Winnin' in The Rain

As the old adage says, “If you mess with fire, you’re going to get burned.” Thursday afternoon, FH found that the same goes for water.

Following an afternoon of tweeting the weather and hashtagging “reverse psychology” to psych out Mother Nature, the temptress of the temperature made us gargle our words. To say it rained would be an understatement; however, FH and their opponent GMMB remained steadfast (or is that stubborn?) to play through the monsoon. When the skies cleared, what lay over the rainbow was FH’s fourth consecutive win, 12-5 over GMMB – closing out the regular season with a 5-2 record, good enough to clinch first place in the West Division heading into the playoffs.

Summer intern Andy Logan made his softball debut as designated hitter, sharing the responsibility with Matt Navitsky, grabbing a RBI followed by a run in his first at-bat. In standard fashion, Jon Berke, Jason Hellmann, and Dave Whiting each contributed several RBIs themselves, and tacked on a couple of runs to the lead.

The conditions proved to have no affect on Silvio Marcacci, who had a triple in the first inning and home run in the fourth. In contrast, Jason Werden convincingly proved that he was no Mark Buehrle, pitching three innings before being sent the showers. Reliever Craig Paridy took over the pitcher’s mound in the fourth inning to complete the game, and helped his own cause with four hits, two runs, and two RBIs.

Mahesh Subramanian and Dave Forman split time in right field, and each contributed a hit and scored a run. Lowen Baumgarten, Ellen Black, and Amanda Schildt all made great defensive plays and contributed clutch hits. Callie Baum yet again demonstrated her ability to be a utility player with slick defense in right-center field and at first base, where she teamed up with second basewoman Jen Anderson for the ultimate one-two punch against GMMB.

So, FH finishes the regular season with yet another victory, peace of mind that no one was struck by lightning, and satisfaction that we finally triumphed over Mother Nature. Playoffs begin this week, when FH faces GMMB in an inter-Omnicom battle royal on Thursday, July 30. Nothing compares to playoff suspense, so if you’ve wanted to make a game all season, this week is your perfect chance to cheer on our loveable band of intramural athletes.

A Rivalry Renewed

May 7, May 28, July 2, and July 16.

What do these four dates have in common? Fleishman-Hillard’s bitter rival, Edelman. Following two rainouts and a scheduling conflict that led to cancelling a makeup game in early July, FH was out for blood. Both squads knew the result of the game would lead to major bragging rights in the District, as FHDC’s own Mary Lojacono, Bill Black, and Juliet Johnson stood in the gallery alongside Edelman’s Frank Kauffman.

However, there was nothing that Edelman could magically hide up their sleeves – not even arguments involving the league rulebook, which was broken out on more than one occasion – to avoid defeat as FH emerged victorious, 15-9.

FH established our defensive presence immediately, opening the game with three quick outs. Throughout the game play after play resulted in holding the Edelman bats at bay. At times, it didn’t even seem close, especially when FH lead 15-3 going into the seventh inning before Edelman staged a 6-run final rally before FH sealed their fourth win to jump into first place in the division.

FH’s defense proved airtight. Craig Paridy even played through injury after wounding his left hand during a play at first. The Award for Defensive Player of the Game, however, went to Callie Baum, who “refused to be pigeon-holed as an outfielder.” Baum certainly backed up the bold claim when she moved to first base for three innings, providing the game-ending play snagging a one-hopper for the third out in top of the seventh.

For as well as the defense played, the offense produced some of the best statistics of the season. Jason Werden (2-for-3) was possessed at the plate Thursday evening, patiently waiting for two pitches that resulted in a three-run triple and an inside-the-park grand slam. The first would have been a grand slam as well, but apparently you have to touch all the bases to score a run. Thankfully, Edelman had the rulebook in hand to make the controversial, yet correct call.

Dave Whiting provided the infield play of the night, lunging for line drive at short to get a critical out, and continued to produce offensively by going 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI, and a triple. Jason Hellmann made a number of key plays in left field while also going 2-for-4 and scoring a run.

Rachelle Lacroix (2-for-2), Silvio Marcacci (3-for-3), Jon Berke (3-for-3), and Mahesh Subramanian (3-for-3) were all flawless at the plate, racking up seven of FH’s 15 runs. Lacroix was especially crafty with her ball-placement, allowing her to reach base in all three attempts. Berke smashed the ball for consecutive doubles and a single that could have easily been home runs if it were not for great fielding by Edelman. Stephanie Slobodian, Ellen Black, Stefanie Litman, Jen Anderson, and Laura DeSantis each had great defensive games and contributed clutch hits to contribute to the big win.

We know you must be thinking: “Man, I missed the last regular season game! How will I ever live with myself?” But, not to worry! The season has been extended by one week to make up for one this year’s six rainout games. And following this week’s game, playoffs are right around the corner.

So come out this Thursday for what is sure to be an enjoyable evening with our friends at GMMB for an evening of cross-company softball or follow all the action on Twitter @FHSoftball. Now is the perfect time to become the ultimate bandwagon fan!

Whiting for MVP?

It is a difficult task for any team to start a winning streak, let alone one with such little depth, a shortened season, playing a game on one day’s notice, and a missing mascot. But, our motley crew never took into account the factors stacked against them, and Fleishman-Hillard convincingly brought home their second win in a row, defeating Ogilvy on Monday night, 22-13, a particularly sweet victory for Jon Berke who was facing his former firm.

Co-Coach Dave Whiting was the star of the afternoon, going 5-for-5, scoring in all five at-bats, with three home runs. Even with the eight RBIs he brought home for FH in his MVP-caliber performance, the always-competitive Whiting still yearned for one more at-bat to grab a single and thus complete the cycle for the evening.

He certainly was the only player who noticed this “lack of achievement” as both squads sang his praises. Ogilvy did so in a less sincere manner, as the sore-losing opponent attempted to sour the cheerful atmosphere with their negative remarks toward the FH players. Nothing would bring down the FHers spirits, however, as each of Fleishman’s 22 hits later became a run. As co-coaches Whiting and Craig Paridy discussed following the game, “The best part about a win like that is that everyone contributed. You have to be happy with a game like that, it is so much more fun to win that way.”

Berke (4-for-5), Dave Forman (3-for-4), and Jason Werden (3-4) accounted for three runs apiece (for those who are counting, Whiting, Berke, Forman, and Werden collectively scored more than the entire Ogilvy team, and we’re not done yet!).

Paridy began the game on the mound, but strategically moved to first base after the first inning. Mattitude Navitsky got the call from the bullpen in the second inning, throwing a slew of “aggressive” yet effective pitches that the Ogilvy players could not wait to complain about. Along with a number of gold-glove caliber catches at first, Paridy went 4-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs. Navitsky went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI, a respectable outing for any pitcher.

Two outfield performances stood out late in the game, holding the Ogilvy hitters at bay. Mahesh Subramanian and VOX’s Callie Baum made it look all too easy as they efficiently covered leftfield and right-centerfield, respectively. Even though both went 1-for-4, their sole hits each accounted for a run.

Stephanie Slobodian and Ellen Black held down the fort behind home plate while simultaneously padding their stats, as Slobodian earned an RBI and Black scored a run in the sixth. Amanda Schildt scored two runs off of two hits and an RBI.

Fleishman-Hillard’s next game is slotted for Thursday, July 2 versus Edelman as we head into the July 4 holiday. Come support your fellow FHers before heading out for your weekend plans as they go for their third consecutive win. The office is closed Friday – what better way to spend a summer afternoon? See you there and have a Happy Fourth of July!