Had an e-mail earlier in the week from Jon Mitchell at McCaskey, the girls softball team was having its Senior Day on Friday and he asked if I'd be available. The varsity softball field is behind the main school building, it's neatly tucked in between the gym and the football stadium (when I was in school the field hockey and JV baseball fields occupied that area, the current gym didn't exist back then). There is no permanent PA system at the softball field, a portable was set up similar to the soccer and field hockey Senior Nights we did in the fall. Several of the seniors' parents recognized me, one said this must have been a big deal since I was there. I wasn't expected to work the game itself, the PA was set up solely for the pregame and everybody seemed to be satisfied when the ceremonies were finished. After supper I was at the ballpark for the opener of a weekend series, the Lexington Legends from the league's Southern Division visited for the lone time in 2024. The ballclub in Lexington was known as the Legends from its days in affiliated baseball, after rebranding in 2023 to an identity that proved unpopular they have "Turned Back The Clock" to the traditional name and look. On this night the Stormers took a 1-0 lead in the second when Gaige Howard singled and scored on a base hit by local product Kyle Hess (from Donegal HS in Mount Joy). Trace Loehr's solo home run over the picnic deck in right made it 2-0 in the fifth but the Kentuckians fought back to tie and force extra innings. In the tenth the Legends scored three runs without the ball ever leaving the infield, in the bottom half the Stormers put together a rally as crazy as that or anything else you may ever see. Loehr started the inning on second base as the automatic runner (or as some refer to it: the "Manfred Man"), a walk to Shawon Dunston and an Isan Diaz single loaded the bases with nobody out. Cristian Santana lined a single into right field scoring Loehr and Dunston to make it 5-4 with Diaz advancing to third. Howard batted next and hit an infield grounder that was misplayed for an error allowing Diaz to trot home with the tying run. Joseph Carpenter followed with a line-drive single to center, pinch-runner Nick Lucky (in for Santana at second base) beat the throw to home plate as the Stormers walked it off 6-5. Jackson Rees was the winning pitcher in relief of starter Brady Tedesco with Noah Bremer, Max Green and ex-MLBer James Hoyt also working an inning each. The series continues through Sunday weather-permitting, the forecast is not encouraging. Take care, thanks for reading.
