SPORTS
Deloitte Stuns UBS With Comeback Win
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Coming off a tough 23-21 loss to team Good Times that put an end to a 3-game
winning streak, the members of the Deloitte softball squad were eager to take on
this week’s opponent, UBS, and return to their winning ways. While UBS may well
be the “world’s most powerful two person financial firm in the world” as
pondered in their global brand campaign, they fell short of being the “softball
field’s most powerful ten person team on the softball field” last night as
Deloitte battled their way to a 10-8 win that was sweeter than Swiss chocolate.
The first inning saw strong pitching and tight defensive play from both
teams. Faster than you can shout “Ricola”, Deloitte pitcher Kevin Huys had
retired the UBS side without allowing a run. Jason Perras led off with a single
for Deloitte in the bottom of the inning, and advanced to third with some nifty
baserunning on Stuart Person’s single. Karen Kerpan then brought Perras home
with Deloitte’s third straight hit, and the team appeared to be on its way to a
big opening inning when UBS regained their composure and retired the next three
batters to end the threat.
UBS put on a display of precision Swiss engineering as they staged a five run
rally in the top of the second. A crucial Deloitte error extended the inning as
Tim Thiessen pulled a “Swiss Miss” of his own, unable to make a key catch in
left field. When Deloitte was back at the plate in the bottom of the inning,
their bats fell silent, including that of the normally big-swinging Ross Jensen.
Unable to notch a run in the inning, some members of the Deloitte squad began to
question Jensen’s supposed neutrality, having recently been seconded at UBS.
Entering the fourth inning down seven runs against a stingy UBS defense was a
large hill to climb, but Deloitte took to it like Edward Whymper to the
Matterhorn. Displaying new-found vigor, Simon Nock dampened some of UBS’
alpenglow by snagging a pop foul for the first out. UBS threatened briefly with
a base runner, but Jenni Huys showed that she’s got more tools than a Swiss Army
knife as she turned a great double play from second base to close out the top of
the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Deloitte’s bats finally got hot as they
began to poke hits through UBS’ defense, exposing holes as if it were Swiss
cheese. A massive home run by Jay Cheek also scored Ross Jensen, and capped a
3-run rally to pull the Deloitte team back within striking distance.
While at first it had been the UBS team seeming like cogs in a fine Swiss
timepiece, it was now time for Deloitte’s players to tick in unison. Behind the
defense of players such as Richard Rennie, who flashed the leather with some key
grabs at first base, and Amber Rolston, who anchored the hot corner, Deloitte
did not allow another run to score.
The defensive play of the game was undoubtedly in the sixth inning, as
recounted by team historian Derek Mendez, who was taking careful notes from Bed
restaurant: “What looked like a sure home run off the bat of UBS power hitter
Andrea Williams lost momentum and turned into a deep out as center fielder Jason
Perras made a leaping catch on the warning track. An overzealous Todd Bice
attempted to tag and score all the way from second, but Perras hit relay man Jay
Cheek, who delivered a perfect strike to Simon Nock at home for the out, keeping
this nailbiter of a game tighter than a brand new pair of lederhosen.”
On the offensive front, Omar Chambers smacked a pair of triples in a two for
two effort, and Jenni Huys would have had her third dinger of the season were it
not for a base-coaching error by Stuart Person; Huys settled for a triple which
scored Jonathan Joyce for the go-ahead run.
When the dust had settled like a fine layer of snow over the rooftops in
Zermatt, Deloitte had staged a huge comeback rally to win 10-8. At the post-game
press conference, Jenni Huys and Jay Cheek were named the Swatch co-players of
the game for their combination of offensive and defensive play.
Reader comments:
- Way to go Jenni! (and Kevin) - Clayton Ochs
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