Duck Ponderings: What a Saturday for Hope

Saturday was a busy and great day for the people of Hope!

Many were involved in The Relay for Life on the frequently utilized Town Square. (We are so fortunate for the insight over the years related to creating, keeping, and upgrading the square). As I listened to the guest speaker, Randy Ollis, share his story about battling lymphoma and watched the cancer survivors line up for their walk, I thought about all the preparation that had gone into planning such a successful fund raising event and the many inspiring stories represented.

Many were at the North Daviess Softball Semistate or the Morristown Baseball Regional. Due to a family graduation at Fishers, I was able to watch our Jets compete at Morristown. We won the first game 2-1 but lost the second game 0-3. The pitching in both games was excellent!

In the first game, the Shakamak Lakers took the lead in the fifth by way of two consecutive doubles.

However, in the bottom of the sixth, we were able to score two runs in an unforeseen way. We had runners on first and second with two outs, one due to being hit by a pitch and the other due to an infield single. Suddenly, there was an errant throw that ended up in the outfield allowing one run to score. Soon, there was another throw off target with our next runner crossing home plate making the score 2-1. There was a celebration by our team as well as our fans. I was thinking of one of Shel Silverstein's poems with the line, “Anything can happen, anything can be!”

Shakamak had one more opportunity. Their first hitter reached first through an error. The next batter hit a lazy fly ball to the outfield which was seemingly caught before popping out of the glove. Our outfielder kept his cool and threw a strike to second forcing the runner out from first. It just seemed we were destined to win this game. Sure enough, we emerged victorious.

In-between games, I checked on our Lady Jets while driving to Fishers. Unfortunately, they were defeated by North Central 1-2 late in the game similar to how we had won the baseball game.

In the final game, both pitchers were making it difficult for the hitters as in the previous game. There was even another play that made me think it just might be our day. In the top of the fifth, there was a University runner on first because of a lead off single. But, he was picked off first just before a triple!

In the bottom of the sixth, we started off with a double, a ball when hit seemingly had a good chance to clear the fence. And, there was an intentional walk. Both runners advanced with a double steal, but we could not get a key hit. The score was at 0-0 going into the last inning.

In the top of the seventh, the Trailblazers started with a walk which was followed by an infield single. A timely triple knocked both runners home. A balk was called and the score was 0-3. We had one more chance, but our bats could not find the ball.

Even though there were high hopes of continuing in the IHSAA State Tournament for the boys and the girls, it just did not happen for whatever the reason. It was a wonderful and memorable season, our first time for our boys to win a sectional since 2007. The coaching staffs, players, and parents deserve a huge thanks for all their efforts! And, we wish the seniors on both teams the very best in the future: Jon Hatton, Jacob Johnson, Jordan Johnson, Sam Meek, Sydney Schoen, Tessa Sims, and Lauren Starnes.