The Seaborne Stealers are the 2009/2010 champions of the Bob Owens Slow Pitch Softball League after edging regular season champions Softball Inc., 10-9, at the D.C. Canegata Ball Park.
Seaborne Airlines pilot and Stealers outfielder Aaron Howell delivered the decisive blow, a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning, while ace Sam Ramos held the league’s most potent offense to just nine runs over seven innings. The new champs had to hold on for dear life to keep Softball Inc at bay after scoring all their runs in the first two innings.
After Softball Inc. failed to score in the top of the first inning, the Stealers scored four runs in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Ronald Schjang, a two-run single by Raymond Cintron, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Angel Torres to take the early lead.
Softball Inc. got on the board with one run in the top of the second inning, to then trail 4-1, on a solo home run off the batter of pitcher Cody St. Pierre. However the Stealers responded mightily in the bottom of the inning with six runs on Owen Pimentel’s two-run blast, and Howell’s eventual game winning blast, a grand slam, high over the right field fence for a 10-1 lead. It turned out to be all the runs they would score and it proved to be just enough.
Softball Inc. began to battle back in the top of the third, scoring four runs on a three-run home run by St. Pierre and a solo shot by Angel Guzman to trail 10-5.
They scored their sixth run in the top of the fourth on an RBI double off the bat of Andre Poche to draw one run closer at 10-6.
After a scoreless fifth, a two-run shot by Jack Bernard in the top of the sixth and a solo blast by Tony Cruz in the top of the seventh completed the scoring for Softball Inc., leaving them just one run short at 10-9.
Ramos got the win on the hill for the Stealers, while St. Pierre got the loss. Top batters for the Stealers were Howell (3 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs) and Owen Pimentel (2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs). For Softball Inc., St. Pierre was 2 for 2 with two home runs and three RBIs and Cruz, 2 for 3 with a home run and one RBI.
