What a first post-pandemic Underdog softball season it's been! Old friendly rivalries and social camaraderie have each been restored to our Sunday afternoons. While some new faces have emerged as forces to be reckoned with, what makes the Irving league so special is the continuity of the teams who have called it their home park for as long as we can remember.

One such squad is Fireballz. After a year off, the longtime league vets showed no rust, many defining the "COVID 15" as added points to their slugging percentage. They took it to High and Outside from the get-go, before engaging in a rematch of the 2019 summer league championship against We Got the Runs. Captain Jay Ahl did his best Jack Morris impersonation, spinning two complete-game gems while snapping off dancing knucklers and wicked sliders.

The undisputed hero of the championship game, however, was Randall Como. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th inning, We Got the Runs was attempting to pull off a last-inning comeback to stun Fireballz, who was clinging to a one-run lead. With the tying run on base and the winning run at the plate, the rains, which had been intermittent all afternoon, started coming down in sheets. As Jay floated one in, fellow hurler Seth from We Got the Runs sent a shot through the raindrops toward left-center. In a do-or-die play with the championship on the line, Randall came charging hard and snared the liner before it could skid off the grass, preserving the championship victory. A hell of a play to cap another great Underdog softball season. Fireballz is the team to beat at Irving in the summer!