Contact: Jenni Brockman
Telephone: 804-443-3357 (w); 804-443-2703 (h)
Fax: 804-443-6781
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Margaret's Faculty Top Students, 5 - 4
Call 'em has-beens or the dream team, either way, they're winners. St. Margaret's faculty all-star team came up with a late-inning charge in the bottom of the fifth to top the students 5 - 4 in a good-spirited softball game last Thursday afternoon, May 27 at Essex County Little League Field in Tappahannock.
1999 SMS Faculty "Dream Team" Softball Squad (back row, l. to r.) George McDowell, Deborah Ball, Sara Brooks, Shannon Spears, Rick Kahler, Ruth Bennett-Kitchen, Mollie Conklin, Keith Krusz, Cathy Boyd; (front row) John Wemple, Charles Lewis, Sue Saunders, Jen Gura, Marcy Wemple, and Joe Farmer.
Battling through hip replacements, wobbly knees, receding hairlines, and arthritic limbs, the dream team managed to bring :45 minutes of "A-game" softball to the students. Those same students, prior to Thursday's game, likened the faculty dream team to an old car that has been in and out of the shop for years; now is used primarily to drive the family to church on good-weather Sundays. The faculty, led by 26-year teaching veteran Shannon Spears at catcher, may not have had a lot in the tank but stepped on the gas pedal when it mattered most.
Down 1 - 3 in the second, biology teacher John Wemple hit a two-out double to drive in short stop Sue Saunders from second. Faculty friends Charles Lewis and Joe Farmer followed with some bat power of their own in the third inning, however, the dream team could not capitalize.
In the bottom of the fifth, trailing 2 - 5, SMS Spanish teacher Jen Gura scored on a lead-off single. Hollis Duncan followed with a line-drive triple but, confused, was nearly thrown out at third. With history teacher George McDowell at the plate and a runner at third, the students opted to pitch around McDowell to face on-deck hitter Marcy Wemple instead who, coincidentally, happened to be playing in her first softball game. M. Wemple spanked a clutch two-out hit past first base to score Duncan and seal the win for the faculty.
1999 SMS Faculty Mollie Conklin (ecology teacher/college counselor) in full swing.
The 1999 SMS faculty team roster: Deborah Ball, infield, Ruth Bennett, left field, Cathy Boyd, designated hitter, Sara Brooks, outfield, Mollie Conklin, third base, Hollis Duncan, pitcher, Joe Farmer, infield/outfield, Jennifer Gura, infield, Rick Kahler, right field, Keith Krusz, first base, Charles Lewis, infield/outfield, George McDowell, outfield, Sue Saunders, short stop, Shannon Spears, catcher, John Wemple, center field, and Marcy Wemple, outfield.
"Heading into the fifth, I felt that we had a good chance to rally ourselves back into the game. You have to give them [the students] credit though. They put the pressure on us early even though we were able to answer back," said ecology teacher Mollie Conklin, of Warsaw.
"A little rusty, but good enough for the win," grinned first baseman Keith Krusz following Thursday's game which gave the faculty the first 'W' in the record books of what is anticipated to be an annual event.
