ARLINGTON It took a few innings for them to warm up, but the Arlington Pharmacy softball team poured it on in the late inning in their 10-4 victory over the Wrecking Crew on July 26.
The rec league softball games last week were rained out so both Pharmacy and Crew were working on two weeks rest. The fielders arms were fresh but untested, the batters timing needed readjusting. Typical down-time stuff.
Wrecking Crew drew first blood with an RBI groundout off the bat of Brenda Hardison in the first inning. Her husband Brian tripled prior to her at-bat and scored on the infield put-out.
Arlington answered back in the top of the second behind the powerful bat of Tony Harold. Harold, carrying the bat like a toothpick, took a mighty hack and lifted a pitch deep into the right field grass. As two Wrecking Crew outfielders struggled to chase it down Harold made his rounds on the basepaths. He scored standing up on the play, without even a throw to home plate.
In the third inning, Arlington Pharmacy struck again. Bill Lonergan singled to start the inning and then Christina Witkowski reached on a fielders choice. Oly Bardell singled to put runners on first and second before a strikeout to Melissa Murguia brought up team manager Jim Lidster. Lidster coolly blasted a ball into the left-centerfield gap, scoring both runs. Lidster himself wound up hustling all the way over to third base on the play. His wife, Karen Lidster, struck out to end the inning.
In the fourth Arlington Pharmacy got another run thanks to the speedy wheels of Brad Moore. Moore looped a shallow pop fly into right-centerfield. Unfortunately for the Wrecking Crew, nobody could get under it in time to catch the ball. Moore seized his opportunity and jetted around the bases, standing up on third base. Tony Harold again came through for the Pharmacy, singling to bring home Moore.
In the bottom half of the inning, Wrecking Crew sprung to life behind four consecutive singles from Jason Parker, Crissy Knott, Herb Kier, and Robin Parker. They then got a two RBI basehit from Sarah Kipling to level the score 4-4.
Sadly for the Wrecking Crew, they would do no more on the offensive side. They surrendered two more runs on defense as Jim Lidster brought home another two runs with a double in the fifth inning. Lidster finished with five RBI on the night, half the team total.
He got help in the sixth inning as Brad Moore again showcased his speed by turning a shallow single into a double. Tony Harold drove him home with another mammoth shot, landing himself on third base in the process. Lisa Anderson drove in Harold with a sharp single to center. Those runs made the score 8-4 in favor of the Arlington Pharmacy.
The Pharmacy squad never looked back from there, tacking on two more runs in the top half of the seventh inning behind RBI singles from Jim and Karen Lidster.
After the game, the Arlington Pharmacy celebrated their first win of the rec league season.
Its feels pretty good, especially considering we were rusty after the rainout, said manager Jim Lidster. Were all having fun out here.