Brisk autumn temps and a gray sky didn't cool off the Department of Plant Pathology's enthusiasm for softball at the traditional E.C. Stakman Softball Game, which pits graduate students against faculty and staff on the field to battle for victory.
Students started off in a strong lead, and while the Faculty-Staff team started to catch up by later innings, the Students still took home a significant win at 14-7. The student team lineup featured Jamie Nesbit, Connor Slawin, Joana Serrano Salgado, Hunter Kluegel, Ronan Keener, Colin Peters, Nick Rajtar, Hsuan Fu, Nick Talmo, and Ryan Franke. Playing for the faculty and staff team were Cory Hirsch, Brett Lane, Brett Arenz, Ashish Ranjan, Brian Steffenson, Ben Held, Annie Harvieux, and Robert Alvarez Quinto.
The game included a few big surprises. The crowd erupted in cheers when Joana stepped down from the spectating section and took a swing, and making it all the way around to home plate, playing in a turtleneck sweater. The biggest gasp occurred when Annie tumbled head-over-heels while running for the base after tripping on a root, but standing up and making it to third. Cory brought precise swings when batting, Hunter and Connor wowed the crowd with powerful sprints to the bases, and Jamie, Brett, and both Nicks brought baseball advice and skills to go around.
An enthusiastic cheer section featured two special cheerleaders, Winnie and Juniper, the dogs of staff members Diane and Becca. Lemonade, iced coffee, and snacks were served to all attendees and participants.
