Hot Mamas Softball League celebrates Opening Day

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com

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* Season schedule – Page 1 – Page 2

ELLERBE — The Pee Dee Post was on hand for parts of six games on Saturday at Parsons Field in Ellerbe as the Hot Mamas Softball League celebrated Opening Day.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

A total of 10 one-hour games were scheduled for the first day of regular season play. And if thought the league wasn’t competitive — think again.

Home runs were celebrated with high-fives and, on occasion, a friendly taunt to the opposing team and runs scored or great plays in the field were celebrated with cheers or jeers, depending on which side of the play one was on.

Max Gardner, league commissioner and coach of Chix with Stix, pulled his team together for a brief huddle as the team faced an 8-3 deficit in its second game of the day.

“There is no way we should be down 8-3,” Gardner said.

Gardner tried to motivate his all-ladies team, with about half aged 35 or older, to play like he said they’d played in the scrimmage games and practices leading up to Opening Day. Was it nerves? Was it the heat?

It was competitive, to be sure, but players lifted each other up no matter what color their team T-shirts happened to be.

Made a good play? You’d likely hear about it both both dugouts.

Team captains are charged with sending game scores and highlights by email to peedeepost@gmail.com.

* Hot Mamas Angels sweeps doubleheader

The Hot Mamas Angels beat up on the Battin’ Babes 24-3 in an offensive onslaught led by home runs from Becky Thomas, Joni Knight O’Neal and Crystal Leviner.

In Game 2, the Angels defeated SWAT 20-10 — again using the long ball. Leviner led the way with two home runs, plus one each by Thomas and Knight O’Neal.

* SWAT drops two on Opening Day

SWAT fell to SALT Shaker 11-0 and to Hot Mamas Angels 20-10 to start the season 0-2. But there’s hope, as one player indicated that “our players started out a lil nervous but we stepped it up by the last game.”

* Orange Krushers split twinbill

The Orange Krushers defeated Chix with Stix 13-7 before dropping a 20-18 game to Aces of Bases.

* Battin’ Babes bamboozled in debut

The Battin’ Babes dropped two games Saturday by large margins. The Hot Mamas Angels defeated the Babes 22-2 and, later Saturday, the DramaNots won 17-2.

League Standings

W L RS RA
Hot Mamas Angels ………… 2 0 43 13
E-lemon-ators …………………2 0
SALT ……………………………..2 0
Chix with Stix …………………1 1
DramaNots …………………….1 1
Orange Krushers ……………..1 1 31 27
Aces of Bases ………………….1 1
SWAT …………………………….0 2 10 31
Slap-a-Pitch ……………………0 2
Battin’ Babes ………………….0 2 4 39
Where My Pitches At?! ……0 0
MoCo’s Most Wanted ……..0 0