Mustangs strived for perfection
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
When watching or playing the sport of baseball, one always strives for
perfection.
Whether it be a perfect day at the plate. A perfect day on the mound. A
perfect day while playing in the infield or outfield. Spectators wish
for perfect weather, hoping that any rain clouds moving above the ballpark
don't open up, or the game moves fast before the dark clouds break loose
with rain.
Well, this season, in Southern Hills League play, there were no dark
clouds just a couple close calls for a team in Lynchburg. Nonetheless,
they beat all the odds and achieved a rare feat in a perfect SHL season, as
the number 13 was their lucky number. The number 13, along with a hyphen and the number zero (as in 13-0) allowed the Mustangs to strike their season in the Mustang record books, becoming only the fifth LC squad to be perfect in league play.
There is something about perfection and baseball that seems immortal.
Only 19 Major League pitchers have thrown a perfect game, one of those
coming in the 1956 World Series.
This Mustang team since its first scrimmage against the McClain Tigers on
a sunny March evening at Mitchell Park showed something that is hard to
explain, but I will try.
From the very start, LC didn't look like the team from a season before who struggled in many aspects of the game. No fault, they were preparing for something bigger. In the '09 season, LC gained experience and became seasoned ball players, who understood that to climb the ladder of perfection, one must first take the first step, then the second, and third step, so on and so on until they reached the top of the SHL untouched. Finally, standing on the top of the ladder, with a perfect record.
Back to the first time at Mitchell Park in the aforementioned scrimmage.
It was easy to see the Mustangs had something special for this season, just by the way they went about their business.
Just noticing how hard they hit the baseball caught my attention from the start.
Sure, they like to yell from the dugout for the entire game, with encouraging words for their teammate at the plate, but yelling in a way that could rattle the pitcher who is staring down their hitter. Something to the tune of "Base hit, two-one!" (I know I just butchered their command and I am sorry; but to my defense, the last game I covered they didn't yell because they were all "yelled-out" from the previous game.)
Maybe the yelling does rattle some pitchers, but I am pretty sure most of
the Mustang players drown out the noise as they seem to reach the bases a majority of the time. (I always have some Advil in the car for the
after-game headache. Just kidding.)
This team of league perfection just seems to "get it" when it comes to
the game of baseball.
They played the game with a different kind of grace and style not
duplicated by many teams on a consistent basis. They would have gone perfect in their entire schedule if it weren't for a Saturday hiccup against a
school in a higher division.
But to beat the teams they beat, a couple of times on the strength
late-inning rallies, is something to take pride in.
For a majority of the time, though, the Mustangs played with authority,
and honestly from my perspective, most of the teams they played seemed to lose all steam after LC put one of their big innings on the board.
For example, in a non-league weekend doubleheader against the Georgetown G-Men, LC produced 40 runs.
That's right! Forty!
Not in a week, month or season, but in one day during a twinbill!
In the past couple games, the Mustangs run-ruled the Peebles Indians and North Adams Green Devils, allowing one hit in each game. Back-to-back one-hitters is pretty special.
And while still on the topic of pitching, the games I have been fortunate
to watch when Ryan Doss and Cody Roush have on the mound this season has been plain and simple: fun.
Not to mention, I have been able to watch Dakota Dye and Brad Barger
pitch top-quality games as well this season for the Mustangs.
I didn't attend the game where Ryan Doss (or as I hear fans call him,
Rhino or Ryno) pitched his season-opening no-hitter, or his most recent
one-hitter, but I did see him, along with Roush, gain wins this season.
And I can't forget about the performances of the Mustangs at the plate
thus far. If you have watched them play this season, you know what I'm
talking about.
Even my publisher spoke about how the Mustangs hit the baseball, in
particular when Ray Doss hit a walk-off home run against the North Adams
Green Devils to end a home game a couple weeks ago.
LC has scored, in the regular season, 223 runs, including finishing the
game in double figures 14 times. In their last six games, LC has tallied no
less than 12 runs in a single game.
LC won its first 11 games, had two losses, and ended the regular season with a current winning streak of six straight victories.
So with that, I hope the Mustangs take their hot streak and continue to
entertain their fans with more wins in the postseason.
Most of all, I hope the Mustangs realize what they have accomplished and
know they can continue to do many great things.
Cherish the accomplishment.
Legendary sports columnist Red Smith was once quoted saying, "Ninety feet between home plate and first base may be the closest man has ever come to perfection."
Maybe Smith was right, maybe not.
This season it's been a team perfect in league play 90 feet between the
bases; and for that, for this one glorious spring, the Mustangs are the
kings of Southern Hills baseball.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor for The Highland County Press.
