The team is comprised of CHESS staff, graduate students, and visiting undergraduates from the REU and SRCCS programs and is open to all players, regardless of skill or experience. It serves as a great excuse to get some exercise and fresh air, also allowing staff and students to develop community and interact outside of the lab environment. This year, the Battermen went undefeated through the regular season, (thus securing a first-round bye in the playoffs), and then went on to win a semi-final match to secure a place in the finals against a team of players from Cornell’s College of Engineering, Juiced.
The championship game got off to a difficult start for the Battermen. Juiced came out strong, with a lead-off home run and a series of hard-hit line drives that put the Battermen down 3-6 after the first inning, and 3-8 after the second. While this was the first big deficit the team faced over the season, the Battermen offense was not flustered by the score – the team drove in 10 runs over the next two innings to take the lead, 13-10 heading into the fifth. Juiced’s skillful hitters were able to tie the game 13-13, but the Battermen defense prevented the go-ahead run from scoring, giving themselves the opportunity to take the lead. The bottom of the Battermen order was able to capitalize on this opportunity, starting a hitting streak that brought in five more runs to make the score 18-13, Battermen. All five of those insurance runs were necessary, as Juiced managed a four-run rally in the top half of the seventh and final inning, but the rally was cut short on an infield fly to the pitcher, leaving the tying run on-base and securing the championship for the Battermen. Final score: Battermen 18, Juiced 17.