Home Plate kickball stays on top

In its third season, the city of Marysville's kickball league more than doubled its turnout.

MARYSVILLE — In its third season, the city of Marysville’s kickball league more than doubled its turnout.

But it’s going to take more than just sheer numbers to topple Home Plate Pub, champions of the league’s last two seasons and undefeated since the summer of 2007.

Home Plate Pub topped We Got the Runs 11-4 in the late game June 16 at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.

Thanks to the solid kicking of Jared Galde, who kicked in five runs and had three of his own, Home Plate Pub stayed perfect in the season’s early weeks. Galde had a grand slam kick to right field in the third inning to put Home Plate up for good.

Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the second inning, We Got the Runs took a two-run lead as Kevin Karpinski, Teri Brennan and Shawn Pederson’s back-to-back-to-back singles were converted. But in addition to their blockbuster third inning, Home Plate scored in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, forcing We Got the Runs to play catch up the rest of the game. They added one more run in the sixth inning as Karpinski’s double was kicked in by Pederson.

Both teams seemed defensively adept, handling the awkwardly shaped and unusually bouncy ball like pros. Each was able to stop lead runners, but Home Plate had more success finding holes in the Runs’ field.

After the game, Galde said he was excited to see so many more teams in the league this year — a total of 11 versus four in years past.

“It’s a lot more fun,” he said.

Click here for more photos.

Marysville Parks and Recreation Kickball League, standings as of June 17

1. Home Plate 3-0-0

2. Purple People Eaters 2-0-0

T3. Shake N’ Bake 2-1-0

T3. The Belmark Bombers 2-1-0

T3. Everett Clinic 2-1-0

T3. C & D Zodiac Team B 2-1-0

8. City Slickers 2-2-0

9. We Got the Runs 1-2-1