Teams stats*:

Record:	5-3 (winning season)
Team batting avg:	0.487
Runs per at-bat:	0.200
Runs scored:	71 / 64
Double plays:	8 / 9
Outs at home plate:	3 / 8 (Dented Bats made 4, Silly Pigs made 3)
1-2-3 innings:	3 / 1

* (Made by Indies #1 / Made by opponents faced)

Batting stats:

Most Games Att:	A-WOL, Dr. Softball, Dee, Garrett, Larry, Marcus, Marilyn (9)
Most Hits:	Marcus (23), A-WOL (22)	Dee (16)
Most Runs:	Garrett (11), A-WOL (10)	Dee (11)
Most RBIs:	Marcus (12), Larry (11)	Dee (8), Nat (7)
Most SACs:	Garrett (3), Larry (2)	Kim (11)
Most Walks:	Dr. Softball (3)	Nat (5)
Doubles Club:	Dee (2), Garrett / Marcus (1)
Season-long hit streak:	A-WOL, Dr. Softball, Garrett, Marcus, Marilyn. (9 Game min)

Pitching:
Marilyn: 5-4, (9 AP), 70 1/3 IP, 21 BB, 17 K, 9 CG. (A pitching workhorse)

Miscellaneous Stats:
Number of words written for website: 10,500
Number of video clips taken: 298+
Storage space for captured video: 6.9GB
Awards won: 1 (Photo of the Month for Jan 2011).
Length of interview with Dr. Softball: 4 secs
Number of times videos viewed by fan club: 114,308

The semi-final game between the Indies #1 and Silly Pigs was a real nail biter.

The opposition took an early 2-0 lead, thanks in part to a questionable call. After a force-out was made at home plate, a second Silly Pigs base runner proceeded to home plate to score after the umpire failed to call time. This play woke up the Indies #1 defense, who would limit the Silly Pigs to just 1 run over the next 7 innings.

The Indies #1 offense would catch fire in the fifth, rallying to take a 4-3 lead. The team’s defense would hold the score, and the lead, through the 8th inning.

In the previous contest between the Indies #1 and the Silly Pigs earlier this season, the Indies #1 were down to their final strike when they rallied for 2 runs to take the win. In a stroke of irony, the Silly Pigs found themselves with two on, two out and down to their final strike in the 9th inning. But somehow the Silly Pigs rallied for 3 runs to reclaim the lead, and eventually the win.

“If this was a normal 50-minute game, or a 7-inning or 8-inning game, we would have won,” said Coach A-WOL. “But this is the playoffs and we need to play 9 innings. We simply made one bad play at the end and that was the difference maker.”

In other playoff news:

A Championship Playoffs
The JV Allstars were forced to forfeit their game against Dented Bats after only 3 to 5 people had shown up. Dented Bats and Silly Pigs squared off in the finals in a game that was said to be “close.” Dented Bats would go on to win that contest.

B Championship Playoffs
Swing and a Miss defeated Indies #2 to advance, while #7 seed Organized Chaos beat TBD. Organized Chaos would go on to win the finals.

And to the victor go the spoils. Each member of the championship teams received a BSSC sweatshirt. The color of the garment was determined by its size. Unconfirmed rumors claim that the “XL” sweatshirts were pink.

In the regular season finale, the Indies #1 and #2 teams squared off in a rematch of Game 1. The Indies #1 were held to just 2 runs after three innings, until the team broke the game open with 5 runs in the fourth. After that, the Indies #1 were on cruise control as they defeated their rivals 8-1. Not to be outdone, the Indies #2 managed to limit the Indies #1 to 1 or 0 runs in 7 total innings, including 4 shut-out innings.

The victory gives the Indies #1 their fifth win of the season, ending the regular season with a winning record of 5-3. In terms of standings, the team’s record was enough to edge out “Silly Bats” to claim the #2 spot in the league.

For Coach A-WOL, the team’s record is a career best, making it his first winning season ever as team captain. To show his appreciation for the team’s winning performance, Coach A-WOL plans to buy a beer for each team member.

The Indies #1 team now sets their sites on the playoffs, where the team’s record has also earned them the #2 seed in the “Championship Division.”

The Indies #1 played a late evening double header this evening, with hopes of sealing a winning record for the season.

The first game pitted the Indies #1 against 2-3 “Organized Chaos”. The game was a clinic on playing defense, as both teams kept their opponents off the board for most of the game. The Indies #1 fell behind 2-0 early but fought back to tie the game 3-all after 6. The game remained tied until the 8th, when Natalie and Larry batted in Dee and Garrett, respectively, which gave the Indies #1 a 5-3 lead. The OC would fight back, but the Indies would hang on to win 5-4 after 10 innings.

The second game was against the 2-3 "Swing and a Miss." The Indies #1 managed to overcome an early 4-2 deficit to tie the game 4-all after 4 innings. The Indies #1 scored 5 times in the 5th to take a commanding 9-4 lead. Going into the final inning of play, the Indies #1 team had a commanding 10-5 lead. However, the team's defense would suffer a melt-down, as they gave up 6 runs to fall 11-10.

With the split of the double header, the Indies #1 team remains above .500, improving to 4-3 on the season. The team will look to end the season with a winning record in the season finale against Indies #2.

The Indies #1 ended a two-game losing streak with a convincing win over the JV Allstars. In each of the seven innings played, a sharp-looking Indies #1 defense limited JV to either one run or no runs per inning. The Indies #1 defensive charge was led by Marcus Laich, who was involved in three double plays, including one in which he executed single handedly.

