Sports
The crack of the bat
Published
9 years agoon
Big Sky softball finishes off year 13
Story by Joseph T. O’Connor EBS Managing Editor
Photos by Wes Overvold Outlaw Partners Photographer/Videographer
BIG SKY – The Big Sky Softball League ended its 13th regular season on Aug. 26 when Country Market upended the Hillbilly Huckers 26-10 to take home the coveted season trophy. The following weekend, the traditional season-ending softball tournament brought hundreds of fans to the Big Sky Community Park ball fields with grills, coolers and cowbells to root-on their favorite clubs.
It’s a spectacle Jean Palmer, the official scorekeeper since the league’s 2002 inception, can’t get enough of.
“The camaraderie of the working community was so special,” said Palmer, also the Big Sky Post Office manager. “People always ask how’s your team doing, [and] ‘Are you still doing that?’ When they hear the roar of the crowd they know [we’re] having fun.”
And fans heard the roar over the two-day tournament Aug. 29-30, when 14 teams played more than 30 combined games. Some teams beefed up their rosters; others flew players from outside the region to play.
When the dust settled on field two after the tourney championship game, Country Market was again left standing, this time with a 12-11 nail-biter over the Yellowstone Club, and this time holding the tournament trophy
high over their champagne-soaked heads.The season overall was a smashing success, according to first-year league commissioner Lee Horning.
“We had a few new rules that have made the games more competitive and move along,” Horning said, referring to a three-homerun limit and a coed walk rule wherein a female player can opt to take first base if the male who batted before her was walked.
“The highlight of the year [was] the numerous competitive games that [went] down to the wire,
with fewer blowouts,” Horning said. “The talent level and softball knowledge is increasing and competitive play is a result of that.”Scores of volunteers, along with the Big Sky Community Corp. staff, made this season one for the ages. And the throngs of softball fans kept players hustling around the bases and the stands full.
And that’s what makes Big Sky softball such a success: the fans.
“It’s the aunts and uncles and families that come to visit, and it’s the residents,” Palmer said. “That’s what community is about.”
Baseball, and by default softball, is a game that allows fans to relax and put to sleep the daily grind; to ease back
in a seat and soak up the sun along with some hard-fought innings of America’s pastime; to hear the crack of the bat.Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
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Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
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Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
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29mar3:00 pm4:00 pmGood Friday Mass: St. Joseph Catholic Mission3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Event City:Big Sky
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Friday of the Passion of the Lord St. Joseph Catholic Mission
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