A summer sport
When someone thinks of softball, they think of long summer afternoons and evenings were the only weather risk is getting sunburnt.
Those someones clearly never visited Ireland.
A steady breeze and low sunshine greeted the Belfast Angels and the defending Softball Ulster champion Belfast Sliders to Strandtown Primary School for the Halos opening fixture in the 2016 season. Confident after defeating the Sliders (albeit missing a few key personnel) at the SU Start of Season blitz, these Angels are a distant memory of the team that was close to being shut out in the last regular season fixture between the two sides last summer (19-1 the final on that day). With rookies Vicky Thompson and Amy Simpson as well as former Aviators Gareth Horne and Christopher Stange and new Northstar convert Jason Scott there is a lot to be hopeful for this year.
The Angels showed their teeth early, Colin Woods kickstarting the offence and putting the Halos up 2-0 early. Another three were added by the time the inning was over. The Sliders had a point to prove and fired back straightaway with eight runs of their own.
With the new, shorter baselines this year in Softball Ulster, high-scoring games are due to be the norm, and this game didnt disappoint. Moving into the third, the Angels were 14-8 down but started to claw back, pulling the score to 17-13 after four.
Defense began to take over with Christopher Stange on the rubber for the Halos trying to curb the potent Sliders batting order. After five the gap had been closed to two and with Sinead Shackley crossing to pull the score 18-17, a knock from Colin Woods tied the game. Nudging ahead 22-21 in the sixth, catcher Gareth Horne struck a two run home run to take the score to 24-21.
Unfortunately this Sliders team has plenty of power in the bats, and with one away they were able to walk off the field, 25-24 winners.
Disappointed certainly, but Jay Slevin and Jonny Craven should take heart in the performance shown and the promise of what is to come.
