June 28, 2019 at 12:50 p.m.
LaBore: Confessions of a snowshoe baseball newbie
LaBore: Confessions of a snowshoe baseball newbie
By Brett LaBore-
Monday night saw the Lake Tomahawk Snowhawks play The Lakeland Times for just the third time in snowshoe baseball. As an employee of The Times, I accepted my invitation to play in the game. The Snowhawks had the experience and the power and won 23-4.
"We had fun just like you guys were having fun," coach Jeff Smith said.
The top of the first started off pretty good for The Times. We had a couple of hits and the bases were loaded for my debut at-bat. I stranded the bases and we scored no runs.
Now it was time for the Snowhawks to answer the bell. Jeff Smith, Ryan Schowalter, and Donny Moore all got hits and scored. Jeff Punches drove a couple in with a single, then Derek Young hit a sacrifice fly and it was 3-0.
I knew if we had any chance to win we had to score in the next half inning. Anna Gayford and Tony Loomis singled to start the inning. After an out, Jack Dunbar and Martin Jaronmillo singled in two runs and the score was 3-2. We had ourselves a ball game.
"It was a lot of fun, it was definitely a different experience than anything I've ever done before," said Gayford, a Times intern. "I had a lot of fun, glad I experienced it."
The Snowhawks failed to score any runs in the second and it was back to The Times in the top of the third. With one runner on, I had my second at-bat. With my nerves mostly gone, I came up and grounded into a double play.
The rain had started to fall pretty hard for about a half inning, scattering some fans but keeping the players nice and cool.
The bottom half of the inning was where the Snowhawks showed off their strength. Moore doubled to start the inning. Two batters later, Derek Young also doubled and scored a run in. Next, Brent Cella and Todd Niemuth both singled.
That set up Dustin Schowalter, who hit a two-run triple to make it 7-2. Nick Merckx singled him home and it was 8-2. The maximum amount of runs for an inning is five, so that was it for the inning.
The fourth inning was a rare one, where both teams failed to score.
Gunner Dunbar and Sam Weber gave The Times life with singles to start the fifth. Sid Hunter was up next and he singled and scored a run. With runners on first and second, I was up and knew I had to do something.
I singled for my first base knock in my snowshoe baseball debut to load the bases. A couple batters later Jacob Freide hit an RBI single and the score was 8-4.
There were some fireworks in the bottom of the fifth. Moore hit a ball to shallow right center as I prepared to take it on a hop. But the ball took a huge bounce and went right over my head. Moore raced around the bases for an easy home run. I learned my lesson on how to play the ball.
The Snowhawks scored four more runs for the max again and it was 13-4. Their speed on the bases made a difference in the game.
"We're more of a base hit team, but we're quick on the bases," Smith said. "We try to hone our defensive skills down in the infield, turning double plays. And we got a fast outfield."
In the sixth, Smith and Ryan Schowalter singled in a few more runs for the Snowhawks. The score ballooned to 16-3.
The Times couldn't score any more as an offense. We had run out of steam with Snowhawks pitcher Nick Merckx finding his groove with some wicked spin on the ball.
One of the highlights for The Times did come in the bottom of the seventh. With a ball hit to right field, Freide scampered over on his snowshoes to make a running catch, snatching it in mid-air.
"It was fantastic fun, it was a fantastic challenge, however I wish I would have been able to move in the outfield a little bit quicker," said Freide, The Times outdoors reporter. "The awkwardness of the snowshoes slowed me down a bit, but I believe my natural athletic ability was able to get me through."
The last big inning for the Snowhawks came in the eighth. Punches singled and scored a run, then Young doubled to score some more. Finally, Cella hit a deep fly ball to left field that unloaded the bases. By the time the ball reached the infield he was already at home plate.
"We have a couple guys that can hit for power, but mostly we're base-hit guys, doubles, singles," Smith said.
The home run put the max for runs scored in the inning and pushed the score to 23-4.
We went one-two-three in the top of the ninth, keeping me from having one more at-bat. I ended up going 1-4 with a single and an error in the outfield. With the win, the Snowhawks can get ready for some real competition when the Chicago All-Stars come to town on Monday, July 1. The teams will play again July 4. Both games are at 7:30 p.m. at Snowshoe Park.
"We're trying to place the balls in different areas, base-running and some of the defensive stuff, turning doubles plays," Smith said. "We just got to get ready for those guys because (the All-Stars) hit the heck out of the ball."
It was a good day for everyone involved. The Lakeland Times put together a good team, the Snowhawks flexed their muscles and the crowd enjoyed the fun on the field. It's a day that will go down in the history books.
Brett LaBore may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
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