9-News: 37.073 – Nine Climb to .500: Twice

[RonCo]

Playoff Hopes Remain


In a microcosm of the year as a whole, the favored boys of the Yellow Springs Nine clawed their way to .500 with a victory over Omaha, only to lose to the Hawks the following day and slink below the line. They showed resilience, however, and roared back to take a pair from the visiting Surfers, raising to a game above .500 for the first time since the first week of the season—only to lose a pair of games that included a 10 inning affair that should have gone their way. The 5-3 week left the team at 68-69 overall, a game below the hallowed even mark.

“This whole season has been a struggle like that,” said manager Bret Richards, whose contract is up at the end of this year, and who still has not been extended. “We’ve been a pretty good baseball team, really—especially when you consider all the injuries. But we dug ourselves an 8-19 hole to start the seasons, and that’s hard to get out of.”

The club is 60-50 when you discount April, which the Nine seemed to treat as cavalierly as if it were extended spring training.

The team will host Boise for four games next week, then go on the road to Twin Cities and Des Moines. Fans are still hoping for a good result to fan the dying embers of the team’s playoff hopes. All three of those opponents are struggling at present, so anything is possible, but few are betting anything close to the ranch on it.