Bats Flit Away from Kittens

With a chance to secure the MSCR Kenosha League title, become the first Sea Kitten squad to open a season 4-0, and extend a franchise – record 11-game summer season winning steak, Harmony Sea Kittens (3-1) did none of the above in a dramatic 11-10 loss to Bat Intentions (1-3) at Olbrich Park Wednesday night. Instead, Sea Kittens brought great delight to a previously winless bunch, gave some guy named Dave a memory of driving home the winning run with a walk – off hit, and added significance to their late July make-up game with Pitches B Trippin. There’s always a sunny side, but sometimes it’s for the other team.

Dan DynamOele, batting leadoff for the first time in his 81-game Sea Kitten career, opened the contest with a solo homer to left, and Sea Kittens proceeded to load the bases against a short – handed Bat Intention defense. But the story of the 2019 Cat season – clutch hitting with two outs – was not destined to continue this night, and the squad could not claw out another run. Over the course of the game Harmony stranded the bases loaded three times and left eight runners on scoring position across seven innings.

The Bats struck back for a pair in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of minor Harmony miscues- another scene that repeated multiple times in the contest.

The Sea Kitten offense showed signs of life in the second and again DynamOele delivered, this time a 3-run bomb and a 5-2 lead for Los Gatitos, but those would be the last Sea Kitten runs until the 5th inning.

Meanwhile Zen Master Rowe pitched a solid game, holding BI to a lone run in the second and third.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Bat Intentions put four consecutive runners on base as Sea Kittens struggled with defensive alignment following DynamOele’s departure from the game (lineup – balance substitution). The Cats settled and retired the next three Bats, but not before falling behind 6-5.

Joe Hennessy evened the score at 6 with a solo shot to right – center in the fifth, and Rowe mowed down the side in the bottom of that inning to reduce the game to a two – inning showdown.

The Clouds of Foreboding appeared on the Sea Kitten horizon in the top of the sixth, when the squad loaded the bases with one out but could not push across a run.

The Bats took advantage in their half of the frame. Rowe had retired eight consecutive BI hitters when one finally found a way to reach base with two out in the bottom of the 6th. The third out proved elusive despite repeated opportunities to secure it, and Bat Intentions took a 7-6 lead.

For a hot minute Sea Kittens looked like they'd squeak out another win. Joe Hennessy crosses the plate with the game-tying run as the Puma's RBI single sets up the Cats with runners on first and second and one out in the 7th inning of the team's 11-10 loss to Bat Intentions

Pushed into an unfamiliar, scary corner, Los Gatitos reared up and fought back. Hennessy lifted a one – out double to the left – center fence and scooted to third as Sunshine Curtis burned down the line to beat out an infield hit. The Polish Puma, Alex Latzka, evened the game with a hit. One out later Rowe smacked a single, loading the bases for rookie Zoe “Z-Force” Slattery, who delivered a hard single to center – a textbook demonstration of situational hitting. Two scored, and with a three – run advantage it seemed that Los Gatitos might escape with a win, even after the club reloaded the bases in the inning but could not extend the lead.

But the Bats made their bad intentions clear in the bottom of the 7th, and splattered the field with six consecutive hits. With nobody out and runners on second and third came the final blow, a deep fly to center that landed just beyond a backpedaling Sweet Thing Harkins, plating the game’s final two runs and giving Bat Intentions an 11-10 victory.

Up Next

MSCR Kenosha League second-half play begins June 12 with Harmony Sea Kittens (3-1) squaring off in a rematch with Silver Eagle (3-1).  The Cats held on to win the first matchup between the clubs this season, but Silver Eagle- preseason league favorites- have been on a roll since, outscoring their competition 47-15 in their past three games.

Game Notes

• Congrats to Kyle Boom Boom Magyera, who appeared in his 100th Sea Kitten game.  A founding member of the franchise, he has seen this stuff before.  Kyle joins Joe, Erin, Dave, and Heidi in the 100-game club.

  • Check out our new feature- the Sea Kitten all-time roster (new tab will open)

• Man-Aaron Jossart played his 50th game last night- he first appeared as a Sea Kitten substitute in 2010, back when he was the CHB from the coop.
• With the loss, Sea Kittens fell to 0-6 all-time against teams with the word “Bat” in their name. The Cats are 1-18 all-time against teams named “Bat,” “Ball,” “Pitch,” or “Hit,” or variations thereof.
• It was the 6th walk-off loss in Kitten history; the last came August 26, 2015, a 4-3 loss to KL Engineering.
  • The last time Sea Kittens led heading into the bottom of the final inning and lost was May 27, 2015, when Rattlesnake Masters came back to beat the Cats 10-9 in walk-off style.
• Sea Kittens’ 11-game summer league winning streak ended.
• The Cats had won 10 straight on Olbrich Field 4 and 18 of their past 19 on that diamond before Wednesday.
• Prior to this contest, Sea Kittens were 42-2 in Summer League games when scoring 10 or more runs.
• The Kits’ 25 hits were the most the team has ever collected in a loss
• It was the first time that the Kittens lost a league game when hitting 3 or more home runs.
• But Sea Kittens still control their own destiny! With a win in their late July make – up game with Pitches B Trippin, Harmony would be first – half champions.  See cautionary note above about record vs. teams named “Pitch…”

Salmon Snacks

Sea Kittens Great Fillet of the Game

1. In the second inning Dan DynamOele stepped the plate for his second and final at-bat of the night, having volunteered to sub-out to help address a roster crunch. He delivered a long ball, blasting a 3-run homer to left-center to give Harmony a 4-2 lead
2. In the seventh inning with Roadrunner Hauer on third and Zen Master Rowe on second base, Zoe smacked a sharp single to center. Dave blew through a stop sign at third base, surprising all in attendance and forcing a throw home that beat him but also beat the Bat Intention catcher.

Last week Man-Aaron Jossart won the Great Fillet for his game-breaking grand slam!