The Avalon Park Wolves took another step towards a victory at this weekend’s double header.  The Wolves went on the road to play against “cross” town rival Avalon Park Wolves - Blue.  Actually, in the kids’ mind, it is more like “cross classroom or even “cross neighborhood” rivalry, but nevertheless our boys were ready to play.   The Wolves played well in the game for 3 solid innings and were within 1 run at the bottom of the third.  Into the forth inning,   the opponents managed to put together a few hits at the right time.  The end result was not what we wanted, but when you consider the fact that the opponents have played together for 3 years (which is about 20x more than we have) our team did quite well.  

In the second game, the Avalon Park Wolves matched up against the Brevard Blasters.  This time, the Wolves really began to hit the ball well.  The Wolves went down by a few runs in the second inning, but managed to battle back into the third inning and went ahead.

Throughout the game, the Wolves also had to endure some of the most “unique” calls by the home plate umpire - including a strike zone that seemed to change throughout the day.  In fact, at one point, even the opposing coach chastised his player for not swinging on a called third strike and was startled when ball 4 was called.  This went on throughout the second game.   Our team and especially our parents showed a great deal of class by avoiding cat calls, threats, and general displays of intimidation to the umpires. Despite the questionable calls, our boys remained cool and got ahead of the game.  The umpires must have had an early dinner date since the game was called in the 4th inning because of time.  Considering how fast the opponents left the ball field, they probably wanted to end the game before the umpires reconsidered.

In a post game interview with TBS Sports, Manager Roy Elwell was very upbeat:

“Our kids played their hearts out today.  We played against a solid Avalon Park Wolves team and did quite well against them.   We played well in the field and we just needed to hit a little better. I am convinced that if we had another inning, we would have turned the tables on the Blasters. “  In Elwell’s week appearance on the ESPN’s Mike and Mike morning radio show, Elwell continued his optimistic outlook, “We have been in every game despite the fact we have not really put together a a complete game.  I am positive our practices will improve all aspects of our game and we will be the victors shortly.   What I like the most is the extremely positive attitude our team has.  While we are disappointed in the results this weekend, we know we are close to a win !”