When watching or playing the sport of baseball, one always strives for perfection.
Whether it be a perfect day at the plate. A perfect day on the mound. A perfect day while playing in the infield or outfield. Spectators wish for perfect weather, hoping that any rain clouds moving above the ballpark don't open up, or the game moves fast before the dark clouds break loose with rain.
Well, this season, in Southern Hills League play, there were no dark clouds just a couple close calls for a team in Lynchburg. Nonetheless, they beat all the odds and achieved a rare feat in a perfect SHL season, as the number 13 was their lucky number. The number 13, along with a hyphen and the number zero (as in 13-0) allowed the Mustangs to strike their season in the Mustang record books, becoming only the fifth LC squad to be perfect in league play.
There is something about perfection and baseball that seems immortal. Only 19 Major League pitchers have thrown a perfect game, one of those coming in the 1956 World Series.
This Mustang team since its first scrimmage against the McClain Tigers on a sunny March evening at Mitchell Park showed something that is hard to explain, but I will try.
From the very start, LC didn't look like the team from a season before who struggled in many aspects of the game. No fault, they were preparing for something bigger. In the '09 season, LC gained experience and became seasoned ball players, who understood that to climb the ladder of perfection, one must first take the first step, then the second, and third step, so on and so on until they reached the top of the SHL untouched. Finally, standing on the top of the ladder, with a perfect record.
Back to the first time at Mitchell Park in the aforementioned scrimmage.
It was easy to see the Mustangs had something special for this season, just by the way they went about their business.
Just noticing how hard they hit the baseball caught my attention from the start.
Sure, they like to yell from the dugout for the entire game, with encouraging words for their teammate at the plate, but yelling in a way that could rattle the pitcher who is staring down their hitter. Something to the tune of "Base hit, two-one!" (I know I just butchered their command and I am sorry; but to my defense, the last game I covered they didn't yell because they were all "yelled-out" from the previous game.)
Maybe the yelling does rattle some pitchers, but I am pretty sure most of the Mustang players drown out the noise as they seem to reach the bases a majority of the time. (I always have some Advil in the car for the after-game headache. Just kidding.)
This team of league perfection just seems to "get it" when it comes to the game of baseball.
They played the game with a different kind of grace and style not duplicated by many teams on a consistent basis. They would have gone perfect in their entire schedule if it weren't for a Saturday hiccup against a school in a higher division.
But to beat the teams they beat, a couple of times on the strength late-inning rallies, is something to take pride in.
For a majority of the time, though, the Mustangs played with authority, and honestly from my perspective, most of the teams they played seemed to lose all steam after LC put one of their big innings on the board.
For example, in a non-league weekend doubleheader against the Georgetown G-Men, LC produced 40 runs.
That's right! Forty!
Not in a week, month or season, but in one day during a twinbill!
In the past couple games, the Mustangs run-ruled the Peebles Indians and North Adams Green Devils, allowing one hit in each game. Back-to-back one-hitters is pretty special.
And while still on the topic of pitching, the games I have been fortunate to watch when Ryan Doss and Cody Roush have on the mound this season has been plain and simple: fun.
Not to mention, I have been able to watch Dakota Dye and Brad Barger pitch top-quality games as well this season for the Mustangs.
I didn't attend the game where Ryan Doss (or as I hear fans call him, Rhino or Ryno) pitched his season-opening no-hitter, or his most recent one-hitter, but I did see him, along with Roush, gain wins this season.
And I can't forget about the performances of the Mustangs at the plate thus far. If you have watched them play this season, you know what I'm talking about.
Even my publisher spoke about how the Mustangs hit the baseball, in particular when Ray Doss hit a walk-off home run against the North Adams Green Devils to end a home game a couple weeks ago.
LC has scored, in the regular season, 223 runs, including finishing the
game in double figures 14 times. In their last six games, LC has tallied no less than 12 runs in a single game.
LC won its first 11 games, had two losses, and ended the regular season with a current winning streak of six straight victories.
So with that, I hope the Mustangs take their hot streak and continue to entertain their fans with more wins in the postseason.
Most of all, I hope the Mustangs realize what they have accomplished and know they can continue to do many great things.
Cherish the accomplishment.
Legendary sports columnist Red Smith was once quoted saying, "Ninety feet between home plate and first base may be the closest man has ever come to perfection."
Maybe Smith was right, maybe not.
This season it's been a team perfect in league play 90 feet between the bases; and for that, for this one glorious spring, the Mustangs are the kings of Southern Hills baseball.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor for The Highland County Press.
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