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Top of the First - 2 outs, Runner on 2nd Puffs 0 vs Stuffs 0

-before game start-
Izobel didn't quite have enough time to "Warm up" as she mentally called it in her mind before the teams were called to their respective dugouts. Izzy glanced at the batting order and also noted her position for when the Puffs weren't batting. It seemed as if she'd be playing second base. Grinning more to herself Izobel glanced at the crowd that had gathered to watch the game and swore there was a familiar face in among the various felines.

-batter's up-

The teen made a sound of commiseration when the first batter up struck out and then Izobel cheered as another team mate made it to second base. She'd have to learn other names besides Mi-Hi's.

Izobel grabbed a bat from where it rested and stepped into the batter's box around home plate. This would either go two ways: either the inning would end or she'd possibly manage to extend the inning. Gripping her chosen bat tightly Izobel waited for just the right pitch to come her way.

...

Well ... that was a learning experience. Izobel had actually mistimed all of her swings. Looking back at the pitcher as the STUFFS began to run in at the end of the top of the inning Izzy muttered to herself for a minute before grinning. She couldn't complain. She was beginning to have fun. Even though no runs were scored this inning it was only just the beginning of the game.

Dropping off her bat and picking up her mitt and hat Izobel skipped out to cover her position ... and waited for the Stuffs to come to bat.

(( Team Puffs I guess was 3 up, 3 down - Team Stuffs coming up to bat ))

Robin Attewood / Team STUFFS
Bottom of the 1st, 0 Outs, Runner on 1st, 0 Puffs VS. 0 Stuffs

Robin was well pleased that his first go at pitching was a strikeout. He threw the ball at the next hitter in the same manner, hoping for a repeat, but the Puffs girl hit it nice and hard. The Brit could only watch in dismay as she rounded the bases and landed at second. "Keep an eye on that one, love!" he called out to Charlie with a grin.

He pitched the ball again, and the next Puffs batter hit it right back at him! Instinctively Robin jumped up into the air, catching the ball with both hands much as he would have in a cricket match. He stared at the ball in his hand and shrugged to himself. Two out!

And then he struck out the next batter! Robin was beaming proudly as he trotted back to the Stuffs dugout to swap his glove for a bat. He didn't bother to take off his hat, putting on a batting helmet right over the top of it and his dreads. Stepping up to the plate, he readied himself, trying to remember not to hold the baseball bat like a cricket bat.

The ball came for him, and he swung at it. And hit it! The ball bounced toward the Puffs' shortstop. Robin watched it as if in amazement for a beat, and then he remembered -- oh yeah, he had to run! Scurrying as quickly as he could, he ran for first base and stopped there, beaming like a loon. This was a rather entertaining game!

Chris Gallo / CROWD
Bottom of the 1st, 0 outs, Runner on 1st, 0 Puffs VS. 0 Stuffs

While his brother went off to do who knew what teens did these days, Chris’s attention was caught by someone who seemed vaguely familiar and waiving a pom pom at him. Where had he seen him before? Even with his memories of his college years nonexistent, he felt as though he’d seen this man after the whole issue with nearly being corrupted.

Carefully, and with a cheerful smile, Chris pushed himself up from where he was seated so he could make his way down to where the man was standing and -

“Colin, right? You’re a pretty damn good dancer if my memory serves correct,” he said rather sheepishly, but by this point he was used to apologizing to people and explaining that his memory wasn’t the best after his “accident” a couple years back. But even though Paris stopped dancing professionally, Chris knew enough about the community to be able to pick out faces, especially when they’re practically celebrities. For the most part.

He was just about to ask who Ophelia was, and look around for a woman, before he realized that… maybe… Colin was talking about the cat.

“Oh, is this Ophelia?” he laughed, wondering just how silly he sounded if he was actually wrong.

“Are you just cheering in general or for one team more than the other? I’m here to see my friend, Fritz, play. He’s at bat now -- and struck out it looks like…” Chris winced, but it was just the start of the game and they could come back!

Mi-Hi Harrington / Team PUFFS (Third Base)
Bottom of the 1st, 0 outs, Runner on 1st, 0 Puffs VS. 0 Stuffs

Mi-Hi hadn't managed to take up Izobel on her offer to toss a ball prior to game start as the teams were being called to their respective dugouts.

"Maybe next time" she said with a cheerful smile as she moved to set her glove down on the bench - because it looked like the Puffs were going to be up to bat first and her glove wasn't going to be terribly useful for that–

But now that the game was officially starting Mi-Hi found herself starting to get a little nervous - although she was also determined to do her best when she came up to bat.

It seemed that their team came with a mascot in the form of the most adorable-looking cat (Sumi) complete with green team cap and a little green flag and Mi-Hi couldn't help but grin in its direction as she waited for her turn...

