Another Year of No Mercy

The last regular game in 2009 for No Mercy, Building 2's coed team in the GSFC Slow-Pitch Softball Association, was Monday, August 10th. Once again the team avoided being "mercied" (the other team scoring 10 runs in one inning) for the whole year, although we did give up 7 runs in the first inning of the last game before coming back to make it a respectable 7 to 5 loss.


Surprisingly I played the whole year after sitting out 2008 with shoulder pain. Physical therapy followed by a steady regimen of exercises made throwing pain-free once again. As in 2007 and 2008, there was the traditional No Mercy cheer, and then a trip to Side Pockets to celebrate another season.

Two weeks later No Mercy played in the co-ed tournament with teams from both the Monday and Tuesday leagues. The games were shortened to 4 innings, and there were some minor rule changes to speed things up. We handily won the first game, but were shut out in the final games. Since our regular pitcher was unavailable, I pitched all 3 games. I set another personal record in the second game by giving up 3 home runs to the same batter. Two easily cleared the center field fence. On the second one, I gave the pitch the most arc ever, but he still crushed it. This adds to my other pitching "accomplishments": a 4-pitch inning and a full 7-inning game with no fielding chances. Sadly, it was the final game for our star "ringer", who is taking a post-doc position in Massachusetts. At least she went out with a bang -- a bases-loaded homer in the first game. We later gave her an appropriate send off.