In (8):  Mike, Ron, Jocelyn, Eric, Caleb, Jonathan, Chelsea, Jae.

Maybe:  

Out:  Nancy, Erienne, Jeff, Rob, Carlos.

[Editor's note:  As we played the team from the D.O.T. tonight, I figured I'd work in the model names of Ford vehicles.  Just because.  The numbers after the model names are the production years.]

Whew, what a week!  Last week, the Empty Pitchers were able to  EDGE (current)  No Glove, No Love for the first time ever, 12-9.  Then, four days later on Saturday, we overcame a lackluster first game in the 2026 Cove Cup Tournament to roll in games #2 & #3, including downing NGNL a second straight time and ultimately clinching the 2nd place trophy!  And now, five days after that marathon  EXPEDITION (current) , it's back home to Cove Park/DMV in the  TERRITORY (2004-2016)  of Wethersfield to host the Line Drivers for the fourth time this season.  And all done under hot, steamy, jungle-like conditions that would make even Tarzan beg for a hydration break!  Well, what do you expect?  It's August!  🥵

This game would see the return to action of Joe, Rob and Jonathan, who had all been unavailable of late.  On the other hand, only two of our female players could attend this evening, forcing the EPs to play with just three outfielders.  In the interest of fairness, we made an  EXECUTIVE (1966-1972)  decision to allow the Line Drivers to play as the home team.

Perhaps still exhausted from the Cove Cup Tournament, the EPs opened the game lethargically.  Joe ripped a two-out single to right (what a  MAVERICK (1970-2004) ), but that was all we could manage in the top of the 1st.  Meanwhile, as Eric took the ball to pitch, our opponents from the CT Department of Transportation pushed a run across in the home-half of the inning, drawing first blood at 1-0.  

But we didn't trail for long, thanks to a  FUSION (2006-2020)  of timely hitting by the EPs and some very porous glovework on the part of the Line Drivers' defense.  Jonathan singled with one out in the top of the 2nd, and moved to second when Carlos bounced a ball towards short.  The shortstop fielded the ball, but his feed to the second baseman was dropped for an error.  Chelsea followed with a single to load the bases, before Tino unloaded them with a  DELUXE (1950-1951)  double, scoring both Jonathan and Carlos and giving the Empty Pitchers the lead at 2-1!  Ron lofted a fly to left, but the ball popped right out of the fielder's glove for error #2, allowing both Chelsea and Tino to come home.  4-1 EPs!  Mike tried a fly to right-centerfield, but again, the ball caromed into and out of the fielder's glove for error #3.  After a fielder's choice groundout put Bubbles on base in place of Ron, Eric blasted a pitch to deep rightfield for a three-run homer (1st season, 14th career), blowing the game open at 7-1!  Two outs, bases empty . . . rally over, right?  Nope.  We continued to  PROBE (1989-1997)  the inefficiencies of their defense.  Fausto singled, Joe singled, and then Rob skied a fly to left-centerfield.  And sure enough, the dropsies continued as the ball clunked out of the fielder's glove for error #4.  Fausto sprinted home like a  PUMA (2019-present)  to make it 8-1!  How many runs did we have?   EIGHT (1938-1939) !  Jocelyn stroked a grounder to short, but the shortstop fumbled the ball for error #5 of the inning, loading the bases once again.  Yikes!  This was getting ugly.  I've seen better hands on a broken clock!  Last time they were loaded, Tino had doubled, and  LIGHTNING (current F-150)  did strike twice, 'cuz this time it was Jonathan's turn to double with the bags juiced, pushing Joe and Rob across the dish!  It was a 10-run  FIESTA (1976-present) , and a 10-1 EP lead!  Mostly unearned runs, sure, but who's complaining?

That shocking display of defensive ineptitude seemed to put both lineups into an immediate funk:

• The Line Drivers did not score in the bottom of the 2nd.
• The EPs did not score in the top of the 3rd, going down in order.
• The Line Drivers did not score in the bottom of the 3rd.
• The EPs got a one-out single by Chelsea in the top of the 4th, but did not score.
• The Line Drivers did not score in the bottom of the 4th.
• The EPs got a one-out single by Rob in the top of the 5th, but (stop me if you've heard this one) did not score.

Okaaaaay, nap time over!  Why don't we get back to slow-pitch softball here?  While I appeciate the quick  TEMPO (1984-1994)  of the game, some scoring might be nice.  The bottom of the 5th saw TLD finally, mercifully, put some hits together, as they were able to  ESCORT (1968-2000, 2015-present)  three runners over the plate to cut their deficit to 10-4.

And once again, the EPs responded immediately.  Taking our offense off of auto- PILOT (1947-1951) , Carlos led off the top of the 6th with a  METEOR (1981-1995)  to left-center for a leadoff, solo homerun (1st season, 1st career)!  11-4!  Chelsea reached when the shortstop misplayed her grounder for yet another error, and Tino singled to put two runners on.  Ron's single drove in Chelsea, padding our advantage to 12-4 and chasing Tino to third, still with nobody out!  NOBODY OUT!  Mike bounced one back up the middle, but the shortstop made a lunging grab, stepped on second, then threw to first to complete the double play, with Tino scoring on the play.  Right?  RIGHT?  Umm, apparently not.  The Line Drivers were so excited by their defensive gem that they came off the field jubilant.  The EPs, meanwhile, kinda just shrugged, went with it and took the field.  Only then did we all realize that that was merely the second out of the inning.  Holding a comfortable lead, we just sighed and let it be.  How zen of us!

Thankfully, we were able to  FOCUS (2000-2019) , and the missing out did not come back to haunt us.  With Franchise coming out of the bullpen to try to lock down the two-inning save, the Line Drivers added a lone run in the last of the 6th to get it to 12-5.

Looking to tack on a couple of Prudentials (insurance runs), Eric and Fausto began their  EXCURSION (2000-2005)  around the bases with back-to-back singles with one out in the top of the 7th.  Joe waited on a pitch and drove a deep shot to leftfield, but the shifted left fielder ranged to his right and made a nice catch to save a run or two.  Well, not really, because Rob followed that with a triple to left-center, plating both Eric and Fausto anyway, so there!  👅  14-5!

Our opponents rallied for three more runs in the bottom of the 7th, closing to 14-8, but it was far too little to hurt, as the EPs  ESCAPE (current)  with the victory.  Put this one in the win column for the EPs!

The victory improves our 2026 record to 10-7.  We are now 4-4 as the home team, and 6-3 on the road.  We have now won 3 games in a row for the second time this season, and certainly  ASPIRE (1994-1997)  to four straight next week against these very same opponents.

The offensive player of the game was Eric, who went 2-for-4 with a homerun, 2 runs scored and 3 rbi.  Does that make him our  WINDSTAR (1995-2004) ,  AEROSTAR (1986-1997) , or  FREESTAR (2004-2007) ?  Doc also picks up the pitching win, evening his 2026 record at 2-2, and struck out 3 in the process.  Ron gets the save, his first of the season, and he struck out 2.  On defense, shortstop Tino handled a sharp  LASER (1980-2003)  linedrive in the bottom of the 6th, while Joe and Carlos handled first base duties while staring into the sun all game, handling all throws without error.

Notes & Numbers:

• Lead, schmead!:  Despite the fact that the EPs are now 4-0 so far this season (and 8-0 all-time) versus the Line Drivers, our opponents have actually held the lead in every game we've played them this year:  on May 21, TLD led 19-11 midway through the 6th inning, before our 10-run bottom of the 6th gave us the 21-19 win;  on June 4, TLD led 5-1 after an inning, but failed to score again as we won, 8-5; on June 18, TLD led 3-2 after 3-1/2 frames in a game we eventually won, 13-5;  and of course today, they held a 1-0 advantage through one inning before self-destructing on defense.  I guess scoring first, while  POPULAR (1953-1959) , is not as important as we're led to believe.
• Good ol'  COUNTRY (1952-1974)  hardball:  The EP pitchers struck out 5 batters tonight (Eric 3, Ron 2).  As far as I can ascertain, that sets the all-time record for total K's by EP pitching in a single game!  The record had been held by Ron, who struck out 4 Line Drivers in our 8-5 victory over them on June 4, 2026.  That's some  ELITE (1974-1976)  pitching!  For the record, Chris is our all-time strikeout king with 35 career punchouts.  Ron now has 29 career K's, while Eric stands at 20 career K's.  Mr. Gotay also holds the single-season strikeout record with 12 K's in the 2017 season.  Ron and Eric currently have 7 strikeouts each this season, while Rob has 6.
• In the big inning:  We scored 10 runs in the 2nd inning of this game.  Impressive  FLEX (2009-2019) !  Or it would be, if not for the fact that we just enjoyed a 12-run outburst in the 7th inning of our last game, a 23-8 beat-down of E.coli Happens at the Cove Cup Tourney last Saturday.
• Milestones (since 2015):  Tino has now played in 200 career games for the EPs (4th-most all-time).  Tino's 6th-inning single was his 650th career at-bat (3rd-most all-time).
• Team milestones:  In the 2nd inning, Carlos scored our team's 200th run of the 2026 season.  Eric's homerun in the 2nd inning was our 300th team hit of the year.  Tino's 2nd-inning double was our 40th team double of the year.  Rob picked up our 20th team triple of the season in the 7th inning.

👀◀️5️⃣    A Look Back 5 Years Ago:

2021-22:  EPs Set Fire to the Rain with Comeback, Drop Close One to Plankton Anyway, 14-11

August 12, 2021

Hello! 

Imma be honest with you -- over the past few seasons of Empty Pitchers softball, the Fighting Plankton from Hell have been widely considered to be our closest rivals.  Not that there's really any kind of bad blood between us, mind you.  Its just that they're the team we seem to play most closely, year in and year out, as evidenced by our 8-7 record against them (since 2015) coming into Thursday's matchup.  We hosted them back in early June at Cove Park, winning 18-15 on the strength of big hitting by Nate and Rob.  But one dance with the Plankton per season is not enough, so the EPs now hit the road to find our cheap thrills at our rivals' place.

The Plankton lost their usual home field at the Naubuc School due to Covid restrictions, so this time, the game was to be played a bit farther down that old town road that is Hebron Avenue, in the hills of Glastonbury, at Buckingham Park.  The venue features a fancy raked infield, mown outfield grass, and chalked lines -- not too shabby as softball diamonds go.  The weather was forecast to be dangerously hot and humid, but with a light breeze and plentiful shade, it didn't feel so bad.  And a line of thunderstorms that whipped through the state thankfully stayed just north of us, allowing for a perfect evening of softball!

The Empty Pitchers drew first blood in this one, as Josh, who flies around the bases like a G6, doubled with one out in the top of the 1st, then promptly scored on a single by Joe.  That was our only firework of the inning, however.  Meanwhile, the Fighting Plankton answered with three runs in the home-half of the frame, to go out in front 3-1.  How rude!

Mike singled with one out in the top of the 2nd, and Tino did the same with two down, but the EPs were unable to push any runs across, leaving a blank space in the scorebook.  And then we experienced our worst half-inning of the game.  Sorry, I don't mean to sound heartless, or break your heart, or play the bad guy here, so don't hold it against me, but the Plankton absolutely demolished us in the bottom of the 2nd.  They ran circles around us, collecting many shallow hits and a few booming drives, took advantage of a couple of EP errors, and when the dust settled, plated seven big runs to blow the game wide open at 10-1.  Sad!  

After such a sucker punch, it would have been easy for the EPs to just give up and mail in the rest of the game.  But this is America, and I'm not afraid to say that the EPs are stronger than that, that you can't hold us down!  We immediately came together to shake it off and get back to work.  Chris (who moves like Jagger) opened the top of the 3rd inning with a single, and pinch-runner Caleb took second when the throw to first skipped past the first baseman for an error.  Bella drew a walk, before Jonathan's grounder to short was booted, allowing the EPs to load the bases with nobody out.  Nick then looked at ball four, his walk forcing in Caleb, cutting our deficit to 10-2.  Hey, Plankton pitching and defense, thank U, next!  Josh ripped an rbi single to make it 10-3, and then Joe entered sicko mode, the monster triple he crushed into right-center clearing the bases for 3 more runs and a 10-6 score.  He then cruised home on Rob's rbi hit, getting us to 10-7.  And just like that, the EPs were back in the ballgame -- I like it!  Two fielder's choice grounders later, Mike and Jenny followed with back-to-back singles to reload the bases, but Tino's drive into left couldn't get us any closer, as the ball settled into the fielder's glove to end the EP's 6-run rally.

However, I can't stop the feeling that our offense was only going to take us so far.  We also needed to keep the Plankton from scoring.  To that end, Chris' pitching and the EP defense held strong, blanking our opponents in the bottom of the 3rd and 4th innings.  Meanwhile, we also put up a zero in the 4th, despite Chris reaching on an error by the third baseman and a sharp single by senorita Bella.

So, going to the top of the 5th, still down 10-7, we were looking for another rally.  Just give me a reason to cheer and whistle, EPs!  With one out, Joe left a ball rolling in the deep of the outfield, picking up a double.  Our starboy Rob mashed a single to put runners on the corners.  And then Jae dropped a single over the infielders for a hit, the only girl on the EPs to pick up an rbi this game, cutting the Plankton's advantage to 10-8.  With two outs, Mike lined a humble single into left to plate Rob and make it a one-run game at 10-9.  Then Jenny popped her second hit of the game to load the bases for Tino.  Mister "call me maybe" came through big-time, hitting a wrecking ball of a single into left-center to score Jae and Mike, giving the EPs the lead for the first time since the 1st inning at 11-10!  That's what I like to see!  OMG!  I don't mean to sound like too much of a cheerleader, but that comeback makes me so happy, smiling so hard I can't feel my face!

Unfortunately, the Plankton managed to push a run across in the bottom of the 5th, knotting the score at 11-11.

And then, just like that, we switched it off.  "What do you mean", you ask?  Well, as it has so often this season, our offensive firepower just deserted us, becoming somebody that I used to know.  Its like our bats just said, "We are never ever getting back together."  Chris reached on yet another error by the third baseman to lead off the 6th, but our next three batters went down in order.  And after the Plankton came up with three runs in the bottom of the frame to retake the lead at 14-11, we managed only a single by Rob in the top of the 7th.  Our hitting was a lion's roar through five innings, but fizzled like a dud grenade at the end of the game, when we could sense the tik tok of our outs counting down.

The loss drops our season record to 7-11, 2-6 on the road.

In my feelings, the offensive player of the game was Joe, who went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, 2 runs scored and 4 rbi.  He missed hitting for the cycle when the right-center fielder (what a rude boy!) made a running catch of his deep drive in the top of the 7th.  Also of note, Rob was 3-for-4 with a run scored and rbi, while Mike was 3-for-3 with a run scored and rbi.  On the defensive side of the ball, first baseman Joe turned an unassisted double play in the bottom of the 1st inning when he snagged a line drive to first, then tagged the runner from first who had strayed too far off the bag.  In the bottom of the 5th, third baseman Caleb fielded a sharp grounder, fired to Jocelyn at second for the force, but the relay to Joe at first was too late for the DP;  still, it was a fine play all-around.

Notes & Numbers

• We R who we R:  With tonight's loss, our record fell to 7-11, with 5 games remaining on the schedule.  That means that we need to win out the season in order to finish with a winning record (12-11).  To our discredit, our history does not bode well:  In 2020, we finished at 7-8;  in 2019, 10-12-1;  in 2018, 8-15;  in 2017, 11-13;  in 2016, 12-12;  in 2015, 6-12-2;  and in 2014, 4-11.  The truth hurts, but we need to play better if we want to crack the .500 mark.
• All about that bass, I mean base, on balls:  Nick and Bella both walked in this game, our first two walks of the 2021 season.  Of course, the Plankton are the only team in the league that allow walking.  For the record, Nate holds the EP records for most walks in a season (4, in 2016) and most walks all-time (8).
• Raise your glass, a.k.a. Milestones (since 2015):  When Mike singled in the 5th inning, it was his 400th career at-bat (2nd place all-time);  Jenny's 3rd-inning single was her 50th career at-bat (27th place all-time).

That's it -- see you again next week!

Through 2 games of the 2026 Cove Cup Tournament, the standings were as follows:

1. inDRStructible . . . 2-0
2. No Glove, No Love . . . 1-1
3. Empty Pitchers . . . 1-1
4. E.coli Happens . . . 0-2

Unfortunately, that left us fighting for a second-place finish.  If DRS were to defeat NGNL in their game #3, they would win the tournament outright with a 3-0 record.  On the other hand, if NGNL were to win (and the EPs beat E.coli), then the top 3 teams would all finish at 2-1.  The first tie-breaker is head-to-head results, and all three squads would have gone 1-1 against each other head-to-head.  The second tie-breaker would be "total margin of victory" -- DRS beat the EPs 19-3 for a margin of +16;  the EPs beat NGNL 23-19 for a margin of only +4;  so any NGNL win over DRS would leave one of those teams with a better margin of victory than ours.  

Still, 2nd place beats last place, which is where the EPs would land with a loss to E.coli Happens in game #3, so we still had work to do!

We've typically handled E.coli quite well, going 3-1 against them last season, and 13-6-1 all-time.  But we had yet to truly face them this year, as our first meeting in May was rained out, and they could only muster six players for our second scheduled game in July, where we took the forfeit victory.  This time around, we would be losing Nate (injury) and Ron (who needed to leave for work after four innings), so our thin roster was growing thinner even as the heat, humidity and exhaustion of the day was taking its toll.  

And that toll was evident early on in this game, as the hitters and baserunners for both teams struggled.  Eric led the game off with a single (we were playing as the visiting team in this one), and after two consecutive flyouts, Stephen singled to rightfield.  Doc rounded second and tried to stretch it to third, but a fine throw from the cutoff cut him down to end the inning.

In the top of the 2nd, Kaitlyn reached when the second baseman misplayed her hard grounder for an error, and one out later, she took third on a single by Mike, who in turn took second on the throw to third.  Jocelyn rapped a base hit into left-center, easily scoring Kaitlyn with the game's first run, but when the throw-in got away from the cutoff, Mike kept rumbling toward the plate.  Bad decision, as he was gunned down there for the second out.  Carlos added a single, but we settled for just the one run.  1-0 EPs!

