After splitting the night, Sir Lord Baltimore ends second season at .500

Adam C wheeled backward to make a stellar grab deep in centerfield, thus ending the Wolfepack threat in the bottom of the 5th, but the damage was done. The 'Pack had narrowed Sir Lord Baltimore's significant lead to one run, bringing the score to 10-9.

The Sirs failed to score in the top of the sixth, so the tension was thick as they retook the field.

And the rally continued for the 'Pack, scoring three more runs in the inning to take the lead and eventually win the game.

The Sirs only managed to plate one run in the top of the seventh. With two outs and runners primed to go from scoring position, Barbara D, who sustained an injury during warmups, cranked a hard shot into centerfield. The line drive was a beauty, but it was an easy catch for the fielder.

Final score, Wolfepack 12, SLB 11.

It was a brutal loss to a team the Sirs had downed in their last outing, taking the victory after being down 6-1. On Tuesday the tables were turned though, because after the second inning Sir Lord Baltimore controlled the board with a 7 to 1 lead, and seemed unstoppable.

It wasn't a winless loss, when all was said and done. Emery P hit well with a homerun or two. And the real story though was Kristen A, who nailed a double up the first base line, a career highlight for the rookie hitter. She also hit a terse line drive into centerfield and, on defense, snagged a beauty of a throw from Adam C to temporarily muzzle the Wolfepack's aggressive base running with a smartly applied tag at second.

But, as Bobby Bonilla once said, "I had an opportunity with Baltimore to make it to the World Series, and that didn't happen."

The loss came in the second game of the night for the Sirs, which might have accounted for some of their trouble. In fact, pitcher Michael K was heard to say after the game, "It does start to wear you out after a while." That was an understatement; he was playing with limited rest and a bad hamstring, which he incurred the previous week while scoring from second base.

In Sir Lord Baltimore's first game, they trounced the Civics Works Beelers with a final score of 24-10. But that game began frightfully, when CWB scored four unanswered runs in the first inning. The Sirs were put down in order.

And before that, Sirs second basewoman Barbara D was injured during warmups, when she was struck above the left eye by an errant perfect throw from Emery P. Initially afraid that she wouldn't be able to dress for the game (or should that be "tutu for the game," given D's eccentric uniform stylings), SLB medical staff cleared her to play, in spite of a constant trickle of blood down her face.

A second-inning defensive substitution was made, putting Kristen A at second and Barbara D in right field. Also, it didn't take long for the bats to warm up, and the Sirs notched 11 runs with only one out in the second inning, invoking the mercy rule. During the rally, Andy S legged out a three run homer, his first of the season, as did Emery P.

Then, with an 11-4 lead, Joan S, who played brilliantly all night at first base, was called in to pitch for Michael K. She retired the first two batters without much trouble, but then walked in six runs. The Beelers went through their entire batting order that way, until S, through gritted teeth, managed to draw a popup which third baseman Kevin D reeled in handily.

The 11-10 score didn't last long, and with Michael K back at the helm the Beelers didn't score another run. The slaughter rule was invoked at the fifth inning, for the third time in this matchup.

So after starting the season with an 0-4 record, your Sir Lords and Ladies of Baltimore ended the year at 6-6, a significant improvement not just over the fall, but since their last league, when the team only managed one win and seven losses. Such speedy improvements bode well for whatever athletics the team pursues. There is talk of Sunday afternoon football games in the snow.

Until then, I'm signing off as your dutiful, proud reporter of all things Sir Lord Baltimore.