On Thursday, July 11, after a Fourth of July holiday break, week five of the Sedona Adult Summer softball league saw two teams that had separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
First-place and undefeated Rokzoo played second-place Pago’s, which has just one loss.
One team many expected to be in first place is A Day in the West, the team with six championships in the past eight seasons. Playing on hot Thursday nights after a long day at work is not easy for any of these teams, but a lack of players has hurt A Day in the West as much as any other team.
On June 27, A Day of the West had a forfeit loss in Game 1 and a blistering 16-3 loss in their second game, playing with just eight players.
A Day in the West dropped from second place all the way to fifth in the seven team league. Now in Week 5, once again with five minutes until game time, A Day in the West had only seven players, one short of the minimum of eight.
“I think we have 16 men on the roster, so its definitely frustrating when you can’t get eight or nine to show up. You made a commitment the day you said you’d play,” pitcher Jason Steward said. “You’re not just letting down the coach, you’re letting down seven other guys who want to play.” At the last minute, one more player showed and A Day in the West took the field with just eight players against Dirty Rats, a team they were tied with at three wins and four losses. In the bottom of the first inning A Day in the West’s Michael Ortega singled and then with one out Jason Steward singled to load the bases. Alec Smith followed with a single to left scoring two. A Day in the West led 2-0.
In the top of the third, Day in the West pitcher Jason Steward got three consecutive pop outs by pitching on the outside of the plate to Dirty Rats.
“He was doing a great job,” manager and third baseman Pedro Ortega said. “They were trying to pull the ball and he was pitching outside and they hit three easy fly balls to him.”
That is a rarity in slow pitch softball — a popup to the pitcher. Much less three outs in a row.
“I didn’t have to move much,” pitcher Jason Steward said. “Finally got some defense from the pitcher position.”
In the top of the fourth, Dirty Rats’ Nate Lenkl hit a sharp line drive to left field. Shortstop Michael Ortega backed up but it looked like a sure base hit.
“The ball came off the bat and I did not think I was going to get to it,” Ortega said. “I just kind of stuck my glove out there when the ball was flying by and it ended up in there.”
Runs at a premium, it was 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs, A Day in the West’s Angel Betancourt hit an outside pitch to right field, an opportunistic inside out single that proved valuable.
Pedro Ortega slashed a single to left and the ball went under the left fielder’s glove, rolling all the way to the wall. Betancourt scored from first base and now it was 3-0 in favor of A Day in the West.
“We took advantage of one mistake,” Ortega said. “Two runs are not a lot, so you got to cherish those scores.”
After five innings its was still 3-0 A Day in the West over Dirty Rats.
“With a wood bat league you’ve got to start with defense and score a few runs,” Pedro Ortega said. “It’s a style I like to play and then score enough runs to win.”
Three runs was, as it turned out, more than enough. Dirty Rats stranded two runners in the sixth and one more in the top of the seventh. After two losses as an eight-man squad in week four, A Day in the West’s eight men completed a 3-0 shutout to win.
“I guess its pretty rare [a shutout] in a slow-pitch softball game, so I owe it to the defense today,” pitcher Jason Steward said.
“It was nice to see us come together because I was a little worried when I showed up and we only had eight, but then the plays started coming our way and we got a couple of runs on the board,” Michael Ortega said. “Thankfully we were able to win.”
Michael and his father Pedro are the core of this often undermanned team. “It’s disheartening at times but for me when I get to play with my pops out on the field … that’s why I do it,” Michael Ortega said. “It is fun … precious moments for me,” father Pedro Ortega said. “As long as I can walk, I will play with him, my son. Next thing you know, you can’t play so I cherish those moments a lot.”
Michael and Pedro Ortega scored two of the team’s three runs in the 3-0 victory. Almost every week A Day in the West is playing with the minimum of eight, with a vacancy in the infield.
At least on this warm July evening, A Day in the West proved, eight is enough.