As it happened she didn't get a chance to get up to bat as they had ended up getting struck out relatively quickly.

But..

But it was early into the game and although the start hadn't been a great one they could totally make it up.

For now though they were out in field - which in her case meant third base - with Mi-Hi doing her best to focus–

Well focus and follow the ball.

Xander Jacobs / Team Stuffs
Bottom of the 1st, 0 Outs, Runner on 1st, 0 Puffs VS.0 Stuffs

Xander sat in the dugout fretting because he was pretty sure this was probably the worst idea he had agreed to in a while and it was only the charity aspect of it that got him to agree. Lily made the most convincing argument and told him to consider his weapon and for certain his hand eye cordination had improved leaps and bounds. He wondered if he could get in trouble for swinging one handed, he probably should have brushed up more on the game.

He rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants and looked to the crowd where Dessie sat probably glaring at him for dragging her along, he was pretty sure somehow his little sister had guilted her into going.

Colin Hargrove / CROWD
Bottom of the 1st, 0 outs, Runner on 1st, 0 Puffs VS. 0 Stuffs


"Yep, that's me!" He had no idea that Paris' husband had memory problems, nor the horrifying reasoning behind why he had them, but if Colin had any idea he would have been absolutely horrified and also gung-ho at trying to help fix it. He grinned as Chris realized that Ophelia was the pretty feline on his blanket, "Yeah, she's not my cat but I'm kind of watching her for the event."

The game was starting and Colin was distracted a bit, jumping up and down and waving his pom poms, "You can do it!" Fritz struck out but Cordy fared a bit better, though there were no points awarded. "Just in general, I've got friends on both sides so I can't just cheer one on." Oh, you know Fritz? I kinda know him, he's a good guy. I knew his twin a bit better."

Colin whistled loudly as John Jr. took to bat, "Knock it out of the park, kiddo!"

John Jr / Team Stuffs
Ophelia / Team JR/Crowd)
Bottom of the 1st, 1 Outs (John Jr), Runner on 1st, 0 Puffs VS. 0 Stuffs

Ophelia positively loved Sailor Aegir. In her opinion - he was everything a good senshi should be, and an even better friend. While she was loathe to take up space on his blanket (the bench wasn't so bad, really), she thought it was very sweet of him to offer and supposed there was no harm in sharing. Actually telling him so was another matter. To speak was to draw attention to herself in a crowd of people who might be startled by a talking cat, or worse.

It would surely give both Colin and John Jr (whose initials she wore with pride on her little head) away, if there were any officers in disguise nearby.

For Chris she had more smiles, and a slow, careful nod. Yes, I am Ophelia. The hat she wore slid down over her eyeballs. She sat very still for a moment, and then pushed it back up with the side of her paw by pretending to preen.

--

'I reckon I throw to you primarily, yeah?'

It was hard for John Jr. to hide his dismay upon learning that Robin only had a vague idea of how baseball was played. He had an honest face and was generally bold in his expressions, but had learned good manners from his grandma.

"Yeah," he'd said, awkward because he was trying not to be rude, all while hoping Charlie could convert her chatter into electric shortstop energy, and that everybody in the outfield could actually throw, and that somebody could bat.

His perspective improved considerably when Robin proved an able pitcher. The top half of the first inning was over in what felt like moments, and then it was his turn to bat. He was stepping up to the plate, pointing at center field with his bat to warn Jackie Hayworth that they'd better back up because his ball was coming straight for them.

And then he was swinging.

And, bright eyes widening with increasing disbelief every time he missed the pitch, striking out.

No way, he thought, staring at Fritz. I never miss.

Upset with himself (and with Fritz), but trying not to show it, John Jr stepped down from the plate with some pink in his cheeks. He was embarassed, and tried passing off his bat to Danika in a show of good sportmanship.

"Good luck," he said to her, meaning it kindly. "That guy's some kind of wizard."

Jason and Tom Wolf / Crowd

Jason sighed a bit as he watched the game. It really wasn't that exciting to him considering there were so many pauses, but he supposed that the back and forth that happened in soccer could be boring for some also. Often teams that were really good would continually keep the ball going for quite a while without getting it into the goal.

Baseball was quite different though. You only had a few chances to hit the ball with a stick and hope that you did it at such an angle and speed that the other team couldn't catch it, or at least right away. So while he was watching the game with some intensity Tom... had fallen asleep in his seat. Jason wasn't surprised though. If his brother could relax and possibly catch up on sleep here, then he supposed it was okay, as long as they weren't shown on the big screen or anything.

Jason tried to hide his sleeping brother a bit and make it look like they were really into the game. He couldn't help but smile at some of the crowd's enthusiasm and was glad that there were some people out there cheering for the teams.

[Open for interactions. Tom might need some prodding to get awake though!]