Spring Softball Game - 5/27/10

DENVER - Classes are winding down at the University of Denver. That, of course, means different things to different people. For some, it's a waiting game until summer vacation. For others, it's a time to cram for finals. For those of us around the Denver basketball program, it means we need to gather at a local diamond to play our semi-annual Players vs. Staff softball game.

The numbers were a little skewed this year because there were more players, and a few of the regular staff members were unable to attend (see note at the end of this blog). So, Andrew Hooper, Trevor Noonan, Rob Lewis and Alex Pickert joined Joe Scott, Mike McKee, Jon Jordan, A.J. Kuhle, John Fitzgerald and a blogger (who provided little defense and no offense) on the Staff team.

Nate Rohnert, Tyler Thalken, Chase Hallam, Travis Hallam, Kyle Lewis, Tom Chott, Kyle Chynoweth, Justin Coughlin, Blake Foeman, Brian Stafford and manager Tyler Martin played on the Player team.

The young team jumped to an early lead with two runs in the first inning and another in the second, while Martin pitched a masterpiece shutting down the Staff hitters.

With a strong wind blowing in from left field, both defenses buckled down in the middle innings. Chase Hallam unloaded in two at-bats, but McKee and Hooper both leaped up and robbed Hallam of would-be home runs - the kind of plays that may have been ESPN-worthy. On the other side, Coughlin made some plays in which he stretched his 6-9 frame to prevent a few sure extra-base hits.

The Staff found its groove with two out in the bottom of the seventh, stringing together three runs to tie it.

In the eighth, the Staff broke it open with another two-out rally, scoring four runs off six hits, and held on for a 7-3 victory.

The Players will be seeking revenge when the teams reconvene in the fall.

From Softball to Baseball: Mitch Hyder, the Voice of the Pioneers, was disappointed to miss out on the softball game.

However, his absence was highly excused.

Hyder was in Murfreesboro, Tenn., at the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship, where he was named the SBC Broadcaster of the Year.

As part of the honor, Hyder fired out an honorary first pitch at the tournament. When reached for comment, Hyder swore that he threw a fastball right down the middle.

Regardless of whether his pitch was indeed as good as he claimed, all of us would like to send our sincerest congratulations to Hyder for a very deserving award. He is a true professional, and we appreciate working with him and listening to him call so many games for basketball and all the other sports at Denver.