While America’s pastime may be falling by the wayside in terms of popularity, on-Island for local workers and community members, the sports’ more accessible counterpart is the heart of the local community.
One of the most anticipated summer sporting events among the Island’s local workforce, the Martha’s Vineyard Softball League kicked off its season in June, and playoffs are quickly approaching, with one more week of regular-season play.
Often with the backdrop of cotton candy skies, games are played a few times a week in the early evening, with teams made up of all kinds of Islanders and summer visitors, including local police, firefighters, service industry workers, builders, and college students.
For the players, the league is the perfect summertime blend of competitiveness, physical recreation, and a social get-together.
“It brings back everyone’s competitive spirit,” said Brian Sullivan, the founder of the Scrubs team, which has been in the league for four seasons now. “It’s a competitive league, but also realizing at the end of the day, a lot of us played baseball, and now this is a men’s softball league. It’s kind of fun, because it’s like the equivalent of former tennis players playing pickleball.”
On Monday, one of the daily summer head-to-heads came between the Scrubs, made up of Island healthcare workers, who took on the Floaters, a mishmash of local talent. As is not always the case, Monday’s game happened to come down to the wire. After a single run in the final inning, the Scrubs took the win, just their second win of the season.
“Tonight was a perfect representative of what I hope to see out of the league,” said Sullivan, whom everyone knows as Sully. “Competitive play and a lot of fun, with a big crowd and a back-and-forth ballgame.”
In the game, the Floaters took the lead in the first inning with six runs, but the Scrubs responded with five of their own. Floaters responded with three more runs in the second inning, and the Scrubs reined in four of their own. The two teams matched runs every inning right up until the seventh, when the Scrubs were able to secure one more for the 14–13 victory.
For the Scrubs, part of the win was the result of a vacuum cleaner of an outfielder, Nick Cranston. Cranston, stationed in left field, caught every ball hit to him, including one fully-stretched-out diving catch for a vital out late in the game.
“Nick Cranston was the player of the game tonight,” said Sully. “And our newest player, Nick V., has been a great new addition.” (Yes, that is the author of this report, who is unbiased in his reporting).
“Grant Joiner hit an inside-the-park homer when we were down 5–8 to tie it up, and I give credit to his commitment to Amity Island Running Club for that feat tonight,” added Sully.
While the goal is to win, Sully says regardless of the outcome, he looks forward to the camaraderie and community of the league: “I look forward to this every year, because you are in group chats; you’re talking about coming together to play as a team. It builds community. It’s not just about competing against other teams –– you become friends outside of this with a lot of these guys,” said Sully.
The league also offers an opportunity for local businesses to support their local community through sponsorships.
“Beyond the fun, this provides a chance for businesses to invest in our local community,” said Sully. “Our sponsor, 7A, got us new jerseys tonight. It was a lot of fun wearing these new jerseys. We haven’t won a game since our first game, but we are undefeated in the new jerseys.”
Despite the Scrubs having only two wins on the season, every team makes the playoffs, and the Scrubs are preparing to face off against the Floaters in Round 1 Thursday night.
With a weed-infested field, a makeshift orange mesh fence, dark skies camouflaging high flies, and a group of athletes willing to get dirty to make a play, who knows which way the ball will roll?
How about coverage of the women’s league ?