Slugfest sets tone for backstretch                 Chris Rasmussen      Leader Staff

Despite an early season hampered by teams with not enough players or players who were hurt, the second half of the recreational softball league season will start healthy and with perhaps another slugfest. The teams that faced each other in midseason championship game will square off again, when the second half of the season begins July 14. But first things first. The Christian Players beat the Roughnecks, 17-11, last Thursday to capture the midseason championship tournament at Hilton Field Sports Complex. “We were having teams drop out left and right due to injuries and mission requirements,” said Cindi Keene, sports coordinator. “But things are really looking up for the second half of the season. We still have 13 teams, so we are doing pretty good.” At last year’s break, there was no clear-cut leader, but this season is different. Both the Christian Players and Roughnecks are expected to continue their domination, because of their power-hitting and defense. “Our team has been together for five years and a lot of our guys played ball before at the college level or competitive softball,” said George Clash, coach for the Christian Players. “We should be right in the thick of things for the second half of the season.” The Roughnecks jumped out to an early 8-3 lead Thursday, but the Christian Players got their bats going in the fourth with the help of four home runs, including two from Stephen Roberts, who went 3-for-4 on the night. Bam Perry and Jacob Rivera also homered. “We jumped out early but they came back and busted home runs on us,” said Calvin Robinson, coach for the Roughnecks. “It was a very good game. The wind was pushing out, so if you got under the ball it was gone. Even though we lost, our guys did a great job.” The Roughnecks won’t have to wait too long to seek revenge on the Christian Players. The teams will play each other again to start the second half of the season. “We are going to be ready,” Robinson said. “They have a lot of power hitters and we like hitting, but the bottom line is we can win if we play tough enough. It is a hitting game. You can make a few errors, but you have to hit the ball.” Keene said she expects the second half of the season to go more smoothly than the first half. “Now that they have had a chance to see what the other side looks like, I expect the games to be a lot more competitive,” she said.