Cats Claw Back, but Can’t Hang On

Da Hittas (5-0) secured the Madison Sport & Social Club regular-season title with its 9-6 win over Sea Kittens (3-2) May 25 at Bowman Park, putting the Cats into a duel with Bat & Boujee (3-2) for the #2 playoff seed- and accompanying first-round bye- June 8. 

Matched up for the second consecutive week, Sea Kittens again spotted Da Hittas a big inning and early lead, but this time the Cats were able to battle back to take a 1-run lead.  in the end Sea kittens still couldn’t generate enough offense to win and Da Hittas  rallied in the 7th to salt the game away.

Slash Grutzik lashes a first-inning double for the Cats.

Hittas struck early in this game, rattling the Cats for five runs in the second inning while the Sea Kittens’ struggles against Da Pitching continued, posting goose-eggs in the first three innings.  But the Kitten defense kept the game within reach, as Dan DynamOele and Alex Puma Latzka made run-saving defensive plays within the game’s first four innings.  Needing something, the Kitten bench pumped up the jam in the bottom of the fourth, and the bats finally starting singing in response.

Latzka led off the inning with a triple to the right-field corner, and Slash Grutzik followed with his first home run of the season- a no-doubt-about-it missile to left.  Roadrunner Jami Hauer flicked a single, and Oele doubled to complete the team cycle and set the Cats up with runners on second and third and nobody out.  las the rally threatened to stall, but AaLo Lomax delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single to bring the Cats within one run.

Lomax followed his big hit with a run-saving backup in the outfield in the top of the 5th, and Sea Kittens scratched out two runs on four hits in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-5 lead.  But the advantage did not last, as Da Hittas tied the game with a two-out triple in the top of the sixth inning.  The Sea Kitten bats went back to nap status in the bottom of the sixth,  and Da Hittas followed a lead-off walk with a go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh and used aggressive baserunning to tack a second insurance run.  

Down by three runs and down to their final three outs, the Cats couldn’t claw their way out of the corner and fell for the second straight game- the Cats’ first back-to-back losses since October, 2021.

 

Salmon Snacks

• Dan, Alex , & Aaron L for nice defensive plays

• Dan for his 3-3 game with a 2B

• Stephen was 2-3 with a 2B & HR

• Laura for working a walk & coming around to score in the 4th

 

 

 

Sea Kittens Great Fillet of the Game

We’ll be back next week with Great Fillet voting!  Meanwhile congrats to Adrienne Howard for winning this weeks great Fillet! A made a fabulous full-layout catch of a line drive at third base…while playing for Bottomfeeders.  

Next Up

The Cats (3-2) and Bat & Boujee (3-2) meet in a twice-postponed game that’ll determine who gets the second seed for Thursday night playoffs.  Sea Kittens won the clubs’ only previous matchup 14-9, in May 2022.   Sea Kittens raced to an early lead in that game and never looked back, with Dan, Erin, & Stephen combining to go 9-9 with four doubles and a triple in the middle of the Kitten lineup.  Other notable events included Katie making two great grabs at catcher, and Alex getting smoked in the head by a throw to second base.

Game Notes

• Sea Kittens are now 4-61 all-time when scoring 6 runs or fewer.
• Da Hittas/ Avengers are the fourth team to hold the Cats under 10 runs in three straight matchups.  Fingers Don’t Lose did so in 2022, Infield Flies in 2015-2016, and South Side Badgers  in 2014-2015- but the Cats won one of those games!
• Sea Kittens had won 37 consecutive games when leading at the end of 5 innings- the last loss was June 26, 2019- a heartbreaking walk-off loss to Monona Mashers.  All-time, the Cats are 104-8 when leading at the end of 5 innings.
• Stephen collected the 100th hit of his Sea Kitten career.  He reached the milestone in his 41st game, faster than any previous player.