All Vols Win Heated Rematch Against La Flama Blanca

(Aaron Guerrero/CQ Roll Call)

It was a testy affair Tuesday night, as the All Vols eked out a 13-12 victory in the bottom of the seventh inning over La Flama Blanca.

The Congressional Softball League game was a rematch from June, when La Flama Blanca, a team whose roots date back to the campus of George Washington, prevailed over the collection of former Peace Corps volunteers.

What was an otherwise good game between two very good teams became overshadowed by extended moments of hot-headend theatrics.

Clinging to a 7-6 lead at beginning of the fourth inning, a close play at second involving a sliding Vols runner triggered a disputed call and a poisoned well. In the CSL, the first and third base coaches are turned into impromptu umpires. It’s a formula that invites favoritism, and on this night, anger. Full story

VP Candidates’ Team Pulls Out Big Win

(Patrick Curran/CQ Roll Call)

Holy vice presidential candidates, Batman!

The Swing State Sluggers (3-1) held off a late rally from the Badlands Bombers (0-5) to notch a 21-16 win as the National Mall fell dark on Thursday night.

The Sluggers represent the offices of GOP Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Rob Portman (Ohio), both of whom are considered favorites to run alongside Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. But neither the hype over Romney’s choice nor the release of Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” could distract the Sluggers tonight.

The Republican juggernaut fell in a 5-0 hole early on because of an assault on right field by the Bombers, made up of staffers from the office of Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). The Sluggers fired right back in the next inning, though, taking the lead on a grand slam and carrying a 9-5 advantage into the third. Full story

What’s in a Name? For Hill Softballers, Identity

Settling on a name is a weighty proposition for teams in the House, Senate and Congressional softball leagues. That’s why outside-the-box thinking is the norm rather than the exception. With one collective decision, the string of words will either cloak them in celebrity, provoke fear in opponents or make the masses laugh.

Sift through the standings on the trio of league websites and the names range from the humorous to the spiritual to the, shall we say, less than appropriate.
Full story

Rain, Rain, Go Away

A nasty thunderstorm passed through Georgetown this evening — presumably on its way to the National Mall — just before your correspondent was about to leave for the night’s games.

It’s quieted down a bit since then, but the Weather Channel is predicting a second round of storms for the area within the next couple of hours. Considering my experience last week (the laptop barely escaped with its life), this will have to be an off night.

Missed the weather reports or crazy enough to ignore them? Tweet @CQRCsoftball or @_PatrickCurran, or email me at patrickcurran@cqrollcall.com with any photo evidence of your muddy game. We’ll publish the best ones in Friday’s edition of Rounding the Bases.

Good luck, all ye who would brave these conditions for the noble sport of softball. If you see lightning, remember: Keep those aluminum bats low!

Regulators Ride Pitcher’s Arm to Victory

(Aaron Guerrero/CQ Roll Call)

The Regulators didn’t let a gem of a pitching performance by veteran John Cymbalsky go to waste tonight, besting the DCI Magic, 18-1.

Cymbalsky has been a member of the team for two decades, when it was primarily based out of the Department of Energy. Today, it’s a mix of D.C. government and federal workers, among other professional backgrounds.

Despite the simmering 102-degree temperature at the start of the game, Cymbalsky turned in a deceptively flawless performance, aided by a curveball that would have left former junk throwing pitcher Jimmy Key proud.

“Just had the control from the beginning,” Cymbalsky said.

The Senate Softball League matchup ended nearly as quickly as it began, lasting just over an hour. Full story

League Standouts (Good and Bad) at the Halfway Mark

Major League Baseball marked the halfway point of its season with an exciting All-Star game Tuesday. Unlike MLB, softball in Washington, D.C., doesn’t hold such a game to mark its midway point.

Rather, it’s the calendar that functions as the unofficial time keeper of the season’s progress. While the second half is now under way, the first provided a preview of which teams are likely to shine and which need work.

In the House Softball League, the Texas Republic continues to stand head and shoulders above the rest. The team is currently on a 15-game regular season winning streak and is in first place with a solid 7-0 record. On Thursday, it’ll square off against the Liberty Square Sliders, a rematch of the 2010 league championship in which Texas Republic breezed to victory. Other teams, such as the 0-7 Swift Justice, haven’t been so fortunate. Full story

Victorious Secret Overcomes 18-Run Deficit

(Aaron Guerrero/CQ Roll Call)

On a toasty Monday night on the National Mall, Victorious Secret came back from 18 runs down to defeat Yogi’s Hard Drivers, 31-27.

Awash with offense, both teams’ lengthy early innings at bats caused a premature, fifth-inning finish because of darkness.

The House Softball League game featured two teams near the bottom of the pack as both teams entered the fray with a combined 6-14 record. But after one inning, the game took on historical proportions.

The Hard Drivers, whose beginnings trace back to the House IT shop, came out swinging, scorching the opposition for 18 runs in the first. Every bounce went their way, as the team easily went through the batting order. The half inning alone went for nearly 35 minutes.

