Wolan ponders matters after the game.. (Wolan)

Roster troubles continue for the Avengers as the disabled list grows to 5 players, including 3 women players. With a narrowing female roster, the Avengers outfield found itself short handed once again without a fourth fielder. Comfort Controls took advantage of GD-A’s misfortunes to hand them a 15-1 loss.

The game started with a line-up melt-down as 5 GD-A players were placed on the DL. Becky, Christine, George and Anahid were sidelined with leg-related injuries while Dave was side-lined with an ensuing arm injury. Dean H. was able to hang-on and avoid the DL after sustaining a sore leg muscle at Game 3. His duties, however, were limited to left field so he would not aggravate his injury any further.

To make matters worse, outfielder Jim Read was unable to make Game 4, knocking off yet another player from the roster. In all, 5 starting players and one emergency player were unable to come to the game.

Despite the seamlessly bottom-less DL issue, the Avengers were able to add to its quickly depleting roster. After Sunday’s game, the Avengers convinced Rochelle to play as an emergency female player. Though inexperienced, Rochelle’s willingness to play as catcher was extremely important, for both Becky and Christine landed on the DL.

Before game 4, the Avengers picked-up Bre-Ann. Bre-Ann has played competitively in the past in a fast-pitch softball league as a pitcher. Though the Avengers play in a slow-pitch league, team manager Andy Wolan is confident Bre-Ann will find her niche in the roster.

Also, at game time the Avengers added outfield Patrick Bosco to the line-up. Patrick is a recent hire to GD’s ELP program and has played the position in the past in a completive league. Rochelle, Bre-Ann and Patrick made their debut at Game 4, along with Jameson Tripple (Mr. T) who made his starting game debut.

And by luck, the Avengers were able to convince Brody Neilans and Tom F. Galliher of GD-AIS to come play in tonight’s game.

Rick Palma got the start and pitched a great game, walking one batter and striking out another. However, Comfort Control took advantage of the GD-A’s outfielder handicap, slapping balls into the holes of GD-A defense, scoring 11 runs in the first 3 innings. The Avengers’ defense was able to keep CC's extra base hits to a min by playing some smart fielding.

Despite a few hits, the Avenger offense was unable to get the scoring machine jump-started, going down quickly in the first four innings. This was due in part to some outstanding defensive plays by the CC defense, which robbed both Molloy and Patrick of an extra base hit. Furthermore, it is beleived that the pitcher was tossing the ball with a nasty topspin. This topspin caused many players to pop-up the ball, scoring CC some easy outs.

CC also showed some agressive base running. While attempting to cover first, Mr. T was knocked off the bag and onto the ground by a charging CC base runner.

The Avengers were able to keep CC scoreless in the fourth with a 1-2-3 inning, but surrendered 4 more in the fifth, giving CC a 15-0 advantage. The Avengers eventually struck back in the fifth, when Molloy batted in Rick Palma who tripled earlier that inning. This scoring play allowed GD-A to avoid the shut-out, but it was all the Avengers could muster together, as the team ended the game due to the mercy rule in the fifth, losing the game 15-1.

With the pitcher tossing a pitch with a mean top-spin, Wolan ponders if a Tomahawk Chop-style swing is the answer. It has not been tried by the GD-A, but its worth mentioning as it could be a tool for future games.

Despite the lows in game 4, there were some bright spots:
- the team did not forfeit the game.
- the team avoided a shut-out
- though short-handed, the GD-A defense kept CC extra base hits to a minimum.
- Rick P. had pitched a solid game.
- though rusty, the new starters looked promising
- and most importantly, the team sustained no additional injuries

These facts, along with the fact that Tom F. Galliher saved a bunch of money on his car insurance by switching to GEICO gives the team something to be happy about.

A player playing for Berkshire Bank in field 3 dislocated his left shoulder diving improperly for an infield pop-fly. The player was then evacuated from the field on a stretcher and then escorted to the BMC via an ambulance. It is unknown if the player sustained a season-ending injury or not.

Andy Wolan is a reporter for MLSB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Softball or its clubs.