BIG TIME
12/18/02

Roger's BIG hITS squad caps a perfect season with a come from behind win over the third seeded Widgets, 21-16.

The BIG hITS end a 10-0 season by overcoming a sixth inning deficit. Trailing the Widgets 16-14 going into the bottom of the sixth, the BIG hITS responded with seven runs and opened a five run lead entering the last inning.

Roger's group completed a dominant season in CSA's toughest league. In winning the championship, they defeated eight different opponents. The list included four former CSA co-ed softball champions, Widgets, Batting for Beers, Damn Drunks, and Pete Rose Bets on Us. They also defeated two teams that won regular season division titles, High Maintenance and Glove'm & Leave'm.

After sweeping through the regular season, the BIG hITS looked like they may be in trouble in their first playoff game when they had to play with only eight players. But with 10 players from their official roster missing, the eight who were there rose to the challenge. After allowing six first inning runs to Last Call, they managed to erase that deficit and dominated them for the rest of the game. They mercied LC in five innings, 26-14. This setup a matchup with Batting for Beers. Another strong performance ended in a game stopped by the mercy rule. This time BH won in six innings, 17-6.

The championship game would be their toughest challenge. The Widgets, the all-time winningest team in co-ed softball history, hung tough all game and had a two run lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning. It was then that the BIG hITS showed their true championship form. After allowing seven runs in the top half of the inning, BH came back with seven runs of their own. Capped by home runs by Roger Werner, Darren Ross, and by championship game MVP, Jim Daley.
Other notables from the championship game were Mike Muzik, who returned to the mound less than four weeks after knee surgery to capture his third CSA championship, and Lisa Kiley, who was the only player to appear in all three championship games during CSA's co-ed fall softball season, winning twice.

BIG hITS
starting line-up

1. DARREN ROSS - LF
2. JOHN DUNNING - LCF
3. LISA KILEY - RF
4. JIM DALEY - SS
5. ZACH SOUTHERLAND - RCF
6. JILL SOOST - 2B/C
7. LISA BRANLEY - 1B
8. ROGER WERNER - 3B
9. JASON HANER - DH
10. PATTI STUCZYNSKI - C/2B
11. MIKE MUZIK - P

DID NOT PLAY
PETER KITRELL, STACY GANTT, ALLISON LEHR, SUSAN WEIGEL, JOE FASSLER, CATHI DUGGER, JEFF ZIELENSKI