The third inning featured what was probably an historic Cove Cup Tournament at-bat, with 75-year-old Barb pitching to 10-year-old Justin.  Nancy's son won the battle with a two-out single, but Barb won the war, getting the other three EP batters to ground out harmlessly.

Meanwhile, starting pitcher Ron was mowing down the E.coli lineup.  They were held scoreless for each of the first three frames!  

Going to the 4th inning still up 1-0 in this apparent pitcher's duel, Tino shocked us awake with a one-out triple.  He trotted home on Stephen's two-bagger, and we had doubled our lead to 2-0!  Mason chipped in a clutch two-out rbi-single, knocking in Stephen to make it 3-0!  This was beginning to feel like it would be an easy stroll to victory!

"Not so fast," responded E.coli.  They finally broke through against Franchise in the home-half of the 4th, notching three runs to pull even at 3-3.  Uh-oh.  It appears we were going to have to work for this one after all.

Okay, fine.  "Hey, manager, turn on the offensive spigot!  Yeah, full blast!"  With one out in the top of the 5th, Carlos, Fausto and Chelsea all singled in succession to load the bases, and with two outs, Justin came through with a massively clutch two-run single, plating both Carlos and Fausto, and giving the EPs the lead at 5-3!  Eric followed with a single that drove home Chelsea, and when Justin rounded second and took third, Eric slipped into second on the throw.  Caleb's single brought them both across the dish, and suddenly, it was 8-3!  Tino also singled in the inning, but we were held to just the 5 runs.  Still, it was a back-breaking rally that stymied E.coli's comeback momentum.

With Ron departing, Eric came out of the bullpen to pitch the bottom of the 5th and try to clamp down the victory.  He did the job wonderfully, as our opponents had no answer to our rally, and were kept off the scoreboard for the fourth time in five frames.

The EPs tacked on a few insurance runs in the 6th when Kaitlyn led off with a single.  Two outs later, Jocelyn and Carlos hit back-to-back singles, with Carlos' bringing home Kaitlyn.  9-3!  And then Fausto cleared the bags with his first career triple, scoring Jocelyn and Carlos to make it 11-3!  Gotta admit, I'm starting to feel some comfort with this lead.

E.coli managed a pair of runs in the bottom of the 6th to cut their deficit to 11-5, but it felt like too little, too late at this point.  

And it seems like E.coli agreed with that assessment as well, as things got totally out of control in the top of the 7th.  Justin led us off with his third single of the game, and one out later, the singles party really got underway!  We got base hits by Caleb, Tino (12-5!), Stephen (13-5!), Kaitlyn, Mason (15-5!), and Mike (16-5!).  Now really feeling the heat, literally and figuratively, the E.coli defense began to wither and collapse.  Jocelyn reached on an error by the third baseman, Fausto singled two more runs home (18-5!), Chelsea's shot to first was mishandled for an error (19-5!), and Justin also reached on a miscue, this time by the shortstop (20-5!).  Enough?  Nope.  Eric doubled in Chelsea and Justin (22-5!), and Caleb tacked on one more with a single to score Eric (23-5!).  Mercy!  A 12-run explosion by the EP bats!  💥

To their credit, E.coli gamely kept fighting in their last at-bats, scoring three runs to make it 23-8, but it was purely cosmetic.  The EPs won, and won big!

The victory improves our overall 2026 record to 9-7.  We are now 4-4 at home, and 5-3 on the road. 

With this victory, the Empty Pitchers finished the tournament at 2-1 and secured the 2nd place trophy in the 2026 Cove Cup Tournament.  inDRStructible finished 1st with a 3-0 record; NGNL finished 3rd at 1-2; and E.coli Happens finished 4th at 0-3.

The offensive player of the game was Fausto, who went 3-for-4 with a triple, 2 runs scored and 4 rbi.  Also of note were Eric (3-for-5 with a double, 2 runs scored and 3 rbi) and Justin (3-for-4 with 3 runs scored and 2 rbi).  Ron (W) picks up the pitching victory, improving to 5-2, while Eric (S) collects his first career save, and the team's second save of the season.  While no particular defensive plays stood out in this game, Justin played two innings at first base (his first career defensive action), and handled it solidly!

Finally, thank-you thank-you thank-you to everyone who came out and suffered in the heat and humidity all for the sake of fun!  Thanks to Nancy for coming out to cheer us on!  Thanks to Kaitlyn and Mason and Stephen for joining us, for displaying both talent and spirit, and to Eric for recruiting them -- here's hoping that they'll become regular EPs!  Thanks to Stephen for grilling up burgers and dogs for the crowds -- that was awesome of you!  And most of all, thanks for letting me be a part of this amazing team!

  Photo courtesy of Jocelyn Beaulieu 

Notes & Numbers

• A tribute to Michael Jordan?:  The Empty Pitchers scored 23 runs in both games #2 and #3 of this tournament.  That 46-run total is the most runs the EPs have scored in a two-game span since July of 2022.  On 7/7/22, we took down the Bisons, 24-11, at Hall H.S. in West Hartford; and the following week, on 7/14/22, we outlasted the Fighting Plankton, 25-19, at Buckingham Park in Glastonbury.
• The not-so-dirty dozen:  How historic was our 12-run 7th inning against E.coli?  Well, for starters, it was our biggest inning of the season.  Our previous high was 10 runs, which we did in the bottom of the 6th inning of our 21-19 win on May 21 versus The Line Drivers.  It was also the largest single inning we've had since we enjoyed a 15-run bottom of the 5th in our 26-10 shellacking of No Hit Sherlock on May 26, 2022 at Colt Park in Hartford.  19 EPs came to the plate in that inning, and four batters (Joe, Rob, Caren and Rowan) had two hits in the frame.
• Where's the beef?:  The EPs have now gone 4 consecutive games without a homerun, our longest such stretch of the season.  Ironically, we are 3-1 in that period.
• EP Tournament MVP:  Our third-best performance of the tournament was  . . . TINO, who went 6-for-8 (.750) with 5 runs scored and 5 rbi.  Our second-best performance of the tournament was . . . STEPHEN, who went 7-for-10 (.700) with 6 runs scored and 5 rbi.  And our best performer of the 2026 Cove Cup Tournament was . . . FAUSTO, who went 8-for-10 (.800) with 5 runs scored and 6 rbi.  Congrats!  🏆  Fausto joins former tournament MVPs Joe (2021); Nate/Tino (2022); Rob (2023 & 2025); and Angel (2024).
• Milestones (since 2015):  Fausto has now appeared in 25 career games for the EPs (tied 29th-most all-time).  Eric has now scored 325 times in his EP career (most all-time).  Tino has driven in 275 career rbi (2nd-most all-time).
• Team milestones:  When Kaitlyn singled to open the 6th inning, it was the 600th plate appearance by an EP this season.  Fausto's 7th-inning single was our team's 600th at-bat of 2026.  

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?  Well, let's analyze the situation.     

Reasons to be excited: 

• In game #2 of the 2026 Cove Cup Tournament, the Empty Pitchers would be taking on No Glove No Love (NGNL), the team we beat just four days ago, on this very same field, 12-9.
• Our newest EPs (Stephen, Mason and Kaitlyn) all proved themselves to be valuable additions to our lineup in game #1.
• Tino and Justin had arrived, and would be available to bolster our lineup in game #2.
• Everybody had a chance to take a breath, re-center, eat an awesome empanada or two, and hydrate before we dove into the second game.

On the other hand, reasons to worry:

• We had just gotten pasted, 19-3, by inDRStructible in game #1, our poorest offensive performance in two years.
• NGNL had just crushed E.coli Happens in their game #1, so much so that by the 5th inning, E.coli surrendered and quit the remainder of the contest.
• Prior to last Tuesday, we had been 0-12 all-time versus NGNL, so, like, what were the odds that lightning would strike twice?  I mean, seriously . . . 
• Losing this game, falling to 0-2 in the tournament, would be devastating to our chances to win it, and damage our odds of finishing the season above .500.

On the plus side, the EPs won the coin flip and chose to play as the home team.  On the minus side, NGNL absolutely exploded out of the gates, pummelling the EP pitching and defense to the tune of half a dozen runs in the top of the 1st inning.  Ouch!  Down 6-0 before we even come to bat.  Talk about starting in a hole! 

Time to wave the white flag?  Don't even dream about it!  Even though the first two EP batters skied out to right-centerfield to begin the bottom of the 1st, Tino called for the two-out rally when he singled, then came all the way around to score on Stephen's rbi-double.  We were on the board, 6-1!  Jocelyn ripped a grounder that ate up the third baseman (Marisa) for an error, and then Mason doubled to bring Stephen home.  6-2!  With runners at second and third, Fausto came through with a two-run single, and just like that, 6-4!  Caleb singled into left-centerfield, and somehow, someway, Fausto just kept running, and scored all the way from first.  6-5!  Kaitlyn singled, pushing Caleb to second, before Carlos punched a grounder to short.  The shortstop fielded the ball and threw to second for the force, but took too long -- Kaitlyn beat the throw, and the bases were loaded.  Mike looped a single to right, driving in both Caleb and Kaitlyn, and HOLY CRAP!  THE EPs LED, 7-6!  WOW!  A 7-run outburst, all coming with two outs and the bases empty!  Way to respond, EPs!

But NGNL is too good a team to be beaten that easily.  In the top of the 2nd, they scrapped for a pair of runs, retaking the lead, 8-7.  Unfortunately for them, their defense was far from solid in this game.  Chelsea led off the home-half of the 2nd with a drive at the first baseman (Dan), who booted the ball for an error.  Then young Justin singled in his first at-bat of 2026, putting two runners on with nobody out.  The threat almost died when the next two hitters were retired, but Tino tripled over the head of the left-centerfielder, knocking in both runners to allow the EPs to leapfrog NGNL and take a 9-8 advantage!  And then the NGNL pitcher (Joe) couldn't handle Stephen's swing, dropping the ball for an error that let Tino scamper home with our 10th run!  Double figures, and a 10-8 lead!

Settling down in the top of the 3rd, EP pitcher Eric limited the powerful NGNL lineup to a single run, preserving our advantage at 10-9.  A little too close for comfort, so what say we add a few more runs?  Mason singled to open the bottom of the 3rd, and advanced to third on a double by Fausto.  That set things up for Caleb, who brought 'em both in with a two-run single.  12-9!  Kaitlyn's double chased Caleb around to score.  13-9!  Still nobody out!  Carlos doubled, moving Kaitlyn to third, before Mike dribbled a grounder toward third base.  He was thrown out at first, but Kaitlyn cagily crossed the plate, with Carlos moving to third.  14-9!  Ron grounded to short, but again, it was a productive out, as Carlos came home to complete a 5-run rally, upping the score to 15-9!  That's it, EPs, keep the pressure on! 

Once again, the NGNL bats attempted to forge a comeback bid, as they put together a four-run top of the 4th, cutting it to only 15-13.  But the EP offense was a juggernaut, continuing to crush.  With one out in the bottom of the 4th, Eric's single and Nate's double put runners at second and third for Tino, who drove a sacrifice fly to deep left-center.  Doc tagged and scored easily.  16-13!  Stephen, who had tripled twice in game #1, did it again here, and Nate crossed the dish.  17-13!  Jocelyn single Stephen home, and it was 18-13!  Mason was up next, and when he lofted a ball to deep right, the rightfielder muffed it, dropping the ball for NGNL's fourth error of the contest.  It was a costly error, too, as the ball rolled to the fence; both Bubbles and Mason scored, and we had now hit the 20-run mark.  20-13!  Fausto doubled for the second time in as many at-bats, then came in to score when the left fielder had Caleb's drive to leftfield tick off his glove for yet another error.  21-13!  

If the score alone wasn't enough to rattle NGNL, their alarming number of errors was.  They actually called for an unprecedented mid-inning team meeting at the mound to give themselves a pep rally!  It almost worked, too, as they got out of the inning, then pieced together their second straight four-run frame, shortening our lead to 21-17.  And for the first time all game, the EPs failed to score in the bottom of the 5th, despite a one-out single by Mike.  Uh-oh.  We just could not let this one slip away!

NGNL added a run in the top of the 6th to get it to 21-18, but the EPs got it back and more in the last-half of the 6th.  Justin opened the 6th with his second single of the contest, and was able to tag and advance to second on Nate's fly to right. He touched the plate on a double by Tino, making it 22-18, and then Tino scored when Stephen's hard grounder to second was misplayed for NGNL error #6.  23-18!

Our opponents tried to put up a fight, but after scoring just once, their comeback bid stalled.  EPs win, 23-19!  In just a five day span, we had beaten the team we could never beat . . . twice!  Unbelieveable!

The victory evens our tournament record at 1-1, and improves our 2026 season record to 8-7.  We are now 4-4 as the home team, and 4-3 as the visitors.

The offensive player of the game was Tino, who went 3-for-3 with a double, triple, sac fly, 3 runs scored and 4 rbi.  Also of note were Fausto (3-for-3 with two doubles, 3 runs scored and 2 rbi) and Caleb (2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and 3 rbi).  On the mound, Eric pitched a complete game en route to his first victory of the year (1-2).  Defensively, the 6th inning saw Caleb grab a hot shot to shortstop, and when his throw to first was a tad low, Ron made the awesome scoop to get the out.  And in the top of the 7th, first baseman Carlos snared a rocket to first, stepped on the bag for the first out, then turned and fired the ball to Tino at second, who tagged the (albeit hamstrung) runner from first for the 3-3-6 double play.

  Photo courtesy of Jocelyn Beaulieu 

Notes & Numbers

• Thanks for the help!:  The EPs scored 23 runs in this game, but only collected 22 hits.  How?  6 NGNL errors led to 13 unearned runs!  The horror . . . the horror . . . 
• Count 'em up:  The last time the Empty Pitchers scored at least 23 runs in a game?  May 1, 2025, when we blasted The Line Drivers, 26-14.  In that game, Joe had 5 runs and 6 rbi, while Rob added 5 runs and 5 rbi.  And amazingly, we had neither for this game!
• Count 'em up II:  The last time we allowed 19 runs, yet still won the game?  Not as long ago as you might think!  May 21, 2026, when we scored 10 times in the bottom of the 6th to come back and beat The Line Drivers, 21-19!
• Winning the inning:  Baseball managers often talk about focusing on winning each individual inning, rather than worrying about the game as a whole.  In game #1 versus DRS, the EPs were outscored in 4 of the 7 innings, and tied in the other 3.  In other words, we won no innings at all, and therefore lost the game handily.  Well, in game #2 versus NGNL, we outscored them in 5 of the 7 innings (they took the 5th inning, 4-0; and the 7th, 1-0, although the EPs did not bat in the 7th since the game had ended).  And that's how you prevent a comeback!
• Milestones (since 2015):  Nate's 550th career at-bat was his double in the 4th inning (7th-most all-time).  Fausto has now taken 75 career at-bats (26th-most all-time).
• Team milestones:  Tino scored the 175th run of the season for the EPs in the bottom of the 6th.  Mike's 1st-inning single was the 250th base hit of the year for the team.  In the 1st inning, Caleb picked up our team's 150th rbi of 2026 with his single.  In the 5th inning, Chelsea hit into our 50th fielder's choice of the season.  Stephen got our team's 350th total base as part of his 4th-inning triple.

If the Cove Cup Tournament is played at Sage Park in Berlin, is it still the Cove Cup?           

That was the question put to the test this past Saturday, as inDRStructible, No Glove No Love, E.coli Happens and the Empty Pitchers convened as usual for the round-robin tourney that's been held on the first Saturday of August every year since 1988.  But this time around, the games had to be moved from our usual confines at Cove Park in Wethersfield due to a vintage baseball game being held there.  Not a problem, it turns out, as Sage Park offered two well-groomed fields, and the weather cooperated nicely with hot, humid sunshine throughout.

The Empty Pitchers were making our sixth appearance in the tourney, having replaced the Bisons in 2021, and finishing in 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 4th and 3rd places since.  As luck would have it, we drew the #1 seed (for the 4th time in 6 years), allowing us to choose which field we preferred (we opted for the one with concrete dugouts and a gravel infield rather than the dirt one with open-air benches), and remained there for all three games.  We would face League Commissioner Jim Chakulski's inDRStructible team in Game #1, and chose to play as the home team.

With a lineup lacking our usual power sources (Joe, Rob, Jeff and Tino were all unavailable), we were able to compensate with three new recruits in Stephen, Mason and Kaitlyn, all making their EP debuts.

Ron (The Franchise) took the mound to start for the EPs, and DRS struck quickly, pushing three runs across the dish in the top of the 1st to jump out to an early 3-0 lead.  In response, Nate picked up a one-out single, while Jocelyn and Mike both singled with two outs to load the bases, but we couldn't dent the scoreboard in the bottom of the 1st.

Neither team scored in the 2nd, with the EPs going down in order on a flyout and a pair of groundouts.

DRS broke it open in the top of the 3rd, scoring half a dozen runs to inflate their advantage to 9-0, but it was still early.  We could certainly come back.  And we did successfully get on the board in the home-half of the 3rd, as Stephen led off with a booming triple to right-center.  Things got scary when DRS pitcher Hector struck out the next two batters, but Eric came through with a clutch two-out single to plate Stephen with our first run, and it was 9-1.  Nate followed with a single, but we failed to do any more damage.

Seemingly offended by us having the audacity to score against them, DRS tacked on four more runs in the top of the 4th, extending their lead to 13-1.  All we could do to answer was a two-out single by Fausto.

After inDRStructible added a pair of runs in the 5th inning to make it a galling 15-1, we actually did have an answer in the last of the 5th.  With one out, Mason and Stephen smashed back-to-back triples to double our score to 15-2, and Ron then singled Stephen home to cut the deficit to 15-3.  Okay, it's a start!

But DRS just went back to work in the top of the 6th, hanging another 4-spot on the board to balloon their lead to 19-3.  And that was that.  There were no further runs scored in the game, despite Nate's leadoff single in the bottom of the 6th, and Fausto's leadoff single in the last of the 7th.  It was a tale of futility, as we amassed only 12 hits in dropping the game 19-3.  Oof.

