Fresh Cut Finishes "First Loser", Falls to Howie's Pub 12-4

Pristine late summer air graced the friendly confines of Payson Park as the hometown darling Fresh Cut Crew dropped their double elimination championship opener to Howie's Pub, 12-4. Shoddy defense lead to 6 unearned Howie runs and the men in green exhibited untimely batsmanship (14 men left on base), plaguing the Fresh Cut cause. Gavin McCarthy
delivered a gutsy performance on the hill, pounding the pee-colored HP faithful inside all night and inducing laser-liners and one-hoppers to shellshocked cornerminder Brad Smith all night.

Spirits rose to crescendo as Travis Meek stormed into Payson Park, having woke up in Salt Lake City earlier that day, however Travis' impact was unfortunately negligible as he went 0-0 with a walk. He replaced a dejected and unamused Spud Wright in the 4th.

Gameballs were awarded to Jared Vigue for a clutch foul ball snare on a ball out of play in the 5th inning, and George Doucette for a diving stab of a HP liner with men on 2nd and 3rd.

A third gameball goes to the indomitable fans of Fresh Cut softball, who witnessed some stellar moments and personalities during the year. Whether it be Jon Pottle's inconceivable backhanded catch at Riverton, Jon Aromando's diving catch-that-wasn't, Travis Meeks regular hosing of opposing baserunners and penchant for the timely bomb, Spud Wright's topspin liners and special brand of love, Josh Thompson's karate chop swing and sneak attack relief pitching, Jack Lombard's amazing 300 foot-occasionally-fair-bombs, Seth Dromgoole's hit-'em-where-they-ain't action, Randy Loubier's pre-and-post-wedding hit parade, Don Coutier's slick fielding and timely batwork, Lucus Ritchie's laserbeam homers and shiny green cleats, George Doucette's timeless game, Gavin McCarthy's tireless pursuit of the season base on balls record, Brad Smith's mastery of the one-hop liner, or Mark Bower going "the other way" for a near-homer at Riverton, this was a season to remember. Training Camp opens in April 2009, with a pair of offseason minicamps scheduled for January and March. Season ticket packages start at $10, and good seats, as usual, are still available.