And despite an intimidating high-arch pitcher, a quick-thinking Indies #1 offense took advantage of the opportunities to rapidly rack up 9 runs in the first four innings of play. Not to be outdone, the JV Allstars collected two double plays of their own to keep the Indies in check. But it would not be enough, as the Indies #1 cruised to a 10-4 win.

The victory keeps the Indies #1 team above the .500 mark, improving the team record to 3-2 on the season.

Today, the BSSC has announced that the winner of the “Photo of the Month” contest for January 2011. And the recipient of this prestigious honor is the Indies #1’s own photography core!

The entry that earned this honor was not a photo, but rather a set of videos. The team submitted three videos for consideration, each featuring highlights from the team’s first three games of the season. Apparently, the judge liked what she saw, stating that the videos were “fun”.

“It’s a great honor for the team,” said lead photographer Andy Wolan. “It’s even more special when you consider that we were given this honor only a few days into the month of January. To me, it means that our entries were so good that the judge felt no one could possibly top us!”

To view the videos, visit our “Media Gallery” page.

Congratulations to our photographers! (You mean A-WOL?)

The team has announced that they will not be signing Jeff Chin to the roster this season. This announcement comes after Chin failed to report to the team or the league, after missing the first 3 games of the season. The reason for his absence is a mystery, especially when one considers that he paid his entry fee to the league.

“In the end, I needed to do what was best for the team,” said Team Captain Andrew Wolan. “My understanding is that Jeff Chin is a solid player behind home plate. However, he has missed the first 3 games of an 8-game season and has failed to get in touch with anyone since the season started.

“His absence is a distraction, and that’s not fair to the team. Therefore, we will not be signing him so that we can focus on the remaining games on the schedule and not on the roster.”

The Indies #1 collected their second win of the season following an incredible come-from-behind win.

Down for the entire game, the team was staring at a one run deficit as the game entered the bottom of the last inning of play. With one down and “Dr. Softball” and Dee at second and first respectively, Garrett Hanson hit an infield grounder. A play was attempted at second but the throw was wide. “Dr. Softball” slid into third base, then got up and attempted to score on the aforementioned overthrow. However, the Silly Pigs’ defense was quick to recover the ball, and threw out “Dr. Softball” at the plate.

With the team down to their final out, Larry Azer hit a 1-2 pitch off the ceiling for a bloop-single to load the bases. With the game on the line (no pressure), Kimberly Karman stepped up to the plate and hit a grounder past the mound. The shortstop tried for the force out at third, but the throw was no good. This play tied the game at 9-all.

The stage was now set for Indies #1 batter Marcus Laich, who hit the ball off the ceiling and behind the pitcher. No one was there to retrieve the ball in time to make the play, thus allowing Hanson to score the winning run.

“It was a very intense ending; I’m still recovering,” said team captain Wolan. “First I thought we were going to tie. Then lose. Then tie. And then finally we won. It was an exciting ending to such a great game.”

One member of the team, who will remain nameless, celebrated the win after the game by riding a saddle on a stationary wooden horse.

The Indies #1 got the season off to a great start with a convincing win over sister walk-on team “Indies #2”. This win comes despite the fact that the Indies #1 had not played a single game together, as a team, until game day.

During the course of the game, the Indies #1 offense looked sharp as they collected 14 runs off of 25 hits in just 5 innings of play. The team even hit the 6-run limit in the 4th inning.

As for the Indies #1 defense, they weren’t too shabby either, as they kept Indies #2 off the board for 3 of the 6 innings of play. This was accomplished thanks in part to a pair of double plays and a nice defensive play at the plate.

Needless to say, the Indies #1 cruised through this contest to take a 14-5 win. Starting pitcher Marilyn Minus picked up the win and later the nod from the team to be their starting pitcher. The win also marked the end of a season-long losing streak for Coach Wolan. This streak was endured as head of the 2010 Verdasys Softball team.

Who says you can’t play softball in the winter?

Today, the Boston Ski and Sports Club (BSSC) has released the team listing for the 2010 Winter Indoor Softball League. This season, the league will consist of two teams containing randomly assigned walk-on players. Their league assigned names are “The Indies #1” and “The Indies #2”; these names are believed to be a play on “Indoor Sports Enthusiasts” and not the geographical location.

As has been case for the past 6 years, the writing staff will follow the team containing one Andrew Wolan (A-WOL). This season, it will be the “Indies #1”. In addition to A-WOL, the team’s roster contains Dierdre “Dee” Kelly, Larry Azer, Kimberly Karman, Daniel “Dr. Softball” Ryan, Jeff Chin, Natalie “Nat” Capiro, Marcus Laich, Marilyn Minus (a college professor who loves to pitch), and the duo of Mike Melcher and Garrett Hanson.

In related news, the team later elected A-WOL to be their team captain. This will be his sixth career stint as team captain. When asked how he would approach the game under a unique setting, A-WOL said that “the structure of the field will introduce its own unique set of challenges.”

“I sometimes call this ‘infield softball’ instead of ‘indoor softball’ because the field of play is limited to the infield and a very small outfield. For instance, the distance from home plate to the foul pole is less than 110 feet.”

“In addition, there is a net that surrounds the field. If a ball hit into play contacts netting, whether it be the ceiling or the netting above the outfield wall, the ball can still be caught for an out. With the confined space and ability to make plays off of ricochets, you could say it’s like playing softball in a pinball machine.”

We would like to stress again that the team name was assigned by the league and not a seemingly conceited Mr. A-WOL.