ROOTERS NEWS SERVICE

(Norfolk, Virginia)  The only thing hotter than August in the 
Tidewater is the J9 softball team, which continued its domination
of the USJFCOM Sports Day diamond with a fourth consecutive 
championship -- and its fifth win in six years.

On a day where the heat index reached triple digits and the 
relative humidity hovered around 98%, J9's 2005 softball squad 
proved to be the strongest ever fielded by the Joint Futures Lab.
Where rigid defense and sharp baserunning led previous J9 squads 
to victory, this year was the year of the long ball -- with J9 
hitting 26 extra-base hits (including nine home runs) on the 
day.

J9 began with a 9:00 AM game against HQ/SJFHQ -- featuring our
city league teammate Wendell Turner.  After winning the coin
toss to determine home field advantage, J9 dispatched the HQ
squad by a score of 19-0 in a three-inning, three-hit shutout.
Of note, all eleven batters on the J9 lineup got a hit, scored 
a run, and batted in a run.

After a short break, J9 hosted J6 in the semifinal. J6 had beaten
J1/JRU/J8 in the first round, but were no match for J9.  Though
they broke J9's shutout streak by scoring three runs in the top 
of the third inning, J9 quickly countered to invoke the 10-run 
mercy rule after the third inning, 13-3.  (Note: J6 got their 
vengeance on the Tug-of-War field, where they beat J9 and all 
other takers.  Congratulations to J6 for coming in 2nd place 
overall in the race for the Commander's Cup!)

In the championship game, J9 faced a scrappy and indomitable 
J3/J4/J5 team.  The J3/4/5 squad had overcome a five run deficit
in their final at-bat in round one against JTC-I/J2, then did
a similar feat against ultimate Commander's Cup winner J7 in
the semi-final (coming back from trailing 4-1 to win 5-4). They
are a team you don't want to turn your back on...

J3/4/5 proved they could also take a lead early -- sending their
first six batters across the plate in the top of the first inning.
J9 answered with just two runs in the bottom half of the inning,
stranding two baserunners.  After holding the J3/4/5ers scoreless
in the second, J9 continued to chip away at the lead -- scoring 
three more to close the gap to 6-5.

J3/4/5 began to muster another rally in the third inning, but
crisp defense held them to just one additional run.  J9 then 
found their groove in the bottom of the third, batting through
the lineup not just once but nearly TWICE -- taking a 15-7 lead
into the fourth inning.

After exchanging scoreless innings, JPP newcomer Damien Randles
took the mound (relieving Arnie Heigaard, J15, who has been a 
longtime player on J9's weekday city league softball team).  
Although two J3/4/5ers reached base, Damien pitched two strike-
outs (!) and a popup to short squelched any hopes of a comeback.

Needing just two runs to invoke the "10-run mercy rule", J9
went into the bottom of the fifth inning with the heart of 
their lineup.  James Bovee (another J9 city leaguer who has 
supported the SJFHQ and now works in the JWFC) had sent every
hit of the day over the chain links in the left-center power
alley, so he drew an intentional walk.

This brought up reliever Damien, who promptly launched the 
second pitch he saw into deep center field -- over the wall
for a walk-off, two-run homer and J9's fourth consecutive 
softball tournament championship.

Other notables stats and figures in the J9 lineup:

- All 12 J9 players got at least two hits, scored at least three 
runs and batted in at least one run.

- EESD's Eric "Slam" Johnson led the team with a 1.000 on-base 
percentage -- he got up, he got on.

- Four J9ers combined to hit *nine* home runs -- five of them by 
James Bovee alone (whose 5-for-5, 5 home run performance gave him 
a mathematical maximum slugging percentage of 4.000!).  Other four-
baggers were hit by "Slam" Johnson, Jason "Bobble" Howlett, and
Damien Randles (the aforementioned game-winner).

CONGRATULATIONS J9!  And congratulations to our Suffolk neighbors
at the JWFC for their third-consecutive Commander's Cup win -- a
feat only done once before (by the J3 in 1998-2000)!

For full softball details and stats, visit this URL:

		http://softball.deichman.net/j9/


<04-Aug-2005>