These frontiersmen have run out of territory.
Brooklyn Kickball’s top-ranked team, the New Frontiersmen, took some punishment this weekend, barely surviving a back-and-forth shootout against Brooklyn United before being brought down to earth by the John Cougar Mellencamps.
In a shocking display of rudderless defense, the Frontiersmen gave up 10 runs to second-ranked Brooklyn United before wrestling control from the men in black in the bottom of the fifth inning.
But the wild, emotional game sapped them of energy for their second game against last year’s champions, which walloped them, 9-0, in the nightcap.
“We showed why we’re the league’s best team,” said Mellencamp rookie Michael “Dunder Mifflin” Scott.
Frontiersman outfielder Matt “Marquis de” Sadewitz blamed the result on the absence of Benny “Explorer” Thompson, Jelmeer “Dutch Courage” Steenhuis, and Mark “Vice President” Cheney, the team’s strongest fielders.
“We didn’t really stand a chance without a full-force team,” said Sadewitz.
But League Commissioner Kevin “Commish” Dailey said that the Frontiersmen’s defensive blunders that led to 19 runs over 20 innings reveal deeper problems.
“It makes me doubt them,” said Dailey. “If their fielding is that lacking, it make me wonder if they’re going to be a contender.”
Meanwhile, other top teams had strong weekends.
The Pony Boys racked up two wins with a 10-run mercy killing of Zeus’ Beard before sobering up Booze on First, 9-6, after climbing out of a 6-3 deficit early in the game.
And the Mathletes received plenty of extra credit, tallying up 31 runs in three victories.
For those of you keeping score at home, that includes a 10-0 decision over Taco Taco Taco, a 10-0 win over the Sisterhood, and an 11-0 success over Kickball Fever.
In other action, Rev. Ann Kansfield’s team, Livin’ on a Prayer, won two games against Dolls Kicking Balls and Natural Born Winners and is now undefeated since the state legalized gay marriage.
Brooklyn Kickball at Gilroy Field in McCarren Park (Bedford Avenue at N. 13th Street in Greenpoint), Sundays, 5–11 pm.
