Forecasters have been talking about this week's probable heatwave for days, and the sweltering heat was the main topic of conversation for players and their fans at Monday night's baseball game between Pro-Courier West Hartford and Manchester 2 in the Junior Division of the Farmington Bank/Vantis Life league at Hall High School.
The temperature registered 92 degrees at the 5:45 p.m. start.
Dust mixed with sweat and turned to mud as the bats of the West Hartford boys came alive in the second inning. They beat Manchester 16-1, with the win going to pitcher Derek Berube who was also a major contributor at the plate.
"It's a little debilitating mentally, and tough to stay in it when you're facing game after game in 90-plus degree heat," head coach Matt Downey said. "It's especially tough on us to keep them focused."
Thanks to numerous rainouts, Pro-Courier has three more games this week before the regular season ends on Saturday. He has been emailing both team members for the past several days, urging them to hydrate well in advance.
"We'll take each game one day at a time," said Downey, who hopes to go into the playoffs with a high seed. Right now the West Hartford team is 8-3.
Dave Lemkuil, whose son Andrew plays for Pro-Courier, didn't mind the heat on the sidelines too much. "It was great to see the boys' bats as hot as the weather," he said.
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