Hounds founder Matthew Steffens took the Winnemac mound and conducted a course in frustration, holding the always dangerous Browns to only 2 runs to earn the win for the Mustachioed Hounds on Mustache Tuesday. Before former Hounds first lady, Meghan Talent-Bennis, husband Steffens surrendered 1 lone earned run in his 2020 pitching debut, dealing 14 outs in the air, almost half (6) gobbled up by Garrett Eddy (CF/P, #17) in centerfield (one requiring a dazzling sliding effort). On 64 pitches, the Hounds lobber offered 49 strikes (76.6%), giving no free trips to the Browns batters. The performance also resulted in the premature demise of one wooden bat (and as evidence by a later limp, perhaps the associated knee).

In attendance for the weeknight game were hounds Daisy (Steffens), Patches (Lehman), Mocha (Ivory Nguyen), as well as a pair of random park dogs who briefly interrupted the game by running on the field. Setting the tone on defense, Arron Kruse (3B, #11) fired a pivotal 1st inning 6-4-3 double play with the help of second baseman Thomas Feazelle (2B, #82). Later in the fourth, Phil Zelenka (2B/RF, #21) slotted into second base due to an injury and immediately made a wonderful over-the-shoulder Wille Mays-esque catch, preventing the advancement of a second base runner. Alec Reinke (1B, #84) would further extinguish that inning by squeezing two pop flies, the second one on his tippy-toes to keep himself in play.

Eddy, the hard throwing lefty, would close out the game in the top of the seventh, but not before a man reached third. Not quite in unison, all 8 Hounds fielders reminded Garret of the tragic ending of a 2019 game in which the Browns walked-off on the Hounds on a delayed steal of home. Vigilant, the fireballer retired the final batter on a down-the-middle rocket.

Victorious, the Hounds then ate a gigantic pizza and drank 5 buckets of beers which turned out to be the exact right amount of each. The Hounds return to Winnemac park on Mustache Thursday to take on the Yankees.