BRUSH PRAIRIE — They usually see each other in a courtroom, but for about an hour on Sunday afternoon, some of Clark County’s judges and lawyers met at Prairie Field for a little bit of fun and plenty of trash talking.
Their yearly softball game pits a team of older, more established attorneys and judges against the young up-and-comers, who usually lose to the older players. It’s also a way for newer attorneys to get to know their more seasoned colleagues in a playful setting, said Judge Daniel Stahnke, who coached the team of older players.
“The senior lawyers are legit baseball players,” said attorney Katie Sinclair, a co-captain for the young lawyers’ team, as the game began. “We really have to bring our A-game because they’ve creamed us the last few years.”
To boost their chances, she said, Sinclair recruited more players this year, and it seemed to help. The young team of roughly 20 players was winning 5-1 by the fifth inning.
Jabs such as “old timers” and “grandpa” were exchanged during the matchup.
“The secret is very simple: Older is gooder,” teased Roger Bennett, an attorney and retired judge who played for the older team.
Attorney Dave West, who at 72 was the oldest player on the field, added: “Trickery outdoes youth and exuberance every time.”
It’s debatable when, exactly, the annual softball games started. Some thought it all began about seven years ago; others said the event might have started as many as 14 years prior. Lawyers qualified for the younger team if they were age 36 or under, or if they’ve practiced law for only a few years.
“We just needed a way to get to know the young lawyers,” Stahnke said, adding that the two groups don’t cross paths often, except for in court. “We wouldn’t know half the young lawyers if it wasn’t for this game.”
Attorney Chad Sleight played on the young team during past annual softball games, but on Sunday, he found himself in the dugout with the more seasoned lawyers and judges.
“I got old this year,” Sleight said. Of being on the new team, he joked, “they’re mean to you, they make you carry their bags. … If they lose this year with me on (the team), I’ll get all the blame. So, it’s fantastic.”
In the end, Sleight didn’t have to worry about being found guilty of a loss.
During the bottom of the fifth inning, attorney Josephine Townsend, batting for the older team, stepped up to home plate with the bases loaded. She smacked the softball right to the pitcher, who fumbled the catch, and Stahnke successfully ran home from third base. The team scored a couple of more runs that inning.
In the sixth inning, the older lawyers tied the score. It was Sleight who helped the team take the lead, hitting the ball into the outfield while a teammate ran past home plate.
Sleight’s seemingly improved softball skills earned him a heckle from a woman cheering for the younger attorneys. “It would have been nice to have a player like that on our team last year,” she shouted.
The game ended after the seventh inning, with the older team claiming victory, yet again, with a final score of 9-5.
Afterward, the teams lined up for high-fives and the occasional hug. Most headed to Prairie Bar & Grill for some pizza.
