Travis Hitzeman each finished with a hit and an RBI and Shawn Lee and David Tipton each finished the evening with a double, but the limited amount of offense combined with horrible defensive play was a recipe for losing against the NTABL’s top squad.
Jonathan Duran took the loss after tossing 4 innings while allowing 9 runs off of 8 hits, only 2 of which were earned, while also walking and striking out 2.
“It’s been a long season,” muttered Lee following his team’s beat down. “We win, we lose bad. We win, we lose bad. That’s the story of this season. I don’t really understand why we can’t play defense. I mean, you try to find ways to stay motivated, not be hard on anyone because you’re playing with friends, but honestly, we have lost the ability to field and throw a baseball. Between playing in several leagues and a tournament to start the season, there’s just no excuse anymore to make errors. We’re down on pitching this year, that’s obvious, but we’ve always been able to hit and play offense and to play some solid defense. I only hope that this is temporary…as in behind us this year. At this point, we have a party and next season to look forward to, that’s it.”
The squad now awaits its opponent as they move into the NTABL Veterans League playoffs. Stay tuned to www.spiritsbaseball.com for more information.