The loss drops our tournament record to 0-1, and our 2026 record to 7-7.  We are now 3-4 as the home team, and 4-3 as the visitors.

The offensive player of the game was Stephen, who went 2-for-2 with a pair of triples, 2 runs scored and an rbi.  Ron pitched a complete game in taking the loss, dropping his pitching record this season to 4-2.  Defensively, catcher Kaitlyn made a great lunging catch of a foul pop-up up the third base line in the top of the 5th.  And in the top of the 6th, the EPs turned what Jim C. confirmed was the first triple play in Cove Cup Tournament history!  With runners at first and second and no outs, the DRS batter ripped a line drive at third baseman Mike.  As he gloved the ball, both runners wisely froze, but the ball squirted out of his glove and rolled right to the third base bag.  Mike picked it up, stepped on the bag, threw to shortstop Stephen at second, who relayed to first baseman Carlos for the 5-6-3 tri-killing!  Inning over!  Sweet!

    Those dang vintage baseball guys ruined our Cove Cup Tournament!   

Notes & Numbers

Um, not great:  The Empty Pitchers scored just 3 runs in this game.  That's our poorest showing since June 12, 2024, when we came up on the wrong side of a 14-1 score versus The Dream Team in Bloomfield.  Today's 12 total hits were our fewest since, well, not that long ago actually.  We collected only 9 hits back on July 2, 2026 in our 13-7 loss to No Glove, No Love at Cove Park.

Milestones (since 2015):  When Eric led off the game with a popout to shortstop, it was his 750th career at-bat, the most ABs ever by an EP.  Mike's 1st-inning single was his 725th career AB (2nd-most all-time).

Team milestones:  Stephen's triple leading off the 3rd inning was the 500th plate appearance by an EP this season.  Nate's single leading off the 6th inning was the 500th at-bat by an EP this year.  Stephen scored the 150th run of 2026 for the EPs in the 3rd inning.

  Well, it's been fun, EPs!  I've truly enjoyed being a part of this team for around 16 years, and having the privilege of getting to know you all.  But after last night's game, I'm convinced that somewhere along the line, I must have accidentally sold my soul to the devil.  😈  So that's it . . . I'm doomed.

How else to explain what just happened?!

On Tuesday evening, the Empty Pitchers took their perfectly middling 6-6 record on the road to Berlin to take on No Glove, No Love (NGNL) at Sage Park.  Yeah, the same NGNL team that beat us 13-7 back on July 2nd at the Cove.  The same NGNL team against whom we are 0-12 since I took over as manager.  The same NGNL team that has won most of the Cove Cup Tournaments of the past decade.  What I'm saying is, they're kinda good.

The predicted rains held off nicely, and the field was well-groomed for us, but don't let that fool you.  The EPs were at a severe disadvantage.  We would be without a good portion of our lineup's thunder, as both Joe and Rob would not be available.  And Eric had prior commitments that would limit him to only the first four innings of this game.  Oof.  Hard to like our chances of avoiding a blowout loss.  Alright, enough stalling.  Let's just get to the pain . . . 

The EPs opened the top of the 1st inning with a quick salvo featuring singles by Eric and Nate, and a blast to centerfield by Tino.  His ball went easily over the left-centerfielder's glove and to the fence for a two-run triple, putting the EPs on the board, 2-0.  One out later, Erienne singled Tino home to stake us to an early 3-0 lead.  Nice.  If we were about to get blown out, at least we would make NGNL work for it a little.

Ron took the mound for the EPs, making his first start since that last game versus NGNL, when he left the game after three innings with the EPs enjoying a 6-5 lead that we failed to hold.  This time around, he continued to flummox the NGNL hitters, as they managed only a single run in the home-half of the 1st, to cut our lead to 3-1.

To our credit, the EPs kept their collective foot on the gas pedal in the 2nd, as Caleb led things off with a single.  Fausto singled.  Ron singled to load the bases.  Eric singled to keep the line moving, driving in Caleb.  4-1!  Nate singled, pushing Fausto across the dish.  5-1!  Tino's drive to left was plenty deep enough for Ron to tag up and score, and as a bonus, Eric tagged and took third.  6-1!  Jeff then put one in the air to deep right-centerfield, allowing Eric to tag and come home.  7-1!  Wow!  Yes, it's still early, but such a big lead had to spark a tiny flame of hope in our hearts.

NGNL responded with a few hits and a couple of runs, closing the gap to 7-3 after two frames.

The 3rd inning saw Jocelyn single with one out, and Fausto single with two down, but we failed to add anything to our total.  Meanwhile, NGNL continued to struggle, getting blanked in the bottom of the 3rd.

In the top of the 4th, newest EP Donna arrived, ready to lead off the action with her first career at-bat.  Unfortunately, the only offense we could muster was a one-out double by Eric, and so the score held.  NGNL scrounged up one run off of Ron's pitching and the tight EP defense, making it 7-4, but shockingly, we were still ahead!  

Not having scored in back-to-back innings though, our lead was certainly starting to feel precarious.  NGNL would make a comeback bid.  You just know they would.  They always do.  Where were we going to find enough offense to hold off our opponents' eventual rally?  Well, cue the EP hit parade!  Jeff led off the top of the 5th with a base hit, and one out later Mike, Jocelyn and Caleb all singled in succession, with Bubbles knocking in Jeff to get it to 8-4, and Caleb's drive bringing home Mike.  9-4!  Fausto sliced a double into the gap to plate Jocelyn.  10-4, good buddy!  And when Ron punched a grounder to short, Caleb trotted in with yet another run to complete our second four-run inning of the contest!  11-4 EPs!

And guess what?  NGNL got nothing but a big, fat zero in the last-half of the 5th.  Five innings down, two to go, and the EPs up by seven runs!  I was starting to think . . . "maybe."

How about an insurance run?  Nate rapped a two-bagger to open the top of the 6th, moved to third on Tino's deep flyout to left-center, then tagged and scored on Jeff's sacrifice fly to left-center.  12-4!  Erienne also singled in the inning, but we added nothing more.

And then . . . 😲

With their remaining outs dwindling, NGNL began spraying base hits.  One run scored, then another.  Then a few more.  By the time the third out was recorded, they had pushed five runs across, closing the gap to only 12-9.  It was a close game again, with just one inning left.  Uh-oh.  

Jocelyn led off the top of the 7th with a single, her third hit of the day.  But the next three batters were shut down in order on a flyout and a pair of grounders, so now it was up to the defense to hold it . . .and hold it they did!  NGNL couldn't score a single run in their 7th-inning plate appearances.  Zero.  Zilch.  Nada.  As the final out settled into Nate's glove in shallow left field, the crowd erupted!  EPs win, 12-9!  Unbelievable!  Amazing!  Stupendous!

The victory improves our 2026 record to 7-6.  We are now 3-3 as the home team, and 4-3 as the visiting team.  And, we are now 1-12 all-time versus NGNL.

The offensive player of the game was Tino, who went 1-for-3 with a triple, sacrifice fly, run scored and 3 rbi.  Also of note were Eric (3-for-3 with a double, 2 runs scored and an rbi); Nate (3-for-4 with a double, 2 runs scored and an rbi); Jocelyn (3-for-4 with a run scored and an rbi); and Fausto (3-for-4 with a double, run scored and an rbi).  Ron pitched a complete game in picking up the win, striking out one batter in improving his record to 4-1 this season.  Defensively, the outfield as a whole was impressive, with great, possibly game-saving catches made by Nate in left, Eric and Caleb in left-center, Erienne in right-center and Jeff in right.

   From left:  Jeff, Ron, Caleb, Jocelyn, Donna, Tino, Mike, Fausto, Nate, Erienne. 

Photo courtesy of Erienne Mellen.

Notes & Numbers

• It's a family affair:  Every starting EP had a hit in this game.  Every starting EP except Erienne scored a run.  Every starting EP except Mike had an rbi.  Way to share the burden and contribute!
• Making the sacrifice:  Jeff had two sacrifice flies in the game, while Tino had one.  That's the first time this season that we've had as many as three sacs in a game.  The last EP to hit two sac flies in a game was Rob, who did it on August 2, 2025, in our 14-11 loss to  . . . NGNL.
• Milestones (since 2015):  Fausto's 2nd-inning single was his 25th career base hit (29th-most all-time).  Tino's triple in the 1st inning was the 40th three-bagger of his career (most all-time).  Jeff scored for the 100th time in his career in the 5th inning (12th-most all-time).  Ron picked up his 25th career pitching win (2nd-most all-time).  Ron also crossed the 400 career innings-pitched mark in the bottom of the 6th (2nd-most all-time).
• Team milestones:  Jeff's 2nd-inning sacrifice fly was our team's 10th sac of the season.  Fausto's 5th-inning double was our 300th team total base of the year.

[Editor's note:  It's All-Star Weekend for the WNBA, so here's a tribute to the All-Star lineups, including starting players, benches, general managers and coaches.]

Following two weeks on the road, the Empty Pitchers returned home to Cove Park/DMV this week to go to  Rhyne Howard  with inDRStructible for the second time this season.  Back on June 11, the EPs took DRS to extra innings before succumbing, 19-16, in 8 frames, so we were certainly looking to turn the  Paige Bueckers  and even things up in the season series with a victory here tonight, under near-perfect, sunny, 80-degree conditions.  In the interest of fairness, DRS was allowed to play as the home team this time around.

With Hector pitching for DRS, Nate sparked the EP offense in the top of the 1st with his one-out, line-drive single to right-center, and with two down, Rob singled Nate over to third.  A good start, and it was going to get even better thanks to some shoddy glovework by our opponents.  Erienne (don't even try to  Cynthia Cooper  up!)   dropped a swinging bunt in front of the plate, and once Hector grabbed it, he threw wide of first for an error, allowing Nate to score the unearned run and draw first blood in the game, and Rob to motor over to third.  Then Caleb grounded one toward third, which third baseman Scott bobbled, then threw out of the reach of the second baseman for another error.  This one let Rob score to make it 2-0, and left runners at first and second for Jeff.  He promptly doubled to right, plating both Erienne and Caleb, and suddenly, it was 4-0.  Adding to the  Breanna Stewart  of misplays, Tino's grounder was dropped by the first baseman for DRS' third error of the inning, but unfortunately, both runners were stranded and no further runs scored.

With Rob taking the mound to pitch in the bottom of the 1st (a  Kelsey Plum  assignment), some solid EP defense held the DRS lineup in check and off the scoreboard.  4-0 EPs after one.

The 2nd inning of this  Jackie Young  game, however, went to DRS.  The EPs could muster only a two-out single by  Nneka Ogwumike  in the top of the frame, while DRS plated three runs in the home-half, to cut their deficit to 4-3.  It could have been worse, but catcher Jae showed us  Natasha Howard  it's done as she made a great catch of a high pop-up behind home to curtail the DRS rally.

We certainly needed more runs, and Jonathan helped us scratch that particular  Kelsey Mitchell  when he led off the top of the 3rd with a single.  Thanks to a subsequent flyout and a fielder's choice grounder, Nate found himself on first base with two outs when Joe mashed a double.  Despite a recuperating knee, Nate flew all the way around to score, padding our lead to 5-3.  And in the last of the 3rd, the EPs hung a zero on DRS, thanks in part to a nice catch by second baseman Jocelyn of a pop-up in short-centerfield.

Caleb singled with one out in the top of the 4th, and then Jeff unleashed the kraken, blasting a two-run homerun (3rd season, 22nd career) to deep right that rolled for  Olivia Miles , pushing the EP advantage to 7-3!  We had even more  Becky Hammon , as Tino and Jocelyn followed with back-to-back hits, but were left on base.  Still, the EPs were rolling, and all looked right with the world.

Or not.  DRS answered with a 5-run outburst in the bottom of the 4th, giving the EPs a real  Kiki Iriafen  in the mouth and leaping ahead, 8-7.  Defensively, third baseman Carlos, making his EP debut, roamed into foul territory to track down and secure a tough foul pop behind third.

Oh, no!  What  Gabby Williams  we do?  Well, trailing for the first time this game, the EPs stormed right back in the top of the 5th.  Mike opened the frame with a hard grounder to third that couldn't be handled by the third baseman, reaching first base safely on the fourth DRS error of the game.  A pair of groundouts moved Mike to third, and Eric brought him home with a solid single to right-center.  Tie game, 8-8!  Let's keep  Kaitlin Clark  going!  Then Nate pummelled a pitch a  Dominique Malonga  way to right for a two-run homer (1st season, 11th career), as the EPs retook the lead, 10-8!  Pure dead brilliant!  

Looking to  Marina Mabrey  our fun, inDRStructible clawed one run back in the bottom of the 5th, making it a one-run affair, at 10-9.

As we moved to the 6th, Rob led things off with a lined single to left, and Erienne?   Jessica Shepard  followed suit with a single of her own.  Two on, nobody out, . . . I sense a big rally brewing!  Oh, boy!  How many  A'ja Wilson  we tally this inning?  Caleb destroyed a ball to centerfield, but somehow, the left-centerfielder tracked it down for the out.  Still, it was a productive out, as Rob tagged up and advanced to third.  And that's significant, because Rob then tagged and scored on Jeff's sacrifice fly to right-center to add an insurance run. 11-9,  Sonia Citron !

That significance was somewhat diminished, though, when DRS exploded for 5 more runs in their half of the 6th, once again leapfrogging the EPs to take a 14-11 lead.

Chasing three, huh?  Would we just  Teresa Witherspoon  up and blow away?  Nope!  Time to  Angel Reese  as an offense and score some runs!  To the final inning, where Fausto started the EP rally with a one-out double, the first extra-base hit of his short-ish EP career (21 games)!  And he then sped home on Carlos' first base hit of his even shorter (1 game) EP career, a rope-single to leftfield!  14-12!  Here come the EPs!  Mike singled up the middle, but (oh, no!) Carlos got caught in a rundown between second and third for the second out.  Jae kept the line moving with  Cheryl Reeve  first single of the day, chasing Mike to second, and now the tying runs were aboard!   But a fielder's choice grounder ended the threat right there.  The EP take the 14-12 loss.  Once again, soooooo close.

The defeat drops our 2026 season record to 6-6.  We are now 3-3 as the home team, 3-3 as the road team.

The offensive player of the game was Jeff.   Allisha Gray  he did was go 2-for-2 with a double, homerun, sac fly, run scored and 5 rbi.  Nate also had a nice game (2-for-3 with a homerun, 3 runs scored and 2 rbi).  On the mound, Rob pitched a complete game in taking the loss, falling to 2-3 on the season.  He struck out one, increasing his team-leading total to 6 K's.

Notes & Numbers

• Sharing the wealth:  We had 14 players batting in the EP lineup tonight, the most of any game this season.  Although we only totalled 18 hits (not exactly a  Aliyah Boston  of damage), every single batter collected a base hit!  It's a hit party, and everyone got an invitation!  This is the third time we've accomplished this feat in 11 on-field games -- we did it on May 21, when we collected 27 hits in our 21-19 victory over The Line Drivers; and on June 25, when we had 20 hits in our 15-14 stunner over the Fighting Plankton.
• Chicks dig the longball:  With both Jeff and Nate homering in this game, it marks the first time in 2026 that we've hit multiple dingers in the same game.  In fact, the last time the EPs had more than  Jonquel Jones  round-tripper in a game was way back on May 1, 2025, when Joe and Rob (twice!) went deep in our 26-14 win over The Line Drivers.
• Milestones (since 2015):  None.  But several EPs may  Courtney Williams  history next week (Eric is just 4 at-bats away from becoming the first EP to reach 750 career ABs.  Fausto needs one more hit to reach 25 career hits.  Jeff's next run scored will be the 100th of his career.).
• Team milestones:  Caleb's 4th-inning single was the 200th base hit of the season by the Empty Pitchers.  Joe's 3rd-inning double was the team's 25th double of the year.

There were a number of reasons why the Empty Pitchers should not have played softball on Thursday.  First, it was hot.  And while the humidity had dropped, it was smoky, thanks to the raging forest fires burning throughout Canada and Minnesota that have dropped a dangerous shroud of haze across the Northeast this week.  Then there was the EP roster, which was missing a lot of firepower, what with the absences of regulars Joe and Rob and Caleb and Nate and Jocelyn and . . . well, you get the picture.  We did, in the end, have ten players show up at Bloomfield High School, ready to take on E.coli Happens, but then there was the E.coli roster.  Due to an onslaught of injuries of late, our scheduled opponents could only muster up a total of six players.  That's far too few to make do, and the EPs had no extra bodies to put on loan to help.

The result?  An E.coli Happens forfeit. Not the most glorious of wins for the EPs, but we'll take it.  This victory improves our 2026 record to 6-5, 3-3 at home and 3-2 as the visitors.  

In lieu of our scheduled game, we instead mixed the two rosters, splitting the combined personnel into three teams for an impromptu scrimmage.  While one team batted, the other two played defense.  After two rather lengthy innings, team #1 had scored 17 runs, team #2 had scored 8 runs, and team #3 had scored 4 runs.  Hopefully, everyone had fun!

Also, I was asked to report that Jonathan (team #2) had triples in both of his first two plate appearances.  And Eric (team #1) claims to have batted 12-for-12, although the book was not kept, so no official stats were accumulated.  Given the 17 runs his team scored in two innings, I'm almost inclined to believe him!  😄

[Editor's note:  While waiting in line at the grocery store yesterday, I ran into a few members of the Tartan Army, the rabid, kilt-wearing fanbase of the Scotland national football (soccer) team, in America to attend the 2026 World Cup Tournament.  Over a few pints, they kindly offered to handle this week's softball write-up for me, although I feel compelled to add some wee bit o' translation of their work, for clarity's sake.]

🎵  “We know we ain't no Argentina, 

But we've got John McGinn,

John McGinn! John McGinn!

And Robbo out on the wing,

On the wing! On the wing!

No Scotland, no party,

Steve Clarke's Tartan Army!”  🎶

Haud yer wheesht, mates!  [Be quiet/shut up!]  We're tryin' ta recap the game now!  I ken [know] ya wanna sing, but hold it 'til we're done, aye?

