At 9:30 AM on September 22, the NVU-Lyndon’s baseball team could be seen dragging the field, raking, and painting the foul ball lines. They were preparing for a day full of memories, competition, and action.
That Sunday was the wrap-up to Family Weekend and several of Lyndon’s sports programs had their annual alumni games scheduled for the day. The celebration of the alumni of Lyndon baseball started in the early afternoon by having the current team play the graduates in a 7-inning double-header battle.
At 12:00 PM, the first pitch was thrown, and friends became rivals. Each team played with intensity and fun, chirping both on and off the field. Onlookers could tell from the energy that the competition was on. The game broke loose when the alumni team scored 7 runs in the top of the 4th, which gave them a secure spot to a win. Jason Doris (’19), hit a 2-run bomb to left-center, clearing the bases. After a long 3 hour and 20 minutes of play, the alumni team took the first game.
Before game two started, family and friends had a chance to buy hats, shoes, and other Hornet apparel. There were also old jerseys for sale, which some bought with their numbers on them to keep for memory.
At 3:45 PM, the second game began. The Hornets stepped up after a tough loss and now were hungry for a win. Senior Cody Smith delivered the first pitch, blowing past the batter for strike one. It started to look good for the current team until relief pitching came in and the game opened back up with walks and hits. The Hornets fell to the alumni team again. Last year, the Hornets lost many experienced pitchers and are relying on the underclassmen to start stepping up and produce for the 2020 Hornet season.
The alumni team claimed their title and will have a chance to defend it next year on the next Family and Alumni Weekend here at NVU-Lyndon. Until then, both teams have a lot of work to do.