Sea Kittens stage biggest late-game rally in team history
The hubbub and rowdy crowds surrounding 2017’s final summer league games dissipated quickly, and Harmony Sea Kittens’ fall opener was witnessed by only a hardy handful on a quiet, cool evening at Olbrich Park. Those who stayed to the end witnessed the biggest comeback in Sea Kitten history, as the team rallied from a five-run deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning, fell behind again in the sixth, but turned around and walked off 15-14 winners.
David “Zen Master” toed the pitching rubber for Harmony, and the first Player’s batter lashed a frozen rope to the center field fence. Greeted so rudely, Rowe clamped down instantly, inducing three ground balls to strand the runner on third.
Alex Latzka digs in for his first at-bat as a rostered Sea Kitten. A speedy outfielder, Latzka has played nine games for Harmony dating to Fall 2014, posting a 581/594/742 slash with 5 doubles.
An inauspicious double-strikeout start for the Sea Kittens simply set the stage for a two-out first-inning rally. Brenna Marsicek lined a single to left and started a six-batter line drive hit parade that yielded four Sea Kitten runs, with Jess Schultz, Dynamo Dan Oele, and Rowe delivering run-scoring hits.
Players turned around and loaded the bases in the second, but Rowe doubled-down, this time recording the inning’s two final outs via strikeout- his first of a remarkable 8 on the evening. Sea Kittens couldn’t extend its lead, however, and the high-powered Player’s offense got in gear in the third. Rowe sandwiched a walk around two outs, but two hits loaded the bases for Player’s slugging designated hitter, who lofted a moon shot just beyond the right-field fence for a game-tying grand slam.
The rookie trio of Helen Bradley, Alex Latzka, and Marsicek opened the Kitten third with hits, loading the bases for Joe Hennessy, who fisted a two-run single to center. An out later the Cats re-loaded the bases, but this time Player’s squelched the rally with a quick double play.
Harmony’s 6-4 advantage was short-lived. Player’s ramped up the offense again in the fourth, ripping 7 hits around the diamond, and the hulking DH added another shot out of the park. Down 10-6, Rowe scratched one run back himself with a mad dash around the bases, forcing two wild throws after a bloop double and a stumble. “It’s very dusty out there,” Rowe said of his trouble on the basepaths. An out later, Kyle Magyera lofted a long fly ball to left-center, clearing the fence for his first career over-the-fence home run.
“It’s very dusty out there.”
-Zen Master David Rowe
Undaunted, Player’s played longball yet again in the fifth inning and extended the margin to 13-8. Time ticking towards the game’s one-hour time limit, Sea Kittens found themselves with runners on second and third- and two out. Again jammed, Hennessy managed to bounce a single through the middle to bring home two runs. Jess Schultz dug into the box and worked a 5-pitch walk, leaning but not going on a pitch that landed just off the mat. Dynam-Oele stepped in against the visibly frustrated Player’s pitcher, and promptly cranked a no-doubt-about-it, game-tying home deep into the night.
Given a final inning to play, Rowe recorded a strikeout to open the sixth. In stepped Hulk, who watched pitches six feet deep and six feet short before stepping up and clubbing a three-foot short pitch over the center field fence. Advantage, Player’s. The Kittens momentarily wavered under the blow, and Player’s loaded the bases with two out in the inning, but Rowe and the Kitten defense thwarted the rally and trotted to the dugout for their final chance.
Magyera stepped to the plate, yanking the first pitch he saw well foul and digging a 1-2 hole. Settling himself, his next swing was timed perfectly, and “Boom Boom” Magyera had his second career homer- this one of the last-chance, game-tying variety. Another rookie- playing the first organized softball game of her life- Erin “Pirate” Rodell followed with a sure base hit to right-center- seemingly ticketed for the gap, but the Player’s right fielder lunged and grabbed the sinking liner bare-handed to rob Rodell of her first hit. But the next Sea Kitten batter- Ross “Stir” Frey- found that gap and crushed a line drive to the fence. Wheeling into third with a stand-up triple but watching the play, Frey rounded, saw the cut-off throw skitter a few away from the Player’s pitcher, and raced full-steam home with the game’s final, decisive run.