Oh man, this was gonna be great!  The Empty Pitchers were taking on the Bisons this week!  The Bisons!  The team against whom the EPs were 15-2 since 2014!  What a chance to run up the score and pad those stats!  Woo-hoo!

Well, there's a reason they say, "Don't count your bisons before they hatch."  Or, "Don't put all your bisons in one basket."  Or, "A bison in the hand is worth two in the bush."  Or something like that.

Anyway, on Thursday evening, the EPs travelled over to the Joseph O. Goodwin Elementary School in bonnie [beautiful] East Hartford to face the (formerly Boozin') Bisons, a team we have largely dominated over the years.  With a full roster of a dozen players, under nae dreich [not miserable, dreary weather], but rather mostly sunny, warm and humid conditions, things were looking quite positive.  Jae brought her granddaughter, a sweet wee bairn [small, young child], as a good luck charm!  There was Bubbles blowing bubbles!  There was a red-tailed hawk sitting on the backstop during one inning!  

And the game began positively, as well.  Eric and Joe got things started with braw [good-looking] back-to-back singles, with Joe's hit being misplayed by the left-centerfielder for an error that allowed the runners to move up to second and third.  Rob pounded a pitch to left, plenty deep enough for Doc to tag up and motor home with our first run.  1-0!  With two outs, Mike reached first when his grounder to third was gloved, but instead of throwing to first for the inning-ending out, the third baseman opted to lunge after Joe, who was running from second to third.  He missed, resulting in runners at the corners.  Alas, the runners were left stranded.  But hey, at least we were on the board!

• Runners left on base (LOB) this inning:  Joe, Mike
• Runners LOB this game:  2

With Eric making his second pitching appearance of the season, the Bisons plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the 1st to leapfrog ahead, 2-1.

The top of the 2nd inning saw Caleb and Tino come through with consecutive one-out singles, and Chelsea's fielder's choice grounder moved Caleb to third with two down.  Not a problem for Ron, whose clutch single scored Caleb with the tying run, and it was 2-2.

• Runners LOB this inning:  Chelsea, Jae.
• Runners LOB this game:  4

The EP defense clamped down in the home-half of the 2nd, as the Bisons went scoreless.

After the first two EP hitters in the top of the 3rd were retired quietly, Rob mashed the ball on a line to deep left, over the head of the leftfielder and north toward Manchester for a solo homerun (1st season, 42nd career).  That gave the EPs the 3-2 lead!  Jocelyn followed with a single, but we couldn't pad the advantage, as Mike flew out to right-center.  Ach!  Gonny no dae that!  [Please don't do that!]  Still, a run per inning?  Keep it up!  Mony a mickle maks a muckle!  [Small savings add up to a lot.]

• Runners LOB this inning:  Jocelyn.
• Runners LOB this game:  5

Unfortunately, the Bisons responded with a single run of their own to re-knot the game at 3-3 after 3.

Jonathan tried to spark an EP rally in the top of the 4th with his lead-off single, but he was quickly erased on a tidy [beautiful] 6-4-3 double play turned by the Bisons' infield.  Caleb and Tino then singled in succession to restart the threat, but a fielder's choice grounder ended the frame with no runs coming across.  Hey, EP offense . . . yer lookin’ a bit peely wally [you look pale or ill]!

• Runners LOB this inning:  Caleb, Chelsea.
• Runners LOB this game:  7

  And then came the patented "one bad inning", when the EP defense got sloppy and made way too many bowfin' [used for something that makes you want to be sick] missteps, capped by the most damaging blow -- a grand slam homerun to left-centerfield.  The Bisons tallied 5 big runs in the bottom of the 4th, probably all unearned runs, and pulled ahead, 8-3.  Time to give up?  Awa’ an bile yer heid!  [Go away, don’t be ridiculous!]  Not an insurmountable lead, just daunting.

Although this game takes, it also gives back.  For all of the EP errors in the bottom of the 4th, the Empty Pitchers got some help from our opponents' slip-ups in the top of the 5th.  After Ron led off with a single and was replaced on the bases by Jae's fielder's choice, she was in turn replaced by Eric's fielder's choice.  But this time, the shortstop got greedy and tried for the double play, and instead fired the ball past the first baseman for an error, allowing Eric to advance to second.  Joe's single to left-center brought Doc around third and to the plate, cutting our deficit to 8-4, and Joe was able to take second on the play when the left fielder booted the ball for another miscue.  Rob followed with an rbi-single to score Joe, and it was 8-5!  But keep the heid!  [Stay calm!]  Jocelyn also singled, but yet another fielder's choice grounder ended the action right there.

• Runners LOB this inning:  Rob, Mike.
• Runners LOB this game:  9.

The Bisons were kept off the board entirely in the last-half of the 5th, so the EPs were chasing 3 with two innings to go.

The 6th inning was not kind to the EPs.  In the top of the frame, we managed only a leadoff single by Jonathan, and nothing more.  Hey, failing means yer playin'!  [Taking part is what counts!]

• Runners LOB this inning:  Fausto.
• Runners LOB this game:  10.

Meanwhile, the gallus [bold, daring, bordering on arrogant]  Bisons tacked on 3 insurance runs in their half of the 6th, increasing their advantage to 11-5.

Okay, final inning.  Could the EPs find it in themselves to put together one last rally?  It certainly didn't look like it, as the first two batters were retired on easy infield grounders, before Jae knocked a routine grounder to third.  But as if the hand of God intervened, the throw from the third baseman went wide-left, pulling the first baseman off the bag for an error, and we still had a faint heartbeat.  C'mon, gie it laldy, EPs!  [Give it your best!]  Eric singled, moving Jae to second.  Joe singled, plating Jae to make it 11-6!  Still alive!  Rob singled, bringing Eric in!  11-7, and do we dare to hope?  Jocelyn dropped a single over the shortstop, and Joe rounded and scored!  11-8!  Pure dead brilliant!  [Very good!]  This is suddenly getting interesting!  Mike lined a single to right-center, and in came Rob!  11-9, and the tying run was now on base!  Jings!  [Wow!]  This could happen!  Jonathan (who already had a pair of singles in the game) . . . popped it up to third.  The comeback had stalled.  Bisons win.  Ah, well, whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye.  [What’s meant to be will be.]

• Runners LOB this inning:  Jocelyn, Mike.
• Runners LOB this game:  12.

The loss evens our 2026 record at 5-5.  We are now 3-3 as the home team, and 2-2 as the dafty [fool] visitors.

The offensive player of the game was Rob, who went 3-for-3 with a homerun, 2 runs scored and 4 rbi.  Lang may yer lum reek!  [Long may you live!]  Also of note was Joe (3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 rbi).  On the mound, Eric threw a complete game in taking the loss, falling to 0-2 on the season.  He had 3 strikeouts in the contest.  Defensively, the player of the game was shortstop Caleb, who made a fine catch of a pop-up to shallow leftfield, as well as handling a scorching linedrive at his face.

Okay, mates, we're finished.  Time to sing!:

🎶  O flowers of Scotland, when will we see your like again?

That fought and died for your wee bit hill and glen . . .   🎵

Notes & Numbers

• Left behind:  We had our chances to win this ballgame.  As detailed above, the Empty Pitchers left runners on base in every single inning.  A dozen runners in total!  That's the most runners we have left on base in a game this season.  Through 10 games played, our LOB totals per game have been:  10; 4; 9; 7; 11; 11; 7; 9; 7; 12.
• But I'm Next!:  Does this ever happen to you?  When tonight's game ended, Fausto was in the on-deck circle, waiting to bat next.  So far this season, here's who's lost out on their next at-bat when each game ended:  Erienne; Eric; Erienne; Caleb; Nate; Chelsea; Jocelyn; Caleb; Mike; Fausto.
• A perfect mediocre ten:  After 10 games played, our record is 5-5.  Last season, we started 4-6, and finished 6-16.  In 2024, we started 4-6, and finished 9-14.  In 2023, we started 4-6, and finished 8-15.  So it looks like we're actually ahead of the curve this year!
• Milestones (since 2015):  Caleb's 4th-inning single was his 375th career at-bat (9th-most all-time).  Ron's 5th-inning single was the 275th career hit (7th-most all-time).
• Team milestones:  Ron took our team's 400th plate appearance of the season in the 7th inning.  Rob scored the 125th EP run of the year in the 7th inning.  Joe's single in the 7th inning was the 250th total base for the team in 2026.

Now here it is, your Moment of Zen:

[Editor's note:  Happy 250th, USA!  🎂]

 O  hello there!  What  say  we talk a little EP softball?   Can you  believe how hot it was on Thursday evening, when the Empty Pitchers returned to Cove Park/DMV in Wethersfield to  see  No Glove, No Love (NGNL) for the first of three matchups they'll play  by the  beginning of August.  It was already in the 90s at the  dawn's early light , and by gametime, feels-like temperatures were hovering near 114-degrees!  Whew!  Even the usual farmers' market in the park had been cancelled.  But the intrepid EPs, coming into this contest having won five of their last six games, vowed not to wilt, and forged onward!

 What  really hurt us was the fact that, even with  so  many female players on the roster, only Jae and Jocelyn  proudly  attended Thursday's game, so  we  were forced to rotate them in a third slot in the lineup.  Normally, it's  hailed  as a good thing to get extra at-bats, but in this heat and humidity, when it comes to activity, less is more.   At the  end of the game, by  twilight's  approach, both were lucky to be able to stand up, let alone play that  last  inning.  It's a  gleaming  tribute to their fortitude.

It was Ron  whose  arm we relied upon to pitch this day, and he held NGNL to just a pair of runs in the top of the 1st inning.  That put us in an early 2-0 hole, but given the general firepower of this NGNL team, it was a  broad  victory versus their best hitters.  Caleb earned his EP  stripes  in the bottom of the frame as he smoked a one-out single,  and  with our  bright stars  due up, we were definitely looking for a rally.  But we just couldn't get the ball  through the  NGNL shortstop, as he caught Rob's screaming liner, and Jae's looper that almost dropped into left field.  So the EPs remained scoreless as we carried this  perilous fight  into the 2nd inning.

 O'er the  course of the top of the 2nd, NGNL was powerless to score anything at all against the  ramparts  of our solid defensive glovework.  And in the home-half of the inning,  we watched  with some amount of glee as our opponents' defense proved the first half of their name to be true -- No Glove!  Jocelyn led off, and reached when her grounder to the shortstop was fielded cleanly, but thrown past the first baseman for a two-base error.  Jonathan promptly laced a liner back up the middle for an rbi-single, with Bubbles easily coming around to score our first run of the evening.  Nice!  After Fausto replaced Jonathan on the basepaths due to a fielder's choice, Joe lofted a ball into the air in right.  The fielder got to the spot in time, but we  were so  thrilled to see the ball pop out of her glove for an error, allowing the runners to settle at second and third.  Franchise drove a pitch to shallow left that looked earmarked for a single, but the leftfielder  gallantly  (and futilely) attempted the "Nate-slide", dropping the ball for another error.  This one scored Fausto to tie the game at 2-2!  With two outs, Mike sent the ball  streaming  into left for a single, plating Joe to give the EPs a 3-2 lead!  Eric then reached to load the bases when his grounder to short was gloved, but the toss to third base was dropped by the third baseman for the fourth NGNL error of the inning!  Unfortunately, we couldn't do any further damage that inning . . . or rather, NGNL didn't gift us any more runs that inning.

 And  so we took a slim one-run lead into  the  3rd, but No Glove quickly responded with a couple of  rockets , including a two-run homerun by their manager Vin, ultimately scoring three runs to retake the lead at 5-3.  But don't fret, because this year's EP team always seems to have a rally up their sleeves.  Rob led off the bottom of the 3rd with a drive deep into the  red glare  of the sun, settling for a double.  After back-to-back liners to short by Jae and Jocelyn, Jonathan kept  the bombs  falling with another rbi-single, bringing Rob home to cut it to 5-4.  Fausto singled, before Joe mashed a double to plate both Jonathan and Fausto,  bursting  NGNL's bubble as the EPs went back in front at 6-5!  Ron's single chased Joe to third, but the runners were left stranded  in  place.  Still, our 6-5 lead after 3 innings definitely had an  air  of fate to it, like we were destined to win this one!

Or not.  Because, as Rob came out of the bullpen to take over pitching duties and try to nail down this victory, NGNL  gave  us a shrug and pounded out four big runs in the top of the 4th to take a 9-6 advantage.   Proof  that it ain't over 'til it's over, I guess.   Through the  remainder of the  night , the EP bats kind of looked exhausted and weak.   That  was evident in the last of the 4th when we were retired in order on a line drive to third and a pair of flyouts.   Our  stamina was beginning to  flag , but our pride  was still there .

NGNL was apparently wilting as well, as they hung a big " O " on the scoreboard in the top of the 5th.   Say  what you will, but we were still in this!   Does that  mean we had another rally in us?  Umm, no, not this inning.  Our  star-spangled  lineup again went down in 1-2-3 fashion in the bottom of the 5th, on a flyout, a groundout, and a popout.  Not exactly a  banner  inning, y'know?   Yet , we were not ready to  wave  the white flag of surrender -- to the 6th!

As I look  o'er the  scorebook, maybe we should have cut our losses and stopped at 5 innings.  Instead, we took the field for the top of the 6th, only to watch NGNL tack on another four insurance runs, ballooning the score to 13-6.  Oops.  Okay, time for the big ol' comeback!  With one out in the bottom of the 6th, Fausto's grounder to short was thrown wildly to first, NGNL's fifth error of the game!  That overthrow would  land  him at second, with one  of the  most dangerous EPs at bat in Joe . . . who singled to drive in Fausto!  13-7!  But comebacks aren't  free ,  and the home  team couldn't afford the price tonight, as the next two batters were retired without incident.  

Given the extreme heat and humidity, it had been agreed after the 5th inning that the 6th would be the final frame.  So, the game was over.  EPs lose, 13-7.

This loss drops our 2026 record to 5-4.  We are now 3-3 as the home team, 2-1 as the visitors.

The offensive player  of the  game was Joe, who went 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and 3 rbi.  Also of note were Jonathan (2-for-3 with a run scored and 2 rbi) and Fausto (1-for-3 with 3 runs scored).  Rob takes the pitching loss, falling to 2-2 on the season.  He had one strikeout in the game.  Defensively, the play of the game involved an NGNL batter driving a pitch into deep centerfield with a runner at first.  Left-centerfielder Eric retreived the ball, hit his cutoff man in shortstop Caleb, who turned and fired a seed to catcher Ron.  The ball arrived on the fly just a beat too late to get the lead runner, but Ron easily tagged the trailing batter for the thrilling 8-6-2 putout.

And finally, thanks to all of the Empty Pitchers who were game to  brave  the Florida swamp sauna that was tonight's weather conditions.  You are all warriors!  🥵

Notes & Numbers

• Hot weather, cold bats:  As a team, the EPs were 9-for-32 on Thursday, for a team batting average of only .281.  We also had only two extra-base hits -- doubles by Rob and Joe.  The last time we hit so poorly was on June 19, 2025, when we were also 9-for-32 in our 12-5 loss to the Fighting Plankton at Cove Park.  In that game, no EP batter had more than one hit, although Nate's was a homerun, while Rob and Caleb had triples and Tino had a double.
• Hot weather, cold bats II:  How weak was our offense in this game?  Of the 10 players in the EP lineup, only Jonathan was able to increase his career average (from .515 to .517).  Everyone else saw their career averages dinged.
• And then there was one . . . :  We're only 10 games into the season, and Mike is now the lone EP to have attended every game so far.
• Milestones (since 2015):  Ron has now appeared in 200 career games for the Empty Pitchers (3rd-most all-time).  Rob picked up his 375th career hit in the 3rd inning (tied 3rd-most all-time).
• Team milestones:  Jonathan's 3rd-inning single was our 350th team plate appearance of the season.  Jonathan's 6th-inning groundout was our team's 350th at-bat of the year.

And now, your Moment of Zen:

[Editor's note:  Last week, the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team (formerly the Hartford Whalers) defeated the Vegas Golden Knights four games to two to win the 2025-26 NHL championship.  In tribute, their entire roster is highlighted in the text below.]

What a weird and wild softball game . . . if you missed it, you missed  Sebastian Aho  lotta action!  So grab a couple of beers or  Nicolas Deslauriers , sit back and read on!   

On Thursday evening, the Empty Pitchers travelled up to the L.P.Wilson Community Center in Windsor to take on our arch-rivals, the Fighting Plankton from Hell, led by their longtime manager  Frederik Anderssen .  Of all of the teams in our league, the Plankton have long been our closest match,  Andrei Svechnikov  we entered tonight's game with an all-time (since 2015) record of 12-12 against them.  So it would be perfectly reasonable to expect a close, hard-fought contest.

Ooooooon the other hand, the Plankton have re-tooled their roster of late, getting significantly younger and better, and last season they suffered a total of only two losses all year (both to Caught Lookin') while sweeping the home-and-home series with the EPs.  To make matters worse, the EP roster this week would be without a number of regular faces, including Eric, Jocelyn, Jonathan, Jae, Fausto, . . . not even  Jordan Martinook  would be present.  And on top of that, offensive force Rob was involved in a traffic incident en route to the game (everybody's okay!), and wouldn't  Shayne Gostisbehere  until much later.  Uh-oh . . . maybe we could somehow  Jordan Staal  until he arrived?

Under partly cloudy, warm conditions, Nate stepped into the box to lead off the ballgame, and patiently drew the first EP base on balls of the season (the Plankton are the only team in the league to allow walks -- specifically, a maximum of two per inning).  Joe singled Nate to second, so the table was quickly set for some big-time action!  But alas, a fly to left-center and a pair of groundouts left the EPs with a big ol' goose egg to start the game.

Following a two-week absence, Franchise took to the mound to pitch for the EPs, and surrendered a four-spot to the Plankton in the home-half of the 1st, including a mammoth 3-run homerun to centerfield, to put the EPs in an early 4-0 hole.  That's fine, plenty of time for a comeback.

The top of the 2nd saw  Mike Reilly  single to center with one out, but no further offense ensued.  Meanwhile, our opponents added a single run in the bottom of the frame to increase their advantage to 5-0.

