The (Softball) Odyssey

An overnight rain closed the Heckscher fields last Sunday. It was a beautiful day, and there was no way we were turning around and going home. We went to DeWitt Clinton (54th Street), only to be denied by the little league. We went to Chelsea Park on 28th Street, only to be denied by tee ball. Finally we ended up at Houston Street at the East River, a few blocks south of our fall fields, sharing a turf field with a soccer game. Jeff Appell opposed Freddie Melendez, and thanks to a pair of homers from Eric Schulman, Appell's team was in a quick 6-0 hole. They scored 6 times in the top of the 4th to tie, and then a solo shot from Tom Haskin in the 5th proved to be the go-ahead run in a 12-10 win. Melendez's team put up a spirited comeback, sparked by Greg Hilska's 2-out, 2-run triple, but ultimately fell short.