It wasn’t your battle of the fittest but a battle of who makes the better sandwich.
It was set in the confines of the Turf Field on Sunday night under the bright lights and the blistering cold, as a few fans came out to root for their favorite sandwich builder.
It was the first-ever matchup between Subway and Andrew Smash, set in the midst of a kickball game. Andrew Smash was victorious as the game went into extra innings.
Team Smash entered the bottom of the 11th down 10-9. After a falter on the defense of Team Subway, Courtney Moore crossed homeplate to give Andrew Smash the winning run and victory, 11-10.
“I didn’t know what I was doing — I just kept running. It was fun, though,” Moore said after the heightened conclusion.
It was an intense battle on both sides the entire match. The game became more than a quest for bragging rights, but a battle of the sexes as Team Smash was predominately female. Team Subway, on the other hand, was full of testosterone.
It was the meat builders versus the fake chicken of Andrew Smash. A battle between “Eat Fresh” and “Eat Well.”
Subway got things going in the first to take a 1-0 lead. It soon became apparent that Andrew Smash meant business, taking a 5-1 lead by the second inning.
Team Subway would not be denied easily, and in the top of the fourth, John Bartlett belted an in-field homer to tie the game at 5-all. Bartlett was confident of his teams ability at this point.
“No contest,” Bartlett said. “We’re just stringing them along.”
Team Subway eventually saw the match become more contested than planned. Andrew Smash did not buckle under the pressure and brought the game to a 9-9 tie in the bottom of the eighth, which led to extra innings.
Team Subway, which donned white T-shirts — as the planned wearing of bumper stickers failed because of a late delivery truck — scored in the top of the 11th off a sliding run by Chris Davis.
But the composure of Team Smash came through in the end as Andrew Smash won the first battle between the EMU rivals.
“I am proud that we were able to win, and that we rallied by being down one point, after a stunning folly of errors by the defense,” Justin Collins said.
Bartlett, of Team Subway, was slightly disappointed at the lack of defense in the crucial moments.
“We just kept throwing the ball,” Bartlett said. “All we needed to do was just hold the ball. We could have gone all night, but we kept throwing the ball. I am not sure why.”
Both fast-food rivals plan to make this the first of many competitions. The next endeavor is planned as glow-in-the-dark volleyball.