Our newest EP, Cheyenne, led off the top of the 3rd with a flyout to left-center in her first career at-bat.  It was a solid swing that would  William Carrier  to success at the plate later in the game.  Back to the top of the order, Nate once again took ball four, but again, that's all the EP bats could muster.  Luckily, the Plankton matched our futility in the last of the 3rd, and the score held at 5-0 after 3.

Things were looking lethargic and bleak for the Empty Pitchers so far.  For three innings, we kind of  Logan Stankoven , but we did show some signs of a pulse in the top of the 4th.  Jeff led off with a single, and after Caleb roped a line drive to the shortstop for the first out, Erienne also singled to put runners at first and second.  Mike looped a base hit to right field, allowing Jeff to race home, putting the EPs on the board at 5-1.  Alright, it's a start.  As I've often said, Step 1 is to score; Step 2 is to reach double figures; Step 3 is to win the game.  Consider Step 1 accomplished!

Unfortunately, the Plankton didn't seem to like having us score on them, as they proceeded to pound out a punishing five-run bottom of the 4th, extending their lead to 10-1.  Oof.  Okay, I admit it looks bad, but don't have a  Mark Jankowski , dude . . . these EPs weren't about to just give up and go home.  

With one out in the top of the 5th, Nate singled, and then Joe doubled.  Nate was able to  Taylor Hall  ass all the way around the diamond to score our second run of the game, making it 10-2.  Tino's single put runners at the corners, before Jeff pulled a grounder toward first base.  The first baseman gloved the ball and raced to the bag for the putout on Jeff, then turned and threw to second.  As Joe sprinted home and touched the plate, Tino slowed down as he approached second, eventually being tagged for the third out.  That delay was key, as it allowed the run to count, despite the inning-ending double play.  The deficit had been cut to 10-3.

That didn't  Seth Jarvis  the Plankton one bit though.  They tacked on an insurance run in their half of the 5th, now going up 11-3.  

As we went to the 6th, the game was beginning to feel out of reach, making me more than a little  K'Andre Miller .  We were down by eight runs, with only six outs remaining to us.  Hmmm.  You know what?  Strike that!  This sounds like a perfect rally opportunity!  Caleb juiced the crowd with a titanic  Jackson Blake  over the rightfielder, his solo homerun (1st season, 15th career) cutting it to 11-4!  One out later, Mike, Chelsea and Ron all singled in succession to load the bases for Cheyenne, whose poise at the plate was rewarded with a base on balls, and an rbi, as Mike trotted home!  11-5!  Nate kept the line moving with an rbi-single, scoring Chelsea!  11-6!  And then Joe swept the bases clean with a three-run double, with Ron, Cheyenne and Nate all crossing the dish!  11-9!  After a flyout for the second out, Jeff logged a two-bagger to bring Joe in, giving the EPs double-digits in runs and making it a one-run ballgame!  11-10!  Step 2 accomplished!  Now having batted around in the inning, Caleb came to bat for the second time, and got his second hit, another EP double that scored Jeff with the tying run!  11-11!  Unbelievable!  Erienne followed with a base on balls, but the rally ended there, as Mike's liner to left was squeezed by the leftfielder to end the threat.  Still, it was a remarkable comeback -- eight runs on eight hits and two walks.  Not too shabby,  Nikolaj Ehlers ?  Right on  Brandon Bussi  for this year's EPs!

 Jesperi Kotkaniemi  I just mention here that the Plankton probably could have knocked the wind out of our sails completely if they had responded in the bottom of the 6th with a multi-run rally of their own.  But instead, Ron's pitching and the EP defense completely shut them down, and we went to the final frame knotted at 11. 

Admittedly, the top of the 7th began in an ugly fashion, as the first two EPs struck out.  But then the late-inning magic continued.  Cheyenne laced a single to left, Rob (in his only at-bat of the night) singled up the middle, Nate drew his third walk of the game (and the EP's fifth) to load the bags, and then Joe did his Joe-thing -- a solid single to plate Cheyenne and Rob with the go-ahead runs.  Even better, the throw to the plate went wild, allowing Nate to score as well, and Joe to take second base on the error.  14-11!  That's great, but you know, I feel like maybe we needed one  Rod Brind'Amour .  And right on cue, Tino's double brought in Joe, and suddenly, it was 15-11 EPs!  Jeff then blasted a massive fly to deeeeeep rightfield, but somehow, someway, the fielder made an amazing grab and held on for the inning-ending out.

Now, all we had to do was record three more outs against a very good team.  Ron was up to the task, bending but not breaking, as the Plankton scored three times, and left the tying and winning runs on base when Tino scooped a grounder up the middle and stepped on second base for the game-ending forceout.  Step 3 accomplished!  EPs wiiiiiiiiin!  The crowd goes wild!  (In the handshake line after the game, there were plenty of high-fives and fist-bumps, but minimal huggin' or  Alexander Nikishin .)

The 15-14 victory improves our 2026 record to 5-3.  We are now 3-2 as the home team, and 2-1 as the visitors.

The offensive player of the game was Joe, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles, 3 runs scored and 6 rbi.  Also of note were Nate (2-for-2 with three walks, 3 runs scored and an rbi) and Jeff (2-for-5 with a double, 2 runs scored and 2 rbi).  Pitcher Ron threw a complete game, garnering the win after  Jaccob Slavin  on the mound for 7 innings, to improve to 3-1 on the season.  He had no strikeouts and three walks in the game.

Defensively, there were numerous impressive plays:  

• With the bases loaded and one out, third baseman Mike was able to cleanly  Jalen Chatfield  a hard grounder hit right at him, step on the third base bag, then tag the runner from third to complete an unassisted double play.
• Second baseman Chelsea dropped a pop-up in shallow rightfield, but retrieved the ball and fired to shortstop Tino at second, who slapped the tag on the hitter who thought he could take the extra base.  (This is the second straight game she has made such a play, last week getting the out at third.  Just between you and me, I'm beginning to think she's intentionally dekeing the batters.)
• Leftfielder Nate made a sliding catch in shallow left-center in the crucial bottom of the 7th to  Eric Robinson  the Plankton batter of a sure hit.
• Chelsea made an awesome, back-to-the-infield, play-of-the-year-candidate  Pyotr Kochetkov  of a pop-up to shallow right-centerfield, also in the 7th.

Notes & Numbers

• Walk this way:  The EPs drew 5 bases on balls in this game.  The last EP to  Sean Walker  in a game was Jocelyn, who walked in the 6th inning of our 18-15 win over the Bisons back on June 29, 2023.  The last time the EPs walked 5 or more times in a game was back on July 14, 2022, when we took ball four 7 times in our 25-19 victory over the Fighting Plankton at Buckingham Park in Glastonbury.  In that game, the free pass was issued to Hulk (x2), Joe, Josh, Ron, Gerry and Andy.
• Who's hot?:  Nate has reached base in 6 consecutive plate appearances (1b, BB, BB, 1b, 1b, BB).  Think that's good?  Rob has now gone 9 straight at-bats, and 11 straight plate appearances without being charged with an unsuccessful at-bat (1b, 1b, 1b, SF, 1b, 2b, 1b, 1b, SF, 3b, 1b), going back 4 games.
• Milestones (since 2015):  Rob and Ron both finished the game with 575 career at-bats (tied for 5th-most all-time).  Joe's 6th-inning double was his 400th career at-bat (8th-most all-time).  Chelsea's 6th-inning single was her 25th career at-bat (tied for 41st-most all-time).  Tino's 7th-inning double was his 375th career hit (3rd-most all-time).  Joe's 6th-inning double was his 275th career hit (6th-most all-time).  Nate scored for the 275th time in his career in the 5th inning (2nd-most all-time).  Joe scored for the 200th time in his career in the 5th inning (6th-most all-time).  Joe's 5th-inning double drove in his 250th career rbi (3rd-most all-time).  Nate led off the ballgame with his 10th career walk (most all-time).
• Team milestones:  Joe took our team's 300th plate appearance of the season in the 3rd inning.  Cheyenne took our team's 300th at-bat of the season in the 5th inning.  Chelsea scored the EPs' 100th run of the year in the 6th inning.  Nate's 5th-inning single was our team's 150th base hit of 2026.  Joe picked up the 100th rbi of the season for the EPs with his 6th-inning double.

And of course, your Moment of Zen:

[Editor's note:  As you may have heard, the New York Knickerbockers won the NBA championship this week, taking down the San Antonio Spurs in 5 games, breaking a 53-year title drought in the process!  In tribute, their entire roster (plus the coach) is highlighted in the text below.]

Another week, another game versus The Line Drivers.  Ho-hum.     

Well, not really.  True, the Empty Pitchers went to  Mohamed Diawara  with the team from the Connecticut Department of Transportation for the third time in five weeks on Thursday, but there were some differences.  For one thing, our first two meetings took place at Colt Park in Hartford, while this game was held at the EP's actual  Tyler Kolek  home field of Cove Park/DMV in Wethersfield.  They're completely different  Karl-Anthony Towns !  For another, although the EPs were short on players of the female persuation, having only two, the Line Drivers were even shorter, with just one female player.  As a penalty, they agreed to bat her twice in the lineup.  No further sanctions were imposed, but unfortunately for them, TLD only had nine players in total, so they were limited to three outfielders anyway.  And finally, due to a player shortage on the part of the EPs, young Jayden made his season debut as an Empty Pitcher, playing catcher and taking his first career at-bats in the process.  He had made an appearance defensively in rightfield in 2025, but the EPs were now looking for an offensive spark to the lineup from the rookie.

Under partly cloudy skies and a humid 88-degrees, Rob took to the mound to pitch for the second consecutive game, and the EP defense held firm, shutting down TLD in the top of the 1st inning.  The bottom of the frame began as it often does, with Eric driving a single to right.  But unlike our "usual" starts, when Nate laced a liner to right, the rightfielder charged, made a shoestring catch, then sprinted all the way in to the first base bag to double off Doc, who had taken off to second on contact.  It was the ultra-rare unassisted double-play by the rightfielder!  You don't see that every day!  Whelp, time to rally with two outs, I guess.  Perhaps as payback, Joe blasted a ball over the rightfielder's head, settling for a triple, before Rob singled him home to give the Empty Pitchers a  Dillon Jones  to nil lead!

The EPs hung another zero on TLD in the top of the 2nd, largely thanks to a dominating pitching performance by Rob, who struck out two in the inning.  In the home-half, Jonathan singled with one out, then came all the way around on a blast to right-center by Tino.  Jonathan scored, but the relay from the shortstop to the catcher was in time to nail Tino at the plate.  Such a  Landry Shamet !  Still, the EPs had added  OG Anunoby  mas to their total to go up 2-0, so no worries!

Slight hiccup in the top of the 3rd, as TLD managed to put two runners on, then were able to  Miles McBride  a 3-run homerun to clear the bases and go out in front, 3-2.  It could have been worse, but for another strikeout by Rob, and a heads-up play by short-centerfielder Chelsea.  On a high pop-up to shallow center, the ball fell in and the batter easily coasted into second; but for some reason, he got greedy and thought to round and  Jalen Brunson  to third.  Chelsea had recovered the ball by that point, and fired to third baseman Tino, who slapped the tag on the dead-duck runner for the out.  A defensive  Trey Jemison III !  The EPs, now trailing, stumbled in the bottom of the 3rd, managing only one baserunner when Jayden's come-backer to the mound was muffed by the pitcher for an error.  

What's worse, storm clouds had been gathering, and now a sudden squall sent everybody fleeing to their cars.  Luckily, the downpour lasted all of about four minutes, and the sun (and a rainbow!) came out even as the rain had been falling, so we were soon back to the action, with the  Mitchell Robinson  and  Jordan Clarkson  singing in the trees.  

Photo courtesy of Jocelyn Beaulieu 

Much like the Knicks in Games 4 & 5, the Empty Pitchers had a comeback in their pocket.  First, the defense kept TLD off the scoreboard in the top of the 4th, including a couple of sparkling plays.  One involved a foul pop-up behind third base, where Tino twisted and fell, but made the grab for the out.  The other was a screaming liner back to the mound, deftly handled by pitcher Rob.  Now for the offense!  Rob and Caleb singled back-to-back with one out to start the rally.  Jocelyn reached on a fielder's choice, as Rob was forced out at third, before Jonathan chipped a grounder to third; the third baseman fielded, then chose to lunge at Caleb, who was running from second to third.  He missed the tag, so the bases were loaded with two outs.  A pivotal moment in the game!  And Tino came through with a clutch single, scoring both Caleb and Jocelyn, allowing the EPs to leapfrog TLD and retake the lead at 4-3!  Now that's showing a lot of  Josh Hart  and a never-say- Pacome Dadiet  attitude!

Deja vu time, as the 5th inning played out similarly to the 4th -- the Line Drivers were kept as idle as a ship at anchor in  Ariel Hukporti , while the EPs added to their advantage.   Jayden jump-started the outburst with a single to center, followed by Mike's single over the thirdbase bag.  Eric singled to right, but the throw into the infield went wild, allowing Jayden to score on the error.  5-3!  One out later, Joe singled to right, and as the rightfielder just stood holding the ball, Mike was able to cross the plate to make it 6-3!  Eric took third on the play, and then scored on Rob's sacrifice fly to leftfield.  7-3!  Caleb also singled in the inning, although we failed to add any more runs.

In the top of the 6th, our opponents were finally able to gather some offense, plating a pair of runs to close the deficit to 7-5.  Should we be worried?  Would TLD be able to  Mikal Bridges  the gap and tie the game?  Naw.  The EPs responded big-time in the last of the 6th.  With one out, Tino and Chelsea notched consecutive singles, and with two down, Mike lined a ball to center that evaded the fielder and kept on rolling.  By the time the dust had settled, both baserunners had scored and Mike had a triple, putting the EPs up 9-5!  Eric promptly singled Mike home to bring the score to double-digits at 10-5!  Nate singled, and then Joe ripped a grounder to second that the fielder couldn't corral for an error, loading the bases with two outs for Rob.  And he didn't miss the moment, clearing the bags with a three-run triple that broke the game open at 13-5!  That's six big insurance runs in the 6th!  That's pretty  Jose Alvarado !

Last ups for the Line Drivers proved fruitless, as they were held scoreless for the fifth time in the game.   Jeremy Sochan , EPs win, 13-5! 

The victory improves our overall 2026 record to 4-3.  We are now 3-2 as the home team, and 1-1 as the visitors.

The offensive players of the game were Rob, who went 3-for-3 with a triple, sac fly and 4 rbi; and Tino, who went 3-for-3 with a triple, run scored and 3 rbi.  As pitcher, Rob picks up the win, improving to 2-1 on the season.  He pitched a complete game, striking out three.  It would be hard to  Kevin McCullar Jr.  a single best defensive play of the game, but overall, the EP gloves were pretty solid,  Mike Brown !

Notes & Numbers

• Shootin' the trey:  The Empty Pitchers had four extra-base hits in this game, and they were all triples (Joe, Rob, Tino, Mike)!  The last time the EPs had four or more three-baggers in a ballgame was back on August 1, 2024, when we beat the Regulators 29-11 at Colt Park.  In that game, we got triples from Eric, Jeff, Rob, Caleb and Mike (plus doubles by Nate and Rob).
• Droppin' a dime:  This game was the fifth time in seven games this season that the EPs have scored in double-digits (71% of the time).  We are now 3-2 when we score 10 or more runs, and 1-1 when we do not.  Last season, by comparison, we reached the 10+ runs plateau in 11 of our 22 games, or only 50% of the time.
• Milestones (since 2015):  Tino has now taken 625 career at-bats (3rd-most all-time).  Eric picked up his 425th career base hit in the 5th inning (most all-time).  Caleb's 4th-inning single was his 200th career hit (8th-most all-time).  Caleb scored for the 125th time in his career in the 4th inning (8th-most all-time).
• Team milestones:  Mike's 6th-inning triple was the 10th triple of the year by an EP.

Here it is again, your Moment of Zen:

[Editor's note:  Last Monday, Jocelyn and Mike (and a number of DRS players) took part in the taping of an episode of the Fox television show, Hell's Kitchen, at Dunkin Park in Hartford.  To celebrate the broadcast television premiere of the Empty Pitchers, I hereby invite you to partake in the following 8-course softball meal, with actual critique by the show's host, Gordon Ramsay.]

On Thursday evening, seven full weeks into the 2026 season, it was finally time for the Empty Pitchers to return to their home field of Cove Park/DMV in Wethersfield.  This "true" Opening Day came after five straight games at Colt Park in Hartford, plus a rainout of a scheduled Bloomfield game.  And it was nice to be home.  The farmers' market.  The live band playing ragtime music.  The cool grass.  The flies buzzing around the spot where the port-o-potty stood during the recent Wethersfield High School graduation ceremony.  Ahem.  Anyway, the EPs entered tonight's contest riding a three-game winning streak and sporting a 3-2 record, so hopes were high for a spirited showing.  

Chef Ramsay:  "For what we are about to eat, may the Lord make us truly not vomit."

 1. Hors d'oeuvres:  Small, hand-held bites served as guests arrive, often during cocktail hour, to stimulate the appetite. 

Taking on the surprisingly 0-5 inDRStructible team under hazy, hot and humid conditions, Rob took the mound to make his first start of the season.  DRS pounded out 3 runs in the top of the 1st inning to jump out in front.  In response, Eric opened the EP 1st with a single, moved to second on a productive groundout by Nate, then scored on a single by Joe.  As rallies go, that was simple and effective.  But we weren't done yet, as Rob singled, and with two outs, Caleb mashed a triple to plate both Joe and Rob, tying the score at 3-3 after one frame.  Could be better, could be worse.

Chef's take:  "My gran could do better!  And she's dead!"

 2. Soup:  A light, flavorful soup such as a velouté, bisque, or consommé to prepare the palate for subsequent courses. 

Neither team was able to grab a lead in the 2nd, as both lineups were retired without scoring, despite the EPs getting singles by Mike and Fausto.  They were just two of eleven runners left on base this week by the EPs.  This inning was heavily under-seasoned.

Chef's take:  "This is a really tough decision . . . 'cause your both crap!"