It was quite the offensive showing, but the magic faded, and so, too, did their lead. Full story

Rounding the Bases

(Patrick Curran/CQ Roll Call)

Miss any of the action down on the Mall this week? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a quick recap of the week’s action:

• The blistering heat that had plagued Washington for nearly two weeks finally broke on Monday, but it came at a price: A violent thunderstorm ripped across the Mall on Tuesday night while your trusted correspondent was covering the ACLU vs. Department of Transportation game at the Washington Monument. The game was cut short after six innings (the DOT prevailed), but not before everyone involved was thoroughly soaked. Full story

Tribe Holds Off Green Monsters

(Patrick Curran/CQ Roll Call)

Need a metaphor for the Green Monsters’ 14-6 loss to the Tribe on Thursday night? Just look at their beloved Boston Red Sox.

The Sox started the season a dismal 4-10; the Senate Softball League squad of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) couldn’t catch a break either, giving up nine runs during the first two innings to the Tribe, which represents the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

But like their American League East counterparts, the Monsters weren’t dead yet. Impressive fielding — most notably from centerfielder and captain Jeremy Hunt — helped Kerry’s squad hold their AIPAC counterparts scoreless during the next four innings. By the top of the seventh, the Tribe’s lead had slimmed  to four runs. Full story

For Alphabet Soup, Softball Is a Family Activity

There’s no crying in softball — on the field, at least. The Alphabet Soup fan section is a different story.

Since 1996, the Congressional Softball League squad has seen seven marriages, 10 children and more agency affiliations than we care to count. In a softball culture dominated by interns and 20-somethings, the veteran squad features a sideline full of rambunctious toddlers sporting team colors. And they root for a winner.

Full story

Quality Bests Quantity in Wednesday Battle

(Patrick Curran/CQ Roll Call)

Strength isn’t always in numbers, especially in softball.

Softball With Chris Matthews beat the Hart Breakers in Wednesday night Congressional Softball League action, 17-9, despite running with only eight players for much of the game.

The small, sloped field on the southeast side of the Washington Monument led players from both teams to speculate that they might lose several balls over the Monument fence. As it turned out, that wasn’t a huge problem — unless pitcher Channing Barringer was up, that is.

The pitcher’s Herculean effort — 5-for-5 with four home runs and a triple — anchored a solid all-around offensive performance from the VOX Global squad. Full story

DOT Tops ACLU in Six Innings

Can we have the heat back?

The Department of Transportation edged the ACLU at the Washington Monument on Tuesday night, 13-11, in a battle shortened by a massive thunderstorm that emptied the National Mall within minutes.

The two teams traded leads throughout the game, but both solid fielding and the sloped Monument field kept either squad from gaining a big lead. The turning point came when DOT knocked in four runs in the top of the sixth to establish a 13-10 advantage.

The dark clouds that had gathered over Washington in the third and fourth innings finally unloaded in the sixth, though, forcing both teams to agree to end the game after that inning. The ACLU’s First F’n Amendments attempted a rally in the bottom of the inning, but it didn’t seem crushed when the third out sent them packing.

Both teams declined to comment on the game because they weren’t in the mood to be swept into the Potomac.

No Independence Day Hangover for Hoosier Daddies

(Patrick Curran/CQ Roll Call)

The smoke from the fireworks was long gone, but there was no shortage of thrills at the Washington Monument on Thursday night.

Katheryn Ellis’ walk-off single gave the Hoosier Daddies (1-6) their first win of the season, a 17-16 triumph over the Florida Orange Crush (4-4) in House Softball League action.

Fueled by a rollicking playlist and red-hot bats, the Hoosier Daddies jumped out to an early 5-2 lead on the hazy summer evening. Made up of former staffers from the office of Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), the Daddies had struggled mightily before Thursday night’s game.

“I think we’re basically all media whores, so when we heard Roll Call was here we stepped up,” Ellis joked. Full story

Tempers Run Hot on Eve of Holiday

(Patrick Curran/CQ Roll Call)

The Consortium for Ocean Leadership softball team dominated from start to finish tonight, besting the National Committee for Quality Assurance, 12-6, at Washington Monument Field No. 6.

With oppressive heat, construction and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival keeping many teams off the Mall, the House Softball League showdown was one of the only games happening in an area usually mobbed with multicolored softball jerseys. But the action didn’t disappoint.

The softball itself wasn’t especially exciting — the COL’s Not Rocket Scientists took an early 4-0 lead and cruised from there on out. But tempers flared in the top of the fifth inning, as the two squads got into a heated argument over whether the score was 10-6 or 10-4. The NCQA’s Quality Playas eventually backed down, settling for 10-4, but not before several members of both teams had exchanged harsh words. Full story

Democrats Play Hardball

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer greets fans during the 51st Annual CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Republicans lost 5-4 in the Supreme Court on Thursday morning, but it wasn’t that close Thursday night in the 51st Annual CQ Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game. A dominant performance by the Democratic bats combined with suspect pitching and defense on the part of the Republicans, resulting in an 18-5 crushing. For full coverage see:

• Democrats Best GOP in Baseball
• Richmond’s Double One of Longest in History
• Ron Paul Joins the Hall of Fame
• Photos From the Game