Game Notes
Sea Kittens had never overcome more than a 3-run deficit in the 5th inning or later
Biggest late-inning recovery had been against South Side Badgers, whom SK trailed by 3 in the 5th 9-9-2015 and defeated 13-8
Biggest comebacks in Kitten history:
Down 11-1 after 1 inning vs Packer inn 7/28/2010, W 15-14
Down 6-1 vs Jackalopes 7/28/2010 (same day!), W 11-10
Down 11-6 after 4 innings vs. South Side Badgers 5-23-2012, W 13-12
Down 13-4 after 4 innings vs. Royals 6-20-2012, W 14-13
It was the second one-run win for Sea Kittens in four days
Sea Kittens walked off vs Player’s once before- July 6, 2011, a night the team scored two in the 7th to tie the game, two more in the 8th to tie it again, and one in the 9th to win
The walk-off win was the 6th in Sea Kitten history, and the fourth time the Sea Kittens have rallied from a deficit in their final at-bat:
Karli “Clutch” Younger delivered a walk-off win vs KL engineering October 19, 2016
Tommy TT Shabidu, Jr Cichosz hit his famous “home run double” to defeat South Side Badgers 11-10 May 23, 2012
And Boom Boom Magyera foiled an intentional walk attempt July 30, 2010 to give the Cats a 15-14 win over Floyd & Donna’s Packer Inn
Magyera joins Hennessy, Oele, Andy “Mercury” Stevens, and Detroit Josh Ghena as a member of the Sea Kitten 2-home run club
Player’s might have snuck 6 men & 4 women in the field on defense in the 6th… I think a woman was on the bench, and put the dude in RF who snagged Erin’s liner
5 rookies are the most to appear for the Cats in a game since Rowe, Heidibadger Nelson, Man-Aaron Jossart, Sonya Rowe, Steph and Audrey Pescitelli, and a guy named Ben Goeckner debuted 5/18/2011
NEXT UP- Sea Kittens (1-0) at KL Engineering (1-0), August 30, 2017 6:15pm Olbrich Field 4
Sea Kittens have split a pair of 4-3 decisions against next week’s opponent, KL Engineering, over the past two fall seasons. In 2015 KL scored a run in the bottom of the 7th to win, and in 2016 Sea Kits scored two in the bottom of the 7th to walk off winners. KL defeated Affordably Quality Heating & AC 9-7 in week 1.
Salmon Snacks
Erin R for making her lifetime softball debut, getting good bat on the ball 3 times even if none dropped for that first hit
Jami, Alex, Helen & Brenna for their official first games
Brenna, to take some of the sting out of that calf
Jess for a nice game at second base and drawing that YUGE walk in the 5th
Helen for going 2-3 with two runs
Joe, Dan & Dave for collecting 3 hits each and driving home 10 runs collectively
Kyle for the big home runs and an impressive catch in center- and a 3rd hit, to boot
first pitch he saw well foul and digging a 1-2 hole. Settling himself, his next swing was timed perfectly, and “Boom Boom” Magyera had his second career homer- this one of the last-chance, game-tying variety. Another rookie- playing the first organized softball game of her life- Erin “Pirate” Rodell followed with a sure base hit to right-center- seemingly ticketed for the gap, but the Player’s right fielder lunged and grabbed the sinking liner bare-handed to rob Rodell of her first hit. But the next Sea Kitten batter- Ross “Stir” Frey- found that gap and crushed a line drive to the fence. Wheeling into third with a stand-up triple but watching the play, Frey rounded, saw the cut-off throw skitter a few away from the Player’s pitcher, and raced full-steam home with the game’s final, decisive run.