 3. Appetizer:  A more substantial starter, which may include seafood, charcuterie, or creative small plates. 

DRS managed to score the go-ahead run in the top of the 3rd to take a 4-3 advantage, but it was short-lived.  In the home-half of the inning, Chelsea singled over the second baseman's head, and then Eric and Nate followed with singles of their own, Nate's driving in Chelsea to re-tie the game at 4-4.  Joe's base hit loaded the bags with nobody out and Rob at the dish, and he promptly blasted a sacrifice fly to left, plenty deep enough to score Eric and allow Nate to tag and advance to third.  That's heads-up baserunning, for sure, but as it turns out, Nate didn't need to tag up at all, as Jeff then destroyed a pitch to rightfield for a three-run homerun (2nd season, 21st career), putting the EPs in front, 8-4!  With two outs in the inning, the EPs tried to create another rally when Erienne and Mike singled back-to-back, but no further runs crossed the plate.  (As an aside, we did not go out for pizza after the game.)

Chef's take:  "This isn't a pizza, this is a mistake.  This is an Italian tragedy."  "This pizza is so disgusting, if you take it to Italy, you'll get arrested."

 4. Salad:  Often served as a palate cleanser; in modern dining, it may precede or follow the main courses depending on the chef's style. 

Our opponents added a pair of runs in the top of the 4th, cutting our 4-run lead in half, and uh-oh!  The EPs could do no more than sandwich Jonathan's first hit of the season between three stale groundouts.  Barely a soupcon of offense.  We were holding an 8-6 lead heading to the 5th, however.

Chef's take:  "Don't just stand there like a big f**king muffin!"  "You put so much ginger in this, it's a Weasley!"

 5. Main Course:  Typically includes one or two protein-based dishes such as meat, poultry, or fish, often accompanied by vegetables or starches. 

You could feel the momentum shifting away from the EPs, as inDRStructible exploded in the top of the 5th, enjoying their best offensive outburst of the game!  They notched 5 big runs to leapfrog the EPs and take an 11-8 lead.  Whew.  So the EPs just sighed, gave up and went down in order, right?  Wrong!  Momentum, schmomentum!  Eric led off the bottom of the 5th with a grounder to short, but the shortstop bobbled, then pulled the first baseman off the bag with a poor throw.  Nate was kind enough to give the shortstop another chance with another grounder to short, but while the shortstop was able to step on second for the force on Eric, he then fired the ball past first for his second error in as many plays.  Nate took second on the overthrow, then scored on a single by Joe, cutting the deficit to 11-9.  Rob singled to put two on for Jeff, who smacked a hard single that not only plated Joe from second, but was deep enough to allow Rob to speed all the way around from first, once again tying the score at 11-11!  Can you taste what the EPs are cooking?!  Caleb kept the party going with a double that scored Jeff, and we had taken the lead, 12-11!  One out later, Mike dropped a single into centerfield to bring Caleb home, and it was 13-11!  What a cloyingly sweet comeback!  We pushed for even more, as Jae singled, and Fausto reached when his bouncer to the pitcher was misplayed for an error, loading the bases.  But we just couldn't get that one more hit that might have broken the game open.  Still, we answered DRS' 5-run outburst with an immediate 5-run response!  Tasty!

Chef's take:  "This lamb is so undercooked, it's following Mary to school."  "There's enough garlic in here to kill every vampire in Europe!"  "Why did the chicken cross the road?  Because you didn't f**king cook it!"

 6. Palate Cleanser:  A small, refreshing dish, such as a sorbet, to reset the taste buds before dessert. 

DRS scored twice in the top of the 6th inning to knot the score at 13-13.  But in the bottom of the 6th, Jonathan led things off with a single, and one out later, scored on Eric's double, giving the EPs the lead once again, this time at 14-13!  Nate singled Doc home, and it was 15-13!  And with two outs Rob doubled, and we went up 16-13 when Nate touched the plate!  A 3-run lead, and only 3 outs to go for the win!  Delicious!

Chef's take:  "I wouldn't trust you running a bath, let alone a restaurant."  "I've never, ever, ever, ever, ever met someone I believe in as little as you."

 7. Dessert:  A sweet course, which can range from pastries to elaborate plated desserts. 

Wouldn't you know it, DRS squeezed out exactly three runs in the top of the 7th, leaving things even at 16-16.  All we needed was one run.  One measly run and we could walk it off in style!  Just a dash of that savory offense!  But Caleb ripped a liner right into Scott's glove at third.  Erienne lined the ball right to the second baseman.  And Mike hit a cue-shot liner, also to second.  Three up, three down.  Damn.  Sorry, chef.

Chef's take:  "You added so much salt and pepper I can hear the dish singing, 'Push It'."  "This souffle has sunk so badly James Cameron wants to make a film about it."

 8. Mignardise:  Bite-sized confections or petit fours served at the end of the meal, often with coffee or tea, providing a final touch of indulgence. 

Bonus cantos, ladies and gentlemen!  Extra innings!  For the second inning in a row, DRS plated three runs, this time breaking the tie and going out in front, 19-16.  Alright, it's RALLY TIME!  In the bottom of the 8th inning, Jae led us off with a slow grounder.  Once again, the shortstop charged, fielded, and threw the ball away.  Jae would have beaten the throw anyway for a hit, but the error also allowed her to move up to second.  Fausto punched a grounder, and beat this one out for an infield hit, so we had runners at first and second!  Nobody out!  The tying run at the plate!  Here we go!  But, ugh, a 5-5-3 double-play grounder to third, followed by a routine groundout to short, and the game ended not with a BANG!, but with a very rude raspberry {pphhtttttt}!  😝

Chef's take:  "This fish is so raw, he's still finding Nemo."  "This crab is so undercooked, I can still hear it singing, 'Under the Sea'."

 The bill comes due: 

The 19-16 loss drops our season record to an even 3-3.  We are now 2-2 as the home team, 1-1 as the visitors.

The offensive player of the game was Jeff, who went 2-for-4 with a homerun, 2 runs scored and 5 rbi.  Also of note were:  Nate (2-for-4 with 3 runs scored and 2 rbi); Joe (3-for-4 with 3 runs scored and 2 rbi); Eric (3-for-4 with 3 runs scored and an rbi); Rob (3-for-3 with a double, 2 runs scored and 2 rbi); and Caleb (2-for-4 with a double, triple, run scored and 3 rbi).  On the mound, Rob pitched a complete game, but takes the loss (1-1), striking out one batter in the process.  On defense, left fielder Nate made a nice sliding catch in the top of the 2nd inning while sprinting in toward the infield, and also made an outstanding catch in the top of the 6th when the DRS batter blasted one over his head to left;  Nate raced back and snagged the ball with his back to the infield, saving at least two runs.  Shortstop Caleb made several nice grabs of grounders and pop-ups, but in particular, he did most of the work in a 6-6-3 double-play turned in the top of the 5th.  And third baseman Mike made a lunging grab of a pop-up to shallow left, preventing a runner at third from scoring.

Notes & Numbers

• Xtra!  Xtra!:  The last time the EPs went to extra innings was on August 2 of last year, when the EPs and No Glove No Love were tied at 10-10 after regulation in game #3 of the Cove Cup Tournament.  Neither team scored in the 8th, and NGNL outscored us 4-1 in the 9th to win 14-11.
• Leavin' 'em on:  In our first game of the season, we left 10 runners on base.  In game 2, only 4.  In game 3, 9.  And in game 4, 7 baserunners.  But we have stranded 11 runners in each of our last two ballgames.  That means we are just not getting the big hit in the big spot.
• Add it up:  Through 6 games played, the EPs have been outscored 97-81.  That's a run differential of -16, and an average game score of 16-14.  Not great, but good enough for a 3-3 record, I guess.
• Milestones (since 2015):  Erienne has now played in 75 career games for the EPs (16th-most all-time).  Eric hit his 60th career double in the 6th inning (4th-most all-time).  Caleb hit his 25th career triple in the 1st inning (5th-most all-time).
• Team Milestones:  Jonathan took our team's 250th plate appearance in the bottom of the 8th inning.  Joe scored our 75th run of the year in the 5th.  When Fausto singled in the bottom of the 8th, it was the EP's 125th hit of 2026.  Jeff drove in our 75th team rbi with his 5th-inning single.

Now here it is, your Moment of Zen:

[Editor's note:  As we head into the summer blockbuster season, I thought it might be nice to bring in some Hollywood star power for this recap.  🤩🎬🍿]

 A  Tom  Hardy welcome to you all!  As I  Sean  Penn this recap, I hope you are all well!

Warm, hazy (but not very humid) conditions greeted the Empty Pitchers on Thursday, as they invaded Colt Park in Hartford (field #7) one last time in this early 2026 softball season, to take on The Line Drivers for the second of five times this year.  The field was dry, but thankfully not too dusty, because that always makes me  Andy  Kaufman.  

Although the EPs came into this game with an unblemished 5-0 record all-time versus the team from the CT Department of Transportation, no laugher of a game could be expected.  The Line Drivers, our league's youngest team, has been steadily improving with each contest as they continue to  Helen  Hunt for their first win against us.  The first time the EPs faced them, in July of 2024, was super easy, barely an inconvenience, as the EPs rolled, 19-3.  In September of that year, the EPs would  Tom  Cruise to a 16-8 victory.  May of 2025 saw the EPs win 26-14, but TLD's offense was starting to look dangerous.  By August 2025's meeting, TLD fell behind early, but rallied only to fall just short, as the EPs held on, 8-7.  And just two weeks ago, TLD dominated the game, taking a 19-11 lead into the bottom of the 6th inning, when the EPs (you can't  Nicolas  Cage them!) erupted for a 10-run outburst and a 21-19 comeback victory.  Whew!  That rally was just in time to  Christian  Bale us out!  But  Elijah  Wood the matchup  Alan  Cumming up tonight be even closer?  Given TLD's steady maturation versus the EPs, this game was not to be underestimated.

In the spirit of fairness, the EPs allowed TLD to play as the home team in this one, so I'm thinking that they're  Clive  Owen us a favor.  They agreed to use our strike mat, but only for strikes -- there would be no  Christopher  Walken here tonight!  Nope, not one  Paul  Walker!  Furthermore, both teams could only supply two female players at gametime, so there would be no penalties or  Ralph  Fiennes assessed, although I  Amber  Heard that TLD had a couple more women arrive and enter the lineup mid-game.

Nate led off the 1st for the EPs, punching a single into right field that skipped off the fielder for an error that allowed Nate to  Penelope  Cruz into second.  He tagged and advanced to third on a deep flyout to left-center by Rob, and then tagged and scored on Joe's sacrifice fly to right field.  1-0 EPs!  Easy peasy!  We've got 'em  Robin  Wright where we want 'em!  Tino and Caleb tried to create a new rally with back-to-back singles, but no further damage was done.  Still, we were first to  Guy  Pearce the seal on the scoreboard.

Coming off last week's win against Acid Reign, Franchise again took the proverbial mound to pitch in the bottom of the  Colin  Firth inning, hoping the good vibes would  Jim  Carrey over to this week.  But either TLD bats were hot, or the EP defense was sleepy in the summer-like heat, or maybe a little of both, as our opponents slapped the ball around to the tune of five big runs and put the EPs in an early 5-1  Brad  Pitt.  Ouch!  That  William  Hurt!  Uh-oh.  It felt like they were about to  Halle  Berry us!  

I  Nicole  Kidman, because it was still really early in the game.  Fausto knocked a one-out single in the top of the 2nd inning, and two batters later, Ron reached safely when the second baseman booted his grounder.  The runners?   Charlize  Theron first and second.  Then, Nate did what Nate does, swatting an rbi-single to cash in and plate Fausto, cutting the deficit to 5-2.

The Line Drivers did not score in the bottom of the 2nd.

Now, I'll  Hugh  Grant you that the EPs got a little bit of help from our opponents in the top of the 3rd.  Joe boomed a solid double to lead off, a real  Hugh  Jackman, and when Tino followed that with a ground ball, but beat the toss for an infield single, the first baseman muffed the throw, allowing Tino to move up to second, and Joe to score our third run.  5-3.  What's that?  You say you want  Jay  Mohr runs?  Okay, let's get some  Drew Barrymore runs!  Caleb also hit an infield groundball, and again, the first baseman couldn't handle the throw as the ball skipped by him, leaving Tino at third and Caleb at second with no outs.  Two batters later, Mike  Courteney  Cox his bat back and lines a single to left-centerfield, bringing home both runners!   Vin  Diesel tie the game at 5-5!  Now our offense was really  Kevin  Bacon!

The Line Drivers did not score in the bottom of the 3rd.

In the top of the 4th inning, the EPs claimed their first lead of the game with a mini two-out rally.  Rob singled, then came all the way around to score (what a speed  Matt  Damon!) on Joe's second double in as many at-bats, and the EPs would  Gordon  Jump out in front, 6-5!

The Line Drivers did not score in the bottom of the 4th.  (Three straight shutout innings?  That's  Dan  Rather odd.)

Swinging the  Chris  Pine, I mean aluminum, Caleb opened the 5th with a base hit; Jae singled as well; and then Mike would  Chevy  Chase Caleb across the plate with our third straight hit, a bouncer back up the middle and into centerfield, upping our advantage to 7-5.  One out later, Bubbles singled to load the bases with one out, but an  Elizabeth  Taylor-made double play grounder ended the EP threat.

The Line Drivers did not score in the bottom of the 5th.  (Are you starting to sense a pattern?  They couldn't  Kurt  Russell up even one run?)

Similar to the 5th inning, the top of the 6th featured a singles party, as Rob and Joe singled consecutively with one out to put the rally in  Richard  Gere.  With two down, Caleb drove in Rob with another single, so the EP lead would  Orlando  Bloom to 8-5!  Sweet!

The Line Drivers did not score in the bottom of the 6th.  (Seriously?  Now that's something to  Russell  Crowe about!)

Mike began the top of the 7th frame with a bouncer just fair over the third base bag and into left for a single.  But  Bruce  Willis hit make a difference?  One out later, Jocelyn reached on yet another error by the first baseman, putting two runners on.  But another 5-5-3 double play ended the rally, as the EPs failed to score for the first inning in the game.

Heading to the home-half of the final inning with only an 8-5 lead, there were certainly some nerves out there.  But Franchise was  Chris  Rock solid and laid down the  Jude  Law, striking out two of the three TLD batters, as The Line Drivers did not score in the bottom of the 7th.  And just like that, we were  Nora  Dunn.  That's right.  The team that hung 19 runs on us two weeks ago was held scoreless, in slow-pitch softball, for six straight innings!  Wow!

This 8-5 victory improves our 2026 record to 3-2.  The  Heath  Ledger says that we are now 2-1 as the home team, and 1-1 as the visitors.

The offensive player of the game was Joe, who went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a sac fly, a run scored and two rbi.  Also of note were Caleb (3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and an rbi) and  Gary  Oldman Mike (3-for-4 with 3 rbi), who was behind the plate as the  Ashton  Kutcher today.  Defensively, while there were no spectacular plays, the entire team did well.  At one point, Caleb, playing at  Martin  Short, made a great backhanded grab deep in the hole, and  Noah  Wyle made a strong throw to first, the runner beat it out for a hit.  Ron pitched a complete game, getting the win and improving his season record to 2-1 (23rd career win, 2nd only to Chris' 29).  He also struck out four batters, giving him 26 career K's (2nd only to Chris' 35).

Notes & Numbers

• Three is a Magic Number:  The Empty Pitchers have now won three consecutive games!   Chris  Evans to Betsy!  Our last winning streak of 3+ games came in 2024, when we won four straight:  15-6 over Caught Lookin on July 18; 19-3 over The Line Drivers on July 24; 15-8 over E.coli Happens on July 25; and 29-11 over the Regulators on August 1.
• Where's the Beef?:  After hitting 8 extra-base hits two weeks ago (4 doubles, 3 triples, 1 homerun) and 8 XBH last week (6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homerun), we managed only two doubles by Joe in this one (plus 16 singles and a sac fly).  Small ball, indeed!
• Making it Count:  Hitting 18-for-39 in this game (.462 team BA), we managed to win the game.  The last time we won a game while batting under .500 as a team was on August 14, 2025, when we held off these same Line Drivers, 8-7, while going only 13-for-33 (.394).
• Milestones (since 2015):  Mike has now taken 700 career at-bats (2nd-most all-time).  Fausto took his 50th career at-bat in the 3rd inning, and now officially qualifies for career batting average (i.e. gets the *** by his name in the all-time list).  Nate got his 350th career hit in the 1st inning (5th-most all-time).
• Team Milestones:  When Jocelyn reached on an error in the 7th inning, it was the 10th time this year that an EP has reached base via a defensive miscue.

And with that, I'm done writing this recap.   Tom  Hanks for reading this far!  Now I'm a  Morgan  Freeman!  Woo-hoo!

Once again, here it is, your Moment of Zen:

[Editor's note:  Wow!  This was another really cool game by the team in green!  So cool that it deserves a really cool song to go with it!  I'll let you try to guess the song from the highlighted lyrics.  Of course, I omitted the refrain, as it includes the song title.]

 Well, if you told me  that on Thursday evening, the Empty Pitchers would return yet again to Colt Park in Hartford, this time for a rematch with Acid Reign, I'd say  you were drowning  in crazy juice.  Despite all of the myriad ballfields in Hartford County, the EPs have now played all of their first four games at Colt (thanks to a rainout of our scheduled Bloomfield game in Week 3), with another one coming next week.   I would not  say that I dislike Colt, I just want some variety.  But that should mercifully be it, as by mid-June, school should be out and the soccer and lacrosse kids should have vacated the premises of the region's schoolyards and parks, leaving the fields for us old(-er) people to play in, or might even  lend a hand  and play with our teams.

Anyway, Opening Day back on April 30th saw a tight, neck-and-neck game until the 5th inning, when Acid Reign dropped a 10-run inning on us to blow open the ballgame, eventually winning 21-11.   I've seen  worse, but it still hurt to lose.  But this time around, the EPs were coming off a stirring 21-19 win over The Line Drivers (including a huge comeback that'll put a smile on  your face ), and also this time around, unlike  before , we had  my friend  Joe in the lineup.  Acid Reign was missing a number of players due to an out-of-state wedding,  but I don't know if  that affected their lineup much.   You know  how these things are.  Also, Acid Reign agreed out of fairness to let the EPs play as the home team in this contest.  So with comfortable weather, a mostly dry infield and a much later sunset than a month ago, the EPs had to feel good about their chances tonight.  Positivity -- that's just  who I am .

