With the night she had, second baseman Dee Benson deserved to make the game-saving catch.
Team Two was clinging to a one-run lead when Team Five had the bases loaded with two outs in the seventh inning. Benson made a leaping grab of Jerry Bevel’s line drive to end the game.
Her web gem preserved Team Two’s 22-21 win Thursday on field 2 in Brahan Spring Park. This is the fall season in the 55-and-over Rockets league in Huntsville Senior Softball.
“Tonight was like magical,” Benson, a lead financial management analyst in Army Materiel Command’s business integration cost division, said. “It was a team effort. Everyone synced up at the right times. Even when the opposing team began to come back, we resynced and came back. We were resilient.
“And if you knew my complete story for 2022, you would say it’s a miracle that I’m even playing softball tonight. I’m blessed and grateful to my Lord Jesus Christ and Savior.”
Benson went 5-for-5 with two runs batted in and a run scored for Team Two (5-2). In the field, she made three putouts and three assists.
Originally from Vicksburg, Mississippi, the Madison resident is in her third year in the league. She has played competitive recreational travel ball for more than 30 years and she plays on a travel women’s competitive softball team. Her husband, Tony, is her biggest cheerleader.
“This league is wonderful, especially when you have people from the opposing team encouraging and cheering you on,” Benson said.
Team Two manager Tim Lawter went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer, seven RBIs and two runs. Chad McGuire had five hits while Ron Baer had four. Winning pitcher Michael Gundersen, a left-hander, had three hits batting leadoff. Sam Sepulveda, Dave McNeill, Dennis Brasher and Rick Anthis added three hits apiece.
“Just having fun,” Lawter said. “We’re playing as a team. And the team has started to jell with each other. And we’re just having fun.”
Marty Acosta went 4-for-4 with a grand slam, a walk and five runs scored for Team Five (5-2). Moto Miller, the manager, went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer, four RBIs and three runs. David Koch had a three-run homer and four RBIs. Mark Van Sickle went 4-for-4. Kevin Barnhill and pitcher Jackie Dollar had three hits apiece while Koch and Bevel added two apiece. Dollar took the loss.
“We made some key errors and we didn’t hit consistently,” Miller said.
