Cap City Flyers Use Defensive Prowess in Victory
By Aaron Guerrero
Posted at 4:43 p.m. on July 25, 2012
(Aaron Guerrero/CQ Roll Call)
In a low-scoring game on Tuesday night, the Cap City Flyers chose stingy defense over hard slugging offense as their weapon of choice in defeating the Big Lebowskis 7-4.
Billed as the House Softball League’s “Game of the Week,” the matchup pitted two top-five teams against each other.
The Lebowskis, whose founding came via George Washington University Law School, reaffirmed their reputation as a high-octane offense team with a three-run homer in the first inning.
Hailing from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Flyers quickly answered with back-to-back homers in the same inning.
But after the first inning explosion, the Lebowskis bats disappeared. The team failed to score another run until the sixth inning, a feat nearly unheard of in softball.
Over that stretch, the Flyers put on a defensive clinic. The infield steered clear of wild throws to first, killer errors that give the opposition more outs and, usually, more runs. The outfield also played fundamentally sound, making routing catches and hitting the cutoff man to prevent opposition runners from stealing that extra base.
“I think our defense was a huge factor. … It was really important for us to show up and play defense,” said Flyers’ outfielder Sarah Arruda.
Down 3-2 in the bottom of the third inning, the team scored a pair of runs to seize a one-run advantage.
Nursing a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, Flyers’ standout Randall Jefferson stepped to the the plate to deliver a critical two-run homer.
Even with their offensive struggles, the Lebowskis had a chance for some seventh inning magic.
With two outs and runners on second and third, Adam Weinstein hit a towering shot to left field. But like so many of the evenings other fly balls, it was met with a glove.
Last month, the Flyers’ celebrated their rise to a number one ranking with some bubbly. Since coming down a few notches in the standings, the team decided to celebrate this victory with humility rather than glitz.
“We’re humble and we’re going to stay focused,” said Flyers player Jon Blades.