 Well, I was there and  can report that Franchise got the nod to start the game, and limited Acid Reign to just a pair of runs in the top of the 1st inning.  In response, Eric opened the EP 1st with a single, then advanced to third when Nate went the other way and flicked a double to rightfield.  One out later, Rob doubled to bring the boys home and tie the game at 2-2.   I saw what you did  there, Rob,  I saw it with my own two eyes , and I loved it!  The Mellens then took over, with Jeff's fly to right more than enough to allow Rob to tag up and advance to third, before Erienne  so  skillfully dropped a single over the second baseman to plate Rob, giving the EPs their first lead at 3-2.  Yeah, we're smiling now!

But  you can wipe off that grin , because the 2nd inning went Acid Reign's way, as they pushed four runs across the dish to retake the lead, 6-3.  Hmm,  I know where  this is heading, and I'm not liking the looks of this.  Meanwhile, EPs,  you've been  hitting so well lately, but in this frame, our batters were retired in 1-2-3 fashion on three routine infield groundouts.  Oh, our recent offensive prowess has deserted us!   It's all been a pack of lies !

 Well, I remember  a point last week when the EPs were down 19-11, yet rallied to come back and win.   I remember, don't worry.  How could I ever forget  that 10-run inning we put together?  So calm down.  Take a breath.  Our opponents added a lone run in the top of the 3rd, increasing their advantage to 7-3, but  it's  here where the game turned completely.  In the home-half of the inning, Jae reached first when the shortstop fielded her grounder, but threw wide of the bag at first for an error.  Big, big mistake.  Eric singled, and not for  the first time  in this game, or  the last time  either, as he had four singles in four at-bats!  Then Nate doubled to right again, scoring Jae and putting runners at second and third.   We  were coming back, baby!  Joe ripped a single to plate both of them, and suddenly it was a one-run ballgame, at 7-6.  With two outs, Jeff doubled, moving Joe over to third, and then Erienne, who has punished virtually every pitch she has  ever met , did it again, singling to shallow right and driving in both Joe and Jeff.  The Empty Pitchers led once more, 8-7!

Ron's pitching and the EP defense clamped down hard now, holding the Acid Reign lineup absolutely scoreless in the 4th and 5th innings.  The EP offense took the bottom of the 4th off, managing only a one-out single by Chelsea,  but I know the reason why .  It was just to rest up for the 5th, when the bats came back to life!  Fausto got things rolling with a base hit, but was replaced on the basepaths due to a fielder's choice by Jae, who then took second base when the shortstop again threw the ball away at first, trying for the double-play.   You keep  throwing wildly, it's gonna come back to haunt you!  She moved to third on Eric's third single of the day, before Nate smashed a ball to short that ate up the fielder for another error.  Jae scored, leaving Eric at second and Nate at first.  But not for long, because Joe then deposited a pitch deep into the night for a 3-run homerun (1st season, 40th career)!  Acid Reign,  your silence  indicates how shell-shocked you must feel, as the EP lead ballooned  up  to 12-7!   No, you don't fool me !  Rob followed that power display with a single, but we failed to score any further runs in the 5th inning.

 Well , with a 5-run lead and two frames to go, Rob came out of the bullpen to take over pitching duties.  Following up on his two scoreless innings-pitched last week, he proceeded to blank Acid Reign in the top of the 6th.  Maybe  the hurt doesn't show  on our opponents' faces, but that's three straight scoreless innings by EP pitching!  And then the EP bats freakin' exploded!  In the good way, I mean, not the "shards-of-metal-all-over-the-place" way.  Caleb led off the bottom of the 6th with a triple to left, then scored when Mike's grounder up the middle found it's way past the infield defense for an rbi-single.  13-7.  Chelsea took Mike's spot on a fielder's choice, before singles by Tino and Fausto loaded the bases with two outs.  Now, an out here would've ended the threat meekly and mildly, with just one run allowed, but not today!  Jae came through with a clutch single, scoring Chelsea and turning over the lineup!  14-7!  Sorry, Acid Reign,  but the pain still grows !  Eric singled, plating Tino and Fausto!  16-7!  Nate singled, bringing Jae home!  17-7!  Joe doubled in Eric and Nate!  19-7!  Rob singled and Joe motored home!  20-7!  Jeff doubled and . . . well, Rob was held up at third and the inning ended without further fireworks, but still . . . !  An 8-run rally that blew the game open, thoroughly demoralizing Acid Reign in the process.   It's no stranger  than our 10-run outburst last week, but still pretty awesome to behold.  A little payback for what happened  to you and me  back on Opening Day.  Sweet!

We still had the 7th to play, though, and Acid Reign, to their credit, showed a bit of fight.  They pounded a few hits, and tallied four runs before we could record the final out, but it was too little, too late.  Empty Pitchers win, 20-11!  I've indeed been waiting for this moment.  Oh Lord, oh Lord . . . 😁

The victory improves our 2026 overall record to 2-2.  We are now 2-1 as the home team, 0-1 as the visiting team.

The offensive player of the game was Joe, who went 3-for-4 with a double, homerun, 3 runs scored and a whopping 7 rbi!  Also of note were Nate (3-for-4 with 2 doubles, 4 runs scored and 3 rbi); Eric (4-for-4 with 4 runs scored and 2 rbi); and Jae (1-for-3 with 3 runs scored and an rbi).  Ron picks up the pitching win (1-1), while Rob gets the save (1).  On the glove side, kudos go out to shortstop Caleb and short-centerfielder Erienne, both of whom played stellar defense.  And an honorable mention to second baseman Chelsea, whose bobbling, fumbling, bouncing almost-catch of a line drive was almost, almost, almost a triple-play and play-of-the-year candidate.

Notes & Numbers

• Monkey off our back:  This win breaks the Empty Pitchers' 6-game losing streak versus Acid Reign.  The last time we beat them was on September 16, 2023, when we finished the season with a 15-7 Saturday victory.  In that game, Josh went 5-for-5, Nancy was 4-for-4 with 5 rbi, while Eric pitched a complete game for the win.
• 20/20 vision:  The EPs have now scored 20+ runs in back-to-back games.  The last time this happened was way back in 2022, when we beat the Bisons 20-14 on August 4th, then opened the Cove Cup Tournament on August 6th with a 22-14 win over E.coli Happens in game #1, and a 21-3 drubbing of inDRStructible in game #2 to make it three 20+ runs-scoring games in a row.  That was a great three days, ladies and gentlemen!
• RB-Aye!:  Joe was mashing today, posting 7 rbi in the game!  The last EP to have as many as 7 rbi in a contest was . . . Joe, who drove in 7 runs in our 15-6 victory over Caught Lookin' at Cove Park on July 18, 2024.  In that game, he went 4-for-5 with a double, triple, and 3 runs scored.  The last EP to have more than 7 rbi in a game was Rob, who picked up 9 rbi in our 22-19 win over the NBBA Master Batters on June 4, 2019, when he went 5-for-5 with 3 doubles, a triple and a homerun.
• Who's hot?:  Eric has hits in four straight plate appearances, and 6 of his last 7 at-bats.
• Milestones (since 2015):  Jeff's double in the 3rd inning was the 250th at-bat of his career (15th-most all-time).  Mike's 6th-inning single was the 400th hit of his career (2nd-most all-time).  Joe's homerun in the 5th inning was his 40th career round-tripper (2nd-most all-time).  Erienne picked up her 50th career rbi with her 3rd-inning single (15th-most all-time).
• Team milestones:  Tino's 6th-inning single was our team's 150th plate appearance of the season.  Jae's single in the 6th inning was the EP's 150th at-bat of 2026.  Caleb scored our 50th run of the year in the 6th inning.  Joe's 6th-inning double was our team's 10th two-bagger of the season.  Mike drove in our 50th run of 2026 in the 6th inning.  Mike's 6th-inning single was our 100th total base of the year.

And if you're still stumped on the song lyrics, this clip from The Hangover should be a big hint: 

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=youtube+the+hangover+mike+tyson+in+the+air+tonight&&mid=EDD994CD7BCEAC89DD20EDD994CD7BCEAC89DD20&churl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fchannel%2fUCcVbG05zJzQY7aaTf9kYgDg&FORM=VRDGAR

Now here it is, your Moment of Zen:

[Editor's note:  Y'know, by mid-game on Thursday, I was mentally preparing for the Empty Pitchers to lose the softball game, to fall to a disappointing 0-3 to start the 2026 season.  In my head, I was planning to do a write-up as if it were hosted by Lewis Black, the old, foul-mouthed, cantankerous, foul-mouthed, Jewish, foul-mouthed comedian who's always ready to yell and rant and complain about anything and everything.  I was ready to wallow in angry depression.  So what happens?  The EPs go and win.  And not just win.  They go and do it with what is perhaps their greatest, most spirited comeback of all time!  ALL TIME!  Now how the heck can I complain about that?  You've ruined everything, EPs!  Harumph!  🤬

Anyway, this game was so good, I've decided to let it stand by itself.  No gimmicks this week.]

  The Empty Pitchers' 2026 softball season began about a month ago with back-to-back games at Colt Park in Hartford.  Then the rains came and spoiled our chance to play up in Bloomfield last week.  So now we've schlepped back to Colt Park for three more games, including this evening's matchup with The Line Drivers (TLD), the team composed of employees of the Connecticut Department of Transportation.  They're our league's newest team, and while the EPs came into tonight with an unblemished 4-0 all-time record against them, they have proven to be a talented team that has been improving steadily.  In fact, in our last meeting, the Line Drivers fell behind 7-0 early, but battled back to fall just short, 8-7, as the EP offense sputtered for most of the game.  It was clear that this would not necessarily be an easy contest for the EPs, still looking for their first win of the year.

The Franchise took the mound to start for the EPs under cool, cloudy skies, and the Line Drivers got right to work in the top of the 1st inning.  They took advantage of some sloppy infielding to get people on base, and of the tall outfield grass to extend singles into extra bases, tallying four early runs to jump out in front, 4-0.  The defensive highlight was a grounder back up the middle, which shortstop Tino fielded and tossed to second baseman Jocelyn; the ball spurted out of her glove, but she was able to chase it down and flip back to Tino, who had gone to the bag, to still get the old routine 6-4-6 forceout at second.  Way to stay with the play!

Needing an answer, Nate singled with one out in the bottom of the frame, and moved to third on a double by Joe, making his 2026 season debut.  Rob scorched a ball to third that ate up the defender for an error, allowing Nate to score, and Joe to advance to third, which became quite an important point, as Joe then tagged and scampered home on Erienne's pop-out to the pitcher (who made the catch moving toward right field with his back to the plate).  Tino also singled in the inning, but the EPs settled for just the pair of runs, trailing 4-2 after one.

Things began to look bleak in the top of the 2nd, as TLD thumped out seven more runs, putting the EPs in an early, shocking 11-2 hole.  Ouch!  Did they improve their lineup?  Or are we getting worse defensively?

In response, Mike ripped a one-out double down the line in left, then moved to third when Ron reached on an error by the first baseman.  Jocelyn's fielder's choice grounder scored Mike to make it 11-3, and after Eric laced the ball into the outfield for a single, Nate tripled both Bubbles and Doc home to cut our deficit to 11-5.  Sweet!

Both teams added a single run in their respective halves of the 3rd inning, our defense aided by a nice diving stop by Jocelyn of a grounder to second, which she ate up and tossed to Tino for the 4-6 force at the bag.  The EP run came about when Rob opened things with a leadoff double, and later scored on Tino's base hit to make it 12-6.

After TLD tacked on another pair of runs in the top of the 4th to go up 14-6, we knew it was time for some fireworks, or we would soon fall too far behind to even think about a comeback.  Mike, Ron and Jocelyn all singled consecutively to open the home half of the 4th, with Jocelyn's driving in Mike to make it 14-7.  Eric chased Ron home with an rbi-single, and Jocelyn motored across the plate on a fielder's choice grounder to short by Nate.  Suddenly, it was 14-9, and we were starting to believe we could rally!  Joe singled, but was forced out at second on a grounder by Rob that moved Nate to third, before Erienne singled, scoring Nate with our 10th run of the game!  Double figures for the first time this season!  Tino followed with his third hit of the day, a single to plate Rob, and we were back in the ballgame, at 14-11!  Still chasing three, but with three innings yet to play, we were starting to feel confident.  We could do this, baby!

And then came the 5th inning.  After scoring five runs in the bottom of the 4th, we gave it all right back.  With two outs and nobody on, no less, TLD began stringing together hit after hit, plating run after run, and by the time the third out was recorded, they had scored five devastating runs of their own, and it was 19-11.  Oof!  Back to an 8-run hole.  Dang, I can't watch this -- it felt like the patented "One Bad Inning" had struck again, dashing our hopes.  And to make matters worse, in the bottom of the 5th, we got a single by Mike, and Ron reached on a fielder's choice (with no out recorded, when the shortstop fielded Ron's grounder but then seemingly got hit with a braincramp and was forced to just eat it), but we failed to score anything at all.  Clearly, the low-point of the game for the EPs.

And then, for whatever reason, . . . the momentum shifted.

Rob came out of the bullpen to pitch the top of the 6th, and we held our opponents scoreless for the first time in the ballgame, including a pair of liners to Mike at third, one a knuckleball floater in the shortstop hole and one a screaming shot right at his knees.  In between, Nate made another of his famous sliding catches of a dying-quail to short leftfield.  A good start . . .   

But if we had any thoughts of a comeback, we needed to score, as well.  Like . . . a lot.  And to that end, the EP bats suddenly began sounding like a Batman comic book!  BAM!  Nate sparked the offense with a ringing base hit, followed by a single from Joe.  POW!  Rob knocked a double to plate Nate and cut the score to 19-12.  ZOT!  With runners at second and third, Erienne stroked a 2-run single to bring both Joe and Rob in, and it was 19-14.  KAZOWIE!  Tino chased E around the bags with a booming rbi-triple to make it 19-15.  WHAMMO!  And then Jeff unloaded with a monster shot to right, a 2-run bomb (1st season, 20th career)!  Awesome, that's six big runs, closing the gap to 19-17, but now the bases were empty.  Could we keep it going?  Chelsea singled!  Mike singled past the shortstop's glove and into left-center!  Ron singled, scoring Chelsea to make it a one-run game at 19-18!  And as Mike took third on Ron's hit, Ron moved to second on the throw!  Jocelyn's groundout to short finally recorded our first out of the frame, but Mike scored on the play to knot things up at 19-19!  We had done it!  We had come all the way back!  Can you believe it?!  And even better, Ron moved to third, so that he tagged and scored the go-ahead run on Eric's sacrifice fly to left!  20-19!  And you know what?  We weren't even done!  Nate singled again, and then Joe ripped his first triple of the year, and the EP's third three-bagger of the game, scoring Nate for the second time in the inning, to complete our 10-run outburst, and give the Empty Pitchers an incredible 21-19 advantage going to the final inning!  Wow!!!

But we still had three more outs to get to secure this improbable victory.  The first TLD batter ripped a liner to left-center, what looked like a sure hit to the gap, but Erienne, playing as a short-centerfielder, streaked across and made an amazing outstretched grab for the first out.  And with two outs, the hitter smacked a bouncer right back up the middle; the ball deflected off the glove of pitcher Rob, and then shortstop Tino was able to snag it and fire to first to just nab the runner to end the inning, and the game.  EPs win!  Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee EPs . . . WIN!!!  (RIP John Sterling)

This thrilling 21-19 victory improves our overall 2026 record to 1-2.  We are now 1-1 as the home team, and 0-1 as the visiting team.

The offensive player of the game was Nate, who went 4-for-5 with a triple, 4 runs scored and 3 rbi.  Also of note were Rob (2-for-5 with 2 doubles, 3 runs scored and 2 rbi); Erienne (2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly, run scored and 4 rbi); and Jocelyn (1-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 3 rbi).  Rob picked up the pitching win to move his record to 1-0 for the season, and 2-0 all-time.

Notes & Numbers

• Extra! Extra!:  After being limited to only one extra-base hit in our first game of the season versus Acid Reign, and only two versus Caught Lookin', we exploded for 8 XBH in tonight's win over The Line Drivers.  That includes 4 doubles (Joe, Rob, Rob, Mike), 3 triples (Nate, Joe, Tino) and the first EP homerun of the season (Jeff).
• Everybody's at the party!:  All 11 EPs in the lineup had at least one base hit, and scored at least one run tonight.  Also, everyone but Chelsea and Mike recorded at least one rbi.
• Who's hot?:  Tino (1b, 1b, 1b, 3b) and Mike (2b, 1b, 1b, 1b) have had base hits in 4 consecutive plate appearances.
• Twice as nice:  Thanks to our offensive explosion in the 6th inning, Nate, Joe and Rob became the first EPs to bat a second time in an inning since Jonathan Beaulieu did so in our 19-8 victory over E.coli Happens on May 15, 2025.  [This is, of course, excluding the times when we've needed female players to bat twice in the lineup due to a lack of players.]  Nate and Joe both became the first EPs to record two hits in an inning since Ron had two singles in the 4th inning of our 29-11 win versus the Regulators on August 1, 2024.  Nate became the first EP to score twice in an inning since Rob did so in the 2nd inning of our 19-3 win over The Line Drivers on July, 24, 2024.
• The roaring twenties:  The last time we scored 20+ runs in a game was on May 1, 2025, when we downed The Line Drivers 26-14 at Colt Park.  
• Seeing double (figures):  You might think that scoring 10 runs in a single inning would be a rarity.  Not this year.  In game #1, Acid Reign enjoyed a 10-run bottom of the 5th en route to beating us, 21-11.  In game #2, Caught Lookin' dropped a dime on us in the top of the 2nd inning, eventually winning, 22-5.  And of course, in this third game, we scored 10 times in the bottom of the 6th.  In contrast, the Empty Pitchers did not have a double-figure inning at any point last season, while our opponents did so only twice -- The Dream Team scored 11 runs in the 2nd inning of their 17-14 win against us on May 21, and then scored 17 runs in the 5th inning of the infamous 34-7 "mush-ball bat" game on September 4.
• Milestones (since 2015):  Jocelyn's rbi-groundout in the 6th inning was her 600th career at-bat (4th-most all-time).  Erienne's 6th-inning single was the 250th at-bat of her EP career (14th-most all-time).  Joe's double in the 1st inning was the 60th 2-bagger of his career (3rd-most all-time).  Jeff hit his 20th career homerun in the 6th inning (5th-most all-time).  Erienne scored for the 50th time in her career in the 6th inning (14th-most all-time).  Eric picked up his 150th career rbi in the 4th inning (6th-most all-time).
• Team Milestones:  Eric's grounder to first to end the 5th inning was our team's 100th plate appearance of 2026.  Joe's single in the 6th inning was our team's 100th at-bat of the season.  Jocelyn scored our 25th team run of the year in the 4th inning.  Erienne's single in the 6th was our team's 50th hit of 2026.  Nate had our team's 25th rbi of the season in the 4th inning.  Joe picked up our team's 75th total base with his 6th-inning triple. 

Here it is, your moment of Zen:

Cue the saxophones.  It's time for "rain delay theater" with Ricky Ricardo!

The rain that has fallen since yesterday, coupled with the ongoing storminess, has left the field at Bloomfield High School unplayable.  Therefore, E.coli Happens manager Richie has decided to call off tonight's contest with the Empty Pitchers.  Did anyone bring the tarp for the pitchers' mound?

We'll try to earn our first win of 2026 next week, boys and girls!

Oh, and here it is, your Moment of Zen:

[Editor's note:  I'm not sure why exactly, but the old Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoon, "Rabbit of Seville," came up in a conversation recently.  So now it's stuck in my head.  The lyrics are highlighted in the text below, so now it'll be stuck in yours, too!]

 How do  I describe this week's softball game?

A beat down.  

It's as simple as that.   Welcome to my  little  shop  of softball horrors.  A 22-5 loss.  A solid dose of punishment at the hands of Caught Lookin'.  Ugh.

 Let me cut  to the chase, save  your  questions, and we'll  mop  up the details later.  In all honesty, it's a shock that we played the game at all.   Let me  explain.  Firstly, several days earlier, the forecast had called for heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday.  It was a close  shave , but the precipitation cleared early, leaving us with about 16 hours of drying time, a mostly sunny evening, and a puddle-free softball field.  Yes,  your  dugouts at Field #7 at Colt Park were rudely padlocked, but the infield had been raked (no  crop  of weeds  daintily, daintily  growing everywhere), and the outfield grass (fairly) recently mowed, so  hey , the conditions were far, far better than  you  or I could have expected.  Secondly, the Empty Pitchers' roster was rather threadbare this week, with only nine players suiting up at gametime (including a surprise season-debut appearance by Tino), and only two of them of the female persuasion.  Furthermore, we were lacking the offensive firepower of the likes of lineup regulars Joe, Rob, Caleb and Jocelyn.  Were we looking at a forfeit loss?  Not quite.   Don't look so perplexed  and here's  why  -- turns out, Caught Lookin' were also short on personnel for this game, their opening day, being able to assemble only nine players, and only two of them female.   Must  be fate,  you  know?  So, it was a fortuitous wash -- no penalties would  be  assessed either way, although both teams were only mildly  vexed  to have to play with three-man outfields.  

With an unusual defensive alignment behind him, including Jae at catcher, Ron at first, Jeff at second, etc., Eric took the mound to pitch.   Can't you  just  see  it?  But despite getting a lot of strikes (both swings-and-misses and pitches hitting the strike board) in the course of the game, Caught Lookin' pounced early, notching six big runs in the top of the 1st inning to jump out in front, 6-0.  But fear not, EPs, for  you're  coming up  next .   Yes, you're next.  You're so next! 

 How  did we respond?  In the home-half of the frame, Eric set  about  jump-starting the offense with an opening double, then came around to score on  a nice  sharp single by Nate.  The EPs were on the board, at 6-1.  Later, with Nate on second and two outs, Erienne had a  close shave  with destiny when she rapped a single to bring him in, cutting our deficit to 6-2.  That'll  teach  Caught Lookin' to underestimate  your  EP rightfielder!  Not a huge rally, nothing to make our opponents'  whiskers  quake, but a respectable answer, nonetheless.   To behave  otherwise would be unseemly of an Empty Pitcher.

Caught Lookin' was having none of it, however.  They displayed  lots of lather , lining  lots of  balls into the gaps and ultimately blasting ten runs across the plate in the top of the 2nd, turning a close contest into a quick laugher, at 16-2.  [sigh]  Time for the EPs to give up?

Wash your mouth out with  soap !   Please, hold still.  Don't be a dope.   Time for another . . . umm . . . "respectable answer" from the EPs in the bottom of the inning.  Leadoff hitter Mike reached when his grounder to third was fielded cleanly, but fired past the first baseman's glove and out of play for a two-base error.  Okay, so it's not a hit, but behind by this many runs  now ,  we're ready for the scrapin'  and clawin' for baserunners any way we can get 'em.   There's no use  in denying it.  Ron singled  to try  to move Mike to third, and then Jae brought him home with a hit of her own.  16-3, and no  escapin'  the fact that every run was crutial if we were to come back.  Eric's bouncer to third allowed the third baseman to grab it and outrace Ron to the bag for the force, but then he got greedy and threw to second, again throwing the ball away, which let Jae and Eric to advance to third and second bases, respectively.   Yell and scream and rant and rave , cuz' here's come the EPs!  The next two batters did bounce back to the mound, but Jae (#6-7!) scampered home on Nate's grounder to improve the score to 16-4.  Still way behind, but still fightin'!   There's no use  crying over it,  you need  to understand, as we were as yet only two innings into the game.

Like  a shave  with a really dull blade, neither team could draw blood in the 3rd.   Ooh , we held Caught Lookin' scoreless for once!   Ouch, ouch !  We went down in order on a flyout and another pair of bouncers to the pitcher.  

 Ooh , we've still got time to make a game of it!   Ouch , Caught Lookin' added a lone run in the top of the 4th, extending their advantage to 17-4.   Ooh, ooh , now's our chance to explode with a big inning!  Yet the EPs were shut down 1-2-3 again in the last-half of the 4th on a lineout to the pitcher and two grounders to shortstop.   Ouch .

The situation somehow got even worse  there  in the top of the 5th.   You're  asking how?  Caught Lookin' continued to pile on, adding five more runs in the top of the 5th, now making it 22-4.  The EPs countered with a tiny, kinda weird rally.  Eric led off the bottom of the frame with a  nice and clean  grounder to short, and  although  the shortstop gloved it, his throw to first was lost in the setting sun and went right by the first baseman and out of play, putting Eric at second.   Your  next batter, Nate, then smashed the  face  off the ball to right-center, put his head down, and sprinted like a rabbit!   Looks like  a three-bagger!   It might have gone  for even more!  But Doc had to initially hold to make sure the ball fell in  through  the defense, and when the throw-in from the outfield got to the plate quickly, as if fired from  a machine  gun, Eric had to hit the brakes and tried to return to third.   Ooh  --  wait'll I  tell you that you can't have two players at the same base, and so Eric was easily tagged out, while Nate would  get  to remain on third.   That rabbit  Nate would immediately cross the plate, however, as Jeff ripped a single to get it to 22-5.  But that was as far as that rally went.   What ?   Would you want  more?  Yeah, me too, actually.

 With  an agreement that the 6th would be our final inning due to the encroaching twilight, not  a  single additional EP  rabbit  would be seen this evening.  Our opponents were kept off the scoreboard entirely in their half of the inning, a minor victory for the EP defense.  But you  can't  win without some offensive firepower,  you see .  In our last chance in the bottom of the 6th, Fausto took  that  to heart, leading the EPs off with a single.   I'm much  sorrier to report that Mike then grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to erase him.  Ron had a  sweeter  outcome with a single, his second base hit of the night, but was left there when the game ended with a routine groundout.  Inning over.  Ballgame over.   I'm  going to pout now.

The 22-5 loss drops  your  overall 2026 record to 0-2.  We are now 0-1 as the home team, and 0-1 as the visitors.  Let's hope for a  little  better next game, senor o  senorita .

The offensive player of the game was Nate, who went 2-for-3 with a triple, 2 runs scored and 2 rbi.  Dude,  you are my type of guy !  Defensively,  let me  report that centerfielder Fausto made a great, leaping grab of a screaming liner into right-centerfield in the 1st inning;  that play helped  straighten  out the Caught Lookin' rally and saved a few runs.   Your  catcher Jae caught a foul pop-up behind the plate, retiring a tough hitter.  Third baseman Mike made the play on a foul pop near the Caught Lookin' dugout area, deftly avoiding their bags, bats, chairs and babies.  It's a  tie , I guess.   And  pitcher Eric pitched a complete game while striking out one Caught Lookin' batter (also going to 2-strikes on a number of hitters).

Notes & Numbers

• Sleepwalking:  Following Jae's single in the 2nd inning, the next nine EP batters were retired in order, until Eric reached on an error to open the 5th inning.  That streak included every EP hitter, as we only had a nine-player lineup tonight.  I hope that  I shall  never see that level of ineptitude again.
• Watchin' 'em  dance :  Caught Lookin' scored 16 runs through the first two innings.  The last time we allowed that many runs over the first two frames was way back on June 7, 2023, when The Dream Team scored 11 runs in the 1st inning, then 7 more in the 2nd, en route to a 21-7 win over the EPs at the Bloomfield Rec. Dept.
• No soup  for you !:  We lost to Caught Lookin' today by the score of 22-5.  The last time we played them?  August 28, 2025, when they beat us 22-5 at Newington High School.  The time before that?  July 24, 2025, when we lost, 16-5, also at Newington.  Maybe we should try scoring a couple more runs next time?
• Milestones (since 2015):  Jae has now taken 275 career at-bats (11th-most all-time).
• Team milestones:  When Nate ground out in the 2nd inning, it was the 50th plate appearance by an EP this season.  When Jeff ground out in the 2nd inning, it was the 50th at-bat by an EP this year.  Ron had our team's 25th hit of the season with his single in the 2nd inning.

 Ehhhh, . . . next! 

And now, your Moment of Zen:

[Editor's note:  Last year, the recap of our first softball game honored the UConn women's basketball team for winning the 2025 National Championship.  This season, the UConn men's basketball team lost in the 2026 NCAA championship game to Michigan, by a score of 69-63.  Still . . . that's a pretty impressive season, and they're well-deserving of a tribute of their own!  You'll find all 15 rostered players and the four coaches below!]

It's Opening Day 2026!

That's right, a brand new season with unlimited opportunities!  Last year's rough 6-16 record is now history, and the Empty Pitchers are once again tied  Jacob Furphy  first place in the league, albeit along with every other team, at 0-0.  So how to get the new schedule started?  Well, how about right where we finished off last September -- on Field #1 at Colt Park in Hartford, taking on long-time rival Acid Reign, and their manager  Jacob Ross .

So it was on the cloudy, cool (60 degrees at game time), last day of April that the EPs took up their bats once more, ready to rock!  And rock they did, with Eric jump-starting the season with a solid single off of Acid Reign pitcher Mark.  One out later, Rob ripped a single down the thirdbase line to put a pair on for Caleb, who promptly mashed a two-run triple to left.  And just like that, the EPs had broken the seal and taken the first lead of the year at 2-0!  Jae then brought Caleb home with a groundout to third, increasing the score to 3-0.  So, with two outs and no one on, the inning was pretty much done, right?  Don't  Braylon Mullins  that question too long, because Jeff and Erienne both singled, before Mike's single over the bag at third chased Jeff home to make it 4-0.  Ron dropped a swinging bunt in front of the plate, but beat out the throw from the pitcher (which actually drilled him in the back as he touched first base) for an infield single to load the bases.  Fausto then cleared a couple of those bases with a two-run liner up the middle, as Erienne and  Mike Nardi  scored to complete the EP outburst at 6-0.  Not a bad way to begin a campaign!

It wasn't going to be that easy, though.  Acid Reign struck back in the bottom of the 1st inning, plating four runs to  Silas Demary Jr  the shutout aspirations of EP starting pitcher Ron, and close their deficit to 6-4 after a frame.

All 11 EP batters having batted in the 1st, the 2nd inning began much the same way, as Eric opened things with a single.  Nate's single to center pushed Doc all the way to third, so there were runners at the corners with no outs.  Don't get too excited, however, as another big rally was not to be.  Rob reached when his grounder to short forced Mr.  Malachi Smith  at second, with Eric crossing the plate to make it 7-4.  But that was it for the offense this time, as a pop-up and a groundout followed, a real threat- Alec Millender .

Acid Reign was kept off the board in the bottom of the 2nd, thanks largely to a sweet double play.  With a runner at third and no outs, the batter slapped a grounder toward third.  Thirdbaseman Mike fielded and fired to Rob at first, but the runner from third broke for home a little late, and Rob then threw the  Solo Ball  to catcher Jocelyn at the plate, who put the tag on the runner to complete the 5-3-2 twin-killing.  Nice!  That play gave us  Rrezon Elezaj  to cheer!

The EPs added to their 7-4 advantage in the top of the 3rd, when the lawfirm of Mellen, Mellen & Mike struck for back-to-back-to-back base hits, loading the bags for Ron.  And Franchise was clutch, knocking a single to move everyone up a base and push Jeff across the dish to get it to 8-4.  Then Fausto  Uros Paunovic  up and drove a pitch to deep leftfield, and although the leftfielder corraled the ball for the out, Erienne tagged from third and came home to give the EPs a 9-4 lead.  A pair of groundouts prevented further damage.

Our opponents logged three runs of their own in the bottom of the 3rd, closing the gap to 9-7, but who knows how many further runs were saved when shortstop Caleb ended the inning with a leaping snatch of a line drive over his head?  A great play to preserve our lead!  I'll bet Acid Reign would like to  Alex Karaban  that kind of athleticism!

The top of the 4th was our first scoreless frame of the year, as Nate's leadoff single was wasted by a pop-out, flyout and groundout.

Unfortunately, Acid Reign chose not to take an inning off, as they plated four more unanswered runs in the bottom of the 4th to  Jayden Ross  their effort and grab their first lead of the season at 11-9.  Again, things could have been worse but for a spectacular defensive play.  This time, it was leftfielder Nate making his patented sliding catch of a dying-quail blooper on the leftfield line.  Awesome!

Looking to make a comeback and retake our lead, the EPs went to work in the top of the 5th when, with one out, both Erienne and Mike lined singles into the outfield.  With two outs, Fausto and Jocelyn also punched consecutive singles, Bubbles' hit driving in E to make it just a one-run ballgame at 11-10.  What a game!

And then the bottom (of the 5th) dropped out.  For whatever reason, the Acid Reign hitters kept . . . well, hitting . . . largely putting ball after ball right up the middle of the diamond for singles to center.  Knocking the  Tarris Reed Jr  out of the ball again and again and again.  That allowed them to score numerous times, and eventually, they added a big blow with a grand slam to left-centerfield.  When the dust settled, they had tallied ten crushing runs to blow the game open at 21-10.  Ugh!  I will  Jaylin Stewart  about that inning for a while!  The EP defense was not the problem, and did limit the damage a tad when one Acid Reign batter crushed a ball deep but slipped coming around third while attempting the homerun:  Left-centerfielder Eric retrieved the ball and proceeded to  Dan Hurley  it to his cutoff man in shortstop Caleb, who spun and fired to Mike at third;  Mike ran the runner toward home, tossing to pitcher Ron covering the plate;  when the runner reversed and tried to return to third, Ron flipped back to Mike for the tag and the 8-6-5-1-5 putout.

With dusk falling quickly under cloudy skies, it was agreed that there was no  Dwayne Koroma  we could get the whole game in -- the 6th would be our final inning.  Now down by eleven runs, Nate and Rob got a rally going with back-to-back singles to open the frame.  A  Luke Murray  of hope!  But three groundouts would follow, with Nate touching home on Jae's bouncer to third.  That cut it to 21-11, and that was it.  Game over.  Time to  Eric Reibe .  😭

The 21-11 loss drops our  Kimani Young  2026 season record to 0-1.  We are now 0-1 on the road.

The players of the game were Erienne (3-for-3 with 3 runs scored) and Fausto (2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and 3 rbi).

Notes & Numbers

• First things first:  Just like last year, Eric had the EPs' first base hit of the season.  He also scored the first run of the year.  Caleb got our first extra-base hit, a triple in the top of the 1st, and also picked up our first rbi.
• Startin' slow:  Since 2015, the EPs are now 4-8 on Opening Day.  We have now lost four consecutive season openers (18-17 to Pretty Reckless; 24-17 to Throwin' Shade; 17-16 to Acid Reign; and now 21-11 to Acid Reign).
• Not bad.  Not really bad.:  Yeah, the 21-11 final score of this game looks bad.  But there's a lot to like about how we did.  For one thing, every batter contributed.  10 of 11 batters had a hit.  8 of 11 batters had multiple hits.  7 of 11 batters scored a run.  7 of 11 batters had an rbi.  As a team, we went 21-for-38, for a .553 team batting average.  The last time we hit that well was 9 games ago versus E.coli Happens in game #2 of last year's Cove Cup Tournament on August 2nd, when we hit .578 and beat them 17-11.  And defensively, we were pretty solid, and made numerous quality plays as detailed above.
• Who's (still) hot?:  Going back to last season, Mike has now had hits in each of his last 6 plate appearances (all singles).
• Milestones (since 2015):  Caleb's 4th-inning flyout was his 350th career at-bat (9th-most all-time).  When Jocelyn singled in the 5th inning, it was her 175th career hit (9th-most all-time).  Jeff's 1st-inning single was the 150th hit of his career (11th-most all-time).  Erienne picked up her 100th career hit with her 5th-inning single (13th-most all-time).  Ron's rbi in the 3rd inning was the 125th rbi of his career (9th-most all-time).

  What the %!#& happened in the bottom of the 5th???